The Catholic Spirit - January 15, 2015

Blessed Sacrament closes 5 • New women’s conference 6 • Online discernment 15 January 15, 2015 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

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Minneapolis pastor ordained Maronite chorbishop

Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun, pastor of St. Maron Maronite Catholic Church in Minneapolis, blesses the congregation during his ordination Mass Jan. 6 at St. Maron. Performing the ordination rite was Bishop Elias Zaidan of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles. At left is Chorbishop Moussa Joseph, rector of St. Raymond Cathedral in St. Louis. Bishop Lee Piché attended the ordination, along with several other priests of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, including Msgr. Aloysius Callaghan, rector of the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul, and Father John Ubel, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul. Chorbishop Maroun, who previously held the title of monsignor, will continue to serve as pastor of St. Maron, which he has done since in 1989. The ordination also was special for Chorbishop Maroun because it was his 53rd birthday. Members of his family contributed by having their jewelry melted down — in some cases, their wedding bands — for use in his pectoral cross. Also, his mother, Genevieve Maroun, came from her home in New Brunswick, N.J., to attend, receiving a blessing from him during the liturgy. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit See story on page 8.

ALSO inside

Room for hope

Spanning the divide

Nice gals finish first

As Roe v. Wade anniversary approaches, Philomena House marks first year helping single, expectant mothers.

— Page 9

Minnesota Catholic Conference expects legislative priorities to earn bipartisan support.

— Pages 12-13

Carleton College graduate’s others-first approach drives team to “Amazing Race” win.

— Page 21

Page Two

2 in PICTURES

“As Catholics, we should think of forgiveness at a later stage. . . . We have to fight fanaticism in general, and we are united in our prayers during this period of mourning.”

Francoise Cestac, parishioner of the Church of Notre Dame in Manhattan, after a Jan. 11 Mass during which New York’s French Catholic community offered solemn prayers for the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

Pray with U.S. bishops to end abortion Jan. 17-25 Ahead of the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in the United States, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is providing prayer resources as part of its “9 Days for Life” Jan. 17-25. During that time, U.S. bishops urge Catholics to pray for a “culture of life.”

CRASHED ICE COMING Course construction is under way at the Cathedral of St. Paul for the upcoming Red Bull Crashed Ice event, which will take place Jan. 22-24. This will be the fourth year that the event makes a stop in St. Paul. At the same time, the cathedral is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Ways to join • Nine Days for Life app available at www.itunes.com and www.play.google.com.

• Text “9DAYS” to 55000 to receive a link to new novena content on your phone each day • Visit www.9daysforlife.com for online content, a printable novena to download and to sign up to receive updates via email.

Event promotes healing from sexual abuse of children St. Paul parish in Ham Lake will host a prayer service Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. to promote healing in the Church and the community from the sexual abuse of children. The event is a chance for people to listen to and support one another in the search for healing from the pain that abuse causes, and to ask for God’s help and guidance.

The church is located at 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd. NE in Ham Lake.

Pope Francis’ suggested New Year’s resolutions

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

HOLY MEETS HOLLYWOOD Pope Francis meets U.S. actress Angelina Jolie during a private audience at the Vatican Jan. 8. Jolie met with the pope after a screening at the Vatican of her film “Unbroken,” the Vatican said. CNS/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters

WHAT’S NEW on social media The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is observed Jan. 18–25. This week, a post on The Catholic Spirit’s Facebook page asks, how can we change any negative attitudes in order to embrace diversity?

Read the latest news about the local and universal Church by following The Catholic Spirit on Twitter @CatholicSpirit.

Move over, Taylor Swift. Students and faculty at St. Mark’s School in St. Paul make a rendition of Swift’s “Shake It Off.” Watch the video at http://schools. archspm.org/aim_profile/saint-marks-school-shows-school-spirit-saintmarks-shake/

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 20 — No. 1 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT, Publisher ANNE STEFFENS, Associate Publisher United in Faith, Hope and Love

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

MARIA WIERING, Editor

When Pope Francis met before Christmas with Vatican employees, mostly lay people with families, he asked them to do 10 things. The list sounded remarkably like suggestions for New Year’s resolutions: • “Take care of your spiritual life, your relationship with God, because this is the backbone of everything we do and everything we are.”

• “Take care of your family life, giving your children and loved ones not just money, but most of all your time, attention and love.”

• “Take care of your relationships with others, transforming your faith into life and your words into good works, especially on behalf of the needy.”

• “Be careful how you speak, purify your tongue of offensive words, vulgarity and worldly decadence.”

• “Heal wounds of the heart with the oil of forgiveness, forgiving those who have hurt us and medicating the wounds we have caused others.”

• “Look after your work, doing it with enthusiasm, humility, competence, passion and with a spirit that knows how to thank the Lord.”

• “Be careful of envy, lust, hatred and negative feelings that devour our interior peace and transform us into destroyed and destructive people.”

• “Watch out for anger that can lead to vengeance; for laziness that leads to existential euthanasia; for pointing the finger at others, which leads to pride; and for complaining continually, which leads to desperation.”

• “Take care of brothers and sisters who are weaker . . . the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and strangers, because we will be judged on this.”

Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service.

All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper.

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W

hile most of us were warming up leftovers the day after Thanksgiving, Pope Francis was off to Turkey for one of the most significant apostolic visits of his pontificate to date.

The purpose of the visit was twofold: 1) to plead for peace in the area that has been marked with war and violence; 2) to renew his quest for Church unity with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew.

Meeting with civil authorities at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, the Holy Father recalled how important their land is for Christians since it was the birth place of St. Paul, the foundational site of various early Christian communities and the host of the first seven Councils of the Church. He spoke of how he was following in the footsteps of his predecessors Blessed Paul VI, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He also recalled how St. John XXIII has served as Apostolic Delegate there before becoming pope.

THAT THEY MAY ALL BE ONE Archbishop John Nienstedt

Having these experiences in common, the Holy Father called for much needed dialogue aimed at furthering mutual understanding. Yet, he pointed out, the Middle East has for too long been a theatre for fratricidal wars that

El Papa modela paz y unión durante su viaje a Turquía Mientras que la mayoría de nosotros estábamos calentando la comida el día después de Acción de Gracias, el Papa Francisco estaba en camino a Turquía para una de las visitas apostólicas más significativas de su pontificado hasta la fecha. El objetivo de la visita era doble: 1) para abogar por la paz en la zona que se ha estado con la guerra y la violencia; 2) para renovar su búsqueda de la unidad de la Iglesia con el Patriarca Ortodoxo Griego Bartolomé.

Reuniéndose con las autoridades civiles en el Palacio Presidencial en Ankara, el Santo Padre recordó la importancia que tiene su tierra para los cristianos, ya que fue el lugar de nacimiento de San Pablo, el sitio fundacional de diversas comunidades cristianas y el anfitrión de los primeros siete Concilios de la Iglesia. El habló de cómo estaba siguiendo los pasos de sus predecesores Beato Pablo VI, San Juan

have only resulted in increased violence and given way to new wars. This situation can be changed for the better with God’s help and with the courage to negotiate for a lasting peace. Fanaticism and fundamentalism, the pope said, must be countered with the solidarity of all believers, based on three pillars: 1) respect for human life and religious freedom; 2) a commitment to ensure a dignified life for every person; and 3) care for the natural environment. Such solidarity would direct resources not to weaponry and military might but to the more noble battles against hunger and sickness, protection of the environment and relieving the many forms of poverty that exist. The pope thanked the people and the government of Turkey for welcoming so many refugees, especially from Syria and Iraq, and called on the international community to assist Turkey in taking care of those refugees.

Of no less importance was Pope Francis’ signing a common declaration with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to pursue together the journey toward restoring full communion as well as the liturgical celebration of the feast of St. Andrew, patron of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople.

The pope noted that it had been 50 years since Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras met in Jerusalem, ushering in a serious dialogue between the two churches on the path to reconciliation. Both churches, the pope acknowledged, need to preserve and support not only one another’s liturgical and spiritual traditions, but also their canonical disciplines. He further stated that full communion cannot signify the submission of one to the other or the assimilation of one into the other. Rather, what must be of utmost concern is a

Pablo II y Benedicto XVI. También recordó cómo San Juan XXIII sirvió allí como Delegado Apostólico antes de convertirse en Papa. Teniendo estas experiencias en común, el Santo Padre pidió por un diálogo muy necesario, encaminado a fomentar la comprensión mutua. Sin embargo, señaló que, el Medio Oriente ha sido por mucho tiempo un teatro de guerras fratricidas, que sólo se han traducido en un aumento de la violencia y dado paso a nuevas guerras. Esta situación se puede cambiar por algo mejor con la ayuda de Dios y con el coraje de negociar por una paz duradera. El fanatismo y el fundamentalismo, dijo el Papa, deben ser contrarrestados con la solidaridad de todos los creyentes, basado en tres pilares: 1) el respeto por la vida humana y la libertad religiosa; 2) el compromiso de garantizar una vida digna para todas las personas; y 3) el cuidado del entorno natural. Esta solidaridad dirigirá recursos no a las armas y el poder militar, sino a las batallas más nobles contra el hambre y la enfermedad, la protección del medio ambiente y el alivio de las muchas formas de pobreza que existen. El Papa agradeció al pueblo y al gobierno de Turquía por acoger a tantos refugiados, sobre todo de Siria e

From the Archbishop

Pope modeled peace, unity during trip to Turkey

“fraternal love which expresses the spiritual and transcendent bond which unites us as disciples of the Lord.”

The voices that are calling the two Churches to live this discipleship fully, the pontiff added, comes from the poor who suffer from a globalization of indifference, the victims of conflict whose peace is taken from them by acts of violence, and the young who live without hope from a lack of witness to the true humanism that comes from the Gospel and from the Church’s ageold experience.

Acknowledging the deep desire of the pope and patriarch for greater mutual accord ought to encourage all of us in our prayer and in our dialogue as we approach our annual celebration of the Church Unity Octave, Jan. 18-25.

Perhaps the most lasting image from his “Acknowledging the visit was Pope Francis deep desire of the placing his head on the shoulder of pope and patriarch Patriarch Bartholomew asking for a blessing for greater mutual for himself and the Church in Rome. For accord ought to me, this symbolized the good will that encourage all of us in exists among brothers who, despite the our prayer and in our serious obstacles that lie in their way, desire dialogue as we to fulfill the hope of Jesus that “all may be approach our annual one.”

May that same desire celebration of the be in us as we observe the Church Unity Church Unity Octave, Octave!

God bless you!

Irak, y pidió a la comunidad internacional ayudar a Turquía en el cuidado de esos refugiados.

No menos importante, fue la firma del Papa Francisco junto con el Patriarca Ecuménico Bartolomé en la declaración, que busca la colaboración mutua hacia el restablecimiento de la plena comunión, así como la celebración litúrgica de la fiesta de San Andrés, patrón de la Iglesia Ortodoxa de Constantinopla. El Papa señaló que había pasado cincuenta años desde que el Papa Pablo VI y el patriarca ecuménico Atenágoras se reunieron en Jerusalén, marcando el comienzo de un diálogo serio entre las dos iglesias en el camino hacia la reconciliación. Ambas iglesias, reconoció el Papa, tienen que preservar y no sólo soportan mutuamente sus tradiciones litúrgicas y espirituales, sino sus disciplinas canónicas también. Además, declaró que la plena comunión no puede significar la sumisión de una a la otra o la asimilación de una en la otra. Más bien, lo que debe preocuparnos más es un “amor fraternal que exprese el vínculo espiritual y trascendental que nos une como discípulos del Señor.” Las voces que llaman a las dos Iglesias a vivir este discipulado plenamente,

Jan. 18-25.”

añadió el Pontífice, proviene de los pobres que sufren de una globalización de la indiferencia, las víctimas de los conflictos cuya paz la han despojado los actos de violencia y los jóvenes que viven sin esperanza por la falta de testimonio del verdadero humanismo que viene del Evangelio y de la Iglesia con años de experiencia.

Reconozcamos el profundo deseo del Papa y del Patriarca para un mayor acuerdo mutuo que nos debe animar a todos nosotros en nuestra oración y en nuestro diálogo cuando nos acercamos a nuestra celebración anual de la Octava por la Unidad de la Iglesia del 18 al 25 enero.

Quizás la imagen más perdurable de esta visita fue el Papa Francisco colocando su cabeza en el hombro del Patriarca Bartolomé pidiendo una bendición para él y para la Iglesia en Roma. Para mí esto simboliza la buena voluntad que existe entre los hermanos que, a pesar de los graves obstáculos que encuentran en su camino, desean cumplir con la esperanza de Jesús de “que todos sean uno”. ¡Que ese mismo deseo esté en nosotros, mientras se observa la Octava por la Unidad de la Iglesia! ¡Dios los Bendiga!

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

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Local

Wiering returns to The Catholic Spirit as editor

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit Maria Wiering, a former reporter with The Catholic Spirit, took the reins Jan. 5 as the editor of the newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Wiering, 30, most recently was a reporter for the Catholic Review, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Her experience in the Catholic press has well prepared her for the role, she said.

The native of Tyler, Minn., holds a bachelor’s degree in Catholic Studies and a master of arts in art history, both from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

Wiering is married and has a 15-month-old son.

During an interview, Wiering talked about her commitment to Catholic journalism and her hopes for The Catholic Spirit.

“I’ve loved working in Catholic journalism,” Wiering said, “I’m so excited to come back to where I got my start in journalism about the Church and step into leadership.”

Wiering began writing for The Catholic Spirit in 2004 as a college intern. She worked for the

Hoeven (R-N.D.) in Washington, D.C., before joining the Catholic Review staff in 2012. Her writing has earned numerous awards from the Catholic Press Association and the MarylandDelaware-D.C. Press Association.

In what are undoubtedly difficult times for Catholics and for the Church, Wiering said it will be key for The Catholic Spirit to maintain and strengthen its connections to parishes and organizations throughout the archdiocese.

“The Catholic Spirit needs to be a source of hope because so much that’s going on is challenging our faith and role in the public square.”

“The Catholic Spirit needs to be a source of hope because so much that’s going on is challenging our faith and role in the public square,” she said.

“Catholics are motivated by their faith to do good things in their parishes and community, and we want those stories not to be lost.”

She added: “It’s important to be a source of accurate and updated information, and a place where Catholics feel like the archdiocese is achieving its goal of transparency.”

Maria Wiering, Editor, The Catholic Spirit

paper as a staff writer from 2006 Text of the Q & A with Maria to 2010. She then served as a Wiering is on www.TheCatholic 1 1/9/15 5:10 press secretary for U.S. Sen. JohnCathSpDolly-Jan15-Feb12-2015_Layout Spirit.com.

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5 The Catholic Spirit For five generations, the Fitzgerald family has called the Blessed Sacrament on LaCrosse Avenue in St. Paul its spiritual home. Many returned one last time to say goodbye to the parish building, which closed after a final Mass Jan. 11.

“It’s such a Fitzgerald place,” said Monica Fitzgerald, who taught first grade at the school from 1986 to 1989. “Many of our lives started here and revolved around the church and the sacraments. It’s pretty powerful to look around and know that we won’t be coming here anymore.”

The church building, school and rectory are in the process of being sold to a charter school. The parish will continue to worship nearby at the former church of St. Thomas the Apostle, which merged with Blessed Sacrament in 2011 under the latter parish’s name.

After the Mass, the parish’s pastor, Father Donald DeGrood, walked around the interior of the church building and chose several items, including a chalice, to take to the parish’s sole location.

The Mass drew more than 200 current and former parishioners, including one from Salt Lake City, Utah.

As the bells struck on the hour, Father DeGrood said, “I declare this building of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament closed.” It was more than an hour before the last person left the building, as if they were trying to grab one last moment in their beloved worship space.

Cita Regan, a parishioner for five years, called the last Mass “sad but hopeful. We are looking to the future and continuing our faith journey.

The closing of the parish is our Good Friday. With our new parish, we will have our Easter.”

Local

Blessed Sacrament parishioners bid farewell to church

Father Donald DeGrood, pastor of Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul, passes a chalice to Amanda Showalter during the final Mass Jan. 11 at the Blessed Sacrament LaCrosse Avenue site. Showalter and other parishioners received sacred items from the church and took them to the Stillwater Avenue site, where they were placed in front of the altar. The Mass ended with Father DeGrood closing the doors and offering a final prayer. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Recently deceased clergy remembered for Church contributions Father Robert Jude

Father Robert James Jude is being remembered for spreading joy wherever he went over his lengthy priesthood.

A priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for 65 years, Father Jude died Dec. 20, 2014. He was 92.

Born March 24, 1922, in Maple Lake, the son of Paul and Margaret (Riordan) Jude, he attended Nazareth Hall and the St. Paul Seminary and was ordained a priest June 4, 1949, by Bishop James J. Byrne at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Father Jude served as associate pastor at St. Joseph in Red Wing, St. Bridget and St. Stephen in Minneapolis, Holy Trinity in St. Louis Park, St. Mary in Tracy and St. Peter in Delano.

He was chaplain at Red Wing Training School and at the Franciscan Sisters Regional Center in St. Paul, and briefly an administrator at St. George in Long Lake.

He served as pastor at St. Canice in Kilkenny and St. Luke in Clearwater. He retired from active ministry in 1990, but assisted in sacramental ministry at his home parish, St. Timothy in Maple Lake, in retirement.

Father John Meyer, St. Timothy pastor, described Father Jude as “always upbeat” and someone who “made everyone’s day better.”

Family member Anna Maria Jude concurred.

“He had amazing joy,” she said. “When he spoke he was so affirming and charitable. He changed the mood everywhere he went — it was just a natural thing for him.

“You knew about the love of God just by being with Father Jude,” she added.

A funeral Mass was celebrated Jan. 5 at St. Timothy in Maple Lake, where Father Jude had presided at his first Mass in 1949.

He has preceded in death by his parents and brothers John (“Jack”) and Clifton. He is survived by many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews and cousins.

Interment is in the St. Timothy Cemetery.

Deacon Francis Asenbrenner The green-jacketed band director and principal who was widely recognized as the personification of HillMurray High School, Deacon Francis “Frank” Asenbrenner, died Dec. 31, 2014. He was 81.

Hill-Murray faculty, coaches, students and alums filled

Assumption in St. Paul for his funeral Mass Jan. 5.

Among them was Theresa Goerke, long-time physics and sciences teacher, one of the many teachers Asenbrenner hired during his 30 years as the principal of first Archbishop Murray Memorial High School and soon after, the first principal of the combined HillMurray High.

“His enthusiasm was incredible,” Goerke said. “He made everybody feel special. He led the music for the school theater productions, and to begin the performance he always came out to welcome everyone.

He made you feel as though they did the production just for you.”

Asenbrenner was born Aug. 27, 1933, in Leopolis, Wis. He graduated from the then College of St. Thomas with a degree in music education, later earning graduate degrees in both music and education administration.

He was principal of Hill-Murray and became chaplain there as well when he was ordained a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1978, a member of just the second diaconate class of the archdiocese. He served as a deacon at Maternity of the Blessed Virgin in St. Paul, and for a short time was parish life administrator there when the parish was between pastors.

The Asenbrenner family’s parish was St. Rose of Lima in Roseville, where Deacon Asenbrenner was active as a choir director.

Goerke said the man known throughout Hill-Murray as “Mr. A” had high academic standards; music, though, was his passion.

Don Regan, chairman of Premier Banks, sent seven children to Hill-Murray and recalled spending a lot of time with him.

“He was a great people person, just an outstanding individual,” Regan said. “He really looked after his students.”

Deacon Asenbrenner was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Margaret. He is survived by their eight children — Jim Asenbrenner, Mary Zimmer, Jean Liss, Kathy Aziz, Tom Asenbrenner, Sue Eichten, Barb Atkinson and Peg Sutherland — and their spouses and 16 grandchildren.

Interment is in Roselawn Cemetery in Roseville.

Father Charles Froehle Father Charles Froehle was a role model for the scores of priests ordained from the St. Paul Seminary over the 25 years he served there as professor, dean and rector.

A priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for 51 years, he died Jan. 6. He was 77.

Father Charles Lachowitzer, moderator of the curia and vicar general of the archdiocese, was one of those formed at the seminary during Father Froehle’s tenure as rector. He told The Catholic Spirit about a few of the things he remembered most about Father Froehle.

“Liturgies. He was a great homilist and modeled a prayerful style of celebrating the Mass,” Father Lachowitzer noted. “It was such a significant part of our seminary formation to do Sundays well, and he certainly modeled that.

“He gave us all an inspiring example of what it means to be a good ‘pastor’ as well as a good priest,” he added.

“In so many ways, Father Froehle acted as the pastor of the seminary. He was accessible, thoughtful, caring and pragmatic when dealing with a myriad of seminarian and faculty concerns.”

Charles Leo Froehle was born in St. Cloud April 20, 1937, the son of Leo and Catherine Froehle.

Raised in St. Paul, he attended Nazareth Hall, the minor seminary, and the St. Paul Seminary before being ordained a priest Feb. 2, 1963, at the Cathedral of St. Paul by Archbishop Leo Byrne.

He served as associate pastor at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis for two years before beginning studies in Rome. He earned a licentiate and a doctorate in theology from the Angelicum and returned to the St. Paul Seminary where he served as professor of sacramental theology, and later as dean of studies and vice rector.

In 1980 he was appointed rector of the St. Paul Seminary.

As rector, Father Froehle was one of the major architects of the seminary’s affiliation with the University of St. Thomas, which provided financial security for the seminary in exchange for seminary land, which the growing university needed.

In 1994, Father Froehle was named pastor of St. Francis Xavier parish in Buffalo, and later pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis. He retired from active ministry in 2012.

Father Froehle is survived by his brother John and sisters Margaret Cournoyer and Jean Froehle, along with many nieces and nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great grandnieces and great grandnephews.

A funeral Mass was offered Jan. 13 at St. Mary’s Chapel at the St. Paul Seminary with internment in Resurrection Cemetery.

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

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New women’s ministry to host Feb. 14 event

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit A St. Valentine’s Day event invites women to take a break from responsibilities to gather for faith, inspiration and fellowship.

The WINE: Women In the New Evangelization Catholic Women’s Conference will feature two speakers: Nancy Jo Sullivan, a parishioner of St. Peter in Richfield whose testimony will include spiritual lessons learned from her late daughter who had Down syndrome, and Patty Schneier, an author from the Archdiocese of St. Louis who will focus on evangelization tips for “the ordinary Catholic.”

“We hope women can come together and support each other in our needs, suffering, accomplishments and joy,” said Kelly Wahlquist, WINE founder, who will emcee the event with local author Alyssa Bormes. “We want women to be renewed and

refreshed in their faith.”

The day will include Mass with Bishop Andrew Cozzens, music, vendors and lunch.

The conference will be held 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 14 at Epiphany in Coon Rapids with the theme “A Heart Drawn By Love, Sent On Fire.” (See registration information at right.)

Participants are invited to stay until 3 p.m. to learn more about WINE as it rolls out in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The conference replaces the annual archdiocesan women’s retreat. It is the first major event of the year sponsored by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, in partnership with WINE, which is based in the archdiocese.

“This is an unprecedented collaboration between the archdiocese and a national ministry, and we are truly excited to see how the Holy Spirit will lead us as we go forth to bring the Gospel to the people of the

[archdiocese],” said Jeff Cavins, director of evangelization and catechesis.

New women’s ministry Wahlquist, who also serves as assistant director of the Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute in St. Paul, has spent 10 years speaking with women about living the new evangelization. When it came to establishing programs, she noticed many parish groups reinventing the wheel.

“What I saw was a commonality of desire and passion to get women together so they could have this relationship with Christ and encounter it together,” said Wahlquist, a wife and mother who attends Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata.

Wahlquist explained that WINE, while a fun acronym, finds its inspiration in sacred Scripture and in the Eucharist.

“We want to follow the Blessed Mother’s words at the wedding in Cana and do whatever he tells us, do the will of God, so we can build up the Body of Christ,” she said.

WINE: Catholic Women’s Conference 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. Feb. 14 Epiphany, Coon Rapids Doors open at 7 a.m. for coffee, caramel rolls and shopping.

• Performance by singer Vicki Kueppers • Keynote talk by Catholic author Patty Schneier and testimony from Nancy Jo Sullivan • Book and resource tables • Sacrament of reconciliation • Mass with Bishop Andrew Cozzens • Lunch Register $30 per person before Jan. 19 (early bird), $40 per person after Jan. 19.

Visit www.wine-cwc.eventbrite.com.

Deadline is Feb. 9.

More information Visit www.archspm.org, keyword: WINE, or call (651) 291-4411 Sponsored by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis in partnership with WINE: Women In the New Evangelization

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By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit A year ago high school sophomore Brianna Woitalla attended confirmation classes at her parish, St. Michael in St. Michael, only because her parents required it.

This year she looks at it differently.

“Last year I didn’t really know what confirmation was, what it meant,” said Woitalla, who expects to be confirmed this spring. “After confirmation I hope my faith will increase, and I will learn and understand more.”

Parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis face the challenge of helping teenage confirmands such as Woitalla encounter Christ so they will embrace the sacrament and continue practicing their faith as adults — something many don’t do.

Drawing from a variety of multimedia classroom, retreat and prayer-related programs, confirmation leaders are tailoring confirmation preparation plans to offer families greater flexibility as parishes seek to engage parents alongside their teenagers.

“We have such a deep beautiful Catholic tradition that we want our young people to understand,” said Kory LaCroix, senior high youth minister at Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata. “It has very little foundation unless we’re also helping them have that encounter with the Lord in a lifelong, lived relationship.”

This year Holy Name of Jesus started allowing its 300 confirmation students to choose when they will complete their confirmation preparation and

From left, Olivia Kettleson and Abbey Baumtrog sing and clap during praise and worship at Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata Jan. 11 during an event to help teens in the parish prepare for confirmation. The featured speaker was Father Michael Schmitz of the Diocese of Duluth, who also celebrated the 5:30 p.m. Mass.

Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit receive the sacrament. A major part of preparation is a monthly eucharistic-centered prayer meeting and talk, LaCroix said.

Bob Swift, youth ministry and catechesis director at St. Raphael in Crystal, draws from several sources to prepare the parish’s 70 confirmation students. He organizes retreats and uses programs including LifeTeen, which trains catechists for a parish-based outreach, and a new program called “Chosen,” featuring dynamic videos.

“People have to make a personal decision for the faith, especially teenagers because up to this point everyone has made the decision for them,” he said. “I see evangelization as a critical piece of the overall confirmation, youth ministry picture.”

Young people are more likely to participate when they’ve made the choice to be at confirmation class, said Linda Nunez, faith formation

director at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul, where nearly all of its classes are in Spanish.

“We want our kids to make the decision to join confirmation on their own, not just because mom and dad say they have to,” she said.

“This is kind of the final step and then they have to go by themselves in their faith. We’re here to help them get all the knowledge they need to make, but we want them [to want] to be here.”

Getting parents involved is important for turning kids onto confirmation, said Jim Thorp, faith formation director at St. Michael.

One way the parish does this is by offering family catechesis. It also has gender-specific confirmation classes for the parish’s 140 confirmation students and catechism study in the youth group.

“We saw in our own parish [that] if parents aren’t engaged, if they’re not the primary teachers, if they’re

Local

Confirmation challenge: Building teens’ lifelong faith foundation

just going through the motions, the kids recognize that,” Thorp said. “If they don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, the kids are not going to have it either.”

Rachel Nellis, a high school junior and parishioner of Holy Name of Jesus, said she has grown in her relationship with God since her confirmation last year and is using her talents at her parish.

“The Holy Spirit is in my life a lot more since I got confirmed, and I think that’s why,” she said. “I was looking for a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ.” Unfortunately, not many of her confirmation classmates have stayed involved, she added.

Confirmation is the beginning of life with the Lord, LaCroix said.

“Discipleship is an everyday thing, choosing to follow Jesus Christ every moment of my life, something we prepare young people to do today and forever.”

Catholic philanthropist remembered for integrity in business, generosity to Church

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Faith in God, not altruistic ideals, shaped the life of Wayzata business leader and philanthropist David Koch, Father Michael Van Sloun said at his funeral Mass Jan. 9. The retired Graco Inc. chief executive officer and board chairman died Jan. 1 at age 84.

Father Van Sloun lauded Koch for the care he showed Graco’s employees, customers and shareholders, and his generosity to a range of civic and charitable organizations, including several with Catholic ties.

With his wife, Barbara, Koch was a benefactor of the College of St. Benedict, Pacem in Terris retreat center, St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, the University of St. Thomas, and their parish, St. Bartholomew in Wayzata, where the funeral was held.

“The word of God guided their marriage, guided their family and guided all their business dealings, too,” said Father Van Sloun, St. Bartholomew’s pastor, who presided at Koch’s funeral Mass.

David Koch graduated from Wayzata High School in 1948 and attended the University of Notre Dame on a football scholarship for three years. He was a member of the university’s 1949 undefeated national football championship team. He transferred to St. Thomas and

graduated in 1952 with a business administration degree.

Koch served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and worked in securities before joining Graco, a pump and spray equipment manufacturer founded by Barbara’s father and uncle, Leil and Russell Gray. He spent 45 years at Graco, serving as its president and CEO from 1962 to 1996. He was board chairman at his retirement in 2001.

Married for 59 years, the Koches focused their charitable giving on “building the Church,” Father Van Sloun said.

Koch served on St. Thomas’ board of trustees from 1978 to 2006, and, according to the university, “was very active helping [former university presidents] Msgr. Terrence Murphy and Father Dennis Dease shape the growth of the university in the 1980s and 1990s.”

Koch was a co-founder of the university’s Center for Catholic Studies and contributed to several building projects. The Koches also established the university’s Koch Endowed Chair in Business Ethics and the Center for Ethical Business Cultures.

David Koch served on numerous boards and sought to “advance the principles of character and integrity in business,” Father Van Sloun said. He also contributed to DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis,

David Koch, 84, was remembered as a business and civic leader motivated by his Catholic faith at a funeral Mass Jan. 9.

A parishioner of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata, Koch died Jan. 1.

Photo courtesy Roger Rich/University of St. Thomas. the Minnesota Historical Society and several faithbased organizations that serve people in need.

Koch is survived by his wife, four children and eight grandchildren.

Concelebrating Koch’s funeral Mass were Msgr.

Aloysius Callaghan, rector of St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity; Father Timothy Dolan, pastor of St. William in Fridley; Father Timothy Nolan, chairman of the board of Pacem in Terris; and Father Michael Reding, pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle in Minneapolis.

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

8

Local

Maronite Catholic pastor ordained chorbishop on feast of the Epiphany

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit On the eve of the Jan. 6 feast of the Epiphany — the day when Maronite Catholics believe Christ passes by their homes offering a special blessing — longtime local Maronite pastor Sharbel Maroun anticipated a particular gift: his ordination as chorbishop the following evening.

Chorbishop Maroun was ordained Jan. 6 by Maronite Bishop Elias Zaidan at St. Maron Maronite Catholic Church in Minneapolis where he has served as pastor for more than 25 years.

Catholic, but not Roman Based in Lebanon, the Maronite Church is one of 22 rites, or distinct liturgical traditions, within the Catholic Church that share the creed, sacraments and papal allegiance. Chorbishop Maroun is one of five chorbishops in the eparchy (diocese) of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, which covers 34 states. It is one of two U.S. Maronite eparchies.

The two-hour liturgy was spoken and sung in English, Arabic and Syriac, and attended by clergy from eastern and western Catholic rites, including Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché of St. Paul and Minneapolis; Msgr. Aloysius Callaghan, rector of the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity; and about 600 lay men and women.

“I feel this is a gift not to me personally only, but to the parish first of all and my family that I’ve been part of the whole journey of

my life as a priest,” Chorbishop Maroun said.

The ancient rank of chorbishop was once also found in the Roman Catholic Church and is similar to an auxiliary bishop. Unlike auxiliary bishops, however, chorbishops can confer minor orders but not the diaconate or priesthood.

‘A beautiful example’ While Roman Catholics celebrate the arrival of the Magi on the feast of the Epiphany, the Maronite and other eastern churches celebrate Christ’s baptism. The feast has special significance for Chorbishop Maroun, who was also born, ordained a priest and elevated to monsignor on that day.

Under a large mosaic representing the Trinity, Bishop Zaidan described during the liturgy how St. John the Baptist pointed to Christ by cleansing the people during baptism so the Lord could give them new life. Chorbishop Maroun also points to Christ, he said.

“Chorbishop Sharbel is that point man showing us and leading us to Christ, saying this is the way to Christ, follow him,” he said. He “has been a beautiful example and heroic father in his own community.”

During the ordination rite, the bishop placed one hand on Chorbishop Maroun’s head and the other upon a newly consecrated host, visually uniting the power of the two sacraments of holy orders and the Eucharist.

At a reception following the ordination, Bishop Piché called Chorbishop Maroun a “wonderful collaborator and minister” whose influence has been felt in the

Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun kneels before Bishop Elias Zaidan during the ordination rite at St. Maron Jan. 6. At left is Chorbishop Moussa Joseph, rector of St. Raymond Cathedral in St. Louis. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit archdiocese and in the Maronite Church.

“Father Sharbel has done wonderful work as a steward and been found faithful and trustworthy,” he said. “For that he has well earned the admiration and respect of his brother priests in the Latin rite who are representing all the priests of the archdiocese tonight on this occasion.”

Chorbishop Maroun will remain St. Maron’s pastor.

“From day one I’ve been called to serve, and I don’t think the chorbishop is going to change anything except to continue my serving,” he said, adding that his ordination entails responsibilities beyond the local Church.

Beyond the Twin Cities, Chorbishop Maroun has already served as a vocation director, parish founder and international president of Tele Lumiere-Noursat,

a Christian television network based in Lebanon.

Recognizing his family’s role in his vocation, Chorbishop Maroun displayed his pectoral cross forged from family members’ gold jewelry, including wedding bands.

The ordination was emotional for parishioner Maggie Jacobs.

“He’s a very humble, unselfish man,” she said. “Whatever you ask of him he doesn’t say no to anybody, parishioner or not. He’s a very wonderful priest to have here.”

St. Maron parishioner George Younes was not surprised his pastor was tapped for chorbishop, and he expects to see good work as he assists the eparchy’s bishop.

“We’re afraid the next step is bishop and we might lose him,” Younes said, “but we’d be happy wherever God wishes him to go.”

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January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

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9

Respect Life

Help &

HOPE

Philomena House marks one year as refuge for expectant mothers

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

P

aris Morriseau was hooked on meth and pregnant, one of life’s cruelest double whammys.

Her boyfriend had abandoned her, and her family did not support her. Alone and desolate this past summer, she looked online for a place to go.

After hours of searching, she found a place on a website that eventually would turn her life around. It was a newly opened home for pregnant, single mothers called Philomena House, named after an obscure Catholic saint and patronness of infants and expectant mothers.

A group of three Catholic women from Holy Childhood in St. Paul, led by Geralyn Clasemann, opened the house in March 2014.

There was room for only four women, but there was still a vacancy when Morriseau called the house in August.

“I was struggling in a lot of areas in my life,” said Morriseau, 26, who grew up in St. Paul. “I was a complete mess. I was so broken. I was empty, and I would have this overwhelming sadness that nothing could fill. I couldn’t stand feeling that way anymore. I definitely felt chains of bondage over me. I could literally feel it holding me down, like I was stuck in this deep, dark place. God was the only one who could have released me from that place.”

The director of the house, Joyce Nevins, and the house mother, Sharon King, sat down to interview this scared, vulnerable woman whose boyfriend left after learning about the pregnancy.

“We went and interviewed her, and we both wanted her to come,” said Nevins. “We knew that, right then and there. We got in the car and on the way home, I said, ‘Sharon, what do you think?’ And, Sharon said, ‘I think she should come.’ And, I said, ‘So do I.’”

Responding to need The pair saw it as a ripe opportunity to offer Morriseau what they offer to every woman they accept — lodging, food and all kinds of support, including life coaching, a doula to help them before, during and after childbirth, and, finally, a house mother who lives at the house and can respond quickly to any and all needs.

The women, who must be pregnant and without any other children at the time they enter, are allowed to stay up to one year at Philomena House. The house is unmistakably Catholic, with a first-class relic — a bone fragment — of St. Philomena on display in the kitchen and a picture of her on the wall, but women are accepted regardless of their spiritual beliefs.

Yet, there are certain things that absolutely are not welcomed into the home such as drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. That created a problem

Nabeel, a 6-month-old boy whose mother moved into Philomena House while she was pregnant, enjoys some bouncy time with house mother Sharon King, who belongs to St. Agnes in St. Paul. “I just do whatever needs doing,” said King, who lives at the house with four women and two babies. “I make sure we have food. I run the girls out shopping, I run them to their OB appointments. Whatever they need, I try to provide and take care of them.”

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit for Morriseau. Though free from the meth and alcohol that had plagued her for several years, she still smoked more than a pack of cigarettes a day.

She would have to agree to quit in order to be accepted as a resident of the house.

Nevins and King knew how hard that would be. Both had been smokers.

“We were convinced she wouldn’t come because she was totally addicted to cigarettes, and we didn’t think she would want to quit,” Nevins said.

In the end, Morriseau decided to turn her back on nicotine. She now is part of a small community of women who help each other through the difficult transition from pregnancy to motherhood. The four women who came during 2014 are still together. Two have delivered babies; Morriseau is due Feb. 23.

Simple start Philomena House is an extension of something Clasemann started in 2002. She bought a home in St. Paul and housed five single mothers, one at a time, over a period of almost 10 years. She called her dwelling “God’s Little House.” Because she worked full time, she was not able to provide other services that the women needed, and never felt like she was able to do enough.

After Mass one day in 2007, she decided to talk to Nevins, a longtime friend, to see if more could be done. When Nevins eventually agreed, they recruited another pro-life advocate, Bernadine “Bernie” Scroggins, who had several decades of work in the movement under her belt, primarily with the local chapter of Birthright, the Toronto-based international pro-life organization.

After Scroggins quickly agreed to come on board (she now is co-director with Nevins), they set to work on establishing a house. That proved to be much harder than they thought.

The grant money they secured could not be used to buy a house, only to pay rent.

After several frustrating years of searching, in November 2013 the women gathered together at Holy Childhood for a time of prayer before the Eucharist. They figured a holy hour was the best thing to do at that moment.

The very next day, Nevins and Clasemann decided to drive around St. Paul to look for a house. A friend with real estate expertise suggested a part of town known for having large but affordable homes.

“I said to Geralyn, ‘Let’s go out. You have this day off. We’re going to go out.” Nevins said. “It was a beautiful fall day.”

They turned the corner of a street in their target neighborhood and saw a house for sale.

They got out and grabbed a brochure with the information. Bad news — the price was $240,000, which was way more than they could afford.

They drove some more. Later, they worked their way back to this house and talked to a neighbor about it. It turned out to be owned by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls. Four nuns had lived there before moving back to central Minnesota.

They took that as a positive sign, but the price was still too high. Then, they got a call that night from a Catholic couple who knew the trio were interested in the house. They told the women they had bought the house and would charge them an affordable rent to house pregnant women.

All this just 24 hours after their holy hour.

‘I’m a different person’ In addition to buying the house, the husband and wife — who asked not to be identified — volunteer there, along with some of their children. More than 50 people from several parishes donate time and talent to help women like Morriseau, who now is able to look ahead and see a future filled with hope. She plans to become a medical esthetician.

Beyond her career goals, she is living a life that now puts a smile on her face every day.

“I used to cry a lot from being sad,” Morriseau said. “And today, I cry tears of joy almost every day when I think of little things in life, like I’m happy. It just brings me so much joy. I never used to feel that way. Just to think about where I was and think about where I am today, it’s just amazing to me now. I’m a Please turn to WOMEN on page 23

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Respect Life

10

Miscarriage website adds Catholic component Local women seek to provide information they lacked upon miscarriages

On the web www.catholicmiscarriagesupport.com.

By Sharon Wilson For The Catholic Spirit When a miscarriage happens, couples are often unprepared for the devastation.

Unfortunately, medical professionals aren’t always readily available with guidance or help.

When John and Sara Rogers of St. Joseph in West St. Paul suffered a miscarriage in 2008, there was little information online about Catholic teachings and spiritual support for couples experiencing this type of loss.

When they searched for “Catholic miscarriage” there were plenty of books to buy, articles to read and forums to browse, but there was no information about what were considered proper — or even acceptable — procedures for handling the baby’s death in accordance with the Church’s teachings.

Unanswered questions included what to do with the baby’s body if delivered at home; options for a funeral, burial or blessing; and what to tell other children.

When Sara’s friend, Jessica Shurts, and her husband lost their baby in 2012, the situation was not much better. Turning to the Internet — even four years after the Rogers — they found little.

“I was lucky,” Shurts said. “I had Sara to go to, and she had already done the research and was able to share it with me.”

The two women’s shared belief that no one should have to face a miscarriage alone spurred them to help others. Together and with outside help, they created a website —

Jessica Shurts, left, of St. John the Baptist in Savage and Sara Rogers of St. Joseph in West St. Paul created the website www.catholicmiscarriagesupport.com, a Catholic resource for couples who have experienced a miscarriage. Photo courtesy Jessica Shurts www.catholicmiscarriagesupport.com — with information they wished they would have had.

“I did come across an Orthodox Christian blog that had compiled a lot of information, and they graciously allowed us to use their content as a starting point for the website,” Rogers said.

The process has been ongoing.

“Sometimes people came to us with ideas on what to include on the website,” Rogers said.

The pair also sought input from experts.

“The National Catholic Bioethics Center was very helpful in educating on some difficult bioethics issues. And we enlisted the help of my pastor, Father Michael Tix,” Shurts said.

Father Tix, pastor of St. John the Baptist in

Savage, sees the website as a much-needed resource in the Church.

“I think the website and the information is important because often we don’t hear at the parish level about couples who experience a miscarriage,” he said. “It’s at this time that faith is challenged at the loss of a child. Faith is also important as the hope and strength of God’s love for their healing. I think that [in] couples’ experience, miscarriage and infant loss can feel very much alone, and this website provides valuable resources from people who themselves have walked the same road.”

The website includes information on the physical process of a miscarriage and resources for medical information, but it also provides the spiritual and emotional support.

“There is a lot of misconception and confusion about what the Catholic Church teaches and what prayers and liturgies can or should be done when you have a miscarriage,” Rogers said. “Even the priests sometimes need to research what is done in certain circumstances. The website has all of those resources in one place.”

The site gets about 30 hits a day. It also is the first website listed in a Google search for “Catholic Miscarriage Support.”

“Right now, we just want to let people know about it,” Rogers said of the website.

“Eventually, it would be great to see pamphlets and brochures made, and possibly even a training with our seminarians, priests and pastoral care ministers, to let them know the resources that are out there.”

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January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

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11

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Sam Sinjem was putting his life back together in the fall of 2013.

A faithful Catholic throughout his childhood, the 18-year-old Prior Lake High School senior strayed during his early teenage years. He made some bad choices, and made some bad friends.

Eventually, he turned away from God and to marijuana.

But, he had been reeled back into the fold by his parish youth minister, Pat Millea, at St. Michael in Prior Lake over the course of several months.

Things were clipping along nicely in his junior year until the fateful day of Nov. 11. He casually checked some tweets on his phone while at school, and was horrified by one piece of news — friend and spiritual role model Chase Michiels had been killed in an accident when he lost control of his truck and was ejected from the vehicle.

The two had met at a Catholic Heart Work Camp in July 2013 in Charleston, S.C., with Michiels spending a lot of time with Sinjem, encouraging him in his budding faith. The two, who lived more than 1,000 miles apart, had vowed to get together again.

Little did Sinjem know that the next time would be at Chase’s funeral in his home state of Louisiana.

“It was on my birthday that he passed away,” Sinjem said. “My life froze.”

Upon hearing the news, he sought out his parish youth ministers and connected with Gina Tupy, a St. Michael youth minister who has since retired. Together, they sorted through his feelings, which would include a renewed spiritual resolve.

“Through losing Chase, I had to make the choice of either falling back into the dark hole that I was in, or find light in the darkness,” Sinjem said. “I made the choice to live a life of positivity in God’s light, and live my life for Chase. Now, my life has made a complete 180. I used to crave weed, but now I crave the

Local events Sam Sinjem of St. Michael in Prior Lake is a strong leader in the parish youth group after struggling in his own life. He credits the help of people like parish youth minister Pat Millea. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Marching on Washington Sam Sinjem is among 188 youth and adults from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis participating in the national March For Life in Washington, D.C., Jan. 22, the anniversary of the Roe v.

Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America.

Archbishop John Nienstedt is among the local contingent.

Follow @March_For_Life on Twitter with #WhyWeMarch Eucharist.”

That leadership includes passion for the pro-life cause, stirred in part by his mother’s longtime example.

He’s an elected board member of his school’s growing, 3-year-old pro-life club, Lakers for Life.

An empty hole This kind of behavior would have been hard for anyone, including Sinjem, to imagine just two years ago. He was in the midst of a rough period that worsened after his father was diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease.

Meanwhile, he was supposed to be preparing for confirmation.

About the only spiritual thing that was happening in Sinjem’s life at that time was a simple prayer that God would fill the empty hole in his life.

He went back to Millea and made a confession: He was not doing the preparation needed for

receiving the sacrament. Millea then had a choice to make — tell Sinjem he wasn’t ready for confirmation and postpone it, or use the short amount of time left to help Sinjem get ready.

Millea chose the latter.

“It was easy to see the potential in him at that point and say, ‘OK, what can we do to make sure that you’re prepared for the sacrament and, more important, what can we do to make sure you’ve got what you need to stay committed, stay faithful and grow from this?’”

Millea said.

The way Sinjem has lived since his May confirmation — including his parish and pro-life club leadership — proves Millea made the right decision. Sinjem considers himself blessed to be surrounded by many supportive and faith-filled people, especially Millea, whom he says provided fatherly guidance when his own

Prayer Vigil for Hope, Healing and Mercy 7-11 p.m. Jan. 21 St. Mary’s Chapel at the St. Paul Seminary

Respect Life

After drug use and despair, teen’s conversion includes parish, pro-life leadership

The vigil is open to all and is a special invitation to those who have been hurt by abortion to pray for hope and healing. The evening includes Mass with Bishop Andrew Cozzens, eucharistic adoration and the opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation.

For more information, contact Sonya Flomo at (651) 291-4515.

Prayer Service for Life and March for Life rally 10:30 a.m. Jan. 22 Cathedral of St. Paul The annual prayer service commemorates the millions of lives lost to abortion and the many women and men wounded by abortion. All are invited and welcome to the event, led by Bishop Lee Piché. Immediately following the prayer service, participants will walk to the State Capitol for the Minnesota Concerned Citizens for Life March for Life rally.

Because of the Red Bull Crashed Ice event, parking and street access will be limited. For more information, contact the archdiocese’s Office for Marriage, Family and Life at (651) 291-4488 father was unable to do so because of his illness.

“These people, honestly, have changed my life,” Sinjem said. “I can’t thank them enough. Without them, I would not be where I am today.”

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January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Legislature

12

Critic for birth and ch

Building bridges Minnesota Catholic Conference expects Church-supported bills to draw support from both sides of the aisle

By Joe Towalski For The Catholic Spirit With the state House of Representatives switching to Republican control after last fall’s elections and the Senate and governor’s office still in DFL hands, one might expect a fair amount of gridlock during the 2015 legislative session.

But the executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the state’s Catholic bishops, sees possibilities where others may see only potential polarization.

“It’s an opportunity to be a bridge-builder,” Jason Adkins said. “I think that’s one of the Church’s vital responsibilities in the public arena: to help legislators and the public to transcend that partisan divide and look for opportunities where we can work together to advance the common good.”

The MCC will start the session, which began Jan. 6, with a focus on several issues that aren’t receiving much media attention, he said, but they are issues on which the Church can provide leadership as well as demonstrate the wide range of its social teaching.

The following are among the MCC’s legislative priorities this year:

Giving parents more choice in education “A lot of our schools our failing. A lot of kids are trapped in failing schools, and they need an opportunity to find a school that best serves their needs,” said Adkins, who noted that Gov. Mark Dayton also has identified education as a top priority for this year’s session. “We also need to help close the achievement gap.”

The MCC will advocate in favor of two education initiatives: • A tax credit bill: This would allow individuals, organizations and corporations to contribute to a scholarship-granting organization and receive a tax credit for the contribution. The SGO would then award scholarships to students that would offset tuition expenses at the schools of their choice. To qualify for a scholarship, the income of the student’s family would need to be at or below 300 percent of what qualifies for participation in the federal school lunch program. Eighty percent of the donation would qualify for the tax credit. The entire program is capped at $80 million.

• Educational savings accounts for children with disabilities: “Children with special needs especially need opportunities to find the resources and institutions that best serve them,” Adkins said.

This proposal would essentially give parents a “debit card” to use state dollars designated for their child for educational opportunities that best serve

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit

him or her. Students would need a written plan called an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to qualify.

“Some might think that both of these educational programs would cost the state money, but they’re actually going to save the state money,” Adkins said.

“So this is a win-win for everybody.”

Creating a Legislative Surrogacy Commission In the last few years, the MCC has opposed attempts to legalize surrogate birth contracts in the state. Commercial surrogacy is an arrangement in which a woman carries to term a child, who is not hers biologically, for the intended parents. Such contracts often take advantage of women in financial need, Adkins said.

Efforts to legalize commercial surrogacy continue.

As a result, the MCC is supporting the creation of a legislative commission that would take more time than the normal committee process to study the issue of surrogacy and its impact on children, women and society.

“We need to get beyond a People magazine approach to this issue that is dominated by feel-good propaganda, and instead really explore the issue in sufficient detail before we make Minnesota an epicenter of the surrogacy business,” Adkins said.

“We think there are significant challenges and problems with surrogacy arrangements, particularly when they are done for money.”

Places that have convened such commissions, including New York and Canada, have ended up banning commercial surrogacy and the sale of reproductive material, he said.

Providing information and resources to women who receive adverse diagnoses in prenatal testing The MCC is working with disability advocacy groups in favor of a bill requiring doctors to provide pregnant women whose babies are diagnosed with certain chromosomal conditions with accurate information from a state Department of Health website, including resources such as support networks. (See accompanying story at right.)

The bill would cover diagnoses for Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome).

“Oftentimes, people are told information, even by Please turn to MCC on page 23

As difficult as it was for Kelly and Justin Hodges to learn that their baby would be born with Trisomy 21, the information and support they received upon diagnosis and throughout the pregnancy was crucial. Without it, Kelly says, thei family would have been unprepared to deal with the stress of the diagnosis in addition to the birth of their baby.

“The emotions you have when you find out, you don’t want to have right after you have the baby,” said Kelly, who gave birth to Madeline Oct. 16.

The Hodges family found out early in the pregnancy that Madeline would have Trisomy 21 also known as Down syndrome, a genetic chromosomal disorde Legislation that causes intellectua supporters disability and developmental delays • Down Syndrome and in some people, Association of health problems.

Following Kelly’s first Minnesota appointment at 10 • Down Syndrome weeks of pregnancy, a Diagnosis series of concerns Network prompted her doctor to order a specialized • Jerome Lejeune ultrasound. It showed Foundation USA a hole in Madeline’s • Minnesota heart, no nasal bridge and undeveloped Catholic lymph nodes — Conference meaning there was a • Prenatal Partners one in 70 chance she for Life had Down syndrome The Hodgeses then • The Arc of met with a genetic Minnesota counselor, who provided information about Down syndrome and shared the experiences of other parents who considered having a child with the condition a blessing.

“Everyone was positive,” said Kelly, who with her family attends St. John the Baptist in New Brighton. “The information helped get past the diagnosis and have her arrive healthy. It gave us a lot of hope for her and what her abilities could be.”

That same support is what Janelle and Ben Gergen sought upon the Trisomy 18 diagnosis of their son, JohnPaul. But rather than being equipped with information, the Gergens, who als have a 7-year-old son and live in the Diocese of Crookston, spent most of the pregnancy advocating for their son when the health system pushed back. They learned that in the last 25 years, the hospital had only seen four cases of a prenatally-diagnosed trisomy.

Because Trisomy 18 is a severe chromosomal condition, the Gergens weren’t expecting a long life for JohnPaul. However, they still needed resources to help them prepare for his birth and life, no matter how short it would be. In her research, Janelle learned that delivering JohnPaul by cesarean section would be the best option for them both. When Janelle approached her doctor with a birth plan that included comfort care measures, she was shocked by his response.

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In addition to the work it does at the State Capitol, the Minnesota Catholic Conference also is involved in educational efforts to help Catholics and others gain a better understanding of important issues with public policy ramifications.

Jason Adkins, MCC executive director, identified three topics that he said need further attention at this time from Catholics around the state:

Legislature

cal care: Families prepare d life of babies diagnosed with hromosomal disorders

Ongoing education efforts needed

Kelly and Justin Hodges hold their 3-month-old daughter, Madeline, who was born with Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome, on Oct. 16. The Hodgeses are parishioners of St. John the Baptist in New Brighton. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit “The doctor said, ‘I’m not going to cut you open for a baby who’s going to die.’ I was just mortified.

I felt so defeated,” Janelle said.

Subsequent meetings with their priest and outside doctors motivated the Gergens to persist in preparing to rightfully celebrate JohnPaul’s life.

Eventually, her doctor conceded.

On April 12, 2013, JohnPaul was born via cesarean section. His heart rate dropped immediately, and he lived for one hour.

“It was me keeping him alive the whole time,” Janelle said, adding that JohnPaul opened his eyes and “squeaked a couple times” upon baptism.

“Our goal in raising our children is to help instill virtue and value so that they become holy men and women and go to heaven,” Janelle said. “So in our experience with JohnPaul, we know his life had purpose and meaning. But he’s in heaven.

And we did everything we could to be his voice while he was here.”

Supporting families For this state legislative session, a number of organizations have partnered to introduce a bill that would provide expectant parents — upon receiving a diagnosis of Trisomy 13, 18 or 21 — with supportive and educational information from national and local organizations. (See list inset.)

According to the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s bishops, many states have passed similar legislation in recent years with bipartisan support.

Heather Bradley, president of the Stillwater-based Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network, has witnessed and experienced the impact of support systems for parents who receive adverse prenatal diagnoses. Her organization’s online network connects parents searching for information and encourages them to write to their medical providers about their experience and suggest improvements.

“There isn’t a better time to have a child with Down syndrome — from the care they receive to

societal acceptance,” said Bradley, who has a daughter with Down syndrome. “Physicians need to support families at a critical time with updated and accurate information.”

Dr. Steven Koop, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul and permanent deacon at St. Rita in Cottage Grove, said accurate information comes from multiple sources and can be boiled down to two: the health care community, and the individuals who have a trisomy condition or live with someone who does. The latter especially is important “so you’re not completely reliant on the health care community, because that’s only part of the picture,” he said.

“Expectant mothers deserve accurate information about their developing child,” Dr. Koop continued. “They also need to know how to care for their child properly, because sometimes there are challenges in caring for children with disabilities.”

Kelly Hodges is hopeful the legislation will pass.

“I think it will help get rid of some of the stereotypes of babies and people with Down syndrome, and have them see the potential and that it’s not a life sentence of misery,” she said.

After her experience with JohnPaul, Janelle Gergen, due on Jan. 22 with a girl, wants to see doctor-patient communication improve . She is optimistic about what the legislation could accomplish given its diverse support.

“This legislation brings sides together to advocate on behalf of special needs children and their families,” she said.

While the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in a 2012 statement said that no current, comprehensive estimate exists of the number of pregnancy terminations following prenatal diagnosis of trisomy conditions, some studies have reported the termination rate is as high as 90 percent.

“We have to have a proper understanding of the human person,” Adkins said. “There is a gender ideology that is getting Get involved more and more • Stay in touch with the aggressive in work of the Minnesota trying to Catholic Conference assert in through the Catholic public policy Advocacy Network. Sign that gender is up at essentially www.mncc.org to malleable, an receive monthly identity a e-updates and person can choose to put legislative advocacy on and take action alerts. off at will. . . .

It adds an • Connect with MCC on incredible Facebook and follow it amount of on Twitter confusion to (@MNCatholicConf). who we are as persons.”

Legislation has been proposed in other places, such as the District of Columbia, that “not only advances this agenda but also undercuts or eliminates religious liberty protections,” he said. “The rational defense of our positions on the human person is vitally important for preserving religious liberty.”

The ‘throwaway culture’ Adkins points to what he calls the “inevitable push” in Minnesota to allow for assisted suicide legislation.

“We really need to talk about the dignity of life, even in difficult circumstances,” he said.

The MCC is developing an end-of-life care guide as a practical resource for Catholics.

Environmental stewardship Pope Francis’ upcoming encyclical on ecology, expected sometime in the spring, will give Catholics an opportunity to talk about a wide range of environmental issues, including how they impact the world’s poor.

The MCC is organizing a Catholic event on climate change and environmental stewardship this fall in light of the encyclical, Adkins said. Details about the event will be coming soon.

At the federal level, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops supports the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to reduce carbon emissions, an effort “which will have a positive economic and environmental impact,” Adkins said.

“Being pro-life means we also need to be concerned about the air children breathe, the food they eat and the world they play in,” he said. “This is part of developing a consistent ethic of life.”

— Joe Towalski

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & World

14

Possible acceleration of Romero sainthood cause creates mixed emotions

By Chaz Muth Catholic News Service

Scholars who have studied the life of murdered Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero say a reading of the tea leaves suggest advancement of his sainthood cause is imminent.

The news is being met with jubilation by many Romero researchers and with mixed emotions by Salvadorans.

Supporters of the cause for Romero’s canonization have been frustrated for years by what they view as a stalled effort.

However, the cause now appears to have momentum, and a soonto-come beatification or sainthood announcement “would be a great day for us,” said Damian Zynda, an Archbishop Romero researcher who is a faculty member with the Christian Spirituality Program at Creighton University.

The most promising movement of the cause came Jan. 8, when the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference announced that a panel of theologians advising the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes unanimously voted to recognize the archbishop as a martyr, and declared that the archbishop had been killed “in hatred for the faith.”

Archbishop Romero, an outspoken advocate for the poor and an uncompromising critic of a Salvadoran government he said legitimized terror and assassinations, was shot and killed March 24, 1980, as he celebrated Mass in a San Salvador hospital chapel during his country’s 12-year civil war that ended in 1992.

The next step in the process lies with the cardinals and bishops

“It’s so long overdue,” said Julian Filochowski, chairman of the Archbishop Romero Trust in London, which was launched in 2007 to raise awareness about the murdered justice advocate’s life and work. “I think it will give great encouragement to the church and to those who are bread-breakingjustice-seeking Christians and Catholics around the world.”

Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero is pictured in a 1979 photo in San Salvador. A panel of theologians advising the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes voted unanimously Jan. 8 to recognize the late Salvadoran archbishop as a martyr, according to t he newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference. CNS photo/Octavio Duran who sit on the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, who will vote on whether to advise the pope to issue a decree of beatification. A miracle is not needed for beatification of a martyr, though a miracle is ordinarily needed for his or her canonization as saint.

Some scholars say it is possible Pope Francis will not adhere to convention and fast-track the canonization process without a miracle.

“I’m not naive, because I’ve walked through a lot of trenches, but I’m hopeful,” said Holy Cross Father Robert S. Pelton, director of Latin American/North American Church Concerns for the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Father Pelton also organizes an annual international conference on Archbishop Romero at the university.

Archbishop Romero’s sainthood cause was opened at the Vatican in 1993, but was delayed for years as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith studied his writings, amid wider debate over whether he had been killed for his faith or for political reasons. And there has been concern that he has been used as a political symbol rather than a religious symbol in El Salvador.

Pope Francis has been an outspoken admirer of Archbishop Romero. He quoted him during a recent general audience at the Vatican, and when he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires, he reportedly said he already considered Archbishop Romero to be a saint.

While many Salvadorans already consider Archbishop Romero to be a saint, not everyone is convinced an official sanction from the church is necessary or positive, said Claudia Bernardi, professor of community arts at California College of the Arts in Oakland, California. She has been involved in community building through art in Perquin, El Salvador.

Bernardi explained that while many of the people she works with in El Salvador honor and revere Archbishop Romero, they are concerned that his canonization would move him further from average people.

Catholic official: Funding running out for Iraqi refugees in Jordan

By Dale Gavlak Catholic News Service A Catholic official warned that funding will soon run out to feed and house thousands of Iraqi Christians sheltering in Jordan after being made homeless by Islamic State militants.

Syriac Catholic Father Noor Alqasmosa, who is charged with helping the refugees, told Catholic News Service that the funding situation is desperate, as the chances for many to restart a new life now further dim.

The priest said many Iraqi Christians probably will not be able to seek resettlement in the United States or other Western countries in 2015 because these countries appear to give priority to

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Syrians fleeing their nearly fouryear conflict.

“I was shocked when I was told that neither the U.S. nor the EU would take in Iraqi Christians from Mosul and Ninevah for resettlement,” said Father Noor, as he prefers to be called.

“We had everything in Mosul and left with nothing,” the Iraqi priest said following recent talks with U.N. and foreign government officials in the Jordanian capital.

“We have Caritas funding lasting just until the end of February to help the 7,000 Iraqi Christians in Jordan,” the priest said, his voice lowering with concern and strain visible on his face. “There is no hope among the people. They believe the world has abandoned them and are leaving

them to die.”

The bulk of the international assistance for displaced Iraqi Christians and other religious minorities is going to northern Iraq.

There, the majority of the displaced shelter after Islamic State militants brutally overran Mosul, Iraq’s second-biggest city, and the Ninevah Plain last summer.

The Christians have called these northern areas home for the past 16 centuries. The Islamists told them to convert to Islam, pay tax, flee or be killed.

It’s unclear how many Christians are among the 2 million internally displaced in Iraq because the U.N. said it does not track individual figures for religious minorities.

Catechism, yoga, Zen cannot open people’s hearts to God, pope says

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Courses in yoga, Zen meditation, even extensive studies in church teaching and spirituality can never free people enough to open their hearts to God and his love, Pope Francis said in a morning homily.

Only the Holy Spirit can “move the heart” and make it “docile to the Lord, docile to the freedom of love,” the pope said Jan. 9 at Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

The pope looked at how Jesus’ disciples could fail to recognize and be open to the Lord’s miracles, like his walking on water, the multiplication of the loaves and encountering him on the road to Emmaus.

“They were the apostles, those closest to Jesus. But they didn’t understand,” he said, according to the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.

“It was because their hearts had been hardened,” he said.

“But how does a heart harden?

How is it possible with these people who were always with Jesus, every day, who listened to him, saw him ... and their heart was hardened.”

The pope said he had asked his secretary why he thought people’s hearts become so closed and cold.

Together they came up with a number of reasons that often affect many people in life, he said.

Painful and difficult experiences can cause people to harden their hearts because they do not want to be vulnerable to “another ordeal” or be disillusioned once again, the pope said.

He said the saying in Argentina, “If a person gets burned by milk, then he will cry when he sees a cow,” expresses this idea of becoming fearful after a painful experience.

Pride, vanity, smugness and a sense of superiority can lead people to become closed up within themselves, he said.

“Religious narcissists” also “have a hard heart because they are closed, they are not open. And they try to defend themselves with these walls they build up around themselves,” he said.

Insecurity causes people to look for things “to grab onto to be secure,” he said, like the Pharisees and Sadducees who were “so attached to the letter of the law.”

They may feel safe and secure, the pope said, but they are like someone “in a jail cell behind bars: It is a security without freedom,” and it was freedom that Jesus came to bring humanity.

When the heart “is hardened, it is not free and if it is not free it is because it does not love,” he said.

“Who teaches us to love? Who frees us from this hardness?” he asked. “Only the Holy Spirit.”

15

By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service What started out as a blog at a time when few people knew about blogs and hardly anyone was familiar with Twitter is a living and growing ministry run by two women religious who are Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Sisters Julie Vieira and Maxine Kollasch oversee their website “A Nun’s Life” from Toledo, Ohio, a quick drive from their order’s motherhouse in Monroe, Mich.

Soon they will be joined by a third sister because the Internet ministry continues to expand. Blogs have been joined by podcasts and heart-to-heart question-and-answer message boards for women — and men — thinking about religious life and whether it is something they should pursue.

And early in 2015, “A Nun’s Life,” found online at www.anunslife.org, will launch a redesigned website tailored to be more user-friendly, particularly for smartphone users.

Sister Julie said she and Sister Maxine both professed final vows with their order in 2006, and “A Nun’s Life” has been their ministry ever since.

In thinking of the missionary

“No one was out there defining who we are as Catholic sisters.”

Sister Julie Vieira sisters “of today and yesterday, and all the things they had to do — build a house, find water” — it seems that what they are doing with “A Nun’s Life” is not all that different, she said.

She and Sister Maxine were “both technically savvy,” she added. “We were looking (online) for stuff on nuns, sisters, religious life. All we found were caricatures. It was very problematic. . . . No one was out there defining who we are as Catholic sisters.”

“A Nun’s Life” came from a joint realization by Sisters Julie and Maxine along with their religious superiors that the order’s newest members had some knowhow in the online world, and that their own order — and many others besides — could benefit from an online presence.

“Facebook was just growing in 2006. Twitter started in 2006,” Sister Julie said. “We started small, very small, with a free WordPress blog.”

Back then, she added, the

prevailing attitude was, “Oh! You’re Catholic sisters. Oh! You have computers! Oh! You’re using the Internet!”

“A Nun’s Life” was “asking, ‘What’s it like to be a sister?’ and bust(ing) some stereotypes,” Sister Julie said. “Then it became, ‘What’s it like to pray when God isn’t there?’”

She added that her favorite story from “A Nun’s Life” is that of a young man who took vows as a Dominican novice in the Netherlands. He gave much of the credit to “A Nun’s Life” for aiding his discernment. “You’re the ones who helped me, let me ask all the dumb questions,” she said he told “A Nun’s Life.” “You let me see that religious are people, and now I am one, too.”

Sister Julie herself had no access to any kind of online vocation or discernment website before she entered religious life in 1997. A native of Rochester, N.Y., she was working for a Catholic publishing

house and studying theology in graduate school.

“I never imagined myself as a sister,” she told CNS, adding she thought all nuns fit the popular stereotype of women in full habits and teaching in schools.

In her studies, she said she found herself “captivated by the theology of (Father) Karl Rahner. . . . It got to the point, ‘Why is this affecting my prayer life?’”

When Sister Julie approached her professor about this, he said she might benefit from spiritual direction.

“I was, ‘What?’” she remembered reacting.

The spiritual director turned out to be an Immaculate Heart of Mary sister. “After several months, I was listening to her . . . talking about ‘my sisters’” with a warmth and love one would expect about blood sisters,” Sister Julie recalled.

It convinced her to explore religious life “to be faithful to who I am as a Catholic woman,” she said.

“I felt I had to do it, at least to cross it off my list.”

And now Sister Julie is helping others be faithful to themselves as they explore vocations.

Vocations

‘A Nun’s Life’ website becomes a growing vocations ministry

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January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Vocations

16

Dominican sister chosen to lead Catholic Charities USA Catholic News Service Dominican Sister Donna Markham has been chosen to succeed Father Larry Snyder as the new president of Catholic Charities USA. Sister Donna becomes the first woman to lead Catholic Charities, which was founded in 1910.

She takes over June 1 from Father Snyder, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who has returned to take a position at the University of St. Thomas.

Currently president of the Behavioral Health Institute for Mercy Health based in Cincinnati, Sister Donna, a board-certified clinical psychologist, has a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Detroit and was named a fellow in Sister Donna the American Association of Clinical MARKHAM Psychologists. Last year, she was awarded the prestigious Harold S. Bernard Training Award from the American Group Psychotherapy Association.

“There can be no greater call than to serve and advocate on behalf of persons who struggle to get by in a world where they are all too frequently relegated to the margins of society and where they long for dignity, hope and compassion,” said Sister Donna in a statement, adding she was “honored and humbled” by her selection. “I feel blessed to walk among the many dedicated Catholic Charities workers across the country who daily make the Gospel come alive through their care for their sisters and brothers in need.”

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TheCatholicSpirit.com January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

17

Jeff Hedglen

To hear God’s voice, we have to get acquainted Caller ID ruined a great analogy for hearing the voice of God. It used to be that you did not know who was calling until you answered the telephone. If it were someone you spoke with all the time, you would recognize his or her voice. But if you had never spoken on the phone before with

the person, you might not know who it was at first.

The same is true with our relationship with God: The more we talk and listen to him, the more likely we are to recognize the voice when we hear it.

This analogy came to mind when I was reading this week’s

much easier to follow when we are pointed in the right direction. Each of us, at one time or another, is called to be the trusted person pointing the way, and, at other times, we are the person in need of direction from someone we trust.

The ability to hear the voice of God in our lives boils down to a few basic things. Read the Scriptures to get to know how God talks. Take time regularly to sit quietly and listen to God. Find faith-filled people you trust — your priest or others in your church community — and talk with them about Jesus. God is calling out to us. The question is, are we listening?

This Catholic News Service column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.

Sunday, Jan. 18 Second Sunday in ordinary time Readings

• 1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19 • Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10 • 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20 • John 1:35-42

Focus on Faith • Scripture Readings

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES

Scriptures. God calls Samuel while he is sleeping in the temple.

Samuel doesn’t recognize God’s voice because “at that time Samuel was not familiar with the Lord, because the Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet.” So he thinks it is the priest Eli who is calling him. This happens a couple times and Eli realizes that it is God calling Samuel. So he tells Samuel next time to just say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

The Gospel has another story of God calling, but this time it is the first disciples of Jesus. John the Baptist sees Jesus walk by and lets his disciples know that this is the lamb of God, the Messiah for whom they have been waiting.

They quickly begin to follow Jesus.

In both of these Scripture passages there is a trusted person who points people to God. It is so

Reflection

Who has pointed you toward God? How do you usually hear the voice of God in your life?

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Jan. 18 Second Sunday in ordinary time 1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20 John 1:35-42 Monday, Jan. 19 Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 2:18-22 Tuesday, Jan. 20 St. Fabian, pope, martyr; St. Sebastian, martyr Hebrews 6:10-20 Mark 2:23-28

Wednesday, Jan. 21 St. Agnes, virgin, martyr Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17 Mark 3:1-6 Thursday, Jan. 22 Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children Hebrews 7:25 – 8:6 Mark 3:7-12 Friday, Jan. 23 St. Vincent, deacon, martyr; St. Marianne Cope, virgin Hebrews 8:6-13 Mark 3:13-19

Saturday, Jan. 24 St. Francis de Sales, bishop, doctor of the Church Hebrews 9:2-3, 11-14 Mark 3:20-21

Tuesday, Jan. 27 St. Angela Merici, virgin Hebrews 10:1-10 Mark 3:31-35

Sunday, Jan. 25 Third Sunday in ordinary time Jonah 3:1-5, 10 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20

Wednesday, Jan. 28 St. Thomas Aquinas, priest, doctor of the Church Hebrews 10:11-18 Mark 4:1-20

Monday, Jan. 26 Sts. Timothy and Titus, bishops 2 Timothy 1:1-8 or Titus 1:1-5 Mark 3:22-30

Thursday, Jan. 29 Hebrews 10:19-25 Mark 4:21-25

Friday, Jan. 30 Hebrews 10:32-39 Mark 4:26-34 Saturday, Jan. 31 St. John Bosco, priest Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 Mark 4:35-41 Sunday, Feb. 1 Fourth Sunday in ordinary time Deuteronomy 18:15-20 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 Mark 1:21-28

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Focus on Faith • Seeking Answers

18 SEEKING ANSWERS Father Michael Schmitz

Sin isn’t a necessary evil; aim to know goodness well Q. Do you believe that sins are

the measurement of your passes to heaven? I don’t think so. Sins are necessary to life. How would you know that good is good if you do not experience sin? It gives balance to life.

A. That’s an interesting question. It reminds me of a magazine for kids that I used to read, “Highlights for Children.” It was usually in doctor and dentist waiting rooms and had any number of short stories and games for kids to play.

My favorite part of “Highlights” was a little comic strip called “Goofus and Gallant.” They were two young boys, and one was the embodiment of bad manners and selfishness (Goofus) while the other was an example of good manners and noble behavior. The idea is that children are learning the difference between good and bad behavior through comparing and contrasting the behavior of these two boys.

This is clearly one way that we learn things in life. There are plenty of lessons that we learn as we go through this world by way of comparison and contrast.

We say things like, “This lemonade is sour.” In comparison to what? Well, possibly in comparison

to something that is not sour (like water) or something that is sweet (like orange juice). We can know things like color based on the light spectrum. This variety adds zest to life and helps us distinguish one thing from another.

But difference in taste or color is not the same thing as difference between good and evil. In fact, this goes back to ancient Christian theology. In Catholic theology, evil is not a “thing” in the same sense that good is a “thing.” In fact, it is more accurate to say that evil is either a distortion of or the lack (privation) of a good. We have evil when something good in itself is either distorted, misused or taken away.

Therefore, something like blindness isn’t a “thing”; it is the lack of a good (sight). One doesn’t need to know blindness in order to know seeing. Or take the case of someone using the truth to hurt another person. Here, one would be misusing a good thing (truth) for an evil purpose, but a person wouldn’t need to experience this in order to know the goodness of truth.

‘Necessary’ doesn’t mean ‘good’ We recognize that evil is a

“necessary” part of life in the same sense that we recognize that sickness is a part of life. These things don’t add anything to living.

In fact, they mostly serve to take away from our experience of life.

They are “necessary” in that we experience them, but sin and evil are not necessary for us to understand the good.

Consider a couple of examples.

When it comes to beauty, a person could be raised (in theory) completely surrounded by beauty.

Imagine if all of the music and art and entertainment they were exposed to was consistently in accord with the nature of real beauty. They would not have to be simultaneously exposed to ugliness in order to know beauty.

A person exclusively engaged with those things that reflect beauty would actually come to know beauty in a way that someone who was also exposed to ugliness could not. They would certainly be able to recognize ugliness when presented with it, but they wouldn’t need to know ugliness in order to know beauty.

This is the motivation behind the U.S. Treasury Department’s work to train people to be able to spot counterfeit bills. One might imagine that, when training people to recognize counterfeits, they would study all of the different ways a bill could be forged. But this is not how the government does it.

They have found that the single most effective way to train people to know when they are looking at a counterfeit bill is to study genuine bills. They know what “real money” looks and feels like to such a degree that they are able to instantly recognize a fake. They did not, in this sense, need to experience the bad in order to know the good.

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They just needed to thoroughly know the good.

Or consider parenting. Good parents would certainly vary in the kind of love they gave to their child. At times, their love might be gentle and soothing. At other times, it could be more demanding and less flexible. There would be a great variety of expressions of love that the child would come to know. But the parent would not also have to abuse and use the child in order to “give balance” to their parenting. In a similar way, sin does not “give balance” to life.

Sin adds negatives It seems shortsighted to say that we wouldn’t know that good is good if we didn’t experience the opposite.

There are virtually an infinite number of goods in this world. The more fully we are exposed to, experience and come to know these goods, the more full life becomes.

Sin merely adds pain and dullness to life, not color.

Lastly, sin isn’t necessarily the measurement of one’s “pass into heaven.” On the contrary, love is the measure.

First, the love God has for us in creating us and redeeming us.

Second, in the love we have for him by choosing to obey him. We choose to love God when we choose to respond to his grace with faithfulness.

In the end, sin isn’t the test; love is.

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.

The Third Annual Conference for Women “How Literature Helps Us to Live Our Relationships”

Cuba ~ Its People & Culture Legal travel to Cuba for U.S. Citizens

8 days from $2799* now $2599*

1-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015 University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota

Reserve b February 2 y 7, & Save $4 2015 00 per Couple!

Departs June 3, 2015. Discover legendary Cuba on a unique people-to-people educational exchange program. Start in Miami and spend one-night before your charter flight to Santa Clara where you’ll begin your exploration of this rich heritage island nation.

Spend 2-nights in Cayo Santa Maria and 4-nights in Havana along with your full-time program of educational activities. Other highlights include Old Havana, Revolucion Plaza, Ernest Hemingway’s house, and visits to the scenic towns of Remedios and Santa Clara.

Plus, Vinales, Pinar del Rio; musical and artistic performances; cigar rolling and more.

This fully-escorted program includes round trip airfare from Miami to Cuba, 7-nights hotel accommodations, Cuban tourist visa, a full-time schedule of activities per itinerary, a YMT tour manager, National Cuban guide and 14 meals.

YMT Vacations has been issued license CT-2013-301339-1 by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Co-sponsors: The Well-Read Mom and the University of St. Thomas Department of Catholic Studies www.wellreadmom.com/events

www.stthomas.edu/ catholicstudies

PPDO. Plus $299 tax/service/government fees. Alternate April - July departure dates available. Airfare to/from Miami is extra.

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888-817-9538 January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Blessed are our subscribers . . . Thank you for your support!

19 “Today almost everything is tossed away with little thought and replaced by a new, better “object.” Our

Shawn Peterson

Living ‘life’ in a throwaway culture There is an increase today in the demand for convenience, a growing disdain for anything that causes us any sort of burden or pain. Where once our culture valued and even celebrated someone facing obstacles and admired someone who endured suffering, we now find every means imaginable to avoid these at all costs, even by choosing death that masquerades as “compassion” or “love.”

Pope Francis has often referred to this as our “throwaway culture.”

In a December 2013 speech, he pointed out who is in danger: “the weakest and most fragile human beings — the unborn, the poorest, the sick and elderly, the seriously handicapped, etc. — who are in danger of being ‘thrown away,’ expelled from a system that must be efficient at all costs.”

A consistent ethic of life Contrary to the throwaway culture, Catholics embrace a consistent ethic of life. Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Ill., has explained that at the heart of the consistent ethic of life is “its insistence on the interconnectedness of life issues across the span of life from conception to natural death. . . .

The denial of respect or even the diminishment of respect for any one aspect of life would lead adversely to a denial or diminishment of respect for life in other aspects of life due to the fact that they are all related.”

This “denial of respect,” for so many aspects of life, characterizes the throw-away culture. This attitude pervades everything from our treatment of consumer goods to human relationships and our own lives. The days have passed when, if something was broken, people attempted to fix it.

Today almost everything is tossed away with little thought and replaced by a new, better “object.” Our attitude is: If something or someone is not perfect or wanted, it has no value and can be discarded.

As Catholics we must reject the throwaway culture, which is not compatible with the consistent ethic of life, and we must remind ourselves that to truly respect God’s great creation — especially human life — we must oppose anything that threatens that life in any situation, be that abortion, euthanasia, environmental degradation and unjust treatment of laborers, among others.

The rising tide of assisted suicide The most recent example of the throw-away culture gaining in popularity might be the case of Brittany Maynard, the terminallyill 29-year-old woman who publicly promised to kill herself and later followed through. Her story, which played out in the national media on the cover of People magazine and the daytime talk shows, returned the issue of

attitude is: If something or someone is not perfect or wanted, it has no value and can be discarded.”

Shawn Peterson, associate director for public policy with the Minnesota Catholic Conference

assisted suicide and the so-called “death with dignity” movement to the forefront of this dangerous trend.

Euthanasia advocates are using Maynard’s story to fuel a new push for physician-assisted suicide, even here in Minnesota, which is one of four states being targeted for legalization. Fortunately, those engaged in building a culture of life are finding creative ways to tell their own stories.

A Catholic seminarian from the Diocese of Raleigh, N.C., who has inoperable brain cancer, shared his story with the world in the hope of convincing Maynard and others that living in difficult circumstances is beautiful and that dying a natural death has dignity.

Another person, Liz, a mother of four with incurable cancer, made a deeply moving video response to the Brittany Maynard tragedy that declared “my life isn’t mine to take, it’s mine to give,” and that “love is dignity.” (Check out “Death with Dignity” on YouTube, a video by Christopher Stefanick.)

Closer to home, Elizabeth Bakewicz has been giving presentations about her struggles with cancer and the dignity that comes with suffering in and with the Lord.

These and other stories are true witnesses against the throwaway culture and compel us to reconsider what truly constitutes human dignity — one that will

hopefully help us find our way through difficult public policy concerns such as assisted suicide legislation.

Renewing a culture of life Pope Francis has asked us to “raise awareness and form the lay faithful, in whatever state, especially those engaged in the field of politics, so that they may think in accord with the Gospel and the social doctrine of the Church and act consistently by dialoguing and collaborating with those who, in sincerity and intellectual honesty, share — if not the faith — at least a similar vision of mankind and society and its ethical consequences.”

The Minnesota Catholic Conference will be working at the Legislature and in the public arena to address legislation that emerges from the throwaway culture. But pushing back on the throwaway culture also requires that each of us, in our own way, witness to authentic dignity by telling our own stories about the beauty of life in difficult circumstances. Already, many are doing just that.

In doing so, we will help foster an authentic culture of life that may, in turn, be reflected in wise public policy.

Peterson is associate director for public policy with the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

Save the date

Event is sponsored by OAK (Opportunity for All Kids).

Join the Minnesota Catholic Conference at advocacy events with partner coalitions

8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at St. Paul RiverCentre, 175 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul

Jan. 29 – Second Chance Coalition Day on the Hill 10 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 105 University Ave. W., St. Paul

Jan. 27 – School Choice in Minnesota Advocacy Learning Event 9 a.m. to noon at St. Croix Lutheran School, 1200 Oakdale Ave., West St. Paul

Catholic teaching on criminal justice consists of three “Rs”: Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration. Learn more about and advocate for criminal justice reform, specifically about restoring voting rights for ex-offenders who are living and working in Minnesota communities. Meet with your state lawmakers and rally support for criminal justice reform at the Capitol. For more information, visit www. mnsecondchancecoalition.org.

Hear Joan Rosenhauer of Catholic Relief Services speak about faith-based action around the globe, and join hundreds of people of faith at the Minnesota Capitol to meet with state lawmakers. Register at www.jrlc.org/ register-day-on-the-hill.

Hear nationally recognized school choice leaders Tim Keller, Institute for Justice, and Terry Brown, formerly with St. Anthony School in Milwaukee, discuss the critical roles of parents and educators in advocating for and successfully passing parental choice legislation in Minnesota. RSVP to Shawn Peterson at speterson@mncc.org or (651) 227-8777.

March 10 – Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) Day on the Hill

This Catholic Life • Commentary

FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA

For more information about these and other Catholic advocacy opportunities, visit www.mncc.org.

The Catholic Advocacy Network is an initiative of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota.

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

This Catholic Life • Commentary

20 GUEST COLUMN Bob Zyskowski

Obits shed light on volume, variety and value of life I’ve started to read the obituaries.

I’ll say right up front that — despite my advanced age and advancing senility — I am not doing it to see if I’m in there.

This relatively new activity for me began about a year ago when I noticed that I hadn’t seen the guy next door for some time.

On a morbid hunch I Googled his name and found his obit. He had died five weeks before.

That was unconscionable, and it got me checking the obituaries in at least one of the local metropolitan dailies.

That happened recently.

What dawned on me as I read some obituaries was that I had missed knowing some pretty amazing individuals.

One gentleman had been an FBI agent specializing in organized crime right here in Minnesota.

A woman who died at the age of 104 had taught piano for 60 years.

One man was in the advertising business and not only wrote the copy for a local brewery but was the voice of the beer guy in the radio ads.

Amazing life stories

The longer obituaries tend to draw my attention, and a relatively lengthy one shared that the deceased had studied at Cal Tech, and some of his significant work included development of fuel cells

Occasionally I’ll do more than just scan for names I recognize and get lost in the life stories of folks I didn’t know.

The longer the better

TWENTY SOMETHING Christina Capecchi

An epic love story atop the family tree It had an echo of Nicholas Sparks to it, but it was real life, and the story went viral: An Ohio couple married for 73 years died just 28 hours apart.

Reporters across the globe culled bits of Hollywood drama from the marriage, chronicling a young Joseph Auer surviving the horrors of D-Day and missing the birth of his second child. He and his wife, Helen, enduring financial hardship

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

as they raised 10 children.

When Helen passed away in their Cincinnati condo on a quiet Wednesday evening last October, 100-year-old Joe kissed his wife and whispered, “Mama, call me home.”

She honored his request promptly.

But the part that wasn’t reported, the part that the Catholic reader might have sniffed out based on the names, the location or the family size, was the Catholic faith that undergirded Helen and Joe’s union. It was like oatmeal, giving them sustenance.

It was like a full daily planner, lending them purpose. It was like star dust, offering them hope.

Helen and Joe Big Stock combatted

for the aerospace industry and mass battery storage for electric cars.

Written by one of her children, a woman was memorialized in part this way: “Animal lover. Toddler whisperer. Food guru. Scrabble master.”

A 99-year-old’s obituary caught my eye; she had 18 greatgrandchildren and 16 great-greatgrandchildren.

A relatively young woman passed away who had run a Ronald McDonald House. Another woman had both worked for Sports Illustrated magazine and taught English for a year in Poland. Still another had been the supervising nurse in a hospital intensive care unit, and her late brother-in-law had been a Catholic bishop.

And those are all just in the folks whose names began with letters from A to K. There are plenty more interesting life stories in the M to Zs. Along with missing having known these individuals, I realized I missed the stories they could have told, too, the sorrows and joys they might have shared, the pieces of wisdom their life experiences taught them.

For me, the take-away in all this is the incredible volume, variety stresses — a night job, farm chores, miscarriages, never-ending diaper wringing, Catholic-school tuition — with Mass, weekly confession and nightly rosary. All the kids knew of Helen’s devotion to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, whom she petitioned fiercely when her firstborn contracted spinal meningitis as a boy.

“They always put God first,” said Mary Jo Reiners, the Auers’ fifth child. “That’s one of the things I’ll take away from their marriage.”

They weren’t particularly demonstrative, but the kids never doubted their parents’ commitment. It was visible in the little ways they cared for each other and the tender nicknames they used; he called her “Helen Baby,” and she called him “Daddy.”

Their legacy includes 16 grandchildren, 29 greatgrandchildren and one great-greatgrandchild. A second great-great grandchild is due this month.

Reflecting on what it means to inherit and honor that legacy is a weighty matter, said Joe Bianco Jr., a 35-year-old mortgage loan officer and the firstborn of Joe and Helen’s sixth child, Jeanne.

“I’m trying to instill the same values,” said Joe Jr., a father of three.

But sometimes the gulf between his grandparents’ way of life, with its simplicity and nobility, and his 21st-century grind feels unbridgeable. His grandpa risked his life in World War II; Joe Jr. is waging iPad wars among the kids in the living room.

“Along with missing having known these individuals, I realized I missed the stories they could have told, too, the sorrows and joys they might have shared, the pieces of wisdom their life experiences taught them.”

and value in people’s lives, so many people’s lives, in fact, everyone’s life.

Isn’t that just the best reason for being pro-life?

Zyskowski, former editor and associate publisher of The Catholic Spirit, can be reached at zyskowskiR@archspm.org.

He remembers his grandpa reading the Cincinnati Enquirer with a magnifying glass and referring to the TV as “the idiot box.”

These days, Joe Jr. finds himself repeating the parental mandates he grew up with: work hard, finish your meal, say please, go to church. His kids attend a Catholic school, and attend Mass as a family every week. He and his wife, Missy, were married in the same church as his parents and his late grandparents. He hopes the sacrament and setting can have the same effect on his 12-year marriage as it did on their 73-year one.

Their back-to-back deaths deepen his trust in God. “It just proves that God truly has a plan for all of us,” Joe Jr. said. “He had it all mapped out.”

His big-picture thoughts about honoring his grandparents are tinged with New Year’s resolve. The goal for 2015, he says: power off the iPhone and spend more time with his family. He may still have to log 55-hour work weeks, but once he’s home, he wants to be available to play with his 11-yearold son or read “Pete the Cat” to his 4-year-old daughter.

“My kids are growing up quickly,” he said. “Maybe I’ve already missed some things, but I don’t want to miss any more.”

Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights and editor of SisterStory.org, the official website of National Catholic Sisters Week.

21

Faith & Culture

TV show host Phil Keoghan poses with Amy DeJong and Maya Warren at the finish line at Point Vincente Lighthouse in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., after winning the grand prize of $1 million on the season finale of “The Amazing Race” reality TV program.

Warren is a graduate of Rosati-Kain High School, an all-girls Catholic school in St. Louis, and Carleton College in Northfield, Minn.

CNS/Robert Voets, courtesy CBS

‘Amazing Race’ winners’ aim was to inspire

By Joseph Kenny Catholic News Service Bryan Kasten, an English and practical arts teacher at Rosati-Kain High School in St. Louis, warmly greeted former student Maya Warren, winner of “The Amazing Race” reality TV show.

“So cool to see a celebrity,” Kasten told her as she arrived Jan. 5 at the Catholic school for girls for a talk and question-and-answer with students and faculty.

Warren smiled as she disagreed with his depiction of her, shaking her head and saying, “Oh, Mr. Kasten, I’m still Maya.”

Warren and race partner Amy DeJong, a fellow food scientist and University of Wisconsin-Madison doctoral student, officially won the event with the televised finale Dec. 12, though the actual competition ended six months earlier. Racers left the United States May 31 and returned June 22, undertaking a series of challenges in nine countries on four continents and covering 26,000 miles.

The winners collected $1 million, but their entry wasn’t about money, “getting airtime (or) about always getting to the finishline first — we only got there once,” Warren said with a laugh about the last of 12 episodes.

The reason was altruistic.

“It was about being strong women representing the field of food science, representing our homes, our families and friends,” she said. “We were trying to make an impact and inspire.”

Warren and DeJong, the third

female team to win in the show’s 25 seasons, encouraged and helped the other racers, sharing a cab or giving them directions.

“Why would you put people down so you can beat them?”

Warren asked. “Winning is awesome, but what we’re most proud of is staying true to who we are and showing that you can run a hard race and compete without putting people down. You don’t have to be nasty, dirty or mean. In life, you can prosper by simply being who you are. Niceness does pay off.”

Warren, 29, enjoyed the other competitors, and she gained “friends for a lifetime,” part of “The Amazing Race” family of competitors. She even had nice words for a team who lied to the scientists to throw them off course.

A 2003 graduate, Warren credited Rosati-Kain with teaching her the value of education and how to be a strong leader and a woman who does not give up. The student council president her senior year, she is a founding member of the student-led Kairos retreat program, ran track and cross country and was a cheerleader.

“I always knew that no matter what . . . I always was accepted,” she said. “Rosati-Kain is a place of acceptance of unique individuals; it doesn’t matter where you come from or who you are, you always have something to bring to the table, and that is always valued.”

At Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., where she received her undergraduate degree,

“Winning is awesome, but what we’re most proud of is staying true to who we are and showing that you can run a hard race and compete without putting people down.”

Maya Warren, who values her Catholic education, after winning the season finale of “The Amazing Race” reality TV program Maya Warren competes in Singapore during “The Amazing Race” reality TV show. Racers left the U.S. May 31 and returned June 22, undertaking challenges in nine countries on four continents.

CNS/courtesy CBS the differences in Warren’s approach were valued as well. “So, Rosati-Kain taught me how to be a woman who can go into a place that’s brand new and take charge,” she said.

It was Warren’s idea to audition for “The Amazing Race,” convincing DeJong, 24, to be her partner on the around-the-world adventure. “Never underestimating who I am and always valuing who I am definitely came into play,” Warren said.

The duo wrote a skit for the oneminute audition, believing that they offered something unique as women who are scientists

researching ice cream and candy.

Though she just wanted to experience life, have fun and inspire people, Warren said she could see God by her side during the race. A Baptist, her parents instilled that belief in her, and Rosati-Kain reinforced it.

In her presentation, Warren told students that she chose to forego a career in medicine to pursue a field in which she found her passion.

Accepting a request at the end of her talk, she did a “victory lap” around the gym much as she did on the show. Self-described as super-energetic, she added, “I literally love life.”

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

Calendar

22 Dining out Grand Breakfast Buffet — Jan. 18: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1910 Greeley St., Stillwater. Cost: $9 for adults; children 12 and younger are $4.50. Bring an item for the St. Michael’s Food Shelf. For more information, call (651) 430-3274.

Pancake breakfast — Jan. 18: 9 a.m. to noon at St. Joseph the Worker in the parish hall, 7180 Hemlock Lane N., Maple Grove. For more information, contact Patrick Farrelly at pfmaplegrove@aol.com or (763) 218-3816.

Knights of Columbus Lumberjack Breakfast — Jan. 18: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Mary Queen of Peace Church hall – St. Martin campus, 21304 Church Ave., Rogers. Free-will offering.

Belgian waffle and ham breakfast — Jan. 18: 8:30 a.m. to noon at Our Lady of the Prairie Church, 200 E. Church St., Belle Plaine. All proceeds benefit the Our Lady of the Prairie 6th Grade Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center trip. Free-will donations will be accepted. For more information, contact Mary at (952) 873-6945.

All-you-can-eat waffle bar breakfast — Jan. 25: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. Cost: 13 and older, $8.50; kids 6-12, $5; 5 and under, free. For more information, visit www.guardian-angels.org.

All-you-can-eat Dad’s Belgian Waffles fundraiser breakfast — Jan. 25: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the St. Vincent de Paul School cafeteria and gym, 9100 93rd Ave. N., Brooklyn Park.

Parish events Marching to a Better World concert commemorating the watershed Selma civil rights marches of 50 years ago — Jan. 18:

CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, seven days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions.

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

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

• Full street address of event.

• Description of event.

• Contact information in case of questions. EMAIL: spiritcalendar@archspm.org.

(No attachments, please.)

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

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

7 p.m. at St. Joan of Arc, 4537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis. Tickets are general admission and are $20. To purchase tickets, visit www.stjoan. com, or at St. Joan of Arc Sunday mornings and one hour prior to show time. For more information, call (612) 823-8205.

St. Thomas Becket 25th anniversary kickoff concert with gospel singer Robert Robinson — Jan. 23: 7:30 p.m. at St. Thomas Becket Church, 4455 S. Robert Trail, Eagan.

Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased at www.st.thomasbecket.org, at the church office, or at the door the night of the concert.

Annual used book sale — Jan. 24: 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Stephen, 525 Jackson St., Anoka. Proceeds to benefit St. Stephen’s Youth Ministry mission trips. Donated items may be dropped off in the east entrance of the Faith Community Center (across from the school entrance) Jan. 16-23. Not accepted: encyclopedias, dictionaries, cassette or VHS tapes, text books or magazines. For more information, call (763) 421-2471 or visit www. ststephenchurch.org.

Prayer Service for Life — Jan. 29: 7 p.m. at Lumen Christi Catholic Community, 2055 Bohland Ave., St. Paul. For more information, call the main office at (651) 698-5581.

Father Michael Anderson 20th anniversary reception — Feb. 1: following the 8 a.m.

Mass in the parish center (campus door No. 10) at St. Bernard Church, 187 W. Geranium Ave., St. Paul. Free-will offerings accepted. RSVP by contacting the parish office at (651) 488-6733.

For more information, visit www. stbernardstpaul.org.

Retreats

8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. Free-will offerings appreciated. For more information, visit www. guardian-angels.org.

More events online TheCatholicSpirit.com/ calendar ICCSonline.org.

St. John the Baptist School in Excelsior for pre-K through 8th-grade open house — Jan. 25: 9 a.m. to noon at St. John the Baptist School, 638 Mill St., Excelsior. For more information, contact (952) 474-5812 or kchapman@stjohns-excelsior.org.

Immaculate Conception School pre-K and kindergarten information night — Jan. 28: 5 to 7 p.m. at Immaculate Conception School, 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. For more information, call (763) 788-9065 or visit www.ICCSonline.org.

Spanish/English Immersion Program open house (in English) — Jan. 29: 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Risen Christ School, 1120 E. 37th St., Minneapolis. For more information, contact Principal Liz Ramsey at (612) 822-5329 x104 or lramsey@risenchristschool.org.

St. Mark’s School Gala fundraiser — Jan. 31: 6 p.m. at St. Mark’s School, 1983 Dayton Ave., St. Paul. $30 admission. For more information, visit www.markerspride.com or call (651) 644-3380.

Marriage Encounter — Feb. 14-15 at Mt. Olivet Conference and Retreat Center, 7984 257th St. W., Farmington. For more information, visit www.marriages.org or call (651) 454-3238.

Highland Catholic School kindergarten round-up — Feb. 3: 9 to 10:45 a.m. in the school cafeteria, 2017 Bohland Ave., St. Paul.

For more information and to RSVP, call (651) 690-2477 or visit www.highlandcatholic.org.

School events

Spanish/English Immersion Program open house (in Spanish) — Feb. 4 and 5: 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., Feb. 4, and 6:30 p.m., Feb. 5 at Risen Christ School, 1120 E. 37th St., Minneapolis. For more information, contact Principal Liz Ramsey at (612) 822-5329 ext. 104 or lramsey@risenchristschool.org.

Blessed Trinity’s Nicollet Campus open house — Jan. 21: 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Blessed Trinity’s Nicollet Campus, 6720 Nicollet Ave. S., Richfield. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.btcsmn.org or call (612) 866-6906.

Blessed Trinity’s Penn Campus open house — Jan. 22: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Blessed Trinity’s Penn Campus, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield. For more information or to RSVP, visit www.btcsmn. org or call (612) 866-6906.

Spaghetti dinner and book fair — Jan. 23: 4 to 7 p.m. at Immaculate Conception School, 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. Dinner: $9 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for students.

To-go meals available. Scholastic Book Fair in the school auditorium: Jan. 23-30. For more information, call (763) 788-9065 or visit www.

Speakers Sister Mary Sarah, O.P., lecture on the evangelical counsel of obedience — Jan. 18: 1:30 p.m. in Schuler Hall (side parking lot entrance) at St. Agnes, 548 Lafond Ave., St. Paul.

Dr. Amit Sood of the Mayo presents “Stress-free Living: Practical Tools for Living a Meaningful Life” — Jan. 22: 7 to 9 p.m. at Guardian Angels Church,

Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage seminar — Jan. 24: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at St. Joseph parish, 13900 Biscayne Ave. W., Rosemount. For more information and to register, call Ron and Sue Wagener at (612) 501-9065.

Minnesota Catholic Conference school choice event — Jan. 27: 9 a.m. to noon at St. Croix Lutheran School, 1200 Oakdale Ave., West St. Paul. For more information and to register, contact Shawn Peterson speterson@ mncc.org or (651) 227-8777 by Jan. 23.

Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office winter conference ”Cascade of Salt & Light” — Jan. 31: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Epiphany Church, 11001 Hanson Blvd. NW, Coon Rapids. Keynote address by Bishop Lee Piché. Cost is $30 (includes lunch). For more information and to register, visit www. ccro-msp.org or call (763) 571-5314.

Workshops “Nurturing Hope on Your Spiritual Journey” — Jan. 20: 6 to 9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Cost is $30. To register, visit www. stpaulsmonastery.org and click on the Benedictine Center tab. For more information, call (651) 777-7251 or email benedictine center@stpaulsmonastery.org.

Young adult Cathedral Young Adults Theology on Tap at O’Gara’s — Wednesdays Jan. 7 – Feb. 11: social time at 6:30 p.m., speaker at 7:30 p.m. at 164 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul. All evenings are free of charge. For more information, visit www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/cya.

Other events “Seeing God” art exhibit and reception — Jan. 28: 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Benedictine Center, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Exhibit is free and available for viewing from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day through February. For more information, visit www.stpaulsmonastery.org, or contact benedictinecenter@stpauls monastery.org or (651) 777-7251.

Valentine’s Married Couples Dinner, Speaker and Dance — Feb. 14: 5 p.m. at Kenney Hall and Presentation School Gym, 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood. Mass and renewal of marriage vows concelebrated with Bishop Andrew Cozzens. $90 per couple. For more information, contact Roger Goerke at (651) 778-1081.

Annulment/Dissolution Workshop (parish liaison personnel training) sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Metropolitan Tribunal — Feb. 24: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hayden Center, 328 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul. This training session is for new parish liaisons, as well as any other parish liaisons who need a refresher course, and any priests, deacons or advocates who wish to attend. For more information, contact Cheryl Rutz or Linda Botkin of the Tribunal staff at (651) 291-4466 or tribunal@ archspm.org. Register by Feb.13. There is no charge for this training, but advance registration is requested. Please leave your name, telephone number and email address to be notified in the event of a change in schedule.

23

MCC supports medical information bill Continued from page 12

they feel restored to the community.”

The MCC also is concerned about related issues such as education, housing and employment opportunities for ex-offenders, which is why it supported “ban-thebox” legislation a few years ago, prohibiting employers from asking a prospective employee about his or her criminal history until the applicant is selected for a job interview.

“Those who have been disenfranchised have told us that if we don’t give people opportunities to become stakeholders and participate in society as responsible citizens, we shouldn’t be surprised if they offend again,” Adkins said.

doctors, about short life expectancies and low-quality of life in these cases,” Adkins said. “But, in fact, these lives can be beautiful lives that are a great gift to families and others. We want to make sure that people who receive these diagnoses aren’t overly discouraged, that they have the accurate information they need to deal with these difficult situations.

“It also combats what Pope Francis calls a ‘throwaway culture’ in which people are deemed ‘inconvenient’ if they have high health care costs or disabilities, whether it’s at the beginning of life or end of life,” he said. “We really want to push back on that.

We believe it’s important to uphold the sanctity of life at all stages, even in difficult situations, and to protect people with disabilities.”

Supporting provisional driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants

Restoring voting rights to ex-offenders

The MCC supports efforts to provide provisional driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants who meet certain criteria as a way to strengthen families and communities and create a safer driving environment for everyone in the state. Similar legislation has been passed in other states.

“This is a challenging conversation right now, but we need to give immigrants, including working families, the opportunity to attend church, take their kids to school and go to their jobs without the fear of being stopped and deported,” Adkins said. “It makes sense from a public safety standpoint, but also from an insurance and justice standpoint. It’s about giving people the transportation access they need to do the basic things in life.”

The MCC supported efforts during last year’s legislative session to restore voting rights to Minnesotans with past felony convictions who are no longer incarcerated. Those efforts will continue during this year’s session.

This effort “is about restoring people to the community and giving them opportunities for responsible citizenship,” Adkins said. “You and I might take voting for granted. But for people who have committed crimes and who have been denied the opportunity to vote because of that, having that opportunity to vote again is a powerful way in which

Women hope to open a second Continued from page 9 different person, and I have this joy in my heart that I never really knew before. And, it just gives me a lot of hope and encouragement.”

The joy of a transformed life is exactly what Clasemann, Nevins and Scroggins had in mind when they started dreaming about opening this home.

That is why their plans won’t stop there.

“All that is happening with Philomena House is just awesome,” Clasemann said. “I think in the future, we will have at least another house. How soon I don’t know. The Lord is always the one who’s moving the pieces around and making things happen. It’s all on his time. I can see that maybe in a couple years we’ll have a second house open.

“This is an apostolate. It is something that is bigger than us. It is what God wants, and we know that for sure. . . . This is the handson pro-life movement right here.”

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January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

The Last Word

24

CNS

Cardinal counts: Nominees nudge numbers toward greater representation

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service A pope’s impact on the College of Cardinals is naturally discussed after his death when his nominees and those of his predecessors enter the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope.

Voting in a conclave is the heaviest and most visible responsibility that comes with a red hat, but those younger than 80 — the cardinal’s retirement age — also influence the work of the offices of the Roman Curia and serve as special papal advisers.

Along with a red biretta and the assignment of a “titular” church in Rome, new cardinals are appointed members of Vatican congregations, councils, commissions and secretariats; they are not simply advisers to those offices, but full members whose vote is needed for the most important decisions and documents issued by each office.

The statistical impact of Pope Francis’ choices for new members of the College of Cardinals will be small, but significant.

The expanded group of cardinals eligible to elect a pope — all those younger than 80 — will include a lower percentage of Europeans, a slightly lower percentage of Italians, a lower percentage from the United States and a higher percentage of cardinals who head dioceses rather than offices of the Roman Curia.

After the new cardinals are created Feb. 14, the college will have 125 members younger than 80 and, therefore, eligible to vote in a future conclave. The total number of cardinals will rise to 228 — a record number. If a papal election were held the next day, more than 45 percent of the world’s cardinals — all those older than 80 — would be

January 15, 2015 • The Catholic Spirit

locked out of the Sistine Chapel where the conclaves are held.

Much of the reaction to Pope Francis’ announcement Jan. 4 of the identities of the new cardinals focused on how they give representation in the college to Catholics in some of the most remote parts of the world — the “peripheries” the pope is always talking about. With the addition of electors from Ethiopia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Uruguay, Panama, Cape Verde and Tonga, the number of countries with electors will rise from 48 to 57.

Among the electors, the percentage of Europeans will drop to 46.4 percent from its current 48 percent. While not a huge change, it is a sign of continuing progress in making the college more representative of the Church as a whole; in 1960, there were 79 members of the college and they came from only 27 countries. About 70 percent of the college at the time was made up of Europeans.

Borrowing a category from the world of politics and economics — the Group of Eight countries with the most advanced economies — even after the consistory the world’s most powerful nations still will have a majority among cardinal electors.

But instead of representing 61 percent of the electors, the G-8 countries’ share will drop to 57.5 percent.

With the Argentina-born pope’s latest picks, the percentage of Latin Americans will rise to 16 percent from 15.4 percent. Pope Francis named no new members from the United States or Canada, so that part of the world’s percentage will fall to 12 percent from 13.6 percent.

After the new cardinals receive their red hats, the percentage of

Counting Cardinals How the College of Cardinals will look after the Feb. 14 consistory

Cardinals under the age of 80 can be electors cardinal elector

228 total cardinals

Electors by region EUROPE

58

15

ASIA

14

US/CANADA

1 AFRICA

20

15

OCEANIA

3

LATIN AMERICA

Countries with the most electors ITALY......................27

INDIA........................5

SPAIN.......................5

GERMANY...............4

US ..........................11

FRANCE...................5

BRAZIL ....................4

POLAND ..................4 © 2015 Catholic News Service

Africans will rise to 12 percent from 11.8 percent. The percentage from Asia will rise to 11.2 percent from its current 10 percent. And, the Oceania-South Pacific region, which had only one voting-age cardinal, will have three; that brings the region’s percentage up to 2.4 percent from its current 0.9 percent.

Bringing new members into the college rejuvenates the body, although in the past several decades the average age of cardinal electors has decreased only slightly with each new intake. Two of Pope Francis’ picks — Cardinals-designate Soane Mafi of Tonga and Daniel Sturla Berhouet of Montevideo, Uruguay — are still in their 50s. However, after the consistory, the average age of the

whole block of cardinal electors will decline only by five months, dropping to 71 years, one month.

As far as the age of the new cardinals goes, Pope Francis is well within the norm for the past several decades when the average age of incoming electors has been between 65 and 68.

The last time the average age of a batch of new cardinals was less than 60 years old was the 1977 consistory in which Pope Paul VI created four new cardinals. The average age of that group was 57.2 years, according to catholic-hierarchy.org, the leading website for statistical information and brief biographical data of all the world’s bishops and cardinals.