Gathering to heal Those impacted by clergy sexual abuse, especially victim/survivors, are invited to attend a Jan. 23 restorative justice conference organized by the archdiocese. — Page 5
January 16, 2020 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
thecatholicspirit.com
Change of heart
Sex and surrogacy Pro-life speakers Christoper West and Jennifer Lahl will present messages explaining the “wisdom and beauty” of the Church’s teaching on Theology of the Body and reproduction. — Pages 12-13
Pitching the Catholic brand University of St. Thomas students design ad campaigns that promote the Church, impress local bishops who view the results. — Page 14
International faith group flourishes Young adults from several states and countries gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul for praying, sharing and celebrating life in the Emmanuel Community. — Page 15
More for women
She was a pro-life activist as a teen, but when she got pregnant in her 20s, she almost had an abortion.
Then God intervened.
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Alonna Mertz holds her twin daughters Eve, left, and Lilly, who will turn 2 Feb. 2. Mertz became pregnant unexpectedly in 2017 and was considering abortion. She went as far as going to an abortion clinic, but what she describes as a “miracle” took place the day she went. She changed her mind and instead went for help to a pro-life center in Woodbury, where she had once volunteered. Read the story on pages 10-11.
Pope’s homily, draft document for Curia reform indicate changes may be coming to increase female leadership in the Church. — Page 20
Bishops’ meeting with pope informal, open, fraternal The Catholic Spirit
CNS
Pope Francis greets Archbishop Bernard Hebda during a meeting with U.S. bishops from North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Jan. 13. Looking on is Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens. The bishops were making their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican to report on the status of their dioceses to the pope and Vatican officials.
Archbishop Bernard Hebda called the Jan. 13 meeting of the regions’ bishops with Pope Francis “a wonderful opportunity for the local Church.” “It was magnificent. It was very informal,” he said Jan. 13. “The Holy Father was very open. We could talk about anything with him. He was very forthcoming with us and very supportive, very fraternal.” The bishops from U.S. Region VIII, which includes the dioceses in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, met with Pope Francis for their visit “ad limina apostolorum” — to the threshold of the apostles — which are formal meetings between the pope and a regions’ bishops held every five years or so. The U.S. bishops’ last “ad limina” visits were eight years ago in 2011-12 with Pope Benedict XVI. Accompanying them was Bishop-elect Donald DeGrood, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis slated to be installed the ninth bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Feb. 13. Also with them in Rome were 25 young adult pilgrims from the region. Read more about the “ad limina” visit on page 7.
2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JANUARY 16, 2020
PAGETWO
“
The Bible is the most widely distributed book, but it’s also perhaps the one most covered in dust because it is not held in our hands.
Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, commenting on the Bible. Pope Francis recently established the third Sunday in Ordinary Time — Jan. 26 this year — as “Sunday of the Word of God,” a special day devoted to “the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God.”
NEWS notes
60 million
The estimated number of lives in the U.S. lost to abortion since its nationwide legalization in 1973. The annual MCCL March for Life, which calls for an end to abortion, will be noon Jan. 22 at the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul. The event is preceded by the annual ecumenical Prayer Service for Life 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul. In 2018, the most recent year data is available, 9,910 abortions were performed in Minnesota — a drop after a two-year uptick in the number of abortions statewide. The 2018 total is the third-lowest total of statewide abortions since 1974, according to Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, or MCCL. Planned Parenthood performs 63 percent of abortions in the state, which MCCL says is a record high. For more information about the march, visit mccl.org.
264 CNS | COURTESY FATHER MICHAEL SCHUELLER
CATTLE CALL Father Michael Schueller’s photo of a cattle cross in Bankston, Iowa, recently went viral on the internet. Father Schueller, pastor of the St. Elizabeth Pastorate, which includes St. Clement parish in Bankston, pilots drones in his spare time and enjoys taking aerial photographs. Members of the Grotto family had carefully laid out small piles of cattle feed in the shape of a giant cross on one of their fields, attracting 171 hungry cows into planned position Dec. 23. In the distance, the steeple of St. Clement reaches upward toward a clear sky.
The number of people from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who plan to attend the National March for Life in Washington, D.C., Jan. 24. The group, which will leave by bus for Washington Jan. 21 and return Jan. 26, includes 180 students, 19 young adults and 65 chaperones, together representing 17 parishes. The trip is organized by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office for Marriage, Family and Life. In addition to the rally, the group plans to attend Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Jan. 23 and attend the National Pro-Life Summit Jan. 25. Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens is among scheduled speakers at the Summit.
$10,000
The amount of a grant Community of Saints Regional Catholic School in West St. Paul was awarded by the Healey Education Foundation in December. Called The Founders Award, the grant is the largest of its annual SAGE Awards. According to the foundation, Community of Saints demonstrated an ability to leverage school community members, grow through calculated risk, and “be nimble and adapt to a changing environment,” in part through the purchase of its formerly rented school building and launching a $1 million capital campaign. The foundation also awarded Notre Dame Academy in Minnetonka one of its two national $2,500 Enrollment Innovation Awards for achieving a 96% retention rate and 9% annual enrollment growth. Based in New Jersey, the Healey Education Foundation partners with schools to improve their sustainability. It has partnerships with schools in seven U.S. dioceses, including the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, where it is working with five schools and has worked with five “alumni schools.”
SAVE the DATE
CNS
BAKING BROTHER Capuchin Franciscan Brother Andrew Corriente prepares a buttercream icing in the kitchen at his friary in Washington Jan. 9. The 31-year-old third-year seminarian was the winner of the fifth season of ABC’s “The Great American Baking Show: Holiday Edition,” where he was recognized as one of the nation’s best amateur bakers. “My ability to bake is so tied to my way of life,” he said.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 25 — No. 1 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor-in-Chief JOE RUFF, News Editor
Mark your calendars for these popular upcoming events. More information is or will be soon available at archspm.org. Feb. 1: “Living in Love,” Archdiocesan Newly Married Retreat for couples married seven years or fewer, at St. Peter, Mendota. Feb. 22: 2020 WINE: Women’s Conference, “Arise: The King is Calling Your Name” at Our Lady of Grace, Edina. Feb. 26: Ash Wednesday Annulment Q&A at the Cathedral of St. Paul. March 20-21: 24 Hours for the Lord at the Cathedral of St. Paul. March 28: Archdiocesan Men’s Conference at St. Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights, featuring Father Paul Scalia, son of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. April 9: Chrism Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul. May 1-2: Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women convention at St. Patrick, Shieldsville. May 9: Transitional diaconate ordination at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis. May 30: Priesthood ordination at the Cathedral of St. Paul.
Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year: Senior 1-year: $24.95: To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631. Published semi-monthly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857. TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
JANUARY 16, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3
FROMTHEMODERATOROFTHECURIA ONLY JESUS | FATHER CHARLES LACHOWITZER
Seeking joy beyond happiness
I
n a Peanut’s cartoon, Lucy asks Linus why God made people. Linus replies that God made people to make others happy. An obviously unhappy Lucy cries out, “Then somebody’s not doing their job!” Whose job is it anyway to make us happy? I have never seen this requirement on any job description. The Declaration of Independence recognized inalienable rights given by God as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We know by the truth of our faith that without first the right to life, we will never really have true liberty or lasting happiness. Yet the pursuit of happiness is the engine of economics, politics and religions. Our pursuit of happiness can be as simple as a piece of chocolate cake. It can also be as complex as the management of possessions and the maintenance of relationships. We know all too well what makes us unhappy. But we don’t always know what will make us happy. Happiness is conditioned. It depends on something — on attaining whatever is our pursuit. It is a well-trod path to find happiness on our own. It is easy to grab a moment of bliss with some libation, inhalation or ingestion. How fleeting is this happiness? How costly the price? The glad tidings of the evening before do not hang over through the next day. There are the hard-wired desires in our brains that pursue happiness with primal obsession. Without the pursuit of spiritual treasures and the acceptance of God’s eternal gifts, we eventually attain only the seven deadly sins. It is in the nature of who God created us to be that we look beyond the things of this world to find the happiness we seek. What is discovered is that while happiness is
Buscando gozo más allá de la felicidad
E
n la caricatura de Peanuts, Lucy le pregunta a Linus por qué Dios hizo a la gente. Linus responde que Dios hizo felices a las personas para hacer felices a los demás. Una Lucy obviamente infeliz grita: “¡Entonces alguien no está haciendo su trabajo!” ¿De quién es el trabajo para hacernos felices? Nunca he visto este requisito en ninguna descripción del trabajo. La Declaración de Independencia reconoció los derechos inalienables otorgados por Dios como la vida, la libertad y la búsqueda de la felicidad. Sabemos por la verdad de nuestra fe que sin primero el derecho a la vida, nunca tendremos realmente verdadera libertad o felicidad duradera. Sin embargo, la búsqueda
“
A joyful spirit comes from our faith and is itself our gift back to God. iSTOCK PHOTO | NISERIN
temporary, joy is forever. Satisfying instinct is our job. Joy is a gift from God. In many ways, finding our joy in God alone is never really understood until we have failed at happiness. In this way, joy and happiness are distinct. That is why there can still be joy in our hearts when circumstances, conditions and consequences have us less than happy. At every Mass, regardless of our earthly pursuits, we receive the real presence of Jesus Christ. In thankful worship, we know a joy that nothing in this world can give us and nothing in this world can take away from us. This is the true peace which surpasses all understanding. A joyful spirit comes from our faith and is itself our gift back to God. Our perseverance through it all is itself our witness to the Gospel. The world has its mournful lyrics about what is wrong, evil and false.
de la felicidad es el motor de la economía, la política y las religiones. Nuestra búsqueda de la felicidad puede ser tan simple como un pedazo de pastel de chocolate. También puede ser tan complejo como la gestión de posesiones y el mantenimiento de las relaciones. Sabemos muy bien lo que nos hace infelices. Pero no siempre sabemos qué nos hará felices. La felicidad está condicionada. Depende de algo, de lograr lo que sea nuestra búsqueda. Es un camino bien transitado para encontrar la felicidad por nuestra cuenta. Es fácil tomar un momento de dicha con un poco de libación, inhalación o ingestión. ¿Cuán fugaz es esta felicidad? ¿Qué tan costoso es el precio? Las buenas nuevas de la noche anterior no se ciernen hasta el día siguiente. Hay deseos cableados en nuestros cerebros que persiguen la felicidad con la obsesión primaria. Sin la búsqueda de tesoros espirituales y la aceptación de los dones eternos de Dios, finalmente alcanzamos sólo los siete pecados mortales. Es en la naturaleza de quien Dios nos creó para ser que
miramos más allá de las cosas de este mundo para encontrar la felicidad que buscamos. Lo que se descubre es que mientras la felicidad es temporal, la alegría es para siempre. El instinto satisfactorio es nuestro trabajo. La alegría es un don de Dios. En muchos sentidos, encontrar nuestro gozo solo en Dios nunca se entiende realmente hasta que hemos fallado en la felicidad. De esta manera, la alegría y la felicidad son distintas. Es por eso que todavía puede haber gozo en nuestro corazón cuando las circunstancias, las condiciones y las consecuencias nos tienen menos que felices. En cada Misa, independientemente de nuestras actividades terrenales, recibimos la presencia real de Jesucristo. En la adoración agradecida, sabemos el gozo que nada en este mundo puede darnos y nada en este mundo puede quitarnos. Esta es la verdadera paz que supera todo entendimiento. Un espíritu gozoso proviene de nuestra fe y es en sí mismo nuestro don de vuelta a Dios. Nuestra perseverancia a través de
The outward manifestation of our discipleship is that we have the words to what is right, good and true. We have joy. Joy is a moment of goosebumps in a chapter of tears. Joy comes from a heart grateful for the support of family and friends when burying a loved one. Joy is there even when we are humiliated by our sins and experience the grace of God that transforms them into good teachers for a better life. We have done the holidays, for better and for worse. The New Year is already old news. But God does Christmas and continues to unfold this mystery for us every day of our lives, no matter the season. No, it is no one’s job to make us happy. But we can spread the Good News of Jesus Christ knowing that it doesn’t have to be Christmas for us to be singing “Joy to the World.”
todo esto es en sí mismo nuestro testimonio del Evangelio. El mundo tiene sus letras tristes sobre lo que está mal, el mal y el falso. La manifestación externa de nuestro discipulado es que tenemos las palabras de lo que es correcto, bueno y verdadero. Tenemos alegría. La alegría es un momento de piel de gallina en un capítulo de lágrimas. La alegría viene de un corazón agradecido por el apoyo de la familia y los amigos al enterrar a un ser querido. La alegría está allí incluso cuando somos humillados por nuestros pecados y experimentamos la gracia de Dios que los transforma en buenos maestros para una vida mejor. Hemos hecho las vacaciones, para bien y para mal. El Año Nuevo ya es noticia vieja. Pero Dios es en Navidad y continúa desarrollándose este misterio para nosotros cada día de nuestras vidas, sin importar la temporada. No, no es trabajo de nadie hacernos felices. Pero podemos difundir la buena noticia de Jesucristo sabiendo que no tiene que ser Navidad para que cantemos “Alegría al mundo”.
OFFICIAL Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:
Effective January 1, 2020 Deacon Terrence Beer, assigned to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Saint Michael in Prior Lake. This is a transfer from his previous assignment to the Church of Pax Christi in Eden Prairie. Deacon Steven Dupay, assigned to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Saint Henry in Monticello. This is in addition to his current assignments at the Church of Saint Albert in Albertville and the Church of Saint Michael in Saint Michael.
Effective January 10, 2020 Reverend Benjamin Little, appointed parochial administrator of the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Savage. This is in addition to his current appointment as pastor of the Church of Saint Michael in Farmington. Curious about the meaning of a clerical title and the responsibilities its role entails? Visit TheCatholicSpirit.com/titles.
4 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JANUARY 16, 2020
LOCAL
SLICEof LIFE
LOCAL
4 • The Catholic Spirit
March 9, 2017
‘Angel’ among us Handpicked
SLICEof LIFE
St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Avis Jerry Hackett Sts.with Joachim Allmaras, center,oftalks Rose and Carter, Anne Shakopee toHouse assemble left, and in Irene Eiden atworks Peace in a replica of the St. Mark churchAvis south Minneapolis Feb. 27. Sister building Shakopee, which he is goes to theincenter weekly and visits makingguests out of like toothpicks. He began frequent Carter. Eiden, of in September to finish St.early William in Fridley,and is aexpects lay consociate February, usingPeace an estimated of in theearly Carondelet Sisters. House is 5,000 toothpicks. began in a day shelter for theThe poorhobby and homeless. 2017, about six months after he and his “It’s a real privilege to know these people wife, moved to Shakopee and hearPat, their stories,” Sister Avisfrom said. “I Bemidji. Finished include the could not survive onprojects the streets like they Tower, Seattle Space Needle do.Eiffel There are sothe many gifted people and several bridges, suchAvis: as the here.” Said Carter of Sister “She’s thethat anAerial angel.Lift SheBridge hides in herDuluth wingsand under Mendota She Bridge Hackett sweatshirt. trulyinisSt.anPaul. angel.” saidHrbacek/The he plans to donate finished Dave Catholicthe Spirit church to his parish. “I hope they appreciate it,” he said, noting that the pastor, Father Erik Lundgren, has been over toCatholic his house to seeWeek it andis National Sisters expressed interest in having himofdo March 8-14. An official component the other two churches in the parish, Women’s History Month and St. Mary in Shakopee and St.University Mary of headquartered at St. Catherine DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT Purification in Marystown. in the St. Paul, the week celebrates women
Celebrating sisters
religious and their contributions to the Church and society. View local events, including two art exhibitions, at www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org.
These real estate agents can help you find your Home Sweet Home From condos to castles, Steve Conlin, GRI exceeds promise performance
CallFromToday condos to castles,
Direct: (651) 686-2033 Kathy Kueppers www.Steve-Conlin.com Cell: (651) 470-0675 kathykueppers.realtor@gmail.com
for all Yourperformance Buying and Selling Needs promise exceeds
Kathy Kueppers REALTOR , CRS Owner/Broker ®
Kathy Kueppers kathykueppers.realtor@gmail.com
Cell: (651) 470-0675 Office: (651) 365-0230
Office 651-452-3047
kathykueppers@realtyexecutives.com 33 E. Wentworth Ave. West St. Paul, MN 55118
Named a 2009 Super Real Estate Agent by Mpls./St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business
1519 Central 2Parkway • Eagan, MN 55121 CHARMING story, hardwood floors, natural woodwork, updated kitchen, master suite, large yard. Close to St Joseph’s school, parks, easy access to shopping, West St Paul $189,900.
The Edge You Need!
With historically Low Inventory of Homes for Sale, your home may be worth more than you realize. Call(651) Today for a Free Home Value. Cell: 470-0675 Buyers are Waiting! (Bloomington and Eagan are most needed)
The Sue Johnson Team is now Good Company Realty Group
The Edge You Need
When is the best time to sell your home? CALL NOW for your personalized REAL ESTATE REVIEW.
Call us today! 651-329-1264
GoodCompanyRealtyGroup.com
JOE JOE CASSIDY CASSIDY 612.803.4301 612.803.4301 joecassidy@kw.com joecassidy@kw.com www.joecassidyhomes.com www.joecassidyhomes.com
5BR/4BA 3400+ sq. ft 2 story in Blaine. $359,900. 4BR/ 4BA 4200+ sq. ft story in Plymouth $539,000. 4BR/2BA 1800+ sq. of ft 4helping level splitfamilies in Maple just Grove $230,000. Decades like yours
have a great real estate experience.
LookingSeminar for your March first home? for any 25th reason? Home SELLER 9thDown-sizing 7-8pm OR March 9-10am, JohnsonTeam and the Good Company Realty Group can help. The SueSue Johnson 651-690-8591 Call 651-329-1264 or e-mail: suejohnson@goodcorealty.com
Top notch service before, during and after the sale. No property too Realtor Realtor large or too small. Call Joe Cassidy, Keller Williams Classic Realty, Providingexceptional exceptional value value is the cornerstone Providing cornerstoneof ofmy myservice serviceto you! Providing exceptional value of my service totoyou! you! 612-803-4301.
How can can I help you How you today? today?
If you would like to advertise Peggy Langeslay My success as a Realtor depends on the referrals plangeslay@cbburnet.com I receive from wonderful people like you! on Ifthis youpage, wouldplease like to call advertise in this space, please call The Realtor/Broker Catholic Spirit advertising department at 651-291-4444. Now is the best time to FREE MARKET ANALYSIS Now is the best time to The Catholic Spirit Advertising sell home. sellyour your home. Jo Ann Johanning, GRI, SFR, ABR For best results, call Department at 651-291-4444
LOCAL
JANUARY 16, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5
Archdiocese to hold conference for clergy abuse survivors
in BRIEF
By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
Bishop-elect DeGrood’s installation to be streamed live online
Victim/survivors and others impacted by clergy sexual abuse are invited to a Jan. 23 conference on restorative justice and healing organized by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The daylong conference in Lake Elmo, east of St. Paul, will include Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi providing an update on the impetus for the conference: The settlement of civil charges filed by the county in 2015 alleging the archdiocese was negligent in the case of an abusive priest. “Mr. Choi always felt restorative justice should be part of the archdiocese taking accountability for its actions and providing a means of healing for the community,” said Stephanie Wiersma, an assistant Ramsey County attorney who will participate in the conference and has been involved in the case since the beginning. A great deal in the archdiocese has changed for the better since 2015, Wiersma said, including leadership from Archbishop Hebda and others who are no longer willing to push aside the issue of clergy sexual abuse. Providing safe environments and accountability are top priorities, she said, from creating a strong Ministerial Review Board to establishing rigid reporting requirements for safe environment programs in parishes and schools. Still more can be accomplished, but “there’s been a lot done in a short amount of time,” Wiersma said. As part of the conference, four victim/survivors and the mother of one of those survivors plan to share their experiences concerning clergy sexual abuse and how it has changed their lives. Not only will they share
something about what they’ve been through, but also the healing they have experienced, including the people and circumstances that have been instrumental in that healing, offering a sense of hope to those gathered, said Paula Kaempffer, archdiocesan outreach coordinator for restorative justice and abuse prevention. Janine Geske, a former PAULA KAEMPFFER Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and retired law professor who three years ago helped to bring the concept of restorative justice to the archdiocese, will talk about her experiences working with restorative justice and abuse survivors. There will be an opportunity also to experience healing circles, in which people directly and indirectly harmed by abuse can talk about its effect on their lives as others respectfully listen, Kaempffer said. Everyone in a circle is invited to share their thoughts, she said. Healing circles are one way to promote reconciliation and justice as people name the harm done to them, the impact it’s had on them and those to whom they are close, and the need to repair that harm, Kaempffer said. “Restorative justice is centered on (helping) the victim,” she said. The conference is part of the archdiocese meeting terms of its settlement with Ramsey County over civil charges that it was negligent in the case of three brothers who were sexually abused by former priest Curtis Wehmeyer at Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul in 2010 and 2011. The settlement agreement was amended in June 2016, when Ramsey County dismissed related criminal charges.
WANT TO GO? Conference for Restorative Justice and Reconciliation 9 a.m.– 3 p.m., Jan. 23. Holiday Inn & Suites 8511 Hudson Blvd., Lake Elmo No fee to attend; space is limited. Registration deadline is Jan. 20. To reserve a space, including lunch, email Paula Kaempffer at kaempfferp@ archspm.org or Tom Ring, at tom.ring@ co.ramsey.mn.us, or call 651-291-4429 for more information.
A Jan. 28 hearing is scheduled on the agreement and the court’s four-year oversight of archdiocesan efforts to provide safe environments for children and vulnerable adults. The settlement calls for oversight to end Feb. 1. But the archdiocese’s work has gone beyond terms of the agreement, and those efforts will continue to grow as it seeks to repair harm done by clergy sexual abuse, said Tim O’Malley, director of the archdiocese’s Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment. Keeping people informed about the settlement agreement, the expected end of court oversight and what the futue holds, also is important, he said. As one means to that end, O’Malley said, Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Choi will join him at St. Odilia in Shoreview at 7 p.m. Jan. 28 for an open discussion about keeping children safe in parishes, schools and the broader community, and the relationship built between the archdiocese and the county attorney’s office.
Minnesota bishops urge support for refugee resettlement By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit As the Trump administration orders states and local governments to declare whether they will authorize refugee resettlement in their area, the Catholic and Lutheran bishops of Minnesota urged support and prayers for those seeking shelter and protection. In an open letter first published Dec. 24 in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens of St. Paul and Minneapolis joined the bishops of Crookston, St. Cloud, New Ulm and Winona-Rochester, as well as six Lutheran bishops, in recalling that everyone is created in the image and likeness of God and imbued with a sacred dignity that must be protected. “This is especially true when it comes to the poor and vulnerable,” the bishops wrote.
“We are saddened that as Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ — who himself experienced life as a refugee when his family fled to Egypt — our nation may be creating even more hardships for vulnerable refugee families,” the bishops said. President Trump’s executive order, issued Sept. 26, “seems to unnecessarily politicize what has been a humanitarian program rooted in our nation’s long history of resettling families fleeing from life-threatening dangers,” the bishops wrote. “We are also troubled by the decision to set a limit of 18,000 refugees in 2020, the lowest in 40 years.” The letter arose out of discussions during an annual retreat for Catholic and Lutheran bishops held Oct. 24 in Collegeville. It was released as deadlines approached for state and local decisions on resettlement. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz
informed the federal government in a letter sent Dec. 13 that the state would continue to participate in refugee resettlement programs. Walz declared that “the inn is not full in Minnesota,” the Catholic and Lutheran bishops noted in their letter. “We ask our mayors and county elected officials to also publicly express support for refugee resettlement,” the bishops wrote. “The assistance we offer is repaid through the talents they share and their economic participation in the life of our communities.” The letter came only days before Immigration Sunday Minnesota Jan. 5 and National Migration Week Jan. 5-11, marked by the Catholic Church in the United States as an opportunity to reflect on the plight of migrants, refugees and victim/ survivors of human trafficking. The theme for National Migration Week 2020 was “Promoting a Church and a World for All.”
ST. PAUL — Modern technology will ensure that everyone can participate in the ordination and installation Mass of Bishop-elect Donald DeGrood as bishop of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. While limited seating at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Sioux Falls means only invited family, friends, clergy and delegations from Sioux Falls and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will be able to attend the Feb. 13 Mass, people hoping to view the 2 p.m. liturgy can still have a front row seat — live on the internet — through the diocese’s YouTube channel. Bishop-elect DeGrood, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, also plans to hold a public social after the Mass at the Sioux Falls Convention Center, and preside and preach at a 2 p.m. Feb. 16 Mass of Thanksgiving at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. For more information, visit sfcatholic.org/installation.
CSJ sisters hold payer service for peace amid US-Iran tension ST. PAUL — A prayer service for peace in the wake of the U.S. targeted killing of an Iranian general drew about 100 people Jan. 11 to a chapel near St. Catherine University in St. Paul. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet organized the service, which was held at the sisters’ Our Lady of Presentation Chapel. Major General Qasem Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone strike Jan. 3. President Trump said the general was plotting imminent attacks against Americans; some in Congress questioned that assessment and the president’s decision to target Soleimani. Iran’s response included attacks but no casualties on two U.S. bases in Iraq. “Faced with the United States’ targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani of Iran we remain committed to promoting peace and non-violence in every way we can,” the sisters said in a Jan. 6 statement. “The precipitating actions are complex, yet we fear escalating violence leads to more violence and indescribable suffering for our dear neighbors without distinction.”
Bishop Pates temporarily leading Diocese of Joliet, Illinois JOLIET, Ill. — Retired Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, will be apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois, while its leader Bishop R. Daniel Conlon takes a medical leave of absence, the diocese announced Dec. 27. A Twin Cities native and former priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Bishop Pates, 76, has been living in Mendota Heights since his September 2019 retirement and has been assisting nearby parishes. Although a statement from the Joliet diocese did not disclose the exact reason for the medical leave, Bishop Pates said he expected his role to last several months. He described the appointment as “a continuation” of his episcopal ministry. “I wasn’t necessarily anticipating this,” he said, “but they (the Holy See) invited me to do this, and for a number of months I’ll be able to do this and then slide gradually into retirement.”
Court approves bankruptcy plan for New Ulm diocese NEW ULM — Claimants against the Diocese of New Ulm have until Feb. 19 to vote on a $34 million Chapter 11 bankruptcy settlement plan for clergy sexual abuse reached by the diocese and a committee of unsecured creditors. At least two-thirds need to vote to approve the plan. The U.S. bankruptcy court signed off on the plan Dec. 20 and set the balloting deadline, as well as a March 10 confirmation hearing. In a Dec. 31 statement, Bishop John LeVoir apologized for the pain victim/survivors have suffered and asked for prayers for healing and a fair resolution. The diocese filed for Chapter 11 in March 2017.
LOCAL
6 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JANUARY 16, 2020
New CI ‘school’ aims to educate on Holy Spirit
in REMEMBRANCE
By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
Father Fitzpatrick remembered as ‘kind and gentle’ pastor
Baptized and confirmed Catholics have been given special gifts, but many are leaving them “on the shelf unwrapped.” So says Father Michael Becker, who aims to help more Catholics receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, Father Becker is teaching a 12-week class dedicated to the FATHER Holy Spirit, in MICHAEL BECKER which students will learn who the Spirit is and how to experience a relationship with the third person of the Trinity. “There’s a lot of Catholics who have heard about the Father and heard about Jesus but know very little about the Spirit,” he said. “And many haven’t really experienced the Holy Spirit. ... There needs to be a kind of an awakening to the gift. And once there is, wow. Joy floods the soul, and longing for others to experience the Holy Spirit becomes a great mode of evangelization.” The gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord. The class is the latest offering of
the Archbishop Flynn Catechetical Institute, part of the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Called the School of the Holy Spirit, the class is separate from the Catechetical Institute’s two-year course, Pillars: A Journey through the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “I feel inclined to help Catholics experience and grow in knowledge of the Holy Spirit, and to realize in their lives the gifts and charisms that God wants to give them to use for the building up of the body of Christ,” Father Becker said. He thought the timing of the class corresponds well with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ appeal to the Holy Spirit as it undertakes the pre-synod process ahead of the 2021 Archdiocesan Synod. It’s possible for Catholics today to share in the Pentecost experience of Jesus’ disciples, he said, which gave them confidence to spread the Gospel. The CI: School of the Holy Spirit is the latest offering from the Catechetical Institute. In addition to the Catechetical Institute’s Pillars course, it also offers classes in its CI: School of Discipleship and CI: School of Prayer, and it plans to launch a CI: School of Evangelization in the fall. Kelly Wahlquist, the Catechetical Institute’s director, said that the new “school” complements its other
courses. “When you put all of these offerings together, you have Catholics who are formed, sent, in relationship with God and empowered,” she said. Helping Catholics experience the Holy Spirit is fundamental to the Church’s emphasis on sharing faith with others, Father Becker said. “We have lots of programs where we’re continuously trying to help Catholics become evangelistic ... with their neighbors or co-workers or schoolmates,” he said. “And yet the most important thing is simply if they taste the Holy Spirit, if they really come to experience that presence, then they can’t shut up about Jesus.” The course will begin with the Holy Spirit’s historical context in Scripture and the Church, and then dive into the gifts and fruits of the Spirit, with a focus on students’ encounter with the Holy Spirit through prayer. Students will also learn how to be prayer ministers in their parishes. The class includes attendance at a Life in the Spirit Seminar Feb. 28-29. The course will be offered at St. Andrew in Elk River, 7–9 p.m. Thursdays Feb. 6 through April 30, with no class on Feb. 27, March 26 or April 9. Registration for the course, including the seminar, is $150. For more information, visit semssp.org/ci.
The Catholic Spirit When Jane Mohr of St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Paul Park first met Father John Fitzpatrick in the late 1970s, she was studying nursing. She would talk to him after Mass, and he encouraged her desire to become an RN, she said. Father Fitzpatrick, who served as pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas from 1978 to 1987, died Jan. 7. He was 92. “He was a kind and gentle man, and very good with parishioners,” said Mohr, 85. “At that point in my life, I had things I wished to discuss with him before I went back to college. He was just very kind, very helpful. He was willing to listen to people. And, that was one of the things I greatly appreciated about him.” Father Fitzpatrick was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, and later attended Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary in St. Paul after moving to Minnesota. He then studied at the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul and was ordained a priest in 1952. His longest assignment was at St. Andrew in St. Paul from 1952 to 1965. Other parish assignments include St. Mary of the Lake in Plymouth, Nativity of Mary in Bloomington, St. Timothy in Blaine, the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis and St. Joseph in Lino Lakes (now St. Joseph of the Lakes), which was his final assignment before retiring in 1995. He also served as a chaplain at Home of the Good Shepherd senior care facility and as the director of vocations for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The funeral Mass for Father Fitzpatrick will be 11 a.m. Jan. 24 at St. Timothy in Blaine, preceded by a one-hour visitation. Interment will be at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights.
Lonsdale parish to bring Mary into focus in 2020 By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit Parishioners at Immaculate Conception in Lonsdale are familiar with the painting near their church’s sanctuary of St. Joachim and a pregnant St. Anne anticipating the birth of their daughter, Mary. In another way, their pastor, Father Nick VanDenBroeke, hopes that this year parishioners will focus on Mary, their parish namesake, and her Immaculate Conception. With that in mind, Father VanDenBroeke, 33, launched on Dec. 8 — the feast of the Immaculate Conception — a special parish 2020 “Year of Mary.” “If we want to have ‘perfect vision’ as the parish of the Immaculate Conception, let’s spend a year learning what it means to be the parish of the Immaculate Conception,” Father VanDenBroeke said about the parish’s 400 families. Learning about Mary and growing in devotion is important to letting her lead the parish to her son, Jesus — especially through the Eucharist and adoration, Father VanDenBroeke said. The idea for a Marian year also came from a sense that many Catholics are failing to recognize what is sacred and don’t pray the rosary or go to eucharistic adoration, he said. As part of the effort, Father VanDenBroeke is encouraging parishioners to participate in Marianrelated devotions and events. Prior to the “Year of Mary” launch, Marian devotions at the parish consisted of the rosary
before daily Mass, a Fatima prayer group and a rosary-making group. Now, Father VanDenBroeke plans to talk in his homilies about belief in Mary and her importance in everyone’s lives. He hopes parishioners will attend daily Mass and adoration, pray the rosary or other Marian prayers and attend First Saturday Masses, which are traditionally FATHER NICK dedicated to Mary. VANDENBROEKE Other activities will include a family movie night, parish mission and a Marian consecration before the year closes next December. “My hope is the people who don’t come to daily Mass, or aren’t going to go and join a prayer group Wednesday mornings, or aren’t going to make rosaries, that everyone can do something this year to grow in their knowledge and devotion,” he said. Parishioners seem intrigued, said Father VanDenBroeke, who since December has given out several hundred copies of a book about Mary. Andrea Deutsch, 44, said she and her family are enthusiastic, in part because Mary will help with the goal of evangelization. “I just hope everybody gets excited about doing (the Marian year) because it’s really wonderful,” said Deutsch, who prays the rosary with her family. “If we want to see this parish or any parish revive, I really think Marian devotion has to be a big part of it,” Father VanDenBroeke said.
JANUARY 16, 2020
LOCAL
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7
‘A very encouraging encounter’ Regions’ bishops meet with Pope Francis to discuss pastoral matters By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Pope Francis drew on his perspective of the worldwide Church as well as his 15 years as bishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as he discussed the Church in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota with the region’s bishops Jan. 13. “He was very generous with his time,” Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens said. “There was a deep sense of fraternal support, and the sharing that brothers share with one another, and it was very much that kind of experience — the Holy Father sharing from his experience, us sharing from our experience. “There was a sense of we’re all pastors in different parts of the world trying to deal with problems that we have in different ways,” he added. “He was very encouraging. It was a very encouraging encounter.” Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Cozzens attended the meeting alongside leaders of the 10 dioceses in U.S. Region VIII, which encompasses the three states. The region’s 10 dioceses have one archbishop, one auxiliary bishop, six bishops, one bishop-designate and two diocesan administrators, who represented the dioceses of Duluth and Rapid City, which are currently without a bishop. The visit, considered a pilgrimage, was a first for Bishop Cozzens, who was ordained a bishop in 2013. Archbishop Hebda previously attended an “ad limina” visit as bishop of Gaylord, Michigan. Although the discussion between the
Young adult pilgrims part of ‘ad limina’ visit Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Bishop-designate Donald DeGrood arrived in Rome Jan. 10 accompanied by 25 young adult pilgrims, ages 21-35. The bishops spent Jan. 11 in Assisi with the pilgrims, which included Mass at the Church of St. Clare and adoration at the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva in Rome. The pilgrims’ schedule includes daily Masses, a papal audience with Pope Francis, and meals and other events with the bishops. They are also touring basilicas and churches, the catacombs, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, Colosseum, and other sacred and historic sites. The pilgrims responded to the bishops’ request for young adults to join them in Rome Jan. 9-18 during their “ad limina” visit. Twenty-one are from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Two are from the Diocese of New Ulm, and two are from the Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota. They’re led by Enzo Randazzo, an evangelization manager in the
pope and bishops is confidential, Bishop Cozzens said Pope Francis began the meeting acknowledging the Dec. 1 death of 59-year-old Bishop Paul Sirba of Duluth, a former priest of the archdiocese who suffered a heart attack. “He started and said, ‘I know you’ve had a great loss in your region with the death of Bishop Sirba.’ And he said, ‘Can we just begin by inviting us all to pray together for Bishop Sirba.’ He knew all about the situation,” Bishop Cozzens said. “He’s aware also of the different struggles we’ve been through as a region.” According to Catholic News Service, topics ranged from the sexual abuse scandal to migration, and from pastoral care of Native American communities to cultivating unity in the midst of diversity in each diocese, not just with different ethnic groups, but among Catholics with different preferences and priorities. Archbishop Hebda said Pope Francis wanted people to know that he’s praying for victim/survivors of clergy sex abuse. Before the bishops and the pope began their discussion, the bishops took about 30 minutes to introduce members of their delegation to Pope Francis. For Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Cozzens, that included five seminarians studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, four transitional deacons from the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, two Pro Ecclesia Sancta seminarians and two college seminarians from St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul. Bishop Cozzens said Pope Francis joked that “when people tell me there’s a vocations crisis in the United States, I’m not going to believe them anymore because there are so many seminarians here.” Pope Francis then met alone with the bishops and apostolic administrators for more than two hours. “He just has a different perspective
CNS
ABOVE Pope Francis leads a meeting with U.S. bishops from North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Jan. 13. RIGHT Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens of St. Paul and Minneapolis, left, and Bishopdesignate Donald DeGrood of Sioux Falls, S.D., and other U.S. bishops from North Dakota, Minnesota and South Dakota concelebrate Mass in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Jan. 13 prior to meeting with Pope Francis. CNS
because of his worldwide perspective, and so it was beautiful to hear and exchange around various questions and comments,” Bishop Cozzens said. Archbishop Hebda said he was struck, on the other hand, by the personal nature of the pope’s perspective. “He certainly has that broad view, but he frequently spoke about being a bishop in Argentina, so it’s an experience that he very much shared with the bishops and administrators who were gathered around. It was very low-key, very humble and very engaged.” Asked his takeaway for the local
learning that the Church has funded its restoration because it was a site where Christians were martyred. “As I looked at the domes of at least a dozen basilicas visible from where I stood, I realized how the martyrs and saints surrounding me attested to the power of this simple truth” that God became man, he wrote. “I said a silent prayer thanking God that by entering the Catholic Church this past Easter, I am now part of this family.” Archbishop Hebda said he hopes the COURTESY ENZO RANDAZZO pilgrims take away “a closeness” to Art historian Liz Lev, right, leads a tour of the their bishops and a connection to the universal Church and Pope Francis. Colosseum in Rome for 25 young adult He noted that for many of them, the pilgrims accompanying Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens Jan. 9-18 pilgrimage was a response to Pope Francis’ 2019 exhortation on young for their “ad limina” visit to Rome. people, “Christus vivit.” “One of their particular desires in archdiocese’s Office of Evangelization. coming was to pray for the pope, “They’re very inspiring,” Bishop which I thought was really beautiful,” Cozzens said, noting that the young he said. “We hope that they have a adults had to apply to be part of the sense that the Church is theirs, and trip. they certainly have a big role to play as Some of the pilgrims are sharing we move forward, that we’re counting their experiences from Rome in on them to continue to be so generous reflections posted at TheCatholicSpirit. with their gifts in building up our com. Will Herrmann, a parishioner of Church.” St. Bonaventure in Bloomington, described touring the Colosseum and — Maria Wiering and Joe Ruff
Church, Archbishop Hebda said, “The Holy Father is supportive of us and he prays for us, and he very much modeled for the bishops that openness that we hope to have with people in the archdiocese, so that people are able to speak to us about the things that are important. The pope says don’t hold back from saying something just because you think the pope doesn’t want to hear it. I think for Bishop Cozzens and for me, that sets a good example of how we have to be open to dialogue.” — Catholic News Service contributed to this report
Now Accepting Admissions Applications through February 18
JANUARY
28
Preschool - Grade 8 10:00am Personal Tours Start Tours available until 3:00pm
Formation steeped in virtue, deep thinking, and hands-on learning. StCroixCatholic.org | 651.439.5881
8 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JANUARY 16, 2020
NATION+WORLD
Retired pope wants name removed as co-author of celibacy book By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service At the request of retired Pope Benedict XVI, his name will be removed as co-author of a book defending priestly celibacy, said Cardinal Robert Sarah, the Vatican official who coordinated work on the book. “Considering the polemics provoked by the publication of the book, ‘From the Depths of Our Hearts,’ it has been decided that the author of the book for future editions will be Cardinal Sarah, with the contribution of Benedict XVI,” Cardinal Sarah tweeted Jan. 14. “However,” he said, “the full text remains absolutely unchanged.” The tweeted announcement came only a few hours after Cardinal Sarah had issued a formal statement accusing people of slandering him by saying that while Pope Benedict may have contributed notes or an essay to the book, he was not co-author of it. Archbishop Georg Ganswein, personal secretary to Pope Benedict, phoned several German news agencies and spoke with the Reuters news agency Jan. 14, saying the retired pope had requested that his name be removed as co-author of the book, its introduction and its conclusion. The archbishop confirmed that the book’s first chapter, attributed to Pope Benedict, was the work of the retired pope. Since marriage and priesthood both demand the total devotion and self-giving of a man to his vocation, “it does not seem possible to realize both vocations simultaneously,” Pope Benedict wrote in his essay. The French newspaper Le Figaro published excerpts of the book late Jan. 12 and, almost immediately, some people began questioning just how much of the work actually was written by the 92-year-old former pope. The introduction and conclusion were attributed jointly to the retired pope and to Cardinal Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments; the book has two other chapters, one attributed to each of them alone. The book was to be published in French Jan. 15 and in English Feb. 20 by Ignatius Press. In a statement Jan. 14, Ignatius Press indicated its edition would still credit Pope Benedict as co-author. The correspondence released by Cardinal Sarah indicates he and Pope Benedict “collaborated on this book for several months,” the Ignatius Press statement said. “A joint work as defined by the Chicago Manual of
Style is ‘a work prepared by two or more authors with the intention that their contribution be merged into inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole,’” therefore, “Ignatius Press considers this a coauthored publication.” The chapter attributed to Pope Benedict is about 25 pages long, including a six-page reprint of the homily he gave at the chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica in March 2008 on the meaning of “being a priest of Jesus Christ,” specifically in standing in the presence of God and serving him. The homily did not mention celibacy. In a chapter originally attributed to both the retired pope and the cardinal, they said the book resulted from an exchange of “ideas and our concerns,” particularly related to the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon, which heard repeated calls for considering the ordination of married elders to serve far-flung communities and provide greater access to the Eucharist and other sacraments. Pope Francis’ response to the requests of the synod is expected early in the year. Observers noted how unusual it was for the retired pope to intervene publicly on an issue the reigning pope is considering. Cardinal Sarah and Pope Benedict seemed to recognize how unusual the move was, but the introduction said, “I cannot be silent!” The introduction said the two offered their reflections “in a spirit of love for the unity of the church” and in “a spirit of filial obedience to Pope Francis.” In a separate interview with Le Figaro, Cardinal Sarah said: “If this book is a cry, it’s a cry of love for the Church, the pope, the priests and all Christians. We want this book to be read as widely as possible. The crisis facing the Church is striking.” According to the published excerpts, the chapter signed by Pope Benedict noted how today many people assume the gradual adoption of the discipline of priestly celibacy was a result of “contempt for corporeality and sexuality.” The error of that thinking, he said, is demonstrated by the Church’s high view of the sacrament of marriage.
And, while acknowledging that celibacy has not always been a requirement for priesthood, he said married priests were expected to abstain from sexual relations with their wives. Renouncing marriage “to place oneself totally at the disposition of the Lord became a criterion for priestly ministry,” he said. The published excerpts did not discuss the continuing practice of ordaining married men in the Eastern Catholic churches nor the exceptions granted by St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict to married former ministers of the Anglican Communion and other Christian denominations who become Catholic. Last January, speaking to reporters flying back from Panama with him, Pope Francis said, “Personally, I believe that celibacy is a gift to the Church.” “I’m not in agreement with allowing optional celibacy,” he said. “A phrase St. Paul VI said comes to mind: ‘I would rather give my life than to change the law on celibacy.’” However, he did say “there could be some possibility” of ordaining married men in very remote locations where there are Catholic communities that seldom have Mass because there are no priests. But, even for that situation, much study would need to be done. Responding to journalists’ questions Jan. 13, Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said, “The position of the Holy Father on celibacy is known,” and he quoted the pope’s comments to journalists last January. But Bruni also included Pope Francis’ statement that “some possibility” could exist for exceptions in remote areas “when there is a pastoral necessity. There, the pastor must think of the faithful.” In addition, Bruni noted that when Pope Francis addressed members at the end of the synod in October, he said he was pleased that “we have not fallen prisoner to these selective groups that from the synod only want to see what was decided on one or another intraecclesial point” while ignoring all the work the synod did in analyzing the problems, challenges and hopes on the pastoral, cultural, social and ecological levels.
Ecological sin: Idea of updating catechism sparks debate By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service Pope Francis’ announcement that the Catechism of the Catholic Church would be updated to include a definition of “ecological sin” sent Catholic Twitter into a frenzy. Reactions ranged from praise for how seriously the Church is taking the obligation to care for creation to cynicism or even outrage over the Church’s involvement in what many consider a highly politicized issue. “This ‘create a sin’ is absurd,” one person tweeted. Another Tweet argued that “harming people is a sin but not ‘harming the common home’ as if the environment were a being.” If the wording of the catechism change “is vague or broad,” the tweet continued, it will do nothing “except foster politicized interpretations.” Ecological sin was discussed at length during Synod of Bishops for the Amazon in October, and several members of the synod called on the Church to deepen its theology in a way that would help people recognize such sins. In their final document, synod
members proposed that the Church define ecological sin as “an act of commission or omission against God, against one’s neighbor, the community and the environment.” Nearly three weeks after the synod, Pope Francis told members of the International Association of Penal Law that there were plans to include a definition of ecological sin in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The “Twitterverse” often reacts to news with sarcasm, and the mention of “ecological sin” was no exception. One tweeter surmised that a change in the catechism would mean considering “how many extra squares of toilet paper a Catholic can use before it becomes a sin.” “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been two weeks since my last confession. I turned on the AC four nights, I used 9 pieces of single-use plastics, I forgot to compost, I gunned the engine twice, I ate imported fruit and neglected to recycle aluminum cans 6 times,” another Twitter user tweeted. Theologian Celia Deane-Drummond, director of the U.K.-based Laudato Si’ Research Institute, told Catholic News Service in late November that ecological sins “are in one sense simple to
understand, but in another sense complex, since they are in between the category of natural evil and moral evil.” “Those natural disasters that happen, for example, with greater frequency due to climate change, can, at least in part, be attributed to human activity,” she said. While some argue that sins against creation in general cannot be equated with sins against other human beings, Deane-Drummond said ecological sins “join together human suffering and those of other creatures,” based theologically “on a doctrine of creation.” “The story of Genesis portrays the fall of humanity as a breakdown of relationships between God, each other and the natural world. Everything, as Pope Francis says dozens of times, is interconnected,” she said. “It is therefore not surprising and completely in keeping with many centuries of Christian thought for ecological sins to be part and parcel of what it means to sin,” she added. “That is, both direct and indirect harms to other creatures and other people that are related to our human activities.” Talking about “ecological sin” is not unprecedented, Deane-Drummond said, pointing to the Common Declaration on
Environmental Ethics, a joint statement signed in 2002 by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and St. John Paul II. The degradation of the environment and its natural resources, the statement said, is not an issue that is “simply economic and technological; it is moral and spiritual.” “A solution at the economic and technological level can be found only if we undergo, in the most radical way, an inner change of heart, which can lead to a change in lifestyle and of unsustainable patterns of consumption and production. A genuine conversion in Christ will enable us to change the way we think and act,” the document stated. “This idea has been around for some time,” Deane-Drummond said.“What Pope Francis has done is to find a way to embed it more firmly in the Church.” In a practical sense, she said, providing a definition in the catechism will help Catholics be more aware of detrimental practices such as overconsuming resources, lifestyles that promote a culture of waste, indifference to the suffering of people impacted by climate change and actions that lead to the extinction of species.
NATION+WORLD
JANUARY 16, 2020
HEADLINES u Iraqis hope attacks by U.S., Iran will ease and tensions will decrease. Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Yousif Thomas Mirkis of Kirkuk, Iraq, repeated the overarching concern of the majority of Iraqis, regardless of their religious affiliation: that foreign troops stop using their shattered homeland as a battlefield to settle scores. On Jan. 8, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases in what it said was retaliation for Washington’s targeted killing of Iran’s top militia commander, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad Jan. 3. The missiles hit the al-Asad airbase, which houses U.S. troops, and American and coalition forces in the northern Iraqi town of Irbil, in areas not heavily populated. “We haven’t heard anything about lives lost. Maybe it can stop here — the revenge,” Archbishop Mirkis told Catholic News Service by phone Jan. 8. The archbishop made his comments before Iran took responsibility for accidentally shooting down Ukrainian Airlines International Flight PS752 by a missile Jan. 8 shortly after its takeoff from Tehran, killing all 147 people on board, including 57 Canadians. u Former cardinal moves from Kansas friary to new location. Theodore McCarrick, the former cardinal who was laicized by the Vatican in 2019 after numerous claims of abuse by him were substantiated, moved Jan. 3 from the Capuchin Franciscan friary in Kansas where he had been living since late 2018. McCarrick made the move on his own accord, according to a spokesman for the Capuchin Franciscan province that oversees the friary. At press time, McCarrick’s new residence had not been publicly stated. The former prelate had stayed a little over one year at St. Fidelis Friary, run by the Capuchin Franciscan order in Victoria, Kansas, in the Diocese of Salina in the northwestern part of the state. That move took place before McCarrick, now 89, was removed from the clerical state following an investigation of accusations that he had abused children early in his career of more than 60 years as a cleric, and that he also had abused seminarians as a bishop. He previously had been one of the most visible and esteemed members of the USCCB, globetrotting even into his 80s on behalf of Church matters. On Dec. 27, The Washington Post reported that over two decades, popes and multiple priests, cardinals and archbishops received part of $600,000 in financial gifts from McCarrick, who controlled a discretionary fund set up at the Archdiocese of Washington, where he was archbishop from 2001 until 2006. The majority of the $6 million the fund raised went to charities. u French bishops’ council OKs removing parents’ gender IDs on baptism certificates. Bishop Joseph de Metz-Noblat of Langres, president of the French bishops’ Council for Canonical Questions, said the changes were made to bring baptismal practices into line with new gender-equality laws, and that the “ever-more-complex situation of families in France” had made compiling Catholic documents “sometimes difficult,” especially with baptisms. He added that his council had worked with the two other bishops’ conference commissions to produce a new baptismal formula, referring to “parents or other holders of parental authority.” The reformulation was designed to avoid any moral judgment and help dioceses confronted with problems of vocabulary, the bishop said. He added that the reformulation had now been approved by the bishops’
permanent council. “According to canon law, ministers cannot refuse sacraments to persons who opportunely ask for them, while children cannot be held responsible for the situation of their parents,” Bishop Metz-Noblat said. “This is why we are recommending you adopt this formulation, which seems more suited to our epoch.” However, some French Catholics have criticized the new recommendations. u CNN settles lawsuit with Covington Catholic student from viral video. CNN reached an undisclosed settlement Jan. 7 with Nick Sandmann, a Kentucky Catholic high school student who sued the cable news outlet for defamation over its coverage of an incident that occurred after last year’s March for Life. Sandmann, a junior last year who was at the center of the viral video controversy, sought $275 million in damages in his lawsuit filed against CNN last March. He has also sued The Washington Post and NBC Universal. A federal judge let part of the lawsuit against The Post continue after the paper filed a motion to dismiss it. Trial dates have not yet been set for these two cases. Sandmann sued media outlets for what he claimed was biased coverage of what transpired at the Lincoln Memorial Jan. 18, 2019. That day, Sandmann, wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, smiled just inches away from Nathan Phillips, a Native American leader, as Phillips chanted and beat a drum. The day after that encounter, clips from a video of that encounter went viral almost immediately, which showed students surrounding Phillips while appearing to be mocking him. The clip caused immediate outrage, particularly on social media. But by the next day, extended footage of how the situation unfolded revealed that another group had taunted the students and some responded back. Phillips said he had walked over to the students and the group as an intervention. u The Chinese government has targeted unregistered Catholic and Protestant churches. It will institute another raft of laws covering 41 religion-related topics Feb. 1, two years after implementing another set of restrictive laws for religious groups in the country. “The goal is to have all religious organizations brought into the open, registered in one way or another and thus end the duality of ‘official’ religious organizations and ‘underground’ (or unregistered), which in China means the government knows about them but (previously) let them be,” Francesco Sisci, a senior researcher at Beijing’s Renmin University, told Catholic News Service. Observers have noted that, if widely implemented, Article 34 of the Chinese Communist Party paper — published in late December — would cover unregistered churches in “all matters involving money and finances. In practice, every significant move by a religious community should be submitted to authorities and carried out only if approved,” according to AsiaNews, a Rome-based missionary news agency. As many as 50% of China’s estimated 10 million to 12 million Catholics worship in communities not registered with the Chinese government. It is widely accepted by China experts familiar with tactics of the Communist Party that the key driver behind Beijing signing the September 2018 deal with the Holy See to regularize the appointment of bishops was to assert its control over the official Catholic Church. Yet while Pope Francis has encouraged Chinese clerics who operate in the unofficial church to join the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, he said they could to do what their conscience dictated.
Saint Rose of Lima Catholic School 2072 HAMLINE AVENUE NORTH, ROSEVILLE, MN 55113
ce, chan Last e almost we’r ld out! so
www.mysaintrose.net 651-646-3832
Education. Faith. Community.
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9 u Catholic leaders join New Yorkers in march against hate. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn joined about 25,000 New Yorkers who took to the streets for a Jan. 5 “Solidarity March” in protest of anti-Semitism. “When there’s an attack on you, there’s an attack on all of us,” Cardinal Dolan said in remarks at the rally in Brooklyn after participants had crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. The march, which made its way from Lower Manhattan to Cadman Plaza in Downtown Brooklyn, brought together Jewish and non-Jewish residents alike from the New York area, along with a host of local leaders, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Mayor Bill DeBlasio and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — all marching under the banner of “No Hate, No Fear.” The march was organized by the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the interdenominational New York Board of Rabbis. The march and rally came on the heels of a spree of anti-Semitic attacks in New York, most recently on New Year’s Day when a 22-year-old Hasidic man was beaten and subjected to hate speech in Brooklyn — the 13th known attack against Jews in the New York area in less than 10 days. The violence on Jan. 1 followed the Hanukkah attack at the home of a rabbi in Monsey, where five people were stabbed in an incident that Cuomo labeled as “domestic terrorism.” u First clergy abuse suits under new California law announced. A Minnesota attorney who specializes in lawsuits for victims of clergy sexual abuse has announced plans to file 12 suits in nine California dioceses under California’s new Child Victims Act, which takes effect Jan. 1, extending the state’s statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse survivors. The announcement from Jeff Anderson & Associates of St. Paul included plans for the law firm to file suits in the Archdioceses of Los Angeles and San Francisco and the Dioceses of Fresno, Monterey, Orange, San Bernardino, Oakland, San Jose and Santa Rosa. The new extension of the statute of limitations for childhood sex abuse victims was signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom in October. The law allows civil claims of abuse to be filed by victims until age 40, or five years after discovering the damages from the abuse. Previously, claims had to be filed by age 26, or within three years of discovering damages from the abuse. The new law also opens up on Jan. 1 a three-year window to revive past claims that would have expired under the previous statute of limitations. u Bishop, former chaplain to queen, received into Catholic Church. Bishop Gavin Ashenden of the Christian Episcopal Church became a Catholic Dec. 22 in England’s Shrewsbury cathedral. He said he had reached the conclusion that only the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches “have the capacity to defend the faith” from the influence of secularism. A Dec. 17 statement from the Diocese of Shrewsbury said Bishop Ashenden’s Anglican orders will be suspended and he will become a lay Catholic theologian. In a Dec. 17 statement sent by email to Catholic News Service, the bishop said, “The claims and expression of the Catholic faith are the most profound and potent expression of apostolic and patristic belief” and that he now accepted the primacy of the pope. “I am especially grateful for the example and the prayers of St. John Henry Newman,” he said. — Catholic News Service
More national and world news at TheCatholicSpirit.com
10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
RESPECTLIFE
Destined for life
‘Miracle’ events cause pregnant woman to reject abortion and give birth to twins Story and photos by Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
A
lonna Mertz prayed in front of abortion clinics as a teenager in Michigan, driven by her well-formed, pro-life conviction. Then, in 2017 as a young adult, she went to such a clinic in Minneapolis for a different and unexpected reason: She was pregnant. Dating a man whose values didn’t align with hers, she found herself alone and feeling scared about the new life inside her body. “At that point, there was enough distance between me and God that I wasn’t listening to the Holy Spirit,” said Mertz, 27. “I was terrified, and I made an appointment for an abortion.” Like so many other women who discover unplanned pregnancies, Mertz struggled with a torrent of tortured emotions when a home pregnancy test confirmed what she had sensed was true. “I wept,” she said of seeing the positive result. “I felt so sorry for my baby. It (her life) wasn’t a white picket fence. It wasn’t a mother and father who loved each other. It was broken and it was hard. And, this is what my child was going to meet. And, I just couldn’t bear that reality.” She was well aware of the “big disconnect” between what she had grown up believing and what she now wanted to do. A Catholic, she had served for a year and a half with NET Ministries in West St. Paul, and even had volunteered with a pro-life pregnancy resource center in the Twin Cities after moving to Minnesota from Michigan in 2015. Still, she pressed on and went to the abortion clinic. Finding the atmosphere there “sterile and cold,” she got as far as the ultrasound room, where she would find out how far along she was in her pregnancy. Though she knew abortion was wrong, she was consumed by one thought concerning the alternative of carrying her baby to term: “I can’t do this.” Only a technical glitch that she cannot explain and a baby’s cry at that clinic kept her from getting an abortion. She left the clinic that day without carrying through with her plan, and instead gave birth to fraternal twin girls, Eve and Lilly, Feb. 2, 2018, by cesarean section. Today, she can’t imagine life without them. It is a struggle, she admits, but there is joy every day, plus help from what she calls a “village” of friends and family members. They include a Catholic family in Mendota Heights with whom she now lives. Mertz, who belongs to St. Bernard in St. Paul, recently recalled her journey from being abortion minded to being child focused.
‘This is a baby’ When Mertz found out she was pregnant in June 2017, she told no one at first, not even her boyfriend. She went to the clinic alone for the procedure. While sitting in the waiting room, she heard a baby’s cry — a noise that changed everything. “It was just a split second, but it was such a distinct
cry, from the back (of the clinic),” she said. “I looked and I could see other women had heard it, too, because everyone else looked to the back room.” The infant’s wail triggered a thought in her mind: “This is a baby, Alonna,” she said. “You know this is a baby.” Eventually, she was called in for an ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy and determine how far along she was. But, the technician could find nothing — no image, no heartbeat. Mertz was instructed to schedule an appointment to try the test again. No way, Mertz decided. After a reaction of “just relief,” she went to the parking lot, cried for 20 minutes and looked up a pro-life center where she had volunteered — Woodbury Options for Women Pregnancy Resource Center. She went there a week later and got an ultrasound during the first visit. This time, there was “an immediate heartbeat, just so loud,” Mertz said. Believing there was “no biological reason” for this heartbeat to be absent from the ultrasound at the abortion clinic just one week earlier, she sensed divine intervention. “It was a miracle,” she said. “These little girls were wanted and willed and protected, even from me. So, I knew this was special.” She was yet to learn how special this pregnancy was. At that first appointment in Woodbury, she thought she was having just one baby. But, she was sent to another clinic for a follow-up exam because of abdominal pain. “During that ultrasound, the tech said, ‘Well, everything looks normal, and you already know you’re having twins, right?’” Mertz said. “I laughed because I thought she was joking — and then she didn’t laugh.”
Spreading the news It was time to start telling people and seeking help. She turned to a friend she had met a few years earlier, Theresa Evans. The two young women had served at NET Ministries, though not at the same time, and formed a deep bond after being introduced by a mutual friend in 2016. Evans remembers Mertz telling her the news while on a walk together. “I was one of the first people she told,” said Evans, 32. “I struggle with (mental health issues), and I was very open with her about that. And so, I think my vulnerability in sharing with her allowed her to be vulnerable in sharing her news with me.” Mertz was “very scared” Evans recalled, but she also appeared to be reassured by Evans’ reaction. Evans paused as the words soaked in, then got excited. “I was jumping up and down in the street, actually,” Evans said. “I was like, ‘Yes, this is hard, and it’s gonna be beautiful.’ And, I think both have ringed true.” Eventually, Mertz did tell her boyfriend, and they came back together for a year after the girls were born. But, it didn’t work out, and she turned to Evans and her family for help. Theresa’s parents, Robley and Joan Evans of St. Joseph in West St. Paul, quickly and eagerly offered to let her stay in their Mendota Heights home. She has her own apartment in the basement, and an informal lease agreement that is up for renewal every six months. So far, the arrangement has worked well for both sides, partly due to the pro-life convictions of the Evans family. “We have a sign in our yard that says, ‘Choose life,’” said Joan, 60. “You can consider yourself pro-life, but when something like this happens, it challenges you.” With all of their six children grown and most of them out of the house, Joan and Robley had room for a
tenant. Theresa also lives there, and she likes being close to Mertz and her daughters. “Eve is actually my goddaughter,” Theresa said. “What a special time of life to be able to live with my goddaughter, and to pray with her and to go to Mass with her sometimes. It’s such a gift.” Mertz isn’t sure how long the living arrangement at the Evans home will last. She just started the second semester of a one-year program to become an MRI technician. She will finish in the summer and look for a job in her field.
Why did it happen? Meanwhile, she is sharing her story publicly. She was the featured speaker at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ St. John Paul II Champions for Life Awards Luncheon at St. Peter in Mendota Oct. 31. Two years as a mother and time to reflect have helped her ponder why she strayed from her faith and became pregnant and abortion minded. She traces it back to when she was 1 and her parents divorced. Her father did not have much contact with her after that, and he died when she was 8. Although she “was born and raised Catholic with a strong faith, a strong relationship with the Lord,” she also had a “weakness of not having a father, not having that male role model.” That made her vulnerable, she said, to dating a man “who I never in a million years would have said yes to.” She met him in 2016, the year after moving to the Twin
JANUARY 16, 2020 • 11
HELP FOR PREGNANT WOMEN Alpha Women’s Center Mobile Medical Clinic, Savage alphawomenscentermn.com Abria Pregnancy Resources, St. Paul abria.org Abria Northside Clinic, Minneapolis abria.org Birthright of Minneapolis, Minneapolis birthright.org/minneapolis Cradle of Hope, Roseville cradleofhope.org Epiphany Caring for Life, Coon Rapids epiphanycaringforlife.godaddysites.com First Choice Clinic, Red Wing firstchoiceclinicrw.com Lakes LifeCare Center, Forest Lake lakeslifecarecenter.org Life Choice, Cannon Falls lifechoicecf.org Northfield Women’s Center, Northfield northfieldwomenscenter.org Options for Women of Chisago County, North Branch optionsforwomenhelp.org Options for Women St. Croix Valley, Oak Park Heights optionsforwomenstcroixvalley.org Options for Women East, St. Paul optionsforwomeneast.com Options for Women Cornerstone, St. Michael cornerstoneoptions.com Philomena House, St. Paul philomenahouse.org Pregnancy Choices, Apple Valley mypregnancychoices.com Pregnancy Options LifeCare Center, Faribault pregnancyoptionsfbo.org SouthWest Options for Women, Hopkins southwestoptionsforwomen.org TLC of Hastings, Hastings tlchastings.com Wakota — A Guiding Star Center, West St. Paul guidingstarwakota.org Women’s Life Care Center, Little Canada womenslifecarecenter.org
ABOVE Alonna Mertz plays with her daughters Lilly, left, and Eve at the home of Joan and Robley Evans in Mendota Heights. A year ago, the family took in Mertz and the twins, who will turn 2 Feb. 2. LEFT Mertz speaks about her experience of turning from abortion to giving birth to her twins at the Champions for Life Awards Luncheon Oct. 31 at St. Peter in Mendota.
Cities. Back home, she had the support of her Catholic mother and grandparents, who lived across the street. In her new location, she was trying to find her way without any family nearby. She calls what happened in the dating relationship “a slow slide” that led to her having premarital sex and getting pregnant six months after meeting her thenboyfriend. He has not been involved in the girls’ lives since they broke up, Mertz said. Now that she has found stability and support, she is
ready and excited to keep talking about her conversion. A big part is the many people who have reached out in love and provided practical assistance. One of them is the pastor of her parish, Father Ivan Sant, who visited her at the hospital several times after her delivery, which was almost two months premature. The girls weighed less than 5 pounds each, and were in the neonatal intensive care unit for 25 days. She was an employee of the parish at the time, and she continued in her job as religious education director until the girls
WomenSource, Anoka womensource.org Woodbury Options for Women Pregnancy Resource Center, Woodbury woodburypregnancy.org
were 6 months old. “I’m so grateful to share this (story), to have healed and gone through what I’ve gone through with the girls,” she said. “I fell, but the Lord brought something good from it. And, it wouldn’t have been so miraculous had I not actually fallen.” She said she has learned “mercy and humility” through this experience, and she is motivated to pay it forward to others who go through similar struggles. “It makes me want to dive in more,” she said. “I heard this quote: ‘Your ministry is what your misery was.’ It was miserable on myself, and I want to help other mothers, other fathers, other children.” Those who interact with her will see a radiant smile, one that went dormant for a while but now flashes frequently. “I’ve always been joyful — always, always, always,” she said. “And, I just smile because I know the Lord is good. I know it both in head and heart, and I’m excited to share this. This is what I want to do.” She hopes she will have the chance to encounter a woman in an unplanned pregnancy. She wants to say to her what she now knows after bringing twin girls into the world and raising them over the last two years: “You are not alone, and you can do this.”
RESPECTLIFE
12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JANUARY 16, 2020
Pro-life events bring urgent messages Stories by Christina Capecchi For The Catholic Spirit
S
urprisingly few Catholics understand the Church’s opposition to surrogacy and egg donations, research suggests. They also crave guidance on matters of gender identity. These pressing moral issues will be addressed by two acclaimed pro-life speakers coming to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The information and inspiration they aim to provide has never been more needed, they told The Catholic Spirit.
First Christopher West, a leading expert on Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body who lives near Philadelphia, will speak at St. Joseph in Lino Lakes Jan. 28 and at All Saints in Lakeville Jan. 29. Then comes Jennifer Lahl, president of The Center For Bioethics and Culture Network, a California-based think tank, speaking at St. Odilia in Shoreview Feb. 4 and at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul Feb. 5. Their presentations can help empower Catholics to defend Church teachings against powerful secular pressures and a multi-billion-dollar fertility industry. Stories on this and the following page highlight their work.
Man on a mission Christopher West rolls out his 2020 ‘Made For More’ tour
profession, he said. “Mechanics, plumbers and cashiers can see the glory of God in everyone they meet and, when they love what they do, can find poetry in their work.”
C
hristopher West, 50, has devoted the past 25 years to teaching St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, and the father of five appears to be just hitting his stride. He has refined his message and molded his presentation into a two-and-a-half hour experience with sacred art and live music called “Made For More.” “I think we’ve landed on something that really pierces the heart,” he said. West launched the “Made For More” event in 2017, and his 2020 tour has 18 stops, including Minnesota, where he will encourage Catholics to embrace the late pontiff’s teachings on sexuality. In an era of gender confusion — from debates about public restrooms to the surge of gender-reassignment surgeries — West believes his message is more vital than ever. “Made For More” explores the most fundamental questions: Where do we come from? Where are we going? What does it mean to be human? The answers, as spelled out in the Gospel and illuminated through the Theology of the Body, orient our lives and point us to true fulfillment, according to West. “John Paul II’s Theology of the Body gives us the ability to truly diagnose what ails the modern world, which means we can then recognize the cure,” he said. The impact is profound, as evidenced
“
We want to show men and women how beautiful they truly are.
by the number of attendees who are following up to learn more. (West’s Philadelphia-based Theology of the Body Institute is an obvious next step, as is his online community.) “We often hear right away or shortly after of attendees who encounter an incredible healing of deep, perhaps generational, wounds. They see, maybe for the first time, the great wisdom and beauty in the Church’s teachings — including the ‘tough’ ones — on what it means to be human. The rapid growth of our event schedule tells us we’re tapping into a great hunger, and they want to learn more about God’s vision for their lives.” That vision is an affirming one. “We want to show men and women how beautiful they truly are,” West said. “Our bodies, our humanity, tells a story — a love story — an absolutely stunning, world-rocking love story. So few, so few have heard this before.” West articulates it in noble language, calling on each attendee to “be a poet.” Theology of the Body teaches you to do that, no matter your vocation or
Mike Mangione, a singer and guitarist from Milwaukee, has had that experience, thanks to his embrace of Theology of the Body. “The inspiration to try to understand and describe these universal mysteries of the human experience is open to everyone no matter what their occupation is,” said Mangione, who sings throughout “Made for More.” “Pope John Paul II touches on this in his ‘Letter to Artists.’ The pope highlights that every human person is a co-creator with the Creator in the artwork of their lives. This event is an attempt to help people see this potential within themselves.” In doing so, they can form healthy relationships with others — a skill that young Catholics may need more help with these days. “Social media can be a great tool, but when it becomes our main means of interacting with the world, we forget how to relate with real flesh-and-blood human beings,” West said. “Look at those two words: social and media. God created us as social beings, as beings who need to be in relationships of love with others. And the medium God created for us to live that out is our bodies. As the pinnacle of all expressions of love, God himself says: ‘This is my body given up for you.’ Social media in today’s world is, in many ways, a terribly disembodying experience. The ‘Made For More’ event helps us reconnect with our real, embodied humanity — and through that, learn to love as Christ loves.”
Support • Information • Encouragement Offering life-affirming support, information and encouragement to families facing an adverse diagnosis of a child
TheCatholicSpirit.com
P.O. Box 2225 • Maple Grove, MN 55311 763-772-3868 www.prenatalpartnersforlife.org
CatholicHotdish.com
RESPECTLIFE
JANUARY 16, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13
Wombs for rent
NOTICE
Jennifer Lahl decries exploitative fertility industry
THE DETAILS Christopher West
J
ennifer Lahl’s experiences as a mother of four and a registered nurse inform her work at The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. She’s looking out for young women who are exploited by the growing fertility industry, which globally is poised to exceed $52 billion in revenue in the next five years. “As a woman, you should be able to go to a doctor or nurse and expect that they’re not suggesting you do something harmful,” she said. But too often, that’s not the case, she said, as a growing number of women in their prime reproductive years are encouraged to donate eggs or become surrogates. “I’m upset with the medical and scientific community which seems to have no regard or concern for the wellbeing of otherwise healthy women who are being harmed and put in harm’s way and being incentivized with money,” Lahl said. It renders them handmaids to the authority paying them, she said — hence the title of her February talks, “Modern Handmaid’s Tale: The Ethics of Surrogacy, Egg Donation and Beyond.” Those financial incentives have also sullied the medical community, leading to a “slippage” in the ethics surrounding fertility treatments, Lahl said. The long-term effects of donating eggs have never been studied, she said. “What happens when you take healthy women and put them on high-dose fertility drugs and do this stuff to their bodies to get their eggs out of them? When you haven’t studied something, you can’t inform people of the risk.” Nor has the long-term impact of surrogacy been researched, she said. “What about surrogate moms? Do they have postpartum depression because they go home from the hospital with no baby, their breasts filling with milk?” High-tech fertility procedures are not backed by good science. “It’s making stuff up as we go,” Lahl said. “Fertility medicine came about by doctors just trying to help women get pregnant in their office. It didn’t come by studying
“Made for More”
in all copies of this issue.
Women have been the guinea pigs.
animals and doing long-term studies. It was throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks. Women have been the guinea pigs.” These facts must be relayed to Catholic families, she said. Many have not kept up on the newest technologies used to donate or implant an egg — measures that the Church unequivocally condemns, even for married couples. Calling the techniques “gravely immoral,” the Church teaches that they sever a child’s sacred connection to his or her mother and father. They also commodify human life. Lahl once learned that leaders of a pro-life college group were selling their eggs because they thought it was pro-life. “‘I’m not using the eggs,’” they reasoned, “‘And I could use the $10,000.’ It’s important we educate our women before we send them off to college because they’re going to see ads.” A better education on the Church’s opposition to surrogacy and egg donation ought to extend across platforms — from premarital counseling to Sunday homilies — Lahl believes. For married couples who are facing infertility, Lahl proceeds with great sensitivity, urging them first to ensure they have a proper diagnosis, which often requires a doctor to determine the fundamental issues at play. She recommends NaPro doctors, who use treatments that cooperate with the reproductive system. She reminds couples that there are many paths to parenthood, including adoption. Other infertile women are called to spiritual motherhood. While in town, Lahl will join Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, to
All Saints, Lakeville 7–9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29 Cost: $25 Purchase tickets at corproject.com/events
Jennifer Lahl “Modern Handmaid’s Tale: The Ethics of Surrogacy, Egg Donation and Beyond” St. Odilia, Shoreview 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4 University of St. Thomas 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5 Both events are free. To learn more, visit corproject.com and cbc-network.org. address lawmakers. “They’re just like regular citizens: They’re woefully uneducated (about surrogacy and egg donation). They think, ‘Oh, what’s wrong with the Catholic Church, always saying no.’” When speaking to legislators, Lahl said she dons her nurse hat. She points out that the U.S. is vehemently opposed to buying or selling organs, and yet the purchase of a woman’s eggs and the renting of her uterus remains legal. “You can see them wrestling with that tug,” she said. “But it’s an uphill battle. People get weak in the knees when someone can’t have a baby, and we want to help them however we possibly can.” The issue is more urgent than ever, as groups in California and other states push for legalizing paying women to donate their eggs for research. Meanwhile, the fertility industry grows at record speed, prodded by the legalization of same-sex marriage and the growing demand from those couples for babies. “Now we have men having babies by buying eggs and renting wombs from other women,” Lahl said. “And in the middle of this perfect storm is the fragile health of women in their prime reproductive years.”
Trojack Law Office, P.A.
John E. Trojack, Attorney at Law
PROLIFE ACROSS AMERICA
St. Joseph of the Lakes, Lino Lakes 7–9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28
“
• Wills • Powers of Attorney • Trusts • Health Care Directives • Probate
Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from
• Guardianships • Conservatorships
Call to attend complimentary workshops We offer tailor-made, client-focused estate planning and related services from a Catholic Perspective
Trojack Law Office, P.A. • 1549 Livingston Ave., Ste. 101 • W. St. Paul, MN 55118
Phone: 651.451.9696 • www.TrojackLaw.com
Plan your week with TheCatholicSpirit.com/calendar
No one is more ProLife than the Knights.
Catholic health care ministry witnesses to the sanctity of life “from the moment of conception unto death” Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services
14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JANUARY 16, 2020
FAITH+CULTURE
‘‘Mad Men’ meets men of the cloth’ UST class imagines what advertising campaign could look like for the Catholic Church By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
S
tations of the Cross on T-shirts. A graffiti mural campaign. A touch-screen ad with a search engine called “Godgle.” All were ideas presented by students in a University of St. Thomas strategic communications class who applied their newly learned skills to one of the world’s oldest organizations: the Catholic Church. During the fall 2019 Writing for Strategic Communication class, Doug deGrood, an adjunct professor at St. Thomas, taught his 15 students to build and focus an advertising campaign using standard industry methods and tools. Then, as their final project, he told them to apply those strategies to an imaginary advertising campaign promoting the Catholic Church. He cheekily referred to it as “‘Mad Men’ meets men of the cloth.” “The Catholic Church has always been near and dear to my heart, ... and like a lot of Catholics, (I’ve been) really disheartened by what’s transpired over the last five, 10 years,” said deGrood, a parishioner of St. Thomas the Apostle in Minneapolis who has worked more than 30 years in advertising, referring to revelations about clergy sex abuse. “Professionally, my interest was, here’s a brand ... that’s really got a black eye. Wouldn’t it be interesting to take it on as a marketing and communications challenge?” Students worked in four groups, each latching onto different themes MACKENZIE of the faith and using a range of tools HUNTER from print ads and billboards to social media and videos to get the message out. Tom Halden, communications’ director for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, talked to the class about the Catholic Church as they got started. One group focused on the universality of the Church and scripted a video or commercial that showed the Eucharist as a unifier across time of all people to Christ. The group also imagined the Church commissioning graffiti artists to paint Church-centric public art around major cities, and launching a new app that would — spinning off Pokémon GO — encourage people to find the art and reward them for their efforts. In addition, they proposed a TicTok social media campaign to share videos of clergy and religious men and women having fun. Another group ran with the tag line “Timeless Values,” with a focus on the Church’s unwavering commitment to the Gospel, the poor and community. They paired that history with innovation, such as a street-level touchscreen ad that read “Not every
MARIA WIERING | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
University of St. Thomas senior Sam Herriges, right, presents Jan. 7 an imaginary advertising campaign for the Catholic Church created for a strategic communications class, along with his groupmate and fellow UST senior, Olivia Zipperer, left. The students presented their final projects to their class in December, and then presented again in January for a group of Catholic communications professionals. question is Googleable,” where passersby could enter their faith-based questions into a “Godgle” search engine that would relay a related Scripture verse. They also proposed that the Church partner with an art museum for a modern art show, and launch a Catholic Church-branded wine that would spread the theme of “Timeless Values” through its use and its own advertising. When the students presented their projects, they had extra audience members: Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens. The archbishop said he was grateful for the students’ creativity. “They brought not only great professional insights but also a youthful perspective that we sometimes lack in the Church,” he said. “I think that much of what was presented would have immediate applications in our ministry.” Bishop Cozzens was also impressed with the creativity, as well as the “dedication which these students brought to a very difficult issue.” “Not everything in the Church lends itself to being presented in advertising, but we can definitely learn from the expertise these students demonstrated,” he said. “It was fun to see their work.” At Archbishop Hebda’s request, three of the students shared their presentations Jan. 7 at Lumen Christi in St. Paul at a monthly gathering of local Catholic communications professionals. Among them were seniors Sam Herriges and Olivia Zipperer, whose “Timeless Values” campaign included the wine and “Godgle.” They said the project was unique because of people’s emotional reactions to the Catholic Church. “Once we started diving into it, we were like, this was way harder than we thought,” Herriges said. Zipperer said they focused on ideas that would
FUNERAL CHAPELS, INC. Robbinsdale • Plymouth • St. Louis Park Please cut out form below and mail to: 3888 West Broadway • Robbinsdale, MN 55422
Name Address City
State
Zip
o Please mail information regarding pre-need funeral arrangements. o Please have a funeral director call me with information regarding prearrangements. My phone number is
surprise their audience as coming from the Catholic Church. “That’s what we want, because that gets people talking about it, gets people intrigued, and it gets people interested in what we have to say,” she said. Their classmate, Mackenzie Hunter, a junior double majoring in strategic communications and Catholic Studies, said she felt like the project was a dream come true. Even before the class, she hoped to work in Church communications after graduation, and the project strengthened her interest. It also challenged her perspective. Hunter initially thought the right direction was to focus on the Church’s unchanging teaching, but discovered that non-Catholic members of her group found that message off-putting. Instead, they were attracted to the Church as a “universal home,” which led to their focus on the Church’s universality and their proposals for the graffiti mural hunt and TicTok campaign. Welcoming needed to be the first step before teaching doctrine, Hunter told the Catholic Communicators group Jan. 7 during her presentation. “I think you need to meet people where they’re at,” she said, noting she was grateful for her classmates’ insight. “How can you welcome people into this, rather than turn them away?” DeGrood thinks some of the students’ ideas could be implemented, especially one group’s idea to use Instagram to share people’s stories about why they’re Catholic. “Context is everything,” he said. “Any ways that the Church can insert itself in culture in a modern way, in my mind, is going to go a long way to increasing its relevance in people’s lives.”
Join us on pilgrimage OBERAMMERGAU 2020 + GERMANY AND AUSTRIA Father Robert Fitzpatrick (Fr. Fitz), – Spiritual Director Retired priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Sept. 8-19, 2020
Father Fitzpatrick
Best of Italy • Father Robert Fitzpatrick (Fr. Fritz) • Spring 2021 Barcelona, Spain, Fatima • Fr. Robert Fitzpatrick (Fr. Fitz) • Fall 2021 Contact Colleen @ JeriCo Christian Journeys for details or a brochure call 1-877-453-7426
JANUARY 16, 2020
FAITH+CULTURE
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15
Emmanuel Community gathering takes on international flavor By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit Young adults from six countries and four states spent four days in St. Paul last month praying and sharing as part of the international Emmanuel Community that strives to grow in holiness. Members can grow together, Isabella Wijnberg, 35, told about 32 attendees at the gathering at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul. “Little choices to do good can be big choices for others and help God to work through us,” said Wijnberg, a community member from Amsterdam. As clergy, married, single and consecrated members, the group reflected Dec. 28-31 on the Community’s efforts to respond to God’s call to holiness through its three “pillars” of adoration, compassion and evangelization. “There’s something that really holds us together,” said Bridget Horan, 30, of Concord, California, who’s been involved in the Community since 2013. “This fraternal love that we have for each other, it is really powerful. It’s something that feels really unique to the Emmanuel Community because we are spread out literally all over the world.” In the U.S., members live in 17 states; 32 members are in Minnesota, where a community was formed in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1999. Our Lady of Guadalupe parishioners Jeremy and Autumn Irlbeck joined the Community about four years ago because they, with their four children, were looking for an intentional way of life, formation and community, said Jeremy, 35. Father Andrew Brinkman, 34, Our Lady of Guadalupe pastor, first met the Community in 2005 and later joined. He said he enjoys its fraternal aspects. He presides at liturgies and hears confessions but doesn’t lead the local community. “There’s just a real natural way that we live a
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
From left, Dirk Meyer of St. Peter in Mendota, Joanna Statnik of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Bridget Horan of Concord, California, talk Dec. 28 at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul during a gathering of the Emmanuel Community. communion of states of life: priests, lay people and consecrated men and women,” he said. “In the Emmanuel Community, I get to be a member like everybody else, a brother like everybody else and also a priest.” The Community’s young adult gathering in St. Paul was the first in North America, and it drew Community members from as far away as the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Germany, Denmark and Canada. They were also joined by members from South Dakota, California, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Inspired by the Catholic charismatic renewal, the Emmanuel Community was founded in France in 1976. Formally a public association of the faithful of pontifical right, it has 11,500 members in 67 countries, including 275 priests and 225 consecrated lay persons. The late founder, a French layman named Pierre Goursat, sensed that encountering the Lord has pre-eminent expression in the liturgy, eucharistic
adoration and the spirituality of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, said David Neira, 30, the “responsible,” or leader, of the local Community, who discerned his own membership in 2013. The Community grows through adoration and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, according to its website, emmanuelcommunity.com. Community life is multidimensional because of members’ different states in life, Neira said. All local members meet monthly, and they meet weekly in smaller groups in one of five households, where they share challenges and opportunities in their lives and how they are living the three pillars, Father Brinkman said. The Irlbecks host a household meeting. Jeremy said it’s helpful that members have the same goal but live it differently. “The goal is to really share what the Lord is doing in our lives and hopefully to edify one another through our experiences or what we’re hearing or prayer,” he said. “Sometimes it’s just a funny story of the kids or something inspiring that the kids helped me to see with a new perspective.” Members can renew their membership annually, or if they desire a permanent commitment, can enter formation as part of the Community’s Fraternity of Jesus. Many of the local Community’s members are under 40. Neira said he hopes Catholics of all ages will discover its uniquely prayerful and fraternal way to holiness. “It’s a very beautiful and particular way of life that’s lived out in a certain way that, even in a local Church as rich as ours, I would say has some unique gifts to offer,” he said. “I think a community that is really at the heart of the Church but also strives to be at the heart of the world is a gift.” Interested in learning more about the local community? Email emmanuelcommunitymn@gmail.com.
16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JANUARY 16, 2020
FOCUSONFAITH SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER MICHAEL JONCAS
‘A light to the nations’ The readings for Sunday, Jan. 12, marked both the first Sunday in Ordinary Time and the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, concluding the celebration of Christmastide. It comes as a bit of a surprise, then, that the Gospel for this Sunday is not taken from Matthew (which is the norm for Ordinary Time in Year A of the cycle of readings) and also recounts John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus in the Gospel of John. Nevertheless, the first reading, psalm and Gospel assigned for this weekend all invite us to consider what it means to be the “Servant of God.” Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 are verses selected from a longer poem that Scripture scholars have identified as the “Second Song of the Servant of God (YHWH).” Since the nineteenth century, scholars have been divided on whether or not the “servant” is an individual (e.g., Hezekiah, Isaiah, Uzziah, Jeremiah, Second Isaiah, Zarubbabel, an anonymous prophet or saint) or a collective (e.g., the people Israel). The literary form of today’s passage is that of a “call narrative,” in which the singer identifies that God has called him for a particular mission, that of a prophet “through whom (God) will show his glory.” The servant-prophet will manifest God’s glory in two ways: First, by bringing those who have been scattered by exile back to their ancestral home; and second, by serving as a light to the (Gentile) nations, that they, too, might share in the salvific promises of God. In this passage, we sense a trajectory from understanding God as the God of the patriarchs and their descendants, through that of the God of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, to the universal God who
has willed a unique role for Israel in relation to the other peoples of the earth. It is not surprising that Christians would re-interpret this poetic narrative, seeing in the conflation of an individual and a collective in the figure of the servant a parallel to the conflation of Jesus and the Church in bringing about God’s saving will for humanity. The verses chosen from Psalm 40 as today’s responsorial psalm powerfully portray the work of the Servant of God, oriented toward proclaiming God’s message of justice to the “vast assembly.” By singing the antiphon “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will” together in our worship, we are recommitting ourselves both individually and collectively to foster this godly work as Christians. “The Servant Song” and the psalm prepare us for John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus in the Gospel (Jn 1:29-34). Interestingly, the Gospel of John doesn’t present John’s ministry primarily in terms of baptizing the people who came out to him in the Jordan River “for repentance for the forgiveness of sins,” but as a witness to Jesus as the Anointed One. Here he witnesses about Jesus under two headings: First, Jesus is the “Lamb of God,” a paschal image probably connecting Jesus’ redemptive activity to that of the blood of the Passover lamb that caused the angel of death to pass over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt; and second, Jesus is the Son of God, the one manifesting in a unique way the permanent presence of the Holy Spirit. Although it might be possible to draw a connection between the call narrative of the prophetic Servant of God in the Isaiah reading and Paul’s self-identification as an apostolic servant of Jesus in the opening material of his First Letter to the Corinthians, it is probably best simply to see this passage as the opening of the Church’s in-course reading of the letter on Sundays until the season of Lent, with its own sets of readings.
DAILY Scriptures
Father Joncas, a composer, is an artist in residence at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
Saturday, January 25 Conversion of St. Paul, apostle Acts 22:3-16 Mk 16:15-18
GUEST COMMENTARY | GREG ERLANDSON
A queen and two popes “Verisimilitude” is a $10 word that is quite handy these days. It means “giving the appearance of being true or real.” It might be an appropriate, if clunky, label for a new genre of docu-fiction, where relatively recent or even current events are portrayed, but with a blending of fact and fantasy that gives the appearance of being true while at the same time claiming creative license when challenged. The third season of “The Crown” is a case in point. It continues to tell the story of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family. It is more than just a documentary’s recounting of history, for it tries to get at the inner dynamics of this famously reserved queen and her unusual family. Affairs, cruelties and excesses are all played out for a titillated audience. One biographer of the real queen, Sally Bedell Smith, told The Washington Post that now when she gives talks, the audience only wants to talk about “The Crown.” “They take it as gospel,” she said of her audiences. The article goes on to say that “because [the show] is based on real and famous people, because the production values are so rich and convincing, and the writing and acting so polished, viewers are unable to distinguish what is real from what is embellished.” The same could be said of “The Two Popes,” now streaming on Netflix. It takes two very real popes — Benedict XVI and Francis — and imagines an encounter over a period of days between the two. The title is misleading, since the primary encounter takes place before Francis is actually pope. Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio flies to Rome to submit his resignation as archbishop of Buenos Aires to a rather grumpy and unsympathetic Benedict. Over the course of the film, Bergoglio gives stirring talks, both men hear each other’s confession and Benedict uses the backdrop of the Sistine Chapel to confide his plan to resign. While the secular reviews have been fairly enthusiastic, commenting on the production values, the dialogue and the acting, those who know a bit more about the Vatican have trouble with the blurring of a teaspoon of fact with a shovelful of fiction. Indeed, the sets are striking, as are Jonathan Pryce as Bergoglio and Anthony Hopkins as Benedict. But the script they inhabit paints one pope as hip, sensitive, enlightened and progressive, while the other is reactionary, backwards looking, anti-social and out of touch. I’ll let you guess which is which.
Sunday, January 19 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 49:3, 5-6 1 Cor 1:1-3 Jn 1:29-34 Monday, January 20 1 Sam 15:16-23 Mk 2:18-22 Tuesday, January 21 St. Agnes, virgin and martyr 1 Sam 16:1-13 Mk 2:23-28 Wednesday, January 22 Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children 1 Sam 17: 32-33 Mk 3:1-6 Thursday, January 23 1 Sam 18:6-9; 19:1-7 Mk 3:7-12 Friday, January 24 St. Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church 1 Sam 24:3-21 Mk 3:13-19
Sunday, January 26 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 8:23–9:3 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 Mt 4:12-23
“
What has disturbed me is that friends and family members who have seen the film are often completely unaware of how false the film is.
Monday, January 27 2 Sam 5:1-7, 10 Mk 3:22-30 Tuesday, January 28 St. Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church 2 Sam 6:12b-15, 17-19 Mk 3:31-35 Wednesday, January 29 2 Sam 7:4-17 Mk 4:1-20
CNS
We see the two men pontificate (pun intended), debate, soften and ultimately become unlikely allies, all set against some great backdrops (Castel Gandolfo, the Sistine Chapel, even the courtyard in front of the Apostolic Palace where Bergoglio dances the tango with Benedict in front of the bemused papal staff). But, as Commonweal’s Rita Ferrone notes “all of this, of course, is fiction.” Most disturbing is that the film suggests Benedict somehow bears responsibility for the monstrous sexual abuser Father Marcial Maciel, which is exactly “not” the case, while suggesting Bergoglio was a stirring advocate for abuse victims, which was a role he only gradually grew into. What has disturbed me is that friends and family members who have seen the film are often completely unaware of how false the film is. They treat it as revelatory, not fantasy. Their reaction recalls the comment about “The Crown,” that “viewers are unable to distinguish what is real from what is embellished.” The filmmaker’s artistry creates the illusion of reality, but the liberties it takes make it neither true nor real. Rather its oversimplified caricatures do damage that today’s journalists and tomorrow’s historians will have to correct. Erlandson, director and editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service, can be reached at gerlandson@catholicnews.com. Editor’s note: Father Michael Schmitz’s column, “Ask Father Mike,” will return in February.
Thursday, January 30 2 Sam 7:18-19, 24-29 Mk 4:21-25 Friday, January 31 St. John Bosco, priest 2 Sam 1:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17 Mk 4:26-34 Saturday, February 1 2 Sam 12:1-7a, 10-17 Mk 4:35-41 Sunday, February 2 Presentation of the Lord Mal 3:1-4 Heb 2:14-18 Lk 2:22-40
JANUARY 16, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17
COMMENTARY
TWENTY SOMETHING | CHRISTINA CAPECCHI
The story of our lives
I’m beginning the new year with a clean office. It seems a good place to start, a practical way to set me up for any other resolutions I make. My office used to be meticulous. Early in our marriage, my husband surprised me with a u-shaped mahogany desk he’d found on Craigslist. It conferred dignity as it housed all my material: two computer screens in front of me, notes at my side, shelving behind me for journals and magazines. In its fold, I felt capable, equipped. And the hours flew by here: late-night drafts, early-morning revisions. But over time the desk became a catch-all, piling up paperwork and books, covering dust bunnies and power strips. I decided to make like Marie Kondo, the Japanese personal organizer whose bestselling book spawned a Netflix series. Her advice is unflinching: Discard almost everything. (And if someone else in your house won’t let you, purge when that person is gone.) “By doing this,” Kondo writes, “you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle.” I set to work in my office, one pile at a time. Pictures, newspapers, insurance forms. With each patch of desk that emerged, I felt better. Lighter, clearer-headed. Then came the bulk of the build-up: dozens and dozens of legal pads. Hasty black cursive sprawled across the pages, unfettered by the lines. Names that conjure hazy faces — people I had interviewed at the mall, at the coffee shop, at the baseball game, in the movie theater. Auctions, ordinations, trials, protests.
SIMPLE HOLINESS | KATE SOUCHERAY
A renewed commitment to our faith
This new year offers us an opportunity for a renewed commitment to our faith. It can begin with a greater commitment to having faith in God, a God we can trust and rely on completely, in all situations, regardless of whether we fully believe he can help us. He can. And he does. Imagine if in this year ahead you had that kind of faith. Imagine that if you faced a difficult situation, one you wondered how anything good could come from it, and instead of fretting and worrying, you turned to prayer? Through the help of the Scriptures, we can navigate the difficulties we face, which guide and support us, strengthening us when otherwise we might falter. For various reasons, Catholics have not always understood the Scriptures as well as other Christian denominations. This could be the year to change that. This could be a year that you become a Catholic Christian who understands the message God intends to impart to us through his sacred word: the Scriptures. If we begin with St. Matthew’s Gospel, which will be with us throughout this liturgical season, we find that it was written by a Jewish man who converted to Christianity because he believed Jesus was the
“
When asked with sincere interest, they (questions) reflect a core Catholic social teaching: Each of us has value and dignity, each of us has an interesting story. iSTOCK PHOTO | CASPER1774STUDIO
The story of my journalism career is here in the stories of strangers. It’s what I made of their accounts, what happened between the handwritten interview notes and the published newspaper articles. Certain sources stand out. Some present golden nuggets of wisdom topped in red velvet bows. Art Fry, the Post-It inventor, articulated the value of failure, of making mistakes and trying new things. Kim Smolik, CEO of Leadership Roundtable, said good leaders practice self-care. Mark Shea, the prolific Catholic author, offered advice on writing that applies to living: “The real trick is to cultivate interest in everything.” A year before his death, Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn described the place for faith amid uncertainty. “Life is a great mystery, and we can’t figure it all out,” he said. “Lean into the mystery.” Other sources linger in my mind because of what they do not disclose. Last month a fast-food manager answered all my questions for a story but left me wondering about his story. The 50-year-old has never married and has had 11 children with eight women. Yet I am sure he is good and kind. I remember the unemployed mom who bundled up and went to the Minneapolis library to scan
help-wanted ads when it was 15 below. “I see a little sunlight,” she told me, “and I always come out.” I believe our stories are sacred. They are worth telling and re-telling. I believe it is our Christian calling and our human duty to listen to others’ stories. A journalist gathers information using the five W’s: who, what, when, where and why. The latter unlocks many doors. Why did you marry her? Why did you vote for him? Why do you live here? Why did you pursue this profession? Why did you become a parent? Why are you Catholic? And a powerful follow-up to any comment: “Why do you say that?” These are the questions we should ask our parents, our neighbors, our colleagues, our cashiers. When asked with sincere interest, they reflect a core Catholic social teaching: Each of us has value and dignity, each of us has an interesting story. May we scribble them wherever we can: on napkins, in notepads, across the lines and against our hearts.
Messiah. Matthew’s Gospel was written in about the year 85 A.D., 15 years after it was believed St. Mark wrote his Gospel. As he wrote his Gospel, St. Matthew had access to St. Mark’s Gospel, his own source material about Jesus, as well as a sayings collection known as “Quelle,” referred to as “Q,” which means “source.” It is believed that St. Matthew and St. Luke used “Q” in constructing their Gospels, even though they were writing for very different audiences. St. Matthew wrote for Jews who became Christians after Jesus’ death and resurrection. St. Luke, who was the only non-Jew of the Evangelists, wrote for a Gentile audience. St. Matthew used nearly 150 Scripture passages from what we call the Old Testament in his Gospel, writing to demonstrate for his readers the link between the Torah, or the first five books of the Old Testament, the prophets and stories of Jesus to understand God’s faithfulness to them as his chosen people. While the New Testament was not fully written when St. Matthew wrote his Gospel, St. Paul’s epistles were circulating in Palestine and across the then-known world, as were stories of Jesus’ miracles, his teachings and his resurrection from the dead. As the people of Palestine and surrounding areas heard stories of Jesus, they were often overcome by the experience of Jesus’ Spirit and converted to Christianity through these encounters. We are not unlike the early followers after Jesus’ time on this earth: We often struggle to make sense of our lives in a time of turbulent change, we seek answers to the deeper questions of life and we search for something to help us know we are moving in the right direction. In the year ahead, take time to think about whether you are ready to commit your life to living fully in the light of the Holy Spirit. As you navigate the difficulties you face each day, ask yourself if you want to experience the guidance and peace the Holy Spirit provides. Decide if this will be the year you live your
ACTION CHALLENGE
Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.
Think of tangible ways you can become the faithful, lay Catholic Christian you know is possible. Make your faith the central aspect of your life and experience the transformation that only God can create.
life consistent with your baptismal call to respond positively to the Spirit’s invitation to turn your life and your will over to the will of God, living out the promise made on your behalf as an infant, which you now make for yourself as an adult. This might be the year you take part in a parish Bible study, investigating the stories you have read and heard all your life and committing to become the adult Christian you think could be possible. This might be the year you and your spouse take part in a Worldwide Marriage Encounter retreat, recommitting your promise to one another as you step into the sacramental demands asked of you. Or you may decide to take part in the weekend retreat you’ve always talked about but have never made time for in your busy schedule. Whatever it might be for you, as you attend Masses throughout this liturgical season, pay special attention to how St. Matthew’s Gospel speaks to you. Think about how the Holy Spirit is asking you to become the committed Christian you have always dreamed of becoming. Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a member of Guardian Angels in Oakdale. She holds a master’s degree in theology from The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul and a doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
18 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
TO HOME FROM ROME | JONATHAN LIEDL
Epiphany’s universal call continues
Every year, by the grace of God, the gift of Christmas takes hold of me more completely. As my understanding of the Incarnation deepens and my gratitude for all God has done in my life grows, it becomes increasingly impossible to make sense of my life, who I am and what I am doing here, apart from the great love revealed and given in Christ’s incarnation. My life is a question that is incoherent and meaningless apart from the answer that is Jesus. At the same time, however, I find myself experiencing sadness that, for so much of the world, the opposite dynamic seems to be happening. Christ seems increasingly irrelevant, especially in the postChristian societies of Europe and North America. Despite the crises that we continue to face, both external ones like the threat of war and internal ones like the epidemic of depression, Jesus and the lifegiving love and fulfillment he offers are rejected or ignored. Studies examining rates of adherence among Catholics certainly don’t give one cause for optimism. In the midst of all this, I can experience a temptation to something like solipsism, a selfish worldview in which I can only be certain about myself. I know Christ is the answer for me and for Catholics like me — but is he really the answer for everyone? Can his love really be received by the
FAITH AT HOME | LAURA KELLY FANUCCI
The wisdom of ‘I don’t know’
I once read an interview with a pastor who said that the most important thing a parent can say to a child is often, “I don’t know.” His words rattled me as a parent. Wasn’t my job to fill my children with knowledge? Wasn’t my role to pass down truth? Didn’t my authority as an adult depend on having answers? But I decided to try out his advice. For the next few months, I tried saying, “I don’t know” more often. Rather than trying to come up with all the answers to my kids’ questions, I started admitting when I had no clue. Whether for facts I forgot (Why is the sky blue?) or ancient, unanswerable problems (Why does God let people suffer?), I discovered that “I don’t know” became the beginning of memorable conversations — rather than closing the door to my kids’ quest for knowledge. In my experiment of embracing the unknown, I discovered that there are three ways to frame “I don’t know” toward the children (and adults) in our lives. We can invite them into a shared search for knowledge: “I don’t know, but let’s learn together!” We can let other people teach us: “I don’t know, but who else could help us figure it out?” We can wonder together about the unknowable: “I don’t know, but it’s a great question. What do you think?” As parents, grandparents, teachers or pastors, we can never have all the answers. But we can welcome each question as a holy invitation. The Church tells parents they are the first catechists of their children. But in my work with families in parishes, the vast majority of parents are intimidated — not affirmed — by this prospect. They don’t think they know enough. They aren’t sure what they believe. They worry about their
COMMENTARY
JANUARY 16, 2020
people of the world today, so engulfed as we are by This Epiphany reminder revitalized my conviction radical individualism, materialism and other that Jesus is the fulfillment of every person’s desires, reductive worldviews that not only cut us off from and that his love and truth can be received by the recognizing Christ as the answer, but from even men and women of any place and time, including our asking the questions that open ourselves to him in own. If God can reach three pagan sages from the first place? thousands of miles away by means of an astronomical sign, then he can reach the pagans of our age as well. With these questions lingering in my heart, I went God desires that we play our part in this. St. Leo the to Mass at a church just outside the Vatican this past Great, in a sermon the Church week and had something of an prays in the Office of Readings on epiphany. Or rather, I experienced Epiphany, suggests the star that led an antidote to this bout of yuletide the Wise Men to Bethlehem as a solipsism in a beautiful, vivid I know Christ is compelling model for image of the Epiphany come alive. evangelization. “The obedience of Instead of three Wise Men from the answer for me and for the star calls us to imitate its the East coming to adore the humble service: to be servants, as Catholics like me — but newborn king, I gathered with best we can, of the grace that brothers and sisters in Christ from is he really the answer invites all men to find Christ.” seemingly every corner of the The star that called forth the world — India, Africa, Asia, Latin for everyone? Magi has several qualities that we America and Europe — to worship can pray to emulate as we our God. Instead of offering gifts evangelize. It was attractive and of gold, frankincense and myrrh, eye-catching, as we can be when we offered to the Lord something we live lives of purity, conviction and joy. It stayed far more precious: our very lives, which we laid upon patiently in the sky, a patience that we must imitate if the eucharistic altar, to be taken up with Christ in his we aim to share Christ’s love with others and not self-offering to the Father. merely out-argue them. The Magi’s coming at Epiphany has been called the And the star shone, ultimately, not to bring people “first calling of the Gentiles.” Struck anew by the only to itself, a selflessness that we must foster by universality of the Church during that Mass, I was constantly asking Christ to help us bring others to reminded that the call of Epiphany has continued him. We can do so with confidence and freedom, ever since. The light of Christ has reached people like me, through my Irish, English and German ancestors, because the success of evangelization and conversion is ultimately not ours, but his. and through my involvement in communities like Catholic Studies and Communion and Liberation. But he has also found a home in the hearts of men and Liedl is a seminarian in formation for the Archdiocese of women of vastly different countries, cultures and St. Paul and Minneapolis at the Pontifical North American experiences than my own. College in Rome.
“
children asking questions they can’t answer. Yet the Gospels are full of questions. Jesus’ favorite response to any request or challenge is to ask a question in return. Even the answers he offers are often hidden in parables, beyond simple and satisfying solutions or black-and-white clarity. Teaching younger generations is not simply the transmission of facts, satisfying the need for certainty. It models that faith is another way of knowing, engaging heart and soul as well as mind and body, drawing us closer to God who understands and embraces our questions. In an era when we can Google everything, always a click away from instant answers, the chance to rest in unknowing can become an unexpected opportunity. Curiosity, imagination and wonder are holy gifts. Turns out that maturity is not the accumulation of answers, but the deepening of wisdom — which is humility in the face of all we do not know. Stand-up comedians rely on a two-word phrase that packs a punch for improvisational comedy. “Yes, and ... ” allows the comic to accept whatever crazy premise their partner offered and build on it to advance the scene. Admitting “I don’t know, but ... ” can be just as powerful. It opens the path toward wisdom. It teaches the humility of limitation. It embraces the mystery of unknowing-yet-trusting at the heart of faith. Children are used to not knowing, as part of their stage in life. But as adults we mistake “I don’t know” for failure or weakness. Yet unknowing can become the beginning of prayer. The strength found in surrender to God’s wisdom. The vulnerability that leads to deeper relationship with God and each other. Saying “I don’t know” can become a spiritual practice to embrace in 2020. How might this new year inspire your quest for deeper wisdom and better questions?
LETTER Demand humane immigration As a person of faith believing in the dignity of everyone regardless of immigration status, I am very concerned about the cruel and inhumane immigration policies that have become a hallmark of our country under the current administration. We should not sit passively by while people — including young children being separated from their families — languish in unsafe conditions, die from preventable illnesses while in custody, or are forced to wait in dangerous border towns while their asylum petitions are processed. This is a serious stain on our nation. How can we preach about justice and human rights when we treat vulnerable people in such a shameful way? It is imperative that we voice our strong opposition to these horrendous immigration policies, demand a humane approach to meaningful immigration reform and insist on the reunification of families, as there are still 900+ children that we’ve separated from their parents that we should reunite with their families. It should be a 2020 election issue, as well as having our elected officials address the long-standing U.S. policies that have created the conditions that force people to migrate. Geri Martin Pax Christi, Eden Prairie
The Catholic Spirit wants to hear your take. Letters to the Editor should be limited to 150 words and sent to
CatholicSpirit@archspm.org Fanucci is a mother, writer and director of a project on vocation at the Collegeville Institute in Collegeville. A parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, she is the author of several books, including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting,” and blogs at motheringspirit.com.
with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject line. Please include your name, parish and daytime phone number in case we need to contact you.
JANUARY 16, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19
CALENDAR Farmington KCs Annual Chili Cook-Off Challenge and Bingo — Jan. 25: 5:30–9 p.m. at St. Michael, 221210 Denmark Ave., Farmington. All-you-can-eat breakfast buffet — Jan. 26: 7:30 a.m.–noon at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. guardian-angels.org.
FEATURED EVENTS Annual Prayer Service for Life — Jan. 22: 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. Commemorates millions of lives lost to abortion and women and men wounded by abortion’s aftermath. Followed by walk to the State Capitol for Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life March for Life rally. mccl.org.
Ongoing groups Calix Society — First and third Sundays: 9–10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. A group of men, women, family and friends supporting the spiritual needs of recovering Catholic alcoholics. Kathy at 651-330-3387. calixsociety.com. Dementia support group — Second Tuesdays: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. RSVP to sarnold@benedictinecenter.org. Healing Hope grief support — Second and fourth Thursdays: 6 p.m. at St. Timothy, 707 89th Ave. NE, Blaine. Facilitator Bob Bartlett, licensed therapist. No fees or required registration. churchofsttimothy.com. Bridge club — Last Saturdays: 7–8:30 p.m. at St. Joseph, 13015 Rockford Road, Plymouth. Mike or Janet Malinowski at 952-525-8708. stjosephparish.com.
“Domestic Church: The Real Presence of Christ in Our Homes” — Jan. 25: 8 a.m.– noon at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. A morning retreat and reflection for women led by Kate Soucheray, a family therapist and columnist for The Catholic Spirit. Includes Mass, breakfast, seminar, prayer and fellowship. $30. Register online by Jan. 20. Presented by the Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary Cathedral Council. cathedralaux.blogspot.com. Prayer and Listening Events — Join Archbishop Bernard Hebda for prayer, discussion and sharing about the blessings and challenges in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as it prepares for the 2020 Synod. Next upcoming events:
Parish events
Jan. 25: 9 a.m.–noon at St. Peter Claver, 369 Oxford St. N., St. Paul. Jan. 28: 6–9 p.m. at Pax Christi, 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. Feb. 1: 9 a.m.–noon at St. Stephen, 2211 Clinton Ave. S., Minneapolis. Bilingual, Spanish and English. More about these events and the full Prayer and Listening Event schedule at archspm.org/synod.
Music St. John’s Concert Series: An Instrument of Evangelization — Jan. 23: 7 p.m. at St. John the Baptist, 680 Mill St., Excelsior. Featuring organist Michael Ging. Reception to follow. stjohns-excelsior.org.
Dining Out All-you-can-eat breakfast buffet — Jan. 19: 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at KC Hall, 1910 S. Greeley St., Stillwater. Hosted by St. Croix Valley Lumberjacks Special Olympics and Stillwater Knights of Columbus. Take-out available.
“Harm, Healing and Wholeness” — Jan. 19: 9:45–10:45 a.m. Victoria Johnson, Nancy Blom and Father Marcus Millis speak about Rachel’s Vineyard Twin Cities, which offers retreats and healing for women and men affected by abortion. lourdesmpls.org. “One Body: Immigration in Our Current Times” — Jan. 19. 11 a.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1900 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. mary.org. “Made for More: Visions of the Promised Land” — Jan. 28: 7–9:30 p.m. at All Saints, St. Joseph of the Lakes, 171 Elm St., Lino Lakes. Theology of the Body speaker Christopher West and musician Mike Mangione. $25. corproject.com. “Made for More: Visions of the Promised Land” — Jan. 29: 7–9:30 p.m. at All Saints, 19795 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville. Theology of the Body speaker Christopher West and musician Mike Mangione. $25. corproject.com. “Lectio: Eucharist, Discovering the Mass in the Bible” — Jan. 27-Mar. 31 at Transfiguration, 6133 15th St. N., Oakdale. Mondays, 7-8:45 p.m. or Tuesdays, 9-10:45 a.m. transfigurationmn.org.
Taize prayer — First Fridays: 7:30 p.m. at St. Richard, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield. Moving prayer centering on sung psalms and periods of holy silence. strichards.com. Pro-Life Memorial Mass — Jan. 31: 6 p.m. at St. Charles Borromeo, 2739 Stinson Blvd., Minneapolis. Celebrant Father Thomas Dufner. Refreshments to follow. prolifeacrossamerica.org. Standing Vigil: A Retreat with Sunday’s Gospel — Feb. 1: 2–6 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. benedictinecenter.org.
Retreats Men’s silent weekend retreat — Jan. 17-19 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. “Broken, Blessed and Sent,” presented by King’s House preaching team. kingshouse.com. Confirmation retreats — Jan. 24-26 at NET Ministries, 110 Crusader Ave. W., West St. Paul. netusa.org. Women’s silent weekend retreat — Jan. 24-26 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. “Broken, Blessed and Sent,” presented by King’s House preaching team. kingshouse.com. Just Write: Making Time for the Love of Words — Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. benedictinecenter.org. Retrouvaille Marriage Program — Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at Best Western Dakota Ridge Hotel, 3450 Washington Drive, Eagan. 800-470-2230 or info@tcr-mn.org. helpourmarriage.org. Men’s silent weekend retreat — Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. “Broken, Blessed and Sent,” presented by King’s House preaching team. kingshouse.com.
Conferences/workshops Order Franciscans Secular (OFS) — Third Sundays: 1 p.m. at Catholic Charities, 1200 Second Ave. S., Minneapolis. Learn about this lay group of Catholic men and women, following the example of St. Francis. 952-922-5523.
Schools
Prayer/worship
Middle School Preview Night — Jan. 23: 6:30 p.m. at St. Joseph School, 13900 Biscayne Ave. W., Rosemount. RSVP to Principal Kelly Roche at 651-423-1658 or to kelly.roche@stjosephcommunity.org.
Taize prayer — Third Fridays: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Simple chants based on Scriptures and periods of silence. Refreshments following. benedictinecenter.org.
Student Achievement Fair — Jan. 26: 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph School, 13900 Biscayne Ave. W., Rosemount. Celebrate Mass, see the student fair and go on a tour. 651-423-1658. school.stjosephcommunity.org.
CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the next issue date. LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and organizations. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission. Included in our listings are local events submitted by public sources that could be of interest to the larger Catholic community. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication: uTime and date of event uFull street address of event uDescription of event uContact information in case of questions ONLINE: THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM/ CALENDARSUBMISSIONS MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106
CSW Pancake Breakfast & Open House — Jan. 26: 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic School, 745 Sixth Ave. S., South St. Paul. holytrinityssp.org. All-school open house and tour — Jan. 28: 10 a.m.–3 p.m. at St. Croix Catholic School, 621 Third St., Stillwater. stcroixcatholic.com.
Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles — Sundays. Usually meets in St. Paul. Kay at 651-426-3103 or Al at 651-439-1203. Singles group —Second Saturdays: 6:15 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul, 9100 93rd Ave. N., Brooklyn Park. Potluck supper, conversation and games. 763-425-0412.
Speakers Theology on Tap — Wednesdays Jan. 15-Feb. 19: 6:30 p.m. at Gabe’s By the Park, 991 Lexington Parkway N., St. Paul. cathedralsaintpaul.org.
Other events 2020 MCCL March for Life — Jan. 22: Noon–1 p.m. at the Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul. mccl.org. ACCW Legislative Day — Feb. 8: 8:30 a.m.–noon at St. Michael, 11300 Frankfort Parkway NE, St. Michael. archspm.org.
Marketplace • Message Center Classified Ads
Email: classifiedads@archspm.org • Phone: 651-290-1631 • Fax: 651-291-4460 Next issue: 1-30-20 • Deadline: 3 p.m. 1-23-20 • Rates: $8 per line (35-40 characters per line) • Add a photo/logo for $25 ACCESSIBILITY SOLUTIONS STAIR LIFTS - ELEVATORS WHEELCHAIR LIFTS FOR HOMES, CHURCHES & SCHOOLS Arrow Lift (763) 786-2780 ANTIQUES TOP CASH PAID For Older Furniture Advertising Signs • Beer Items • Toys • Misc. (651) 227-2469 ATTORNEYS Edward F. Gross • Wills, Trusts, Probate, Estate Planning, Real Estate. Office at 35E & Roselawn Ave., St. Paul (651) 631-0616 CEILING TEXTURE Michaels Painting. Popcorn Removal & Knock Down Texture: TextureCeilings.com (763) 757-3187.
GREAT CATHOLIC SPEAKERS thecatholicspirit.com
CEMETERY LOTS FOR SALE Resurrection Cemetery: one lot. Value $1740; Price $1100. 612-803-2140 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES VAN DRIVER $750 HIRING BONUS Industry leader now hiring school van drivers. Company van to take home. Up to $18/hr, paid holidays, no experience necessary, we offer paid training. Clean record and regular driver’s license needed. DOT physical provided. Bonus, summer paid-time off programs, and summer work available. Full- and part-time jobs available. Aide positions available. Call 651-203-8149 or go to TCTINC.ORG/APPLY. FOR SALE www.Holyart.com Religious items and Church goods.
CD of the Month Club Lighthouse Catholic Media, Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins and more! $5/month includes shipping. Subscribe online at http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia. org/cdclub Please Enter Code: 1195 HANDYMAN WE DO 1,162 THINGS AROUND THE HOME! Catholic Owned Handyman Business: We will fix/repair and remodel almost anything around the home. Serving entire Metro. Call today. Mention this ad and receive 10% off labor. Handyman Matters (651) 784-3777, (952) 946-0088. www.HandymanMatters.com HARDWOOD FLOORS
Sweeney’s Hardwood Floors
IT’S WINTER! Spruce up your home with new or refurbished hardwood floors: 10% off labor. Sweeney (651) 485-8187.
Ask a our 3 bout t speciaime l!
VACATION/FAMILY GETAWAY
CatholicHotdish.com
Knotty Pines Resort, Park Rapids, MN. 1, 2 & 3 bdrm cabins starting at $565/week. www.knottypinesresort.com (800) 392-2410. Mention this ad for a discount!
PAINTING For painting & all related services. View our website: PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM or call (651) 699-6140. Merriam Park Painting. Professional Int./ Ext. Painting. WP Hanging. Moderate Prices, Free Estimates.Call Ed (651) 224-3660. Michaels Painting. Texture and Repair. MichaelsPaintingllc.coM. (763) 757-3187. Dennis Heigl Painting Interior/Exterior Serving Mpls. & suburbs. Free Estimates. (612) 819-2438 PRAYERS NOTICE: Prayers must be submitted in advance. Payment of $8 per line must be received before publication.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY HOUSEHOLD MANAGER The Stillwater Catholic Worker Community is seeking an energetic and compassionate woman to manage and live at Our Lady Queen of Peace House, a home for women and their children in transition. Room and board included with this volunteer position. Details available at STMICHAELSTILLWATER.ORG or by calling Marlay Smith 651-324-3115. WANTED TO BUY Estate & Downsizing: I buy Van Loads and Bicycles. Steve (651) 778-0571.
Looking for Catholic JOBS? careers.archspm.org
20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JANUARY 16, 2020
iSTOCK PHOTO | PUNNARONG
THELASTWORD
Evolving door New Year may bring new opportunities for women at Vatican By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
P
ope Francis opened 2020 with a strong call to acknowledge the dignity of women, end violence against them and stop the exploitation of women’s bodies. His homily Jan. 1 was not generic: It referenced prostitution, rape, coerced abortions, pornography and even advertising. And Pope Francis called for the involvement of women in decision-making processes in civil society, specifically when it comes to promoting peace. At the Mass on the feast of Mary, Mother of God, he said the Church is “woman and mother,” but he did not use the homily to address the roles of women in formal Church structures. However, there are strong indications that some changes will be coming in 2020, and not just because of the New Year’s homily. The publication of the pope’s plan for the new configuration of the Roman Curia and his apostolic exhortation reflecting on the themes of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon both are expected early in the year. The draft document for the Curia reform, “Praedicate Evangelium” (Preach the Gospel), said the office of Vatican Secretary of State must be held by a cardinal. But other than that, it said, the reform “should also involve lay women and men in governing roles of importance and responsibility.” The draft insisted the Church’s hierarchical structure was willed by Christ, but that does not mean only the pope, bishops and other clerics are responsible for the
Church and its mission in the world. “I think Pope Francis is quite serious about listening to women,” said Zagano, who is an advocate for women In fact, it said, in the Roman Curia “the presence and entering the diaconate. “His problem is that some in the participation of laypeople — women and men — is Curia are not. He will do what he can.” more essential than ever,” especially the contributions of laypeople living their faith through their family life In May, Pope Francis appointed six consultants to the and in their engagement with the general secretariat of the Synod of world. Bishops, the office that coordinates The draft document suggested the gathering. Five of the six were Changes will come laywomen and laymen would be women and they are the first particularly appropriate leaders “when with the new generation women to serve in that position. dealing with the promotion of the Xaviere Missionary Sister Nathalie as more and more family and respect for life and creation, Becquart, who was an observer at with the Gospel as the leaven of young people — not only the 2018 Synod of Bishops on temporal realities and with discerning young people, was one of the the signs of the times.” young women but also consultants named. She told CNS While the overall Curia reform the appointment was “a symbolic young men — ask for project has taken years, Pope Francis and effective step toward already anticipated some changes: The women’s equality. appointing more women at the prefect of the Dicastery for Curia, and it reflects Pope Francis’ Sister Nathalie Becquart Communication is a layman; and the desire to give more places to women two undersecretaries of the Dicastery at all levels of the Church.” for Laity, the Family and Life are Sister Becquart, the former laywomen. St. John Paul II in 2004 appointed a woman director of youth evangelization and vocations for the religious as undersecretary of the Congregation for French bishops’ conference, said she’s convinced more Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic progress will come. Life, and that practice has continued. “Changes will come with the new generation as more In late October, at the end of the Amazon synod, which repeatedly referred to the leadership of women in and more young people — not only young women but also young men — ask for women’s equality,” she said. faith communities throughout the region, Pope Francis Added hope comes from meeting “more and more promised to “reconvene” and expand the commission priests and bishops now that are speaking out for he had appointed to study the diaconate of women. women,” she said. “I have seen an evolution; at the Phyllis Zagano, a member of the original commission beginning, the question of women in the Church was a and an expert on the subject from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, told Catholic News Service Jan. 7 question from women, and now it is also an important topic for many men, priests and bishops — and even that she still has not heard anything about a renewed the pope.” brief for the panel. Zagano did, however, notice the difference in the way But one will not be able to say there is true Pope Francis spoke about women in his homily Jan. 1, collaboration between men and women at all levels and she said she wonders if one litmus test for new of the Church until there are “more women in leaders in the Roman Curia is, “Can you work with leadership positions and decision-making processes,” women?” she said.
“
Prices starting atPrices $2,499starting ~ with Airfare Included in this price at $2,499 from anywhere in the USA • Airfare included in this price from anywhere in the USA
Several trips toSeveral differenttrips destinations: the Holy Land; Italy; France; Call us 24/7 to different destinations: us 24/7 Portugal; Spain; Poland; Medjugorje; Lourdes; Fatima; Ireland; 508-340-9370 or Call 855-842-8001 The Holy Land Italy France Portugal Spain Poland Medjugorje • • • • • • • Scotland; England; Austria; Germany; Switzerland; Turkey; Greece; 508-340-9370 or 855-842-8001 www.proximotravel.com • Lourdes • Fatima • Ireland • ScotlandColombia; • EnglandBrazil; • Austria Budapest; Prague; Our Lady of Guadalupe; anthony@proximotravel.com www.proximotravel.com Germany Switzerland Turkey Greece Budapest Prague • • • • • • Argentina; Domestic Destinations; etc. (Hablamos Español) Our Lady of Guadalupe Domestic Destinations; etc. • anthony@proximotravel.com We also specialize in custom trips • for Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.
We also specialize in custom trips for Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.
(Hablamos Español)
MOVIE REVIEWS TheCatholicSpirit.com