Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
The Catholic Spirit
January 17, 2013
The Catholic Spirit launches its Rediscover: section to be featured in each issue of 2013. The first topic: How do I know there is a God?
News with a Catholic heart
4-page center section TheCatholicSpirit.com
Defending life: 40 years and counting Woman remembers Roe v. Wade and now carries fight to third generation By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
Connie Clark remembers a January day in 1973. Something she heard while in her car brought a bigger chill than the arctic air that enveloped her. “My kids were small and I was driving down Main Street here in Faribault,” said Clark, 72, who belongs to Divine Mercy in Faribault. “It came over the radio that the Supreme Court [on Jan. 22] said abortion is now going to be [legal] and we now can kill unborn babies in our country legally. It just gave such a chilling, chilling feeling.” That cold sensation about abortion in America still exists, but it is infused with hope as Clark has watched her pro-life passion pass down to the third generation. She raised four children (with her husband Tom, who died of cancer in 2001). One of them, Michelle Palmer, also a member of Divine Mercy, now serves as executive directer at a pro-life crisis pregnancy center in Faribault called Pregnancy Options LifeCare Center. And, Palmer’s daughter, Hana, is one of the center’s most committed volunteers. The senior at Bethlehem Academy in Faribault comes regularly to help wherever needed, plus she has used social media to refer girls her age to the center.
Also inside:
Pro-life with a smile
Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit
Connie Clark, left, granddaughter Hana Palmer and daughter Michelle Palmer take part in a three-generaton effort to end abortion. All are parishioners at Divine Mercy in Faribault.
It’s all part of a pro-life belief that roused Clark to action shortly after she heard the news of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. A graduate of Bethlehem Academy in 1958, she went back to her school during the years her daughter and three sons went there and spoke about why abortion is wrong and how Catholics could work to abolish it. She continues to serve as a foot soldier
Prolife Across America founder recounts four-plus decades trying to end abortion — page 4
in the pro-life movement today, and now has children and grandchildren at her side. Although she gets worried that her daughter — a mother of seven — has more duties than she can handle at the center, she is encouraged by the efforts of her granddaughter and others of that generation. “It gives me hope that there are so many young people now that are more
40 years ago
Looking back at how the local Church responded to Roe v. Wade — page 5
aware,” Clark said. “I think our young people are much more engaged.”
Work on the ground After a pro-life upbringing, Palmer got a chance to put her beliefs into action shortly after graduating from Bethlehem Academy in the spring of 1981. She PLEASE TURN TO FARIBAULT ON PAGE 19
Students to march for life in D.C.
Local high school students to offer Catholic, pro-life witness — page 6
Holy Hour dedicated to Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty All are invited to participate with the archdiocese and the nation to pray a Holy Hour dedicated to Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty led by Archbishop John Nienstedt from 3 to 4 p.m. Jan. 20 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. In this Year of Faith, the Catholic bishops of the United States have called for a nationwide effort to advance a movement for Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty through prayer, penance, and sacrifice. Prompted by unprecedented challenges to the Church and the nation, particularly the HHS mandate and current trends in government and culture toward redefining marriage, Catholics are being encouraged to pray for rebuilding a culture favorable to life and marriage and for increased protections of religious liberty. For more information, visit WWW.USCCB.ORG/LIFE-MARRIAGE-LIBERTY or call (651) 291-4488.
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JANUARY 17, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Church in forefront of helping refugees, immigrants One of the biggest social problems facing our nation and our world today involves a collective response to the terrible plight of refugees and other immigrants seeking a home in a foreign land. For example, thousands of refugees are permitted entry into the United States every year because they cannot return to their home country and do not enjoy basic rights in the country where they previously sought refuge. Refugees are of special humanitarian concern to the United States and are a testament to our nation’s long, proud tradition of providing sanctuary to those who seek lives free from violence and oppression.
That They May All Be One Archbishop John C. Nienstedt
Here in our archdiocese, our Catholic Charities, with the support of Catholic Services Appeal dollars, has provided migration and refugee services for over 30 years
Meeting the needs Since 1975 alone, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, through the work of the Office of Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) and the national network of more than 100 diocesan agencies, primarily Catholic Charities, has partnered with the U.S. government in the resettlement of close to 1 million refugees from Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Near East and Latin America. During federal fiscal year 2013, at least 74,000 refugees and special immigrants are expected to be resettled in the United States. Of this number, at least 19,000 are expected to be assisted by the federal government and diocesan agencies in a public-private partnership that brings together both federal funds and local resources of cash as well as in-kind goods and services. The combination of both is essential to meeting these needs. In his Message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2013, His Ho-
Correction The ordination date for Father James Holl in his obituary in the Jan. 3 issue was incorrect. He was ordained June 5, 1948. He also served in two places that were omitted: He assisted at Epiphany in Coon Rapids and then ministered at the Little Sisters of the Poor in St. Paul for 10 years, until 2011.
The Catholic Spirit
The Catholic Spirit’s mission is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It seeks to inform, educate, evangelize and foster a spirit of community within the Catholic Church by disseminating news in a professional manner and serving as a forum for discussion of contemporary issues.
Vol. 18 — No. 2 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT Publisher SARAH MEALEY JOE TOWALSKI Associate publisher Editor Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by Catholic Spirit Publishing Company. 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 bi-weekly by the Catholic Spirit Publishing Company, a non-profit Minnesota Corporation, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 2914460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. WWW.THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM
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Archbishop’s schedule ■ Saturday, Jan. 19: 5 p.m., Veseli, Church of the Most Holy Trinity: Sunday Liturgy. ■ Sunday, Jan. 20: 3 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Holy Hour for Religious Liberty, Marriage and Life. ■ Monday-Wednesday, Jan. 21-23: Orlando, Fla., Catholic Leadership Institute – “Porta Fidei: The Urgency of a New Evangelization and the Leadership Required” workshop. ■ Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 24-26: Washington, D.C., March for Life. ■ Monday, Jan. 28: 9 a.m., St. Anthony, Church of St. Charles Borromeo: All-school Mass, classroom visits and lunch with students and teachers. 6:30 p.m., Oakdale, Church of the Guardian Angels: CSA Third Annual Leadership Ministry Tour and Dinner. ■ Tuesday, Jan. 29: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Scheduling meeting with staff. 9:30 a.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Archbishop’s Council meeting. 1 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Presbyteral Council meeting. 3:30 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Meeting of College of Consultors. ■ Wednesday, Jan. 30: 8:30 a.m., Faribault, Church of the Immaculate Conception: Mass for the students of Divine Mercy School and Bethlehem Academy. ■ Thursday, Jan. 31: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Planning for “lectio divina” at the University of St. Thomas. ■ Friday, Feb. 1: 6 p.m., St. Paul, Cathedral of St. Paul: Private wedding ceremony.
spiritual communion, treating the migrant in a holistic way. The pontiff also recalls that the Second Vatican Council and its constitution “Gaudium et Spes” listed the right of persons to migrate as one of the fundamental human rights (number 65). At the same time, the need also exists to reaffirm the right people have not to emigrate, that is to say, the right to live in one’s own country. Often, however, the conditions of economic instability, natural disaster, war or other forms of special unrest force persons to migrate for the shear sake of survival. Many of these fall victim to exploitation and are forced to live at the margins of society. This is especially a concern for women and children. Human trafficking has become a big business even in such states as our own. Programs are urgently required to provide humanitarian protection for those who are caught in this vicious state of enslavement.
Local efforts
“Truly this is our Catholic faith in action, as newcomers find a home among us, beginning to build a better life for themselves and sharing that life with the rest of us.
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ARCHBISHOP JOHN NIENSTEDT
liness, Pope Benedict XVI, quotes his own reflection in the encyclical “Caritas in Veritate,” citing the fact that migration is “a striking phenomenon because of the sheer numbers of people involved, the social, economic, political, cultural and religious problems it raises, and the dramatic challenges it poses to nations and the international community” (number 62), for “every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance” (ibid.).
The theme of the pope’s message this year is “Migrations: pilgrimage of faith and hope.” The faith that migrants have lies in their desire for a better life for themselves and their families. Their hope lies in leaving behind an unpromising future. The Catholic Church has consistently been on the forefront of offering assistance, resources, welcome programs and, most of all, spiritual opportunities to those who find themselves in such difficult situations. The pope points out that human welfare goes hand in hand with
Here in our archdiocese, our Catholic Charities, with the support of Catholic Services Appeal dollars, has provided migration and refugee services for over 30 years, working with the State Refugee Office and other voluntary refugee placement agencies in providing legal services and public benefits for refugees. Twin Cities Catholic Charities alone annually resettles anywhere from 300 to 350 refugees. Recent recipients come from Somalia, Nepal, Bhutan and Burma, including the Karen and Mon ethnic groups. In addition, our Catholic Charities provides services to victims of human trafficking by collaborating with local police departments as well as through community education programs. The impact that these efforts make cannot be underestimated. Truly this is our Catholic faith in action, as newcomers find a home among us, beginning to build a better life for themselves and sharing that life with the rest of us. God bless you!
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The Catholic Commu m nit y Foundation stewards charitable assets with a focus on long -term performance through investment n s that align with Church teachings. We invite you to learn about our portfolio, presented in the context off today’s market by expert advisors. Current and prospective donors and fund partners are welcome. NEW N EW THIS TH IS Y YEAR: EAR: R PRACTICES P R ACTIC ES IIN NS SOCIALLY OC IALLY R RESPONSIBLE ESPONSIBLE IINVESTING N VE STI N G SRI is a philosophy that distinguishes the Catholic Community Foundation from other local community foundations. Samuel Saladino of Trinity Fiduciary Partners, LLC will share his insights on this investment model and how it it aligns with t Catholic values.
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“Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” Thomas Jefferson
Local News from around the archdiocese
JANUARY 17, 2013
Poverty relief, health care, marriage among priorities this session for Catholic conference
increase in the minimum wage, particularly for employees of larger businesses.
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The Catholic Spirit
JASON ADKINS
Stay connected, get involved Visit HTTP://MNCC.ORG for news and information about a variety of topics and issues of interest to the state’s Catholic community. You can find links to bishops’ statements, MCC’s 2013 policy positions, and other documents as well as background on Catholic social teaching. From the home page, you also can join the Minnesota Catholic Advocacy Network (MNCAN), a service of the MCC that provides newsletters, legislative updates, contacts and action letters on issues of concern to Catholics. You can friend the MCC on Facebook or follow it on Twitter @MNCATHOLICCONF.
said that was [wrong], and that an effort to change our laws would begin as early as this year. Indeed that has come to pass.”
Hearing Tests Set for Senior Citizens Announcement — Free electronic hearing tests will be given all next week Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. The tests have been arranged for anyone who suspects they are not hearing clearly. People who generally feel they can hear, but cannot understand words clearly are encouraged to come in for the test, which uses the latest electronic equipment. Everyone, especially those over age 55 should have an electronic hearing test once
a year. Demonstrations of the latest devices to improve clarity of speech will be programmed using a computer to your particular needs — on the spot — after the tests. See (and HEAR) for yourself if newlydeveloped methods of correction will help you understand words better. Tests will be performed at one of 20 convenient Greater Twin Cities Avada Hearing Care locations.
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Call 1-877-328-9161
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PRO-LIFE ACROSS AMERICA in all copies of this issue.
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“We support an
By Joe Towalski Every legislative session presents both opportunities and challenges, says Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference. As the Minnesota Legislature convened Jan. 8, the head of the public policy voice of the state’s Catholic bishops said the MCC would be monitoring a variety of issues ranging from poverty relief and pro-life concerns to human trafficking and the creation of the state’s health care exchange. Also on its radar: attempts to change state law to redefine marriage following last November’s defeat of an amendment to the state constitution seeking to preserve the definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. In a Jan. 10 interview with The Catholic Spirit, Adkins highlighted several policy areas the MCC will focus on this legislative session: ■ Poverty The MCC will work to help enact some of the recommendations of the Legislative Commission to End Poverty by 2020, including efforts to raise the minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour. “We support an increase in the minimum wage, particularly for employees of larger businesses,” Adkins said. The MCC doesn’t “take a particular position on where that wage should be calibrated — what the right number is,” he said. “But we do think it is appropriate that, at the very least, the minimum wage account for cost-ofliving adjustments and inflation that have happened since the last adjustment in 2005.” ■ Marriage The MCC will work to defeat proposals that would attempt to legally redefine the institution of marriage, Adkins said. “The marriage amendment opposition sold a ‘no’ vote on the principle that [marriage between one man and one woman] was already law in our state,” he said. “They said we didn’t need to put this into the constitution. We
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Proposals to redefine marriage could move ahead in the coming weeks and perhaps as early as the first part of February, Adkins said. “We need to be prepared as Catholics to call our legislators and let them know that a no vote on the marriage amendment didn’t necessarily mean that Minnesotans wanted marriage redefined for everyone,” he said, “and that, at the same time, our laws should promote the proper place for human sexuality, procreation, and child rearing, which is the union of a man and a woman in marriage.” Outside the Legislature, the MCC is working with Minnesota dioceses on efforts to “strengthen marriage from a holistic perspective” through various marriage enrichment and education initiatives. It is also working with other faith communities on potential “marriage summits” at which Christian leaders would come together in support of marriage. PLEASE TURN TO RELIGIOUS ON PAGE 10
Theology Day. Find out. Christian Mysticism: The Transforming Journey to God Thursday, January 31, Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis 6 p.m.: check-in & light meal, 6:30-9 p.m.: presentation
Besides Christian Scripture, mysticism is associated with the sacraments of initiation and a way to live the Paschal mystery of Christ within a community of believers. Only over time did mysticism come to be associated with spiritual experiences of God. The journey will be distinguished from phenomena (visions, locutions, extra-sensory perception, etc.), often associated with being “mystical” by examining excerpts from some of the major and minor mystics. Several “languages” of mysticism will be offered as insightful to a relationship with God that is always under divine initiative. S. Mary Forman, OSB, is Associate Professor of Theology at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University and chair of the Department of Theology. S. Mary teaches Monastic Studies and Theology in the School of Theology·Seminary at Saint John’s University.
FREE but registration is required: www.csbsju.edu/sot or 320-363-3570
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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 17, 2013
Pro-life with a smile Prolife Across America founder recounts four-plus decades trying to end abortion By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
Mary Ann Kuharski is one of the founders of Prolife Across America, which creates and places billboards in the Twin Cities and across the country. She has been active in the prolife movement since 1970. She and her husband John have 13 children, including six who are adopted, and 22 grandchildren, and are members of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony. Kuharski is an author and speaker on life and family issues. She recently was interviewed about the 40 years since Roe v. Wade and her involvement in the pro-life movement. How did you get started in the pro-life movement? A friend saw a flier at a church, St. Olaf in downtown [Minneapolis]. She said, “You should get involved.” I had a couple of young kids and I didn’t really care that much. I had been working on the north side helping with some other things and between that and my babies, that’s all I needed to do to keep busy. Then, she called me again and said, “I can’t believe you’re not interested in this issue when you’re an adopted kid and you came from an orphanage yourself when you were nine months old.” I started thinking about it and I said, “Yeah, she’s got a point. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt me to get involved.” At that time, they started the northeast chapter of MCCL [Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life] and so I became one of the officers. My heart really went out to the girls and women that might be pregnant. When they formed Birthright in 1972, they had a big meeting at St. Thomas and I was there. What was your reaction to the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision? It was a shock. I think it was a devastating shock to those of us who had been in the movement thinking that this is going to go state by state and we’ll beat it back. And, what we didn’t realize was that the Supreme Court — seven of the nine justices — took it out of the 50 states’ hands and gave us the most liberal law in the world. People to this day don’t know that it’s legal through all nine months. Yes, the majority of abortions are done between the ninth and the 12th week of pregnancy, but they’re [also] done when you can cradle a baby in your arms. So, it can be done at any stage of pregnancy. They created a law that was not there before, and that’s really a shame and devastating to happen in a so-called free society. When did you get involved with Prolife Across America and the billboards? In 1989. I had been working with another group called Human Life Alliance and I talked them into doing bus ads. We were doing ads on the sides and backs of buses. But that was only the Minneapolis and St. Paul area. It was very limited advertising. So, the four of us [including another couple] decided that we would go off and
Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit
Mary Ann Kuharski sits in her office at the headquarters of Prolife Across America in this file photo.
we would start this [billboard organization]. By 1990, we put up our first set of billboards. We did it from my home. There was no office. There was no phone number, it [ad] was black and white because we didn’t have any money for color. We used the old Chevy slogan, “Listen to the heartbeat.” And then, we just put, “heartbeat at 24 days.” I was hoping Chevy might sue us and then we’d get more publicity. How effective do you think the billboard effort has been over the years? I know it’s saved lives. I absolutely know it. In fact, I know it so well because our opponents call me and tell me how much they hate them. One woman called and said, “This is the sneakiest, most underhanded thing I’ve ever seen.” She identified herself as a pro-choice leader. She said, “And then, you’re using children on top of it.” And, I said, “You bet we are.” It’s the children; that’s exactly what we’re talking about here — the future of America. So, why wouldn’t we use children to remind us of exactly what we’re doing here when we’re ending the lives of little babies who can’t speak for themselves? In terms of people’s attitudes about abortion, what do you see today? You know what I see? I see people my age maybe more permissive than the younger generation. My son went to the March for Life last year and I teased him and said, “What did you see? A bunch of little old ladies with rosaries and tennis
shoes?” And he said, “Mom, the young people took over. It’s all the young people, and they were everywhere — busloads full of young people. There were college kids, high school kids, young adults, young families with [kids in] strollers.” Well, that’s a dream come true to know that. What gives you hope today? I think young people in the movement. And, we know who wins in the end. I’m here for the long ride. I don’t need to see success. I know who wins in the end. I just want to be on His side. That’s the reason why I’m here. You are known as a person who uses an overwhelming positive approach when it comes to delivering a pro-life message to the public — the many smiling babies on your billboards being a prime example. Talk about this approach and how effective it has been. When we first started, I couldn’t explain abortion to my children without crying at the breakfast table. If I couldn’t tell my own kids, how could I tell somebody else. It’s just not in me. My nature isn’t like that. I have to believe in something positive. What is more beautiful than human life? There’s a place for the negative. I’m not against showing that. It’s just not something I could do. The other thing is — let’s be real — the advertisers [in charge of renting billboard space] won’t even let us use the word abortion or any kind of negative ads on a billboard. I’ve got agencies that won’t work with us now because they say that we’re
too graphic. They want me to take out the words that they think are inflammatory, like “heartbeat at 18 days.” So, I don’t work [with] those agencies. Do you see yourself as staying hard at it, or do you think it may be time to step back soon? I’ll be here. I’ll be buried with this. I won’t quit. My kids know it, my grandkids know it. My grandkids are now doing papers on it. In fact, my granddaughter who’s in college said her goal is to take over my job. What will it take to end abortion? Prayer. Prayer and fasting. And, forgiveness. We need to forgive, we need to tell everybody about God’s love and God’s mercy. He’s poured it all out on us. Now we need to tell other people who don’t know about God’s love and God’s mercy. And, pray for our enemies. Pray really hard every single day for them. Sometimes, I’ll get a call on the phone. There’ll be a really shaky voice and I’ll hear, “I’m scheduled for an abortion, but something made me call you instead.” And, I think, “Somebody was out there praying that the next person who saw that ad would call us.” Pray. And, if you can’t give us money so we can do more, then pray for those of us who are in the trenches who are trying to do the best job we can do at what we’re called to do. I think prayer is what fuels us — I really am convinced. We’re God’s arms and legs. This is an issue of hope, not hopelessness.
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JANUARY 17, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
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40 years ago: Local Church responds to Roe v. Wade By Susan Klemond
they were good citizens by obeying the law. Don’t we have the right to demand that human life at every stage be protected in the nation we live?” A School Sister of Notre Dame from Cologne said in her February letter, “Dante once said that ‘the hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality.’ I firmly am convinced that ‘the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’ America, wake up!” Another reader from Clontarf, Minn., wrote, “Those individuals who now are favoring abortions are alive. They can be thankful for the blessing of life that their parents gave them. So why should they want to cause death to an unborn child who should receive the same blessing of life that they themselves received years before?”
For The Catholic Spirit
If any subscribers to The Catholic Bulletin (now The Catholic Spirit) somehow hadn’t heard about the Supreme Court’s decision on Jan. 22, 1973 to legalize abortion, they might have been shocked to open up the issue that came out later that week. Most of the front page was devoted to a bright red image of a pair of hands holding an actual fetus set against a Court syllabus of the ruling. Whatever readers knew about the landmark decision that would be commonly referred to as Roe v. Wade, they would learn a lot more in the months to come as the Bulletin presented the facts and the Church’s passionate response from bishops and priests, lawmakers, the laity and its own editorials. A review of the paper’s coverage in early 1973 reveals the full range of emotions, hopes for a reversal and the beginnings of efforts that have become the present-day pro-life movement.
Hope for change
Speaking out for life Inside the Jan. 26 edition, Catholic Bulletin editor Bernard Casserly set a spiritual tone with his editorial: “David’s psalm in praise of God’s omniscience (No. 139 Jerusalem Bible) has been sung for several thousand years, and its mighty paean of praise for the mystery of life in the womb will never cease down through the ages. But the words of the psalmist were never heard by seven members of the United States Supreme court who decided Monday that the most helpless life of all — that of the infant in its mother’s womb — may be sacrificed on the altar of its mother’s whim, caprice or convenience.” In the next issues the paper recorded responses from members of the Church hierarchy. Coadjutor Archbishop Leo Byrne of St. Paul and Minneapolis called for educational efforts: “That decision can be called nothing less than a tragedy for the people of our country. At the same time, it lays upon us clergy, religious and laity the obligation of assisting in the work of forming the conscience of our people despite the legal options that may be open to them.” Said Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia, president of
Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit
The front page of The Catholic Bulletin from Feb. 9, 1973.
the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, “It is hard to think of any decision in the 200 years of our history which has had more disastrous implications for our stability as a civilized nation.” The Feb. 23 issue contained a pastoral document on abortion by the U.S. bishops which stated: “Whenever a conflict arises between the law of God and any human law, we are held to follow God’s law.” Readers also expressed their thoughts and feelings. A St. Paul woman wrote, “Auschwitz was built and managed by obedient men who proved to themselves
Readers, columnists and editors pointed to hypocrisy in the Court’s 1972 decision placing a moratorium on capital punishment and irony in the fact that President Nixon had recently halted U.S. offensive action against North Vietnam. From the beginning, there was hope for a reversal. The paper reported on efforts in the U.S. Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to protect the unborn, the Legislature’s debate over restricting abortion, as well as the Minnesota Supreme Court’s striking down of the state’s 100-year-old anti-abortion law. In his Feb. 16 editorial, Casserly noted that the Court eventually reversed its 1857 Dred Scott decision which determined that slaves were not citizens. “It took a century to correct the ‘spiritual enrichment’ of that decision. We think it will not take quite so long to correct Doe and Roe.” Columnist Dale Francis’ view would prove more prophetic: “It is a terrible thing that has happened. Do not think it will be easy to reverse the movement towards a barbarianism. It is now established within law.” Immediately after the decision, Catholics were concerned that Catholic hospitals and medical practitioners would have to participate in abortions. Archbishop Byrne PLEASE TURN ON CATHOLICS TO PAGE 10
Abortion is the greatest human rights issue of our time.
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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 17, 2013
Local
Students to travel to National March for Life in Washington A group of high school students from across the archdiocese will travel to Washington, D.C., for the National Rally and March for Life being held on Jan. 25. A total of 140 participants — students and chaperones — will depart from the Cathedral of St. Paul Jan. 22 after a 7 p.m. Mass with Bishop Lee Piché. They will return Jan. 27. “We are going to D.C. because we love the moms who find themselves pregnant in a difficult situation and don’t want to abort but feel like they have no choice,” said Bill Dill, marriage preparation and youth ministry events coordinator for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “We love the babies who long to live but have no voice. “We go because we love our country and know that the abortion virus must be eradicated for the body and soul of our country to be healthy.” While in the nation’s capital, the group will visit the Holocaust Museum, the Lincoln Memorial, and tour the Capitol. A Mass will be celebrated Jan. 25 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception followed by the rally and march beginning at the National Mall and ending at the U.S. Supreme Court Building. Participants will attend the Students for Life of America National Conference in Bethesda, Md., on Jan. 26. The one-day event will provide education, training and opportunities to network with other students and national pro-life leaders.
Archbishop John Nienstedt stands with Nancy Schulte Palacheck, left, and Genevieve McCarthy, then a senior at Providence Academy in Plymouth, during a rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in this 2011 file photo. Archbishop Nienstedt will again join a group of students from the archdiocese participating in the rally and March for Life Jan. 25. File photo by Maria Wiering Pedersen
Local pro-life events For those wishing to stand up for life during the upcoming anniversary of Roe v. Wade, there are several opportunities: ■ Prayer service for life The archdiocese is sponsoring a local Prayer Service for Life, which takes place Jan. 22 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Led by Bishop Lee Piché, the 10:30 a.m. service will be followed by a march to the State Capitol and a rally organized by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life. ■ All Night Prayer Vigil New this year is a prayer vigil that starts at 7 p.m. Jan 21 and
continues until 7 a.m. the next morning at St. Mary’s Chapel at the St. Paul Seminary. The event begins with Mass at 7, followed by eucharistic adoration at 8 and confession until midnight. At 3 a.m. will be the Divine Mercy Chaplet, with Benediction and repose of the Blessed Sacrament at 7 a.m. ■ Youth for Life Conference On Jan. 21, which is also Martin Luther King Day when many schools are closed, there will be a Minnesota Youth for Life Conference at Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale. Going from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., it will feature speakers covering a variety of pro-life topics, including how youth can help overturn Roe v. Wade. Cost is $30. For more information, visit WWW.MNYOUTHFORLIFE.WEBS.COM.
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‘United in Faith, Hope and Love’ Archdiocese launches new thematic tagline to help convey ‘who we are and what we stand for’
The theme also reinforces Archbishop John Nienstedt’s choice for his episcopal motto: “That they may all be one.” “United in Faith, Hope and Love” is a theme of the archdiocesan strategic planning process launched in 2010, and it serves as a unifying element for several initiatives currently under way in the archdiocese, including Rediscover:, the Aim Higher marketing campaign for Catholic schools, and the GROW parish pastoral planning process. Many dioceses, including several in the upper Midwest, have adopted a thematic tagline that reflects their mission, Mealey said.
By Joe Towalski The Catholic Spirit
Catholics and others in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will soon see a new thematic tagline accompanying the familiar archdiocesan logo in all archdiocesan communications. “United in Faith, Hope and Love” was selected following discussions that began late last spring as the best phrase to convey on a deeper level “who we are and what we stand for” as a local Church, said Sarah Mealey, archdiocesan director of communications. The theme and logo are currently included on kiosks that parishes are using for the Rediscover: initiative. It will be officially launched Jan. 25, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, the patron of the archdiocese. “Faith, hope and love are the three theological virtues, the foundational virtues that are ordered toward salvation through God’s grace and from which all other virtues flow,” Mealey said.
“We landed on ‘united’ because, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are all bound together as the Body of Christ,” she said. “We are, in fact, despite our differences, united in this one faith, hope and love.”
Overarching theme The theme flows from Scripture, including 1 Corinthians 13:13 (“So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”) and 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (“We give thanks to God always for all of you . . . calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.”)
Notre Dame Academy selected as new regional school’s name By Joe Towalski The Catholic Spirit
Notre Dame Academy will be the name of the new regional Catholic school opening this fall in the west metro area. The name was chosen by Archbishop John Nienstedt following input from the local Catholic community. St. John’s Catholic School in Hopkins and Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic School in Minnetonka will form the new pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school, which will be housed in the current IHM school building. “The name reflects our strong Catholic roots, and it is also synonymous with academic excellence,” said Mark Pihart, the father of three children currently attending St. John’s School and co-chair of Notre Dame Academy’s advancement committee. “‘Notre Dame’ (which mean ‘Our Lady’) emphasizes our Catholic faith and asks for the intercession of our Blessed Mother to guide us,” said a school announcement about the new name. “Academy,” it added “emphasizes our high academic standards and commitment to helping our students fall in love with seeking and finding the truth throughout their educational experiences and life.”
Naming process The Notre Dame Academy name was chosen through a process that included students, parents and school and parish staff members. Families from the parishes of St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph in Hopkins (St. Joseph merged into St. John’s Jan. 1 to form St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church) and Immaculate Heart of Mary in Minnetonka submitted names, which were then reviewed by the regional School Advisory Council to make sure they met criteria established by the archdiocese, Pihart said. One requirement was
“The name reflects
our strong Catholic roots, and it is also synonymous with academic excellence.
”
MARK PIHART Co-chair of Notre Dame Academy’s advancement committee
that the proposed names could not already be in use by another school in the archdiocese. The advisory council narrowed the list to five names, he said, and on Nov. 6 students from St. John’s and IHM voted for their favorite. After further review and discussion, the council submitted the top names for review to the regional school’s board of directors, which in turn submitted two to Archbishop Nienstedt. “The archbishop wrote back saying Notre Dame Academy would be a great name, that putting our school under the protection of Our Lady was very fitting,” said Father James Liekhus, pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel who will serve as the moderator of the new school. In addition to choosing the name, Notre Dame Academy recently announced that it hired Terry Factor, an educator and former school administrator from Rockford, Ill., as its principal. Notre Dame Academy will host an information night at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 31 and an open house from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 3; both events will be at the IHM school building. The Notre Dame Academy website —
WWW.NDA-MN.ORG — will launch later this
month.
True as well as aspirational “United in Faith, Hope and Love” will resonate with many people as a true statement about the archdiocese now, but it is aspirational as well, she said. “We are one body. We are the Body of Christ. We are united in the foundational truths of the Gospel,” she said. “At the same time, Catholics can disagree on many things. Despite that, ‘United in Faith, Hope and Love’ is a call to all of us to keep our gaze on Christ, who unites us as his body. It means we are united in serving and loving God and our neighbor, just as Christ, our Lord and Savior, commanded. That’s something we can all agree on.”
Search for Catholic schools superintendent moves ahead By Joe Towalski
The Catholic Spirit
The search committee charged with finding a new superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is currently seeking candidates for the position and hopes to conduct initial interviews sometime in the spring, said committee chair Barbara Shaw. Shaw, executive vice president and director of corporate human resources at TCF Bank, said the goal is to have a new superintendent in place by the start of the new school year in the fall. The committee — composed of Catholic school principals, pastors, members of the Archdiocesan Catholic Schools Advisory Council and other educators — is working with the national search firm Russell Reynolds Associates to find a successor to Marty Frauenheim, the former superintendent who retired last October after serving in the position for four years.
Gathering information The search committee has received input for the search from Archbishop John Nienstedt and Father Peter Laird, the archdiocese’s vicar general. Also, late last year, the committee sponsored several listening sessions for Catholic school leaders, pastors, parents and other Catholic school stakeholders to offer input about “what [they] wanted from a superintendent of schools,” said Shaw, a member of Holy Name of Jesus in Medina. “I think everyone who participated in the listening sessions was familiar with the archdiocese’s strategic plan [launched in 2010] and how the archdiocese wants to strengthen Catholic schools,” she said. “They believe this very pivotal role has to be the one to lead that vision, gain collaboration . . . and communicate the vision at all levels.” A given, Shaw added, is that the person would be a very strong, actively practicing Catholic. As the committee considered the input
it received and created the position description, it was clear that the successful candidate would also have a “record of strong and strategic leadership skills,” demonstrate strong relationship-building skills, and be able to “think outside the box” and “be on the forefront of Catholic education and bringing new ideas that can be implemented as part of the strategic plan.” “We want to bring in someone who has that level of entrepreneurial skills and innovation and can build upon what we’ve already done, but then make their own mark to make it better,” Shaw said.
Meeting today’s challenges Father Laird said the goal is “to build upon the good work of our previous superintendent and then the [former] Catholic Schools Commission and the work ACSAC is doing because Catholic education is at a crossroads.’’ “We need to align Catholic education with the realities that are before us,” he said. “What’s the value of Catholic education? How do we decrease the cost of Catholic education so as to bring greater access, and how do we work with publicprivate partnerships to grow Catholic education?” Ultimately, he added, “Catholic education is about children.” “It’s not about buildings,” he said. “It’s not about protecting the way we’ve always done things. Just as the archbishop reminded us in the strategic plan, the archdiocese is about relationships; it’s not about bricks and mortar. It’s the same with Catholic education — it’s about providing access to children to certainly have excellent curriculum. . . . But it’s also about sharing with them throughout the whole day the beauty of their Catholic faith and Christian discipleship.” Shaw said the search committee plans to keep stakeholders informed throughout the process. For more information and updates, go to WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG and click on “news & events.”
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Court denies Catholic business owner’s request for relief from contraceptive mandate By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit
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Concluding that a government requirement that employers provide contraceptive, sterilization and abortifacient insurance coverage to their employees does not represent a “substantial burden” on local businessman Stuart Lind’s ability to practice his Catholic faith, a U.S. district court last week denied Lind and his medical device company immediate relief from the mandate. The court also said it was denying the request because it concludes that the lawsuit Lind and another businessman filed last year over the mandate is not likely to succeed on its merits. Lind and his company, Annex Medical, are appealing the decision in hopes that they can still be exempted from the HHS mandate (named for the federal Department of Health and Human Services, which is enforcing it as part of the Affordable Care Act) by the company’s Jan. 31 health insurance plan renewal deadline, according to attorney Erick Kaardal of the Minneapolis-based firm Mohrman & Kaardal, P.A. Otherwise, Lind faces violating his conscience either by being forced to pay for
“We were
disappointed but not surprised.
”
ATTORNEY ERICK KAARDAL On the court’s decision to deny granting his client an injunction
the contraceptive coverage for his employees or by ending health insurance coverage altogether.
Motion tied to lawsuit The motion for a preliminary injunction stems from the lawsuit Lind and Tom Janas filed against HHS and other federal government departments claiming that the mandate not only forces them to violate their constitutional right to free exercise of religion by going against Church teaching but also creates a competitive disadvantage if they don’t offer health insurance, said Kaardal who, with ActRight Legal Foundation of Indiana, is representing the two men in the case. While waiting for an outcome on the lawsuit, Lind sought more immediate relief
from the mandate’s requirement that forprofit businesses provide and pay for the contraceptive coverage or face substantial fines. Because Lind, a parishioner at Holy Trinity/St. Augustine in South St. Paul, has fewer than 50 employees, the government doesn’t require his business to provide a health plan as it does larger companies. But he’s been unable to find a plan without the coverage because the mandate requires that all health plans include it. Dropping health insurance to avoid having to include the contraceptive coverage might result in Lind losing some of his 18 skilled employees, Kaardal said. “We were disappointed but not surprised” at the court’s decision, he said. “I think that these religious freedom cases are always ones that cause some controversy and some disagreement and that also [in] the preliminary stage like this there’s even more opportunity for disagreement because it doesn’t even actually get to deciding the case.” Denial of the injunction does not mean the lawsuit will not succeed, Kaardal said. Lind and Janas’ lawsuit is one of 43 filed throughout the country against the manPLEASE TURN TO MINNESOTA ON PAGE 10
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“With technology changing the way we communicate, we needed to offer people an updated way to ask for prayers for special intentions and needs either for themselves or others.” Franciscan Father David Convertino, executive director of development for the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province, who are offering a prayer texting service
Nation/World JANUARY 17, 2013
News from around the U.S. and the globe
Defending marriage
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Briefly Catholic doctors oppose call for over-the-counter contraceptive pills Some Catholic physicians, including those who do not prescribe contraceptives, are questioning the safety of allowing oral contraceptives to be sold over the counter, as the nation’s largest body of obstetricians and gynecologists recommended in December. Dr. Kathleen Raviele, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Atlanta and former president of the Catholic Medical Association, warned that because birth-control pills can raise blood pressure and cause strokes and heart attacks, such drugs should only be prescribed by a physician. “A woman [being] on a strong medication like that without a physician’s supervision could be very dangerous,” she said. Raviele raised the concerns after the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, through a committee opinion, recommended that birthcontrol pills be made available over the counter, much like allergy medicines and cough syrup.
Supreme Court lets stand embryonic stem-cell policy
CNS photo / Charles Platiau, Reuters
A demonstrator waves a flag on the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower in Paris Jan. 13 to protest legislative efforts in France to legalize same-sex marriage. The demonstration was organized by a coalition of 30 family groups. Organizers said 800,000 people participated, although French police put the number at 340,000. Msgr. Bernard Podvin, spokesman for the French bishops' conference, said the Catholic Church believed homosexuals “must be respected,” but was against the legislation, which was introduced in November by the government of President Francois Hollande.
Two presidential oaths of office, three Bibles Catholic News Service When President Barack Obama takes the oath of office to officially begin his second term, he’ll double up on ceremonies and use three Bibles. Because Jan. 20, the day the Constitution sets for the swearing-in ceremony, falls on a Sunday this year, the president will actually take the oath twice — once officially on the 20th in a small, private event, and ceremonially the next day on the steps of the Capitol. The private formalities in the White House Jan. 20 will have the president place his left hand on his wife’s family Bible while he swears the oath of office. For the public ceremony Jan. 21 at the Capitol, Obama will place his hand on two Bibles, stacked together — one that was owned by Abraham Lincoln and one by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The federal holiday marking Rev. King’s birthday falls on Jan. 21. The Lincoln Bible was purchased by William Thomas Carroll, clerk of the Supreme Court, for Lincoln’s use at
his swearing-in ceremony March 4, 1861. (The 20th Amendment, ratified in 1933, moved the inauguration date to Jan. 20.) Obama used the Lincoln Bible for his inauguration ceremony in 2009. It is part of the Library of Congress collection. The Presidential Inaugural Committee said in a Jan. 10 press release that the King Bible was used by the civil rights leader and Baptist minister when he traveled.
Long tradition The tradition of the president using a Bible for the ceremony dates back to George Washington, who used one from the collection of St. John’s Masonic Lodge in 1789. There is no constitutional requirement to use a Bible, but many presidents have chosen Bibles that had historical or personal significance. Harry Truman in 1949, Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 and Richard Nixon in 1969 all used two Bibles, the committee said.
The Supreme Court Jan. 7 let stand a lower court order allowing government funding of research involving certain embryonic stem-cell lines. Without comment, the court let stand an August ruling by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia which dismissed a lawsuit by two scientists who said the funding policy inhibits their chance of getting government grants for their research on adult stem cells, and argued that violates another law. Under a 2009 policy, the government began allowing federal funding of research on human embryos that were created for in vitro fertilization but were no longer needed for that purpose. Under a previous policy, government funding was allowed on stem cells derived from a handful of lines that existed to that point. The two scientists, Dr. James Sherley and Theresa Deisher, sought to block the expansion, arguing that it was barred under a 1996 law, known as the Dickey-Wicker amendment, that prohibits use of federal funds for “the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes” or “research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed, discarded or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero.”
Franciscan province offers ‘text-a-prayer-intention’ service Often, prayer intentions are offered with hands folded, but a new service allows hands and fingers to move freely — provided a cellphone is handy. The New York-based Holy Name Province of the Franciscans has started a service it calls “Text a Prayer Intention to a Franciscan Friar.” Here’s how it works: Text the word “prayer” to 306-44 and hit “send.” Senders will then receive a welcome message inviting them to then send in their prayer intentions. Senders will receive a text in reply stating that their prayer has been received and will be prayed for. The intentions are received on a website, and will be included collectively in the friars’ prayers twice a day and at Mass. — Catholic News Service
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Religious liberty a defining issue for nation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 ■ Human trafficking In 2011, the Legislature passed a “safe harbor” law to assist human trafficking victims, particularly exploited youth, to help them escape abusive situations. This year the MCC will advocate for funding to help create a statewide services network to assist victims with housing and other needs. ■ Health insurance exchange The MCC is monitoring the creation of a state health insurance exchange — an online marketplace in which Minnesotans would purchase private health insurance or enroll in public programs. As part of the federal health care overhaul, if Minnesota doesn’t create its own health insurance exchange, the federal government will impose one. “Our position is that all Minnesotans should have access to affordable health care regardless of their ability to pay,” Adkins said, while ensuring that coverage for services objectionable from a Catholic moral standpoint are not included in the coverage. Last week, legislators introduced a bill that provides for a seven-person board to oversee the exchange. Adkins said the MCC will monitor who is appointed to the board and the principles they apply to the governance of the exchange. ■ Life The results of last fall’s election from a pro-life perspective were mixed, Adkins said. While he doesn’t foresee a serious expansion of abortion laws this session, there likely won’t be major pro-life gains either. Still, the MCC will be active on the pro-life front. “We’re looking at making sure that nothing that harms the sanctity of life passes, but at the same time we will work to protect existing programs such as Positive Alternatives, which is a very important program for women in crisis pregnancies,” Adkins said. “We want to make sure that the funding for that is maintained, especially when legislators are looking for places to cut” in light of the state’s budget deficit. Positive Alternatives is a program that makes available about $2.4 million annually for alternatives to abortion, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. The program’s goal is to support and assist women to carry their babies to term and care for them after birth. ■ Education The MCC continues to support efforts to expand parental-choice in education, Adkins said. “While we’re not hopeful that something like a school voucher program is going to be passed in this legislative session, we do think based on bipartisan support for various tax-credit programs in the past that there’s a possibility some modest but important tax-credit proposals could get through this Legislature,” he said. ■ Bullying Adkins said the MCC is supportive of efforts to combat bullying in schools, but would not support legislative initiatives that take away the rights of Catholic parents and Catholic schools to teach children values regarding human sexuality that are fundamental to the faith.
At federal level, the time is right for immigration reform In addition to its efforts at the Minnesota Legislature, the Minnesota Catholic Conference will be working collaboratively with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in support of several initiatives. They include: ■ Immigration reform: “Right now, this is among the issues on the top of MCC’s list in terms of advocacy priorities,” Adkins said. “This is the best year we’ve had in a long time to actually accomplish comprehensive immigration reform and provide a just fix to our broken immigration system.” The Minnesota bishops outlined their vision for such reform in their 2012 letter “Unlocking the Gate of our Hearts,” which said a comprehensive approach would include an earned legalization program for foreign nationals of good moral character, policies designed to keep families together and an effort to meaningfully address the root causes of migration. ■ HHS mandate: “We hope to be able to convince Congress to take action to repeal the HHS mandate,” Adkins said. “If legislative efforts aren’t successful though, we are working in the courts. There are a number of Catholic institutions and businesses that have filed lawsuits seeking to challenge the HHS mandate.” “I think those lawsuits, particularly ones filed by Catholic institutions, have a strong likelihood of success,” he added. “And, if they continue to see successes in the courts, hopefully the president will relent and reverse this unwise and unjust policy.” ■ Gun control: “I think a common sense re-evaluation and re-examination of our gun laws in Minnesota is warranted,” Adkins said. “And, at the federal level, it’s certainly appropriate to reinstate the assault-weapons ban that was allowed to expire some years ago.” — Joe Towalski ■ Religious liberty On both the state and federal levels, Adkins said the MCC will continue to be involved in efforts to protect religious freedom and the rights of conscience. The current debate over the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ contraception mandate is just one manifestation of the issue, he said. “I think this will be the defining issue of the coming decades in many ways because it’s more than just differences about the contraception coverage in the HHS mandate,” Adkins said. “It’s really a clash of world views,” he added, one side of which is seeking to limit religious freedoms and exclude religious viewpoints and people of faith from the public arena. The MCC will continue to educate people about the issue through efforts such as its First Freedom Project (HTTP://FIRSTFREEDOM.MNCC.ORG).
Vatican says 2.3 million people joined pope for Vatican events in 2012 By Catholic News Service More than 2.3 million pilgrims and visitors joined Pope Benedict XVI for an audience, liturgy or prayer at the Vatican or Castel Gandolfo in 2012, the Vatican said. The Prefecture of the Papal Household, the Vatican office that coordinates the audiences and distributes the free tickets to papal audiences and liturgies, said its figures were calculations based on the number of tickets requested and estimates of crowd size. The total of 2,351,200 people at papal events included those attending the pope’s 43 weekly general audiences at the Vatican or at the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo; special audiences for particular groups; Masses and other liturgies; and a rough estimate of the size of the crowds in St. Peter’s Square or the courtyard
of the papal villa for the pope’s recitation of the Angelus or “Regina Coeli” prayer on Sundays and major feast days.
Catholics formulated quick response in wake of Roe v. Wade CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 wrote, “It is predicted that there will be 15 to 20 thousand abortions in the State of Minnesota during the coming year. Please God, may none of these take place in a Catholic hospital.” In February, the Bulletin reported that the Minnesota Conference of Catholic Health Facilities reaffirmed its policy prohibiting abortions at Catholic hospitals. Even as Catholics expressed their emotions about the decision, they were formulating a response. One reader offered a list of ways to be a pro-life witness. Others called for the archdiocese to mobilize parishes. The March 23 issue announced that a portion of the Archbishop’s Appeal would be dedicated to an anti-abortion counseling service. Along with local Catholics’ shock, anger and grief about Roe v. Wade, the Bulletin presented arguments that still come up 40 years later, including those about human rights, fetal viability and the danger of devaluing human life. Francis wrote in his column: “Having established that it is the manner in which the life is able to operate within the society that determines whether it is really human, there is really no difficulty in moving to the further step that argues that the lives of the very ill or the very old are not capable of full humanness because those people cannot be fully operative in society.”
Minnesota HHS case is one of several around the nation CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 date representing hospitals, universities, businesses and schools, according to the Becket Fund For Religious Liberty, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit, public-interest legal and educational institute protecting religious freedom that has represented a number of organizations opposing the mandate. Because judges are not in agreement on the issue, it’s likely to reach the U.S. Supreme Court, Kaardal said. The court’s interpretation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), a 1993 federal law seeking to prevent laws that substantially burden the free exercise of religion, doesn’t seem to protect the Catholic worker in the workplace, as it affirms that the mandate isn’t a substantial burden on the practice of the Catholic faith, Kaardal said. The court’s conclusion that Lind and Janas’ lawsuit was unlikely to succeed on its merits has to do with the status of other similar cases around the country, he said. However, of the 14 for-profit plaintiffs that have obtained rulings touching on the merits of their claims against the mandate, 10 have secured injunctive relief against it, according to the Becket Fund. “We interpret that as there is some wind in our sails and we’re on the right side of the issue, but we won’t know until these higher courts resolve the issue one way or another,” Kaardal said. “We’re confident that the cases are following our direction two to one.”
Fewer visitors The 2012 total was down by about 200,000 from the number of visitors reported in 2011. In a statistical table distributed Jan. 4 by the Vatican press office, the prefecture estimated that between Pope Benedict’s election in April 2005 and the end of 2012, more than 20.5 million visitors and pilgrims had joined the pope for an event at the Vatican or in Castel Gandolfo. The figures do not include numbers from papal events in the city of Rome, in Italian dioceses or on the pope’s foreign trips.
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“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” C.S. Lewis
This Catholic Life JANUARY 17, 2013
Opinion, feedback and points to ponder
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C.S. Lewis inspires new generation of Christians Author of ‘Chronicles of Narnia’ expressed faith through his stories and imagination By Jonathan Luxmoore Catholic News Service
In a wooded suburb of the fabled university city of Oxford, England, a battered typewriter sits on a desk beside a bay window that overlooks a tangled landscape of oaks and beeches. Nearby, ancient bookshelves guard a leather armchair surrounded by wall maps and pictures depicting a fantasy world. When Clive Staples Lewis bought The Kilns, a former brick factory, in 1930, he used its remote calm to produce a stream of Christian stories, the best known of which, “The Chronicles of Narnia,” has since sold 100 million copies in more than 45 languages. But Lewis also gained renown for his Christian apologetics. His “Mere Christianity,” published in 1952, was rated “best religious book of the 20th century” by the U.S. magazine Christianity Today. Until now, Lewis has been largely ignored at Oxford University, where he taught for three decades, until his death in 1963. He has gained greater recognition in the U.S., where the Episcopal Church celebrates a “Holy C.S. Lewis Day” each November. With interest growing, however, and three books of the Narnia series now blockbuster films, things are changing.
Leaving his mark “Lewis wasn’t a professional theologian, but his sense of the world Christianity portrays was just as profound as the best modern theologians’,” said Judith Wolfe, an expert on the author and a theology faculty member of Oxford’s St. John’s College. “He realized Christian literature wasn’t presenting good characters who were also interesting; the evil characters were always more compelling,” she said. “By portraying Christ as the lion Aslan in the Narnia stories, he hoped to reveal the real-life attractiveness of the holy.” A native of what is now Northern Ireland, Lewis won an Oxford scholarship in 1916, graduating after fighting in the trenches of World War I. He became a fellow of Oxford’s Magdalen College in 1925. The city is full of landmarks connected to Lewis. There’s the Eagle and Child pub where his literary group, The Inklings, met; the walkways where he nurtured his fascination for Nordic, Celtic and Greek legends; and the Anglican Holy Trinity Church where he lies buried. As a new generation is introduced to the world of Narnia, Anglican Father Michael Ward, a university chaplain, said he thinks Lewis’ Christian vision is gaining a new relevance. Lewis’ work has appeared on reading lists in both English literature and systematic theology at Oxford. The C.S. Lewis Society hosts weekly seminars at the university’s Pusey House. “Like his close friend, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis expressed his Christian faith through narrative and imagination which seems to be chiming in with contemporary needs,” explained Father Ward, co-editor of the groundbreaking “The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis.” “People are picking up intuitively again on the timeless religious element in his books, even if they’re not directly aware of their fundamentally Christian message,” the
Above: Author C.S. Lewis is pictured in a 1955 portrait by Walter Stoneman. CNS / courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London
Left: Published in 1952, “Mere Christianity” was named “best religious book of the 20th century” by the magazine Christianity Today. CNS photo
priest said. Lewis was raised in the Anglican Church of Ireland, but abandoned his faith in school, recalling in “Surprised by Joy: The Shape of my Early Life” how he had received Communion “in total disbelief, acting a part, eating and drinking my own condemnation.” When Lewis returned to the Anglican faith at Oxford in 1931 — thanks to the devoutly Catholic Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy — he described himself as “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” Although Lewis disappointed Tolkien by declining to become a Catholic, he was sympathetic to the Catholic doctrines regarding confession and prayers to the saints. His return to faith released new powers of imagination and launched him on a fresh career as an interpreter who popularized Christianity. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity,” based on wartime broad-
casts for the BBC, tackled popular objections to Christianity, stripping it to its essentials with simple arguments and observations. Diarmaid MacCulloch, professor of church history at Oxford, said Lewis’ nondenominational approach to Christianity explains his popularity in the U.S. and is giving him renewed appeal today. “Lewis has become a standard-bearer for conservative Christians when religion seems to be undergoing a great realignment between the forces of tradition and change,” MacCulloch told Catholic News Service. “This tension runs across the theological categories and can now unite a conservative Catholic with a conservative Protestant, something which wouldn’t have happened half a century ago.” Other experts concur that Lewis succeeded in capturing the Christian imagination where the theological abstractions of churches often seemed too high brow. In “The Screwtape Letters,” a series of imagined exchanges between an older and younger devil, Lewis satirized human weakness and self-deception, showing how Christian communities could be corrupted with “uneasy intensity and defensive self-righteousness.” In “The Great Divorce,” he exposed the vulnerability of human self-awareness, while in “Reflections on the Psalms” he explained why the Old Testament’s contents, however “terrible and contemptible,” were needed to show humanity’s true colors. Walter Hooper, an American Catholic who served briefly as Lewis’ private secretary, remembers the author as affable and hard-drinking, but also as a man who sincerely attempted, against difficult odds, to live a Christian life. Now 81 and a trustee of Lewis’ estate, Hooper has edited Lewis’ letters and diaries, some of which were rescued from a bonfire two months after the writer’s death. He agreed that interest in Lewis also is growing among Catholics. During a 1988 Cambridge University lecture, thenCardinal Joseph Ratzinger praised Lewis’ rejection of “destructive relativism.” Hooper recalled how Blessed John Paul II also revealed a knowledge of Lewis’ works when Hooper and the pope met during a 1988 general audience in Rome and the late pope lauded Lewis’ 1960 work, “The Four Loves,” as well as Lewis’ devotion to a practical apostolate. “Lewis owed it to his fans to avoid complexities and set Christianity’s core beliefs in place,” Hooper told CNS. “But he was adamant those core beliefs, the deposit of faith, must always remain, no matter how things change. If you get rid of Christianity’s sense and meaning, you’ll have nothing to come back to,” he said.
Spreading the Gospel Lewis has been criticized by atheists in Britain and the U.S., while many professional theologians still maintain a haughty disdain for him. But Hooper predicted Lewis’ contribution to popularizing Christianity will gain ever greater acknowledgment, especially when the Christian faith appears in danger of being ignored. “Lewis believed he had a responsibility to spread the Gospel through his writings and showed how Christianity could be presented in almost any form, from science fiction to children’s fables,” Hooper said. “Because the academics wouldn’t touch him, it’s taken a long time for his creativity to be taken seriously. But Lewis couldn’t deal with anything without illuminating it; and I think many people are now appreciating the inspirational power which runs through his work,” he said.
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Opinion
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 17, 2013
/ This Catholic Life
Gun control: What does the Church say?
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Faith in the Public Arena Jason Adkins
While stricter gun laws are necessary, the bishops emphasize that they are not sufficient alone to curb gun violence
he Sandy Hook school massacre of 20 innocent children and seven adults by a troubled gunman — who used a semi-automatic “assault” rifle to kill his victims — has ignited a national debate about gun control. America has a problem with gun violence. A culture that celebrates violence, coupled with a society in which guns are too easily accessible, has contributed to one gun tragedy after another — whether in the form of workplace shootings, street violence, domestic strife, school massacres, or innocent kids just playing around like their “heroes” and getting killed. Clearly, a re-examination of our state’s and our nation’s gun laws is warranted, and common-sense reforms should be enacted to curb the violence.
Excuses for inaction Some have claimed that eradicating gun violence is impossible as long as there is evil in the human heart. This is, of course, true. Still others claim that the bad guys who really want guns to commit crimes will probably find a way to get them. This claim, in many cases, is most likely true as well — as it was in the Sandy Hook case where the killer, barred by law from owning the guns he used, simply used his mother’s weapons. These statements seem in some instances, however, not to be mere descriptions of reality, but instead calculated primarily to depict gun regulations as futile or naïve. It’s as though the desire to limit dangerous people’s access to the technology of mass murder is somehow a waste of time. Catholic writer and Patheos blogger Mark Shea eviscerates this line
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of reasoning: “Nobody says that the mystery of evil makes it futile to try to limit North Korea’s access to the technology of mass death. Nobody talks as though having cops arrest criminals is starry-eyed utopianism. Nobody says ‘Stealers gonna steal’ and concludes that attempts to limit shoplifting with various technological fixes like cameras or mall cops is a refusal to address the fact that sin begins in the heart.” We cannot be content to mouth pieties and refuse to explore ways in which public policy serves the common good, even if there is a possibility that reforms may fail to fully address the problem.
Bishops’ principles for reform In a statement after the Sandy Hook tragedy, the bishops of the United States renewed their call for all Americans, particularly legislators, to do the following: ■ Support measures that control the sale and use of firearms; ■ Support measures that make guns safer (especially efforts that prevent their unsupervised use by children and anyone other than the owner); ■ Support sensible regulation of
handguns; ■ Support legislative efforts that seek to protect society from the violence associated with easy access to deadly weapons including assault weapons. Applying these principles will vary from state to state. In Minnesota, acquiring a gun is fairly easy, and many gun purchases are completely unregulated — meaning neither permits nor background checks are required. The Minnesota Catholic Conference believes this policy should be re-examined. At both the state and federal level, the Church supports a ban on the purchase and ownership of “semi-automatic military-style assault weapons” and high capacity magazines.
Complex problem While stricter gun laws are necessary, the bishops emphasize that they are not sufficient to curb gun violence. These sorts of social problems are complex, and require more than simplistic solutions or scapegoats. In addition to tighter gun regulations, the bishops have asked us to “make a serious commitment to confront the pervasive role of addiction and mental illness in crime,” and
have also called on society to “provide health services and support to those who have mental illnesses and to their families and caregivers.” Further, the bishops’ Sandy Hook statement had sharp words for the entertainment industry: “Our entertainers, especially film producers and video game creators, need to realize how their profit motives have allowed the proliferation of movies, television programs, video games and other entertainment that glorify violence and prey on the insecurities and immaturity of our young people. Such portrayals of violence have desensitized all of us. . . . We need to admit that the viewing and use of these products has negative emotional, psychological and spiritual effects on people.” It is important, though, not to cast stones at profiteers until we have first reflected on how we ourselves, through our consumer choices, have celebrated and invited into our homes this culture of violence. Indeed, Hollywood shapes the culture. But it also feeds a pre-existing demand for graphic violence.
Be not afraid Undoubtedly, powerful and wellfinanced voices will, for many reasons, skillfully manipulate rhetoric to preserve the status quo. We must, however, not be afraid to first turn our hearts and minds toward the Lord so that the Prince of Peace may transform us into people of peace. Let us bring that faith into the public arena where we can offer prudent and hopeful policies that foster peace and the common good. Jason Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.
With two wings and one heart, the Church flies
Guest Column Msgr. Charles Pope
The poor and vulnerable need our unity and are gravely harmed by our divisions and squabbling
January is Poverty Awareness Month. The following column first appeared on the blog of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
and those isolated by poverty, mental health, disability and other struggles. When both wings work together, the church soars.
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Human dignity at core
s a priest and blogger, one of my greater sorrows is the experience of the great divide that exists in the two “wings” of the Church. In one wing are those who engage the great moral struggles of our day related to abortion, the proper biblical understanding of human sexuality, marriage and family, and questions related to euthanasia. In the other wing, those who engage the great social and moral issues related to poverty, economic justice, solidarity, unity and mutual respect. The Church needs both wings to fly, to be credible, biblical and authentic. I live for the day when those passionate in either wing will come to esteem the work of the other, grateful that some engage in caring for the poor so others can engage in protecting the unborn, that some are engaging the life issues, so others can engage the critical needs of the poor, the imprisoned, the marginalized
Both wings, both battles are essential. They are really one battle for human dignity. The Church has an obligation to proclaim the Good News and Kingdom of God in all aspects. We must, as St. Paul says, “proclaim the whole counsel of God.” And, thus, we need each other; we need the two wings. More than ever, the poor, the needy, the unborn, our families, our youth and all who are vulnerable in any way need and deserve our Catholic unity, need the whole counsel of God. We cannot allow politics and ideology to go on dividing us and turning us against one another. Poverty involves complexity, and reasonable men and women differ on the most effective solutions. But here, too, the poor need our unity, not our squabbling. Catholic solutions admit of diversity and transcend political categories. We need
more willingness in the “wings” to surrender our cynicism and accept that we all want the same thing: that the Kingdom of God be advanced. I have spent my nearly 25 years as a priest in African-American parishes and many of my parishioners would be clear advocates of vigorous government involvement as a solution to poverty. Many can personally attest that it was largely the federal government that served to protect their rights and provide them opportunities for economic advancement in the last 60 years. I also serve the traditional Latin Mass community, which tends (along with many who read my blog), to be troubled by what they see as excessive federal involvement in solutions to poverty. They point to the decline in the family structure in poorer black and minority sectors and to the impersonal nature of government that robs the poor of dignity and responsibility and creates a growing “permanent underclass.”
Loving God, neighbor Both insights are important, and a
truly Catholic solution will seek to weave together broad-based solidarity with the poor that includes public, private and ecclesial partnerships. Subsidiarity does not mean there is no government or federal involvement. But it does encourage us to craft solutions that engage the local level vigorously and involve the poor directly in solutions. It also insists on a growing sense of personal responsibility that the poor must have in their own advancement, and that we are all to have in the care of the poor persons we personally know. The Church needs two wings to fly. The poor and vulnerable need our unity and are gravely harmed by our divisions and squabbling. Two wings: life and family, love for the poor and hunger for justice. Two wings to fly, but one heart that unites the love of God and neighbor. Msgr. Pope is pastor at Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Parish in the Archdiocese of Washington and blogs for the archdiocese and Our Sunday Visitor.
This Catholic Life / Commentary
JANUARY 17, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
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Coming out of the darkness of homelessness and poverty
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Faith and Justice Kathy Tomlin
I am tempted to look away, all the time wondering what specific life stories have occasioned spending a day or many days and many nights on the street
anuary is an interesting month as we transition from considerable darkness into the light. Just today the weatherman announced that we should see 45 minutes more sunlight by the end of the month. The whole notion of our coming out of the darkness and moving into the light reminds me to reflect on my own journey and how important both light and darkness are as various paths are traveled. There are those times when my driving journey is stopped short by the stranger at the critical intersection who is asking via cardboard sign for a dollar or a job in exchange for food. I am tempted, like most people, to look away, to avoid meeting eye to eye, all the time wondering what specific life stories have occasioned spending a day or many days and many nights on the street. When I give in to the temptation to look in the other direction, there is no real relief from the questions I have about how homelessness has exploded in the region and how we should be responding as a community. In many conversations about the situation of homelessness or the crisis of poverty, people often end up talking about the “deserving poor” and the “undeserving poor.” The discussion can easily start dismissing those who didn’t pull themselves up by their bootstraps, didn’t make the “right” choices. But even those whose lives have been easy realize that it probably wasn’t just “the grace of God” that made them successful. Upon deeper reflection, people know that their accomplishments
happened because others, with only moderate stress and much grace, provided consistent support. Successful journeys are much more interdependent than we might realize at first blush.
Becoming a just society As a church and a region, we are also on a journey about our future
and what paths we might take to become a more just and equitable society that promotes opportunity and economic growth and puts an end to poverty and economic stagnation. These are the same questions that the Metropolitan Council is asking as they design their next strategic plan for the region. Thrive MSP 2040 is their effort to involve local com-
munities and citizens in examining the environment and in planning for the strategic investments that will enable the region to thrive for our children and grandchildren going forward. The foundational principle in regional planning, of course, is that we are all connected at many levels. Unfortunately we aren’t as conscious of this notion as we could be. The cities and suburbs, exurbs and urban core all depend on each others’ success in an interdependent region. As a metro area, we need to include a response to the growing poverty and homelessness in our planning for the region. Perhaps a contribution local parishes could make to this planning effort is to replicate the question Bishop Kenneth Untener of Saginaw, Mich., asked all parish and diocesan groups, no matter their purpose, to ask at the beginning of their meetings: “How shall what we are doing here affect or involve the poor?” As the bishop reflected on his diocese’s 72-day focus on this question and the temptation to bottom out on judging the “deserving” and “undeserving” poor, he pleaded with his people to “always err on the side of largess.” “Always err on the side of largess and graciousness.” Perhaps as a church, local communities and a region, this is an attitude that will take us from darkness into greater light! Kathy Tomlin is vice president for social justice advocacy for Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Welcoming God’s gift of human life
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Sharing Faith Deacon Mickey Friesen
We can see the diminishment of respect for human dignity from the womb to the tomb
number of years ago the Minneapolis paper carried a weekly feature in the religion section called “The Seeker.” Each week the reporter would attend a different church, synagogue, mosque or temple and report on the experience. One of the questions always addressed was how each congregation welcomed visitors. While, I imagine, most congregations think of themselves as welcoming communities, the practices of hospitality can vary greatly from one to the other. There are many ways to welcome. For example, one can welcome people over for dinner by cleaning up the house and getting everything in order to look nice for a nice dinner and nice conversation. At the end of the evening when they leave, we can say, “Whew! That was nice, but I’m glad it’s over.” There is the way that parents welcome a newborn child into their lives. They rearrange their house, their schedule, and, in the case of a birthing mother, their body, to welcome this child into their life. I’m also reminded of the many people who have traveled on an overseas mission trip and were overwhelmed by the hospitality of their hosts who have so little. Even if they don’t speak the same
“God welcomes the poor, the marginal and the stranger by living in solidarity with their state in the world.” DEACON MICKEY FRIESEN
language, this act of hospitality communicates something beyond words that changes them. After the visit, many admit, “I thought I was a welcoming person until I came here.” I think the Christmas season we just celebrated reveals God’s hospitality. From Mary’s annunciation and visitation to the nativity and epiphany, the stories of Christmas have to do with visiting and welcoming and going on new paths. In each case, the people were transformed to the degree that they were willing to welcome Christ into their life, their relationships and their destiny. God welcomes humanity by entering the human condition. God welcomes the poor, the marginal and the stranger by living in solidarity with their state in the world. The incarnation is the most affirming doctrine of human life and dignity that we have. As St. Ireneaus said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” If
we could receive this gift, I can imagine no reason for war, for hate, for marginalizing and dismissing one another. And yet, as I write this, I’m aware that in so many ways we have not welcomed this gift. Schools in Minnesota are on lock-down today because of threats to the safety of students. We live with the aftermath of mass shootings and the massive arming of people. We read about the violence toward women and girls in Asia and the sex trafficking of girls here in our community and many others. We can see the diminishment of respect for human dignity from the womb to the tomb. Sometimes, we are just too busy and distracted to notice. Somehow, for me, it betrays a lack of hospitality for human life that God offers. We need to pray for our own epiphany of human life. I’m reminded of such a story told
by Thomas Merton, a well-known Trappist monk, in which he recounts an epiphany of God’s presence he had at the intersection of 4th and Walnut Streets in Louisville, Ky., on March 18, 1959. He said, “I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people. . . . I have the immense joy of being (hu)man, a member of a race in which God Himself became incarnate. If only everybody could realize this! But it cannot be explained. There is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.” As we enter the New Year, let us pray that we may be touched by the spirit of God’s hospitality for human life. May we realize the gift and the glory of being human. May we be ambassadors of life in our relationships, our labors and our consumption of the world’s goods. We can pray for further epiphanies of God’s impartiality toward the human race. We can pray with more fervor before communion at Mass, “Lord, I am not worthy for you to enter under my roof. But, only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.” Deacon Mickey Friesen is director of the archdiocesan Center for Mission.
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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 17, 2013
Commentary
/ This Catholic Life
God is always with us, even when we don’t know it
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Reflection Nancy Schulte Palacheck
I can look back now and see the Lord’s hand working in my life through it all
n this Year of Faith we have been asked by Pope Benedict XVI to profess (profess the faith in its fullness and with conviction), celebrate (celebrate the faith, especially in the Eucharist) and witness (witness our faith to the world). How can we find additional time to accomplish more when we already have so little and are spread so thin? For me as a single parent, it was specifically through faith and blessings that I was able to carry on. My husband passed away at the early age of 38. I was 32 with four children ages 3 to 9 to care for. How did I get it all done? I can look back now and see the Lord’s hand working in my life through it all, although it didn’t always seem that way at the time. But when we stop to really look we can see that he does want to be a part of our lives and we can see the blessings he has bestowed on us.
Many blessings My first blessing involved the enormous task of selling my house in Des Moines to move closer to my family in the Twin Cities for additional help with the children and the day-to-day tasks of life. Many of my friends and neighbors came to my aid to help me prepare the house for sale — fixing, painting and cleaning. I was astounded by
their generosity. As it turned out, my house sold to the first person who came to look at it. The second blessing was the parochial school and parish where I chose to raise my family. They were supportive and graciously helped me through those struggling years. I needed to humble myself and ask for help with the financial burden of sending the children to a Catholic school. My husband and I both attended parochial schools through the eighth grade and had been planning on this for our children. With the parish’s support of the Angel Fund I was able to accomplish this by sending all four through the eighth grade. What a tremendous joy this was for me. Generous support of family and friends taught me to give of myself. I began getting involved with my church. I became an extraordinary minister of holy Communion, and I connected with a women’s Bible study group. It wasn’t always easy to be prepared for this each week; in fact, sometimes I was a little overwhelmed by the preparation that needed to happen before the next meeting. But I did the best I could and the other women in the group understood and, in the end, they helped
Single parent retreat Spend a morning with other single parents and be renewed in your vocation not only as a parent, but the man or woman God created you to be. The Office of Marriage, Family and Life is sponsoring a single parent retreat from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 2 at Maternity of Mary, St. Paul. Father John Paul Erickson, director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship, will present, “The Call to be Holy in Season and Out.” Jean Stolpestad, director of the Office of Marriage, Family and Life, will talk about, “Power lunches, Power Rangers and the Power of Prayer.” Cost is $10 per family and includes childcare. Register online at WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG by Jan. 30.
me tremendously along my faith journey. I attended Mass each week and made it a point to get there other times of the year for special liturgies outside of Sundays and holy days of obligation. I began a special tradition with my children: On their birthdays I would have Mass said for them and take each out to breakfast — just the two of us for some special one-on-one
time. Blessing number three: raising my children in the rich beauty of our Catholic faith.
Relying on God’s strength My children are now almost all grown. It has been 13 years of struggles, happiness and tears, both good and bad, but I have known through it all that God is walking right beside me. There were many times that I would lay my worries at the foot of His cross and He would provide what I needed, not always on my time, but His time and in His way. My friends often tell me that I have been a great witness to our faith by continually journeying through life with a sunny disposition and positive attitude. We can’t change our journeys but we can find the blessings He has bestowed upon us. “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Single parenting has enormous challenges. Come rejuvenate yourself at the Single Parent Retreat (see box for more information). Nancy Schulte Palacheck is family and laity outreach coordinator for the archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life. She is a member of St. Jude of the Lake in Mahtomedi.
When it comes to charitable contributions, don’t forget your parish
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Opinion Father Paul Jarvis
It seems that this nonprofit is like the air we breathe. There. But often unnoticed.
t’s 1:58 a.m., Saturday — early early morning or late late night. I just returned home from an emergency visit to a hospital. The family of a patient was concerned that their loved one might be dying in the next few days. And so they naturally called their priest. I, of course, spent more time with the family — talking with them and counseling them and praying with them — than I did with the comatose patient. I have a hard time imagining the president of a national charity, or the management of some nonprofit cultural institution, or the chair of a political party visiting a hospital patient past midnight. Then again, that type of self-sacrificing service is why I and most other clergy went into “church work” or ministry. When there’s a problem within a marriage or with a troubled teen, when someone needs a reference for college, when a recovering alcoholic needs to do their Fifth Step, when extremely busy parents need someone to help pass on the faith to their kids, when someone burdened by guilt needs an ear to confess to, when someone wants to get married in the church, when someone is lonely and requires a visit or a social network, when a first-time volunteer needs someone to mentor them in a service project, when a Boy Scout needs an idea for his Eagle Scout project, when a family needs to grieve in a healing way, when a friend needs a fund raiser for mounting bills. . . When a parent wants their kids ed-
ucated in not just the three Rs, but to be immersed in the fourth R of religion through a parochial school, when new parents want to initiate their children in the way of God, when empty nesters want to really delve into Sacred Scripture, when some doubting young adults need to ask some tough questions, when a young child dies, when a soldier comes home handicapped, when disaster strikes… Well, I could go on. But you know where I am going with this. You know the usual answer to the question, “Where do they go?” And it, of course, is “their parish.
Five things to remember I bring up all of this because I just read a fantastic opinion piece by Ken Stern in the StarTribune: “Know how to make that year-end charity count.” (You can read it here at HTTP:// WWW.STARTRIBUNE.COM/OPINION/COM MENTARIES/185110771.HTML.) Stern lists five things to remember when deciding upon which charity or non-profit to support. 1) Charities principally serve the poor. 2) Donors should reward charities with low overhead. 3) Tax incentives are critical to charitable giving. 4) Non-profits are not profitable. 5) It is easy to find a good charity to support. You name the parish, and I can virtually guarantee you that a significant portion of its budget as well as funds from its special collections support local food shelves and aid agencies, as well as many international relief efforts. Members of parishes also provide innumerable volunteers
Too often unnoticed
life, throughout your life, and one that is there for you at the most important moments of your life. But it seems that this nonprofit is like the air we breathe. There. But often unnoticed. Until it is gone. In the past eight-plus years of my priesthood, I can think of just two deceased people who’ve remembered either their parish or their parochial school in their estate planning. When I read the obituaries of faithful members, I read how various health research nonprofits are mentioned as preferred recipients of memorials, but rarely do I read someone remembering their parish or parochial school — even though millions nationally support worthy and much-needed organizations like cancer research nonprofits and cultural institutions, and even though individual parishes are really only supported by hundreds of households, if that. If only the dollar equivalent of a single funeral flower arrangement were gifted as a memorial to the parish hosting the deceased’s funeral celebration, the church would be greatly helped. Read the Star Tribune article. And if you are a member of a faith community, then I know for sure which is the best place to make your monthly contributions. And who to remember when planning your estate. Just follow Stern’s advice.
As Stern suggests in his opinion piece, it is indeed very easy to find the most important charity in your
Father Paul Jarvis is pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Rosemount.
for great organizations like Loaves and Fishes, Sharing and Caring Hands, Goodwill stores, Salvation Army centers, Dorothy Day centers, etc. Trust me, there is no organization with a lower overhead than the typical parish. In the Catholic world, most of what is done within or through a parish is done by the active 7 percent of its membership. At St. Joseph’s in Rosemount, for example, that’s about 140 households. And then there are those one-third of any Catholic parish who are periodically helping out with volunteering at events and a growing number of ministries. That’s more than 600 households at St. Joe’s. Though it is true that the American Red Cross president made in excess of $1 million in total compensation in 2010, the typical Catholic priest in this region makes a salary not a lot more than $20,000 a year. Yep, their housing and health insurance are paid for. But remember this, they have no home equity at the end of their productive work lives — which is the typical American’s primary source of retirement savings. It’s also my experience that the typical priest works way past normal retirement age for Americans: 65. I know I plan to die with my priestly boots on. Believe me, no one works in the church — whether as clergy or lay ministers — for the salary.
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-5
The Lesson Plan JANUARY 17, 2013
Reflections on faith and spirituality
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
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God speaks to us in many ways as we seek to discern his will
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n this Sunday’s epistle and Gospel reading, we are taught about the gift of discernment of spirits. Each of us seeks to know God’s will for us in our everyday lives. And, we know in faith that God does not keep his will permanently hidden from us, so that a sincere effort to know his will is certain to succeed. Whether we desire to know whether to seek priesthood, sisterhood, married life or just to know how best to spend our free time, God is eager to Deacon enlighten our minds. Andrew St. Paul’s First Letter Jaspers to the Corinthians teaches us about the variety of gifts given by the Holy Spirit in the Church for her upbuilding. This teaches us that selfknowledge begins in recognizing that your talents and achievements are given by God, and that they should be shared generously with the Church. When we see others’ gifts, we should avoid a mentality of competition and instead seek a mentality of contribution. We can think, “That person has gifts, and I have mine, and I should concentrate on
Readings Sunday, Jan. 20 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time ■ Isaiah 62:1-5 ■ 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 ■ John 2:1-11
Reflection What has helped you to discern God’s will for your life?
Sunday Scriptures
making the best contribution that I can make.” Second, we hear in the Gospel that Jesus listened to his mother in discerning what to do at Cana. God’s will is often manifested to us through the instruments of our family, friends, the saints and the Church community. We grow by listening to what others need. And, after listening to them, we need to take some time in silence to ask God to confirm or deny the proposal. In
Monday, Jan. 21 St. Agnes, virgin, martyr Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 2: 18-22 Tuesday, Jan. 22 Hebrews 6:10-20 Mark 2:23-28 Wednesday, Jan. 23 St. Vincent, deacon, martyr Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17 Mark 3:1-6 Thursday, Jan. 24 St. Francis de Sales, bishop, doctor of the Church Hebrews 7:25 — 8:6 Mark 3:7-12 Friday, Jan. 25 The conversion of St. Paul, the apostle Acts 22:3-16 Mark 16:15-18 Saturday, Jan. 26 Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops 2 Timothy 1:1-8 Mark 3:20-21 Sunday, Jan. 27 Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
The unexpected Finally, when we are open to God’s will in our discernment, we should be prepared for surprises.
Deacon Andrew Jaspers is in formation for the priesthood at St. Paul Seminary for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His home parish is the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, and his teaching parish is Epiphany in Coon Rapids.
Pope baptizes 20 babies
Daily Scriptures Sunday, Jan. 20 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 62:1-5 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 John 2:1-11
silence, our consciences can consult the truths given to us in our faith and in rightly ordered reason. Beyond this, if we are growing in the grace and love of God, he will confirm his will in us through giving us a sense of peace and rest when we pray about the option.
The wedding party at Cana did not expect the fine wine that Jesus miraculously produced late in the feast. And just as Jesus raised something good (water) into something better (fine wine), he takes our gifts and our weaknesses, our holiness and our sinfulness, and works through us in ways we never would have expected. Our age is one beset by challenges and hostility to our Catholic faith and morals. But the Christian view of history assures us that God always surprises when hope seems to be lost. Who would have predicted that St. Benedict’s retreat with a few friends would soon lead to the foundation of thousands of monasteries throughout Europe? Who could have foreseen St. Francis of Assisi leading thousands to follow Christ in poverty? Who saw the Jesuits coming in the 16th century? And who can fathom the new ecclesial movements since the Second Vatican Council? God. And hopefully you, who try to discern his will.
Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10 1 Corinthians 12:12-30 Luke 1:1-4 Monday, Jan. 28 St. Thomas Aquinas, priest, doctor of the Church Hebrews 9:15, 24-28 Mark 3:22-30 Tuesday, Jan. 29 Hebrews 10:1-10 Mark 3:31-35 Wednesday, Jan. 30 Hebrews 10:11-18 Mark 4:1-20 Thursday, Jan. 31 St. John Bosco, priest Hebrews 10:19-25 Mark 4:21-25 Friday, Feb. 1 Hebrews 10:32-39 Mark 4:26-34 Saturday, Feb. 2 Presentation of the Lord Malachi 3:1-4 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40 Sunday, Feb. 3 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 1:4-5, 17-19 1 Corinthians 12:31 — 13:13 Luke 4:21-30
By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service
The Sistine Chapel sounded a bit like a nursery Jan. 13, as Pope Benedict XVI baptized 20 babies, whose crying provided a constant accompaniment to the two-hour Mass on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Referring to the day’s reading from the Gospel St. Luke, which recounts the baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist, Pope Benedict said that in choosing to receive the sacrament, Jesus showed he “was really immersed in our human condition; he lived it to the utmost — although without sin — and in such a way that he understands weakness and fragility.” The pope told the parents that their children’s baptism would bring them into a “personal relationship with Jesus” that would give their lives meaning: “Only in this friendship is the great potential of the human condition truly revealed and we can experience what is beautiful and what is free.” Reminding the godparents of their duty to assist parents in raising their godchildren in the faith, Pope Benedict noted that “it is not easy to demonstrate what you believe in openly and without compromise, especially in the context in which we live, in the face of a society that often considers those who live by faith in Jesus to be old-fashioned and out of date.”
CNS photo / L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters
Pope Benedict XVI baptizes a baby during a Mass in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Jan. 13.
Contrary to a widespread view that Christianity is “detrimental to personal fulfillment,” the pope said, faith in Jesus frees us from egoism and “keeps us from being turned in on ourselves, in order to lead a full life, in communion with God and open to others.” As in previous instances of the annual tradition, the baptized babies, who this year included a pair of twins, were all children of Vatican employees and were born during the preceding three months.
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The Lesson Plan
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 17, 2013
Why does ecumenism matter?
O
ften one hears the question, “Why does ecumenism matter?” It is a good question, both for Catholics and other Christians, since today the churches seem at times more divided than in decades past. Different Christian bodies have made decisions which Catholics judge to openly contradict the teaching and will of Christ, for example, by approving same-sex marriage, ordination of women, abortion and contraception. Christian unity seems further away than it did just two decades ago. Nevertheless, Catholics are still guided by the word of Pope John Paul II, who declared in 1995 that “at the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church committed herself irrevocaChristian D. bly to following the path of the ecuWashburn menical venture.” The same pope made clear that “the ultimate goal of ecumenism is ‘full and visible communion in the same faith, the same sacraments and the same apostolic ministry.’”
Commentary
Staying committed While many aspects of faith and charity make ecumenism important for Catholics, two factors loom large as motives for Catholics to remain committed to ecumenical efforts. ■ Division among Christians openly contradicts the will of Christ, who prayed at the hour of his Passion that all his followers may be one. Vatican II asserted in its principal document on the Church that “Christ the Lord founded one Church and one Church only” and that “this church, constituted
Christian unity is lecture topic Jesuit Father Jared Wicks will present the Annual Christian Unity Lecture “The Ecumenical Imperative in Catholic Theology and Church Life” at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 23 at the 3M Auditorium of the Owens Science Building at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Father Wicks taught at the Jesuit School of Theology in Chicago and the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He was named to the Lutheran/ Catholic International dialogue in 1986 and helped to draft the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine FATHER WICKS of Justification (1999). The free event is co-sponsored by the Archdiocesan Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity.
and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the bishops in communion with him.” This basic truth makes the structure of the Church, which some treat as useless, part of Jesus’s intention in founding the Church. For Catholics to be faithful to the will of Christ, they should eagerly share with their estranged brothers and sisters the precious gifts of truth and means of holiness given them far beyond what they deserve. ■ Pursuing the ecumenical goal of unity leads toward
Falling in love with a vocation National Vocation Awareness Week is Jan. 13-19. The following reflection was first posted on the blog of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
I
met the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in 2005 through my professor, a member of the religious community, Sister Lucia Treanor. She talked me into representing Grand Valley State University at a conference on the new evangelization with her, despite my protests that she could find someone worthier. This was the first time I ever experienced her religious order, and while the conference was powerful, I was more impressed and captivated by the community of sisters I met. They were real, vibrant and funny, not what I expected. Over the next five years our relationship deepened. I took advantage of every opportunity to be with Sister Faith the sisters on their farm in Lowell, Marie Woolsey Mich. From mucking the stalls to helping teach teenagers about human sexuality, I cherished every minute there. I found myself happiest and most myself when with them. I also attended several retreats given by the sisters on Pope Paul VI’s encyclical on birth control, “Humanae Vitae,” and the complementarity of men and women. It surprised me that I learned the beauty of fruitfulness through celibate women. I took my strong response to the retreats as a sign from God that I was called to sacramental marriage. I was caught off guard when Sister Lucia asked me if I would be interested in attending a discernment weekend at their motherhouse in Connecticut. I remember my response, “I am honored. I would love to go visit the motherhouse, but I am not seriously thinking about a religious vocation. Can I still go?” I went, learned more about the community and grew in admiration of them. At the end of the weekend I felt frustrated because I had no more clarity about my vocation. Another discernment weekend followed the next year,
Reflection
“This journey reveals that the
plan God had for my life is so much greater than anything I could have possibly imagined for myself.
”
SISTER FAITH MARIE WOOLSEY
but I was reluctant to go. I was tired of discerning yet did not want to pass up a visit to the motherhouse. I went to have a good time. God had other plans, however.
A sense of ‘rightness’ I was there for about three hours when lightning struck. One second I was thinking about how amazing the community is, the next second thinking, “Oh my God, You want me to be one of them.” I have never in my life felt such panic or such peace. My entire future changed in that instant. Amidst the inner chaos was an overwhelming sense of “rightness,” of clarity. At one point the foundress, Mother Rosemae Pender, described discovering one’s vocation as falling in love, and I knew I was deeply in love with this community. I am a novice now and could not be any more ecstatic about the direction my life is going. I fall deeper in love with God, the Church and community every day. My vocation gives increased purpose to every aspect of my life: in prayer, in personal interactions and, professionally, as a physical therapist. I will never be a biological mother, as I once dreamed, but I have never felt more life-giving. This journey reveals that the plan God had for my life is so much greater than anything I could have possibly imagined for myself. Sister Faith Marie Woolsey is a novice with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in Meriden, Conn.
a more effective Christian witness to Christ in places all over the world where he is unknown. The Second Vatican Council saw an intimate connection between overcoming Christian divisions and the mission of evangelization. It said that divided Christianity “scandalizes the world, and damages that most holy cause, the preaching of the Gospel to every creature.” Every Christian community, and especially the Catholic Church, has from Christ the mandate to proclaim his saving grace and forgiveness and to lead all men and women to union with Christ in his mystical body, the Church. Those who do not yet know Christ are scandalized by divisions between Christians and frequently find here an obstacle preventing their turning to our Lord for salvation. Overcoming the present divisions will help to lead all men and women to our Lord. Jesus’ own prayer made clear that unity is a missionary imperative: “That they all may be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that thou has sent me” (John 17:21). While the ecumenical cause calls forth our human activity, we will not manufacture the longed-for goal of visible unity in communion. This is first and foremost the work and gift of God. While obedience to Christ and love of others prompt us to engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration, the essential moment, ever repeated, is heartfelt prayer that God bestow the gift of perfect unity upon all Christians. Christian D. Washburn is associate professor of systematic theology at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul.
Be like good Samaritan, help those in need, pope says in message Catholic News Service In a message for the 2013 World Day of the Sick, Pope Benedict XVI called on everyone to be a good Samaritan and concretely help those in need. Thanking those who care for the sick and elderly, the pope underlined the church’s fundamental role in “lovingly and generously accepting every human being, especially those who are weak and sick.” The World Day of the Sick is celebrated annually Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Vatican released the text of the papal message Jan. 8. Pope Benedict expressed his affection for all those “undergoing a time of trial due to illness and suffering,” and he prayed that they remember they are not alone, marginalized, forgotten or useless. “You have been called by Christ and are his living and transparent image,” he said, quoting from a message delivered by the fathers of the Second Vatican Council in 1965, “To the Poor, the Sick and the Suffering.”
Concern for others The Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan is just one of many accounts that show how Jesus expected his disciples to behave toward others, especially those in need, the pope said. Through prayer, people can draw strength from God’s infinite love in order to “live day by day with concrete concern, like that of the Good Samaritan, for those suffering in body and spirit who ask for our help, whether or not we know them and however poor they may be,” Pope Benedict wrote. Those who are sick and suffering also are called to help others, finding meaning and healing in accepting one’s own suffering by looking to Christ, “who suffered with infinite love,” he said. The Year of Faith is an occasion for the church to intensify its charitable services “so that each one of us can be a good Samaritan for others, for those close to us,” the pope said.
“Everything I learned, I learned from the movies.” Audrey Hepburn
Arts & Culture JANUARY 17, 2013
Exploring our church and our world
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
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What makes a movie Catholic? By John P. McCarthy Catholic News Service
In “Porta Fidei” (“The Door of Faith”), an apostolic letter announcing the current Year of Faith, Pope Benedict XVI urges us to study the history of Catholicism, which he describes as “marked by the unfathomable mystery of the interweaving of holiness and sin.” This striking observation also can apply to the medium of film. All too often in movies, however, sin dominates and holiness is difficult to recognize. In the spirit of the new evangelization, the Year of Faith, which runs through Nov. 24, is an appropriate time to ask what constitutes a faithful and, more specifically, a Catholic movie. If the definitions are too narrow, few films will make the grade; if too broad, the designations themselves will become meaningless. Movies seeking to embody the tenets of a particular religious tradition, explain one of its sacred texts, or profile a key prophet are the easiest to classify in this way. Admiring portraits of clerics, converts, laypeople or other believing protagonists are also strong candidates, as are films that use storytelling techniques, such as allegory, to impart an article of faith. Turning to Catholic films, there are many reasons a picture might be deemed Catholic. But the dynamic between those who create a work, the work itself, and the audience beholding it is a useful shortcut. A movie may qualify as Catholic if the filmmaker has a Catholic sensibility, if the subject matter — plot, personae or setting — involves Catholicism, and/or if a viewer offers a plausible Catholic interpretation. Adducing meaning in a film by reference to the filmmaker’s intentions and outlook is problematic because cinema is such a collaborative medium. Still, provided they are manifested on screen, a filmmaker’s aims and sensibility are a rich source of interpretive material. The pantheon of Catholic directors (lapsed and devout) includes Robert Bresson, Luis Bunuel, Frank Capra, Francis Ford Coppola, Federico Fellini, Alfred Hitchcock, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Martin Scorsese and Andrei Tarkovsky.
What qualifies Of course not every one of their films is Catholic, and not every film with a Catholic theme, plot, setting or protagonist qualifies either. A minimum amount of respect for the Catholic subject matter must be evinced, even if strong doubts are expressed and considerable ambiguity permitted. The range of examples stretches from Carl Theodor Dreyer’s silent masterwork “The Passion of Joan of Arc” (1928) and popular entertainments from Hollywood’s Golden Age — Bible epics and certain Bing Crosby vehicles, for instance — to more recent fare. The latter includes the biopic “Romero” (1989), “The Chronicles of Narnia” series (2005-2010), the documentary “Into Great Silence” (2007) and the fact-based French film “Of Gods and Men” (2011). When assessing subject matter, movies blatantly hostile to religion, patently heretical or obviously anti-Catholic are readily disqualified. Those that merely pay lip service to religious faith or peddle watered-down beliefs are nearly as easy to dismiss. While better than many alternatives, what passes for religiosity in most mainstream movies is too shallow and generic to leave a deep impression. Humanism, non-specific ethical concerns and advocacy of a vaguely spiritual, less materialistic approach to life are not enough. Several recently released films illustrate this point. As
Bing Crosby shakes his finger at Barry Fitzgerald in a scene from the 1944 film “Going My Way.” Crosby won an Oscar for his role as a priest in the movie. File photo
What do you think? What is your favorite movie that you would classify as a Catholic movie, and why? Send your responses to The Catholic Spirit: ■ By email to CATHOLICSPIRIT@ARCHSPM.ORG. ■ To The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. Please include your name, city, parish and daytime telephone number at which you can be reached if we have questions. We will print a selection of responses online and in a future issue of The Catholic Spirit.
a boy, the title character in “Life of Pi” embarks on a personal quest to find God, picking and choosing from a number of different faiths, including Catholicism. Yet, as his atheist father remarks, “Believing in everything is like believing in nothing.”
Pro-faith Many elements in the time-traveling fantasia “Cloud Atlas” can be considered pro-faith. But its overarching theme concerning individuals linked throughout history is insufficiently detailed and cogent. In “The Sessions”— a drama in which a Catholic priest encourages a paraplegic member of his flock to have relations with a so-called sex surrogate — a young woman, asked if she’s religious, replies, “I don’t think about God much but I do believe there’s a mysterious logic or poetry to life.” This line succinctly expresses the type of soft, unthinking religiosity typically encountered at the multiplex. Two other current releases underscore another important point. Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” address the immorality of slavery in very different ways. Both want to entertain and enlighten audiences about historical realities. Yet,
along with its revenge narrative, the extremely graphic violence, plethora of obscene language, and exploitative tenor of Tarantino’s latest undercuts any salubrious message. Although completely separating form and content is impossible, when attempting to fathom an artwork we tend to focus on the “how” more than the “what.” Style and tone convey as much, and sometimes more, than action and dialogue.
Interpretation At this juncture the viewer’s act of interpretation becomes decisive. A movie can be deemed authentically Catholic through description and evaluation presented from a Catholic perspective. Offering a convincing Catholic interpretation that accurately reflects form and content, and possibly the sensibility and intentions of a movie’s creators, requires a certain manner of discernment. The interpreter must train a Catholic imagination on the film and be committed to reading it through that prism. That said, each movie must be considered on its own merits without bias or preconceptions. Valid judgments can only be made after engaging with a film on its own terms. This must be followed by reflection and analysis in which sound critical method, clear values and personal experiences are brought to bear. A movie is authentically Catholic when its Catholic traits are fully integrated into its form and content. Such integrity is similar to that perceived in a person whose beliefs and behavior always appear to be in concert, someone we can justly say “lives their faith.” This critical process is analogous to the task Pope Benedict calls us to undertake regarding the history of the church during the Year of Faith. The question is not whether holiness and sin are intertwined in our faith, in ourselves and in what we create. We are challenged to discern how they are woven together — and to begin unspooling the mystery of why. John P. McCarthy is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service.
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Calendar
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 17, 2013
Dining out Fish fry at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Every Friday: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $10.95. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations. Chicken and rib dinner at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Every Wednesday: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $12. Call (952) 8881492 for reservations. Roast beef dinner at St. Bernard, St. Paul — January 19: 4 to 7 p.m. at the parish center on the corner of Rice Street and Geranium Avenue. Cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children under 8. KC belgian waffle breakfast at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — January 20: 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. KC Pancake, egg and sausage breakfast at St. Joseph, Hopkins — January 20: 8 a.m. to noon at 1300 Mainstreet. Cost is $8 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12. KC pancake and french toast breakfast at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — January 20: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. A free will offering will be accepted. KC pancake breakfast at Blessed Sacrament, St. Paul — January 27: 8 a.m. to noon at 1801 LaCrosse Ave. Cost is $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. KC pancake breakfast at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Maplewood — January 27: 8 a.m. to noon at 1725 Kennard St. Cost is $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 12.
Parish events ‘Discipleship: A Call to Holiness’ second in a four-week series at St. Odilia, Shoreview — January 17: 7 to 9 p.m. at 3495 N. Victoria. Father Phillip Rask will reflect on scripture and his pastoral experience, and Renee Allerheiligen, parish consultant, will help revitalize discipleship. For information, visit WWW.STODILIA.ORG. ‘Unlocking the Beauty of Catechism’ at Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul — January 19: 9 a.m. to noon at the corner of Stanford and Prior Avenues. Presented by Christopher Ruff, director of the Office of Ministries and Social Concerns, Diocese of LaCrosse, Wisc. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students. To register, call (651) 696-5401 or visit WWW.NATIVITY-MN.ORG. Spaghetti dinner for vocations at Epiphany, Coon Rapids — January 19: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 11001 Hanson Blvd. Cost is $25 per family, $6 for adults and $5 for seniors or children ages 5 to 12. Take-out available. Sponsored by the Epiphany Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary. Annual pro-life presentation and Italian dinner at Maternity of Mary, St. Paul — January 19: 5:30 p.m. at 1414 N. Dale St. Speaker is Relevant Radio’s Father Francis Hoffman (Father Rocky). Cost is $15 for adults, $5 for children ages 13 to 18 and $2 for ages 12 and under. Childcare available. ‘Modern Day Slavery: Human Trafficking’ presented at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis — January 20:1 to
605 7th St. W. Professor Elizabeth Schlitz will speak on “Prenatal Testing and Selective Abortions: An Exploration” followed by further discussion and fellowship. All sessions are free of charge, however drinks and food are not included.
Don’t Miss Martin Luther King holiday concert “Unforgettable: Remembering Nat King Cole and the Early Civil Rights Movement,” a concert featuring Dennis Spears, will be presented at 7 p.m. Jan. 20 at St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis. Spears has studied and performed Nat King Cole — both the man and his music — for nearly 20 years. Hosted by Dan Chouinard and accompanied by a jazz trio, the show also will feature a combined choir of singers from St. Joan of Arc parish and Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in North Minneapolis. Tickets are $20 and are available at the door, online at WWW.STJOAN.COM or by calling (612) 823-8205. St. Joan of Arc is located at 4537 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis. 2:30 p.m. at, 88 N. 17th St. In honor of MLK Jr., get involved to help restore human dignity and promote healing to victims of human trafficking. For information, visit WWW.MARY.ORG. ‘Discipleship: A Call to Holiness’ third in a four-week series at St. Odilia, Shoreview — January 24: 7 to 9 p.m. at 3495 N. Victoria. Father Phillip Rask will reflect on scripture and his pastoral experience and Renee Allerheiligen, parish consultant, will help revitalize discipleship. For information, visit WWW.STODILIA.ORG. Annual Used Book Sale at St. Stephen, Anoka — January 26: 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 525 Jackson St. Books are 50 cents each (25 cents for children’s books) and $2 a bag from 1:30 on. Call (763) 421-2471 or visit WWW.ST STEPHENCHURCH.ORG. Oldies Dance with live band RockaRolla and Village Tavern at St. Mary, St. Paul — February 2: Doors open at 5:30 p.m., band plays from 6 to 9 p.m. at 261 E. Eighth St. Live in Upson Hall 50s and 60s Rock-n-Roll music and Old Time Polka music. Snacks and refreshments provided, soda-pop available for $1. Cost is $10/person or $25/family. For information, visit WWW. GREATGATHERINGS.ORG/OLDIES-DANCE.
Prayer/ liturgies Healing Mass at St. Mark, St. Paul — January 21: Rosary at 7 p.m. and Mass at 7:30 p.m. at 2001 Dayton Ave. Father Jim Livingston will be the celebrant. For information, call (651) 6902553. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Mass at St. Olaf, Minneapolis — January 21: Prelude music at 11:45 a.m. with Total Praise Gospel Choir, Mass at noon with fellowship to follow at 215 S. Eighth St.
Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. For information, call Judy at (763) 221-3040 or Al at (651) 482-0406. 50-plus singles dinner at St. Joseph, New Hope — January 27: 5 p.m. at 8701 36th Ave. N. Social hour, pot luck dinner and bingo. Bring a dish to share. Call (763) 439-5940.
School events Entrance exams at St. Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights — January 19 and 26: 8:30 a.m. at 949 Mendota Heights Road. Jan. 19 for students entering grades 9 and 10. Jan. 26 for students entering grades 7 and 8. For information, visit WWW.CADETS.COM. Winter social to benefit St. Rose of Lima School, St. Paul — January 19: 5:30 to 9 p.m. at 1494 Dale St. Features food, beverages and raffles. Open house at Convent of the Visitation School, Mendota Heights — January 22: 6:30 p.m. at 2055 Visitation Drive. For students entering grades 6 to 8. Preschool Round-Up at St. John the Baptist, New Brighton — January 22: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 835 Second Ave. N.W. For children ages 3 to 5 (by 8/31) and their parents. For information, visitWWW.STJOHNNB.COM/LITTLE_LIGHTS_PRESC HOOL or call (651) 633-1522, ext. 1209. Discovery Day at Faithful Shepherd School, Eagan — January 27: 1 p.m. at 3355 Columbia Drive. For students entering grades K to 8. For information, call (651) 406-4747. Open house at Holy Trinity, South St. Paul — January 27: 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 745 Sixth Ave. S. For information, call (651) 455-8557. Open house at St. Pascal Baylon School, St. Paul — January 27: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 1757 Conway St. For students entering preschool to 8th grade. Open house at Blessed Trinity School, Richfield — January 29: 4:30 to 7 p.m. at 7540 Penn Ave. S. For students entering preschool to 3rd grade. For information, visit WWW.BTCSMN.ORG.
Young Adults ‘Theology on Tap’ winter series at The Glockenspiel Restaurant, St. Paul — January 23: Doors open at 7 p.m. with a speaker from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at 605 7th St. W. Father Joseph Williams will speak on “Immigration: A Catholic Perspective” followed by further discussion and fellowship. All sessions are free of charge, however drinks and food are not included. ‘Theology on Tap’ winter series at The Glockenspiel Restaurant, St. Paul — January 30: Doors open at 7 p.m. with a speaker from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at
Other events Wine tasting and silent auction at Cerenity Senior Care-Marian of St. Paul — January 30: 6 to 8:30 p.m. at 200 Earl St. Must be 21 years of age to attend. Cost is $35 at the door. For information, call (651) 793-2102.
Retreats Silent Weekend Retreat for Men at Christ the King Retreat Center, Buffalo — January 18 to 20: at 621 First Ave South. Theme is “We Walk By Faith” presented by King’s House Preaching Team. Suggested offering is $140. For more information or to register, please visit WWW.KINGSHOUSE.COM, call 763-6821394 or send an email to CHRISTTHEKING@KINGSHOUSE.COM. Silent Weekend Retreat for Women at Christ the King Retreat Center, Buffalo — January 25 to 27: at 621 First Ave South. Theme is “We Walk By Faith” presented by King’s House Preaching Team. Suggested offering is $140. For more information or to register, please visit WWW.KINGSHOUSE.COM, call 763-6821394 or send an email to CHRISTTHEKING@KINGSHOUSE.COM. ‘Mother’s Day of Renewal’ at Holy Family, St. Louis Park — January 26: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 5900 W. Lake St. speaker is author and blogger, Tami Kiser, who will be doing workshops on being Mary in a Martha world. Confessions at 7:30 a.m., 8 a.m. Mass followed by a continental breakfast, numerous talks and lunch. Cost is $30. For information or to register, email TROBBINS5@COMCAST.NET. Newly married retreat at St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony — February 2: 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 2739 Stinson Blvd. For couples married up to 7
years. Retreat includes a continental breakfast, breakout sessions, a catered lunch, reconciliation and renewal of vows. Cost is $40 per couple and registration is required by Jan. 29. Register online at HTTPS:// GIVING.ARCHSPM.ORG/NMR2013. Day of recollection for caregivers at Annunciation, Minneapolis — February 16: 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 509 W. 54th St. Event for caregivers includes Mass, adoration, conferences, and the sacrament of reconciliation. A caregiver is anyone who lives, works or regularly visits persons with serious illnesses or disabilities. Cost is $15 with lunch provided. For information or to register call (651) 291-4543 by Feb. 8. Women’s Lenten retreat at Holy Spirit, St. Paul — February 23: 8 a.m. to noon at 515 S. Albert St. Explore “Faith in the New Evangelization” with prayer, sacraments, reflection and a presentation by Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn. Cost is $10, Register online by Feb. 20 at HTTPS://GIVING.ARCHSPM.ORG/ LWR.
Calendar Submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, seven days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following: • Time and date of event. • Full street address of event. • Description of event. • Contact information in case of questions. E-MAIL:
SPIRITCALENDAR@ ARCHSPM.ORG.
(No attachments, please.) FAX: (651) 2914460 MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.
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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 17, 2013
Faribault family fueled by trip to Medjugorje CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 attended college at the University of Minnesota and lived in Comstock Hall, an allgirls dormitory. It was there where she had her first experience doing what she does today — trying to persuade a woman in a crisis pregnancy to choose life. “It was maybe a couple months into the year, and one of the gals in our dorm got pregnant and was thinking of having an abortion,” said Palmer, 49. “Her roommate ran down to get myself and my roommate because she knew that we were very prolife; we were the pro-life warriors. I remember going down there with my roommate Terry to try to talk to this gal. She had become our friend, but she was abortion-minded. Basically, we tried to talk her out of that. The sad thing is that she went ahead with it [abortion] anyway.” That’s the harsh reality of grassroots work with pregnant, vulnerable women — some will choose to abort their unborn child no matter how persuasive the arguments against it. And, that’s precisely what makes decades of pro-life work so admirable. In Palmer’s case, that kicked into high gear after a life-changing trip overseas. “Honestly, when I really turned pro-life
truly in my heart and mind was when I went to Medjugorje in 1993 with my mom [and dad],” said Palmer, who had two children at the time with her husband Brad. “It was there that I really just felt I needed to be more open to life — all life. And, thank goodness, because Hana would not be here had I not gone to Medjugorje. We went on to have five more children. We just decided that we were going to be open [to having more children].” The trip also jump started her involvement in the pro-life movement. She became the executive director of Mariah Crisis Pregnancy Center, which was what Pregnancy Options was called previously. And, she also decided jointly with Brad to take in foster children. They have not officially counted how many, but she estimates the number to be more than 100. She never had to deal with a crisis pregnancy with her foster kids, but that’s not to say the issue has not hit home. About two years ago, her son Chris delivered the news that he and his long-time girlfriend, Hope McBain, had conceived a child. “It definitely caught us by surprise,” Michelle said. “When you come to that
situation in your own life where you have that crisis, you have to put your money where your mouth is and live it out.” They had a daughter, Grace, on June 11, 2011, and the couple eventually married last winter. “I was proud of them for making the right choice,” Michelle said. “I think it [experience with her son] helps me to be a better counselor at the center, to really be able to understand more [about what the pregnant women are going through].”
Still work to do Despite the good news in their family, they know that, in Connie’s words, “there’s a lot of work to be done” to erase the black mark of abortion on the American landscape. “I’m not going to lie. With the current administration that got voted in being very much pro-abortion, I was a little sad about that,” Michelle said. “I was hoping that we’d be able to get some other [prolife] judges appointed to overturn it.” For now, people like Michelle and Connie will pin their hopes on the next generation of pro-life activists. With Connie’s 20 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, they know there is something to build on. And, it may very well be Hana
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Novena for life The U.S. Catholic bishops will pray a nine-day novena to end abortion. “Nine Days of Prayer, Penance and Pilgrimage” will run from Jan. 19 to 27. People can sign up to have the novena sent directly to them via emails, text messages, or social media. To subscribe to the daily emails, people should visit WWW.USCCB.ORG/9DAYS. To subscribe to the daily text messages, which will contain a link to the day’s content, people can text “9days” to 99000. To access the materials through social media, visit and “like” the People of Life Facebook page.
who steps up to become a leader, which would be just fine with her mother. “I love working with Hana,” said Michelle, who noted that her other children also have helped out. “She’s so full of energy and life. She’s always so upbeat.” And, with the courts, the media and well-funded groups like Planned Parenthood stacked against them, pro-lifers will have to earn their victory one saved life at a time.
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“Only in this friendship is the great potential of the human condition truly revealed and we can experience what is beautiful and what is free.” Pope Benedict XVI, speaking to the parents of children he baptized Jan. 14, explaining that baptism would bring the children into a “personal relationship with Jesus” that would give their lives meaning
20
Overheard THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Quotes from this week’s newsmakers
“Faith and reason are like two people who love each other deeply, who cannot live without each other, and who were ARCHBISHOP MULLER intimately made for one another, so much so that they cannot be considered separate from one another and cannot reach their goals separately.”
Catholic Spirit seeks Pay It Forward for Lent projects The Catholic Spirit is accepting submissions for its Pay It Forward project for the Lenten season. The project is based on the New Testament parable of the stewards and its lesson that good stewards don’t just maintain what is given to them — they help it grow. Projects in previous years have helped build a school in Sierra Leone, raised funds to educate Ethiopian women and children, helped an orphanage in Honduras and, closer to home, stocked shelves with food at Second Harvest Heartland. Here’s how to participate: Tell us in no more than 300 words how you — individually or as a group of friends, family members or co-workers — would use your talents to “grow” $100 to help as many people as possible this Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 13. The Catholic Spirit will select up to three ideas and give $100 to the author of each winning submission to put his or her ideas into action. The winners will have the 40 days of Lent to “pay it forward” and make a positive difference. The Catholic Spirit will announce the selected projects in the Feb. 14 issue and write about the winners’ experiences in the March 28 issue. Submit your ideas: ■ By e-mail to CATHOLICSPIRIT@ARCHSPM. ORG. Please write “Pay It Forward” in the subject line. ■ By postal mail to “Pay It Forward,”
Raffle for Catholic schools begins Jan. 18 Catholic United Financial will kick off its 2013 Catholic Schools Raffle Jan. 18, with 23 schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis set to participate. Through March 1 students and their families will sell $5 The raffle tickets to raise Catholic Spirit money for everything from school supplies to computers to field trips and more. In total, 85 schools and more than 17,000 students in Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota will participate with the goal of raising $750,000. More than $55,000 in prizes will be awarded during a ceremony March 14. A live online broadcast of the ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. on the Catholic United website, WWW.CATHOLICUNITED.ORG. Prizes include a 2013 Ford Escape SUV
News Notes
JANUARY 17, 2013
— Archbishop Gerhard L. Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and coordinator of a project to publish the complete works of Joseph Ratzinger-Pope Benedict XVI, on Jan. 11 highlighting a key teaching of the pope that faith and reason go hand in hand
“A woman [being] on a strong medication like that without a physician’s supervision could be very dangerous.”
File photo by Dave Hrbacek
Rosa Gómez stirs a sample pot of bean soup in her family’s kitchen as Liliana, left, Theresa and Catarina observe in this file photo from 2010. The family made and sold a bean soup mix as its Pay It Forward for Lent project. c/o The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. The deadline for entries is Thursday,
Feb. 7. Please include your name, address, parish, e-mail and daytime telephone number so that we can contact you.
or $25,000, 2014 Super Bowl tickets, a Caribbean cruise vacation, Minnesota Twins suite tickets, iPads, digital cameras, Kindle Fire tablets, gift cards and more. Schools sell tickets and collect money directly, so every dollar remains with the school. To read the official rules and view a list of participating schools, visit WWW.CATHOLICUNITED.ORG/LINKS/RAFFLE.
Mickey Friesen at FRIESENM@ARCHSPM.ORG or (651) 291-4445.
Center for Mission sponsors writing contest for students The archdiocesan Center for Mission is sponsoring its fourth annual writing contest for students in grades 1 to 12. The theme this year is: “How is Christ present in the world?” Entries will be accepted from Jan. 21 to March 1. For contest rules and how to enter, please go to the Center for Mission website at WWW.CENTERFORMISSION.ORG. Questions can be directed to Deacon
Fundraiser for Cathedral restoration to be held during Crashed Ice event The St. Paul Athletic Club is sponsoring a benefit event for the Cathedral Heritage Foundation Jan. 26 on the outdoor patio at W.A. Frost restaurant in St. Paul. The event will coincide with the Red Bull Crashed Ice finals and those who arrive early will get a chance to obtain a wristband for access to a special viewing area for the race. Tickets for the event are $30 per person with two drinks from a pre-set winterthemed drink menu and $50 per couple with five drinks. Hor d’ourves will also be served. The Cathedral Hill Business Association will sponsor a trolly to W.A. Frost from 4 to 10 p.m. from parking as far west as Dale Street.
— Dr. Kathleen Raviele, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Atlanta and former president of the Catholic Medical Association, speaking against a recommendation by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to allow oral contraceptives to be sold over the counter
“People won’t go out at night in the area because they are afraid. We are living just yards away from the riots. They have come down and thrown rocks and missiles at our church.” — Willie Ward, a businessman and lay spokesman for St. Matthew Catholic Church in Belfast, Northern Ireland, addressing the rioting that has erupted following a vote Dec. 3 by the Belfast City Council to restrict how often the Union Jack is flown at City Hall
“The fear of God frees us from the fear of men. It liberates.” — Pope Benedict XVI, speaking on the feast of the Epiphany, Jan. 6, on the need for bishops to have courage in the of face opposition and to peacefully stand firm in the truth as they lead people to the Christ
How do I know there is a God? How can I know his purpose for my life?
God Faith, reason: Two wings on which human soul soars Learning more about our faith The Catholic Spirit’s 4-page Rediscover: pullout section in each issue of 2013 will highlight a new Rediscover: theme for you to reflect on and discuss with others. Coming up Jan. 31: How do I live in communion with God?
I
t is a doctrine of the faith that the existence of God can be known quite apart from the supernatural gift of faith. While this position was solemnly defined as the “Catholic position” at the First Vatican Council in 1870 within the Dogmatic Constitution “Dei Filius,” it is really simply an acknowledgment of the wisdom of the ancient philosophers, many of whom taught quite clearly that an “unmoved mover” or “uncaused cause” must HEART exist based on the OF THE evidence, accessible without grace, that is all MATTER around us. Aristotle and Plato are but two examples Father of profound thinkers who John Paul did not have the benefit of ERICKSON revelation and yet believed firmly that God existed. Now, to be sure, the data to be gleaned about God from natural science and philosophy is not the whole story about the true and living God. God is not simply creator, mover and
The Catholic Spirit • January 17, 2013
sustainer. He is also our Savior, Father and, as remarkable as it is to say, our friend. But we can only come to know these latter things about God through the gift of faith — that response of the human heart to the revelation given to it out of God’s goodness and love. Deists believes in the “clock-maker” God: an artist who designs and winds up his creation like a watch, only to definitively step away once he has set his world in motion. Many of the founding fathers of our nation embraced this view of God. But the Christian knows that God has not only designed the world in which we live — as evidenced by the beauty and order of the world, the elegance of the human body and the magnitude and nobility of human aspirations — but also that this creator God remains active and alive in the world within which we live, as evidenced most compellingly by the saints, the martyrs and the great cloud of witnesses who have allowed themselves to become icons of the merciful and loving Eternal Father.
Modern challenge It might be helpful here to acknowledge that we modern men and women oftentimes think about faith as being opposed to reason or,
Rediscover-faith.org
perhaps more commonly imagined these days, opposed to science. Science, it is said, brings certitude, stability and clarity. Faith, “Friendship requires a on the other kind of faith, a trust in the hand, is but wishful other and in the claims thinking, an activity quite they make of their own distinct from affection and concern for real knowledge. But is this us. So it is with God. We really the case? Yes, science is can only begin to know a great thing, him, and then to love but can measurement him, once we trust him.” and experiment Father John Paul Erickson exhaust the avenues of human knowledge? Certainly not. This is seen perhaps most compellingly in our knowledge of the human person. Does sociology reveal all there is to know about human beings? Can the studies of psychology Please turn to WE on section back page
Does God exist?
For more than three years now, I have been working with a very talented group of people developing a confirmation program. One of the issues that emerged as we tested early materials was the fact that there are a growing number of young people who do not believe that God exists. This is not a new problem, but it is a growing problem among all age groups in our increasingly secular world. As individual Christians witness CELEBRATING to the existence of God, the Church also witnesses to God’s existence. CATHOLICISM Together we are called to make God’s presence known in the world. Matthew There are many ways to know KELLY that God exists. First, there is the intellectual path. St. Thomas Aquinas outlines five proofs for the existence of God. 1. First mover Some things are in motion, anything moved is moved by another, and there can’t be an infinite series of movers. So there must be a first mover (a mover that isn’t itself moved by another). This is God. 2. First cause Some things are caused, anything caused is caused by another, and there can’t be an infinite series of causes. So there must be a first cause (a cause that isn’t itself caused by another). This is God. 3. Necessary being Every contingent being at some time fails to exist. So if everything were contingent, then at some time there would have been nothing — and so there would be nothing now — which is clearly false. So not everything is contingent. There is a necessary being. This is God. “Truth, beauty 4. Greatest being and goodness all Some things are greater than others. Whatever is lead us to God. great to any degree gets its God’s fingerprints greatness from that which is the greatest. So there is a are everywhere.” greatest being, which is the source of all greatness. This is Matthew Kelly God. 5. Intelligent designer Many things in the world that lack intelligence act for an end. Whatever acts for an end must be directed by an intelligent being. So the world must have an intelligent designer. This is God. Nature also leads us to God. Look at the oceans, the beaches, the mountains, study a single rose or a hummingbird, or witness the birth of a child, and the genius of a Creator is revealed. God is also revealed in the goodness of humanity. Every act of kindness, every compassionate effort to reduce suffering or increase joy has the signature of God’s original goodness upon it. Truth, beauty and goodness all lead us to God. God’s fingerprints are everywhere. There are a thousand ways to demonstrate the existence of God. But God wants a deeply personal relationship with you. Ask God to reveal himself to you. Ask God to show you his will. Cry out like the blind man, “Lord, open my eyes so that I may see!” and the God of the universe will reveal himself, help you discover your true self, and give you a world view that will turn your world upside down in the most wonderful ways. Kelly is an international best-selling Catholic author, speaker and founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute.
The ‘dark times’ are over Nick VanHeel shares his journey from atheism to Catholic discipleship By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
When Nick VanHeel was in high school back in the late 1990s, he considered himself an atheist. In fact, he even persecuted Christians. When a group of Christians gathered in front of his school, St. Paul Central, he went out of his way to be mean. “At my school, the Christians would have a See You at the Pole meeting in the fall, and they’d gather around the flagpole and pray for the school and pray for the country,” said VanHeel, now 33. “My friends and I would walk by them, nudge them, push them, grab their backpacks and throw them in the dumpster — really persecute these kids. I remember a girl that was in one of my math classes who was a pretty outspoken Christian. Me and another friend would pick on her all the time because of her faith.” Some dark times a few years earlier had spawned a deep anger that prevented him from acknowledging God. Growing up in a house where faith wasn’t practiced, he had no answers for the death of his grandfather from cancer and the death of his aunt from a motorcycle accident — both within a year during junior high. “At that point, I was definitely a very strong atheist,” he said. “There was no way that God existed because how could he let that kind of suffering and loss happen?”
Grandparents’ influence Little did he know that, by the time he would accept his high school diploma in the spring of 1998, he would rediscover his belief in God and join the Christians — the ones he formerly persecuted — in prayer around the flagpole. He traces his change in outlook to his grandpa and grandma, who took Nick and his parents and two brothers to Mass whenever they came to visit in Foreston, near Milaca in north-central Minnesota. “If we stayed the night, the rule was you had to come to church with them in the morning,” he said. “As a youngster, I remember sitting at Mass one time thinking, ‘How much of this guy’s body [Jesus] do they have left if every Sunday they’re handing out little pieces?’” The questions went unanswered, with the only other exposure to God and the faith coming when someone was sick or dying. Then, his parents would pray and ask Nick and his brothers to do the same. That’s what happened when Nick’s grandfather was in the final stages of cancer in 1992. Just the day before Christmas, he lay dying while in hospice care. So, Nick prayed that either God would heal him or end his suffering soon. His grandfather died two days later. That was the start of the dark time in his
The Catholic Spirit • January 17, 2013
life. But the light began to shine in his heart not long after his other grandmother took in a foreign exchange student from Slovakia, Martin Luteran. Because his grandmother lived only two blocks away and because Luteran was close to his age, Nick was the natural choice to show him around. “At first glance, we didn’t have a whole lot in common,” Nick said. “He was pretty well-educated, liked classical music and playing chess. I was leading a different life at the time. I was very involved with auto shop at school, I liked to go cruising down to Porky’s drive-in on the weekends, and generally hung out with a rougher kind of crowd. But, being a good grandson, I wanted to honor my grandmother and hang out with this guy that was staying with her.”
Grasping a Lifeline Nick didn’t realize it, but Luteran was a devout Catholic looking for a place to plug in during his time in Minnesota. He heard about National Evangelization Teams (NET Ministries) in West St. Paul and wanted to attend a Lifeline event, which is held monthly and includes Mass for teens followed by a speaker. Some of the NET team members and a few of the Lifeline regulars also gathered for praise and worship meetings at other times during the month. Luteran decided he wanted to go. Problem was, he didn’t have a ride. So, he turned to his new American friend to meet the need. “I offered to give him a ride and drop him off,” Nick said. “I asked him what time he wanted me to pick him up. But he insisted I join him for the evening. I didn’t have anything else going on that night, being it was winter and there was no cruising going on down at Porky’s.” Inside the chapel, he saw something he had never seen before: people praying out loud and raising their hands. He thought it was a cult, and decided he would rescue his friend. Then, the meeting ended and he and Luteran talked with some of the people there. They were kind to Nick and seemed interested in talking to him. He softened. Then, he returned for a Lifeline event in February. The speaker, Father Dimitri Sala, a Franciscan priest from Chicago, told the crowd of several hundred teens to close their eyes and imagine themselves reaching out to touch Jesus’ cloak, like the woman in the Gospel of Mark (chapter 5). “All of these people around me, including Martin from Slovakia, closed their eyes and stuck their hands out,” he said. “I was a little uncomfortable doing that. I thought, ‘Now this is getting a little weird. I’m not going to do that.’ And, I looked up and the priest, Father Dimitri, was looking directly at me from all the way up in front. So, I very quickly closed my eyes, bowed my head and put my hand in the air, being afraid that he might come and single me out. “So, I pictured Jesus standing there in
“I pictured Jesus stand head, ‘God, I don’t have believe if I just touch yo know you. So, I’m goin hand.’ So, I reached out soon as I grabbed his overwhelming peace e
his robe. I said to God in my he don’t have faith. I don’t have th faith where I believe if I just tou robe, I’m going to be healed. I d know you. So, I’m going to hav reach out and take your hand.’ reached out and imagined grabb hand. And, as soon as I grabbed in my mind, I was just filled wit overwhelming peace and feelin that I had never, ever experienc The experience penetrated de gave him the desire to become He went to the remaining Lifeli throughout the rest of the scho and then took part in a NET Mi Discipleship Week Retreat over summer. On that retreat, he trie confession, but the priest said h to be Catholic. So, he enrolled in Rite of Chr Initiation of Adults classes at St parish in West St. Paul after tak
Searching for God online and in life
Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit
r
ding there in his robe. I said to God in my faith. I don’t have that kind of faith where I ur robe, I’m going to be healed. I don’t even ng to have to just reach out and take your and imagined grabbing Jesus’ hand. And, as hand in my mind, I was just filled with this and feeling of love that I had never, ever experienced before.” Nick VanHeel
ead, ‘God, I hat kind of uch your don’t even ve to just So, I bing Jesus’ d his hand th this ng of love ced before.” eeply, and Catholic. ines ool year, inistries the ed to go to he needed
ristian t. Joseph king part in
a small prayer group there started by a girl he met at the retreat. Leading the class was Father Frederick Campbell, the pastor of St. Joseph who went on to become a bishop and now serves in the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio.
A new life Nick became Catholic on April 11, 1998 near the end of his senior year. After graduation, he served on NET Ministries for a year, then later joined a Catholic lay community called Community of Christ the Redeemer. It was there where he met his wife, Emily. The two were married at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul on Aug. 18, 2007 and now have two children, Dominic, 4, and Elise, 2. Nick said his parents were not happy about his conversion at first, but have softened to his Catholic faith. In fact, he got into an argument with them when he first told them about his plan to become
Catholic. Later, however, he received a tangible sign of support from his mother. “When I went on the road with NET, she had tucked a letter into my suitcase, wrapped up in a pair of jeans,” he said. “In it, she said how proud she was of me and she wished there had been something like NET when she was fresh out of high school. And, she said she’d be praying for me every day.” In just a matter of days, Nick and Emily will be heading to Slovakia to attend Luteran’s wedding, where Nick will serve as a groomsman. In this way, the relationship will come full circle, with Luteran having been a groomsman in Nick’s wedding. Perhaps, the biggest surprise of Nick’s conversion journey came when he came to the flagpole prayer event at St. Paul Central in the fall of his senior year. The girl he had teased relentlessly was there. “She was just across the circle from me and she came running over when we finished up and she said, ‘What are you doing here?’” Nick said. “She thought I was mocking them again or picking on them. I apologized to her. I said, ‘I’m sorry for making fun of you all these years. I met God this summer and I want to be a Christian.’ And, she gave me a big hug. It was pretty neat.”
In his own words Visit Rediscover-faith.org to watch a video of Nick VanHeel talking about his journey of faith.
If Amazon’s best-seller list is any indication, we’re still toiling with our New Year’s resolutions, giving weight-loss guides the No. 4, No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 sales rank. But for all the online shoppers hoping to drop four inches in six weeks with Ian Smith’s “Shred,” even more are searching for “Proof of Heaven,” Amazon’s No. 2-ranking best-seller, penned by a neurosurgeon who contracted bacterial meningitis, fell into a coma and experienced an afterlife “brimming with light.” There is a greater quest under way. Is there a God? Is there an afterlife? Yes, Dr. Eben Alexander III insists. We like to start REFERENCE with credible scholars like this Harvard neurosurgeon. POINTS “Our spirit is not dependent on the brain or body,” the author told The New York Times two months ago. “It is Christina eternal, and no one has one sentence worth of hard evidence that it isn’t.” CAPECCHI The very fact that we can read and ponder Dr. Alexander’s book is proof of God’s existence, according to the Church. Our minds are more than random waves of electrochemical activity. We can reflect on St. Thomas Aquinas’ “first mover” concept and lend each other tattered copies of C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity.” But it all gels when reason meets faith, when you’ve worked it through in your head and felt it in your bones, standing on the shore of Lake Superior, feeling small and awed and grateful. A believer sees blessings as gifts from above, knowing God places people in our Think of a time lives at just the right you have felt juncture — someone to offer comfort or inspiration, to God’s presence in help you slough the dead your life. How did skin and step into your it deepen your better self. A believer takes relationship with in nature’s scenes and concludes that, as St. him? Augustine once put it, “Their beauty is a profession.” This is evident even at the darkest times. The day before the burial of 7-year-old Grace McDonnell, one of the 20 first-graders killed in Newtown, Conn., Grace’s father told their priest he was sure the predicted storms would break. Msgr. Bob Weiss, pastor of St. Rose of Lima, relayed the comment to CNN’s Anderson Cooper: “She’s going to make it sunny.” Halfway through Father Bob’s homily, after morning rains had poured on Newtown, Grace did: The sun emerged. “This hasn’t shaken my faith in the Lord,” the weary 66-year-old priest told Cooper later that day.
For reflection
Bigger than me Few are as strong as Father Bob. Part of believing, for many of us, is riding occasional waves of doubt. When they crash in, be gentle and honest with yourself, like the father in Mark 9 who asked Jesus to rid a demon from his son. “Everything is possible to one who has faith,” Jesus told the father, who responded with great earnestness, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Agnostics try to pin it down, frowning at the puzzle of the supernatural. But I’m reassured by the vastness of it all. Knowing I can’t possibly grasp it all is further proof of God, a far higher power, a totally different plane. Why should I be able to master it? Why would I want to? Isn’t it sweeter because it’s so much bigger than me? Belief in God leads to action: discovering his unique purpose for your life. No one else can fulfill it. No one else possesses your combination of skills and talents, hopes and hang-ups. So we enter into conversation with the Creator to determine where he can best use us, where we will feel that sense of alignment. It is a beginning and a homecoming, rendering us wise and young, vulnerable and brave. Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.
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First talk topic: God’s purpose for your life By Joe Towalski The Catholic Spirit
The busyness of modern society can make it difficult for people to take the time to reflect on the most important things in life. But a series of talks beginning next month will give people in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis an opportunity to do that while exploring a variety of topics central to our Catholic faith. Father Peter Laird, vicar general of the archdiocese, will kick off the 2013 Rediscover: Faith Speakers Series with a free, multimedia talk on “Finding God’s Purpose for My Life.” Father Laird The 90-minute event is set for 7 p.m., Feb. 4, at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton and will be repeated Feb. 5 at St. John Neumann in Eagan, and Feb. 7 at Our Lady of Grace in Edina (see schedule at right). The series’ first talk “is designed to frame up the question of meaning — to be human is to search for meaning,” Father Laird said. Too often today, people search for meaning in the pleasurable and material things of this world only to be unfulfilled. “The proposition that the Gospel makes is that . . . God’s purpose for my life is to live in a relationship of love,” he said. “We’re going to spend an evening reflecting on that together.” Father Laird said he hopes the talk speaks to people “where they’re at” — particularly people wondering whether there is any meaning to life, and people who believe Christianity and Catholicism are connected to the answer but are searching for more clarity.
“What I would hope they would get out of that is to understand they’re not asking that question alone and that an answer has been proposed,” he said. “Even though at times that answer doesn’t seem to speak to the concreteness of our experience, if we’re able to stop and reflect upon it, we will be inspired by the Good News and want to act upon it.”
Extending an invitation It’s important for Catholics who have experienced the transforming power of God’s love to extend an invitation to others, so they can “discover or rediscover what we have come to value,” Father Laird said. One way is to invite and accompany people to the first talk. “This talk is for brothers-in-law who wonder whether going to Mass is important, or college students who wonder whether organized religion is for them, or married couples who wonder if they can have a deeper experience of marriage,” he said. “Everyone really is the intended audience, but the way we’re going to get them to these talks is by offering invitations.” The speakers series is a way of carrying forward the Church’s new evangelization efforts — a way to repropose the faith to a new generation in light of today’s unique challenges, Father Laird said. “I hope it’s more of a conversation with people rather than a talk to people — that the speaker and the audience are going to rediscover again the beauty of our Christian faith and that we’ll all be inspired again to try to live that more intentionally in our life,” he said. Note: Upcoming series speakers will be: talk 2, Father Michael Keating; talk 3, Father Andrew Cozzens; talk 4, to be announced in February.
We can only begin to know God once we start trusting him Father John Paul Erickson continued from previous page allow one to glimpse the totality of the human condition and the depths of his or her experiences? What about friendship, and the particular kind of knowledge that comes through love? And yet friendship requires a kind of faith, a trust in the other and in the claims they make of their own affection and concern for us. So it is with God. We can only begin to know him, and then to love him, once we trust him. As our faith in him grows, so too does our love.
Soaring on two wings Catholics believe firmly that faith and science — or more accurately, reason — are but two ways of coming to know about things. They are the wings upon which the human soul can soar, even unto knowledge about God. But the soul is only able to ascend to such dizzying heights when the God-given power of reason,
and the astounding gift of faith, work together. Faith without reason will often become mere sentimentality and fideism, a fundamentalism that is prone to fail in the face of the questions posed by modernity. But reason without faith and the breathtaking horizon of revelation and salvation is cold, limited and can easily lend itself to brutality in the name of human progress and material prosperity. God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived, reveals himself most fully through Jesus Christ. This Jesus, who is true God and true man, is accessible to us, indeed, a contemporary to us, by means of the Church, particularly through the Sacred Liturgy, where He who is our creator and our friend reaches out to us and asks us to trust him: “Do not be afraid, I am with you. Come, follow me.” Father Erickson is director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship.
Save the date for the 2013 Rediscover: Catholic Celebration
Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
at the St. Paul RiverCentre. Registration opens in April The Catholic Spirit • January 17, 2013
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