Anti-trafficking work 6 • Celebrating religious jubilees 12 • Jesuit comes home 14 July 13, 2017 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
National Catholic Convocation expected to inform local synod topics, process By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
T
he importance of finding unity amid diversity, striving for personal holiness and going “out to the peripheries” to accompany people who feel marginalized were among the central themes delegates from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis took away from the “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America,” held in Orlando, Florida, July 1-4. Along with Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens, 21 people from the archdiocese attended the gathering, which explored challenges and opportunities before the Catholic Church in the United States. Archbishop Hebda described the convocation as “a great opportunity to bring people together from broad backgrounds, to have the opportunity to explore the present state of the Church in the United States, and to hear about what’s being done in other places to promote missionary discipleship.” He confirmed that the experience will likely inform an upcoming archdiocesan synod, plans for which he first announced last fall, but for which the dates or structure have yet to be determined. He added that the convocation was a “very powerful example of Church,” especially in moments of prayer and the opportunities delegates took to share their lives with each other. Selected by Archbishop Hebda, the delegates represented the archdiocese at the convocation, as well as different generations, leadership roles, cultural backgrounds and vocations, from young parents to clergy to professed religious. Together, they listened to speakers, attended break-out sessions, and discussed experiences and ideas. Please turn to CONVOCATION on page 8
TOP Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York embraces a nun as he and other prelates process during the opening Mass at the “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America” July 1 in Orlando, Fla. More than 3,500 leaders from dioceses and various Catholic organizations — including 23 delegates from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis — attended the July 1-4 convocation. CNS LOWER LEFT Jim Grant of the Diocese of Fresno, Calif., speaks as Fresno Bishop Armando Ochoa and other delegates from the diocese sit in a breakout session July 4 during the convocation. CNS LOWER RIGHT Yen Fasano, a parishioner of St. John Neumann in Eagan, prays during the convocation July 3. CNS
ALSO inside
Welcome to the Fraternity
Mutual support
Happy campers
Parishioners of St. Peter in North St. Paul embrace priests from the Rome-based Fraternity of St. Charles who began leading their parish July 1. — Page 5
Members of a recent archdiocesan delegation to the Diocese of Kitui, Kenya, left with a better understanding of the importance of the dioceses’ partnership. — Page 7
For seven decades, Catholic Youth Camp near McGregor has brought youths — including those from the inner city — deeper into the woods and the faith. — Pages 10-11
2 • The Catholic Spirit
PAGE TWO
July 13, 2017 OVERHEARD
in PICTURES
“What is making me so angry is that I don’t have the capacity to worry about this right now, because I’m worried about saving my child’s life.” Melissa Jaeger, 36, a parishioner of St. Patrick in Oak Grove, whose 19-month-old son, Leo, is among more than 66,000 patients of Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota who briefly lost innetwork coverage as the hospital and insurer failed to resolve a contract dispute before a July 5 deadline. Blue Cross and Children’s reached a deal two days later. Leo’s care at Children’s in Minneapolis includes a specialized drug credited for killing his Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Read the Jaegers’ story at www.thecatholicspirit.com.
NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit
Rosary in opposition to Satanic memorial July 15 GRANDPARENTS DAY Mary Larson and her granddaughter, Rory Larson, gather around the altar at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul with more than 100 other grandparents and grandchildren for “Faith and Freedom: Grandparents and Grandchildren Pray at the Cathedral” June 27. The two belong to the Cathedral parish. Sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Offices for Evangelization, and Marriage, Family and Life, the first-time event included a close-up tour of the Cathedral’s sanctuary, a short Mass tutorial by Father John Paul Erickson, and eucharistic adoration and benediction. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
America Needs Fatima is organizing a “rosary of reparation” with hymns, novenas, the divine praises and consecration to Jesus through Mary at noon July 15 at the Belle Plaine Veterans Memorial Park. The park is the site of a proposed veterans memorial commissioned by the Satanic Temple. The Catholic Spirit reported on the issue in our June 22 edition. For more information about the rosary event, visit www.anf.org.
Nazareth Hall alumni sought for history project Organizers of the Nazareth Hall History Project want to hear from alumni, faculty and staff members of Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary, which was open 1923-1971 in Arden Hills, on the campus that is now the University of Northwestern. The project is asking people to share their memories of Nazareth Hall and the impact it had on their lives, including the classes, priests, activities and community life. Pictures and memorabilia, as well as yearbooks, are also being sought. To learn more or contribute, contact 612-440-6916 or nazareth.hall.history@gmail.com.
Resources, prayer enhance NFP Awareness Week “Say ‘YES’ to God’s Plan for Married Love” is the theme of the 2017 Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, which begins July 23. A national educational campaign of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, NFP Awareness Week aims to celebrate God’s vision for marriage and promote NFP methods. Find local resources and a related novena at www.archspm.org/nfpawarenessweek.
in REMEMBRANCE FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE Charlie Gard, who was born in England with mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, is pictured in this undated family photo. The baby’s parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, are in a legal battle to keep Charlie on life-support and seek treatment for his rare condition in the United States. They crowdfunded nearly $1.7 million in four months to finance having the 11-month-old treated in the United States. However, when hospital officials wanted to stop providing life support for the baby, the parents went to a London court with their case, but the court ruled Charlie should be allowed to “die with dignity” and doctors could stop providing life support. Further court actions, including a decision by the European Court of Human Rights June 27, upheld the ruling, but another hearing was slated for July 13. Expressing his closeness to the parents, Pope Francis said he was “praying for them, hoping that their desire to accompany and take care of their own baby until the end is not disregarded” in a July 2 statement. CNS
WHAT’S NEW on social media The trailer of a forthcoming documentary about Father Stanley Rother, an Oklahoma priest martyred in Guatemala in 1981, is promoting his Sept. 22 beatification in Oklahoma City. He was a friend of Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and has family ties to New Trier.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 22 — No. 13 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor
Deacon Dornfeld, 91, was hospital chaplain A funeral Mass was offered July 7 at St. Edward in Bloomington for retired hospital chaplain Deacon Willard Dornfeld, who died June 29 at age 91. He was buried July 7 at Fort Snelling in St. Paul. Born in 1926, Deacon Dornfeld served in the Navy during World War II and worked for Northern States Power Company for 31 years. He was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 1992. From 1992 to 2005, he served as a chaplain at the University of Minnesota Hospital and Fairview Southdale Hospital. Deacon Dornfeld also served as a deacon at Deacon Willard St. Edward, which he helped found in 1967, and DORNFELD coordinated Mass at the Masonic Cancer Center in Bloomington. He served as a parish trustee and was involved with St. Edward’s sister parish in Nicaragua. Deacon Dornfeld retired from ministry in 2005, but continued some aspects of his hospital chaplaincy. He and his first wife, Pat, who preceded him in death in 1984, had six children. He is survived by those children; his wife, Judy; three stepchildren; 19 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year: Senior 1-year: $24.95: To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631. Published semi-monthly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857. TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
FROM THE MODERATOR OF THE CURIA
July 13, 2017
The Catholic Spirit • 3
Come to the water “All you who are thirsty, come to the water!” (Is 55:1)
I
do not think I have given much conscious thought to the act of turning on a faucet and letting it run until the water is cold. In the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” water scarcity rarely crosses my mind. I have experienced far more floods than droughts. However, the partnership between the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Kitui, Kenya, focuses a lot on water. As part of a delegation in June from the Twin Cities to Kenya, I found myself hyperconscious about my water use and immersed in all the issues that surround the scarcity of water. (See related story on page 7.) I saw hundreds of people carrying jugs of water along roads and highways. Some had walked miles. In the villages some distance from the main city, crops were stunted from lack of rain. This forced the villagers into the city marketplace where increased demand on food drove up prices, further complicating the effects of the ongoing drought. In some cases, poverty even forces families to abandon the smallest and weakest members. Yet, these street children are not totally without hope. The St. John Eudes Rehabilitation Center is made possible by our partnership. The center staff rescues as many of these vulnerable children as possible and provides them with a safe home. As one dedicated staff member told me, “We save the children from the nightmares of the streets and give them back their dreams.” I realized with a prayer of gratitude to God that if it were not for the Catholic Church, there would be no one to rescue these children. It is common for well-intended visitors to developing nations to want to make everything better and make life easier. Nonetheless, I felt a sense of helplessness. I cannot make it rain. I cannot solve all the material needs within the Diocese of Kitui. But the good people did not ask me for any of these things that they knew were beyond my control. They did, however, ask that I pray for them. They did ask that I return. Since coming home to Minnesota, I have thought, reflected and prayed much about my experience. I learned from the people of Kitui that there is a joy of faith that perseveres through a poverty I’ve never known and challenges I’ve never faced. I learned from their acceptance of what appeared to me to be insurmountable challenges that when I practice patience with long lines at the grocery store, I really have a trivial understanding of what real patience truly is. ONLY JESUS I heard during a gathering of families who were reflecting on Father Charles Lachowitzer the Gospel that the mercy of Jesus Christ is not my personal
Venid a las aguas “A todos los sedientos: venid a las aguas.” (Isaías 55:1)
C
reo que no había estado tan consciente sobre el acto de abrir la llave del chorro y dejar salir el agua hasta que esté fría. En la “tierra de los 10,000 lagos,” la escasez de agua, rara vez me viene a la mente, pues he vivido muchas más inundaciones que sequías. Sin embargo, el colaborativo entre la Arquidiócesis de St. Paul y Minneapolis y la Diócesis de Kitui, Kenia se enfoca bastante en el agua. Como parte de la delegación de las Ciudades Gemelas a Kenya, este pasado mes de junio, me di cuenta que estaba hiper consciente sobre mi propio uso del agua y me sentí inmerso dentro de todos los problemas que rodean el tema de la escasez de agua. Vi a cientos de personas cargando jarros de agua a lo largo de los caminos y las carreteras. Algunos de ellos caminaban millas de millas. En los pueblos que están a distancia de la ciudad principal, los cultivos estaban secos por la falta de agua. Esto forzaba a los habitantes a ir a los mercados de la ciudad, aumentando la demanda de alimentos y haciendo que los precios de la comida subieran, complicando aun más los efectos de la sequia que estaba ocurriendo. Y en algunos casos, la pobreza aun hace que las familias abandonen a los miembros mas pequeños y mas débiles. De todos modos estos niños que se quedan en la calle no están sin esperanza alguna. El Centro de Rehabilitación San Juan Eudes, ha sido posible por nuestro trabajo colaborativo. En el Centro lo más que
Father Charles Lachowitzer, vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, stands with children cared for at the St. John Eudes Rehabilitation Center in Kitui, Kenya, June 8. Father Lachowitzer was part of a delegation from the archdiocese that traveled to the Diocese of Kitui as part of the continued partnership between the dioceses. Courtesy Father Charles Lachowitzer possession, but must be generously shared. I witnessed in the lives of so many people a trust in God’s providence that fills the heart with the treasures of heaven regardless of whether we are rich or poor. I experienced a people who are rich in the eyes of God. I concelebrated Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Africa in Kitui. I was delighted and in awe as everyone, old and young alike, sang, danced and gave offerings. In comparison to the good people of Kitui, I am a billionaire with access to more water than I ever need. However, in spite of poverty and social injustices, the people of Kitui are spiritual billionaires. The waters of baptism overflow through their generous and joyful hearts with an abundance of grace. “As a deer longs for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God.” (Ps 42:2)
se puede se rescata a los niños vulnerables y se les proporciona un hogar seguro. Como me contó uno de los dedicados miembros del personal, “Salvamos a los niños de la pesadilla de las calles y les devolvemos sus sueños.” Me di cuenta con una oración de gratitud a Dios, que si no fuere por la iglesia Católica, no habría nadie que rescatara a estos niños. Es común que los visitantes de los países en desarrollo con sus buenas intensiones quisieran mejorar todo y hacerles la vida más fácil. Sin embargo, me sentí desesperanzado, por no poder hacer que lloviera y por no poder resolver las necesidades materiales de la Diócesis de Kitui. Pero esta gente buena no me pidió nada de esas cosas que ellos sabían que están más allá de mi control. Pero lo que ellos si me pidieron fue que rezara por ellos y que regresara. Desde que llegué a Minnesota, he pensado, reflexionado y rezado mucho por esa vivencia. Aprendí de la gente de Kitu que hay dicha en la fe de la perseverancia sobre la pobreza que nunca he padecido y sobre los retos que nunca he tenido ante mi. Aprendí sobre su aceptación de lo que para mi parecían ser retos insuperables, que cuando practico la paciencia haciendo cola en las filas largas del supermercado, tengo apenas una comprensión trivial de lo que es en realidad tener paciencia de verdad. Escuché durante una reunión de familias que reflexionaban sobre el Evangelio, que la misericordia de Jesucristo no es mi posesión personal, pero que es algo que se debe compartir generosamente. Presencié en las vidas de mucha gente la confianza en la providencia de Dios, que llena los corazones con los tesoros de los cielos, sin importar si somos ricos o si somos pobres. Viví la experiencia de la gente que es rica ante los ojos de Dios. Concelebré la Misa del Domingo en la Catedral de
Nuestra Señora de África en Kitui y estaba encantado y tan maravillado que todos, tanto la gente mayor como los jóvenes, cantaban, bailaban y daban las ofrendas. En comparación con la gente buena de Kitui, son un billonario con acceso a más agua de la que podría necesitar. No obstante la pobreza y las injusticias sociales, la gente de Kitui es billonaria en espiritualidad. Las aguas del bautismo rebalsan de su generosidad y de la dicha en sus corazones con la abundancia de la gracia. “Como el ciervo brama por las corrientes de las aguas, así clama por ti, oh Dios el alma mía.” (Salmo 42:2)
OFFICIALS Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:
Effective July 1, 2017 Reverend Paul Moudry, appointed parochial administrator of the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Minneapolis. This is in addition to his current assignment as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Frances Cabrini in Minneapolis. Reverend Benny Mekkatt Varghese, Sons of the Immaculate Conception (CFIC), appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Mary in Saint Paul, and as spiritual director at the Saint John Vianney College Seminary in Saint Paul. This is a transfer from his previous assignment as pastor of the Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood.
4 • The Catholic Spirit
4 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
July 13, 2017
LOCAL
March 9, 2017
SLICEof LIFE SLICEof LIFE
Block ‘Angel’ party among us amplified
St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Avis row, from left, Breanne Allmaras,Front center, talks with Rose Carter, Larson of Champlin, Meghan left, and Irene Eiden at Peace House in Erkkinen, Feb. Michaele Myers, south Minneapolis 27. Sister Avis Emily Lillback andand Abby goes to the center weekly visits Lillback, all of Minneapolis, frequent guests like Carter. Eiden, of and clap to the music of St. Williamcheer in Fridley, is a lay consociate Andrew Sisters. McMahon in the of the Carondelet Peace House is Wilderness at the Cities 97 a day shelter for the poor and homeless. Basilica Block Party July 7 at “It’s a real privilege to know these people the Basilica of St. Mary in and hear their stories,” Sister Avis said. “I annual could not Minneapolis. survive on theThe streets likeevent, they featuring bands playing Friday do. There are so many gifted people and Saturday nightAvis: on three here.” Said Carter of Sister “She’s stages on the parish grounds, an angel. She hides her wings under that started in 1995 a fundraiser sweatshirt. She truly is anasangel.” to help pay for the Spirit structural Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic restoration of the Basilica. Today, proceeds go to The Basilica Landmark, which preserves, restores and National Catholic Sisters Week is promotes the Basilica. March 8-14. An official component of This year, about 25,000 people Women’s attended. History Month Overand the last 23 headquartered St. Catherine years,atmore than $5.5 University million in St. Paul,has thebeen weekraised. celebrates women religious and contributions to the Davetheir Hrbacek/ Church and View local events, Thesociety. Catholic Spirit including two art exhibitions, at www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org.
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July 13, 2017
LOCAL
Priest community entrusted with North St. Paul parish
Drive-by shooting victim a Catholic school graduate
Father Ettore Ferrario of the Fraternity of St. Charles Borromeo greets T.J. Trembley and his wife, Kateri, after Mass at St. Peter in North St. Paul July 2. In the foreground is the couple’s daughter, Maeva. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit “I definitely get the impression that they are very involved in helping to form that [Catholic] culture and very interested in helping our staff to grow in their understanding of Catholic education,” she said. Melody Cylkowski, a longtime parishioner of St. Peter and part-time receptionist, likes what she has seen so far. She thinks the transition seemed fluid and that the new priests were well-received at the receptions following July 1-2 Masses, when they were introduced to the parish. “They seem to have a love for Christ that they want to share with us,” Cylkowski said. “I am looking forward to all that they can share with us.” Also called the Fraternity of St. Charles or “the Fraternity,” the apostolic society serves worldwide with more than 25 missions, including Washington, D.C., where Father Ferrario and Father Rossotti, 37, most recently served. Father Scorrano has been ministering in Italy. Bishop Massimo Camisasca of Reggio EmiliaGuastalla, Italy, founded the Fraternity as a priest in 1985. The Fraternity also credits its inspiration to the lay Catholic movement Communion and Liberation and its founder, Father Luigi Giussani.
Judge hopes agreement inspires long-term change By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ director and deputy director for Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards appeared in Ramsey County court July 10 to provide Judge Teresa Warner with a status report on the archdiocese’s compliance efforts to ensure safe environments for children. Recognizing the progress made over the past 18 months, Warner said it was “impressive” that every parish and school in the archdiocese submitted a spring audit report detailing efforts to comply with the archdiocese’s child protection protocols, because it showed that the archdiocese is taking seriously its settlement agreement with Ramsey County. “What this tells me is that the settlement agreement isn’t just a document that got put on the shelf. It’s an active agreement, and that’s the expectation,” she said. The hearing marked 18 months since the archdiocese and Ramsey County entered into a landmark agreement establishing protocols and standards to ensure a safe environment for children. During the hearing, archdiocesan officials submitted a report showing the archdiocese remains in compliance with that agreement. Warner accepted the report, which outlines the archdiocese’s efforts in the past six months to implement and enforce its safe environment standards and procedures. Tim O’Malley and Janell Rasmussen, director and deputy director, respectively, of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment for the archdiocese, explained several of the report’s key elements, including the annual parish and school audits, as well as preparations for an external audit of the archdiocese’s protocols that is expected to be conducted in August by StoneBridge Business Partners, a firm based in Rochester, New York. O’Malley and Rasmussen emphasized that compliance with the archdiocese’s
in BRIEF RICHFIELD
By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Having met Christ in the midst of community, Italian priests Father Ettore Ferrario and Father Pietro Rossotti hope to lead the people of St. Peter in North St. Paul to a similar encounter as they begin their ministry at the 128-year-old parish. Members of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo, the priests were entrusted with the parish July 1. A third priest, Father Daniele Scorrano, will join them in August. Father Ferrario, 41, who serves as pastor, said they want to get to “know the people and them to know us” and “enrich each other as we set upon our way of living in communion.” He added that the parish has a “big and generous history” that they look forward to learning more about. Archbishop Bernard Hebda invited the Fraternity of St. Charles Borromeo to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He announced the news to the parish in May. Roger Vasko, a St. Peter parish trustee for 25 years, said he believes this transition will benefit the parish, particularly with the potential for stability. Diocesan priests who serve as pastors typically move every six years in the archdiocese. “It takes him a year, year-and-a-half before he can make any changes, so that means that that priest only effectively manages that parish for four-and-half years or so,” said Vasko, also a member of St. Peter’s finance council. “When you have an order that doesn’t leave, there’s going to be more consistency as far as managing the parish even if they change pastors, because they’re going to have the same philosophy and same type of ideas.” The Fraternity has a focus on forming and educating the laity, and all three priests serving at St. Peter’s have taught high school or college. St. Peter Catholic School Principal Alison Dahlman looks forward to their presence in the parish’s school, which includes preschool through eighth grade.
The Catholic Spirit • 5
safe environment policies is an ongoing process. O’Malley noted the archdiocese’s continued cooperation with law enforcement. He explained that while the archdiocese reports every credible allegation of child sexual abuse to law enforcement, he also informs Ramsey County officials, even if the allegation falls within another county’s jurisdiction. The archdiocese has made five abuse allegation notifications in the past six months. None involved clergy. Assistant County Attorney Thomas Ring told Warner that the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and the archdiocese “continue to work well together,” and he expects that relationship to continue. Warner said the settlement agreement’s goal is to change the institutional culture within the archdiocese. “[A] lot of what’s being done ... is being done to comply with the settlement agreement, but the hope is that the culture changes, and it’s done not for the settlement agreement, but for the kids,” she said. After the hearing, O’Malley emphasized that “the active involvement of many” has led to the progress Warner described as impressive. “We all as an archdiocese have worked hard to make sure children are safe. That work is a team effort,” he said. “The priests, principals, business administrators, safe environment coordinators, teachers, coaches, staff, and volunteers at each of the parishes and schools — along with quite a number of victims/survivors who continue to actively help us improve — deserve all the credit. They are on the front line in making sure we are doing everything we can to protect our kids.” As part of the agreement, the archdiocese submits a report to the court every six months. This is the archdiocese’s third report. It is posted to the Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment website, safe-environment.archspm.org. The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2018.
Jonathan O’Shaughnessy, 24, who was shot and killed July 3 in Richfield, attended Blessed Trinity Catholic School and graduated from Academy of Holy Angels high school in Richfield. According to news reports, police say O’Shaughnessy was killed in what appeared to be a drive-by shooting in the neighborhood where he grew up. He died at the scene, and the investigation is ongoing. Father Michael Tix, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ vicar for clergy and chaplain of Academy of Holy Angels, met with the family after the shooting. They shared the story of O’Shaughnessy taking his mother to breakfast each week and then often performing an act of kindness for someone in the restaurant. “In the face of Jonathan’s violent and tragic death, [I hope] that we can learn from his example, and ourselves be peacemakers who follow Jesus’ example and bring kindness to others,” Father Tix said. Father Tix presided at O’Shaughnessy’s funeral Mass July 11 at St. Richard, where Father Mark Pavlik is pastor.
ST. PAUL
Abria names new executive director Nancy Utoft, who for the last two years has served on the board of directors for Abria Pregnancy Resources, was recently named its executive director. The center offers free medical and personal support services, and material assistance for expectant mothers. For more than 10 years, Utoft has served as a board member of Abria and its predecessor organizations, Highland LifeCare Center and University LifeCare Center, which were located in St. Paul and Minneapolis respectively. Since 2012, Utoft has served as executive director of Senior Services Consortium of Ramsey County. Prior to that, she worked in leadership positions with US Bank, Catholic Charities and the University of St. Thomas. Utoft and her husband, Joe, are parishioners of St. Olaf in Minneapolis.
Local Catholics visit Fairbanks, Alaska, last U.S. mission diocese Eight people from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis visited the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, June 15-22 to learn about life in one of the most remote regions of the U.S. “We really wanted them to engage and understand what a mission diocese is,” said Eric Simon, mission promotions manager with the Center for Mission, which organized the trip. Fairbanks has 15 priests serving 46 parishes in an area four times larger than Minnesota. Only eight of the parishes can support themselves financially. “The others just depend on volunteer donations,” said Dianne Lascotte, a parishioner of Blessed Sacrament in St. Paul, who traveled with the delegation.
Catholic Spirit nets 10 press awards The Catholic Spirit won 10 Catholic Press Association awards June 23, including first place for a special supplement on a bishop’s transition. Judges called “Our Shepherd: Installation of Archbishop Bernard Hebda,” a special magazine-style issue The Catholic Spirit published in May 2016, “a great resource.” A judge wrote, “The varying sources talk about who the man is and how he will affect the Church moving forward. We got a lot more out of this issue than a rehashing of events.” Catholic Spirit staff photographer Dave Hrbacek won second place for photographer of the year, with a judge noting “visually engaging images. A keen eye. A versatile body of work.” Eight other awards were given to Catholic Spirit editorial staff and freelance writers for work ranging from Year of Mercy feature stories to local coverage of violence in communities. The annual CPA awards were presented at the Catholic Media Conference, held June 20-23 this year in Quebec City, Quebec. Read more at www.thecatholicspirit.com.
6 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
July 13, 2017
Religious sisters host retreat for women working with trafficking victims By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit Working with women who’ve been trafficked can take a toll on those who hear their stories and try to help them rebuild their lives. That’s why staff members from two Minnesota organizations that work with victims of sex trafficking and other violent crimes gathered at the Carondelet Center in St. Paul June 2-3 for a necessary break. Ten women from Breaking Free in St. Paul and one from Terebinth Refuge in St. Cloud attended an overnight self-care retreat hosted by the Congregation of St. Joseph Sisters, Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters and Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Lay individuals and organizations donated money to make the retreat possible. The all-female staff received massages, created “truth boards” meant to help them examine their lives, journaled and prayed together, all while receiving support from parishioners of Annunciation in Minneapolis, St. Ambrose in Woodbury and St. Peter in Richfield. The latter two made prayer shawls for the women. “In a small way, we’re trying to support them and [are] encouraging them to take care of themselves,” said Marty Roers, co-director of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet’s Justice Office. “Not only did they take care of themselves, but it also helps them to work better together as a team and better serve the people they’re working with.” Throughout the retreat, Annunciation parishioners prayed for participants, and the nine retreat leaders read notes from parishioners of all three churches, letting the women know of their support for them. At the end of the retreat, each participant received at least a dozen prayer notes; one Breaking Free staff member posted them all in her office and reads them regularly. “These were powerful. We don’t get thank-yous for
“To know that this many people loved us ... we don’t have time to think of it for ourselves.” Terry Forliti
what we do — ever,” said Terry Forliti, executive director of Breaking Free, whose staff members often speak in Catholic parishes and schools. The Congregation of St. Joseph sisters hosted the retreat to coincide with the congregation’s 10th anniversary. Planning began last September after each province was encouraged to coordinate a service project. Although the timing of the retreat — the weekend of Pentecost — was coincidental, leaders wanted to maximize the presence of the Holy Spirit. “But it was really based in cultivation of a relationship with Jesus, and Jesus the healer in particular,” said Sister Sue Torgersen of the Congregation of St. Joseph, Annunciation’s director of faith formation who helped organize the retreat. “We could bring so much of what is so true to us in our Catholic faith to this group of women, and it would ring true with their experience.” She noted that all but one of the retreatants were Christian, and some of them were or had been Catholic. Forliti, who grew up attending St. Edward in Bloomington, said Pentecost played an important part in the retreat. “Jesus isn’t dead,” she said, “and people need to know that.” Although Breaking Free isn’t faith-based, Forliti said the faith component was significant to many in the group because Breaking Free is a survivor-led organization.
“Life has been tough. Life has been very tough,” said Forliti, herself a survivor after years of prostitution, drug use and abuse. “And we need to know that there is something bigger than us, and that this life is not it. There is another life, and someday we will not have to continue with these bodies that hurt each and every day when we wake up and have to go through the things we have to go through just to get out of the house.” Forliti described the emotional and physical effects that remain after women leave “the life.” The latter includes scars from cigarette burns, bloody noses from cocaine use and other afflictions. For her staff, the retreat acknowledged their dignity. She described the treatment as “moving and humbling.” That the retreat was free of charge was a bonus. “To know that this many people loved us ... we don’t have time to think of it for ourselves,” Forliti said, adding that the women work nights and weekends. “We’re almost afraid to enjoy something too much because we’re used to having things taken from us, and we’re used to a lot of loss. And we’re not used to kind people in our lives.” Along with the pampering, many of her staff members said they felt God’s presence through prayer and the Holy Spirit’s intercession. “If we want to live life to the fullest on this earth, we can ask for that help, and [staff members] need to know that,” Forliti said. “They can ask for that help on a daily basis to get through the day.” Based on participants’ positive feedback and the support organizers received, the sisters would like to host regular retreats for people who work with victims. “The issue of sex trafficking has been out there for a while, and there are people who have come on board who have wanted to make their contribution help with that,” Sister Sue said. “Now we’re at a different stage where we can pull back from some of that and offer support to the people who are on the front lines.”
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LOCAL
July 13, 2017
The Catholic Spirit • 7
Local delegates to Kitui see impact of ongoing partnership By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit
Carver youth aims to help Kitui’s girls
At the end of May, Dan Belongia traveled to Kitui, Kenya, and visited the water storage dam he had helped build. Although Kitui’s rainy season didn’t fill the dam this year, Belongia found it in use during his trip with a delegation from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis May 30 to June 15. As Kenyans struggle with an ongoing drought, they had been working on the dam to have ready for the next rainfall. “It was good to see that the funds that we invested and all the hard work that the community put into that dam seemed to be well worth it,” said Belongia, who had visited the Diocese of Kitui twice before, most recently in 2011 as part of a similar delegation from the archdiocese. This year, a delegation of 12 people from the archdiocese witnessed the rich faith lives of Kitui’s Catholics, who live in poverty. Established in 2004, the dioceses’ partnership includes alternating delegations between the countries to develop relationships, learn about the other’s cultural expressions of faith and discern how they can share resources. The Center for Mission, an office of the U.S. Pontifical Mission Societies in the archdiocese, sponsored the recent visit, which the participants funded. “The people of the Diocese of Kitui that we meet have tremendous faith, have tremendous capacity to build their own future,” said Mike Haasl, the Center for Mission’s global solidarity coordinator, who led the delegation. Although Kitui struggles with poverty and little water, delegates saw how much people of the archdiocese could learn from their Kenyan counterparts and how the partnership benefits both dioceses. “They’re not dependent on us,” said Father Charles Lachowitzer, the archdiocese’s moderator of the curia and vicar general, who visited Kitui for the first time. “What the partnership does is to allow that exchange of spiritual wealth that they have and our material wealth.” Father Lachowitzer and Haasl described seeing the benefits of the partnership firsthand at a school for the deaf and blind, and at St. John Eudes Rehabilitation Center, which aids abandoned children. Its leaders provide a source of comfort and guidance for the children there. The center has limited resources and run-down facilities, but it plans to move to a new center in the hills on the outskirts of Kitui. According to Haasl, the Kitui diocese has 300,000 Catholics in 27 parishes and 500 outstations served by 80 priests. The area became a diocese in 1964 and was
At left, Krista Korkowski, a parishioner of St. Nicholas in Carver, shows a student at the Kwa Ngindu school in Kitui, Kenya, how to use a feminine hygiene kit. Part of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ recent delegation to the Diocese of Kitui, Korkowski brought 100 kits from Days for Girls, a Washington-based nonprofit for girls’ health worldwide. Courtesy The Center for Mission originally served by Irish missionary priests. The Church grew from around 1,000 to 300,000 since the priests’ arrival. The diocese is waiting for Pope Francis to appoint its next bishop, as Bishop Anthony Muheria, its leader since 2008, was installed as the archbishop of the Diocese of Nyeri, Kenya, June 17. Delegates visited parishes in groups of two and witnessed life at the parishes’ smaller communities, separated by rugged roads. Each parish includes 20 outstations served by two priests on a rotating basis, which often means Sunday Mass is celebrated once a month for each community. Haasl said it often takes two hours to travel to an outstation from the parish center. Haasl described the parish stations as a “foundational aspect of the Church” in Kitui led by trained lay catechists, the equivalent of parish faith formation directors in the U.S. The catechists lead meetings for the satellite communities in the priest’s absence. The people hear Scripture readings followed by reflections and discussion. Belongia noted that the parternship has forged real friendships. “To fly that far away, to go to a place that far from my home and get out of the vehicle and be welcomed on a first-name basis by people half a world away, it’s a pretty cool experience to me,” said Belongia, 58, a parishioner of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings.
Krista Korkowski, 16, traveled with the Kitui delegation to help adolescent girls address a common reason they miss school: menstruation. She brought 100 feminine hygiene kits with sanitary pads and explained to girls how to use them in presentations at Kitui schools. Girls there miss five to seven days of school each month due to their menstrual cycles. “They thought this is the greatest thing ever,” Korkowski said of the girls’ response to her presentations. A parishioner of St. Nicholas in Carver, Korkowski became interested in going to Kitui after her mother, Jodee, was part of the archdiocese’s 2014 delegation. Her family has also hosted members of the Kitui delegation, and the Kenyans invited her to visit. Korkowski’s classmate at Chanhassen High School introduced her to the idea of bringing hygiene kits for the girls after volunteering with Days for Girls, a Washington-based nonprofit that distributes feminine hygiene products worldwide. According to a study on menstrual health in Kenya sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 65 percent of women and girls in Kenya cannot afford sanitary pads because money goes to other daily staples. — Matthew Davis Father Lachowitzer connected with Kitui’s clergy and said he experienced “that international brotherhood of priests.” “These are priests who, comparative to us, have so little, but their generosity to me and to the delegates was profound and overwhelming,” he said. Kitui’s Catholics’ witness to their faith is a key part of why Haasl believes in the importance of the archdiocese maintaining a partnership with a diocese across the world. He emphasized that there is a “mutuality” to the partnership and that Kitui wants to be “equal partners” in the endeavor. The dioceses have launched a clergy exchange, with Kitui’s former vicar general Father Robert Mutui serving at St. John the Baptist in Dayton. And while Belongia’s proud of the dam he helped to construct, he understands that the partnership is building something much bigger. “If this was just a development project for us trying to build dams or wells, I don’t know if it would still be going on,” he said.
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8 • The Catholic Spirit
U.S. & WORLD
July 13, 2017
For delegates, it’s about unifying in faith in a troubled world CONVOCATION continued from page 1
By Dennis Sadowski and Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service For some, it was about keeping young people in the Church. Others wanted to hear about diocesan ministries in another locale and perhaps bring an idea home. A few more were glad they could be heard by a bishop or two. Whatever their reason to travel to hot, humid Florida for four days in the middle of summer, the 3,500 delegates — including 23 from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis — to the “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America” headed home July 4 with renewed energy to set a new course for the U.S. Catholic Church. The convocation, years in planning, was the first time in a century that the bishops convened Church leaders — clergy, religious, seminarians, parish volunteers and professional staff among them — to respond to social and spiritual quandaries that have left millions of people drifting on society’s margins. Clergy — more than 155 prelates and 300 priests — recognize that the Church must respond to those quandaries. While cardinals, archbishops and bishops played leading roles throughout the convocation, they also were on hand to listen. They joined breakout sessions; some did not speak at all. During the final gatherings of diocesan delegations and affiliated groups July 4, bishops could be seen quietly watching and taking notes as the conversations unfolded on practical steps to take home. Pope Francis fueled the impetus for the gathering. His 2013 apostolic exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” gave planners at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops another reason for organizing the gathering. The pope’s document lays out a vision of the Church dedicated to evangelization — missionary discipleship — in a positive way, with a focus on society’s poorest and most vulnerable, including the aged, unborn and forgotten. His call for a more merciful Church joyfully working on the peripheries of society to heal the wounded inspired the delegates throughout the convocation. Seeing the pope’s call embraced by the delegates was exciting for Jonathan Reyes, executive director of the USCCB Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development and one of the event’s lead planners. Planners were unsure of what to expect as the convocation drew closer, but in the end, Reyes said the outcome “exceeded expectations.” “The joy of the Gospel is real,” he said.
‘Significant time’ in the U.S. Church Following a retreat format, each day started and ended with group prayer. Mass was celebrated daily in the hotel ballroom, and there were plenty of scheduled times for the sacrament of reconciliation and private prayer in a large room turned into an adoration chapel. Many of the keynote sessions took the form of pep talks encouraging delegates to share their faith boldly with the world at large and within their own families and parishes. The numerous breakout sessions provided the working aspect of the gathering: closely examining what the Church is doing and where it can do more. Bishops sat with their delegations for meals and breakout sessions. Cardinals and bishops who spoke at keynote sessions or in Mass homilies encouraged participants that this was their time, stressing the urgency to bring God’s message of love to a divided world. At the final Mass, described as a “Mass of Sending,” Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of GalvestonHouston said the Church is called to achieve great goals in the face of the impossible — to unite people by going to the peripheries of society and sharing the good news of Jesus through action rooted in faith.
Jose Rodriguez Jr. of Camden, N.J., right, and other delegates, attend morning prayer July 2 during the “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America” in Orlando, Fla. Leaders from dioceses and various Catholic organizations gathered for the July 1-4 convocation. CNS “Sisters and brothers, we are in a very, very significant time in our Church in this country,” said Cardinal DiNardo, USCCB president, and he urged the delegates to receive God’s grace for the work ahead. None of the homilists or keynote speakers sugarcoated the challenges for the modern Church, and more than once speakers pointed out that Catholics are leaving the Church in greater numbers, particularly young adults, than those joining the Church. But as Auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles pointed out: “The saints always loved a good fight, and we should like a good fight, too.” The bishop, who addressed the crowd through a video hookup July 4, told them it was an “exciting time to be an evangelist” but that they also should pick up their game to evangelize effectively. Throughout the convocation, Pope Francis was pointed out as a model for modern Catholics to follow in inviting others, especially those on the peripheries, to Christ. Speakers also were quick to quote “The Joy of the Gospel.” Two homilies during the convocation specifically quoted the pope’s admonition that Catholics shouldn’t be “sourpusses,” but should reflect joy. Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl acknowledged that Catholics are not always comfortable with the idea of evangelizing, but said they need to be willing to step out of themselves and talk with people about their faith as part of an encounter the pope speaks about. Delegates were repeatedly encouraged to reach out to the peripheries — especially to immigrants and the poor, but also to all members of the Church’s diverse family. Hosffman Ospino, associate professor of theology and religious education at Boston College, said it is time for the Church to start building a “language of communion” rather than dividing the Church community into different groups and individually responding to those needs. “It’s the Church serving the Church,” he said. “We all are the Church.” Meanwhile, more than 50 delegates interviewed by Catholic News Service said they felt the Church — in all its perturbations and ministries — began to emerge from its many silos and turfs. They said they realized that no matter their views, they were members of one family and that they could be of better service if they imitated Jesus.
Convocation delegate Yen Fasano, 34, said she was struck by how much the Church’s landscape has changed in her lifetime. A parishioner of St. John Neumann in Eagan who works with the VietnameseAmerican parish St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis, Fasano noted that Asian Americans are the fastest growing group within the U.S. Church, and she is hoping to better engage Vietnamese-American Catholics into the life of the local Church. Among the questions considered, she said, is whether chancery and parish leadership reflects the Church’s diversity. “Is there a bridge from a small parish to the greater family of the archdiocese?” she asked. “Do they have a voice?” Claudia Roman Jimenez, the Latino youth coordinator for the archdiocese’s Office of Latino Ministry, also felt inspired by the conversation around Church unity. In working with Latino youths, she said, her job shouldn’t be to foster Latino Catholic leaders, but rather Catholic leaders who are Latino. A parishioner of St. Dominic in Northfield, Jimenez, 28, expressed concern about the rates of young people leaving the Church and becoming “nones” who profess no religion, and said that beauty has a role in bringing them back. She said there’s hope because “they wanted more from the Church,” and the Church can deliver. She added: “Showing them the beauty of the Church, and then the goodness of the Church, and then the truth of the Church — in that order — is going to be our greatest ‘weapon,’ per se. Before, I think there was a lot of ‘this is the truth of the Church, so this is why you should be Catholic.’ But now, people are so dissatisfied, so you first have to show them beauty, because everyone can relate and connect with beauty more easily than they connect to the truth.” Delegate Tim Marx, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ president and CEO, said he was particularly interested in questions around the Church’s mandate to help people in need and delving deeper in living out its social teaching. “What it did is brought people together of every possible perspective ... and there were so many conversations within delegations like ours, between delegations, with me and my Catholic Charities colleagues across the country,” he said. He said he took the opportunity to ask others from other dioceses “deep and hard questions.” “Like anything ... it’s the follow-through that will determine whether the promise of this convocation can be realized, and that will be up to us and the archbishop’s leadership,” he said. Peter DeMarais, 29, St. Paul Outreach’s Minnesota mission director and a delegate, hopes SPO’s experience with evangelization can be a tool to help the Church at large. He cautioned, however, against creating “strategies” to connect with a single demographic, such as the “nones.” “It can actually hurt us when we put them in a category or a box,” he said. “What we want to be is a people that cares for an individual.” Delegate Sheryl Moran, an artist and longtime volunteer in the archdiocese and at her parish, Our Lady of Grace in Edina, hopes that through the convocation’s impact, Catholics nationwide come to a deeper faith. At the convocation, she said, “Everyone there felt like the Holy Spirit is working in a really powerful way, like a powerfully historic way,” and that the Church is poised for “something new to happen.” Moran, 54, said she feels called to find the peripheries in her own community. People in her parish aren’t necessarily poor, she said, but many are unhappy and don’t know Jesus. “Every person that gave a keynote talk mentioned and emphasized the point that faith is not following rules, it’s a relationship with Jesus Christ,” she said. Among Archbishop Hebda’s takeaways is that the archdiocese is a “microcosm” of the U.S. Church at large. “We trust that it’s Christ’s desire that his Gospel be spread,” he said, “and so if we commit ourselves to internal conversion to Christ, if we allow him to use us to spread the Gospel, then we can be confident that he’s going to be able to sew the seeds through us.”
U.S. & WORLD
July 13, 2017
Black Catholics at congress urged to ‘listen, learn, think, act and pray’ By Jean Gonzalez Catholic News Service United by the words of the prophet of social justice, Catholic Church leaders urged black Catholics to become active, just disciples of Christ. More than 2,000 people converged on Orlando July 6-9 for the 12th National Black Catholic Congress where speakers — clergy, lay and religious — addressed a variety of topics and concerns facing black communities and families, while urging participants to take an active, enthusiastic role in living out the Gospel as just disciples of Christ. Black Catholics Twenty-six people from to meet at Basilica the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis attended Catholics in the Archdiocese of the congress, including St. Paul and Minneapolis are invited to Father Erich Rutten, pastor discuss implementing ideas that local of St. Peter Claver in participants took from the recent St. Paul, and Maya National Black Catholic Congress held Ignabode, who volunteers in Orlando, Florida. The meeting will with youths and music take place 9:30 a.m. to noon Aug. 5 at ministry at St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center. the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. “Black Catholics are a For more information, visit www.mary.org double minority,” Father and click “News & Events.” Rutten said. “They’re a minority among the black community in the fact that they’re Catholic, and they’re a minority in the Catholic community in that they’re black. And so, it’s good for them to be together and to share their concerns and unite so that they can have their voices heard.” Ignabode, 32, said she attended the congress because she loves to be involved and wanted to learn more so that she can do more. She plans to start conversations about relationship building, especially with other young adults — who she said are the Church’s next leaders — and the archdiocese. “The Church needs us right now,” said Ignabode, who emigrated from the Central African Republic in 2005. “The Church is fighting to keep people. We try not to be political, but [politics] entail some of our values. If we don’t step in, then we’ll lose all of our values.” The roots of the Black Catholic Congress stem from 1889 with layman and journalist Daniel Rudd, who brought together 100 black Catholic men to exchange and discuss questions affecting their race for not just Catholic blacks, but blacks across the country, and unite for a course of action while standing behind the Catholic Church and its values. The group met with President Grover Cleveland during its first congress. Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, offered the opening keynote address that focused directly on the theme of the congress taken from the prophet Micah — “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me: Act justly, love goodness and walk humbly with your God.” His first point reaffirmed the united community of disciples of Christ and the need of inclusion of all “children of God.” “When Pope Francis speaks, he doesn’t speak to nations, races and tribes; he speaks to humanity invited to be disciples of Jesus. And we respond first and foremost to this,” Cardinal Turkson said. “For there is no Gospel for Africans. There is no Gospel for Americans. There is no Gospel for Italians or Europeans. There is one Gospel for all of us created in the image and likeness of God we seek to respond to. ... God’s children all belong together. None are set aside, none should live on the periphery, and none are excluded.” While Cardinal Turkson said challenges such as tribalism in Africa and racism and discrimination in America present struggles, the Catholic Church family is invited to live beyond divisions and live in communion as children of God. Father Rutten said Cardinal Turkson’s presence, as well as that of Archbishop Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States, was “extraordinary.” “It tells you that we’re really connected to not only the American Catholic Church, but also the universal Catholic Church,” he noted. “To have the papal nuncio there really speaks volumes. “Part of the reason of the congress is to work institutionally to open some of those doors and have black Catholics be represented in the Catholic Church,” Father Rutten continued. At the next congress, Ignabode wants to bring more people to hear messages of social justice and servant leadership. “It’s energizing to know that you’re valued,” she said, “and to bring others into that. We have to learn how to be a black Catholic in the U.S.” — The Catholic Spirit contributed to this story
The Catholic Spirit • 9
Vatican asks bishops to ensure validity of matter for Eucharist By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Bishops should look at ways to help verify and guarantee the validity and worthiness of the bread and wine used for the celebration of the Eucharist, the Vatican said in a recent document. Because bread and wine for the Eucharist are no longer supplied just by religious communities, but “are also sold in supermarkets and other stores and even over the Internet,” bishops should set up guidelines, an oversight body and/or even a form of certification to help “remove any doubt about the validity of the matter for the Eucharist,” the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments said. The recommendations came in a circular letter, “On the bread and wine for the Eucharist,” sent to diocesan bishops “at the request of the Holy Father, Pope Francis.” Dated June 15 — the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ — the letter was made public by the Vatican July 8. The letter was signed by Cardinal Robert Sarah, congregation prefect, and Archbishop Arthur Roche, secretary. Because the Church requires certainty regarding the conditions necessary for the validity of the sacraments, the congregation offered some suggestions so that bishops can continue to “watch over the quality of the bread and wine” as well as “those who prepare these materials.” The congregation underlined that every bishop “is bound to remind priests, especially parish priests and rectors of churches, of their responsibility to verify
Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory, right, concelebrates Mass during the “Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in America” July 2 in Orlando, Florida. CNS/Bob Roller those who provide the bread and wine for the celebration and the worthiness of the material. “Bishops must also provide information to the producers of the bread and wine for the Eucharist and to remind them of the absolute respect that is due to the norms,” it said. Producers “must be aware that their work is directed toward the eucharistic sacrifice and that this demands their honesty, responsibility and competence,” it added. The congregation suggested ordinaries offer guidance, for example, by “guaranteeing the eucharistic matter through special certification.” Bishops may want to agree on and establish “concrete regulations” on the national level through their bishops’ conferences, it suggested.
in BRIEF SPRINGFIELD, Ill.
Bishop prohibits Catholics in same-sex unions from receiving Communion Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield has issued a decree that people in same-sex marriages should not present themselves for holy Communion, nor can they receive the sacrament of anointing of the sick or have a Catholic funeral unless they “have given some signs of repentance.” The bishop said in the June 12 decree that no clergy or diocesan staff person or representative “is to assist or participate in the solemnization or blessing of same-sex marriages, including providing services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods or privileges for such events.” The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is the union of one woman and one man. Canon law prohibits Catholic clergy from performing a marriage of two people of the same sex. The decree was sent to priests, deacons, seminarians and diocesan staff, explaining that the norms on same-sex marriage and related pastoral issues it outlined are diocesan policy.
VATICAN CITY
Cardinal Pell to face charges in Australia Proclaiming his innocence after being charged with sexual abuse, Australian Cardinal George Pell said, “I’m looking forward finally to having my day in court.
I’m innocent of these charges. They are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me,” he said June 29 during a brief news conference in the Vatican press office. Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, said Pope Francis had granted Cardinal Pell a leave of absence from his position as prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy so that he can work on his defense. Cardinal Pell, Burke added, will not participate in any public liturgies while his case is being considered. Without giving specifics about the number of charges or the incidents, police in Australia’s Victoria state announced June 29 that charges had been filed against the cardinal and that he has been called to appear in court July 18.
Pope names archbishop to succeed Cardinal Muller at doctrine office Promoting the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to the office of prefect, Pope Francis chose not to ask German Cardinal Gerhard Muller to serve a second five-year term in the post. The Vatican announced July 1 that the pope chose as prefect Spanish Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer, 73, a Jesuit theologian who had been appointed secretary of the congregation in 2008 by then-Pope Benedict XVI. No new position was announced for Cardinal Muller, who at 69 is still more than five years away from the normal retirement age for a bishop. — Catholic News Service
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July 13, 2017 • 11
Into the
north woods Catholic Youth Camp celebrates 70th anniversary of helping kids experience faith outdoors
By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
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horde of 99 campers and 11 adults spread out along a beach on Big Sandy Lake near McGregor June 26 as the sun began to set. Despite a day packed with activity, the energy was palpable as camp counselors picked up their guitars and started to play praise and worship music, bringing the day to a close. For 70 years, children from all parts of Minnesota, including this group from the inner city of north Minneapolis, have left comfort behind to spend six days experiencing faith outdoors at Catholic Youth Camp, a two-and-a-half-hour drive north of the Twin Cities. An average of 600 youths from first through ninth grade come every summer, with many not only repeating but also becoming camp counselors themselves. The camp features eight six-day sessions per summer from June 25 through Aug. 18. Executive Director Natalie King estimates about 50,000 campers have come through in the last 70 years. “I think it’s amazing,” said King, in her 10th year. “I had no idea what I was getting into. I love it. It’s my passion. It’s the reason I get out of bed. We say Catholic Youth Camp changes lives, and it’s not just a tag line that we put into the brochure. It truly does. We get amazing emails from parents and kids and staff. We talk about their lives being changed. Everything is so meaningful. It’s such a powerful thing.” King and the rest of the staff were kept busy during the week they hosted the kids from north Minneapolis. It’s the largest group of the summer, thanks to the Visitation Sisters of North Minneapolis, who have sponsored CYC campers for more than 20 years. “The opportunity to be out in God’s creation and learn about the love of God in nature, I think that’s really, really important for the kids,” said Sister Mary Frances Reis, who began helping when the sisters got involved. King noted that there are still slots available for the remaining camp sessions. For more information and to register, call 651-636-1645, or visit www.cycamp.org.
1. Olivia Mueller and Mabinty Kromah strike up a friendship at Catholic Youth
Camp near McGregor June 26. A total of 99 campers from kindergarten through ninth-grade living in north Minneapolis came for the week. They were sponsored by the Visitation Sisters of North Minneapolis, who have sent campers to CYC for more than 20 years.
2. Camp counselor Justis Czarnik shouts instructions to campers.
4
3. Antigua Roberts takes a short break. 4. Yoshio Pineiros paddles his way out onto the lake with his canoeing partner. 5. Girls raise the flag during a daily morning ceremony. 6. Amanda Martinez-Port finishes up her run on a paddle board. 7. From left, Jamison Wood (wearing glasses), Marley Christian, Hector Hernandez and Anabelle Gbedjangni pray with other campers on the beach.
8. Aaleyha Sager gets ready to throw the tomahawk. 9. Counselor Mary Gorecki carries her clipboard with a verse from Philippians. 10. From left, Abeni Roberts, Anabelle Gbedjangni and Angelina Kubes take the Polar Bear Plunge to kick off the day at camp.
11. From left, Mia Austin, Rachel Sanders, Malik Ellis, Malcolm Christian, Jack
5
Mueller and Yoshio Pineiros get energized as they prepare to play a camp game.
Photos by Dave Hrbacek • The Catholic Spirit
12 • The Catholic Spirit
JUBILEES
July 13, 2017
Women and men religious celebrate jubilees The Catholic Spirit The Catholic Spirit congratulates the following members of women’s and men’s religious communities who are serving or have served in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and are celebrating jubilees this year. The information was provided by the religious orders.
Benedictine Sisters of Mother of God Monastery – Watertown, South Dakota 60 years Sister Ramona Fallon Sister Yvonne Linster
Benedictine Sisters of St. Benedict’s Monastery – St. Joseph 60 years Sister Modesta Arceneau Sister Theresa Schumacher
Benedictine Sisters of St. Paul’s Monastery 65 years Sister LaVerne Hudalla Sister Catherine Schoenecker 60 years Sister Marie Fujan Sister Virginia Matter
Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls
50 years Sister Sharon Schiller
Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery – Duluth 75 years Sister Ramona Ewen Sister Victorine Sitter 70 years Sister Marguerite Baxter 60 years Sister Martha Bechtold
Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters 70 years Sister Marie Amanda Allard Sister Stephana Garvey Sister Vivian Gorman Sister Alban Hermes 60 years Sister Mercedes Kucera Sister Susanne McDonald Sister Mary Montgomery Sister Mary Virginia Phillips Sister Bernadette Ries Sister Leonius Skaar 50 years Sister Patricia Beckman Sister Jeri Cashman
75 years Sister Alice Doll Sister Frances Kempenich 60 years Sister Loretta Bloch Sister Cordelia Korkowski Sister Sylvia Opatz Sister Carol Schmit 50 years Sister Louise Bauer
60 years Sister Margaret (Midge) Breiter Sister Marie Donahue Sister Marice Elvekrog Sister Chrishelle Jaspers Sister Daniel Marie Kukowski Sister Marlene Manney Sister Lucille Matousek Sister Therese Marie Merth Sister André Wickenheiser Sister Elizabeth Willems Sister Mary Ann Williams 50 years
50 years Sister Antonice Delury
Sister Joanna Dehmer Sister Rosemarie Dvorak Sister Judith Frucci Sister Margaret Lamberty Sister Audrey Lindenfelser Sister Janet Mallak Sister Dianne Perry Sister Annette Reedy Sister Kathryn Schoolmeesters Sister Rosemary Schwalbe Sister Jane Weisgram
School Sisters of Notre Dame
Sisters of St. Agnes
70 years Sister Lorraine Mosso Sister Mary Joyce Pietsch Sister Lauren Spence Sister Maris Stella Waselak
50 years Sister Joleen Retzer Sister Judith Vander Grinten
Franciscan Sisters of Rochester 75 years Sister Joyce Rowland 60 years Sister Marilyn Blesius (formerly Sister Masseo)
Franciscan Sisters of St. Paul
Please see JUBILEES on next page
Join us as we celebrate the Jubilee of 100 sisters representing 5,850 years of service 85 YEARS M. Melvina Pausina 80 YEARS Mary Louise Van Straten 75 YEARS M. Antonice Backes Mary Bede Hurst Gabriel Rooding Mary Francele Sherburne Esther Smith 70 YEARS Mary Karen Anderson Mary Luke Baldwin Lawrence Marie Brauer M. Clared Coyne Theresa Duerfahrd Rita Ann Eisner Charlotte Gaughan Alice Jeannette Giere Regina Marie Grohman Mary Ann Huelsing Marie LeClerc Laux Lorraine Mosso Mary Joyce Pietsch MarieClare Powell Lauren Spence Maris Stella Waselak
60 YEARS Sharon Aalbers Joan Bellew Joyce Ann Berkel Bernita Marie Bittner Midge Breiter Judy Corrigan Patricia Delaney Catherine DeWitt Marie Donahue Pat Dooley Maricé Elvekrog Lee Anne Farrell Barbara Geers Francine Guglielmo Barbara Habing Yvonne Hiess Carla Huebner Chrishelle Jaspers Ann Koch Daniel Marie Kukowski Ellen Lorenz Marlene Manney Avila Markiewicz Lucille Matousek Dorez Mehrtens Therese Marie Merth Joan Moorhem
Geraldine Neier M. Imelda Nomoto Mary Bryan Owens Ancilla Marie Roussel Arlene Simon Christine Spour Mary Camille Szydlowski Jeanne Marie Waggoner Miriam Catherine Wesselmann André Wickenheiser Elizabeth Willems Mary Ann Williams 50 YEARS Elaine AuBuchon John LaLande Baricevic Diane Marie Buckman Marie LaVern Bullard Joanne Dehmer Rita Maureen Deimeke Rosemarie Dvorak Judith Frucci Bernadette Goessling M. Cordis Marie Kato Linda Kremer Margaret Lamberty Audrey Lindenfelser
Read their profiles at www.ssndcp.org/ad/jubilee
Jane Mary Lorbiecki Janet Mallak Urban Maureen Molitor M. Ruth Mori M. Pia Nakama Barbara Neist Judy Ann Obermark Carla Okumura Dianne Perry Annette Reedy Judith Scheffler Kathy Ann Schmittgens Kathryn Schoolmeesters Rosemary Schwalbe Janet Senderak Marcelle Stos Judene Marie Studer Mary Ann Louise Tasse Joan Marie Van Beek Jane Weisgram Danielle Witt Christine Maria Woyach Paulette Zimmerman 25 YEARS Johanne Maria Kokubun Barbara Lambor-Hagel
facebook.com/ssnd.centralpacific | instagram.com/ssnd_central_pacific | twitter.com/ssnd_cp
JUBILEES
July 13, 2017
The Catholic Spirit • 13
Religious sisters seek to promote consecrated life in new project By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit Sister Carolyn Puccio, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, said it’s unfortunate there’s not a line of women wrapping around the block waiting to enter religious life. “It’s meaningful to be part of a group of women who are bright, articulate, engaged, educated, dedicated [and] generous,” said Sister Carolyn, the delegate for religious for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. She considers religious life a “best kept secret,” but hopes that will change with the recent launch of the National Catholic Sisters Project. In addition to National Catholic Sisters Week, held in March each year, the new initiative will include developing curriculum for Catholic schools, parish religious education programs and campus ministry;
JUBILEES
Continued from previous page
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet 75 years Sister Rosanne Fox Sister Mary Ann Hanley Sister Catherine Jenkins Sister Maria June Wilson 70 years Sister Mary Madonna Ashton Sister Julie Boo Sister Helen Thomas Bronk Sister Ann Coffey Sister Marguerite Corcoran Sister Catherine Coté
Sister Mary Estelle Dwyer Sister Marie Henri Grenier Sister Jean Hare Sister Celia McDevitt Sister Michele Murphy Sister Annabelle Raiche Sister Miriam Shea Sister Ann Clare Smith Sister Serena Zilka 65 years Sister Avis Allmaras Sister Margaret Belanger Sister Nancy Davis Sister Katherine Egan Sister Karen Kennelly Sister Elizabeth Kerwin Sister Sylvia Krawfcyk Sister Mary Louise Matt Sister Kathleen McDonald
promoting religious vocations in Spanish-speaking Catholic communities; and a diocesan outreach program. The archdiocese is emphasizing the latter in its part in the project and was among the first of eight diocesan partners to sign on earlier this year. Other partners are the archdioceses of Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and San Antonio; and the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa. A grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is funding the project. Sister Carolyn said her role will be promoting the life and work of local religious sisters year-round — especially to young women — and partnering with appropriate representatives to expand the project’s outreach. “My hope is that through the efforts of the National Catholic Sisters Project, the richness of the diversity and the gift that women religious are can be recognized,” Sister Carolyn said. “Part of the goal of this is that young women will see that as a viable option for their
Sister Justina Overhultz Sister Ann Redmond Sister Mary Sarto Revier Sister Susan Smith Sister Anne Elise Tschida Sister Donna Vosika
lives and respond to a call from God, ultimately, to live their baptismal commitment in that way.” In highlighting religious sisters’ presence and contributions to the Church and society, Sister Carolyn said she’s especially committed to showing their diversity, noting there are at least 42 different religious communities in the archdiocese. Since its inception in 2014, National Catholic Sisters Week has been part of National Women’s History Month in March and is coordinated at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. Part of its efforts to bring religious sisters and lay women together has been through www. sisterstory.org, an ongoing project that connects the two groups to share religious sisters’ stories. In addition to the weeklong celebration next March, Sister Carolyn is planning an event in the fall for religious sisters.
Sister Mary Joseph Pale
Benedictine Monks of St. John’s Abbey 60 years Father Allan Bouley Father Corwin Collins Father Alberic Culhane Father Donald LeMay
60 years Sister Kevin Bopp Sister Mary Fran Carter Sister Maureen Lamey Sister Katherine McLaughlin Sister Joyce Peck Sister Polly Preston Sister Mary Schabert
Sisters of St. Peter Claver
Christian Brothers of the Midwest 75 years Brother Finbar McMullen 70 years Brother Raymond McManaman 60 years Brother Leonard Stoffel
50 years Father Stephen Beauclair Brother Alan Reed Father Mel Taylor
50 years Brother Bede Baldry Brother Michael Rivers Brother Walter Schreiner
25 years Father Bradley Jenniges
Franciscan Friars Minor 25 years Father John Abts
25 years Sister Genevieve Kudlik
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14 • The Catholic Spirit
FAITH & CULTURE
July 13, 2017
A Minneapolis native, Jesuit begins ministry across the river By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit “Homeless Jesus” is pictured in this 2015 photo of the 7-foot-long bronze sculpture that sits in front of a downtown Washington building occupied by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. The Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis has commissioned a cast of the same statue for its campus. CNS
Basilica to install ‘Homeless Jesus’ statue on its campus The Catholic Spirit The Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis has commissioned a cast of “Homeless Jesus,” a bronze sculpture of a life-sized Christ-figure sleeping in a blanket on a park bench. It will be installed on the Basilica campus Nov. 19, which Pope Francis has designated as the World Day of the Poor. Created by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz in 2013 as a visual representation of Matthew 25, the statue joins identical casts installed throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe, including the Papal Office of Charities in Rome. The Basilica regularly serves homeless men and women through its St. Vincent de Paul ministry. A Q&A on the Basilica’s website explains the parish’s goal for the statue: “Many of our parishioners welcome all they see. But there are a great many people who see our homeless friends and guests and feel fear, or ask us to intervene and ask them to leave so they won’t be disturbed by their presence. “While visitors and guests may see someone who is hungry or down on their luck, how many see them as Jesus? ... We see this lasting artwork as a unique way to change people’s hearts and minds.”
Father Casey to be beatified Nov. 18 Catholic News Service Father Solanus Casey, a Capuchin Franciscan “who would provide soup for the hungry, kind words for the troubled and a healing touch for the ill,” will be beatified Nov. 18, the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph in Detroit has announced. The ceremony will take place at Ford Field in Detroit, which the province said would be configured to accommodate 60,000 people. A member of the Detroit-based province, Father Casey was born Nov. 25, 1870, and died July 31, 1957. Among the hundreds, if not thousands, of healings attributed to Father Casey during and after his lifetime, Pope Francis recognized the authenticity of a miracle necessary for the friar to be elevated from venerable to blessed after a review by the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes was completed earlier this year. Beatification details will be released at www.solanuscasey.org/beatification.
J
esuit Father Richard Fichtinger recently took a walk along the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis for the first time in nine years after returning from formation with the order. The Minneapolis native, 35, said the walk along the bike path brought back “a flood of just wonderful memories” of places in his hometown. The newlyordained priest began serving across the Mississippi River at St. Thomas More in St. Paul in late June. Amid those memories are those of loss. His grew up without his father in south Minneapolis. His mother died during his senior year at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis. His half-brother, Brian, died in 2008, leaving Father Fichtinger in his mid-20s with no immediate family involved in his life. By that time, however, he had developed a deep faith. He wasn’t raised Catholic; he considered himself “culturally Christian” by high school. But his life took a turn to the Church in those years when he met John Burczek-Dreier, a Catholic, who became a best friend and brother to him. They played football together, took driver’s education together and worked together at summer jobs. Both got involved in an ecumenical Christian group at the school, which helped faith become a significant part of their friendship. That friendship grew into family over time as Father Fichtinger spent a lot of time with Burczek-Dreier’s family. They became the avenue for him joining the Church. He went through RCIA at Our Lady of Peace in Minneapolis during his senior year. Burczek-Dreier served as Father Fichtinger’s RCIA sponsor. “I was looking for something that anchored me in history, anchored me in a tradition,” Father Fichtinger said of the Catholic faith. Burczek-Dreier, now a tuition and financial aid analyst at the University of Minnesota, said he wasn’t surprised to see Father Fichtinger become a priest. “He’s always been a very faith-filled person,” he said. Having benefited from social work as a child, Father Fichtinger earned a degree in social work at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul in 2004. While there, he also had a growing sense that God wanted more from him, but had yet to look into priesthood. He felt that sense grow after college while working as a youth and family counselor with The Bridge in Minneapolis. He could help people with their mental health, but felt the desire to help people address their spiritual needs. He said the desire to connect his faith and work grew into a realization that he could be a priest and surrender his life to “more than just work” and to be at “the service of others,” he said. He began researching options online for becoming a priest and discovered the Jesuits. As he got to know Jesuit Father Warren Sazama, the Jesuit vocations director at the time and now St. Thomas More’s pastor, Father Fichtinger’s path became clear through a
Jesuit Father Richard “R.J.” Fichtinger, a native of Minneapolis, is excited to begin his ministry at St. Thomas More in St. Paul. He will serve at the parish for one year. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit discernment retreat, vocations video and Jesuit events. He recognized that community would help him grow more, and he saw that some Jesuits do the work he had been doing with The Bridge. “It wasn’t sort of this radical shift in what I was doing, but rather, it was a growing into doing something more for God,” he said. Father Fichtinger entered the Jesuits in August 2006 as a novice at the St. Alberto Hurtado novitiate in St. Paul. After two years of study there, he underwent formation in multiple places around the U.S. Although Jesuit preparation is typically longer than that of diocesan priesthood, he said he didn’t mind. “I figured doctors and lawyers and other “Jesus wants professionals took a long time to move into their nothing more but careers and be certified, so this deep and I thought it was akin to that,” Father Fichtinger authentic said. “As I moved further along in formation, I relationship, and realized, ‘Oh, there has been a lot for me to learn if you need help and grow in.’” Ordained a priest doing that, God June 3 at the Jesuit-run Church of the Gesu in wants to support Milwaukee, Father Fichtinger is happy to that.” serve at St. Thomas More Father Fichtinger in his first assignment, which he has for one year. He particularly looks forward to offering the sacraments, witnessing to the faith, being present to people in major events of their lives and helping people in need. Although he’s happy to be home, he expects that his ministry with the Jesuits could take him elsewhere. Wherever he goes, he hopes to counsel people and families again, taking a holistic approach. “The Church wants to love you and help you in how you be whole and healthy,” Father Fichtinger said. “Jesus wants nothing more but this deep and authentic relationship, and if you need help doing that, God wants to support that.”
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FAITH & CULTURE
July 13, 2017
The Catholic Spirit • 15
New Brighton writer helps incarcerated women pen stories of hurt, hope By Melenie Soucheray For The Catholic Spirit
F
ive years ago, Joannie Moses was in her late 60s and widowed. Her husband, Terry, had died from pancreatic cancer. She thought that after a long stint as a caregiver, and nearly 30 years as the religious education director at St. Maron Maronite parish in northeast Minneapolis, it was time to reinvent her life. “After he passed away, I met with a psychologist every single week,” Moses recalled. “[St. Maron pastor] Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun refused to accept my retirement, saying, ‘I will not accept this until you tell me what you’re going to do with your life.’ “I thought that was the smartest thing ever, because that gave me something to focus on,” said Moses, 72, who has four daughters and nine grandchildren. In 2005, Moses and a friend visited a women’s prison three times to conduct a writing group. It was the activity that kept climbing to the top of her list. A year after graduating from the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute in 2014, Moses decided to look into the Residential Re-entry Center of Roseville, a facility that Volunteers of America operates. “I called the facility and asked if I could come and start a writing group with the women,” recalled Moses, who lives in New Brighton. “They were delighted, and the women were delighted to do it. It’s personal writing about their past, present and future. “Many of them were introduced to Christ in prison,” she continued. “They were very enthusiastic about their relationship with God and the hope that they feel for their future. [The project] started out as a writing exercise, because I teach creative writing. It turned out to be personal writing and ministry. I call it
After helping women in prison write about their experiences, Joannie Moses of St. Maron in Minneapolis and St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony published a compilation of their reflections. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit Heart & Soul Writing.” Every Wednesday evening, Moses meets with the women of RRC Roseville who want to write and share their reflections within groups that range in size from three to 14 participants. “I’m seeing people every week who are diligently trying to re-create their lives,” she said. Moses believes Heart & Soul Writing “is giving them a chance to actually talk about their hopes, their dreams, their goals, and be able to talk and to say something to someone [whom] they don’t have to make an appointment with.” Moses sparks the activity by asking participants to write about topics that cause them to look at their past, present and future. Among the topics: For what do you need extra courage? Tell me about your strengths. What impact would you like to have? Tell me about the person who is kindest to you.
“About that one,” Moses recalled, “A woman sat there in thought for like three minutes. I said, ‘Would you like me to give you a different question?’ ‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m just trying to find someone who has been kind to me.’ She eventually wrote about her grandmother. Of course, I had to ask her how she was defining ‘kind.’ She said, ‘It’s someone who didn’t use me for their benefit.’” By her own reckoning, Moses has heard some heartrending stories. “A 14-year-old girl was sold by her mother to the Hells Angels,” Moses said. “She’s now 48 and has just discovered Christianity in the last two years. She is pregnant and starting a whole new life for herself.” Moses routinely collects handwritten stories like these, types them and returns them to the authors the next week. She tells them that writing makes their answers real, and that sharing with others in the group reinforces their
Congratulations
stories and makes them real to the rest of the world. Eventually, the women asked if their work could be put into a book so that others could learn from their experiences — mistakes and all. Attending a Called and Gifted workshop solidified Moses’ decision to honor the women’s request. The collected works of 43 women, “Breaking the Cycle: Writings by Women in Prison,” was published in April. The authors hope it will influence others to avoid criminal activity. In the process of curating the content, Moses didn’t make edits or correct punctuation and syntax. She allowed each writer to speak for herself and each piece for itself. The contributors are anonymous, but in the book they’ve each been assigned a different font so that readers can track a favorite writer to learn of her personal growth. “I have a lot of material,” Moses said. “People were very upset that they [discovered they] weren’t going to be in the book.” A second volume composed of poems and essays from more writers is in the offing. Moses maintains her dual memberships at St. Maron and St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony, where her children attended school. She is the religious education director and the sanctity of life director at St. Maron. Plus, she has taken on a project that keeps her active as a friend, a published author, an educator and, in a way, a student. “I have learned that people really do want to change the direction and pattern of their lives and that they definitely need encouragement to have a voice in their futures,” she said. For more information about “Breaking the Cycle” and Moses’ other books, visit www.joanmoses.com.
Partnering with
to The Catholic Spirit’s 2017 Leading With Faith winners
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Julie & Tom Hurley President & COO, Preferred Management St. Joseph, West St. Paul
John Norris President/CEO, Atscott Manufacturing & Tower Solutions St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony
Robert Stefani Wealth Management Advisor, Northwestern Mutual Holy Trinity, South St. Paul
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David Tucci Executive Director, Owner/Operator, Consolidated Sales Network Dunn Brothers Coffee Shop St. John the Baptist, New Brighton
vvv Kieran McNulty, PhD Professor, University of Minnesota St. Michael, Stillwater
Rosemarie Reger-Rumsey Executive Director, Listening House Assumption, St. Paul vvv
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Matt Saxe Owner, Saxe Chevrolet Buick Our Lady of the Prairie, Belle Plaine thecatholicspirit.com
We will honor the winners at the Leading With Faith Award luncheon Thursday, Aug. 10, at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. For details, visit www.archspm.org/leadingfaithlunch • FREE on-campus parking and shuttle service available
16 • The Catholic Spirit
FOCUS ON FAITH
SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Deacon Ramon García
The art of listening There is a story about a couple with marital difficulties who sought help. They were each given a flask with water in it and were told the water would keep them from arguing so much. Thrilled with the idea of the miraculous liquid, the couple asked how it worked. Imagine their surprise when they were told that the “miraculous” water worked because one person puts the liquid in his or her mouth while the other one talks, and the person cannot swallow the water until the other is finished talking. Then they reverse roles. In my work with couples, I have come to realize that listening to others is a human quality that is difficult to have, one that not many people seek to possess, yet so important and necessary in getting along with others and in reaching the level of happiness that God wishes for us all. We all know it’s not easy to listen to others with
July 13, 2017
attention, interest, respect and affection. Yet, it is both a condition of real love and a fruit of real love. If we do not know how to listen to one another, the current of love and affection cannot circulate. By the same token, authentic love is demonstrated if there is mutual listening. The word of God is, in itself, creative. It creates realities, it has power and gives life, and it can transform everyone who is open to it, even on rocky ground or among thorns. Conversely, the word of man can only express realities; it cannot create them. The word of God, through Jesus, comes to sow seeds in our hearts — seeds of the reality of happiness. This happens when we listen to our Lord and to each other. Our Lord shows us new horizons and new realities when we listen. Many times, when we think about the parable of the sower, we insist that the most important part is that we should all be “rich soil” so that the seed that God sows in us can give abundant fruit, responding to the desire and hope of our father. Without a doubt, this personal disposition of grabbing on to the word of God, the seed of life, with an open heart and removing obstacles is important. But let’s not forget that there is a step before that, according to Jesus: One who wants to first listen to the word of God is one who possesses an open heart; it is one who reads the word of God and says, “This is for me.”
Sunday, July 16 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings • Is 55:10-11 • Rom 8:18-23 • Mt 13:1-23 iStock SIphotography When we don’t listen to each other, we miss the opportunity to be enriched with what we desire to receive most: to know and appreciate those around us. It is the same before God: We don’t know what we are missing when we don’t listen with attention, interest and love. If we don’t listen to him, we lose intimacy with him. May we all “hold our water” to practice the difficult skill of listening. Deacon García was ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2008 and serves at St. Stephen in Anoka, where he is the coordinator of Latino Ministry. A native of Mexico, he has called Minnesota home for the past 23 years.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, July 16 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 55:10-11 Rom 8:18-23 Mt 13:1-23 Monday, July 17 Ex 1:8-14, 22 Mt 10:34–11:1 Tuesday, July 18 Ex 2:1-15a Mt 11:20-24
Wednesday, July 19 Ex 3:1-6, 9-12 Mt 11:25-27 Thursday, July 20 Ex 3:13-20 Mt 11:28-30 Friday, July 21 Ex 11:10—12:14 Mt 12:1-8
SEEKING ANSWERS
Father Michael Schmitz
Mom should know her place in son’s marital challenges Q. My son and his wife have been married nine years and have four children. His wife homeschools their children and wants three more kids, but my son is exhausted when he gets home, and his wife expects him to “take over” while she “takes a break.” She says that the Church demands that they have more children. I would support my son if this was all too much and he asked for a divorce. A. Thank you for reaching out and asking this question. There are many factors at play here, and clearly there is a lot here that I am unaware of. Since I do not know your son or his wife, I am only able to make a couple of assumptions. What I will offer you is based off of these assumptions, so please keep that in mind when you read these words. First — and this is very important — you need to stay out of this. I understand that you are still his mom and that you care about your son. If there was a helpful step you could take, it would be to direct your son and daughter-in-law to their local priest or to a trusted counselor who could help them resolve this issue. If
Saturday, July 22 St. Mary Magdalene Sgs 3:1-4b Jn 20:1-2, 11-18
Tuesday, July 25 St. James, apostle 2 Cor 4:7-15 Mt 20:20-28
Sunday, July 23 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Wis 12:13, 16-19 Rom 8:26-27 Mt 13:24-43
Wednesday, July 26 Sts. Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ex 16:1-5, 9-15 Mt 13:1-9
Monday, July 24 Ex 14:5-18 Mt 12:38-42
Thursday, July 27 Ex 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b Mt 13:10-17
they were both asking you for help, that could be an occasion where you might be able to help, but in your full letter (not printed here), it is clear that you are on your son’s side. In this case, the only “side” you get to be on is the side of their marriage. Second, you mention that your son’s wife is claiming that the Church demands that they have more children. This is incorrect. The Church does note that a couple must be open to life within their marriage. Further, the Church wisely teaches that every sexual act must be open to life. But the Church continues to teach that the husband and wife are called to be responsible parents. If they discern that they are not able to raise more children at this point, then they must come to that conclusion together. I reiterate: They have demonstrated an openness to life in their marriage already. They are still absolutely forbidden from using contraception. But natural family planning is incredibly effective at observing the Church’s teaching while being responsible parents. Note that couples who practice NFP have a dramatically lower divorce rate — reportedly less than 4 percent, compared with the national average, which hovers around 50 percent. Third, your son is tired. Your daughter-in-law desires more children. They both have good points. Understand that no one is wrong here. If they decide they want more children together, then that is a good decision. If they decide that for both of their sakes, they need to avoid pregnancy at the moment, then that can be their decision as well. But this is between them. If they are at a stalemate, then they should speak with their parish priest, a counselor or someone who could help them come to a mutual decision and agreement. Hopefully your son is a man who does not need his mom to step in and solve things when he and his wife
Friday, July 28 Ex 20:1-17 Mt 13:18-23 Saturday, July 29 St. Martha Ex 24:3-8 Jn 11:19-27 Sunday, July 30 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12 Rom 8:28-30 Mt 13:44-52
have an issue. That would mean that his parents failed to raise a man who knows how to be a good husband. For you to jump to the conclusion that you would support him if he decides to abandon his wife and children seems quite extreme. As you know, marriage and family is difficult. Raising children is difficult. When he comes home from work, he should be expected to get to work and care for the children. That is just normal. I believe it is called “being a dad.” At the same time, if he does not believe that he can handle any more children, then he and his wife should be able to talk about this and come to a mutual decision. If his wife has found that, after a day of homeschooling (which is quite difficult) she has no energy, then they could consider a different option for their children’s schooling. If their children went to a Catholic school, it might help with her own tiredness so that she and her husband can work together to take care of the kids when he comes home. This is where their appealing to a counselor or a local priest could be helpful. This issue is simply one more big question in life and marriage. If they are going to move forward, then they should really seek counseling before he just picks up and abandons his family. As I noted, I had to make some assumptions in this response. The takeaway that I would like to emphasize has more to do with you than with your son’s marriage. It is good that you continue to love your son. But your role in his life is to help him remain faithful to his marriage vows and to his responsibility to his family — and nothing more. I know I have said some hard words, but it is important for you to remember that he belongs to her more than he belongs to you. Cut the strings. Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermikeschmitz@gmail.com.
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
July 13, 2017
TWENTY SOMETHING
Christina Capecchi
History and humility: an old man’s plea to young adults The old man with the typewriter would like a word with us texters and tweeters: Don’t be a blockhead. David McCullough’s bestselling new book, “The American Spirit,” takes up a cause he has long championed, lends it added urgency and aims it squarely at young adults. “We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by and large historically illiterate,” McCullough writes. At 83, the prize-winning historian has ample evidence. His preferred mode is to be holed up in his writing studio, a tiny shed in the backyard of his Martha’s Vineyard home with no running water or working phone. To keep from startling him, visitors whistle as they approach. But McCullough is even more shocked when he’s on the speaking circuit. A Missouri college student, for instance, once thanked him for coming to campus and said, “Until now, I never understood that the original 13 colonies were all on the East Coast.” Another student asked him: “Aside from Harry Truman and John Adams, how many other presidents have you interviewed?” The trouble, McCullough writes, is that we don’t know who we are or where we’re headed without a sense of where we came from. Peppered with the kind of anecdotes that make his biographies spring to life, this book — a collection of his speeches — is different. It is an unabashed love
When it comes to our religion, the oldest Christian faith, so many of us young Catholics risk drifting down the path from ignorance to ingratitude. iStock andykazie story, McCullough’s ode to history, “an antidote to the hubris of the present,” a pleasure that “consists in an expansion of the experience of being alive.” Here’s where I must admit that my summer reading has gotten a bit light, reduced to the bleary-eyed boomerang of blogs and Instagram feeds. I was surprised how good it felt to hold this book and entertain its ideas. It illuminates the footbridge from knowledge to character, and it offers a clear takeaway for the Catholic Church. To learn our nation’s history is to be inspired by the likes of Abigail Adams, who penned 2,000 letters. “Great necessities call out great virtues,” she wrote to her 11-year-old son, a future president, setting sail across the Atlantic. “When a mind is raised and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman.” McCullough dedicates the book to his 19 grandchildren, and he doles out plenty of wholesome advice. Read widely. Be generous. Take an interest in people. He also borrows Abigail Adams’ admonition to her son and directs it at modern-day history illiterates: “How unpardonable it would be for us — with so
FAITH AT HOME Laura Fanucci
I didn’t sign up for this. Or did I? Editor’s note: “Faith at Home” is a new monthly Catholic News Service column written by Laura Fanucci, a parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove. Stripping soaked sheets off a child’s bed for the third night in a row. Scrubbing vomit out of a car seat. Listening to a bedroom door slam with an angry “I hate you!” “This is not what I signed up for.” In the years since I became a mother, the tempting, selfish thought has sneaked into my mind a thousand times, dark and brooding. But every time a quiet voice responds gently: “Are you sure?” Before we had children, the prospect of parenthood played in my mind like a movie montage: the joy of holding our baby, watching a toddler take first steps, spinning around with a laughing child, playing soccer together at the park, tearing up at graduation. I daydreamed about the highlight reel. I did not imagine any ugly moments on the cutting room floor. I smile now at my naivete. What parent wouldn’t? We grow into this calling as it polishes our rough edges smooth over time. Our tolerance for noise, mess
The Catholic Spirit • 17
Today none of my children care that I have a graduate degree. None of them have ever asked to see my resume. What matters to them is that I show up each day and love them. This is exactly what I signed up for when I became their mom. and chaos increases as our younger impatience fades. But after late nights or weeks of sickness or one more exasperating argument, I still hear the temptation creeping into my mind: “This is not what I signed up for.” The sin of pride, taunting me to believe myself better than the work before me. Back when I was a bright-eyed college graduate, I signed up for a year of service in France with the Sisters of the Assumption. What better way to put my newly minted French degree to good use? I found myself working in a L’Arche home for adults with severe physical and developmental disabilities. Every morning I stripped soaked sheets, washed them and remade the beds. Every day I helped residents go to the bathroom, get dressed and eat lunch. I remember ironing the same stack of clothes for the 12th time that week and muttering to myself: “This is not what I signed up for.” No one cared if I could analyze a French novel brilliantly. No one gave a glowing grade to my work.
much that we have been given, the advantages we have, all the continuing opportunities we have to enhance and increase our love of learning — to turn out blockheads.” We must never take for granted the work of those who went before us, McCullough writes. “To be indifferent to that isn’t just to be ignorant, it’s to be rude.” Then he throws his sharpest barb — cushioned, as it is, by a Mr. Rogers cardigan: “And ingratitude is a shabby failing.” When it comes to our religion, the oldest Christian faith, so many of us young Catholics risk drifting down the path from ignorance to ingratitude. McCullough’s caution applies: “We have to value what our forebears — and not just in the 18th century, but our own parents and grandparents — did for us, or we’re not going to take it very seriously, and it can slip away.” I love my faith and my family, which intersect in deep, fascinating ways. To learn more of Catholicism’s rich history — our saints and our sacraments, our symbols and our songs — brings a wellspring of appreciation. It is to discover, in the words of McCullough, an “inexhaustible source of strength.” Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights and the editor of www.sisterstory.org.
No one knew if I’d gone to a great university or had some all-star resume. What I had signed up to do was to serve. With love. Which meant setting aside my own ego and expectations and humbling myself to the place God had called me, where the people I came to serve were the ones who taught me everything. Turns out that year at L’Arche was the best preparation for parenthood. Today none of my children care that I have a graduate degree. None of them have ever asked to see my resume. What matters to them is that I show up each day and love them. This is exactly what I signed up for when I became their mom. Whenever I’m tempted to think otherwise, I hear the quiet, gentle voice I have come to recognize as God’s. That peaceful voice reminds me that the work of love is my vocation. Sometimes it means washing stomach-churning laundry. Or comforting a crying newborn for hours. Or working through the daily conflicts of a house full of humans. It’s not always what I pictured, glamorous or enviable. But callings don’t come with promises of bliss and self-fulfillment. God asks us to give our lives to each other in sacrifice and love. Whether we are parents or priests, single or married, professionals or caregivers, we all grow into the hard work that comes with vocation. This is where God calls us. This is exactly what we signed up for. Fanucci, a parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, is a mother, writer and director of a project on vocation at the Collegeville Institute in Collegeville. She is the author of several books, including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting,” and blogs at www.motheringspirit.com.
18 • The Catholic Spirit
OBITUARIES
Father Stromberg, 90, brought Pope Benedict XVI to University of St. Thomas By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit A philosophy professor at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul for 45 years, Father James Stromberg educated several future bishops and inspired many students. He died June 19 at the Little Sisters of the Poor Holy Family Residence in St. Paul. He was 90. “He taught that our Catholic faith is reasonable,” said Bishop John LeVoir of New Ulm. “The foundation that was put in place by Father Stromberg has served me well in presenting the Gospel as a priest and bishop.” In 1984, Bishop LeVoir, who attended what was then the Father James College of St. Thomas in the STROMBERG 1960s, returned to campus when Father Stromberg and the philosophy department invited then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, to speak at a symposium. The future pope presented at St. Thomas and celebrated Mass in its Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas. Father Stromberg was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Feb. 17, 1957, and taught at St. Thomas from June 1957 to July 2002. He served as the philosophy department chair from 1979 to 1984. In 1968, he also worked in an advisory role for the founding of Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California. He and the college’s first president, Ronald McArthur, studied for their doctorates in philosophy together at Laval University in Quebec City, Quebec. Father Stromberg completed his doctorate in 1965. In a letter to Archbishop Leo Binz that year, St. Thomas President Bishop James Shannon wrote: “Since coming to St. Thomas, Father Stromberg has distinguished himself as an exemplary priest, a sound scholar, an able teacher, an effective counselor of students, and a gentleman of poise and courtesy.” Father Stromberg taught several leaders in Catholic higher education, including theology professor Douglas Bushman of the Augustine Institute in Denver, Colorado, and philosophy professor Steven Jensen of the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. “He not only gave me the love of the truth, [but] he also guided me to the truth,” Jensen said. “Without his guidance, I would never have been able to sort through the cacophony of views found even
among Catholic thinkers.” Jensen said he still contacted Father Stromberg for guidance years after graduation, as did Bishop LeVoir. Bishops Paul Sirba of Duluth and John Doerfler of Marquette, Michigan, also had Father Stromberg as a professor. “We all kept in touch with him throughout the years and benefited from his wisdom, his common sense and keen insights into the Catholic faith,” Bishop LeVoir said. “He was one of the great professors at St. Thomas and a blessing to us all.” Father Stromberg taught a variety of philosophy courses. In the St. Thomas interview, he said he especially enjoyed teaching ethics, and that his “favorite upper-level course was ‘Political and Legal Philosophy.’” He also made an impact teaching an introductory course in logic. Bishop LeVoir hasn’t forgotten that course, which he took in 1964. The bishop said Father Stromberg “taught us to present arguments in a logical and well-thought-out manner.” “This was important in secular matters and also in theological matters,” Bishop LeVoir said. Jensen recalled some of Father Stromberg’s priestly qualities. “His best witness to the faith was his humility and mercy,” Jensen said. “He cared for everyone, however lowly. He had a special love for sinners and outcasts. In his mind, the faith was never harsh, but always gentle.” Father Stromberg continued to minister and teach after his retirement in 1996, assisting at Holy Family in St. Louis Park and St. Gregory the Great in St. Paul, now part of Lumen Christi Catholic Community. “His greatest legacy will be the love for the truth,” Jensen said. “In an age where everything must be productive, where people persistently ask, ‘What good will it do me?’ he was a beacon, a light to show the way to the truth.” Father Stromberg was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and grew up in St. Paul with his parents, Louis and Anne Stark Stromberg. After graduating from Cretin High School in St. Paul in 1945, Father Stromberg served a short time in the U.S. Navy. He earned his undergraduate degree from St. Thomas, having transferred there from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, where he first took an interest in philosophy. Father Stromberg is survived by cousins Marilyn Simmons of Mendota Heights, Maureen Gellerman of Brighton, Michigan, and Robert Johnson of San Antonio, Texas. A funeral Mass was offered June 24 at Holy Family followed by interment in Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights.
July 13, 2017
Father McCauley led MCC with ‘selfless dedication’ By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Teresa Lodoen was caught off guard when she got an email from the pastor of her parish, St. Peter in Mendota, July 7. As she was finishing the wedding rehearsal of her daughter, Natalie, Father Steven Hoffman informed her that a longtime priest friend of hers, Father David McCauley, had died that day. He was 79. “It was bittersweet, for certain,” Lodoen said of receiving the news at the time of her daughter’s wedding. She recalled the role Father McCauley played in her own wedding, which took place July 2, 1983. After getting to know Father McCauley through peer Father David ministry at North Dakota State University, he later presided at MCCAULEY her wedding to Jim in Fargo. At that time, Father McCauley was a priest for the Diocese of Fargo. After growing up in St. Paul and attending St. Luke School and St. Thomas Academy, he attended the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Fargo in 1963. He served there until 2001, when he was incardinated into the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, where he served until his retirement in 2009. Parishes where he served include St. Ambrose in Woodbury, St. Rita in Cottage Grove, Mary, Queen of Peace in Rogers and St. Pascal Baylon in St. Paul. One of his major accomplishments, however, took place on a broader scale. He served as executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference from 1995-2001, and later as interim director for a short time. “Father McCauley’s advocacy was shaped by a strong sense of solidarity, namely, that we, as a community, needed to recognize and affirm the reality that we are all brothers and sisters and are responsible for one another,” said Jason Adkins, MCC’s executive director. “Father McCauley came out of retirement many, many times to serve, and showed a selfless dedication to the good of the Church and society.” His funeral Mass was July 12 at St. Pascal with interment in Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul.
Archdiocese’s oldest priest, longtime seminary leader, dies at 95 By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Longtime seminary leader Msgr. William Baumgaertner died June 21 at age 95 at Cerenity Senior Care Marian in St. Paul. He served as rector of the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul from 1968 to 1980. His seminary work began as a philosophy professor at the St. Paul Seminary from 1949 to 1968 and expanded to academic dean from 1964 to 1968. “He just exuded energy and enthusiasm. From him, I learned the value of learning for its own sake,” said former University of St. Thomas president Father Dennis Dease of Msgr. Baumgaertner. Father Dease had him as a professor and later as rector while studying for the priesthood in the late 1960s. “I also acquired a foundation upon which I could build my priestly ministry for the rest of my life. I was grateful to him for that,” added Father Dease, who served as St. Thomas’ president from 1991 to 2013. Msgr. Baumgaertner’s memory has been honored by the seminary with a painting of him composed by his niece, Margaret Carter Baumgaertner. Seminary rector Msgr. Aloysius Callaghan expressed Msgr. Baumgaertner’s legacy to the seminary in a July 6 homily for his predecessor’s funeral.
“Msgr. Baumgaertner was a giant of a man in this archdiocese,” Msgr. Callaghan said. “He labored with great strength and priestly zeal to make the St. Paul Seminary a place of solid priestly formation for so many future priests who would serve throughout the Midwest and beyond and bless their local churches with strong Msgr. faith and a shepherd’s heart in William proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus BAUMGAERTNER Christ.” In the 1980s, Msgr. Baumgaertner’s seminary work moved eastward. He served as executive director for the seminary department at the National Catholic Educational Association in Washington, D.C., from 1980 to 1984. He was then director of accreditation for the Association of Theological Schools, which serves the U.S. and Canada, from 1984 to 1990 in Dayton, Ohio. He also served on numerous boards of theology schools. “He had strengthened the St. Paul Seminary’s national reputation within the ATS,” Father Dease said. Msgr. Baumgaertner worked as the director of seminary relations for A Christian Ministry in the
National Parks, an ecumenical ministry in the U.S. National Parks, from 1991 to 1993 before retiring. He served several parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis during retirement until 2012. For six months, Msgr. Baumgaertner held the designation of being the archdiocese’s oldest priest, following the January death of Msgr. Stanley Srnec, 98. The St. Paul native was born June 8, 1922. He grew up with his parents, William and Anna Baumgaertner, his brother and two sisters. Msgr. Baumgaertner graduated from St. Thomas Academy, then in St. Paul, before completing his bachelor’s degree at the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul in 1943. He studied for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary from 1941 to 1946 and was ordained a priest June 8, 1946, at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. He completed a doctorate in philosophy in 1949 from Laval University in Quebec City, Quebec. He is survived by his brother, Carl Baumgaertner; niece, Margaret; and eight nephews. His funeral was July 6 at the St. Paul Seminary. “He, himself, is a sterling example of what it means to preach, teach and sanctify, acting in persona Christi capitis,” Msgr. Callaghan said. “We give thanks to God for the blessing he has been to our venerable institution.”
CALENDAR
July 13, 2017
Tuesday of each month: 7–8:30 p.m. at the archdiocesan chancery, 777 Forest St., St. Paul. For those who are living apart from their spouses because of separation or divorce. 651-291-4438 or faithfulspouses@archspm.org.
CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar.
Career Transition group meeting — Third Thursday of each month: 7:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Road 24, Medina. www.hnoj. org/career-transition-group.
LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission.
Dementia Support Group — Second Tuesday of each month: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication: • Time and date of event • Full street address of event • Description of event • C ontact information in case of questions
CARITAS cancer support group — Wednesdays: 10:30 a.m.–noon at St. Joseph’s Hospital, second floor, maternity classroom 2500, 45 W. 10th St., St. Paul.
ONLINE: www.thecatholicspirit.com/ calendarsubmissions
FAX: 651-291-4460
Parish events
MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106
Free ice cream social — July 16 (National Ice Cream Day): 2–4 p.m. at St. Nicholas, 51 Church St., Elko New Market. www.stncc.net. All Saints garage sale — Aug. 9-12: 1–8 p.m. Aug. 9; 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Aug. 10; 1–6 p.m. Aug. 11; 8 a.m.–noon Aug. 12 at 19795 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville. www.allsaintschurch.com/garagesale.
More online:
www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendar
Music Holy Spirit noontime organ series — July 19, 26, Aug. 2, 9: Noon–12:30 p.m. at 515 Albert St. S., St. Paul. www.holy-spirit.org/organ-series.
Ongoing groups Faithful Spouses support group — Third
The Catholic Spirit • 19
Retreats
Parish Festival change
Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend — July 14-16: 7 p.m. July 14 to 4 p.m. July 16 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. www.wwme.org.
The following entry was changed from the May 4 issue. The Catholic Spirit’s full Parish Festival Guide is at www.thecatholicspirit.com/festivals.
Condensed School of Lectio Divina — July 14-16: at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
St. Gerard Majella, Brooklyn Park — Corn Fest: 6–11 p.m. Aug. 11 and Aug. 12. Inflatables, carnival games, sports alley, kiddie train, bingo, basket auction, grand raffle, pull tabs, live entertainment, food booths, beer. Outdoor Mass 4 p.m. Aug. 12. 9600 Regent Ave. N.
The Monastic Kitchen: Making Food for Body and Soul — Aug. 4-6: 7 p.m. Aug. 4–1 p.m. Aug. 6 at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Conferences/seminars/ workshops Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Leadership Camp — July 23-26 at 15752 Co. Road 181, Paynesville. Pro-life camp for students grades 9-12. www.mccl.org/camp.
Singles
Prayer/worship
Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. Kay at 651-426-3103 or Al at 651-482-0406.
Taize Prayer — Third Friday of each month: 7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. 763-425-0412.
Taize Day of Reflection — Aug. 18: 10 a.m.–8 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Speakers Father Alvaro Perez, “The Spirituality of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate
Heart of Mary” — July 26: 8:15 a.m. at Steiner Hall, Nativity of Our Lord, 1900 Stanford Ave., St. Paul. 651-414-9367.
Young adults Theology on Tap – Summer 2017 — July 19: 6:30–9:30 p.m. at O’Gara’s, 164 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul. Young adults ages 18-39. www.facebook.com/groups/joincya.
Other events St. Mark children’s play, “The Secret Garden” — July 14-15: 7 p.m. at 1983 Dayton Ave., St. Paul. Saint Therese Golf Open — Aug. 17: Noon at 526 Inwood Ave. N., Oakdale. Registration: 952-283-2219 or chrish@sttheresemn.org. www.sttheresemn.org/give/fundraising-events/golf-open. Knights of Columbus bingo — Wednesdays: 6–9 p.m. at the Solanus Casey Council Hall, 1920 S. Greeley St., Stillwater.
Marketplace • Message Center Classified Ads Reach nearly 70,000 homes with Minnesota’s largest paid semi-monthly newspaper Email: classifiedads@archspm.org • Phone: 651-290-1631 • Fax: 651-291-4460 Next issue: 7-27-17 • Deadline: 3 p.m., 7-21-17 • Rates: $8 per line (35-40 characters per line) • Add a photo/logo for $25 ACCESSIBILITY SOLUTIONS STAIR LIFTS - ELEVATORS WHEELCHAIR LIFTS FOR HOMES, CHURCHES & SCHOOLS Arrow Lift (763) 786-2780 C10105
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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Full-time Director, Center for Spirituality and Enrichment: Please see St. Scholastica Monastery Duluth, MN ad on page 7 of this edition. Thank you. C10624 The Glenn Hopkins, a Senior Housing Campus, is seeking a compassionate, practicing Catholic to join our Pastoral Care Department part-time (20 hours/ week). Primary responsibilities will include conducting communion services, assisting with Mass, providing spiritual support to seniors in need and visiting residents who have been hospitalized. The Pastoral Care Coordinator position involves a variety of hours which do include two Sunday mornings/month. Our ideal candidate will have: • Experience and proficiency in preparation and delivery of Services of Word and Communion which include reflections adapted to the needs of seniors • Strong desire to work with elderly people individually and in groups in need of spiritual services and ministry • In-depth understanding of the aging process as well as ability to minister to people with dementia. Musical/Singing ability is a plus. If you are interested in a very rewarding position working with our residents, please apply on our website at www.greatlakesmc.com. Great Lakes Management Co. EOE/AA C3214
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Build your business with The Catholic Spirit display and web advertising. Call 651-291-4444 for information. EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Parish Administrator, full-time, Holy Family Church, Woodruff, WI. Supervises operations of parish; coordinates ministries of programs & depts.; provides spiritual, pastoral care to parishioners. Reports directly to pastor. Balance of experience & skills in managerial, interpersonal, administrative, fiscal areas. Duties may include weekend and evening. Master’s degree or equivalent preferred, in pastoral ministry or related field. Salary negotiable. Cover letter & resume to: Pastor, Holy Family Church; 8950 Cty Hwy J; Woodruff, WI 54568 OR fraaron@holyfamilywoodruff.org. C13358 Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Robbinsdale, MN has a job opening for the position of Parish Business Administrator. To learn more go to the Archdiocese Website in the career section using the following link: http://careers.archspm.org/ jobs/parish-business-administrator-22/ Or, contact Deacon Ramsey via email: jramsey@shrmn.org C30910 Part-time Law Office Receptionist in West St. Paul, Minnesota: Administrative support to attorney, paralegals, and office manager. Description, required qualifications, and skills listed at www.TrojackLaw.com. Contact Signe Betsinger (651) 451-9696. C11535
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20 • The Catholic Spirit
THE LAST WORD
July 13, 2017
Carrie Berran, center, of St. John Neumann in Eagan, talks basketball strategy with Kiersten Lee, left, Ellen Slawin, Jocelyn Plonski and Emma Berran, Carrie’s daughter. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
B
efore playing a state championship game earlier this year, the players on Carrie Berran’s seventh-grade girls basketball traveling team gathered for prayer. Berran hadn’t expected or suggested it, since the team was from a public youth athletic association, but she joined in with the girls. As a parishioner of St. John Neumann in Eagan, it seemed natural for her to do so. “I’ve heard them talk about it before, which is neat because it’s all organic from the girls,” Berran said. “It was really neat to see them do that. Everyone participated.” Berran, who won the inaugural Jr. NBA Coach of the Year award June 26, has connected faith and sports for years. That includes daily prayer and having attended Mass with her former women’s basketball teammates when she played NCAA Division I hoops at LaSalle University in Philadelphia during the late 1990s. The Jr. NBA coach award goes to a youth basketball coach who demonstrates “outstanding integrity, character and leadership” according to the Jr. NBA. Each NBA team chose a nominee, and coach interviews with the NBA and the Positive Coaching Alliance whittled down the candidates to 11. Votes by a panel of NBA and WNBA players, along with a vote on Twitter, determined the three finalists.
Driven to teach life lessons Berran, a coach and recent basketball president for the Eagan Athletic Association, received the Minnesota Timberwolves’ nomination. She had some connection with the local NBA organization, having worked with the Timberwolves & Lynx Basketball Academy. “She is driven to teach players [and] families life lessons through winning and losing,” said Timberwolves & Lynx Basketball Academy Manager Troy Pearson in an email to The Catholic Spirit. “Coach Berran is a tremendous tactician, teacher, motivator and leader. Her players play with obvious reduced amount[s] of anxiety and boosted selfconfidence; they compete with respect and have fun.” While Berran successfully meets the demands of coaching and serving in youth athletics on top of working as a human resources representative, she demonstrates her faith in subtle ways. It especially
Faith
takes center court for Jr. NBA award-winning coach By Matthew Davis • The Catholic Spirit guides how she treats her players, which starts when the girls walk into the gym. Each player greets Berran and her two assistant coaches with a handshake while catching up briefly. “It’s just a great way to practice life skills,” Berran said. “I feel like it’s a nice way for us, for the coaches, to bond with the girls.” Practices may have their fun moments, but include plenty of work on fundamentals. For instance, the players run through competitive free-throw shooting drills to prepare for close games. “She not only makes you a better athlete, she makes you a better person while playing,” said Ellen Slawin, who played for Berran’s seventh-grade team. “She pushes you to the limit.” During games, Berran gives all the players equal time on the court. The Eagan Athletic Association doesn’t require equal playing time, but Berran believes all youth players have potential to develop. Sometimes it helps her teams win, too. Once, she brought in a girl late in the game just to hit free throws. The player received a pass, clutched the ball and quickly drew a foul. The girl then sank the free throws to secure a win. “We both smiled at each other. ... ‘Yep, it worked out,’” Berran said. With a plethora of weekend tournaments, Berran makes Sunday Mass a priority, working around the game schedule. She said going to Mass rejuvenates her. “One thing that I love is that we’re there
worshipping with all these people. You’re part of this greater community [at Mass],” Berran said. “I leave every week feeling I have something I can take with me, and inspired to be a better person.” Berran’s coaching endeavors started when she attended Centennial High School in Circle Pines. She coached youth softball and basketball in addition to playing varsity girls hoops for the Chiefs at the time. Berran went on to play at LaSalle University where she met her husband, Matthew. They moved to Minnesota after college, and Berran has been coaching in the Eagan youth program for 10 years. That includes coaching all four of her children — Mary, Will, Jake and Emma, who played this year on her seventh-grade traveling team.
‘She’s always encouraging us’ Besides coaching, Berran served as the traveling basketball president for the Eagan Athletic Association until this year. She stepped down when she returned to full-time work at Hydra-Flex in order to balance time with family. Berran had been raising four children at home while coaching and serving with the Eagan Athletic Association on the side. She volunteered at St. John Neumann as a teacher in the Sunday school program and on a committee for first Communion. She taught her four children as they came through the program. Emma Berran said her mother approached teaching the faith with the same enthusiasm she has for coaching. “She’s always encouraging us,” she said. Those classes, she said, involved a fair amount of craft projects, which her mom enjoys. Carrie Berran has also shared that love with her basketball teams as a way to build community. Each season, she makes a picture collage that includes comments from each player and coach about where they succeeded. She normally shares them with the team after the season ends. This year, she decided to share it before the state title game. Her team went on to win, but the way they won stood out to her. “The girls walked into that game not only feeling confident about the game plan, but [also] confident about their skills and their place on the team,” Berran said. “We could have lost that game, but they just went out there and owned the court.”