July 16, 2020 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Boosting leadership New City Ministry celebrates 25 years of providing grants to minority Catholics — Pages 10-11
Virtual VBS Several parishes take online approach to vacation Bible school. — Page 6
Classroom return Leaders offer guidance for Catholic schools welcoming students back for in-person learning this fall. — Page 7
Bridging needs Church leader stresses importance of federal Paycheck Protection Program loans to Catholic delivery of social services, jobs and families. — Page 8
Our neighbor’s keeper Despite directives from health and Church officials, Catholics are divided over masking at Mass. Via video, Archbishop Hebda urges people to make that sacrifice for others. — Page 5 DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Churches, statues damaged in arson, vandalism By Pablo Kay Catholic News Service
Celebrating jubilees Religious men and women mark milestone anniversaries with their communities. — Pages 12-14
Shining Knight Lino Lakes parishioner named Minnesota Knight of the Year.
— Page 15
A fire that ravaged Mission San Gabriel Arcangel church in Los Angeles in the predawn hours of July 11 left behind a haunting scene. In a matter of minutes, the mission’s 230-year-old roof was nearly gone. Sunlight pouring down through the holes revealed charred planks that had crashed down on the church’s pews. The altar, along with the mission’s bell tower and museum, were spared, but the thick adobe walls were blackened. As bad as the damage is, it could have been worse. Because the church had been undergoing renovations, much of the artwork in the sanctuary, including historic paintings and other devotional artifacts, had been removed prior to the fire. Fire officials were investigating the cause of the blaze, which occurred on a weekend that also saw churches vandalized in other parts of the country. Statues of Mary were damaged in Queens, New York, and in Boston. In Ocala, Florida, a man drove a minivan into a Catholic church before pouring gasoline in the foyer and setting fire to the building. The devastation was just the latest blow to be suffered this year by Los Angeles’ oldest Catholic outpost. As 2020 started, preparations were underway to celebrate a “Jubilee Year” leading to the 250th anniversary of St. Junipero Serra’s founding of the mission Sept. 8, 1771. Those plans were postponed for a year after the coronavirus pandemic forced the shutdown of California churches and a lockdown of the economy.
Even as the church and other churches in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles reopened for public Masses, waves of anti-racism protests broke out across the country, protests that included attacks on public monuments and statues of figures from U.S. history, including statues of St. Junipero. In late June, statues to the California missionary were toppled in San Francisco and in Los Angeles. The weekend before the fire, a long-standing St. Junipero statue outside the state Capitol in Sacramento was felled. That same weekend before the fire, San Gabriel staff had removed one of St. Junipero’s statues from public view to keep it safe from possible vandalism. Catholics who showed up July 12 at the mission to pray were suspicious. The timing of the fire — and the broader attacks on St. Junipero statues and other church properties — was too much of a coincidence for them. “We don’t know how it happened, but it seems like the church is under attack. There’s a lot of resentment and a lot of anger,” Miguel Sanchez, president of the local “Knights on Bikes” chapter, told Angelus, the online news platform of the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Resilience was the theme at the start of Mass that morning inside the mission’s Chapel of the Annunciation, where the mission’s pastor, Claretian Father John Molyneux, made a bold pledge to Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles. “You will be back to celebrate our 250th anniversary in a rebuilt church,” Father Molyneux said. Archbishop Gomez, who had visited the mission just after the fire was contained
CNS
A statue of Mary defaced July 10 is on the grounds of Cathedral Prep School and Seminary in the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. In the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Catholics said they are worried that vandalization of statues and a July 11 fire that ravaged a historic church in the archdiocese could be part of attacks on the Church. and came back to celebrate Sunday Mass and show solidarity with grieving parishioners, sounded a hopeful note in his homily. “We are going to celebrate the 250th anniversary next year — for sure,” he told parishioners, who responded with cheers. “And this is the beginning of the next 250 years.”
2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JULY 16, 2020
PAGETWO NEWS notes
8 p.m. The evening hour during which members of the Interim Commission for Consecrated Life suggest a prayer they recently wrote could be prayed for an end to the sin of racism. The commission, which includes religious priests, brothers and sisters, members of secular institutes and consecrated virgins in the archdiocese, wrote the prayer following the death of George Floyd, an African American, at the hands of Minneapolis police officers between 8 and 9 p.m. May 25. The archdiocese’s delegate for consecrated life, Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Carolyn Puccio, said the commission hopes that the approximately 500 consecrated life members in the archdiocese, and all of the faithful, will use the prayer. Find the prayer and other resources on a Christian response to racism at archspm.org/ racism-response.
39,978 COURTESY BLESSED TRINITY CATHOLIC SCHOOL
RETIREMENT PARADE Jan Burkhartzmeyer, a preschool teacher for 36 years at Blessed Trinity Catholic School in Richfield, talks with a former student during a “retirement wave parade” June 30. The parade gave school families an opportunity to honor and celebrate Burkhartzmeyer and retiring kindergarten teacher Karen Peterson for their combined 75 years of service at Blessed Trinity. Archbishop Bernard Hebda stopped by to give a blessing to each teacher.
The number of Minnesotans who live in assisted living facilities, according to a 2017 Minnesota Department of Human Services study. In a YouTube video, Archbishop Bernard Hebda thanked Catholics in care facilities for their prayers and support, encouraged them in their faith, and prayed for an end to the pandemic and for “peace in our families and in our cities.” The video included an assurance that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass remains suspended during the pandemic. Not attending Mass and staying healthy is one way that seniors and others can lighten the burden and worry of doctors, nurses and first responders who must help those who do become ill with COVID-19, Archbishop Hebda said.
29 The number of offices that make up the Archdiocesan Catholic Center, including the offices of the archbishop and bishop, metropolitan tribunal, and others dedicated to vocations, Latino ministry, communications and evangelization. Archbishop Bernard Hebda announced June 23 that international management consulting firm McKinsey & Company is volunteering time to assist the archdiocese in a comprehensive evaluation of how well the Catholic Center is functioning and supporting the work of the Catholic community. The process begins this month with a 30-minute “Organizational Health Index” survey.
50
GREGORY A. SHEMITZ | CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
COVID TOLL Staff members from the Mexican consulate in New York, carrying boxes containing the cremated remains of 250 Mexicans who had died from COVID-19, exit St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City July 11, 2020, following a prayer service during which the ashes were blessed by New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan. The majority of the deceased had been employed as front-line workers in the New York area. The consulate helped plan the liturgy and arranged for the ashes to be transported by plane to Mexico following the service.
REDISCOVER:Hour On the show that aired July 10, Rediscover:Hour host Patrick Conley interviewed Jen Messing, executive director of Into the Deep retreats for young people centered around theology of the body; Father Joseph Bambenek, archdiocesan synod assistant director, for an update from the synod executive committee; and Nate Lamusga of the band Sonar Worship, who shares about evangelization through music ministry and the recent Catholic United Financial Bands Together Concert Series. Listen each week on Fridays at 9 a.m., Saturdays at noon, and Sundays at 2 p.m. on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Find past shows at rediscover.archspm.org.
CORRECTION The photo caption in the story “Goodbye, in stages” in the June 25 issue incorrectly identified the man on the right. He is Tom Strong, brother of Barbara Bovy, who is pictured in the center.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
United in Faith, Hope and Love
Vol. 25 — No. 13 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor-in-Chief JOE RUFF, News Editor
The number of years Rose Marie Hauer has served as lead musician and organist at St. Scholastica in Heidelberg, which is merged with St. Wenceslaus in New Prague. She received a Certificate of Appreciation during Mass May 24 signed by Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Father Eugene Theisen, pastor, and presented by Father Michael Skluzacek, the scheduled celebrant that day. Hauer began her role in 1970, taking over after the death of Barney Ademmer, who had held it for 60 years. At that time, Rose Marie and her husband, Don, were running their family farm and raising four children. They now live in New Prague.
10 The number of 2020 Catholic Press Association awards The Catholic Spirit won July 2 during the 2020 Catholic Media Virtual Conference. Awards included first place for best local news writing to Joe Ruff for a Feb. 7, 2019, story about homelessness in the Twin Cities, first place for best layout design to graphics and layout coordinator Caron Olhoft for the May 16, 2019, centerpiece “Communion of saints,” and first place for the redesign of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ website, led by Nicole Mamura, communications manager in its Office of Communications. Read more about the awards at TheCatholicSpirit.com.
17 The number of years The Catholic Spirit has recognized Catholic business men and women with the Leading With Faith Award. Due to complications surrounding COVID-19, The Catholic Spirit has made the difficult decision to suspend the 2020 Leading With Faith Awards. All 2020 nominees will be considered for the 2021 Leading With Faith Awards. Nominations for 2021 are being accepted at TheCatholicSpirit. com/LeadingWithFaith. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
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
JULY 16, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3
FROMTHEMODERATOROFTHECURIA ONLY JESUS | FATHER CHARLES LACHOWITZER
In the tangled mess, turn to Jesus through Mary
I
learned to tie knots as a child. Square, slip, clove hitch, two half hitches and bowline. I learned how to tie knots with a needle to start and finish a sewing project. I learned how to tie knots for fish hooks and anchor ropes. For some reason, I had the greatest difficulty with tying shoe laces. It would not be until I was a pastor that a staff member, seeing multiple knots in my shoelaces, demonstrated an easier way for this basic knot. Then there were the knots of childhood that were not so helpful. The unwanted knots in a tangled fishing line. The unwanted knot in my stomach before a big test at school, or whenever I had to stand up in front of the whole class, or when a hockey game was tied, with less than a minute to go. A bad knot might be the reason a boat is no longer at the dock. A bad knot can be a convenient excuse for why a big fish got away. A knotted muscle, called a “Charlie horse” can be excruciatingly painful. Recently, I was trying to tie down a load of lumber in the back of my truck with a coil of rope. I asked the lumber yard worker, “What knot is best?” He replied, “Ratchet straps.” Knots are also the metaphor for phrases like, “My hands are tied” and “I am all
tied up right now.” A good knot can hold earthly things in place and is an image for binding ourselves to God. Marriage is colloquially referred to as “tying the knot.” Some of my brother priests and I have a particular vesting routine that includes different styles of knots to tie up a cincture. Some Jewish people tie phylacteries to their arms and heads and use special knots in the strings that hang down from their prayer shawls. In sacred Scripture, there is quite a contrast between the corded whip that Jesus used to clear the temple area of cheating money changers and the corded whip used in his scourging. There is an image where this side of life is a bunch of tangled threads and knots. In heaven, we see the other side and it is a beautiful tapestry. A title for the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Mary Undoer (Untier) of Knots,” comes from an early 18th century painting in Germany. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, when he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, used this title in a prayer for marriages that were undergoing difficulties. For our own archdiocese, after the difficult move to a rented office space, the new chapel in the Archdiocesan Catholic Center was dedicated to Mary, Undoer of Knots. Whenever we experience knots that defy untying, we in humility turn to Jesus. Whatever knots need undoing, whether the financial challenges of the
Whenever we experience knots that defy untying, we in humility turn to Jesus.
unemployed, the assault on the unborn’s right to life, the sin of racism that leaves people un-included, the lack of charity that relegates certain people as unlovable or the malaise of the uninvolved, let us turn in prayer to Mary, Undoer of Knots.
Mary, Undoer of Knots, pray for me. Virgin Mary, Mother of fair love, Mother who never refuses to come to the aid of a child in need, Mother whose hands never cease to serve your beloved children because they are moved by the divine love and immense mercy that exist in your heart, cast your compassionate eyes upon me and see the snarl of knots that exists in my life. You know very well how desperate I am, my pain, and how I am bound by these knots. Mary, Mother to whom God entrusted the undoing of the knots in the lives of his children, I entrust into your hands the ribbon of my life. No one, not even the evil one himself, can take it away from your precious care. In your hands there is no knot that cannot be undone. Powerful Mother, by your grace and intercessory power with your Son and my liberator, Jesus, take into your hands today this knot. (Mention your request here.) I beg you to undo it for the glory of God, once for all. You are my hope. O my Lady, you are the only consolation God gives me, the fortification of my feeble strength, the enrichment of my destitution, and, with Christ, the freedom from my chains. Hear my plea. Keep me, guide me, protect me, o safe refuge! An icon of Mary Undoer of Knots in Augsburg, Germany. CNS
En el lío enredado, recurra a Jesús a través de María
E
n el lío enredado, recurra a Jesús a través de María Aprendí a hacer nudos cuando era niño. Cuadrado, el nudo corredizo, ballestrinque, dos cotes y bolina. Aprendí a atar nudos con una aguja para comenzar y terminar un proyecto de costura. Aprendí a atar nudos para anzuelos y cuerdas de anclaje. Por alguna razón, tuve la mayor dificultad para atar los cordones de los zapatos. No sería hasta que fuera un pastor que un miembro del personal, al ver varios nudos en los cordones de mis zapatos, demostró una forma más fácil para este nudo básico. Luego estaban los nudos de la infancia que no fueron tan útiles. Los nudos no deseados en una línea de pesca enredada. El nudo no deseado en mi estómago antes de una gran prueba en la escuela, o cada vez que tenía que pararme frente a toda la clase, o cuando un partido de hockey estaba atado con menos de un minuto para el final. Un mal nudo podría ser la razón por la cual un barco ya no está en el muelle. Un nudo malo puede ser una excusa conveniente de por qué se escapó un pez grande. Un músculo anudado, llamado “caballo Charlie” puede ser terriblemente doloroso. Recientemente, estaba intentando atar una carga de madera en la parte trasera de mi camioneta con una bobina de cuerda. Le pregunté al trabajador del aserradero: “¿Qué nudo es el mejor?” Él respondió: “Correas de trinquete”. Los nudos también son una metáfora
María, desata de nudos, ruega por mí. Virgen María, Madre de amor justo, Madre que nunca se rehúsa a ayudar a un niño necesitado, Madre cuyas manos nunca dejan de servir a sus amados hijos porque se sienten conmovidos por el amor divino y la inmensa misericordia que existe en su corazón. Echa tus ojos compasivos sobre mí y mira el gruñido de nudos que existe en mi vida. Sabes muy bien cuán desesperada estoy, mi dolor y cómo estoy atado por estos nudos. María, Madre a quien Dios confió la desaparición de los nudos en la vida de sus hijos, confié en tus manos el lazo de mi vida. Nadie, ni siquiera el maligno mismo, puede quitárselo a su precioso cuidado. En tus manos no hay nudos que no se puedan deshacer. Madre poderosa, por tu gracia y poder de intercesión con Tu Hijo y Mi Libertador, Jesús, toma hoy en tus manos este nudo. (Mencione su solicitud aquí.) Te ruego que lo deshagas para la gloria de Dios, de una vez por todas. Eres mi esperanza. Oh mi Señora, eres el único consuelo que Dios me da, el fortalecimiento de mi débil fuerza, el enriquecimiento de mi miseria y, con Cristo, la libertad de mis cadenas. Escucha mi súplica. ¡Guárdame, guíame, protégeme, oh refugio seguro!
de las frases como “Mis manos están atadas” y “Estoy todo atado ahora”. Un buen nudo puede mantener las cosas terrenales en su lugar y es una imagen para unirnos a Dios. El matrimonio se conoce coloquialmente como “atar
el nudo”. Algunos de mis hermanos sacerdotes y yo tenemos una rutina particular de vestiduras que incluye los diferentes estilos de nudos que se usan para atar una cincha. Hasta el día de hoy, algunos judíos todavía atan filacterias a sus brazos y cabezas y usan nudos especiales en las cuerdas que cuelgan de sus chales de oración. En las Sagradas Escrituras, hay un gran contraste entre el látigo con cable que Jesús usó para limpiar el área del templo de los cambiadores de dinero engañosos y el látigo con cable utilizado en su flagelación. Hay una imagen donde este lado de la vida es un montón de hilos y nudos enredados. En el cielo, vemos el otro lado y es un hermoso tapiz. Un título para la Santísima Virgen María, “Mary Undoer (Untier) of Knots”, proviene de una pintura de principios del siglo XVIII en Alemania. Nuestro Santo Padre, el Papa Francisco, cuando era arzobispo de Buenos Aires, usó este título en una oración por los matrimonios que estaban experimentando dificultades. Para nuestra propia arquidiócesis, después de la difícil mudanza a un espacio de oficina alquilado, la nueva capilla en el Centro Católico Arquidiocesano se dedicó a María, Desata los Nudos. Cada vez que experimentamos los nudos que desafían la desvinculación, con humildad nos volvemos a Jesús. Cualesquiera que sean los nudos que se deban deshacer, ya sean los desafíos financieros de los desempleados, el asalto
al derecho a la vida de los no nacidos, el pecado de racismo que deja a las personas sin incluir, la falta de caridad que relega a ciertas personas como desamorosas o el malestar de los no involucrados, volvámonos en oración a María, Desata los Nudos.
OFFICIAL Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:
Effective July 1, 2020 Reverend Stefano Colombo, FSCB, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Peter in North Saint Paul. Father Colombo is a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo. Reverend Timothy Combs, OP, assigned to the faculty of the University of Saint Thomas in St. Paul. Father Combs is a priest of the Dominican Friars Central Province of Saint Albert the Great. Reverend Daniel Mould, FSSP,
assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of All Saints in Minneapolis. Father Mould is a priest of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. Reverend Cassian Sama, OP,
assigned as hospital chaplain to the University of Minnesota Medical Center (M Health Fairview). Father Sama is a priest of the Dominican Friars Central Province of Saint Albert the Great.
4 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JULY 16, 2020
LOCAL
SLICEof LIFE
LOCAL
4 • The Catholic Spirit
March 9, 2017
A time to plant ‘Angel’ among us
SLICEof LIFE
Grace Channing, left, holds a metal pot containing soil and wheat seeds June 28 as she listens with her mother, to instructions for Sister growing St.Katie, Joseph of Carondelet Avis the seeds at St. talks Cecilia in St. Paul. Allmaras, center, with Rose Carter, Eight anticipating their firstin left, andchildren Irene Eiden at Peace House Communion participated the activity south Minneapolis Feb. 27. in Sister Avis as atohands-on way to prepare for goes the center weekly and visits the sacrament. Theresa frequent guests like Carter.O’Toole, Eiden, of ministry and St.catechetical William in Fridley, is coordinator, a lay consociate Pat Roberts, catechist, brought of Mary the Carondelet Sisters. Peace Housethe is materials planting andhomeless. distributed a day shelterforforthe the poor and seeds to privilege each child. how “It’s a real to They knowexplained these people to hear care their for them and led a brief prayer and stories,” Sister Avis said. “I service. When the grown like wheat could not survive on fully the streets they harvested in many the fall, children use it do.isThere are so gifted people to make breadAvis: as a“She’s way of here.” Saidunleavened Carter of Sister Eucharist. “There anconnecting angel. She with hidesthe her wings under that are a lot ofShe Bible stories, parables sweatshirt. truly is an both angel.” andHrbacek/The Old (Testament) Bible stories Dave Catholic Spirit that revolve around wheat and bread,” Roberts said. “And so, this is a way to draw those in and refer the kids back to something they actually did.” National Catholic Sisters Week is O’Toole added: “I think it just brings it to March 8-14. An official componentlife, of rather than just Month hearingand (about it).” The Women’s History event is an annual tradition at the headquartered at St.spring Catherine University back women this year in parish, St. Paul,but theit was weekpushed celebrates due to COVID-19 restrictions. to the religious and their contributions
Celebrating sisters
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Church and society. View local events, including two art exhibitions, at www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org.
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LOCAL
JULY 16, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5
Masking at Mass
Some will, some won’t — but many have strong opinions By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Mask wearing is something Astrid Liden says she feels “extremely” passionate about. A cantor at St. Therese in Deephaven, she’s been intimately familiar with her parish’s plan to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, even before it reopened for public Masses. The 19-year-old sang for livestreamed Masses, and now she’s leading music for the socially distanced, in-person Masses. Liden takes off her mask only to sing, she explained. And she struggles to understand why others don’t take maskwearing as seriously as she does. “There’s no reason for you not to wear one,” she said, noting that her parish offers free masks at the entrance. “It kind of hurts me to see people walk by the masks table without a mask. It’s just kind of a slap in the face.” Public health officials have recommended that people wear masks inside enclosed spaces, such as a store or church, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has mandated mask use in many indoor spaces, and Gov. Tim Walz said he is considering new mask measures in Minnesota. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ COVID19-related recommendations to parishes strongly encourage Mass participants to use social distancing and wear masks during the in-person liturgies that resumed in May, following a two-month suspension. In practice, mask-wearing varies dramatically in parishes across the archdiocese, with some Catholics reporting it’s a requirement at their parish, and others saying few people wear masks at their parish. In that way, mask-wearing at church has paralleled public mask-use in general, which has seen variance across the state and country. A June Pew Research Center survey found that about two-thirds of U.S. adults say they wear a mask most of the time, but fewer than half reported that most people in their area wear masks most of the time. Meanwhile, some see mask use — or not — as a partisan issue or a political statement, with political conservatives less likely to mask than political liberals. An April Gallup poll found women, city and suburb residents, college graduates and Democrats are more likely to report wearing masks. It also found Americans who live in the western and northeastern parts of the United States were more likely to report mask-wearing than Americans in the Midwest or South. Laura Carr said she senses a partisan divide on the matter, but she hopes that’s not what’s influencing mask-wearing at her parish, Epiphany in Coon Rapids. She sees the decision whether to wear a mask as “a prudential judgment on the part of the wearer,” she said. Her family currently chooses not to wear masks. “For us, to wear a mask at Mass would be to say, ‘I am afraid I might get the virus’ and ‘I’m afraid I might have and spread the virus.’ It also says, ‘I believe this mask prevents that.’ We have not bought into these fears or assumptions, nor are we convinced that mask-wearing is an effective solution for this poorly understood virus,” said Carr, a 34-year-old mother of two, who is also pregnant. “We don’t believe reducing ourselves and others to ‘virus-carriers’ is a loving or dignified view of ourselves and fellow Catholics that belongs in the house and presence of the Lord.” She said that she would mask if her pastor or bishop directed her to. “We would not disobey their orders,” she explained. Carr spoke with The Catholic Spirit July 7, the same day Archbishop Bernard Hebda released a video on YouTube thanking Catholics for wearing masks and encouraging them to continue to wear masks. “While I realize that there are lots of opinions out there, the safest path seems to be following the recommendations of the Minnesota Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control,” he said. He also encouraged people who find masks uncomfortable, or for whom it’s a sacrifice to wear, to unite that sacrifice to the suffering of people around the world. The video prompted a range of reactions on social media, from people thanking Archbishop Hebda to others accusing him of fearmongering. In a separate
In this photo illustration, Hazel Jordan, an employee at Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis, wears a mask while kneeling inside the church. Our Lady of Lourdes requires everyone attending Mass to wear a mask. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
ARCHBISHOP: ‘WEAR YOUR MASK’ Archbishop Bernard Hebda thanked Catholics for following safety protocols at Mass, including wearing masks, and asked them to continue to, in a short YouTube video posted July 7. “As a Church that is pro-life, we need to embrace those practices that will reasonably minimize the risk of harm to our most vulnerable brothers and sisters,” he said. “Please continue to follow the protocols adopted by your parish. Wear your mask.” Wearing a white mask with blue stripes and standing in the Archdiocesan Catholic Center chapel, Archbishop Hebda began the three-minute, twenty-second video quipping, “It may be hard to tell, but this is Archbishop Bernard Hebda behind the mask.” He went on to thank viewers for prayers and support, “not just for me,” he said, “but for each other during the pandemic and the social unrest we’ve seen and experienced over the past few months.” Many people have expressed their gratitude for the limited return to public Mass, while others have expressed “words of caution,” he said. Most people have mentioned the “tremendous work” of their priests and parishes to make Mass as safe as possible, he said. “I love hearing about ongoing online and parking lot Masses,” he said. “It’s important for us to stay connected to each other and to the sacraments as much as we are able.” He thanked priests and parish teams for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then thanked “each and every one of you for following the safety protocols” recommended by Minnesota health officials. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis adopted those protocols when limited public Masses resumed May 18, two months after Archbishop Hebda first suspended public Masses March 18 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. “I suspect that there are very few people who enjoy wearing a mask, but our desire to work for the common good leads us to do that whenever we come together in church, much as when we go to the grocery store, the pharmacy and the many other places we visit during our day,” he added. He continued: “It is my hope that our mask wearing and social distancing will continue to keep hospital and intensive care unit beds open for those who need emergency care. I ask you to please continue to wear a face covering to protect yourself, your family and others. It’s especially important now as we have seen infection numbers spike across the country. No one wants to see public Masses suspended again.” — Maria Wiering query, The Catholic Spirit asked its Facebook followers July 7 if they wear a mask to Mass, and why or why not. The post received more than 200 comments. Some people said they felt comfortable removing their mask during Mass because they feel social distancing
is sufficient, or they found it difficult to breathe while wearing a mask. Some called mask wearing a government conspiracy. A few said that wearing masks is a sign of fear, and “fear is not from the Lord.” Others said they wore their mask because of advice from health experts and out of respect for others. “Yes because I value the lives of people around me, as well as the people around them,” one man replied. One woman said that the commenters who replied “no” were the reason she could not safely attend Mass at this time. Sarah Stanbary, a parishioner of St. Joseph in West St. Paul, also has yet to return to a regular Sunday Mass since public worship resumed, despite her desire to do so. Part of her reluctance about returning is mask wearing. Her husband wears one, but she has long struggled with fainting or feeling faint at Mass and is concerned wearing a mask will exacerbate that. Meanwhile, her six young children also struggle to keep their masks on, and it’s confusing to her 6-month-old baby to see her mother’s face covered, she said. For now, she’s content to continue family worship on Sundays at home. But she is looking for a parish where social distancing is practiced, but where leaving her face uncovered would not be interpreted as disrespectful. “More than anything, it’s almost like a sign of solidarity and respect for those who are vulnerable,” said Stanbary, 40. “Even though we’re not 100% sure if it’s even helpful, if it’s even doing anything.” At St. Therese, Liden said that one reason she feels so strongly about mask wearing is because her 86-yearold grandmother lives with her family, and she wants to protect her, and wants others to protect her, too. Experts say that most masks currently being used aren’t designed to protect the wearer, but to prevent the wearer from spreading COVID-19 if he or she has the illness but is unaware. People who know or suspect they have the illness are encouraged to quarantine. An incoming sophomore at Columbia University, Liden returned to the Twin Cities as the novel coronavirus began to hit New York. For her, forgoing singing with a choir at Mass for the time being — another COVID-19 precaution, because of the way singing projects the voice and mucous droplets from the mouth — is a sacrifice. But it’s one she’s willing to live with if it could help protect others. Most people at St. Therese are wearing masks, she said, and she’s grateful. She said a few weeks ago, St. Therese’s pastor, Father Leonard Andrie, thanked the congregation for wearing masks and keeping others safe. “And those comments,” Liden said, “have started making people wear masks.”
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No vacation for vacation Bible school By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit Nine-year-old Nicholas Costa still gets excited when he talks about his first two times attending vacation Bible school at Sts. Joachim and Anne in Shakopee. “The music was my favorite activity,” he said. “We sing and we dance. I really like singing.” He also enjoyed projects and crafts, describing the rosary he made out of beads and the boat he made from Styrofoam that actually floated. After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled in-person classes at schools this spring, including those at Shakopee Area Catholic School, which Costa attends, his family and others wondered about the fate of vacation Bible school. But it will continue July 27-31 at Costa’s parish — this time as a virtual vacation Bible school. Several other parishes are taking a similar route for the program, which is often provided using curriculum and activity packages purchased through various publishers. Many of the parishes mounting a virtual VBS will post videos on their websites, inviting families to watch at times convenient for them. Information for activities and crafts will be available online or as part of a package of materials that parents can bring home. Sts. Joachim and Anne teamed with three other parishes — Our Lady of Grace in Edina, St. John the Baptist in Savage and St. Patrick in Inver Grove Heights — to develop creative ways to attract and engage participants in preschool through grade six during this summer’s pandemic-related restrictions. The parishes chose a railroad and train engine theme, which signifies how Jesus’ power pulls people through life, said Kathleen Dierberger, faith formation coordinator for grades K-6 at Sts. Joachim and Anne. To help generate interest, the parishes created a railroad-themed video showing pastors and staff encouraging families to enroll their children in VBS. They also created a “VBS in a Box” for families to take home, which includes daily VBS activities, crafts, music, videos, stickers, coloring sheets and a T-shirt. Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata is using a construction theme this year for its virtual vacation Bible school.
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Children sing during Totus Tuus at Epiphany in Coon Rapids June 27, 2019. It describes how participants can “build up” their lives through faith in God. Each session uses a theme of the day pertaining to building a house: planning, building, wiring, transforming and being welcomed home. Daily activities are camp-like — music and a Bible story, a craft related to the day’s theme and an outdoor activity for the family. A construction theme also runs through Guardian Angels in Oakdale’s vacation Bible school July 27-31. Open to children in the community ages 4 through fifth grade, “Concrete and Cranes” combines building on the love of Jesus and having participants build their own Bible school this year. Families have the option of using Zoom or online videos to connect with VBS leaders. Pax Christi in Eden Prairie has hosted what it calls “the best week of the summer” for more than 30 years, welcoming children ages 3 through fifth grade. The Bible camp earned an award in 2019 for the favorite Bible camp in the Eden Prairie area, bringing hundreds of campers and volunteers together for faith, fun and friendship, said Renee Dignan, camp director. This summer, the parish is offering a Kids for Kindness “backyard family camp” July 2024. Camp themes and Scripture passages will address “Who is my neighbor?” One reason staff chose a good neighbor theme is due to the racial unrest in the Twin Cities earlier this year, Dignan said. Parents will do “curbside pickup” of materials at the parish for the camp, including Bible stories, crafts
and snacks, as well as suggestions for 100 acts of kindness and a variety of service opportunities, such as sending greeting cards to local senior care centers and contributing food to the Pax Christi Burgundy Bag Program. Families can write words of encouragement and prayers for others on a “kindness tree” near the church’s front entrance. Games relating to Bible stories and music are part of the camp experience this year. “Kids for Kindness will plant the seeds of how we share the love of God with each other and show our love and support for others,” Dignan said. The Zschokke family from St. John the Baptist in Savage has sent all four of their children to their parish’s VBS over the years. Patrick, 9, still attends camp, but the three older children, ages 17 to 22, volunteered as teenagers after being participants. Daughter Alicen, 22, said one of her favorite parts of VBS, year after year, was getting to experience childlike faith all over again. “The kids’ energy and seeing the Scriptures through their eyes keeps me grounded in my faith and rejuvenates me every year,” she said. Her mother, Anne, also volunteered at camp in child care. She was excited that the parish will coordinate the camp virtually this summer starting Aug. 3. “With all the social distancing, it’s so easy to feel isolated,” she said. A virtual VBS helps people feel like they’re still connected, she said. Anne’s family enjoys the camp’s uplifting music each year, she said. “To have your kids walking around the house singing about Jesus is a pretty cool experience.” Two other popular summer Catholic programs for children have modified their programs due to COVID-19. The long-running Totus Tuus program, which is led by young adults and run by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, is not being offered at parishes — but an online version out of Michigan is available. Meanwhile, parish-based Extreme Faith Camps for middle-schoolage children are taking place with modifications, said John O’Sullivan, youth minister at St. Michael in St. Michael, who started the camps in 2001.
Archdiocese restricts Haas’ concerts, will not use his compositions By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Catholic hymn composer David Haas is not permitted to give presentations, workshops or concerts at events hosted by Catholic entities in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and his music will no longer be used at archdiocesan events, the archdiocese announced July 8. Tim O’Malley, archdiocesan director of ministerial standards, said in a statement that the archdiocese has received new, independent reports from women in different parts of the United States alleging that Haas “engaged in inappropriate conduct” with
them when they were young adults in the 1980s. The reports are “similar in nature to the conduct described in previous allegations,” O’Malley said. Haas has denied any wrongdoing. Archbishop Bernard Hebda determined that Haas may not give presentations or concerts at Catholic entities such as parishes, schools and other institutions in the archdiocese, and the archdiocese will not use his music at archdiocesan Masses or events, O’Malley said. Archbishop Hebda has also encouraged pastors and other Catholic leaders “to consider the sensitivities involved with using Haas’ music in liturgies or other parish or school events.”
JULY 16, 2020
Father Keane remembered for many talents, social justice By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit Mike Keane remembers his uncle, Father Robert Keane, as something of a Renaissance man. He produced art. He was well versed in philosophy, theology and literature. He recited poetry — Poe, Shelley and others. “He grew up in a generation that memorized poetry,” said Keane, an attorney FATHER ROBERT KEANE in Manhattan who grew up at Incarnation in Minneapolis. He said Father Keane’s nephews and nieces appreciated when their uncle, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, helped them with their homework. “He could remember formulas for sine and cosine well into his 90s,” Mike Keane said. He died July 6 in Minneapolis, his hometown, at age 95. Father Keane spent his early years at Holy Rosary in Minneapolis and graduated from the then-College of St. Thomas in St. Paul with a degree in physics and mathematics. He served in the South Pacific during World War II as a radio ensign aboard the USS Teton. He was ordained a priest in 1978 after an engineering career with Honeywell in Minneapolis, California and Connecticut. “His calling was really to be a priest,” Keane said. “He was a good priest in that he always ministered to people. He was a priest long before he was ordained. He was a priest long after he retired.” Keane said that while Father Keane’s memory faded in his later years, he never forgot that he was a priest. He was just a charismatic presence,” Keane said. “He brought joy everywhere he went.” But the priest also was humble and modest, his nephew said. “He cared about people and he saw the value in every individual he encountered,” Keane said. For example, his uncle ministered to the homeless and went out of his way to make sure that when people who appeared to have no family died, they received a proper burial, he said. After his ordination, Father Keane was assigned to St. Stephen in Minneapolis as assistant priest and ministered there for three years. Ed Flahavan was pastor at the time. “He had a good sense of humor, was mature and was steady,” the former priest said. Many people in the neighborhood lived in poverty, and the parish opened its rectory basement as a 12-hour emergency shelter, Flahavan said. The parish gave meal vouchers to a local restaurant for those in need, and later served hot meals in the school basement. With help from Father Keane in its early stages, that effort grew into what has become the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Loaves and Fishes, which in 2018 alone served more than 1 million meals to people in need from sites around Minnesota. Father Rodger Bauman, the pastor of Guardian Angels in Oakdale who was ordained in 1982, said he met Father Keane at his first assignment at St. Edward in Bloomington, while Father Keane was its pastor. “He was very fiscally responsible,” Father Bauman said, noting Father Keane’s heart was in the Church’s teachings on social justice. In addition to serving at St. Stephen and St. Edward, Father Keane served at St. Helena in Minneapolis, St. William in Fridley, St. Mark in St. Paul, and Holy Name and Annunciation, both in Minneapolis. After retiring in 1994, Father Keane served as parochial administrator of St. Richard in 1996 and St. Peter in 1997, both in Richfield. A funeral Mass was held July 15 at Annunciation with burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Minneapolis. A celebration of Father Keane’s life will be held at a later date.
JULY 16, 2020
LOCAL
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7
Say hello to reading, writing — and social distancing By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit
S
tudents entering Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at the end of this summer will find a new landscape. And new rules. At Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School in St. Paul, students will see a newly painted playground designed to promote activities that are safe to play while curbing the spread of COVID-19, said Kate Wollan, Nativity’s principal. Inside, they’ll see desks spaced farther apart than last year to meet social distancing recommendations. Desks for younger children will be inside individual boxes that are taped to the floor. “Desks move around a lot with little kids,” Wollan explained. Before opening day, a group of teachers will mark walls with “joyful colors,” circles and other images, Wollan said, to help children know where to stand. “How do you mark your building to show kids visually and in an aesthetically pleasing, delightful way?” Wollan said. “How do you help them know which hallway to walk down? Which way do we walk down that hallway? … We’ll almost make it a … bit of a game for our little kids, whenever we can.” Similarly, at Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Columbia Heights, colorful yellow “shoeprints” and blue tape will help students line up in hallways while keeping the recommended physical distance. Visual cues, distancing in classrooms and hallways, and other changes will be in place to protect the health and safety of students, teachers and other staff members. They are among issues schools are wrestling with as they prepare to reopen. School leaders in the 79 Catholic elementary schools in the archdiocese, consulting with groups of teachers, parents and community members, are deciding how to implement dozens of health and safety protocols. An archdiocesan task force for reopening elementary schools — which, along with schools statewide, closed their campuses
and began distance-learning in mid-March because of the COVID-19 pandemic — included Wollan and provided the schools with research-based information on subjects ranging from handwashing to food service, respiratory etiquette and much more. Should school staff take students’ temperatures each morning? What happens when parents or vendors visit the school? How will schools accommodate children whose health status requires them to be at home? These are all decisions that individual schools need to make, said Kevin Ferdinandt, headmaster of St. Agnes School in St. Paul and a member of the task force. Factors like the size of schools’ student bodies and facility layout inform the best decisions for any particular school, he said. St. Agnes plans to send an update to parents about its work on the protocols in mid-July and a second communication in early August. Jane Bona, principal at Immaculate Conception and a task force member, said school families should know that all schools in the archdiocese are JANE BONA taking reopening very seriously. They are working with the strongest researchbased information available, she emphasized. “Our mission as Catholic schools is at the heart of all that we do,” Bona said. “So we need to have that in mind as we develop these protocols. I have all the confidence and faith that we will get this done in the best, responsible way.” While the state’s public school leaders have yet to determine their fall plans, task force members feel confident about Catholic schools’ decision to return to classrooms at the beginning of the school year. “We believe our children really learn best in a school setting,” she said.
Aim Higher expands scholarship focus for COVID concerns Catholic school families hit hard by COVID-19related job or income loss have time before the school year starts to get some extra help. The Aim Higher Foundation, which awards need-based scholarships to families who send their children to Catholic elementary schools, has an Aug. 7 deadline for new applications or updates to families’ projected income that were made in their spring applications. Aim Higher, a nonprofit based in St. Paul that serves the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, always gives priority in summer applications to students who would be new to a Catholic school, said Ricky Austin, the foundation’s director of programs and communications. That continues, but this year priority also is extended to families impacted by COVID-19, he said. “And we are awarding more money this summer compared to last year, partly because we are growing as a foundation, and partly because we want to help families most affected by the pandemic,” Austin said. This year, grants awarded from spring and summer applications are expected to reach nearly $2 million — an estimated 55% increase over last year, he said. The scholarships provide $1,000 toward the cost
of tuition. They “follow the student,” meaning once students receive a scholarship, they will continue to do so if families apply each year and show continued financial need. Scholarships also follow students if they transfer to another Catholic school in the archdiocese. To apply for grants for the 2020-2021 school year, families must apply online at mytads.com. TADS is a Minneapolis-based company that helps schools determine families’ eligibility for financial aid. Aim Higher and TADS offer support in Spanish, and will help families find the appropriate technology if they have no computer or internet access. Austin recalled Archbishop Bernard Hebda saying at the foundation’s fundraising gala last fall that making Catholic schools accessible to all children is the responsibility of the entire Catholic community. “We are answering that call,” Austin said, “providing the opportunity for those with the means to give to children today the same benefits they and their children experienced in a Catholic school.” To learn more, visit the foundation’s website, aimhigherfoundation.org, or call or email Austin at 612-819-6711 and raustin@aimhigherfoundation.org. — Barb Umberger
CLASSROOM RETURN When schools closed their campuses to curb the spread of COVID-19 in March, 28,000 students in Catholic schools in the archdiocese continued their learning — from home. Now schools are preparing to welcome students back for in-person instruction when the school year begins. The Catholic Spirit asked leaders in the archdiocese’s Office for the Mission of Catholic Education about their efforts to provide guidance to Catholic school leaders, who are responsible for developing school-specific plans to make the return safe for their students.
Q As you anticipate students returning to in-person school in the fall, with lots of precautions to mitigate COVID risk, is the Catholic schools office mandating or recommending certain precautions?
A In order to welcome students back
into Catholic school buildings this fall, Catholic schools are required to implement a set of health and safety actions to mitigate the risk of infectious disease.
Q What will Catholic schools do
if Gov. Tim Walz, city or other local officials declare that all public schools in a district or across the state should close because of the pandemic?
A As we did during the early stages
of the COVID-19 crisis this past spring when Gov. Walz closed public schools, the archdiocese will prudently assess the circumstances and respond accordingly.
Q Where can people learn more
about the archdiocese’s schoolopening plans? Individual school plans?
A Bishop Andrew Cozzens and
Dr. Jason Slattery (the archdiocesan director of Catholic education) addressed a letter to all Catholic school families in May in which they articulated the archdiocese’s plans to move forward in solidarity with Catholic school leaders in planning for in-person learning in the fall. If families have not received the letter, they may contact their school principal to receive a copy. Families should contact individual principals to learn the specific health and safety plans that will be in place for each school.
Q Should parents be prepared to
potentially return to distance learning at some point in the year? What factors would play into that decision?
A Catholic schools are planning
on returning to in-person learning at the start of the 2020-21 school year. COVID-19 has taught us the need for the development of multiple contingencies. As a point of reference,
it may be good to remember that when the decision was made to close Catholic school buildings in March, the 91 Catholic schools of the archdiocese made a plan and transitioned to distance learning within a matter of days. Parents, students, and teachers displayed heroic efforts to keep our students learning. There were aspects of distance learning that were a real struggle, and there were aspects that showed real strength. We point this out because in March we didn’t have the opportunity of planning for what we were facing. The benefit of summer provides us the space to reflect on our approach for autumn.
Q If parents or guardians decide not
to put their students in a Catholic school because of the coronavirus, can Catholic schools work with those families to ensure their children can still receive a Catholic education?
A Catholic schools are encouraged to
work with families to create alternative learning plans for Catholic school students who may not be able to return to in-person learning this fall. We recognize that the experience of learning in the classroom is irreplaceable in many ways. It is good to remember that this situation that we are facing together with COVID-19 is transitory; it won’t last forever. While nothing ever goes back to exactly the way we remember it, with the help of God we will be together again teaching and learning in Catholic school classrooms.
Q What is the most important thing
you would like parents to know as they enter an uncertain fall in regards to sending their children to a Catholic school during the pandemic?
A Catholic education is a priority of
the Church. The Church stands ready to accompany families in the essential work of educating children in the light of faith. With the information that is currently available, the prudential way to continue this mission is by preparing our Catholic schools now to safely welcome students back into school buildings for in-person learning this fall. — The Catholic Spirit
JULY 16, 2020
8 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
NATION+WORLD
Archbishop Coakley: Loans keep essential ministries going By Julie Asher Catholic News Service The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ domestic policy committee said the federal emergency “bridge loans” that dioceses, parishes and other Catholic entities applied for provided a lifeline, allowing “our essential ministries to continue to function in a time of national emergency.” “The Catholic Church is the largest nongovernmental supplier of social services in the United States,” said Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City. “Each year, our parishes, schools and ministries serve millions of people in need, regardless of race, ethnicity or religion.” “The novel coronavirus only intensified the needs of the people we serve and the demand for our ministries,” he said. “The loans we applied for enabled our essential ministries to continue to function in a time of national emergency.” The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and several of its parishes and schools are among recipients of Paycheck Protection Program loans. Archbishop Coakley, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, made his comments in a statement released late July 10 in response to an Associated Press story claiming the Catholic Church “used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion” in federal loans. The AP story described the loans as “the Church’s haul” and claimed the total amount might “have reached — or even
exceeded — $3.5 billion, making a global religious institution with more than a billion followers among the biggest winners in the U.S. government’s pandemic relief efforts.” The news service said its July 10 story was based on its analysis of recently released federal data. “The Paycheck Protection Program was designed to protect the jobs of Americans from all walks of life, regardless of whether they work for for-profit or nonprofit employers, faithbased or secular,” Archbishop Coakley said. “The shutdown orders and economic fallout associated with the virus have affected everyone, including the thousands of Catholic ministries — churches, schools, health care and social services — that employ about 1 million people in the United States,” the archbishop said. “These loans have been an essential lifeline to keep hundreds of thousands of employees on payroll, ensure families maintain their health insurance, and enable lay workers to continue serving their brothers and sisters during this crisis.” By some estimates, thousands of individual churches, schools, food pantries and other social service programs would have shuttered all around the country were it not for the federal loan program. In early April, Congress approved — and President Donald Trump signed into law — the $349 billion Paycheck Protection Program as part of a $484 billion emergency relief measure developed in response to the economic fallout caused by the spread of COVID-19. Congress later allocated an additional $310 billion for the loan program, which is
administered by the Small Business Administration. In late April, statistics compiled by the Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference showed that 8,000 parishes, 1,400 elementary schools, 700 high schools, 104 chanceries, 185 Catholic Charities agencies and 200 other diocesan organizations in 160 dioceses had applied for assistance at that point. Even with the emergency loans, “more than 100 Catholic schools have announced that they plan to close, with hundreds more facing an uncertain future,” Archbishop Coakley said. “Businesses, hospitals, schools, and churches all across the country are facing many of the exact same problems.” The latest school closures came July 9 in the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. The archdiocese announced that 20 schools will not reopen in the fall and three will merge because of the financial fallout caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. About 2,500 students and 350 staff members in the archdiocese will be affected. The Brooklyn Diocese announced it will close six schools that have more than $630,000 in outstanding tuition payments. According to CNN, more than 4.8 million small business owners have used the PPP program. On June 30, the U.S. Senate extended to Aug. 8 the deadline to apply for the loans. The extension came as over $130 billion allocated to the program remained unused. Loans under the program are partly “forgivable,” meaning the money does not need to be repaid if the employer uses #: 40116-2018 the money forJob payroll costs, Size: 9.75" x 7.75" mortgage, rent and utilities. Folded Size: NA
CNS Twin sisters Ervina and Prefina, who had been joined from the back of the head since birth, are pictured with their mother, Ermine, at the Bambino Gesu hospital in Rome in this photo released July 8.
Conjoined twins separated at Vatican-owned hospital By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service After more than a year of preliminary studies and three difficult operations, a medical team at the Vatican-owned pediatric hospital successfully separated conjoined twin girls. Born with an extremely rare condition of being totally joined at the back of the cranium, the 2-year-old girls, Ervina and Prefina, had recovered well from their last procedure June 5 and were expected to continue thriving, staff at the Bambino Gesu pediatric hospital said at a news conference July 7, according to Vatican News. The girls were born on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, June 29, 2018, in Mbaiki, Central African Republic, then taken to the capital, Bangui, to the children’s hospital Pope Francis had visited in 2015 and continued to support with donations and assistance afterward. Mariella Enoc, president of Bambino Gesu in Rome, was in the Bangui hospital to oversee some of their ongoing support and, after seeing the infant twins, she proposed they go to Rome, with their mother, to see if they could be separated. The girls’ mother, Ermine, said at the news conference, “Now they can run, laugh, study” and even become doctors to save the lives of others. She thanked everyone for their help, particularly Pope Francis for what he has been doing for children in Bangui. She said her one wish now was for Pope Francis to baptize the girls. Twins conjoined at the head occurs in one out of 2.5 million live births and in five cases out of every 100,000 sets of twins. Ervina and Prefina had an even rarer condition of being completely joined in the back of their heads, sharing not just the skull, but also a critical network of 4C veins directing blood from the brain to the heart to be Color(s): Bleed?: Y reoxygenated. Misc: Catholic Mirror
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NATION+WORLD
JULY 16, 2020
HEADLINES u First federal execution in 17 years carried out in Indiana. In a 2 a.m. decision July 14 after numerous last-minute filings, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to overturn a trial court order blocking the execution of federal death-row inmate Daniel Lewis Lee. The court’s unsigned order enabled federal executions to go forward. Lee, 47, convicted of being an accomplice in killing three family members in 1996, was executed July 14 and pronounced dead at 8:07 a.m. at the Federal Correctional Institution in Terre Haute, Indiana. His last words, according to a pool reports were: “I didn’t do it. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I’m not a murderer. You’re killing an innocent man.” Federal executions, on hold for the past 17 years, have been challenged by deathrow inmates since the Justice Department announced last year these executions would resume with the use of one drug in the lethal injection. A challenge of this method continued right up until the last minute, and past it, for Lee, whose scheduled July 13 execution was blocked by a federal judge’s order. u Pope Francis said he was saddened after a Turkish court ruled to revert the iconic Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque. While commemorating the International Day of the Sea during his Sunday Angelus address July 12, the pope told pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square that “the sea carries me a little farther away in my thoughts: to Istanbul. I think of Hagia Sophia, and I am very saddened.” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree to hand over control of Hagia Sophia to the country’s Directorate of Religious Affairs after Turkey’s highest court revoked its status as a museum July 10. In a video message after the court ruling, Erdogan said that Hagia Sophia will remain “open to all locals, foreigners, Muslims and non-Muslims.” The pope’s comments on the decision was the latest from world and religious leaders who criticized the ruling, including Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. In a homily during a June 30 divine liturgy, the patriarch warned that the decision “will push millions of Christians around the world against Islam.” u Bishops renew nuclear disarmament call as 1945 bombing anniversary nears. Members of a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committee renewed a long-standing call for nuclear disarmament as the 75th anniversary nears of the atomic bombing of two Japanese cities. The Committee on International Justice and Peace, chaired by Bishop David Malloy of Rockford, Illinois, also urged the world community and parishioners to pray for the goal of disarmament, especially during Masses Aug. 9. The call came in a statement released July 13. The bombings of Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945, and Nagasaki, the center of Japan’s Catholic community, three days later led to the end of World War II. u Annual audit shows more than 4,400 allegations of clergy abuse reported. More than 4,400 allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy were reported during the year ending June 30, 2019, a significant jump from the previous auditing period, according to a report on diocesan and eparchial compliance with the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” Released June 25, the 17th annual report from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection states that 4,220 child sexual abuse survivors filed 4,434 allegations. In the 2017-2018 audit period, 1,381 survivors filed 1,451 allegations. While the number jumped, the report said only 37 allegations involved current minors. Of these, the report said, eight allegations were substantiated, seven were unsubstantiated, six were unable to be proven, 12 remained under investigation, three were referred to religious orders and one was referred to another diocese. The report attributed 37% of the new allegations to lawsuits, the introduction of victim compensation programs by dioceses and eparchies, and bankruptcies. An additional 3% of allegations emerged after a review of clergy personnel files. u Panel looks at role racism, religion, COVID-19 will play in elections. The combination of concern over government response to COVID-19 and the economic collapse brought about by the pandemic with the national reckoning over racism following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis has found Catholics sharing in a public mood that has decidedly soured on politics, according to a panel of speakers. Data presented at July 10 online seminar, “Faith and the Faithful,” sponsored by the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, indicates that President Donald Trump’s support among Catholics, just about three months away from Election Day, has eroded. Catholics overall still support Trump, said Gregory Smith, associate director of research at Pew Research Center, but the percentages indicate this support is declining. For the April-June period, while the Pew survey results indicated a national lead by former Vice President Joe Biden, a Catholic, 54% to 44%, Catholics still favored Trump 52% to 47%. Broken down in detail, however the results show that Trump’s support has slipped even among his core voters, white evangelicals, from 78% to 72%. For white Protestants who don’t identify as evangelicals, support dwindled from 62% to 56%, and for white Catholics, 60% to 54%. Among Hispanic Catholics surveyed, Trump support went from 28% to 23%, and among Black Protestants, it dropped from 21% to 12%. — Catholic News Service
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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9
Ex-Salvadoran officer: ‘High command’ gave order to kill Jesuits in 1989 By David Agren Catholic News Service A former Salvadoran army officer has testified that the “high command” gave orders to eliminate Jesuit priests during the country’s civil war. He also said the Central American country’s president would have known of the crimes to be committed and did not intervene. The testimony was offered at the trial of Inocente Orlando Montano, a former colonel in the army of El Salvador, who is on trial in Spain for the murders of six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter on the campus of a Catholic university. “The entire operation was ordered by the high command,” testified Yusshy Rene Mendoza, a former lieutenant in the Salvadoran army and a cooperating witness. Testifying July 8, Mendoza said his superior, Guillermo Benavides, a former colonel and then-director of the army academy, told troops the night before the crime that an order had come to move against Spanish Jesuit Father Ignacio Ellacuria, rector of Central American University in San Salvador. “Benavides told me that he had to execute the order that had been received and Montano was one of the persons that gave the order to eliminate Ellacuria. He told me that several times,” Mendoza, who worked as an assistant to Benavides, told the court. “He told us the situation of the country was critical because the guerrilla group was well positioned and, to counteract it, a decision had been made
to take drastic measures because, if not, the war would be lost.” Mendoza testified “according to Col. Benavides’ order, if there wasn’t a reversal of the order, it’s because the president had to have approved it.” He said afterward he was giving a statement and a lawyer intervened to say that he “could not mention anyone in the high command” and only implicate Benavides and the Atlacatl Battalion, a battalion accused of carrying out some of the worst atrocities of El Salvador’s civil war, which ended in 1992. Mendoza was imprisoned after the slayings, but released after an amnesty was approved in the early 1990s. He subsequently left the country and testified from Chile, where he is a citizen. Benavides also was imprisoned after the slayings and released with the amnesty. The amnesty was annulled by El Salvador’s top court in 2016, and Benavides returned to prison. He remains the only person convicted for the crime, though the Jesuits asked in 2017 that his sentence be suspended. A court in El Salvador denied his extradition to Spain. Mendoza testified he did not believe Benavides was the intellectual author of the Jesuits’ murder. Montano, 76, faces charges of murder and a sentence of up to 150 years in prison if convicted. Prosecutors allege he participated in “the decision, design or execution of the killings.” He has pleaded not guilty.
10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
A better catechist Juan Cuzco had a life-changing conversation in 2003 with his pastor at Holy Rosary in Minneapolis. Dominican Father Jose Santiago wanted him to apply for a New City Ministry grant to learn more about faith formation so that he could be a better catechist. “There was a need in the community to have Latino ministry,” said Cuzco, 40, who at the time was a volunteer at the parish. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was offering classes in Spanish for those interested in doing ministry. Cuzco was hesitant about stepping forward; his pastor was not. “He said, ‘You need to go to take this training,’” Cuzco recalled. “I said, ‘I’m not sure if I want it.’ He said, ‘No, I’m not asking you. You have to go.’” Cuzco laughed as he told the story, jokingly calling the move “my choice.” One thing is certain — he does not regret following his pastor’s directive. That grant became the first of four he’s received from New City Ministry, which has granted nearly $240,000 to minorities in ministry over the last 25 years.
The training Cuzco received from Latino ministry leaders in the archdiocese, including Estela Villagran Manancero, the director of the Office of Latino Ministry, has borne long-term fruit for Cuzco and the Latino community at Holy Rosary. He has served in faith formation at the parish for 20 years since moving to the U.S. from his native Ecuador, and he has helped lead other Latinos in the parish to apply for New City Ministry grants. The money is essential for Latinos with big hearts but small bank accounts. Many eligible faith leaders in the community are hesitant to get training because it means time off from work. In Cuzco’s case, he once attended a week-long training session in Kansas City through Instituto Fe y Vida, which helps develop and train Catholic Latino leaders. “We cannot afford to have a week off from our jobs because we don’t have any vacation time,” he said. “So, it’s really hard to make a commitment.”
I’ll be very glad to continue working for the parish. This is basically what I’ve been studying for. Juan Cuzco When he went to Kansas City in 2008, he was working two jobs, and lost one week’s worth of wages. “But, God is providential,” he said, and the $500 grant helped offset the reduced earnings. Now, he works full time as the director of religious education for Holy Rosary, a parish that serves a booming Latino community in south Minneapolis. The need for catechists is great, he said, and that’s why he keeps encouraging others to apply for grants and get training. In 2009, he helped bring a group of 12 Latinos to New City Ministry for grants, the largest number ever from Holy Rosary. All were approved. He calls Father Sledz’s program “the right hand of God.” It has helped create a core group of volunteers at the parish with a “burning spirit to evangelize, the youth especially,” he said. Cuzco last received a grant in 2015, but his education continues. He is pursuing a degree in theology from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He hopes to finish in two years and use what he has been learning to continue helping fellow Latinos deepen their faith. “I’ll be very glad to continue working for the parish,” he said. “This is basically what I’ve been studying for.”
Backing Church Story and photos by Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
When Father Stan Sledz inherited $200,000 in 1991, he wanted to use that money to help Catholics from minority communities. It was a natural desire after having served at a traditionally African American parish, St. Peter Claver in St. Paul, from 1982 to 1990. Father Sledz, who is white, hoped to engage and recruit more members of minority communities for Church leadership, and felt the way to do it was to strengthen Catholic ministry by helping people get the training and materials they needed to succeed in their roles. He approached the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota, which works with individuals and organizations who want to invest their money and use some of it to help the Church. Together, they created a donor-advised fund in 1995 that would provide annual grants to Catholics from minority communities who are involved in faith formation at their parishes. They named it New City Ministry — a reference to the new city of Jerusalem mentioned in the Book of Revelation. That was 25 years ago. In the years since, using interest earned on the principal amount, 426 grants totaling $237,323 have been awarded to Catholic leaders in 24 parishes, all but one in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Father Sledz, now 77 and retired, called it “a great blessing” to provide grants to African American parish leaders and other members of minority communities, to allow them to bolster their ministry skills in a culturally responsive way. He also wanted to honor the legacy of his uncle, Father Henry Sledz, from whom the inheritance money came after his death in 1991. Grant applicants include Latino Catholics at several parishes; Native Americans at Gichitwaa Kateri in Minneapolis, where Father Sledz now serves as sacramental minister; and Vietnamese Catholics at St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis. Father Tim Tran, a member of St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien who was ordained a priest in May, received a grant in 2016 while serving as a youth ministry leader in his parish. Rita Commodore of St. Peter Claver received one of the first New City Ministry grants. In 1996, she used the money to purchase what she described as “Afrocentric” materials to help her lead and develop a parish confirmation program, which she had begun directing in 1993 as the confirmation coordinator. She continued in that role until her retirement from the volunteer position this year. The materials helped her teach teens about the history of African and African American involvement in the Church, including the National Black Catholic Congress, formed in 1889. “I just love what New City Ministry has been about,” Commodore said. “It just means a lot that Father Stan had that idea to put that together to help develop people in ministry, because it’s so important. If, in our Church, we don’t see people that look like us doing the ministry, you won’t have people like us very long.” Since the early years, much of the $10,000 in annual grant money has been funneled toward Latino Catholics serving in parishes. An important advocate is Anne Attea, who has worked in Latino ministry for more than 20 years and now serves on the New City Ministry awardee selection committee. Since New City Ministry’s inception, 392 of its grants — 79% — have gone to Latinos. In some cases, individuals have received multiple grants. Among those recipients is Deacon Ramon Garcia Degollado, who received four grants in the early 2000s that helped steer him to the permanent diaconate program and his ordination in 2008. His wife, Suzanne, also received grants during the same years. They used the grant money to attend classes of the Institute for Christian Life and Ministry, an archdiocesan program launched in 1997 that offered practical theology training for volunteers, lay ministers and teachers. The classes were important in preparing and equipping them for ministry, they said. Their first grant came in 2000, four years before the first of their three children was born. The two have worked side by side in Latino ministry for more than 20 years. Deacon Garcia recently started a part-time job in Latino ministry at Holy Rosary in south Minneapolis after working at St. Stephen in Anoka. Suzanne continues to work at St. Stephen in music and Latino ministry. They have collaborated to help Latino couples prepare for marriage since they themselves married in 1997. “The New City Ministry scholarships were very important,” said Suzanne, whose family, like many other Latino families, has struggled with tight finances, especially with all three children attending Catholic schools. “I don’t think we would have been able to do the classes otherwise.” Deacon Garcia came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1993, hoping to deepen his faith and explore ministry opportunities. “In Mexico, we don’t have access to this kind of formation,” he said. “The resources are very limited. So, when I arrived here and found this opportunity, I started to go deep in my faith, in my relationship with God. And, I started to discover a call to service in the Church.” Another Latino grant recipient is Juan Cuzco, faith formation director at Holy Rosary, who has served at the parish for 20 years, initially as a volunteer and now as a full-time parish employee. He received grant money four times beginning in 2003. The money enabled him to participate in a program offered
Where the grants go The following is a list of parishes receiving grants from New City Ministry over the last 25 years and the number of grants received:
u
76 Ascension,
Minneapolis
22 Assumption, Richfield
2 Divine Mercy, Faribault
15 Gichitwaa
Kateri, Minneapolis
5 Guardian Angels, Chaska
51 Holy Rosary,
Minneapolis
JULY 16, 2020 • 11
minority leaders
A show of faith Rita Commodore was volunteering as confirmation coordinator at St. Peter Claver in St. Paul as a young adult in the early 1990s, and wanted to help her students connect with African American history in the Church. A grant from New City Ministry in 1996 helped her do that. The program was launched that year by Father Stan Sledz as a way to give minorities funding for faith formation training, in the hope that they would return to their parishes and pass on what they learned.
In this 2015 file photo, Deacon Ramon Garcia Degollado, second from right, and his wife, Suzanne, right, pray with a couple preparing for marriage at St. Stephen in Anoka: Nube Hurtado Nieto, left, and Wilson Naranjo Romero. The Garcias have been doing marriage preparation with Latino couples since 1997. by Instituto Fe y Vida, a national, California-based organization founded in 1994 to help develop and train Catholic Latino leaders for parishes and dioceses to minister to young Latinos. Now, Holy Rosary is among parishes leading in total grants with 51. “We are a big parish,” Cuzco said. “At times, we have at least 400 students between confirmation and first Communion. So, we really need very good and skilled catechists. So, that’s why we take all these volunteers to Fe y Vida and apply to the New City Ministry” for grants to help cover the costs. Attea said 22 Latinos receiving grants over the last 25 years now work on staff doing ministry at parishes in the archdiocese, with “many more” doing volunteer work leading ministry programs. “From a Latino ministry perspective, it (New City Ministry) has absolutely been instrumental in terms of transforming our volunteers into formed, educated leaders who are now, quite frankly, most of our hired personnel (for Latino ministry) in this archdiocese,” said Attea, who was appointed Latino ministry coordinator for the archdiocese in 1998 and got involved in New City Ministry a few years later. She now is the director of formation and social justice at Ascension in north Minneapolis, which is the leader in total New City Ministry grants with 76.
I just think it’s a wonderful idea. It’s inspired. I only wish more people knew about it to take advantage of it. FATHER STAN SLEDZ
Rita Commodore
One thing that has helped the program draw more applicants is that “almost all” requests are approved, Attea said. Applicants apply through their parish, with a “supervisor recommendation” from a leader such as a pastor or ministry director. The selection committee then divides the total grant money by the number of applicants. The idea is to help as many people as possible receive help to become leaders in their own parish. This year’s annual celebration banquet has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and grants are also suspended for now, Attea noted, since the programs and the events grant applicants had planned to attend have been canceled or postponed. However, Attea said, “we have great hope and excitement for the year to come.” And, she said, now still is a time to reflect on the ministry and celebrate its successes and its founder. “My biggest thing is a tremendous amount of gratitude for Stan’s vision and for his 25 years of being steadfast and persistent in pursuing the vision,” Attea said. “He is genuinely interested in learning and cultivating relationships across ethnicities and cultures. … He loves people, and he is very passionate about getting to know all types of people and cultures, and also wanting to build up the diversity of our Church.”
8 Our Lady of
57 Sacred Heart,
Guadalupe, St. Paul
St. Paul
32 Risen Savior,
de Jesus/ Incarnation, Minneapolis
Burnsville
3 St. Alphonsus,
Brooklyn Center
65 Sagrado Corazon 8 St. Anne-
St. Joseph Hien, Minneapolis
“It (the first New City Ministry grant) meant a lot when I first started that (confirmation program) because that meant somebody had some faith in me to do the work on that project that I wanted to work on,” she said. “And, that was important, especially back when I was young. It was just something that kept me going.” Commodore used the money to research Black Catholic history and bring materials to her confirmation classes so her students could learn about the influence of African Americans on the Church. Over the years, she attended workshops put on by the National Office for Black Catholics. She went to the National Black Catholic Congress, which is held every five years. Part of the funding for those trips, she said, came from New City Ministry grant money given to the Commission of Black Catholics, which, in turn, gave money to people going to the congress. Commodore received one of these grants about 10 years ago and has gone to every congress since 1987. The local Commission of Black Catholics is on hiatus, but there have been efforts in recent years to revive it.
2 Sts. Cyril
15 St. Francis de
1 St. Jude
2 St. Dominic,
3 St. Henry, Monticello
1 St. Mary,
and Methodius, Minneapolis Northfield
Sales, St. Paul
5 St. John
Neumann, Eagan
of the Lake, Mahtomedi Melrose (Diocese of St. Cloud)
Looking back on the years when Father Sledz served at St. Peter Claver (1982 to 1990), Commodore likes to think she and other parishioners “had a little something to do with” Father Sledz starting and continuing New City Ministry. A lifelong parishioner, she grew up only a block away from the church. “He was a good pastor,” said Commodore, one of five St. Peter Claver parishioners to receive grants from New City Ministry. “What I remember so much about him is that he really empowered the people in the church to take ownership of the church. … I even wrote a poem about a sermon that he preached many years ago. I still keep it on a wall.” She said she is “really proud of Father Stan” for starting New City Ministry. “I just think it’s a wonderful idea. It’s inspired. I only wish more people knew about it to take advantage of it.”
7 St. Nicholas, Carver
3 St. Philip,
2 St. Odilia,
Minneapolis (merged in 2011 with Ascension)
5 St. Peter Claver,
3 St. Vincent de
Shoreview St. Paul
Paul, St. Paul
Also receiving grants: 1 The Office of
Indian Ministry
32 The Office of
Latino Ministry
JULY 16, 2020
12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
RELIGIOUSJUBILEES
A true servant of God
Benedictine sister commemorates her 60th jubilee By Debbie Musser For The Catholic Spirit
T
he Korean War and a chance meeting put Benedictine Sister Stephana Choong on the path to her religious vocation. “The war broke out in 1950; I was in high school in Incheon, Korea, and lived through those three years of turmoil,” said Sister Stephana, 86, who celebrates her 60th jubilee this year. “When I graduated in 1953, all the universities and colleges in South Korea had burned down, and I searched for a place to study.” That’s when she met a Catholic U.S. Army chaplain from the Diocese of Duluth, the now-late Father William Zorichak, who was holding Sunday services at her Catholic church for American soldiers stationed in Incheon. “Father Zorichak happened to be a graduate of St. John’s University in Collegeville, and he suggested I come to the U.S. to study,” Sister Stephana said. “My family was delighted with the idea, and that’s how I came to the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph.” After earning a biology degree and minors in chemistry and physics, with plans to teach in secondary education, Sister Stephana returned to Korea in 1957. “While in college, those Benedictine nuns were real role models for me . . . so dedicated and such good teachers,” she said. “I decided to come back to Minnesota in 1959 and become one of them.” Following her first vows in 1960, Sister Stephana taught science courses at St. Benedict’s Convent in St. Joseph, Cathedral High School in St. Cloud and St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, where she instructed nursing students, before heading to the University of Minnesota in 1970 for graduate studies. After earning a Ph.D. in plant physiology in 1978, she taught at the university’s Morris campus before taking a research scientist position at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. “I was involved in childhood cancer immunology studies, glucosamine as a biochemical means of enhancing cartilage tissue, and then hematology, making mice reproduce human sickle cells with the goal of developing therapies for sickle cell anemia,” she said. While teaching and research were her ministries before she retired in 2006, Sister Stephana simultaneously served as a valuable mentor and friend to Korean graduate students at the University of Minnesota, helping
She’s always been available to discuss any of life’s challenging situations with understanding and unlimited love. Heekyung Youn
SISTER STEPHANA CHOONG
60
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
them get settled and adjust to life in the Twin Cities. She also helped lead the formation of a Korean parish in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, as one of nine founding members of St. Andrew Kim in 1973. “Sister Stephana provided a home away from home to me and many Korean students,” said Heekyung Youn, 72, a professor emerita in mathematics at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, now living in San Francisco. “And ever since, she’s always been available to discuss any of life’s challenging situations with understanding and unlimited love.” Youn noted that after St. Andrew Kim purchased its own church building in St. Paul in 1979, Sister Stephana worked tirelessly with fellow parishioners and the pastor at the time, Father Francis Choe (now retired and living
in Korea), to clean and improve the space for worship and social gatherings. “She would often fill the church refrigerator so that church members who lingered around after Sunday Mass could share food,” Youn said. “She was a pillar of the community where we had a sense of belonging, which was important as foreigners.” Sister Stephana has always selflessly thought of others, Youn said. “When the Hmong arrived in the Twin Cities, she held clothing drives for them,” she said. “When children came to the U.S. from Korea for heart surgeries, she visited them and fed them Korean foods.” “Sister Stephana is God’s true servant,” Youn said. “She’s been a true example of love and compassion to others.” There were challenges as well. Recalling that time, Sister Stephana sees similarities to the kind of racism and discrimination that people have called attention to in the Twin Cities since the May 25 death of George Floyd, an African American who died while pleading for breath under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer. “We experienced major racial tensions when the neighborhood discovered these ‘Orientals’ and their church,” she said. “I had eggs thrown at me, people had car tires slashed, and the church was vandalized and marked with ‘white power’ and ‘KKK’ graffiti.” St. Andrew Kim eventually moved to two other locations in St. Paul; today it shares a church campus with Holy Childhood on Midway Parkway, near the State Fairgrounds. Sister Stephana said her planned jubilee celebration has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Her heart goes out to all older people who are dying from the virus, she said. “I am one of them, so as a Benedictine, I personally thank God for giving me this long life to celebrate my jubilee,” she said. “Every day is my celebration.”
MARKING MILESTONES The Catholic Spirit is honored to highlight religious women and men who are celebrating milestone anniversaries this year and who are serving, have served or were born in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The following information was provided by their religious communities.
Sister Mary Fowler Sister Elizabeth McKenzie Sister Rose Mary Rooney Sister Mary Nicholas Sister Betty Wurm
25 years Sister Julie Margaret Caron
75 years Sister Dale Wollum
SERVANTS OF MARY Ladysmith, Wisconsin 70 years Sister Mary Eugene Baiardo Sister Clarice Gierzak Sister Margaret Valois
60 years Sister Hilda Keller DeLaSalle Sister Joyce Willenbring Sister Stephana Choong
70 years Sister Rita Mae Fischer
70 years Sister Angela Donovan Sister Mary Eileen Scully
65 years Sister Mary Ellen Foster Sister Jaqueline Lawson Sister Jane McDonald Sister Dolore Rochon Sister Marie Shaun Walter
CHRISTIAN BROTHERS OF THE MIDWEST Burr Ridge, Illinois
60 years Sister Mary Ellen O’Dea Sister Marilyn Skluzacek
60 years Sister Therese Sherlock Sister Sharon Gondek
60 years Brother Roderick Robertson
50 years Sister Mary Ellen Green
50 years Sister Barbara Whitlow
60 years Sister Sean Fox Sister Kateri Guske Sister Jeannine Percy Sister Anita Swansen
SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH OF CARONDELET St. Paul Province, St. Paul
CONGREGATION OF THE SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH Cleveland, Ohio
50 years Sister Rita Stoeberl Sister Barbara Thomalla
FRANCISCAN SISTERS OF PERPETUAL ADORATION LaCrosse, Wisconsin
SCHOOL SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS Milwaukee, Wisconsin 50 years Sister Katherine Trenda SINSINAWA DOMINICANS Sinsinawa, Wisconsin
75 years Sister Alfonso Glancey
80 years Sister Florine Provencher 70 years Sister Mary Calder
70 years Sister Shirley Tousignant (formerly Sister Elizabeth Marie) Sister Elaine Dufresne (formerly Sister Mary Edward)
65 years Sister Dolores Henke
SISTERS OF THE ORDER OF ST. BENEDICT St. Benedict’s Monastery St. Joseph, Minnesota
50 years Sister Sharon Nohner St. Scholastica Monastery Duluth, Minnesota 60 years Sister Donna Schroeder Sister Pauline Micke FRANCISCAN SISTERS OF LITTLE FALLS Little Falls, Minnesota 75 years Sister Dorothy Ann Rudolph Sister M. Rosaria Hagel
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
RELIGIOUSJUBILEES
JULY 16, 2020 CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE 60 years Sister Lorraine Olmscheid Sister Bernice Rieland 25 years Sister Gloria Haider LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR Palatine, Illinois 60 years Sister Lucille Du Coeur Immauclé (Botz) 25 years Sister Maria Joseph of the Sacred Heart (Schneider) BENEDICTINES OF ST. JOHN’S ABBEY Collegeville, Minnesota 60 years Father Blane Wasnie 65 years Father Jonathan Fischer SYLVANIA SISTERS OF ST. FRANCIS Sylvania, Ohio 75 years Sister Marie Andrée Chorzempa 60 years Sister Ann Marie Chmielewski Sister Cecile D. Glodek Sister M. Samuel Lubeck Sister M. Irenaeus Samsel Sister Kathleen Skog Sister M. Kateri Theriault 50 years Sister Ann Marie Emon Sister M. Brenda Hawley Sister Mary Jon Wagner SCHOOL SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME St. Louis 75 years Sister Mary Eugene Braun
Sister Marie Grellinger Sister Miriam Saumweber Sister Mary Gilda Sturino Sister Mary Tacheny Sister Mary Alice Wald
Sister Joanne Poehlman Sister Helene Marie Robin Sister Helen Roper Sister Ivo Schoch Sister Marianne Siegel Sister Helen Marie Skierkowski Sister Rose Mary Snaza Sister Kathleen Stark Sister Diane Marie Turner Sister Susan Von Bank Sister Maureen Wada Sister Johnette Marie Waguespack Sister M. Agnes Watanabe Sister Donna Marie Wermus Sister Carol Marie Wildt Sister Luella Willenborg Sister Marie Antonice Zozaya
70 years Sister Emma Buresh Sister Theresa Marie Dietz Sister Margaret Mary Dohms Sister Paul Mary Draxler Sister Ann Giese Sister M. Lalande Hennen Sister Anne Arthur Klinker Sister Mariel Kreuziger Sister Mary Arthur Kunze Sister Anita Marie Lischwe Sister Dorothy Maniscalco Sister Therese Mary Rebstock Sister Marie Regine Redig Sister Jane Resop Sister M. Jacinta Simones Sister Anton Marie Voissem Sister Mary Julie Wambach Sister John Ann Zettelmaier 60 years Sister Patricia Bauer Sister Judith Best Sister Barbara Boedeker Sister Mary Joel Patrice Christy Sister Maria Magdalena Cruz Sister Sharon Maureen Driscoll Sister Benet Dvorak Sister Marie Dolorette Farias Sister Janice Fennewald Sister Christina Marie Frick Sister Mary Gemma Therese Harvey Sister Agnes Maureen Hornsby Sister Marie Denice Houston Sister Toni Marie Jendrasiak Sister Marilyn Kesler Sister M. Antoinette Kondo Sister Janet Krautkremer Sister Adaire Lassonde Sister Linda Maune Sister Carol Jean Nishke Sister M. Clara Obara
50 years Sister Janise Berberich Sister Ethel Marie Biri Sister Frances Dotta Sister Kathleen Drilling Sister Marie Michelle Emmerich Sister M. Rebecca Gabe Shelley Hogan Sister Kathleen Kull Sister Carla Marie Lusch Sister Frances Cabrini Poglajen Sister Maxine Pohlman Sister Susan Renner Sister Constance Schmidt Sister Kathleen Wegman Sister Richardé Marie Wolf 40 years Sister Mary Kay Brooks Sister Addie Lorraine Walker DOMINICAN PRIESTS AND BROTHERS St. Albert the Great Priory, Minneapolis 50 years Father Joseph Patrick Gillespie
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13
Planting hope
Community builder celebrates 50 years as Dominican priest By Debbie Musser For The Catholic Spirit
O
n a recent sunny Sunday morning, Father Joe Gillespie, 77, dutifully tended to a flower garden outside St. Albert the Great in south Minneapolis, where he serves as pastor. From the garden, Father Gillespie had only to look south to view the burned down Walgreens on East Lake Street, a result of rioting in the neighborhood following the May 25 death of George Floyd. He was spending time in the garden before Sunday Masses, now with lower numbers of participants and extra precautions due to the coronavirus pandemic. “When I planted these flowers around Mother’s Day (May 10), a man walked by and asked who I was planting them for, since no one was coming to church then,” Father Gillespie said. “I told him if people walk by, they’ll see the flowers. I’m planting hope. And he looked at me and said, ‘You know what? I’m going to go home and plant some hope, too.’” These are not the first challenging times for the St. Albert the Great community, which Father Gillespie describes as a lovely little parish of great people. Baptized at the parish as a newborn, he returned in 2006 as pastor — “a remarkable gift” — and is now celebrating 50 years as a Dominican priest. “On the day I was installed as pastor, it was 97 degrees and we had no air conditioning in the church,” Father Gillespie said. “Bishop Pates was there; he claimed he lost seven pounds that day.” PLEASE TURN TO HOPE ON PAGE 14
Embraced by God’s Love
Join us in honoring our Jubilarians 80 YEARS † Irene Kalapinski M. René Lorentz † Mary Regina Meyer 75 YEARS Mary Eugene Braun † Miriam Therese Gill Marie Grellinger Miriam Saumweber † M. Francis Clare Schares Mary Gilda Sturino Mary Tacheny Mary Alice Wald 70 YEARS Emma Buresh Theresa Marie Dietz Margaret Mary Dohms Paul Mary Draxler Ann Giese M. Lalande Hennen Anne Arthur Klinker Mariel Kreuziger Mary Arthur Kunze Anita Marie Lischwe Dorothy Maniscalco Therese Mary Rebstock
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14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
RELIGIOUSJUBILEES
JULY 16, 2020
HOPE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 Among his impacts at the parish has been helping it achieve fiscal health, said Frank Bielinski, 82, a St. Albert the Great parishioner since 1968 and member of its finance council. “When Father Gillespie arrived, we were about a half million in the hole,” he said. “Now we’re operating in the black, plus we’ve made some additions to the church that people really love, like the air conditioning.” Bielinski said that Father Gillespie’s strong connection to the community has resulted in many new, young parishioners. “He draws people in, and he’s such a leader in the community,” Bielinski said. “He consoled and helped during the unrest by bringing people to the church who needed a place to stay. I don’t know anyone who gets along better with people than he does; he’s exceptional.” “Father Joe takes the time to listen to people and engage them; that’s why he’s such a good preacher,” said Patrick Marrin, 74, of Kansas City, a cousin of Father Gillespie, a former editor of the National Catholic Reporter’s sister publication, Celebration, and the creator of NCR’s Francis cartoon strip. “His homilies are not simply theological ideas, but always made vivid by stories that come right out of the community.” “We desperately need models for what the priesthood offers: . . . the full development of a servant in the community who lives a joyful and generous life,” Marrin said. “That’s Father Joe.” Father Gillespie admitted it’s tough now to walk over to Lake Street and see his favorite places destroyed by the protests and riots after Floyd died. “We’ve been fortunate to raise almost $100,000 to invest in small businesses, including sponsors on the back of our parish bulletin,” he said. “There’s a real sense of rebuilding now as we find a way to keep them here — sheltering them, like in Father Michael Joncas’ new hymn, ‘Shelter Me,’ written for the pandemic and used often here at our church,” he said. Father Gillespie plans to continue his service to the
Father Joe takes the time to listen to people and engage them; that’s why he’s such a good preacher. Patrick Marrin
FATHER JOE GILLESPIE
50
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
St. Albert the Great community, offering hope for the future. “If all you’re doing is concentrating on the riots and destruction, you’re not able to appreciate the flowers and the sun,” Father Gillespie said. “We have to learn to lean on each other and trust in God.” Father Gillespie is a graduate of DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis and St. John’s University in Collegeville. He worked for the Catholic Youth Center in Minneapolis before being ordained as a Dominican priest in 1970. Two
uncles and a cousin were also Dominicans. “The first 25 years of my ministry focused on teaching graduate theology and social work; my doctorate is in family therapy,” said Father Gillespie, who taught at various places including Aquinas Institute of Theology in Dubuque, Iowa; Colgate Divinity School in Rochester, New York; and Aquinas Institute of Theology, Eden Theological Seminary and St. Louis University in St. Louis. He returned to Minneapolis on sabbatical in 1998, thinking he’d help out at the Basilica of St. Mary for a semester before returning to teaching. “Eight years later, still at the Basilica, I discovered that what I had been teaching was what I did there: family therapy, chemical dependency, grief counseling and more,” said Father Gillespie, an assistant priest at the Basilica before being appointed to St. Albert the Great. “I took to it like a duck to water.” Looking back at his 50 years as a Dominican, Father Gillespie said one of his richest experiences has been preaching. He mentioned St. Peter Martyr, a 13th-century Dominican and excellent preacher who said that if you’re going to preach, you have to learn how to be silent and listen to God. “Then you preach as words come out of that silence,” Father Gillespie said. “You really have to be intentional about it.”
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Add these Sisters’ and Consociates’ anniversaries and it’s an incredible 1,290 years of dedication to love of God and neighbor without distinction!
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JULY 16, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15
FAITH+CULTURE
Minnesota Knight of the Year honored for service, leadership By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit
W
hen St. Joseph of the Lakes parish in Lino Lakes needed help preparing to resume inperson Masses in early June, John Czech and members of his Knights of Columbus council quickly put a plan together. “We will take on the role of ushers and direct people to seating locations, and then we’ll be cleaning the pews between each service,” said Czech, 61, showing the enthusiastic, can-do attitude that earned him the title of Minnesota State Council Knight of the Year in May. “I can’t think of hardly a thing that he has not done,” said Don Hohn, trustee for the 180-member Lino Lakes Council 9905 based at St. Joseph of the Lakes. “He’s really into the Knights of Columbus and he shows that. … He’s always been willing to spend his time and help out.” Czech, 61, was selected from among nominees at 270 Minnesota Knights councils to receive the state award after first being named his Council’s Knight of the Year for his considerable service. A Knight of the Year exemplifies traits of a “solid Catholic man,” promotes the principles of the Church and the organization, and is the “model” man for the parish to follow, according to the Knights of Columbus. Candidates for the Minnesota award are evaluated for their participation in council activities related to life, faith, community and family. Czech, who is his council’s chancellor, said he is grateful to members for nominating him for the award. He will be presented a commemorative plaque when social distancing restrictions end. “It’s humbling to think that these friends and these men that I associate with through the Knights of Columbus respect me enough and think enough of me to have submitted my name for consideration (at the council level) and at the state level,” he said. “These are
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
John Czech of St. Joseph of the Lakes in Lino Lakes calls it “humbling” to be named Minnesota Knight of the Year, the third time in the last six years someone from Council 9905 in Lino Lakes received the honor. just things that I do, things that I believe in.” Czech is the third member of Council 9905 to be named Minnesota Knight of the Year in the past six years. The active Council, which has 48 ongoing projects in the parish and community, also was one of five Minnesota councils recognized this year for work in raising funds for an Iraqi parish. Czech became involved in the Lino Lakes Council in 2003 when he saw membership as a way to support the priests at St. Joseph, a parish of 2,100 families. He also was inspired by St. John Paul II’s characterization of the organization as the “strong right arm of the Church.” “In so many ways the support we provide to the Church, individuals and as a group, we’re able to do small things and we’re able to do large things,” said Czech, who lives in Coon Rapids and has a grown son
and two grandchildren. He works for Medtronic in its heart valve division. Czech has been involved in many council projects, from arranging transportation for a parish group attending the March for Life at the State Capitol and purchasing gifts for mothers on Mother’s Day to helping with food drives and highway cleanup. He’s often found operating the grill at pancake breakfasts and fish fries. With the parish’s Council of Catholic Women, Czech co-chairs the annual Christmas bazaar in November. He was also the driving force behind installation of a lifesized, carved pieta statue near the parish’s entrance. “It’s not just the things we ask him to do, it’s the things he sees with his vision,” said Don Trudeau, the Council’s Grand Knight, who submitted Czech’s nomination. “It’s tremendous as far as our church and our organization.” Besides serving with the Knights, Czech has been a Boy Scout scoutmaster for 30 years and serves in a number of ways at the parish. “He’s very strong in his faith, and I think that faith helps to make him the person who’s willing to give rather than to take,” Hohn said. Czech also brings humor into the Council’s work, including showing up for meetings in costume. “You have to have humor if you want to strike a chord that people will keep coming back and being involved,” he said. Czech recruits men for the organization by emphasizing the council’s community involvement, Hohn said. Young men seeking service opportunities hopefully will be drawn to the Knights as Czech was, he said, adding that while it’s an opportunity to serve, it’s also a chance to work with friends to make a difference. “We build on each other,” Czech said. “We build each other up. That’s what I really love about being a Knight — is that I’m a better person for the men that I know in the Knights of Columbus.”
Pandemic means no 73rd year of Catholic Youth Camp By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit Theresa Famoso, 33, attended Catholic Youth Camp on Big Sandy Lake near McGregor when she was about 10. She’s never forgotten the experience — the people she met, the camp’s emphasis on faith and the fun activities. “The counselors and staff were very loving and welcoming,” she said. “It was so much fun — a week of experiences and adventures, and still being centered around Jesus.” Back then, her family belonged to Epiphany in Coon Rapids. Her son, Leo, 12, has gone to the same camp the past four summers — two years when they were parishioners at St. William in Fridley, and two years as members of their new parish, St. Francis in Brainerd. His sister, Kennedy, 9, has attended camp the past two years. But, they won’t be going this year. Due to coronavirus concerns, Catholic Youth Camp is closed this summer, which would have been its 73rd year. “Everybody understood the situation and has been super kind and very encouraging,” said Natalie King, its executive director. “My kids actually took it better than I did,” Famoso said. “I cried because I knew what they were missing. And I knew it was nothing that any of us could control.” About 600 young people ages 7 to 18 typically attend the week-long camp over nine weeks from June to August. It offers
traditional camp activities like archery, swimming, canoeing, fishing and paddle boarding. But as a Catholic camp, it also is a celebration of faith, King said. “That’s the most important part of who we are.” Young people don’t have to be Catholic to attend, but about 90% of the campers are Catholic, King said. A priest celebrates Mass once a week and campers attend morning and evening prayer services. About 65% of campers return to the camp the year after they first attend, King said. Kids have fun, learn skills and make friends, she said. “They have role models whose faith is important to them. This is a very special place.” “Just to see my kids come home … on fire for Christ and passionate and full of love and joy, is so refreshing,” Famoso said. “My son takes it back to his school and talks about Jesus with his friends.” Not hosting campers for nine weeks is a huge budget hit for the camp, a nonprofit organization, King said. “It’s devastating.” Costs such as food for campers aren’t an issue this year, but the camp still pays utilities, staffing and office expenses, and insurance on the property, which is expensive, King said. The camp employs three full-time staff at its office in Roseville. The camp fundraises each year, in part for scholarships for campers or for camp projects. “We’re fundraising to survive right now,” King said. Staff members started a fundraiser in late June to raise $100,000 by September.
“That’s a lot,” King said, “but we have 73 years (worth) of alumni out there.” Of the tuition paid before camp was canceled, about one-fourth of the families donated it to the camp, onefourth rolled over their tuition to a spot for next year and half asked for a refund. The camp offers summer sessions only. The camp buildings are not winterized and “there’s not a lot going on the rest of the year,” King said. “We spend the other nine months getting ready for camp — doing all the fundraising and recruiting campers, recruiting staff, doing training and programming, things like that.” This month, King and her family and some volunteers are staying at the camp to clean, organize and do maintenance projects. “Just small groups at a time,”
C
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
In this file photo from 2017, children at Catholic Youth Camp go canoeing on Big Sandy Lake near McGregor. she said, “and we’re still social distancing and focusing on safety.”
GR N O
AT U L AT
KNIGHT OF THE YEAR
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ES
JOHN CZECH ★
ST. JOSEPH’S OF THE LAKES COUNCIL 9905 Your family can be part of our family! KofC.org/joinus
JULY 16, 2020
16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
FOCUSONFAITH
DAILY Scriptures
SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER THOMAS SIEG
Weeds are everywhere
The parable of Jesus in Matthew 13 is often referred to as “The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds,” even though Jesus never says that the good seed is “wheat.” It is a reasonable assumption. However, the parable is primarily about the sower and the harvesters. The sower and the harvesters have very different ideas about the value of the wheat and the weeds. They have very different plans to deal with both plants growing in the field. It is the tension between these two conflicting visions that provides the lesson of the parable. The harvesters have one clear focus on what needs to be done to the weeds. They see that the job they must do is “go and pull them up.” They are ready to tear out every one of those weeds and destroy them. If a few wheat plants are destroyed in the process, that is just the price that must be paid. The sower, however, sees things in a different way. He is focused on the value and importance of every wheat plant growing in his field. Every plant that grows to fruition will be a blessing for the person who receives it and eats it. Destroying even one plant is too great a price to pay. The sower has two virtues that the harvesters lack. He is patient and knows that human judgment is imperfect. Some wheat could be destroyed because it is growing so close to the weeds. Some immature wheat could be mistaken for an immature weed. He is willing to allow both to grow together. When the harvest comes, every plant will be cut down and the wheat will be clearly distinct from the weeds. “The field is the world,” Jesus says. Every group, every community, every country in the world will have some people who do not seek what is good and fair for others. The only way to be sure that our kindness and generosity go only to those who
ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ
Does being Catholic mean always racing? Q
I find that I am so concerned with making sure that I am doing what I am “supposed to be doing” that I rarely have a moment to rest. Is this what it is to be a Catholic: racing from one thing to the next, just so you don’t waste your life?
A
Thank you so much for your question. In fact, I was just speaking about the last line of your question earlier today. What you note is a real possibility: We can live in such a way that we end up wasting our life. You’ve already recognized this, but I think it would be helpful for our readers to reflect on this just a moment longer. You and I have been given the gift of life. It is worth pondering this truth. You didn’t have to exist. This universe didn’t “demand” your existence. You and I are, strictly speaking, unnecessary to this world. (In other words, we can imagine a world in which we didn’t exist.) This can be a great exercise for a couple of reasons. First, it hopefully reveals and drives home the reality that life is a gift. It was not “owed” to us. It has been freely given to us and therefore every heartbeat and every breath must not be taken for granted. Second, since you and I are “unnecessary” (and yet exist), one of the things that this means is that God wants you to exist. God is the only “Necessary Being.” Literally everything and everyone else is what we call a “contingent being.” All that exists only exists for one reason: because God wills its existence. He does this on purpose, and he does this out of love. I’m sure you have heard the truth that “God loves you.” Many of us can be tempted to dismiss this (life changing!) truth by mumbling, “Well, he loves everyone, he kind of has to love me.” That is partly correct. God does indeed love everyone. But this dismissal overlooks the fact that you and I didn’t have to exist! And yet we do exist. This points to something so transformative and powerful that it can make one’s head spin: God created you out of all other possible beings he could have created (literally an infinite number of possibilities) because he wants to be able to love you — the “you” that you are right now.
The sower, however, sees things in a different way. ... Destroying even one plant is too great a price to pay.
Sunday, July 19 Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Wis 12:13, 16-19 Rom 8:26-27 Mt 13:24-43 Monday, July 20 Mi 6:1-4, 6-8 Mt 12:38-42 Tuesday, July 21 Mi 7:14-15, 18-20 Mt 12:46-50
deserve it, is to give to no one. Perfect justice is beyond human wisdom and human planning. It is the work of God. You and I can act with “due diligence.” We can try to be sure that our good works will go to help those who truly need it. But despite our best efforts, there will be occasions when others will take advantage of our kindness. We may not like it, but we must not hold back our love simply because some will not be worthy. We must trust in God for the justice we want, not in ourselves. When I was a young priest someone took several hundred dollars from me by lies and deceit. I was angry and finally was able to send him away. Then I had to face the question: “What will I do when this happens again?” I gave the question a lot of prayer and thought. In the end I decided that I would be “just fine” if it happened again. I have been greatly blessed, and I will not let a few deceitful “con men” keep me from trying to be a blessing for others. Father Sieg is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He can be reached at tomvictory@nuveramail.net.
Yes, God desires for you to be transformed into the person he has created and redeemed you to be in Christ Jesus. But he is not waiting for that transformation to happen. He loves you right now. He loves you as you. All of this is to say that you have permission to rest! You have permission to abide in the love of God. He is not waiting for your performance or for your success or for your somehow proving that you are worth loving. Here’s a question: Have you given yourself permission to be loved by God? Have you given God permission to love you? I find that one of the reasons so many people race and race and cannot find a moment to “be” is because they have unconsciously imbibed the deception that one’s worth (even as a beloved son or daughter of the Father) is based on their achievements. If this is where you are at, the first truth is that you exist because God wants to be able to love you, not because God wants your performance. At the same time, God has made you a steward of the life he has entrusted to you. Every breath and every heartbeat is a gift, yes, and they are gifts that must not be wasted. Because of this, we ask the question, “God, what do you want me to do with this morning? God, what do you want me to do with this evening? God, how do you want me to spend the gift of this free time?” Based off of your letter, it sounds like you jump from task to distraction to celebration to sleep to the next task, etc. Knowing that God is not waiting for you to prove your worth, can you ask him what he wants and then make a small decision? The small decision is to intentionally limit yourself. You are not infinite. Often, this is painfully obvious to you; you have a breaking point. The goal of life is not to toe the line up to that breaking point. The goal of life is to do the will of the Father and become the daughter or son he has created and redeemed you to be. Because of this, we all need to intentionally place boundaries on ourselves. Is there a time when you get to be done with your day? Are there some invitations that you have given yourself permission to say “no” to? When we no longer believe that we have to battle for God’s love, then many of the things we feel like we need to do are revealed as things that are potential options but not for you right now. There is great freedom in knowing that you have the ability to place boundaries on what you say “yes” to, all the while confident that in having been created by the Father so that he can love you, you don’t have to chase after his love. 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.
Wednesday, July 22 St. Mary Magdalene Sgs 3:1-4b Jn 20:1-2, 11-18 Thursday, July 23 Jer 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 Mt 13:10-17 Friday, July 24 Jer 3:14-17 Mt 13:18-23 Saturday, July 25 St. James, Apostle 2 Cor 4:7-15 Mt 20:20-28 Sunday, July 26 Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12 Rom 8:28-30 Mt 13:44-52 Monday, July 27 Jer 13:1-11 Mt 13:31-35 Tuesday, July 28 Jer 14:17-22 Mt 13:36-43 Wednesday, July 29 St. Martha Jer 15:10, 16-21 Jn 11:19-27 Thursday, July 30 Jer 18:1-6 Mt 13:47-53 Friday, July 31 St. Ignatius of Loyola, priest Jer 26:1-9 Mt 13:54-58 Saturday, Aug. 1 St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop and doctor of the Church Jer 26:11-16, 24 Mt 14:1-12 Sunday, Aug. 2 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 55:1-3 Rom 8:35, 37-39 Mt 14:13-21
JULY 16, 2020
COMMENTARY
ALREADY/NOT YET | JONATHAN LIEDL
‘Never let a good crisis go to waste’ Whatever you think are the root causes of our country’s current status, “crisis” seems like an appropriate descriptor. The now-rebounding coronavirus pandemic, coupled with the death of George Floyd and the subsequent violence and unrest in our cities, has both exacerbated and manifested deep fissures at the heart of American society. It’s not just that we don’t agree about the extent of racism or the appropriate government response to the virus — we don’t even agree on fundamentals like the nature of justice or the meaning of liberty. Where a civil consensus should exist — built on shared values and a common vision — there’s only a gaping void. For some, this is an invitation to exploitation. Rather than viewing this crisis as an event to be engaged with and learned from, partisans of all persuasions treat it as raw material to be used and manipulated to advance a presupposed ideological agenda. All other factors, including truth and charity, are subordinated to achieving victory at any cost, for in ideological warfare one either wins or loses absolutely. With no shared values to moderate aims and tactics, ideologues manipulate emotions, weaponize shame and actively distort information in a way that would make wartime propagandists blush. To reverse an old saying of Thucydides, politics has become war by other means. Obviously, this is a fundamentally non-Christian view, more befitting of a disciple of Machiavelli or Saul Alinsky than Jesus Christ. At its root, this approach to our national crisis is borne out of a practical denial of God’s involvement in the world — not even primarily in our personal lives, but in the life of society itself. In the words of Josef Ratzinger (the future Pope Benedict XVI), God is treated, at best, as “a God with nothing to do.” As a result, we’ve convinced ourselves that it’s completely up to us, to mankind, to bring about perfect justice, but without any reference to transcendental
SIMPLE HOLINESS | KATE SOUCHERAY
Friendship in marriage
When I was in my mid-20s and thinking about getting married, my mother gave me sage advice. She suggested that I have lots of male friends and then marry my best friend. St. Thomas Aquinas, an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest and doctor of the Church, supported this view: “The greater the friendship, the more solid and long-lasting (the marriage) will be,” he wrote. During these past few months of incalculable stress and emotional strain, it is not too difficult to understand the stress and strain marriages are experiencing as well. And yet, if we can keep in mind our friendship that was at the foundation of our union, we can help ourselves navigate the uncharted terrain of establishing a more solid relationship at this difficult time. Albert Ellis, a cognitive-behavioral psychologist from the 1960s, developed a theory that is especially helpful during a time of turbulence, uncertainty and fear. This theory is called the Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy, or REBT. The theory involves four steps, which Ellis referred to as A-B-C-D. He encouraged his clients to consider the A, or the Action, that occurred that was offensive or troubling for them. Next, the B represents the Beliefs this person holds, with regard to selfstatements expressed concerning the Action. The C of
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17
truths that provide a secure foundation for any effort, or the grace needed to surmount our self-centeredness. In such an environment, even noble intentions and causes can become deformed and hollowed out, and the most deplorable means become justified. When this happens, conservatism counterfeits what it attempts to conserve and progressivism cuts itself off from any coherent grounding and objective. And “what profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mk 8:36). While ideologically appropriating the present crisis must be rejected, there is, nonetheless, a deep Christian sense in which a crisis must be recognized as an opportunity. While never asked for, crises, when they come, are inevitably the means through which God is actively willing us to “work out our salvation” today; to be perfected in Christian love, personally and societally. Confidence in this in the midst of such turmoil is something we can only have through a profound faith in Providence and a deep trust that this reality — the only one that exists! — has been ordained by God, and is therefore ultimately good. A crisis can increase our yearning for heaven by reminding us that this world is passing away, but it should also compel us to live our lives here and now more intensely, to take reality more seriously. In her 1968 work “Between Past and Future,” political philosopher Hannah Arendt noted that a crisis forces us to grapple with fundamental questions that we otherwise might ignore, “and requires from us either new or old answers, but in any case direct judgements.” How important and essential is it, in this moment of our nation’s history, to engage in honest reflection and open dialogue, in order to conserve what is good and work for what needs to be changed? Is this crisis not also an opportunity to ask deeper questions about the ultimate purpose of life and how our society is or is not contributing to that end — questions that, in the midst of complacency and comfort, too often stay beneath the surface? But as Arendt notes, the type of contemplative humility we need is anything but automatic. In fact, a crisis can become a disaster “when we respond to it with preformed judgements, that is, prejudices. Such an attitude not only sharpens the crisis but make us forfeit the experience of reality and the opportunity for reflection it provides.” Ellis’ theory represents the Consequences of the Action and the Beliefs, stated in terms of what the person did and what they felt. Finally, D indicates the Disputing evidence the individual generates, by seeing the original belief as irrational, and substituting a more rational statement in its place. If we take a moment and investigate how this applies to situations facing couples today, we will see how Ellis’ theory can be particularly helpful. For example, when something occurs in a home between a couple, it is not uncommon to see old wounds arise. Something may happen — the Action — and the receiving spouse will likely have a Belief about what the spouse said or did, or didn’t say or do. Very often, this spouse will have feelings that are activated from these unhealed wounds and respond in a way that is less than honorable or kind, which are the Consequences of the original interaction. It is at this point that Ellis suggests that couples step back and Dispute their original, irrational-thought process and attempt to extend graciousness toward their spouse, by way of creating a more rational thought. When we think of our friends, we normally extend Ellis’ process without thinking. We will give our friends a second chance, looking for an explanation to their Actions, moving swiftly to more positive Beliefs, leading to healthier, more positive Consequences, and having to Dispute irrational thoughts much less often. However, when it comes to our spouse, we are so much less inclined to offer this same grace. Rather, we hold our spouse accountable for every negative action that ever occurred between us, often withholding forgiveness and understanding. If, however, we were to think of our spouse as our friend, we may approach their Action in a much different way. We may be more open to seeing how
While ideologically appropriating the present crisis must be rejected, there is, nonetheless, a deep Christian sense in which a crisis must be recognized as an opportunity. It’s not an exaggeration to say that much in our society thwarts our attempts for such critical reflection. Social media, cable news, and our hyper-partisan political landscape actively reinforce our prejudices and biases by feeding us ideologically driven narratives, perpetuating what the theologian Jesuit Father Bernard Lonergan calls “the flight from understanding.” The signs of this “flight” are easily identifiable: kneejerk dismissals of new perspectives (and its counterpart, automatic rejections of anything “old”), retreating into echo chambers that only strengthen our presumptions, and a willingness to use or at least tolerate self-serving lies that advance our chosen cause. At the heart of this “flight” through bias is a fear that reality cannot be trusted, which is ultimately a form of pride. The antidote to this ideological arrogance is fidelity to what Father Lonergan, following St. Thomas Aquinas, calls “the tension of inquiry” — the laborious and uncomfortable experience of sitting with our unresolved questions, acknowledging that we do not have all the answers ready-made. This requires us to trust that God’s will and truth is revealed, not through shortcuts and ideologically imposed frameworks, but by humbly embracing reality, withholding judgment until we’ve arrived at understanding borne of patient and selfless receptivity of the facts as they are. As Father Luigi Giussani, founder of the Communion and Liberation movement, says, we “must love the truth more than ourselves,” more than our preferred preconceptions. Only by lovingly and humbly grappling with reality, and not settling for the convenient answers of the various dogmatic ideologies on offer today, can we authentically respond to our current crisis and determine our next step forward. Liedl is a seminarian in formation for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
ACTION CHALLENGE u Implement Albert Ellis’ REBT methods with your spouse. When
you have a negative interaction, step back and moderate your thoughts. Take responsibility for your part in a negative interaction that arises between you, and do your part to calm it down quickly.
u Take time to develop the friendship in your marriage, thereby
giving your marriage the infusion of positivity that will help it be not only long-lasting, but also happy.
the stress and strain of this time is affecting them, and ask questions about how they are feeling and handling things, rather than gravitating toward assumptions. As we ask questions, rather than make assumptions, we will likely find that the Beliefs, or self-statements, we make will be more positive. This will lead to more productive Consequences, thus requiring less Disputation of irrational thoughts. Imagine how such a process could impact a couple, as well as the family that is created by their union. Choosing to see our spouse as our friend, rather than our foe, will lead to a much more positive married life for everyone involved. Albert Ellis’ Rational-Emotive Behavior Theory is a sound and useful skill-building process for any couple, at any time in their marriage. At this time in which we are living, this will not only be a sound and useful theory, it may also be life-giving. Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a member of Guardian Angels in Oakdale. She holds a master’s degree in theology from The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul and a doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
18 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
TWENTY SOMETHING | CHRISTINA CAPECCHI
Learning how to saunter Tonight I wrote two events on my calendar: a birthday party and a baptism. They will be sanitized, scaleddown gatherings — and they will be fun — but still, it pained me to sully those blank boxes with black ink. This stay-at-home and do-not-overschedule-yourfamily mandate has been a balm to my soul. I’m not the only one. My backyard neighbors used to keep the busiest schedule. Between dance, hockey and lacrosse, the logistics of their Saturdays were dizzying. They always felt it was justified, especially when their oldest made the varsity dance team as an eighth grader. Only an outside force, like a thunderbolt from God or an order from the governor, would bring an end to all their activities. And when it did, they were surprised by what they discovered: being home together is wonderful! The five of them set a schedule and stuck to it. The preteens learned how to manage their time, how to cook and how to exist without their friends. They looked forward to nightly movies, riveted by “The Hunger Games” series. “This is the best thing that ever happened to us,” the mom told me. My next-door neighbor made new discoveries too. For one, he actually likes to sit in the long-empty Adirondack chair on his front porch. Reading the paper and watching the kids in the cul-de-sac — “reality TV,” he quipped — provides plenty of entertainment. When nothing else normal happened, spring still came, as if for the first time. Our neighborhood hit the trails in full force, swapping routes in passing and occasionally crossing in the woods. “Five miles!” a dad would call out. When you couldn’t go anywhere else — churches were closed, even playgrounds were cordoned off — you could still walk in the woods. So we did, religiously. Henry David Thoreau would approve. One of his most famous essays, published in The Atlantic in June 1862, was titled “Walking.” In language that is at once plain and snappy — and, hence, feels fresh today — he extols the “noble art” of walking: “It requires a direct dispensation from heaven to become a walker,” Thoreau writes. “It comes only by the grace of God.” Though many people go on walks, he notes, very few possess “a genius, so to speak, for sauntering.” He goes on to explain the word’s origin. When pilgrims in the Middle Ages were heading to the Holy Land, village people would inquire about their destination. The reply: “a la sainte terre,” French for “to the Holy Land.” And so, the pilgrims became known as “sainteterrers” — saunterers. The effect of sauntering is not merely physical, Thoreau writes: “There will be so much the more air and sunshine in our thoughts.” He concludes with one of his most quoted lines, an observation I have been reflecting on in the age of COVID: “In short, all good things are wild and free.” I can think of nothing more wild and free than family and faith. The rest, the pandemic taught us, is secondary. We don’t need to celebrate a birthday with a big party at a splashy complex. The sweetest gift is the chance to spend the day with those you love the most. We don’t need a gym to exercise. We don’t need restaurants to eat well. We don’t need a vast circle to socialize. Family is enough. When all we have is each other, we have all of each other. Just as surely as the quarantine healed our wounded earth, it healed the fractured family. Finally, we get to be together, enjoying all of each other, sauntering toward the holy land. Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.
COMMENTARY
LETTERS Tom Johnson’s legacy During these extraordinarily difficult times, as we face challenging and needed societal reforms, it is important to pause and remind ourselves of the constructive changes that can result from the efforts of just one person: Tom Johnson, who passed away last month, was one such person. Tom was an everyday hero. His service as Hennepin County Attorney in the 1980s was marked by innovation and community outreach. He was a driving force in establishing “ahead-of-its-time” organizations like Cornerhouse, which helps child victims of abuse, and the Council of Crime and Justice, which examines systematic bias and promotes reform. His efforts — often in the face of substantial opposition — led to positive and lasting societal changes. Recently, he stepped forward as ombudsperson for the archdiocese to help advocate for victims of clergy sexual abuse — a fitting final chapter to a career and lifetime of unselfish service to others. Tom undertook these efforts to forge institutional change passionately yet calmly, and with a sense of respectful humility. We should all be so fortunate as to leave a legacy that we made our society a better and a more just place for future generations. As the blessing goes, “Until we meet again, Tom, may God hold you safely in the palm of his hand.” Tim O’Malley Director of Ministerial Standards at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Work, not fight The image “Mama … I’m through!” on the back page of the June 11, 2020, The Catholic Spirit, is very touching and thought provoking. However, if we want “a path of reconciliation and peace,” I believe it would have been better if Leah Darrow would have chosen a different word in her statement: “fight” for justice, to “fight “for peace, to “fight” for unity together. Yes, we all should “work” for these things. Rich McCabe St. Michael, Farmington
Poor pick We typically enjoy The Catholic Spirit and most of the articles, however, the interview with Jim Mengel seemed very inappropriate. (“1960s peace activist reflects on George Floyd’s death and its aftermath,” June 25). To suggest that a former priest that was excommunicated should be recognized “as a real prophet” is completely misleading. While connecting the current protests with those of the 1960s is newsworthy, the subjects for this article were poorly chosen. Josh and Jackie Barten St. Bridget of Sweden, Lindstrom
Confront racism In “A place for rage?” (Commentary, June 25) Liz Kelly reflected on the “protests, violence, looting and upheaval” of the last month. She mentioned injustice. Nowhere did she mention the murder of George Floyd. She called the Church “a people so concerned with combating the evils of the world.” But are we? One of the archdiocese’s most talented writers and speakers chose not to write of the evil facing us at this moment — racism. She wrote about anything but. The article was a deflection from the issue at hand. If we truly seek “to create more space for holiness and healing, greater reverence for others, their very lives and livelihoods,” why can’t we say Mr. Floyd’s name? Why is it easier to write about and imagine Jesus praying in front of abortion clinics than embracing and loving black Americans right now? Why the refusal to face the evil that confronts us today? John Rogers St. Joseph, West St. Paul
Invitation for reflection Thank you, Catholic Spirit writers and editors, for the excellent June 25 issue inviting us to reflect on what has happened since the death of George Floyd. The Hill family generously opened up about the ways racism has impacted their lives. Fr. Gerald Stookey reminded us of the necessity of working for justice and the article
JULY 16, 2020
on the Catholic Community Foundation’s “Neighbors in Need” fund gave us a way to help with restoration. I was inspired by Wayne Bugg’s determination to reopen the (St.) Vincent DePaul thrift store to serve the needs of the people in his neighborhood. The article on the Georgetown Law School forum on police reform was timely, and Jim Mengel and Liz Kelly offered thoughtful commentary on protest and violence as responses to injustice. Finally, Bishop Cozzens encouraged us to be open to the healing power of the Eucharist so we can be a part of God’s healing love for the world. Mary Higgins St. Wenceslaus, New Prague
Reconsidering ‘essential services’ I am writing in response to Ronald and Patricia Eldred’s letter which appeared in the June 11 edition of The Catholic Spirit. Please don’t hold Gov. Walz in such high esteem and harshly criticize Archbishop Hebda about safely reopening our churches before you consider the following fact. The CDC during this COVID-19 pandemic recommended that “all non-essential or elective surgeries and procedures that utilize PPE or ventilators must be postponed indefinitely.” Yet Gov. Walz has completely ignored the CDC’s recommendations with regard to the abortion industry. Apparently ending the lives of unborn babies is essential in Gov. Walz’s eyes. Mary Stolz St. Peter, Forest Lake
Religious freedom at stake This letter is in agreement with Archbishop Hebda and the other bishops of Minnesota who stood up to Gov. Walz about his decision to allow only a maximum of 10 people in even large churches for Mass. A previous letter-writer said she was shocked that the archbishop was prepared to defy the governor’s order to restrict public gatherings. But the archbishop’s decision wasn’t really, or only, about defying the governor’s order, it was about reminding the governor of the right to freedom of religion in this country. Yes, we can participate in the Mass and Catholic programs on television, asnd we can contribute financially in ways other than hand delivery, but it’s about more than those things. And it’s not only about ourselves. It’s what’s best for our country — the guarantee of religious freedom. We need to defend our religion. In fact, our government encourages and insists on it — guarantees our right to freedom of religion. We can’t allow it to be lost. We need to thank Archbishop Hebda and the other bishops of Minnesota for reminding the governor, and us, of that fact. Lucille Carlson St. Peter, Forest Lake
Reopening support I would like to comment on the letter expressing concern over opening the churches early. I understand the writer’s view, but we are in a world of inconsistency. The issue was why could stores and malls be open but not churches. The archdiocese has granted us a dispensation from attending Mass, so opening the churches is not altering that dispensation. Opening the churches is a way to bring people together in an atmosphere of love. People who are not able to attend Mass are still able to with the various media alternatives. Our faith is based on community, love and the reception of Christ in the Eucharist. That love grows when we are able to be in community with our brothers and sisters in Christ to share our joys, fears, sufferings and happiness. We gain strength from each other and Christ. After receiving Christ in the Eucharist, we are then given the message to bring Christ to others and we are strengthened to do so in a world of inconsistencies and change. Anita Goth St. Michael, St. Michael Share your perspective by emailing TheCatholicSpirit@archspm.org. Please limit your letter to the editor to 150 words and include your parish and phone number. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit.
JULY 16, 2020
CALENDAR
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19
FAITH AT HOME | LAURA KELLY FANUCCI
Steubenville LIVE — July 17-18: 5–8:30 p.m. July 17, noon–6 p.m. July 18. Interactive livestream event for teens and families. Cost is $40 per person or household. Register at steubenvilleconferences.com/live/#registration. Teen hiking retreat — July 27-31 at Voyageurs National Park with Into the Deep retreats. Register at idretreats.org/2020-idretreats. “How Catholics Can Be Agents for Racial Justice” — July 29: 7–8:30 p.m. Online forum hosted by the social justice committee at Corpus Christi in Roseville. Register at churchofcorpuschristi.org/racialjusticeforum. Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis annual Chrism Mass — July 30: 10 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. The Mass is not open to the public but will be livestreamed at facebook.com/archdiocesespm.org. Men and women’s silent weekend retreat — July 31Aug. 2 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. Father Mark Dean, OMI, presents “He Explained to Them the Scriptures.” Suggested offering $175 per person (includes $30 non-refundable deposit). kingshouse.com Knights of Columbus Walk for Life — Aug. 1: 10 a.m.– 2 p.m. at Eastview High School athletic field 6200 140th St. W., Apple Valley. Come for a few minutes or a few hours of fun and inspiration. Freewill offerings accepted at event or knightsforlifemn.org. Ignatian men’s silent retreat — Thursday-Sunday most weeks at Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House, 8243 Demontreville Trail N., Lake Elmo. Freewill donation. demontrevilleretreat.com 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 651-439-1203. afternoons. Kay at 651-426-3103 or Al at 651-439-1203.
CALENDAR submissions
DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the next issue date. LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and organizations. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission. Included in our listings are local events submitted by public sources that could be of interest to the larger Catholic community. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication: uTime and date of event uFull street address of event uDescription of event uContact information in case of questions ONLINE: THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM/CALENDARSUBMISSIONS
Teach us to fight racism
The Catholic Church never taught me how to fight racism. As a cradle Catholic, the Church taught me how to fight abortion, poverty, hunger, violence and even the degradation of the environment. I learned about the power of prayer. I saw parishes raising money, volunteering locally and protesting publicly. I heard stirring homilies, read books denouncing these evils, and celebrated saints who gave their lives for what was right. But when it comes to racism — how to form myself as a Catholic and how to raise my children — I have heard next to nothing. A homily or two, maybe. A mere mention in the prayers of the faithful. Where have I learned about racism as a white woman in the United States? From friends who have lived with the evils of racism every single day of their lives. From teachers and professors who have studied the history of our country. From writers, artists and speakers who call people to learn, reflect and act. Some of these friends, teachers, writers and speakers are Catholic. I have listened to their stories of hatred and discrimination in seminaries, schools and parishes. I have felt nausea and grief at hearing how they have not felt at home in the Church. No individual experience is monolithic. You may have been formed widely and deeply about fighting racism within your Catholic circles. Your parish may be active, and your pastor may be vocal. But in countless conversations with Catholics, I have heard stories of lament. Stories of Catholics of color ignored or insulted within their home parishes. Young Catholics discouraged by never seeing speakers, teachers or leaders like them — and deciding not to follow a calling into ministry. Theology students told to stay quiet about their experiences of racism and discrimination. Catholics whose presence in the pews at Sunday Mass was met with disgust by the people around them. St. Paul wrote that “if (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy” (1 Cor 12:26). The body of Christ is suffering. We must do more. We don’t have to stop doing what we have done, in
The body of Christ is suffering. We must do more.
urging Catholics to care about all that is evil and sinful in our society. But we have to do more to fight racism as a Church. This truth is clear. The work of faith formation begins in the home. I must do more as a parent: not just to name racism, but to teach my children to fight against it. Through our conversations and prayers, the friends and visitors we welcome at home, the art on our walls and the books we read (to name a few examples), parents, grandparents and guardians have opportunities to teach this generation of Catholics about justice and mercy. But I want bishops, priests, catechists and Church leaders to do more, too. Teach us how to pray about racism. How to speak out against prejudice and hatred in conversations with friends and neighbors. How to support Catholic organizations fighting systemic racism. How to change what is broken in our society, to honor the vision of liberty and justice for all. I want more for our children. I want them to know the history of the Catholic Church. I want them to learn about Black saints. I want them to understand how sin deforms souls and systems. I want them to embrace the beauty God has created. More than anything, I want our children to say that they know racism is evil — and they know how to fight it — because their Church taught them. Teach us, Church. Help us to teach our children. A parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, Fanucci is a writer, speaker and author of several books including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting.” Her work can be found at laurakellyfanucci.com.
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20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
THELASTWORD
JULY 16, 2020
One man’s faith
moves mountains of food to south Minneapolis Story and photos by Dave Hrbacek • The Catholic Spirit
A
young Catholic dad found hope where despair and destruction had taken up residence. Mike Stapp of All Saints in Lakeville went to University Avenue in St. Paul May 29, the day after protesters and rioters ransacked and looted stores and businesses following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers earlier that week. He expected to view rubble and ruin — and he did. What he didn’t expect to see was hope. But there it was, in the form of hundreds of people from the neighborhood pushing brooms and beginning a massive cleanup in the wake of a collective outburst of anger over racial injustice in the days after Floyd’s death. As he drove down University Avenue, Stapp, who is white, spotted an African American couple working alongside their young son. Stapp, 38, rolled down his window and asked the mom why they were there. “I live here; this is my neighborhood,” Stapp recalled her saying. The woman wanted to come and help. And, she wanted her family to be a part of it. That prompted Stapp, an unemployed father of four children 6 and under, to ask himself a question: What can I do? The question kept nagging at him. A day or two later, he went to Lake Street in south Minneapolis, an area the rioting hit even harder, to survey the damage there and help clean up. Again, he saw scores of volunteers, including families with children as young as his, which intensified his conviction and led to this thought: “We’ve got to do something.” So, he did. In the next several weeks, he helped organize a large food and supply distribution that took place June 27 at the boarded-up Kmart on Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue, which carried over to St. Matthew in St. Paul later in the day, near where he used to live. His small step of faith helped put food in the hands of hundreds of individuals and families. The idea came on a Monday morning one week after Floyd’s death. Having worked in sales for more than a decade, he decided to employ one of the industry’s common practices: cold calling. He wondered if he could reach out to companies and nonprofits to procure food for south Minneapolis residents who had lost several major retail stores to the riots, including Target and Cub Foods. (The Kmart on Lake and Nicollet was already scheduled to close this summer.) He hit pay dirt on his first attempt. “I had been intrigued by this company called Food Rescue US,” Stapp said. “I saw what they were doing about food rescue prior to this.” The organization uses technology to connect businesses such as restaurants and grocery stores that have excess food to those who need it. Volunteer drivers pick up and drop off the food. When Stapp reached out, he ended up on the phone with Food Rescue US’s vice president, Melissa Spiesman, who told him the organization had just started working with the USDA Farmers to Family program, which acquires produce from farmers and puts together 25-pound boxes of food for pickup and distribution to people in need. She offered him a semi-trailer load — 40,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables — for free. Too much food to handle, he thought. He asked if he could take a smaller amount, like 50 boxes. Nope, she replied. All or nothing. “I kind of (was) resigned in my mind: That’s just not possible,” he said. “I don’t know how we can get rid of that many boxes of produce, and we don’t have refrigeration.” He also didn’t have help at that point. But, he stayed on the phone with
the vice president, who offered to have her organization drop off the produce anywhere he wanted. At that moment, he chose to make a simple act of faith. He told Spiesman, “Tentatively, let’s call it a yes.” After he hung up, he feverishly started calling churches in south Minneapolis to find a parking lot for the food drop-off. He got a “yes” from Father Joe Gillespie, pastor of St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis. “We knew that if we could get food out there and get it into the hands of the people that were affected by all this, that we were doing something (meaningful),” Stapp said. “We were, at some level, the hands and feet of the Lord. And, maybe that brings joy for a day or a week. We can’t solve a lot, but we can do something.” Stapp then got to work recruiting volunteers. A member of the lay Christian community People of Praise, he started calling members for help. One of them suggested using the Kmart on Lake Street as the distribution point. Then Stapp discovered that the director of a Twin Cities charitable organization, Peter Wohler, was organizing a food drop for June 27, and Stapp called to see if he could join in. He got an enthusiastic yes from Wohler, who runs Source MN, a nonprofit
We can’t solve a lot, but we can do something. Mike Stapp
serving the poor and victimized that was managing the food distribution. The event was a huge success. Scores of volunteers came, and Stapp, along with Source MN, provided food boxes for every person and family in need who came. Recipients on Lake Street also received donated personal care products, diapers and even KN95 masks. Icing on the cake was giving donated Hasbro board games to children. The look on children’s faces as they grabbed the games “really captured my heart,” Stapp said. With food to spare, he then distributed several hundred more food boxes that day at St. Matthew on St. Paul’s west side. Looking back on one month’s worth of effort to provide food and hope to people who now live in the wake of an estimated $500 million in damages to property and businesses, Stapp’s takeaway is simple. “Have a heart for people and use your gifts,” he said. “Even if it’s small, even if it’s literally picking up the phone. The Lord can use it. And, in my case, thank God he did.” “I knew that I had to take a step,” he added. “And I realized when I took that step, the Lord was there every step in front of me, and we just kept walking. … I was just really captivated by the fact that there is hope.” LEFT A volunteer, right, shows a KN95 mask to a woman, left, coming for food and supplies, while another volunteer pushes her cart. RIGHT Mike Stapp loads produce during the food distribution at Kmart.