The Catholic Spirit - July 18, 2013

Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Best practices guide archdiocese’s youth protection efforts

5 July 18, 2013

Vocations run in this family

The Catholic Spirit

15

News with a Catholic heart

TheCatholicSpirit.com

Rio,

here we come

Minnesotans to bring local flavor to World Youth Day

By Caroline Rode The Catholic Spirit

Nearly 2.5 million youth from all corners of the world will travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 23 to 28 for World Youth Day. Started by Blessed John Paul II in 1984 and happening every two or three years since, the international, week-long encounter with Christ and millions of other Catholics includes catechetical sessions in many different languages and will culminate with Mass with Pope Francis.

More than 1 million youth attended World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain, last year to see and hear from Pope Benedict XVI. This will be Pope Francis’ first time at the event.

Many Minnesotans will be joining the other pilgrims, including groups from Hamel, Minneapolis, Stillwater and another from the St. Cloud area.

Pedaling to prepare To prepare physically for World Youth Day, most members of the group from St. Anne in Hamel went on a 56-mile pilgrimage on their bikes from St. Joseph

to Melrose and back in one day.

St. Anne’s youth minister, Travis Nelson, said the group stopped at different parishes along the way, participating in Mass, praying the rosary or spending time in eucharistic adoration.

CNS photo/Pilar Olivares, Reuters

Young people sing and dance before the arrival of the World Youth Day cross and icon at the Vidigal slum in Rio de Janeiro July 15. Young people from around the globe will join Pope Francis for the celebration in Rio July 23-28.

“You’ve got to ride together just as when we’re walking together at World Youth Day, getting to know each other and getting to know more than just the friends that [we’re] going with,” Nelson said.

PLEASE TURN TO WYD ON PAGE 7

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Healing at last Venezuelan teen undergoes lifechanging back surgery thanks to generosity of Minnesota Catholics.

— Page 3

‘Light of Faith’

Tribute to Adam

In his first encyclical, Pope Francis writes about how Christian faith inspires devotion to God and social action.

— Page 8

Lacrosse tourney helps parents heal after their son died in a motorbike accident last summer.

— Page 24

God’s design for life and love Married couple, medical resident tout benefits NFP brings to relationships and health — Page 14

Mass benefits Mom and children say attending daily Mass has deepened their relationship.

— Rediscover: section

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JULY 18, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

It’s time to act on immigration reform On June 26, 2013, I joined a group of Catholic priests and Evangelical pastors in front of the federal courthouse in Minneapolis for a press conference, urging passage of legislation on immigration reform. The following is the text of my address:

That They May All Be One Archbishop John C. Nienstedt

Our nation’s current policy is inconsistent, ineffective and fails to promote the common good

“The Roman Catholic bishops of Minnesota as well as bishops from around the United States have long been concerned about the nation’s immigration policy.

It is inconsistent, ineffective and fails to promote the common good.

Therefore, we stand today, united with Christian brothers and sisters from across the communities and denominations, to reiterate our support for comprehensive immigration reform that brings millions of people out of the shadows, reunites them with their families and puts them on the path to citizenship.

Each day in our parishes, social service programs, hospitals and schools, we witness the human consequences of our broken immigration system. Families are separated, workers are exploited and our fellow human beings die in the desert. Without positive change to our immigration laws, we cannot help these people who are our brothers and sisters.

Every immigrant is a person — a daughter, son, mother or father — who possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to welcome the foreigner out of charity and respect. Supporting legislation that helps repair our broken immigration system is part of this responsibility.

We recognize that finding solutions to the plight of immigrants today will sometimes necessitate the overcoming of boundaries in the heart, not just on the land. Before a gate finds its way into the walls outside, there must be a gate that opens in the heart.

This is what the Good Samaritan did: He gave the assistance that was demanded of him by the universal law of love — the law of our common humanity —

The Catholic Spirit The Catholic Spirit’s mission is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It seeks to inform, educate, evangelize and foster a spirit of community within the Catholic Church by disseminating news in a professional manner and serving as a forum for discussion of contemporary issues.

Vol. 18 — No. 16

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Archbishop John Nienstedt speaks at a press conference June 26 in Minneapolis announcing a joint statement from Minnesota faith leaders on federal immigration reform.

by supplying a basic human need to a poor stranger.

Like the Good Samaritan, we must see all people, including immigrants and undocumented workers who may be different from us, as human beings made in the image and likeness of God, and fashion our response to their needs accordingly.

We urge Catholics, other Christians and all people of good will to contact their congresspersons and encourage them to pass comprehensive, fair immigration reform legislation. The time to act is now.”

God bless you!

Texas stiffens abortion restrictions; pro-lifers rally to support bill The drama in Texas over abortion that drew national and international attention came to an end for the moment after the state House of Representatives then the state Senate voted to adopt tougher abortion regulations.

Gov. Rick Perry promised to sign the bill into law soon.

The law prohibits abortions in the 20th week of pregnancy, requires abortion clinics to be certified as surgical centers and increases regulations on doctors and abortion-inducing drugs.

Jeff Patterson, executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference, said the law protects life by requiring no termination of pregnancies after the first 20 weeks and it improves standards for abortion facilities.

The conference is the statewide association of the Catholic dioceses in Texas and the public policy arm of the conference’s board of directors — the bishops — that represents Catholic positions on issues before the Texas Legislature, the Texas delegation in Congress and state agencies.

For pro-life groups, the legislation is another incremental step in ending abortion. In 2011, Texas legislators passed a bill requiring a woman seeking an abortion to receive a sonogram from the doctor who is to perform the procedure at least 24 hours before the abortion.

— Catholic News Service

Correction It was incorrectly stated on Page 22 of the June 30 edition of The Catholic Spirit that Bob Tift had been the president of Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park since 1971. Actually, he was named president in 2001.

MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT Publisher SARAH MEALEY Associate publisher JOE TOWALSKI Editor Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by Catholic Spirit Publishing Company.

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Saturday 10–10, Sunday 11–5 Along the Mississippi River Across from Riverplace & St. Anthony Main Minneapolis, Minnesota www.tcpolishfestival.org

“The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become.”

Henry Martyn

Local News from around the archdiocese

JULY 18, 2013

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Healing . . . at last

Fourth back surgery the charm for Venezuelan teen

By Dianne Towalski

“All these pieces came together on the medical side,” Cameron said. “And there have just been a lot of different connections and people coming together to make it happen. The small-world aspect of things has been very interesting . . . and awesome.”

The Catholic Spirit

It’s a small world, and no one knows and appreciates that more than Greicys Ramos-Rivas.

Greicys (pronounced “Gracie”), 17, had been living with debilitating scoliosis for several years — enduring the pain of three failed surgeries in her home country of Venezuela.

But her pain will soon be gone thanks to a local college student and his family’s medical connections.

Cameron Perra, a 2011 graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul and now a student at the University of WisconsinMadison, spent his first year after high school teaching English at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ mission in Venezuela: Jesucristo Resucitado.

While working at the parish, Cameron got to know the parish secretary, Gregoria Ramos-Rivas, Greicys’ mom.

“The whole family really welcomed me,” Cameron said. “They would invite me over for lunch or dinner a lot.”

He hung out with Greicys in her mom’s office. “She could walk a little and sit, but eventually she would just have to lie down and rest because she was in so much pain,” Cameron said.

Just as they welcomed Cameron, the Ramos-Rivas family welcomed his parents, Jerry and Eileen Perra, when they came to the mission for Easter, inviting them for dinner.

Jerry is an orthopedic surgeon and recognized Greicys’ rapidly worsening condition. He asked to see the X-rays from her last surgery and, after studying them, decided to send them to his brother Joe, a spinal surgeon in the Twin Cities.

Financial hardship Before they ever met the Perra family, Gregoria and her husband Gustavo had spent their life savings on back surgeries for Greicys, even cashing out Gregoria’s retirement benefits.

“One night, [Greicys] woke up and

A long road

Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

Greicys Ramos-Rivas, right, and her mom Gregoria, left, are staying with Cameron Perra, center, while Greicys recouperates from her spinal surgery.

couldn’t move,” said Father Greg Schaffer, a priest of the archdiocese who serves at the Venezuela mission in the Diocese of Ciudad Guayana. “When she woke up paralyzed that day, they came to the parish to get a loan. And, [Gregoria] cashed in her retirement benefits. She’s been working for the parish for 25 years.

So, she’s been accruing retirement benefits, and she cashed most of that in to have the second surgery because they couldn’t wait any longer. They couldn’t do it at a public hospital, so they had to pay at a private hospital. That cleaned out their savings.”

Cameron and his family thought they could help Greicys, and started pooling

resources. Joe agreed to do the surgery and his wife Sherry, who works for a spinal hardware company, got her company to donate the rods and screws needed for the surgery.

Jerry also contacted Deacon Stephen Koop, head of surgery at Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul. Koop’s son, Father Evin Koop, spent time at the mission in Venezuela and knew Gregoria and Greicys.

Deacon Koop was able to get the hospital to donate its services.

Members of the Venezuela Mission Group at St. Joseph parish in Waconia also helped with some of the expenses of the trip, Father Schaffer said. A friend of his donated the airfare.

Getting Greicys and her mom to Minnesota for the surgery proved to be complicated and sometimes frustrating. The biggest hurdle was getting them visas to leave Venezuela and come to the U.S. “The process is pretty arduous and frustrating,” Cameron said. “They had to take three separate trips to Caracas [the capital].

It’s a 10- to 12-hour bus ride and it’s fairly dangerous,” he said.

Jerry had to write letters to the American consulate there and explain every detail of the planned trip.

When Greicys and her mom finally arrived in the United States, they were able to stay for a while with friends from their town in Venezuela that now live in Wisconsin.

They also stayed for a few days with Father Schaffer’s parents.

“My mom calls it the Catholic connection,” Cameron said. “The Catholics here in the Twin Cities and in the mission in Venezuela, all these things coming together, a huge part of it has been the Church.”

“What I really enjoy,” he said, “is that it’s people from all over the world, all over the country and all over the Twin Cities that have come together because they recognize a good cause, and they recognize how they can make an important and drastic change in someone’s life. And, it’s facilitated by the Church.”

Ready for surgery Before the surgery, Gregoria and Greicys met with Joe, and he explained the surgery and answered their questions. “I was really nervous before we came,” said Gregoria PLEASE TURN TO VENEZUELA ON PAGE 4

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4

Local

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 18, 2013

JustFaith program stresses social justice

By Kristi Anderson For The Catholic Spirit

JustFaith Ministries founder Jack Jezreel visited the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis this week, meeting alums of the JustFaith program, presenting talks to the public and encouraging parish and archdiocesan staff in their ministries — all while conveying a message of compassion and generosity using the models of Pope Francis and St. Francis.

Jezreel introduced the original JustFaith program in 1989 while working in a parish in Louisville, Ky., and it quickly spread to other parts of the country, including Minnesota.

“When the JustFaith program was starting, they partnered with various organizations to make sure their context was rooted in Catholic social teaching and the lived reality of our Church,” said Marty Roers of the Office for Social Justice at Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“JustFaith Ministries partnered with Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. Catholic Campaign for Human Development and their funded groups, Maryknoll Missioners and directly with our Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis.”

According to Roers, in the early years as JustFaith was developing its weekly reflections and study guides, organizers had many conversations with Kathy Tomlin, vice president of social justice at Catholic Charities.

“JustFaith has made

me intentional about how I am living each hour of each day. . . .

”

MICHELLE MCMULLIN

“She was an important proponent of making sure the program was rooted in local realities and local poverty and social justice issues,” he said. “Maryknoll brought the global dimension of international poverty and mission, but our local Catholic Charities was very insistent that a faith formation program exposing people to social justice issues and poverty needed to connect people in a real way with poverty and social injustice in their own community.

“It is really amazing to see how the program has re-energized and in many cases transformed individuals throughout the archdiocese in regards to their faith and their commitment to promoting social justice,” Roers continued. “We have had over 800 people do a one-year JustFaith small group program at their parishes over the past 10 years.”

Michelle McMullin, a member of the advisory board for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, participated in the JustFaith program in 2007-

08 because she was searching for a way to deepen her faith.

“JustFaith has made me intentional about how I am living each hour of each day instead of only on Sunday during Mass,” she said. “It is a compass to navigate life. In the past, I felt I needed a map with specific turns to my destination.

Through JustFaith, I feel less certain about the details and more certain about my direction.”

Karen Fitzpatrick of Guardian Angels in Oakdale has been an advocate for justice since the late 1960s, serving Bread for the World and helping form parish social justice committees. It was shortly after her retirement from full-time work that JustFaith came to her parish.

Her involvement in those early days led to the development of the Hope for the Journey Home shelter for families experiencing homelessness.

“When the call went out in June 2012 for workers to get the empty rectory ready to house seven families by Labor Day, over 60 people stepped forth to put in the long hours needed,” Fitzpatrick said.

“A large percentage of the volunteers were JustFaith grads.

“Any parish which has a JustFaith group, in process or graduates, will have a core of people ready to step into works of outreach, to care for people in poverty and of vocal advocacy where injustice exists.”

To learn more about the JustFaith program, visit JUSTFAITH.ORG.

Venezuela teen recovering quickly after surgery CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 through Cameron. “But once we got here and I met the doctors I felt much better.”

After asking many questions about the surgery, Greicys had one last question.

“When will I be able to wear high heels?” she asked, knowing that was something she could never have done before.

He told her it won’t be long. “She was very happy about that,” Cameron said.

“She actually clapped her hands.”

Joe performed the surgery July 1 and Jerry and Deacon Koop assisted. It was the first time brothers Joe and Jerry, both surgeons in the Twin Cities, had done a surgery together.

“That was just kind of a fun thing for them to do that together.” Cameron said.

Greicys is recovering at Cameron’s home in Hastings while his mom, a nurse, keeps an eye on her progress.

“Considering what she’s been through, she’s doing really well,” Eileen Perra said.

Greicys’ mom is happy with her daughter’s progress, too. “Time and the love of God will make her better,” Gregoria said.

Greicys is hoping to start college in Venezuela in September and is looking forward to someday getting married and having a family.

The two will return to Venezuela in early August, escorted by a group of seminarians who will be staying at the mission.

Church / Ministry Jobs Accountant Location: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Chancery Offices; St. Paul, MN The Parish Accounting Service Center (PASC) Staff Accountant is responsible for the preparation, production and maintenance of client parish financial records through the use of Archdiocesan centralized financial software systems. This position provides client parish financial information to the PASC Manager and assists client parish leadership in fulfillment of their parish, archdiocesan and regulatory reporting requirements. Qualifications include a B.S. in Accounting/Finance; and a minimum of 2 years in Accounting, AP, AR and GL (5-7 years preferred).

Middle School/Reading Literature Teacher Location: Shakopee Area Catholic School; Shakopee, MN Shakopee Area Catholic School is seeking an energetic, professional teacher for a full-time, middle school reading/literature teacher to join our vibrant and committed faculty. Qualifications: MN teaching license is required.

Parish Business Administrator Location: Church of Saints Peter & Paul; Loretto, MN This position will have administrative, financial, personnel, facilities and cemeteries management responsibilities for the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Loretto, MN. Qualifications include but are not limited to a Bachelor's degree (with a concentration in Accounting or Business Administration preferred), demonstrated working knowledge of accounting principles, five or more years’ experience in financial management, and two years of supervisory experience.

For more information on these and other job openings, or to apply online, please visit www.archspm.org/careers.

Local

JULY 18, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Best-practices approach guides archdiocese’s youth-protection efforts The Catholic Spirit Before joining the archdiocese last February as associate chancellor for civil affairs, Sara Kronholm spent more than a decade as an assistant Hennepin County attorney handling court cases involving abused and neglected children.

She took the job with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, she said, because she wanted the opportunity to assist in its efforts to confront the societal problem of abuse and protect minors from becoming victims in the first place.

“When I was hired, it was clear from the archdiocese’s leaders that they weren’t looking to just meet requirements,” said Kronholm, who oversees the archdiocese’s Office for Protection of Children and Youth. “They wanted to make sure we were pursuing best practices in all that we do.”

News reports of alleged clergy sexual abuse that have surfaced recently may give some people the impression that such abuse is a rampant and unaddressed problem. The reality, however, is quite different. Most cases of alleged abuse in the news now date from many years — and often decades — ago.

For more than 20 years — even before the U.S. bishops issued the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” in 2002 — the archdiocese has taken a lead role in protecting minors by requiring criminal background checks for all clergy as well as parish and school employees and, for more than a decade, by providing safe environment training to both youth and adults.

The archdiocese also has had a zero-tolerance approach regarding clergy sexual abuse of minors since the 1990s, said Andy Eisenzimmer, the archdiocese’s former chancellor for civil affairs and legal counsel who retired last year and is familiar with the archdiocese’s history on safe environment issues. When the archdiocese receives an accusation of abuse, it reports it to civil authorities and removes the person immediately from ministry pending the outcome of the investigation, during which the archdiocese cooperates with police and other authorities.

No clergy member who has been credibly accused of child abuse is allowed to serve in a parish ministry position, he said.

It’s The Catholic Spirit News with a Catholic heart.

No matter what’s going on in this changing world, it’s nice to know you can always return to a place where inspiration lives. Where you’ll find in-depth stories about people making a difference in the world. And where you can reconnect with your faith as you learn about the Catholic Church’s viewpoint on some of the difficult issues we face.

651-291-4444 thecatholicspirit.com

Protection of Children and Young People, the archdiocese and other U.S. dioceses undergo an annual independent audit of When I was hired, it was clear from the their policies and procedures to ensure archdiocese’s leaders that they weren’t looking compliance with the charter’s provisions.

In turn, the Office for the Protection of to just meet requirements. They wanted to make Children and Youth collects data from parishes and schools in the archdiocese sure we were pursuing best practices in all that twice a year to ensure their compliance we do. with its policies and charter requirements, Eisenzimmer said.

The archdiocese also has a longstanding SARA KRONHOLM policy of offering support to victims of Associate chancellor for civil affairs sexual abuse, including by providing counseling through independent counThe mission of the archdiocesan Office by an outside agency, Kronholm said. All selors at no cost. for the Protection of Children and Youth parish, school and ministry volunteers As the archdiocese developed and imis “to help create and maintain safe envi- with regular or unsupervised contact with plemented child sexual abuse protection ronments for children and vulnerable minors also must undergo a background policies and procedures over the years, it adults in any Church ministry, [Catholic] check. started hearing stories about how they school or parish setting,” Kronholm said. ! Codes of conduct: Clergy, employees were helping people to step forward and The office also ensures compliance with and volunteers must acknowledge and report suspected abuse or boundary viostate laws, archdiocesan policies and the abide by archdiocesan codes of conduct. lations, both in Church ministry and provisions outlined in the national char! Safe environment training: The arch- wider society, Eisenzimmer said. ter. And, it seeks to ensure the archdio- diocese provides age-appropriate safe en“Pretty quickly, we recognized that this cese’s policies and practices are consistent vironment training to young people in wasn’t just a Church problem,” he said. with national best practices.

“When I would talk Catholic schools and “Every day and in every situation we parish faith formation with judges and other look for what’s the best way to keep chil- programs as well as to people who were on By the numbers dren safe,” said Kronholm, a member of clergy the front lines, they members, St. Olaf in Minneapolis. ! More than 105,000 criminal would frequently talk parish and school embackground checks have been about the abuse that ployees and volunThe ‘essential three’ run on clergy, employees and occurred in public teers.

The training In 1987, then archdiocesan Auxiliary volunteers in the archdiocese in schools, in the home raises awareness Bishop Robert Carlson expressed regret the last decade alone. and other commuabout the societal that the archdiocese made mistakes in ! 100,000 young people in nity settings. It was problem of child sexhandling and responding to matters inCatholic schools and parish faith just so prevalent and ual abuse and provolving the sexual abuse of minors by formation programs have a huge problem. So vides information some members of the clergy. Since then, received age-appropriate safe we began to recogabout warning signs the archdiocese has developed and impleenvironment training in the past nize that what we regarding potential mented policies to prevent such abuse. decade. were doing was not abusers, how to recThe policies, which were updated most ! More than 68,000 clergy, just having a value ognize signs of abuse recently in 2007 and which are currently parish and school employees and from the standpoint and how to report undergoing another review and update, volunteers have received safe of the Church, but suspected abuse. address a spectrum of issues related to sexenvironment training in the last also having a value The archdiocese ual misconduct, including response to aldecade. from the standpoint provides adults atlegations and support for those making of protecting children tending the training allegations as well as requirements aimed in any setting.” sessions with a handout listing the phone at prevention. The most recent revisions “We really saw it as becoming an inteaim to strengthen and clarify safe envi- numbers of child protection authorities gral part of the mission of the Church,” in 20 Minnesota counties and three ronment requirements commonly referred he said.

“At the present, I think the nearby counties in Wisconsin, Kronholm to as the “essential three.”

Church is really at the forefront in the said.

They are: “We try to make it as easy as possible kinds of things we do to protect children.”

In 2012, of all the allegations against ! Criminal background checks: All and give people all the materials and tools clergy members and archdiocesan, parish they might need to feel empowered to Catholic clergy nationwide, only 11 and school employees are required to un- take the step to report,” she said.

PLEASE TURN TO ARCHDIOCESE ON PAGE 20 As part of the national Charter for the dergo criminal background checks done

“

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JULY 18, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

2013 Reservations now being taken!

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The Catholic Spirit News W ith a Catholic Heart

7

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 18, 2013

WYD pilgrims excited to celebrate their Catholic faith CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Nelson hopes the struggles they encountered on their biking pilgrimage will help them overcome any potential challenges in Rio. “I’m hoping that with all of the struggle and pain, we as a group will stay focused on the goal that Christ is the one leading us and that the Holy Spirit is guiding us,” Nelson said.

This will be the first World Youth Day for 16-yearold Josephine von Dohlen, and her first time traveling outside of the United States. She is traveling with St. Anne’s and said she’s excited to join with millions of youth from around the world.

“I think it will be a great experience and kind of the rejuvenation in our faith, just knowing that there are so many other kids around the world struggling with the same things that you are: living out a strong Catholic life,” she said.

Nelson’s first World Youth Day experience was in Toronto in 2002. He said he hopes he’ll be able to help give the youth a variety of experiences that will show them how blessed they are to be members of the greater Church.

“I just really want the youth to experience what I experienced when I went to Toronto. And that is that the Church is alive,” Nelson said.

Von Dohlen said her group focused on not only physical aspects of the pilgrimage, but learning that prayer is needed for spiritual preparation.

“We’ll be walking many, many miles every day, and it’s definitely going to be in a different atmosphere than we’re used to. So I think a lot of prayer is very helpful,” she said.

CNS photo/Ricardo Moraes, Reuters

Young people carry the World Youth Day cross to city hall in Rio de Janeiro July 10 as Brazilians make final preparations for World Youth Day and the visit by Pope Francis. Young people from around the globe will join the pontiff for the celebration in Rio July 23-28.

World Youth Day by the numbers:

Pilgrims, priests and security patrols

Local priest to lead group

By Lise Alves

Father Larry Hubbard, who previously served at the archdiocese’s Venezuela mission in the Diocese of Ciudad Guayana, will be traveling with a group from St. Cloud and will serve as spiritual director. Youth from the St. Cloud area are joining together to travel to World Youth Day, including five brothers from Holy Cross in North Prairie.

“I’m really excited to see all the people there for the same reason: to celebrate our faith,” said Ben Borash, the youngest of the five brothers.

Rob Schumer is the youth director for parishes in Bowlus, Elmdale, North Prairie, St. Francis and Upsala.

He said he, along with the nine others in his group, are excited to see their new pope.

With Pope Francis being from South America, “I’m really looking forward to seeing how much more elevated the energy level is going to be in the pilgrims that are going to be there,” Schumer said.

A tradition at World Youth Day is for groups to bring different items from their home country to share and trade with pilgrims from all over the world.

Schumer and his pilgrims are taking 1,500 homemade red, white and blue rosaries to trade with other pilgrims in Rio. Schumer hopes to be able to have daily Mass during the pilgrimage. In years past, Schumer said other pilgrims from different countries have joined in the Mass.

“Whether that Mass is going to be on the sidewalk, in a city park, in a bus terminal, in a hotel room, wherever, I like that opportunity to be able to have Mass together as a group,” Schumer said.

Schumer said his group will be traveling in simplicity, with minimal items for travel. For example, the teens are each packing only two pairs of pants and three T-shirts.

“One thought I’ve always put into the pilgrims’ heads is, ‘We’re not going on vacation, we’re on a pilgrimage’” he said.

As hundreds of thousands of young Catholic pilgrims descend on Brazil, World Youth Day coordinators in Rio de Janeiro are putting the finishing touches on preparations for up to 2.5 million people.

By July 15, more than 320,000 people had registered for the event. Media coordinator Carol Castro said many pilgrims will register when they arrive, and many will participate in the events without being registered.

The countries with the greatest numbers of pilgrims registered are Brazil, Argentina and the United States, but young people are coming from as far away as the Philippines and Slovakia.

More than 8,400 priests from all over the globe requested credentials for the event. Approximately 5,500 journalists have been given credentials to cover Pope Francis' first international trip.

Castro said 55 percent of registered pilgrims are women and 60 percent of those coming are ages 19-34. About 300,000 beds were made available in family homes, sports centers and schools in Rio. Officials said more than 270 locations are available for catechetical session in 26 languages, including Polish, Latvian, Mandarin and Flemish.

They said 60,000 volunteers, of whom 7,000 are foreigners, will be on hand during the week to help and direct pilgrims to the events in Rio. Nearly 800 singers, dancers, actors and musicians will be participating in the main events.

Catholic officials will have 4 million hosts for consecration, and 100 confessionals will be at hand for pilgrims.

Pope Francis will greet pilgrims on a stage overlooking Copacabana beach July 25. For those unable to get to the main stage, organizers have set up two large and 16 smaller screens and 26 sound towers.

The July 27 vigil will be outside the city at a site equal to approximately 150 soccer fields. The venue has been dubbed Campus Fidei, Latin for Field of Faith. This is

Catholic News Service

Live WYD coverage Salt + Light Television, part of the Canada-based Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, will have live and exclusive coverage of World Youth Day Rio 2013 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In his first trip abroad since being elected, Pope Francis will make his return to South America July 2228. Originally conceived by Pope John Paul II in 1985, the weeklong international Catholic youth festival has attracted millions from around the globe since it’s inception.

Salt + Light’s team live coverage will include events for pilgrims, interviews and papal events including the week’s final Mass.

For more information and complete schedule of covered events, visit WWW.WYDCENTRAL.COM.

also the site for Pope Francis’ July 28 Mass with young people, who can watch on 33 large outdoor screens if they cannot see the altar.

To make things more comfortable for pilgrims spending the night, the area will have 4,673 portable bathrooms, 270 of which were adapted for people with disabilities.

More than 12 million liters of water will be on hand for pilgrims, distributed at 177 locations throughout the area.

The Brazilian armed forces has been put in charge of guaranteeing the security of pilgrims at Campus Fidei.

The army will have 1,500 people stationed inside Campus Fidei while the national security force will have 1,300 people patrolling both inside and outside the vigil area.

For the entire event, security for pilgrims will count on more than 10,200 military units. The number of members of the armed forces to be used to guarantee security for pilgrims was increased from 8,500 after the recent socio-political protests in several cities in Brazil. Pope Francis will be guarded by 600 military personnel as well as 80 people from Brazil's federal police and Vatican police who accompany Pope Francis on his visit.

“God always wants mercy for everyone and not condemnation.

He wants the mercy of the heart because he is merciful and understands well our suffering, our difficulties and even our sins.”

Pope Francis, speaking July 14

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Nation/World THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

News from around the U.S. and the globe

JULY 18, 2013

In first encyclical, pope celebrates faith as light of human life

By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service

CNS photo / Juan Carlos Ulate, Reuters

Floribeth Mora Diaz, the Costa Rican woman whose inexplicable cure has been attributed to the intercession of Blessed John Paul II, embraces her husband, Edwin Arce, as she gives her testimony to the media in San Jose, Costa Rica, July 5.

Catholics must seek wisdom, witness to their faith John Paul II, John XXIII could be declared saints by the end of the year

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

Pope Francis signed a decree clearing the way for the canonization of Blessed John Paul II and has decided also to ask the world’s cardinals to vote on the canonization of Blessed John XXIII, even in the absence of a miracle.

After Pope Francis met July 5 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, the Vatican published a list of decrees the pope approved related to Blessed John Paul’s canonization and 11 other sainthood causes.

Publishing the decrees, the Vatican also said, “The supreme pontiff approved the favorable votes of the ordinary session of the cardinal- and bishop-fathers regarding the canonization of Blessed John XXIII (Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli) and has decided to convoke a consistory that will also involve the canonization of Blessed John Paul II.” Normally, after a pope signs a decree recognizing the miracle needed for a canonization, the pope consults with cardinals around the world and calls a consistory — a gathering attended by any cardinal who wants and is able to attend —

where those present voice their support for the pope’s decision to proclaim a new saint.

A date for a canonization ceremony is announced formally only during or immediately after the consistory.

The cardinals and archbishops who are members of the saints’ congregation met at the Vatican July 2 and voted in favor of the pope recognizing as a miracle the healing of Floribeth Mora Diaz, a Costa Rican who was suffering from a brain aneurysm and recovered after prayers through the intercession of Blessed John Paul.

Not an obstacle The congregation members, according to news reports, also looked at the cause of Blessed John and voted to ask Pope Francis to canonize him without requiring a miracle.

According to church rules — established by the pope and subject to changes by him — a miracle is needed after beatification to make a candidate eligible for canonization.

Jesuit Father Paolo Molinari, the longtime head of the College of Postulators — or promoters of sainthood causes — has explained that in the sainthood process, miracles are “the confirmation by God of a judgment made by human beings” that the candidate really is in heaven.

But, Father Molinari also has said that for decades theologians have explored the possibility that such a confirmation could come by means other than someone experiencing a physical healing. For instance, Blessed John Paul beatified Victoire Rasoamanarivo in Madagascar in 1989 after accepting as a miracle the case of a wind-swept brush fire stopping at the edge of a village whose inhabitants invoked her intercession.

Announcing the decision about Blessed John’s cause, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the discussions about the need for miracles and what can be defined as an acceptable miracle continue. However, he said, the movement in the late pope’s cause does not indicate a general change in church policy.

The members of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes “have expressed their hope, and the Holy Father has accepted it,” Father Lombardi said.

If Pope Francis “had any doubts, we wouldn’t be here” announcing the consistory to approve Blessed John’s canonization.

Father Lombardi also noted that no date for a canonization ceremony was announced, but it is likely that the two popes will be canonized together, possibly “by the end of the year.”

Pope Francis’ first encyclical, “Lumen Fidei” (“The Light of Faith”), is a celebration of Christian faith as the guiding light of a “successful and fruitful life,” inspiring social action as well as devotion to God, and illuminating “every aspect of human existence,” including philosophy and the natural sciences.

Read the The document, released July 5, encyclical completes a papal trilogy on the three “theological virtues,” followonline at ing Pope Benedict XVI’s encycliWWW.VATICAN.VA. cals “Deus Caritas Est” (2005) on charity and “Spe Salvi” (2007) on hope. Publication of the encyclical was one of the most awaited events of the Year of Faith which began in October 2012.

Pope Benedict “had almost completed a first draft of an encyclical on faith” before his retirement in February 2013, Pope Francis writes, adding that “I have taken up his fine work and added a few contributions of my own.”

The document clearly recalls the writings of Pope Benedict in its extensive treatment of the dialogue between faith and reason and its many citations of St. Augustine, not to mention references to Friedrich Nietzsche and Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

On other hand, warnings of the dangers of idolatry, Gnosticism and Pharisaism, a closing prayer to Mary as the “perfect icon of faith,” and an entire section on the relevance of faith to earthly justice and peace echo themes that Pope Francis has already made signatures of his young pontificate.

Fulfillment in Christ “Lumen Fidei” begins with a brief survey of the biblical history of faith, starting with God’s call to Abraham to leave his land — “the beginning of an exodus which points him to an uncertain future” — and God’s promise that Abraham will be “father of a great nation.”

The Bible also illustrates how men and women break faith with God by worshipping substitutes for him.

“Idols exist, we begin to see, as a pretext for setting ourselves at the center of reality and worshipping the work of our own hands,” the pope writes. “Once man has lost the fundamental orientation which unifies his existence, he breaks down into the multiplicity of his desires. . . . Idolatry, then, is always polytheism, an aimless passing from one lord to another.”

Pope Francis sees another way of turning from God in the Pharisees’ belief that salvation is possible through good works alone.

“Those who live this way, who want to be the source of their own righteousness, find that the latter is soon depleted and that they are unable even to keep the law,” the pope writes. “Salvation by faith means recognizing the primacy of God’s gift.”

Faith finds its fulfillment in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the pope writes. By virtue of his humanity, Jesus is both the object of faith and the ultimate model and mediator for all believers.

“Christ is not simply the one in whom we believe, the supreme manifestation of God’s love,” Pope Francis writes. “He is also the one with whom we are united precisely in order to believe. Faith does not merely gaze at Jesus, but sees things as Jesus himself sees them, with his own eyes: it is a participation in his way of seeing.”

Nation / World

JULY 18, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

9

With final HHS rules, bishops must ‘continue defending’ rights Catholic News Service The final rules issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services implementing its mandate that employers provide coverage of contraceptives do not eliminate “the need to continue defending our rights in Congress and the courts,” said New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan in a July 3 statement.

The cardinal, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, noted that the bishops’ conference “has not completed its analysis of the final rule,” but he said “some basic elements of the final rule have already come into focus.”

Problems remain He listed three concerns with the HHS final ruling issued June 28, which updates the proposed rules it issued in February and had left open for comment through April. He said his concerns were about the narrow definition of those “religious employers” exempt from contraceptive coverage requirement; the accommodation of religious ministries excluded from that definition; and the treatment of businesses run by people who seek to operate their companies according to religious principles.

The HHS contraceptive mandate, part of the Affordable Care Act, will require most employers, including religious em-

“Because the final rule remains the same in these areas, so do our concerns,.

”

CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN

ployers, to provide coverage of contraceptives, sterilization and some abortion-inducing drugs free of charge, even if the employer is morally opposed to such services. It includes an exemption for some religious employers that fit its criteria.

In the final HHS rules, contraceptive coverage for accommodated religious organizations with health insurance plans will be provided separately through health insurance companies or third-party administrators who must ensure that payments for contraceptive services come from outside the objecting organization’s premiums. For self-insuring institutions, a third-party administrator would provide or arrange the services, paid for through reductions in federally facilitated-exchange user fees associated with their health insurance provider.

HHS, which is headed by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, acknowledged in its final rules that it had received many com-

ments urging the agency to extend the exemption to include nonprofit secular employers and for-profit employers who have religious objections to providing contraceptive coverage. The mandate does not include a conscience clause for employers who object to such coverage on moral grounds.

Cardinal Dolan said the bishops are “concerned as pastors with the freedom of the church as a whole — not just for the full range of its institutional forms, but also for the faithful in their daily lives — to carry out the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.”

The administration’s final rules also stipulated a separate accommodation for nonprofit religious organizations — including charities, hospitals and universities — that will not have to “contract, arrange, pay, or refer for contraceptive coverage” that they object to on religious grounds.

To qualify for the accommodation, or-

ganizations must self-certify as nonprofit religious group with religious objections to contraceptive coverage. These organizations must provide their health insurance companies with proof of their self-certification and insurance companies in turn would notify women in the health plan that contraceptive coverage would be provided separately and at no cost to them.

Cardinal Dolan said this accommodation “appears mostly the same, except for three relatively small changes that will require more time and analysis to evaluate.”

Regarding the rules’ narrow definition of religious employers and the lack of accommodation for religious business owners, the cardinal said there is little change in those areas since the proposed rules were first issued in February.

He noted that the bishops at that time expressed their concerns that the proposed rules “actually made matters more troubling by preventing dioceses and other exempt employers from extending their coverage to the employees of service ministries that are not exempt.”

He said the bishops also stressed that the proposed rules, like earlier versions, “made no provision at all for individuals and for-profit businesses.”

“Because the final rule remains the same in these areas, so do our concerns,” he PLEASE TURN TO CONCERNS ON PAGE 23

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“The wise are more powerful than the strong, and the learned than the mighty.”

Proverbs 24:5

10

This Catholic Life THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Opinion, feedback and points to ponder

JULY 18, 2013

Catholics must seek wisdom, witness to their faith

By Mark Zimmermann Catholic News Service

The need for the nation’s Catholics to seek wisdom and witness to their faith is all the more urgent at a time of increasing threats to the dignity of life, marriage and religious freedom, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput said July 8.

The way to gain that wisdom is by knowing and loving Christ, he said, and by following the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Archbishop Chaput delivered a Year of Faith lecture sponsored by the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

“Nothing is more compelling than a good man, or a good woman, in an evil time. Wisdom is the pursuit of ARCHBISHOP the true, the right and the lasting. In CHAPUT the record of Scripture and the witness of the church, all these things find their source in God, and nowhere else but God,” he said in his talk in the basilica’s Crypt Church.

He said those three elements in the pursuit of wisdom — seeking the true, the right and the lasting — are the “pillars of the world” and “the tripod that supports a meaningful life.” And those elements come together in Christ, he said.

“We can love and be loved by Jesus Christ. We can meet and be met by God’s Son. The true, the right and the lasting meet in a Man. Our task is to follow him, no matter what the cost, and to lead others to do the same,” Archbishop Chaput said.

Inspiring examples Noting that each year, more than 100,000 Christians are killed worldwide because of their faith, he said, “That’s the real cost of discipleship. That’s a measure of heroic character.”

Archbishop Chaput, the author of the 2008 book “Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life,” said he has spoken out many times “about the importance of religious freedom and the need for all of us to actively witness our Christian faith not only in our private lives, but also in the public square.”

The sacrifice of Christians around the world, he added, should inspire U.S. Catholics “to live our faith with courage and zeal, endurance and hope, and to begin every day by grounding our hearts and our actions in the wisdom of the church.”

He warned that our increasingly secular culture attacks or minimizes the existence of God and the importance of religion, and it “leads us to see and judge everything in terms of its utility, right here and right now.”

Losing faith in God, he said, “inevitably results in losing faith in man, because only God can guarantee man’s unique dignity. Without God, we turn ourselves into objects and the victims of our own knowledge.”

The archbishop said the pursuit of scientific progress for the sake of knowledge and power, without a moral compass, likewise threatens humanity.

“Americans love science for the technology we can extract from it, and technology does not have a conscience,” he said. “As easily as it gives us iPads and smartphones, it also gives us Nagasaki, Zyklon B gas, genetic screening and abortion pills. The more we subordinate the sanctity of the human person to the tools we create, the less human we become.”

Archbishop Chaput criticized the Supreme Court’s re-

“Americans love science for the technology we can extract from

it, and technology does not have a conscience. As easily as it gives us iPads and smartphones, it also gives us Nagasaki, Zyklon B gas, genetic screening and abortion pills. The more we subordinate the sanctity of the human person to the tools we create, the less human we become.

”

ARCHBISHOP CHARLES CHAPUT

cent ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act, and he quoted Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent that noted that supporters of traditional marriage are not condemning or demeaning anyone, but are simply defending a reality of marriage “unquestioned in virtually all societies for virtually all of human history.”

The archbishop noted, “It took less than 30 years for abortion to go from a crime against humanity at Nuremburg to a constitutional right.” The growing momentum to redefine marriage has taken even less time, he added, warning that the drive for so-called “marriage equality” is dishonest and damaging and has massive implications for our society.

Seeking the truth He also strongly criticized the final rules issued by the Department of Health and Human Services to implement the contraceptive mandate, which he said was no compromise at all. “It continues to be coercive. It continues to impose on the nation a false need for contraceptive

services in medical coverage. And it continues to violate the rights of religious and moral conscience” he said.

“People who conform their hearts to the ideas of the age disappear right along with the age. . . . We were created to live in the present, worship God in the present, serve the poor in the present, and support each other in the present—but to ready ourselves for eternity,” he said.

The wisdom needed to face the challenges of today’s world is found in the Catholic Church, the archbishop said. “The church is the most reliable bearer of wisdom in the contemporary world; and the most reliable defender of the human person.”

Archbishop Chaput noted that people are placed in the world to seek the truth and to guide their lives by it.

“Every life also has a higher purpose. We’re meant for more than this time and place,” he said. “Yesterday, today and tomorrow, the human struggle is always the same: We’re in this world, and yet we hunger for the next; we’re imperfect, and yet we’re made for perfection.”

This Catholic Life / Opinion

JULY 18, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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The radical vision of Jesus: How the pope lives his first encyclical The following blog post first appeared on and is reprinted with permission.

WWW.USCCB.ORG

One of the numerous surprising moments of Pope Francis’ young pontificate was the announcement that on Holy Thursday, March 28, he would celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at Rome’s Casa Del Marmo Youth Detention Centre. There, in an unforgettable moment, he washed the feet of 12 young inmates. In anticipation of the pope’s visit, one of them said, “At last I shall get to meet someone who says he is Bishop my father!”

John Webster This observation captures the power of the pope’s gesture. “True power is service,” Pope Francis said in his inaugural homily and later on Twitter.

And the power of this particular act of service is that it cast a light where there was darkness, a light that allowed a young person the world had forgotten to experience a father’s love for the first time.

In Pope Francis’ first encyclical, Lumen Fidei (Light of Faith), published July 5, the pope says that faith is a light that comes directly from an encounter with God. “The light of faith is unique,” the pope writes, “since it is capable of illuminating every aspect of human existence.”

This includes the past and all the people who have walked the path of faith before us, but also the promises for the future that God makes and keeps because he is faithful. And of course it includes Jesus, the embodiment of God’s fulfilled promises.

“Faith does not merely gaze at Jesus, but sees things as Jesus himself sees them, with his own eyes,” Pope Francis writes. Christ’s way of seeing the world “enables us to grasp reality’s deepest meaning” and constantly guides us toward God. It is through this experience of Christ

Commentary

CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters

Pope Francis washes the foot of a prison inmate during the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord's Supper at Rome's Casal del Marmo prison for minors March 28, 2013.

that our lives become “radically open to a love that precedes us, and love that transforms us from within, acting in us and through us in radical, often surprising ways.”

It’s not a stretch to think that Pope Francis washed the feet of the young inmates because he sees the world with the radical vision of Jesus, who sees that God loves these inmates as much as he loves any other person. It also reflects the call of Jesus to serve those at the margins.

Like a light shining forth, faith makes a person go forth into the world. A person of faith must be ready “to come out of himself and find the God of perpetual surprises,” Pope Francis writes. Even the Ten Commandments, he writes, aren’t about rule keeping so much as “concrete directions for emerging from the desert of the selfish and self-enclosed ego in order to enter into dialogue with God, to be embraced by his mercy and then to bring that mercy to others.”

Those who believe in the light of faith, he says, come to see themselves as members of a body, in an essential relationship with others. This relationship goes beyond powerful symbolic gestures like washing feet and applies the same love to big-picture issues like just economic systems, care for creation and forgiving one another. But little gestures are vital, because they allow the light of faith to spread, even reaching places it hasn’t been for a long time or maybe has never been before.

Whether it’s his Holy Thursday Mass in prison or the July 8 Mass for migrants on Lamedusa Island, how many people have responded to the gestures of Pope Francis with surprise, followed by an enthusiasm for faith and even an openness to Christ and his Church that wasn’t there before? What a perfect example for the Church during the Year of Faith. The light of faith is powerful enough to help the whole world to see like Jesus.

Bishop Wester is bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake City and chairman of the communications committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Uniting mercy, justice in immigration reform debate

M

Faith in the Public Arena Jessica Zittlow

Providing a road map to citizenship that is attainable for immigrants without legal status is key

innesota Catholic Conference staff often receives emails of “concern” regarding policy issues for which MCC is advocating on behalf of the Minnesota bishops.

Most recently, these e-mails have centered on the bishops’ support of federal immigration reform legislation.

What is at the heart of the latest wave of emails concerning the Church’s position on immigration reform? It was a question I recently posed to someone, who responded: “While we’re talking a lot about justice, I think we’re forgetting that this is also a question of mercy.”

He brings up a good point, one that is borne out by the messages that we receive. Many people on both sides of the immigration debate invoke “justice,” “fairness” and the “rule of law” as reasons for and against the federal reforms being proposed. Yet, how often do you hear the issue being discussed in terms of re-establishing the unity between justice and mercy?

How often are we challenging our suppositions of what is authentic, rightly ordered justice and mercy?

Complementary parts In political discussions, we tend to position the virtues of justice and mercy as distinct opposites. Yet, the greatest Christian moralists, from St. Augustine to St. Thomas Aquinas, remind us that all authentic virtue is rooted in the supreme virtue of love.

And, if all virtue springs forth from the same place, they cannot be in opposition to one another, but must be complementary parts of a unified whole. St. Thomas Aquinas said, “Mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution,” but he also said that

“justice without mercy is cruelty.”

In a 2008 lecture, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy, explained this dynamic as “a symbiotic relationship in which the dignity of the person is nevertheless its crucial compass, delegated to confer upon justice its own true dynamism, its true value.” He thinks that, because of this, it impels justice toward much more profound goals which, being fulfilled through mercy, bring “humanity’s journey to correspond ever more closely to the image of God impressed upon the human face.”

Two common claims Cardinal Bagnasco knows well that this unity — between law and love, justice and mercy — is not easy to achieve. Our default ideas for how to go about it are often a cacophony of partisan sound bites, without much thought as to what is required of us and others to truly achieve a virtuous society.

There are two “sound bites” concerning the Church’s support for federal immigration reform that most often appear in my inbox. Both tend to stress the importance of “the ordering of the state” without acknowledging what Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in “Deus Caritas Est” (no. 28) deems necessary as well, that is “guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person — every person — needs: namely, loving personal concern.”

The first claim is, essentially, that “What you’re talking about is amnesty, and undocumented immigrants should pay.” The other is “We should secure the border before we do anything else.”

At a glance Although not perfect, the overall Senate immigration bill is an improvement of the status quo and includes: ! Record-breaking build up at the border. ! An achievable path to citizenship. ! Unprecedented family reunification. ! The most generous DREAM Act yet. ! Help to promote economic growth.

The U.S. bishops have long supported an earned legalization for those in this country in an unauthorized status and who have built up equities and are otherwise admissible.

Although the legislation is far from perfect, the Senate immigration reform bill (S. 477) has a rigorous road map to citizenship, containing numerous steps, penalties, and fees — including going through a series of paying fines and application fees, passing background checks, paying any assessed back taxes, and providing proof of employment.

Further, the Senate immigration reform bill makes even more investments in border security, including raising the number of Border Patrol agents, and building an additional 350 miles of fencing (to bring the total miles of fencing to 700).

This adds to the already unprecedented amount of resources allocated to the southern border in recent years, which doubled the number of Border

Patrol agents. In fact, border apprehensions (what the Department of Homeland Security uses as a proxy for the number of immigrants attempting to enter the United States without status) are currently at historic lows.

Road map to citizenship Increased enforcement measures along the border, and including penalties and fines for undocumented immigrants seeking citizenship, acknowledge the importance of the rule of law and the right of nations to secure their borders.

We should also acknowledge that people move, and they do it for often grave and desperate reasons: to put food on the table, to earn a living wage and to send their kids to decent schools. Providing a road map to citizenship that is attainable for the millions of immigrants without legal status, many who came here to give their family a better future, is one example of how we can establish a necessary unity between justice and mercy.

House Speaker John Boehner has already said that border enforcement legislation will be considered first by the House. It is imperative for Catholics to talk to our Minnesota representatives and emphasize the importance of passing legislation that provides a road map to citizenship, too. Justice truly hangs in the balance.

To contact your representative, visit the MCC Catholic Advocacy Network “Action Center” on MNCC.ORG. Zittlow is communications director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 18, 2013

Commentary

/ This Catholic Life

Parish offers hope, help to struggling couples

A

Commentary Sharon Wilson

Ten area Knights of Columbus councils raised funds to provide an ultrasound machine for new family center

couple walks into a Catholic church. They have been living together for three years and came to have their child baptized.

After learning about their living situation, the priest encourages them to enter into a sacramental marriage. All is well for a while, but the arrival of two more children and the stress of coming from different cultures takes its hold. Soon he leaves her and she is left alone to raise the children with little money. Once again she turns to the church.

The story is true and comes via St. Stephen church in South Minneapolis. It is, however, a story that is unfortunately repeated in our parishes on almost a daily basis.

In many cases the woman is referred to public housing and public assistance. When referred to social service agencies, her immediate needs may be provided for but the outside services don’t treat the whole person and the family. St. Stephen’s saw that what this woman needed was prayers, someone to listen to her, a community to help her and to recognize her own dignity in God’s eyes.

Finding hope St. Stephen’s is made up of 90 percent Latinos. First and second generation immigrants bring their own unique cultures, and their frequent clash with American culture often leaves families in shambles.

“Economic and social pressures on immigrants put an enormous strain on a marriage,” St. Stephen’s website states. “There is no faith-based Spanish speaking marriage counseling in the archdiocese. Latino couples suffer from: Lack of communication, sexual misinformation, and violence suffered when they were children, financial strains, male dominance, lack of knowledge of the faith, loneliness, isolation, manipulation, abortions, addictions and lack of time together.

But there is hope.”

Father Joseph Williams, pastor of St. Stephen’s, recognized this problem and knew that what was needed was a comprehensive center. Instead of a band-aid approach, the whole person, whole families and whole community needed healing, guidance and hope. Just referring someone to government agencies doesn’t work.

“The secular and government agencies lacked the element of faith and may even encourage contraception, abortion, cohabitation and divorce,” said Viviana Sotro, director of St. Stephen’s Sagrada Familia family services center.

Wing and a prayer With a little more than an idea, a plan was formed. The building that had once been the rectory became vacant. Deacon Luis Rubi, assigned to St. Stephen’s, orchestrated a plan for providing a center for family services.

Through Deacon Rubi’s connections at Holy Family Church in St. Louis Park, a partnership of committees was formed. Latino and Anglo experts planned, side by side, the remodeling of the old rectory and the

Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

Volunteer Kristina Gavino works to familiarize herself with the software on the ultrasound machine at St. Stephen parish’s Sagrada Familia family services center in Minneapolis. Gavino,a nursing student, will be assisting medical personnel who use the machine.

services it would offer.

A chance meeting between Father Williams and Sotro a year ago solidified a director for the center. She came with experience in Argentina in marriage work and natural family planning, and she and her husband continued their volunteer work when they moved to Minneapolis.

There are two main areas of services the center provides: pregnancy services and family services.

Pregnancy services include pregnancy and limited ultrasound testing, STD testing and medical referrals.

There is counseling for pregnant women, husbands, boyfriends, families and friends to accept the pregnancy and the new life that has entered the world as well as social services referrals where necessary and connections with resources that are available in the community. “All of our programs are offered in a culturally specific way,” Sotro said.

Family services includes couple-tocouple mentoring and counseling.

The Matrimonios Compañeros Program uses trained volunteer couples to offer support to others who are struggling in their marriages. Seventy-five couples have participated in this program already.

Another program is called Te Escucho and literally means “I Listen to You.” This service brings caring volunteers who spend time with people experiencing transition in their lives.

The purpose of the outreach is to listen, not to solve problems but to be a sympathetic ear.

“Sometimes, people are lonely and confused when experiencing a new culture,” said Sotro. More than 200 have participated in the culturally

sensitive parenting programs. Natural family planning classes and theology of the body education are available for families, young adults and others.

A group effort As Catholics, we are called to do more than anonymously give to the organizations that care for those in need; we are called to step up and take care of our communities.

With three abortion centers in the area, the center has a goal to assist pregnant women in accepting new life. A group of Knights of Columbus took the initiative to assist this effort by purchasing an ultrasound machine for the center.

As part of a nationwide KC project to provide ultrasounds to pregnancy resource centers, Pat Rickert — respect for life chair for the Bloomington Knights of Columbus — helped with this initiative.

“This was an effort of 10 councils in our area,” Rickert said. “To come together for this common cause was a real accomplishment.”

Planning started in May 2012. The Knights took the lead and a fundraising fiesta dinner at St. Stephen’s was held last October. Mexican food, Mass, speakers and even a Mariachi band brought two cultures together.

“Enough money was raised to secure the ultrasound and additional funding is being used to secure medical staff,” Rickert said. “We are continuing our efforts to assist with this outreach program.”

“We have received help from many places and we are working together,” Sotro added. “All of the work at the center has been completed by St.

Stephen’s parishioners.” Sotro said.

Professionals and laborers transformed the old rectory into beautiful office space for services. “Donations are always needed, but the greatest need right now is for bilingual medical staff,” she added noting that people can volunteer weekly, monthly or periodically.

Because of the care and inspiration of the Sagrada Familia, the true story of the couple at the beginning of this column has a happy ending.

The wife became involved with the church, joined a prayer group and participated in one of the mission retreats. Her husband showed up at the same retreat unexpectedly.

“I felt God’s call to come back to my family,” he told Sotro. The wife shared that she had been praying for her husband since he left. He now knows why he felt the call to return.

On the night of reconciliation both publically shared their story and he asked for forgiveness, and she forgave.

A family once broken is now reunited. Social service agencies can’t provide this kind of help. It is the work of the Church. It is our work.

An open house and blessing of the center is set for Sept. 8. All are welcome; it is part of St. Stephen’s parish festival.

The Sagrada Familia Apostolate is located on 2211 Clinton Ave. S., Minneapolis MN 55404. Viviana can be reached at (612) 392-2421. Find out more about the center and how you can get involved or donate at WWW.SSMPLS.ORG/SAGRADA-FAMILIA-SERVICES. Wilson is respect life coordinator for the archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life.

“There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Luke 10:42

The Lesson Plan JULY 18, 2013

Reflections on faith and spirituality

Focusing on ‘the one thing necessary’

I

love to cook. And, to be honest, I’m not too shabby at it. A few years back, I was cooking a tasty meal for 20 of my brothers in the seminary.

At the height of the kitchen chaos, an old friend, now a priest, walked into the house. We hadn’t seen each other for six months, and he was eager to greet me with a big hug. I, however, gave him a gruff “Hey, what’s up?” barely making eye contact with him before I looked down to do battle with the array of pots and pans simDeacon Marc Paveglio mering on the range.

His smile faded as he walked past me to see who else was in the living room.

Later, I repented of my anxious self-concern. Like Martha in the Gospel, I had put a task over and above something more important: a human person standing before me. In the case of Martha, this person was the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and she even dared to tell him what he should be doing!

It happens to all of us. We’re involved in so many activities — ones that are good, very good, and sometimes necessary. Yet, in our drive to complete our duties well, we can forget the one thing that is necessary (Luke 10:42).

When is the last time you were successful at something, only to realize that you missed the whole point? For me, the one thing, the better part, was simply to greet my brother with the love of Christ. It would have only taken 20 seconds. But in my culinary frenzy I was afraid that, without absolute concentration, something would go wrong with dinner. And then what would people think of me?

I think Martha felt something similar.

We both worried about our looking good before our guests rather than receiving them in accord with their lofty value and dignity.

Like every line of Scripture, the Lord speaks to us today to our situation. This Gospel episode warns us of the great danger of activism, a problem particularly acute in the digital era.

When we give into activism we use people for the sake of fulfilling tasks, instead of vice versa.

Even those who are involved in lots of “church stuff” are not immune from it.

We might be at the parish three nights a week or more, but have we let ourselves sit at the feet of Jesus in prayer?

We might call ourselves very “involved,” but is the Lord involved? Have we quieted, like Mary, our restless hearts in order to hear the words of the Word of Life?

13

Daily Scriptures Sunday, July 21 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Genesis 18:1-10a Colossians 1:24-28 Luke 10:38-42 Monday, July 22 St. Mary Magdalene Exodus 14:5-18 John 20:1-2,11-18 Tuesday, July 23 St. Bridget, religious Exodus 14:21 — 15:1 Matthew 12:46-50

Sunday Scriptures

Looking at ourselves

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Wednesday, July 24 St. Sharbel Makhluf, priest Exodus 16:1-5,9-15 Matthew 13:1-9 Thursday, July 25 Feast of St. James, Apostle 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 Matthew 20:20-28 Friday, July 26 St. Joachim and St. Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary Exodus 20:1-17 Matthew 13:18-23 Saturday, July 27 Exodus 24:3-8 Matthew 13:24-30 Sunday, July 28 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time Genesis 18:20-32 Colossians 2:12-14 Luke 11:1-13 Monday, July 29 St. Martha Exodus 32:15-24,30-34 John 11:19-27 Tuesday, July 30 St. Peter Chrysologus, bishop, doctor of the Church Exodus 33:7-11; 34:5b-9,28 Matthew 13:36-43

Bigstockphoto.com

A stained glass window shows Jesus, Martha and Mary.

Readings

Reflection

Sunday, July 21 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time ! Genesis 18:1-10a ! Colossians 1:24-28 ! Luke 10:38-42

In what situations or parts of your life do you need to quiet your restless heart in order to grow closer to Jesus?

Where does Christ want to take away the anxiety and frustration of trying to do good and look good, in order to give us the peace of simply being with him, confident in our identity as beloved children of God? This is peace the world cannot give (John 14:27). In all your activities and tasks this summer, stay close to Jesus

Christ, the one thing necessary — and the better part.

Deacon Paveglio is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His home parish is St. Stephen in Minneapolis, and his teaching parish is Our Lady of Peace in Minneapolis.

Wednesday, July 31 St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest Exodus 34:29-35 Matthew 13:44-46 Thursday, August 1 St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop, doctor of the Church Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38 Matthew 13:47-53 Friday, August 2 St. Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop; St. Peter Julian Eymard, priest Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37 Matthew 13:54-58 Saturday, August 3 Leviticus 25:1, 8-17 Matthew 14:1-12 Sunday, August 4 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Ecclesiastes 1:2; 2:21-23 Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 Luke 12:13-21

14

The Lesson Plan

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 18, 2013

NFP: Celebrating God’s design for love and life

Restoring dignity through NFP-compatible medical care

“Pro-Woman, Pro-Man, Pro-Child, Natural Family Planning” is the theme of this year’s Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, a national educational campaign of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to celebrate God’s design for married love and the gift of life and to raise awareness of natural family planning methods. NFP, as the U.S. bishops have written, is supportive of Catholic beliefs about married love because it “respects the God-given power to love a new human life into being.”

The dates of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, July 21 to 27 highlights the anniversary of the papal encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (July 25) which articulates Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, conjugal love and responsible parenthood. The dates also mark the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne (July 26), the parents of the Blessed Mother.

For more information about NFP, visit the website of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at WWW.ARCHSPM.ORG. Click on “Office of Marriage, Family and Life” and then on “Natural Family Planning.” You can also pray the “Novena for a Rebirth of Chastity and Purity” by clicking on the link on the NFP page.

By Jonathan Scrafford

The fruitfulness of NFP

By David and Kayla Meier Marriage is a loaded, contested word these days.

Everyone seems to have a different idea on what it is, and what it looks like. The Church teaches that three essential factors of marriage are that it be faithful, fruitful, and forever. We may feel at a loss as to how to make that point in our society today; we’ve called the legislators, we are still praying, but we really feel that one of the best things to do as Catholics is to live our own marriages well. To do that, we need to be martyrs, of a sort. The witness we can give in our culture isn’t so much being martyred in the streets, as in times past, but living life and marriage well. It sounds too simple, but actions can speak louder than words (and definitions).

Married almost three years and using natural family planning since day one, NFP has provided opportunities for us to communicate and love each other as God has asked us to. NFP has demanded that selfishness be routed out of our relationship. This helps us in two ways, by conforming us to the image of God the Father, and maintaining the fruitfulness of the marital act — even in times of abstinence or infertility.

NFP teaches a couple to understand the woman’s natural cycle to determine periods of fertility (and infertility). Abstinence is required during fertile periods to avoid pregnancy. “Humanae Vitae” points out that this is, “using a faculty provided (the married couple) by nature,” in contrast to birth control that, “obstructs the natural development of the generative process.”

One isn’t asking their spouse to change anything about themselves. It is this intentional cooperation with one another while growing in patience and understanding of each other that leads to the benefits derived from NFP. A general rule in current society is that whatever happens behind closed doors is my own business. As Catholics, we believe that we are all one body in Christ.

Your choices will affect me, and vice versa. There are many ways we can point out how living contrary to natural law in this area has harmed us as a society — hormonal contraceptives are in our water affecting wildlife, our children are practically being forced to get HPV vaccines, etc. Living according to natural law and using NFP is a clear statement to our spouses that we love them unconditionally. This radiates out into the rest of the marital relationship and speaks volumes on choosing to be fruitful and witnessing a beauty in the marital act, which so clearly shows the complementarity of men and women.

We define marriage by living it. Our martyrdom is living a life set apart, a life that doesn’t conform to society.

The Meiers are members of St. Peter in North St. Paul.

NFP summer schedule July 20 — St. Stephen, Sagrada Familia, Minneapolis: Family of the Americas Español — ovulation (612) 392-2421 July 22 — Holy Family Academy, St. Louis Park: Couple to Couple League — sympto-thermal (612) 721-3791.

July 25 — Holy Family, St. Louis Park: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 396-4019.

July 30 — St. Joseph Hospital, St. Paul: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

August 1 — St. Joseph Hospital, St. Paul: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

August 1 — Holy Family, St. Louis Park: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 396-4019.

August 12 — Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 723-1823.

August 12 — All Saints, Lakeville: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

August 13 — St. Michael, St. Michael: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (320) 248-5892.

August 14 — Regina Hospital, Hastings: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

August 15 — Holy Family, St. Louis Park: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 396-4019.

August 24 —University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, Minneapolis: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

August 27 — St. Joseph West St. Paul Family of the Americas — ovulation (651) 224-1465.

August 29 — Holy Family, St. Louis Park Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 396-4019.

September 9 — Divine mercy, Faribault: Family of the Americas — ovulation (952) 934-0382.

September 9 — Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 723-1823.

September 12 — Holy Family, St. Louis Park: Billings Ovulation Method — ovulation (612) 396-4019.

September 4 — St. Joseph Hospital, St. Paul: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

September 6 — St. Ambrose, Woodbury: Couple to Couple League — sympto-thermal (612) 721-3791.

September 9 — St. Francis Xavier, Buffalo: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

September 9 — St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony: Twin Cities FertilityCare — ovulation (651) 232-3088.

Following the sexual revolution, many in the women’s healthcare community in the United States adopted a paradigm of care which has undermined women’s dignity through a few key hypocrisies. In the 1960s, an ever-growing plethora of artificial contraceptive options was promised to stabilize marriages and reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies, yet we continue to watch the opposite outcome extend each year. The 1970s ushered in the first clinical applications of what has become a bustling industry of assisted reproductive technologies, promising women a safe solution to infertility, though infertility rates instead continue to rise and pregnancies achieved by ART remain associated with a slew of negative maternal and newborn outcomes. Meanwhile, our culture continues to advocate this array of innovations as a comprehensive strategy for all, while instead more and more women encounter increasing difficulty in finding providers who share their health priorities.

Fortunately, a growing awareness of natural family planning offers true promise to women. Medical providers are in a position to help women restore the dignity that comes from an integrated approach to women’s health. Providing NFP-compatible medical care is one of the best ways to do this.

I am beginning residency training in obstetrics and gynecology, and one of my major career goals is to promote availability of NFP to women. I place great value in its emphases on menstrual charting, ovulation monitoring, and partner communication. Not only have these methods been demonstrated to effectively aid in delaying pregnancy and to stabilize relationships, but they can also help in diagnosing gynecologic disorders whose cause would otherwise be left unidentified and treated reflexively with hormonal contraceptives. In managing subfertile patients who would ordinarily be referred for in vitro fertilization, I would feel confident that with NFP models such as the Creighton fertility care system, a large portion of them could naturally achieve pregnancy without the increased risk of morbidity and mortality associated with ART. Finally, I see NFP as an essential option to women who seek a dignity-affirming approach to health, as its methods always seek to cooperate with, rather than to disrupt or bypass, the woman’s own reproductive system (as artificial contraception and ART do).

Being counter-cultural in the women’s healthcare community can be challenging for providers; I have found the Catholic Medical Association very helpful in navigating that difficult path. I am proud to work with the local guild of the CMA, which provides an opportunity to discuss ethically sound standards of care in a forum that is not typically available to providers in most secular healthcare systems. Likewise, I enjoy working with the CMA to see that the Church’s teachings are appropriately applied to the everchanging technological landscape that is modern medicine. Indeed, to do so is necessary for providers of NFP-compatible care, as an appropriate integration of novel technology is part of the holistic approach to health that is embodied by natural family planning.

Unfortunately, many of the advances in women’s health of the last few decades have been twisted to produce what is now a prevalent paradigm which devalues feminine dignity: that the reproductive system is to be disrupted when pregnancy is undesired, bypassed when pregnancy is to be achieved, and subjected to artificial hormonal treatment when other gynecologic symptoms are encountered. Fortunately, however, NFP has brought a new hope by which women may receive medical care that cooperates with rather than controls their bodies, and I am proud to join a growing number of physicians eager to provide that care.

Scrafford is a resident in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Minnesota and a member of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood.

“I learned to understand that there’s a constant listening to find out what it is we are called to do.”

Mother Dolores Hart, actress in the early 1960s who left Hollywood to become a cloistered Benedictine nun

Vocations A Catholic Spirit special section

JULY 18, 2013

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

15

Three of a kind Religious vocations are in the cards for Erickson family

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

When a family produces more than one star athlete, the question that often arises is this: “Is there something in the water?”

When a family produces more than one religious vocation, this question could be adapted to: “Is there something holy in the water?”

That’s a fair question to ask members of the Erickson family in St. Paul. Among the six children of Rich and Pat, who belong to St. Mark in St. Paul, there are three religious vocations — one to the priesthood and two to women’s religious orders.

The right choice People in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis may be familiar with Father John Paul Erickson, director of the Office of Worship who was ordained in 2006 by Archbishop Harry Flynn.

He actually is the last vocation to come out of the family. The first vocation belongs to Kirsten, the oldest girl who became a Missionary of Charity in 1991 and now is called Sister Maximiliana.

Currently, she is stationed in San Francisco after spending a year at the motherhouse in Calcutta, where Blessed Mother Teresa founded the order.

“If I had to go back to the beginning and start over again, I would choose the same,” said Sister Maximiliana, 45. “It’s such a beautiful life, and I’m sure my sister could say the same about her congregation.”

Growing up in St. Mark’s and going to grade school there, she had the good fortune of being there right after Bishop Lee Piché was ordained a priest in 1984.

St. Mark’s was his first assignment, and he got a PLEASE TURN TO FATHER ON PAGE 16

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Above: Father John Paul Erickson, left, enjoys a visit with his sister, Sister Maria Grace Erickson, who joined the Little Sisters of the Poor in 1995. She is able to come home for a visit once every three years, and her most recent visit was last month.

Inset: Sister Maximiliana, who became a member of the Missionaries of Charity in 1991.

Always Christ, always faithful Benedictine Priests and Brothers of Assumption Abbey

For For more more information, information, contact: contact: Br. Br. Michael Michael Taffe, Taffe, OSB OSB Vocation Vocation Director Director vocations@assumptionabbey.com vocations@assumptionabbey.com www.assumptionabbey.com www.assumptionabbey.com 701-974-3315 701-974-3315

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So are we — as teachers, scientists and environmental workers.

Explore a vocation at Saint Benedict’s Monastery.

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Vocations

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 18, 2013

Father Erickson follows in religious footsteps of his sisters CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 chance to encourage her along the way.

Plus, he gave her a little boost of confidence after her plane landed in New York (where he was attending school at the time) at the start of her journey as a Missionary of Charity.

“He picked me up at the airport and

then he arranged for me to stay overnight with Mother Agnes Donovan of the Sisters of Light at her apartment,” she said. “The three of us went out to dinner that night at an Italian restaurant. It’s so clear in my mind. When she got up to go to the bathroom, it was just Father and I there. And, I said, ‘Father, I’m so scared, I’m so afraid.’

And, he said, ‘Well, that’s the way it

A wo rl d - wi d e r el i gi o us community serving on four continents; born 222 years ago in France amidst chaos, transition and revolution That same spirit of hope which continues to impassion our hearts today amidst chaos, transition and revolution in the 21st century.

Grasping a Catholic worldview The seeds of Father Erickson’s vocation were planted during his years at St. Agnes, when he sang in the choir and was deeply touched by the beautiful liturgical music the students performed at weekly Masses.

At the same time, he envisioned himself as a rock star someday, or a Navy Seal.

Somewhere in his thoughts was the priesthood, which had become something worth considering.

In the fall after graduating from St. Agnes, he went to Thomas Aquinas College in California. It was there that the seeds of his vocation sprouted and grew.

“It’s a very strong Catholic school that had a real Catholic culture there that allowed me to enter more deeply into my faith and to see that faith is a life-giving force to culture,” said Father Erickson, 33.

“I could see it. It was not just doctrine and dogma. The Catholic worldview is . . . a

This is our story. We are Marian women for Christ Courageous in Faith and Daring

God Calls We respond

should be. You should feel a little nervous, but everything will be all right.’”

She arrived at the sisters’ home in Harlem just two weeks before her younger sister Molly graduated from St. Agnes High School. Though Molly got no formal advice from her older sister, she received the imprint of vocational fingerprints.

“Just seeing how happy she was, the religious sisterhood became more and more of a reality for me,” said Molly, 40, who eventually joined the Little Sisters of the Poor and now is called Sister Maria Grace.

“At the same time, I started to date, so religious life didn’t really hold any interest for me at the time.”

That changed in college when she got a summer job at Bethany Convent in St. Paul [now called Carondelet Village], which brought her in contact with retired Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. She enjoyed getting to know the sisters and thought she would like to work with the elderly after graduation.

During a casual conversation, a friend pointed out that the Little Sisters care for the elderly. So, she wrote to the order and received information. She graduated from St. Mary’s College in Winona in May 1995, and entered the Little Sisters in October of that year.

…forming the next generation of priests for service in the Church.

way of viewing the world, which is very life giving and challenging and beautiful.”

Yet, on the cusp of graduation from college, he had a hesitation about entering the seminary.

“I had been kind of wrestling with God,” he said. “I was very afraid of giving everything up to become a priest — very afraid of that. At the same time, I could feel this call to total surrender. I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to give it a year at the seminary, and then God’s got to get me out.’ Then, I went through four years of seminary [at the St. Paul Seminary] and I was ordained a priest and here I am.”

Nurtured in the family On May 27, 2006, the Ericksons’ vocational trifecta was complete. A clue that this result was possible years earlier came during a talk Sister Maximiliana had with her mother when she announced she was interested in a religious vocation.

“She was so happy,” Sister Maximiliana said. “Her response was, ‘Every day I pray that Jesus would choose one of my children.’ So, I suppose my mother had something to do with it.”

Yet, all three of the Ericksons made it clear that their parents put no pressure on them to choose a religious vocation. They simply emphasized going to Mass on Sunday and putting their faith into action.

“They really made it clear that love of neighbor can never be separated from love of God,” Sister Maria Grace said. “It was expected that we helped the poor, that we go to church on Sunday, definitely, but that we do other things also during the week. So, we went to the Dorothy Day Center as a family.”

If there is a downside to the three vocations, it’s that doing things as a family is rare. Sister Maria Grace can only come home once every three years, while, Sister Maximiliana can only come back once every 10 years.

With an Erickson stationed in the North, East and West, there is only one more region left to fill.

“If only we could find somebody to go to New Orleans, we’d have every point covered,” Father Erickson joked. “The Ericksons could take over.”

CORN DAYS Church of St. George Long Lake, MN

Aug. 10 & 11, 2013

Sat. 1-11 p.m.; Sun. 12-5 p.m.

Enjoy a variety of fun family activities including kids & teen games, live music, food & beverages, bingo, silent auction, and much more!

Spaghetti Dinner — 5:00-7:30 p.m. Saturday Pancake Breakfast — 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday Parade — 12:00 p.m. Sunday St. George is located 4 blocks south of Cty. Rd. 112 (Old Hwy. 12) on corner of Brown Rd. and Watertown Rd. in Long Lake

For more information call

(952) 473-1247

or visit www.CornDays.com

SCHOOL

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OF

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www.saintpaulseminary.org

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Vocations

JULY 18, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

17

Pope offers future priests, nuns how-to guide to happy vocation

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

Be joyous, authentic and loving while resisting fly-by-night commitments, catty gossip and sleek cars, Pope Francis told future priests, brothers and nuns.

Vocations don’t come from catchy campaigns or pursuing personal goals; the consecrated life is the result of prayer and answering an “unsettling” yet loving invitation from God, he told some 6,000 seminarians and men and women who are considering religious life.

Men and women from 66 nations came to Rome on a four-day pilgrimage as part of the Year of Faith celebrations, which included an informal audience with Pope Francis July 6 and a papal Mass July 7.

True happiness The pope spent more than 45 minutes speaking off-the-cuff to a packed audience hall, giving young and old a thorough how-to guide on the secrets of a successful vocation.

Some of the greatest dangers standing in the way of a happy religious life are materialism and a culture that believes nothing is forever, he said.

Even religious men and women have to avoid the temptation of thinking “the latest smartphone, the fastest moped and a car that turns heads” will make them happy, he said.

He said it pains him when he sees a nun or priest driving an expensive car, and he praised the beauty of the bicycle, noting his 54-year-old personal secretary, Msgr.

Alfred Xuereb, gets around on a bike.

CNS photo / Tony Gentile, Reuters

Novices look on as Pope Francis meets with those discerning vocations and those on the path to becoming members of religious orders July 6 in Paul VI hall at the Vatican.

However, with all the work to be done and distances to be covered, cars are a necessity, he said. Just “get a humbler one,” and if the flashier model still looks tempting, “think about how many children are dying of hunger,” he said.

True joy doesn’t come from things or “living on the edge,” having wild, fleeting experiences, he said.

“It springs from an encounter, a relation with others, it comes from feeling accepted, understood and loved, and from accepting, understanding and loving” oth-

with

ers, he said.

Jesus is telling people: “You are important to me, I love you and I’m counting on you,” the pope said.

Opening up to this love and divine call is “the secret of our joy,” he said. “Don’t be afraid of showing the joy of having answered the Lord’s call,” he said, “and of giving witness to his Gospel in service to the church.”

Joy is contagious, he said, and attracts people to learn more about the source of that happiness.

“Please, no nuns or priests with the face of a pickled pepper,” he insisted. “There is no holiness in sadness.”

The source of that dissatisfaction and sadness is not celibacy, the pope said; it’s living a consecrated life that is sterile and lifeless. Nuns and priests are called to be spiritual and pastoral mothers and fathers, bringing life, healing and love to all they meet.

The pope pointed to a petite, elderly nun whom he had spared from the crush of an overexuberant crowd pressing down on her as they sought to shake the pope’s hand before the audience.

The pope had told a guard to lift her from the fray and give her a front-row seat, safe from the scrum. He said in his talk that he was struck by the sister’s bright eyes and smiling face despite the difficulties of being squeezed against the barricade, and said she was a beautiful example for everyone.

Avoiding gossip Midway through his talk, the pope told the event’s main organizer, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, that he could go on all night, but that someone had better bring everyone “a sandwich and Coca Cola if it goes until tomorrow.”

The pope then highlighted the importance of living as a community and avoiding petty gossip and rivalries.

He urged everyone to be contemplative, pray the rosary and be a missionary, reaching out to the outcast and disadvantaged.

Celebrating

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“He who sings, prays twice.”

St. Augustine of Hippo

18

Arts & Culture THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Exploring our church and our world

Grammy nominee finds a Catholic ministry in his music

‘Catholicism: The New Evangelization’ available for pre-sale

By Chaz Muth Catholic News Service

Kristina Laus arrived at a recent Matt Maher concert to experience the vibrations that electric guitars, drums and Scripture-laced vocals send through blaring amplifiers.

The 24-year-old resident of Hanover, Md., along with other concertgoers, enthusiastically clapped her hands to the beat of the music coming from the two-time Grammy nominee’s guitar and microphone, while gazing at the giant crucifix to the back of the stage where the band was playing.

After the song ended and the buzz of the music faded, the 38-year-old Catholic musician spoke to the audience about the religious meaning of the tune. He also told them he is trying to live out his faith by listening to the guiding voice of the new leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis.

“I’ve been a Matt Maher fan for years and it’s always a nice opportunity to go and watch him live,” Laus told Catholic News Service during the June 24 concert at New Hope Seventh-Day Adventist Church in a rural section of Maryland’s Howard County, nestled between Baltimore and Washington.

“He has such meaningful stories in his lyrics,” she continued, “and he explains where he gets his material from and quotes Scripture so often. It inspires me to go and look at Scripture myself and see what he’s actually talking For more information, visit about, to have an opinion on my own.”

MATTMAHERMUSIC.COM This is the kind of impact Maher says he hopes his live shows and recorded albums have on people who listen to his music.

Though being a recording artist is his vocation, Maher also considers his music to be part of a Catholic ministry, and perhaps a component of the Catholic Church’s new evangelization effort called for by several recent popes.

“Faith is the greatest source of inspiration, and then it’s living out my vocation, being married, being a father and along the way living life,” he told CNS during an interview the day of the concert. “I think for me as a songwriter, it’s in the midst of doing those things that I sort of see and hear the fingerprints of God. I think that inspires me and points me back to creating an expression through a song.”

Maher uses the time between songs to speak to the audience about God, Jesus and the influence Pope Francis is having on society. In July he will travel to Brazil to perform for the pope during World Youth Day. His own religious awakening happened when he was 20.

Baptized a Catholic in Newfoundland to an American mother and a Canadian father, Maher says his upbringing was mostly secular in nature with little emphasis on religion.

After his parents divorced, the burgeoning musician moved to Arizona, where he eventually got involved with Life Teen, a Catholic youth ministry movement designed to bring young people closer to Christ. He now serves on Life Teen’s board of directors.

He also wanted to find a way to fuse his love for music with his faith, and after receiving a music degree from Arizona State University, he launched a career in Christian rock.

Maher has recorded seven albums since 2001, three of which have been in Billboard Magazine’s top 10 Christian Album charts.

His latest album, “All the People Said Amen,” was released in April.

Nashville, Tenn., is now home for the married father of a young son, but he spends a great deal of time touring the U.S.,

JULY 18, 2013

“Faith is the greatest source of

inspiration, and then it's living out my vocation, being married, being a father and along the way living life.

”

MATT MAHER

playing more than120 shows last year alone.

As Josh Chumley of Clarksburg, Md., made his way into the June 24 show, he stopped by a booth to look over the Matt Maher concert T-shirts and CDs for sale, and proclaimed himself a “big fan.”

“I heard about the show on the radio and wanted to bring my entire family,” Chumley told CNS. “He speaks Scripture throughout what he sings and that’s truth to us. So, we want to follow the truth, and honestly, he’s got a great voice too.”

If the exposure of his music introduces the Gospel message to more people, Maher said his Catholic journey will be on course.

“In some ways rock ‘n’ roll was the soundtrack to the sexual revolution,” he said. “So, if there is going to be another revolution inspired by theology of the body, inspired by the past four popes in calling for this re-evangelization of the church and then subsequently culture, we are going to need a soundtrack for it.”

With a slightly flushed face and a beaming grin, Maher said he would never presume he would be part of such a soundtrack, “but maybe I’m inspiring people who will create it. If that’s all it is, then that’s good enough for me.”

The documentary “Catholicism: The New Evangelization” is now available for pre-sale online. This Word on Fire film shows how to put one’s faith into action in today’s increasingly secular world.

The 90-minute film follows Father Robert Barron as he travels to Australia, England and around the U.S. to examine the Church’s mission within the challenges of Western secular culFATHER BARRON ture. Father Barron is an author, speaker, theologian and founder of the nonprofit global media ministry, Word on Fire.

The film tells what the “New Evangelization” is and includes a tour to witness examples of new ardor, expressions and methods of evangelization in action.

“Let’s start with the beauty of the faith. . . . I wanted to start with the splendor of it,” Father Barron, rector of Mundelein Seminary outside of Chicago, said.

His approach to the new evangelization, the late Blessed John Paul II’s term for reaching formerly Christian societies, tends to begin with “something in the culture that people are watching or paying attention to.”

Father Barron said the series focuses on the new evangelization because “it’s what we need as a Church.”

The DVD set, including four hours of bonus features, is $55.95, or $99.95 for the Study Leader’s Kit at STORE.WORDON FIRE.ORG. — Catholic News Agency

Cardinal Dolan shares conclave experience “Praying in Rome: Reflections on the Conclave and Electing Pope Francis,” an e-book written by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, came out July 19. The book is a firsthand account of the days between Benedict XVI’s resignation and the election of Francis. Cardinal Dolan’s book is described as “witty, provocative and inspiring.” It is $1.99 at either IMAGECATHOLICBOOK.COM or AMAZON.COM. — Catholic News Agency

Calendar Dining out Fish fry at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Every Friday: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $10.95. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations.

Chicken and rib dinner at Knights of Columbus Hall, Bloomington — Every Wednesday: 5 to 9 p.m. at 1114 American Blvd. Cost is $12. Call (952) 888-1492 for reservations.

KC fundraising breakfast at Knights of Columbus Hall, Stillwater — July 21: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1910 Greeley St. Cost is $7 for adults and $4 for children 12 and under.

Parish events Thrift sale at Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights — July 18 to 20: Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday (bag sale) 8 a.m. to noon at 4030 Jackson St. N.E. Summer Celebration at Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville — July 20: 4 to 10:30 p.m. at 3333 Cliff Road. Polka Mass at 4 p.m. followed by food, mini-golf. inflatable obstacle course and other activities.

FunFest at St. Alphonsus, Brooklyn Center — July 20 to 21: Begins Saturday at 11 a.m. with a magician and a variety show. Polka Mass at 5 p.m. with entertainment by The Dweebs at 7 p.m. Bilingual Mass Sunday at 11 a.m. followed by food and activities.

Located at 7025 Halifax Ave. N. Annual parish festival at St. Mary of Czestochowa, Delano — July 21: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 1867 95th St. Features a meal of pork chops, roast beef and corn on the cob, as well as games, music and raffles.

Summer festival at St. Patrick of Cedar Lake, Jordan — July 21: Indoor Mass at 10

JULY 18, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

19

nity meal at 6:30 p.m. and Taizé Prayer begins at 7:30 p.m. Event is held the first Friday of each month.

Don’t Miss

Celebration of the Feast of God the Father of All Mankind at St. Peter, Richfield — August 4: Mass at 11 a.m. followed by consecration prayers at 6730 Nicollet Ave. Father Gerald Dvorak will be the celebrant. For information and supplies needed, call (952) 884-6638.

‘Fiddler on the Roof’ Cretin-Derham Hall Theater will present “Fiddler on the Roof” on two consecutive weekends, July 26 to 28 and August 2 to 4. Show times are 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors.

Cretin-Derham Hall is located at 550 S. Albert St. a.m. at 24425 Old Hwy 13 Blvd. followed by a grilled chicken dinner, raffles, auctions, country store, cake walk and an antique tractor display. Live music by the Charlie Sticha Band.

Golf tournament to benefit All Saints parish at Crystal Lake Golf Course, Lakeville — July 22: Tournament starts at 12:30 p.m. and is followed by a social hour at 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. For information, visit WWW.ALLSAINTSCHURCH.COM/GOLF. An event for Grandparents: ‘A Unique Painting of the Immaculate Conception and the Inspiring Story Behind It’ at Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul — July 26: 8:45 a.m. at 1900 Stanford Ave. Presenter is Father Troy Przybilla, vocations director for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Sponsored by the Nativity Grandparents Apostolate of Sts. Joachim and Anne.

Prolife Unity meeting at Holy Childhood, St. Paul — August 1: 7 p.m. at 1435 Midway Parkway. Dan Becker, president of Georgia Right to Life and founder of Personhood USA will speak, followed by a meeting to discuss future legislative efforts. For information, call (651) 271-6405.

Parish festival at St. Raphael, Crystal — August 2 to 4: Hours are: 6:30 to 11p.m. Friday, 3 to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m.

Singles

Sunday at 7301 Bass Lake Road.

FunFest Summer Jam at Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights — August 2 to 4: Hours are Friday, 5 to 10 p.m., Saturday 4:30 to 10:30 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Beatles tribute band Friday, High & Mighty dance band Saturday, polka band Craig Ebel & DyVersaCo on Sunday.

Also features bingo, kiddie games and inflatables. Outdoor Mass Sunday at 10 a.m., a car show and craft bazaar.

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. For information, call Mary at (763)323-3479 or Al at (651) 482-0406.

Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. For information, call (763) 4250412.

Parish festival at St. John the Baptist, Dayton — August 4: 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 18380 Columbus St. Features a chicken dinner served until 2:30 p.m., silent auction, wall of wine, pony and carriage rides and more.

Chicken dinner and festival at Nativity, Cleveland — August 4: Food served from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Main and First Streets. Also features an antique car show, coffee bar, raffles and more.

Prayer/ liturgies First Friday day of prayer at St. Richard, Richfield — August 2: 8 a.m. Mass followed by eucharistic adoration until Benediction at 5:30 p.m. at 7540 Penn Ave. S. Commu-

Other events ”Networking for a Cause” event at Marian Hall, Bloomington — July 19: Begins at 5 p.m. with a fish fry at 1114 W. American Blvd. At 7:40 p.m., participants will gather at the Feed My Starving Children facility in Chanhassen to pack food for the hungry.

‘Power of Personal Witness’ with Father Peter Laird at the Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul — July 20: 9 to 10:30 a.m. in Hayden Hall at 239 Selby Ave. Join Father Laird for an inspiring talk about how to share your story to help others grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Register via email at REDISCOVER@ARCHSPM.ORG.

Catholic presence at Battle of Gettysburg still evident 150 years later

By Lou Baldwin

Philadelphia Archdiocese.

More than 10,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died in the battle considered the turning point in the war, leading to the South’s eventual surrender two years later.

Catholic News Service

They were Poles, Austrians, Germans, Czechs, Italians, Irish — especially Irish — and they had one thing in common. They were Catholics, many of them new immigrants but loyal Americans.

Seven score and 10 years ago, as President Abraham Lincoln might say, many of them participated in the crucial Battle of Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863, and some of them are among the honored dead Lincoln memorialized in his famous address Nov. 19, 1863, which he delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg.

Certainly Catholicism was still a minority religion in 19th-century America, but Catholics were there. Just exactly how many of them fought at Gettysburg is impossible to say, according to Anthony Waskie, a Temple University professor and member of St. Laurentius Parish in Philadelphia, who is the principal author of “Philadelphia and the Civil War: Arsenal of the Union” published in 2011.

Look at nationality Religion was not a statistic kept by the military, and one of the best determinants is the nationality of the soldiers who comprised a unit. One of the most famous such units was the Irish Brigade which in 1862 participated in several battles, including Antietam, Md., and Fredericksburg, Va. By 1863 at the time of Gettysburg, the brigade was commanded by Brig. Gen. Patrick Kelly, a New Yorker who later was killed at the siege of Petersburg, Va. “Three of the regiments were from New York, one was from Boston and one was from Pennsylvania,” Waskie explained. “The Pennsylvania regiment was the 116th led by Col. St. Clair Mulholland. He was an Irish immi-

Catholic women

CNS photo/Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier

Members of the 140th New York Volunteer Infantry Living History Organization take part in a memorial dedication at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester, N.Y., July 2.

grant and quite well educated. He was the recipient of the Medal of Honor for the Battle of Chancellorsville (in Virginia).”

Eventually, he would rise to the rank of major general in the volunteer service. After the war, he became active in Philadelphia politics and was Philadelphia’s chief of police, and he is buried in Old Cathedral Cemetery.

The Boston regiment brought a chaplain with them to Gettysburg — Holy Cross Father William Corby. A memorable event of the battle was Father Corby standing on a rock giving his Irish troops general absolution. Years later, through the efforts of Mulholland, a statue showing Father Corby giving absolution was erected on the rock where he stood.

“The 69th Pennsylvania was not in the Irish Brigade, but they were overwhelmingly Irish and they suffered very heavily at Gettysburg,” Waskie said in an interview with CatholicPhilly.com, the news website of the

Another Catholic presence at Gettysburg were about a dozen Daughters of Charity, there to nurse the wounded.

“They had a priest with them, Father Francis Burlando, a Vincentian,” Waskie said.

In Gettysburg, St. Francis Xavier Church became a battlefield hospital. Today, Gettysburg is part of the Harrisburg Diocese, which was established in 1868.

Stained-glass windows in the church depict scenes of wounded soldiers being cared for by nuns. The celebration of an outdoor field Mass commemorating the dead and wounded has long been a tradition for the parish.

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who is a history buff, was to celebrate an evening Mass at the church July 6 to mark the 150th anniversary of the battle.

For the most part, the Catholic sisters did not nurse the wounded on the battlefield, but in the huge military hospitals that sprang up both in the North and the South.

While many congregations supplied sister-nurses during the conflict, the Daughters of Charity were the most active, even to the point of temporarily closing schools for lack of remaining teaching sisters.

The real trial came after Gettysburg, when the hospital population rose to more than 5,000, with the overflow housed in tents.

Most amazing, of the more than 6,000 wounded and sick that passed through Satterlee Hospital in the month or so after Gettysburg, only 110 died.

Baldwin writes for CatholicPhilly.com, the news website of the Philadelphia Archdiocese, and Phaith magazine, the archdiocesan magazine.

20

JULY 18, 2013 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Pope calls for repentance over treatment of migrants

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

Before saying a word publicly, Pope Francis made the sign of the cross and tossed a wreath of white and yellow flowers into the Mediterranean Sea in memory of the estimated 20,000 African immigrants who have died in the past 25 years trying to reach a new life in Europe.

Just a few hours before Pope Francis arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa July 8, the Italian coast guard accompanied another boat carrying immigrants to the island’s port.

The 165 immigrants, one of whom said they were originally from Mali, had spent two days at sea making the crossing from North Africa; the immigrants were accompanied to a government reception center, a locked facility where 112 people — half under the age of 18 — already were being housed. Most will be repatriated, although a few may receive refugee status.

In his homily at an outdoor Mass, Pope Francis said he decided to visit Lampedusa, a small island with a population of 6,000 and just 70 miles from Tunisia, after seeing newspaper headlines in June describing the drowning of immigrants at sea.

“Those boats, instead of being a means of hope, were a means of death,” he said.

Wearing purple vestments, like those used during Lent, and using the prayers from the Mass for the Forgiveness of Sins, Pope Francis said the deaths of the immigrants are “like a thorn in the heart,” which spurred him to offer public prayers for them, but also to try to awaken people’s consciences.

CNS photo/pool via Reuters

Pope Francis talks with immigrants at the port in Lampedusa, Italy, July 8. The pope called for repentance over treatment of migrants as he visited the Italian island where massive numbers of Africans have landed in attempts to reach Europe.

staff the pope used was carved from wood recycled from a shipwrecked boat; the lectern was made from old wood as well and had a ship’s wheel mounted on the front; and even the chalice — although lined with silver — was carved from the wood of a wrecked boat.

“Who among us has wept” for the immigrants, for the dangers they faced and for the thousands who died at sea, the pope asked. “The globalization of indifference has taken from us the ability to weep.”

“Let us ask the Lord for the grace to weep over our indifference, to weep over the cruelty in the world, in ourselves, and even in those who anonymously make socioeconomic decisions that open the way to tragedies like this,” Pope Francis said.

Seeking forgiveness

Globalization of indifference “Who is responsible for the blood of these brothers and sisters of ours?” the pope asked in his homily. “All of us respond: ‘It wasn’t me. I have nothing to do with it. It was others, certainly not me.’”

“Today no one feels responsible for this,” he said. “We have lost a sense of fraternal responsibility” and are acting like those in the Gospel who saw the man who had been beaten, robbed and left on the road half dead, but they kept walking.

“Maybe we think, ‘Oh, poor soul,’ but we continue on our way,” the pope said.

“The culture of well-being, which leads us to think only of ourselves, makes us insensitive to the cries of others,” Pope Francis said, adding that the globalization of the world’s economy in many cases has led to “the globalization of indifference.”

Still, the pope praised the many Lampedusa residents, as well as the volunteers and public security officers who do what they can to help the migrants who reach their shores.

After getting off the coast guard boat that took him to sea, Pope Francis personally greeted more than 50 immi-

CNS photo/Paul Haring

Pope Francis gives the homily as he celebrates Mass on the Italian island of Lampedusa July 8. The pope said he decided to visit the small island 70 miles from Tunisia after seeing newspaper headlines in June describing the drowning of African immigrants at sea.

grants. One of them, speaking in Arabic, told the pope that he and his fellow travelers had dealt with several traffickers before reaching Italy.

Pope Francis told the crowd at Mass that the traffickers “exploit the poverty of others” and are “people for whom the poverty of others is a source of income.”

The Mass was filled with reminders that Lampedusa is now synonymous with dangerous attempts to reach Europe: the altar was built over a small boat; the pastoral

Explaining why he chose a penitential liturgy, the pope said, “we ask forgiveness for our indifference toward so many brothers and sisters” and for the ways in which well-being has “anesthetized our hearts.”

In addition, the pope prayed for the forgiveness of “those, who with their decisions at the global level, have created situations that lead to these tragedies.”

The United Nations has criticized Italy for conditions at the Lampedusa reception center, which it says can hold 190 people. The United Nations also has questioned the quick pace of Italian processing, which sees only a handful of immigrants being given refugee status and the rest being flown back to Libya — the usual embarkation point — within a matter of days.

Giusi Nicolini, Lampedusa’s mayor, told reporters she hoped Pope Francis’ visit would “change history. Europe, with its migration policies, has avoided the problem up until now, pretending not to see the immense tragedy of the voyages of hope across the Mediterranean.”

The pope, she said, “has made the invisible visible, restoring to the migrants the dignity which countries always have denied them.”

Archdiocese committed to further enhancing child-protection policies, procedures CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 involved people who were minors in 2012.

Most accusations were related to abuse alleged to have occurred in the 1970s and early 1980s. Similarly, two cases filed against the archdiocese in recent weeks are related to allegations of clergy sexual abuse that date to the 1960s. The filing follows the Minnesota Legislature’s recent passage of a law eliminating the civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse victims for a three-year period.

Local cases involving abuse alleged to have occurred since the mid-1980s are

very rare, Eisenzimmer said. That is one indication that the archdiocese’s policies have been effective, he said.

Looking ahead Eisenzimmer said that, while alleged incidents of clergy sexual abuse of minors occurring today are rare, “any one case of abuse is unacceptable and horrific and cannot be tolerated.”

“But the fact is, I think, the comprehensive and sustained approach and the care we’ve taken to deal with this problem — it’s working,” he said.

Still, he added, “We haven’t stopped

learning. Everyday we try to learn something new about how to address this problem and help be a leader in society.”

Kronholm said the archdiocese is committed to further enhancing its “essential three” preventative requirements.

In that regard, the archdiocese plans to soon issue an updated policy on ministryrelated sexual misconduct after working on a revision over the last year.

The latest version of this policy, titled “Restoring Trust,” was issued in 2007, she said. The new edition will be titled “Strengthening Trust.”

“We try to remind folks that we aren’t doing all these things simply to pass national audit requirements, which we have annually, or to successfully defend lawsuits,” Kronholm said.

“We’re doing it to prevent abuse,” she said. “In the context of the tragic mistakes of the past, we feel like it’s all of our responsibility as laity and members of the Church — and frankly as members of the greater society — to educate ourselves and do whatever we can to prevent child abuse in communities, in neighborhoods, in families or wherever.”

“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”

Henry David Thoreau

From Age to Age A Catholic Spirit special section

JULY 18, 2013

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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Five common misconceptions about nursing homes

By Dena Boheim For The Catholic Spirit

Nursing homes today are a far cry from what they were in the past. Policies and procedures, staffing, training, facilities and the quality of care have improved a great deal in the last couple of decades.

Nevertheless, because misconceptions remain, people often unnecessarily fear the move to a nursing facility. In fact, the term “nursing home” isn’t often used anymore; they are now commonly called skilled nursing or long-term care communities. Some of the more common myths include: Myth #1: A nursing home is just an extension of the hospital.

Truth: While a nursing home does offer nursing care 24/7/365 like a hospital, it does not offer the same intensive level of care. A skilled nursing community also has different goals than a hospital, such as: ! Rehabilitating the resident and, if possible, returning the individual to his or her home.

Nursing homes provide high quality medical care and nurture mind, body and spirit by assuring that residents get social stimulation, exercise and proper nutrition.

Bigstock photo

! Delaying physical and emotional deterioration. ! Providing physical and emotional support for patient and family.

Myth #2: Once you enter a nursing home, you’ll never leave.

Truth: The main goal of a skilled nursing community is to rehabilitate residents in order to return to a more independent style of living, whether at home, with family members or in another type of care community. Skilled nursing communities

are often a temporary option for residents who need weeks or months of assistance recuperating from surgery, heart attack or stroke.

Myth #3: All residents in nursing homes are confused.

Truth: There is a wide range of mental abilities among skilled nursing residents.

Some are there only because of physical shortcomings; others may enter because they have become forgetful. While most residents fall somewhere in the middle, it is important to note that forgetfulness is often improved or reversed through the simple lifestyle changes a skilled nursing community provides, such as social stimulation, exercise, good nutrition and properly controlled medication.

Myth #4: Nursing homes smell.

Truth: Skilled nursing communities that have been cleaned effectively and furnished with modern materials that do not retain and absorb odors should not smell.

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From Age to Age

CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 18, 2013

Pilgrims’ progress: Visiting the apostles’ tombs

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

Ruins of housing for poor pilgrims, a thermal bath for dusty and weary visitors, and almost 2.5 miles of covered walkways and porticoes to protect throngs of pilgrims from the sun and rain — these are just some of the signs of ancient devotion to the “Apostle to the Gentiles� that archaeologists have recently uncovered next to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

As Catholics prepared last June 29 to celebrate the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul — co-founders of the Church in Rome — the Vatican opened a new archaeological site that reveals fresh details of the popular devotion to St. Paul throughout history and how the early Church handled the deluge of visitors.

The new archaeological area is now accessible to all who visit the basilica. U.S. donors belonging to the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums funded the sixyear-long dig and restoration.

Early, intense devotion In ancient times, the bustling neighborhood that sprouted up around the shrine grew so crowded with buildings and shops that the sixth-century historian Procopius said marauders would find the place “difficult to attack.�

Studies at the site and elsewhere have shown that devotion to St. Paul “was early and very intense,� said Lucrezia Spera, the project’s head archaeologist and professor at the Pontifical Institute of Christian Arch-

CNS photo / Paul Haring

The ruins of columns from a covered portico constructed in the eighth century outside the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome are seen in this photo.

aeology.

Already by the second half of the thirdcentury, there is “extraordinary testimony� of pilgrims’ devotion seen in the graffiti they scrawled on other religious sites in Rome invoking the apostles Peter and Paul, and with a number of them putting Paul’s name first, she told Catholic News Service.

One inscription, now preserved in the Vatican Museums, is by a second-century bishop from Asia Minor who said “he traveled with Paul as his companion because he always brought with him the Letters of St. Paul,� Spera said.

By leaving behind a rich legacy of letters to the different communities and peoples he preached to, “Paul was, therefore, immediately closer to the communities,� she said, and such direct writings perhaps helped other people feel closer or more connected to him, too.

Providing loving carre during

“Paul gets there first, before Peter, at the heart of popular devotion,� she said.

But under the Roman Emperor Constantine, she said, emphasis was put on the importance of St. Peter because of Jesus’ words to him: “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church,� and a large basilica was built over St. Peter’s tomb.

By the end of the fourth century, the relationship between Peter and Paul “finds balance,� she said: the iconography starts to show the two apostles embracing, and a grandiose basilica was built above St. Paul’s tomb. The old basilica was as large as Constantine’s ancient Basilica of St. Peter.

Apostle of all Giorgio Filippi, an archaeologist and expert in ancient inscriptions at the Vatican Museums, said there were many in the non-Catholic and non-Christian world who respected or admired St. Paul.

When the fourth-century basilica burned to the ground in 1823, a Muslim viceroy in Egypt sent alabaster for the new basilica’s columns and windows, and the Russian Czar Nicolas I sent precious stones for altars and other adornments.

The show of solidarity “was tied to the figure of the Apostle Paul, who is apostle of all peoples,� Filippi said. The way the missionary saint lived his life until his martyrdom, his travels, how he reached out to all peoples “contributed to people from the whole world, even non-Christians, recognizing his holiness and the importance of Paul’s teachings.�

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that pay close attention to bathing and making sure residents change clothes regularly should not have musty or stale odors.

Myth #5: Nursing home food is terrible.

Truth: Although some residents may be on restricted or special diets ordered by their physicians, culinary directors and dieticians employed by skilled nursing communities plan menus that are appetizing, attractive and meet the residents’ nutritional needs.

Most skilled nursing communities provide a variety of meal options so residents can choose meals they like. Many also offer an open dining plan that lets residents eat at the times most convenient to them.

Making a big life change is never easy, but outdated beliefs about nursing home care should not factor into decisions. Through better understanding of, and attention to, nutrition, emotional needs and the importance of enjoyable activities for mental and physical stimulation, today’s nursing homes not only provide residents with top-notch medical care, they also take pride in the art of nurturing mind, body and spirit.

Call Benedictine Health System for more information at (651) 259-6118, or visit its website at WWW.BHSHEALTH.ORG. BHS is an affiliate of Catholic Senior Services. Visit Catholic Senior Services at WWW.CATHOLIC SENIORSERVICES.ORG for news and helpful information for senior care. Call the senior help line at (877) 420-6461.

Boheim is director of marketing for Benedictine Health System.

23

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JULY 18, 2013

Parents remember son’s faith

Concerns raised about impact on various health plans CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 said in the July 3 statement.

Cardinal Dolan also addressed concerns with regard to insured and self-insured health insurance plans. For insured plans, he said the proposed rules would have established separate insurance policies for coverage of sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients which the final rules do not.

“Now, there is only one policy, and it is the one sponsored by the Catholic employer. The objectionable items will still be paid for by virtue of the fact that an employee belongs to the Catholic employer’s plan, but these amounts are described as ‘payments’ rather than ‘coverage,’” he said.

He also noted that the administration’s final rules propose to segregate funds in a way that was not specified in the proposed rules, which is something, he said, that “seems intended to strengthen the claim that objectionable items will not ultimately be paid by the employer’s premium dollars.”

He pointed out that the rules do not make it clear if the source of such funding is “genuinely separate from the objecting employer, and if so, whether it is workable to draw from that separate source.”

Regarding self-insured plans, the cardinal said the final rules treat the employer’s very act of objecting to coverage of sterilization, contraception and abortifacients as the legal authorization for a third-party administrator to secure the objectionable coverage, which the bishops objected to in comments submitted to the HHS on the proposed rules.

He said the bishops will “continue to examine the extent” to which the changes will force religious ministries to “violate their own teachings within their very own institutions.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 After the accident, his employers at Fresh Paint established the Adam Gott Scholarship at Hill-Murray, which awards a junior or senior $1,000 for tuition.

They wanted to honor Adam because he exemplified the ideals of a Hill-Murray student through his dedication to academics while maintaining high levels of athleticism and service to the community. Those who knew Adam are excited about this scholarship because, in his short 19 years, he was an ambitious leader who centered his life on his Christian faith.

Adam was an altar server through high school. In the funeral homily, Father Michael Miller said, “When I first became pastor at St. Michael’s, one of the Dominican sisters at St. Croix Catholic told me to keep an eye out for Adam Gott because he was a special kid who loved his Catholic faith.”

The night before he died, Adam’s friends were teasing him because of a decision he had to make. He told them, “God will decide what is supposed to happen because he decides everything in my life.” His mother said that her son trusted in the Lord and had a good-natured contentment because he knew life wasn’t centered on himself; life was about God’s will.

A day after Adam’s death, friends gathered in the chapel at Hill-Murray. It was overflowing with people who, in a time of shock and sadness, chose to be in a holy place that reminded them of their friend.

That same chapel was filled once again on July 13. The first annual Gott to Lax tournament was held on the weekend of July 13 and 14 at Hill-Murray, with Mass celebrated during the event. This tournament was the brainchild of Adam’s high school coaches, Greg and Kristy Visich, who also served as tournament directors.

They were happy to do something in Adam’s memory because their family is better for having known him. “Our children grew up with Adam as a strong role model within

the Catholic faith, in his service to the community, and simply in his daily demonstration of treating people with respect and kindness” they said.

They also said that Adam, who played the position of attack, was always a natural leader and earned the designation of captain at both the JV and varsity level, and was voted All-State while at Hill-Murray. A trophy emblazoned with Adam’s silhouette was presented by the Gotts to the tournament champions from Prior Lake on July 14.

Nine high school boys’ teams participated, with more teams put on a waiting list. Hundreds of people attended, and it is estimated that the event raised $20,000. Proceeds benefit the newly established Adam Gott Collegiate Club Lacrosse Player Fee Scholarship Fund.

The vast majority of high school lacrosse players continue at the college club level and the cost to participate in these programs ranges from $500 to $3,000 per academic year. Many students simply can’t afford the added expense, and this scholarship will help. For more information visit WWW.PENGUINLACROSSE.COM. Among the 100 volunteers at the event was Adam’s father, who served as the medical representative.

“Adam was a very frugal accounting major,” Steve said.

“After he passed away, we found a spreadsheet on his computer that organized his spending. He’d be happy to know that there’s funding now available to help college students.”

Lisa told me after it ended, “If there was a way that Adam saw this tournament, he’d have been so thrilled to see everyone having so much fun. It was an unbelievable weekend.”

Schneeman is the author of the blog, “Embracing Life” on CATHOLICHOTDISH.COM. She and her husband Eric are the parents of nine children and are members of St. Joseph parish in West St. Paul.

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24

Overheard THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Quotes from this week’s newsmakers From left, Steve, Tyler, Lisa, Ryan and Rachel Gott hold the championship trophy for the lacrosse tournament in honor of Adam, the son of Steve and Lisa who died in a motorbike accident last summer. The tournament was held at HillMurray High School in Maplewood July 13 and 14.

Photo by Lori Wietecki / Special to The Catholic Spirit

Pictured below, Adam Gott.

Photo by Lisa Gott

Tribute to Adam: Lacrosse tourney helps parents heal

A

replica of Michelangelo’s Pietà sits upon the mantle in the home of my friends, Steve and Lisa Gott. It has been there for years. The sculpture depicts Mary with her head tilted and eyes closed in prayerful mourning, cradling her beloved son after he was crucified.

The prophets foretold Jesus’ death, so Mary must have been prepared a little, but Kathy no matter the circumSchneeman stances, losing a child must be the most terrible thing in the world. The Pietà on the Gotts’ mantle now holds significant meaning for them because they’ve experienced Mary’s pain firsthand.

Guest Column

Every parent’s fear During the month of June last year, Steve and Lisa were happily spending their days with their son Adam and his three siblings: Tyler, Ryan and Rachel. Adam, a graduate of Hill-Murray High School in Maplewood, had moved out of Tommie Hall at St. John’s University and into his old bedroom at their home in Stillwater. He had just wrapped up his freshman year and was looking forward to playing lacrosse and working his summer job as a painter for their friends’ company, Fresh Paint.

On the last day of June, Steve took his sons Ryan, who was 22, and Adam, 19, golfing and then to a car show.

“When we got home, Adam packed a bag and headed to a family friend’s cabin.

It was the last time I talked to him,” said Steve.

After 5:30 Mass that evening at their parish, St. Michael in Stillwater, the Gotts received the type of phone call that every parent fears. It was one of Adam’s buddies.

“Adam had an accident,” the young man cried.

Steve and Lisa drove two hours to the hospital in Sandstone. The rosary was recited the whole way. They phoned a nurse there who told them, “Doctors are having difficulty finding a pulse.”

When they got to the emergency room’s parking lot, they saw their family friends outside. “Is he alive?” the hopeful parents asked.

Lisa told me through tears that when they heard the words “No,” she sank to her knees. Adam’s college friend, who also had played lacrosse with him at Hill-Murray, picked the mourning mother up and brought both parents into the hospital to see their son.

This young man had been with Adam a few hours earlier riding a motorbike. Adam hit a tree when it was his turn. Even though he was wearing a helmet, he had suffered a hard blow to the head. His buddy bravely administered CPR while waiting for help, but Adam died on impact.

Now when I go to the Gott’s home and

examine the Pietà, I also see a representation of Lisa and Steve holding Adam. I think of a story Lisa told me the day after his accident: “When I was getting ready to view Adam’s body at the funeral home, I prayed for the Blessed Mother’s intercession. I said, ‘Mary, help me get through this.’ As I cradled Adam and had my face in his hair, I begged Mary once again to help me. As I was kneeling beside him, my body began to tingle and I felt lifted or supported. . . and then I saw Adam with Mary and I knew he was OK.” Adam’s parents, who were chairs for the Catholic Services Appeal in 2009 and 2010, are thankful he had a K-12 Catholic education, plus one year to learn more about his religion at St. John’s. They believe the values and character traits that are developed in a Catholic environment are priceless. Knowing that their child had a strong faith and that he died with the graces of a good relationship with God has given them comfort.

Something else that gives Steve great comfort is the memories he stows in his heart of the medical mission trip to Peru he took with Adam a few years ago. At this clinic in South America, Adam worked with his father, who is an anesthesiologist.

The young man mostly assisted with the Peruvian children before and after their surgeries. He always had a gift with kids and a smile that captivated people. He used these talents in everything, from helping the needy to coaching during mini youth camps at Hill-Murray even after he graduated.

For his myriad volunteer activities, Adam was awarded a Gold Level Service Award from Hill-Murray when he was a student.

PLEASE TURN TO PARENTS ON PAGE 23

JULY 18, 2013

Providence Academy to begin construction Providence Academy in Plymouth will break ground July 18 for a new addition to the school, which will provide a connection from the The existing Catholic Spirit building to the future performing arts center.

This addition includes office space for the middle school and development staff, a conference room, TV studio and a gathering space for middle school students.

Construction is expected to be completed during the 2014-15 academic year.

Funding has come through the school’s Make Your Mark – Build the Pride capital campaign. Future projects of the campaign are a new performing arts center with 500-seat theater and redesigned outdoor athletic facilities.

News Notes

Two local men profess vows at St. John’s Two men from the Twin Cities professed solemn vows July 11 at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville: Brothers Michael Leonard Hahn and Lew Grobe.

Brother Michael was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Robbinsdale. He graduated from St. John’s University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.

For the last three years, he has taught theology at St. John’s and the College of St. Benedict. This spring, he earned a Master of Theology at St. John’s in addition to completing his studies for ordination to the priesthood.

Brother Lew was born in Minneapolis and grew up in the suburb of Orono. He graduated from St. John’s in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in German and humanities. Recently, he has been working as a woodworker at Abbey Woodworking. He also has completed his second year of academic studies for ordination to the priesthood.

THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM

The Mass Learning more about our faith The Catholic Spirit’s 4-page Rediscover: pullout section in each issue of 2013 highlights a new Rediscover: theme for you to reflect on and discuss with others.

Coming up Aug. 1: The sacrament of reconciliation.

Eucharist gives strength for journey of Christian life

T

HEART OF THE MATTER Father Michael VAN SLOUN

he Mass is the Christian community at its worshipping best. It is communal liturgical prayer. Catholics celebrate the Mass at least once each week to fulfill their Sunday obligation and are encouraged to celebrate the Mass on weekdays as well.

The Mass celebrates the Eucharist, which means “thanks” or “thanksgiving,” a beautiful prayer to offer God thanks and praise for our many blessings. The Mass is also the normal context for the celebration of other sacraments — such as confirmation, marriage and holy orders — as well as other major events like funerals and the profession of religious vows.

The Mass was instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper when he gathered his disciples to pray, sing hymns and share the Passover meal. On that Holy Thursday night, Jesus taught them his word, gave them his body and blood under the forms of bread and wine, and thereby instituted the Eucharist. He instructed them to continue this in memory of him.

The first Christian community was faithful to his command and gathered for the teachings of

The Catholic Spirit • July 18, 2013

the apostles, the communal life, the breaking of the bread and the prayers (see Acts 2:42).

Absent but present Because of his impending death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, Jesus was aware that his physical presence with his disciples would come to an end, and he wanted to provide for his ongoing and constant spiritual presence.

With the Mass, Jesus provided his fourfold presence in: • Sacred Scripture in general and the Gospel in particular, because Jesus is “the Word” (John 1:1); • his body, the Blessed Sacrament, and his Precious Blood — true food and true drink (John 6:55), the Real Presence of Christ; • the congregation, the Body of Christ; • the priest who serves “in persona Christi capitis,” in the person of Christ the head.

Strength for the journey The Mass is the celebration of the Eucharist, “the source and summit of the Christian life” Please turn to LITURGY on back page of section

Rediscover-faith.org

“The Mass celebrates the Eucharist, which means ‘thanks’ or ‘thanksgiving,’ a beautiful prayer to offer God thanks and praise for our many blessings.”

Father Michael Van Sloun

We prepare for everything important You wouldn’t show up to play in a football game and expect to win if you had not been training. You wouldn’t show up unprepared to give a big presentation at work and expect to get the project. We don’t expect to excel in exams if we have not studied.

Consider the preparation that goes into hosting a BBQ, a dinner party or a wedding. We prepare for everything we consider important in life. In every case preparation makes a wonderful experience possible.

When was the last time you prepared for Mass?

Mass begins long before you show up on Sunday. The first step is preparation. It is necessary for a high-level experience. It is unreasonable to walk through the church doors as the music is beginning on Sunday and expect to have a powerful and spiritual experience without some preparation.

CELEBRATING personal When does Mass begin for you? For my wife Meggie and me, CATHOLICISM Sunday Mass begins on Wednesday evening. I would like to say we do it every Wednesday, but sometimes we forget and other Matthew times we are too lazy. I can tell you that our best experiences of Sunday liturgy come when we have diligently taken a few KELLY minutes on Wednesday night to prepare.

Our process is very simple. We read through the Mass readings for the following Sunday, we talk about what strikes us from each of the readings and why, and then we each close with a spontaneous personal prayer. It takes about 15 minutes, but it places the readings of the coming Sunday in our minds several days before we attend Mass.

Transforming our lives Every Sunday we get to experience the word of God at Mass. I believe the word of God has the power to transform our lives. I have experienced this power in my own life and witnessed it in the lives of countless others.

Preparation may be the most powerful tool at your disposal to improve your experience of the Mass. We “It is unreasonable to have spoken about the value of preparation in business, at school and in sports, so why wouldn’t walk through the the same truth apply when it comes to Mass? elevates every worthwhile human church doors as the Preparation endeavor.

I would like to suggest that once a week, perhaps music is beginning on on Tuesday or Wednesday, you take time to read and Sunday and expect to reflect upon the coming Sunday’s Gospel. Just start the Gospel. Perhaps in time you will move on have a powerful and with to reflect on all of the readings, but for now, just start with the Gospel. If you are married, you may personal spiritual wish to share this experience with your spouse. experience without Don’t just rush through it. Read next Sunday’s Gospel slowly and pick out a word or a phrase that some preparation.” strikes you or jumps out at you. Take turns reading and then explaining which word jumped out at you.

Matthew Kelly Then read through it again. Again, be attentive for a word or phrase that strikes you. Maybe it will be the same word; maybe it will be a different word.

It doesn’t matter. Read the passage three times. If the word of God is to transform us, we need to allow it to sink its roots deep into our lives through repetition and reflection.

Each time, think about why that particular word or phrase is prodding you. Is there something happening in your life that this word or phrase speaks to? Let the Holy Spirit work in you.

If you apply this one resolution to your life, and practice it with an open, honest and humble heart, your whole experience of Mass on Sunday will improve tremendously. Little by little, you will begin to draw closer to the man whose footprints have left an indelible mark in the dusty paths of human history.

Make it a habit The word of God needs opportunities to linger in our hearts and minds. If we give it these opportunities, it will move like running water toward the cracks in our lives. These cracks are our questions and heartaches, and God wants to speak directly to them. Only then will the powerful and personal modern relevance of God’s ageless wisdom become unquestionably apparent in our modern lives.

Taking a few minutes during the week to prepare is the first step toward a more engaging experience of Mass each Sunday. Beyond that, turning the radio off as we drive to church and arriving a few minutes early to consciously place ourselves in the presence of God are simple, practical ways to prepare for Mass. Find what works for you and make it a habit.

Kelly is an international best-selling author, speaker and founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute.

The Catholic Spirit • July 18, 2013

Bonding prayerfully in the p Mom, children say daily Mass has deepened their relationship

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Imagine a young girl getting her first puppy.

She holds it often, plays with it constantly and dotes on it like a mother with a newborn baby.

Kate Weber-Choals resembles that loving child when she talks about the love of her life: the Mass.

You can see it in her soft eyes when she describes what the liturgy means to her and why she goes every day with her five children — Gabrielle, 17, Maria, 16, Teresa, 14, Gina, 12, and Peter, 10.

They are members of the Cathedral of St. Paul and go there some days, especially when the children are scheduled to sing in the choir.

Many other times, they sit in one of the front pews at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, a little more than a block from their home. The children are home-schooled, and often their day starts with Mass.

Kate is very careful to point that she doesn’t “take” her kids to Mass. Rather, they happily choose to join her.

How could they not? This 49-year-old stayat-home mother oozes with joy when talking about what the Mass means to her. Her infectious smile and warm demeanor likely could melt the heart of the most militant atheist.

Lost and found The roots of her love of liturgy go back to her childhood in Michigan. Growing up in Ann Arbor, she was deeply moved by the reception of the consecrated host for the first time.

“One of my first memories and actually the best day of my life was the day I received holy Communion,” she said. “I was raised in a family that meant well, but was not particularly Catholic. We didn’t pray the rosary, we didn’t read the Bible, there wasn’t a daily application of the faith to our life. But, there was the holy Mass on Sunday. “[The day of] first holy Communion, I got a Huffy bike. It was brown. I named it Rocket. I loved it. And, I couldn’t believe that I actually was happier at receiving the Eucharist than my Huffy bike. I remember thinking, ‘I can’t believe that I’m actually more excited about what happened at church today.’”

It would appear that this experience set the trajectory of her spiritual life, but she careened off course while in high school. She stopped going to Mass and fell away from God and the Church during her senior year.

During her absence from church, she simply and clearly realized that something was missing, something she had experienced in a real way as a child, and something that could not come from anyone or anything else but the sacred liturgy of the Catholic Church.

“The more I studied [both Catholicism and other religions] and the more I prayed, the more I came right back [to the Church],” said Kate, who was 24 and in between undergraduate and graduate school when she returned. “Once I learned what the Church taught, it was beautiful.”

While studying for her graduate degree in clinical psychology, she continued to deepen

In their own words Visit Rediscover-faith.org to watch a video of Kate Weber-Choals and her children talk about their journey of faith.

Kate Weber-Choals, third from right, stand Gabrielle. They attend daily Mass together

“I don’t attend daily Mass b Mass because I am in love with and more of him. And, I m He wants t

Kat

her faith. She got a chance to apply it w working in a hospital emergency room. Psyc logical trauma was her domain, and she some of the worst cases society had to offer “A woman who was beaten badly with a pack of beer was probably the hardest thi saw,” she said. “This woman worked at a c venience store. And, a youth wanted to g six-pack of beer. She said, ‘I need to see y i.d.’ and challenged him. She was very b beaten, and her husband came in [to the ho tal afterward]. You see a lot of the underbell the world.

“I had to turn to Jesus, I had to turn to G our good Father, to help these folks. I could an instrument in that, but ultimately it wa me. The more I realized that, the more I Christ in his people. And, that for me, is a part of what happens in Mass when I rec

Hymns for a new mother

pews

Another gift arrived yesterday: A 6-month Carter’s layette, complete with an “I love Daddy” onesie and navy polka-dotted pants.

“Don’t they just fill up your life in a way you never thought possible?” the sender wrote in the enclosed Hallmark card. It is the second package we’ve received from a second cousin and the hundredth time since our firstborn arrived that I’ve marveled over the generosity showered on new parents.

Earlier in the week, we received a bin of sundresses from the neighbors down below, brightly-colored cotton shifts that burst with sugar and spice. There’s the rocking chair from next door, the swing from my sister, the car seat from my sister-in-law, the play mat Aunt Jan picked up at a garage sale, a shelf of wellREFERENCE loved children’s books and a closet stuffed with POINTS ribbons and ruffles. Our freezer is filled, and fresh fruit keeps popping up in the fridge. A restaurant Christina manager even asked for our address to send a CAPECCHI congratulatory gift.

For nine months I imagined the love I would feel for our baby, but what I didn’t anticipate was the way motherhood would increase my love for the other special people in my life.

I feel closer to my husband, my parents and siblings, my grandparents, my in-laws, my girlfriends, my niece and all the moms in my life. In the grueling early weeks of constant diaper changes and scarce sleep, their words of affirmation kept me going: a well-timed text, a handwritten card, a single sentence that carried me through the day: For “You’re a natural!” “I’m so proud of you.”

Reaching in and reaching out

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

ds outside Nativity of Our Lord church in St. Paul with her children Gina, left, Peter, Teresa, Maria and r at Nativity several days a week.

because I’m scrupulous. I attend daily Jesus Christ, and I want more and more miss him when I don’t receive him. that for everybody.”

te Weber-Choals

while chosaw r. a sixng I conget a your adly ospily of

God, d be asn’t saw a big ceive

the holy Eucharist.”

Charting a new course She got married to her husband Robert in 1993 and they had Gabrielle in 1995. When her first-born was a toddler, she made a startling discovery — Mass wasn’t just on Sundays.

“I didn’t know daily Mass existed,” she said.

“I discovered daily Mass when Gabrielle was 2.

I didn’t know there was such a thing. And, I was happy to discover it.”

She would go occasionally with daughter in tow, then added Maria and Teresa when they were born. She now talks about the joys of going to Mass with her kids, but it wasn’t a picnic during those early years.

“It was really difficult; I didn’t like it at first,” she said. “I knew I needed it, but it was like taking medicine. I knew it was best for the kids, I

knew it was best for the whole family, I knew it was best for me, I knew it would please God. And so, I wanted to do it, I knew I should do it.

But, it was a pain in the neck. It was just a pain getting all the kids ready, getting the diaper bag ready, getting the double stroller ready.

“I was always pregnant. I spent all the time in the back in the vestibule. I don’t think I heard a homily or a Gospel for two years. I would just push [the kids] in the stroller. But, I received the Eucharist, and it made enough of a difference that I knew [it was right to go].”

Eventually, the demands of rearing young children and the challenges of trying to get them to behave in church wore her down, and she stopped going to daily Mass. Then, a brief conversation with a friend turned her back.

The friend merely said she hadn’t seen Kate at Mass in a while. That’s all it took.

“Once I started going back, I never stopped,” she said. “It’s been every day ever since.”

Now that her kids are older, behavioral problems no longer flare up. In fact, the five children love going and fight off the temptations to stay home.

“When it’s hard to go to Mass, I feel like that’s when it really pays,” said Gabrielle, who hopes

reflection

What do you That feeling of connectedness took on a treasure most musical expression a few weeks ago at Mass, when about the Mass? the “Servant Song” I’ve heard so many times struck a new note. “I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh, I’ll laugh with you. I will share your joy and sorrow till we’ve seen this journey through.”

Listening to the simple melody made me feel as though I was watching a video montage of my life, and I could see the faces of friends and family offering up lasagna and laughter, clamoring to hold and photograph the baby, standing at my side as I settle into motherhood.

Peace washed over me.

Every Mass is a celebration, and every week we are called to celebrate the blessings in our life, whether or not they are obvious. It’s good for the soul.

Mass is the ultimate expression of thanks, culminating with the Eucharist. It’s a shared meal, a family reunion, “a meeting of God’s children with their Father,” as the catechism puts it. And, though the Church makes it clear that holy Communion is the peak and purpose of Mass, it also recognizes the “inestimable value” of music in liturgy.

In his conversion story “Confessions,” St. Augustine wrote about the spiritual impact of music at Mass: “How I wept, deeply moved by your hymns, songs and the voices that echoed through your Church! What emotion I experienced in them! Those sounds flowed into my ears, distilling the truth in my heart. A feeling of devotion surged within me, and tears streamed down my face — tears that did me good.”

In our Skype society, where so many transactions now happen online, Mass remains a treasure that can never be recreated virtually. There’s something about spending an hour every Sunday sitting on a wooden bench that anchors the heart. There’s something about getting on our knees that quiets a busy mind and humbles a swelling ego.

Mass invites us to reach in and reach out. We hold hands, shake hands, fold them in prayer and press them together to receive the consecrated host. It binds us to the communion of saints. We touch the ancient and, in doing so, are made new again.

Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.

Please turn to WOMAN on last page of section

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Woman invites others to experience graces of daily Mass Continued from center of section to go to a Catholic college so she can be assured of having a place to continue going to daily Mass.

“There are some times when I go to Mass and I just feel awful,” she said. “I’m tired or I want to sleep in an extra half hour, but I can offer that up . . . and say, ‘God, just take all my distractions and take all my human limitations and all my frustrations and being tired and just wanting to leave. Just take all that because I’m doing it because I love you and I know you want me to be here.’”

Such conviction is music to her mother’s ears. And, adding more comfort is seeing her children go to Mass when she can’t attend with them. Not surprisingly, the net effect of their dedication to the liturgy is deeper relationships.

“I think it’s the key to why we’re all so close to each other,” Maria said.

“Through Mass, we’re really united.”

The family moved to St. Paul from Michigan four years ago, and immediately started going to daily Mass. Along the way, Kate and her children discovered another venue that has helped them enjoy the eucharistic feast — the St. Paul Seminary.

They met a seminarian at Nativity, and Kate tried to set him up with a woman she knew, then learned he was studying for the priesthood. When she found out, he invited her to come to Mass at the seminary chapel.

“Nothing prepared us for Mass at the seminary,” she said. “As a woman who really needed to see some holy men, it was like balm, these men who just would give their lives for you and the faith in a heartbeat. . . . It’s just the most beautiful example of masculinity I think I’ve probably ever witnessed. Coming here to St.

Paul four years ago and going to Mass at the seminary was one of the most moving things. . . . We immediately felt like we were home. And, I would have to say it was almost entirely because of the seminary.”

Come and see Yet, despite rarely missing a Mass on any day of the week, Kate doesn’t criticize those who go less frequently, even those who don’t go every Sunday. She commends them for the times they do go, and longs for them to experience what she has experienced in the pews.

“I know the reality of life. I’ve had a hard life,” she said. “And, many, many people have had hard lives. There are so many people out there living these very difficult lives of really quiet heroism. We don’t know, we can’t know what other people go through — ever.

“So, if they’re coming to Mass once a year, God bless them. And, don’t be afraid to give God more. Don’t be afraid to make yourself a little bit vulnerable and come more often. See if maybe it is true, see if maybe he really is madly in love with you — because he is. But, don’t take it from me. Take it from him. Come.

Just come to Mass.”

She calls going to church “a wild ride,” and says with a twinkle in her eye that Mass “is not for the faint of heart.” The bottom line is, she is far beyond the mentality that Mass is merely an obligation to uphold, a rule to follow.

“I don’t attend daily Mass because I’m scrupulous,” she said. “I attend daily Mass because I am in love with Jesus Christ, and I want more and more and more of him. And, I miss him when I don’t receive him. He wants that for everybody.”

Liturgy of Word, Liturgy of Eucharist are two major parts of the Mass Continued from first page of section (“Lumen Gentium,” paragraph 11, Second Vatican Council).

The Eucharist stands at the head of the list of seven sacraments as the rich source of grace and strength for the journey of the Christian life. Every believer needs nourishment to be firm in faith, advance in virtue and ward off temptation, and the Mass provides two rich sources of spiritual sustenance: word and sacrament.

Because the journey is long and filled with challenges, these graces need to be replenished often. As we eat ordinary food each day to sustain ourselves physically, we need to be fed by the Word and Sacrament at least once each week to be sustained spiritually.

To fail to attend Mass regularly is to become spiritually malnourished, which results in the onset of spiritual deficiency disease: weakened faith, susceptibility to temptation, the descent into vice, and an increase in the frequency and severity of sin.

Structure of the Mass There are two major parts of the Mass:

the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

Before these, the Mass begins with the introductory rites: the Sign of the Cross, the greeting, the Penitential Act, the Glory to God and the Collect.

The Liturgy of the Word is first: the first reading, the responsorial psalm, the second reading, the Alleluia, the Gospel, the homily, the profession of faith and the Prayer of the Faithful.

The Liturgy of the Eucharist is second.

It begins with the preparation of the gifts and continues with the eucharistic Prayer: the preface, the Holy Holy, the epiclesis or the calling down of the Holy Spirit, the words of institution or the consecration, the anamnesis or the remembering, the intercessions, the doxology, and the Great Amen.

The Communion rite follows with the Lord’s Prayer, the Sign of Peace, the Lamb of God, and the reception of holy Communion. The Mass ends with the concluding rites: the greeting, the final blessing and the dismissal.

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata.

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The Catholic Spirit • July 18, 2013

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