The Catholic Spirit - July 30, 2020

July 30, 2020 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Priestly peacemaker Father Harry Bury spends retirement years promoting nonviolence, describes decades of activism in autobiography.

— Pages 10-11

Undocumented immigrants with COVID symptoms may be suffering in silence

Goodbye, St. Joe’s Catholic Charities’ home for child protection stays and placements set to close amid move away from institutional facilities, dwindling need.

— Page 5

Sisters from India Franciscan Clarists celebrate 50 years of ministry in archdiocese, beginning at St. Therese in Deephaven.

— Page 7

Retreat reopening Centers begin welcoming back visitors after “painful” closures due to COVID-19 restrictions.

— Page 13

Protect and serve Catholic police chaplain offers commentary on striking a balanced view of current law enforcement crisis in Minneapolis.

— Page 19

AFRAID TO DEATH

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Enedelia Martinez holds a picture July 20 of her partner, Raul Castaneda, who died of COVID-19 in April. Standing next to her in front of their Roseville mobile home are the couple’s two children, Paolo, left, and Elena. Experts and those who minister to immigrant communities say fears about finances and the threat of deportation may be keeping some who are ill from seeking testing and treatment for the coronavirus. See story on page 6.

Archdiocese calls attention to mask mandate

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit

T

he Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis July 24 called attention to Gov. Tim Walz’s mask mandate for indoor public places during the coronavirus pandemic.

Those visiting Church offices, participating in indoor Masses, engaging in in-person Bible studies should take the mandate into consideration.

The governor’s order came amid rising COVID-19 cases in Minnesota and deadly spikes in several states around the country, including Florida, Texas and California.

In a memo to pastors, other clergy and parish business administrators, Father Tom Margevicius, the archdiocese’s director of worship, said safety protocols in Catholic churches are ultimately within the authority of diocesan bishops, including Archbishop Bernard Hebda. But Catholic tradition teaches that the Church should collaborate with public officials to serve public health and the common good, unless directives are unreasonable, impractical or discriminatory. “The Archdiocese does not regard the Governor’s Executive Order to wear face coverings to be any of these,” Father Margevicius wrote. “Parishes have already instituted strict distancing and cleanliness protocols, and this requirement may be an additional burden. Nonetheless, the Archbishop appreciates encouraging mask use, promoting community health, and not giving scandal to others by not wearing masks.”

Prior to the executive order, Archbishop Hebda, while not mandating the use of face coverings at Mass, had been following the advice of the Minnesota Department of Health for houses of worship and urging people to wear masks. Even though he recognized that the utility of masks was controversial in the scientific and medical communities, the archbishop argued that individuals should consider wearing a mask out of respect for their neighbor, especially those most vulnerable. Many Catholics chose not to follow that advice, offering arguments that at times took a political tone. Others said that faith in God and his providence

should be enough to protect people, particularly at Mass.

With the issuance of the executive order mandating the use of face coverings, the situation has changed. While it falls to the diocesan bishop to regulate the liturgy in his own diocese, Catholic teaching and tradition recognizes the importance of complying with the public safety standards of the community.

“Catholics recognize that following the just laws of legitimate authorities is a moral obligation,” Archbishop Hebda said. “Just because we are in a Church-owned facility doesn’t change that.

We have our elevators inspected, we follow the directives of the fire marshal in limiting attendance, we need licenses to hold raffles.

Where concerns arise is when something interferes with the liturgy or where a law is FATHER TOM discriminatory. In the case of face coverings, MARGEVICIUS we already know that we can celebrate the Eucharist according to our rubrics while still meeting the state’s requirements. Indeed, many of our faithful and liturgical ministers have been wearing masks for months. There is no question in this instance, moreover, of the law being discriminatory. It doesn’t apply only to Catholics, and it is not a case of houses of worship being treated differently than other indoor spaces.”

The archbishop noted that “those who are unable to wear face coverings for medical reasons are probably already covered by the exceptions set forth in the executive order. Those who are simply unwilling to wear face coverings would have the option of participating in one of the outdoor Masses being celebrated throughout the archdiocese or else participating virtually.”

Father Margevicius’ memo also reiterates protocols for distribution of Communion, including a requirement that all who distribute the Eucharist — both clergy and extraordinary ministers — wear facial masks and sanitize their hands before and after distributing Communion.

PLEASE TURN TO MASKS ON PAGE 5

2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

JULY 30, 2020

PAGETWO NEWS notes

30 The maximum number of people allowed for burial gatherings, according to new safety protocols put in place by The Catholic Cemeteries. It is part of an overall effort to keep visitors and staff safe in the global pandemic and avoid spreading COVID-19. The offices at Resurrection and Gethsemane cemeteries reopened July 13 with enhanced cleaning procedures; clear, protective barriers at office counters; sanitizing stations; and floor markers to help with social distancing. Mausoleums will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but restrooms will be closed. All office personnel will wear masks and customers will be required to do so as well. The option to meet with family service counselors via Zoom also is available.

3.581 CNS

CAMP VISIT Children perform for Pope Francis, center, who made a surprise visit to their summer program in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall July 20. About 100 children of Vatican employees attended the program for the month of July. The pope greeted the children, who were finishing breakfast, and asked them how they spent their day and if they were happy. Pope Francis wanted the summer program as a way to support employees with families given the ongoing restrictions and fewer organized summer activities available during the global pandemic.

The team grade point average of the St. Thomas Academy varsity baseball team, which helped the Mendota Heights school win the Class AAA Academic All-State title. It was the highest GPA in team history. The school’s academic feat was announced by the Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association. Team GPA is the average GPA of all baseball players earning varsity letters in 2019-20.

1882 The year the Knights of Columbus were founded by Father Michael McGivney in New Haven, Connecticut. In honor of his upcoming beatification, the Knights are offering new members free, one-year online memberships through Aug. 5. Men 18 and older can join by visiting kofc.org/joinus and entering the code MCGIVNEY2020. There are 1.9 million members worldwide.

1 The division of athletics in which the University of St. Thomas will begin competing beginning in the 2021-22 school year. After its involuntary removal from the Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in May 2019, the university announced July 15 that it was making the move to Division I. St. Thomas is joining the Summit League for 19 of its 22 sports, as well as the Pioneer Football League and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association women’s league, with a conference assignment for men’s hockey pending. It marks the first time in the NCAA’s modern era that a program has moved directly from Division III to Division I college athletics, university officials said.

St. Thomas will continue to compete in the MIAC this academic year.

2

CNS

CATHEDRAL FIRE French firefighters gather at the scene of a blaze at the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Nantes, France, July 18. After police began investigating the incident as arson, a 39-year-old church volunteer from Rwanda confessed July 25 to starting three fires inside the cathedral. More than 100 firefighters contained the blaze within two hours and stopped it from spreading to the main body of the Gothic church, considered to be a jewel of French architecture. Construction of the church began in 1434, but was not completed until 1891.

The French government designated it as a historic monument. This was the second fire at the church in the last 50 years, with a blaze in 1972 destroying much of the roof, which took 13 years to repair. The man, a Catholic, faces a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and $175,000 in fines.

in REMEMBRANCE Deacon Kenney, 82, served five parishes Deacon Joseph Kenney of St. Paul, who served five parishes following his ordination in 1981, died July 21 at age 82. Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Deacon Kenney served two years in the Army. Before retiring from active ministry in 2002, he served at St. Leonard of Port Maurice in Minneapolis, St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, St. Timothy in Blaine, Assumption in Richfield and St. John the Baptist in New Brighton. Deacon Kenney is survived by his wife, Sue, and their five children. Visitation will be at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 13 at Incarnation in Minneapolis, followed by a 10:30 a.m. funeral Mass, also at the church. Interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

United in Faith, Hope and Love

Vol. 25 — No. 14 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor-in-Chief JOE RUFF, News Editor

The number of new leadership changes being made by the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence. The organization announced two new leaders July 22: Brian Ragatz, president, and Jennifer Haller, director of excellence. Both previously were principals, Ragatz at St. Odilia Catholic School in Shoreview and Haller at St. Michael Catholic School in St. Michael. Ragatz succeeds Gail Dorn, CSCOE’s founder, who was promoted to executive chair. Dorn will lead an expansion of the nonprofit to support Catholic preschool through eighth-grade schools nationwide.

$1.2 million The amount of a challenge grant that aims to help Catholic elementary schools enroll more students from across the archdiocese. Working with the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence, the Edina-based Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation received proposals from nearly all of the 79 schools specifying grant amounts and goals, CSCOE officials said.

The foundation will match fundraising done by the schools, with an Aug. 31 deadline. If every school raises its portion of a given match, the $1.2 million will become at least $2.4 million for enrollment and support efforts such as scholarships and tuition discounts, marketing and communications and hiring more staff to meet a variety of needs, officials said.

REDISCOVER:Hour On the show that aired July 17, Rediscover:Hour host Patrick Conley interviewed Archbishop Bernard Hebda about the discernment process of the Synod focus areas; Anne Cullen Miller, president of the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota, about a new fund called Neighbors in Need; and Mike Rios-Keating, social justice education manager for Catholic Charities, about social justice in the Church and what that means for Catholics. Listen each week on Fridays at 9 a.m., Saturdays at noon, and Sundays at 2 p.m. on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Find past shows at rediscover.archspm.org.

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JULY 30, 2020

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3

FROMTHEARCHBISHOP ONLY JESUS | ARCHBISHOP BERNARD HEBDA

Missionaries’ generous ‘yes’ to God

I

n the nineteenth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that those who have “given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.”

Recently I had the privilege of gathering for Mass with the Franciscan Clarist Sisters and a small representation of their collaborators and supporters to give thanks to God for their 50 years of ministry in this archdiocese. (See the story on page 7.)

Fifty years ago, Sister Tresa Margret and Sister Jancy left their homes, families and community in Kerala, India, to give witness to the Gospel to the children, families and faculty at St. Therese School in Deephaven. Their sacrifice was great — but a half-century later we can see that the Lord has indeed brought great blessings from their “yes” to his call.

The sisters have since been joined by 13 other Franciscan Clarists who similarly offer a joyful witness in a variety of apostolic works in the archdiocese. They have found the Lord present in the midst of the challenges of our day, whether providing hospice care at Our Lady of Peace in St. Paul, or teaching grade

school children, or providing pastoral care in the midst of a dynamic suburban parish.

I am blessed to see that same kind of generosity and mission spirit each day whenever I am with the Hermanas Guadalupanas de La Salle, who originally came from Mexico to assist the Christian Brothers in the Twin Cities and who have taken care of the archbishops here for decades. As I listen each day at Mass to the intentions that they offer for loved ones back in Mexico, I am increasingly aware of the magnitude of the sacrifice that they so generously make to serve the Gospel in this local Church.

I realize that the same could be said about the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver, or the Missionaries of Charity, or the Peruvian priests and sisters of Pro Ecclesia Sancta, or the Italian members of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo serving at St. Peter in North St. Paul, or the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters from Nigeria, or the Dominican Sisters from the Philippines serving at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton, or the priests from the Indian province of the Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception, or the many international priests who have incardinated here in this archdiocese and international sisters who have brought their gifts to local religious communities.

El ‘sí’ genuroso de los misioneros a Dios

E

n el capítulo 19 del Evangelio de San Mateo, Jesús nos recuerda que aquellos que han “abandonado casas o hermanos o hermanas o padre o madre o hijos o tierras por mi nombre recibirán cien veces más y heredarán la vida eterna.” Recientemente tuve el privilegio de reunirme para la misa con las Hermanas Clarisas Franciscanas y una pequeña representación de sus colaboradores y simpatizantes para agradecer a Dios por sus 50 años de ministerio en esta Arquidiócesis. (Vea la historia en la página 7.)

Hace cincuenta años, la Hermana Tresa Margret y la Hermana Jancy dejaron sus hogares, familias y comunidad en Kerala, India para dar testimonio del Evangelio a los niños, las familias y la facultad de la Escuela de St. Therese en Deephaven. Su sacrificio fue grande, pero medio siglo después podemos ver que el Señor realmente ha traído grandes bendiciones de su “sí” a su llamado. Desde entonces, se han unido a las Hermanas otros 13 Clarisas Fransicanas que, de manera similar, ofrecen un testimonio alegre en una variedad de obras apostólicas en la Arquidiócesis.

Tengo la suerte de ver ese mismo tipo de generosidad y espíritu de misión cada día cuando estoy con las Hermanas Guadalupanas de La Salle, que originalmente vinieron de México para ayudar a los Hermanos Cristianos en las Ciudades Gemelas y que han cuidado a los Arzobispos aquí por décadas. Mientras escucho cada día en la misa las intenciones que ofrecen a sus seres queridos en México, cada vez soy más consciente de la magnitud del sacrificio que tan generosamente hacen para servir al Evangelio en esta Iglesia local.

Lo mismo podría decirse de las Hermanas Misioneras de San Pedro Claver, o las Misioneras de la Caridad, o los sacerdotes y hermanas peruanos de Pro Ecclesia Sancta, o los miembros italianos de la Fraternidad Sacerdotal de los Misioneros de San Carlos Borromeo que sirven en San Peter en North Saint Paul, o las Hermanas del Inmaculado Corazón de María de Nigeria,

We are truly blessed by their generous witness.

While the sacrifices of missionaries have always been great, the global pandemic seems to have introduced a new level of challenge as international travel has become virtually impossible.

That reality was made particularly concrete at this year’s priesthood ordination, when the families of Father Yamato and Father Cesar were unable to be present for the celebration. I was thrilled that so many local Catholics stepped up to support those new priests at the time of their ordination.

The sacrifices made by the families of missionaries are inspirational as well and surely bring spiritual fruit into our challenging world. I don’t doubt for a moment that the separation is often as difficult for families as it is for the missionaries themselves. That was made very real to me recently as we gathered with the Schaffer family for the funeral of their father, Pat. I had always enjoyed running into Mr. and Mrs. Schaffer and asking about their son, Father Greg Schaffer, who has been serving in our archdiocesan mission in Venezuela for the past 23 years. It was obvious that they were a couple with deep faith who were proud of Father Greg and all of their children.

Due to both the pandemic and the challenges of the political situation in

o las Hermanas Dominicas de Filipinas que sirven en San Juan Bautista en New Brighton, o los sacerdotes de la provincia india de la Congregación de los Hijos de la Inmaculada Concepción, o los muchos sacerdotes internacionales que han incardinado aquí en esta Arquidiócesis y hermanas internacionales que han traído sus dones a las comunidades religiosas locales.

Estamos bendecidos por su generoso testimonio.

Si bien los sacrificios de los misioneros siempre han sido grandes, la pandemia global parece haber introducido un nuevo nivel de desafío a medida que los viajes internacionales se han vuelto prácticamente imposibles. Esa realidad se hizo particularmente concreta en la ordenación del sacerdocio de este año, cuando las familias del p. Yamato y el p. César no pudo estar presente en la celebración.

Los sacrificios hechos por las familias de los misioneros también son inspiradores y seguramente traen frutos espirituales a nuestro mundo desafiante.

No dudo por un momento que la separación a menudo es tan difícil para las familias como para los misioneros mismos. Eso se hizo muy real para mí recientemente cuando nos reunimos con la familia Schaffer para el funeral de su padre, Pat. Siempre me gustó encontrarme con el Sr. y la Sra. Schaffer y preguntar por su hijo, el Padre Greg Schaffer, quien ha estado sirviendo en nuestra misión arquidiocesana en Venezuela durante los últimos 23 años. Debido tanto a la pandemia como a los desafíos de la situación política en Venezuela, el Padre Greg no ha podido viajar a su hogar en los Estados Unidos durante bastante tiempo. Sé que su presencia física habría consolado enormemente a su familia en el funeral de su padre, pero las circunstancias lo hicieron imposible.

Si bien no todos estamos llamados a ser misioneros en el extranjero, ni siquiera a ser miembros de familias misioneras, todos tenemos la responsabilidad cristiana de responder al llamado del Señor de servir “por el bien de su nombre”, lo que sea que eso implique.

Lea una versión más larga de esta columna en español en TheCatholicSpirit.com.

Venezuela, Father Greg has been unable to travel home to the United States for quite some time. I know that his family would have been greatly consoled by his physical presence at the funeral of his father, but the circumstances made that impossible. His written words of reflection brought the extraordinary balm of Christ’s love to a difficult family moment, but I can only imagine how hard the separation must have been for Father Greg and his family. Based on Jesus’ promise in Matthew 19, I am confident that the Lord will bring fruit from that sacrifice.

While not all of us are called to be overseas missionaries, or even to be members of missionary families, we are all charged with the Christian responsibility of responding to the Lord’s call to serve “for the sake of his name,” whatever that might entail. In the midst of this pandemic, let us offer up our small sacrifices so that the Lord might renew our sense of vocation and give us the strength we need to bear joyfully whatever challenges he might be asking of us. Please join me in praying as well for the many missionaries who serve so generously in our archdiocese, for the women and men from our archdiocese who have embraced the Lord’s call to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth, and for the families that support them with their prayers and sacrifices.

OFFICIAL Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:

Effective July 7, 2020 Reverend Msgr. Aloysius Callaghan, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Timothy in Maple Lake and the Church of Saint Ignatius in Annandale. Monsignor Callaghan previously served as formation advisor for the Saint John Vianney Seminary in Saint Paul.

Effective July 20, 2020 Deacon Ramon Garcia DeGollado, assigned to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of the Holy Rosary in Minneapolis. This is a transfer from his previous assignment to the Church of Saint Stephen in Anoka.

Effective August 1, 2020 Reverend Michael Goodavish, assigned as parochial administrator of the Church of Corpus Christi in Roseville. Father Goodavish is a priest of the Diocese of St. George’s-in-Grenada.

Reverend Timothy Norris, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Dominic in Northfield, the Church of the Annunciation in Hazelwood, the Church of the Divine Mercy in Faribault, and the Church of Saint Michael in Kenyon. Father Norris is returning to priestly ministry after a leave of absence.

Effective August 12, 2020 Reverend Cyprian Czop, OMI, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of the Holy Cross in Minneapolis. This is in addition to his current assignments at the Church of Saint Casimir and the Church of Saint Patrick in Saint Paul.

Incardination Effective July 20, 2020 Reverend Peter Wang, granted incardination into the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, from the Archdiocese of Shenyang.

Incardination Effective July 21, 2020 Reverend Victor Valencia, granted incardination into the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, from the Diocese of San Carlos.

4 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

JULY 30, 2020

LOCAL

SLICEof LIFE

Families March 9, 2017 feeding families ‘Angel’ among us

LOCAL

4 • The Catholic Spirit

SLICEof LIFE

From left, Susana Jimenezs and Daniela, Juan-Pablo, Pedro and Carla Guillen, all of Incarnation in Minneapolis, load food into the back of a vehicle during a food distribution St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Avis at Incarnation 25. About 70 volunteers, most Allmaras, July center, talks with Rose Carter, ofleft, themand parishioners, two hours Irene Eidenspend at Peace Houseevery in Saturday giving dairy, Feb. produce, meat Avis and dry south Minneapolis 27. Sister goods in need, many of visits whom have goestotofamilies the center weekly and been hit hard by thelike COVID-19 frequent guests Carter. pandemic, Eiden, of plus riots and destruction in their St.the William in Fridley, is a lay consociate neighborhoods following the Peace death ofHouse George of the Carondelet Sisters. is Floyd May 25. Daniela, and Carla a day shelter for theJuan-Pablo poor and homeless. are siblings; is their uncle.these The siblings’ “It’s a realPedro privilege to know people parents, Victor and Eva, have volunteered and hear their stories,” Sister Avis said. “I atcould all nine weekly food withthey not survive ondistributions, the streets like 490,000 pounds given away overall. do. There areofsofood many gifted people “This is part what we do as aAvis: family,” said here.”

SaidofCarter of Sister “She’s Carla, 22, who recently graduated from that an angel.

She hides her wings under St.sweatshirt.

Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona She truly is an angel.” and wasHrbacek/The recently hiredCatholic

by Incarnation Dave Spirit to work with a rent assistance program. “We give back to the people in need, especially in this time. There’s just a lot of unrest and a lotNational of uneasiness andSisters a lot ofWeek unknown.

Catholic is And, weMarch don’t think that food should be something 8-14. An official component of that people should about.

Women’s Historyworry Month and This is not the time to be worryingatabout necessities.

This is headquartered St. Catherine University a time together and providing in St.about Paul,sticking the week celebrates women forreligious one another.” and their contributions to the

Celebrating sisters

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Church and society. View local events, including two art exhibitions, at www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org.

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LOCAL

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5

St. Joseph’s Home for Children closing

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit It was a saving grace for Kevin Hart, who grew up without parents and was shuttled from one temporary home to another before landing at Catholic Charities’ St. Joseph’s Home for Children in Minneapolis.

“My life became rent-a-kid,” said Hart, 55, now living in Coon Rapids and part owner of several Culver’s restaurants in the Twin Cities.

He arrived at St. Joseph’s in 1982, between his junior and senior years of high school, and counselors there asked him what he wanted to do with his life. He didn’t know. They insisted he establish goals and fight for them.

“The counselors were fantastic; they talked to me,” he said. “They taught me how to channel my anger, and really how to point that back in the right direction, with goals and dreams. They told me, ‘You will come to crossroads, you will have choices to make.’”

Hart was placed in yet another temporary home, finished high school, entered the Navy and found his way to a career in the restaurant business. He fought through missteps, learned to seek advice and build relationships, to listen and learn. He has returned to “St. Joe’s” several times over the years to share advice with and listen to the children there.

He is among thousands of people who, as children, were helped across many generations at the storied home, which is set to close as an emergency shelter for Hennepin County in August, and to close at the end of the year as the county’s central intake for child protection placements.

Established more than a century ago as an orphanage and the first of many ministries for Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, St. Joe’s has evolved in the way it cares for children as society has evolved. Over the last five years, that evolution has meant Catholic Charities and Hennepin County trying to keep children in their homes, with relatives or in foster care, not institutional facilities.

Traci LaLiberte, executive director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, said Catholic Charities should be commended for its openness to family-centered care, and its willingness to change its model as the benefits of such care are better understood.

No solution is without difficulties, but it is up to care providers to work with families, relatives and foster homes to provide stability and a caring environment that is centered on family-based settings, she said.

“Congregate care is not the first choice,” LaLiberte said. “It’s not a situation that is without its own trauma.

Catholic Charities worked hard with the county to work its way out of a job in this area. It’s the right thing to do.”

It leaves Hart grateful but saddened — and still a little worried about children who, like him, have no helpful relatives to go to, and for whom shelter homes and foster homes are not a great fit.

“St. Joe’s had a big impact on me,” Hart said. “To find out they were closing down was heartbreaking for me, to tell you the truth.”

Kathleen Rasmussen, 72, has been a nurse at St. Joe’s for 25 years. She staffed overnights, worked as the

nursing supervisor and now is on call at the children’s home. Like Hart, the closing leaves her sad and worried about children who might slip through the cracks.

“Of course, it would be better for children to be with relatives. But there are those who benefit from out-offamily care. It’s disappointing. A lot of the children do well in out-of-home placement,” Rasmussen said.

Laurie Ohmann, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Catholic Charities, said she understands the concerns. “Many children found stability at St. Joe’s during very difficult periods in their lives,” she said.

But over the years, Catholic Charities and other child development experts came to see long-lasting, negative effects of disruption and out-of-home placements on children, Ohmann said.

Several smaller shelters in Hennepin County can accommodate children who are separated from their families, but the county remains committed to creating stability for children by “focusing on family, kin, and foster care so kids can remain in the community,” she said.

Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat, chair of the county’s Child Well-Being Advisory Committee, said the closure represents progress in reducing the trauma children face when families are in crisis.

“Hennepin County and Catholic Charities’ partnership has endured for decades,” Opat said. “As with all great partnerships, it evolves from time to time, and this is the next step in our work to bring transformational change to child protection.”

The need for St. Joe’s has dwindled as child protection efforts have advanced. In recent years, the shelter, which has 21 beds, has served fewer than 10 children a night. In 2017-2018, St. Joseph served more than 800 children for central intake or to stay up to 90 days in the shelter. By last year, that number dropped in half.

Closing both programs, which operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will mean the loss of 37 full-time jobs, including nursing staff and central intake. Catholic Charities officials said they hope some employees will find work in Catholic Charities’ other programs.

Catholic Charities also is determining what to do with the 12-acre property, which includes Hope Street, a 28-bed emergency shelter for homeless young adults 18 to 21, and transitional housing for 12 males ages 16 to 21.

Catholic Charities officials acknowledge the emotional attachment many people have to St. Joe’s.

As part of that recognition, it is inviting people to share their memories at Catholic Charites’ website, cctwincities.org.

“From babies to adolescents, children have found safety and stability in care of St. Joseph’s Home for Children for generations,” said Tim Marx, president and CEO of Catholic Charities. “We are so proud of that legacy.

“While it’s always hard to leave a bit of history behind,” Marx said, “this transition means the community is getting closer to its goal of keeping vulnerable children safely connected to and supported by their families and home communities, relying much less on an institutional setting like St. Joe’s — and that is a good thing.”

CONTINUED FROM MASKS ON PAGE 1 Communion is always to be distributed personally, minister to communicant, the requirements state. “It is not permitted to give Holy Communion in paper cups, plates, tissues, plastic or wax paper sleeves or baggies,” the memo states.

Father Margevicius told The Catholic Spirit that good-faith efforts in some parishes to protect people from the virus have not at times struck the right balance between safety and the need to protect the dignity of the Eucharist and hold to the communal nature of the sacrament.

One parish, he mentioned, was placing the Eucharist inside wax-coated envelopes for people to pick up at a table as they left Mass, in its effort to mitigate spread of the virus. Another had distributed holy Communion on paper plates. Neither one of those practices is still being followed, Father Margevicius said.

in BRIEF

Investigations complete, Father Dolan to return to ministry Father Timothy Dolan has been authorized to return to ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Bernard Hebda announced July 27. Father Dolan has been out of ministry since February 2016, after the archdiocese reported to law enforcement a concern received from a citizen that Father Dolan might be a risk to children. The law enforcement investigation, as well as a subsequent investigation by the archdiocese, determined that the concern that children were at risk was unfounded.

During its investigation, law enforcement seized and examined a computer that contained adult pornography. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office reviewed Father Dolan’s case and did not bring charges.

While on leave from ministry, Father Dolan has engaged in extensive professional counseling. Father Dolan cooperated with the investigations and, after they were completed, the archdiocese’s Ministerial Review Board thoroughly reviewed Father Dolan’s case.

Father Dolan met with the board on several occasions.

The board recommended to Tim O’Malley, director of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment, that Father Dolan be allowed to return to ministry. O’Malley concurred. Archbishop Hebda said he agrees with the recommendations and is working with Father Dolan to “find the best way to reintegrate him into ministry.”

Demontreville retreat director removed from public ministry The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has prohibited Jesuit Father Patrick McCorkell from engaging in public ministry while he is under investigation for sexual misconduct with an adult woman. Father McCorkell has been serving as the director of the Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Elmo since 2003. The woman reported in May to the archdiocese that she and an unnamed priest had been sexually involved in recent years, and she experienced the relationship as psychologically and emotionally abusive, according to a statement from Archbishop Bernard Hebda shared by Jesuit superiors with Demontreville staff July 19. The archdiocese contacted law enforcement and later concluded that the priest was Father McCorkell. The archdiocese notified the priest’s religious superiors in the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus, and learned that Father McCorkell had also self-reported the conduct to them. The Jesuit province has determined that Father McCorkell remains fit to engage in public ministry.

However, the conduct violates the archdiocese’s Code of Conduct for clergy serving in the archdiocese, and the archdiocese’s policy requires it to make its own fitness for ministry determination. In these circumstances, the archdiocese’s Office for Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment is conducting its own investigation and will present the matter to its Ministerial Review Board, whose members will make a recommendation to Archbishop Hebda.

— The Catholic Spirit

MASKS AT MASS The following are excerpts from a July 24 memo from the Office of Worship: u The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis does not regard Gov. Tim Walz’s July 22 executive order that Minnesotans wear masks in all indoor spaces, including churches (with some exceptions), to be unreasonable, impractical or discriminatory.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda “appreciates encouraging mask use, promoting community health, and not giving scandal to others by not wearing masks.”

u Liturgical ministers such as priestcelebrants, cantors and lectors are “presenters” and as such are not required to wear face coverings when lectoring, singing or celebrating Mass. u Face masks should not be worn by children under age 2, instrumentalists playing brass or woodwind instruments, and persons with respiratory conditions for whom wearing a mask poses a greater health risk than not wearing one. u The mask also is removed for the reverent reception of holy Communion.

TCS

Priests at ordination Mass May 30. u A priest, cantor or lector may choose to wear a face covering when ministering (the guidelines of the Minnesota Department of Health encourage the use of face coverings by cantors).

LOCAL

6 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Undocumented immigrants’ reluctance to seek medical care heightens dangers of COVID-19 Mexico native dies in Roseville

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit Raul Castaneda, 48, didn’t feel well, with fluctuating fevers and fatigue, in the two weeks before he died of COVID-19 in April. But he didn’t want to seek medical attention.

He and his family lacked health insurance for one thing, his loved ones and friends said. But being an undocumented immigrant afraid of arrest and removal from the country undoubtedly was another factor.

“In every moment he was aware of the danger that he could be arrested,” said Carlos Urrutia, a fellow undocumented immigrant who advocates for economic and racial justice through ISAIAH, a St. Paulbased coalition of faith communities.

“Why would he not think if he goes to the hospital — in addition to the money — why would he not think that he is a person ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) could arrest?”

Urrutia, 46, and Richard Podvin, both members with Castaneda of St. Odilia in Shoreview, said they fear Castaneda’s predicament is shared by many undocumented immigrants, who might suffer with the novel coronavirus at the risk of their own lives and the lives of their loved ones.

“Undocumented immigrants often do not have insurance, don’t have financial resources to pay emergency room costs, and feel pressure to go to work no matter how they feel to support their families,” Podvin said.

“In addition, they are fearful of being a ‘public charge’ and later being denied consideration” for permanent residency.

However, Podvin said, the federal government has stated that it won’t consider immigrants seeking medical care for COVID-19 or other communicable diseases to be a factor in “public charge” determinations, which are made by the federal government as it tries to ensure immigrants entering the country or seeking permanent residency can support themselves.

But for many immigrants, that message of hope has been drowned out by the Trump administration in February broadening its definition of public charge — from someone receiving or who might be expected to need income assistance or longterm, institutionalized care from the government — to also include immigrants receiving public assistance such as Medicaid, housing vouchers, rental assistance or food stamps, Podvin said. That broader definition has prompted fears among immigrants about drawing attention to themselves, he said.

Podvin, 78, a retired psychiatric social worker, is fluent in Spanish and active in the Latino community of St. Odilia, where he met Castaneda and Castaneda’s partner, Enedelia

Martinez, 47, and their two children, 14-year-old Elena and 9-year-old Paolo, who attend public schools in Roseville and Little Canada.

Podvin contacted The Catholic Spirit to draw attention to Castaneda’s death and the plight of undocumented immigrants who are afraid to seek medical care in the midst of the pandemic.

It’s important for people in the community to know about their fears and the protection afforded by the federal government, so they can share those facts and encourage undocumented immigrants to seek help when they need it, Podvin said.

Seeking proper medical care also protects the broader community, he said.

Fear of deportation With Urrutia and Podvin acting as interpreters, Martinez said that although she is an undocumented immigrant, she wants to tell her family’s story to help others. She feels relatively comfortable sharing her name because she doesn’t believe she will be a high priority target for ICE officials, she said. Still, she and Castaneda, who came to the United States from Mexico nearly 20 years ago and had their children in this country, have always been aware of the risk of deportation. If they were deported, that could separate them from their children, who are U.S. citizens by birth, Martinez said.

“The fear has always been in our lives,” she said. “But when the illness came, we never thought it would get this bad.”

They took great care to avoid contracting the coronavirus, Martinez said. At their weekly prayer group of about 10 families at St. Odilia, which was held in people’s homes and gave them time and fellowship to pray the rosary and pray for one another, Martinez made sure that everyone stayed 6 feet apart from one another, wore masks and washed their hands.

As the coronavirus pandemic deepened in Minnesota, that prayer group went to virtual meetings on Zoom, and it has grown to about 30 families, including people’s relatives and friends in El Salvador, Mexico and other countries, Podvin said.

Castaneda and Martinez made their living cooking, washing dishes and cleaning at restaurants in Shoreview and Roseville. When Gov. Tim Walz closed restaurants, bars, salons, churches and other gathering places statewide March 18, the couple’s hours were greatly reduced. But they continued to help clean the two restaurants where they worked, as the restaurant owners anticipated opening again at a later date, Martinez said.

Becoming ill On April 4, after helping clean a restaurant on two different workdays, Castaneda came home feeling sick and unusually tired, Martinez said.

“We knew about the symptoms,

so when he walked in the door, I looked at him and said, ‘Take your clothes off, they are dirty,’” she said.

“I grabbed the sanitizer, sprayed them all down and told him to take a shower.”

He began to feel better and the next week worked two more days.

But by April 18 he had a high fever and felt quite ill, said Martinez, adding that she felt ill as well.

Symptoms for each of them rose and fell, and didn’t reach a point of emergency until April 25, when another family member determined it was time to go the hospital.

Castaneda showered and combed his hair, but that took all of his energy and he “just wanted to lay down again,” Martinez said.

When he rose to try to get out the door, he had difficulty breathing and started trembling. Martinez said she grabbed him, crying out, “No, don’t leave me now, don’t leave me now, Raul.”

They called an ambulance and Martinez applied CPR, but could not feel his pulse.

Paramedics put Castaneda on oxygen and hooked him to a defibrillator, but they couldn’t revive him, she said.

An autopsy showed Castaneda had contracted the novel coronavirus, and Martinez tested positive for it as well. Medical officials didn’t test their children because they were not showing symptoms, Martinez said, in what she views as a mistake. One of them later developed a fever but recovered, she said.

“It’s really wrong that they didn’t test the children,” she said. “So then, how do we know they aren’t giving the contagion to other people?”

Getting help Castaneda’s brother, who lives in Wisconsin, took the family in. They practiced social distancing and wore masks while staying with him. Now, the family is back in Roseville, living at a mobile home complex. Martinez is trying to scrape by with the help of family and friends.

That has included help from a Go Fund Me campaign mounted by friends that raised more than $20,000 to help pay for Castaneda’s funeral and help Martinez with rent and other immediate needs.

Martinez said some people might argue that she and Castaneda and their children should not even be in the United States without proper documentation. But people have the right to better their families through immigration, and the United States has made it extremely difficult, and in some cases nearly impossible, to obtain visas and permanent residency, she said.

Grieving over the loss of Castaneda and facing an uncertain future, Martinez said she remains glad that her family is in the United States.

“This is a country that gives us a lot of opportunity, and I don’t want to take that away from my children,”she said.

JULY 30, 2020

CHURCH LEADERS CONCERNED If Raul Castaneda was worried about seeking medical care before he died of COVID-19 because of the attention it could bring to him as an undocumented immigrant, he would not be alone, two leaders in Latino ministry told The Catholic Spirit.

“I think various of our Latino brothers and sisters would be fearful,” said Sandy Cortez, coordinator of Latino Ministry at St. Odilia in Shoreview, where Castaneda and his partner, Enedelia Martinez, have been active members. “They think about what it is like to go to the clinic, to go to the doctor. …

That is at the front of their minds,” Cortez said. “Anyone who is undocumented, how would that not be on their minds?”

Martinez and friends of Castaneda at St. Odilia said they suspect he was worried about being deported or being declared a “public charge,” which would interfere with attempts at obtaining permanent residency in the United States. Castaneda and Martinez came to the United States from Mexico nearly 20 years ago.

Cortez and Anne Attea, coordinator of Latino Ministry at Ascension in Minneapolis, said that in addition to concerns about being deported, undocumented immigrants often don’t want to go to the doctor because they lack health insurance or money to pay the bills.

Undocumented immigrants have asked her if they should go in for a COVID-19 test, and she always tells them, yes, if they are showing symptoms, Attea said.

SANDY CORTEZ “There is definitely concern about going in,” she said. “People voice concerns around (whether) this (medical) information is confidential: ‘Am I putting my status in jeopardy?’”

That fear remains despite Trump administration assurances that seeking medical care for COVID-19 symptoms will not trigger “public charge” investigations, Attea said.

President Donald Trump is widely known to change his mind, and his anti-immigration rhetoric does not promote trust, she said.

“Raul and his family may have heard that he would not be penalized, but to believe it is something with which all undocumented immigrants struggle, and not just because of their personal situation, but because of all the others they may put at risk if they are asked to provide information for contact tracing,” Attea said.

That kind of worry and dilemma points once again to the need for comprehensive immigration reform, Attea said.

“People like Raul have been here for 20, 25, 30 years, working and contributing positively to our society, and they have no legal way to regulate their status,” she said. “We have not had a pathway since 1986.”

The Pew Research Center in Washington, D.C., estimated in 2016 that there were about 95,000 undocumented immigrants in Minnesota, about 20% of the immigrant population and 2% of the state’s overall population.

The nonprofit Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, based in St. Paul, notes on its website that the “climate of fear created by the public charge rule has hampered efforts to respond to the novel coronavirus. This put people’s lives at risk.”

Estela Villagran Manancero, director of the Office of Latino Ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said she shares with the Latino community avenues for dealing with health issues. She is in weekly telephone calls with the Minnesota Department of Health about COVID-19, as well as regular contact with officials in Hennepin and Ramsey counties and other Latino organizations. She shares that information with the community via emails and Flocknote.

Cortez said Castaneda, Martinez and their two children have contributed in a big way to St. Odilia, particularly the Latino ministry, and Castaneda is greatly missed. The children are in faith formation, the couple helped lead a rosary prayer group that Martinez continues to be involved with, and they assisted with meet-and-greets after Mass and other events.

Castaneda also loved music, Cortez said. He had deejay equipment and was the unofficial deejay for parish celebrations such as the Dec. 12 feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, she said.

“He was such a great person, with a huge heart,” Cortez said. “He was like, ‘How can I help? How can I help?’”

— Joe Ruff

JULY 30, 2020

LOCAL

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7

Franciscan Clarists mark a half-century in their only U.S. community

By Debbie Musser For The Catholic Spirit Fifty years ago, two sisters from India’s Franciscan Clarist Congregation arrived at St. Therese in Deephaven.

Due to the withdrawal of the Servite sisters from St. Therese Catholic School and a shortage of sisters in U.S. orders, Father Jerome Janski, pastor at the time, contacted the Franciscan Clarists to begin the process of bringing sisters from India to fulfill the need.

“Sister Tresa Margret (Sauriammackel) and Sister Jancy (Nedumkallel) came to St. Therese on June 26, 1970,” said Sister Tresa Jose Athickal, 72, who arrived from India two years later. “We were some of our order’s first to leave India to serve in other places. And at the time, going to America was like going to the moon.”

“Everything was different — the climate, the culture and the language,” said Sister Tresa Margret, 74. “We all knew English, but not the American English.”

“We experienced challenges and excitement, and all along the way, people were so good to us,” she said.

Those two religious sisters have helped the congregation grow in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, with 15 Franciscan Clarist sisters, ranging in age from 32 to 74, currently serving here. The archdiocese is the only place in the U.S. served by the community.

A May jubilee celebration, which was to be attended by the Franciscan Clarist sister provincial from India, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. On July 18, the 15 sisters gathered for a celebration Mass with Archbishop Bernard Hebda at St. Therese.

Founded in Kerala, India, in 1888, the order has more than 7,000 sisters serving four continents in a variety of ministries, including education, health care, social work, parishes and prisons, with 80 to 90 new sisters joining each year.

simplicity,” he said. “They remind us that being ‘all in’ for Christ and his Church is an extraordinarily fulfilled and meaningful life.”

“And there are few things in life better than having dinner with our sisters, listening to stories and hearing them laugh together,” Father Andrie said. “It truly is a foretaste of the kingdom of heaven.”

Following her service at St. Therese, Sister Tresa Margret moved to St. Agnes in Vermillion, South Dakota, where she taught second grade and faith formation, started small faith communities and served in parish ministry.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

From left, Sister Jancy Nedumkallel and Sister Tresa Margret Sauriammackel talk with Louie Doering, who was principal at St. Therese Catholic School in Deephaven when the sisters arrived in 1970. The three visited at the religious order’s 50th anniversary Mass July 18 at St. Therese, celebrated by Archbishop Bernard Hebda.

The Minnesota sisters’ service includes teaching in Catholic schools and parish faith formation programs, parish ministry and health care. The sisters live in convents at St. Therese; Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville and St. John the Baptist in Vermillion, and at Our Lady of Peace Home, a hospice in St. Paul.

After their arrival 50 years ago, Sister Tresa Margret and Sister Jancy went to Mankato for an orientation period with the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

“I’m so grateful for those sisters; they helped us begin our life here,” said Sister Jancy, 73, who taught fifth grade and served as assistant principal at St. Therese. She also taught faith formation at the parish.

Sister Tresa Margret, who had Franciscan Clarist sisters as teachers while growing up in India, always admired the way they lived, prayed and treated people.

“I wanted to be a sister and teach third grade, and when I came to St. Therese, I was assigned to teach third grade, which I did for 15 years,”

she said. “Third graders are like sponges; it’s easy to teach them.”

“God was good to me,” she said. “My dream came true.”

Since their arrival, the Franciscan Clarist sisters have had a major impact on St. Therese.

“The sisters live with the joy of Jesus in their hearts, and that joy permeates everywhere in the St. Therese community,” said Katie Sullivan, a St. Therese School graduate whose three children now attend the school. “It’s impossible not to smile and feel God’s love when you pull into campus and see a nun in full habit laughing and playing tag with preschoolers, or when you watch them sing, dance, cheer and pray at various events.”

She added: “They are fully immersed in parish and school life, and it’s an amazing blessing for our entire community to bear witness to lives fully dedicated to God.” Father Leonard Andrie, pastor of St. Therese, concurs. “The sisters bear witness to the joy of serving Christ wholeheartedly in a spirit of

She returned to Minnesota and served as principal at St. John the Baptist in Vermillion. Sister Tresa Margret currently does pastoral care ministry and teaches faith formation for the three-parish cluster of St. John the Baptist, St. Mary in New Trier and St. Mathias in Hampton.

After St. Therese, Sister Jancy moved to Cologne and served as principal at St. Bernard School before coming to Mary, Mother of the Church, where she is a pastoral care associate.

Both sisters will eventually return to India. “That’s where I grew up and was trained so I want to go back, but I will certainly miss everyone here,” Sister Jancy said.

“I’m thankful for all the people I met and worked with ­— the principals, pastors and parishioners who were all awesome,” she said. “I have a grateful heart.”

Mary Ellen and John Schommer, both in their 70s, have six children who attended St. Therese School.

“When they come back, we see the sisters at Mass and they are so kind and interested in hearing about their news,” Mary Ellen said. “They all share the same memory of Sister Tresa Jose, who would say, ‘If you think you have a bad singing voice, don’t worry. ...

God gave you that voice, so you give it right back to him.’”

St. Thomas Academy students in morality class learn real-life lessons

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit Kevin Zenner, chair of the theology department at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, remembers being the same age as the 17- and 18-year-old seniors who take his advanced morality class. Back then, he didn’t know how much things cost, just like many of his students don’t know today. Things like rent, car insurance, day care, a week’s worth of groceries.

But these issues come up during the course’s section on poverty and economics.

So, for more than 15 years, Zenner, 63, has required his students to complete a project that involves searching for jobs for a fictional single mother and identifying living expenses for her and two children, one of whom is an infant. The “Get a Job!” project helps open students’ eyes to the world around them, Zenner said.

It also recently opened the eyes of judges of the first annual University of Notre Dame Teaching Human Dignity contest, sponsored by the university’s

Office of Life and Human Dignity in the McGrath Institute for Church Life.

The office at the Indiana university asked for instructional plans and materials that address life and human dignity issues that create a rich, powerful learning experience for high school students.

Zenner learned about the contest via email. He entered in January, and July 1 won first place in the curriculum resource category. A second-place winner also was announced, as well as a winner and second place in a unit/lesson resource category.

In a couple of months, Zenner’s curriculum will be available at no cost to teachers across the country in the office’s “Teaching Human Dignity” series, and it will be posted on the Notre Dame office’s website.

Designed by Notre Dame faculty members, the Teaching Human Dignity series is a collection of lesson plans and resources designed to help teachers incorporate life and human dignity issues into existing curriculum. Resources on the death penalty are available now, and units addressing incarceration and racism are

being developed.

Zenner said he chose a scenario with a single mother — “Mary” — and young children because that demographic is the most common family unit receiving KEVIN ZENNER assistance for child care, food, health care, housing and employment in Minnesota.

For an assigned city, such as Bloomington and West St. Paul, students research jobs to learn what they pay, what the hours are and what qualifications are required. They also list the cost of basic living requirements, including groceries, car insurance, transportation, health insurance and the most eye-opening one: day care.

They call day care providers for costs and hours.

“Generally speaking,” Zenner said, “they find the job ‘Mary’ can get barely covers day care.” Students wonder why she would work if her salary is nearly swallowed up by day care. They quickly

realize that’s why some mothers don’t work, he said.

While knowing the cost of living is valuable, the project also looks at how society can help the poor, Zenner said.

That discussion and analysis, which follows completion of the project’s details and research, is the project’s greatest fruit, Zenner said. Students discuss how much the state or federal government should help.

“What should we be doing as Christians, as people, as human beings?”

Zenner asked. “It really brings us back to basic morality. How best can we love our neighbor?”

The subject Jesus talked about most consistently was poverty, Zenner said, and that society needs to care for the poor.

“These are all human beings who have dignity … and we have to respond when they’re in need,” he said.

The golden rule of treating others as one would want to be treated is a primary commandment, Zenner said. People need to reach out and help one another.

“We’re all in this together,” he said.

JULY 30, 2020

8 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

NATION+WORLD

School officials nationwide say some parents struggling with enrollment, tuition decisions Catholic News Service Jason Slattery, director of the Office for the Mission of Catholic Education at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said his office has heard from some parents concerned about returning to school this fall, as everyone adjusts to the coronavirus pandemic.

But still more parents have expressed concerns about the challenges their children would face if they don’t return to the classroom, he said. Some schools offer subsidized lunch programs and there are psychological services, on top of the educational dynamic between teachers and students and students with their peers, Slattery said.

Distance learning required by the COVID-19 shutdown of schools last spring got students through that difficult period, and it remains available as an option, but it has its own challenges, he said.

Those considerations are among many being discussed as the archdiocese’s 91 Catholic schools prepare to open their doors again this fall, with plans for a whole lineup of safety precautions to be taken every day, Slattery said.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to announce July 30 public school plans around opening in the fall. That announcement also could include particular guidance for students and teachers wearing masks in school, something school parents have expressed concern about as well, Slattery said.

In New Hampshire, an informal survey of local families about schools recently conducted by the Diocese of Manchester found that eight out of 10 families indicated their child missed interaction with classmates and teachers during the pandemic-related national lockdown.

With confidence in those results, Manchester Catholic schools, like schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, have opted to reopen this fall with full classroom-based education.

“Teachers have missed the one-on-one interaction with their students, and students have missed their teachers and friends. Everyone involved rose to the challenge, but we recognize that remote learning is not ideal,” David Thibault, superintendent of schools for the statewide Manchester Diocese, said in a July 9 news release.

But with a summer resurgence of coronavirus infections well underway in the U.S., there are indications that some families are undecided what to do about enrollment amid the public health uncertainties and are stuck in wait-and-see mode with less than a month until schools reopen.

An enrollment crisis could further threaten the viability of Catholic education at a time when parochial school closings are already in evidence around the U.S. The Manchester Diocese is hoping to stabilize its enrollment with a fresh appeal to families who haven’t yet given Catholic education a chance. The appeal comes in the form of a Transfer Incentive Program, or TIP, for newly enrolled students. Any first- through eighth-grader transferring from a non-Catholic school will receive a tuition grant of $1,000 the first year, and $500 the second. Any student grades 9 through 12 transferring from a non-Catholic school will receive a $2,000 tuition grant the first year, and $1,000 the second.

North of San Francisco, the principal of St. Vincent de Paul High School in Petaluma has been telling parents that his communication lines are open and he wants to hear from them, but that ultimately if they don’t make a commitment, the reduction in enrollment and revenue will translate into teacher furloughs and reduced programing.

“It is not a good way to operate a business,” said Patrick Daly, who represented Catholic schools at a “National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America’s Schools” with President Donald Trump July 7 at the White House. “Parents are stressed and worried and they don’t know what is going on in many aspects and for us it is really important that we are available and reach out to families.”

In the Chicago Archdiocese, Catholic Schools

Social-distancing dividers for students at St. Benedict School in Montebello, Calif., are seen July 14.

CNS

BISHOP COZZENS, SLATTERY UPDATE CATHOLIC SCHOOL PARENTS A July 20 letter to Catholic school parents and families seeks to update them about preparations being made in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for returning to classrooms this fall after last spring’s campus closings and shift to online learning due to the novel coronavirus.

“Over the last five months we have learned that with a careful approach to health and safety, we can mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” said Bishop Andrew Cozzens, vicar for education, and Jason Slattery, director of Catholic education, in the letter. “Our success requires all of us to be rowing together in the same direction.”

A Catholic Schools Task Force of experts in finance, communications, law, public health and mental health began to work in June on what is needed to safely return to in-person learning, the letter states.

“At the beginning of July, the Task Force published a series of required health and safety protocols for Catholic schools,” and each school is implementing those procedures, according to the letter.

concerned, its authors said.

“As these comprehensive plans are developed and implemented, they will remain flexible enough to respond to the changing impact of COVID-19 on the local community,” Bishop Cozzens and Slattery said.

In the coming weeks, parents will make important education decisions for their children based on “a multitude of considerations,” Bishop Cozzens and Slattery said. “We thank you for continuing to partner with us to cultivate educational excellence. Enrollments for the 2020-21 school year are looking strong. In the weeks ahead, we encourage you to watch for communications from your Catholic schools to learn about specific actions in place to keep our Catholic school children, employees and community healthy. Be assured of our prayers for you and gratitude for your support of Catholic education.”

— Joe Ruff

Every family is encouraged to remain informed and vigilant about COVID-19, including the risks for children and adolescents, the letter said. It will be important to keep children who are sick home from school, to avoid unnecessary opportunities for exposure outside of school, to practice social distancing when out in the broader community, and to work with schools to meet the goals of the protocols for health and safety for all

Superintendent Jim Rigg said he recognizes that many families among its 199 schools suffered economically during the national lockdown and will struggle with tuition this year. Schools will work with families on a case-by-case basis, and archdiocesan and local school and parish funds are available for emergency situations, including loss of employment, furloughs or loss of a family member, he said.

Chicago Catholic schools also have announced they will offer in-person education and the option of a centralized virtual learning academy.

“The idea is to come up with solutions that enable the families to remain in Catholic education while still allowing them to make a reasonable payment relative to their needs,” Rigg said.

Kathy Mears, interim director of the National Catholic Educational Association, said some families were still

“This expression of solidarity shows our love for neighbor, which is a powerful lesson for our children and adolescents,” they said.

“sitting on the fence” in mid-July, wondering if tuition fees are justifiable in the current climate of uncertainty.

There are more than 6,000 Catholic schools in the U.S. and it is important that those schools have sufficient enrollment going into the fall, Mears said.

“Parents have told me they love their Catholic school but they don’t know if it is worth it, especially if it is online,” Mears told CNS. “We are telling them it is worth it, we are here for you, your child is going to get a great education and learn the academics and none of that is changing just because we are online.”

“I fear even though it’s still July, parents aren’t making decisions and if they leave it too much longer schools will have no choice but to say they have to close, and that would be tragic,” she said.

The Catholic Spirit contributed to this story.

NATION+WORLD

JULY 30, 2020

HEADLINES u Caritas warns of rise in human trafficking amid pandemic. As governments and world leaders struggle to contain the coronavirus pandemic, they must also work harder to protect victims of human trafficking, said the Vatican-based international network of Catholic charities.

Insufficient attention “was paid on the collateral damage of the ongoing pandemic, especially on migrants and informal workers, who are now more exposed to trafficking and exploitation,” Caritas Internationalis said in a July 28 joint statement with COATNET, a network of 46 Christian organizations engaged in fighting human trafficking. The statement was made ahead of the July 30 commemoration of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. “Caritas Internationalis and COATNET also call for urgent and targeted measures to support workers in informal sectors such as domestic work, agricultural and construction work, where most vulnerable workers (i.e. undocumented migrants) can be found,” it said. Citing statistics released by the International Labor Organization, Caritas said currently there are “40 million people in our world today” who are victims of human trafficking. u Hunger high on list of battles that aid agency CRS faces amid pandemic. As the coronavirus pandemic commands global attention, for those working at organizations such as Catholic Relief Services, the health crisis is one in a long list of emergencies staff must tend to in their mission to help the world’s poorest. “Our partners in Lebanon said COVID is not their top problem, that their top problem is an economic crisis where they had an 80% devaluation of currency and are being really hit economically,” Sean Callahan, president and CEO of the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development agency. Poverty and hunger in Lebanon and other countries and geographic areas with a high number of vulnerable populations may soon experience large-scale hunger, in addition to other conditions. That is causing alarm among aid agencies such as CRS as the virus spreads. u Washington Post settles lawsuit with student over viral video coverage. The Washington Post reached a settlement July 24 with the family of Nicholas Sandmann, the Kentucky Catholic high school student who sued the newspaper last year for defamation over its coverage of an incident that occurred after last year’s March for Life that quickly went viral. Sandmann, who graduated this past spring from Covington Catholic High School, sought $250 million in damages from The Washington Post, saying the newspaper defamed Sandmann in seven articles and on social media. The Post has maintained its reporting was accurate and fair and did not disclose terms of the settlement. The Sandmann family settled a similar lawsuit against CNN this January for an undisclosed amount. The family’s suit against NBC is still pending and they also have filed suits against Gannett, ABC, CBS, The New York Times and Rolling Stone magazine. The incident in question transpired at the Lincoln Memorial Jan. 18, 2019. That day, Sandmann, wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, smiled just inches away from Nathan Phillips, a Native American leader, as Phillips chanted and beat a drum. The day after that encounter, clips from a video of it went viral almost immediately and showed students surrounding Phillips while appearing to be mocking him. The clip caused immediate outrage, particularly on social media. But by the next day, extended footage of how the situation unfolded revealed that another group had taunted the students and some responded back. Phillips said he had walked over to the students and that group as an intervention. After the initial video went viral, Sandmann said in a statement he had “received physical and death threats via social media, as well as hateful insults.” u MLB’s first woman coach a ‘go-getter’ at Jesuit university. Another barrier in the sports world was broken July 20 when Alyssa Nakken coached first base in the late innings of an exhibition game between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, thus becoming the first woman to appear in uniform on the field during a major league baseball game. The Giants won the game, 6-2. Nakken, now 30, got her master’s degree in sports management at the Jesuit-run University of San Francisco in 2015. u Bishops, immigrant advocates oppose Trump’s census memo. Democratic leaders and immigrant advocates are criticizing President Donald Trump’s July 21 memorandum to prevent immigrants without legal documentation from being counted in the 2020 census for the redrawing of congressional districts. The memorandum is expected to face legal challenges. The president, who has challenged the census before, pushing for a citizenship question that was not included in this year’s form, said that excluding “illegal aliens” from the 2020 census “reflects a better understanding of the Constitution and is consistent with the principles of our representative democracy.” A July 22 statement issued by Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Auxiliary Bishop Mario Dorsonville of Washington, chairman of the Committee on Migration, described the president’s memo as “simply wrong and divisive.” They urged Trump to rescind it and instead make “efforts to protect and heal our nation and all who are living in our country.” u New Vatican Library website aims to serve scholars, entice curious. The Vatican Library has revamped its website to serve scholars better and facilitate navigation for the curious. With a fresh look, easier and more intuitive navigation, and greater online services for researchers, the updated site, vaticanlibrary.va, went live in mid-July, right when the library closed for the summer months. Along with many other Vatican institutions open to the public, the library had shut down during Italy’s nationwide lockdown, then reopened June 1 to limited numbers of scholars and with the required restrictions and safety measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Plans for the “restyling” ended up being especially opportune given continued restrictions and the pandemic in other parts of the world preventing other scholars from traveling to Italy to do research at the library. u Pope names Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Ronald Hicks to head Joliet Diocese. Bishop Hicks, 52, is vicar general of the Chicago Archdiocese and succeeds Bishop R. Daniel Conlon, who retired from his position in the Illinois diocese in May. The appointment was announced July 17 in Washington by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican nuncio to the United States. Bishop Hicks will be installed Sept. 29. Bishop Richard Pates, the retired bishop of Des Moines, Iowa, has been serving as apostolic administrator since the pope accepted the resignation of Bishop Conlon for health reasons. At 71, Bishop Conlon is four years younger than the age at which bishops must turn in their resignation to the pope. Before his retirement, he was on a four-month medical leave of absence. A former auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Bishop Pates was living in Mendota Heights before his appointment as apostolic administrator of Joliet in December.

— Catholic News Service

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9

Portland archbishop urges end to violence, return to campaign for justice

By Ed Langlois Catholic News Service As the national spotlight landed on his city and its ongoing protests, Portland Archbishop Alexander Sample July 24 made a plea for citizens to leave violence behind and return to a campaign for racial justice.

“Who remembers George Floyd anymore?” Archbishop Sample said during one of his “Chapel Chats,” weekly 30-minute sessions livestreamed from his Portland home.

“This all began over the tragic killing of a man” and the racial inequity the killing revealed, the archbishop told viewers. “We need to stay focused on the issue that gave rise to this. Let’s stay focused on what we can do to eradicate this evil.”

Since Floyd, a Black man, died while in the custody of police in Minneapolis May 25, protests for racial justice have risen every evening in downtown Portland. Fueled in part by the city’s skeptical culture, the demonstrations have begun peacefully, but in the wee hours turn violent in the vicinity of the federal courthouse.

Portland police initially turned to tear gas, but as the weeks wore on scaled back. Protests began to taper off.

The energy and violence surged in early July after camouflage-clad federal officers arrived in the city and began arresting protesters without identifying themselves. Local officials decried the uninvited federal presence. The Trump administration said it is protecting federal property.

When protesters breach a fence around the courthouse each evening, federal police exit the building using tear gas, batons and sometimes nonlethal bullets. One nonviolent protester, 26-year-old Donavan La Bella, suffered a fractured skull July 11 when hit by a plastic projectile fired by a federal officer.

Even Portland’s mayor, Ted Wheeler, was enveloped in tear gas July 22 when he came to address demonstrators.

Protests nationwide have sprung up in sympathy of what is happening in Portland.

Archbishop Sample, who has been an outspoken supporter of peaceful protests, has toured the area to see the damage. Graffiti covers the federal courthouse and other downtown buildings.

“What is happening in this city is very sad. Even depressing. It’s a mess,” the archbishop said, admitting many people have urged him to choose a side in the protests. He has refused, instead saying he wants to frame the turmoil in Gospel truths.

“We should be outraged at injustice,” he said. “Racism remains in our society. ... We should be taking action to secure justice for all people.”

He chided those on any side whose words and acts increase division, saying that Satan is “dancing with delight” over the disharmony.

“I want us to think calmly, rationally and soundly about these issues,” the archbishop said. “A Christian tries to bring people together, to bring people

CNS

CNS Mothers in Portland, Ore., protest racial inequality and police violence July 22. into dialogue in order to bring about a greater good.”

The archbishop said he is disturbed by those who say all police are racist. “To me, that seems a stretch,” he said. “Yes, there are some bad eggs. And there are some very good servant police who serve us and keep us safe.”

The archbishop offered Catholic social teaching as a road map for healing.

He particularly cited “Open Wide Our Hearts,” the U.S. Catholic bishops’ 2018 letter on racism.

“We need to act as citizens of this country to fight against the evil of racism,” Archbishop Sample said. “And we need to reject the violence. Violence has no place in this very serious debate that must happen.”

Pointing to the nonviolent teachings of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., the archbishop said that responding to racism with violence is “piling one evil upon another.”

Calling King “a man of God,” the archbishop said that much of the trouble in Portland and elsewhere is a result of a culture that has turned from God and the meaning and virtue that emerge from belief.

10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

‘RIGHT THERE IN TH MIX OF EVERYTHIN

DESPITE ARRESTS AND ABDUCTION, 90-YEAR-OLD PRIEST REMAINS COMMITTED TO ACTIVISM

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Father Harry Bury stands near the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct building in south Minneapolis, which he visited May 27 when protesters were surrounding the building and tensions between them and Minneapolis police officers were escalating two days after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. Father Bury came to “be present” and try to help de-escalate the tensions and promote nonviolence. He said he both prayed and tried to talk to protesters and police officers. “Being present is not something small,” he said. “Showing up is what’s important. And, that’s why I was there. I was showing up. If all of us people who are for nonviolence would show up, there wouldn’t be any violence.”

“

I was worried they’d torture me.

I’m not very good at handling pain. That was my only worry. But I’m not afraid of dying. Actually, I look forward to dying. There’s a part of me that can’t wait to be with God in eternity. I’m looking forward to that, and I think that’s what gave me courage.

Father Harry Bury

THE NG’

JULY 30, 2020 • 11

By Christina Capecchi For The Catholic Spirit

O

ne by one, the experts spoke. They had gathered to address a group of gang members, young African American men united by a Minneapolis nonprofit called Emerge.

First a police officer lectured the young men. Then rehabilitation counselors preached about the horrors of jail.

The last authority on the line-up was wearing a Roman collar. Father Harry Bury had been watching the group closely. He saw their eyes glaze over. He noticed the defensiveness in their crossed arms. So, he prayed to the Holy Spirit for inspiration.

What to say?

“How would you like to go fishing?”

When the gang members got over their surprise, the response was unanimous: yes!

None had ever been fishing before. None, in fact, had ever been in a boat.

Father Bury swiftly arranged for a pontoon ride on Lake Riley in Eden Prairie. Six of the young men showed up, donning life jackets and sharing laughs with the elderly priest as they fished.

Afterward, one gang member told Father Bury it had been the most fun day of his life.

That approach is quintessential Father Bury, according to Emerge Program Manager Will Wallace — and it’s effective.

“These guys see life differently now,” Wallace said.

“One of the young men told me, ‘Watching him take us fishing, I finally feel like I have a chance in the world now.’”

The 90-year-old retired priest from Minneapolis has always shown up in times of need, Wallace said, and he’s never been more needed than now, as the city’s reckoning with racial injustice reaches new fervor.

“Many are called but few are chosen, and I think he’s one of the chosen,” Wallace said. “God put him right there in the mix of everything.”

Being right there in the mix has taken the longtime peace activist to dangerous places across the globe, which he chronicles in his memoir “Maverick Priest: A Story of Life on the Edge,” which was published in 2018. In 1969, Father Bury was arrested for attempting to celebrate Mass in the Pentagon for the fallen Vietnamese and American soldiers in the continuing war. In 1971, he chained himself to the U.S. Embassy Gate in Saigon at the Vietnamese’s request to protest the raging war. The following year, Father Bury joined other peacemakers to fly to Hanoi and bring back three captured American pilots. And in 2005, he traveled to Gaza to help form a human shield between Israeli settlers and Palestinians. He was abducted and held at gunpoint, but eventually released.

He did not fear death, Father Bury insists.

“I was worried they’d torture me,” he said. “I’m not very good at handling pain. That was my only worry. But I’m not afraid of dying. Actually, I look forward to dying. There’s a part of me that can’t wait to be with God in eternity. I’m looking forward to that, and I think that’s what gave me courage.”

A commitment to social justice was cultivated early in his life by his parents, who looked out for neighbors and listened to radio programs about the Church’s social teachings. That emphasis was reinforced at St. Bridget’s school and parish on the north side of Minneapolis. And when Father Bury was assigned to serve at the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota in 1965, the students opened his eyes. He began to join them and lead them in anti-war protests.

Over the years, Father Bury’s ministry crisscrossed the globe. He became a distinguished professor and speaker in systems management at Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio, and a lecturer at other universities. He befriended Mother Teresa of Kolkata before she was famous, and a close bond developed.

He concelebrated her beatification Mass in Rome.

“Mother Teresa was able to walk a line between being aggressive and getting things done, and being humble and giving all the credit to God,” Father Bury said. “So, I want to be aggressive for good, as Mother Teresa was, but also realize what happens is God, not my doing.”

Ordained in 1955, Father Bury began his ministry at St. Frances Cabrini in Minneapolis, where he served until 1959. Then, he ministered at St. Helena in Minneapolis from 1959 to 1965 before his stint at the Newman Center from 1965 to 1970.

After the Newman Center, he went to graduate school, which led to his peacemaking efforts.

Learning how to do research, he was assigned to write a paper and asked the professor if he could research how the Vietnamese people felt about the presence of American soldiers in their country. While visiting Vietnam to conduct some of the research, the Vietnamese priests asked him to return to do a demonstration; his involvement in peacemaking grew from there.

Now retired, he lives in a one-bedroom apartment at the Byrne Residence in St. Paul. His work is far from done. In 2017, he co-founded Twin Cities Non-Violent, an ecumenical group that partners with dozens of other peacemaking organizations, including Emerge. It hosted a summer event in 2018 and again in 2019 calling for 10 days of nonviolence. The gang members he met through Emerge organized a block party and grilled hot dogs for their neighbors.

The impact?

“There were no funerals (during the event),” Father Bury said, choking up. “Can you imagine?”

These days he rises around 5:30 a.m. to meditate and do yoga. Much of his power is wielded at the keyboard, emailing people who could collaborate on worthy causes, sharing their phone numbers and areas of expertise.

“When you talk with him one on one, it’s not very easy to say no,” said Dennis Dillon, a member of Twin Cities Non-Violent and of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. “He’s dogged but in the most positive way.”

Nancy Nelson, a retired news anchor in Chanhassen, has seen her old friend tear down barriers through the power of his presence. “(Father) Harry walks through the world unequivocally in total love and gentleness,” she said.

That love flows from seeing others as Jesus does, she added. “(Father) Harry is one of the great listeners of the world, and there’s no question that’s one of the reasons he’s so effective, because people feel valued and validated by (Father) Harry.”

As an ardent advocate for racial equality, the nearby death of George Floyd, an African American who died while pleading for breath May 25 under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer, roused the priest. Two days later he joined Will Wallace in protest, unflinching when the AutoZone on East Street Lake was set on fire.

“It was powerful to have him there,” Wallace said.

“And for him to come up by the fire with me — I was stunned.”

Jesus’ teachings in the Gospel are the bedrock of Father Bury’s approach, informing how he responds to violent police officers and to their violent critics.

The core of all violence is the tendency to think that punishing people for wrongdoing is the way to prevent wrongdoing, Father Bury often points out. On the contrary, it happens through positive reinforcement, by loving and forgiving criminals.

“One of the biggest challenges for me is to try to understand how people who claim to be Christian can still believe in being violent,” he said. “We have just two commandments: Love God with your whole heart, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself.”

Father Bury lives out the Church’s social teachings in a remarkable way, said Father Erich Rutten, pastor of St. Peter Claver in St. Paul.

“We need peacemakers in all kinds of roles,” Father Rutten said. “We need peacemakers in the day-today policymaking of our country. We need policy advocates, that’s the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

We need people in the pews who are writing their legislators. That’s all really important. There’s also a role for the idealists. I give Father Harry a lot of credit for taking that idealism and really living it. It’s not just easy words to say. It’s a vision that struggles to be feasible. How do we really get there? Father Harry points the way, and the rest of us are trying to make that real.”

A LOOK INTO HIS LIFE Father Harry Bury has spent more than 60 years trying to build and spread a message of love, peace and nonviolence, forged by 65 years of priesthood and visits to numerous countries.

He tells his story in his autobiography “Maverick Priest: A Story of Life on the Edge,” published by Robert Reed Publishers in 2018.

He has witnessed firsthand significant world events like the Vietnam War and met highly influential figures like St. Teresa of Kolkata, known at that time as Mother Teresa. In the 1960s, he developed a friendship with the future saint, which led to him not only being invited to her beatification Mass in Rome in 2004, but being asked to be a concelebrant, an experience he describes in the book.

On the book’s cover, Father Bury, second from right, is shown standing in solidarity with three other men who had chained themselves to the gate of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, in 1971 to protest the Vietnam War. The four men were arrested by the South Vietnamese authorities and released later that day, eventually having a meeting with the U.S. ambassador in South Vietnam. Father Bury managed to hang onto a few links from the chain as a memento of an experience that fueled decades of activism.

The book, Father Bury says, is part of his “new mission to create an environment in which the Twin Cities of Minnesota can become free from violence.” It is available at Amazon for $17.95.

— The Catholic Spirit

JULY 30, 2020

12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

RETREATS+PILGRIMAGES

Virtual Renaissance Online tourism breathes new life in ailing industry

ARMCHAIR PILGRIMAGES Despite ongoing and unpredictable travel restrictions, there are still a number of important sites, shrines and sanctuaries people can “visit” online in Europe and the Middle East. The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France even held a worldwide online pilgrimage July 16 — the anniversary of the last apparition of the Virgin Mary. The event was livestreamed for 15 hours in 10 languages from the Grotto of Lourdes at lourdes-france.org/en/ lourdes-united. At that homepage, visitors can continue to request a Mass, light a candle and place a prayer petition in the grotto.

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service

A

s museums and historical sites in Italy slowly begin opening their doors after several months of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, technology may prove to be the “renaissance” the country’s tourism industry desperately needs.

Recently, countries within the European Union have opened their borders following months of lockdowns and restrictions. However, nonessential travel from countries still reeling from the increasing number of infections — including the United States, Brazil and Russia — is still barred.

The travel restrictions, consequently, have caused once-bustling tourist hotspots in Rome during the summer months to be practically empty.

Nevertheless, as the saying goes, necessity is truly the mother of invention.

The pandemic dramatically changed the way in which people communicate, purchase and sell goods and services, as well as engage in activities, such as visiting museums, all with a click of a mouse or a swipe on a tablet.

Already in 2018, the Vatican Museums worked on developing seamless virtual walkthroughs of its vast collections with a 360-degree, high-definition view available through its website, museivaticani.va.

Originally conceived as a way of temporarily resolving accessibility issues, particularly for visitors using wheelchairs, the virtual tours have become a way for would-be tourists unable to travel to take in the breathtaking masterpieces on display in the museums’ hallowed halls.

Yet, the concept of virtual tourism may also provide a much-needed boost to Italy’s ailing tourism industry postlockdown, especially for many guides who have been left on the wayside.

According to a July 2 statement by Federturismo Confindustria, a national association of Italy’s travel and tourism companies, the first four months of 2020 saw a 40% drop in international tourism and the loss of an estimated $195 billion in tourism in the country.

While the Italian government has taken a measured approach in allowing groups to visit museums and public sites, ensuring the health and safety of visitors and residents, it also threatens the livelihood of tour guides as well as

CNS

Art historian Elizabeth Lev is pictured outside the Vatican Museums in Rome in this 2018 file photo. Italy’s lockdown prompted Lev to create the Masters’ Gallery Rome, a new virtual tour website where visitors not only contemplate the beauty and wonders of Rome’s artistic heritage but also learn their origins from experienced historians and scholars. an industry that makes up an estimated 13.3% of Italy’s gross domestic product.

“It’s kind of funny to find out that as far as the government is concerned, we are sort of ‘less than the less than,’ and so I think it’s been very difficult for us to find ourselves not only out of work, but with really no plan of how to bring us back into the picture,” Rome-based art historian Elizabeth Lev told Catholic News Service July 8.

However, Italy’s lockdown prompted Lev to create the Masters’ Gallery Rome, a new virtual tour website where visitors not only contemplate the beauty and wonders of Rome’s artistic heritage, but also learn their origins from experienced historians and scholars.

“So far, there’s really nothing on the horizon to suggest that there’s any plan to put forth our work, our expertise, our years of study, which doesn’t seem to be something that the government or the tourism industry in Italy seems to value in any way,” she said. “So, we thought we would show people what we’re worth.”

Visitors to the new website, mastersgalleryrome.teachable.com, can enroll in courses where they can discover the wonders of St. Peter’s Basilica, unearth the archaeological marvels of the Roman port city of Ostia Antica or learn about the inspiration behind the works of Caravaggio.

What separates the Masters’ Gallery

Rome from most virtual tours already available online is “the idea of really breaking down the information, breaking down what it is you’re seeing, explaining it, sharing it, pulling out the bits of knowledge that you need to know in order to understand the image,” Lev said.

The benefits of the Masters’ Gallery Rome, she noted, go beyond the practical reasons of being able to see and learn about historical sites and artistic depictions in a time when access to such things are greatly limited.

It also serves as a preparation that allows future tourists and pilgrims to truly appreciate Rome’s vast heritage and “stimulate a hunger on the part of visitors to see parts of Rome that are not on the top 10 TripAdvisor reviews,” she said.

“Tourism began really in the 18th century as ‘The Grand Tour,’ where people prepared before they came because traveling was a privilege, traveling was an honor, traveling was something that was very difficult, often dangerous,” said Lev, who taught for several years in the University of St. Thomas’ Catholic Studies Rome program. “So, in order to get the most out of that experience, people went to the trouble of reading and learning; many of them learned Latin and Greek to begin ‘The Grand Tour.’”

“I’m not suggesting you need to learn Latin and Greek, but a little bit of getting ready and knowing what you’re going to see will only make your experience greater and allow you to really move beyond the tsunami of information you receive once you get here and begin to open yourself up to how the art, the history and the faith all work together,” she said.

As many parents are confronted with the prospect of continuing to homeschool for the rest of the year, Lev said the Masters’ Gallery Rome can also be helpful in presenting “history, humanities, art, the things that are being dropped by the wayside and to be able to instill them in the next generation.”

The following are other places important to Catholics that are offering some kind of virtual visit or livestreaming service.

Many of these online sites are also appealing for donations since lockdowns and restrictions have seriously reduced a major source of income from pilgrimages and tourism. u The Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land oversees 55 sanctuaries in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan. Visitors at custodia.org/en/sanctuaries can get a more in-depth look at these sacred places, especially the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, revered as the site of Jesus’ tomb, in Jerusalem. u The Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal offers a livestream of the chapel and live daily broadcasts of praying the rosary and Mass at fatima.pt/en/pages/ online-transmissions. The same link also provides a gallery of pictures, videos and “sounds,” including an audio library of Marian hymns. u Though only in Italian, the Holy House of Loreto near the Adriatic Sea in Italy posts videos of its daily Masses and the recitation of the rosary on its YouTube channel “Santa Casa Loreto.” Its main website at santuarioloreto.it, also only in Italian, has links for sending prayer intentions and for seeing photos and videos of the sanctuary, which tradition holds is where Mary was born and raised and where the Holy Family was thought to have lived when Jesus was a boy. The one-room Holy House also is held to be the place where Mary received the angel’s annunciation and conceived the Son of God through the Holy Spirit. u The website of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi offers a huge list of online opportunities, all in Italian, but still visually enriching, like a livestream of the tomb of St. Francis with an option of sending a prayer petition and a livestream of daily Mass in the basilica at sanfrancescopatronoditalia.it. There is a 360-degree virtual tour of the basilica and of the tomb. The 13th-century basilica had to be painstakingly restored, including its frescoes by Giotto, after a devastating earthquake in 1997. u While a special online exposition of the Shroud of Turin was held April 11 for prayer and contemplation during the coronavirus epidemic, the recorded event, with commentary in English, can still be found online at YouTube.

— Catholic News Service

RETREATS+PILGRIMAGES

JULY 30, 2020

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13

Retreat centers reopen and adjust after COVID-19 shutdown

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

W

hen it seemed likely Gov. Tim Walz would issue the first COVID-19 stay-at-home order in March, social distancing wasn’t a problem at Pacem in Terris retreat center near St. Francis because retreatants are mostly alone while staying in single-occupancy hermitages.

But the center still closed from March 20 to May 18, partly because it couldn’t get needed supplies. The staff took advantage of the time to focus on achieving its mission, said Tim Drake, executive director.

“It’s kind of simplified what we do because it really narrows the focus again on what it was that we did when we first started, which was simply offer a place where people can come and be alone with God,” said Drake, who attends parishes in the Diocese of St. Cloud, where Pacem in Terris is located.

For Pacem in Terris, and four retreat centers in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, shutting down during what is usually a busy spring season involved some soul searching as they found ways to manage expenses, retain staff and stay in contact with past retreatants.

Reopening this summer has brought more challenges in scheduling smaller retreats, rethinking practices, and sanitizing facilities for guest and staff safety.

From the time they closed in mid-March until reopening in June, Christ the King Retreat Center (also known as “King’s House”) in Buffalo and Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake each canceled 15 retreats and activities.

The Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Elmo closed for nine retreat weekends before late May, while Dunrovin Christian Brothers Retreat Center in Marine on St. Croix has lost 30 programs, but reopened in mid-July.

“Nothing happened here for about three months,” said Father Richard Sudlik, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate and King’s House director, regarding canceled retreats and spiritual direction.

“When the house is empty it’s painful for us,” he said. “It’s good to have folks coming back, and we hope that we don’t have another round of this.”

Throughout the center’s shutdown, King’s House has continued to receive contributions that have helped with fixed expenses, he said.

The shutdown “lessened our income, but so far so good, we’re hanging in there.”

Canceling 95 reservations has meant a

$50,000 loss for Pacem in Terris, but Drake said response to a May appeal letter has helped. All five retreat centers reported receiving financial assistance from donors and retreatants during the crisis. Some long-time retreatants whose retreats were canceled sent checks anyway to the Jesuit Retreat House and Franciscan Retreats, their leaders said.

Each of the retreat centers also received loans from the U.S. government’s Paycheck Protection Program, designed to help employers maintain their workforce during the COVID-19 crisis. Jerome Meeds, Dunrovin’s executive director, gave staff the option of working on maintenance projects.

During the shutdown, several centers began offering online content. Franciscan Retreats is posting audio and video talks — something it plans to continue, said Conventual Franciscan Friar Brother Bob Roddy, retreat director.

Jesuit Retreat House livestreamed its first two retreats following its reopening, and Pacem in Terris created orientation videos. But the biggest job was preparing to reopen while meeting state and archdiocesan requirements for retreatant and staff safety.

All the centers have sanitization procedures and now accept about half the guests they used to, both for social distancing and to provide each retreatant with a private bathroom. The limits haven’t been a problem because some retreatants have canceled, they say. King’s House now allows one retreat at a time instead of two, Father Sudlik said.

Franciscan Retreats now boxes meals for retreatants to eat in their rooms or outside, Brother Roddy said. Dunrovin’s retreats also will look different due to social distancing, which can be contrary to how youth retreats are usually conducted, said Meeds, a parishioner of St. Mary in Stillwater.

Social distancing was less of a challenge at Franciscan Retreat’s first retreat after the shutdown because it was silent, Brother Roddy said.

It may be a bigger issue for non-silent retreats, he said. “The community aspect is very omnipresent, and for many groups it’s the time of year when they see each other.”

Despite adjustments, those making retreats after the shutdown have appreciated the opportunity, Father Sudlik said. As challenging as the state shutdown was, he believes it was a “grace moment.”

“Everybody has to remind themselves that we’re not in charge of as many things as we think we are,” he said.

ABOVE In this file photo from 2019, Brittany, left, Eva, Tasha and Lori Huebl tour the grounds at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake during the center’s garden party.

RIGHT Visitors pray in the chapel at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center in Prior Lake in 2019.

PHOTOS BY DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

RETREATS+PILGRIMAGES

JULY 30, 2020

New Marian shrine set to welcome Rocky Mountain visitors

By Andrew Ehrkamp Catholic News Service

he Virgin Mary is sitting with her son Jesus in a lush Alberta forest, surrounded by deer drinking from a gurgling stream, with the majestic Three Sisters peaks in the background.

"The window cries out to you 'Rocky Mountains,' and there is Our Lady in the midst of that," said Father Nathan Siray, pastor of Our Lady of the Rockies. "That's kind of our No. 1 devotional image to Our Lady of the Rockies that is completely unique to this building."

The powerful image is set in custom-made stained glass, one of the focal points of the new $20 million (US $14.8 million) church in the mountain community of Canmore, about 15 miles southeast of Banff. It's a new church for the parish, which dates back to the 1800s, and the first Marian shrine in the Diocese of Calgary. Pilgrimages, conferences and other events are planned once pandemic restrictions are eased.

Bishop William McGrattan dedicated the new 17,000-square-foot church May 30 during a Mass that was livestreamed on the Diocese of Calgary's Facebook page because of the restrictions. The first public Mass in the new church was celebrated June 8.

Bishop McGrattan noted that dedication came as Pope Francis led the major shrines worldwide in praying the rosary to implore Mary's intercession and protection amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In his homily, Bishop McGrattan recognized the spiritual foundation of Our Lady of the Rockies parishioners and the greater reach the church will have as a Marian shrine.

"In many ways our diocese, under the patronage of Mary, we should have a shrine church," Bishop McGrattan said. "We should have a place in which people, not only in our own diocese but throughout the world and in Canada, can come as they come to the Rockies to see nature's cathedral. They can stop and they can pray and they can experience the great presence of God who comes to dwell in our midst in these humble abodes that we build."

Father Siray said the roughly 300 families of Our Lady of the Rockies Parish were "ecstatic" that the church building was completed and dedicated in May, the month that the Church devotes to Mary.

"It's going to take time to understand our new identity as a shrine. But the overwhelming sense I get from my people is, 'This is incredible. Thank you,"' Father Siray

T

CNS

This is a view of the new Our Lady of the Rockies church in Canmore, Alberta. Bishop William McGrattan of Calgary celebrated Mass at the church May 30, designating it as the first Marian shrine in the Dio cese of Calgary.

said. "I couldn't help thinking this church is dedicated to Mary, and Mary was always one humble of heart. She was willing to start small, and great things came from her. I think if we can embrace her spirit, we're going to do well going forward."

The new church is at the edge of town, off the TransCanada Highway, and figures prominently when motorists arrive.

The exterior design reflects a European-style alpine church. That was the vision of Father Bryan Frank, a former pastor of Our Lady of the Rockies, and Guy Turcotte, a parishioner and the developer of Silvertip Resort in Canmore, who donated the roughly three-acre property for the church.

"We really got a tremendous gift in having such a prime location so visible for this new church to be built upon," Father Siray said. "You know, it's pretty cool, as you're coming on Highway 1, you see the turnoff to Canmore town center, and as you crest the hill one of the first things you see is our bell tower.

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"You couldn't ask for a better location. We hope that it becomes a bit of a beacon of hope for people here that there's something good and beautiful and it wants to welcome as many people as it can into it."

Father Shay's predecessor, Father Wilbert Chin Jon, focused on the interior with traditional architecture, liturgical art and a large supply of marble for the new altar and ambo to blend both old and new.

The new Our Lady of the Rockies church has a capacity for 425 people, double the number of the old church, and it includes a new hall, kitchen, conference room and columbarium with 262 niches.

The official feast day for Our Lady of the Rockies parish is Aug. 22, the Queenship of Mary. And, the feast day for its sister church in Banff, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a week earlier.

"So we thought, in time, it would be a cool opportunity to really promote those two feasts," Father Siray said.

Last summer, Our Lady of the Rockies parish organized its own bicycle pilgrimage from Banff to Canmore.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15

FROMAGETOAGE

Ethicist alarmed over treatment decisions for quadriplegic

By Peter Finney Jr. Catholic News Servic

T

he death of Michael Hickson, a 46-year-old quadriplegic, inside an Austin, Texas, hospital in June, pricked the conscience of Charlie Camosy.

Camosy is an associate professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University in New York, and for most of his academic life, he has waged a quixotic battle against often-hidden cultural forces that, except for the pandemic and the scrutiny it has focused on medical decisions, might have gone unnoticed.

Hickson, an African American with a serious brain injury, was hospitalized with COVID-19 at St. David’s Hospital South Austin. Despite his cognitive impairments, his wife, Melissa, said he could solve math problems and play trivia. His physical condition admittedly was grave. He was receiving food and water through a stomach tube.

Shortly after being admitted to the hospital, a family dispute over the course of his care ensued, which resulted in the power to make those decisions being given to the state and the hospital’s medical team.

While Melissa wanted Michael to continue to be given food and hydration in the ICU in hopes that her husband could improve, his doctor told her any further medical intervention would not improve his “quality of life.” The medical team and the state had determined that only hospice care would be offered.

On her own, Melissa secretly recorded a conversation she had with the doctor, which is legal in Texas. Melissa did not want her husband intubated, which involves inserting a tube through the mouth and into the airway so a patient can be placed on a ventilator to assist with breathing. But she did want him

to be given food, water, oxygen and medicine to give him any chance to improve. Certainly, that could not be considered burdensome treatment.

The doctor remarked that any aggressive treatment would not “help him improve anything” because “as of right now, the quality of life ... he doesn’t have much of one.”

Melissa was shocked by that answer.

“What do you mean? Because he’s paralyzed with a brain injury, he doesn’t have quality of life?”

“Correct.”

The doctor went on to tell Melissa that he had cared for three other patients who survived in Michael’s condition, but he qualified that by saying Michael’s case didn’t “fit those three.” The defining difference, the doctor told Melissa, was that his “quality of life is different from theirs. ... They were walking and talking people.”

Michael died of pneumonia six days after the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration had weakened and then stilled his body. He left behind a wife and five kids.

This was not a case in which the hospital faced a shortage of beds during a grave moment of the pandemic. It was a case, Fordham’s Camosy said, of euthanasia, pure and simple.

“According to the Catholic moral theological definition of euthanasia, it’s an act or omission which aims at death,” Camosy said. “Any time there’s a ‘quality of life’ judgment made — where it’s not the burden of the treatment — that’s a concern. Even his wife didn’t want him to be intubated.”

“The doctor thought that what made him different from the others who survived is that they were walking and talking,” Camosy explained. “The doctor had every chance to say, ‘He’s just too sick, he’s not going to recover, there’s no

point.’ No. He specifically mentioned three others in his situation ... and what makes them different is they were walking and talking, and he was not.”

Melissa has used social media to raise attention over what she believes was unfair treatment of her husband decided on by the hospital with approval of a court-appointed legal guardian, Family Eldercare. She claims her husband was “murdered” and feels the doctor wouldn’t treat him because he was disabled.

Dr. DeVry Anderson, St. David’s Chief Medical Officer, in a July 2 statement said “misinformation” has been spread about the case and claimed “it wasn’t medically possible to save” Michael.

In his book “Resisting Throwaway Culture,” Camosy writes that very often language and practices are employed “to hide, to throw away people from us so we’re not confronted with them.”

Viewed through the lens of over 143,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. and global economic paralysis, it is difficult to imagine anything positive emerging from these past seven months. However, Camosy says tragedy has a way of creating a thunderclap of conscience.

“If there’s a silver lining in this pandemic, it has forced us to look — and now the question is, will we do anything now that we’ve seen?” Camosy told the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. “The medical community is very good at not

allowing public scrutiny of these kinds of situations.

“But, anecdotally, from what I saw on social media and from the people who emailed me or otherwise got in touch with me after they saw my social media posts, plenty of people have said, ‘This was me.’ ‘This was my cousin.’ ‘This was my wife.’ They were very dramatic statements about this not being an isolated situation.”

As the pandemic began, Camosy’s was among the first voices crying out when several states, including New York, ordered elderly COVID-19 patients who did not need ICU care back into nursing homes, which led to an explosion of cases amid the most vulnerable population possible.

“Fifty percent of people in nursing homes have some kind of dementia, and dementia is listed as one of the most important co-morbidities for populations to be worried about,” Camosy said. “The idea that we would send thousands and thousands of COVID-positive patients into some of the worst spaces for the spread of the disease — where the most vulnerable patients are — was just an unbelievably terrible decision.”

Camosy believes the Church can step up during the pandemic by offering its empty schools and convents as places where the elderly can be safely housed and their dignity respected.

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16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

FOCUSONFAITH DAILY Scriptures

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER SCOTT CARL

Receiving the Eucharist as first, last, only “Priest of Jesus Christ celebrate this Holy Mass as if it were your first Mass, your last Mass, your only Mass.” This saying greets a priest in the sacristy anywhere in the world of the Missionaries of Charity of St. Teresa of Kolkata.

Today’s readings reach out to those who hunger and thirst. The prophet Isaiah exhorts them to come eat and drink without cost.

Indeed, he even implies that purchases they had made previously could not in fact satisfy. Like his hearers, we cannot purchase what we in fact need most. Rather, we need to come and listen to receive rich fare, to heed God’s voice in the obedience of faith and so benefit by the Davidic covenant renewed by a messianic figure.

It is this same figure who was referred to earlier in the book; “he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide fairly for the land’s afflicted” (Is 11:4). God has a special place for the poor. Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? The Missionaries of Charity, known for their charism of serving the poorest of the poor, recognize their own poverty before God and their own incapacity to meet the needs they encounter; they trust that the Messiah who has come will meet the poor in their deepest needs. The poor have real, felt needs for food, for a consoling touch, for God’s justice. Jesus expresses in the fourth beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (justice), for they will be satisfied” (Mt 5:6).

In today’s Gospel, Jesus heads into hiding at the execution of John the Baptist while crowds who were hungering and thirsting for his word and healing touch found what they could not buy; they encountered the One who could provide that which satisfies.

At hearing to where Jesus was going, they left without food, and the pace they kept by foot had to consume whatever nourishment they had had that day — they beat Jesus to his destination, and he had taken a boat!

Their pace speaks to their hunger and thirst for that which they could not provide for themselves. The unfolding of this multiplication of the loaves passage shows clear parallels to the

Sunday, Aug. 2 Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 55:1-3 Rom 8:35, 37-39 Mt 14:13-21 Monday, Aug. 3 Jer 28:1-17 Mt 14:22-36

LINCOLN BEDDOE | ISTOCK

institution of the Eucharist (Mt 22:26-30). Indeed, the early Church would even refer to the Eucharist as “fragments,” the word used in this passage. However, most significantly, “they all ate and were satisfied.” Blessed are they who hungered and thirsted for Jesus, who is God’s justice; he alone will satisfy.

Yet, it is the future blessing communicated by the fourth beatitude that reminds us that even with all the heavenly food and healing touch the Eucharist conveys, we are still left waiting for its fulfillment. We feel that need for fulfillment at this time when it is so difficult to get to Mass! Moreover, how many have the felt need for true justice in a world riddled with brokenness and sin! When is the last time you received the Eucharist? I suspect you have hungered for it in ways you thought you never would.

Given how precious it is to participate in holy Mass, may we always ponder with great gratitude the last time we were able to do so and receive Jesus Christ in the holy Eucharist. May that occasion lead us to hunger for the next time we will have the opportunity to have our felt need met by that which we cannot provide for ourselves. Let us adapt that saying for those in the pews: Faithful of Jesus Christ, receive this Eucharist as if it were your first time, your last time, your only time.

Father Carl is vice rector of The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul and assistant sacramental minister to the Latino community at St. Odilia in Shoreview. He can be reached at smcarl@stthomas.edu.

FAITH FUNDAMENTALS | FATHER MICHAEL VAN SLOUN

The transformative effects of confirmation

Confirmation intensifies the gift of the Holy Spirit received at baptism. It is transformative. The person who is confirmed is changed. The recipient is no longer a child or beginner in the spiritual life, dependent upon the faith of others, but rather a fullfledged adult Catholic. The confirmand joyfully takes responsibility for his or her own faith, makes a firm lifelong commitment to Jesus, and is strongly connected to the community of believers, the body of Christ, the Church.

A confirmed person has a deep desire to grow in his or her relationship with Jesus. The bond is built with daily prayer; the regular reception of the Eucharist; weekly Mass attendance; reading the Bible, particularly the Gospels; approaching the sacrament of reconciliation; spiritual reading; retreats and ongoing adult religious education.

A confirmed person is proud to be a Christian and gives bold witness. The person exudes an authentic inner joy, performs good works, speaks the truth, works for justice, respects every person as their neighbor, is dependable and honest, is morally upright and implements Gospel teaching, all in the open, in a public way, to draw attention not to self but to Christ.

A confirmed person is willing and eager to give testimony about their faith. The person shares their beliefs with others, speaks openly and with great conviction about Jesus and his Gospel, and does whatever possible to make the name of Jesus known and loved. The person is resolved to carry their faith to the surrounding neighborhood, school, workplace and the world.

A confirmed person is intent on living a good and holy life; practices the theological virtues of faith, hope and love; the cardinal virtues of fortitude, justice, prudence and temperance; and exemplifies the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and selfcontrol (Gal 5:22-23).

A confirmed person is strongly bound to the Church. An adult Catholic is a member of a parish; walks the Christian pilgrimage of life with fellow believers; makes good spiritual friends and is part of a spiritual family at church; prays with the community; volunteers with fellow members on community events and service projects; passes on the gift of faith to others; particularly children and those who are searching for God; and helps give corporate witness to others.

A confirmed person defends the faith. Should a fellow believer misrepresent authentic teaching or wander off course, one has an obligation to provide correct information and fraternal correction. If the Church is attacked by hostile outside forces, one has an obligation to resist evil, stand for the truth, refute errors, insist on the free exercise of religion, uphold the value of the Church, and protect the Church’s legitimate place in society and the world.

A confirmed person puts his or her faith into practice in numerous other ways: a disposition to generously share time, talent, and treasure; a willingness to sacrifice or suffer for the benefit of others; a commitment to selfless and dedicated service; the courage to do the right thing, especially in difficult circumstances; the openness to seek, listen, and obey God’s will and accept one’s vocational calling; the determination to go to battle with Satan and to resist temptation and sin with all one’s might; and to live one’s life for Christ.

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. This column is part of an ongoing series on confirmation. Find the series at TheCatholicSpirit.com.

Tuesday, Aug. 4 St. John Vianney, priest Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22 Mt 14:22-36 Wednesday, Aug. 5 Jer 31:1-7 Mt 15:21-28 Thursday, Aug. 6 Transfiguration of the Lord Dn 7:9-10, 13-14 2 Pt 1:16-19 Mt 17:1-9 Friday, Aug. 7 Na 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7 Mt 16:24-28 Saturday, Aug. 8 St. Dominic, priest Hab 1:12--2:4 Mt 17:14-20 Sunday, Aug. 9 Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a Rom 9:1-5 Mt 14:22-33 Monday, Aug. 10 St. Lawrence, deacon and martyr 2 Cor 9:6-10 Jn 12:24-26 Tuesday, Aug. 11 St. Clare, virgin Ez 2:8--3:4 Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 Wednesday, Aug. 12 Ez 9:1-7, 10:18-22 Mt 18:15-20 Thursday, Aug. 13 Ez 12:1-12 Mt 18:21-19:1 Friday, Aug. 14 St. Maximilian Kolbe, priest and martyr Ez 16:1-15, 60, 63 Mt 19:3-12 Saturday, Aug. 15 Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Rv 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab 1 Cor 15:20-27 Lk 1:39-56 Sunday, Aug. 16 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 56:1, 6-7 Rom 11:13-15, 29-32 Mt 15:21-28

JULY 30, 2020

FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA | JACK LAWLIS

COVID-19 magnifies the crisis of the family Our families have emerged as many people’s primary community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This fits the family’s natural role in society, but the change has not been easy. Many families have experienced new challenges amid COVID-19.

Single parents are now the sole providers of both their family’s income and children’s education. Low-income families, who already endure economic hardships, face uncertainty in a difficult job market. COVID-19 has accentuated the crisis of family instability, apparent in high rates of divorce and rising rates of single parenthood, and perpetuated by a societal disinterest in the success of the family as a community.

To combat this crisis, we must look to policy examples that strengthen families, like changes recently enacted in Hungary, which led to higher rates of marriage, lower rates of divorce and a drop in abortions.

In a world shaken by change, we achieve stability and flourishing by empowering families to fulfill their purpose as communities of life and love.

In his encyclical “Familiaris Consortio,” Pope St. John Paul II reminds us of the family’s role as the foremost educator in society. He says, “The task of giving education is rooted in the primary vocation of married couples to participate in God’s creative activity: by begetting in love and for love a new person who has within himself or herself the vocation to growth and development, parents by that very fact take on the task of helping that person effectively to live a fully human life.”

Family formation is essential to the well-being of children, but not all receive this formation in its entirety. Almost a quarter of children in the United

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17 States live in a single-parent household. These children are more likely to commit suicide, become drug dependent and perform below their peers in school.

In fact, while reading proficiency disparities exist among students of different races and ethnicities in Minnesota, research indicates that, for certain grades, the percentage of students proficient in reading matches almost identically to the percentage of two-parent households in each category. A child’s educational success cannot be accurately determined by race or ethnicity, but the data does show that children in twoparent households are more likely to succeed in school.

These disparities will only continue during COVID-19 as single parents, who relied on the school system, must now educate, supervise and provide for their children all day. This is even more difficult for the 24% of single-parent households that live below the poverty line in Minnesota, compared to the 4% of impoverished households with married couples.

The most effective welfare mechanism is two married parents in a household. Marriage serves the good of the family, fosters the formation of children and is essential for a flourishing society. When a man and a woman discern marriage, both public policy and society should encourage, not inhibit, their decision.

To strengthen society, lawmakers should look to policies that encourage marriage and support families, like what was enacted in Hungary following reform in 2010.

With a declining population and a suffering economy, Hungary enacted policies that focused on the family. It provided home-purchasing subsidies for families with children, decreased taxes owed by families with children, and provided interest-free loans to married couples that they need not pay back after having three children.

It even codified its commitment to the family in its constitution, stating, “Hungary shall protect the institution of marriage as the union of a man and a woman established by voluntary decision, and the family as the basis of the nation’s survival.”

Hungary’s focus on families has led to marriages increasing by 84%, divorces decreasing by 29% , and

Include Catholic schools in COVID-19 relief Catholic education helps nurture the faith of millions and lifts many from poverty. Unfortunately, many Catholic schools across the nation are in danger of closing due to the financial impacts of COVID-19. Congress is negotiating the next phase of COVID-19 relief funding. The House passed the HEROES Act on May 15, and now the Senate is crafting its own version. This is important because the HEROES Act excludes almost all non-public school students from eligibility for its emergency services and rescinds much of the emergency relief for non-public schools that was enacted through the CARES Act. As Catholic schools struggle financially because of the pandemic, ask your members of Congress to enact immediate aid to help students stay connected to their schools. Visit mncatholic. org/actioncenter or call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 to be connected to your members of Congress.

abortions decreasing by one-third between 2010 and 2019.

By incentivizing marriage and supporting family stability, Hungary shows that family-focused policy makes a difference.

Recognizing the importance of marriage and the family unit will lead to a stable and flourishing society.

The prosperity of society is tied to the health of each family, and by supporting public policy that upholds marriage and strengthens the family unit — the origin of development and virtue — we further the common good of all.

Lawlis is policy and outreach coordinator for the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

YOUR HEART, HIS HOME | LIZ KELLY

Conquering evil, and moles Warning: This month’s Your Heart, His Home column is a touch ... earthy. Pun intended.

We have a mole in our backyard.

My husband has been doing battle with this crafty, subterranean adversary all summer. Most mornings at my house begin with “a mole check” to see if any of my husband’s strategies have worked in driving the mole away. They have been myriad.

First, he tried mole sticks. These are long metal tubes — something like mini torpedoes — you place in the dirt. Operated by batteries, they agitate the earth with a little vibration every now and then. The moles do not like the vibration and eventually move away. It worked in our last house, but not in this one, not with this mole.

Next, my husband tried some mole repellent. He would pour these little crystals down into the mole hole, and again, this was supposed to drive the mole elsewhere without poisoning him. But not this mole.

This mole remained.

Next — and here’s the earthy part — he tried sending some of our puppy’s poo down into the hole.

The mole definitely did not like that! Who would?

But being the clever, tenacious mole that he is, he only diverted around the poo, burrowing even more tunnels in the backyard.

My husband — and maybe it’s some of the ROTC training of his youth — only ramped up his determination to drive the thing out.

“I’m not going to poison him,” he says with resolve, “I don’t want to kill him, that’s too easy. I

want him to lose. I want him to suffer a crushing defeat!”

I love this man.

And his mole war has got me thinking about Satan and sin — the strategies we use to defeat evil, and the tenacity, resolve and creativity it takes.

All the world these past months of pandemic and protests have felt like a great sifting, something like Satan’s demand for Peter. At the Last Supper, Jesus announces Peter’s denial, saying that Satan demanded to have him, “that he might sift you like wheat.” And later, when Peter does deny Christ, it seems that Satan has done exactly as he wished: sifted Peter like so much grain.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Jesus went on to say, “but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Lk 22:31–32).

And Peter does. Later, when he writes, “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you,” he knows what he’s talking about. Peter continues: “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering” (1 Pt 5:7–9).

Yes, the devil is tenacious and crafty, and we’re suffering. Yes, he often works undercover, beneath the surface of things where we barely notice until we fall into one of his trenches. Yes, if one of his methods fails to ruin our souls, he’ll try another.

Fight back. Jesus has left us an unending and powerful arsenal: the sacraments, God’s word, sacrifices and mortifications, the intercession of the Blessed Mother and all the saints and angels, blessings and novenas and fasting and little acts of faith and kindness. The world is going a little mad right now; it’s not the first time. We have strategies,

weapons to protect the faith. Let’s circle the wagons, get a little creative and beef up our resolve. Satan is indeed facing a crushing defeat.

Father, gird us with strength for the battle.

Kelly is the author of seven books, including the award-winning “Jesus Approaches” (2017) and the “Your Heart, His Home Prayer Companion” (2019). Visit her website at lizk.org and on Instagram at Lizktoday.

LETTERS In God we trust I read the Letters section of the June 11 issue and was saddened after reading “Mass return dangerous.” This letter was persuading people to stay away from Mass, and spinning it as your “duty” to stay away. No! Perhaps we need to ask ourselves some questions: Are you Catholic? Do you believe what you pray on Sundays? Are you putting your faith in God, or mankind? What we have going on right now in this country is expected of a people putting their faith in man to solve problems. COVID-19 did NOT catch GOD off guard. He knows all things and is completely in control. He knows the day your life will be demanded of you. You will not cheat him out of that day — I do not care how many masks you wear, how you wash your hands or how many days you choose to stay home. When your life is demanded of you, you better be ready. I will be ready, because I will be going to Mass and praising PLEASE TURN TO LETTERS ON PAGE 18

JULY 30, 2020

GUEST COMMENTARY | JEAN HOUGHTON

Online or in-class: Catholic schools meet the need In the eight days between March 15 and March 23, Catholic schools in this community — and across the country — bundled up their faith communities, their valuesbased instructional practices, and their rich, historic cultures and redeployed them in the homes of the children they serve.

With this “great pivot,” as I wrote about in a May blog post, Catholic schools effectively transformed from the largest private school system to one of the largest private distance learning providers in the world.

And they didn’t skip a beat.

Throughout the spring, the women and men in Catholic schools in this archdiocese worked tirelessly for their students. They drove from house to house delivering learning materials and books. They set up internet service for families who never had it at home.

They created meal collection and delivery programs.

They organized drive-by birthday parties, religious rituals and graduations. And they developed innovative and effective virtual learning environments for their students, largely from scratch.

In the midst of uncertainty, Catholic schools steadfastly continued to provide the same life-changing benefits that have defined them as essential, researchproven and high-quality institutions of learning and human formation.

I know forecasting the future is a fool’s errand even in the best of times, let alone during a global pandemic.

But there is one prediction I can make with unshakeable confidence: Come this fall, Catholic schools will find a way to do it again.

At the Aim Higher Foundation, our team works hand in hand with schools and the families they serve

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN | DEACON GORDON BIRD

Being a prophet in difficult times

Information transfer is at its peak performance — good, bad or indifferent. All that glitters or glooms, that sharpens or dulls, that passes or stays is right here before you and your family.

It is probably why the NIMBY (i.e. not in my backyard) term has become next to obsolete. Whether you call it your backyard or safe cave — from remote to rural suburban to downtown living — your dwelling, hence, your family, is an open range to all sorts of facts, fodder and fiction. And, prophet, it is up to you to help sort out the truth — secular and supernatural — starting with those you love most.

First, to clarify, NIMBYs are neutral people — at best — when it comes to addressing challenges or problems that come up which they believe will not directly impact where they live or what they do. If the dilemma (i.e. zoning, environment, urban or industry sprawl, etc.) is affecting someone else’s backyard but “not mine,” no objections arise, and few opinions prevail from the household. Today, nearly every dilemma we read about via the options of multimedia — print, electronic, social, private or public and more — carries weight at dialogues at both day-to-day talks at home and family gatherings.

And, religious small groups that involve friends who are like family are not removed from trying to discover with you, prophet, “truth that will set you (us) free.”

Who is the prophet? Or rather, who are the prophets of today? If you are a baptized Christian, simply look in the

COMMENTARY to provide tuition assistance to children to attend a Catholic school. During “the great pivot,” we witnessed firsthand how school leaders kept a laser focus on the needs of their students as they adapted to ever-changing information about COVID-19. We were deeply impressed by their thoughtful problem-solving, and we were awed by their resolve: They pushed through the unknown, stress and exhaustion to find a way forward — a way to meet the needs of their students and families.

School leaders and teachers did this work with grace and humility. They never sought recognition or praise. Their commitment can only be described as unconditional.

It’s unlikely you have been in a school building since March, but those same teachers and leaders are still there, figuratively and physically. They haven’t stopped working. Their days haven’t gotten shorter.

They are researching strategies to adapt student learning to the current reality, developing new instructional and classroom procedures and creating models of the school day from their students’ perspective.

In my book, the daily efforts of the women and men in Catholic schools to instill in children a higher purpose and calling through a Catholic education are nothing short of heroic. “Saintly” might be a better word to describe what they pulled off during “the great pivot.”

Their accomplishments are the source of my confidence for the new school year, and a significant reason why the Aim Higher Foundation continues to invest in the schools and children to whom they dedicate themselves.

The great pivot is a direct result of the ingenuity, dedication and selflessness of the teachers and leaders who serve in Catholic schools in this archdiocese and across the nation. Indirectly, it is built on the sacrifices of the parents, parishioners, donors and friends who have made their own commitment to Catholic education.

Whether they were made in the form of tuition payments, volunteer hours, parish collections or an annual fundraiser, these investments were important before COVID-19. They are even more important now.

Houghton is president of the St. Paul-based Aim Higher Foundation. mirror. We are anointed priest (to sanctify), prophet (to teach) and king (to rule) at our baptism — all in body and spirit — in service of our Lord.

This prophetic teaching duty (“munus” in Latin) is to speak the truth as a messenger of God. As the prophets of old foreshadowed this role, we are configured to Christ in the modern world today as prophets. As prophets, we are to proclaim our faith. Hence, we are to equip ourselves to be teachers of the truth on the issues at hand, flushing out and trying to make sense of what is practical or foolhardy regarding COVID-19, or the legitimate and non-legitimate racism accusations, nationwide protests, destruction of historical statues and property, the true mantra and mission of various movements, etc. All and more need prophets to rise above the emotion to seek, find and speak truth. Yes, prophet, this starts in your backyard, to close the divide and strive for unity.

Being given the office and its graces to preside in baptisms, God has blessed me with the responsibility to proclaim to parents, godparents, family and friends of the child being baptized of their munus to the newly baptized. The responsibility of family, godparents and friends to teach truth, to live holy lives, to help him or her understand acts of service, of charity and of love.

Help them confirm their faith later in life, celebrating confirmation. It will help to find order in the midst of what seems chaotic at times. That is why teaching the sacraments and living a sacramental life are so important in embracing goodness, beauty and truth — for all of us. As Catholic Watchmen, the sacraments are the key link to Jesus — the divine priest, prophet and king. We are to emulate our Lord’s example in our backyards, our parishes, our communities.

Deacon Bird ministers at St. Joseph in Rosemount, All Saints in Lakeville, and assists the Catholic Watchmen movement. Learn about the archdiocese’s Catholic Watchmen initiative at thecatholicwatchmen.com.

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 18 CONTINUED FROM LETTERS ON PAGE 17 his greatness. I will not look God in the eye and tell him that I stayed home in fear, because I did not think that the creator of the entire universe could protect me. We should be running, not walking, to Mass. And doing what we were created to do, worshipping the King of kings and Lord of lords and begging him for his mercy.

Duane Stangler St. Augustine, Cohasset (Diocese of Duluth)

More numbers to consider We are certainly inundated with endless information about COVID-19 and how it relates to other “large number of deaths” events! WHO: “Pandemic” — “an epidemic occurring worldwide or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually attacking a large number of people.” It most certainly can be argued an abortion should be considered as a pandemic by the fact that an individual of the human race is eliminated from the safest place on the planet — its mother’s womb! (Without a choice of its own.)

The deaths by abortion certainly were done without social distancing and masks for all the moms. That’s not to include all the birth control pill abortions that have been done over the years. Life is 100% fatal just on its own. 1.5 billion abortions over the past 50 years!

God is watching.

Ed Gorman Transfiguration, Oakdale

Police procedures misrepresented Your readers were poorly served if they read the “Transforming police” article in the June 25 issue, since the author provided a number of positions that were at best misleading but more accurately should be classified as incorrect. I would submit that policing can be considered a profession since it requires a specific course of instruction, benchmarks that must be met, testing documentation that needs to be retained, a license from the state and continuing education over the years to maintain the license. Police hiring includes an in-depth examination of the candidate’s past, so it is blatantly false to say that an officer terminated by one agency can simply be hired by the “next town over.” Contrary to the claim “when it comes to policing, they (the departments) do not do the research,” research and the examination of practices is an ongoing process on a local, state and national level via such groups as the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, the Police Executive Research Forum and the International Chiefs of Police Association.

Procedures for disciplining/terminating officers are pursuant to the collective bargaining system that is jointly agreed to by the mayor/city council and the bargaining agency represented by the officers. These procedures are not forced upon them by an outside entity. It is hypocritical for a city to bemoan these procedures for political purposes when they have willingly agreed to them during the latest contract negotiations.

Gregory Pyle St. Paul Police Department, retired

Learn from history What’s happening to us? We no longer seek the wisdom of our history or our elders. Instead we treat the past as irrelevant to our search for our future. Thus the past comes unhinged from the future. There is no continuity, nothing to carry forward, nothing to value. We want to forget the darkness of our past. But in doing so, we destroy the possibility of learning from that darkness how to create a better future. The history of our ancestors is essential to better understand the present and how to avoid the pitfalls of bias, discrimination and exclusion. We are imperfect human beings. If we acknowledge this and our past, good and bad, we can move into the future with everyone included, respected, forgiven and embraced.

Father Michael Erlander Retired priest of the archdiocese Share your perspective by emailing TheCatholicSpirit@archspm.

org. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the

opinions of The Catholic Spirit.

JULY 30, 2020

CALENDAR

GUEST COMMENTARY | DEACON CARL VALDEZ

JACS JAM: Joachim Jaunt Memorial Run Virtual 5K — July 27-Aug. 15. This unofficial virtual 5K to benefit Sts. Joachim and Anne in Shakopee can be done anywhere with no specific start time or starting place. Register to run, walk or bike your way through your favorite route. Invite your family and friends to register and do it together, or enjoy the time to yourself. $25.

Register at ssjacs.org/sja-festival-jacs-jam.

All Saints garage sale — Aug. 3-7. All Saints in Lakeville’s garage sale is virtual this year. Browse the items for sale and find treasures for classic garage sale prices at allsaintschurch.com/ garagesale.

Condensed School of Lectio Divina — Aug. 7-9 via Zoom through St. Paul’s Monastery in Maplewood. Participants will listen for words or scriptural phrases that capture their hearts and urge them to act in new ways. They will learn how praying the Scriptures can ease anxieties, quiet the internal noise and make scriptural readings part of their daily lives. $80. Register at benedictinecenter.org.

Weekend workshop for married couples — Aug. 7-9 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. Jim and Maureen Otremba present “Transforming Your Marriage Through the Power of the Eucharist.” Suggested offering $350 per couple (includes $60 non-refundable deposit). kingshouse.com afternoons. Kay at 651-426-3103 or Al at 651-439-1203.

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19 and real, just as trampling on Black and brown is. Yet, it’s painful to hear people shout “racist cops” without hearing acknowledgment of a much larger picture.

I hear cries of pain

As a Catholic deacon, police chaplain and former teacher, I have worked or lived — as a homeowner or apartment dweller — in every police precinct in Minneapolis (except downtown) over the years since 1969.

My wife and I have raised eight daughters here: biological, step and racially mixed adoptive and foster. My 34 years as a deacon have been served in five Twin Cities churches that have opened their doors to Spanish-speaking immigrants.

We hear many voices of deep pain: foremost, the voices of mothers losing their children to violence. The largest focus now is on white police killing Black sons. But when the violent loss of a child is gang- or drug-related, from a robbery gone bad or a stray bullet, from sexual abuse or suicide, it hardly means the pain is any less. One type of loss is very specific — white police and Black victims. The others result from more general, societal problems connected with a long, shameful history of actions based on the assumption of superiority/inferiority of a particular race.

Currently, we hear the pain of a community raging against its own police department. In answer to that pain has come the proposal to abolish, defund, disband or dismantle it — choose your word. It’s an exasperated cry for change piled on years of frustration among citizens, the Minneapolis City Council and the Minneapolis Police Department.

We police chaplains (of various religions and races) minister in each of five precincts of this city, and most of us live here. Therefore, we absorb the community’s pain. We also hear pain that most people do not hear. We hear about children’s nightmares that their police officer mother or father will die. We hear about officers’ kids being harassed at school, about officers’ spouses being followed and harassed at the grocery store and in their neighborhood, about coolness from once close neighbors and about officers getting spit upon.

Black police officers are called traitors (but in crudely graphic language). On a recent call that I was responding to, city and park police brushed off equally crude language while answering a “baby-not-breathing” call as they were administering CPR. We chaplains also preside over funerals of officers who have taken their own lives due to the unrelenting, unmanaged stress of witnessing people hurting people, then too often watching the judicial system quickly send the guilty back to the street, recycled.

I have heard credible complaints of traffic stops for “driving while Black or brown.” White privilege is historical

Therapists guide us not to look only at the wayward child, but rather at the whole family. In this case, we say the “problem child” wears blue, with a convenient blindness toward how we have failed as a society that cares for all of us.

As Minneapolis struggles to decide the future of our Police Department, I ask a question which should raise many more: If citizens approve the establishment of the “department of community safety and violence prevention,” as 12 City Council members have proposed, how will it protect members of that department from the perils officers face today?

As chaplain, I will continue to support our community and our police.

I pray for wisdom for all, and for the courage to act accordingly.

Examples include: The constant stress of endangering themselves to help others, including the risk of being ambushed; the trauma of repeatedly witnessing abused and bleeding children, sexual abuse victims and suicides; the barrage of low-level repeat offenders; feeling abandoned by community, city government and police administration; living with a judicial system that seems to tell officers that their work is in vain; media coverage that aims to satiate the public’s hunger for the sensationally bad rather than on thousands of positive acts (and the heart that caused them to sign up for police work in the first place).

May the name “George Floyd” be etched in our consciousness as a constant reminder of a need for societal change, and may justice prevail. As regards any police officer, let’s be clear about what we are asking him or her to do and support them with the tools to stay healthy.

The idea of the proposed trade-off has value in its recognizing community frustration and the need for change. However, it would have more value if it reflected the knowledge of the actual experience of the officers we hire. I’d rather see improvement than a trade-off.

As chaplain, I will continue to support our community and our police. I pray for wisdom for all, and for the courage to act accordingly.

Deacon Valdez ministers at Incarnation in Minneapolis and is a chaplain in the Minneapolis Police Department. A version of this commentary originally appeared July 22 in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

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20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

JULY 30, 2020

THELASTWORD

Flannery O’Connor documentary opens at virtual theaters

By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service

C

atholic writer Flannery O’Connor wrote two novels and 32 short stories known for their portrayals of the South, and also for their dark and sometimes comic imagery that revealed people’s true — and not always flattering — sides. She also frequently wove together Catholic themes of grace and redemption.

“Flannery,” a documentary about O’Connor’s life and Southern Gothic writings, opened nationwide July 17 in select virtual cinemas, including the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis.

Previously, the movie, which won the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film in 2019, had only been shown at film festivals and college campuses.

The movie screenings have always been followed by discussions with the film’s directors, not only about the movie itself, but about issues raised in it by O’Connor’s writings on race, sexism and faith. The online viewings, listed at flanneryfilm.com/ calendar, are following a similar pattern of sorts, this year with four live, virtual discussions on Facebook with filmmakers, a guest moderator and panelists focusing on O’Connor themes.

The discussions — at facebook.com/ flanneryfilm/events — focus on race, faith, the craft of writing and O’Connor’s disability. She died in 1964 at age 39 from Lupus complications.

The first discussion July 20 was particularly timely, looking at O’Connor’s complicated relationship with race, from her characters and settings to her personal writings and positions during the civil rights movement.

“Flannery” was an eight-year project of co-directors Elizabeth Coffman, an associate professor of film and digital media at Loyola University Chicago, and Jesuit Father Mark Bosco, vice president for mission and ministry at Georgetown University.

It took a while, because, as Father Bosco told Catholic News Service last year after the movie won the Ken Burns Prize, and its $200,000 finishing grant, he and Coffman both had day jobs.

But it was a labor of love for both of them.

The 96-minute film tells O’Connor’s story from interviews with contemporary writers and artists influenced by her, such as actor Tommy Lee Jones and Alice Walker, author of “The Color Purple,” as well as motion graphic animations of pieces of her work and archival footage of an interview with the Georgia author.

The animated discussions after the screenings only reinforced the directors’ views that O’Connor still has something to say to readers and audiences right now.

“People respond with passion,” Coffman told CNS in between movie screenings at film festivals last fall.

The fact that the film touches a nerve follows what the directors wanted to convey. Father Bosco, an O’Connor expert, said he wanted the movie to give equal time to the writer’s Catholic faith and her sense of being a Southern person and someone with a disability.

The initial idea for the documentary stemmed from a collection of archival

CNS

Flannery O’Connor is seen in this undated photo.

CATHOLIC IMAGINATION Despite a tragically brief and illness-plagued career, Catholic author Flannery O’Connor, who died in 1964 at age 39, is recognized as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, excelling especially in her short stories.

Her remarkable life is both recounted and celebrated in the admiring documentary “Flannery” (Long Distance Productions).

Filmmakers Elizabeth Coffman and Jesuit Father Mark Bosco marshal home movies, archival television footage and interviews with O’Connor’s friends and relatives to evoke her fiercely held faith and wickedly clever imagination. Scholars and fellow scribes, including Mary Gordon and Alice Walker, put in an appearance. Actress Mary Steenburgen voices O’Connor.

“Flannery” may lack the tang of its subject’s Southern Gothic novels and tales, meditations on grace recognized and insight achieved by sometimes outlandish characters amid frequently bizarre circumstances. But viewers unfamiliar with her work will be motivated to explore it.

CNS

interviews about O’Connor that Father Bosco received and intended to show at a conference. The priest, who was then an associate professor of English and theology at Loyola University Chicago, felt he should do more with this material, especially knowing that Coffman, his colleague at Loyola and a documentarian, “knew how to do this in spades.”

They both were intrigued by the idea, but they faced some immediate challenges. For starters, there was only one filmed interview with O’Connor, and one short piece of her as a child — teaching a chicken to walk backward — and not many photos. Also, the Flannery O’Connor Trust would not allow dramatic reenactments of O’Connor’s work. In the end they settled on motion graphics to tell the stories of her works, which also pay tribute to O’Connor’s early work as a cartoonist. The directors also were able to recruit actress Mary Steenburgen to read some of O’Connor’s writings for the film.

Father Bosco had already been keeping tabs on anyone who spoke about O’Connor’s influence in interviews, including several authors, late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien and rock-androll musician Bruce Springsteen.

In a statement for the film’s award, Ken Burns, the award-winning documentarian, called “Flannery” an “extraordinary

documentary that allows us to follow the creative process of one of our country’s greatest writers.” He said it “provides us a glimpse into her life, including her Catholic faith, her unusual sensitivity to race as a Southern white woman, and her daily struggles with illness and the prospect and reality of an early mortality.”

He hoped “a new generation of readers CNS will rediscover the writings of Flannery O’Connor because of this film.”

That’s something Father Bosco and Coffman are happy to promote. “Her stories are always haunted with this sense of mystery,” the priest said, adding they bring readers to a “place of uncomfortability” where they know there is something more going on and “are being asked to go on a journey of selfrevelation.”

“She says very boldly: I write because I’m a Catholic,” but her works don’t have a sense of piety or triumphalism, he added, saying she focused more on the brokenness of society, especially in America, and even more particularly, in the South.

Coffman, who is not Catholic, said she “absolutely adores” O’Connor’s fiction.

“As we say in the film, she was writing for people who don’t believe in God. She wasn’t writing for the converts” but for people who need to face what’s in these stories.

Established fans, for their part, will appreciate the chance to pay an extended visit to Andalusia, the picturesque farm near Milledgeville, Georgia, to which lupus — the disease that eventually caused her early death — long confined O’Connor. The simple household seems haunted, in a strangely pleasant way, by her departed spirit.

O’Connor did not write for children, and this profile of her is unsuitable for them as well. Its analysis of one of her tales involving a serial killer and another in which a hermaphrodite plays a central role, for example, suggests a mature audience.

Many parents of older teens, on the other hand, may consider “Flannery” appropriate for them.

All the more so since this literary biography is not only educational but spiritually enriching as well.

O’Connor was a dauntless champion of faith who, in her writing, subtly strove to communicate with unbelievers. A daily communicant, she also read a chapter of the Bible and a section of St. Thomas Aquinas’ “Summa Theologica” each day.

By all indications, O’Connor patiently accepted the hardships resulting from her malady. Even as her end approached, moreover, she worked on in the hospital to complete her last collection of stories. Her example of religiously inspired courage is well-deserving of the tribute paid to it in this thoroughly enjoyable movie.

The film contains images of violence, references to sexuality and fleeting crass language.

The Catholic News Service classification is A-III adults. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.

— Catholic News Service