The Catholic Spirit - June 20, 2024

June 20, 2024 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Joy of ministry

Kindergartner Charlie Dickson pushes Father Joseph Wappes during cart races in the gym May 28 at St. Charles Borromeo School in St. Anthony. Father Wappes, Father Michael Maloney and Father Philip Conklin visited their grade school alma mater three days after their ordination Mass as one way to give back for all that community did for them growing up. Turn to page 6 for more about their visit, and pages 7-15 for profiles on all 13 newly ordained priests for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. All photos on pages 7-15 are by Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit.

JORDANA TORGESON | FOR THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

PAGETWO

BILINGUAL CONFIRMATION Bishop Vincent Nguyen, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto, was invited by Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to preside over a bilingual confirmation Mass for Vietnamese and Vietnamese American teens June 6 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. More than 50 teens from St. Adalbert in St. Paul, St. Columba in St. Paul and St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis were confirmed in a celebration that featured songs and readings in Vietnamese. Since being ordained a bishop in 2010, Bishop Nguyen, who was born in Vietnam, has conducted numerous confirmations for Vietnamese and Vietnamese American students throughout Canada and the United States.

SACRED HEART OF JESUS CONSECRATION Mark Elfstrom and Karla Álvarez, from left to right, were among 11 people who committed themselves to strive for holiness as members of the Catholic Advance, a lay movement associated with the religious institute Pro Ecclesia Sancta (PES) on June 7 at St. Mark in St. Paul. The Mass included a prayer of consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Mass was followed by a celebration in the school gymnasium with sandwiches, cake and children’s activities.

PRACTICING Catholic

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the June 14

“Practicing Catholic” radio show included a discussion with Bishop Joseph Williams about his call to be coadjutor bishop for Camden, New Jersey, and St. Paul-based Catholic wedding photographers Katzie and Ben Nelson offered insights into marriage. The program also included a discussion with Father Michael Miller, who will host the June 23 Rural Life Sunday event at his family farm near New Prague. Listen to interviews after they have aired at archspm org/faith-anddiscipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.

The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 29 — No. 12 MOST

Reporter

with 3 years’ experience, devotion to the Church joins The Catholic Spirit

The Catholic Spirit

A Florida native and St. Paul resident with three years of experience as a print and online journalist joined The Catholic Spirit as a reporter June 11.

Joshua McGovern, 26, a member with his wife, Sophia Stella, of Our Lady of Grace in Edina, said he also holds a deep appreciation of, and devotion to, the Church. “As a Catholic, I have a desire to boldly spread the Gospel wherever I go,” McGovern said. “I pray that I’m able to step out in faith each day and bring truth to the world through the great gift of storytelling. I look forward to beginning my time here at The Catholic Spirit and I hope to bring with me a dedication to faith, truth and the Church.”

A 2021 graduate of the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Florida, with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in psychology, McGovern most recently was community editor for the weekly Sun Post newspaper, which serves Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center. He has reported on crime, politics, business and other topics.

McGovern was a reporter with Faribault Daily News and the Kenyon Leader, covering the Faribault, Kenyon and Wanamingo communities, from 2022 to 2023. He was an editorial intern with Twin Cities Business magazine in 2022.

“We are grateful and excited to have Josh join The Catholic Spirit team,” said Joe Ruff, editor-in-chief of the newspaper. “His experience and desire to evangelize will enhance all that the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis strives to do.”

NEWS notes

Bishop Joseph Williams is inviting all the faithful to pray with him at 2 p.m. July 14 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul as he celebrates a Holy Hour of Thanksgiving. Appointed coadjutor bishop of Camden, New Jersey, on May 21, the former auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said it is time to say “‘farewell’ to the local Church where I was born and raised and have labored and loved for 50 years” (see the “Only Jesus” column, page 3). The Holy Hour will be the first public event to thank the bishop for his years as a priest and shepherd in the archdiocese. A social event under the protection of a tent will be held on the Cathedral lawn after the Holy Hour.

Among six new pieces the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) has acquired to add to its European and pre-modern American art collections are two artworks by Pier Francesco Mola, a Swiss-born artist who lived during the 1600s and was active in Italy, known for his religious paintings and skilled brush drawings, according to the Mia. “Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata” is unique, the Mia stated, because it is painted on marble and “exemplifies the artist’s mastery of devotional scenes and lush landscapes.” It will join its related preparatory drawing “Saint Francis Praying in a Landscape” at the Mia, after the two artworks had been separated for nearly 400 years, according to the Mia.

An arson investigation is underway at St. Jerome in Maplewood after a June 9 fire damaged the church’s piano, flag, carpet and ceiling. Officers were called to the scene at approximately 12:42 a.m. and found signs of forced entry, according to a statement by the Maplewood Police Department. They extinguished a small fire inside the church. Father Victor Valencia, pastor of St. Jerome, said that Sunday Mass was celebrated in the church as scheduled on June 9. The parish is working with its insurance company and investigators to evaluate and repair damage, Father Valencia said.

The St. Paul Seminary’s Institute for Catholic Theological Formation in St. Paul hosted the fourth annual academic conference of The Sacra Doctrina Project titled All Things That Were Made: On Creation, Creatures and Their Creator. Over 150 scholars attended the conference, according to organizers, which spanned June 6-8. On June 7, Archbishop Bernard Hebda celebrated the Mass of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the seminary’s St. Mary Chapel for conference attendees. Christopher Thompson, academic dean and professor of moral theology at the seminary, delivered the first keynote address on June 6, titled “Most This Amazing Day: A Call to Ecological Conversion.” William Carroll, a distinguished professor of philosophy at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in Wuhan, China, delivered the second keynote address, titled “Metaphysics and Creation: The Grammar of Faith and Reason in Thomas Aquinas.”

In addition to celebrating her team winning the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) championship in its first year, Grace Zumwinkle, who attended St. Hubert Catholic School in Chanhassen, was also named Rookie of the Year. The 24-year-old forward plays for PWHL Minnesota. She scored 11 goals and tallied eight assists in 24 regular season games. PWHL Minnesota claimed the Walter Cup by defeating Boston in a best-of-five series that ended with a 3-0 win May 29.

ZACH JANSEN | OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS

COURTESY PRO ECCLESIA SANCTA

JOSH McGOVERN

Editor’s Note: The next print edition of The Catholic Spirit will be available July 11.

FROMTHEBISHOP

ONLY JESUS | BISHOP JOSEPH WILLIAMS

Being your auxiliary bishop ‘for such a time as this’

“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Es 4:14).

This is the question posed to Queen Esther by Mordecai, her kinsman and childhood guardian. The Jewish people are in mortal danger after a decree by the evil court official Haman. Mordecai is urging the queen to plead before King Ahasuerus on behalf of the Jewish people, helping her to see how she has been made a queen “for such a time as this.”

These words were echoed to me by Therese Coons and Father Joe Bambenek on Jan. 26, 2022. It was the day after my episcopal ordination, and I had awoken to a three-hour Archdiocesan Synod meeting. (Welcome to the episcopacy.) In view of the daunting task of preparing the materials for the historic Archdiocesan Synod Assembly in June, they encouraged me with the words of Mordecai. They could perceive in faith what I could not see as clearly at the time: that I had been ordained a bishop “for such a time as this.”

Having themselves prayed and worked tirelessly to prepare the Synod for nearly four years, Father Joe and Therese had been able to see time and again how God’s providence had supplied the right person at the right time — Bishop Cozzens being Exhibit A. Now, as the “rubber” of the Synod was preparing to meet the “road” of the parish, the Holy Spirit raised up a parish priest who had labored to bring the very priorities of the Synod to life in his city parish. But it was only through the eyes of those who had prepared the way that I could see that I was indeed ordained a bishop “for such a time as this.”

Ser tu obispo auxiliar ‘para un tiempo como éste’

“¿

Y quién sabe si no venido al reino para una tiempo como éste?” (Est 4:14).

Esta es la pregunta que Mardoqueo, su pariente y tutor de la infancia, le planteó a la reina Ester. El pueblo judío está en peligro de muerte después de un decreto del malvado oficial de la corte Amán. Mardoqueo insta a la reina a interceder ante el rey Ahasuerus en nombre del pueblo judío, ayudándola a ver cómo ha sido constituida reina “para un tiempo como éste”.

Therese Coons y el padre Joe Bambenek me hicieron eco de estas palabras el 26 de enero de 2022. Era el día después de mi ordenación episcopal y me había despertado con una reunión del Sínodo Arquidiocesano de tres horas de duración. (Bienvenidos al episcopado.) En vista de la difícil tarea de preparar los materiales para la histórica Asamblea del Sínodo Arquidiocesano en junio, me animaron con las palabras de Mardoqueo. Pudieron percibir en la fe lo que yo no podía ver con tanta claridad en ese momento: que había sido ordenado obispo “para un tiempo como éste”.

Después de haber orado y trabajado incansablemente para preparar la Asamblea sinodal durante casi cuatro años, el padre Joe y Therese habían podido ver una y otra vez cómo la providencia de Dios había proporcionado a la persona adecuada en el momento adecuado: el obispo Cozzens era la prueba A. Ahora, mientras la “goma” del Sínodo se preparaba para afrontar el “camino” de la parroquia, el Espíritu Santo suscitó a un párroco que había trabajado para dar vida a las prioridades mismas del Sínodo en la parroquia de su ciudad. Pero fue sólo a

Now, as the ‘rubber’ of the Synod was preparing to meet the ‘road’ of the parish, the Holy Spirit raised up a parish priest who had labored to bring the very priorities of the Synod to life in his city parish. But it was only through the eyes of those who had prepared the way that I could see that I was indeed ordained a bishop ‘for such a time as this.’

Of course, this was all an answer to Archbishop Hebda’s hopes and prayers. I recall being in Winona in June 2021 for our biannual Presbyteral Assembly. One of the priests asked the archbishop how he planned to make his Synod hopes a reality. He replied, quite simply, “I see the parish as being the motor of the Synod.” Those words were music to my ears. One of my fundamental convictions as a priest may be captured in a passage from Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, “The Joy of Evangelization”:

“The parish is not an outdated institution; precisely because it possesses great flexibility, it can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and the community. While certainly not the only institution which evangelizes, if the parish proves capable of selfrenewal and constant adaptivity, it continues to be ‘the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters.’

“In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers. It is a community of

través de los ojos de aquellos que habían preparado el camino que pude ver que efectivamente había sido ordenado obispo “para un tiempo como éste”.

Por supuesto, todo esto fue una respuesta a las esperanzas y oraciones del Arzobispo Hebda. Recuerdo estar en Winona en junio de 2021 para nuestra Asamblea Presbiteral bianual. Uno de los sacerdotes preguntó al arzobispo cómo planeaba hacer realidad sus esperanzas para el Sínodo. Él respondió, muy simplemente: “Veo a la parroquia como el motor del Sínodo”. Esas palabras fueron música para mis oídos. Una de mis convicciones fundamentales como sacerdote puede reflejarse en un pasaje de la exhortación apostólica del Papa Francisco, “La alegría de la evangelización”.

“La parroquia no es una institución obsoleta; Precisamente por su gran flexibilidad, puede asumir contornos muy diferentes según la apertura y la creatividad misionera del pastor y de la comunidad. Aunque ciertamente no es la única institución que evangeliza, si la parroquia se muestra capaz de renovarse y de adaptarse constantemente, sigue siendo ‘la Iglesia que vive en medio de los hogares de sus hijos e hijas’. En todas sus actividades la parroquia anima y capacita a sus miembros para ser evangelizadores. Es una comunidad de comunidades, un santuario donde los sedientos vienen a beber en medio de su camino, y un centro de constante acción misionera” (Evangelii Gaudium, 28).

Las grandes esperanzas que nuestro Santo Padre tiene en la parroquia es algo que llevo en el corazón desde hace muchos años. La parroquia como “centro de constante alcance misionero” puede parecer una quimera para algunos, pero es lo que viví durante casi 15 años en el sur de Minneapolis, junto con el personal de la parroquia y un sinnúmero de bautizados de San Esteban-Santo Rosario. Si no hiciera nada más durante estos últimos dos años más que inspirar a algunos de nuestros más santos y humildes párrocos y discípulos misioneros laicos a creer que

communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a center of constant missionary outreach” (Evangelii Gaudium, 28).

The high hope that our Holy Father has for the parish is something that I have carried in my heart for many years. The parish as a “center of constant missionary outreach” may seem like a pipe dream to some, but it is what I lived for nearly 15 years in south Minneapolis, together with the parish staff and countless of the baptized of St. Stephen-Holy Rosary. If I did nothing else during these past two years but inspire a few of our holiest and humblest parish priests and lay missionary disciples to believe that this missionary dream could also be a reality in their own parish, then it will have been clear to me that I was indeed called to be an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese “for such a time as this.”

Since Jan. 25, 2022, I have offered countless Masses for all the women, men, youth and young adults, religious, deacons and priests who have said “yes” to the archbishop’s bold evangelization proposals. I have prayed in a special way for our small group leaders, that our Lord would grant a miraculous catch of disciples through their parish evangelization cells. Now, I would like to invite all of you to pray for me as I celebrate a Holy Hour of Thanksgiving on Sunday, July 14, at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.

As most of you know, Pope Francis has appointed me as coadjutor bishop of Camden, New Jersey. That means saying “farewell” to the local Church where I was born and raised and have labored and loved for 50 years. While I am certain of being called to Camden “for such a time as this,” I would be happy if you prayed for me on my way.

esto sueño misionero también podría ser una realidad en su propia parroquia, entonces me habría quedado claro que efectivamente fui llamado a ser obispo auxiliar de la arquidiócesis “para un tiempo como éste”.

Desde el 25 de enero de 2022, he ofrecido innumerables Misas para todas las mujeres, hombres y jóvenes y jóvenes adultos, religiosos, diáconos y sacerdotes que han dicho “sí” a las audaces propuestas evangelizadoras del arzobispo. He orado de manera especial por nuestros pequeños líderes de grupo, que nuestro Señor concedería una captura milagrosa de discípulos a través de sus células de evangelización parroquiales. Ahora me gustaría invitarlos a todos a orar por mí mientras celebro la Hora Santa de Acción de Gracias el domingo 14 de julio a las 2 p.m. en la Catedral de San Pablo en St. Paul.

Como la mayoría de ustedes saben, el Papa Francisco me ha nombrado obispo coadjutor de Camden, Nueva Jersey. Eso significa decir “adiós” a la Iglesia local donde nací y crecí y donde he trabajado y amado durante 50 años. Mientras estoy seguro de ser llamado a Camden “para un momento como éste”, sería feliz si oraras por mí en mi camino.

OFFICIAL

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

Effective July 1, 2024

Reverend Cyprian Czop, OMI, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Casimir and the Church of Saint Patrick, both in Saint Paul. Father Czop has been serving as parochial vicar of the same parishes as well as for the Church of the Holy Cross in Minneapolis.

SLICEof LIFE

They’re back!

Five years after the original performance, “Catholic Young Adults: The Musical” returns for performances June 20-29 at St. Agnes School’s Helene Houle Auditorium in St. Paul. Almost an entirely new cast of 20 young adult men and women, including a few professionals, plus about 40 production crew members have been working on bringing to life a script written by Father Kyle Kowalczyk, pastor of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano and one of the co-founders of Missed the Boat Theatre, which is producing the play. The other co-founder, Mary Shaffer, who serves as artistic director, said there was always a plan to do the play again.

“The response (five years ago) was so overwhelmingly positive,” said Shaffer, 39, who is a member of St. Michael in Stillwater. “The audiences just loved it. We were sold out almost every show, and we were so overwhelmed almost immediately after the show with requests: ‘When are you going to do it again?’ … So, we’ve been waiting for the opportunity to bring it back.”

Performing a musical number during a dress rehearsal June 14 are, from left front, Laura Holleman of St. John the Baptist in Savage, Lesby Ampuero of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul and Natalia Foley of St. Mark in St. Paul. For more information and to buy tickets online, visit missedtheboattheatre com

Ministry to Hmong Catholics moving from St. Paul parish to Maplewood

By Joe Ruff

The Catholic Spirit

After 29 years of calling St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) in St. Paul home, the ministry to Hmong Catholics is joining Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood effective July 1, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said in a June 3 letter to both communities.

Benefits include having a pastor at Presentation of Mary — Father Toulee Peter Ly — who speaks Hmong, as well as a parish school, lower maintenance costs and additional opportunities for adult faith formation and music ministry, the archbishop said.

“It was anticipated, moreover, that the move would provide Presentation Parish with both an influx of new parishioners and a greater ability to bring the Good News of Jesus to those who live within its parish boundaries, many of whom are Hmong,” he wrote.

Information posted on Presentation of Mary’s website said Archbishop Hebda first approached Father Ly, who grew up in the SVDP Hmong community, with the idea and a question in January 2023: Could the two communities create a united parish family?

“The proposal wasn’t urgent, but it presented a mutually beneficial opportunity,” the posting said. Numerous discussions and faith sharing opportunities followed at both sites, including a late November 2023 invitation to the Hmong community to join Presentation of Mary’s Epiphany Mass Jan. 7. The “Come and See” event was designed for the two communities to pray together and socialize afterward.

“After months of getting to know each other, the communities unanimously decided to come together,” the posting said.

The archbishop, meanwhile, consulted with the Presbyteral Council on March 12 regarding his recommendation and possible future use of St. Vincent de Paul church, which has been a satellite campus of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. Based on all the input he received, Archbishop Hebda said in his June 3 letter, he adopted the recommendation that the Hmong ministry be transferred to Presentation of Mary.

“I am so grateful to the members of the Hmong community and the parishioners at Presentation of Mary for their work in making this development possible,” Archbishop Hebda said in the letter. “I realize that it can be difficult to move from one’s longtime spiritual home to a new parish, or to welcome another group into one’s parish. Yet I am reminded that our true home is in heaven, and I share your belief that the move to Presentation of Mary holds the promise of helping even more souls reach that heavenly home.”

Father Ly and Father Matthew Northenscold, who has been sacramental minister to the Hmong community for the last two years, wrote a letter to parishioners and community members June 8, on the feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, announcing Archbishop Hebda’s blessing for the “two communities to come together as one family at Presentation of Mary.”

The two priests said as they waited for word from the archbishop, members in the Twin Cities of the Syro-Malabar Eparchy (Diocese) of Chicago, offered to purchase St. Vincent de Paul church for their faith community.

The Cathedral accepted the offer with a closing date of June 13, the priests said. The eparchy is an Eastern Catholic Church from India united with the Roman Catholic Church in faith and in union with the pope, but with a different liturgical tradition and a different bishop and priests.

“Though the suddenness of this news is not ideal, we do look at the blessings the Good Lord has provided,” Fathers Ly and Northenscold wrote. “The Saint Vincent de Paul Hmong Catholic Community gains a new and bigger home with a priest who speaks their language, and parishioners who are ready to receive them. The Syro-Malabar community also gains a church to call home.”

Archbishop Hebda added in his letter that with the encouragement of the rector of the Cathedral — Father John Ubel — the Cathedral will present the majority of the proceeds from the sale of St. Vincent de Paul church to Presentation of Mary, with the

MASS CHANGES AT PRESENTATION OF MARY

uBilingual Masses (Hmong and English) will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. June 30 and July 28. Sunday Masses between those two dates will be in English.

uBeginning Aug. 4, each Sunday will include two Masses, at 9 a.m. in English and 11:45 a.m. in English and Hmong. However, a full Hmong Mass will be celebrated on the first Sunday of each month, instead of the bilingual Mass.

uMass details for Holy Days of Obligation will be determined as those dates approach.

MINISTRY PERSONNEL PLANS AT PRESENTATION OF MARY

uFather Toulee Peter Ly, pastor

uDeacon Michael Powers

uDeacon Nao Kao Yang, a crucial part of the SVDP Hmong community since his ordination in 1997.

understanding the gift will be used to sustain Hmong ministry at its new home.

A closing celebration for the St. Vincent de Paul community will be held at a 9 a.m. bilingual Mass June 23 with Archbishop Hebda, followed by a formal

program and meal in Wellisch Hall in the church’s lower level, the priests said.

A welcome celebration will be held at Presentation of Mary at a 9:30 a.m. bilingual Mass June 30, followed by the parish’s Funday festival.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Father Toulee Peter Ly talks with grade school children during his homily at Mass Nov. 17, 2023, at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood.

JOE RUFF | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood.

3 days after ordination, priests bring fun, prayer to alma mater grade school

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit

OOnly three days after their May 25 ordination, Fathers Philip Conklin, Michael Maloney and Joseph Wappes visited their alma mater, St. Charles Borromeo School in St. Anthony.

They wanted to give something back for all they had received from the school and the St. Charles Borromeo parish community in which they grew up.

“We’re baby priests — we’ve been priests for three days,” said Father Wappes, 26, to fourth and fifth graders, before launching into some memories he has of a fourth-grade project learning about U.S. states. “I did Maine, anybody do Maine?”

Father Maloney jumped in, “Delaware?” and a yes rose from one student.

Father Conklin, 36, said he remembered when the school didn’t have a playground (now there are two, he pointed out) and every student played football in the parking lot. “So, every day at recess, we just played football.”

The priests’ guide May 28 was St. Charles’ principal of 10 years, Danny Kiefer. The school is doing well, Kiefer said, growing enrollment from 246 students in 2015 to 364 students this year. In addition to visits with the fourth and fifth graders, Kiefer led the three men on visits to kindergartners with cart races in the gym; preschoolers in a classroom; second and third graders at recess playing kickball or entering an enclosed area for gaga ball (a mix of dodgeball and handball, with the goal of hitting players below the knees to force them out of the playing area); first graders in a classroom and sixth, seventh and eighth graders eager to hear stories from the men about their decisions to pursue the priesthood.

Their visit provided a glimpse into what all 13 recently ordained priests for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are doing to serve the Church, each in their own way, even as they take a short break between their ordination Mass and their first priestly assignments effective July 1.

Father Michael Van Sloun, director of clergy personnel for the archdiocese, said the priests have a month free to be with family and friends. One common activity is attending the ordinations of men from other dioceses with whom they went to seminary, Father Van Sloun said.

“The guys love the break,” Father Van Sloun said, particularly after a minimum of eight years of study in their formation as priests.

Asked by The Catholic Spirit why they came to St. Charles Borromeo to visit with the students, 26-year-old Father Maloney — a classmate of Father Wappes in grade school at St. Charles, at St. John Vianney College Seminary (SJV) in St. Paul and during more studies for the priesthood in Rome — said it was “a great opportunity to give something back to the school for all it’s given me, for all the faith it instilled in me, for all it taught me.”

It also brought him hope, knowing the school continues to grow, Father Maloney said.

Father Wappes said he was filled with joy and gratitude during the visit. “Just very grateful for all the years of formation and love I received here through the teachers and classmates. And then joy at how God might use us to inspire these children and their teachers.”

Father Conklin said when he left St. Charles Borromeo after eighth grade, he didn’t feel a deep attachment to the faith. But since then, he can see more clearly that the school taught the basics of the faith clearly and well, and that priests of the parish were inspirational and “solid, so solid.”

Father Maloney and Father Wappes showed their chalices to students and explained that they were ordination gifts from family and friends. Father Maloney pointed out that his once belonged to

ABOVE LEFT Father Maloney chats with kindergartners in the gym.

ABOVE RIGHT Father Conklin bestows a priestly blessing on second and third graders on the school’s playground.

PHOTOS BY JORDANA TORGESON, FOR THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

a former pastor at St. Charles Borromeo, the late Father Paul La Fontaine. Father Wappes’ chalice was a gift from his grandparents, Richard and the late Mary Ann Hawkins.

“It is gold and silver; we want to give our best things to God,” Father Wappes said, as he explained sacred symbols on the chalice including grapes and wine, the sacred heart of Jesus and the fleur-de-lis to signify Mary.

An exchange between a first grader and Father Conklin drew laughter as the student asked Father Conklin, “Why didn’t you bring your chalice?”

“I forgot it. That’s it. I just forgot it,” said Father Conklin, in mock self-defense.

“OK, next time,” the student chided, drawing out the word time.

“Next time I promise to do my best — to try to remember — to bring my chalice,” Father Conklin said, laughing.

Father Wappes told eighth graders that during a

high school visit to SJV he began taking the idea of the priesthood seriously.

One student asked if the process of becoming a priest was complicated.

“Yes, maybe,” Father Maloney said. “But people help you through it. Father (David) Blume (former director of the archdiocese’s Office of Vocations) helped us. If you think you might be called, talk to the vocations director, or Father (Troy) Przybilla (pastor of St. Charles Borromeo and a former vocations director).”

Father Conklin told the students he went to church but wasn’t particularly invested in his faith while growing up. He served in the Air Force as an air traffic controller and began to pray more.

“It’s a calling (from God),” Father Conklin said. “It’s not something you do for yourself. I didn’t want to be a priest. But I started praying a couple of years before studying to be a priest. I just heard this calling.”

TOP Father Joseph Wappes bestows a priestly blessing May 28 on kindergartners and sixth and seventh graders gathered in the gym at St. Charles Borromeo School in St. Anthony, while Fathers Philip Conklin, far left, and Michael Maloney join him. In the foreground is Tony Carpenter, a physical education, fifth grade religion and middle school technology teacher at the school.

Father Bowman leaves corporate career behind to pursue priesthood

By Dave Hrbacek

The Catholic Spirit

After working in the corporate world for about 12 years, Father Brent Bowman was between jobs and decided to take a trip to Medjugorje. The hope was to find inspiration and guidance “for my next career move,” he said.

He got that and more on his trip in 2015. God spoke to him and did indeed prompt him about a future move — toward a vocation to the priesthood. As this new desire began to take root in his heart, he continued to work in the corporate world for three more years before applying to The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul in the spring of 2018 and starting that fall.

“I went to Medjugorje, literally, just to pray on a mountaintop,” said Father Bowman, 44, of his 10-day trip to the pilgrimage site in Bosnia-Herzegovina where many believe Marian apparitions have been taking place since 1981. “I encountered the Holy Spirit there.”

He said he was “redirected” back to a desire for priesthood he had sometimes felt since the day of his confirmation in Fargo, North Dakota, where he grew up. That desire was persistent in the ensuing years, but he felt a stronger pull to work in the corporate world and pursue marriage and family. After getting degrees in Catholic Studies and journalism with an emphasis in advertising, plus a minor in business, he decided to stay in the Twin Cities after his graduation in 2003. He worked for Best Buy at its corporate headquarters in Richfield right out of college, then worked for other companies in marketing, business development and product innovation.

Along the way, he got into dating relationships with the hope of getting married and starting a family. It so happened that the trip to Medjugorje took place when he neither had a job nor was in a relationship. It was the right time to pray and be open to whatever God wanted, he said, which turned out to be a different path than the one he had been on.

“So, the Holy Spirit was redirecting me, and with that experience, was really convicting me that it’s the work of ministry the Lord calls me to, and that’s where the greatest fulfillment will lie for me,” he said. “It was really beautiful. It was a time to just let the Lord purify

the desires of my heart and ready me to apply to the seminary.”

As he looks back, his 15 years in the corporate world weren’t necessarily at odds with his calling to the priesthood. Rather, it was part of his formation that helped him ultimately respond to God’s call to serve the Church as a priest.

“I’m grateful that it’s part of my story,” he said of his corporate work. “And I think I can expect to relate to people in a unique way because of those 15 years.”

For one thing, he said he will understand “the pressures, the burdens (and) family life.” He noted that he will have “a quiet comfort, a confidence, a joy in future ministry, knowing maybe a little more” about what it’s like having work and family as the focus in life.

Now, Father Bowman is preparing for his first assignment July 1, as parochial vicar of Holy Family in

Love for the liturgy defines Father Conklin’s ministry

By Anna Wilgenbusch The Catholic Spirit

Father Philip Conklin, 36, grew up in a faithful Catholic family in New Brighton that regularly attended Mass at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony and prayed a daily rosary.

Despite his faith-soaked upbringing, Father Conklin said that the priesthood, “didn’t even cross (his) mind” as a young man. He entered the Air Force and looked forward to a career in air traffic control.

But something didn’t feel right about the path he was on, said Father Conklin. Grief caused him to revisit his Catholic faith in a deeper way.

“I was still Catholic, but I was very lukewarm. Then (when I was) about 26 (years old), I lost one of my best friends to cancer. And so that kind of jump-started things. But again, I was in the military and didn’t really think much about priesthood,” he explained on the May 3 episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. When his career hit a roadblock at the same time that a relationship ended, he was surprised to feel excited for the opportunity to change course. Soon after, he entered The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul.

He said there was not one singular, particular moment that led him to the seminary, but rather small moments of saying yes to God’s plan for his life.

“There wasn’t a lightning bolt sort of deal,” he said. “Over time in the seminary, I found myself more at peace about the direction I was going. It’s a long process, and as time went on, I became more assured that this was the path I ought to go (on).”

The seminary fostered Father Conklin’s deep love for the liturgy — a love he exercises in his priesthood.

Father Conklin’s first assignment as a priest will begin July 1 as parochial vicar of St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater.

Father Conklin’s family planted the seeds of his faith, he said.

“My parents their whole lives have been faithful Catholics. When we were children, we would say the

St. Louis Park and part-time chaplain and instructor for Chesterton Academy in Hopkins.

When it comes to serving as a priest, what does he look forward to?

“It’s just really simple — to be a shepherd of souls,” he said. “I recognize just the sacredness of the call and the ministry, and the responsibility we have to take care of those souls that the Lord chooses to send to his priests. I desire nothing more than to care for those the Lord sends my way.”

Father Bowman is one of the three oldest men in his class. He likes both the difference in age and experience among the 13 men recently ordained.

“We’re a pretty tight class,” he said. “We enjoy spending time together. We support each other. Age is never a point of difference, it’s not a point of contention. ... I see the beauty in (the) other men’s gifts. I think we’re uniquely suited — in very different ways, in incomparable ways — to ministry. And I think we’ll support each other in a great way.”

He also likes the size of his ordination class, the largest since 2005, when 15 men were ordained, including Auxiliary Bishop Michael Izen. “Thanks be to God for that gift,” Father Bowman said. “I’m grateful to have so many brothers, and so many different brothers.”

He sees the large number of men in his ordination class as a sign and a fruit of what God is doing in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, a place where he feels called to serve.

“It’s with not just peace, but with absolute conviction that it is a work of the Holy Spirit, who calls me here,” he said. “What is going on in our local Church makes me so excited for ministry and to be part of this great work.”

He added that an additional joy took place the same weekend as ordination, when the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage made its way through the archdiocese, with a large procession from The St. Paul Seminary to the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul May 27 (Memorial Day).

He had this to say about both of those big events: “What a great time to be a Catholic priest.”

rosary almost every night. Mass was always attended on Sundays and holy days of obligation,” he said.

His grandmother ensured that the family carried on the Catholic faith.

“My grandma, whom I didn’t know very well actually, raised nine children in very difficult circumstances, and I love all of those eight aunts and uncles who are faithful. She was convicted and strong in the faith while being extremely gentle,” he said.

Father Conklin views celebrating the Mass as an opportunity to “bring as holy, reverent and beautiful (a) liturgy as possible to feed the people’s souls.”

Father Conklin said that it was a “great feeling” to have gone through formation with 12 other men — the largest class at The St. Paul Seminary since 15 men were ordained in 2005.

“It helps with fraternity a lot, since we were together so much over the years, which will carry over to priesthood. I also think about how it will help a lot with the other priests in the diocese, where there is need for more priests to help minister to the people.”

He is also grateful to have the opportunity to walk with members of the faithful through the ups and downs of life. Accompanying people as they enter the Church is “life-giving,” he said.

“A priest gets to be present at people’s most joyful and sorrowful moments of life, which is very powerful,” he said.

In particular, he wants to work with the children and youth to help “children grow up in love in the Lord, whether that’s in the school, in Mass, or in faith formation.”

“I want them to be on fire for Christ and the Catholic Church.”

Father Brent Bowman

Father Philip Conklin

Father Floeder’s family was the ‘school of love’ that spurred his vocation

By Anna Wilgenbusch

The Catholic Spirit

Father Francis “Frankie” Floeder’s childhood was marked by the presence of clergy.

His uncle, Father John Floeder, is the director of the propaedeutic year and director of human formation at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. His elder brother, Father Louis, is the pastor of St. Dominic in Northfield. Priests regularly joined his parents, Steven and Chany Floeder, and their 10 children for dinner.

It was the positive presence of these priests in his life, Father Floeder said, that provided the impetus for him to enter the seminary. He was ordained with 12 other men from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to the priesthood on May 25 at the age of 26.

“My family has been instrumental in forming me into the man I am today,” he said. “God is calling all of us to be saints, and it has been a blessing for me to see the ways God is using us for the upbuilding of the kingdom.”

Father Floeder grew up attending St. Louis, King of France in St. Paul and Mounds View High School in Arden Hills. He completed his undergraduate degree in philosophy and Catholic Studies with a minor in psychology at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, where he then earned his Master’s of Divinity at The St. Paul Seminary.

Now, he is preparing for his first priestly assignment as parochial vicar of Sts. Joachim and

them all.”

“I have put in a lot of time reading the lives of the saints, and they have been a great help to me over the years. St. Mother Teresa is my favorite saint, and she has been hugely influential in my vocation.”

Part of that vocation, Father Floeder hopes, is to radiate the love that he received from his family — which he referred to as a “school of love,” referencing a quote of St. John Paul II — to all of those he meets.

“I think the greatest need in our local Church could be summed up in one word: love. We are made out of love for love. We can always grow in our love for God and love for our neighbor. As a priest I will represent God and the Church in a unique way, and my hope is that I can radiate God’s love to all I encounter. I plan on responding to that need by doing small things with great love,” he said, quoting St. Teresa.

Out of all that priests do, Father Floeder is most grateful for the ability to celebrate Mass.

“Part of the supreme law of the Church is the glory of God and the salvation of souls. The Mass is a unique way that the priest gets to participate in that,” he said.

He also anticipates playing ultimate frisbee with the youth.

“Ultimate frisbee is my favorite (sport to play), so hopefully that will give me an in with the youth. I also like playing guitar and singing, and that seems to be a hit when I am at places like hospitals or leading retreats.”

“Feed my lambs.” “Tend my sheep.” “Feed my sheep.” -JOhn 21:15-17

Father Frankie, the Catholic parishes of Richfield have great faith that your leadership will be a great blessing to the communities you serve. We will be praying for you.

CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION

ST. RICHARD CATHOLIC CHURCH

CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ST. PETER

FATHER FRANKIE FLOEDER

Anne in Shakopee, effective July 1.

In addition to the witness of priests, the witness of the saints influenced Father Floeder’s path to the priesthood. While St. Teresa of Kolkata is his favorite, he said he hasn’t “met a saint that I don’t like. I love

Father Francis Floeder

Father Gilde’s heart for ministry, desire for God draw him to priesthood

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit

Following God’s promptings to help others, Father Derek Gilde carved out a 15-year career in social work and mental health. Hoping to draw more people to Christ, he entered the seminary and was ordained a priest May 25 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.

Growing up Lutheran in a faithful church community inspired him to “follow Jesus no matter where the road leads” and begin to consider becoming a pastor, said Father Gilde, a native of River Falls, Wisconsin.

“During a period of wrestling, I began to hear the Lord confirm to me an invitation instead to tend to the corporeal needs of human brokenness in the world, so I followed the path of social work,” he said.

In his years of public service, his faith and understanding of God’s presence in the world became more fully alive, Father Gilde said.

“These years were equally beautiful but also met with struggles in the reshaping of who I am and the capacity to see God’s providence in the messiness of my own life and those around me,” he said. “It was especially the people who suffered most but clung to God’s word and overcame that inspired me to not give up my study of Scripture and theological wrestling.”

One circumstance after another — including meeting a pastor who introduced him to the writings of St. Augustine and C.S. Lewis — piqued his interest in the Catholic faith, Father Gilde told the “Practicing Catholic” radio show in the days leading up to his ordination. After reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and speaking with Catholics, he converted and

later joined the seminary.

Despite his winding road toward the priesthood, Father Gilde said he is confident that it was providentially ordered by God. “I could sense his leadership (in) many moments of my life. You just have to follow when he calls,” Father Gilde told “Practicing Catholic.”

Father Gilde, 44, is in a class of 13 newly ordained priests for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the largest class since 15 were ordained in 2005.

“I am grateful and excited to be part of a large class,” he said. “For me, it has been incredibly inspiring to look to other men who are walking alongside me and delight in the diversity of gifts, edifying qualities, and different expertise and insights from a variety of life experiences.” Inspiring examples of priestly life for him include Bishop Michael Izen, who, in his several assignments as a priest, led “the community in Stillwater with such great faithfulness and genuineness of heart”; Father Jake Anderson, who serves at St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center in Minneapolis, for his “incredibly deep and evangelical preaching”; and Father Andrew Jaspers, who ministers in the Apostolate of Catholic Health Care Professionals and as a chaplain at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, for “helping me learn to pray more deeply and teaching me more clearly what a vision of priesthood might look like.”

Father Gilde is preparing now for his first assignment beginning July 1, as parochial vicar of St. John the Baptist in New Brighton.

Looking ahead to ministry as a priest, Father Gilde told “Practicing Catholic” that he was enthused about witnessing and being part of what God is doing in the lives of the faithful. That was especially true in considering a parish setting, “calling upon the Holy Spirit to offer Mass” and imparting God’s grace through confession, confirmation and anointing the ill and dying, he said.

“But even when that day comes,” Father Gilde said, “the words of Psalm 139:6 will remain: ‘Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high I cannot attain it.’”

Accompanying people on their walk of faith is ‘an honor’ for Father Gudjonsson

By Rebecca Omastiak

The Catholic Spirit

Father Hjalmar Blondal Gudjonsson most anticipates walking with people on their faith journeys as a Catholic priest.

Father Gudjonsson, 48, was among 13 men ordained to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis May 25 — the largest class since 2005. Father Gudjonsson has been assigned as parochial vicar of Divine Mercy in Faribault effective July 1.

“A call to become a priest is something I have been experiencing for a long time,” Father Gudjonsson told The Catholic Spirit.

“Throughout my life, my calling to the priesthood has been maybe less about the singular, defining moment, but more about a continuous, unfolding journey,” he shared with “Practicing Catholic” radio show producer Kayla Mayer when his interview aired May 17. “It’s been a path marked by daily affirmations where I have been practicing my faith and those insights have guided me deeper into that faith.”

Father Gudjonsson grew up in Iceland and Sweden. He obtained a Master of Laws degree in civil law and a Bachelor of Science degree in commercial law and business administration, both at the University of Bifrost in Iceland. Father Gudjonsson passed the bar exam in Iceland and practiced as an attorney before the district courts in Iceland for several years, he said.

Father Gudjonsson also obtained a Pontifical Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, in Rome.

“The Pontifical universities in Rome offer a solid intellectual formation,” Father Gudjonsson told The Catholic Spirit. “I was blessed to have lived at Sant’Anselmo in Rome, where I had some of the best years of my life.”

Father Gudjonsson said he arrived in the United States three years ago and concluded his formation last spring at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. After his diaconate ordination, he spent this past year working in a parish setting. He has served at

Divine Mercy and has been teaching theology at Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria.

“Teaching at Holy Family was a profound experience,” Father Gudjonsson said. “The dedication and spirit of both the staff and students truly embody the core values of our archdiocese. Their commitment to excellence and community made my time there deeply rewarding.”

Meanwhile, Father Gudjonsson — who, at the time, was a deacon — was invited to serve at a July 2023 Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in Rome. This included duties as “deacon of the altar” such as incensing Pope Francis and the Mass’ concelebrants, cardinals, bishops, priests and the roughly 15,000 faithful present, as well as preparing the principal chalice and lifting it alongside Cardinal Kevin Farrell during the consecration.

“It was a great honor to have represented the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at the papal altar in Rome,” Father Gudjonsson said at the time.

Reflecting on the Church’s greatest needs, Father Gudjonsson said he aligns with Pope Francis’ call for a Church that heals wounds and warms the hearts of the faithful.

“The Church needs to be more pastoral, focusing on nurturing the spiritual growth of the people,” he said. “It needs to be present for those who are neglected and marginalized.”

Father Gudjonsson, who speaks seven languages fluently and can communicate in five others, said he recently learned Spanish.

“I decided to learn Spanish when I moved to the U.S. so I could be of service to a broader group of people in the archdiocese,” he said. “The number of Spanish-speaking people is growing every day in the archdiocese. We are in dire need of more Spanishspeaking priests. I like the idea of randomly assigning two priests a year to study Spanish.”

He said he is also looking forward to “interacting with new environments and cultures” within the parishes that make up the archdiocese.

“I like to work with people and I’m there for the people,” Father Gudjonsson said. “It’s exciting to connect deeply with diverse communities and to find a common ground based on our shared values and spiritual beliefs — being a part of something larger and coming together to our collective faith and humanity.”

Deep gratitude shines through Father Gudjonsson’s reflections on his journey to the priesthood. Every person he has encountered along the way, he said, “represent(s) some kind of invitation for me to serve and to grow in my vocation. Every single person I have met throughout this journey has had an important role for me to come to the place where I am now.”

Father Gudjonsson said he is looking forward “to continuing to serve and help people” as a newly ordained priest.

“To stand with people on their journey and that they invite us (as priests) to be a part of their journey, that’s an honor for me.”

Father Hjalmar Blondal Gudjonsson

Father Derek Gilde

Father Maloney’s dedication to God as a priest ‘is now primary’

By Rebecca Omastiak

The Catholic Spirit

Al

ong his path to the priesthood, Father Michael Maloney has drawn inspiration from his family in living a life of faith. His grandmother “has been very involved with various ministries throughout her life, including being part of the Serra Club, which prays for vocations,” he said. “She also has a son, my uncle, who is a priest,” highlighting how his family has paved the way for his own vocation.

Father Maloney, 26, was among 13 men ordained to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis May 25 — the largest class since 2005.

Father Maloney has been assigned as parochial vicar of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Minnetonka, starting July 1, until he returns to Rome in September to continue his academic studies.

Born to parents John and Anne, Father Maloney grew up in St. Anthony Village with six siblings — Catherine, Lucy, Gregory, Rita, Richard and Margaret. His home parish is St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony.

“Growing up, I knew the priests at my parish,” Father Maloney said about some of his earliest examples. “They were joyful men who worked to bring people closer to God.”

He felt a strong connection to the seminarians from his parish. “These men, I think, really opened the door for me to go to seminary.”

“There’s a great sense of joy with these men and also a willingness to be friends ... that really helped me to desire this life with the Lord, desire this joy,” he said.

Father Maloney shared with “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley when his interview aired April 26 that his call further developed in high school, through his youth group involvement and from a visit to the seminary with Father Joseph Wappes, who was also ordained May 25.

“Visiting the seminary with (Father) Joe, knowing other brother seminarians from our parish who have gone on ahead of us, I think they really inspired me to enter the seminary and follow the Lord’s call there,” he said.

Father Maloney attended St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul and pursued degrees in philosophy and physics. He also obtained a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known

as the Angelicum, and has started the License in Biblical Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, both in Rome.

Father Maloney shared with “Practicing Catholic” that he views his academic experience in Rome as a time of seeing “the universal Church.”

He said he was able “to meet different people, whether religious sisters, other men studying to be priests, or other laypeople in our classes or who live in our college from all around the United States and all around the world; it’s really, really special to be able to meet people from every continent who are studying the same faith but living it in a radically different context.”

He described this time in Rome as a “great gift,” also expressing his excitement over returning to the archdiocese and spending time with family and friends while he also prepares for his new assignment at Immaculate Heart of Mary before returning to Rome in the fall.

Though the fraternal nature of the seminary was what initially encouraged Father Maloney in his pursuit of the priesthood, he said his perspective has expanded.

“Over time, I have grown to love the Lord more

in the Eucharist, and the desire to be dedicated to him is now primary,” he shared with The Catholic Spirit. “The desire to pursue the Lord with brother priests is still strong, but relationship with the Lord is the primary reason I am certain of the Lord’s calling.”

Father Maloney said his family has supported his decision to pursue the priesthood.

“They have also sacrificed, especially since I have been living abroad for the last four years,” he said.

Father Maloney shared with “Practicing Catholic” that his family has been “very excited” for his ordination, sharing that one of his sisters made rosaries for those who attended his ordination reception.

He also said priesthood discernment is continuing in his family — one of his younger brothers has entered the seminary.

In terms of his own ministry, Father Maloney said he is eager to administer the sacraments “and so being a channel of God’s grace to his people.”

“I especially look forward to the sacraments of reconciliation and anointing of the sick,” he told The Catholic Spirit. “Every priest I know has had powerful experiences ministering these sacraments, especially anointing of the sick.”

He views continued catechesis as one of the Church’s greatest needs.

“I think that we always need to come to a greater understanding of our faith so that we can have greater confidence in sharing it with others,” he said. “I am currently studying Biblical Theology and hope to teach people more about the Bible in our archdiocese.”

He hopes also to connect with parishioners over running and chess — two of his interests.

“I know of other priests who have started running groups in the parish to exercise and to get to know each other better. This is something that I love to do, and I think that others enjoy doing it as well,” he said. “I also play chess and have connected with parishioners over chess during the summers.”

Father Maloney said he was thrilled to be among this year’s class of newly ordained priests.

“We all have different talents and strengths which we bring to the priesthood, and which will aid us in our ministry,” he said. “I think we are also a rather close-knit class despite our size, and we look forward to any time when we can be together. I am happy to be serving alongside these men.”

Father Michael Maloney

Family and youth groups help propel Father Mulcare to the priesthood

By Joe Ruff

The Catholic Spirit

Father Sean Mulcare was in the ninth grade when he experienced a call to the priesthood at Extreme Faith Camp, a popular Catholic youth summer camp in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. That desire waned a bit in high school but was revived later.

At the camp, “I just encountered God’s love for the first time, and it all became so real for me,” he said before his ordination to the priesthood May 25 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. “It just felt like (God said) ‘I want you to be my priest,’” Father Mulcare told the “Practicing Catholic” radio show.

Now, Father Mulcare, 28, is preparing for his first priestly assignment beginning July 1, as parochial vicar of St. Ambrose in Woodbury.

In the weeks before the ordination Mass, Father Mulcare said he was excited, humbled and grateful to God and so many people in his life as he prepared to fulfill his calling to be a priest.

Father Mulcare said he was especially looking forward to walking with people individually in the sacraments of confession and anointing of the sick.

“Being with people and being invited into their lives at times when they are suffering is such a privileged place to be, and I am so grateful to God,” he said.

Father Mulcare, whose hometown parish is St. Peter in Forest Lake, where he was involved with a parish youth group, said he is an only child and his parents, Tim and Cheryl, have been instrumental

in his faith life and supported his decision to enter the seminary.

“Growing up, my parents were very important in helping my faith life to grow,” he said. “We went to Mass every Sunday and my parents sent me to church camps like Extreme Faith Camp. I wouldn’t

be where I am today without them.”

After he graduated from high school, he served for a year with West St. Paul-based NET Ministries, where his desire for the priesthood was reignited through ministry to young people. After he served with NET, he entered the seminary.

One model for priesthood as he grew up was thenFather Donald DeGrood, pastor of St. Peter at that time, and now Bishop DeGrood of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Father Mulcare said.

“He was a wonderful example of a priest who clearly loved his people very deeply and showed me that the life of a priest is not a loveless life in any way — rather, it is a life filled with love, purpose and joy in people and for God,” Father Mulcare said.

As he looks to ministry as a priest, Father Mulcare said one of the greatest missions will be helping people encounter God’s love, especially through personal prayer. He hopes to connect with parishioners through his love of being outdoors and hiking, bicycling, enjoying bonfires and more.

“I find being outside to be a source of renewal and chance to connect with the wonder of God’s creation,” Father Mulcare said.

Asked about being in the largest class of newly ordained priests for the archdiocese since 2005, Father Mulcare said, “It’s definitely an exciting thing to be part of such a large class and it is a gift to have so many brothers with whom I am entering this life of priesthood. It’s wonderful knowing that I’m not entering this alone but will have the support of many people.”

Father Panka credits Mary’s intercession with his vocation

By Anna Wilgenbusch

The Catholic Spirit

Father Michael Panka, 35, said that he owes much of his vocation to the intercession of Mary.

“My primary models and inspiration have been Our Lady and all the saints,” he said. “I owe much to Our Lady’s intercession and it is in large part due to my parents’ influence that I have a strong attachment and devotion to Mary, our Mother.”

Father Panka, who grew up in New Prague, attended St. Nicholas in Elko New Market, where his love for the Mass was cultivated. His parents, Paul and Candice, helped Father Panka grow in his faith, along with his six siblings, through frequenting the sacraments there.

“My parents took very seriously their responsibility to educate me and my siblings in the faith and made sure that we attended Mass on Sundays (as well as at other times), went to confession regularly, and prayed daily. One of the most formative parts of my upbringing was our daily family rosary,” he said.

Father Panka’s path to priesthood was not as direct as some of his classmates. After graduating from college with a bachelor’s degree in Latin and classical languages and earning a master’s in

to follow the call.

“I had this ongoing debate with the Lord that he seemingly very clearly wanted me to pursue the priesthood, and I was trying to give him all the excuses I could think of for a very long time,” Father Panka said. “The Lord is patient and kind and merciful and he just kept inviting me to consider this possibility.”

He said that his vocation was clarified through “many years of prayer, discernment and talking with others.”

Father Panka will begin his first priestly assignment July 1 as parochial vicar of St. Stephen in Anoka.

He hopes that his priesthood will help reestablish a Christian worldview, which has been replaced by a “subjective understanding of the universe,” he said.

“How shall I help meet this need? First, by deepening my own relationship with God through frequent prayer and meditation on sacred Scripture; second, by educating myself especially in the history of Christian doctrine and Christian (and pre-Christian) thought; third, through preaching and teaching; and fourth, by building meaningful relationships with the people I serve, so that, through the friendly exchange of ideas, we may together deepen our knowledge and understanding of the truth as it appears in every aspect of our daily lives,” he said.

Father Sean Mulcare

Catholic Studies, he pursued a career as a teacher. He felt the Lord inviting him to the priesthood, Father Panka said, but he was reluctant

Father Michael Panka

Father Rasset is ‘so humbled’ to be a priest

By Anna Wilgenbusch

The Catholic Spirit

Father Alexander Rasset, 26, began discerning a call to priesthood — a call that came to fruition May 25 when he was ordained in the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul — when he was in middle school and attended a youth group at his home parish, St. Francis Xavier in Buffalo.

“At the invitation of my best friend, I joined my parish youth group in middle school. This was a pivotal catalyst in my relationship with the Lord. The youth group leaders and the older students taught and witnessed to me what it was to be a disciple of Jesus,” he said.

Father Dave Hennen, now pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings, led the youth group and introduced him for the first time to “a real and abiding relationship with the living God,” he said.

His subsequent relationship with God, spurred by the example of priests like Father Hennen, led him to seminary.

“Having been encountered by the living God and having great priestly witness, when I felt the Lord’s call on my heart to be a priest, it was not long before I decided to enter the seminary right after high school,” he said.

Father Rasset feels a special call to encourage holy marriages in his ministry. Data shows that marriages in the Church and at large occur less frequently than in the past.

“I’m saddened by how few marriages there are each year in so many parishes,” he said. “Whether people are forgoing marriage altogether or getting married outside of the Church, there is a great need here. The Lord

has made marriage and family an indispensable and beautiful institution where he desires to encounter his people and make present his own love in this world. I want to help proclaim this message of the goodness and dignity of the family and how important of a vocation it is.”

Some of his desire to encourage holy marriages may have come from the example of his own parents, Patrick

Father Sustacek’s passion for math adds up to

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

As Father Ryan Sustacek was going through his high school years, he had a particular profession in mind for his adult life. It was not the priesthood.

“All the way up through high school, I wanted to be a math teacher,” he said. “I liked math, so that’s what I wanted to do. In grade school, I didn’t even really think about becoming a priest. That wasn’t even on my mind — farthest thing from it.”

That’s not to say faith wasn’t important to him. His parents, Steve and Jennifer, taught him about prayer, Mass and the sacraments at the parish where he grew up, St. Michael in St. Michael. He also participated in the parish youth ministry, which brought him to Extreme Faith Camp in 2010 after he finished the sixth grade at St. Michael Catholic School.

The week-long experience “absolutely changed everything,” said Father Sustacek, 26. Even though he wasn’t enthused about going — his mom signed him up — his attitude changed during his time at camp.

“I loved it, I really did,” he said. “I remember being really inspired by some of the older guys.”

One of them was Paul Shovelain, now Father Shovelain, who also grew up in St. Michael parish and was in formation for the priesthood at that time. It was during this week of camp “when I met the Lord,” Father Sustacek recalled.

The highlight of the week came during a gathering with other campers when a priest walked through the crowd with a monstrance holding the Eucharist. Campers got an individual moment to adore the Eucharist and receive a blessing from the priest. That year, the priest was Father Donald DeGrood, now Bishop DeGrood of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Father Sustacek was “overcome with emotion,” he recalled. “It was a real experience, as clear as day. It was like: God loves me, he has a plan for my life, and whatever my life entails from here on out is going to be with him.”

The theme for camp had to do with the priesthood,

and Rita Rasset, who have supported his vocation.

“My parents have been tremendously supportive of me throughout the journey toward priesthood,” he said. “They have been there for me every step of the way. Especially in particularly difficult moments, their love and understanding of me has truly been a grace from the Lord. Their witness to me of steadfast love has been a living image of, and place of encounter with, the steadfast love of God himself. I am so grateful for them.”

Father Rasset said that his father has been an example of qualities associated with God the Father, like “kindness, understanding, generosity and mercy.”

“He is a man of great kindness and integrity. I am inspired by his daily dedication to prayer and regular sacramental life. He really witnesses for me the love of God the Father.”

Father Rasset also looks up to St. John Paul II, who exemplifies the kind of personal attention that Father Rasset hopes to give to each person he encounters in his ministry.

“While living a heroic life of sanctity and holiness, he (St. John Paul II) was at the same time such a ‘normal’ person. He was a close and caring friend to very many people, and based on the countless testimonies of those who met him, encountered every person he met with an intentionality and care like they were the only person in the room. This attention to and love of other people really inspires me,” Father Rasset said.

Father Rasset’s first assignment as a priest will begin July 1, as parochial vicar of St. Michael in St. Michael. He said he can only express gratitude for his journey of faith.

“I am so excited to be a dispenser of God’s manifold grace. I am so humbled that the Lord wants to use me as his minister to encounter his people, and very grateful.”

priestly vocation

and it was stressed throughout the week. Father Sustacek went back to camp every summer after that all the way through high school. He called the first year “foundational” in terms of his spiritual life and what followed in subsequent years.

“If you’re not going to promise to give your life to God, then priesthood doesn’t make sense at all,” he said. “If that moment wouldn’t have happened, if the Lord’s grace wouldn’t have touched me in that way right there, the later stuff couldn’t have happened.”

After his experience at camp, it was a gradual path to the point where he started considering the priesthood. He was a competitive swimmer in high school and wanted to continue swimming in college. He was recruited by St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona to swim, and he still wanted to be a math

teacher. So, his plan was to go there, compete on the swimming team and study education.

He made a visit to the school his senior year of high school, but it didn’t feel right. After that, he visited St. John Vianney College Seminary (SJV) in St. Paul. There was a strong connection between the Sustacek family and SJV. Father Bill Baer (who died in 2018) was the rector of SJV from 1999 to 2010, and was also the priest who performed the wedding ceremony of Father Sustacek’s parents. The rector of SJV when Father Sustacek made his visit was Father Michael Becker, who had been the pastor of St. Michael when Father Sustacek was growing up.

Because of his family’s connections to SJV, “I had the sense in my heart I’m supposed to go visit the seminary,” he said, noting that this sense came while he was in an adoration chapel at St. Mary’s during his visit there. “It felt like, in prayer, the call was clear,” he recalled. “Someone’s calling me, and I’m supposed to go (to SJV for a visit).”

He visited SJV the weekend after his visit to St. Mary’s, and he went by himself. “The timing (of the visit in November 2015) was just perfect,” he said. “I loved it. And ... I could totally see myself here.”

After the visit to SJV, he now was leaning toward enrolling at the University of St. Thomas, on the same campus as SJV, in the fall after his graduation from St. Michael-Albertville High School. But he wasn’t sold on the priesthood yet. He thought maybe he could enroll at the University of St. Thomas as a general student and compete on the swimming team, but not join SJV.

Then, something happened the spring of his senior year during Mass at St. Michael when his sister Rachel was confirmed. Occasionally, the parish has the confirmation at its church rather than at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. The presiding bishop, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, who now leads the Diocese of Crookston, gave a message at the end to those being confirmed. Father Sustacek was up in the sanctuary as an altar server, so he, too, heard the message.

The bishop talked about the vocation of marriage, then added that some of the young men would receive

FATHER SUSTACEK CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Father Ryan Sustacek

Father Alexander Rasset

Father Vance hears God’s call while in Rome

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

When Father Nick Vance arrived for a semester in Rome seven years ago as an undergraduate at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, pursuing the priesthood was not in his plans.

“I could have gone a million different directions in my life,” he said. Various ideas were filling his mind at that point, and he saw his time in Rome as an opportunity to ponder many different paths, both for career and vocation.

That’s not to say the priesthood was completely out of the picture. He just wasn’t ready, he believed, to make a move toward a vocation he had dismissed from his mind a few years earlier.

“I had thought about it (priesthood) a lot growing up,” said Father Vance, 27, who attended St. Joseph in West St. Paul in his childhood. “But I kind of closed the door to it in high school. I was a young punk and didn’t really know what I wanted … The faith just seemed like a bunch of rules to me that I wasn’t all that interested in following.”

The door to a priestly vocation started opening after he began his freshman year at St. Thomas. First, there was finding and hanging out with the “right crowd” and “praying every day.” Then came an effort to “grow as a disciple,” a process that took place over his freshman and sophomore years.

At the start of his junior year, he said he felt “this gentle knocking on the door of my heart.” From there, he entered a phase “of the Lord slowly working on my heart and then kind of walloping me there in Rome.”

What happened during that semester “really sealed the deal,” he said. “I applied for seminary when I got back and then I entered right after graduation.”

One of the key things during his semester in Rome, he said, was having three priests serving as chaplains for the students. All three were there for doctoral studies and volunteered to be chaplains.

“Honestly, they changed my life — just to see their witness of love for the Lord and love for serving him,”

FATHER SUSTACEK CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

the “special call” to the priesthood.

Father Sustacek recalled Bishop Cozzens saying that “if you have that call, run to it with joy.”

“And when he said that, the priest that was sitting next to me ... Father Nathan Laliberte, turns, and he’s like: ‘Ryan, he’s talking to you,’” Father Sustacek said. “I’m like: How did he know that? How did he know to say that?’ And (Father Laliberte’s words) hit me so deep. So, at that moment, I knew I needed to go (to SJV).”

Holy Name of Jesus

he

and (later was) my formator at SPS (The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul).”

Father Vance got his undergraduate degrees in Catholic Studies and in communications and journalism. He said both degrees will be useful in his priestly ministry, especially in writing and delivering homilies.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about this,” he said. “The background in journalism has helped me focus on: How do I give people a simple message that sticks?”

He already has some good material to include in future homilies. One thing is having a father who was just ordained a permanent deacon in December.

He didn’t join SJV right away in the fall of his freshman year at St. Thomas. Instead, he followed through with his initial plan of enrolling as a general student so he could swim and get involved in student government.

“Within a couple weeks, I remember thinking to myself, ‘I made the wrong decision,’” he said. The window of his dorm room in Brady Hall gave him a direct line of sight to the dorm at SJV. So, he saw SJV seminarians walk back and forth every day. That led to a simple thought: “I’m supposed to be there.”

He went to SJV and enrolled the

Congratulates Fr. Chris Yanta on your ordination to the priesthood.

We wish you many blessings as you continue your journey at Holy Name of Jesus.

Deacon Chris Vance was part of a class of 18 that tied for the greatest number of men ordained to the permanent diaconate. Not only was Father Vance (a transitional deacon at the time) there, but he took part in the vesting rite of his father that happens during the ordination Mass.

From that point until the priestly ordination Mass May 25, the pair served as deacons, including together during Mass at Transfiguration in Oakdale, where Deacon Vance and his wife, Leila, are parishioners. Father Vance said he has found great inspiration in watching his father respond to the call to the diaconate and walk through several years of formation.

“My dad is a man of deep prayer and dedication,” Father Vance said. “I remember growing up, my dad worked construction for the longest time. He was a carpenter. He would have to get up really early so that he could drive across town to get to the job site and put in long hours there. But he would get up even earlier so that he would have time to pray.”

That example is now helping form a priest who wants to bring to others what he has learned from his father “about faith, about what true strength, what true humility looks like.”

Father Vance does acknowledge that both he and his father being ordained deacons at one point is “a little bit strange because I beat him to it. I’ve jokingly told him several times: ‘Now, just remember, for all eternity, I will have been a deacon 210 days longer than you.’”

He calls it “the Lord’s sense of humor.” At the same time, he said “we get to share in this amazing gift from the Lord.”

Now that he has transitioned from the diaconate to the priesthood, he is looking forward to one aspect of priestly ministry in particular — confession. Father Vance begins his first assignment as a priest July 1 as parochial vicar of Our Lady of Grace in Edina.

“The Lord has been so good to me through the sacrament of confession,” he said. “I hope and pray that the Lord makes me a good confessor. I’m so excited to share this gift that I drank so deeply from. I want to be able to bring that to other people.”

following semester. He stayed there all the way through to graduation, then entered The St. Paul Seminary the following fall.

Looking back on all the steps that have taken him to the priesthood, “I’m just blown away by what God has done,” he said, noting that his dad currently is in formation for the permanent diaconate.

In Father Sustacek’s first priestly assignment beginning July 1, he will be parochial vicar of St. John Neumann in Eagan and part-time chaplain for Totus Tuus Catechetical Program in the archdiocese.

Our Lady of Grace Congratulates and Welcomes

One of the first things he will do as a priest is serve at Extreme Faith Camp, where he will be the priest holding a monstrance with the Eucharist and blessing each camper.

“My home parish is going to Extreme Faith Camp in the middle of June,” he said in an interview prior to his ordination. “And so, I will be the priest all week there, which is surreal. It’s like: Pinch me. Am I dreaming? Fourteen years later (after the first year at camp), I’m the priest at Extreme Faith Camp. What happened?”

He answered his own question:

“God’s grace.”

said. “I’m still in relationship with all these priests today, including Father Evan Koop, who was over there

Father Nick Vance

Newly ordained, Father Wappes is ‘ready to offer myself in love for others’

By Rebecca Omastiak

The Catholic Spirit

Father Joseph Wappes said that growing up in St. Anthony and attending St. Charles Borromeo there, he saw “the witness of many joyful, and oftentimes young, priests and seminarians.” He first thought about becoming a priest when he was about 7 years old, though he said he “was not set on it.”

Father Wappes, 26, was among 13 men ordained to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis May 25 — the largest class since 2005. Father Wappes has been assigned as parochial vicar of St. Jude of the Lake in Mahtomedi, starting July 1, until he returns to Rome in September to continue his academic studies.

Although not initially set on entering the priesthood, the call gradually amplified as he grew. While attending St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School and St. Anthony Village High School, he was an altar server at Mass, began participating in his parish youth group and started a life of personal prayer.

“I felt drawn again to being a priest,” Father Wappes said. A visit to the seminary at the end of high school propelled him on the path to priesthood.

“I was sure that the Lord was inviting me to begin to pursue the priesthood, and the time of formation in seminary has confirmed that invitation from the Lord to be a priest — one given over completely to God in service of his Church,” he said.

He attended St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul and pursued degrees in philosophy and Catholic Studies.

He also studied theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, in Rome. The experience allowed him to “feel like I’ve seen the universal Church in a new way,” Father Wappes shared with “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley when his interview aired April 26.

“One highlight that comes to mind for me is … I got to serve as a deacon at the Papal Mass on Easter Sunday in St. Peter’s Square. So that was a great gift, just a sense of gathering with the whole Church at prayer along with the Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis.

It was a great joy,” he told Conley.

Father Wappes said support for his pursuit of the priesthood came largely from his family and friends.

He said his parents, Jim and Mary, “passed on the faith to me and my siblings” and “were very supportive of my decision, as they have always wanted me to (be) open to God’s will.”

“So were my siblings,” Father Wappes said of his five brothers and sisters — Brendan, Marie, Michael, Jacinta and Benjamin.

He mentioned Michael, one year older, as particularly exemplifying a life of faith.

“His witness over the years always gave me courage to live my faith, to continue learning about the faith, and to be open to the priesthood,” Father Wappes told The Catholic Spirit. “In fact, he was discerning a call to the priesthood before me, and visited the seminary before determining that it was not God’s call for him. That was a great example for me of how to be open to God’s call.”

“Additionally, I had a good group of Catholic

friends who encouraged and supported me in my discernment and decision,” he added. “If I would have had to make the decision alone, without this support, I may not have had the courage to say yes to God’s invitation and to step out in faith to answer it.”

Father Wappes hopes to offer support and connection as a newly ordained priest.

“I see that many people feel isolated, in particular in their lives of faith,” he said. “Each of us needs a community, and in particular in our journey of faith. I hope to assist in fostering vibrant, life-giving communities of disciples of Jesus who support, encourage and inspire one another.”

That community building could happen on the court, Father Wappes said.

“I love sports, especially basketball and volleyball,” he said. “I look forward to getting a chance to play sports with parishioners.”

More than participating in sports with parishioners, Father Wappes is eager to celebrate the Mass with the faithful, calling it a privilege.

“As a priest, my daily life will flow from this act of offering both myself and anyone entrusted to my care to God the Father, in union with Jesus’ offering. What a gift!” he said.

Father Wappes also expressed excitement over the size of this year’s class of priests.

“I see in my classmates a wide variety of gifts that will bless our local Church. I have been so grateful for their companionship and support over these years and look forward to that continuing into the future. I am aware that a group like this can only be the fruit of the fervent prayers of God’s people to the Master of the harvest, who is pleased to answer those prayers by calling men to serve as laborers in his vineyard.”

For his own ministry, Father Wappes said the selfless and sacrificial love his parents offered him and his siblings “prepared the way for me to be ready to offer myself in love for others — for me, as a priest.”

His ordination, Father Wappes said, has filled him

Father Joseph Wappes

Altar serving sparked Father Yanta’s desire for the priesthood

By Anna Wilgenbusch The Catholic Spirit

Father Christopher Yanta, 29, began his journey to the priesthood at the altar. The experience of altar serving at his home parish of St. Timothy in Maple Lake kindled his desire to spend his life close to the Eucharist.

“The first time I served the Mass back in second grade, I felt like the Lord might be calling me to serve him in this way, and that feeling never really went away,” he said.

When he was ordained to the priesthood on May 25 — along with 12 other seminarians for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis — he took up the very role he admired as a child. And now, he is preparing for his first assignment effective July 1, as the parochial vicar of Holy Name of Jesus in Medina.

Father Yanta’s path to the priesthood was not linear. He told the “Practicing Catholic” radio show on the May 17 program that the call went on the “back burner” during high school and college. But when he entered The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, he felt a sense of peace — a sign of following God’s will, he said.

“As I’ve discerned, (God) has really put a lot of peace in my heart and then conversely, in those areas where I’ve kind of discerned something else,

he’s

taken away that peace or made it very clear that this isn’t where he wants me.”

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Father Yanta said that his parents and six siblings inspired him to follow Christ on the path to the priesthood.

“Growing up in a large family and seeing the beauty of life has been an inspiration for me. They have all been very supportive of me during my time in seminary and have encouraged me to follow God’s direction in my life.”

His family showed him that he can follow God in “both difficult and joyful moments.”

“It’s not all sunshine and daisies, as they say, but … my time in seminary has been overwhelmed with the Lord’s love and his peace,” Father Yanta said.

Father Yanta said that he hopes he can create a space of prayerful silence in his priesthood.

“I think the greatest need of our local Church (lies in a) lack of silence, that quiet space where we meet God,” he said.

“I plan on preaching about the necessity of silence in our daily lives as well as offering retreats throughout the year that will provide opportunities for the people of God to enter into that silence.”

Acknowledging his call to be a “fisher of men,”

Father Yanta said he also enjoys catching real fish.

“I absolutely love to fish,” he said. “There’s just something about being on the water, tracking down the fish, and the excitement of getting a bite.”

Father Christopher Yanta

Catholic Charities president, CEO accepts role with Sisters of Charity Health System

By Josh McGovern

The Catholic Spirit

June 14, Catholic Charities Twin Cities announced that a national search will begin soon for its next president and CEO as current president and CEO, Michael Goar, has accepted a similar role with Sisters of Charity Health System.

Goar will remain in a supporting role with Catholic Charities through the summer.

Goar was first announced as Catholic Charities’ president and CEO on Nov. 10, 2020, coming from Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities. According to Catholic Charities, Goar developed innovative programs to address community challenges during a difficult tenure that included the COVID-19 pandemic and an increase in people experiencing homelessness. These programs serve more than

Archdiocese

By Josh McGovern

The Catholic Spirit

25,000 people every year, according to Catholic Charities.

“Catholic Charities has an exceptional team and a bright future ahead,” Goar said in a statement. “I am proud of what we have accomplished together and look forward to watching this organization continue to provide dignified support and solutions for our most vulnerable neighbors.”

“We are grateful for Michael’s leadership and dedication over the past four years,” Catholic Charities Board Chair Desirae Butler said in a statement. “He has played an integral role in Catholic Charities’ growth and success, and we wish him all the best in his next role.”

As president and CEO of Sisters of Charity Health

System, Goar will oversee the health care organization that provides faith-based care in Ohio and South Carolina. The system operates three health care ministries, six outreach organizations and three grantmaking foundations.

The Catholic Charities Board of Directors announced that it is committed to “finding a visionary leader who will continue to drive the organization’s mission and strategic goals, with a strong focus on financial sustainability.”

The board will work with the organization’s senior leadership to continue initiatives. More information will be released when it becomes available, officials with the nonprofit said.

Catholic Charities Twin Cities serves and advocates for individuals in need and has done so for over 150 years. The organization has programs for children, families and adults.

responds as SNAP members allege names of credibly accused priests not disclosed

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is responding as SNAP — or Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests — seeks to add the names of five priests to the archdiocese’s disclosures regarding clergy sexual abuse of minors.

June 12, members of SNAP gathered for a news conference on the sidewalk outside the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul to address the organization’s concern that five priests have not been added to the list. SNAP had listed six priests but retracted one after learning that priest is currently listed as credibly accused on the archdiocese’s website.

SNAP activist David Clohessy said that adding names to the list “is not our job.”

“Our job is to heal ourselves and to reach out to others who are suffering in silence and shame and selfblame,” he said.

Two priests out of the five listed are alive, and the whereabouts of those two are unknown by SNAP, the organization said. According to Clohessy, four out of the five priests were listed as credibly accused abusers by dioceses outside of Minnesota. One was listed by the religious order he was involved with. It was not immediately known how long and for what reason each priest was present in the archdiocese.

The archdiocese is diligently looking into the matter, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said, releasing a statement on the archdiocesan website the same day as the news conference, addressing the SNAP disclosure allegations.

“Per our policy and protocol, we have already begun the process of investigating the names of the individuals brought forward today,” the archbishop said.

Archbishop Hebda noted his request to archdiocesan investigators “to review the clergy records here at the Archdiocese, along with other available information, to determine whether the well-established criteria for adding the men to our clergy disclosure list have been met. If the criteria are satisfied, we will add the names, as we have done on previous occasions.”

As an example, the archbishop said, “when we were notified about the actions taken by the Diocese of Green Bay in 2022 concerning Rev. Dennis Lally, a priest who had served here before 1982 and listed today by SNAP, our team promptly investigated the situation and determined that for that individual, there was a substantiated claim of abuse. For that reason, his name was added to our list two years ago.”

After the news conference, members of SNAP used chalk to write the names of the five priests on the sidewalk outside the Cathedral. Clohessy said sexual abuse is hard to recover from, and not acknowledging that pain can make it more difficult for victims.

“My message to the people is, stay active. Stay

interested,” said Frank Meuers, SNAP’s Minnesota chapter director.

In his statement, Archbishop Hebda said the archdiocese has been blessed to have had a positive working relationship with the Minnesota chapter of SNAP.

“I have been grateful that their leaders have been in regular communication with Archdiocesan staff and with me over recent years and have collaborated with us to continue to create and maintain safe environments in our churches and schools. At times, they have been helpful bringing to our attention information concerning actions that have been taken by other dioceses or religious communities regarding clerics who have served in this Archdiocese,” the archbishop said.

“Victims-survivors and their loved ones have expressed to me how important it is for them to have complete and accurate disclosure lists,” the archbishop said. “With that in mind, the Archdiocese is committed to adding names when appropriate.

“I thank victims-survivors and their loved ones for their advocacy on behalf of those who have been hurt by abuse and ask that all people of goodwill continue to join me in prayer for them.”

Archbishop Hebda’s full statement regarding the SNAP disclosure allegations can be found on the archdiocese’s website at tinyurl com/ycxdawcy

US bishops advance sainthood cause in Wisconsin and Indigenous ministry pastoral plan

Catholic bishops in the United States advanced a sainthood cause in Wisconsin and approved a national Indigenous ministry pastoral plan as they met in Louisville, Kentucky, for their Spring Plenary Assembly June 12-14.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) also began re-evaluating their domestic initiative to fight against poverty — the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) — and heard a final update on the July 17-21 National Eucharistic Congress and future efforts of the National Eucharistic Revival.

The cause for canonization in Wisconsin — that of a Belgian immigrant who experienced three apparitions of Mary in 1859 and dedicated her life to children’s catechesis — will move forward, U.S. bishops determined June 13. The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Champion, Wisconsin, is the site of the apparitions.

Green Bay Bishop David Ricken, who declared in 2010 that Adele Brise’s apparitions were worthy of belief, presented the proposal during a consultation at the assembly in

Louisville. Brise’s apparitions are the only Marian apparitions in the U.S. declared “worthy of belief.”

“The virtuous life and sanctity of Adele still has relevance to people today, first of all her simple obedience,” Bishop Ricken said June 14. “Adele demonstrated heroic obedience to her family, to her parish priest, to the bishop, to Our Lady and ultimately to Our Lord and his will for her. Her obedience was often accomplished by great acts of faith.”

Brise exemplifies freedom from idleness and a model for catechesis and the new evangelization, Bishop Ricken said. Before a cause is open, Church law requires diocesan bishops to consult with the Christian faithful, the Holy See and other bishops. The June 14 vote, which passed with a unanimous voice vote, fulfills the latter condition. When a sainthood cause is officially opened, the candidate receives the title Servant of God.

During a June 14 executive session, the bishops approved a new pastoral plan for Indigenous Catholics, almost half a century since the last such document.

“Keeping Christ’s Sacred Promise: A Pastoral Framework for Indigenous Ministry” was approved by a vote of 181-2,

with three bishops abstaining. The 56page text was developed by the USCCB’s Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church and its Subcommittee on Native American Affairs. Along with acknowledging and apologizing for the Church’s role in decimating Indigenous cultures in the U.S. — particularly through the residential school system and the now-repudiated “Doctrine of Discovery” — the five-part plan calls for healing, mission, reconciliation, holiness and transformation. It focuses on ministry to the nation’s Indigenous Catholics, whose “journey … in the United States of America has been marked by moments of great joy but also of profound sorrow,” the document states. “Through this pastoral framework, we … hope to begin anew a journey of mutual accompaniment with the Catholic Indigenous Peoples of these lands.”

In other developments, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the USCCB, said at a June 13 news conference that in a closed-door session, bishops affirmed their commitment to anti-poverty efforts, but they were working on changes. Donations to the CCHD have declined in recent years and

questions about grant-making decisions have contributed to depleted funding reserves. The bishops had a robust discussion June 13 on their mental health campaign, which included presentations on how Catholic Charities can help the bishops form a “trauma-aware Church,” and the vital importance of parish engagement and accompaniment in this effort to save lives. The bishops debated the next day on how best to proceed with a national directory of instituted lay ministries and heard groundbreaking proposals from the National Review Board to combat sexual abuse through a new study of recent credible allegations and guidelines addressing sexual and spiritual abuse of adults.

Finally, Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, a former auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the chair of the National Eucharistic Congress, updated the bishops on the strong participation indicated in the four National Eucharistic Pilgrimages and upcoming Eucharistic Congress, as well as future initiatives to strengthen Catholic faith and Eucharistic devotion. About 50,000 people are expected at the congress in Indianapolis, Bishop Cozzens said.

MICHAEL GOAR

NATION+WORLD

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u A new archaeological discovery in Israel is dubbed a “greeting from Christian pilgrims” 1,500 years ago. The discovery of a Byzantineperiod church in the northern Negev, with wall art displaying ships, opens a window to the world of Christian pilgrims visiting the Holy Land 1,500 years ago, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). “The drawings provide first-hand evidence about the ships they traveled in and the maritime world of that time,” said IAA Director Eli Escusido, describing the finds in southern Israel’s large desert as “surprising and intriguing.” The IAA has been carrying out a rescue excavation for several years at the archaeological site located in the Bedouin city of Rahat in preparation for a neighborhood expansion project. Excavation directors called the find “a greeting from Christian pilgrims” who arrived by ship to the Gaza port, telling the story of settlement in the Northern Negev at the end of the Byzantine period (from approximately A.D. 395 — when the Roman Empire was split — to 1453) and in the beginning of the early Islamic period. The archaeologists suggest Christian pilgrims visited the church after landing in the port, leaving their personal mark in the form of ship drawings on its walls. Though depictions of ships were used as a Christian symbol in ancient times, they said they believed that in this case the drawings of ships were a true graphical depiction of the real ships in which the pilgrims travel to the Holy Land.

uPriest who was an early victim of Poland’s communist regime is beatified. Father Michal Rapacz, an early victim of Poland’s communist regime, was beatified in Kraków June 15. While not outspokenly political, his zealous faith and energetic pastoral work proved a threat to the communists, who sought to eliminate religion and reduce man to the material dimension. On Jan. 24, Pope Francis signed a decree recognizing the martyrdom of Father Rapacz, clearing the way for his beatification. The priest was kidnapped and killed by a group of armed men in 1946 during the communist government’s anti-religious campaign. For a martyr, the Catholic Church does not require a verified miracle through his or her intercession for this step toward sainthood. Born in the village of Tenczyn in 1904, he entered the Kraków seminary in 1926 and was ordained a priest five years later. Father Rapacz’s graduating seminary class included two other blesseds: Father Wladyslaw Bukowinski, a former Gulag inmate who would later spread the Gospel in Sovietruled Kazakhstan, and Father Piotr Dankowski, a priest killed in Auschwitz for his work with the wartime Polish resistance. Father Pawel Ptasznik, rector of the Church of St. Stanislaus in Rome and the postulator of the Vatican phase of Father Rapacz’s sainthood cause, said, “He was simply a good pastor with a deep prayer life who was inclined to help those in need. … He had a positive witness and tried to show people the way, the beauty of life in the Church.”

uThe future of three anti-human trafficking bills sought by Catholics is unclear amid a wider immigration debate. A trio of bills to combat human trafficking sought by Catholic advocates faces an uncertain future in Congress amid a wider debate over immigration policy. At a June 6 briefing at the Capitol, representatives from the Alliance to End Human Trafficking and the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd pointed to three bills they said would aid efforts to combat the practice: HR5856,

the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2023; HR1325, the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act of 2023; and HR6145, Immigration Court Efficiency and Children’s Court Act of 2023. Sister Brigid Lawlor, founder of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd and a sister of that community, said at the briefing that the issues of human trafficking and forced migration are closely linked, as “traffickers prey on those forced to flee their homes by circumstances beyond their control,” such as “floods, famine or gang violence, domestic violence, poverty, persecution, and political corruption.” Congressional staffers in the House and Senate who spoke with OSV News about the bills’ prospects were unable to provide information about a timeline for advancing them, with one suggesting that any legislation dealing with immigration is getting caught up in wider debates over the border, even if the items have nothing to do with the border.

uUnprecedented $150 million donation aims to boost Northwest Indiana’s Catholic schools. In what is described as “the largest single investment” in prekindergarten-to-grade-12 Catholic education in history, the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation is donating $150 million to the Chicago-based Big Shoulders Fund to support Catholic schools in the Diocese of Gary, Indiana. The gift, which will be made over the next 10 years, aims to improve the schools’ quality, accessibility and sustainability, making them the “highest performing network of Catholic schools in the United States” that could create a national model, said William Hanna, the foundation’s executive director. Bishop Robert McClory of Gary called the donation, announced June 12, “extraordinary,” noting, “This is a sign of hope and confidence in our Catholic schools, and a time to rejoice and look to the future.”

The foundation is a longtime supporter of the Big Shoulders Fund, which was founded in 1986 to support Catholic schools in Chicago’s most under-resourced communities and, in 2019, expanded into the Diocese of Gary. The diocese is home to 17 parish elementary schools and three diocesan high schools currently serving nearly 6,000 students. The gift follows the 2023 expansion of Indiana’s Choice Scholarship Program, a state-funded school voucher program that provides scholarships to Indiana students in grades kindergarten to 12 to offset tuition costs.

uPax Christi is honored with the first Dorothy Day Peacemaker Award. For more than 50 years, Pax Christi USA — the national Catholic peace movement founded in 1972, grounded in the Gospel and Catholic social teaching — has dedicated itself to the construction of a world without conflict. On June 11 — at a breakfast before the annual spring meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Louisville, Kentucky — Pax Christi received the inaugural Dorothy Day Peacemaker Award from the Dorothy Day Guild. The award was entrusted to Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky, bishop president of Pax Christi’s national council, who had accepted the award on behalf of the organization. The Dorothy Day Guild supports and advances Day’s cause for sainthood, initiated by the Archdiocese of New York in 2000. Day (1897-1980), a Catholic journalist and social activist, in 1933 co-founded with Peter Maurin the Catholic Worker Movement, whose 187 intentional communities are committed to nonviolence, voluntary prayer and hospitality

for the homeless and marginalized. The award comes as a new report by the Peace Research Institute of Oslo published June 10 confirmed the world saw in 2023 the most armed conflicts — 59 conflicts globally with 28 in Africa — than any other year since World War II (19391945) ended. Dorothy Day Guild Co-Chair Kevin Ahern told OSV News that Day linked “the Eucharist with peace,” and the guild hoped the award would inspire more Catholics to become peacebuilders like Day.

uAfter an Israeli hostage rescue, pope renews the call for a cease-fire and humanitarian aid in Gaza. Pope Francis once again renewed his call for a cease-fire in Gaza following the rescue of four hostages that led to what officials in Gaza said was the killing of more than 270 Palestinians in an Israeli rescue operation, which one European Union diplomat deemed a “massacre.” Addressing pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square June 9, the pope recalled the recent commemoration of the invocation of peace held at the Vatican 10 years ago, saying the historic meeting “showed that joining hands is possible, and that it takes courage to make peace, far more courage than to wage war.” He encouraged “the ongoing negotiations between the parties” and expressed hope that proposals for peace, a cease-fire and the freeing of hostages would be “accepted immediately.”

An emergency meeting on the humanitarian situation in Gaza was planned for June 11, convened by Jordan’s King Abdullah II and to be co-hosted by Egypt and the United Nations. The four hostages rescued in Gaza were: Noa Argamani, 26; Almog Meir Jan, 22; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 41, all of whom were kidnapped at the Nova music festival during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. AP reported that Gaza’s Health Ministry said an estimated 274 people, including 64 children and 57 women, were killed and an estimated 700 wounded during the June 8 raid. Israeli Defense Forces said fewer than 100 people were killed. uGudziak says the U.S. is still “in the thick of things” regarding mental health, but the Church can foster healing. The U.S. is still “in the thick of things” and “will be for a long time” in addressing mental wellbeing, a leader of the U.S. bishops’ mental health initiative told OSV News. As chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Archbishop Borys Gudziak joined Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester — who leads the USCCB’s Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth — in unveiling the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign in October 2023. Archbishop Gudziak recently told OSV News that “awareness is growing” but “there’s still a lot of stigma and fear about dealing with mental health in a holistic and professional way.” The Catholic Church can help promote mental wellbeing, he said, noting that while pastors and clergy “are not necessarily mental health experts,” they should “all be ready to be mental health ministers,” equipped to connect those in distress with mental health treatment. He also underscored the need for an integrated Catholic approach to mental health, one that accounts for body, soul and spirit as created by God for communion with the divine and with one another. It also is important “to accompany people, to help them feel they are not alone or abandoned — to be Jesus for them,” he added.

uBill making contraception a federal right fails to advance in the U.S. Senate. Legislation to

protect access to contraception nationwide failed to advance in the U.S. Senate on June 5 in an expected outcome. A procedural vote to advance the Right to Contraception Act failed 51-39, falling short of the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to proceed. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who supports the bill, switched his vote to oppose advancing the bill so he can potentially bring it back up in the future. The legislation would codify the right of Americans to have access to contraceptives including birth control pills and intrauterine devices (IUDs), but also sterilization procedures, including vasectomies. Polls consistently show most U.S. adults support access to contraception, and Democrats have sought to tie the issue of contraception to abortion restrictions in an election year. The Catholic Church opposes artificial methods of birth control but supports couples using natural fertility-based awareness methods for either achieving or postponing pregnancy as an exercise of responsible parenthood.

uPope preparing document on Sacred Heart of Jesus to renew the Church and the world. Pope Francis announced that he is preparing a document on the Sacred Heart of Jesus to “illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal, but also to say something significant to a world that seems to have lost its heart.” The document is expected to be released in September, he said. The pope made the announcement during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square June 5. The Catholic Church traditionally dedicates the month of June to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the solemnity of the Sacred Heart was celebrated June 7 this year. The document will include reflections from “previous magisterial texts” and it will aim to “re-propose to the whole Church this devotion laden with spiritual beauty. I believe it will do us much good to meditate on various aspects of the Lord’s love,” the pope said.

uMassive crowds flock to Uganda Martyrs shrine for celebrations of their feast. Christian pilgrims from all walks of life flocked to the Uganda Catholic Martyrs Shrine of Namugongo in the suburbs of Kampala, the country’s capital, seeking divine healing through prayers, holy water and soil during the June 3 central celebrations of the Uganda Martyrs’ feast. Catholic agency Fides, the news service of the Pontifical Mission Societies, reported there may have been 4 million people in the shrine celebrating the martyrs canonized exactly 60 years ago by St. Paul VI in 1964. The Uganda Martyrs were a group of 22 Catholics and 23 Anglicans martyred when they refused to denounce their faith and were killed on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II, then King of Buganda, between 1885 and 1887. Their feast day witnessed rivers of pilgrims, including religious sisters from across the world walking to reach the shrine, where the sick, people living with disabilities, those with prayer requests and political leaders, including Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, participated in the central celebration. The Namugongo shrine is where St. Charles Lwanga, a Ugandan convert to the Catholic Church, and his companions were burned to death on June 3, 1886. “The Christian faith is strengthened by the example and intercession of the martyrs,” said Archbishop Luigi Bianco, apostolic nuncio to Uganda.

FAITH+CULTURE

Running in the woods, writing for the stage, preaching at the pulpit

By Christina Capecchi

For The Catholic Spirit

Father Kyle Kowalczyk, 43, keeps busy as pastor of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano, but the Michigan native also makes time for distance running and playwriting, two passions that fuel his faith. His theater company, Missed the Boat Theatre, has flourished since its 2019 founding. June 20-29, Missed the Boat will perform “Catholic Young Adults: The Musical,” which Father Kowalczyk wrote, at St. Agnes School in St. Paul. Learn more at cyamusical com

Q As a boy in Michigan, did you get a lot of time outside?

A Growing up, we played outside all the time. We were always out in the woods, building stuff, exploring, playing make-believe.

I still enjoy being out in nature. I’m a runner. I’ll run and it’s homily prep time — thoughts come to me, blood is pumping, clarity of mind. I’ve got three hours to think. Sometimes I’m listening to audiobooks or podcasts. Sometimes it’s just silence. I’m with the Lord and nature, and it’s very freeing.

Q So, you’re a distance runner?

A I’ve been getting into ultramarathons — anything longer than 26.2 miles. A 50K would be common, then 50 miles. One hundred miles is kind of the gold standard.

I run in Ultras because I have very wide toes. When I run the neighborhoods, I’m running past parishioners’ houses. If it’s a longer run, I have a couple trails, the Luce Line, and then there’s Rebecca’s Park (Reserve), and they have horse loop trails and mountain bike trails and paved trails.

I find that, as a priest, I can’t do anything if it’s not going to make me a better priest or be, in some way, ministerial. With running, I find that I feel better, I’m healthier, I’m more effective, I’m getting to bed at the right time, waking up at the right time. There’s a real growth in virtue there: I’m doing something that part of me doesn’t want to do, but I know it’s good for me.

Bishop (Thomas) Paprocki from an Illinois diocese wrote a book on running (“Running for a Higher Purpose”), and he talks about all the virtues of running. It’s really encouraging when a bishop of the Church says: Yeah, this is actually good. You might be called to do this.

Q How has Catholicism nurtured your creativity?

A As I’ve gotten more mature in my faith and understand the artistic geniuses who have gone before, I see that this is a real important part of our faith: art and beauty. I want to strive for excellence, I want to strive for beauty, I want to strive for creativity because that’s what our Father does. There’s a quote from Flannery O’Connor, and she says: “When people have told me that because I am a Catholic, I cannot be an artist, I have had to reply, ruefully, that because I am a Catholic, I cannot afford to be less than an artist.”

Q What do you love about theater?

A When I was young, I was creating a lot of chaos, getting into trouble in school and at home. Then, when I discovered theater in high school, it was kind of like my pre-conversion: “Whoa! I have this place to pour my creative energy.” I’ve always been an idea person, and it gave me an outlet for those ideas. Without it, you think: “Hey, what if I jump off this cliff? What if I stole this sign?” If I can put my whatifs on a page — and then put it on the stage and maybe get some of that attention we’re all searching for, it filled a need that I had.

Q Humor writing is hard. How did you develop a sense of humor?

A That was my way to get attention. I kind of became the class clown and found things that I could do that were funny. “Hey, I can get everybody to laugh and disrupt class!”

After I had graduated, my assistant principal saw me one day out skateboarding, and he said: “Kyle, I couldn’t tell you this when you were in school, but we used to get a kick out of your papers that you would have to write for in-school detention. They were so funny! I actually gave one to my wife and she used it for her adult-ed creative writing class as an example.” It was my sarcastic, cynical self that developed this humor, and then all things are redeemed in Christ, and I was able to bring it into the light.

Q How do you guard your sense of wonder?

A We can fill our world with so much noise and input that we don’t give ourselves a chance to wonder. Part of my vocation — as a priest, but as a Christian — is a regular time of silence in front of the Blessed Sacrament. You learn how to be. Silence is so important. That has gotten lost. You have to be very intentional.

Sometimes I want to distract myself and listen to something, and I say, “Nope, I’m going to let my mind go where it wants to go.” It takes time, too. Ten minutes of silence isn’t enough to get past the periphery thing, but you get into a second or third hour, now you’re in a different world, a different frame of mind.

When I was on retreat this last year, I was at a hermitage in Arizona, and I didn’t have my phone, I didn’t even have any books. I didn’t multi-task anything. It was so freeing. It was eight days of silence.

Most people think, “I could never do that.” And I think, “Well, you could surprise yourself.” Because I’m an extrovert, and that’s not my normal mode of being.

Q It sounds like you have lots of ideas for plays.

A There’s no shortage of ideas. The shortage is always time. A project that I’m working on (has) been in the works for four years.

Q Is it overwhelming to have so many demands placed on you?

A It can be, especially when there are things that need immediate attention. That’s the challenge: learning what needs immediate attention and what doesn’t. I’ve had good priests’ counsel over the years. One priest said, “There are very few things that are actual emergencies. Don’t treat them like it.”

A priest is as busy as he chooses to be. He can be really, really busy or really lazy. It’s finding that balance based on you, your needs, your makeup, your parish’s needs. There is always more that you could do, and you will never complete it all — and you are not the Messiah.

Q What have you learned about time management?

A Putting first things first. Prayer needs to be the priority of my day. I don’t watch TV. I’m pretty focused. Writing exercises a different part of my brain. It’s exciting and rejuvenating, whereas watching TV can waste a lot of time.

Q You have such a refreshing humanity to you. You’re humble and relatable.

A There’s this irony that a good writer captures the essence of human nature. But they sit in their house ... with their typewriter. They don’t actually go out and see humanity. Whereas a priest, he’s necessarily with the people. He’s in the confessional. He has this special lens into the world, the inner workings of human nature. A priest has access into places that nobody else has access to. It’s very humbling. I learned very early on in my priesthood that the most important things I do have nothing to do with Kyle Kowalczyk, my education, my gifts or talents. Nope, I pick up the monstrance, and I bless people with it. I lean over the altar with a piece of bread, and Jesus shows up. That has nothing to do with me. The most important things I do are because God saw fit to call me a priest, for whatever reason.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

FOCUSONFAITH

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER ANDREW ZIPP

The storms of life

This Sunday’s readings bring us face to face with the challenges and storms of life and remind us of the immense power and presence of God amidst these trials. The Gospel recounts the dramatic episode of Jesus calming the storm, showing his divine authority over nature and a profound lesson about faith and trust in God.

As Jesus and his disciples travel across the Sea of Galilee, suddenly, a furious storm arises, threatening to capsize the boat. Despite being seasoned fishermen, who are likely accustomed to the tumultuous weather on the sea, they are terrified. And there is Jesus asleep at the front of the boat, completely untroubled by the

ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ

Is it OK to look for ‘signs’ after a loved one dies?

Q My loved one passed away, but I keep getting these “signs” that I see as being from them that let me know that they are OK. For example, I will see a cardinal (my dad always fed the cardinals outside his window), and I think that it is a sign from him. Is that OK for me to think?

A First, please let me offer my sincere condolences. The death of anyone is meant to be noted and each person deserves to be mourned. As every one of us knows, grief is even greater when the person who has passed away is dear to us. And as every one of us who has lost someone we love knows, there can be a sense of desperation that leaves us overwhelmed and leads us to a place of grasping.

All of that is to say, looking for some kind of sign is understandable. We all long for something certain. In fact, this desire for certainty could tempt any of us to look for a sign that lets us know we don’t have to worry. I know of people whose hearts were broken who were tempted to believe that numbers on the clock were

DAILY Scriptures

Sunday, June 23

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jb 38:1, 8-11

2 Cor 5:14-17

Mk 4:35-41

Monday, June 24

Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist Is 49:1-6 Acts 13:22-26

Lk 1:57-66, 80

Tuesday, June 25

2 Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36

Mt 7:6, 12-14

Wednesday, June 26

2 Kgs 22:8-13, 23:1-3

Mt 7:15-20

chaos around him.

All too often, we react like the disciples in our own lives. How often do we encounter sudden storms — health problems, financial difficulty or spiritual concerns — that fill us with fear and anxiety? At times such as these, like the disciples, we may feel abandoned by the Lord and cry out, “Jesus, do you not care that we are perishing?” This question reveals our vulnerability and our desperate need for God’s assistance.

Jesus doesn’t do anything extraordinary. He wakes up, rebukes the storm and commands that all be still and at peace. Immediately all becomes calm. Jesus reveals not only his power and authority but who he really is. That he is the Son of God and has power over all of creation. His command shows his divine authority and his love for the disciples. Jesus doesn’t stop with calming the storm. He turns to his disciples, and he questions their faith in him. Why were you so afraid, did you not know that I would care for you always? A great reminder to us all that if we really do have faith in Jesus, we must trust in him, even when he may seem far away, or maybe asleep.

signs from their loved one. I have known individuals who saw a rainbow (or some other natural phenomena) and interpreted it as an indication that their loved one was communicating with them. Again, in our grief, we can become desperate for anything that could be a consolation for a sorrowful heart.

Yet, while this desire is understandable, it is not advisable.

Now, before we go further, I want to distinguish between signs and reminders. Reminders are a gift. Reminders can be incredibly powerful and beautiful. For example, there is a grieving mother who regularly notices when the clock shows a certain time. Each time she notices, she is reminded of her child and that number serves as a consistent memorial for her heart. That memorial moment can be a real blessing, even if it isn’t coming from the one who has died.

The same is true for the case you described: Each time you see a cardinal, you are reminded of your dad and have the chance to reflect on your love for him and the blessing he was in your life. In those moments, you are reminded to pray for him. Even if your dad isn’t the source of the cardinal, the cardinal can still be a consoling reminder of him.

And this is the key: An actual sign (meaning it is more than a natural phenomenon) must come from a supernatural source. We know that human beings on their own lack the capacity to offer a supernatural sign. Remember what Jesus had said about the ineffectiveness of worry? He said, “Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life?” (Mt 6:27). This implies that none of us has the innate power to cause a supernatural result. If none of us has the power to send a cardinal or cause a rainbow in this life, why would we ascribe that power to someone who has passed on?

Because of this, any supernatural sign would either be from God or from the evil one. These are essentially the

When we find ourselves tossed about by the storms of life and of the world, Jesus invites us to embrace a life of faith that goes beyond simply believing in him. He calls us to place our trust in his presence and undying love; to recognize that he is with us always, in every storm, to care for us and to bring his peace into chaos. When we open ourselves up to God’s grace and place our faith in him, we come to know and experience that peace that comes from Jesus, that is unlike any other.

Today is a great opportunity to reflect on the storms in our lives and to ask ourselves how we have reacted in them. Have I placed my trust in Jesus? Do I have faith that he will be there to calm the storms and bring peace to the chaos? May we continue, each day, to turn to the Lord, begging him to fill our lives with his peace and grace. When the storms come, and they surely will, we will know that Jesus is with us always and that he will take care of every one of our needs.

Thursday, June 27

2 Kgs 24:8-17 Mt 7:21-29

Friday, June 28

St. Irenaeus, bishop and martyr

2 Kgs 25:1-12

Mt 8:1-4

Saturday, June 29

Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles Acts 12:1-11

2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18

Mt 16:13-19

Sunday, June 30

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24

2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15

Mk 5:21-43

Monday, July 1

Am 2:6-10, 13-16

Mt 8:18-22

Tuesday, July 2

Am 3:1-8; 4:11-12

Mt 8:23-27

Wednesday, July 3

St. Thomas, Apostle Eph 2:19-22 Jn 20:24-29

Thursday, July 4

Am 7:10-17

Mt 9:1-8

Friday, July 5

Am 8:4-6, 9-12

Mt 9:9-13

Saturday, July 6

Am 9:11-15

Mt 9:14-17

Sunday, July 7

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Ez 2:2-5

2 Cor 12:7-10

Mk 6:1-6

Monday, July 8

Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22

Mt 9:18-26

Tuesday, July 9

Hos 8:4-7, 11-13

Mt 9:32-38

Wednesday, July 10

Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12

Mt 10:1-7

Thursday, July 11

St. Benedict, abbot

Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9

Mt 10:7-15

Friday, July 12

Hos 14:2-10

Mt 10:16-23

Saturday, July 13

Is 6:1-8

Mt 10:24-33

Sunday, July 14

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Am 7:12-15

Eph 1:3-14 or 1:3-10

Mk 6:7-13

only two sources. Even if God allowed an apparition of a saint, it is not the saint who chose to appear to the living, it is only because they were sent by God.

Therefore, discernment would have to go through this process: Is this a natural reality or a supernatural phenomenon? If it is merely a natural event, then one could choose to receive that natural event as a reminder of one’s loved one. A person could even see this reminder as one of the natural ways that God is involved in our daily lives.

If there is no reasonable way a person could interpret the event as a natural reality, then the event could be a supernatural phenomenon. But in that case, one would have to discern the source: Is this from the devil or from the Lord? That would require quite a bit of discernment (and maybe even some outside help) to come to a solid conclusion. Among other things, one would look at the message’s nature and the sign’s fruits.

Finally, it might be important for us to acknowledge some signs that people do offer. While we are alive, we give the people around us signs of what is most important to us. Our choices are signs and indicators that we offer to all those who see what we value.

If we hope that those who will outlive us can point to any sign in our lives, we can bear witness to the fact that with our choices and with our words we choose Jesus. Of course, only God knows the heart. We can only see the outside of a person; we can only see the externals of a person’s choice. But our choices do matter, and our choices are real signs. These signs can give our loved ones hope after we have died that we have chosen the Lord and that we are not just OK but even more than that, we are with the Lord.

Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

KNOW the SAINTS

St. Junípero Serra (1713-1784) A Spanish missionary who is buried in California, Miguel José Serra was born on the Mediterranean island of Majorca. He entered the Franciscans in 1730, taking the name Junípero to honor an original companion of St. Francis of Assisi. He taught after being ordained, but in 1749 volunteered for mission work in Mexico and Texas. In 1767, the Franciscans under Father Serra took charge of the missions in Baja California, and in 1769 he accompanied a military expedition into Alta (upper) California, where he founded nine of the 21 missions stretching from San Diego to Sonoma. He is the inspiration for Serra International, which encourages and affirms vocations. His feast day is July 1.

Father Zipp is pastor of St. Mary of the Lake in Plymouth.

COMMENTARY

YOUR HEART, HIS HOME | LIZ KELLY STANCHINA

The faith of my father

You could always tell the days that my father, a judge at the time, had family court. Where his day might have been spent trying to decide impossible situations: placing a child in the custody of the state or choosing between two possibly unfit parents; or trying to convince a willful and wayward child that the two people who cared the most about him or her were the parents standing right there. The problems decided in family court were especially painful ones, and they took a lot out of him. On family court days, he often returned home covered in a certain morose pallor. But every morning, back to work he’d go.

My father’s life was far from easy. His own father died from a long and terrible bout with cancer. (Curiously, my grandfather offered his suffering for the conversion of Russia.) My dad was only 13 when he became the “man of the family.” His mother, widowed, worked as a receptionist in a dental office to make ends meet, but with six young children, this was nearly impossible. My father grew up poor enough that other families would occasionally bring meals and the like. Dad got to college on the GI bill and went to law school at night while working full time for an insurance company. No one handed him anything.

Growing up in my father’s house, a few of his habits stand out to this day.

One: He fasted every Friday aside from liquids. Every Friday he would come in from work and pour himself a glass of orange juice. He did this for many years until his health no longer permitted it. Two: He didn’t miss Mass. I cannot recall a single instance but for being

Pope Francis’ CBS interview is

In one of the memorable early moments of his pontificate, Pope Francis told millions of young people gathered in Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day to “Hagan lio!” or “Make a mess!”

Some might say that, over the years, he has (more than?) occasionally followed his own advice, especially when holding a microphone or speaking with a journalist. After-the-fact clarifications have become somewhat commonplace in this pontificate — whether they be about breeding “like rabbits,” white flags in Ukraine or blessings for same-sex couples. Stressing openness and mercy, Francis’ emphasis has been on welcoming everyone into the Church, and if a mess is made along the way, so be it.

But for a pope who hasn’t always been clear over the years — sometimes even where points of doctrine are concerned — his recent interview with CBS’ Norah O’Donnell offered clarity in spades.

It’s important to note first that Pope Francis was clear about the things he has always offered strong clarity on. He spoke direct and compelling truths about the horrors of war (he talks with Holy Family parish in

The faith of my father has not been a glamorous thing, not showy or dramatic, not something calling attention to itself. But it has been unwavering beyond description, and it has anchored, blessed and fought for me in ways I probably won’t fully understand until heaven.

hospitalized that my father missed Sunday Mass. Even now, at nearly 96, he attends daily Mass when he is able with the help of my older brother. Three: He began every day with prayer. I can remember as a child on the bitter winter days in Minnesota when it was simply too cold to wait for the bus at the end of our country driveway, we’d pile into the car with Dad and he’d drop us off at St. Raphael. On the way, it was compulsory, the morning offering prayers would thunder through our paneled station wagon, my father in the lead. “Oh Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart ...” It’s one of my fondest childhood memories.

Some years ago, my father started making a Holy Hour every day for our nation, so concerned was he with the direction it was headed. After a few months, he turned to my mother and said, “One hour isn’t enough; we need to make two.” And so, my parents offer two

Gaza every night at 7 p.m.), the importance of peace and negotiation, about welcoming the stranger, the fact that the Gospel is open to all and the danger that comes from not caring for our planet. These topics are Pope Francis’ passion, and they are so far the best fruits of his pontificate.

But he also offered somewhat surprising clarity on more controversial topics. Regarding perhaps the most significant of these topics — that of women’s ordination — Pope Francis answered O’Donnell’s questions boldly and decisively.

O’Donnell: “Will (a young girl today) ever have the opportunity to be a deacon and participate as a clergy member in the church?”

Pope Francis: “No.”

O’Donnell: “I understand you have said no women as priests, but you are studying the idea of women as deacons. Is that something you are open to?”

Pope Francis: “If it is deacons with holy orders, no. But women have always had, I would say, the function of deaconesses without being deacons, right?”

For a pope who has organized two separate commissions to study the idea of women in the diaconate, and who recently also set up a synodal study group to consider the issue, it was a clear answer in the negative, with no ambiguity, on any kind of future ordination of women to the diaconate or otherwise.

He also offered clarity on the controversial document on blessings, Fiducia Supplicans (“Supplicating Trust”), released last December, which offers guidelines for what it calls “the blessings of same-sex couples.”

When O’Donnell brought up the topic, asking why the pope last year “decided to allow Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples,” Pope Francis corrected the question’s premise. “No,” he said, “what I allowed was not to bless the union; that cannot be done because that is not the sacrament. I cannot. The Lord made it that way. But to bless each person, yes. The blessing is for everyone.”

If Fiducia Supplicans had offered that kind of clarity

Holy Hours every day along with the rosary, the Divine Mercy chaplet, and the Liturgy of the Hours.

The faith of my father has not been a glamorous thing, not showy or dramatic, not something calling attention to itself. But it has been unwavering beyond description, and it has anchored, blessed and fought for me in ways I probably won’t fully understand until heaven.

Faith of my father, holy faith. Indeed, I will be true to you, O Lord, ’til death, in no small part owing to the faith of my dad. What joy that will be between the two of you when you meet one day, face-to-face, in heaven. Thank you, Dad, for living and teaching daily faithfulness. It has been priceless to me.

Stanchina is the community leader for Women’s Formation at Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire Institute and the award-winning author of more than a dozen books. Visit her website at LizK.org

For a pope who hasn’t always been clear over the years — sometimes even where points of doctrine are concerned — his recent interview with CBS’ Norah O’Donnell offered clarity in spades.

from the outset, the Church and Pope Francis himself might have been spared a painful couple of months in early 2024.

This wasn’t a perfect interview, though. There were missed opportunities on Pope Francis’ side, especially when speaking about surrogacy, to explain how the Church teaches, wisely and correctly, that children are gifts from God, not rights to be achieved by any means possible.

There was also a missed opportunity from O’Donnell, when speaking about clergy sexual abuse, to ask about the Vatican’s ongoing investigation into Father Marko Rupnik, the Slovenian-born priest who has gained international recognition both for his liturgical art and for the numerous accusations of sexual, spiritual and psychological abuse leveled against him over the course of his career.

But, all things considered, the interview with O’Donnell was a good one, worth watching especially for the American Church audience. In it, Pope Francis spoke clearly and concisely about the great breadth of truth that can be found in all aspects of the beautiful and challenging social teaching of the Church, and in the Gospel itself. And he did so mess-free.

Crowe is editor-in-chief of OSV News; this is an OSV monthly column “No Greater Joy.”

Editor’s note: Please watch for Laura Kelly Fanucci’s “Faith at Home” column in a future edition of The Catholic Spirit.

STOCK

eal challenges. Catholics are called to respond.

CATHOLIC OR NOTHING | COLIN MILLER

Living to work, working to live

OTECT LIFE & MA DIGNITY

Last month, I made the point that making a better world requires people with virtues that the world demands, and that the Church is meant to be this type of community.

fact that there has never been a more momentous change, probably in the history of the world, than the transition to the industrial society that we have experienced in the last 250 years. Writer Wendell Berry calls it “the one truly revolutionary revolution, probably in the history of the human race.”

bishops, dynamic Church leaders, and 1,000+ Catholics from a day of inspiration and advocacy at our State Capitol.

It’s important to keep in mind that the Church is the center of God’s new world, as we turn to some of the Catholic Worker’s main critiques of our society. With critique, it is easy to start thinking mainly in terms of institutional reform, politics, advocacy and the like. But being the Church is the primary way that we make a just world. The Worker’s trenchant social critiques are made in the service of identifying forms of life that make it difficult to be that alternative community.

One of the most vital aspects of this change concerns the nature of work. In a pre-industrial world — a land-and-craft society — most people were either farmers or tradesmen, work was personal and it made life personal. You literally made or raised your own house, furniture, fields, food, animals and the rest — or at least your friends or someone you knew did. This meant that you literally lived surrounded by your own creative work, or that of your family and community. Your life’s efforts were reflected to you in very tangible ways — you were touching, seeing, smelling and tasting it all the time.

22 -and -under FREE! lunch included with  Learn the issues, hear dynamic speakers, and meet your legislators.

Life was maximally personal, and so maximally satisfying. It was also profoundly communal.

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One place to begin these critiques is where Catholic social teaching itself began, in the fundamental changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. I am no medieval romantic, and I’m thankful for many modern inventions. But it remains simply a

I recently met a man who had given up working in finance and has now become the butcher in a town of small farmers. He remarked on the palpable difference in working for people with whom you are good friends. The job takes on a completely different character, for not only are you accomplishing a task, but you are also working within friendships. You are, therefore, creating the bonds of a strong local community and a healthy local economy at the same time.

I have often heard from those who grew up on

Archdiocese of Saint Paul & Minneapolis

INSIDE THE CAPITOL | MCC

farms around St. Paul 50 or 75 years ago that life was cooperative. Each season, farmers would help each other: breaking ground or planting in the spring; harvesting in fall; building a barn in the summer; haying, slaughtering, or any number of other jobs that are close to impossible to do solo. Often, tools were owned by one household but used by the whole community. Songs, stories, best practices and traditions were passed on while working. And it was not just work; the day’s meals were served by the family being helped.

There was a unity to life brought about by its rootedness in the soil. Tradition and history were essential, because how to make a living out of the earth was a local matter passed down anew to each generation — you couldn’t learn it from a textbook. Much of what we now call education and morality was simply part of living in that environment. Work was both art and entertainment, and this made a local culture. Religion, then, was not a separate compartment of life, as it is today, but that aspect of the whole that grounded it in its source and directed it to its summit.

Work under such conditions is not just a job; it’s a vocation. To live is to work, and to work is to live.

Next month, we’ll see how all this starts to change with the advent of industrialism.

Miller is the director of the Center for Catholic Social Thought at Assumption in St. Paul.

Lack of transparency calls for Catholic engagement

exercise in rational decision-making ordered toward safeguarding liberty and promoting the general welfare. As St. Thomas Aquinas describes it, law is an ordinance of reason. Therefore, in a representative government in which citizen legislators deliberate the laws, there must be adequate process for them to do so and to adequately consider the consequences of their actions. Fortunately, this is what the processes of the Minnesota Legislature are designed to do — move bills through committees of various jurisdiction, take testimony as to their need and wisdom, and provide adequate time for legislators to discuss them.

HOSTS: SPONSORS:

transparency and adequate citizen participation in the lawmaking process.

The session left many with mixed feelings about the efficacy and transparency of the state’s legislative process. More than 10,000 pieces of legislation were introduced during the biennium, yet the way some of these bills were reviewed raised concerns. One of the most telling examples was the last-minute passage of a mega-omnibus bill, which combined 10 separate omnibus bills into one.

The Legislature is designed to be a deliberative body, keeping with the classical idea of politics as an

As with any tool, our system of government can be abused. One way this happens is when one party or faction stands in the way of something that is both enormously popular and has been considered for years and multiple sessions.

Another way the system can be abused is when one party retains control and governs according to its most ideological faction instead of the most

During this past biennium, one party controlled majorities in the Legislature and did so with a unity of purpose and party discipline not previously thought possible with a one-vote majority in the Senate.

Many significant bills were passed — some good, some bad — but one ongoing feature was the inadequate review of many bills. The majority party passed many bills without adequate process and with very little public input. Testifiers were often given a minute or two for testimony, the number of testifiers was limited, debate was cut off in committee and

to think through concepts anew and make them understandable in my attempts to satisfy his precociously inquisitive mind.

the Legislature exhibited the veneer of process while as many bills as possible were rammed through the system.

The result of this flurry of lawmaking was that a large part of 2024 was spent fixing problems with bills passed in 2023, such as with marijuana, religious freedom and paid family leave legislation.

The temptation in our system of government when one has control is to push through as much as possible. But the process exists for a reason, and it should be respected. Politics requires humility about our ability to legislate away our social ills.

The way the session ended in rancor was a disheartening spectacle. That is why transparency is crucial for understanding the true intentions and potential impacts of proposed bills.

Catholics in Minnesota can do their part as faithful citizens and be more proactively engaged in offering testimony about legislation. As Pope Francis said, “Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not interested in politics. This is not true: good Catholics meddle in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern.”

One effective way to first get involved is by joining the Catholic Advocacy Network at mncatholic org Your membership provides access to resources and alerts on critical issues, helping you to be formed in the faith, informed on the issues, and take action to transform our state.

Let us not be passive observers but active participants in the legislative process.

“Inside the Capitol” is a legislative update from Minnesota Catholic Conference staff.

In preparation for my son’s first holy Communion this spring, we naturally spent a lot of time talking about grace. The mysterious workings of grace in our lives — or even what grace is — were fodder for interesting conversations between this father and his then-almost-7-year-old.

Despite having a few more decades pondering the topic than he, invariably I’d learn just as much from our reflections — particularly as I had

We’d talk about how the sacraments were necessary for salvation and gave us the grace we needed to live like Christ. We’d talk about how God loves us so much he gives us grace as the supernatural help we need to persevere in our call to be holy. We’d talk about how grace, as the Catechism puts it, “is a participation in the life of God” (No. 1997).

I could see in our lessons and my son’s regular interrogations on the subject — even in the grocery store line or on the kneeler after I received holy Communion — that his eyes were opening to supernatural realities. He was particularly interested in the practical — always wanting to know how

Eucharistic grace would impact him, how it would show up in his life, how it would make his life different. While the answers to questions like that were only answerable in God’s way and in God’s time, I could speak to him about the goal of sacramental grace of allowing Christ to live in us. I’d talk about how in the Eucharist, Christ comes to dwell in us, how he feeds us with his body and blood so that we might be like him. I’d mention how the Eucharist is a sacrament that could be received daily. It is a supernatural nourishment for us to overcome our daily sins, to persevere daily in virtue, and to allow Christ to increase in our mind, in our will and in our hearts a little bit more each day.

This is an excerpt from OSV News’ monthly “The Eucharistic Word” column.

GLORIA PURIVS

BERNARD HEBDA

BISHOP ANDREW COZZENS

GUEST COLUMN | MICHAEL HEINLEIN

the parents of Anna

became Catholic because I am a seeker of truth. God planted wonderful people along my journey in my darkest hour to show me the path of light, leading me toward him.

I was raised in China, where we did not practice any religion in our family. In a big city with over 16 million people, there was very little Catholic influence present, and I did not encounter Christianity until I was 25 years old. I have always been taught that nothing is valid until proven to be true. In other words, skepticism was my religion. This worldview was the principle that guided me in my studies and sparked my keen interest in science, but it also deterred me from seeking God for a long time.

After I finished college at the University of Richmond, I took a few gap years and started working as a lab technician before I decided to apply to graduate school. I got an offer at the University of Minnesota and decided to quit my job to visit my parents back home before coming back to Minnesota. Then COVID-19 broke out and I was faced with a difficult choice: Either remain in the United States with no job and no place to stay or go home and risk not being able to return for another year for school. I was very depressed and anxious and felt that my life had hit rock bottom. Little did I know that the Almighty had his plan for me, even though I was not one of his followers yet.

My undergrad professor learned of my situation and decided to open his home to me for as long as I needed. By living with his family, who are all Christians, I started to learn and read about Christianity and our Lord Jesus Christ. Later, when he learned that I was going to the University of Minnesota for grad

school, he helped connect me with a family in St. Paul, who ended up being my sponsors to the Catholic Church — and now will be the godparents to my child.

I arrived in St. Paul on a Saturday afternoon and the family kindly hosted me before I moved into my apartment. They also invited me to Mass with them the next day. I replied: “Sure! What’s Mass?”

During grad school, my interest and desire to seek the Lord continued to grow exponentially. The more I learned about God, the more I realized that science and religion are not in conflict. As a matter of fact, many famous scientists are also Catholics, such as Galileo Galilei and Louis Pasteur. I came to realize that the analytical method and inquisitive mindset (as my younger self would call it, being skeptical) fostered by science are powerful tools to aid one in understanding and searching for truth. One can say that those are wonderful gifts that our Lord has bestowed upon us, to be able to search for him.

After OCIA, converting to the Catholic Church became the reasonable and desirable option for me. I wanted to keep growing in my knowledge in faith and my relationship with God. Looking back now, I feel so blessed and grateful for God to put those people in my life to guide me to him. Even when I was skeptical of his existence, God had his way of leading me to the truth and happiness.

Wen, 29, is a pharmacy student living and working in St. Paul. He attends St. Mark parish in St. Paul with his wife, Lauren. They married last year at St. Mark and are expecting their first child.

“Why I am Catholic” is an ongoing series in The Catholic Spirit. Want to share why you are Catholic? Submit your story in 300-500 words to CatholiCSpirit@arChSpm org with subject line “Why I am Catholic.”

Editor’s note: James and Heather Wilgenbusch,

Wilgenbusch, a reporter with The Catholic Spirit, aided the writer in his journey to the Catholic Church.

ANNA WILGENBUSCH | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

CALENDAR

PARISH EVENTS

St. John’s Annual Super Sale! — June 19-22: St. John the Baptist, 4625 W. 125th St., Savage. Furniture, home goods, jewelry, clothing, tools, purses, linens, toys and baby items. StjohnS-Savage org/Super-Sale

St. Boniface Rummage Sale — June 20-22: St. Boniface school gym, 8801 Wildwood Ave., St. Bonifacius. 7 a.m.-7 p.m. June 20 and 21, 8 a.m.noon June 22 for $5 bag sale. fb me/e/3oSwtpSg8

WORSHIP+RETREATS

The 2024 Priory Preserve Pilgrimage — June 22: 8 a.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2625 Benet Road, Maplewood. Walk through 12 stations within the Maplewood Priory Preserve. tinyurl Com/3jrp38uw 2024 Founding Day Mass and Cookout — June 22: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2625 Benet Road, Maplewood. Join the Sisters of St. Paul’s Monastery for a special Founding Day Mass followed by a family-style cookout to celebrate their 76 years in St. Paul. tinyurl Com/3S4m8Sft Healing Mass — June 26: 7 p.m. at 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd., NE, Ham Lake. Mass with prayers for healing. Individual prayers for healing and prayer teams available after Mass. ChurChofSaintpaul Com/healing-maSS Poetic Medicine: To Awaken Soulfulness in the Human Voice — July 14, 21, 28: 2-4:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Over three sessions, experience the poem-making process as a roadmap toward insight and wellness. tinyurl Com/3z7p6puC

Ignatian Men’s Silent Retreat — Thursday-Sunday most weeks: Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House, 8243 Demontreville Trail N., Lake Elmo. Freewill donation. demontrevilleretreat Com

CONFERENCES+WORKSHOPS

Prison Ministry Workshop — June 30: 10 a.m.2:30 p.m. at St. Peter Claver, 369 Oxford St., North St. Paul. Learn about the importance of prison ministry during testimony from returning citizens and volunteers. tCpriSonminiStry Com/newS

School of Healing — July 12-13: 5:30-10 p.m. at Encounter Twin Cities Campus, 110 Crusader Ave. W., West St. Paul. A two-day event to help Catholics learn and grow in physical healing ministry. Theological foundations for ministry, practical models for prayer, and opportunities to gain hands-on experience praying with others. enCountertCC regfox Com/enCounter-twin-CitieSSChool-of-healing

SPEAKERS+SEMINARS

The Renewal of Catholic Education in Christian Friendship — June 26: 7-9 p.m. at St. Mary's Chapel, The St. Paul Seminary, 2260 Summit Ave., St. Paul.

This event focuses on education grounded in biblical anthropology, integrated across Newman’s circles of knowledge, and attuned to the natural development of the human person. Register online: tinyurl Com/2S3fxta8 Nuggets of Wisdom from Ignatius — July 9: 7-8 p.m. at St. Ignatius Hall, St. Thomas More, 1079 Summit Ave., St. Paul. Part of the "Growing in Freedom Ignatian Summer Series," this talk by Mary Fratto will focus on the teachings of St. Ignatius found in his Spiritual Exercises. No charge, online registration requested. ignatianSpiritualityCenter org

Grieving Dawn: A Morning of Reflection — July 13: 8:30-11 a.m. at St. Paul, 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd NE, Ham Lake. Presentation from Abigail Jorgensen, author of "A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss.” No charge, RSVP requested. ChurChofSaintpaul Com/grieving-dawn-morning-of-refleCtion

SCHOOLS

Transfiguration School Tiger Classic Golf Tournament — June 22: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Applewood Hills Golf Course, 11840 60th St. N., Stillwater. Enjoy golf with friends to help support the school. A scramble with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Silent auction, prizes and a hole-in-one contest. givebutter Com/C/tigerClaSSiC

Summer Camp: Engineering Design Challenge — June 24-27: 8:30-11:29 a.m. at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic School, 235 S. Second Street, Delano. Students will work in teams to complete two challenges: building the strongest bridge design and designing a model skyscraper that can survive a simulated earthquake. StmaxkolbeSChool org/SChool-CampS

OTHER EVENTS

Catholic Young Adults: The Musical — June 20-23 and 27-29: 7 p.m. at Helene Houle Auditorium, St. Agnes School, 530 Lafond Ave., St. Paul. An original musical about a group of Catholic young adults who try to save their parish from closing — but can they do it amid the chaos of their own dating novenas, come-andsees, and lust for Latin?

miSSedtheboattheatre Com/CatholiC-young-adultS-the-muSiCal

Widows Day of Reflection — June 23: 8 a.m.1 p.m. at 5071 Eden Ave., Edina. Featuring Bishop Joseph Williams, recent and longtime widows will experience the Church’s concern for them as they navigate a status in life they did not choose. $30 per person. olgpariSh org/olg-newS-eventS/widowS-day-ofrefleCtion-2024

CEMETERY LOTS FOR SALE

thrive when teammates share bold conviction and motivate each other toward a common goal. Is there an opportunity for a team of Catholic men to do the same? Join an emerging group of men that are on a mission to find out. No cost. lumenvero Com

C.S. Lewis on Stage: Further Up and Further In — July 13: 4-5:30 p.m. at The O'Shaughnessy theater at St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul. Actor Max McLean captures C.S. Lewis in an onstage experience venturing deep into the soul of one of the most influential thinkers of the past century. Tickets available online: tinyurl Com/veStu3Cm

ONGOING GROUPS

Calix Society — First and third Sundays: 9-10:30 a.m., third Sunday in person hosted by the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. In Assembly Hall, Lower Level. Potluck breakfast. Calix is a group of men, women, family and friends supporting the spiritual needs of recovering Catholics with alcohol or other addictions. For the Zoom meeting link call Jim at 612-383-8232 or Steve at 612-327-4370.

Career Transition Group — Third Thursdays: 7:30-8:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Road 24, Medina. The Career Transition Group hosts speakers on various topics to help people looking for a job or a change in career and to enhance job skills. The meetings also allow time for networking with others and opportunities for resume review. hnoj org/Career-tranSition-group

Caregivers Support Group — Third Thursdays: 6:30 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. For anyone juggling the challenges of life, health, career and caring for an aging parent, grandparent or spouse. guardian-angelS org/ event/1392201-2019-09-19-CaregiverS-Support-group

Gifted and Belonging — Fourth Sundays: 6-8 p.m. at St. Matthew, 510 Hall Ave., St. Paul. Providing Catholic fellowship for young adults with disabilities. Gather to share a time of prayer and reflection, followed by games and social activities. Invite friends and bring a caregiver as needed. For more information on monthly activities and/or volunteer opportunities, call Megan at 612-456-1572 or email giftedandbelonging@gmail Com

CALENDAR submissions

DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the issue date.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and organizations. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission. Included in our listings are local events submitted by public sources that could be of interest to the larger Catholic community.

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE:

uTime and date of event

uFull street address of event

uDescription of event

uContact information in case of questions uThe Catholic Spirit prints calendar details as submitted.

TheCatholiCSpirit Com/CalendarSubmiSSionS

observe the Gospel by following the example of St. Francis. 651-724-1348

Quilters for a Cause — First Fridays: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at St. Jerome, 380 Roselawn Ave. E., Maplewood. Join other women to make quilts to donate to local charities. Quilting experience is not necessary but basic machine skills are helpful. For more information, call the parish office: 651-771-1209. faCebook Com/profile php?id=100087945155707

To advertise your display ad call Chris at 651.251.7714

Calvary Catholic Cemetery: 1 lot; 2 graves (2nd must be cremains). Value: $3,795. Call: 612-200-8947. Resurrection Cemetery: 2 lots. Price $3000/pr. 651-777-3785.

Online Evening Prayer with Young Adults — June 25: 7 p.m. Young adults ages 18-plus are invited to pray online together with School Sisters of Notre Dame every fourth Tuesday. Learn more and register for the Zoom link at SSnd org/eventS

Lumen Vero — July 11: 6:30-8 p.m. at Concord Lanes, 365 Concord Exchange N., South St. Paul. Great teams

Natural Family Planning (NFP) — Classes teach couples Church approved methods on how to achieve or postpone pregnancy while embracing the beauty of God’s gift of sexuality. For a complete list of classes offered throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, visit arChSpm org/family or call 651-291-4489.

Order Franciscans Secular (OFS) — Third Sundays: 2-4 p.m. at St. Leonard of Port Maurice, 3949 Clinton Ave. S., Minneapolis. Learn more about this group of lay Catholic men and women striving to

Restorative Support for Victims-Survivors — Monthly: 6:30-8 p.m. via Zoom. Open to all victimssurvivors. Victim-survivor support group for those abused by clergy as adults — first Mondays. Support group for relatives or friends of victims of clergy sexual abuse — second Mondays. Victim-survivor support group — third Mondays. Survivor Peace Circle — third Tuesdays. Support group for men who have been sexually abused by clergy/religious — fourth Wednesdays. Support group for present and former employees of faith-based institutions who have experienced abuse in any of its many forms — second Thursdays. Visit Safe-environment arChSpm org/healing or contact Paula Kaempffer, outreach coordinator for restorative justice and abuse prevention, at kaempfferp@arChSpm org or 651-291-4429.

Secular Franciscan Meeting of St. Leonard of Port Maurice Fraternity — Third Sundays: 2:153:45 p.m. at St. Olaf, 215 S. Eighth St., Minneapolis. General membership meeting of Secular Franciscans who belong to the Fraternity of St. Leonard of Port Maurice. Any who are interested in living the Gospel life in the manner of St. Francis and St. Clare are welcome.

(763) 757-3187

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Executive Director for Options for Women of Chisago County. For more information: pregoptionsfriends.org\employment 651-674-2121 info@pregoptions.org EMPLOYMENT

work! Call 952-447-2182 to apply.

GREAT CATHOLIC SPEAKERS

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Lighthouse Catholic Media, Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins, and more! $6/month includes shipping. Subscribe online at: www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/cdclub Please Enter Code: 1195

HARDWOOD FLOORS

Comfort Crafter Hardwood Floors Summer’s here! Enhance the comfort of your home this season with new or refurbished hardwood floors. Chris 612-442-7571

PAINTING

For painting & all related services. View our website: PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM or call (651) 699-6140.

and

Synod Assembly leads to unexpected love story

By Anna Wilgenbusch

The Catholic Spirit

When Dan and Nancy Frederick — 60 and 67, respectively — attended the June 2022 Archdiocesan Synod Assembly at Cretin-Derham Hall high school in St. Paul, neither were looking for love.

At the time, Dan was accompanying his wife, Jan, in the final stages of her 12-year fight with cancer, and Nancy had been single for 29 years. She assumed that her opportunity to find a spouse had passed, she said.

But the two found themselves next to each other in line for dinner after the Pentecost Mass — a liturgy that so moved Nancy, she would later recount it with tears — and they struck up a conversation. After they discovered a shared love for biking, Nancy invited Dan to join the Twin Cities Bike Club as an outlet while he cared for his wife. A friendship formed, and when Dan’s wife died a few months later, Nancy attended the funeral.

On Christmas that year, Nancy invited Dan to attend the vigil Mass at St. Raphael in Crystal with her so that he would not be alone. Their friendship deepened through conversations about their shared love of the faith, the

outdoors and fitness.

In March 2023 they went to an adoration chapel together to pray about their relationship, and they decided to date. On Oct. 1, 2023, Dan asked Nancy to marry him, and on Jan. 6, 2024, they were married at St. Raphael by the pastor, Father Nick Hagen.

Nancy said that she “still can’t believe it.”

“People say, ‘I can’t believe you guys met, that’s amazing.’ And I’m like, it’s even more amazing that I said yes!” said Nancy, who has struggled with trust in the past but said that she felt Dan was “designed” for her.

The faith that brought them together now fuels their marriage. They pray together every day, attend daily Mass as often as possible together and attend yearly individual retreats.

They witness Christ’s love in their small group, which was formed as part of their parish’s response to Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s post-synodal pastoral letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent From the Upper Room.”

Nancy and Dan host the group at their kitchen table in their Plymouth home. They said they have grown in their faith and love for their community through hosting the group.

“The vulnerability with other people

is amazing, that God opens people’s hearts and can heal their hearts through our discussion,” Nancy said. “I think it is a very trusting environment, which is hard to find these days in society.”

“Everybody comes prepared to share,” Dan said. “We all have wounds and we all need prayer.”

When they are not hosting their small group, they enjoy bike riding together and caring for their nine grandchildren, some of whom live nearby.

Dan and Nancy said their families have supported their decision to marry and affirmed that they are a good fit, while they simultaneously navigated the sensitivity of Dan’s family’s grief.

“We could have waited another year

(to get married), but he (Dan) just said ‘I want to live,’” Nancy said.

Dan and Nancy were surprised when older people in their community approached them and said that their story inspired them to be open to marriage later in life.

“A couple people said ... ‘You know, this gives me hope,’” Nancy said.

Dan and Nancy said that their relationship is evidence of God’s providence.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and all things shall be granted unto thee,” Nancy said, referencing Matthew 6:33. “Our focus the whole time was on Christ.”

“God has a plan,” Dan said.

COURTESY DAN FREDERICK

From left to right: Father Nick Hagen, Dan Frederick, Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Nancy Frederick before the April 27, 2024 St. Raphael School Gala. The couple met during the 2022 Archdiocesan Synod Assembly led by the archbishop.

Dan and Nancy Frederick outside their home in Plymouth on June 13.

ANNA WILGENBUSCH

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT