June 11, 2020 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Ordination day Seven deacons became priests May 30 at Cathedral of St. Paul. Special coverage of the Mass and each ordinand. — Pages 13-21
Pray his name
Catholics react to George Floyd’s death, Twin Cities turmoil
Seeking sanctuary Fearful of riots, south Minneapolis family reached pastor for 3 a.m. refuge. — Page 8
Blessed life Knights of Columbus founder Father McGivney bound for beatification. — Page 9
Clergy assignments New posts announced. — Page 10
Phased reopening Vatican museums, papal villa reopen with COVID-19 precautions. — Page 12 DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
A mourning woman lays prostrate at a memorial for George Floyd as several priests from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, right, and others pray nearby. The priests joined African American clergy June 2 for a march and prayer gathering at the site in south Minneapolis where Floyd was pinned down by Minneapolis police officers and died May 25. More than a dozen priests and Archbishop Bernard Hebda participated, including, from left, Father Joe Gillespie, pastor of St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis; Father Doug Ebert, pastor of St. John Neumann in Eagan; Father Peter Williams, pastor of St. Ambrose in Woodbury; and Father Brian Park, pastor of Annunciation in Minneapolis. Chants of “say his name” have been heard at many marches and prayer gatherings in response to Floyd’s death. Father Park said of joining the march, “It’s great just to pray with other brothers and sisters in Christ and to come together and ask for peace and an end to injustice.” A similar march and prayer gathering took place later that day in St. Paul. Read related stories on pages 6-8.
Call of the wild When UST closed for COVID-19, SJV seminarians headed to Dunrovin retreat center. — Page 22
After more than two months without public Mass, ‘a homecoming’ By Barb Umberger and Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
A
ndrea and Pete Barrett held hands as they walked into St. Casimir in St. Paul May 31 for the first time in more than two months, and their hands remained clasped throughout the Mass. “I’m so deeply grateful to be able to be here and to receive Christ in the Eucharist,” said Andrea, 53. “I have missed that so much.” They and their three youngest children, Matthew, Max and Maria, were among a larger congregation allowed at public Masses in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for the first weekend since public Masses were suspended March 18, a week before the state’s stay-at-home order took effect. That order lifted May 18, but when the Barretts attended Mass, congregations were capped at 25% capacity to continue helping stem the tide of the novel coronavirus. Some parishes began offering daily Mass May 18, when maximum permitted capacity was limited to 10.
From left, Pete, Andrea, Matthew, Max and Maria Barrett of St. Casimir in St. Paul sit together during Mass at St. Casimir May 31. It was the first time in more than two months that they came to their church for Mass. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Andrea said she had been attending Mass daily online, but that was not the same. “Each time we (came) to the spiritual Communion, I just had this … heaviness and sadness of not being able to receive him (Jesus) sacramentally,” she said. “And to finally be able to do that means everything — it really does, because he’s the center of everything.”
In permitting parishes that feel ready to reopen for Masses, the state’s bishops continued to suspend Catholics’ obligation to attend Mass on Sunday and holy days of obligation. They have also encouraged people who are 65 and older or have underlying health conditions not to attend Mass at this time. PLEASE TURN TO MASS ON PAGE 5
2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JUNE 11, 2020
PAGETWO NEWS notes
$139,000
The amount raised at the Cana Online Banquet for Crystal-based Cana Family Institute, which helps parishes and schools bring parents of young children more deeply into the faith and leadership development. The May 1 event hit the $60,000 matching challenge, and fell only a bit shy of the $160,000 goal, said Jeannine Backstrom, executive director. Also during the banquet, the institute honored Patrick and Mary Regan of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings with its annual Cana Award for their witness to Catholic marriage, family life and missionary discipleship at the parish and its school.
11
The number of students at St. Peter Catholic School in Forest Lake moving on to high school this year — as the school’s first eighth grade graduating class since 1968. After that point, the school offered classes through sixth grade. It added seventh grade in 2018-2019 and eighth grade this past school year. For years, parents had hoped for a middle school, and a recent expansion project made two more grades possible. Due to pandemic-related restrictions, the June 4 graduation Mass included careful social distancing. Afterward, one family at a time moved to the back of the church for a family photo before exiting. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
NEWLY ORDAINED TRANSITIONAL DEACONS Bishop Andrew Cozzens places the Book of the Gospels in the hands of newly ordained Deacon James Bernard during the transitional deacon ordination Mass May 23 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. Eight men were ordained as another step toward the priesthood, five of them for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis: Deacon Bernard and Deacons William Duffert, Brian Fischer, Michael Reinhardt and Josh Salonek. The other three were Deacons Joseph Barron and David Hottinger of Pro Ecclesia Sancta, and Zephirino Tumwejunise of the Diocese of Kabale, Uganda. The ordination Mass was originally scheduled for earlier in the month at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, but was moved due to COVID-19 restrictions on public Masses.
2,000
The estimated number of people who showed up at the State Capitol’s front steps and lawn in St. Paul June 2 for a peaceful sit-in. Following the May 25 police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, seven recent graduates of DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis helped organize and promote a “Sit to Breathe” event drawing attention to police treatment of African Americans across the country. They also wanted to pay tribute to sit-ins held during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The seven graduates, who had been active in campus ministry since their freshman year, also wanted to encourage people to think about racial justice issues and ensure a peaceful event, said Margaret Hodapp, vice president for Lasallian ministry at the high school. Several students addressed the crowd in remarks, poetic performance art and preaching.
4
The number of nuns temporarily displaced by a fire near their convent in Minneapolis. In the early morning of May 29, after a night of protests and riots in Minneapolis over the police-custody death of George Floyd, Missionary of Charity Sister M. Shilanand, local superior of the religious order, smelled and saw a thick cloud of black smoke but did not know its origin. The sisters in her order do not own a television, nor do they receive a daily newspaper. Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis called the convent and said that he and Archbishop Bernard Hebda were concerned for their safety. He arranged for the convent’s four sisters to move to the convent at St. Francis de Sales in St. Paul, where they stayed for three days. Their own convent was not damaged and the sisters quickly resumed their charity work.
in REMEMBRANCE
Deacon Dolan served in six parishes The Catholic Spirit
BOB CUNNINGHAM | FOR THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
‘PERFECT, TERRIFIC’ DAY Maureen Trenary reacts with glee and Archbishop Bernard Hebda looks on with delight May 20 as a parade of people in cars — including many adults she taught when they were children — honor her 29 years as principal and 35 years total at Our Lady of Grace Catholic School in Edina, and her 45 years as an educator. The day began at Our Lady of Grace with Mayor Jim Hovland declaring it “Maureen Trenary Day” and the archbishop presiding at a livestream all-school Mass. The surprise came as Trenary was coaxed outside. She was greeted by a city firetruck and a parade of people in vehicles that lasted 90 minutes. “I think that was so incredible,” said Trenary, 69. “It was one of those perfect, terrific days.”
REDISCOVER:Hour On the show that aired June 5, Rediscover:Hour host Patrick Conley interviews Yen Fasano, a member of the Archdiocesan Synod Executive Committee, and Dave Bendel, a member of the Synod Data Analysis Committee, on the data committee’s work. Also, Father John Paul Echert of Holy Trinity in South St. Paul talks about the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity; and there is an update from Deacon Mickey Friesen and Janine Ricker on the archdiocesan partnership with the Diocese of Kitui, Kenya, and the Center for Mission. Listen each week on Fridays at 9 a.m., Saturdays at noon, and Sundays at 2 p.m. on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Find past shows at rediscover.archspm.org.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
United in Faith, Hope and Love
Vol. 25 — No. 11 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor-in-Chief JOE RUFF, News Editor
Deacon Tom Dolan, who served in active ministry for more than 20 years, died June 3. He was 91. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Betty Nell. He is also survived by a son, Father Timothy Dolan, a priest of the archdiocese. Deacon Dolan, who was born in Hutchinson and later attended St. Albert the Great School and DeLaSalle High School, both in Minneapolis, was ordained a deacon for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1983. He served at Holy Rosary in Minneapolis, Risen Savior in Burnsville, Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Columba in St. Paul, St. Joseph in Hopkins, and Mary, Queen of Peace in Rogers. He retired from active ministry in 2005, but continued to volunteer at places
including a homeless shelter and hospice. He is a graduate of the College of St. Thomas (now the University of St. Thomas) and later worked there as an administrator and adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Business. The school honored him in 1986 with its Humanitarian Award, and in 1991 he was recognized by The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity for his “creative, energetic and faith-filled service.” He also served in the military in 1951-52. Visitation will be 3 to 7 p.m. June 15 at Gill Brothers Funeral Home in Minneapolis. The funeral Mass will be 11 a.m. June 16 at Annunciation in Minneapolis. Interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in St. Paul.
Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year: Senior 1-year: $24.95: To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631. Published semi-monthly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857. TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
JUNE 11, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3
FROMTHEARCHBISHOP ONLY JESUS | ARCHBISHOP BERNARD HEBDA
Healing a wounded people
T
he whir of helicopters provided an evocative background to our recited Litany of Saints at last week’s priesthood ordination in the Cathedral of St. Paul, reminding me of the strong wind that filled the Upper Room on the first Pentecost. Those helicopters and the absence of congregational singing, as well as a Cathedral populated by clusters of faithful sitting three rows apart from each other, all underlined that these are days unlike any other. And yet there was something reassuringly familiar as seven men came forward for ordination, having heard the Lord’s call to serve as his priests. As they donned facemasks to distribute holy Communion to their families, I couldn’t help but think that they were the new medics that the Lord was raising up for the field hospital that is our Church. For me, they were a powerful affirmation of the Lord’s great love for this archdiocese. I had been in the Cathedral just 12 hours earlier. Mayor Melvin Carter had convened faith leaders Friday afternoon and asked us to lead our communities in prayer in the first hour of St. Paul’s curfew. Bishop Andrew Cozzens and I chose to do that before the Blessed Sacrament in the silence of the Cathedral, where we were joined on Facebook by faithful responding to the call for prayers. As we prayed the sorrowful mysteries, my eyes were repeatedly drawn to the oil painting that hangs on the right side of the sanctuary and depicts Mary cradling the lifeless body of Jesus. While it’s usually lost in the splendor of the Cathedral, I felt a unique closeness that evening to the Sorrowful Mother, sensing her pain as she cradled the Church, the mystical body of Christ, wounded not only by a pandemic but also by the indifference to life that characterized the death of George Floyd and by the all-too-painful signs that our communities have given a home to racism, violence and hatred. Earlier that evening, Bishop Cozzens and I had been blessed to be at St. Peter Claver parish for a live
Curando a un pueblo herido
E
l zumbido de los helicópteros proporcionó un fondo evocador a nuestra recitada Letanía de los Santos en la ordenación del sacerdocio de la semana pasada en la Catedral de San Pablo, recordándome el fuerte viento que llenó la Sala Superior en el primer Pentecostés. Esos helicópteros y la ausencia de canto congregacional, así como una catedral poblada por grupos de fieles sentados a tres filas uno del otro, todos subrayaron que estos son días diferentes. Y sin embargo, hubo algo tranquilizador y familiar cuando siete hombres se presentaron para la ordenación, después de haber escuchado el llamado del Señor a servir como sus sacerdotes. Como se pusieron mascarillas para distribuir la Sagrada Comunión a sus familias, no pude evitar pensar que eran los nuevos médicos que el Señor estaba levantando para el hospital de campaña que es nuestra Iglesia. Para mí, fueron una poderosa afirmación del gran amor del Señor por esta Arquidiócesis. Había estado en la catedral apenas doce horas antes. El alcalde Carter había convocado a líderes religiosos el viernes por la tarde y nos pidió que dirigiéramos a nuestras comunidades en oración en la primera hora del toque de queda de San Pablo. El obispo Cozzens
MARIA WIERING | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Kurt Melancon painted this image of George Floyd on the front of his shop, Leviticus Tattoo, along Lake Street in south Minneapolis.
streamed moment of prayer led by the pastor, Father Erich Rutten. Father Rutten lifted up his parishioners and community to the Lord, who reminded us to come to him whenever we’re heavy burdened. With an emotional “Lead Me, Guide Me,” cantor Rita Commodore got us all pointed in the right direction: “Lead me through the darkness thy Face to see, Lead me, oh Lord, lead me….” For more than 125 years, St. Peter Claver parish has been a beacon for those longing to see Christ’s face, and for those of us who need to be reminded to look for his face in those of our neighbors, regardless of skin color or national origin. Archbishop John Ireland was ahead of his time in establishing the parish. He likewise welcomed into our seminary a young black man from the Caribbean, Stephen Louis Theobald, at a time when it was almost unheard of to have an African American
y yo decidimos hacer eso antes del Santísimo Sacramento en el silencio de la Catedral, donde nos unimos en Facebook los fieles que respondieron al llamado a las oraciones. Mientras rezábamos los misterios dolorosos, mis ojos fueron atraídos repetidamente hacia la pintura al óleo que cuelga en el lado derecho del santuario y representa a María acunando el cuerpo sin vida de Jesús. Si bien generalmente se pierde en el esplendor de la Catedral, esa noche sentí una cercanía única con la Madre Dolorosa, al sentir su dolor mientras acunaba a la Iglesia, el cuerpo místico de Cristo, herido no solo por una pandemia sino también por la indiferencia hacia vida que caracterizó la muerte de George Floyd y por los signos demasiado dolorosos de que nuestras comunidades han dado un hogar al racismo, la violencia y el odio. Más temprano esa noche, el obispo Cozzens y yo habíamos sido bendecidos de estar en la parroquia St. Peter Claver para un momento de oración en vivo dirigido por el pastor, el Padre. Erich Rutten. El p. Rutten alzó a sus feligreses y su comunidad al Señor, quien nos recordó que acudiéramos a él cada vez que estamos agobiados. Con un emotivo “Guíame, Guíame”, la cantor Rita Commodore, nos hizo apuntar a todos en la dirección correcta: “Llévame a través de la oscuridad tu rostro para ver, guíame, oh Señor, guíame ...” Durante más de 125 años, la parroquia de San Pedro Claver
diocesan priest. After ordination, Father Theobald would go on to lead St. Peter Claver for 22 years. It is painful for me to hear today from black Catholics of their continued experiences of racism in the Church and in our community. Voices like theirs, I understand, led Archbishop Harry Flynn in 2003 to write “In God’s Image: Pastoral Letter on Racism.” It’s still on the archdiocesan website because it is as relevant today as when it was written. I will be encouraging all of our pastors to offer opportunities for studying that prophetic statement, along with the 2019 pastoral letter from the bishops of the United States, “Open Your Hearts.” I see that as an essential step as we continue our preparations for our Archdiocesan Synod. We need, however, to move beyond study to action. As Pope Francis recently stated, “We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life.” In a phone conversation with the president of the USCCB on June 3, Pope Francis conveyed to Archbishop Jose Gomez that he was particularly praying for our local Church. Imagine that! I am confident that, strengthened by the Holy Father’s prayers, those who will gather in our parishes to explore this sin of racism will be able to recommend concrete steps for addressing that sin and contribute to healing the wound that has been laid bare in recent weeks. I ask your prayers for our new priests, for the success of our parish efforts, and for the long-term outreach about to be undertaken by the Drexel Mission Schools Initiative. Named for St. Katherine Drexel, one of our first American saints and a great proponent of racial justice through education, the initiative is one of the fruits of the Road Map for Catholic Education project. In particular, it is intended to focus support for elementary schools serving some of our most economically challenged and racially diverse communities. You will be hearing much more about out Drexel Mission Schools in the weeks to come.
ha sido un faro para aquellos que desean ver el rostro de Cristo, y para aquellos de nosotros a quienes debemos recordar que busquemos su rostro en los de nuestros vecinos, independientemente del color de la piel o del país de origen. El arzobispo Irlanda se adelantó a su tiempo para establecer la parroquia. Asimismo, dio la bienvenida a nuestro seminario a un joven negro del Caribe, Stephen Louis Theobald, en un momento en que era casi imposible tener un sacerdote diocesano afroamericano. Después de la ordenación, el p. Theobald continuaría liderando St. Peter Claver durante 22 años. Es doloroso para mí escuchar hoy de católicos negros sobre sus continuas experiencias de racismo en la Iglesia y en nuestra comunidad. Entiendo que voces como la suya llevaron al arzobispo Flynn en 2003 a escribir “A imagen de Dios: Carta pastoral sobre el racismo”. Todavía está en el sitio web arquidiocesano porque es tan relevante hoy como cuando se escribió. Alentaré a todos nuestros pastores a ofrecer oportunidades para estudiar esa declaración profética, junto con la carta pastoral de los obispos de los Estados Unidos de 2019, “Abre tus corazones”. Veo eso como un paso esencial mientras continuamos nuestros preparativos para nuestro Sínodo Arquidiocesano. Sin embargo, necesitamos pasar del estudio a la acción. Como dijo recientemente el Papa Francisco, “no
podemos tolerar ni hacer la vista gorda ante el racismo y la exclusión de ninguna forma y, sin embargo, pretender defender lo sagrado de toda vida humana”. En una conversación telefónica con el presidente de la USCCB el 3 de junio, el Papa Francisco transmitió al Arzobispo Gómez que estaba orando particularmente por nuestra Iglesia local. ¡Imagina eso! Estoy seguro de que, fortalecidos por las oraciones del Santo Padre, aquellos que se reunirán en nuestras parroquias para explorar este pecado de racismo podrán recomendar pasos concretos para abordar ese pecado y contribuir a sanar la herida que se ha puesto al descubierto en las últimas semanas. Les pido sus oraciones por nuestros nuevos sacerdotes, por el éxito de nuestros esfuerzos parroquiales y por el alcance a largo plazo que la Iniciativa de Escuelas de Misión de Drexel va a emprender. Llamada así por St. Katherine Drexel, una de nuestras primeras santas estadounidenses y una gran defensora de la justicia racial a través de la educación, la iniciativa es uno de los frutos del proyecto Road Map for Catholic Education. En particular, está destinado a centrar el apoyo a las escuelas primarias que prestan servicios a algunas de nuestras comunidades con mayor diversidad económica y dificultades económicas. En las próximas semanas escuchará mucho más sobre las Escuelas de la Misión Drexel. Por favor, sepa cuán agradecido estoy por sus oraciones.
4 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JUNE 11, 2020
LOCAL LOCAL
4 • The Catholic Spirit
Luminaries March 9, 2017 for the lost ‘Angel’ among us
Ellen Roeser, left, of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, holds a sign May 26 in front of the Governor’s Residence in St. Paul indicating how many elderly people in Twin Cities’ nursing homes had died of COVID-19 as of that day. She and St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Avis other volunteers, including Nancy Allmaras, center, talks with Rose Carter, Schulte Palachek, second from left, and Irene Eiden at Peace House in left, of St. Peter in Forest Lake, her south Minneapolis Feb. 27. Sister Avis daughter, Maddie Schulte, of the goes to the center weekly and visits Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, frequent guests like Carter. Eiden, of and Vicki Sheaffer of St. Jude of St. William in Fridley, is a lay consociate the Lake in Mahtomedi, placed of the Carondelet Sisters. Peace House is luminaries on the sidewalk in front a day shelter for the poor and homeless. of the residence to signify local “It’s a real privilege to know these people elderly who died of COVID-19. and hear their stories,” Sister Avis said. “I Roeser, whose parents live in an could not survive on the streets like they assisted living facility for seniors, do. There are so many gifted people is protesting the transfer from here.” Said Carter of Sister Avis: “She’s hospitals to nursing homes of an angel. She hides her wings under that elderly who have tested positive for sweatshirt. She truly is an angel.” the coronavirus to free up hospital Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit beds in Minnesota. She would like the practice to end, and used the event, called Luminaries for the Lost, to raise awareness both National Catholic Sisters is among citizens and Week state officials, March 8-14. AnGov. official including Timcomponent Walz. “We of are Women’s History and only as goodMonth as how we take care headquartered St. CatherineRoeser University of our mostatvulnerable,” DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRITin St.said. Paul, the week celebrates women religious and their contributions to the Church and society. View local events, including two art exhibitions, at www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org.
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LOCAL
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MASS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In Oakdale, Transfiguration was among some of the parishes in the archdiocese — and across the state — to hold Mass May 27, as Gov. Tim Walz’s May 23 executive order took effect, allowing faith communities to accommodate 25% of their capacity — up to 250 people — for worship services, provided precautions were taken to protect public health in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 5, the governor broadened that limit slightly, effective June 10, to 50% capacity, while retaining the 250-person cap. Transfiguration’s pastor, Father John Paul Erickson, said he expected the sight of a congregation to be an emotional experience. Instead, he was surprised by what struck him the most: the sound of pews creaking as people sat down. That, and hearing verbal responses to the Mass, nearly brought him to tears. “That was very touching to me because for the last two months, it’s been nearly complete silence, kind of a deafening silence. So it was very comforting and a great grace,” Father Erickson said. Transfiguration’s staff warmly welcomed parishioners and guests with greetings and smiles so big that masks couldn’t conceal them. Hand sanitizer was available near the entry doors, along with handouts listing protocols for attending Mass. Nearby were several “stations” in the gathering space where parishioners could receive the Eucharist at the end of Mass, on their way back outside. Floors were taped at 6-foot increments to help people socially distance. Inside the worship space, two pews on either side of a single pew were closed off using thick, sage-green grosgrain ribbon. When it came time for Communion, ushers walked pew by pew to direct attendees when it was their turn to walk to the stations for the Eucharist. About 70 people attended, with a mix of ages from seniors and the middle-aged, to younger people in their 20s and families with young children. Most wore masks. “We felt we were prepared,” Father Erickson said of reopening. “We have been waiting for this day for quite some time.” Parishioner Mark Smith, 44, brought five of his six children to Mass. His wife stayed home with their youngest. One daughter, Philomena, had turned 5 that day, and she asked to go to Mass as her birthday present. The Mass is always a pillar and foundation of Catholics’ faith life, Smith said. The past two months made Smith realize the important things he takes for granted, including being
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5
FREEDOM TO WORSHIP A May 23 executive order from Gov. Tim Walz permitted faith-based gatherings at 25% church capacity, with a total limit of 250 people, beginning May 27. That order was broadened slightly June 5, effective June 10, to 50% capacity, while retaining the 250-person cap. The May 23 order followed two days of meetings with Archbishop Bernard Hebda and other faith leaders, after Minnesota Catholic bishops announced May 20 that they planned to move forward with Masses at 30% capacity, despite the governor’s limitations at that time of public worship to 10 people indoors or outdoors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bishops found the May 23 guidance reasonable and modified their plans to align with it.
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
David Gottwalt, right, prays during Mass at Transfiguration in Oakdale May 27. In front of him are, from left, Amara, Simon, Leyton, Damien and Mark Smith. physically present at Mass and receiving the Eucharist. “(Today’s Mass) was a wonderful and emotional experience,” he said. “It’s like a homecoming to receive Jesus sacramentally for the first time in two months. That was powerful.” Parishioner David Gottwalt echoed Smith’s thoughts. “I am so deeply grateful for this parish and staff,” he said. “They have worked so hard throughout the pandemic with Mass in the parking lot and the procession with the Eucharist — all things we can take for granted.” He said he was also grateful for Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s “bold leadership” in permitting churches to reopen. (See sidebar.) Father Erickson said that he didn’t want holding the May 27 Mass to be seen as a political statement. “People were here because they wanted to be with Jesus and with one another,” he said. “And we allowed that to happen safely. So anyone who would see this, whether positively or negatively, as some sort of political statement, I reject that interpretation wholeheartedly.” Across the archdiocese, many Catholics are electing to continue to worship from home to minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19. But, for many Catholics, the opportunity to join public worship has been worth seeking out. David Bauer, 25, a parishioner of St. Joseph in West St. Paul, said he has a daily devotion to the Eucharist. Prior to Walz’s stay-at-home order, Bauer normally attended Mass and received the Eucharist every day, he said, so being able to do so at Transfiguration was a blessing. He considered the past couple of months as a time to prepare for when he could next partake of both. “I finally had the first opportunity to attend Mass (in a while),” he said, “and I made a special effort to be here.” At St. Michael in Stillwater,
being back at Mass also meant worshipping for the first time following a restoration project. Parishioners had not worshipped in the church since December. Until public Masses were suspended, they attended Mass at the parish social hall or nearby St. Mary, a few blocks away. So when the doors opened May 27, parishioners not only enjoyed the resumption of public Mass, they were able to see the inside of their beautifully renovated church. One element is a new painting representing the Holy Spirit on the sanctuary’s domed ceiling, which replaced a plain surface. Resuming public Mass with broadened participation just before Pentecost Sunday, the birthday of the Church, wasn’t lost on the parish pastor, Father Michael Izen. “The fruits and the gifts of the Spirit struck me as I was praying with these readings (for Pentecost) that … we obviously need peace, whether it’s peace from the virus or peace from violence,” he said following Mass on the feast day, May 31. Attendance has been strong, although it has not approached the 25%, Father Izen said. Parishioners Annie and David Berthiaume have six children, ages 12 to 9 months. Annie, 35, said May 31 she’s witnessed her older children sincerely missing in-person Mass. Her 8-year-old daughter has been waiting to make her first Communion. “I had mixed feelings when I saw (how they felt) but, honestly, seeing that longing in my children is a gift,” she said. Before the restrictions, Berthiaume attended Mass every Sunday and most weekdays. She is grateful that even when public Mass was suspended, she never felt separated from God. “I felt my relationship with him remained the whole time, but what I noticed most is that Mass is such a ‘real event’ that you can’t replicate it. I miss this encounter I have with him. There’s absolutely no substitute for it.”
“Out of the discussion, we certainly always recognize legitimate authority and reasonable regulation, and while recognizing that it’s our responsibility to determine how it is that we regulate the liturgy, we think that’s a very reasonable regulation given the state of COVID-19 in our state,” Archbishop Hebda told The Catholic Spirit. In a May 23 letter to the faithful stating that the bishops welcomed the new executive order, Archbishop Hebda emphasized that resuming public worship is optional, and parishes should not reopen for worship unless they feel comfortable doing so, and are ready to meet safety and public distancing guidelines. To resume public worship, parishes must adhere to strict health and safety procedures, including social distancing, he said. “We know that Governor Walz and his administration are trusting that when faith communities gather, they will do so consistent with public health guidance. Our commitment as Catholics to the common good makes it natural for us to pledge to be good citizens when we gather for worship,” he said. He also released his message via video. Prior to the May 23 executive order, the bishops, along with a group of Lutheran churches, had planned to resume public worship beyond the 10-person limit because they believed they could do it safely within the health parameters outlined by the state, but under which some other aspects of public life, such as restaurants and malls, had been given greater flexibility. Prior to the end of Walz’s stay-at-home order, they tried twice to get feedback from the Walz Administration on the plan, but with no concrete timeline for the capacity expansion of faith-based gatherings under another executive order Walz announced May 13, the bishops announced they would move ahead without waiting for the governor. Walz’s announcement of the May 23 executive order followed President Donald Trump’s May 22 announcement that he is deeming houses of worship “essential” and calling for governors to lift restrictions on worship. In a May 22 interview, Archbishop Hebda said he didn’t see the Minnesota bishops’ plan as an act of defiance of the law, but rather an assertion of the rights given to them by the law. The decision should not be interpreted as a sign of disrespect for the governor’s authority, he said. “We obviously have a great respect for legitimate authority, and there is a moral obligation to obey the just law,” he said. “Here the question is, where is the defiance? We are blessed to live in a country that guarantees the free exercise of religion. Because my perception … is that perhaps those rights weren’t considered in the drafting of the executive order.” At a press conference announcing the new order May 23, Walz said he aimed to find a balance between Minnesota’s economic interests, freedom to worship and keeping Minnesotans safe. He acknowledged that for many Minnesotans, not being able to gather with their faith communities has been difficult, and that worship has a special role in helping people cope with the pandemic. But, he was adamant that Minnesotans take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “I want to be clear to Minnesotans: The worst has not yet past in terms of infections and infection rate, and we’re learning more every day,” he said. “We are our brother’s keeper in this case, to making sure that what we do is going to have an impact on greater Minnesota.” — Maria Wiering
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Catholics soul-search on Floyd’s death, role in healing By Maria Wiering, Joe Ruff and Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit The now viral video of George Floyd’s death came across Ryan Hamilton’s social media on the evening of Memorial Day, before it was a major news story. “Oh, another one,” he thought. He’s been desensitized, he said, by other videos of white police brutality against black men, situations that never make it to national news. He thought Floyd’s killing would be similar. But then “it spiraled,” said Hamilton, who is black and Catholic. “It went from ‘just another one’ to a world-changing event in just a matter of days.” The video, taken by a bystander around 8:15 p.m. Memorial Day, shows Floyd handcuffed, face down on the ground, begging to breathe while a police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes, even after Floyd became unresponsive. Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, was later pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center. Instead of silence, Floyd’s death has spurred protests and riots in the Twin Cities and around the United States. The media attention it has received and the conversations about racism it’s inspired, both on TV and at kitchen tables, mean one thing to Hamilton: George Floyd’s death has got to be the last one. Hamilton, a 40-year-old who lives in north Minneapolis and attends the Basilica of St. Mary and Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis, knows the Church must be part of the change. “It’s evil unchecked,” he said of race-related violence. Hamilton shared his perspective on the Christian response to Floyd’s death June 4 in a livestreamed conversation with Enzo Randazzo, men’s evangelization manager for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Marriage, Family and Life. In a June 3 interview with The Catholic Spirit, Hamilton said Catholics need to pray and examine their consciences, focusing on the words in the Act of Contrition of “failing to do good.” People need to pay attention and ask questions, he said. “I’d want white, Minnesota Catholics to examine their conscience: Where have you failed to do good? And in doing so, I think that’s where the answers will come in their role in all of this, and how to renew the face of the earth.”
‘Gut-wrenching’ Twin Cities-area Catholics are among Minnesotans continuing to process the horror and tragedy, and grappling with their role — and the Church’s — both in fighting racism and rebuilding the city. The day after Floyd’s death, Jason Adkins, the executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, told Catholic News Agency that the state’s bishops welcomed a police investigation. The following day, Archbishop Bernard Hebda released his own statement, describing the video as “gut-wrenching” and calling for greater respect for human dignity. Father Erich Rutten, pastor of St. Peter Claver in St. Paul, shared a video message that evening, urging his parishioners “to agitate” their community, Church and world for racial
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From left, Father Joe Gillespie, pastor of St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis, Father Doug Ebert, pastor of St. John Neumann in Eagan, Father Kevin Finnegan (standing), pastor of Our Lady of Grace in Edina, Father Brian Park, pastor of Annunciation in south Minneapolis, and Father Peter Williams, pastor of St. Ambrose in Woodbury, pray during a clergy march June 2 in south Minneapolis. justice and healing. Some people think “white supremacy” is a concept for university or talk radio debate, he said, but “here is a case where white supremacy has cost someone their life.” “The misguided idea that white people can somehow push people around, or that we own this country, or that we own Minneapolis, leads to terrible disrespect, leads to poverty, leads to, in this case, violence, and in many cases, violence,” said Father Rutten, who is white. St. Peter Claver has historically served African Americans. St. Joan of Arc in south Minneapolis held a virtual prayer service June 2. The parish is located just a mile-and-ahalf from Cup Foods, where Floyd was accused of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 to buy cigarettes around 8 p.m. May 25. Cynthia Bailey Manns, the adult learning director at St. Joan of Arc, co-led the prayer service. On May 29, she said it had taken two days for the reality of the event to sink in. It reminded her of other recent police-involved deaths of unarmed black men. “There’s that sense of denial — here we go again. This can’t be real. How many? How many more times?” asked Manns, who is African American. “And then it was just a sense of heaviness.” For a while, her prayer has been “Lord help us, and how much longer?” “It dawned on me yesterday,” she said, “that God is saying the same thing: ‘I have given you all that you need to figure this out. I’ve gifted you with reasoning, intellect, compassion, empathy, … love, all the things you need to figure out how to live with each other and to honor the sanctity of life. I’m weeping with you, because you guys are really struggling to figure this out and learn from the lessons of the past.’” Floyd’s death is part of a “400-yearold struggle,” said Manns, 62, referring to the beginning of slavery in America. “When you watch a man die on a video, and it’s not the first time we’ve seen this. … two months ago, the man who was jogging gets shot. We watched him die. Remember, this is a part of our
history. We have watched our ancestors be lynched. We have watched them be killed and dragged from trucks. All of that is in our legacy. There’s trauma. And when something like this happens, it stirs it all up again.”
Righteous anger Those interviewed drew a distinction between people justifiably protesting Floyd’s death — mostly peacefully — and opportunists who spearheaded the looting and arson. Manns said she could understand the anger, although she made clear she didn’t condone the vandalism now rampant in many major U.S. cities. “I understand that sense of, ‘how many times can you say something and hope someone would hear it?’ And not only is it discounted, but you as a human being are discounted,” Manns said. Rioting began at the Minnehaha shopping center May 26 with the looting of a Target store and the burning of several buildings, including an AutoZone. On May 27, the riots moved to St. Paul, starting with an afternoon looting of another Target and ending with more fires, predominantly along University Avenue. The next night, rioters in Minneapolis burned down the Minneapolis Police’s Third Precinct building. Looting and vandalism diminished with city curfews and the National Guard presence Gov. Tim Walz deployed over the weekend. Church leaders responded with prayer. On May 29, Archbishop Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens joined Father Rutten for a 7 p.m. prayer service at St. Peter Claver. Then, from 8-9 p.m., they held a holy hour at the Cathedral of St. Paul, joining an interfaith hour of prayer called for by St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. Both events were livestreamed. On June 2, Archbishop Hebda joined other Catholic priests and Twin Cities clergy for marches in Minneapolis and St. Paul, both led by clergy of color. In Minneapolis, clergy visited 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, the site where Floyd died, now marked by an elaborate community memorial. A memorial service for Floyd was held in Minneapolis
June 4, and his body returned to Houston, Texas, where he was raised,for additional memorial services and his June 9 funeral. The four officers involved have been fired from the Minneapolis police department and charged in Floyd’s death. Derek Chauvin, the officer who pinned Floyd with his knee, has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three others face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. In a June 1 interview, Archbishop Hebda said the horror of Floyd’s death hasn’t faded. “It’s shocking that there could be in anybody’s heart such an absence of concern for human life,” he said of the officers who pinned Floyd down. “And listening to him (Floyd) say that he can’t breathe, or listening to him call to his mother, it’s gut wrenching. I’ve said that before, and that hasn’t really subsided. … That video is probably more devastating than anything I’ve ever seen.” The more he reflects, the more shocking and discouraging it is, he said. But it also highlights the need for the Church to share the Gospel. “I certainly understand the anger people are feeling, especially since this isn’t the first time our community has experienced something like this,” he said. In the last five years, police were involved in the shooting deaths of two other black men: Jamar Clark in 2015 and Philando Castile in 2016. However, even when people experience righteous anger and long for justice, they are still called to love their brothers and sisters, Archbishop Hebda said. “I think for so many people, that anger has clouded that. And so, when we see the destruction in our cities, that’s a clarion call for us to make Jesus’ good news present in a way that’s compelling and then brings people to a new perspective.”
‘Ray of Christian hope’ Archbishop Hebda lives at a rectory in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood, just a few blocks north of University Avenue. In a community that may now be without easy access to public transportation and groceries, he’s witnessed acts of kindness toward his neighbors: young people with push brooms clearing out rubble and broken glass, bags of groceries donated for distribution, a pallet with carrots and pears set out for the taking. “The generosity is phenomenal. It brings that ray of Christian hope into a bleak situation,” he said. Throughout the day May 30, people from across the Twin Cities also flocked to Lake Street to help clean the rubble. Chris Damian, 29, a parishioner of St. Thomas More in St. Paul, headed to the cleanup on his bike, but accepted a ride from a woman who stopped when she noticed he had a broom. “Because when the worst comes to the Twin Cities, the best comes out of the Twin Cities,” he posted on Facebook. Father Joe Gillespie, a south Minneapolis pastor who attended the June 2 clergy march in south Minneapolis with more than 12 other CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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JUNE 11, 2020 CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE priests, witnessed similar acts of unity and kindness. For three hours on the morning of May 30, the Dominican walked Lake Street, surveying the destruction. The Walgreens a block from his parish, St. Albert the Great, was a burned-out shell, its ceiling completely collapsed. Plywood covered most businesses’ windows, either because they had been smashed out, or to protect them from further vandalism. Graffiti covered buildings’ facades. A portrait of George Floyd in blue hues covered the facade of a tattoo parlor. Earlier that morning, around 3 a.m., Father Gillespie got a call that some people who lived in the neighborhood felt like their homes were threatened and needed a place to sleep. In the end, about 35 people spent the night in the parish basement, he said. Then, because he was up, he walked down Lake Street then, too, to see what was going on in those early morning hours, when the Walgreens was still on fire. The post office was also ablaze. The air smelled like burning trash, he said. The people who were staying in the basement volunteered to take shifts to protect the church. One of Father Gillespie’s favorite restaurants, Midori’s Floating World Café, had been set ablaze, and he talked to the owners in the morning as they were cleaning the mess. A day earlier they had posted online that they didn’t know if they would be able to reopen, and thanked customers for their support over the 17 years they’d been there. “They were literally in tears,” said Father Gillespie, standing in St. Albert’s narthex in red vestments following a Pentecost vigil Mass. “Their place was just destroyed. All the windows were broken.” The day before, a fellow Dominican, Brother Peter Lewitzke, described a similar walk he had taken with Dominican Father Jerry Stookey, pastor of nearby Holy Rosary. St. Albert and Holy Rosary are the closest parishes to the epicenter of Lake Street’s riots. “It really does shake you to have to walk through that,” said Brother Lewitzke, who recently finished a year-long internship in campus ministry at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He walked past businesses he has visited, including a barber shop whose owner he has gotten to know. “He gives free haircuts to homeless people,” he noted. The barber shop’s windows were smashed, as were those in a nearby library. “That upsets me,” he said, “but I think the important thing is that we don’t allow all of that to dismiss what started this in the first place. We can’t let the cycle of violence and anger continue endlessly.”
‘We will do more’ While St. Albert’s campus escaped the riots unscathed, not all parishes were as fortunate. At the Basilica of St. Mary on the rim of downtown Minneapolis, a small interior fire damaged a few pews, Father Gillespie said. Basilica director of marketing and communications Mae Desaire confirmed to The Catholic Spirit that the Basilica received minor damage overnight May 28, but wouldn’t speak to the details. “At this time we pray for peace and healing in our city,” she said in a prepared statement. Back on Lake Street, leaders of St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, which was vandalized and looted, promised to rebuild. But Ed Koerner, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul-Twin Cities, and Wayne Bugg, associate director, said their first priority is getting food to those in need. “We are in this for the long haul and we will not draw back,” Bugg said June 2. “We will do more. By the grace of God and this community, we will meet every need that we can.” The Society’s store just north of Lake Street on 12th Avenue had two windows broken May 26, but rioters returned May 27 and the place was looted and ransacked, a half-dozen televisions stolen, racks turned over, every window broken, and glass shelving and goods shattered. Closed since March 19 because of the coronavirus pandemic, the store is slated to re-open in late June, when items are replaced and the store cleaned up.
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HOW YOU CAN HELP Donate to the Minnesota Catholic Relief Fund, which offers direct support for our neighbors experiencing distress, displacement and deprivation in the aftermath of George Floyd’s unjust death. Grantmaking from this fund will go to neighborhood nonprofits helping secure food, shelter and economic relief for those in greatest need. To donate, visit ccf-mn.org/relief.
Meanwhile, food and other essential items are being made available at scheduled times in the store’s parking lot, and food distribution to parishes and other organizations continue around the Twin Cities and at the Society’s warehouse in Minneapolis. Parking lot distributions and other information can be found on the Society’s website, svdpmpls.org. Koerner, who is white, and Bugg, who is African American and also the manager of the Minneapolis store, remain undeterred. They have the help of insurance and wonderful donors. They will rebuild. Koerner, 60, said he is more worried about the impact the looting has had on small restaurants and other business owners along Lake Street. Some won’t have the necessary insurance. Many residents don’t have proper access to food because nearby grocery stores were heavily damaged and temporarily closed, and many gas stations were shut down, making it more difficult for residents to drive elsewhere to meet their needs, he said. People of faith helped build the store, they keep it going and now they can still help more, said Bugg, 41. “We need help from the faith community, so we can do what we are called to do, in the name of the Gospel.” He believes the protests over George Floyd’s death reflect frustration built up over decades of racism, and in recent years, particular anger over police brutality toward African Americans. “One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all,” he said. “I don’t believe that’s been held up. People sworn to protect people have not lived up to that.” Bugg said he also believes protests in Minneapolis and St. Paul turned into violence, arson and looting in part because extremist groups infiltrated the area and strategically set fires and promoted looting. People living in the neighborhood and concerned about the community would not destroy auto parts and grocery stores, local restaurants and small businesses built up over the last 25 years, he said. Those shops appeared to have been deliberately targeted, Bugg said.
Faith first Hamilton looks at the thousands of peaceful protesters through the eyes of a former lobbyist, and he hopes people will also show up at the Minnesota State Capitol en masse to lobby for policy changes that directly impact people of color, such as education or home ownership disparities. “I feel like people go out and protest, but when it’s time to show up at the Capitol, they’re not there,” he said. Because the Church teaches about the dignity of every person, the Catholic response to Floyd’s death and racism in general should be clear, Hamilton said. But, he said, Catholics need to embrace their Catholic identity every day of the week, not only Sundays. “It’s to the point that that casual, not-being-true-tothe-principles-of-their-Catholic-faith, is in some cases actually letting that evil fester, because it’s turning a blind eye to evil and letting it run rampant,” he said. “So, I like to think of ‘what you do for the least of my people’ — where’s that Monday through Saturday?” Hamilton said since a faith conversion he experienced around age 30, he’s “led with his Catholicism” in terms of his own identity, and wants other Catholics to do the same. “If people are leading with their whiteness, and it just so happens I’m Catholic, then that’s the problem,” he said. “I invite people to lead with their Catholicism, lead with their faith in terms of their worldview, and see where it takes us. I think that will be our role in making things better.”
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Debris is piled up in front of the Target store on Lake Street in Minneapolis May 27, the day after it was looted during protests following the death of George Floyd.
POPE PRAYS WITH ARCHDIOCESE Observing with great concern the social unrest unfolding in the United States, Pope Francis said no one can claim to defend the sanctity of every human life while turning a blind eye to racism and exclusion. Addressing all “dear brothers and sisters in the United States” during his livestreamed general audience June 3, the pope said, “Today I join the Church in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and in the entire United States, in praying for the repose of the soul of George Floyd and of all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism.” “Let us pray for the consolation of their grieving families and friends and let us implore the national reconciliation and peace for which we yearn,” he said in Italian. The pope said he has “witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest in your nation in these past days, following the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd.” “My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life. At the same time, we have to recognize that ‘the violence of recent nights is self-destructive and self-defeating. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost,’” he said, quoting Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The pope prayed for the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America, to assist “all those who work for peace and justice in your land and throughout the world. May God bless all of you and your families.” Hundreds of thousands of people turned out nationwide to protest Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, which has also sparked riots in major U.S. cities. Many of the country’s Catholic bishops have joined the calls for justice. Pope Francis also called Archbishop Gomez to express his solidarity and support following days of demonstrations protesting the killing of Floyd “to express his prayers and closeness to the Church and people of the United States in this moment of unrest in our country,” Archbishop Gomez wrote in a letter to fellow bishops June 3. The pope “thanked the bishops for the pastoral tone of the Church’s response to the demonstrations across the country in our statements and actions since the death” of Floyd, he wrote. The pope also said he was praying for Archbishop Bernard Hebda and the Church of St. Paul and Minneapolis. — Catholic News Service
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St. Bridget member shares family’s experience of racism By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit “Are you going to shoot my daddy?” It was a question a young boy asked a police officer 17 years ago, as he watched the officer point a gun at his father’s head. The Steele family, African Americans, was moving into a new house in Minneapolis, and the police arrived with guns. “It was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives,” said Bonnie Steele, 63, who recounted the experience May 31. “We were just so happy and so proud. And, the police drove up on our lawn and held Jerry at gunpoint. It was terrifying.” Steele reflected on those memories in south Minneapolis, near the site where George Floyd died. “My heart is crushed that we have to endure this again,” Steele said of the treatment Floyd received in south Minneapolis. “It becomes just grievously painful to know that our lives don’t have the (same) value of our fellow (white) Christians and those that we worship with. And, it is very painful when we tell our story.” Parishioners of St. Bridget in north Minneapolis, Bonnie and Jerry Steele were among hundreds gathered to commemorate Floyd and stand for justice May 31. Their senior associate pastor, Father Paul Jarvis, was with them. They were there with an interfaith organization called COME TOGETHER the Steeles and Father Jarvis helped to organize following a spate of policeinvolved deaths of black men, including Philando Castile in Falcon Heights in 2016. About 40 to 50 people gathered across from Cup Foods the afternoon of
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Bonnie Steele, center, and her husband, Jerry, right, pray in the area where George Floyd was pinned down by police in south Minneapolis and died. May 31, then spread out to join a crowd of protesters and mourners, listening to speakers and hearing the anger rising from the African American community. Father Jarvis quietly made his way to the front of a circle formed in front of Cup Foods, the spot where Floyd was arrested by police. He listened, then prayed silently for several minutes. “I was trying to use visual prayer in my mind, envisioning George, envisioning his family, envisioning his friends and the wider community and the terrible suffering they must be going through right now,” said Father Jarvis, who is white. “And, I tried to actually, at some level, allow myself to feel their suffering.” Though the Steele’s 1993 move-in incident was cleared up, it wasn’t the last time the family experienced negative
treatment by police. Their son, SeanMichael, is the boy who had witnessed police pull guns on his father. Later, after they had moved to Minnetonka, he was walking on the street two blocks from their house when a police officer stopped and asked why he was so far from home, implying he lived in the inner city rather than in this affluent suburb. Sean-Michael also got pulled over regularly by police, Bonnie said, while attending St. John’s University in Collegeville, where he graduated in 2012 with a political science degree. Sean-Michael is getting ready to go to graduate school to pursue an MBA. But, even that may not keep him from getting confronted and harassed by police, Bonnie said. “His education doesn’t make a
difference,” she said. “He can’t wear his degree on his face. And, he’s at risk (of negative police treatment) because they’re not thinking about his degree. They see him as a threat.” She came to the prayer gathering to stand in solidarity with other people of color, many of whom have stories just like hers. “I’m not unique. I’m not any different than any of the black or brown people that are standing here,” she said. “And, we have to be able to take this out of the context of individuals to understand this is a system (that has failed). To be honest, I’m not angry at any one single person that is from the dominant culture. It is the system that’s in place that continues to step on our neck, just like George had his neck, literally, stepped on.” The answer, she said, lies in the faith she and others brought to the prayer gathering. It is what gives her hope and it is what will provide the solution to racial injustice. “As Catholics, we are uniquely positioned to do this work — if we’re willing — of justice and healing,” she said. “Because we are a people that are grounded in relationship. We do relationship very, very well.” That involves, she said, sitting with people different from ourselves and seeing each of them as a child of God. The way to make that happen, she said, is through prayer. “I think prayer is what opens our hearts and creates the space to do the work,” she said. “Prayer changes us so that we’re able to go out and do the work that’s necessary.”
South Minneapolis family sought refuge at parish rectory By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit At 3 a.m. May 27, Rosalba SanchezPonce needed to get her family out of her Minneapolis neighborhood. They live two blocks from the Minneapolis Police Third Precinct building, an epicenter for protesting, looting and rioting that began after the police-involved death of George Floyd. Earlier that evening, protesters looted a Target store and burned down several other stores and an apartment building, and the chaos was continuing throughout the night. They were unnerved by the sounds of sirens, traffic and people who continued to move throughout the neighborhood, yelling. They tried to sleep, but when they awoke and saw large fires, they decided they needed to leave. So the Ponces texted their pastor, Father Joseph Williams, knowing that he might be able to help. It wasn’t the first text from a parishioner Father Williams had received that night. The pastor of St. Stephen in Minneapolis, which serves a large Latino community, said he had been receiving requests for prayer all night, into that early morning. He welcomed the Ponce family to his rectory, which has a separate living space he was able to make available to Sanchez-Ponce, her four daughters and her mother. Grateful, they arrived
with only some clothes and supplies for one daughter’s medical needs. Sanchez-Ponce’s husband, Margarito, stayed behind with her brother, Giovani Sanchez, to watch over the house. Sanchez-Ponce, 41, and her mother, Silvia, lived in Los Angeles during riots following the 1992 jury acquittal of police officers filmed beating Rodney King, an African American, during an arrest. Rosalba said she sees parallels between that experience and what is happening in her usually calm Minneapolis neighborhood. In Los Angeles there was more gunfire, she said, but this seemed equally as frightening. “It’s not OK police did that,” PonceSanchez said of Floyd’s death. “That wasn’t the right thing to do. He was begging for breathing. (The officers) should have listened. Policemen are meant to save lives.” Sanchez-Ponce has struggled to explain to her daughters, ages 6 to 18, how it is that police officers, who are trained to keep people safe, could show such disregard for Floyd’s life. Her daughters are scared, she said. She feels badly that her daughters saw the fires and rioting. “It’s kind of a traumatic situation,” she said. Meanwhile, Sanchez-Ponce and her family stayed again at the rectory May 28, the night protesters set the Third Precinct building ablaze. The St. Stephen rectory is about 2.5 miles from their home. The third night they went
COURTESY ROSALBA SANCHEZ-PONCE
From left, Rosalba Sanchez-Ponce and her daughters, Camila, Naomi, Laila and Leslie, stand outside St. Stephen in Minneapolis May 27. to a hotel in Bloomington instead of returning home. Their neighborhood smelled like smoke, and their house was without electricity. The turmoil hit the Ponce family ahead of what was supposed to be a celebratory weekend: their oldest daughter, Leslie, graduated from South High School in Minneapolis June 1. As a Catholic, Sanchez-Ponce said she is responding with prayer to Floyd’s death and the rioting. “We should all unite in prayer, but I don’t know what else we can do,” she said. The rioting has shaken her impression of her usually tranquil neighborhood, she said. Father Williams said he offered Mass May 27 for the repose of Floyd’s soul and prayed for his family. Meanwhile, parishioners expressed fear for
their businesses and violence. One parishioner’s son had a panic attack. “They’re all frightened, kind of panicked and pretty vulnerable at this time.” But, he said, his parishioners help him focus on what can be done in the turmoil. “They remind me what I should be doing as a priest, which is praying first of all, and every one of them, I get texts, and they say, ‘Please pray,’” he said. “Most of the texts I get, whether it be for COVID-19 or this uprising with the violence we’re seeing now, it’s ‘Father, please pray.’ It’s humbling, because it’s like, oh yeah, before I think about how to be a community activist or other things, that I do have to intercede before God with them.” He also took action in the days after the protests and riots began. On Pentecost Sunday, May 31, he brought 15 Latino Catholics to attend a prayer gathering at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, where a memorial marks the place where Floyd was arrested and died. He also visited the site two days later for a clergy march and prayer gathering led by African American clergy. Both events were “very moving,” he said. “This whole thing is beyond words,” he said. “But, what we know is we need more God. We need more God in this city, we need more God in the police, we need more God in the community and (in) the culture. That’s where it has to begin.”
LOCAL
JUNE 11, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9
Minnesota Knights thrilled by news that founder Father McGivney will be beatified By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
not been set, but it will take place in Connecticut, the Knights said in a statement.
The Knights of Columbus got good news from the Vatican May 27 when it announced that Father Michael McGivney, founder of the international fraternal organization, will be beatified. David Whatmuff of St. Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park, who recently was elected as state deputy and will assume the post from Marc Peters July 1, called the Vatican’s announcement “wonderful news.” “We’ve been trying to forward the cause for Father McGivney’s canonization for many years,” said Whatmuff, who joined the Knights shortly after becoming Catholic in 1985 while living in Canada. “We’re absolutely delighted.” Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Father McGivney, clearing the way for his beatification. This is required, unless the candidate was martyred for his or her faith. The miracle took place in 2015, when an unborn child “was healed in utero of a life-threatening condition after prayers by his family to Father McGivney,” according to a statement from the Knights. The Irish-American priest founded the Knights in 1882 in New Haven, Connecticut. There now are 2 million members worldwide. A date for the beatification ceremony has
The first step in the cause for Father McGivney’s canonization was taken in March 2008, when the Holy See declared him a “venerable CNS servant of God.” FATHER MICHAEL His upcoming MCGIVNEY beatification ceremony will bestow upon him the title “blessed.” The final step for canonization requires another miracle attributed to his intercession, which must take place after beatification. Sainthood causes are handled by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. “Father McGivney has inspired generations of Catholic men to roll up their sleeves and put their faith into action,” said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, who oversees the organization worldwide, in a statement. “He was decades ahead of his time in giving the laity an important role within the church. Today, his spirit continues to shape the extraordinary charitable work of Knights as they continue to serve those on the margins of society as he served widows and orphans in the 1880s.” Local Knight Dave DuPaul,
Minnesota’s director of religious administration for the Knights and a member of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, said Father McGivney’s beatification will benefit the organization and help its philanthropic work with Catholic organizations, both locally and around the world.
Father Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, may be an ideal prospective saint for the current age, said Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the international fraternal order.
“It’s going to give us a lot more drive to evangelize in the Church,” he said. “Technically, we are considered the right arm of the Church. We change lives, we save lives, we evangelize the Church. I think this is going to just take us one step closer to bringing more Catholic men into the Church, or (help) those who have been away, to come back.”
He was found to be healed after his family prayed to Father McGivney. “The Vatican likes to be the one to discuss more details than that,” Anderson said.
That Father McGivney’s beatification comes during the COVID-19 pandemic is good timing, Whatmuff said. The need for the Knights’ donations of food, clothing and money to organizations like the Little Sisters of the Poor is even greater now, he said. And, the recognition that Father McGivney’s beatification will bring should help bolster membership — even more so if he is canonized someday. “Obviously, it would be a wonderful thing for the Knights to have been founded by a saint,” he said. “Every Catholic man ought to consider being a member of the Knights of Columbus. There are so many benefits.”
RESPECTED PRIEST
“We’ve been praying for years for this to occur, and finally this day has arrived,” he told Catholic News Service May 27. First, he’s a pro-life hero. The miracle recognized by the Vatican paving the way for his beatification occurred in 2015 and involved a U.S. baby boy, still in utero, with a life-threatening condition that, under most circumstances, could have led to an abortion.
The Vatican announced early May 27 that Pope Francis, who met with the board of directors of the Knights of Columbus in February, had signed the decree recognizing the miracle through the intercession of Father McGivney. Father McGivney (1852-1890), will be the first American parish priest to be beatified and has long been a hero of working-class Catholics. He also can be viewed as a martyr of a pandemic. When he died from pneumonia complications at age 38 in 1890, it was during an outbreak of influenza known as the Russian flu in Thomaston, Connecticut. Some recent evidence, according to the Knights, indicates the outbreak may have been the result of a coronavirus. Further, Father McGivney’s legacy includes “the empowerment of the laity” through service projects, Anderson said. “His work anticipated the Second Vatican Council. He created a universal call to holiness that gave the laity a way to be more faithful Catholics. He provided a mechanism for them to go into society and make a difference.” — Kurt Jensen, Catholic News Service Editor’s Note: The Knights have launched a new website for Father McGivney’s sainthood cause: fathermcgivney.org.
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10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JUNE 11, 2020
OFFICIAL Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:
Effective June 10, 2020 Reverend Austin Barnes, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Michael and the Church of Saint Mary in Stillwater. Father Barnes was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 2020. Reverend Scott Carl, assigned as sacramental minister for Latino ministry for the Church of Saint Odilia in Shoreview. This is in addition to his current assignment as vice rector of The Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul. Reverend Clayton Forner, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Joseph in West Saint Paul, until returning to Rome in September to continue graduate studies. Father Forner was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 2020. Reverend Nicholas Froehle, assigned as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Michael in Farmington. This is a transfer from his current assignment as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Ambrose in Woodbury. Reverend Nathan Hastings, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Edina, and as chaplain to Chesterton Academy in Hopkins. Father Hastings was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 2020. Reverend Paul Hedman, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Peter in Forest Lake. Father Hedman was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 2020. Reverend Michael Izen, assigned as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Charles in Bayport. This is in addition to his current assignments as pastor of the Church of Saint Michael and the Church of Saint Mary in Stillwater, and as canonical administrator for Saint Croix Catholic School. Reverend Mark Joppa, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Rita in Cottage Grove. This is a transfer from his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Charles in Bayport. Reverend Benjamin Little, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Savage. Father Little has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish. This is a transfer from his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Michael in Farmington. Reverend Andrew Stueve, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Charles in Bayport. This is a transfer from his current assignment as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Ignatius in Annandale and the Church of Saint Timothy in Maple Lake. Reverend Timothy Tran, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Odilia in Shoreview. Father Tran was ordained to the priesthood May 30, 2020.
Reverend Benjamin Wittnebel, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Ambrose in Woodbury. This is a transfer from his current assignment as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Peter in Forest Lake.
Effective July 1, 2020 Reverend Gregory Abbott, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Dominic in Northfield and the Church of the Annunciation in Hazelwood. This is a transfer from his previous assignment as chaplain for the University of Minnesota Medical Center. Reverend Jake Anderson, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Lawrence in Minneapolis. Father Anderson has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish, as well as Director of the Newman Center and Chapel at the University of Minnesota.
and the Church of Saint Mary of Czestochowa in Delano. Father Hughes has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parishes.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Reverend James Liekhus, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Richard and the Church of the Assumption in Richfield, and as canonical administrator of Blessed Trinity Catholic School in Richfield. This is a transfer from his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Gabriel the Archangel in Hopkins.
Curious about the meaning of clerical title and the responsibilities its role entails?
Reverend Peter Ly, assigned as pastor of the Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood. Father Ly has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish. Reverend Brian Lynch, assigned as parochial vicar of the Church of the Transfiguration in Oakdale. This is a transfer from his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Our Lady of the Prairie in Belle Plaine.
Reverend Patrick Barnes, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Henry in Monticello. This is a transfer from his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Elko New Market.
Reverend Michael Kaluza, assigned as pastor of the Church of Our Lady of the Prairie in Belle Plaine. This is a transfer from his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Mary Queen of Peace in Rogers.
Deacon James Bauhs, assigned as interim Parish Life Administrator at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Carver. This is in addition to his current assignment as a permanent deacon at the Church of Saint Joseph in Waconia.
Reverend Kevin Kenney, assigned as chaplain to DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis. This is in addition to his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Olaf in Minneapolis and as parochial administrator of the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Minneapolis. Father Kenney succeeds Father Bruno Nwachukwu, who will continue in his assignment as chaplain for North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale.
Reverend Michael Daly, granted a six-month leave of absence. Father Daly has been serving as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Odilia in Shoreview. Reverend James DeBruycker, assigned as pastor of the Church of Gichitwaa Kateri in Minneapolis. This is in addition to his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Joan of Arc in Minneapolis. Reverend William Deziel, assigned as pastor of the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis. This is a transfer from his current assignments as pastor of the Church of the Guardian Angels in Chaska and the Church of Saint Nicholas in Carver. Reverend John Drees, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Joseph in Taylors Falls and the Church of Saint Francis Xavier of Franconia. Father Drees has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parishes. Reverend Stephen Gideon, granted faculties of the Archdiocese and assigned as Director of Worship and formation director at The Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul. Father Gideon is a priest of the Diocese of Nashville. Reverend Paul Haverstock, assigned as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Gabriel the Archangel in Hopkins. This is a transfer from his current assignment as parochial vicar of the Parish of Saints Joachim and Anne in Shakopee. Reverend Peter Hughes, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Boniface in Saint Bonifacius
Reverend Kyle Kowalczyk, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Maximilian Kolbe in Delano. Father Kowalczyk has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish. Reverend Thomas Margevicius, assigned as parochial vicar for Latino ministry for the Church of the Risen Savior in Burnsville. This is a transfer from his assignment to the faculty of The Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul, and is in addition to his current assignment as Director of the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese.
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as pastor of the Church of Saint Mary in Saint Paul. Father Puttananickal has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish. Reverend Matthew Quail, assigned as parochial vicar of the Parish of Saints Joachim and Anne in Shakopee. This is a transfer from his current assignment as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Stephen in Anoka. Reverend Paul Shovelain, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint John the Baptist in New Brighton. Father Shovelain has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish. Reverend James Stiles, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Mary in Le Center, the Church of Saint Henry in Saint Henry, the Church of the Immaculate of Conception in Marysburg, and the Church of the Nativity in Cleveland. Father Stiles has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parishes. Reverend Rolf Tollefson, assigned as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Carver. This is in addition to his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Hubert in Chanhassen. Reverend Nicholas VanDenBroeke, assigned as parochial administrator at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Elko New Market, and as canonical administrator at Holy Cross Catholic School in Webster. This is in addition to his assignment as pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Lonsdale. Reverend Anthony VanderLoop, assigned as pastor of the Church of the Guardian Angels in Chaska. This is a transfer from his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Henry in Monticello.
Reverend TJ McKenzie, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Pius X in White Bear Lake. Father McKenzie has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish.
Reverend Chad VanHoose, assigned as pastor of the Church of Saint Jude of the Lake in Mahtomedi. Father VanHoose has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish.
Reverend Mark Pavlik, assigned as pastor of the Church of Mary Queen of Peace in Rogers. This is a transfer from his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Richard in Richfield.
Reverend Joseph Williams, assigned as parochial administrator of Holy Rosary Parish in Minneapolis. This is in addition to his current assignments as pastor of the Church of Saint Stephen in Minneapolis and as Vicar for Latino Ministry for the Archdiocese.
Reverend John Powers, assigned as parochial vicar of the church of Saint Nicholas in Elko New Market and the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Lonsdale. This is a transfer from his current assignment as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Michael and the Church of Saint Mary in Stillwater. Reverend Jimmy Puttananickal, CFIC, assigned
Effective August 1, 2020 Reverend Evan Koop, assigned as sacramental minister for Latino ministry for the Church of Saint Henry in Monticello. This is in addition to his current assignment to the faculty of The Saint Paul Seminary in Saint Paul.
St. Cloud Diocese, abuse survivors reach agreement for resolving claims The Central Minnesota Catholic The Diocese of St. Cloud and survivors of clergy sexual abuse have reached agreement on a framework for a resolution of all clergy sexual abuse claims against the diocese and area parishes. The resolution will include the diocese filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the near future, according to a May 26 news release from the diocese. In the Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the framework for resolution will include a consensual plan of reorganization that will provide for a $22.5 million trust to compensate survivors of clergy sexual abuse. The framework for resolution represents the diocese’s commitment to finding a fair resolution for survivors of sexual abuse while continuing its ministry to those it serves throughout the 16-county diocese, the release noted. The funds to be used to compensate survivors will consist of insurance coverage settlements and cash and property contributions from the diocese and parishes within the diocese. “I am thankful for the commitment of everyone
involved in reaching the understanding we are announcing today,” Bishop Donald Kettler said. “I am particularly grateful to the survivors of abuse for their courage in coming forward and sharing their experiences, and I again apologize on behalf of the Church for the harm they suffered. I remain committed to assist in the healing of all those who have been hurt, and I hope this is another step in that direction.” The Minnesota Child Victims Act, which lifted for three years the civil statute of limitations for allegations of past sexual abuse of minors, ended in May 2016. During that time, in excess of 70 civil claims were made against the diocese. In February 2018, Bishop Kettler announced that the diocese planned to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization as the best way to resolve the claims. The diocese had been in discussions since then with insurance companies and attorneys for the survivors to reach agreement on the framework for a resolution. In the news releases, the diocese reiterated that it remains committed to preventing sexual abuse,
holding accountable those clergy who are credibly accused of abuse, and helping survivors find healing. All priests and deacons, diocesan staff, parish and Catholic school employees, as well as volunteers having regular or unsupervised interaction with minors, are required to meet safe environment requirements. These requirements include adherence to a sexual misconduct policy, undergoing a criminal background check, and participation in sexual abuse awareness and prevention training. In addition, the diocese has committed to disclosing the names of all clergy against whom credible claims of abuse have been made and to release the files of those clergy. The diocese also follows strict standards for determining suitability of clergy serving in the diocese, starting during the seminary formation process and including verifying the credentials of priests visiting from other dioceses or from religious orders. The diocese promptly contacts law enforcement to report any allegations it receives regarding sexual misconduct by clergy or others involved in ministry within the geographic area the diocese serves.
JUNE 11, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 11
NATION+WORLD South Asian countries have conditions ripe for disaster from COVID-19
HEADLINES u USCCB, other Catholic groups urge court to protect faithbased foster care.The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and a few Catholic Charities agencies have joined more than 30 other religious groups, states and a group of Congress members urging the Supreme Court to protect Philadelphia’s faith-based foster care. The groups filed friend-of-the court briefs in early June in Fulton v. Philadelphia, which stems from a 2018 dispute. The court will hear the case next term to determine if Philadelphia can exclude a Catholic social services agency from the city’s foster care program because the agency does not accept same-sex couples as foster parents. The briefs argued that the court should allow the city’s Catholic social service agency to continue its foster care role and protect faith-based ministries nationwide to ensure they maintain their First Amendment religious exercise rights.
By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service The COVID-19 pandemic might have hit South Asia a little late, but the damage has already been done. More than three months after the ordeal began, the region’s 1.7 billion people, one fifth of the world’s population, are passing their days and nights in fear of a grave human tragedy, said an analysis published by ucanews.com. Major South Asian countries have seen a jump in daily infections from a month ago. In early May, Bangladesh was recording 400-500 infections; now it averages 2,500 a day. India has been registering about 10,000 new cases daily, up from about 2,500 in May. Infections and deaths continue to surge in the region every day, yet India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal have eased nationwide lockdowns that somewhat managed to tame the virus but failed to stop it. Fears are running high that at the current pace of infection, with the number of cases and fatalities doubling every two weeks, the pandemic is headed for a peak by the end of July. By that time, the number of confirmed cases might reach 5 million and the death toll could surpass 150,000 given that population density in South Asia is among the highest in the world. Current trends in most South Asian nations indicate that the easing of the restrictions and health emergency rules are most likely to fuel the spread of the pandemic that has rocked even the richest and most developed countries in the West. South Asia’s massive population, extreme poverty, weak human resources and poor health care systems provide perfect conditions for a looming humanitarian disaster. With more than 434,000 confirmed cases and more than 10,200 deaths, South Asian nations are on course to overhaul the West, where nations have better social security and health care services. Health experts fear the real numbers of infections and deaths could be much higher given that South Asian governments failed to conduct large-scale testing. South Asia is home to one-third of the world’s poor, who live in overcrowded and unsanitary urban slums and rural areas with extremely low nutrition levels. Not surprisingly, they have been the most affected by COVID-19. While the rich are a minority in South Asia, they have the privilege of maintaining physical distancing and good hygiene as they live in spacious houses with sufficient rooms, doors and attached toilets. These are nothing less than luxuries for the poor. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave 1.3 billion people only four hours’ notice before declaring a nationwide lockdown, putting the lives of millions of poor migrant workers at grave risk. Scores died without food and in road accidents as they trekked hundreds of miles to get home. Some 20 million Indian migrant workers from urban slums with high infection rates traveled back home, and that is how the disease spread all over the country. Bihar, one of India’s poorest states, has traced one-third of COVID-19 cases to returnees from large cities. India has failed to flatten the curve of the virus despite having a highly applauded and effective coronavirus-slaying model in Kerala state. India has nearly 270,000 coronavirus cases, fifth-worst in the world. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan stated several times that he considered the lockdown a mistake that would hit the poor hard, yet it was enforced halfheartedly.
CNS
People wearing COVID-19 protective face masks walk outside a market in Karachi, Pakistan, June 8.
UNITY CAN BRING HOPE The mandate given by Pope Francis to the Vatican’s coronavirus commission was to prepare a future full of hope amid chaos and uncertainty, Cardinal Peter Turkson said. In a livestreamed meeting with Vatican Media journalists June 9, Cardinal Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said the pope’s words to “prepare the future” rather than “prepare for the future” are rooted in the teachings of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. The cardinal, who also leads the recently formed commission, recalled Pope Benedict’s address during his visit to Benin, in which the now-retired pontiff said that “to hope is to be open to the future and to be open to the future is to be open to God.” “Preparing the future is in that line and the moment you introduce God into the discourse,” you also introduce the human person, the cardinal said. “So, preparing the future for Pope Francis, then, is preparing a future that is made up of human beings: you and I.” Pope Francis created the commission in mid-April to confront the challenges the world is facing in battling the coronavirus pandemic and what it will inevitably face in its aftermath. The commission is divided into five working groups focused on specific aspects of the pandemic and will formulate “an analysis and a reflection on the socioeconomic and cultural challenges of the future and proposed guidelines to address them,” the Vatican said April 15. — Catholic News Service Bangladesh did not go for a nationwide lockdown except in some highly infected areas. The country declared a general holiday from March 26 and it was extended until May 30. Millions of mostly poor and low-income people thought it was a holiday and left the cities for their villages on crowded public transport, raising the risk of massive community transmission. Shocked and surprised, the government declared a ban on public transport, but it was too late. Since the pandemic struck in China and the West, Bangladesh failed to halt international flights and thousands of expatriate workers returned home and brought the virus with them. Then, under pressure from businessmen, the government allowed the reopening of garment factories, forcing millions of workers to return to workplaces, which increased the risks of infection. Sri Lanka was relatively successful with a strict lockdown and registered 1,835 cases and 11 deaths. The pandemic “impacted Sri Lanka’s economy with a fall in earnings from tourism, remittances and outflow of foreign investment,” the central bank noted. The World Bank estimates that regional growth will fall to a range of between 1.8% and 2.8% in 2020, the worst economic performance in 40 years.
u Marking World Environment Day, pope says: Don’t look the other way. Building a healthier, better world depends on everyone, Pope Francis said in his message marking World Environment Day June 5. “We cannot remain silent before the outcry when we realize the very high costs of the destruction and exploitation of the ecosystem. This is not a time to continue looking the other way, indifferent to the signs that our planet is being plundered and violated by greed for profit, very often in the name of progress,” he wrote. “We have the chance to reverse course, to commit ourselves to a better, healthier world and to pass it on to future generations. Everything depends on us, if we really want it,” he added. The pope sent his message to President Ivan Duque Marquez of Colombia, which had been scheduled to host a global meeting for World Environment Day. Events, instead, were being held “virtually” because of the COVID-19 pandemic. u Catholic religious leaders in Australia consider proposals for change in governance. Australia’s bishops and religious are considering the recommendations for change in a 208-page review into the governance of the Church. If implemented, they would see administrative and financial control of dioceses and parishes radically reshaped and shared between the clergy and laypeople and an increased role for women. In mid-May, the bishops considered the report, “The Light from the Southern Cross: Promoting Co-Responsible Governance in the Catholic Church in Australia,” submitted by the Implementation Advisory Group’s Governance Review Project Team. The report was initiated by the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference in May 2019 in response to a key recommendation of Australia’s landmark Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The governance report was written by 14 people, handpicked lay and clergy — men and women — from Australia as well as international experts. u Initiative to end late-term abortion in Colorado meets signature deadline. Organizers of Colorado ballot Initiative 120, or Due Date Too Late, said their volunteers turned in nearly five times the number of signatures needed to get the initiative before voters in November. Volunteers turned in 48,329 signatures to Secretary of State Jena Griswold by their deadline of 2 p.m. May 29. The initiative would prohibit abortion in Colorado after 22 weeks, with an exception for the life of the mother. Colorado is one of only seven states that allow abortion for any reason up until birth with no restrictions. . u New Marian shrine set to welcome Rocky Mountain visitors A depiction of the Virgin Mary is sitting with her son Jesus in a lush Alberta forest, surrounded by deer drinking from a gurgling stream, with the majestic Three Sisters peaks in the background. “The window cries out to you ‘Rocky Mountains,’ and there is Our Lady in the midst of that,” said Father Nathan Siray, pastor of Our Lady of the Rockies Parish. “That’s kind of our No. 1 devotional image to Our Lady of the Rockies that is completely unique to this building.” The powerful image is set in custom-made stained glass, one of the focal points of the new $20 million (US $14.8 million) church in the mountain community of Canmore, about 15 miles southeast of Banff. It’s a new church for the parish, which dates back to the 1800s, and the first Marian shrine in the Diocese of Calgary. — Catholic News Service
NATION+WORLD
12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Vatican reopens clinic, museums with precautions Catholic News Service Continuing a phased reopening of its buildings and services, the Vatican's free pediatric and maternal health clinic began welcoming patients again June 3 and, as an expression of gratitude, the Vatican announced all medical personnel would enjoy free admittance to the Vatican Museums in Rome and to the papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo. The Vatican Museums and Vatican Apostolic Archives reopened June 1. The museum and gardens at Castel Gandolfo opened June 6. The St. Martha pediatric clinic, operated by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses, resumed its mission of serving pregnant women and children at no charge; most of those who use the clinic are immigrants and refugees who do not have access to the Italian health service. In a statement June 3, the office governing Vatican City State, which includes responsibility for the museum and the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo, said it wanted to show gratitude for the work that doctors, nurses, lab technicians and other staff at health care facilities throughout Italy provided during the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic. The normal price for a ticket to the
CNS
People wearing protective face masks visit the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Museums June 1. Vatican Museums is 17 euros ($19) and for the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo, a ticket is 11 euros ($12.35). With a hospital or clinic ID card or a professional association membership card, health care workers and one guest could enter the museums for free June 8-13 or have a free visit of the Castel Gandolfo complex June 6 or 7 or June 13 or 14, since the villa is open only on weekends. Reservations are required to ensure that social distancing is possible to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, and visitors to the museums and papal villa must wear masks.
JUNE 11, 2020
Pope urges continued COVID-19 caution By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Pope Francis prayed for people living in countries where COVID-19 is still causing large numbers of deaths, and he cautioned people in Italy to continue to be careful and follow health precautions. “Be careful, do not sing ‘Victory!’ yet, do not celebrate victory too soon! It remains necessary to follow the rules in force carefully because they are rules that help us to prevent the virus from gaining ground,” he said June 7 after reciting the Angelus prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace. He greeted the few hundred visitors who had assembled in St. Peter’s Square, maintaining social distancing and many wearing masks. Seeing people in the square, he said, was a sign that “the acute phase” of the pandemic in Italy was over, which had led to the gradual easing of restrictive measures. But the pope cautioned everyone to continue to be careful. “Thanks be to God we are coming out of the epicenter stronger, but always with the rules given the authorities give us,” he said. The Vatican press office had announced the evening before that the last Vatican employee who had tested positive for the coronavirus was now testing negative. A total of 12 cases were reported among Vatican employees since late February. None of the 12 died. He reminded people, however, that
“the virus continues to claim many victims” in other countries. “I wish to express my closeness to those populations, to the sick and their families, and to all those who care for them. With our prayer, let us be close to them.” The pandemic is claiming large numbers of victims in the United States and other countries in Central, South and North America, according to the World Health Organization June 6. Some countries were also seeing “upticks” in COVID-19 cases as lockdowns eased, which meant people had to continue to follow precautions, Margaret Harris, a WHO spokesperson said from Geneva. The pope also reminded people that the month of June was dedicated in a special way to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “Indeed, the human and divine heart of Jesus is the wellspring where we can always draw upon God’s mercy, forgiveness and tenderness,” he said. At the center of Jesus’ every gesture and word there is love, “the love of the Father who sent his Son, the love of the Holy Spirit that is within us,” he said. He urged people to practice eucharistic adoration because they can find that love present in the Eucharist and “little by little, one’s heart will become more patient, more generous, more merciful, in imitation of the heart of Jesus.” He also encouraged people to recite, for the month of June, a short prayer his grandmother taught him, “Jesus, let my heart resemble yours in all I do.”
China makes preaching patriotism compulsory to reopen churches Catholic News Service Catholics are upset about a directive from China’s communist government asking priests to “preach on patriotism” as a condition for reopening liturgical services, suspended earlier this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ucanews.com reported the Catholic Patriotic Association and the Chinese Catholic educational administration committee of Zhejiang province jointly issued a notice May 29 on the resumption of liturgical activities. “Religious places that meet the conditions of epidemic prevention will resume services from June 2,” it said while adding the patriotism requirement. Father Liu of Hebei told ucanews.com it would be good to resume Church activities, but the requirement on patriotism “is wrong. As members of the universal Catholic Church, we cannot accept and glorify what communists consider patriotic education.” Jacob Chung, a Wenzhou parishioner, said the government’s move “has seriously interfered in the internal affairs of religion.” A Church observer in China who sought anonymity said the government was forcing religious leaders to add patriotism and Sinicization as part of religious teaching. Amid the ongoing trade war with other countries and an economic slowdown at home, the Chinese Communist Party “is afraid of a
counterrevolution. So they want people to hold on to patriotism,” he said. He said the communists want to “suppress and transform” the Church to sing the communist tune lest Christians criticize the regime. Religious activities have been gradually resuming since June 2 in Sichuan province, Shaanxi province and Shanghai after the Joint Conference of National Religious Organizations held a video conference May 30 about plans to reopen religious places. The other terms in the notice issued by Zhejiang authorities are associated with preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic. The notice asked churches to avoid nonessential religious activities, reduce the number of participants and shorten religious activities. In some provinces such as Sichuan, Christians were asked to seek authorities’ permission to resume religion classes. Shanghai Diocese has issued a circular limiting the number of people attending services and outlining preventive measures against the pandemic. Paul Fang from Wenzhou Diocese said parishioners have been looking forward to the resumption of Masses. He said his parish has already purchased temperature checkers, masks, disinfectant and other items. As the number of people is limited, the parish priest has decided to increase the frequency of daily Masses, Fang said.
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Light to the world
Priests wear masks as they bless the newly ordained. Those bestowing the blessings include, from left: Father Michael Becker, rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul; Father David Blume, vocation director for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis; and Father John Ubel, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. All ordination photos in this special section are by Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit.
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onths ago, when the seven men ordained May 30 anticipated that day, they expected it would be significant. What they didn’t expect was that it would arrive in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. Or that their archdiocese’s Twin Cities would be suffering, first from a police-custody death, and second from widespread rioting. But the strange and troubling circumstances did not seem to dampen their spirits or resolve. “We’re ordained to be Christ’s instrument of love to the world, of mercy to the world,” newly ordained Father Tim Tran said following the Mass. “Every priest is called to do that. And at least for us, we are called to do that — to be his light to the world at this particular time.” — The Catholic Spirit
June 11, 2020 • Page 13
IN THIS SPECIAL SECTION u Archbishop: New u Family and friends reflect on ordinands’ priests ordained ‘for ‘yes’ to God a time such as this’ — Page 14
— Page 15
u Profiles of newly ordained priests — Pages 16-21
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Amid Twin Cities turmoil, new priests told they were or By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
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hat the world needs good shepherds “is clearer now more than ever,” Archbishop Bernard Hebda told seven men at their ordination Mass May 30. “Turn on the television. Look on the first page of our newspapers. You’ll see that.” In his homily at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, Archbishop Hebda encouraged the ordinands to heed Jesus’ instruction to minister well to people’s needs, telling them that God has called them to begin ministry during this particular time in the Twin Cities and world. In his plan for the Church, Jesus established the priesthood so men could stand in his place and shepherd his flock, “feeding them the Eucharist and sound doctrine, helping them to hear the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and tending to their needs with the sacraments,” Archbishop Hebda said. “In general, leading them as Jesus led the disciples — even with a towel and a wash basin,” he continued. “It’s all, brothers, because Jesus loves his Church, because Jesus loves his flock, because Jesus loves all of humanity, his brothers and sisters.” Archbishop Hebda ordained to the priesthood Father Austin Barnes, Father Clayton Forner, Father Nathan Hastings, Father Paul Hedman and Father Tim Tran for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and Father Cesar Valencia Martinez and Father Yamato Icochea for the religious community Pro Ecclesia Sancta, which serves St. Mark in St. Paul and several Catholic schools. The ordination Mass took place the morning after four consecutive nights of rioting in the Twin Cities following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, who died pleading for breath after a Minneapolis police officer arrested him and pinned him for minutes by kneeling on his neck. Floyd’s death has prompted protests and rioting in major cities across the United States. The ordination also coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 1,200 Minnesotans and upended the lives of people around the world. “We live in a world that needs the good news Jesus brings to the afflicted, a world that needs healing for the broken-hearted, a world that needs to be comforted as it mourns, a world that longs for the oil of gladness, a world that needs a glorious mantle instead of a faint spirit,” Archbishop Hebda said. “I suspect that is true of the world in every age, but that’s certainly true of those of you who are called to serve as priests beginning today,” he said. Current events should not make the new priests nervous, he told them, because they are not entering this ministry alone. “We always know we can count on Jesus, who continues to have such great love for his flock, who works through his priests,” he said. At the beginning of the homily, Archbishop Hebda noted that the ordinands had chosen the readings, revealing their “rich understanding of the priesthood.” The Gospel reading from John 21 is one of his favorites, he said. “The setting is idyllic, certainly for a Minnesotan. To think about being on the shore of a lake, and Jesus had just cooked them breakfast.” What’s significant about the Gospel reading, he said, is that it’s in the last chapter of John. “There is always something telling about going-away dialogues,” he said. “With my mom, it’s almost like a litany for me and my siblings: ‘Brush your teeth, change your underwear, remember that the Blessed Mother sees even what I do not see, and remember that I love you.’ That’s what we heard when we went to camp, that is what we would hear when we went off to college, that’s what I heard when I went off to seminary, that’s even what I heard as an adult when I left to go work at the Vatican. “The script didn’t vary very much,” he continued. “What stuck were the last things mom said: ‘I love you.’” The Gospel offered “that same type of final dialogue,” Archbishop Hebda said. The intimate exchange between
Jesus and Simon Peter — “Simon, do you love me?” “Yes Lord.” “Then feed my sheep” — has meaning beyond the meeting at the shore, the archbishop said. There are “two hinges” at play in the passage: love for Jesus and “feeding his flock.” Those “hinges” are relevant for all people called to ministry, especially priests, he said. “The way that we can show our deep, unconditional love for him, the way we can answer the question that the Lord poses to Simon Peter, is by feeding his lambs and sheep, tending to their needs.” Each of the three times Jesus questioned Peter, he charged him to feed his flock, from the little lambs to the most mature sheep, he said. “Jesus loves you, my brothers, to the moon and back. But never forget his intense love for his flock — all of them. And he’s calling you today because of that love for his flock.” The words from the Mass’ first reading from Isaiah summarize well Jesus’ vision for the priesthood, as Jesus himself had proclaimed it from the synagogue as he began his public ministry, Archbishop Hebda said. “If there had been elevators in first-century Nazareth, Isaiah 61 would have been Jesus’ elevator speech,” he said. “It captured the core of his shepherding: A ministry anointed by the Spirit, a ministry aimed at bringing
good news to the poor and the afflicted, a ministry would bring liberation.” Archbishop Hebda encouraged the new priests to continue to cultivate their relationship with Jesus “ the rest will fall in place.” The men should also feel supported by the churc their families and the fraternity of fellow clergy. “For some reason, brothers, the Lord has called y at this time – ‘for a time such as this,’” he said, quo from the book of Esther. “He’s raised you up at this providential time. It’s a sure sign of his great love f you, but also for his flock. Feed his sheep. Tend his sheep. And always remember how much he loves t May that love be the hermeneutic for your ministr The Mass was among the first the Cathedral had hosted since public worship resumed after Gov. Tim Walz’s COVID-19-related stay-at-home order expire May 18. For social distancing purposes, the congreg sat scattered throughout the cathedral. In accordan with Walz’s executive order around public worship about 250 people attended — far fewer than would typically attend the annual priesthood ordination Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the new priest not offer individual blessings to people following t Mass, as is the usual custom.
ATION
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For new priests, Mass attendees, ordination ‘a day of grace’ By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit
F TOP LEFT From left, newlyordained Fathers Clayton Forner, Austin Barnes, Yamato Icochea, Tim Tran and Paul Hedman walk behind the Cathedral sanctuary after the ordination Mass May 30 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. LOWER LEFT Deacon Paul Hedman, right, pledges obedience to Archbishop Bernard Hebda, left, during the ordination Mass. TOP RIGHT Father Clayton Forner gives Communion to members of his family. MIDDLE RIGHT Father Nathan Hastings prays while keeping social distance. LOWER RIGHT Father Cesar Valencia, right, and the other six ordinands maintain social distance.
PARISH ASSIGNMENTS Father Austin Barnes, parochial vicar, St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater Father Clayton Forner, parochial vicar of St. Joseph in West St. Paul until he returns to Rome in September to continue graduate studies Father Nathan Hastings, parochial vicar, Our Lady of Grace in Edina, and chaplain, Chesterton Academy in Hopkins Father Paul Hedman, parochial vicar, St. Peter in Forest Lake Father Tim Tran, parochial vicar, St. Odilia in Shoreview Father Yamato Icochea and Father Cesar Valencia Martinez, both of Pro Ecclesia Sancta, assignments unavailable at press time
ather Paul Hedman admits to tearing up before and during his ordination Mass. Afterward, it seemed he couldn’t smile broadly enough. “I can’t put my reaction into words,” he said. The closest was “wow.” “It certainly took place under strange circumstances with the unrest and with the virus, but it was perfect,” he said. That feeling was shared by the six others ordained priests alongside Father Paul Hedman, as well as the family and friends who joined them at the Cathedral of St. Paul for the 10 a.m. Mass May 30. But, with only about 250 people spread throughout the church’s vast interior for social distancing, as well as the face masks many of them wore, it was hard to miss that this was an ordination unlike any other. “I’m … not going into ministry to a normal Church right now,” noted Father Hedman, whose home parish is St. Raphael in Crystal. “So much stuff is happening, and we’ll have to come up with creative ways to bring the Gospel to people. Even before the virus … we knew we’d be up for a challenge, and now even more so, and find how to bring Jesus to people. You got to be creative, inspired by God.” The family and friends present for the Mass expressed confidence that the new priests are prepared for whatever faces them in ministry. And the uncertain times did nothing to diminish their joy. Father Hedman’s parents, Mike and Sharon Hedman, said seeing their son ordained a priest stirred memories of him as a young boy. “He showed signs at an early age that we had a special blessing,” Mike Hedman said. “I couldn’t be more proud of my son.” Sharon Hedman remembers making “little priest vestments” for him when he expressed interest in becoming a priest. “He still has those,” she said, “but he gave one to a little boy in our parish who is already showing interest in ‘church stuff.’” Danielle Campos said that she felt great joy at the ordination of her brother, Father Clayton Forner. “I was so happy and proud to see him up there,” said Campos, a member of Guardian Angels in Chaska. “I feel like it was just right. He’s been working on this for a long time, and I feel it is very fitting for him.” Campos said her brother has been thinking about priesthood since he was a little boy and started seminary studies right after high school. He brings “quite a few gifts” to his ministry, she said. Among them, she said, is happiness, which she expect to serve him and his flock well. “He always brings happiness to the room,” she said, “and I think that’s a very good tool for evangelizing and spreading the faith.” Jeanne McLeod of Holy Spirit in St. Paul attended the Mass to witness the ordination of her nephew Father Austin Barnes. “I’m feeling proud and honored to be here,” she said. Seeing him ordained was surreal, she said, because of how hard he worked during eight years of seminary studies and how long the family anticipated him becoming a priest. “It’s so emotional for me because it’s finally happening,” she said. Jon Yanta attended the ordination Mass to support Father Cesar Valencia Martinez and Father Yamato Icochea, two priests newly ordained for the religious community Pro Ecclesia Sancta. Yanta has gotten to know members of their community, including priests, brothers and sisters. “I have a brother and a lot of friends who are priests, so it’s always beautiful to see new men become ordained and be evangelists of Jesus Christ and promoters of the great gift of the Gospel and the spirit of life,” he said. “Any time you have an opportunity to see that, and to witness that, is a great gift.” Father Tim Tran called his ordination “just a big day of grace.” It brought tremendous peace, he said, and a whirlwind of emotions. “I have a very big sense of calm in my heart and soul, and gratitude,” he said. “I am very grateful to God … for everything he’s done.” Father Tran, whose home parish is St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis, wished that everyone who impacted his life and led him to this point could be at his ordination, but he said he still brought them to the altar in his intentions. “I pray that with his (Christ’s) grace, I can be his hands and feet,” he said. Father Tran’s brother, Phat Tran, said it was difficult to describe his emotions. In the midst of everything going on — from the COVID-19 pandemic to the protests and riots related to the death of George Floyd — seeing someone willing to step up and say “yes” is very emotional, he said. Phat Tran said it takes a lot of courage to respond this way in such difficult times. “To say yes to that call … is very touching,” he said. “And in an age where every man is for himself, he decides to say, … ‘I am willing to take that next step and sacrifice my life for Christ, to serve others.’”
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Father Barnes: Priesthood ‘just made sense’
him, telling him he’d be a good priest. “The people in our lives are the ones who help us know what God wants from us,” he said. Not everyone has “St. Paul moments,” Father Barnes said, referring to the story of St. Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus, when he saw a brilliant light shine from heaven and fell to the ground, blind and converted. “I’m more of a Peter,” Father Barnes said. “I’ve always been there, every once in a while, you get afraid … but always, in the words of Peter, ‘Where else shall we go?’” After graduating from South St. Paul High School, Father Barnes went to St. John Vianney College Seminary at the University of St. Thomas and graduated with majors in philosophy and Catholic Studies. He completed his studies at The St. Paul Seminary. From his seminary experience, Father Barnes said, he learned two things in particular that he will carry with him: the importance of priestly fraternity, and the
importance of prayer and study. “Committing to regular prayer and staying fresh on your own studies — and making sure you read a good theological book now and again — is important,” he said. “Keep up-to-date on the education we’ve had so it can benefit those we serve.” Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Father Barnes spent more than two months this spring in a cloistered environment at The St. Paul Seminary, an experience he considers a gift. “I’ve been given a really blessed opportunity,” he said, noting it gave him time to reflect and more easily focus on his priorities — that he was going to be a priest. Days before his ordination, Father Barnes said he was filled with gratitude for the people he met at the seminaries, and those he got to know at parishes who have helped him prepare for ministry. “So that’s a lot of gratitude for the process, but also for the gift of priesthood,” he said. “When you enter (the seminary), you want to be ordained tomorrow, and eight years felt like it would take forever.” Then, when his May 30 ordination was just days away, the feeling became surreal. “But very grateful, very sobering,” he said. “There’s a lot of excitement, some anxiety, but overall, I am ready to start my ministry.” Father Barnes looks forward to his priestly involvement in the sacraments but also being part of a parish community. Even while working with his teaching parish, Mary, Queen of Peace in Rogers, he said it was difficult to truly become part of the community because of time constraints. He described his approach to priesthood as a “ministry of presence.” “What I have learned in seminary and meeting a variety of priests is that sometimes just being around is a lot — just being part of the regular parish ministerial life, whether doing Stations of the Cross or going to bingo,” he said. “And getting to know people and sharing life together.”
I was little (but) tall enough to fold a folding chair, I was setting up chairs and tables for different things or wiping down stuff after an event at church,” he said. He attended the parish school, and was part of the funeral serving team. Even though it was an excuse to miss class — and eat lunch twice, both at the funeral luncheon and at the school cafeteria — the extra experience assisting his pastor was spiritually beneficial. “One of the great benefits of being at Guardian Angels was it gave me a lot of ‘wood for the fire,’” he said. Father Forner’s road to seminary involved a series of gentle nudges toward considering the priesthood. The idea was apparently planted early: He’s been told that, as a young child, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he’d answer, “A priest.” He has a memory of being much older — seventh or eighth grade — and, while preparing to serve the Easter Vigil Mass, laying out the altar linens and feeling at home. Father Nick VanDenBroeke, at that time a seminarian assigned to help at Guardian Angels parish, enthusiastically encouraged Father Forner — then a middle schooler — and a few other young men to deepen their prayer lives, read Scripture and ask
questions about the faith. He also brought them to NET Ministries’ Lifeline Masses for teenagers in West St. Paul — including one focused on vocations. There, they were given the opportunity to be prayed over, and Father Forner found “a nun who looked like she knew what she was doing.” “I walked up to her and asked her, ‘Well, I’m here at this vocations Mass. I ask you to pray that I would know what the Lord wants me to do with my life.’” She held his hands. He doesn’t remember all of what she said, except for what she said last: “Lord, if I’m holding hands with a future priest, that would be the greatest gift of all.” It made an impact. “My heart just exploded,” Father Forner said. “It was kind of that ignition moment. … I had all this wood from the fire — knowledge about God, but all of a sudden, I also had this experience of God.” He felt like he was on a path to priesthood. He went on to Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria, graduated in 2012, and went straight to seminary. At St. Thomas, he majored in philosophy and Catholic Studies — spending a semester his junior year in Rome — before continuing formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where his ministry experiences have included street ministry and serving a Catholic parish at an American Naval base in Naples. For the past two summers, he’s assisted at St. John the Baptist in Savage, working alongside now-Bishop Donald DeGrood, installed bishop of Sioux Falls in February. After Father Forner’s ordination to the priesthood May 30 — and if the COVID-19 pandemic doesn’t thwart his plans — he’ll return to Rome to complete a degree in spiritual theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He wrapped up the semester via Zoom, after COVID-19 forced his return to the U.S. in late March. As Father Forner reflects on that moment of seeing through St. Joseph’s eyes in the Italian chapel six years ago, he thinks of it as “the Lord being generous with me.” “Because you look at the task ahead of you, and it can be overwhelming if you look at it only from your strength,” he said. “It was the way of the Lord saying, ‘It’s not going to be you providing this, I’m going to provide through you, and you’ve got to trust me.”
By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit
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ather Austin Barnes, 26, vividly remembers his first time as an altar server, as a fourth grader at Holy Trinity in South St. Paul. For one, none of the other servers showed up. And a visiting priest was saying Mass. “So, I had to learn really quickly,” he said. “But it was good because … I was much more attentive to what was going on and not so distracted by what I was supposed to be doing. And I really developed a strong love for the Eucharist and the sacraments.” Father Barnes said he thought about the priesthood early on, and his interest developed naturally over time. “It’s never been something jarring or involving a major life change,” he said. “For me, it just made sense. All the things in my life and the people around me have verified that.” He recalled the influence of two priests in particular, including his childhood pastor, Father John LeVoir, now bishop of New Ulm, whom he admired for his kindness. He admires his current pastor, Father John Paul Echert, for his courage, willingness and commitment to teaching the faith. Father Barnes also remembers Wednesday night faith formation classes as one of the highlights of his week, wanting to take on the faith as his own and “really diving in and learning more about it.” He wanted to become a priest because God called him, he said, but also because he trusted those around him. “That’s how the call was confirmed for me,” he said — regular encouragement from people who knew
Father Forner seeks ‘spiritual fatherhood’ By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
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n a retreat in Italy during his junior year in college, Father Clayton Forner was sitting in a chapel with an assignment: meditate on the Nativity. He was trying to place himself in the scene, imagining what he would see, smell, hear. And as he prayed, he found himself viewing the scene through the eyes of Joseph — witnessing Jesus’ birth, wiping the infant with a towel and gazing upon him. “And I just had this thought to myself: Maybe I’ll take care of kids who aren’t my own, just like Joseph did, taking care of Jesus,” he said. And the thought clicked. “It was like, yup, this is the vocation for me.” He was thinking of the priesthood, a vocation he had considered on and off since he was a kid. At that time, he was a student at St. John Vianney College Seminary at the University of St. Thomas, but had wrestled with the idea of forgoing marriage and fatherhood. After that Nativity meditation, he never again had serious doubts about his path toward the “spiritual fatherhood” of a priest. Father Forner, 26, grew up surrounded by extended family in East Union in Carver County, the son of Ken and Laurie Forner. His dad, an artist and graphic designer, encouraged his only son and his four sisters — three older, one younger — to develop their imaginations. Father Forner spent much of his free time as a child playing outside. Or reading — his mother, a chemist, taught him at an early age, and he recalls waking up on Saturday mornings as a kid and lying in bed, reading for hours until he was hungry. His family attended Guardian Angels in Chaska, where his parents were avid volunteers. “From the time
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Lourdes pilgrimage confirmed vocation for Father Hastings By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit
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ather Nathan Hastings hadn’t really thought about the priesthood growing up. “It wasn’t on my radar at all,” he said. He planned to become an engineer and get married. His faith deepened in the middle of his high school years, when he had what he called “a strong conversion moment.” “I felt the Lord calling me to abandon my plans and ask him what he wanted me to do with my life,” he said. “And that first led me to serve with ministries.” After high school, Father Hastings, 27, served with NET Ministries, to devote nine months to sharing the Gospel with young people and families across the country. That’s where the seeds of the call were planted, he said. “That’s where I fell in love with evangelization and sharing my faith, and I knew that needed to be part of my life going forward.” During his seminary studies, Father Hastings received two clear confirmations that he had chosen the right path for his life. First, while a student at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, he studied in Rome for one semester as part of the University of St. Thomas’ Catholic Studies program. Over Christmas break, Father Hastings spent New Year’s at one of the world’s largest pilgrimage sites, Lourdes, France, where Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. “It was a beautiful experience,” he said. “I remember praying during Mass in Lourdes and feeling a concrete calling that ‘if you continue what you’re doing, one day you’ll be a priest.’ It was the very clear voice of the Lord
saying, ‘This is what … I’m bringing you toward, so just keep doing what you’re doing.’ It was a great kind of grace.” His second confirmation occurred during a pastoral assignment at Our Lady of Grace in Edina during a seven-month break between his studies at SJV and The St. Paul Seminary. He lived at the parish doing ministry with its priests. “I got to teach religion classes in the school, help out with RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) and just be involved in a great number of the church’s ministries. That was a really incredible experience and an affirmation that, not only is this what I’m being called to do, but I actually love doing this,” he said. The youngest of five children, Father Hastings and his family were active in St. Michael in Stillwater during his childhood. His family is also part of the charismatic Community of Christ the Redeemer, based in West St. Paul. Father Hastings participated in the community’s youth programs, which he said were a foundational part of his upbringing. “We were always part of a parish, we went to Mass,” he said, but his family also participated in community events several times a month. That’s also where Father Hastings completed faith formation and participated in youth groups. He received sacramental preparation at
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17
St. Michael and at St. Joseph in West St. Paul, his family parish following a move to Inver Grove Heights at age 12. Father Hastings began studies in computer engineering at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He lived with 13 other young men in a household run by St. Paul’s Outreach, an international college ministry based in Inver Grove Heights, and which, like NET Ministries, has ties to Community of Christ the Redeemer. The SPO household mixed fraternity with daily prayer and student outreach through hosting college-focused events and Bible studies. “That was a very formative time for me,” he said. “It’s where I felt the call strongly.” While Father Hastings worked part-time jobs and pursued studies, he was not satisfied. “I wondered, what is my life going to be about on Judgment Day? What did I do for the Lord?” he said. “I felt convinced to check out the seminary at that point.” The archdiocese’s vocations director at the time, Father Troy Przybilla, recommended he read “To Save a Thousand Souls,” a resource for men discerning the priesthood. Through book study with a group of men “in the same boat,” Deacon Hastings felt the call even more strongly and transferred to SJV, followed by four years at The St. Paul Seminary. A week before he was ordained May 30, Father Hastings said he was looking forward to saying Mass and hearing confessions. But most of all, he wanted to “get out in the trenches.” “I know a lot of people are hurting right now, a lot of people are struggling,” he said. “And if I can be one more set of hands for God to use, that’s what I want to do.” Father Hastings also is a candidate for the
Companions of Christ, a fraternal association of diocesan priests in the archdiocese who live in households of about three priests and try to live by a common rule of life, he said. “I have been in formation with the Companions for the last four years, and it is my hope to make my promises sometime this summer to become an official member.”
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For Father Hedman, playing Mass leads to praying Mass By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
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he wish of Father Paul Hedman’s greatgrandmother has come true. It began when his grandfather, Harold Trombley, attended Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary in Roseville to discern the priesthood when he was in high school. Trombley eventually left, leaving his mother, Mable Trombley, “heartbroken” that she would not have a priest in the family. Decades later, Father Hedman, 25, showed signs of interest in a priestly vocation during his early childhood as a member of St. Raphael in Crystal. That culminated with his ordination to the priesthood May 30 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. “When I was like 2 or 3 years old, my dad has pictures of me playing Mass, walking around the house with a toy broom pretending that that was a crucifix, or me wearing a blanket — that was the chasuble,” Father Hedman recalled. “My mom noticed this and started sewing me vestments. And, I started playing Mass with saltines and grape juice.” His next step was wanting to be an altar server. He was hoping to start the role right after receiving his first Communion in second grade, but he had to wait until fourth grade due to parish policy. Ultimately, that experience, plus his parish youth group and programs like Extreme Faith Camp, helped him “encounter Jesus Christ as a person” during middle school, he said. But, as a teenager, he became interested in girls and video games, and tension developed between him and his parents, who homeschooled him all the way
through high school. He decided to go out of state to college and chose Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where he planned to study computer science. During his freshman year, he went to Mass and got involved in some activities at the Catholic college, but admits he “wasn’t super strong” in his faith. That changed when he came back home after his first semester, and on the fourth Sunday of Advent at St. Raphael he looked up during the eucharistic prayer and was struck by the sight of the priest elevating the Eucharist. “I just got this huge, booming feeling in my heart, like I want to do that,” he said. “And, I was like, ‘Where did that (feeling) come from?’ I hadn’t thought of priesthood for four or five years at that point. … It was just out of nowhere. And, I was like, ‘Well, that was kind of weird.’” When he went back to campus after the semester break, he joined a discernment group and eventually
JUNE 11, 2020
felt a pull toward the priesthood. The question then was whether to go to St. Pius X Seminary in Iowa for the Archdiocese of Dubuque or The St. Paul Seminary for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. A third option would be to continue his studies at Loras and dismiss the “booming feeling” he had during Mass at St. Raphael. As he wrestled with what to do, a woman came up to him after Mass at the college and said she felt God encouraging her to tell him “that he’s directing your discernment and he’s going to lead you wherever he wants you to go,” Father Hedman recalled. “So,” he said, “from that point on, I kind of just let go and let God, sat shotgun and let him drive.” He sensed God calling him to go to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, home to St. John Vianney College Seminary, so he transferred to the university and started his sophomore year there as a seminarian in 2013. He graduated from St. Thomas in 2016 with a degree in philosophy and a minor in computer science. That fall, he began his priestly formation at The St. Paul Seminary. As he looked ahead to his ordination, Father Hedman said he couldn’t help but think about his great-grandmother and feel like something had come full circle. “She has passed on,” he said, “but she’s going to have a great-grandson who’s going to be a priest now rather than her own son. So, I hope that’s good enough.” Father Hedman said he “is really excited” about celebrating Mass, a desire that goes back to his days as an altar server. He also looks forward to hearing confessions and “bringing God’s mercy to people,” he said. “I really enjoy preaching as well,” he said. “I did a lot of theater in high school and college. So, that kind of transfers. Usually, what happens is that I’m pretty intimidated before (the show). And then, I get up there, and it’s all good. It all goes well. I’ve really enjoyed preaching as a deacon. And, I’m guessing that I’ll really enjoy that as a priest as well.”
ORDINATION
JUNE 11, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19
Father Tran put aside medical ambitions for ‘spiritual surgery’ By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
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ore than a decade ago, Father Tim Tran had set his career path and was on his way to fulfilling it at the University of Minnesota. “I always wanted to be a cardiologist,” said Father Tran, 29, who grew up attending St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis. “I had shadowed a couple cardiologists already. That was my goal: I wanted to be a heart surgeon.” He planned to get a degree in chemistry and then pursue medical school. “To be honest, I never thought about becoming a priest,” he said. That changed about halfway through his undergraduate program. He had been active as a youth leader at his parish, and kept serving in that role during college. One day, one of the other youth leaders asked him if he had ever thought about becoming a priest. Father Tran’s reaction: “You’re absolutely nuts.” The youth leader persisted, Father Tran recalled, and told him, “You should think about it, because you have some gifts that might make a good priest. Just think about it.” Those last words are why Father Tran was ordained a priest May 30 for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. He has moved from caring for the physical heart to caring for the spiritual one.
Father Tran did finish his undergraduate program with a chemistry degree in 2012. He also took the Medical College Admission Test — just because he already had paid for it and was curious about how he would score. But, he never finished his application for medical school and instead applied to The St. Paul Seminary to begin formation that fall. He took a year-and-a-half break in 2015 for extra discernment, then returned to the seminary in 2016, more certain of his calling. As he looks back on his life, Father Tran believes seeds of a priestly vocation were sown during his time in the parish youth group, both as a participant and a leader. “You know, I loved youth ministry,” he said. “It was a big passion of mine, and I really had the desire to give back. That was the reason why I wanted to become a youth leader, because I had received so much through my youth leaders all throughout my
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Congratulations on your ordination
Fr. Timothy Tran May God bless you abundantly in your priestly ministry.
Congratulations,
Fr. Clayton Forner
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childhood. So, I had all this dedication to give.” He now will take that passion into his priestly ministry, where he looks forward to celebrating the sacraments — especially the Mass. “I’m also really looking forward just to walking (with) and accompanying people … through their life, their struggles, and just to really preach the Gospel, just to let them know how much God really loves them and how much he cares for them, and that he never abandons them,” he said. “There’s a lot of people suffering out there, whether it be physical or mental or spiritual. And, I just want to be a father to them.” That was the passion he discovered when he left the seminary in January 2015 to, as he put it, “re-discern” his vocation. After having such a strong desire to be a doctor, he wanted to be sure that God was, in fact, calling him to give that up and become a priest instead. A key moment came during a Mass for the youth group he was leading. The priest asked everyone to take a deep look into their hearts and tell the Lord what they were feeling. For Father Tran, it was exhaustion, from his running away from God’s call to the priesthood, he said. “It was very clear from that point on — at that Mass — that the Lord wanted me to come back (to the seminary),” Father Tran said. “I just looked forward and never looked back. And, I’ve never been at more peace in my life.” As he looks ahead to life as a priest, he sees value in both his chemistry degree and his desire to be a doctor. “I’m going to be doing a … type of spiritual surgery, through the confessional, through my priestly ministry,” he said. “I’ll be able to help cure a lot of souls, by God’s grace. And, I really see that. I pray that he can use these hands and give me the tools I need to do some kind of spiritual surgery, and help people to be healed and also to encounter God’s loving mercy.”
We thank God for His call to you and for your “yes.” May the Holy Spirit guide you in your ministry.
Congratulations Father Nathan Hastings on your ordination to the Holy Priesthood!
From your brothers and sisters at Community of Christ the Redeemer
COMMUNITY OF CHRIST THE REDEEMER Catholic Lay Association of Christian Faithful
ORDINATION
20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Father Martinez: ‘The Lord calls whom and when he wants’ By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
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hat began as a chance to meet new people on a mission trip in the Andes of Peru became an opportunity for God to reach more directly into Father Cesar Valencia Martinez’s life, calling him to the priesthood. But the first call didn’t come from the Lord at all. It came from Father Martinez’s older sister, Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sister Natalia Justo, inviting him on the mission trip with her Peru-based religious community in his last year of college in Peru, where they grew up. “I said yes, because you never say no to a nun,” said Father Martinez, 32, smiling. At that time, at age 23, Father Martinez was not actively living the faith, though he grew up with parents who are Catholic missionaries and his sister had entered the religious community. He recalls feeling a tug toward the priesthood as an altar server when he was in middle school. But he soon forgot about that. Studying history in college, he thought a weeklong mission trip into the Andes would be fun and
meaningful. They stayed with two Pro Ecclesia brothers and a priest, delivered food and clothing to people in need, and celebrated Mass in an area that only has that opportunity two or three times a year. What he saw was real joy in the service. “I went there and I encountered real gentlemen living the right life. Their joy, and their work … I saw these guys living in a cloistered-like environment, and I realized that I am free to go out, to come and go, and I don’t have that happiness in me.” A priest asked if he would receive the Eucharist, and a bit embarrassed, Father Martinez declined because he did not feel ready to do so. He went to confession, and the priest asked him, “What does God want with your life?”
JUNE 11, 2020
Realizing he didn’t know, he resolved to start being a better Catholic. He went to Mass and remembers in particular hearing the reading in Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus says there is a great harvest but the laborers are few. “I have heard that (Gospel) many times. But that was the first time I felt that really was for me,” Father Martinez said. Six months later, he entered the Pro Ecclesia Sancta community. Six years after that, he was ordained a priest of the community May 30 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. Not that it all came easy. Father Martinez said, for example, he had been dating a woman for five years. To think about being a priest he had to renounce the possibility of marriage in his life. It became a good lesson for him that God sometimes calls people when they don’t expect it. “The Lord calls whom he wants and when he wants,” Father Martinez said. Now, he is excited about sharing the sacraments, particularly confession and marriage, and he knows the importance of supporting both. “I think it is a great blessing to help people experience the mercy of God. I have experienced that in my own life,” he said. Marriage is “one of the most important battles the Church is having right now,” Father Martinez said. “Preparing families, helping them feel we are actually here to support them in all the process, not just before they marry, but after they marry. I experienced that in my own family. I think that is a key place for me to work.”
Congratulations Fr. Paul Hedman
We rejoice with you in your ordination to the holy priesthood, and we wish you many blessings as you continue your journey with our Lord.
TheCatholicSpirit.com
Congratulations Deacon Brian Fischer
on your ordination to the Transitional Diaconate! From your brothers and sisters at Community of Christ the Redeemer
COMMUNITY OF CHRIST THE REDEEMER Catholic Lay Association of Christian Faithful
WE’D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Commentary/ideas/opinion? Email catholicspirit@archspm.org
ORDINATION
Father Icochea desires to meet Church’s need for sacraments By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
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ather Yamato Icochea looks forward to helping people in ways only a Catholic priest can: providing the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and confession. Being able as a priest to “celebrate the Eucharist and forgive sins … I know I need that, but to be an instrument of that for other people is just amazing,” said Father Icochea, in the days leading up to his ordination May 30 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. A member of the Peru-based religious community Pro Ecclesia Sancta, which serves at St. Mark in St. Paul, Father Icochea, 35, brings a variety of experiences to his role. His mother is Japanese and his father is Peruvian. He was born in Japan but raised in Lima, Peru. His first language was Japanese, which his parents speak around the house, but he also knows Spanish and English. His mother is a teacher, his father an oceanographer, and his first profession was journalism, working during college for a newspaper and a magazine that serve the Japanese community in Peru. Father Icochea also helped produce news stories and documentaries for a company that works with public broadcasting station NHK, which Father Icochea describes as the “BBC of Japan.” “I loved what they did, going and making documentaries about exotic cultures and natural landscapes,” he said. But he had another love as well: the Pro Ecclesia community he had come to know at age 15 as he prepared for confirmation. He was involved with the community’s lay movement for nine years through high school and college, and the natural joy he saw in priests, brothers and sisters in the community
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 21
Congratulations Fr. Paul Hedman May your priestly service be pleasing to God and bring lasting good to Christ’s Church. helped stir his interest in the religious life and the priesthood. “They were so joyful and natural when they talked about the faith,” he said. “And they always credited Christ in what they did.” He also felt some fear and tried to ignore the call to be a priest. In his last year of undergraduate work in college, Father Icochea visited Japan to see relatives and learn more about the company he worked for in Peru and its relationship with NHK. He loved the experience, and believed he made a good impression. But he continued to feel called to the religious life. At the end of that year, after talking it over with his spiritual adviser, he began the process of entering the Pro Ecclesia community, which after several years of formation brought him to The Seminary of St. Paul in St. Paul in 2014. A year into his stay in the Twin Cities, Father Icochea said, he visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and spent time in prayer. It reminded him of the kind of peace he felt from Mary when he paid a prayerful visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City during a stopover on his trip to Japan. “I prayed there (in La Crosse), that if I really had a vocation and call to the priesthood, that I not only would accept it but all obstacles would be removed. I could feel that confirmation. I could sense the Virgin Mary, smiling from heaven,” he said. Now, he hopes as a priest to make a difference in the world, which he said is struggling with a utilitarianism and selfishness that will be disastrous if it is not curbed. “I see the need in the Church for the sacraments — and a lot of teaching,” he said. “The world is in the state it is right now because people lack a friendship with God.”
Your friends from the Church of St. Raphael
St. Stephen’s Catholic Church of Anoka wishes to congratulate Fr. Tim Tran on his priestly ordination. Fr. Tim, thank you for answering the “call” to be the hands, feet and voice of Christ and committing to go forth and make disciples of all people. “Let it be to me according to your Word.”– Luke 1:38
Congratulations to our new priests! May you always stay close to the Good Shepherd as you strive to feed his lambs. The Catholic Spirit
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22 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JUNE 11, 2020
FAITH+CULTURE
Temporary seminary A scenic retreat center answers the call By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit
A
cross Minnesota, college seniors ended their semester in an unprecedented way: distance learning online due to the coronavirus pandemic. For nine seniors from St. John Vianney College Seminary, there was an additional element: the backdrop of a secluded, 50-acre retreat center along the St. Croix River. Two freshmen, one sophomore and one junior joined them there, along with two SJV formators and spiritual directors: Father Jonathan Kelly and Father Joseph Kuharski, who provided leadership and the sacraments. The 13 college seminarians completed classes online and their formation on site during a seven week stay-in at Dunrovin Christian Brothers Retreat Center, 10 miles north of Stillwater outside Marine on St. Croix. Dunrovin provided a good environment for study, said senior Joe Wappes, because life at the university can get packed. “I felt like I could have more peace, more time to read and pray and study,” he said. The college-level seminarians lost their regular classrooms when the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, where the seminary is located, suspended in-person classes in March and closed dormitories to prevent spread of the coronavirus. As the campus at St. Thomas closed down, Father David Blume, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, immediately worked on a plan to best accommodate SJV students from the archdiocese. In talking with Archbishop Bernard Hebda, he determined the retreat center would be a great option for cloistered living, studying and continuing formation — similar to the environment The St. Paul Seminary developed for its major seminarians in the wake of the pandemic. Dunrovin had been a trout and game
PHOTOS BY DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
preserve until the 1940s, when a local businessman bought it, using it first as a country home and, later, a full-time residence. It offered its first retreat in 1964 and is overseen by the Christian Brothers, the religious community whose ministries also include BenildeSt. Margaret’s in St. Louis Park, CretinDerham Hall in St. Paul, DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria, Totino-Grace High School in Fridley and St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona. “The key reason Dunrovin was chosen was for its seclusion,” Father Blume said. “It’s not a high traffic area and it’s a pretty safe place as long as nobody has the virus.” All retreats had been canceled so no outsiders were visiting. Men from 20 dioceses attended SJV this past school year. Eightyfive seminarians from outside the archdiocese returned home. Father Blume offered the 19 archdiocesan seminarians the choice to stay at Dunrovin for the rest of the semester or complete online classes from home. He described how the cloister would operate, provided a list of safety protocols and encouraged the young men to discuss the option with their parents. It was completely voluntary, he emphasized. Thirteen said yes and six said no. Along with the two priests, they began the cloister March 25, the feast of the Annunciation. For two weeks, they lived in restricted-access quarantine to make sure everyone was well. And they were. “When we started, ‘the clean team’ … wiped down every surface twice a day with Clorox wipes,” Father Blume said. The men were encouraged not to touch their face and to wash their hands thoroughly. “I encouraged them to take as much time as it would take to say a Hail Mary.” The men slept in private rooms on one floor of a dormitory-style building; rooms on a second floor were configured into study areas. Dunrovin boosted its internet capacity so students could reliably continue online classes. A Dunrovin employee prepared food in the kitchen once a week and froze it. She wiped surfaces with disinfectant,
including the entire kitchen, and exited from a back door. As an outdoors person, Wappes, a member of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony, enjoyed opportunities for sports and being outside. “We got to go canoeing a few times on the St. Croix,” he said, “and I did a little fishing.” Other days, the seminarians played football or ultimate Frisbee, went on hikes or made a bonfire on a nearby sandbar. “We prayed out there and read Scriptures around the fire,” said senior Ryan Sustacek, a member of St. Michael in St. Michael. “Honestly, it’s kind of like a storybook, a dream come true.” Having a chapel on site was a big plus, too, Wappes said. “That’s the center of our life.” The men chose household tasks based on their skills and interests. Some devoted their time to the liturgy, others helped with music, outdoor activities, organizational tasks and communication, kitchen and cleaning duties. “Some performed outdoor tasks and built bonfires for us,” Father Kelly said. Seminary formation often asks the men to do things they’re not comfortable doing, so they learn to stretch and challenge themselves, Father Kelly said. “At Dunrovin, we allowed the guys to play to their strengths, and I think they really enjoyed that.” “It really brought out a lot of gifts that they might not have even known they have,” Sustacek said. Living in community provides a special freedom to rejoice, said senior Tim Lyngdal, a member of St. Paul in Ham Lake. “We had Holy Week together which was very profound, very spiritual,” he said. The men watched Mel Gibson’s 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ” together and then prayed the rosary. Lyngdal remembers praying with the crucifix they had taken off the wall and placed in front of the altar, as the lights were dimmed. “The setting was so profound, so beautiful and really just brought the rejoicing to a whole new level as a community throughout the Easter season together,” he said. Building bonds with other
LEFT From left, junior Zach Ochsenbauer, senior Joe Wappes and Father Jonathan Kelly talk on the grounds of Dunrovin Christian Brothers Retreat Center north of Stillwater May 8. ABOVE From left, SJV seniors Randy Skeate and Ryan Sustacek study outside the main building at Dunrovin. The experience of being quarantined together “really brought out a lot of gifts” in the men, Sustacek said. seminarians was a great outcome, Wappes said. “And we learned a lot about how to live better in community.” Sustacek also valued getting to know the priests. “You see how much they love being a priest, how much they love Jesus,” he said. “I really hope I can be a holy priest like them. Just seeing how much they love God, I am so inspired.” Because all the archdiocese’s senior seminarians were at Dunrovin, the group even held a Dunrovin version of “senior night” shortly before the cloister ended May 16. Archbishop Hebda, SJV rector Father Michael Becker, Father Paul Gitter and Father Blume attended, but maintained social distance. They enjoyed dinner and cake. The area was decorated and photos of the seniors were displayed. Following tradition, each senior stood up, was affirmed by one other seminarian and shared advice for the younger men, as well as things for which they’re grateful. “That was a huge gift … to close out our time, and do so in such an intimate way as an archdiocese and with our brothers,” Sustacek said. Father Kelly said Dunrovin was meant to provide a haven during a pandemic, but he had no idea of the blessings that would result — from the students’ growth and for the seniors, in particular, to move to the next stage in their formation with deepened friendships. One of the lessons learned, Father Blume said, is that even in a pandemic, the world doesn’t have to completely stand still. “You don’t have to shut down the seminary,” he said. “Our seminarians can still be learning. They can still be praying. They can still enter into the life of a seminarian together outside the seminary. It was a phenomenal experience.”
23 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JUNE 11, 2020
FOCUSONFAITH SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER KEVIN FINNEGAN
Loving the Eucharist in ‘Covidian’ times This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi. This beautiful feast reminds us and calls us to remember that Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist is the greatest of all gifts; for the Eucharist is the very body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. It is for the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith, that I have given and continue to give my life. Having experienced Jesus in the breaking of the bread, I desire, crave, to receive the Eucharist all the more as a disciple fostering ever deeper friendship with him. Last month marked the 50th anniversary of my first holy Communion at St. Rita of Cassia Church and School in Aurora, Illinois. I will never forget that day, when my Irish Catholic father and good German Lutheran mother, along with my big brother and little sister, walked out the front door and crossed Old Indian Trail into St. Rita’s. There I sat in the front row with a billion other kids anticipating the moment. The next day back at school one of my classmates ran up to me and said, “I saw you at church yesterday, Kevin, and you looked so joyful receiving your first holy Communion.” I replied, “Well, you know, I waited a whole extra year and I just couldn’t wait to receive Jesus!” Unlike all the other 139 students who received their first holy Communion that day, I was a third grader — yes, “a year late.” That occurred 2,604 Sundays ago. As I’ve shared with so many people, for the past 2,604 Sundays I have never missed Mass unless I
ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ
Why am I terrible at evangelization? Q
I think that I am terrible at evangelization. I keep trying and failing. The last time, I was trying to help my friend see that he shouldn’t drink to get drunk. He was offended. We are still friends, but I don’t think that I’m built for evangelization.
A Thank you for writing and for your question. I really appreciate the fact that you care. You care about people. You care about God. And you care that people are able to live in a way that reflects that they know God and his will for their lives. You do not lack courage or love. And these are very necessary characteristics for an evangelist. But in the case you described, there is a bit of an error. You thought that you were “evangelizing.” But what you were actually doing was “correcting.” This isn’t bad. One of the spiritual works of mercy is to “instruct the ignorant.” Again, I believe that your words were guided by a desire for your friend to know God’s will for his life and to live out the dignity your friend has been created for. That’s a good thing! But evangelization is something different. Evangelization is sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in such a way as to help a person (moved by grace) to place their faith in God. This can take any number of forms, from formal preaching to a conversation between friends. From sharing a reading from one of the four Gospels to sharing a tract on who Jesus is. There are innumerable ways that a person can evangelize. For this reason, there are very few real “rules” about how to share the good news of Jesus. Yet one of them is that Christ needs to be proclaimed in some way. Of course, the moral life is not divorced from this proclamation. And offering a correction is not an automatic “dead end.” There are definitely times when a person could begin sharing the faith with another person beginning from a moral perspective. For example, I know of someone whose journey to encounter Christ began when a friend told him that he couldn’t receive holy Communion at Mass unless he was a practicing Catholic. This correction was the catalyst for him to begin asking deeper questions about how he had been living. It led him to ask, “What does it mean to be a practicing Catholic?” And that led him to a place where a different friend was able to share what a life surrendered to and centered on Christ could
was sick. I mention this not to boast, for this Finnegan is also a “Sinagain!” Rather, it is shared as an emphasis on the ordinariness of our faith. Going to Sunday Mass and receiving the Eucharist is one of the normal or typical things I do. Like eating macaroni and cheese. Or watching the Chicago Cubs. Or cramming for a math test. Or saying “I’m sorry” to my little sister. Or sneaking a few cookies from the cookie jar. Or playing catch. Some things we simply just do. Boasting of “my record,” however, becomes a weird point to make this year. This year’s first holy communicants might not only be third-graders by the time they receive Communion for the first time — but very likely will not even be able to go to church for many weeks thereafter, of course for “Covidian” reasons. So how do we foster within our children a truly eucharistic spirituality? How do we help our children know that receiving the Eucharist from within the assembled community has been and always shall remain our normative pattern of life as disciples of Jesus Christ; a living tradition for 2,000 years, rooted in the lived experience of Jewish sisters and brothers for many millennia? One way forward is for us “older” children of God — for indeed we are — to express in our routine lives the love, the practical love, of Jesus. For Jesus realized and declared that the bread he would give is his flesh for the life of the world (Jn 6:51). And that’s what disciples do who consume the Eucharist; we give our flesh. And so whether I received my first holy Communion 2,604 Sundays ago or one Sunday ago or will next Sunday, the very act of receiving the fullness of Jesus calls, indeed, demands of me, through the Holy Spirit, to give my flesh, my life, for the life of the world — for the wellbeing of our children. The next time a third-grader asks, “What’s the source of your magnanimity?” Calmly respond, “I received Jesus in the Eucharist; how else can I live?” Father Finnegan is the pastor of Our Lady of Grace in Edina. look like. In addition, evangelization is not merely the proclamation of Christ. Pope St. Paul VI wrote a document called “Evangelium Nuntiandi” back in the 1960s in which he pointed out that, while there is always the proclamation of Jesus as Lord in evangelization, there is also the transforming encounter with the sacraments of the Church. Evangelization is not complete without reception into the Church through baptism, confirmation, and holy Communion. It continues with catechesis (further teaching) and must be lived out in faith, hope and love. Where does that leave you? Where does that leave us? It should help us realize that evangelization must be more than mere correction. It must involve the proclamation of Jesus as Lord. Even then, evangelization is incomplete if it does not lead one to reception of the sacraments and a life of discipleship. Hopefully, this understanding changes how we approach sharing the faith with the people in our lives. But how does a person begin evangelizing? I think that sharing the good news is often going to be very different than simple instruction. Of course, if someone comes to you and asks to be instructed, then that will obviously change things. But usually, evangelization will begin with relationships. And not just any kind of relationship, but a relationship of trust and mutual respect. More often than not, these are relationships where the other person has not given the would-be-evangelist permission to talk about God. These relationships can be between friends or co-workers, family members or classmates. Nonetheless, if permission hasn’t been given, it will be difficult to make any headway. This is because, too often, the conversation will seem to have an agenda. I am not interested in your thoughts, I only want to tell you what I think about life and God. And the other person can sense that. Because of this, evangelization can simply begin by talking about deeper things. It can begin by asking honest questions to which you actually want to know the honest answer. It is not “setting the other person up” with a question so that you can tell them what you think after they share. It is genuinely wanting to know who they are and what they think. If a person gets the sense that we are only speaking with them so that we can win an argument, that is not a recipe for trust. Yes, evangelization is sometimes us teaching, but only after we have listened. And people will only share what they think if they trust us. So, evangelization begins by being a good friend or brother or sister or co-worker. If they trust us. And they will only really trust us if we have demonstrated that we truly want to know what they think. Not just so we can correct them, but because we care about what they think. Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermikeschmitz@gmail.com.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday June 14 Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a 1 Cor 10:16-17 Jn 6:51-58 Monday June 15 1 Kgs 21:1-16 Mt 5:38-42 Tuesday June 16 1 Kgs 21:17-29 Mt 5:43-48 Wednesday June 17 2 Kgs 2:1, 6-14 Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Thursday June 18 Sir 48:1-14 Mt 6:7-15 Friday June 19 Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Dt 7:6-11 1 Jn 4:7-16 Mt 11:25-30 Saturday June 20 Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2 Chr 24:17-25 Lk 2:41-51 Sunday June 21 Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jer 20:10-13 Rom 5:12-15 Mt 10:26-33 Monday June 22 2 Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18 Mt 7:1-5 Tuesday June 23 2 Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36 Mt 7:6, 12-14 Wednesday June 24 Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist Is 49:1-6 Acts 13:22-26 Lk 1:57-66, 80 Thursday June 25 2 Kgs 24:8-17 Mt 7:21-29 Friday June 26 2 Kgs 25:1-12 Mt 8:1-4 Saturday June 27 Lam 2:2, 10-14, 18-19 Mt 8:5-17 Sunday June 28 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a Rom 6:3-4, 8-11 Mt 10:37-42
24 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JUNE 11, 2020
COMMENTARY THE LOCAL CHURCH | FATHER DANIEL GRIFFITH
Catholic teaching and the death of George Floyd
The most apt description I can think of to describe what many people experienced upon first seeing the killing of George Floyd was that it shocked our conscience. Indeed, the death of Mr. Floyd, whose life was celebrated and memorialized last week, has shocked the conscience of a nation. Americans have been collectively and rightly convulsed by the brutal reality that our great national sin of racial injustice continues to take black lives with impunity. I regularly teach a course called Catholic Thought, Law and Policy at the St. Thomas Law School. The course examines several American issues of law and policy through the lens of Catholic social teaching. While I change out some issues in my syllabus from year to year based on their topical relevance, racial justice is always in my syllabus because, sadly, it remains perennially relevant. As the late Ella Baker, an African American civil and human rights activist, “until the killing of black men, black mother’s sons, is considered as important to the rest of the country as the killing of a white mother’s son, we, who believe in freedom, cannot rest.” My hope is that we have finally arrived at that
critical moment as a nation — a moment of true transformation and healing. The bishops of the United States also see racism as an ongoing concern, relevant to the common good, as addressed in a 2018 pastoral letter, “Open Wide Our Hearts.” The bishops teach that racism is a sin — an intrinsic evil that can never be justified. Racism offends the dignity of the human person, thwarts justice and obscures the very presence of God within each human life. Because racism and racial injustice inhibit human flourishing and the authentic human development, it is particularly corrosive to the common good. I have long seen the connection between abortion and racial injustice, as both intrinsically and systemically deny freedom and life’s dignity to God’s precious creation. I remain hopeful in the providence of God and find hope, too, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that the long arc of history bends toward justice. My own transformation regarding the presence of racial injustice began a quarter century ago at William Mitchell Law School. Up until that point, I had lived a fairly insular life — growing up a white Catholic kid in northeastern Wisconsin. At Mitchell, I was fortunate to be among a lively group of law students who became friends, including a number of African Americans. My eyes were opened in some profound ways to their experience of life in America, in many ways starkly different than my own. I will never forget the contrasting reactions to the O.J. Simpson verdict as law students were eating lunch in the commons. Clearly from their reaction, my African American friends saw some vindication in the verdict. It was noteworthy. My sense of the reality and presence of racial injustice has deepened over the years as I have taught African American law students who
have relayed similar stories of harm, based solely on the color of their skin. Having delved into restorative justice over the past several years, I see a clear role that restorative practices can play in addressing and in helping heal the harm of racism. When we open ourselves to the stories of others, including stories of harm and injustice, we do the work of Christ who calls his disciples to listen, learn, accompany and help heal our wounded world. Restorative practices, as we have seen in our own archdiocese, rightly places the victim-survivor at the center of our concern and compassion, and can lead to greater accountability and justice. What can Catholics do in response to the persistent harm of racial injustice? First, I am reminded of the wise words of St. Paul VI, who said, if you want peace, work for justice. Peace is the fruit of justice. As Pope Francis noted from St. Peter’s Square this week, violence is never the answer and begets more violence. It is also true that a lack of justice will result in a lack of social harmony and unrest. Catholics who love peace should diligently work for greater racial justice. Catholic moral teaching provides helpful guidance by calling us to see, judge and act when it comes to issues of justice. To that end, I encourage Catholics: to be well informed on the critical issue of racial justice; to pray to God for wisdom and courage; to compassionately accompany those who experience injustice and to stand up and speak out — so that in our lifetime we would witness authentic justice for all God’s children, and true peace. Father Griffith, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, serves as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis, Wenger Family Fellow of Law at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and Archdiocesan Liaison for Restorative Justice and Healing.
FAITH AT HOME | LAURA KELLY FANUCCI
How faith grows in quarantine
Families have never been closer. Families have never been farther apart. Like many of you, I’ve been sheltering in place with my spouse and kids for three months. We’ve eaten every meal together, spent every day together, argued and laughed and fumed and forgiven together. But we can’t visit with friends and relatives like we used to do. We don’t get to catch up with co-workers over lunch or hang out with classmates after school. We’re stuck with the seven of us — which, I remind myself every day, could be a dream for those who are lonely. Many families are separated under difficult or devastating circumstances: health care workers who have to self-quarantine from their spouse or children to keep them safe, older adults in nursing homes isolated without visitors and relatives with chronic conditions that make them too vulnerable for a social distancing backyard visit. What place does faith have in family life right now? I’ll be the first to admit we’re struggling. Online Mass is no substitute for the real thing — and our younger kids have as much trouble sitting still on the couch as in the pew. Faith formation classes were canceled. Vacation Bible School camps are over before they started. I wish I had quick and easy answers for you. Ten ways to pray with your family during quarantine or six Scripture passages to inspire your Sundays at home together. But all I have is solidarity in the struggle. Now, it won’t last forever. I know this much is true. Someday our kids will be back in church, serving at the altar, running to hug their Sunday school teachers
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God is here, too. Unlimited by time and space and social distancing. If anything, I’ve learned that grace pours out in strange and stronger ways during times of grief and loss. iSTOCK PHOTO | COFFEEKAI
and squirming in the pews. But what I wouldn’t give to wrangle a toddler in the gathering space or race to faith formation classes during rush hour or argue with kids about why we have to go to church. Everyday hard never looked better than in the rearview mirror. Yet “God is here, too. Unlimited by time and space and social distancing. If anything, I’ve learned that grace pours out in strange and stronger ways during times of grief and loss. While there’s no substitute for the sacraments and nothing can replace the support of in-person community, our faith lives do not have to dwindle during quarantine. The work of faith formation is the work of the Holy Spirit. It does not depend on our programs, activities, curricula or camps. To dive deep into discipleship and learn what the Lord is asking from our lives, we must trust that God is already at work. If we are the ones called to lead — as parents, grandparents, volunteers, catechists or parish staff — this does not mean we are the ones to do it all. Often
it means quite the opposite: We let go of our plans and let the Spirit surprise us. Families are struggling and suffering right now. We’re stuck together, and we’re flung apart. Neither is natural, and we’re aching for the end. But in this hard moment, the tension between what was and what will be, God is here, too. Filling our hearts with grace and our lives with hope. Before Jesus died, he left us with a promise: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always” (Jn 14:16). The Spirit will remain with us (Jn 14:17), teach us (Jn 14:26) and guide us to truth (Jn 16:13). No matter what happens — where we go, what we lose or whom we miss — the Holy Spirit abides with us. Together or apart, we are one in the Spirit as the family of God. Fanucci is a writer, speaker and author of several books including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting.” She is a parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove. Her work can be found at laurakellyfanucci.com.
JUNE 11, 2020
COMMENTARY
TWENTY SOMETHING | CHRISTINA CAPECCHI
Beating COVID, inspiring legions The nurses kept using the same word. The doctors used it too. Rock star. Anne Giardino, the 99-year-old on the 15th floor, was a rock star among the many COVID-19 patients at Stony Brook Hospital in New York, they said. She didn’t need a ventilator. She didn’t need a pep talk. Her lungs were as clear as her mind. She was their oldest patient and she was their toughest. “I’m not a crybaby,” she said. Giardino was admitted April 6, and a week later, once her oxygen level returned to normal, she was moved to a nearby rehab center. The great surprise came when it was time for her discharge. A nurse wheeled her to the doors, where Giardino stood up and walked out. She held a rainbowcolored sign that said “I’m 99 and I crushed COVID-19!” and waved it high, eliciting thunderous applause. A large group of medical professionals had gathered, holding balloons and rainbow signs — “a parade of life,” Giardino’s daughter Camille Stordeur said. A local reporter covered the story, and soon People magazine published an article. The next day cellphone footage of Giardino’s grand exit aired on The Today Show. “That’s remarkable,” Hoda Kotb said. “That is remarkable.” The news anchor sensed what Giardino’s family knows well: She is not your average great-grandma. The 4-foot-9 first-generation Italian is fueled by
ALREADY/NOT YET | JONATHAN LIEDL
Testimony matters; addressing racism How do we know that Christianity is true? St. John Paul II says we can only do so by trusting the testimony of another. None of us have encountered Christ walking the streets of Nazareth. Rather, we rely upon the witnesses of those who, through the Church and through the ages, pass on that point of original contact. “Although you have not seen him you love him,” says St. Peter. This love, this belief, is credible only because it is reasonable to rely on the testimony of others. Perhaps it can seem scary that the verification of Christianity’s truth, unlike the truth of something like a mathematical principle, requires me to trust someone else. But rather than a fault of belief, St. John Paul teaches in “Fides et Ratio” that this is a feature of belief. “Belief is often humanly richer than mere evidence, because it involves an interpersonal relationship.” If human beings are relational by nature, if the deepest truth about who we are is our dependence upon God and upon one another, then this reliance upon the testimony of others — not in an unreasonable or gullible way, but always in an atmosphere of personal trust — is actually a more human way of knowing than something like learning facts in an encyclopedia. It also speaks to the reality that, because of personal experiences I have or have not had, I might not have a full grasp of the truth. I might need others, because of the unique experiences and encounters they’ve had, to help fill in the gaps. It is not a matter of “your truth” and “my truth”; it is a matter of “The Truth,” and the humble acknowledgement that, left to my own devices,
COURTESY CAMILLE STORDEUR
sambuca and her Catholic faith. She doesn’t drink water, doesn’t take naps, doesn’t take any medication other than a sleeping pill to help her shut down at the end of a day. “I really can’t sit down and do nothing,” Giardino told me. “I feel like I’m wasting my time and other people’s time. I like to be active.” So, she begins her day with prayer, stimulates her I will have only a partial apprehension of the truth in many circumstances, not only regarding truths of the faith. After the death of George Floyd, I’ve grown in my conviction that the experience of living as a black person in America is one of these “circumstances.” I, as a non-black person, cannot know on my own what it is like to be and to be perceived as black — in interactions with law enforcement, in the workplace, or in places of commerce. If I only look at the legal system as it is today, noting that there are no laws that, at least explicitly, discriminate against black people, or rely only on my own limited firsthand knowledge of the effects of racism, I won’t be able to see the whole picture. My appreciation for what it’s like to live as a black person, and the challenges of racism today, will be severely limited if I never listen to the lived experience of black people. This can be a challenge for me, and for other, non-black, Minnesota Catholics. Our state is fairly segregated and racially homogenous. I don’t have any black friends in my immediate circle here in the Twin Cities. This, in and of itself, is obviously not inherently wrong, but it makes it harder for me fill in my blind spots, blind spots I need to address if I am going to be a faithful citizen and accurately assess the demands of justice in my community. On top of this, the leadership of some of the most prominent groups currently calling our attention to racism promote ideological causes unrelated to race that I believe are contrary to the common good and true respect for life and human dignity. This poses a challenge for me in cultivating the personal trust that St. John Paul says is needed. But clearly none of this can be used to excuse nonblack Catholics from seeking points of connection that can be the grounds for interpersonal trust with members of the black community. I recommend starting with our brothers and sisters in faith. Even beyond our shared humanity, the greatest point of connection any of us can have with someone else is our shared baptism and belief in Jesus Christ, for in him
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 25 mind at every opportunity and serves the other residents at her assisted living center. When Giardino moved in two years ago, she learned how to crochet and promptly made blankets for everyone there. When she gets her hand on a newspaper, she reads it from front to back. She’s currently making her way through the Bible. Giardino loves being a lector at Mass. Her family presumes she contracted the coronavirus during the Palm Sunday service where she read all parts of the lengthy Gospel. Giardino raised four children, making sure to provide a Catholic education, and worked in administration at the Long Island police department headquarters. She’s known for her homemade manicotti — “light as a feather,” Camille said — and her signature scent, Estee Lauder White Linen. Life expanded as Giardino aged. She took up theater in her 50s and found a home on the stage. “Whatever was in me was coming out,” she said. She performed in more than a dozen communitytheater productions, including a memorable role as Yenta, the matchmaker in “Fiddler on the Roof” — a function she fulfilled in real life for her son after he left the seminary by introducing him to his wife. Giardino earned a college degree at 60. At 92, she traveled to South Africa, where she danced in heels and rode an elephant. Her faithfulness and her feistiness are two strands of the same cord. She’s a straight shooter and a novena prayer. Giardino believes in herself and in her God. “I know that God takes care of everything,” she said. Her sudden renown has elicited a flurry of phone calls from friends and handwritten letters from strangers. They thank her for giving them hope, for enabling them to imagine longer and more fulfilling lives. “That makes me feel good,” she said. “I feel I’m accomplishing something.” But she’s still flabbergasted by the attention. “What did I do in life to deserve all this excitement?” Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.
“there is neither Jew nor Greek” (Gal 3:28). Listening to my black Catholic brothers and sisters sharing their personal experiences of race-based discrimination (for instance, “A black seminarian shares an experience with racism, and we should listen,” by David Mills, Our Sunday Visitor, May 29, or Ryan Hamilton’s recent testimonial on page 6) has given me insight into the reality of racism in America that I otherwise would not have had. In particular, I have been greatly impacted by the witness of Gloria Purvis, the chairperson of Black Catholics United for Life and host of EWTN’s Morning Glory radio program. I got to know Gloria when she hosted the Minnesota Catholic Conference’s Catholics at the Capitol event in 2016 and 2018, and have followed her work ever since. She is a woman of profound faith, ardent pro-life zeal — and is gentle, but unapologetic in her commitment to drawing the attention of her fellow Catholics to the existence and evil of racism. As she’s said on Twitter, “When I talk about racism, it isn’t because I’m ‘woke.’ It’s because racism is a sin and people go to hell for it.” Here’s the question: If non-black Catholics are happy to listen to Gloria — our sister in Christ and a triedand-true witness of the Gospel — when it comes to matters of pro-life advocacy or living spiritually rich lives as lay people, but we hesitate to hear her out when she shares her own experiences of racism and the experience of other black people in America, what does this say? Are we prioritizing the hard search for truth — or our own comfort and preconceptions? Depending upon others to help us have a fuller appreciation of reality is not a weakness. It is a feature of being part of the Body of Christ. And so is taking up the causes and concerns of our brothers and sisters. “If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it” (1 Cor 12:26). Our black brothers and sisters are suffering, and they are asking us to hear their experiences of pain. Will we listen? Liedl is a seminarian in formation for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
COMMENTARY
26 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
SIMPLE HOLINESS | KATE SOUCHERAY
Prayer changes us
We’ve heard the saying “prayer changes things.” What if we were to add, “prayer changes us?” When we offer prayers to God, to the saints, or to the Virgin Mary, we often assume these prayers will be answered in the fashion and timeliness to meet our expectations. However, when we are approaching the divine, the vantage point is much different than ours. The heavenly hosts have a view of the past, present and future, and when we accept that our view is limited, this can cause anxious feelings to flare up. The question we must all ask ourselves is: Do we trust God? We may say we trust God, but do we really? We may think we give him “carte blanche,” or the complete freedom to act as he wishes in our lives, but instead we hold back and say, “I will trust you can answer my prayer in any way you want, as long as it’s this or this”! How much faith does that demonstrate? Faithful, concerted prayer requires a relationship, and in order to participate in this relationship, we must establish a solid connection with God, in which we approach him with humility and respect. His greatest desire is to have a full relationship with us, one in which we are truly present and fully invested in his plan for our lives. The way we approach the prospect of God’s answer to our prayers in the way God wishes to answer them is often an indication of the depth of our faith. We may not feel terribly confident in God’s ability to
move things on our behalf, and yet he tells us he wants us to ask him to meet our needs. Matthew 7:7 states, “Ask and you shall receive, knock and the door shall be opened to you.” Luke 18:1 encourages us to “pray always and do not lose heart.” First Thessalonians 5:17 inspires us to “pray without ceasing.” And Mark 11:22-25 explains, “Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.” We may focus on what happens when our prayers are not answered in the way we have expected, and instead have been met with death, job loss, interrupted graduations and weddings, and funerals or memorial services that were not as they should have been. At these points, we may realize our faith is not as deep as we thought it was. We may wonder what God is doing and why he does not seem to be listening to our prayers for healing and restoration. How do we trust these passages from Scripture that have encouraged us to pray, only to find our prayers seemingly discarded and thrown away? Prayer is established on the precept of a relationship. It is an offering we make to God after we have given him homage and praise, after we have made a confession of our sins and shown remorse, and after we have thanked him for his goodness and faithfulness. It is then that we make our request of him, thanking him for hearing us and our petition. We extend to him our best effort to be obedient, doing all we can to enter into right relationship with him and our fellow human beings. There are many requirements to faithful prayer. It is not simply approaching the throne of God, tossing our request his way, and then scurrying back to our
JUNE 11, 2020
ACTION CHALLENGE
iSTOCK PHOTO | SERGIO YONEDA
Begin today to develop a deeper relationship with God. Read and study Scripture, which is God’s word to us. Be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life. Ask him to show you his presence, and then ask for the grace to help you be open to God’s divine touch in your life. overly-busy, distracted, disobedient lives. We must stand humbly before the throne of God, bowing meekly at his feet, thanking him for his protection and mercy of ourselves and our loved ones, and then offering him our request. Prayer requires a relationship. We must ask ourselves if we are willing to invest the time to establish such a connection with our God, which will then take us further into the depths of our faith. This is referred to as spiritual maturity, which is the expectation of every adult Christian. Where are you on your spiritual walk with God? Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a member of Guardian Angels in Oakdale. She holds a master’s degree in theology from The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul and a doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
LETTERS Peace, then justice I am angry, sad and mourning over the tragic death of George Floyd. But the kids in the streets breaking windows, setting fires and throwing rocks at police officers are traversing down a dead end road. As a disciple of Dorothy Day and Martin Luther King, I believe that an intense, open, transparent nonviolent campaign could help create the changes sought by Floyd’s family and city leaders. Until then, the kids rioting in the streets will get no validation or support from me. Gene Roman Bronx, New York
Mass return dangerous While we are pleased the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has adopted strict health-protection guidelines for the conduct of Masses, we are still troubled by the fact that reopening church services to groups of more than 10 will inevitably increase the health risk for many. Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, and other experts in virology, have repeatedly cautioned us about the insidiousness of the coronavirus. People who are unaware they are carriers of the virus can unknowingly transmit this dangerous infection to others, some of whom are senior citizens and/or suffer from coronary disease, diabetes, or other chronic health conditions. Like so many Catholics, we look forward to again receiving the holy Eucharist at Mass after a vaccine against COVID-19 has been developed. Until that time, we believe we are all being asked to make sacrifices in order to protect the lives of
our sisters and brothers. Among those sacrifices is our regular reception of the Body of Christ at Mass. As never before, we are now being challenged to follow Christ’s compelling model of sacrifice, His exemplary sign of love, when he lay down his life for humankind. Jim and Barbara Mulrooney Assumption, St. Paul
COVID spread concerns As lifelong Catholics (we are 79), we were disheartened by Archbishop Hebda’s announcement that he would allow Catholic churches in this diocese to begin holding Masses if they were ready but before Gov. Tim Walz was prepared to have them reopen. We have been proud of the diligent efforts that Gov. Walz has put into protecting the people of Minnesota for the past several months during this time of pandemic. He has consistently consulted with medical officials and the scientific community before making decisions, and he has thus been able to ensure that the hospitals and health care personnel have not been overwhelmed. Eventually, the archbishop talked with Gov. Walz, and the two came to a compromise. Still, the original defiance of the rational rules of the governor gave the appearance that the Catholic Church considered itself more knowledgeable about the dangers of COVID-19 than the scientists and medical consultants who were advising the governor. In addition, the decision to reopen churches certainly puts many Catholics in a dire situation. Some, of course, will act according to their consciences and stay home. Others, however, will feel obligated to attend
services even if they fear this will endanger them. We do not want the churches to replicate the situations that have occurred in meatpacking plants and nursing homes, where many have contracted the coronavirus. Ronald and Patricia Eldred St. Joan of Arc, Minneapolis
All God’s children It was interesting reading the letters to the editor (April 23 and May 7). I felt, oddly, that both of them were in response to mine (printed April 9 Re: “Seminar: Gender ideology spreads false idea of person” and “Guidelines for Catholic education affirm students’ sexual identity as biological sex,” Feb 27). But I really want to respond to Mr. Mayer (May 7). He has deduced that the pain I expressed in the last issue surely meant I am the loving mother of a “transgender” child. (I’m not sure what his italics meant.) Yes, it pains me to think of the misery we put transgenders through. And though my son is a fantastic jazz musician, he is not transgender. He has, however, on this Mother’s Day, given me a deeper sense of what it means to be a mother, as we mothers must be to all children. I did not pick his combination of genes. God chose which egg to fertilize with one out of a million sperm that day. So he has my dark hair, he’s way taller than his dad, and has beautiful green eyes neither one of us have. And he’s passionate about justice, he has friends of many races, many faiths, different genders, different sexualities. And he sees them all as God’s children. It’s as simple as that. And he taught me how to love them too. And that’s the responsibility of all of us. As Christians,
as Catholics, as human beings. To love one another. Now, more than ever. Elizabeth Rosenwinkel St. Albert the Great, Minneapolis
Nursing home model broken The current COVID-19 crisis has not so much caused as uncovered the real threat to our elderly populations. The nursing home model of care puts our elders at risk. While convenient for caregivers and relatives, the nursing home model of scare cannot safeguard the health and well-being of residents precisely because of what it is: a large group of physically and mentally vulnerable adults pooled into one building and cared for by a limited staff on pay. If you have an older relative in a nursing home please consider inviting them to live with you in the safety of your home during this crisis and beyond. Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said: “Love begins by taking care of the closest ones — the ones at home. Let us ask ourselves if we are aware that maybe our husband, our wife, our children, or our parents live isolated from others, do not feel loved enough, even though they may live with us. Do we realize this? Where are the old people today? They are in nursing homes (if there are any). Why? Because they are not wanted, because they are too much trouble, because ….” Chiara Dowell St. Peter, Forest Lake Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@archspm.org. Please limit your letter to the editor to 150 words and include your parish and phone number. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit.
JUNE 11, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 27
CALENDAR Vatican II: What Pope John XXIII Wanted to Accomplish in Calling for a Council — June 23: 7-8:30 p.m. Join St. Thomas More in St Paul via Zoom for this virtual discussion about Vatican Council II led by Sister Catherine Michaud. Gain an understanding of the origins of this important Vatican Council. Registration is required. morecommunity.org/vaticanII Getting Started with St. Augustine — June 17: Noon-1 p.m. Join this free live Zoom event as Augustine scholar and University of St. Thomas Catholic Studies Graduate Program Director Erika Kidd explores St. Augustine’s three kinds of confessions, and how his reflections shed light on who God is, and how he can speak to and transform hearts. stthomas.edu Conversation with Margaret O’Brien Steinfels June 19: 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Join columnist and commentator Margaret Steinfels for an online conversation about Reflections on Catholic Identity in a COVID-19 World. Presented by St. Catherine University. stkate.edu
The Catholic Spirit is accepting calendar listings for virtual events. Submit your event at TheCatholicSpirit.com/ calendarsubmissions.
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in REMEMBRANCE
Father Kittock remembered for love of Church
By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Father Francis Kittock, described by a longtime colleague and friend as “a real dynamo,” died May 21. He was 90. Father Kittock served as pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony from 1973 to 2000, one of the longest-tenured pastors in recent history in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. A year before he arrived, Gary Wilmer became principal at St. Charles School, serving there until 2008, when he left to work for the archdiocese in the Catholic Schools Office. Wilmer, 77, retired in 2016, but still serves as a consultant. He called Father Kittock an excellent mentor whom he would call for advice long after he retired as pastor. What stood out most about Father Kittock to Wilmer was the priest’s “love of the Church,” he said. “He just radiated that to me. He just loved the Church and loved the people. I wish more people could have seen that side of him. He loved being FATHER FRANCIS a priest. I think he was a 24-hour priest. KITTOCK He loved his vocation. And to me, it just radiated. I think that’s what captured so many of us that worked with him and for him at St. Charles. He’s a big reason we had such a stable faculty there.” He’s also why the school has been financially sound for more than three decades. In 1988, he started an endowment to address the long-term needs of the school. Wilmer called such a move “unheard of” at that time. Father Kittock’s goal was $1 million, which was reached in 1992. Two years later, it grew to $2 million. Now, Wilmer said, the endowment is close to $4 million. Father Kittock was known as both a good pastor and a good businessman. He paid close attention to the details of any project, such as the $2.8 million building addition in 2000, and he worked hard to raise the necessary funds and stay out of debt. Two central parts of the building project were an atrium and eucharistic adoration chapel. At the time, he called the Eucharist “the focus of this parish.” Father Kittock grew up in Delano on his family’s farm. He attended Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary in St. Paul in the 1940s and was ordained in 1955. Before coming to St. Charles, he served at St. Kevin and St. Hedwig, both in Minneapolis. He also taught at Nazareth Hall from 1959 to 1970. After retirement, he served as dean for retired priests and in the Priestly Life and Ministry Office. Craig Vana came to St. Charles School in 1969 as a teacher, and forged a friendship with Father Kittock that lasted all the way to the priest’s final days at the Little Sisters of the Poor’s Holy Family Residence in St. Paul, a place he had wanted to live when his health began to decline in recent years.
He loved his vocation. And to me, it just radiated. I think that’s what captured so many of us that worked with him and for him at St. Charles. Gary Wilmer
ISTOCK PHOTO | KARANDAEV
“I learned to be a really good administrator and leader through him,” said Vana, who left St. Charles in 1985 and went on to be a school administrator in both public and private schools. “He had certain qualities and leadership skills that, unfortunately, every priest doesn’t have. And, it’s why we were so successful at St. Charles with him there.” Among more than 20 associate priests to serve under Father Kittock at St. Charles are two who later became bishops — Bishop Frederick Campbell, who served as bishop of Columbus, Ohio, from 2005 until his retirement in 2019, and Bishop John LeVoir, bishop of New Ulm since 2008. Wilmer said both bishops have acknowledged Father Kittock’s role in their priestly formation. Even in his retirement, Father Kittock continued to mentor young priests and pastors. He had several passions, including teaching people the faith, which he was “tireless” in doing, Wilmer said. He also loved sports, and supported St. Charles teams “100 percent,” Vana said. That passion manifested itself on local golf courses during his free time. “One of the things that he loved to do was go golfing,” Vana said. “A number of us went with him numerous times, and it was just great to watch him golf. He loved it. And, that was his release, for the most part, to get on the golf course a little bit and get out there with some of the folks that he worked with to see how we’re doing. He was very good. I couldn’t beat him, that’s for sure. None of us guys could.” Vana also noted that Father Kittock was a gifted confessor. “He was my confessor,” Vana said. “He was a great person to help people with their sins and with their weaknesses, but also to help you understand that God’s forgiveness is infinite, and there’s nothing that he can’t forgive and won’t forgive.” A vigil service for Father Kittock was held June 2 and the funeral Mass was June 3 at St. Charles Borromeo. Interment was at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights.
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28 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
JUNE 11, 2020
THELASTWORD
‘Mama … I’m through!”
T
“Mama … I’m through!” by Valerie Delgado, whose designs are available at paxbeloved.com.
he Virgin Mary, mother of all, holding George Floyd. In the days following Floyd’s death May 25 in Minneapolis, the image repeatedly came to Leah Darrow in prayer. It woke her up at night. Darrow, a Catholic speaker and founder of the Lux app for Catholic women, was horrified after watching the video of Floyd’s death, as he begged for breath while a police officer knelt on his neck. “You’re watching evil right there in front of you,” she said. She took her emotions and desire for justice and mercy around Floyd’s death to prayer, she said, especially her daily rosary. And that’s when the image came to mind. As it
continued to bother her, she became convinced it was something she was meant to share. A friend connected her with Valerie Delgado, an artist in Houston, coincidentally Floyd’s hometown, who made the image into art. Delgado titled it “Mama … I’m through!” some of Floyd’s final words. As he lay pinned on the ground by officers, Floyd repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.” He also cried, twice, “Mama.” “I’m a mother, so that just rocked me to hear that,” said Darrow, who has five children and lives in St. Louis. “When I prayed the rosary, I would hear him call for his mother, but I would see the Blessed Mother, just holding him.”
COURTESY VALERIE DELGADO
Although Floyd’s personal meaning for “mama” can’t be known, the fact is that he had two mothers, his earthly mother and Mary, Darrow said, whom Christ gave to all, through the Apostle John, on his way to Calvary. “Maybe this can be a path of reconciliation and peace,” she said. “Mary is the mother of us all, God the Father is our father who has made every one of us in his image and likeness, and we are one family, and we are called to fight for justice, to fight for peace, to fight for unity together. … The beatitudes are the ethics to all of this, and the answer is Jesus Christ himself.”
— Maria Wiering