Faith and business 7 • Young women leaders 8 • St. Paul pastor to turn 90 16 June 23, 2016 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Forward thinking A woman visits a memorial in downtown Orlando, Fla., June 14, that honors the victims of the mass shooting at a gay nightclub. CNS
We must recognize dignity of all, Orlando bishop says at prayer vigil By Christine Young and Teresa Peterson Catholic News Service
As St. Catherine University transitions to a new president, the institution’s leaders consider the momentum built in the past two decades and the direction it’s taking now. — Page 6
In Orlando and major cities around the nation and the world, people gathered June 13 to pay tribute to those killed and injured in the shooting rampage in Orlando the previous day. About 700 people also gathered to pray for those attacked and for peace in the world at St. James Cathedral, less than two miles up the street from where the shootings took place at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. The interfaith prayer service was led by Orlando Bishop John Noonan, who was joined on the altar by Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, 10 priests of the Orlando Diocese and other religious leaders. “Our presence here tonight is a symbol of hope. We come to pray,” said Bishop Noonan. “We come not as different religions but one in the Lord,” said Bishop Noonan, who noted that he was familiar with violence in his home country of Ireland and stressed that people will only find peace when they recognize the dignity of all people as children of God. The half-hour service — with readings about love and peace and songs echoing that message — was somber. The prayers were focused on peace, how God alone is the lasting source of peace and rest. Someone read a reflection on peace by Blessed Oscar Romero, the Salvadoran archbishop martyred while saying Mass.
Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
Please turn to IMAN on page 9
ALSO inside
Dayton Building sells
Visit the imprisoned
Celebrating rural life
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is selling its final Cathedral Hill property to the Cathedral Heritage Foundation.
Parishioners of the Church of St. Paul in Ham Lake aim to help ex-offender and convert transition to life after incarceration.
Parishioners of St. Michael in Kenyon say annual Archdiocesan Rural Life Sunday highlights community, farming and rural living.
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2 • The Catholic Spirit
PAGE TWO
in PICTURES
June 23, 2016 OVERHEARD “This is why we want to stand with them — to encounter them, welcome them, listen to them — in order to become together with them artisans of peace, according to God’s will.” Pope Francis, speaking of refugees June 19 on the eve of World Refugee Day, sponsored by the United Nations to bring awareness and solidarity to the crisis of refugees worldwide. The day’s theme — and social media hashtag — was “We stand #WithRefugees.”
NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit
Fortnight for Freedom underway LIFT HIGH THE CROSS Before installation at the top of St. Helena church in Minneapolis, Father Richard Villano, pastor of St. Helena, blesses a new cross made of Indiana limestone June 21. The old cross was destroyed by a lightning strike that knocked it from the roof on Sept. 2, 2015. The new cross, made by Rivard Stone in Houlton, Wisconsin, and installed by Advanced Masonry Restoration in St. Paul, cost $15,000 and was designed to match the previous cross. “This is a great moment for the Church and this parish,” Father Villano said of the blessing and installation, which took place later that day. “The sign of the cross is in the heart of our patron saint, St. Helena. . . . It’s always been a source of great blessing to our church and the people.” Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
The Fortnight for Freedom began June 21 and continues through July 4. This annual initiative organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops promotes education, prayer and advocacy around issues of religious freedom. For Fortnight resources and information about the Strength of the Saints Relic Tour, which is bringing the relics of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More to the Cathedral of St. Paul June 26, visit www.mncatholic.org.
Peter’s Pence collection June 25-26 U.S. parishes will be collecting donations for Peter’s Pence at Masses June 25-26. The collection supports the Holy See’s response to suffering caused by war, natural disasters and religious persecution.
Rose Ensemble to perform at seminary June 29 A free performance by the Rose Ensemble will open a three-day conference on the environment, highlighting the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis. The Twin Cities-based internationally renown music ensemble will perform “Il Poverello: Medieval and Renaissance Music for St. Francis of Assisi” and “Let Us Sing as We Go” 7:30 p.m. June 29 in St. Mary’s Chapel at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Tickets must be reserved by June 27. The Rose Ensemble’s program is a collaboration with the seminary’s Center for Theological Formation, which is hosting the conference. For more information, visit www.saintpaulseminary.org or email ctvsps@stthomas.edu.
Nominations open for Champions for Life Awards SPECIAL APPEARANCE “Papal bodyguards” walk alongside a popemobile float constructed by parishioners of St. Albert in Albertville to honor Pope Francis and the Year of Mercy at the Friendly City Days parade June 12. Father Peter Richards, St. Albert’s parochial administrator, and several parishioners also distributed freeze-pops attached to a welcome brochure and “pope-on-a-stick” fans with parish information. Courtesy St. Albert
WHAT’S NEW on social media Father Michael Van Sloun, pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata, launches a six-part series on St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, based on the second readings on Sundays through July 3. “Those who are most unlovable, need love the most,” says 89-year-old Father John Clay, pastor of St. Stanislaus in St. Paul, who tweets at @FatherClay. Read about his commitment to ministry on pages 16-17. Catholic News Service profiles in word and video a sculptor-turned-seminarian from Saskatchewan, Canada, who says his craft prepared him for ministry.
The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 21 — No. 13 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor
Nominations are open through Aug. 1 for the 2016 St. John Paul II Champions for Life Awards, which recognize local Catholics who respect life at all stages in a variety of ways. The awards are sponsored by the archdiocese’s Office for Marriage, Family and Life. Honorees will be recognized at an October luncheon. For more information, visit www.archspm.org, call 651-291-4489 or email mfl@archspm.org.
in REMEMBRANCE A longtime pastor of rural parishes, Father Robert Dobihal died June 16 at the age of 90. Ordained a priest in 1950 and retired in 1991, he also celebrated Sunday Mass at St. Jerome in Maplewood following retirement. His funeral Mass was to be offered June 22 at St. Jerome by Bishop Andrew Cozzens. “He did something a little different — he explained the Gospel before he read it. I think he did that at the beginning of the Mass,” said Louise Nieters, a longtime parishioner and volunteer receptionist at St. Jerome in Father Maplewood. “I never heard of anybody that did it DOBIHAL before or since. I thought it really made you think.” Father Dobihal served at Most Holy Redeemer in Montgomery, 1950-1957 and 1968-1977; Most Holy Trinity in Veseli, 1957-1965; Immaculate Conception in Lonsdale, 1965-1968; and St. Boniface in Bonifacius from 1977 until his retirement. 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 bi-weekly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 • (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, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
FROM THE ARCHBISHOP
June 23, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 3
Living one’s vocation is an ongoing encounter with God
I
t shouldn’t be surprising that vocations are on my mind. In addition to the countless young men and women who have entered into Christian marriage on recent weekends, the last two months have seen the ordination of new transitional deacons and priests for the archdiocese, some ordinations for our religious communities of men, and the final profession of two young women as Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus in the Diocese of New Ulm. I’m always inspired when I witness young people with such trust in God’s love, giving themselves without reserve to the vocation that God in his great love has chosen for them. In each of those instances, that gift of self is, no surprise, a gift for life. Like Christ’s gift of his own life to the Church, it is a gift that is intended to be irrevocable and permanent. Modern sociologists and observers of our culture note how difficult it is today for people to make lasting commitments. That is what FROM THE makes it all the more striking ARCHBISHOP when a young couple stands before the Church and joyfully promises to love each other, Archbishop honor each other and to be true Bernard Hebda to each other “in good times and in bad, in sickness and in
Vivir la propia vocación es un encuentro continuo con Dios
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o debería ser sorprendente que las vocaciones sigan en mi mente. Además de los innumerables hombres y mujeres jóvenes se han unido en el matrimonio Cristiano los recientes fines de semana, en los últimos dos meses se ha visto la ordenación de nuevos diáconos transitorios y sacerdotes para la arquidiócesis, algunas ordenaciones para nuestras comunidades religiosas de hombres, y la profesión perpetua de dos mujeres jóvenes como Esclavas del Corazón de Jesús en la Diócesis de New Ulm. Siempre me inspiro cuando soy testigo de los jóvenes con tal confianza en el amor de Dios, entregándose sin reservas a la vocación que Dios en su gran amor ha elegido para ellos. En cada uno de esos casos, ese don de
health” all the days of their lives, or when a young man to be ordained or a woman about to make her profession lies prostrate on the church floor in a gesture that so beautifully symbolizes a total death to one’s self, a complete and irrevocable gift of all that one is and has. In these same recent weeks, this local Church has been blessed to celebrate not only the annual Archdiocesan Marriage Day at the Cathedral, gathering couples from around the archdiocese who were celebrating significant wedding anniversaries, but also the jubilee Mass for our priests. In both instances, our jubilarians gave eloquent witness to what God is able to accomplish when we, with all of our weaknesses and failings, take the risk of making those lifelong commitments. There is a strength and a resilience that comes from believing that a vocation is not merely our choice or a passing preference but a true calling at the core of our being that is sourced in God’s loving plan for us, for our Church and for the world. Given the magnitude of the commitment, the Church, in her wisdom, tries to offer to the young man or young woman the formation that they need to discern and accept that challenge and to persevere in their calling. I am so grateful to those in our parishes and archdiocese who are so generous with their time in helping our engaged couples prepare not just for a wedding but for a lifelong marriage. I have deep appreciation, as well, for all those engaged in forming our candidates for consecrated life, or for the diaconate or the priesthood — and that circle extends far wider than our seminaries and religious houses.
sí mismo no es una sorpresa, es un regalo para toda la vida. Como el regalo de Cristo de su propia vida a la Iglesia, es un regalo que se pretende ser irrevocable y permanente. Los sociólogos modernos y observadores de nuestra cultura notan hoy en día lo difícil es que la gente haga compromisos duraderos. Eso es lo que hace que sea aún más sorprendente cuando una pareja joven se encuentra ante la Iglesia y con alegría promete a amarse, honrarse mutuamente y ser fieles el uno al otro “en las buenas y en las malas, en la salud y en la enfermedad” todo los días de su vida o, cuando un hombre joven va a ser ordenado o una mujer está a punto de hacer su profesión y se encuentra postrada en el suelo de la iglesia en un gesto que bellamente simboliza una muerte total de sí mismo, un regalo completo e irrevocable de todo lo que uno es y tiene. Durante esas recientes semanas, esta Iglesia local ha sido bendecida no solo con la celebración Arquidiocesana del Día del Matrimonio en la catedral, reuniendo parejas de toda la Arquidiócesis que estuvieron celebrando aniversarios significativos de boda, sino también la misa jubilar por nuestros sacerdotes. En ambos casos, nuestros jubilares dieron testimonio elocuente de lo que Dios es capaz de lograr cuando nosotros, con todas nuestras debilidades y defectos, tomamos el riesgo de hacer que esos compromisos sean para toda la
Many of you, for example, will have seminarians in your parish this summer. The program is designed so that they will have realistic experiences of parish life, having the opportunity to see up close not only the diocesan priesthood but also the beauty of the vocations to married life and the various forms of consecrated life. At the same time, the seminary will be asking many of you to offer insights into the seminarian’s preparedness to embrace a lifelong commitment of service as a diocesan priest and to provide feedback to the seminarian so that he might be better prepared to discern his vocation and assume the responsibilities of priestly ministry. At a recent gathering of the bishops of the United States, Cardinal Luis Tagle of Manila, Philippines, reminded us that we would do well to speak of a “calling” rather than a “call,” given that vocation is more than a one-time event — it’s an ongoing encounter with the Lord and his love that requires a daily response. I suspect that if we asked those couples celebrating golden anniversaries, or those priests or consecrated men and women celebrating golden jubilees, we would hear accounts of a lifetime of “yeses” to the Lord’s invitations and plenty of stories of God’s mercy. Please join me in thanking the Lord for their witness to his grace and in asking his blessing on those who are struggling to be faithful to their callings, his healing and hope for those who have felt unsupported in their calling or unable to persevere, and the light of his truth for those still discerning.
vida. Hay una fuerza y una resistencia que viene de la creencia de que la vocación no es meramente nuestra elección o una preferencia pasajera, sino una verdadera llamada a lo más profundo de nuestro ser que se nutre en el plan amoroso de Dios para nosotros, para nuestra iglesia y para el mundo. Dada la magnitud del compromiso, la Iglesia en su sabiduría, trata de ofrecer al joven hombre o mujer la formación que necesitan para discernir y aceptar ese desafío y perseverar en su llamado. Estoy muy agradecido a aquellos en nuestras parroquias y Arquidiócesis que son tan generosos con su tiempo al ayudar a nuestras parejas comprometidas a prepararse no solo para una boda, sino para un matrimonio de toda la vida. También, siento un profundo aprecio por todos los que están comprometidos en la formación de nuestros candidatos a la vida consagrada, al diaconado o al sacerdocio y ese círculo se extiende mucho más allá de nuestros seminarios y casas religiosas. Muchos de ustedes, por ejemplo, tendrán seminaristas en su parroquia este verano. El programa está diseñado para que puedan tener experiencias reales de la vida parroquial, teniendo la oportunidad de ver de cerca no sólo el sacerdocio diocesano sino también la belleza de la vocación a la vida conyugal y las diversas formas de vida consagrada. Al mismo tiempo, el seminario estará preguntando a muchos de ustedes para
ofrecer su perspectiva de la preparación del seminarista para adoptar un compromiso de toda la vida de servicio como sacerdote diocesano y para proporcionar retroalimentación a los seminaristas para que puedan estar mejor preparados para discernir su vocación y asumir las responsabilidades del ministerio sacerdotal. En una reciente reunión de los obispos de los Estados Unidos, el Cardenal Luis Tagle de Manila, nos recordó que haríamos bien en hablar de un “llamado” en lugar de una “llamada”, dado que la vocación es un evento que se presenta una sola vez — es un encuentro permanente con el Señor y su amor que requiere una respuesta diaria. Sospecho que si le preguntamos a aquellas parejas que celebran aniversarios de oro o aquellos sacerdotes u hombres y mujeres consagrados celebrando jubileos de oro escucharíamos relatos de una vida de “sí” a las invitaciones del Señor y muchas historias acerca de la misericordia de Dios. Por favor, únanse a mí para dar gracias al Señor por estos testimonios de gracia y pidamos su bendición sobre aquellos que están luchando para ser fieles a su llamado, su sanación y esperanza para aquellos que han sentido sin apoyo en su vocación o incapaces de perseverar, y la luz de su verdad para aquellos que aún están en discernimiento.
OFFICIAL Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: Effective July 1, 2016 Reverend Vincent Thahn Au, CMC, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Anne-Saint Joseph Hien in Minneapolis. Father Thahn Au has been serving as
parochial administrator of the same parish. Reverend Luis Banchs Plaza, SEMV, appointed half-time parochial vicar of the Church of the Risen Savior in Burnsville. Father Banchs Plaza is a member of the Servants of the Holy Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Reverend John Paul Erickson, appointed pastor of the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Saint Paul. Father Erickson has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish.
Reverend Ivan Sant, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Bernard in Saint Paul. Father Sant is a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, and has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish.
Deacon Sherman Otto, appointed to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Dayton. Deacon Otto is returning to ministry after a leave of absence.
Reverend Donald Willard, C.Ss.R, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center. Father Willard has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish.
Effective August 1, 2016 Reverend Erich Rutten, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Peter Claver in Saint Paul, replacing Reverend Kevin McDonough. This is a transfer from his previous appointment as Director of Campus Ministry for the University of St. Thomas.
4 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
June 23, 2016
SLICEof LIFE
All that jazz
Dan Chouinard plays the accordion during a summer jazz concert June 12 at St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis. He was joined by vocalist Maria Jette. About 100 people attended, including the pastor of St. Albert, Father Joseph Gillespie. “We just have a lot of fun with it,” he said. “Six years ago, I initiated it simply because I like jazz.” Two more concerts are scheduled at St. Albert at 1-3 p.m. July 17 and Aug. 21. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
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June 23, 2016
LOCAL
The Catholic Spirit • 5
Archdiocese sells Dayton Ave. property BSM graduate dies
during camping trip
By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is planning to sell a 94-year-old office building to the Cathedral Heritage Foundation and a separate limited liability company for $900,000 pending U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval. The archdiocese filed a motion for the sale and purchase agreement with the court June 20. Located at 244 Dayton Ave. in St. Paul, the Dayton Building is the third and final building the archdiocese has sold of its Cathedral Hill properties. The sale includes a vacant lot at 250 Dayton Ave. Joseph Kueppers, the archdiocese’s chancellor for civil affairs, said that the sale means the archdiocese “has sold all of our available real estate to marshal as many assets as we can for the victims [of clergy sex abuse], which has been our goal.” In May 2015, the archdiocese listed for sale three buildings adjacent to the Cathedral of St. Paul that house its central corporation offices and the archbishop’s residence. The archdiocese sold the Msgr. Ambrose Hayden Center to the Minnesota Historical Society for $4.5 million in November. In April, it sold the chancery building and attached archbishop’s residence to a limited liability company owned by Premier Bank Chairman Donald Regan for $3,275,000. It also sold a residence near Northfield for $365,000 in February. While the court mandated a bidding process for the sale of the Hayden and chancery buildings, the process for the Dayton Building is different, Kueppers said, because of potential encroachment issues and shared services between the Dayton Building and the Cathedral. According to the motion filed, the archdiocese will consider higher offers on the property through July 8. The sale is expected to be finalized at a July 14 court hearing. In February, the archdiocese announced plans to move its central corporation offices to the former 3M headquarters at 777 Forest St. in St. Paul’s Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. The move is expected to take place in early December. Until the move, the archdiocese plans to lease office space from the new owners of the Hayden, chancery and Dayton buildings. Under the purchase agreement, archdiocesan offices would be able to occupy the Dayton Building rent-free until they relocate.
Historic building Built by Boston-based architects Maginnis & Walsh in a Renaissance revival style, the 18,000-square-foot Dayton Building served as the archdiocese’s chancery office from its construction in 1922 to the early 1960s, when a new chancery building was constructed across from the Cathedral on Summit Avenue. The building
By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit
Located at 244 Dayton Ave. in St. Paul, the Dayton Building is the third and final building the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has sold of its Cathedral Hill properties. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit is on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Historic Hill District. It sits directly behind the Cathedral and next to the Cathedral’s rectory. The building is home to the archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, and the Office of Communication, which includes The Catholic Spirit newspaper. It has long been the offices of The Catholic Spirit and its predecessor, The Catholic Bulletin, and once housed Catholic Cemeteries offices. According to documents the archdiocese filed with the court, Ramsey County records indicated the Dayton Building’s value is $1,395,500, but the archdiocese’s realtor, NorthMarq, estimated its value between $550,000 and $950,000 in a June 2013 analysis. The county valued the vacant lot at 250 Dayton Ave. at $112,900. As church properties, the Dayton Building and vacant lot were not taxable, and the value discrepancy is not unusual for untaxed property, Kueppers said. Selling the Dayton Building and vacant lot together was the best way to get the highest price for the two properties, Kueppers said. The St. Paul-based Cathedral Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit separate from the Cathedral of St. Paul dedicated to the building’s preservation. With the help of 244 Dayton LLC, of which the Cathedral Heritage Foundation is the sole member, it plans to purchase the Dayton Building and vacant lot with the intention of leasing the Dayton Building to the Cathedral. The archdiocese filed for Reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in January 2015 due to mounting claims of child sex abuse by clergy. On May 26, it filed a plan for Reorganization, which is under court review.
Archdiocese: Jewelry sale part of Reorganization plan By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit A ring valued at $236,000 is among jewelry the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis plans to sell as part of its plan for Reorganization, its Chief Financial Officer Thomas Mertens said in a statement June 11. The ring was a gift to the archdiocese from Archbishop John Gregory Murray, who led the archdiocese from 1931 to 1956. It is the most valuable jewelry item the archdiocese owns. According to Mertens, the archdiocese’s jewelry and other valuable items were appraised prior to January 2015 as the archdiocese prepared to file for Reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The total appraised value of the jewelry was $265,400. As stated in the plan for Reorganization the archdiocese filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court May 26, it plans to sell non-essential items without liturgical value to compensate people who have filed claims against the archdiocese, including victims of
clergy sex abuse. In addition to jewelry, the archdiocese’s filing also listed books, maps, documents, autographs and religious objects, such as crosiers, with a combined value of $94,378. Mertens released the statement in response to a letter submitted to the court June 9 alleging that the archdiocese left three shoeboxes of jewelry and 19thcentury art worth at least $130,000 each with Bockstruck Jewelers in St. Paul in the mid-1990s. Bockstruck Jewelers closed in 2006. “We are unaware of any consignment of valuables by the archdiocese to Bockstruck Jewelers or to anyone else,” Mertens said. He encouraged anyone with knowledge of valuables belonging to the archdiocese to bring it to the attention of Tim O’Malley, the director of the archdiocese’ Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment, at 651-291-4400. “If we find any indication of criminal activity, the appropriate local or federal law enforcement agency will be notified immediately,” Mertens said.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park is mourning the death of recent graduate Alec Lawrenz, 18, of Wayzata, who drowned June 11 in the Temperance River while on a camping trip. “We are heartbroken by this tragic accident,” said BSM Principal Sue Skinner. “As a faith community, we rely on the power of prayer to help us. Our love and prayers go out to Alec’s family, the BSM class of 2016 and the BSM community. Alec was a wonderful young man, full of life, kind and compassionate. We . . . ask that everyone please pray for us during this very difficult time.” The Cook County Sheriff’s Office had received a 911 call around 6:30 p.m. June 11 that someone had fallen into the gorge at Temperance River State Park, located on Highway 61 on Minnesota’s North Shore alongside Lake Superior. According to the report, the person went through the strong current under a bridge and did not resurface. The sheriff’s office said recovery efforts were Alec hampered by the river current and LAWRENZ rising water levels, limited underwater visibility and debris. Lawrenz’s body was recovered around 1:42 p.m. June 13 and transported to the Cook County North Shore Hospital. The matter is under investigation, but no foul play is suspected. Lawrenz had been camping with four friends, also BSM students. “He was at his happiest moment in his life,” said his father, Dietrich Lorenz. “It was kind of a spiritual journey, the five of them going camping together.” At the high school, Lawrenz was involved in alpine skiing, drama and the journalism program. He graduated from BSM June 3 and was planning to study at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. “Alec will be remembered as someone who cared very deeply for his friends,” said Kari Koshiol, English teacher and faculty adviser for BSM’s journalism program. “He was a talented writer who had strong convictions that he shared passionately.” Along with his father, he is survived by his mother, Corinne, and brothers Cedric and Adrian. The family attends St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. A funeral Mass was held at the parish June 20.
in BRIEF MINNEAPOLIS
Cookie Cart foundress dies Cookie Cart foundress Mercy Sister Jean Thuerauf died June 10 at Catholic Eldercare. She was 85. A Mass of Christian burial was held June 16. Born in Iowa, Sister Jean entered the Sisters of Mercy in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, following high school. After teaching in Iowa, she moved to Minneapolis in the early 1970s to teach and work in adult education at Our Lady of Grace in Edina. In 1976, she began working in north Minneapolis and founded the Mercy Missionaries to help young people avoid or escape life on the streets. What began in her kitchen as a small cookie-selling business to teach skills to youth grew into the Cookie Cart, which provides youth employment training in north Minneapolis, with a St. Paul store scheduled to open in 2017.
Basilica choir to sing at Vatican for Year of Mercy closing Mass The Basilica of St. Mary’s Schola Cantorum has been invited to sing at the Nov. 14 closing Mass for the Year of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. The choir will join the Sistine Chapel Choir for the liturgy. The choir also plans to sing in churches in Rome during a seven-day pilgrimage in the city.
6 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
St. Kate’s looks ahead Driven by mission, the Catholic liberal arts university for women plans for future with new president
“It’s not necessarily only about single-sex education, but it’s thinking about education that fits women.”
By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit
Joann Bangs, dean of St. Catherine University’s School of Business and Professional Studies
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s St. Catherine University in St. Paul welcomes its 11th president, alumna ReBecca “Becky” Roloff, in July, faculty and staff are preparing to transition from 18 years of leadership under President Sister Andrea Lee of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Last fall, Sister Andrea announced her resignation and later, her acceptance as president of Alverno College in Milwaukee beginning this fall. Four leaders weigh in about their vision of the 111-year-old school and how past accomplishments will keep driving its mission, which is deeply rooted in the social justice principles of its foundresses, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
offer relevant education for its diverse student body remains a focus. “It’s never OK to just sit back and think that the programs that we have are fine. We always have to be thinking about what’s new and changing in the environment and how are we making sure we’re keeping up with that,” said Joann Bangs, dean of the School of Business and Professional Studies.
Contemporary Catholic education
“But, the only way we’re going to do that is to make sure that we still feel like we’re fulfilling the mission at the same time. So, when we add on business programs, we’re adding them on because we want ethical business leaders to be coming out of St. Kate’s.”
At the forefront for many university leaders is how to gain momentum as a Catholic liberal arts women’s university. With a student body of about 5,000 in its associate through doctorate programs, continuing to
While university leaders say attracting a new wave of students is among its priorities, the undergraduate programs will remain exclusively female. The associate, graduate and doctorate programs accept men.
June 23, 2016
Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit Bangs said that while the university offers coeducational programs at its St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses, St. Kate’s values the lessons learned from having the women-only college at its heart. “So, it’s not necessarily only about single-sex education, but it’s thinking about education that fits women,” said Bangs, who taught economics at the university for 10 years before becoming a dean. “It’s much more cooperatively based, trying to be less hierarchical. And that way of thinking influences how we do our [other] degree programs.” Bangs said that while St. Kate’s Catholic component attracts a large number of people, the university has to work to sell the “women only” aspect with traditional students. “What we find is sometimes people come here even though it’s a women’s college,” she said, “and after that first year or so, [they say] . . . the best thing they ever did was decide to come to a women’s college.” The university’s biggest challenges are shared among other higher education institutions: making the college experience accessible and affordable, while keeping in mind immigrant and first-generation college students, said Margaret Ford, a 1982 alumna who recently became chairwoman of the board of trustees. “We want to find a way to have students find a way to succeed without burdening them with debt,” she said. Please turn to FOR on page 22
June 23, 2016
LOCAL
The Catholic Spirit • 7
In business, ‘hope for another way of doing things’ Economy of Communion considers role of faith in the marketplace By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit The founders of a Montreal-based pilgrimage travel company, an Indianapolis environmental consulting firm and a cybersecurity risk business near Washington were among attendees and speakers at a June 9-12 conference exploring a business model designed to put people first. The annual Economy of Communion conference was held for the first time at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, drawing almost 60 business people, academics and other professionals to discuss the relationship between business and subsidiarity, poverty and ecology. Sponsored by St. Thomas’ Opus College of Business and John A. Ryan Institute of Catholic Social Thought, the conference focused on the theme “Hope in Action.”
Catholic roots Economy of Communion — often abbreviated EoC — traces its founding to Chiara Lubich’s 1991 visit to Brazil. Lubich — whose sainthood cause is underway — was the Italian foundress of Focolare, a unity-based worldwide movement mostly composed of Catholics. Lubich’s visit was a response to Brazil’s imbalanced economy and St. John Paul II’s 1991 social encyclical “Centesimus Annus” (“Hundredth Year”). While in Brazil, Lubich and other Focolare members conceived the Economy of Communion as a way to apply Focolare’s emphasis on community and love of neighbor to the marketplace through a model based on fraternity and profit-sharing. The model was developed with Catholic social teaching and now informs about 850 businesses worldwide. EoC businesses practice the model in different ways, but are generally committed to focusing on relationships in business transactions, solidarity with the poor, elevating the dignity of work and practicing generosity in the workplace. “EoC gives hope there’s another way of doing things,” said Nicola Sanna, CEO of RiskLens, the Washingtonbased cybersecurity risk company, speaking to conference attendees June 10. He said that with EoC, business is an instrument for
making a difference in the world. He compared the model to the lives of the early disciples as described in Acts of the Apostles: “The community of believers was of one heart and mind. . . . There was no needy person among them.” “Sometimes I think about the EoC enterprise as being like a small arc in the middle of the world where there are storms, where there are challenges, there are temptations of doing things your own way, for your own selfish interest,” Sanna said, “and these [EoC businesses] being environments where people can find fulfillment as entrepreneurs, as workers, as academics, as students, as customers [and] sometimes as competitors, and environments where you can discover the true meaning of what business can be within the spirit of communion.”
Attentive to the moment Some EoC businesses are part of the North American EoC Association. Others are strongly inspired by EoC practices but not association members. John Mundell, president and founder of Mundell and Associates, an Indianapolis-based environmental consulting company with 25 employees, has described the Economy of Communion as “not giving a person a fish, nor teaching them how to fish, but fishing with them.” As an EoC business, there’s an “attitude” that differentiates his business from others, he told The Catholic Spirit. “Every minute of the day, the business owner tries to see each person with new eyes, with a vision — at least from a Catholic perspective, because I’m Catholic — of who has God put next to me in that present moment that I can love [and] I can help find fulfilling work in the business,” he said. He described an EoC workplace as a place where each employee is made to feel valued and matched with work suited to his or her skills and talents, that practices the principals of subsidiarity and solidarity, and helps employees reach their highest potential, while helping people in need. In April 2015, Sanna and Mundell presented on Economy of Communion principles at St. Thomas’ seventh annual Higher Calling dinner, which is sponsored by the university’s Veritas Institute, the John A. Ryan Institute and the Habiger Institute for Catholic
Leadership of the Center for Catholic Studies. According to Mundell, no Minnesota businesses are EoC members, but at least one has expressed interest.
Faith-animated business About 80 percent of EoC businesses are founded with the principles; the other 20 percent have adapted their workplaces to the model, said Jeanne Buckeye, an associate professor of ethics and business law at St. Thomas and co-author of “Structures of Grace: The Business Practices of the Economy of Communion” (New City Press, 2014). EoC “is a good principle for people in business to really manage resources wisely, and if we talk about humans in the workplace as ‘human resources’ then why not use a principle like this that actually considers them resources?” said Buckeye, the interim director of the John A. Ryan Institute, which she said has had a long relationship with the EoC. In a June 10 keynote address, Michael Naughton, director of the Center for Catholic Studies, which oversees the John A. Ryan Institute, addressed the role of subsidiarity and solidarity in a business “animated by faith.” Naughton helped to write the “Vocation of the Business Leader” issued by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 2012, and in 2015 co-authored “Respect in Action: Applying Subsidiarity in Business” with Buckeye, Kenneth Goodpaster and T. Dean Maines. Breaking down the word “respect” to its meaning of “taking another look,” Naughton said that respect when applied to EoC businesses and subsidiarity “is for leaders to take another look, to go beyond their first impressions and recognize the unrepeatable, irreplaceable personal reality of the person that is sitting in front of you.” That “re-looking,” he said, should inspire business leaders to ask how they can draw on the diversity of all the gifts and talents their employees bring. Joining the conference were 15 faculty members from Catholic University Institute of Buea in Cameroon who were finishing a two-week seminar on Catholic identity and mission at St. Thomas. The Cameroonian university was founded with the Economy of Communion model, which is also integrated into its business program.
8 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
June 23, 2016
At Given Forum, women encouraged to share feminine gifts By Ana Franco-Guzman Catholic News Service An invitation to think big during the Catholic Church’s Year of Consecrated Life in 2015 turned into a meeting of about 300 young women from all over the nation in Washington. The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious hosted the Given Catholic Young Women’s Leadership Forum June 7-12 at The Catholic University of America. Organizers said it was spurred by the Church’s special focus on consecrated life, which ended this past February. The principle Susanna themes of the BOLLE conference were to “receive the gifts you are, realize the gifts you’ve been given and respond with the gift only you can give.” Faith formation, professional skills development and networking also were part of the gathering. Among attendees was Susanna Bolle, 25, a parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul who works in the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “It was very encouraging to see so many other women in the United States who are motivated and inspired and on fire to spread the Gospel and help others
Women laugh June 8 as they listen to keynote speaker Helen Alvare, law professor at George Mason University in Arlington, Va., during Given, a leadership forum for young Catholic women at The Catholic University of America in Washington. The six-day event was sponsored by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious and attended by four women from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. CNS/Bob Roller recognize their dignity and their worth,” she said. The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious described the Given forum as “a launchpad for what St. John Paul II called the feminine genius and a response to Pope Francis’ call to activate women’s gifts in the Church.” “By creating an environment of mentorship, the next generation of Catholic women leaders will be equipped to develop and implement initiatives to
utilize their gifts for the life of the Church,” organizers said. Seventy-five women religious volunteered at the conference to be a source of encouragement and have a presence “as spiritual mothers” accompanying the women at the conference. With funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the council provided each attendee with a scholarship to participate in the conference. In applying
Fr. Fitz
Fr. Little
for the scholarship, the young women had to submit an “action plan” to show how each would offer her gifts in service to her home diocese, workplace or university over the next few months. For her action plan, Bolle plans to launch a reading and discussion group for young women, and is exploring the topic of complementarity of men and women. Other local attendees Julia Ennen and Bridget Scott proposed to create a website with information on fertility and “body literacy” for high school and college-aged women. “This is important because we have experienced a lack of cohesive information available to women and want to create opportunities for greater education and understanding of the Church’s teachings regarding family planning and fertility,” said Scott, 23, a parishioner of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony and a graduate student at the University of Minnesota in health communication. Shannon Conroy, 23, a development associate in the archdiocese’s Development and Stewardship Office and parishioner of St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center in Minneapolis, also attended the forum. She plans to form a group of young adults to reach out to homeless people. “I left the conference wanting to take a new leap of trust and respond boldly to what the Lord will ask of me, convinced that only this is where I will find purpose and peace,” she said. — The Catholic Spirit contributed to this story
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June 23, 2016
U.S. & WORLD
The Catholic Spirit • 9
Orlando priest: ‘God is here to grieve with us’ By Jean Gonzalez Catholic News Service Father Jorge Torres admits he has shed a lot of tears since June 12. The same is true for Father Miguel Gonzalez, who along with Father Torres, other Orlando area priests, representatives of Catholic Charities and religious leaders of other faith communities spent hours counseling some of the 49 families who lost a loved one during the nation’s worst mass shooting that occurred during Latin night at Pulse nightclub. “It all feels so surreal,” Father Torres said during a break from counseling. Father Torres, who serves as diocesan vocations director in Orlando, couldn’t readily answer how many families he had met with following the tragedy — perhaps 15, 20 or more. Sometimes he would spend hours with a family. Other times he would stop and speak to people in the parking lot of a senior center designated as a safe haven for families as they awaited news of their children, spouses, friends and parents. Families waited hours to receive word about whether their loved one was among those killed or injured after a lone gunman, identified as 29-year-old Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, opened fire inside the gay nightclub in the early morning hours of June 12. The shooter died in a gun battle with SWAT team members. Besides the 49 patrons who were killed, another 53 were wounded. Over several days, Father Torres offered comfort as families sought news of their loved ones’ fates. He journeyed through stages of grief and preparing funeral arrangements. He cried as he witnessed their heartbreak. He said he felt comfortable embracing families and sharing his own sadness, because he saw it as an “encounter of God and faith.” “When I would pray with families, I would begin by saying, ‘Jesus, at the cross you cried out to the Father, “Why have you abandoned me?”’ By saying that, it gave them permission to express all the feelings they had, and we would not judge those feelings and we were going to love them,” he said. “[The families] should know that in their heart those emotions do not separate them from God, but bring us closer together. It is part of our humanity.” But there was a time things became so real and so overwhelming, even under the intense media presence, Father Torres tried to turn away and have a moment to cry alone. Those honest, raw moments have led Father Torres to reflect on what might be the next step for the community. “This is going to lead us to an examination of conscience. As a society, how do we help anyone suffering and find a path to prevent this from happening again? Because my biggest concern is when this event is in the rearview mirror, another might occur,” Father Torres told the Florida Catholic, newspaper of the Orlando Diocese. “And for right now, we as a Church should examine how we reach out to everyone affected by this tragedy and let them know they are loved and they are always welcome, regardless of their perception of the Church.” Many of the victims’ families are Hispanic, and having Spanish-speaking counselors available proved crucial. Catholic Charities representatives, deacons and priests, including Father Torres and Father Gonzalez, provided such help. Father Gonzalez said it was a blessing to be able to communicate with family members in their native language. Father Gonzalez recalled the personal witness offered during the priest convocation held nine months ago when Bishop John Noonan of Orlando invited Msgr. Robert Weiss, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Newtown, Connecticut, to speak. In December 2012, a mass shooting at Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School took the lives of 20 children and six adults.
Imam: Terrorists cannot break unity Continued from page 1 Those wishing to light a candle in the sanctuary came forward, and the light filled the church. The congregation exited quietly after singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth.” When he invited the local community to attend the service, Bishop Noonan said he hoped it would provide an opportunity for all to join one another in prayer that would “bring about an outpouring of the mercy of God within the heart of our community.” He urged people to pray “for healing from this vicious assault on human life,” for comfort for those suffering loss and “a sincere conversion of heart for all who perpetrate acts of terror in our world.” Natalia Gil, a 22-year-old parishioner of St. Isaac Jogues in Orlando, attended the prayer service with 10 others from her parish. “We’re all one big family. We’re here in the name of Jesus,” she told the Florida Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Orlando. Imam Tariq Rashid of the Islamic Center of Orlando, who was invited to the prayer service by his friend Father John Giel, pastor of Holy Family Parish in Orlando, has lived in Orlando for 22 years and has three children. “I consider this my city and the city of my children,” he said. “I feel the same sentiments. This is the time when the local community from different religions should come together and show terrorists that no matter how much evil they do, they cannot break our unity or break our strength.” “Thinking now, his presence was a blessing,” Father Gonzalez said. “Everything he spoke about, the emotion, the chaos, but also the outpouring of the support from people in the community, is real. There are also the little things he spoke about that bring up the memories of the event, little things like the sirens, ambulances and helicopters.” Father Gonzalez is pastor of St. John Vianney parish, which is less than two miles from Pulse nightclub. While no funerals have been planned at his parish, pastors of other area Orlando parishes and even south in Davenport have contacted families who lost loved ones. One parish — Holy Cross in south Orlando — will offer four funerals for the dead. Like Father Torres, Father Gonzalez knew it was imperative that families felt free to express all their feelings. Ultimately dealing with those raw feelings could inspire healing, even when it is a long, arduous journey. “I don’t know their pain and I don’t dare to say I understand, but I shared the pain I felt when I was a teen and my uncle was assassinated — a victim of a robbery who was stabbed by a young man,” Father Gonzalez said. “It is amazing when I shared that, all that anger ceased and that person recognized where I was at.” It was then the priest could try to convey that it is possible to still love God, recognize God’s existence and yet be confused about what happened and why. “I imagine God, who is real, also weeps for us. That’s why he gave us his Son, to wipe our tears and say, ‘I know your pain and I shower you with mercy,’” Father Gonzalez said. “This [tragedy] is not God’s plan, but God is here to grieve with us.”
Pope Francis shares a laugh with a newly married couple during his general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Jan. 7, 2015. CNS
Too many couples do not understand marriage is for life, pope says By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Because most people today do not understand that sacramental marriage is a bond that binds them to each other for life, many marriages today can be considered invalid, Pope Francis said. Raising a point he has raised before, and one also raised by now-retired Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis insisted June 16 that the validity of a marriage implies that a couple understands that sacramental marriage is a bond that binds them to each other for life. “We are living in a culture of the provisional,” he told participants in the Diocese of Rome’s annual pastoral conference. Answering questions after giving a prepared talk, Pope Francis told the story of a bishop who said a university graduate came to him saying he wanted to be a priest, but only for 10 years. The idea of commitments being temporary “occurs everywhere, even in priestly and religious life. The provisional. And for this reason a large majority of sacramental marriages are null. They say ‘yes, for my whole life,’ but they do not know what they are saying because they have a different culture,” he said. The Vatican press office, publishing a transcript the next day, adjusted the pope’s words to read, “A part of our sacramental marriages are null because they [the spouses] say, ‘Yes, for my whole life,’ but they do not know what they are saying because they have a different culture.” Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said transcripts of the pope’s off-the-cuff remarks always are reviewed for precision and clarity prior to publication. Attitudes toward marriage are influenced strongly by social expectations, the pope said, telling the story of a young man who told the pope he and his fiancee had not celebrated their wedding yet because they were looking for a church with decor that would go well with her dress. “These are people’s concerns,” the pope said. “How can we change this? I don’t know.” Pope Francis told participants that when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he banned “shotgun weddings” from Catholic parishes because the strong social pressure to marry placed on a couple expecting a baby could mean they were not fully free to pledge themselves to each other for life. It was important, he said, that the couples were not abandoned, but were assisted by the Church. Many of them, he said, “after two or three years would marry. I would watch them enter the Church — dad, mom and the child holding their hands. They knew well what they were doing.” “The crisis of marriage is because people do not know what the sacrament is, the beauty of the sacrament; they do not know that it is indissoluble, that it is for one’s entire life,” he said. “It’s difficult.”
10 • The Catholic Spirit
U.S. & WORLD
June 23, 2016
‘Deaconess’ study might answer questions By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service When Pope Francis accepted a proposal at the Vatican May 12 to form a commission to study the possibility of women serving as deacons today, it generated plenty of buzz. The pope’s agreement on the idea — raised by members of the International Union of Superiors General, the leadership group for superiors of women’s orders — was interpreted by some as a thumbs-up to women deacons and eventually women priests, which the Vatican spokesman was quick to rebut the next day. Pope Francis “did not say he intends to introduce a diaconal ordination for women,” and he certainly did not speak about the ordination of women priests, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman. But even a study of women deacons — suggested by women and approved by the pope — carries pretty hefty weight, some are saying. Even the context of the possibility of this commission is important, said Kathleen Sprows Cummings, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame. “Women were asking the pope to elaborate on what he’s said about women’s roles in the Church,” she told Catholic News Service. The discussion got so much attention, she said, because “anytime there is a suggestion of some kind of opening for women in the Church it makes news. People are desperate for it and others are frightened by it.” The pope’s response to this idea caught the attention of Deacon William Ditewig, a theology professor at Santa Clara University in California who previously served as the head of the U.S. bishops’ diaconate office. He said he keeps looking back at the pope’s words that day to the women religious and what stands out is the pope’s humility. It’s clear, he said, that the pope has thought about the issue but hasn’t kept up with it and is willing to hear more. Deacon Ditewig, who has written several books on the permanent diaconate and lay ministry, also said it’s important to pay attention to what the pope didn’t say. “He never said, ‘Tomorrow we will ordain women deacons,’” adding: “Those who think that’s what he was saying are wrong.” The timing of the suggested commission also is worth noting, said Phyllis Zagano, senior research
associate in the religion department at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, who has researched and written about the history and theology of women deacons. “A genuine commission can only arrive at the same answers scholars have arrived at for many years: Women have been truly ordained as deacons and can be so ordained again,” she said, noting papal letters in the 11th and 12th centuries that she said gave bishops permission to ordain women as deacons. But Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, questioned whether there is documentation showing women were actually ordained deacons in the early Church. In a column posted May 13 on The Long Island Catholic website, he said he has “yet to be convinced that the ‘evidence’ in the early Church about deaconesses indicates any kind of sacramental ordination.” He also described the “limited instances in print and in art” as somewhat “obscure” and he questioned if the Church needs another “clerical group.” Bishop Murphy warned against employing a “contemporary American political model” in the Church, referring to “the approach of pressure groups who, using questionable language about ‘rights’ and ‘equality,’ try to build up a vocal and insistent drumbeat for what they want.” “That is not the way the apostles made decisions in the Acts of the Apostles,” he added. Deacon Ditewig told CNS that the pope’s acceptance of a study really needs to be taken just at its word and put into the context that the Catholic Church has studied this issue before but has failed, as recently as 2002, to offer a definitive answer about women deacons. Where the Church has been clear on its insistence that the priesthood is reserved only to men, it has avoided saying the same about the diaconate. In 2002, the International Theological Commission, which acts as an advisory panel to the Vatican, concluded after a five-year study that it “falls to the ministry of discernment which the Lord established in his Church to make an authoritative pronouncement on the question” of women deacons. Even though some hoped the report would open doors for women in the Church, the commission made clear that the role of women deacons in the early Church cannot be considered equivalent to that of ordained male deacons.
‘Laudato Si’’ at one year: Catholics inspired to better care for creation By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service Thinking green is not easy. Nor is it always cheap. But for St. Michael parish in Poway, California, north of San Diego, parishioners are already seeing the benefits — spiritual, financial and environmental — of a $1.3 million investment in a solar panel system. In the year since the panels were installed on several buildings across the 26-acre church property, the parish has seen its electricity costs fall by more than 75 percent to about $5,000 a month from $20,000 to $22,000 monthly, said Father John Dolan, pastor. At the current rate, the system will pay for itself within six years, he said. What’s better, Father Dolan said, is that parishioners know that their Church is part of a worldwide movement in response to Pope Francis’ year-old encyclical, “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home,” that calls upon everyone to better care for God’s creation and one another. The publication of the encyclical last June 18 helped boost the Diocese of San Diego’s recommendation that all parishes install solar power systems. With 98 parishes and 89 schools, the effort is more than symbolic. The diocese reported that more than 50 entities are seeking bids on solar projects or solar power purchase agreements. San Diego is not alone in embracing the pope’s call to dialogue and action cited in the encyclical. Catholic organizations around the world have formed study groups, planted gardens, written broad action plans to reduce energy and water consumption, developed curricula and produced webinars to bring the principles Pope Francis expresses in “Laudato Si’” to life. Dan Misleh, executive director of the Catholic Climate Covenant, said people want to act on climate change and he credits “Laudato Si’” for that willingness to step up because of their faith. “People are wanting to know how they can implement these teachings. How do we lower our carbon footprint? How do we take better care of creation? How do we ensure that those who are most impacted by environmental degradation and climate change are made whole?” Misleh said.
吀栀攀 瀀愀爀椀猀栀椀漀渀攀爀猀 愀渀搀 猀琀愀昀昀 漀昀
瀀爀漀甀搀氀礀 挀漀渀最爀愀琀甀氀愀琀攀
䘀爀⸀ 䠀攀爀戀 䠀愀礀攀欀Ⰰ 伀⸀倀⸀ 漀渀 琀栀攀 㐀㔀琀栀 䄀渀渀椀瘀攀爀猀愀爀礀 漀昀 栀椀猀 伀爀搀椀渀愀琀椀漀渀⸀ Our Lady of Grace Catholic Parish in Edina
Congratulates Father Kevin Finnegan On the Twentieth Anniversary of Ordination to the Holy Priesthood. Our Lady of Grace also Welcomes and Congratulates
Archbishop Bernard Hebda on the Appointment and Installation as Shepherd of Our Local Church. May God Ever Bless You with His Most Holy Spirit as We All Make Jesus Christ Known and Loved!
U.S. & WORLD
June 23, 2016 in BRIEF JERUSALEM
Holy Sepulcher undergoing restoration For the first time in 200 years, experts have begun a restoration of the Edicule of the Tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was laid to rest after his crucifixion. The project, which began in early June, is expected to take up to one year to complete and will include sorely needed damage repair and reinforcement of the structure. The project came together when the three principal churches overseeing the tomb under the 19th-century Status Quo agreement overcame enduring differences in a place where rights over every section of the church has been jealously guarded for centuries.
VATICAN CITY
Pope’s World Youth Day itinerary released Pope Francis will visit the Nazi death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau during his visit to Poland for World Youth Day in Krakow. He will also commemorate the 1,050th anniversary of Christianity in Poland, pray at the icon of the “Black Madonna” of Czestochowa, and hear confessions and have lunch with some of the young people attending the youth day gathering. The pope’s visit July 27-31 will be his 15th trip outside of Italy. He will visit three cities, give eight speeches and celebrate three Masses. Several pilgrim groups from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis plan to attend World Youth Day, July 25-31.
The Catholic Spirit • 11
Pope: Euthanasia is triumph of selfishness, not act of compassion
Parish reaches out to Nebraska family after deadly alligator attack
By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service
By Joe Ruff Catholic News Service
Growing acceptance of euthanasia does not indicate increased compassion, but highlights the rise of a selfish “throwaway culture” that casts aside the sick, the dying and those who do not satisfy the perceived requirements of a healthy life, Pope Francis said. In a culture that is increasingly “technological and individualistic,” some tend to “hide behind alleged compassion to justify killing a patient,” the pope told health professionals from Spain and Latin America June 9 in Vatican City. “True compassion does not marginalize, humiliate or exclude, much less celebrate a patient passing away,” the pope said. “You know well that would mean the triumph of selfishness, of that ‘throwaway culture’ that rejects and despises people who do not meet certain standards of health, beauty or usefulness.” Thanking doctors who care for “those who suffer in body and spirit,” Pope Francis urged physicians to not depend solely on their knowledge or competence, but mainly on their compassion and mercy toward the sick. “The dignity of human life is at stake; the dignity of the medical vocation is at stake,” the pope said. “Nothing must prevent you from ‘putting more heart into your hands.’”
Members of St. Patrick parish in Elkhorn, Nebraska, prayed June 16 for Lane Graves, a 2-year-old boy killed in an alligator attack in Florida, his father and mother, Matthew and Melissa, and sister, 4-year-old Ella, during a regularly scheduled morning Mass and special rosary. On vacation at a Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, the family was relaxing June 14 near a play area when the alligator grabbed Lane as he waded at the edge of a lagoon, authorities said. His father fought the alligator and his mother called for help, but their son disappeared under the water. Lane’s body was found Lane about 18 hours later, near the shore GRAVES where he was dragged off. The Graves are members of the parish in Elkhorn, and Ella attended preschool at St. Patrick School. Father Gary Ostrander, pastor, said 100 to 150 people attended the Mass, which was followed by the rosary for the family.
Thank you, Sister Andrea Lee, IHM, for your 18 years of leadership and service to St. Kate’s. You have guided the University through significant growth and change to meet the ever-emerging needs of our time.
St. Mary Magdalene memorial now feast Recognizing St. Mary Magdalene’s role as the first to witness Christ’s resurrection and as a “true and authentic evangelizer,” Pope Francis raised the July 22 memorial of St. Mary Magdalene to a feast day on the Church’s liturgical calendar, the Vatican announced. A decree formalizing the decision was published by the Congregation for Divine Worship June 10 along with an article explaining its significance. Both the decree and the article were titled “Apostolorum Apostola” (“Apostle of the Apostles”). In the article for the Vatican newspaper, Archbishop Arthur Roche, secretary of the congregation, wrote that in celebrating “an evangelist who proclaims the central joyous message of Easter,” St. Mary Magdalene’s feast day is a call for all Christians to “reflect more deeply on the dignity of women, the new evangelization and the greatness of the mystery of divine mercy.” While most liturgical celebrations of individual saints during the year are known formally as memorials, those classified as feasts are reserved for important events in Christian history and for saints of particular significance, such as the Twelve Apostles. — Catholic News Service
Welcome Becky Roloff, 11th President of St. Catherine University. We look forward to your energy and vision as you continue the tradition of excellence in education that is a hallmark of St. Catherine University.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province & Consociates are committed to moving always toward profound love of God and love of neighbor without distinction. The St. Paul Province, led by Mother Seraphine Ireland, CSJ, founded the College of St. Catherine, now St. Catherine University, in 1905. The College was named to honor St. Catherine of Alexandria, a fourth-century Egyptian philosopher and scholar who was martyred for her faith.
12 • The Catholic Spirit
Acts o
Wound healers Ham Lake parish’s prison ministry aims to help offenders know their dignity
Part seven in a 14-part Year of Mercy series highlighting local Catholics who live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit
T
yrece Matthews received about 100 Christmas cards last December. His fellow inmates were understandably jealous. Convicted three years ago of assaulting his girlfriend, Matthews is scheduled to be released next March from the Minnesota corrections system. That’s when Catholics involved in EMBRACE, a new ministry that attests to the corporal work of mercy of visiting the imprisoned, anticipate doing more to help him return to society than merely sending greeting cards. The Christmas cards — and Easter cards this spring — came from parishioners at St. Paul in Ham Lake, where EMBRACE is gaining momentum. The acronym EMBRACE, Deacon Timothy Zinda explained, stands for Eucharist, mercy, brotherhood, restoration, action, compassion and encouragement. The initiative was his idea. Along with his diaconate assignment at St. Paul, Deacon Zinda does prison ministry and is coordinator of correctional ministries for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He said the concept for a ministry to support an offender and help him or her to transition back to community life developed after he got to know Matthews through his regular prison ministry visits. “I felt bad for him,” Deacon Zinda said. “He has no family. He has nobody to turn to. His life was terrible.” Matthews, 34, grew up in Chicago, never knew his father, and his drug-addict mother tried to kill her son twice during drug deals. As a teenager he was stabbed and robbed, was sexually abused by an uncle, and later suffered a nervous breakdown. He and his girlfriend were always fighting, Matthews told Deacon Zinda, which led to a conviction for assault. Since winding up in the Minnesota corrections system, Matthews has taken an anger management course and been a model inmate, which allows him to be in a minimum-security facility. “Tyrece has always been such a good prisoner,” Deacon Zinda said, which is why he is working to have Matthews be the first person to be not adopted, but embraced, by the new ministry.
Looking past the crimes After studying the Catechism of the Catholic Church with Deacon Zinda, Matthews joined the Church at Easter in 2015. Along with the greeting cards, parishioners at St. Paul have been writing to Matthews, and a small committee has divided up the work in specific areas of need to support him. That doesn’t mean they don’t see his prison sentence as a means of justice.
Tyrece Matthews, left, stands with Deacon Timothy Zinda, coordinator of correctional ministries for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minne Deacon Zinda’s parish, St. Paul in Ham Lake, is launching EMBRACE, a program designed to help former offenders transition to life after pr prison in March. Courtesy Deacon Zinda “I tell people who are in prison, ‘There’s a reason why you did what you did, but it’s not an excuse,’” Deacon Zinda said. “You have to look past the crime they did,” he added. “People get themselves in a lot of problems. They have a wound somewhere, and they put a Band-Aid on it with drugs and alcohol.” With Matthews, however, Deacon Zinda said, “I didn’t look at him as a criminal.” Deacon Zinda sees EMBRACE as one way to address recidivism, the return to prison by repeat offenders. A criminal record comes up on a background check when a former inmate applies for a job, for example. “When you get out of prison, it’s like being punished twice,” he said. Upon release ex-offenders need a place to live, a job, transportation, plus clothes and household items, potential medical and dental treatment, legal help and continuing education. Deacon Zinda hopes the parish’s 1,200 households can meet Matthews’ needs. “I thought, ‘We’re a big community, why can’t we draw from that pool of people?’” he said. Perhaps someone owns an apartment complex who could donate housing for a time, he said. Maybe someone with a small business could offer a job, and a doctor and a lawyer could offer their services. “Everybody knows somebody who might help,” he said.
Sharing Jesus Barb Skillings is confident that people will step up to make EMBRACE work. She’s seen the enthusiasm from those with whom she has worked in the Residents Encounter Christ program for the past 23 years, and she knows why people volunteer for the weekend retreats at prisons: “To be a part of God’s mercy and to help these men come to know his love in them,” she said, “to watch the change in them when they begin to feel like a human being again.” A derivative of the popular Teens Encounter Christ program, the Residents Encounter Christ retreat is based on the death and resurrection of Jesus. Offenders experience the message of Christ through participation in music, small group discussions led by volunteers, talks, prayer, Scripture, an opportunity to confess their sins, plus Mass and a meal with testimonies by people who share their personal encounter with Christ. Church of St. Paul parishioners make up the core of more than 160 people who have helped to make REC weekends at the Lino Lakes Correctional Facility. Prison officials acknowledge that the retreat weekends “help keep peace around the place,” Deacon Zinda said —
The Catholic Spirit’s Acts of Mercy series is mad National Catholic Society of Foresters. Learn abo
of
Mercy
June 23, 2016 • 13
Visit the imprisoned By Father Michael Van Sloun
“You have to look past the crime they did. People get themselves in a lot of problems. They have a wound somewhere, and they put a Band-Aid on it with drugs and alcohol.” Deacon Timothy Zinda “These young men didn’t have any father figures in their lives,” he recalled, “and so they would just suck us men dry. They just wanted to know what love was.” Offenders themselves attest to that change of heart in testimonies they wrote after attending the most recent retreat weekend at Lino Lakes. “The REC program opened my heart to the Spirit of Jesus and saved my life,” said Steve Mehsikomer, responding to a request from The Catholic Spirit. Another REC participant, Robert Day, wrote: “I had a great weight lifted off of me. All my guilt, shame and sadness were gone. And more importantly, I grew closer to our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Larger than one parish
eapolis, an outreach supported by the Catholic Services Appeal. rison. The parish plans to help Matthews after he is released from so much so that in 2015, a Minnesota Department of Corrections official requested that REC be expanded to correctional facilities at Stillwater and Rush City. REC No. 1 in Stillwater was held in December 2015, and REC No. 1 in Rush City is planned for August.
Changing hearts Skillings admitted she was nervous when she went through REC training at a maximum security prison in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, REC’s birthplace. “I remember one of the men came and sat down by me and asked me how it felt to be sitting next to a murderer,” she said. Her heart started to beat fast, but, after a while, she said, “I felt my heart change, and I saw many changes in the hearts of the residents. By the third day, I knew I would never be the same. I felt and saw how the love, mercy and grace of Jesus Christ had changed hearts of men whose hearts had been hardened by life. I had never felt so much love and forgiveness in one place before.” Barb’s husband, Tim, said he saw the need for prison ministry when he took part in his first REC weekend. Minnesota Department of Corrections officials pointed the group to the juvenile facility in Sauk Centre.
de possible in part through a grant from the out the organization at www.ncsf.com.
Inmates who have attended REC retreats in the past volunteer to serve on the “inside team,” joining later weekends to share their thoughts and listen to new attendees. Rob Maho is a former prisoner who is now part of the REC “outside team,” typically 35 volunteers. While serving a nine-year sentence, he attended the first REC at Lino Lakes in 1992 and stays involved, he said, for a host of reasons. “The REC ministry is fulfilling the Great Commission [to go and teach all nations and bring them to God],” Maho said. “In addition to rescuing souls, it introduces each man to a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father; it helps contribute to a better society in that former criminals learn to think and act biblically, which makes them better fathers, law-abiding citizens, more productive employees.” Because he is an ex-offender, Maho said, he can identify with the men. “I can inject hope into their lives by my experience — both as an inmate and as a Native American . . . as a Christian and as a free person who has been out and stayed out for 18 years now,” he said. He added: “If the Lord can use my experience to help others, I want to be used for the furthering of his kingdom so that prayerfully there will be more men who make it into eternal life with Christ than there would have been if I did nothing.” Despite the powerful testimonies, prison ministry isn’t something that typically draws volunteers readily. When Deacon Zinda offered an information session about EMBRACE, only about 50 people attended. “Unless you do it [get involved in prison ministry],” he said, “the only connection you have [with someone incarcerated] is from TV or a newspaper mug shot, and everyone in those look like they crawled out from under a rock.” Which is why the deacon is reaching out to the community beyond Ham Lake and hoping to expand to other parishes. “We need to open this opportunity to serve to others,” Deacon Zinda said. “Even though it’s a parish thing, it doesn’t need to be. We’re a universal Church.”
To visit the imprisoned is a corporal work of mercy. Jesus mentioned it specifically when he said, “For I was . . . in prison and you visited me” (Mt 25:35, 36). Jesus has mercy for “the least,” those despised by others. Convicts rank high among “the least.” For the general public, when a criminal gets prison time, the criminal is getting what is deserved; the criminal needs to pay for what has been done. Jesus understands the brokenness of those who have done hateful things. From the cross Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). Jesus wants us to have Father Michael compassion for those in jail or prison. Instead of having VAN SLOUN an attitude of anger, retribution, punishment or vengefulness, Jesus wants us to be merciful. We need to honestly acknowledge our own inclination to evildoing and admit, “There, except by the grace of God, go I.” Many of us are all lucky to be a “step ahead of the law,” because all of us have gotten away with something for which we deserve to be punished. Inmates are real human beings. Prison time is hard time. It is lonely time. It is dangerous time. Prisoners need help, support, encouragement and prayers. And as Jesus explained, a visit is a great way to help a prisoner. Visiting prisoners is not so easy these days. Security measures have been strengthened and access is restricted. A prisoner can place several names on an approved list of visitors, and volunteers can gain access to inmates only after training and background checks. So how can the average person perform the corporal work of mercy to visit the imprisoned? If you know someone who is in prison, and if you are on the approved list of visitors, make every effort to go and visit the person. Your presence will be a great blessing. Consider prison ministry. Ministries include prayer services, Bible studies, retreats, religious book clubs and pastoral visits. Step forward. Offer your services. Go through the orientation for jail volunteers. Submit to the background check. Embark on the corporal work of mercy of visiting the imprisoned. Because security measures keep most people out of jails and prisons, there are spiritual things that the average person can do for those who are incarcerated. First and foremost, we can pray for those in prison. Pray that inmates, in their isolation, will know God’s constant presence and love. Pray for their safety in the face of danger. Pray for their conversion as they deal with their troubled past. And, as they deal with separation from family and friends, pray that they will receive forgiveness, a second chance and continuing support. We can turn to St. Dismas, the criminal who was crucified next to Jesus (Lk 23:40-43), the “good thief” and the patron saint of inmates, to intercede on behalf of those who are in prison. We can also turn to St. Barbara, the other patron saint of inmates, and St. John Cafasso, the patron saint of prisons, who served prisoners, heard their confessions, granted them absolution and accompanied them on their way to the gallows. We can also work to abolish capital punishment, support halfway houses, correspond with prisoners, assist the families of those who have someone in prison, and support parish and diocesan ministries to the incarcerated. Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata.
14 • The Catholic Spirit
FROM AGE TO AGE • ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING
June 23, 2016
Always growing Lakeville senior nurtures her garden, neighborhood and parish By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
J
udy Glenn’s modest rambler in Lakeville is filled with phrases. There’s at least one in every room. “I have so many slogans in this house, it’s just amazing,” said the 70-year-old member of St. Joseph in Rosemount. “My biggest one is: Wish it, dream it, do it.” That simple sentence serves as a summary of how Glenn lives her life. Though widowed for the last 15 years, she has left self pity behind. After losing her husband, John, to cancer in 2001, Glenn did nothing once she got home from her job at Northwest Airlines. After two years, although still grieving, she decided it was time to change. “I thought, ‘This is dumb,’” she said. “I’m just sitting here getting old and taking up space.” That’s when she decided to start living by an adage she now quotes with ease: “A rolling stone gathers no moss.” A lifestyle filled with sailing, gardening, traveling, baking and many volunteer activities has chased all the moss away. And, it has kept her in good health. “I feel younger than I am,” she said. “I look in the mirror, and I don’t think that’s me because I feel like I’m about 40. I like doing things and being active.” Two months ago, she spent time in the Caribbean with her daughter, Tiffany Hodgson, and son-in-law, Josh. The two live in Rhode Island but regularly visit Caribbean islands to go sailing. A scuba diver years ago, Glenn decided to do some snorkeling while there. She got a real treat in the form of the largest sea turtle she had ever seen. “I hovered over it and watched it feed,” she said. “I enjoy nature immensely. It’s very, very fun.” Since arriving home, she returned to her workout routine. She goes to the YMCA in Burnsville five days a week for workouts that last an hour to an hour and a half. Then, she comes home and picks up her gardening tools. Not only does she attend to her own yard, but she
Judy Glenn of St. Joseph in Rosemount works in the garden of her Lakeville home. It’s one of her favorite ways to stay active. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
“I feel younger than I am. I look in the mirror, and I don’t think that’s me because I feel like I’m about 40.” Judy Glenn
also takes her skilled and able hands to friends’ homes. She is working on a project to trim lower branches off of a friend’s set of fir trees. “That’s my workout when I don’t go to the gym,” she said. “I work there for six or seven hours [in a day].” She also is busy at her parish. Her former pastor, Father Paul Jarvis, inspired her to volunteer. “I signed up for the funeral group to help with funerals,” she said. “I signed up for the garden group, and then I signed up for the mission committee.” She also has been active in her neighborhood. When the city was planning to erect a cell phone tower nearby, she went door-to-door to get signatures opposing the move.
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June 23, 2016
FROM AGE TO AGE • ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING
The Catholic Spirit • 15
Grandparents’ love for family manifests in prayer By Josephine von Dohlen For The Catholic Spirit Every Tuesday after the 8:15 Mass, about one dozen grandparents gather in the Marian chapel of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul to pray the rosary for their grandchildren. The parish’s Grandparents Apostolate of Sts. Joachim and Anne seeks to build a community of grandparents by uniting in prayer for their grandchildren while supporting one another in Christ. Founded in 2011 by Father Joseph Bambenek, former parochial vicar of Nativity, and Lilee Perera, 76-year-old grandmother of five, the group will celebrate its fifth anniversary July 26, the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, Jesus’ maternal grandparents and the patrons of grandparents. Its 83 registered members pray for 545 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren. Out of love for her own grandchildren, Perera felt called to reach out to other grandparents after an unsuccessful hunt for a support group with a similar mindset. “God was beginning to use me as an instrument. Through spiritual direction, I was told to pray and discern about the role of grandparents, so I did,” she said. Step by step, the apostolate was formed. “The grandparents apostolate’s mission is founded on this: to know, love and serve God through the grandparents’ vocation and role in the family and society,” she said.
Models of prayer It wasn’t just Perera’s interior call that led her to form the group. It was also what Perera was observing throughout society that compelled her to pray especially for her family. “Everything is turned upside down. What was normal for our generation isn’t what is normal today. We have lots of knowledge and wisdom that we can pass on, but our kids seem so busy,” she said. “That is why prayer is so important, not only for our grandchildren, but for all families.”
From left, Lilee Perera of Nativity of Our Lord prays a rosary with Elfriede Falvey, Mary Jean Loomis and other Catholic grandparents for their grandchildren at Nativity June 14. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit Barbara Wollan, a 79-year-old retired nurse, is a grandmother of 22 and a great-grandmother of two. She has been part of the apostolate for four years. She was drawn to the mission because of her own personal devotion to the rosary. “I would hear stories about people’s grandchildren falling away from the Church, so I turned to prayer,” she said. “If I place importance on prayer, especially the rosary, my grandchildren know it is important. Then they are able to go out and spread the faith to others.” Other grandparents have expressed similar sentiments. “My wife and I felt like our grandchildren don’t get what they need spiritually. So first, we wanted to educate ourselves so that we could go and encourage our grandchildren,” said Gordon Buesgens, a 75-yearold retired sports official. He added: “It is different for our grandchildren than it is with our children. It seems they want to get out of church as soon as possible. We want to help them understand the importance of the Eucharist.” The aspect of education culminates with three celebrations that the apostolate hosts annually. Each event features a speaker to both educate and encourage the grandparents in their work of passing on their faith to their families, as well as to foster a community of support. These celebrations have brought together
about 185 grandparents in the past five years. The next event featuring speaker Mary McClure will be held 8:45-10 a.m. July 26 at Nativity. While Nativity’s apostolate attracts grandparents from more than 30 parishes across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, similar groups are springing up elsewhere. Kim Doyle, a parishioner of St. Joseph in Rosemount and member of the Apostolate of Sts. Joachim and Anne, is extending the mission by starting a group in her own parish. “I wanted to continue to enrich our archdiocese with additional programs for grandparents . . . to build a support group and share what we are doing with others,” Doyle said. St. Pius X in White Bear Lake also has a grandparents group that focuses on bonding activities for grandparents and their grandchildren. “We try to be the north metro hub for the grandparents’ initiative,” said Kim Williams, a St. Pius X parishioner. Recognizing grandparents’ important role, the archdiocese is also partnering with parishes to launch a grandparents initiative and hosting The Gift of Being Grand Catholic Grandparent Conference at Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville Aug. 27.
16 • The Catholic Spirit
FROM AGE TO AGE • ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING
June 23, 2016
‘I just tell them all I love you’ Nearly 90, archdiocese’s oldest active pastor focuses on love and mercy By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit After 65 years of priesthood, Father John Clay could fit his favorite pastoral message into a single 140-character tweet. “I tell them I love them all the time and God loves them and that’s just the whole story,” said Father Clay, who turns 90 July 7 and is the archdiocese’s oldest active pastor. Father Clay, who has served since 1975 as the first non-Czech pastor of St. Stanislaus in St. Paul and has no plans to retire, does get his messages out on Twitter and the parish website with the help of parish staff. The staff is also handling administration for the 1,100-household parish so he can focus on what he said he does best — administering and preparing Catholics to receive the sacraments, writing and spiritual counseling. Through his long priestly ministry and tenure at “St. Stan’s,” Father Clay has cultivated deep relationships, fostered involvement and care for the parish’s West Seventh neighborhood, and led a congregation of people not only from the neighborhood but throughout the Twin Cities.
‘We’ve got to learn from each other’ While considering the changes he’s seen in the
At 89, Father John Clay is still going strong as pastor of St. Stanislaus in St. Paul. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit Church and priesthood, Father Clay talked about the personal transformation God has been doing especially during the past 10 years, and how it brings him back to the theme of loving others. Father Clay was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1926. The second of four boys, he grew up in New Ulm, which was then part of the Archdiocese of St. Paul. A priest who coached his sixth-grade sports teams was a “hero” who sparked his interest in priesthood. A couple years later, Father Clay became convinced he wanted to do the work of a priest. He studied for the priesthood at Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary (which closed in 1970 and is now the site of the University of Northwestern) and then at St. Paul Seminary, both in St. Paul. Following his 1951 ordination, Father Clay served at
St. Peter in Richfield with a pastor, Father William Brand, who was a positive influence. “He said, ‘You earn your respect as a man; respect for the priesthood will follow.’ I never forgot that.” Father Clay later served as an associate at St. Olaf in downtown Minneapolis, St. Joseph in Red Wing, and St. Leo (now Lumen Christi) in St. Paul’s Highland Park before being assigned pastor of Our Lady of the Lake in Mound. In the early 1970s, Father Clay dealt with divisions among his parishioners affected by liturgical and other changes influenced by Vatican II. Recalling the period after the Council, he said he didn’t realize at the time how difficult the changes were Continued on next page
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FROM AGE TO AGE • ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING
The Catholic Spirit • 17
Continued from previous page for some Catholics. Coming to understand that has helped him be more sensitive to Catholics who have left the Church, as well as self-described “liberal” and “conservative” Catholics. “The Gospel is deeper than liberal and conservative,” he said. After returning to St. Olaf for several years, Father Clay found a home at St. Stanislaus in 1975. Then an older congregation, St. Stanislaus now has a diverse membership from around the Twin Cities. Tucked between Interstate 35E and the Mississippi River a mile southwest of downtown St. Paul, St. Stanislaus is well situated for parishioners’ outreach to its neighbors along West Seventh Street. Father Clay encourages his congregation to be aware of and involved in the lowerincome area, said Lindsay Lopez, 58, who has served as St. Stanislaus’ director of religious education for 27 years. “It’s a journey we’ve been on as a parish — to be more and more conscious of life that’s happening around you,” she said. St. Stanislaus sponsors food and clothing drives plus other efforts to support its neighbors. When fire damaged nearby St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church shortly before Christmas in 2014, Father Clay offered to share St. Stanislaus’ worship space not only with the Lutheran congregation, but also with the Free at Last Church of God in Christ Church, which had been using St. Mark’s space. “We’ve got to learn from each other,” said Father Clay, who said he learned
“What I’ve finally come to understand is that I have learned more about what it means to be a Christian since I was 80 than in the first 80 years of my life.” Father John Clay
Father John Clay laughs with staff members and parishioners at St. Stanislaus in St. Paul. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit religious tolerance from his mother, an Irish Catholic, and his father, a deist. “They can learn from us and we can learn from them.” Father Clay puts people of all backgrounds at ease, said Dolores Hunstad, 88, who served as the parish’s pastoral minister for 30 years and is still “on call.” “He’s got so much compassion and love for everybody. No matter the color of your skin or if you’re Catholic, Baptist or whatever you are, you’re still God’s children in his eyes,” she said. He does the same for parish employees, giving them latitude as he keeps track of what they’re working on, Lopez said. St. Stanislaus has changed while Father Clay has been pastor — and so has he — through prayer and experience, he said.
“I’m not the same as I was in 1975,” he said. “What I’ve finally come to understand is that I have learned more about what it means to be a Christian since I was 80 than in the first 80 years of my life.” He also believes God has shown him more about loving others, including enemies. In his pastoral work, he tries to help people find a new path and said he is happiest as a priest when he can help people allow God to change them. Mercy is a regular theme in Father Clay’s homilies. “I just tell them all I love you,” he said. “When you’re older you can do stuff like that.” Through his compassion, he helps people believe that God loves them, too, said Lopez, who was married by Father
Clay at the parish 40 years ago. “What’s unique about Father Clay is that he always talks about how God loves you and he talks in such a way that God loves you right now no matter what,” she said. As he approaches the 10th decade of his life, Father Clay plans to continue the pastoral work he enjoys, including welcoming parishioners, writing homilies and crafting tweets. Despite suffering a mild heart attack and colon cancer several years ago, he is now in good health, he said. “I’ll work as long as I’m able,” he said. “If the [pastoral] council sees I’m not doing my job, they’ll tell me.” Hunstad said she hopes that won’t happen anytime soon. “God willing, we hope we have him for a long time yet,” she said. “I‘m hoping that the archbishop agrees with me. He [Father Clay] loves that ministry. It’s his whole life.”
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18 • The Catholic Spirit
FROM AGE TO AGE • ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING
June 23, 2016
Samaritans at south Texas parish bring joy, comfort to sick, elderly Catholic News Service
people because it makes me so happy, too.”
Delfina Flores loves Tuesdays. On that day, she puts on a bright pink shirt and heads to her church, San Francisco Javier Mission in Laredo, Texas, to meet a group of 10 women, also in pink shirts. They clean the church, they pray together, and then they set off to fulfill the quote that is emblazoned on the back of their shirts: “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do unto me. Matthew 25:40.” They are called the Samaritans. The group began in 2014 when Oblate Father Bill Davis, their pastor, was struggling to assist all of his parishioners, especially the homebound, in this low-income community and asked the women to help. Their mission is to lend a hand to anyone who needs it — the elderly, the disabled, the sick, the lonely and the grieving. They clean houses, visit people, provide food, comfort in times of disaster and pray the rosary. In short, they make life better, one person at a time.
A little going a long way To fund their small but mighty ministry, they each contribute $1 a week to buy cleaning supplies, food and prizes for lottery games that they host in nursing homes.
“Lay ministry should be automatic. Once you are baptized, you belong to a family. And we all need to care for this family. The Samaritans put God’s love into action.” Oblate Father Bill Davis
“The elderly love to play the lottery,” Flores said, “especially when they have a chance to win something.” Their funds also help pay for medical bills and transportation costs when people go to the hospital. “We can’t give much,” she told Catholic Extension magazine, “but at that moment, 50 bucks can really help.” About 20 people are visited regularly by the Samaritans, but the women are always ready to respond in a crisis. “A family recently lost their house in a fire. We gathered clothes and household items from people in the community to give them,” Flores said.
Adding beauty, companionship One particular parishioner that Flores remembers fondly is a woman who was bedridden. Her husband worked all day, so she was alone. When the Samaritans arrived, they saw that she was poor, the house was dirty and there were no curtains on the
windows. “We wanted her to look around and see her house as clean and beautiful,” Flores said. They spruced up the place, made curtains and left her with food. A fellow Samaritan continued each week to take the woman, who was in a wheelchair, to her own house to bathe her. Slowly, the woman has gotten a little better and now walks with a walker. And the best part, Flores said, is that the woman is going to church now. When the Samaritans see her there, “it is so powerful. We cry, we pray, we sing together.” Others have started attending Mass after being visited by the Samaritans. And for those who are unable to attend because of disabilities, the Samaritans pray a rosary with them. The Samaritan women are a diverse group. Flores is 72 and retired, but as long as she can move, she said, she wants to “continue to take joy to these
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The Samaritans have taken a big load off the shoulders of Father Davis, the octogenarian pastor who, rather than retire, agreed to take on the challenge of leading one of the poorest parishes in the Diocese of Laredo. Chicago-based Catholic Extension, an organization that supports the work and ministries of U.S. mission dioceses, has subsidized Father Davis’ salary since 2006. “Lay ministry should be automatic,” he said. “Once you are baptized, you belong to a family. And we all need to care for this family. The Samaritans put God’s love into action.” In this Year of Mercy, the Catholic Church is celebrating all efforts — no matter how big or small — to reach out to the marginalized. And the Samaritans, who show love and tenderness to people who really need it, embody the kind of “revolution of tenderness” Pope Francis is trying to encourage throughout the jubilee year. Flores summed it up: “We need to see poor people all the same — the same as us. Just because they are not rich, we can still give them a smile.” At the end of the day — her favorite of the week — Flores folds up her pink shirt until the next Tuesday.
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FOCUS ON FAITH
June 23, 2016
SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Jeff Hedglen
What it means to live by the Spirit When I was in high school, I signed up for a special district-wide class on criminal justice. The idea was to gather from every school students who were considering a career in law enforcement. I had to travel across town to another school for the course, and it turned out all the other students in the class went to that school. I was the only outsider. For an entire year, the whole class
treated me rudely, made fun of me and called me offensive names. Looking back, it was one of the best years of my life. I had been taught by my family and my faith to turn the other cheek, and I strived all year to do just that. I never lashed out at these other students; I just took their insults and did my best to be the better person. This experience has
The Catholic Spirit • 19
had a lasting impact on me. It came to mind when reading the Gospel for June 26. Jesus wants to visit a Samaritan town, but the local people refuse to welcome him. Jesus’ disciples ask him, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” But Jesus rejects this idea. To be sure, when I was in that class daily with students who refused to welcome me, I wanted to “call down fire from heaven.” But by the grace of God, I was able to lean more heavily on the message from St. Paul this week: “Live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh.” So often we are in danger of letting our worldly passions rule our life. But Jesus and St. Paul in unison reject this idea and call us to live by the Spirit. Living by the Spirit does not mean that we cannot have passion; rather, it means we have surrendered to the will of God and have allowed his will to
Sunday, June 26
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings • 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21 • Gal 5:1, 13-18 • Lk 9:51-62
guide our passions. As with most things in the spiritual life, it’s simple but not easy. We must be steeped in the things of the Spirit and avoid the thoughts and activities mired in the flesh if we are to have a fighting chance. But fight we must, lest we call down that fire from heaven and end up singed by our own wrath. This Catholic News Service column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, June 26 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21 Gal 5:1, 13-18 Lk 9:51-62 Monday, June 27 Am 2:6-10, 13-16 Mt 8:18-22
Tuesday, June 28 St. Irenaeus, bishop and martyr Am 3:1-8; 4:11-12 Mt 8:23-27 Wednesday, June 29 Sts. Peter and Paul, apostles Acts 12:1-11 2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18 Mt 16:13-19
Thursday, June 30 Am 7:10-17 Mt 9:1-8 Friday, July 1 Am 8:4-6, 9-12 Mt 9:9-13 Saturday, July 2 Am 9:11-15 Mt 9:14-17
SEEKING ANSWERS Father Kenneth Doyle
Explaining internal forum; religious mailings Q. In a recent editorial in a Catholic newspaper, I read that, with regard to whether civilly remarried Catholics may receive holy Communion, Pope Francis is now encouraging people to talk to their priest “in the internal forum.” What does that mean? (From what I can understand, I think it means that the priest will help them to examine their individual conscience so they can decide for themselves whether they feel worthy to receive.) A. Your understanding of the “internal forum” is correct. It refers to a private conversation between a Catholic and his or her confessor, which can help to determine the degree of subjective responsibility for a particular action. In his apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia,” issued in April, Pope Francis recommends that divorced and civilly remarried Catholics discuss with a priest the specifics of their situation. While the norm remains unchanged — marriage is indissoluble and, generally speaking, without the benefit
of a Church annulment, a divorced and civilly remarried Catholic is not considered eligible to receive Communion — the pope acknowledges that each situation is different. The degree of responsibility is not equal in all cases, circumstances can sometimes mitigate culpability and that “discernment can recognize that in a particular situation, no grave fault exists.” The pastoral discernment Pope Francis encourages is far from an instantaneous and facile solution. Instead, it requires a fair amount of reflection and prayer. The pontiff says it would be wrong to conclude that “any priest can quickly grant ‘exceptions.’” People, the pope explains, should ask themselves such questions as: “How did they act toward their children when the conjugal union entered into crisis; whether or not they made attempts at reconciliation; what has become of the abandoned party. . . . ” Such a thorough examination might help a person to assess where he or she stands before God and to determine his
Sunday, July 3 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 66:10-14c Gal 6:14-18 Lk 10:1-12, 17-20 Monday, July 4 Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22 Mt 9:18-26 Tuesday, July 5 Hos 8:4-7, 11-13 Mt 9:32-38
Wednesday, July 6 Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12 Mt 10:1-7
Saturday, July 9 Is 6:1-8 Mt 10:24-33
Thursday, July 7 Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9 Mt 10:7-15
Sunday, July 10 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Dt 30:10-14 Col 1:15-20 Lk 10:25-37
Friday, July 8 Hos 14:2-10 Mt 10:16-23
or her worthiness to receive Communion. Whatever the decision with regard to Communion, divorced and civilly remarried Catholics should, the pope notes, always be welcome in Catholic parishes and supported in their efforts to raise their children in the Catholic faith.
Q. I receive, on a daily basis, mailings from multiple religious organizations requesting monetary help. Often they include address labels, holy pictures, prayers cards, etc. I feel guilty just trashing them, so I collect them and when the pile gets big, I mail it to one of the organizations, hoping that they will know how to dispose of them. But this gets costly and, as a senior citizen, I have a limited income. Please let me know what I can do. A. I know exactly what you are talking about because I get these mailings myself — dozens of them. What I do is this: Occasionally, if I like a particular prayer card, I pull it out and keep it for future reference. Once in a while, I send a small financial donation if I think the organization is particularly worthy. But most of the time, I simply throw the whole packet in the wastebasket. Nearly always, the sponsoring organization is doing worthy work — often missionary activity — and this is one of the few ways they have of raising funds. But you are certainly within your rights, both legally and morally, in disposing of the material. You never
The pastoral discernment Pope Francis encourages is far from an instantaneous and facile solution. Instead, it requires a fair amount of reflection and prayer. requested these items, and they are not blessed. To expect the recipient, especially an elderly person of modest means, to bear the cost of returning them would be unreasonable and unfair. (One alternative, I suppose, would be to offer such items to your local parish for use in their catechetical program, but you are not bound to make that effort.) What you might want to do is write a quick note to each of the sending organizations saying something like this, “I know that you do good work, and I appreciate it, but I no longer wish to receive mailings from your organization. Please remove my name from your address list.” Father Doyle writes for Catholic News Service. A priest of the Diocese of Albany, New York, he previously served as director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Questions may be sent to Father Doyle at askfatherdoyle@ gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, NY 12208.
20 • The Catholic Spirit
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
June 23, 2016
EVERYDAY MERCIES Alyssa Bormes
Winks from God Now and then, God gives us “winks” to let us know that he will be testing us, but that we are to still trust him. This summer will be just such a time. In a few previous columns, I’ve mentioned that my stepsister Brenda and I will be walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain this summer. It seems that the time has come to go — ready or not. The past few months have been a whirlwind, and I can tell you that I need another day, or perhaps week, or perhaps year, to be ready. During Easter week, my new hiking shoes, which had a little spring in the heel, left me nearly unable to walk. In the past two months, I have been to the doctor many times, finally receiving an MRI, and am currently wearing a boot aircast! In other words, my training derailed. Last fall, my colleague, Denise Hirl, returned from the Camino. At one point, her injuries from the walk forced her to take a bus for a few days. What at first felt like a defeat allowed for a series of providential meetings that only served to enhance her pilgrimage. Her journey was different from what she had imagined; she said, “Everyone walks their own Camino.” This has given me strength. My pilgrimage will be very different; I am beginning broken.
Father Joseph Johnson, my pastor at Holy Family, told me that it is good to go discouraged to the Camino. St. James was discouraged while he was there because of a lack of converts. Mary appeared to him; she stood on a stone pillar and said that his efforts would result in conversions and their faith would be as strong as the pillar. Our Lady of the Pillar, pray for us on the Camino! The other day I had another passing thought of, “You’re crazy! You shouldn’t be going.” The problem is that I feel compelled to go. Then I had another passing thought: “I can’t be the first ill-prepared person to walk the Camino. There has probably even been someone who has run a marathon with no preparation.” This thought only confirmed the first thought. However, later I was speaking with Kelly Wahlquist, who founded WINE: Women in the New Evangelization, and, out of the blue, she told me about her friend who was dared to run Grandma’s Marathon. The next day he ran all 26.2 miles! Brenda and I have been planning this for some time. Our departure date was June 13. In part, we have chosen to walk to honor our parents. My widowed mother married her widower father. And on June 12, I discovered another little wink from God. We will
The other day I had another passing thought of, “You’re crazy! You shouldn’t be going.” The problem is that I feel compelled to go. Then I had another passing thought: “I can’t be the first ill-prepared person to walk the Camino.” iStock depart as sisters 20 years after our parents made that possible. June 13 would have been their 20th wedding anniversary had my mother not passed away last year. I have no doubt that God will physically and spiritually test me in
the next weeks. Thinking of these “winks” will remind me that I can trust him — one step at a time. Bormes, a member of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, is the author of the book “The Catechism of Hockey.”
CATHOLIC WATCHMEN Justin Kortuem
Stepping out of comfort and toward spiritual maturity Don’t we all love just a little bit of comfort? We reminisce about the things that bring us comfort: the food our mother made as a child, sitting outside on a warm summer day — and waking up before the sunrise on a Saturday morning for a men’s group. Wait, that isn’t comfortable! Pope Benedict XVI said, “The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” As Catholic men it can become increasingly easy to stay comfortable or complacent in our faith, our relationships and with our prayer life. It can be easy to look across the aisle and say, “I’m doing pretty well. I go to church, I pray sometimes, and I try to stay out of trouble.” These were the sentiments of one of the men of Transfiguration in Oakdale before he encountered the Catholic Watchmen movement. Ryan Patet, a young husband and soon-to-be father,
was content going to Mass on Sundays, but his prayer life was stagnant. He says, “The Catholic Watchmen have helped me realize what I was missing in my life and have motivated me to address concretely this area in my life.” Transfiguration has taken the initiative of the archdiocese, with the guidance of Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Jeff Cavins, to help men live a life of greatness. With the leadership of our pastor, Father William Baer, men are being called out of comfort and into greatness. Transfiguration is currently offering weekly men’s groups, a holy hour of adoration on Wednesday nights called the Midnight Watch and monthly gatherings of 50 to 75 men. Tyler Scheidt, another young adult member of the parish, says: “I am grateful for the accountability brought on by the men through various
[The Midnight Watch] has been a powerful time of prayer and a silent shield in the battle we face.
Watchmen events. As a military guy, I appreciate the themes of duty and honor represented in the Watchmen movement as they ignite a warrior spirit to defend our faith and protect our families.”
Culture change And as this movement becomes alive in the parish, one of the blessings has been the culture change of the men stepping up and taking ownership not only for their own faith and the faith of their families, but also for the parish. “There is great solace and renewal of energy in seeing other men supporting one another in our daily faith walk and prayer for our families, as we become stronger leaders in our communities and positive role models for others to emulate in the future,” says another parishioner, Greg Dittrich. One of the less visible, yet vibrant events of the Catholic Watchmen is the Midnight Watch. This is an hour
of adoration that has been going on since Advent every Wednesday from 11 p.m. until midnight. There are from four to 10 men who come every week not only to meet the Lord in adoration, but also to pray for spiritual protection for their families and all those whom God has given them to protect. It has been a powerful time of prayer and a silent shield in the battle we face. Bishop Cozzens, in addressing the men in March at the annual Archdiocesan Men’s Conference, declared, “We need to become men of prayer so that we begin to see the world the way that God sees, so that we can see who God needs us to be.” Our lives of spiritual complacency will not bring us or our families to sainthood in heaven. We need to be Catholic Watchmen for the sake of fraternity, accountability and prayer. Kortuem is the director of family formation and youth ministry at Transfiguration in Oakdale.
CALENDAR
June 23, 2016
The Catholic Spirit • 21
Dining out
CALENDAR submissions
Benefit breakfast — June 26: 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at
Stillwater Knights of Columbus Hall, 1910 S. Greeley St., Stillwater. 651-430-3274.
Music Cappella Romana in Concert: New Worlds in Eastern Orthodox Church Music — June 23:
7:30–9 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. www.roseensemble.org/ shows/cappella-romana-concert.
Cities 97 Basilica Block Party — July 8-9:
5–10:30 p.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. www.basilicablockparty. org.
Ongoing groups Faithful Spouses support group — Third Tuesday of each month: 7-8:30 p.m. in Smith Hall Iraqi refugee women who fled Islamic State group violence in their homeland pose for a photo in Amman, Jordan, in early June. The Chaldean Catholic women sent the hand-sewn chasuble to Pope Francis and asked him to pray for them and for peace in their country. CNS
Iraqi women hope chasuble sent to pope will inspire prayers for peace By Dale Gavlak Catholic News Service Iraqi refugee women who fled Islamic State group violence in their homeland have appealed to Pope Francis for help, sending a hand-sewn chasuble and imploring him to pray for them and for peace in their country. The ivory colored chasuble with an oriental yellow-gold braid was designed and sewn by more than a dozen Chaldean Catholic women, who as refugees are unable to work in Jordan. The papal chasuble and an accompanying letter were sent to the pontiff via diplomatic pouch from the apostolic nunciature in Amman, the Jordanian capital, in early June and was expected to arrive at the Vatican
by mid-month. “One of the most precious items is the vestment of a priest, bishop or pope serving at the altar during the most sacred of times, the Mass,” said Father Rifat Bader, director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Amman. “This has been made with hearts of love and with a special touch by refugees who suffered, forced to flee to maintain their Christian faith,” Father Bader said. The women wrote that they sewed the chasuble from the “remains of altar cloths,” explaining that they wanted to produce “something useful and beautiful to glorify the Lord from whatever is rejected and detested” by the militants.
(second floor) of the Hayden Building, 328 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul. For those who are living apart from their spouses because of separation or divorce. 651-291-4438 or faithfulspouses@archspm.org.
Career Transition group meeting — Third Thursday of every month: 7:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Community, 155 County Road 24, Medina. For people looking for work, changing careers, or looking to improve skills and network. www.hnoj.org/career-transition-group.
Dementia Support Group — Second Tuesday of every month: 7-9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery. org.
Parish events
The archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Program is also available to offer help and assist with healing. For confidential, compassionate assistance from an independent and professional local care provider, please call (651) 291-4497.
23-24 and 9 a.m.–2 p.m. June 25 at St. John the Baptist, 12508 Lynn Ave., Savage. stjohns-savage.org.
Holy Name of Jesus rummage sale — June 24-25: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. at 155 County Road 24,
Medina. www.hnoj.org.
Our Lady of Guadalupe parish festival — June 25: Noon–8 p.m. at 401 Concord St., St. Paul.
Annual Mental Health Blessing and Ice Cream Social — June 26: 9:30 a.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis. Janet Grove at 612-317-3508 or jgrove@mary.org. www.mary.org.
Nativity Grandparents Apostolate – Mary McClure presents “The Church Saved Me” — July 26: 8:45–10 a.m. at Nativity of Our Lord, 1900 Stanford Ave., St Paul.
Prayer/worship Alan Ames: Mass and healing service — June 26: 6–9 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 E. Cliff Road, Burnsville. www.alanames.org.
Mass with Father Jim Livingston and healing service with Alan Ames — June 27: 7–9:30 p.m.
2017
LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your press release. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar: • Time and date of event • Full street address of event • Description of event • Contact information in case of questions. (No attachments, please.) FAX: (651) 291-4460 MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit • 244 Dayton Ave. • St. Paul, MN 55102 A note to readers As of Jan. 1, 2016, The Catholic Spirit no longer accepts calendar submissions via email. Please submit events using the form at www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions.
Super sale — June 23-25: 9 a.m.–8 p.m. June
www.olgspchurch.com.
If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, your first call should be to law enforcement.
DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.
Official Minnesota Catholic Directories are coming this fall!
at St. Henry, 1001 E. Seventh St., Monticello. www.alanames.org.
Pre-order yours today. Call 651.291.4444
7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
Taize prayer — Third Friday of every month:
Retreats Into The Deep summer retreats — July 11-15, Aug. 1-5; Aug. 8-12; Sept. 17-21: www.idretreats. org.
Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend — July 15-17: Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. 612-226-8378 or www.wwme.org.
Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For
Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. Mary at 763-323-3479 or Al at 651-482-0406.
Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. 763-425-0412.
Young adults Theology on Tap for ages 18-39 — June 29, July 6, July 13, July 20: 6:30 p.m. at O’Gara’s Bar & Grill, 164 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul. boylan.mm@ gmail.com or www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/cya.
Cathedral Young Adults Sport Night — Fridays through September: 6:30–9 p.m. at Rahn Athletic Park, 4440 Nicols Road, Eagan. www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/cya.
Other events 19th annual golf tee-off for Holy Cross Catholic School in Webster — July 15: 12:30 p.m. at CreeksBend Golf Course, 26826 Langford Ave., New Prague. www.holycrossschool.net/annual-golf-tee-off.
22 • The Catholic Spirit
June 23, 2016
For one professor, excitement for new leader overrides anxiety Continued from page 6
“We’re developing the current and the future workforce to practice in the environment that’s being created now and that’s coming down the road,” he said. “We know that the health care of tomorrow is going to be delivered by a health care team. It doesn’t always have to be a physician leading that charge.” When the grant money becomes available next July, St. Kate’s will invest it in three areas: primary care, global health and senior/long-term care. The grant will also fund international field work, required for the master’s program in public health that launches this fall. Blegen, who has been at St. Kate’s for nine years, said strong relationships with Twin Cities and regional health care institutions will guide its broader work. The university is “working in tandem with some wonderful organizations to say, ‘What do you need, how can we innovate, how can we help … your company or your program move forward and develop the current workforce, and here’s what St. Kate’s can do for you,’” he said.
Making its mark
Mission and Catholic identity Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Amata Miller, 83, outgoing director of the school’s Myser Initiative on Catholic Identity, will retire knowing that Catholic identity will continue to be a priority for faculty, staff and students. That’s because the program is endowed, thanks to a $1 million gift from Patricia O’Connor Myser, 1956 alumna, and her husband, the late John Myser. The endowment is critical, Sister Amata said, because the initiative builds from the bottom up. In the last 10 years, her job as endowed chair has been to develop Catholic identity with the faculty, who’ll carry it out through their teaching and programs. Instead of holding seminars or having a specific department dedicated to Catholic identity, Sister Amata said the school is intentionally and purposefully infusing the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic social teaching throughout the university. It’s a model that St. Kate’s is spreading across the nation, she added. “We don’t take mission lightly here,” Sister Amata said. “We have had to spend a great deal of time and effort over the last 10 years . . . to increase understanding, respect and appreciation for the Catholic identity of this institution — what does it mean?” she said. “Because you can’t expect the faculty to implement and carry out Catholic identity in their work if they don’t know what it is.” Acknowledging that many students, faculty and staff aren’t Catholic, Sister Amata said St. Kate’s mission isn’t to proselytize, but to help others understand what a Catholic university contributes to their education and profession, as well as nourishing their own faith. Mark Blegen, associate professor and chair of nutrition and exercise sciences, believes the university’s “Catholic piece” distinguishes it from competitors. With its reputation in health care and the university’s private, liberal arts focus, Blegen, who’s Lutheran, said St. Kate’s upholds the principles of Catholic social teaching and the spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet to “love thy neighbor.”
Key milestones in St. Catherine University’s past two decades • Received a $20 million gift from the university’s foundresses, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. • Launched the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health and other programs. • Transitioned to university status from being the College of St. Catherine. • Built Coeur de Catherine, the student activities center. • Attracted major grants and led capital campaigns. • Established Myser Initiative on Catholic Identity. “Because of that faith-based, mission-based perspective and moving the spirit of the CSJs forward, it’s really an active partnership with our community,” he said. “Hopefully, the community . . . is going to experience and work with us in developing new, wonderful partnerships and relationships.”
Anticipating ‘a new ballgame’
Building on a health care legacy Historically, nursing has been a signature program at the university, which will use a recent $18 million gift from the Twin Cities-based GHR Foundation to develop innovative models for health care education. “What really attracted GHR to St. Kate’s in this respect was the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health,” said Blegen, who is also associate dean of the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health. “At St. Kate’s, everything [health-related] falls under the umbrella of the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health, and that was by design, so we can be inter-professional in all our work.” Inter-professional education — two or more disciplines learning from or about one another, Blegen explained — allows St. Kate’s to prepare students for their careers.
With Sister Andrea’s nearly 20-year tenure, very few faculty members have been through such a transition. For 18 years, the environment at St. Kate’s has been fairly stable, said Blegen, who served on the search committee for Sister Andrea’s successor. “There’s tremendous excitement and anxiety,” he said. Any anxiety, however, is overridden by the excitement of what’s possible, he added. “Sister Andrea did this fantastic job of getting St. Kate’s to where it is, and we really weathered the economic storm and the downturn in enrollments [among private universities nationwide],” Blegen said. “And St. Kate’s is as strong as ever.” Board chairwoman Ford said St. Kate’s is primed to fully express its qualities as a Catholic university. “We’re really a place where it’s safe to experience a spiritual life,” she said. “And, all who come here are embraced and they’re guided so that they can serve the community and go out and respond to the needs of any neighbor who’s in need.”
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FAITH & CULTURE
On God’s green earth
The Catholic Spirit • 23
Archdiocesan Rural Life Sunday When: Sunday, June 26, 1:30 p.m. Mass Where: Ron and Kay Keller farm, 9320 Kenyon Blvd., Faribault If you go: Lunch, kids activities and animal visits to follow Mass. Bring lawn chairs. Freewill donations accepted. In case of rain, Mass will be held at St. Michael,108 Bullis St., Kenyon.
Annual Rural Life Sunday Mass celebrates farming, creation, community By Clare Kolars For The Catholic Spirit
S
itting along Highway 60 in Kenyon — population 1,815 — is St. Michael Church, a thriving parish hosting Rural Life Sunday June 26. As in years past, the Mass and festivities won’t be held at the church, but at a parishioner’s farm. This year’s event is planned for the Keller farm, located 7 miles west of Kenyon and about 8 miles east of Faribault. Ron Keller and his wife, Kay, have been members of St. Michael for 24 years, and look forward to this event as a way to celebrate rural life with the broader Catholic community. Enjoying the view of the farm from their front porch with iced tea in hand, the Kellers recounted the numerous joys and strengths of rural life in both the parish and the farm. “St. Michael’s rural character consists of a close-knit community where people are willing to help each other and celebrate together,” said Ron, 56. He said Rural Life Sunday is a way for people from urban communities to show appreciation for rural communities. “An assumption about rural parishes is everyone’s farmers,” said Kay, 55. “A rural setting just means we live in a small community. There are 120 registered families at St. Michael’s, but only 50 of those are active [parishioners].” She noted that less than 10 percent of parishioners are full-time farmers. “Some small parishes struggle with declining enrollment, but we don’t,” Ron said. “We’ve always had an equal number transition in and out.” He added: “We’re financially strong, but we always get a little nervous when there’s talk of downsizing.” Numerous joys and strengths override the challenges of the small parish community. One challenge has been starting a program for the youth, Ron said. “Our youth connect with programs at Divine Mercy in Faribault because there aren’t enough kids around here to start our own program,” he said. St. Michael is clustered with Divine Mercy, with Father Kevin Kenney as pastor. Popular at the parish are its biannual bingo nights, Fall Bingo and Mardi Gras Bingo. Parishioners of all ages gather together for lunch and prizes, Ron said. People love it, and it’s a good fundraiser for the parish, he added.
Family farm Ron is the fifth generation of the Kellers to run the farm, with his seven children helping out, along with Kay. “People might be surprised at how big our farm is and that it’s family operated,” Ron said. With 154 acres, the Kellers raise hogs, corn and
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP Ron and Kay Keller, parishioners of St. Michael in Kenyon, are holding Archdiocesan Rural Life Sunday at their farm June 26. St. Michael is this year’s host parish for the annual event. From left, Keller’s nieces Eva Larson, 12, Grace Hewitt, 12, Jillian Schmitz, 6, with granddaughters Charlotte Keller, 9, and Isabella Keller, 10, finished their first day of horse camp led by Kay Keller June 13. Clare Kolars/For The Catholic Spirit soybeans, and keep horses and chickens, too. During a break in his chores, Ron watched his wife drive by in a truck full of kids, with a trailer carrying horses in tow. “Kay leads a horse camp with our nieces and granddaughters,” Ron explained. “We also host tours for third-graders from Faribault a few times a year. The kids love to see the horses and play in nature.” When it comes to hosting Rural Life Sunday, the Kellers are excited to share their farm with guests for a day. Ron pointed out that Catholics often sing songs that talk about harvest and creation during Mass. “Anyone attending will see where songs like that come from,” he said. “They’ll be able to experience the beauty and joy that comes from this work.” Kay hopes one takeaway will be a realization that Catholics, both rural and urban, should care about each other as a family.
“It’s a way to help city folks remember rural life still exists and to give them an opportunity to come and see a farm,” she said. “Mass is a bonus.” St. Michael trustee Karen Kahnke said people in the parish hope that, through this event, small country churches will be appreciated and valued. She has been a parishioner since 1976 and likes the small parish because it’s easy to be involved. Presiding at the Mass will be Father Donald DeGrood, the archdiocesan vicar for clergy, who grew up on a farm just west of Faribault. “Celebrating the Eucharist on a farm enables us to reflect upon the gift of our spiritual food at Mass and physical food produced by farmers,” DeGrood said. “Rural Life Sunday provides the context for city and rural people to pray and share fraternity together.” He added: “It’s important we all stay closely connected to each other as true brothers and sisters in the Lord.”
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24 • The Catholic Spirit
THE LAST WORD
June 23, 2016
A historic aerial view shows the classroom building of Villa Maria Academy, left, and Marian Hall. The classroom building burned down in 1969, and Marian Hall still stands today. Courtesy Villa Maria
T
housands of people have taken the scenic drive southeast of the Twin Cities on Highway 61 on their way to bluff country in Goodhue County. Their destination was Villa Maria Retreat and Conference Center in Old Frontenac, nestled in a wooded area overlooking the Mississippi River’s Lake Pepin 12 miles south of Red Wing. For more than four decades, the site has hosted retreats and conferences for Catholics and non-Catholics alike, with 180 retreats taking place there in 2015. The center’s iconic medieval-looking main building, Marian Hall, has become familiar to the 5,000 annual visitors, half of whom are repeat retreat attendees. As palpable as the serenity for those who pull up the driveway onto the 70-acre grounds is the sense of sadness over its impending closure. The Ursuline Sisters, who initially received the land in 1885 from General Israel Garrard of Kentucky, decided this year to close the retreat center and sell the buildings and property. The last Ursuline serving the center left in 2009. The absence of sisters at Villa Maria and its distance from the order’s provincial office in St. Louis were key factors in the province leadership team’s decision to close and sell Villa Maria, according to Susan Whelan, the Ursulines’ communications and development director. A farewell event is scheduled for June 24-26, coinciding with the center’s final retreat under the Ursuline sisters’ watch. Sarah “This has been a special place for McCLELLAN a lot of people,” said Executive Director Sarah McClellan, who visited the retreat center as a teenager and returned to work there four years ago. “[Some] people have been coming here for retreats for upwards of 40 years. It’s a pretty sad situation for a lot of people. A lot of the alums consider it their home. There’s a lot of sadness about the closing; a lot of people will miss it.” Among them is Kevin Sampers, 55, who first came for a family retreat in the early 1990s while a member of St. Thomas Becket in Eagan. After going on several family retreats, he learned Villa Maria offered a men’s retreat. He said about 100 men have attended the retreats over the years. His last retreat was in November 2015. “It’s just a very spiritual place,” he said. “You walk in and you feel like all the burdens of your life just dissolve away and you’re able to spend time reflecting on your life in a very non-judgmental environment.” He said coming together with other men was particularly meaningful. “Men typically don’t have an outlet to share their faith with one another, and their life struggles,” Sampers said. “From that first retreat, it really showed me that men, as quiet as they are, are often dealing with the same issues in life and struggling with their own
End
of an
era
Ursulines bid farewell to Villa Maria retreat center near Lake Pepin By Dave Hrbacek • The Catholic Spirit
classroom building and the residence building to pull out furniture and books. Water from the swimming pool was used by two local fire departments to try and put out the blaze, and a man driving by in a milk truck got water to help fight the fire. After the fire, the sisters converted parts of the residence building into classrooms to finish out the school year, then closed the school for good. Sister Rosemary left after the school year, but has not forgotten either the decade she served there or the beauty of the place. “What made it so wonderful? I think the loving atmosphere that the sisters created at the very beginning, the closeness,” she said. “It was like the girls had a home away from home. It was really their home for most of the year. That’s why [several alumnae] are still having a luncheon every May or June.”
Need ‘for places like this’
Marian Hall is the main building at Villa Maria Retreat and Conference Center, which the Ursuline Sisters are selling after owning the Old Frontenac property since 1885. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit spirituality. To get down there and talk to other men in a truly spiritual sense really rejuvenates you to go back into the world and say, ‘Hey, everybody is struggling with these things. And, with your faith, you can actually get through them.’”
Longtime school Women, likewise, have been impacted by Villa Maria, but in a more unique way. From 1891-1969, the Ursuline sisters ran Villa Maria Academy, a high school for girls, on the property. The thriving school that drew both day students and boarders closed abruptly after a fire caused by a lightning strike burned down the threestory classroom building on March 20, 1969. Sister Rosemary Meiman was principal during the tragedy and expressed vivid memories of that day. “It happened very early in the morning, like 4 o’clock,” said Sister Rosemary, now in her 80s and living in New Orleans. “A very loud clap of thunder awakened me, just bolted me up in my bed. I didn’t know what happened.” Soon, she found herself helping staff and students trying to rescue important items from the building. They were only able to get as far as the second floor. She recalls going through a tunnel between the
At least one alumna went on to become an Ursuline Sister and teach at Villa Maria Academy. Sister Miriam Patricia Faricy went to school there with her younger sister, Elizabeth Schneider, and graduated in 1948. She joined the Ursulines in 1949 and taught at the school from 1963-65. “It was a very happy time for me,” said Sister Miriam, 85, who grew up in Prior Lake. “I had grown up out in the country and [Villa Maria] was out in the country. I liked it very much.” She added: “We just had an alumnae luncheon a few weeks ago in Miesville, and it was just amazing [to see] the loyalty of the alumnae, and for many of them their happiness in being able to have had the formation that we had at Villa Maria.” Sister Miriam said she was both nervous and excited to come back and teach at the academy. It gave her a chance to help students the way the sisters had helped her. “The bonds that were established between the sisters on the faculty and the students were very deep,” she said. “For those of us who really put our whole heart into being there, I think it was a wonderful experience.” The property, including 39,499-square-foot Marian Hall, has been on the market since April. Whelan said the provincial leaders “would like it to be used for the best possible purpose in keeping with Ursuline values and respecting all parties.” The sisters also are exploring options for the property’s cemetery, where dozens of sisters are buried. McClellan is hoping whoever buys the property will continue to offer its beauty to both newcomers and those familiar with its treasures. She wants [to see] the legacy continue that is stated in its slogan: “Where God is center and the world is welcome.” “I think there’s such a tremendous need in our world for places like this,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful property, it’s such a unique property. It’s just so peaceful and it has such a holy essence to it. I would love to see it turned into some kind of healing center. I think that would be a good continuation of the legacy that the sisters started.”