Pope in Holy Land 3 • Are horoscopes OK? 15 • ‘Grilling’ the bishop 17 JUNE 5, 2014 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
thecatholicspirit.com
Ordination Joy
Fathers Joseph Kuharski, left, and Marc Paveglio, along with their four fellow ordinands, enter into the joy of priesthood during the recessional of their ordination Mass May 31 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit The local Church celebrated six new priests May 31 as Archbishop John Nienstedt ordained the men at the Cathedral of St. Paul on the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Like the Virgin Mary, you are called not only to be a Christ bearer to others,” the archbishop said,
“but you, like her, are to do it with great joy, rooted in your love for Jesus Christ and his love for you.” Archbishop Nienstedt cited Pope Francis’ homily from Holy Thursday in which he spoke of the joys of priesthood, and encouraged the young priests (all of whom are younger than 30) to make a copy and reflect on the pontiff’s words often. Father Michael Barsness described his ordination as “surreal, but very beautiful.”
“I was in awe of God’s delight in me, in his people and the priesthood,” he said. For Father Kevin Manthey, the ordination Mass was “incredible.” “There were so many elements that reminded me of graces the Lord has given me,” he said. “I saw each of them as confirmations of God’s providence Please turn to MOTHER on page 10
ALSO inside
Heads up
Rural Life Sunday
Penny prayers
Our Lady of Guadalupe soccer program begins eighth season. — Page 4
Watertown couple to host Mass on family farm June 22. — Page 5
Author shares stories of change from a coin’s simple message. — Rediscover: section
Page Two
2 in PICTURES
OVERHEARD “Keep your perspective, maintain your sense of humor and don’t forget to pray. God always is there for us; Jesus never abandons us.” — Salt Lake City Bishop John Wester’s advice for those graduating this year, via teleconference with students at Utah’s three Catholic high schools
NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit Priests celebrate 50th anniversaries CHARISMATIC PRAYERS A young woman prays before Pope Francis’ arrival for an encounter with more than 50,000 Catholic charismatics at the Olympic Stadium in Rome June 1. The pope knelt onstage as the crowd prayed over him by singing and speaking in tongues. During the event, the pope acknowledged he had once been uncomfortable with the charismatic movement. CNS photo/Paul Haring
Seminary classmates Fathers Ron Bowers, Robert Nygaard, John Parkos and David Smith will celebrate the 50th anniversary or their ordinations to the priesthood with a concelebrated Mass at 11:30 a.m., June 8 at Corpus Christi in Roseville. Also marking his 50th anniversary, Father William Gamber will celebrate with a 3 p.m. Mass June 8 at Our Lady of Victory in his hometown of Fergus Falls, Minn. A reception will follow the Mass. Father Bowers has served as a member of the faculty at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity at the University of St. Thomas, as a presiding judge for the archdiocesan tribunal and at parishes in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Little Canada and Cottage Grove. Father Nygaard served at parishes in Roseville, St. Paul, Osseo, Blaine, Little Canada, Plymouth, and was founding pastor of St. John Neumann in Eagan. Father Parkos has served at parishes in Maplewood, Hopkins Minneapolis, West St. Paul, Maple Grove and North Branch. He also served as vice chancellor for the archdiocese, secretary to Archbishop Leo Byrne and as archdiocesan vocation director. Father Smith served at parishes in St. Paul and Excelsior and for one year as secretary to Archbishop Leo Binz before joining the faculty of the Theology Department at the University of St. Thomas. Father Gamber served at parishes in St. Paul, New Brighton, Deephaven, Minneapolis and Hugo. He also served as a chaplain at the Minnesota Veteran’s Home and Minneapolis Veteran’s Hospital.
Benedictine brother ordained to priesthood
MARIAN PRAYERS People attend a Marian prayer service led by Pope Francis at a replica of the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens May 31. The pope told Vatican employees and other guests that Mary is a mother who never makes her children wait for an answer to their prayers. CNS photo/Paul Haring
WHAT’S NEW on social media For Mother’s Day, a post on the Catholic Spirit’s Facebook page asked about the best advice your mom had given you. This week, with Father’s Day coming up June 15, we want to hear about your dads. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from your dad? Follow the latest news about the local and universal Church by following The Catholic Spirit on Twitter @CatholicSpirit.
Benedictine Father Bradley Jenniges, a native of St. Paul, was ordained a priest by Bishop Donald Kettler, Bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud, May 31 at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville. Father Jenniges was a member of St. Matthew parish and attended the parish school and Humboldt High School. He served as lector and parish pastoral council member at St. Matthew before entering the Benedictine monastery of St. John’s Abbey, professing vows in 1992. Father Jenniges will serve as parochial vicar with a Benedictine pastor in the St. Cloud area.
Save the date: Mass for religious freedom As part of the Fortnight for Freedom, set for June 21 to July 4, Archbishop John Nienstedt will celebrate a Mass for religious freedom June 28 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Catholics across the nation are being encouraged by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to pray for rebuilding a culture favorable to life and marriage, and for increased protections of religious liberty.
CORRECTION The Church’s celebration of Pentecost highlights the “life-changing power of God’s presence” believers receive through the Holy Spirit, said Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl. Visit http://bit.ly/1nLyGEp to watch a video of Cardinal Wuerl talking about Pentecost.
The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 19 — No. 12 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT, Publisher ANNE STEFFENS, Associate Publisher JOE TOWALSKI, Editor
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
It was incorrectly reported in the May 22 edition of The Catholic Spirit that the debt for parish renovation at St. Michael in Stillwater was $5 million when Father Michael Miller arrived to serve as pastor in 2005. He actually arrived in 2008 and the remaining debt at that time was $2.3 million.
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: catholicspirit@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
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While most of us were off enjoying a beautiful Memorial Day weekend, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, made a whirlwind apostolic visit to the Holy Land. On Saturday, May 24, the pope landed in Jordan, whose king has been one of the few tireless promoters of mediation with leaders, both religious and civil, of various viewpoints in the Middle East. What is more, the king has welcomed and supported countless refugees from Palestine and Syria. So, it was appropriate for Pope Francis to meet and encourage the king and his government in the good work they are doing. The pope celebrated holy Mass at the Amman International Stadium, and in his homily invited the president of Israel and the president of Palestine to join him next month at the Vatican to pray for peace. THAT THEY MAY Afterward, he met with ALL BE ONE refugees and young people with disabilities, joining Archbishop some refugee families for John Nienstedt lunch. The next day, the pope traveled to the Palestinian territories and offered Sunday Mass in Bethlehem Square, where he also prayed his noon-day Regina Coeli. After that, he visited a refugee camp, where he greeted the children of those displaced families. That same day, he flew to Israel where he met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople. This meeting marked the 50th anniversary of a similar meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, which was the beginning of a warming of relations between the Orthodox and Catholic churches. The pope and patriarch this time celebrated a service together at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and then met afterward to express their common desire to continue praying and working towards unity. Commenting on this experience afterwards, the pope recalled that: “In that place, where the proclamation of the Resurrection resounds, we all felt the bitterness and suffering of the divisions that continue to exist between Christ’s disciples, and this has really done great harm, harm to the heart. We are still divided; in that place, where the proclamation of the Resurrection resounds, where Jesus gives us life, we are still di-
vided. But above all, in that celebration so rich in mutual brotherhood, esteem and affection, we strongly heard the voice of the Risen Good Shepherd who wishes to bring together all his sheep in one flock; we felt the desire to heal the wounds that are still open and to follow with tenacity the path to full communion. “Once more, like predecessors, I ask forgiveness for what we have done to promote that division, and I pray that the Holy Spirit may help us to heal the wounds we have inflicted on other brethren. We are all brothers in Christ, and with the Patriarch Bartholomew we are friends, brothers; we have shared the desire to walk together, to do what we are able to do today; to pray together, to work together for God’s flock, to seek peace and protect creation, the many things that we have in common. We must move forward like brothers.” On Monday, May 26, Pope Francis met with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem on the Esplanade of the Mosques. He then paid a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, followed by courtesy visits to the two chief rabbis of Israel. Finally, His Holiness had a meeting with the president of the state of Israel at the presidential residence. The day and visit ended with holy Mass with the Catholic bishops of the Holy Land in the Room of the Cenacle, the very site of the Lord’s Last Supper. This was preceded by a meeting with priests, religious and seminarians in the Church of the Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The pontiff headed home on Monday evening after three very full, but historic days. At his general audience last Wednesday, Pope Francis concluded his summary account of the visit by saying: “With this pilgrimage, I wished to be the bearer of a word of hope, but I also received this in return! I received it from the brothers and sisters who hope ‘against all hope,’ amid the suffering of those who have fled their own countries on account of conflicts; of those who, throughout the world, are derided and discriminated against for their faith in Christ. Let us stay close to them! Let us pray for them, and for peace in the Holy Land and in the Middle East. May the prayer of all the Church also support the path to full unity between Christians, so that the world may believe in God’s love that in Jesus Christ came to live among us.” My dear friends, let us respond to the pope’s invitation to pray for those who suffer in the Holy Land, to pray for a desire for peace among her civil leaders and to pray for a deeper unity between the followers of Jesus. God love you!
Photos of pope’s Holy Land visit — see page 13 OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Rev. John C. Nienstedt, has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Effective June 15, 2014 • Reverend Michael Barsness, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. • Reverend Joseph Kuharski, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Church of the Epiphany in Coon Rapids,
Minnesota. This appointment will continue until Father Kuharski returns to the Pontifical North American College this fall for an additional year of academic studies. • Reverend Benjamin Little, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Olaf in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Peter in Forest Lake. • Reverend Kevin Manthey, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Stephen in Anoka, Minnesota.
• Reverend Marcus Milless, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Church of All Saints in Lakeville, Minnesota. • Reverend Marc Paveglio, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Edina, Minnesota. • Reverend Paul Shovelain, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Peter in Forest Lake, Minnesota.
Pope Francis’ pilgrimage May 24-26 included stops in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. The following are papal quotes from the trip.
“We need to believe that, just as the stone before the tomb was cast aside, so, too, every obstacle to our full communion will also be removed.” At a prayer service May 25 with Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
From the Archbishop
Peace, unity at heart of Pope Francis’ Holy Land visit
“I ask the all-powerful and merciful God to teach us all to walk in his presence with our souls and feet uncovered and our hearts open to divine mercy and love for our brothers and sisters. In that way, God will be all in all and peace will reign. Thank you for offering humanity this place of witness.” Writing in a welcome book at the banks of the River Jordan, where he prayed, spoke and blessed Syrian and Iraqi refugees sheltering in Jordan, along with orphans, the sick and disabled
“Let us ask the Spirit to prepare our hearts to encounter our brothers and sisters, so that we may overcome our differences rooted in political thinking, language, culture and religion. Let us ask him to anoint our whole being with the oil of mercy, which heals the injuries caused by mistakes, misunderstandings and disputes.” In a homily May 24 at Amman’s International Stadium
Please turn to OFFICIAL on page 6
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
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Local
Our Lady of Guadalupe soccer program begins eighth season
s d a e h P
U
Jesus Abarca, 8, practiced before the games started.
Father Kevin Kenney welcomes everyone and blesses the players and their families.
The 5- and 6-year-olds play in the first game of the day.
More than 220 children ages 5 to 15 gathered May 31 at the Boys and Girls Club soccer fields on Belvidere Street E. in St.Paul for the opening ceremonies and first games of the Soccer and Scouting Our Lady of Guadalupe Soccer program. The non-competitive league, designed to get the children of the parish out of the house to get some exercise in the summer, is in its eighth season. “We started as a competition league, but after four summers we changed to a friendly league where the idea is not competing, but learning skills and playing together,” said Father Kevin Kenney, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. “It truly has been a wonderful and inspirational league.” The parish has teamed up with sponsors The Boys and Girls Club and the Boy Scouts of America to keep the program going. After each game, players are encouraged to stay for various Scouting activities. The program runs from May 31 through July 27.
Twins Louis Octavio and Louis Eduardo Arce lead their team onto the field for a parade. Each team was introduced as the players walked around the outside of the field.
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Local
Falling in love with each other — and farming Watertown couple excited to host Rural Life Sunday By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Back when Vernon Rosckes was a teenage farm boy, he met the woman he would marry at a Halloween party for high schoolers. He was Catholic; she was Lutheran. In 1957, that was a big deal in the farm community of Watertown, and in most other places. Their religious differences, however, were not part of their first conversation, which took place at the party near the town of Mayer. “She was with another boy, and I was in the back seat of the car,” said Vernon, who belongs to Immaculate Conception in Watertown. “We went to a bonfire and Halloween party when we were in [high] school. She turned around and she said, ‘I don’t like that guy I’m with tonight. I should have never said I’d go [to the party with him].’ And I said, ‘Well, come in the back seat by me.’ And, she’s been in the back seat ever since.” Vernon and his new high school sweetheart, Elaine, were married in 1959, when both were just 17. Because of their interdenominational marriage, the tension started right away. “It didn’t work out very well with the parents [at first],” Elaine said. Said Vernon: “They thought the marriage would never last.” Turns out, both sets of parents were wrong. After 55 years of marriage, Vernon and Elaine, both 72, still give each other adoring glances when talking about their rural life, even when talk turns to how tough things were when they first bought their farm from Vernon’s parents, Carl and Cordelia, in 1965. “We didn’t have a nickel to our name,” said Vernon, who grew up near that farm on a farm owned by his grandparents, Barb and Charlie Ehalt. “It was tough going. We just had a few milk cows and she worked at Tonka Toys.” Today, things are much better, and they have a beautiful home on their 100 acres. Their deep faith and postcard perfect homestead are reasons why members of Immaculate Conception nominated them to be hosts of this year’s annual Rural Life Sunday, which will take place June 22.
Event preparations The event will kick off with Mass at 1:30 p.m. celebrated by Bishop Andrew Cozzens, making his first appearance at the event as a bishop. The Mass also will feature a polka band, Dale Dahmen and The Polka Beats. Vernon especially wanted to have a polka Mass, and he received approval for it from the pastor of Immaculate Conception, Father Joe Fink. Now that Vernon and Elaine have
Elaine and Vernon Rosckes are excited to be hosting this year’s Rural Life Sunday on their farm in Watertown. The event will feature a polka Mass celebrated by Bishop Andrew Cozzens. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
Rural Life Sunday
Directions
• When: 1:30 p.m., Sunday, June 22. Polka Mass with Bishop Andrew Cozzens. • Where: The Vernon and Elaine Rosckes farm. Please bring your own lawn chairs or blankets. Some seating will be provided. Bars and refreshments will served following Mass. Activities and entertainment will include music, face painting, children’s hay rides and mini donuts concessions.
From the Twin Cities, head west on Highway 7. Go north on County Road 10 to Watertown until you reach the Rosckes farm. The address is 3255 County Road 10 North, Watertown.
sold their cows and hogs and only grow crops, things are more relaxed, and they have time to spend with their five children, 13 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and their great-great-granddaughter. One of their children, Dan, comes every night after his regular job to help out on the farm. Recently, they have been busy planting the crops — corn, soybeans and hay. As always, they’ve had their eye on the weather and jumped in full throttle to get the crops planted during a string of warm, dry days at the end of May. Their prayers for good weather will continue all the way up to the
start of Rural Life Sunday. But, if things turn gloomy, they have a wonderful backup — a hay barn that Vernon converted into a reception facility. They host a number of wedding receptions every year, and have no official fee for doing so, only the invitation to make a freewill offering.
Life on the farm On a day bursting with landscaping activity to get ready for the event, Vernon and Elaine took a leisurely stroll around their barns and farmhouse, with no hint that Vernon needed to race over to the
fields to continue planting as soon as the tour was finished. Thankfully, almost all of the planting was done, with good weather forecast for the next several days. He said the latest they want to plant is June 5, and he expressed confidence that the task will be done with time to spare. They are hoping that 500 or more people will take the opportunity to experience a taste of the life Vernon and Elaine have been enjoying for more than five decades — and hope to for many more. Vernon’s chronic bronchitis has slowed him down, but it will never take the joy out of surveying the sprawling landscape, one that now includes a housing development just down the road on land he sold to a developer in 1997. “I enjoy it more [now] than before,” Vernon said, of living out in the country. “Now, we’re just cash cropping and you can enjoy life a little bit. You can get the crop [planted] and go to the cabin and then come back every week.” By the way, Vernon has remained Catholic all these years, and Elaine is still Lutheran. She goes to St. Paul’s Lutheran in Watertown and both go to each other’s church on special occasions. This will be the first time a bishop sets foot on their property. And, that’s just fine with both of them. “It’s kind of an honor, really,” Elaine said, “that they’d even think about having it out here.”
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
Local
6 OFFICIAL continued from page 3 Effective July 1, 2014 • Reverend Douglas Ebert, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint John Neumann in Eagan, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment as pastor of the Church of the Guardian Angels in Chaska. Upon this appointment, Reverend David McCauley will cease in his appointment as temporary parochial administrator of the Church of Saint John Neumann. • Reverend David Hennen, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment as pastor of the Church of Saint Francis Xavier in Buffalo. • Reverend Kevin Finnegan, appointed pastor of the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Edina, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment as pastor at the Church of Divine Mercy in Faribault and the Church of Saint Michael in Kenyon. • Reverend Andrew Jaspers, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint John the Baptist in New Brighton, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment at the Church of Saint John Neumann in Eagan. • Reverend Mark Juettner, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint George in Long Lake, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment as pastor of the Church of Saint Charles in Bayport. • Reverend Michael Kaluza, appointed pastor of the Church of Divine Mercy in
Faribault, and the Church of Saint Michael in Kenyon, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment as pastor of the Church of Our Lady of the Prairie in Belle Plaine. • Reverend Patrick Kennedy, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Olaf in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Mark in the Diocese of Tucson. • Reverend Michael Kueber, appointed pastor of the Church of the Assumption in Richfield, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Olaf in Minneapolis. Upon this appointment, the Most Reverend Andrew Cozzens will cease in his appointment as temporary parochial administrator of the Church of the Assumption. • Reverend Erik Lundgren, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Parish of Saints Joachim and Anne of Shakopee, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment at the Church of Divine Mercy in Faribault and the Church of Saint Michael in Kenyon, Minnesota. • Reverend Kevin Magner, appointed pastor of the Church of Maternity of the Blessed Virgin in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park. • Reverend John Malone, appointed pastor of the Church of the Assumption in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his
current appointment as vice president for mission at the University of St. Thomas. • Reverend Nicholas VanDenBroeke, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Church of Divine Mercy in Faribault and the Church of Saint Michael in Kenyon, Minnesota. This is a transfer from his current appointment at the Church of Saint John the Baptist in New Brighton. Effective July 10, 2014 • Reverend Spencer Howe, appointed “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint John Neumann in Eagan, Minnesota. Father Howe will be returning to the United States after completing academic studies in Rome.
Father Gilbert Endres Father Gilbert Endres, 86, died May 24. He was born Oct. 16, 1927, and ordained a priest June 7, 1952. Father Endres served at St. Charles in Bayport, St. Wenceslaus in New Prague, Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. James in St. Paul, St. Michael in Stillwater, St. Paul in Zumbrota, St. Mary in Bellechester, St. Michael in Farmington and St. Joseph in Waconia. He retired from active ministry in 1996. A funeral Mass was held May 30 at St. Mathias in Hampton. Interment is in St. Mathias Cemetery.
Father Laird’s deposition posted on archdiocese’s website The deposition that Father Peter Laird gave May 12 as part of a civil lawsuit in a case of alleged clergy sexual abuse has been posted on the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ website at www.archspm.org. “We offer Father Laird’s deposition as part of our renewed commitment to transparency and disclosure,” the archdiocese states on its website. One section of the deposition is not posted because it is under seal by the court. Father Laird served as vicar general and moderator of the curia for the archdiocese from late 2009 to late 2013. The deposition in St. Paul was conducted by attorneys for a plaintiff known as “John Doe 1.” The plaintiff alleges that a former priest of the Diocese of Winona, Thomas Adamson, who had assignments in the archdiocese, sexually abused him in 1976 or 1977 when he was a minor.
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By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit
On the Web
The annual Catholic Services Appeal hasn’t reached its halfway point in the campaign year, but a number of parishes already have met and exceeded their goals — both in dollars and number of donors. Leaders are crediting local Catholics who recognize their role in the greater Church. According to Tim Healy, president of the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation, at the appeal’s 12th week, the foundation has received $200,000 more than at the same time last year. The appeal began in parishes at the end of February and goes until Dec. 31. Thousands of people throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and beyond benefit from the appeal. Funds are used for some 16-plus archdiocesan ministries, including Archdiocesan Youth Day, outreach to Catholics with disabilities, Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women, Latino ministry, Native American ministry, deaf ministry, the Venezuelan mission, Catholic elementary schools, Catholic high school tuition aid, campus ministries, St. John Vianney College Seminary, The Saint Paul Seminary, hospital chaplains, prison chaplains, Catholic Charities and evangelization. The foundation’s goal is to con-
For a list of all parishes that have exceeded their goal for the Catholic Services Appeal, visit www.TheCatholic Spirit.com. tribute $9.3 million after expenses to the ministries. All dollars collected by the CSAF are used only for the benefit of its designated ministries and expenses of the appeal. “We’ve seen the generosity of the people in this archdiocese,” Healy said. “They see the need of the community, and they’re responding. People realize the call of the Church, not just for priests, but for all of us. This year, the pastors have done an extraordinary job in educating and encouraging what the CSAF supports.”
Responding in faith Father Corey Belden of St. Anne in Hamel has encouraged parishioners to participate in what he calls “an act of faith” to care for people beyond the parish’s boundaries. “It’s not just about St. Anne’s, it’s about the archdiocese,” Father Belden said. “The faith is so much greater than our little parish.” Father Belden has promoted the annual appeal as a responsibility
Contributions made to ministries from the 2014 Catholic Services Appeal Foundation as of May 15
and duty of Christians. “The gifts God has given you will be returned to him as your gifts to others, who you might not ever meet,” he said. “You either respond in faith, or you don’t.” New to this year’s appeal is its establishment as an independent non-profit corporation to receive and distribute all CSAF donor dollars. Bill Mohrman and John Norris join Healy as officers of the foundation. Healy said the appeal’s success thus far reflects the goodness and truth of the Church. But because the foundation has a way to go before reaching its $9.3 million goal, he urges all Catholics to look at the ministries benefiting from the appeal and help those people by contributing. “When you look at the list, who would you not want to support?” Healy said. “They’re very worthy charities and needy people. We are all about social justice — it’s about helping those people who need help.” Healy said the foundation is encouraged by the numbers, and the process of receiving contributions will continue as it has for the last 40 years — with phone calls and follow-up letters to remind people to give. “We know there are still dollars out there,” he said. “Even if you’ve given, feel free to give more.” For more information and to donate, visit www.csafspm.org.
Local
Annual appeal seeing success thanks to generosity of local Catholics
Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women: $7,669 Campus ministries: $119,250 Catholic Charities: $583,333 Catholic elementary schools: $504,110 Catholic secondary schools: $482,500 Deaf Ministry: $16,023 Evangelization: $17,882 Hospital and prison chaplains: $281,461 Indian Ministry: $80,687 Latino Ministry: $63,792 Marriage, Family and Life: $140,369 St. John Vianney Seminary: $128,939 The Saint Paul Seminary: $547,676 Venezuelan Mission: $67,103
Total: $3,040,794 For more information about these specific ministries, visit www. csafspm.org.
Parishes excel in CSAF goals Pledges received as a percentage of 2014 monetary goal* Our Lady of Grace Edina
Number of donors as a percentage of 2013 donors*
$297,256
St. John the Baptist Excelsior
St. Anne/St. Joseph H en Minneapolis St. Stephen Minneapolis
$96,638
St. Stephen Minneapolis
$13,947
St. Nicholas Carver
St. Anne Hamel
$62,520
St. Pius X White Bear Lake
All Saints Minneapolis
$12,691
Our Lady of Guadalupe St. Paul
St. Raphael Crystal
$110,395
St. Nicholas Elko New Market
Ascension Minneapolis
$20,946
St. Olaf Minneapolis
Holy Family St. Louis Park
$121,736
St. Adalbert St. Paul
St. Bridget of Sweden Lindstrom
$
$137,375
Ascension Norwood Young America
$14,244
St. Anne/St. Joseph Hein Minneapolis
$22,030
0
50
100
150
200
Total Pledges Percentage of Monetary Goal
250
2013 Donors
204%
2014 Donors
179.5%
141.2% 139.8% 138.5% 138.5% 125.7%
St. Patrick Oak Grove
$62,436.50
St. Mary of the Lake White Bear Lake
256.7%
300
125.1%
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
* As of end of Appeal Week 12 Source: Catholic Services Appeal Foundation
350
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
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Archdiocese discloses five additional names The Catholic Spirit
• Francis Zachman
The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has released the names and assignment histories of three priests and two religious brothers against whom claims of sexual abuse of a minor within the archdiocese have been found to be substantiated. The men who were named May 22 are: • Stephen Baker • Edmund Frost • Robert Ruglovsky • Justin Weger
See the listing below for more information about each of the men. Additional information related to clergy abuse disclosures can be found by going to www.archspm. org and clicking on “Clergy Abuse Disclosures.” In all cases involving the five men, the abuse occurred more than 25 years ago, the archdiocese said in a statement. While religious brothers are not ordained clergy, the archdiocese said it included their names because they had an official parish assignment within this archdiocese.
Result of file review The archdiocese made the disclosures as part of the review of clergy personnel files conducted by Kinsale Management Consulting at the request of the archdiocese. Beginning in December 2013, Kinsale reviewed the personnel files of all men in ministry as clergy in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at any point from 1970 to the present, whether or not they remained in public ministry. Kinsale reviewed a total of 3,333 clergy files before completing its work in April, the archdiocese said. The purpose of the review was to determine whether there were ad-
ditional cases of sexual abuse or other misconduct that required investigation by law enforcement, public disclosure or other action by the archdiocese. The archdiocese said it shared information discovered through the Kinsale file review with law enforcement and that it would “continue to make prudent and ongoing disclosures” if additional information is found. “We pledge to continue to cooperate with civil authorities and we urge any victims of abuse who have not yet come forward to please contact civil authorities to make a report,” it said.
Five men named May 22 with substantiated claims of sexual abuse of a minor Stephen Baker Date of birth: 1951 Date of ordination: n/a (religious brother) Prior assignments: • St Patrick, Inver Grove Heights 1977-1981 • Left the archdiocese in the early 1980s Diocese or religious order: Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular Date no longer in ministry: 2000 Current location: Deceased 2013 Current status: Deceased 2013 Note: Not a member of the clergy; however, this man was a religious brother with a parish assignment within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Edmund Frost Date of birth: Unknown Date of ordination: n/a (religious brother) Prior assignments: CathSpMermaid-Apr10-2014_Layout 1 3/25/14 3:29 PM • St. Albert the Great, Minneapolis
1964-1975 • Left the archdiocese in 1975 Diocese or religious order: Dominican order Date no longer in ministry: Unknown (Deceased sometime before 2006) Current location: Deceased sometime before 2006 Current status: Deceased sometime before 2006 Note: Not a member of the clergy; however, this man was a religious brother with a parish assignment within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Robert Ruglovsky Date of birth: Feb. 10, 1937 Date of ordination: 1961 Cleric’s prior assignments: • St. John the Baptist, Minneapolis (Byzantine rite parish) Date no longer in ministry: In May 1987, pled guilty to six counts of criminal sexual conduct in Hennepin County District Court; sentenced to one year in workhouse and 15 years probation; permanently removed from
ministry in 1987 Current location: Deceased 2006 Current status: Deceased 2006 Note: Ruglovsky was ordained in the Byzantine rite, but may have received faculties to provide ministry within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as well as within the Eparchy of Parma.
Justin Weger Date of birth: 1925 Date of ordination: 1952 Cleric’s prior assignments: • Outside the archdiocese • In residence, St. Stephen, Minneapolis, 1970-1971 • In residence, St. Mary of the Lake, White Bear Lake, 1971 • Native American ministry within the archdiocese, 1972 • In residence, Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis, 1972 Diocese or religious order: Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross (Crosiers) Date no longer in ministry: The archdiocese removed him from ministry
in 1972; the Crosiers permanently removed him from all ministry in 1976 Current location: Deceased 2005 Current status: Deceased 2005
Francis Zachman Date of birth: 1925 Date of ordination: 1951 Cleric’s prior assignments: • Pastor, Assumption, Richfield, 1973-1981 • Administrator, St. Albert, Albertville, 1981 • In residence, St. George, Long Lake, 1981 • Associate pastor, St. Casimir, St. Paul, 1982 Diocese or religious order: Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular Date no longer in ministry: 1983 (deceased) Current location: Deceased 1983 Current status: Deceased 1983 Source: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
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By Jennifer Janikula For The Catholic Spirit “Now, there is peace in our family.” Odilon Jabana used these words to describe the blessings he received from the Year of the Fathers programs at St. Stephen in Minneapolis. Spearheaded by Sagrada Familia, a family services apostolate at St. Stephen, the Year of the Fathers programs help parishioners reflect on masculinity and fatherhood in the Latino community. Odilon started participating in the programs about seven months ago, when he visited Sagrada Familia with his wife, Sara, in the midst of a marriage crisis. The Jabanas were headed for divorce and had little hope for reconciliation, but decided to try weekly prayer and support meetings with mentor couples. “Thanks to their witness, we realized that we needed to open our hearts to God and let him do his work on us. And, he did,” Odilon explained. As the Jabanas worked through their marriage issues with the mentor couples, Odilon also joined Hombres Fuertes, St. Stephen’s “strong men” group. The testimony and support from the men’s group gave Odilon strength and hope. “So very often we men want to believe that we don’t need God, that dedicating time to him is a waste of time, that Mass and prayers are for women, that we are strong enough to take whatever comes across our life,” Odilon said. “At least I thought in that way, but we shouldn’t struggle alone; our loving God is always sending his
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New programs help heal families through fathers at Minneapolis parish assistance to us.” “These programs helped me identify the changes I needed to make,” Odilon added. “I had many vices, and it is with the grace of God and my efforts that I’m growing in virtue and controlling my poor behaviors. I’m working hard to heal my wounds and to be a better husband and father.”
Healing families through fathers Viviana Sotro, Sagrada Familia’s executive director, described the Year of the Fathers programs as the fruit of two years of missionary work with Latinos in the community surrounding St. Stephen. Women eagerly participated in Sagrada Familia programs from the start, but Sotro realized the parish needed to make a special effort to connect with husbands and fathers. “Many men in our community
“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.” St. Francis de Sales
are suffering from a childhood where they were mistreated or abandoned by their parents,” Sotro said. “There are so many wounds and economic and social pressures that require a compassionate
Odilon and Sara Jabana and their daughters Wendy, Francisca and Maria wait for Mass to begin June 1 at St. Stephen in Minneapolis. Jennifer Janikula / For The Catholic Spirit response.” Sagrada Familia and the St. Stephen community hope to heal families through fathers. “The encounter with Christ helps men reflect on the state of fatherhood,” explained Father Joseph Williams, St. Stephen’s pastor. “Healing the father’s heart will heal the family.” The Year of the Father programs, launched to help men develop values needed to become good fathers and husbands, will help men encounter a genuine masculinity in Christ. “When husbands dive into faith and study Scripture, they gain the admiration of their wives.” Father Williams said. “They become spiritual leaders of their family. They renew their minds and renew their family — teaching with true strength.”
Celebrating sacraments Odilon Jabana remains thankful for the Year of the Fathers and the many programs offered at St. Stephen and Sagrada Familia. His encounter with Christ opened him and his family to the blessings of the sacraments. “This Easter Vigil, my wife was welcomed in the Catholic faith, two of my children were baptized, and on May 3, we celebrated our sacramental wedding,” Odilon said. “I would like to invite my Latino brothers to join the Year of the Fathers activities at St. Stephen’s and to open your hearts to God to see all the wonders he has for each one of us.” For more information about Sagrada Familia and the Year of the Fathers programs at St. Stephen, contact Viviana Sotro at (612) 3922421 or vsotro@ss-mpls.org.
Center for Mission announces writing contest winners The Catholic Spirit The Center for Mission recently selected four winners from separate grade categories for its annual writing contest. Participants had to answer the question: “How do you put your faith in action, words and deeds?” The winners are: Maryeva Gonzalez – Convent of the Visitation School, Mendota Heights (Grades 1-3 category) Sofia Hammel – St. Joseph School, Rosemount (Grades 4-6 category) Dominic Tappella-Nicholson – St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School, Hastings
(Grades 7-9 category) Jan Ryan Berueda – Church of St. Joseph, Rosemount (Grades 10-12 category) To read the winning submissions, visit www. centerformission.org. The four students’ submissions were chosen out of more than 500 as exhibiting “passion and excellence in communicating.” The students received certificates and awards at their schools and parishes. The Center for Mission promotes and coordinates the global mission outreach of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
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Mother prays for Holy Spirit to guide new priests Continued from page 1 working in my life. I was on the verge of breaking down in joy and gratitude until the litany of saints. From then on, I was very much at peace; the prayers of the saints and of God’s people gave me great comfort.” Concelebrating the Mass with Archbishop Nienstedt were auxiliary bishops Lee Piché and Andrew Cozzens, Bishop John LeVoir of New Ulm, Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Ore., and Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services. (Father Paul Shovelain was a co-sponsored seminarian for the Archdiocese for the Military Services.) More than 100 priests from the archdiocese joined the bishops.
From left, Dominic Shovelain and Father Peter Richards, pastor of St. Michael in St. Michael, help newly ordained Father Paul Shovelain put on his stole and chasuble during investiture at the ordination Mass. Father Shovelain grew up attending St. Michael.
Father Paul Shovelain’s face exuded pure joy throughout the ordination Mass. He later reflected that, after Archbishop Nienstedt said the consecration prayer, he repeated to himself, “You’re a priest, you’re a priest!” “He’s always wanted to be a priest,” said Jim Shovelain, Father Shovelain’s dad. “We need priests. We need good priests. It’s a beautiful gift from God, and it’s a gift to the whole Church. The Church needs him more than we ever will.” Father Shovelain’s mom, Marie, remembered the words of her spiritual mentor, Father Paul Gitter, who told her parents are to be the 10 percent, God is supposed to be the 90 percent. “So, God is the one who is calling them to priesthood,” she said. “We’ve done the 10 percent — we’ve raised him. All of this is for God.” God willing, Father Shovelain’s younger brother, Dominic, will follow suit a few years from now. The morning of the ordination Mass, just a day after graduating from high school, Dominic learned he was accepted into St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, a fouryear program that helps seminarians grow in their Catholic faith and vocational discernment. Dominic served at the ordination Mass as a cross bearer and also helped his brother put on the priestly vestments. “It’s just been awesome to help bring up the gifts and see all the priests embrace the newly ordained priests today,” Dominic said. “I think that was the most touching part of
Priests and bishops, including the newly ordained, gather around the altar as Archbishop Jo at the Cathedral of St. Paul. All priests in attendance were invited to come forward into the s the ceremony . . . seeing the hundreds of priests from our archdiocese embrace the six new priests.” As Father Shovelain distributed Communion, he shed tears and said his heart was moved in love. “I knew many of the people I was giving Communion to, and I just thought of these people and the work the Lord was doing in their lives,” he said. “I was crying, and I had somebody wipe my face. I really felt like Jesus.” Father Shovelain will serve at St. Peter in Forest Lake. His confirmation sponsor, Jason Becker, is a youth administrator at the parish. “It will be great to minister to the youth with him now,” Father Shovelain said. “I am excited to learn
Father Kevin Manthey
Father Marc Paveglio
Last fall, a leader with the Knights of Columbus in Lakeville asked then-Deacon Manthey if he had a chalice yet. He didn’t, and so the Knights donated one. “It has the Fourth Degree logo on it of the cross and the Holy Spirit descending upon the world,” Father Manthey said. “It also has the names of the deceased Knights of Columbus from the past year who have died from the Lakeville council. It will be a great reminder to pray for them.”
On a visit to Italy, Father Paveglio went to San Giovanni Rotondo, the home of St. Padre Pio. There was a small gift shop in town that had three chalices. “One was this model, but this is actually not that chalice,” he said pointing to his chalice. “But it really stuck out to me because it has motifs of the passion on the base and on the cup. And it has Peter, Paul, John the Baptist, and the Madonna and child in little niches on the node. In Rome, I fell in love with the saints in a really special way. I was going to get the chalice I saw, but I looked at the base and the stem was crooked. I asked if they had another one and was told, no, this was the only one they had. So, I looked at the bottom and found the company name. I came back to Rome, found the vendor and talked to them. They helped me pick this out. It’s a gift from my parents.”
Photos by Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
from Father [Daniel] Bodin and assist him in his ministry at St. Peter’s.”
A ‘glorious day’ Ashley Dias of St. Bonaventure in Bloomington made it a point to support the new priests by attending their ordination Mass. “It’s wonderful that there are so many young men becoming priests under the direction of the archbishop,” he said. During the Mass, Msgr. Aloysius Callaghan, rector and vice president at the St. Paul Seminary, was alongside Father Michael Becker, rector at St. John Vianney College Seminary, Father Charles Lachowitzer, the archdiocese’s vicar general and
New priests share the s
Archbishop John Nienstedt blessed the chali special Mass May 29 in the chapel of his resi Mass, which was held two days before the men Paul, each spoke brie
Father Michael Barsness Father Barsness began his search for a chalice online, looking on Google to get a idea about prices. “On eBay, this one came up,” he said. “It’s a French, silver chalice. So, I bid, and I rescued it from eBay.” There are several symbols on the base of the chalice, including an ‘M’ for Mary, a cross and a flower, and it features glass stones.
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Photos by Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit
From left, Glen Milless of St. Thomas the Apostle in Corcoran, greets his grandson, Father Marcus Milless, after receiving a blessing following the ordination Mass.
ohn Nienstedt delivers the prayer of consecration during the priest ordination Mass May 31 sanctuary during the eucharistic prayer. moderator of the curia, and Father John Ubel, rector of the cathedral. “It’s a glorious day,” Msgr. Callaghan said afterward. “We’ve got wonderful new priests, and the Church is blessed. And I’m hoping we get 12 more next year.” Jan Mrugala, a parishioner of St. Joseph in New Hope, said there aren’t enough priests to go around. She is related to Father Joseph Kuharski and has another nephew in the seminary. “The churches are fuller now than they’ve ever been,” she said. “So, people are looking for guidance, they’re looking for spirituality in their life.” Mary Ann Kuharski rejoiced as she witnessed the ordination of her son, Father Joseph Kuharski.
“I’ve been praying for my son and the other five [new priests] as well, with my son, because we want to pray that the angels guard them and the Holy Spirit guide them,” she said. “We need to love the priests — love them, hug them, give them pizza, and keep praying for them all the time.” Archbishop Nienstedt left the new priests with these words: “Finally, dear brothers, never let a day go by in which you do not invoke the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on you and your priestly ministry. No earthly person knew the Lord Jesus better than she did. She desires to bring you closer to him. Allow her to do so, surrendering yourself to her maternal guidance and protection.”
stories of their chalices
ices of the archdiocese’s six newest priests at a idence in St. Paul. At a brunch following the n were ordained priests at the Cathedral of St. efly about his chalice.
Father Marcus Milless Father Milless learned that Father Francis Pouliot might have a chalice for him and so he met with him on Dec. 19. “He told me all of these stories from Nazareth Hall [a former preparatory seminary in the archdiocese], and then he said, ‘I have a chalice for you.’ It wasn’t actually his. It was Msgr. [Stanley] Srnec’s chalice. He’s a priest of this archdiocese who has been ordained for 72 years. On the bottom it says, ‘Our share in your sacrifice, Mother and Dad, September 26, 1942.’ He was ordained early because of World War II. It has his mother’s wedding diamond. Dec. 19 also happens to be my mom’s birthday. It’s the day I got the chalice and took it home.”
From left, Deacons Michael Barsness, Joseph Kuharski, Kevin Manthey, Marcus Milless, Marc Paveglio and Paul Shovelain stand before Archbishop John Nienstedt after being called forward to begin the Rite of Ordination.
See page 3 for the new priests’ parish assignments
Father Joseph Kuharski
Father Paul Shovelain
Father Kuharski said he received the inspiration for his chalice from the cathedral in Siena, Italy. “I was with one of our professors there, and he pointed out this great marble artwork on the floor,” Father Kuharski said. “It was an image of the sacrifice of Isaac and the angel grabbing Abraham’s arm. It was right before the steps leading up to the high altar. It’s in Scripture that ‘God himself will provide a lamb,’ and it just really struck me. So I looked for a chalice that had the images.” He eventually had one made. The images on the base of the chalice include those from the story of Abraham and Isaac: Isaac carrying wood up the mountain foreshadowing the cross Christ carried up Calvary, as well as the scene of the sacrifice and the ram getting caught in the thicket. At the top of the chalice are images showing the fulfillment of the story in the New Testament: the lamb, the crucifixion and the Blessed Mother, the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Last fall, Father Nathan LaLiberte of St. Michael in St. Michael asked then-Deacon Shovelain if he had a chalice. “A week later, he sent me a picture of this one, although not in the condition it presently is in,” he said. “It needed to be refurbished. He told me it had been found in the basement of the rectory in St. Michael. It’s believed to be Father Peter Eicher’s chalice. He was ordained in 1904.” On the base of the chalice, made in Germany, is a crucifixion scene, with each tip of the cross featuring a diamond — the biggest one is likely from Father Eicher’s mother’s wedding ring, Father Shovelain said. On the bottom, there also are images of Matthew, Mark, the Blessed Mother, Luke and John. “There are orange stones near the base and also blue ones,” Father Shovelain said. “The blue ones, I’m told, represent the flesh and the orange represent renewal — we receive the flesh of Christ, the blood of Christ to bring about renewal in our lives.” Father Eicher died in 1959 and is buried in the St. Michael cemetery. “My Grandma Kasper remembers going to Mass with him,” Father Shovelain said. “My great-great grandma was an Eicher, so there’s a good chance we’re related.”
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
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Church must embrace digital world to spread Gospel By Jim Mancari Catholic News Service The Catholic Church must establish a presence in the digital world of communications or risk being at the margins of people’s lives, said the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. “If the Church is not present and does not share Archbishop the good news Claudio Maria of God’s love for all people CELLI in this world, then we risk becoming marginal to the lives of many and are failing our mission to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth,” Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli told more than 250 people at the Brooklyn Diocese’s annual celebration of World Communications Day. The May 22 event was organized by the DeSales Media Group, the parent company of The Tablet, the diocesan newspaper. Many dioceses mark World Communications Day June 1. This year’s theme is “Communication at the service of an authentic culture of encounter.” Before the archbishop’s keynote address, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Msgr. Kieran Harrington, president of DeSales, presented Archbishop Celli with the group’s St. Francis de Sales Award. Archbishop Celli was honored for being instrumental in starting Pope Benedict XVI’s Twitter account (@ Pontifex), now handled by Pope Francis. He also oversaw the cre-
“New technologies are not only changing the way we communicate, but communication itself,” says Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli. The president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications addressed journalists and executives from faith-based and secular news agencies May 22 at the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y.’s 23rd annual World Communications Day. CNS photo/Sebastiao Moreira, EPA ation of the Pope App, which allows followers to receive updates regarding important papal events. Archbishop Celli said that so much has changed in the field of technology in the last decade, and he encouraged Church leaders and media organizations to reflect on these changes and to develop appropriate forms of engagement with the target audience. In what Pope Benedict has called the “digital revolution,” Archbishop Celli said that it’s easy to focus solely on the technological developments themselves, such as smartphones and all modern forms of social media. “The truth is that the most significant change is not technological but cultural,” he said. “The real challenge is to appreciate how
much is changing in the ways people, especially young people, are gathering information, are being educated, are expressing themselves and are forming relationships and communities.” He echoed Pope Benedict’s words from 2012 in that “new technologies are not only changing the way we communicate, but communication itself.” Moreover, he said he is reluctant to use the term “new media,” since these forms of technology have become the norm around the globe, especially in developing countries. “To talk of new media is to date oneself and to risk failing to appreciate the ordinariness in the lives of so many,” the archbishop said. The Church’s goal, Archbishop Celli said, is to embrace this new
culture of modern communication, which has become ingrained in the daily lives of people everywhere, especially young people. He challenged Church media organizations to produce engaging content that sparks conversation. While words and text are still important, he said, multimedia content — including images, video, music and gestures — can be much more effective in conveying the message of a particular medium. Photos and videos especially garner the most attention on social media websites, and the Church must use these platforms to its advantage, he added. The church also must recognize that some of its vocabulary might be problematic for its contemporaries, he said, urging those in media to rediscover simple words and metaphors with the goal of capturing the attention of a broader audience. New forms of technology can be effective for the Church in spreading its mission, Archbishop Celli said, but the Church’s presence in the digital age can only work if “we are authentic witness to our faith.” The religious media must concentrate their efforts on how to become an evangelizing presence in this new technological world. Bombarding an audience with information should not be the goal, he said. Rather, media must prompt audiences to take an active role in the content and have an opportunity to explore an issue further. That desire for more content keeps them coming back for more, Archbishop Celli said. The digital world must be “an environment rich in humanity — a network not of wires but of people,” he said.
Pentecost marks ‘life-changing power of God’s presence,’ cardinal says By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service The Church’s celebration of Pentecost highlights the “life-changing power of God’s presence” believers receive through the Holy Spirit, said Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl. Although the feast, celebrated June 8, doesn’t look as it did in the apostles’ time — with the roar of wind and tongues of fire — the cardinal said it serves as a reminder of the outpouring of God’s spirit long ago and continuously. “The Holy Spirit comes regularly” and is “active in the Church today,” he said. In a May 27 interview with Catholic News Service, the cardinal discussed the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit — wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord — which have been the focus of recent audience talks by Pope Francis. The cardinal said these gifts, outlined by the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, are “manifestations of the presence of God’s spirit in our lives.” Simply put, he said they are meant to “help us through each day . . . to draw closer to the Lord.”
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
“As the Church prepares to Pentecost, we recognize that these gifts,” he added. He described the gift of wisdom as “seeing things through the eyes of God.” “Wisdom is usually associated with the elderly — with the seniors — people who have lived through life and experienced not only facts but how they come together and relate us to God.”
celebrate we have
words.” He said counsel, another gift, helps believers “find our way through situations.” “It is the quiet voice of the spirit speaking to us to say: ‘This is what you should be doing; this is the better way to act; Watch this is the right way.” online In his May 7 audience talk, Pope Francis similarly Visit http://bit. noted that counsel comes ly/1nLyGEp to watch through prayer. the video of Cardinal “We have to give room to Donald Wuerl talking the Holy Spirit so that he about Pentecost. can counsel us. And giving him room means praying, Prayer is key praying that he come and Knowledge, he said, is always help us.” “being able with our mind to grasp and “Prayer is very important,” he said, and hold what God says to us through revela- “never forget to pray, never!” tion in the word of God.” Cardinal Wuerl said he tells young peoHe noted that believers hear the word ple at confirmation: “The Church is going of God not just with their ears but with to give you everything you’ll ever need to their hearts. make your way through life staying close “That’s why prayer is such an impor- to God. You have to use the gifts.” And this message is not just for youths. tant part of the Christian experience of The cardinal pointed out that the the Holy Spirit,” he said, noting the significance of spending quiet time prayer- church today is in a “moment of a new fully reading Scripture and “letting God’s Pentecost.” spirit fill us with the meaning of those “We need to present our faith in a way
that’s fresh and new; that’s what new Pentecost is all about.”
Recommitting ourselves He said the local and universal Church is tapping into gifts of the Holy Spirit through special gatherings or synods. For the past two years, the Archdiocese of Washington has been preparing for a synod which is concluding this Pentecost. The synod has been evaluating where various ministries have been successful and where more work is needed as the archdiocese celebrates its 75th anniversary. He said the local synod, much like the Oct. 5-19 extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican, has involved a process of prayer, reflection and listening. He said the impetus behind the archdiocesan synod process has been to determine “if we really are being the best Church we are supposed to be.” The synod on the family, similarly, is a way for the Church to understand how people are living the faith which in turn, he said, should “bring about a new commitment to live it.”
PILGRIM for peace
Catholic News Service Pope Francis called on the world’s Christians to pray with him for peace in the Middle East, help convince governments to come to the aid of refugees and pray for Christian unity. While peace is a gift from God, it is also built out of the day-to-day handiwork of individuals: true “artisans of peace,” who are capable of crafting fraternity and reconciliation with people of all cultures and religions, he said during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square May 28. Reviewing his May 24-26 trip to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, the pope said his visit to the Holy Land was a great gift of grace for the Church and himself. “During the pilgrimage,” he said, “I encouraged authorities to continue efforts to diffuse the tensions in the Middle East region, above all in martyred Syria, as well as to continue to seek a fair solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” That is why, he said, he invited Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas — “both men of peace and builders of peace — to come to the Vatican to pray together with me for peace.” As the people in the square applauded, the pope told them, “Please, I ask all of you not to abandon us; pray hard so that the Lord gives us peace in that blessed land. I am counting on your prayers.” The Vatican announced the next day that the “prayer for peace” encounter would be held at the Vatican June 8 — Pentecost Sunday.
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass at Manger Square in Bethlehem, West Bank, May 25. CNS photo/Paul Haring Far left, Pope Francis meditates in front of a flame at Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem May 26. The pope laid a wreath of flowers at the site, and talked to and kissed the hands of six Holocaust survivors. CNS photo/ OSSERVATORE ROMANO handout, EPA Left, Pope Francis embraces Argentine Rabbi Abraham Skorka after praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem May 26. Looking on is Omar Abboud, Muslim leader from Argentina. The pope’s message contained the text of the Our Father and of the 122nd Psalm, traditionally prayed by Jewish pilgrims who travel to Jerusalem. CNS photo/Paul Haring
Praying for unity Despite the importance of fostering peace in the Middle East, the pope said the main aim of his trip was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a historic encounter between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. Meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople — a “beloved brother in Christ” — was “the high point” of the visit, the pope said. Together with leaders of other Christian communities, they held an ecumenical prayer service at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher — the site of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. Just as that sacred place echoed the joy of Christ’s resurrection, the pope said, “we also sensed all the bitterness and suffering of the divisions that still exist among Christ’s disciples.” During the celebration, the pope said, “We heard loud and clear the voice of the risen Good Shepherd who wants all his sheep to be of one flock.”
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Peace is handcrafted by ordinary people, pope says
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Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople embrace during an ecumenical celebration in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem May 25. CNS photo/Paul Haring En route to the Bethlehem Mass, Pope Francis makes an unscheduled stop to pray before a controversial separation wall, built by Israel over Palestinian protests on West Bank land. CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano, pool
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
Focus on Faith • Scripture Readings
14 SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Readings Sunday, June 8
Deacon Jake Anderson
Don’t let the flame burn out just because Easter is over Does this sound familiar: After 40 days of Lent, which were filled with a few fish fries, possibly a Lenten talk or two and a grace-filled confession, we found ourselves somewhat exhausted at the end of Holy Week. Easter Sunday had us rejoicing and relieved that Lent was over. After the packed 10 a.m. Easter Sunday Mass, we pushed our way into our favorite restaurant for the ever-traditional Easter brunch with family and friends. Then suddenly, while picking up the remains of the afternoon Easter egg hunt in the backyard, it hits us — we ask ourselves: “Is this it? Did I go through all that work just to find myself picking up Easter eggshells?” It is an experience not unlike the post-Christmas cleanup in which we say to ourselves: “Christ is born! And now, it’s back to business as usual.” It is a deflating experience because we lack a sense of renewal and mission.
Pentecost Sunday • Acts 2:1-11 • 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 • John 20:19-23
Reflection How might you be called to Christian mission through the Holy Spirit?
Stop right there It can certainly seem like the event of the Resurrection is the “end of a season.” But Jesus explicitly says: “It is better for you that I am going away” (John 16:7). What does he mean? He means Pentecost! The Holy Spirit is coming! Not a mere dove, but a “driving wind,” and “fire!” (Acts 2:2). In other words: power. Here’s the thing, though — it can be in the midst of the monotony of “eggshell-like moments” that Jesus desires to give us the Holy Spirit. In fact, it is often when we least expect it that the Spirit moves. Far from being limited only to the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, the Spirit desires to renew and transform us, here and now, 24/7.
An invitation to renewal and mission St. Paul exhorts us: “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit” (1 Corinthians 12:7). This means that you and I are called to mission. Not necessarily a mission to travel to hidden villages in Africa, because we can live anew in the Spirit right here and now. Furthermore, it is no coincidence that Jesus says: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21). When we are filled with and sent by the Holy Spirit, life takes on new meaning, and our hearts are aflame for mission. What might he be calling you to do in the Spirit? While the apostles were entrusted with the forgiveness of sins (John 20:23), you might be called to be an ambassador of healing between your siblings. The apostles were called to witness “the mighty acts of God” (Acts 2:11); you, too, are called to witness the life of the Spirit by your actions. I invite you to sincerely pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This might mean more than whispering a faint “prayer” before falling asleep; it might necessitate you praying on your knees . . . in earnest. It might mean being intentional about turning off the TV and giving your complete attention to God, saying: “Lord, I want your Spirit — I need your Spirit. Without you, I fall apart. Send your living flame into Sunday, June 8
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, June 8 Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-11 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 John 20:19-23 Monday, June 9 St. Ephrem, deacon, doctor of the Church 1 Kings 17:1-6 Matthew 5:1-12 Tuesday, June 10 1 Kings 17:7-16 Matthew 5:13-16 Wednesday, June 11
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
St. Barnabas, apostle Acts 11:21b-26; 13:1-3 Matthew 5:17-19 Thursday, June 12 1 Kings 18:41-46 Matthew 5:20-26 Friday, June 13 St. Anthony of Padua, priest, doctor of the Church 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16 Matthew 5:27-32 Saturday, June 14 1 Kings 19:19-21 Matthew 5:33-37
Bigstock photo my heart.” The goal is to be completely receptive to the power of the Spirit, who renews us and enflames our hearts for mission. Deacon Anderson is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His teaching parish is Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in St. Paul. His home parish is the Cathedral of St. Paul.
Sunday, June 15 The Most Holy Trinity Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 John 3:16-18 Monday, June 16 1 Kings 21:1-16 Matthew 5:38-42 Tuesday, June 17 1 Kings 21:17-29 Matthew 5:43-48 Wednesday, June 18 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Thursday, June 19 St. Romuald, abbot Sirach 48:1-14 Matthew 6:7-15 Friday, June 20 2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20 Matthew 6:19-23 Saturday, June 21 St. Aloysius Gonzaga, religious 2 Chronicles 24:17-25 Matthew 6:24-34 Sunday, June 22 The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 John 6:51-58
15
Father Michael Schmitz
Horoscopes and fortune cookies: all in good fun? Q. How come we should not read the horoscope that is in the newspaper? What if I only read it for fun? What if we go to a Chinese restaurant and get a fortune cookie? Can we read that? A. People often look to horoscopes for one of two reasons: for guidance or for fun. One is absolutely prohibited. The other is discouraged. The Catholic Church affirms the practical and powerful role of both faith and reason. Even more, we emphasize that faith has to be rooted in reason. The heart of the horoscope issue is that I am looking to something other than reason or God for guidance. Our faith is rooted in two sources: reason and revelation. What can we know about reality through serious thinking? This is reason. What could we not know about the world except through God taking the initiative and communicating himself to us? This is revelation. If they are true, reason and revelation will never contradict each other. If they are true, reason will help faith, and faith will help reason. Horoscopes violate both reason and faith. Horoscopes violate reason because there is literally nothing reasonable about them. They have no grounding in reality. They have been shown over and over to have no validity. If someone were to allow a horoscope to have any [influence] over their decisions, it would be a serious affront to the human capacity to think. Horoscopes also violate faith. What is it to “have faith”? Essentially, it is to trust. We have faith in God, which means more than that we believe in God. It means we actually trust God with our lives, our relationships, our future and our decisions. If a person bases a decision off a horoscope, they are placing their faith in something other than reason or God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it like this: “All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to ‘unveil’ the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology,
palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone” (CCC 2116).
More than ‘just for fun’ Still, most people who I talk to only look at their horoscope for entertainment. They don’t put any stock in what it says, but are simply interested in what seems like a silly and meaningless distraction. I totally understand that. I mean, who hasn’t laughed at the way in which horoscopes pretty much all say virtually the same thing? Really, how hard is it to just say a bunch of generally happy things about how special and unique the person reading this horoscope is and how something fascinating and wonderful is going to happen to them if they stay positive? Retired Bishop Donald Montrose of Stockton points to two dangers of reading horoscopes “for fun.” First, there is the risk of desensitizing ourselves to things related to the occult. This is a real danger. The more we become accustomed to these kinds of things, the less aware we seem to be regarding their seriousness. Second, he notes that, while a person might often place no faith in what they read, they are exposing themselves to the possibility. For the most part, you know that it is silly. Almost every time you read them for entertainment, you are in a place where you know that it literally has nothing to offer you by way of guidance or insight. But if we keep exposing ourselves to them, the day will come when we might be looking
for some help. Who knows when? You may be in a place where you are really stretched. Maybe it will be when you are fearful of the future and you just want reassurance. Maybe you will have a decision to make where you want some sort of guarantee that things will work out. That’s the moment when our “for fun” entertainment might become something more. In other words, we don’t trust horoscopes until we do. Now, I don’t want to be that guy who wants to spoil everything pleasurable in life. But I have to point this out: We are striving to be virtuous. There is nothing virtuous about idle curiosity. To be truly curious and inquisitive is a positive virtue, but horoscopes only serve to indulge what you might call “idle curiosity.” Engaging in idle curiosity might not be a serious sin in every occasion, but it has led many of us to a place where we were exposed to serious sin. Is reading one horoscope “for fun” a grave sin? Not likely. Will it irreparably damage your soul? Probably not. But if you are someone who regularly reads the horoscope “just for fun,” it would be wise if you reconsidered that.
Focus on Faith • Seeking Answers
SEEKING ANSWERS
Our fortune in God Fortune cookies are, in my experience, a different kind of thing. I am only relying on what I have noticed, but I’ve seen more and more fortune cookies becoming less and less about fortune telling. I don’t know the last time I saw a fortune cookie that contained anything more than a clever saying or a joke (for example, “It’s easier to resist at the beginning than at the end” or “Don’t eat any Chinese food today or you’ll be very sick!”). We have a God who loves us very much. While we all experience some degree of fear regarding the future, recourse to anything other than reason and God reveals that something deeper may be going on in our heart. Father Michael Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermikeschmitz@gmail.com.
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
This Catholic Life • Commentary
16 EDITORIAL Joe Towalski
When is the last time you thanked a farmer? During a recent audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis warned about the dangers of pollution and the importance of safeguarding creation as a gift from God. Few people are as aware of that gift and the need to treat it with respect as our nation’s farmers, who rely on the land, water and other resources to make a living and grow the food that sustains families locally and around the world. That includes nearly 75,000 farmers right here in Minnesota. But, many of us living in cities and suburbs don’t know much about those farmers, how the food they produce gets to our tables and why we should care about the process used to get it there. Farmers today face a host of financial, technological and environmental challenges. Some struggle under government and economic
policies that aren’t always favorable to smaller, family-owned operations. They must weigh the rewards and risks of using genetically modified organisms and other fast-developing technologies. All of them face the threat posed by long-term climate change and the vagaries of the weather during any given growing season. That’s one reason the archdiocese hosts an annual Rural Life Sunday celebration. It’s an awareness-building event and an opportunity to give thanks for the men and women who till the land, raise the livestock and help sustain rural communities and the local Church. This year’s celebration will be held June 22 on a Watertown-area farm and feature Mass with Bishop Andrew Cozzens, music, refreshments and children’s activities. Attending the event is a wonder-
ful way to show your prayerful support and gratitude for the contributions made by farmers and the small towns where they live. But, it’s just a start. There are many good resources for learning more about agriculture and environmental stewardship the other 364 days of the year, including Catholic Rural Life, a national organization founded 91 years ago to serve the rural Church. CRL is grounded in Catholic social teaching, and one of its mantras is that “eating is a moral act” — meaning that food should be produced in ways that are good for the earth, good for consumers and good for farmers and other agricultural workers. To support food systems that are sustainable, fair and just, CRL recommends getting to know local farmers by visiting farmers’ markets, buying fair-trade products or purchasing a share in a community-supported agriculture venture. One way we can help answer Pope Francis’ call to care for the environment is by supporting the farmers in our area who are good stewards of the land. It’s one important way to show that we all, no matter where we live, appreciate the gift of creation that God has given us.
How churches can help • Identify family farmers who are good stewards of the land and practice good animal husbandry. • Keep family farmers viable by buying food directly from them through available methods. • Distribute flyers in the church bulletin or in church mailings with information about area farmers. • Encourage more farmers to grow and market more products directly with people. • Set an example by buying locally grown food for church-sponsored events. • Establish a farmers market in the church parking lot. • Become a drop-off site for community-supported agriculture distributions. • Set up a field trip to a farm, either for a seasonal event or through Vacation Bible School. • Sponsor events such as food fairs to lift up local food growers. • Encourage youth groups to sponsor fundraisers to purchase subsidized food shares or locally grown food for the needy in the community. Source: Catholic Rural Life; find out more at www.ncrlc.com.
TWENTY SOMETHING Christina Capecchi
How the son of a president proved himself Being the son of an American president comes with as many pressures as it does privileges, especially when you’re his first boy and you bear his name. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., felt that his dad, President Teddy Roosevelt, demanded more of him than of his three younger brothers. The boyhood levity expressed in his broad smile, tanned skin and light eyes was never fully unhinged from the weight of expectation. One day when Ted Jr. was about 9, his dad gave him a rifle. When he asked if it was real, his father loaded it and shot a bullet into the ceiling. It wasn’t long before the family faced the glare of the national spotlight. Teddy Roosevelt began his presidency the day after Ted Jr.’s 14th birthday. Ted wasn’t the academic type, but he attended his dad’s alma mater, Harvard, and plodded along. After college Ted worked in the steel and carpet business and then became a branch manager of an investment bank. He was making good money and, it seemed, a name for himself,
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
yet he was badgered by questions of legacy and leadership, thoughts of the renegade who walked softly and carried a big stick. When World War I began, Ted felt compelled to leave his job and volunteer for service. He fought in several major battles and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. The war refined the young father of three, filling him with newfound purpose. Back home, Ted enjoyed considerable political success until World War II beckoned and the 53-year-old returned to active duty. He was soon promoted and eventually became known as a general who often visited the front lines. When D-Day neared, Ted was not assigned to the front lines, for which he argued several times and then formally petitioned, writing: “I believe I can contribute materially . . . by going in with the assault companies. Furthermore, I personally know both officers and men of these advance units and believe that it will steady them to know that I am with them.” At 56, Ted became the oldest man in the Normandy invasion. He was
U.S. Army troops wade ashore on Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944. Robert F. Sargent/United States Coast Guard the only general on D-Day to land by sea with the first wave of troops. He was also the only man to serve with his son on D-Day. Ted was one of the first soldiers off his landing craft at Utah Beach early on that first Thursday in June. He skillfully redirected the men when he realized they had landed more than a mile south of their target, maneuvering on the beach with a cane and a pistol. He didn’t appear deterred by his arthritis and heart troubles when he declared, “We’ll start the war from right here!” As June pressed on, Ted guided his troops and kept them calm, reciting poetry and sharing stories about his father. He died of a heart attack five weeks after D-Day, shortly after being captured by Germans. I think of his story this month, as we mark D-Day’s 70th anniversary. I imagine the Hail Marys chanted as
20-year-old men neared Normandy, feeling the spray of the English Channel. They responded to the terror in their hearts with prayer. “I am not a religious man,” Lt. Col. Robert Lee Wolverton told his battalion hours before the D-Day parachute dropped them behind enemy lines. “But I am going to ask you to pray with me for the success of the mission before us. And while we pray, let us get on our knees and not look down but up with faces raised to the sky so that we can see God and ask his blessing in what we are about to do.” Seven decades later, we salute these men. At the heart of their bravery was belief. We honor their memory, and we look up. Christina Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights and editor of SisterStory.org.
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Young adults ask tough questions at Theology on Tap event By Bridget Ryder For The Catholic Spirit Bishop Andrew Cozzens is used to speaking about the Catholic faith. But when he met with young adults on May 27, it wasn’t in a familiar religious setting. Bishop Cozzens was the guest speaker for West Metro Young Adults’ Theology on Tap. While sipping wine and eating pizza, some 60 young adults “grilled the bishop” on everything from ministry to homosexuality to choosing a vocation. “It’s a popular topic on steroids,” said Jason Touw, a member of the group’s core team who attends Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata. Theology on Tap, started by a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago, became a national program in 2003. Designed for young adults, it brings a Catholic speaker into a casual setting, such as a restaurant. West Metro Young Adults hosts two six-week sessions annually. “Grill the Priest,” a question-and-answer forum, is usually included in the rotation. But for this session, the group’s coordinator, Maddie McCarthy of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, decided to invite the archdiocese’s newest auxiliary bishop, who was ordained in December.
Let the grilling begin To start, attendees submitted written questions that Bishop Cozzens divided into three categories: “personal,” “about me” and “theological and practical.” He first answered the several questions about how he became a bishop. “It’s one of those weird things,” he said. “When the phone actually rings, you know you’re called to be a bishop.” He recounted the story of the day last fall when he received a call from the Papal Nunciature. He was on his way to a meeting and thought the Washington, D.C., phone number was a friend, so he let the call go to voicemail. When he had a few minutes in between meetings, he listened to the message. It was from a friend in the capital who worked at the Papal Nunciature, and the message informed him that the apostolic nuncio wanted to speak with him as soon as possible. “So, I hit call back,” he said, and was put through to Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States. “Do you accept?” the archbishop concluded his straight forward announcement to thenFather Cozzens. “I was hoping for a Scripture
Faith & Culture
Grilling a bishop
From left, Victoria Ledesma of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, Maddie McCarthy of Holy Family and Nick Haugan of Holy Spirit in St. Paul visit with Bishop Andrew Cozzens May 27 during a Theology on Tap event at Mozza Mia Pizza Pie and Mozzarella Bar in Edina. Bishop Cozzens spent the evening answering questions and visiting with the young adults. McCarthy coordinated the event. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit passage, something to meditate on,” Bishop Cozzens recalled. He paused and then accepted, but had to keep his appointment a secret for 10 days until it could be announced simultaneously in Rome and the archdiocese.
Compassionate disciples He next fielded a theological question about how to better minister to homosexuals. Bishop Cozzens said first it is important to practice compassion. “All of us in some way struggle with various disorders, and God accepts us with our disorders,” Bishop Cozzens said. He explained how Catholics struggling with a same-sex attraction need to hear a message of both compassion and discipleship from us. “They need to hear that we are here to be disciples of Jesus,” the bishop said. “They need to hear the message of unconditional love, and then we can invite them to chastity.” He encouraged the young adults to reach out to homosexuals in respect to the individual person.
Addressing issues He also addressed questions on the permanent diaconate, the Mass, how to advance the pro-life
“I get to meet young people, and they get to see that bishops are really people and that faith can be brought into everyday life.” Bishop Andrew Cozzens
cause and the single life as a vocation. One question asked what lay Catholics can do in the face of the scandal of clergy sex abuse. Bishop Cozzens said the archdiocese is employing more lay experts to help with the issue and that lay Catholics should not believe everything they hear in the secular press. “I can assure you that since I’ve been there, I’ve had no conscience qualms,” he said. “We can’t keep up with the media.” For Catholics, it also means realizing that the Church is not perfect. “Priests are sons of Adam,” the bishop said. “We will never have a perfect Church, but that doesn’t mean it’s an excuse for missing anything. We can receive our lashes for our bad behavior, and then we can be a witness that this
is a problem.” Bishop Cozzens also related his impressions from meeting with victims of clergy sexual abuse. Another question was whether the single life is a vocation. Bishop Cozzens said the purpose of a vocation is to give oneself away completely, permanently and totally. Some people can experience a private call to the single life, but to be a vocation, the gift of self must be permanent and total. However, it doesn’t mean those who never marry nor experience a call to priesthood or consecrated life cannot live out their baptismal call to holiness. A person can respond to all circumstances “with total love.” For Bishop Cozzens, the evening was an opportunity for him and young adults to get to know one another. “I get to meet young people, and they get to see that bishops are really people and that faith can be brought into everyday life,” he said. “It’s encouraging to see that young people are serious enough about their faith that they want to come to something like this and want to live their faith in the world.” West Metro Young Adults also hosts regular service and sports events. For more information, visit its Facebook page at facebook.com/westmetroya.
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
18
Local
Parish events Spring Fundraiser at St. Stanislaus, St. Paul — June 7: Event will begin with a polka mass at 4 p.m. featuring Ken Mahler & Company. Following Mass, we will be offering a spring picnic menu featuring Magnolias Restaurant’s famous fried chicken. Cost for dinner is $9 per adult and children under 12 eat free. For tickets, call (651) 224-7998. 100th anniversary of the first Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis — June 8: Masses at at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at 88 N. 17th St. Festive world music performed between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. liturgies. People are encouraged to wear red or the traditional dress of their native country. The Rose Ensemble will sing Gregorian Vespers at 3:00 p.m. in the Basilica choir stalls. Divine Mercy parish mission at the parishes of St. Paul, Zumbrota and St. Michael, Pine Island — June 9 to 14: Begins at 7 p.m. Monday at St. Paul, 749 S Main St., Zumbrota. Featured speaker is Father Chris Alar of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. He will alternate this parish mission between Church of St. Paul and Church of St. Michael. For detailed information, visit www. thedevinemercy.org/events. Rummage Sale at Annunciation, Minneapolis — June 12 to 14: Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with $3 early entry fee from 8 a.m. to noon, Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday $2 and $8 Bag Day from 8 a.m. to noon. Enter sale through south door of school building, 525 W. 54th St. (54th and Lyndale Ave. S). 50th anniversary celebration at Epiphany, Coon Rapids — June 12 to 15: Begins
Thursday evening with an invitation-only dinner. Continues Friday with an all-parish and school reunion, an outdoor BBQ at 7 p.m. with live music and fireworks at 10 p.m. Saturday features an ice cream social after 5:30 p.m. Mass. Sunday Mass with Bishop Lee Piché at 11 a.m. followed by brunch. Bargains and Beyond Sale at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — June 12, 13 and 14: Thursday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m, Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon at 9100 93rd Ave N. Saturday is $3 bag day. Spring Rummage Sale at St. Richard, Richfield — June 13 and 14: Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to noon at 7540 Penn Ave S. Saturday is $5 bag day. Library book sale at Holy Childhood, St. Paul — June 14: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1435 Midway Parkway. A bag of books for $5. Purchase books for your daycare, preschool, school, waiting room, or other worthy places. 45th Annual Chicken Cookout at St. Nicholas, New Market — June 15: 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Masses are at 8 and 10 a.m. Tickets are $12 for adults; $6 for children under 12. Take-outs are available. Also music, children’s games, raffle (drawing at 2:30 p.m.), bingo, crafts and baked goods, refreshments and more. St. Nicholas Church is 2 ½ miles west of I-35 on County Road 2, exit 76. Seniors of St. Richard’s Summer Luncheon at St. Richard, Richfield — June 17: Noon to 2 p.m. All are welcome to this event hosted by the Pastoral Care Commission. The cost is $5. There will be free bus pick-ups and drop-offs at designated locations in the RichfieldBloomington-Edina area. Please RSVP to the
Festival Time!
Don’t miss More events online Additional parish and school events in the archdiocese can be found at TheCatholicSpirit.com/calendar.
parish by June 11 by calling (612) 869-2426 or via our Facebook page link at www.strichards. com. Annual Super Sale at St. John the Baptist, Savage — June 18 to 21: Preview night is Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. Cost is $3 per person or $5 for a family (2 adults and children under 12). Sale continues Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bag sale, will be Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Cost is $5 a bag or 5 bags for $20. Located at 12508 Lynn Ave.
Prayer/ liturgy Charismatic Pentecost Vigil Mass with Bishop Andrew Cozzens, at St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony — June 7: 7 p.m. at 2739 Stinson Blvd. N.E. The evening, sponsored by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office (CCRO), begins with praise and worship prior to Mass and concludes with refreshments after Mass. Call (763) 571-5314 for more information. Tenth annual Eucharistic Procession hosted by the Catholic churches of Northeast Minneapolis and beginning at Holy Cross, Minneapolis — June 8: 3 p.m. at 1621 University Ave. N.E. The procession will move to Sts. Cyril and Methodius, St. Anthony, St. Boniface, St. Maron, and a closing Benediction at All Saints at 435 4th St. NE. A social with refreshments will follow at the Cedars Hall of St. Maron, 602 University Ave. N.E.
Retreats
Send us your festival information! The July 31 issue of The Catholic Spirit will feature a special section listing information about parish festivals. To list your festival, send information by July 17 to spiritcalendar@archspm.org. Please include the dates and location of your festival event, as well as start and end times and a short description of the festivities.
Women’s mid-week retreat at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, Prior Lake — June 10 to 12: Explores our 2014 theme, ‘Peace be With you... All Will be Well.’ Four conferences, opportunities for spiritual direction, confession and holy hour. A blend of scheduled time and free time. Walking trails and gift shop. Includes all meals prepared on site. Call (952) 447-2182 to register, or register
on line at www.franciscanretreats.net/ register. June Silent Directed retreat at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, Prior Lake — June 21 to 27: Retreat will begin with dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and conclude with brunch on Friday. Retreat pairs each retreatant with a spiritual director with whom the retreatant meets once a day, usually for 50-55 minutes. There will be opportunities for daily Mass, prayer services and three short conferences on some aspect of Spirituality. Open to men and women. Call (952) 447-2182 to register, or go online to www.franciscan retreats.net/register.
Young adults Cathedral Young Adults Theology on Tap at O’Gara’s, St. Paul — Wednesdays June 18 to July 23: Social time at 6:30 p.m., speaker at 7:30 p.m. at 164 N Snelling Avenue. For more information, visit www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/ cya. Speakers and topics are: June 18, “Grill the Priest,” by Father Ubel; June 25, “Are Humans Just Animals?” by Father Mark Moriarty; July 2, “Dante’s Divine Comedy,” by Dr. Mary Reichardt; July 9, “Living a Culture of Life,” by Bill Dill; July 16, “Thy Will Be Done,” by Father Paul Jarvis and July 23, “Real Prayer,” by Deacon Joseph Michalak.
Other events 4th Annual Widow’s Day of Reflection at Our Lady of Grace, Edina — June 7: 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. at 5071 Eden Ave. The theme of this year’s reflection is “Transformed by Grief, Transformed by Grace.” Bishop Lee Piché is the featured speaker. The cost for the event is $20 and includes lunch. Archdiocesan Marriage Day Celebration at the Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul — June 7: 10 a.m. at 239 Selby Ave. The event includes Mass with Archbishop John Nienstedt and renewal of vows, followed by a short reception. Sponsored by the Archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life. For more information, call (651) 291-4488. St. Jeanne Jugan Gala to benefit Little Sisters of the Poor Holy Family Residence at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul— June 11: Reception at 5:30 p.m. with silent auction. Dinner served at 7 p.m. with keynote speakers and live auction to follow. Speakers are Edward and Jeanne Gatz. Edward was the recipient of the miracle accepted by Rome as the final step to canonization of Little Sisters of the Poor foundress, St. Jeanne Jugan. Cost is $100 per person. To register, visit www. littlesistersofthepoorstpaul.org.
CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, seven days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur. 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. E-MAIL: spiritcalendar@archspm.org. (No attachments, please.) FAX: (651) 291-4460. MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit • 244 Dayton Ave., • St. Paul, MN 55102.
June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
19 Head of National Conference for Catechetical Leadership dies at age 66 Catholic News Service
Seminarians win cash on Bible challenge game Three men from the St. Paul Seminary appeared on a season three episode May 22 of “The American Bible Challenge” on Game Show Network. Father Marc Paveglio, who participated in the show before he was ordained a priest May 31, and seminarians Chad VanHoose and Mark Pavlak tested their knowledge of Scripture against two other teams and finished in second place. Teams play for a charity of their choice, and the Sons of Thunder came away with $5,000 for NET Ministries, a West St. Paul-based Catholic youth retreat ministry organization. Read the original story online at TheCatholicSpirit.com.
Lee Nagel, executive director of the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership for the past eight years, died in his sleep May 26. He was 66. His funeral Mass was to be celebrated June 3 at Resurrection Church in Green Bay, Wis., with Auxiliary Bishop Robert Morneau of Green Bay as the main celebrant. Burial was to follow at St. Joseph Church Cemetery in Champion. On July 1, 2007, Nagel was appointed as executive director of the National Conference of Catechetical Leadership. Prior to that he was a national consultant for RCL Benziger, a Catholic publisher of parish catechetical materials. Lee NAGEL Before Benziger, he was Green Bay’s diocesan director of total education for more than 15 years, a position he said was guided by faith. Nagel’s reliance on faith guided his life and vocation as a Catholic educator, author, speaker and storyteller, according to friends and colleagues from the Diocese of Green Bay. “We read in the Gospel of St. John that Jesus came to bring us life, life to the full. Lee Nagel lived life to the full, with passion and joy and good humor,” said Bishop Morneau. “He was dedicated to the Gospel and spent his energy in doing the work of evangelization, sharing the good news of Jesus. Lee was a storyteller, a friend to many.”
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June 5, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
Tell us about a really good Catholic business owner, manager, supervisor, boss, and we’ll tell everybody else. Every year for the past 13 years, The Catholic Spirit has honored people in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for bringing their faith to the marketplace. More than 100 people — from bankers to gas station owners to social work supervisors — have received The Catholic Spirit’s Leading With Faith Award.
Nominating is easy. Contact Mary Gibbs, 651.251.7709 or gibbsm@archspm.org and we’ll send you a nomination form. The form is available online, too. Click on the Leading With Faith logo on TheCatholicSpirit.com or www.Archspm.org and print one for yourself. Fill out the nomination form as completely as you can, and we’ll take it from there.
DO IT NOW! DEADLINE is June 20th Give a GOOD Catholic boss a pat on the back!
thecatholicspirit.com
May 22, 2014 • The Catholic Spirit
Unending Prayer Learning more about our faith The Catholic Spirit’s 4-page Rediscover: pullout section in each issue highlights a new Rediscover: theme for you and discuss with others. Coming up June 22: How can silence help my prayer life?
To pray without ceasing means to live purposefully
HEART OF THE MATTER Father John Paul ERICKSON
In his first letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle to the Gentiles admonishes his readers “to pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Pray without ceasing?! I have trouble enough just praying for an hour, let alone the whole day. And our heavenly patron is exhorting us to pray without ceasing!? Right . . . . The context of Paul’s exhortation is, of course, important for understanding the meaning of the words recorded. In point of fact, Paul’s remarks regarding constant prayer are delivered in a section of the letter dedicated to Church order and to commands related to the communal life of the community. The exhortation to pray always, therefore, is a summons given to the whole Church and not just to individuals. But while this communal dimension to the command eases some of the burden the apostle seems to be placing upon us, the resounding and uncompromising words “without ceasing” can still seem to us to be among the most unrealistic of Paul’s spiritual
The Catholic Spirit • June 5, 2014
counsels. Maybe it’s just rhetorical flourish, a bit of pious hyperbole? And yet, what if our entire life is meant to be prayer, a prayer of gratitude for the gift of existence and the even greater gift of supernatural faith? By means of baptism, this is exactly what our lives have become, because it is by means of our baptism that our entire life has become “hidden in Christ.” Everything we do, short of sin, has been charged with the Christ-life. As long as we stay in a state of grace, that is, as long as we do not deliberately leave communion with Jesus Christ and his Mystical Body through serious sin, our joys, works and sufferings are themselves prayers — offerings to God who has given us our life and calls us to eternal life through Christ, in Christ and with Christ. All of Christ’s earthly life was, in fact, a prayer. And indeed, it continues to be a prayer even as he reigns now at the right hand of the Father for ages upon ages. From all eternity, the Logos sings a song of love to the Father, Please turn to STRIVING on second page of this section
Rediscover-faith.org
“What if our entire life is meant to be prayer, a prayer of gratitude for the gift of existence and the even greater gift of supernatural faith?” Father John Paul Erickson
Unending prayer: more than a conversation with God What is the longest continuous conversation you have ever had? When I first fell in love with my wife, we could talk for hours. We were both in college and had the kind of marathon conversations that happen when two young people are in love and have a lot of free time. As long as those conversations were, none of them rivaled a nearly nine-hour conversation we had on a road trip from St. Louis to Minneapolis. We talked about our kids and future plans. We read Wikipedia entries about random historical events and made lists of things to research later. But as long as that ultra-marathon conversation lasted, it ended. Eventually, we pulled into our driveway, and the PRAYER conversation came to an abrupt halt. All conversations, no matter their length, JOURNAL end. Chris If prayer is only a conversation with God, then Paul’s direction in 1 KOSTELC Thessalonians 5:17 to Christians to “pray without ceasing” is impossible. If we consider prayer only sitting and speaking, then we will woefully fall short of the high mark of unending prayer. In Luke 18, Jesus tells the simple parable about the necessity to pray always, without becoming weary. In the parable, a widow so badgers the wicked judge to deliver a just decision that he relents and rules in her favor. Is the point of the story that if we bother God enough he will give us whatever we want? I don’t think so. Instead, I think the point is that the widow really believed that the judge would respond to her. She never lost hope that the judge would rule in her favor. In fact, she had faith that her appeals would sway the judge. For us, then, our unending prayer is that we consistently and constantly believe that our prayer matters. To pray without ceasing means that we never stop believing that God really does hear us. So what if I really believed that my prayer mattered? How would my prayer life change if I constantly and consistently believed that my prayers were heard? How does one get to that point? Here are three practices that have helped me to believe that my prayer matters: 1. Deepen our understanding – One way to deepen our understanding of prayer is to think of it as communion. When we understand prayer as that which unifies us with God, we can deepen our prayer practice. I communicate in many ways with my wife and only a few of them are verbalized. Sometimes sitting together in silence is the best form of communion. 2. Practice the presence of God – Brother Lawrence was a Carmelite who lived in the 17th century. Brother Lawrence lived each moment as if God was present with him, which, of course, God is. This doesn’t mean that everything we do is prayer, as there is a distinction between prayer and work. But Brother Lawrence chose to do every act to please God. In this way, he focused on God’s intimate presence every moment of the day. 3. Have consistent, intentional prayer time – I can’t pray all day if I don’t start in the morning. For me, I found that the amount of my day that I was able to live like someone who believed his prayer matters was contingent on whether I devoted the very beginning of my day to God. All my relationships are a struggle if I don’t take real time to build intimacy, and the same is true of my relationship with God. Finally, while we might struggle to be a people who always focus on God, we can be assured that God is always focused on us. When we fail to pray without ceasing, we can be comforted in knowing that we have God’s unceasing love, affection and attention. Kostelc is coordinator of adult faith formation at Holy Name of Jesus in Wayzata.
The Catholic Spirit • June 5, 2014
Can a penny help you pray? Author offers tips that ‘make cents’ By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit How can a penny help someone draw closer to God? For Marion Amberg, the answer is simple. It lies in the four words placed at the top of the front side of the copper coin, directly above President Abe Lincoln’s head: “In God We Trust.” That brief-but-powerful message worked its way into her life during a difficult period back in 2006. She was living in south Minneapolis at the time and attending Annunciation parish. After growing up Catholic in Morris, Minn., and leaving the Church after graduating from high school, she had come back to the faith in 2004. And now, she was wondering about her future. “I was walking around the Diamond Lake Road area of South Minneapolis around Annunciation Marion Church,” said Amberg, 61, who AMBERG now lives in Santa Fe, N.M. “I had a lot of decisions to make and I didn’t know what to do. So, I happened to look down, and there was a penny. I always picked up pennies, but this time I picked it up and I really looked at it. And, I saw the words, ‘In God We Trust.’ “And, something prompted me to make it a prayer. And so, I just said, ‘God, I trust in you.’ And, as soon as I said that, it was like a warm blanket just kind of descended over me, and I had a sense of peace that everything would be OK.”
Touched by prayer That experience — and the prayer — stayed with her as she struggled through health issues and the discernment process of where to live. She eventually chose Santa Fe in 2008 and works there as a freelance writer and author. In fact, her first book came out Jan. 1 of this year and centers on experience with the message on the coin. The title is “Penny Prayers: True Stories of Change.” The 102-page book is an easy read, and is filled with stories about those who have been touched by the simple prayer on the front of every piece of U.S. currency. Amberg got the idea for the book after writing an article about her penny experience in 2009 for the St. Anthony Messenger. “It came out in February of 2009, the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln penny,” she said. “And, reader response to that article was really good, and I got to thinking, ‘Why not a book?’ So, one day I submitted a query to Ligouri [Publications{ and they picked up on it.” She followed up on readers’ responses to the article
for testimonials about penny prayers, and also search the Internet for other tales. More than 40 short stor made it into her book, including her own, which kic off the first chapter.
Life changing
There are many instances of people struggling wi illnesses, job changes and other difficulties, and th happen upon a penny as they are mired in inten thoughts and emotions about their situations. Some even have started websites and blogs, such www.cantsparethechange.com and www.pennyfind .com. One person, Nancy Roberts of Woodbury, wro a book called “Heaven Cent Prayers” that was pu lished in 2009. The inspiration came shortly after Roberts was dia nosed with multiple sclerosis. She was sitting on bench with her husband in a shopping center waiti for another doctor’s appointment. What happen next changed her life, according to the story that a pears in chapter two. “Then, Nancy looked down at the floor, her ey spilling with tears, and spotted a lone penny,” Ambe writes. “It was the words engraved above Honest Ab head that jumped out at Nancy. ‘In God We Trust,’ th said. That’s it, Nancy thought, her heart explodi with faith. We need to trust.” Along the way, Amberg offers interesting trivia abo pennies and other currency. The motto “In God W Trust” was first placed on a two-cent coin in 1864, a began appearing on the penny in 1909 and on t dime in 1916. In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhow made these four words the official motto for the Unit States, and also mandated putting it on all paper c rency. But, as fascinating as the history is for Amberg, the spiritual message of these four words that cap vates her and stays in her heart. “That prayer became so ingrained in my heart, so grained in my spirit, that I would say it constan throughout the day: ‘Jesus, I trust in you. God, I tru in you,’” she said. “It was what gave me hope to ke going. “Part of the reason I wrote the book is I wanted it inspire, to give hope to people who may be hurting nancially, who may have lost their home, who m have lost a loved one. People experience many diff ent types of losses. ‘In God we trust’ — that prayer re ly is for everybody.”
Learning a lesson
Even though the message of the U.S. motto is crys clear to Amberg, she still repeats it regularly. Times a better, with her writing career blossoming to the poi where she now is working on another book. But, as cently as four years ago, another penny sighting help
Striving for holiness requires daily effort to c and when the Logos assumed human nature, this nature, our nature, began to ring with this same song — the song of “Thy Will be Done!” It is a song of loving obedience and of trust in the plan of the father. It is, in short, a prayer. By means of our baptism, we are incorporated into this prayer. By means of the great sacraments of initiation, our
flesh, too, begins to ring with the love song of t thus making our whole life a gift to the father; t making our whole life a prayer — the prayer of The call to pray without ceasing, therefore, is to spend all of our days on our knees, or to recit rosary 24/7 to the frustration of our friends and who are trying to carry on a conversation with does it mean spending every spare moment in c
“Wouldn’t it be sensational if everybody started praying their pennies? We would become a very changed country, I think, in a very short period of time.”
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Marion Amberg Bigstock photo
her through a difficult time. “In 2010, I really experienced some financial setbacks,” she said. “And, I would go for a walk and there was a speed bump. I would go over it every day, and there was a penny in this speed bump, and I would jump on it and say, ‘God, I trust in you that somehow this financial setback is going to turn around.’ “I got down to 59 cents at one point. So, it was desperate. The reason I remember that is because my parents lived on Highway 59 south of Morris. So, every time I would go for a walk, I would just step on that penny that was embedded in the speed bump and just pray, ‘God, you’ve got to do something. I don’t know
what to do.’” God answered that prayer, as he had many others in her life. He also taught her an important lesson about what it means to trust completely. “We’re not meant to worry,” she said. “We’re supposed to turn all this over to God. We’re supposed to be like the lilies of the field, just blow in the wind and soak up the sunshine. But, we hang onto all this stuff, and I think by saying ‘In God We Trust, Jesus I trust in you,’ it takes those burdens, it takes those worries and puts them back on God where they’re supposed to be.” Amberg hopes that many people will find comfort
and divine help in the penny prayer. She also believes it can have a collective impact. And, that’s one of her reasons for writing the book. “I’m hoping that this will spread across the country and people will start praying their pennies,” she said. “Wouldn’t it be sensational if everybody started praying their pennies? We would become a very changed country, I think, in a very short period of time, if every time we saw a coin, we would just say a simple prayer. Those prayers would add up to tens of thousands, or millions, probably. We could really change the country if we started praying our pennies.”
cling to Christ and the example of his life
the Logos, thus Christ. s not a call te the d family us! Nor church. But
it does mean living purposefully, and for the right purpose, which is holiness. And what is holiness? It is communion with Jesus, the great high priest, who sanctifies and consecrates our life, making it ring with meaning, and dignity and eternal significance. When our lives are lived in this way, that is, in union with Christ and his beloved bride the Church, we are in fact praying without ceasing.
But don’t get me wrong. The anxiety I expressed in the beginning of this column hasn’t completely evaporated. Paul’s exhortation still poses a serious challenge to us, for holiness is a lifelong struggle, and to cling to Christ and his life demands effort and daily battles with oneself. But praise be to Almighty God, for the victory is his, a victory guaranteed to those whose life is hidden in Christ.
Rediscover-faith.org
Friday Evening, Oct. 3 & Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014 Minneapolis Convention Center Catholics from across the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis are invited to come celebrate our faith journey to the Horizon of Hope! Friday Evening, Oct. 3 – Young Adult Night 6:30 PM – 11 PM (Doors open at 5:30 PM) Enjoy an evening of dynamic speakers and uplifting music! There will be food available for purchase and a cash-bar. This evening is geared toward young adults in their 20s & 30s, but open to all adults over 18 and older. Friday features: Father Stan Fortuna, Father Dave Dwyer, Marie Miller, Father Mike Schmitz, Leah Darrow and more!
Horizon of HOPE
Saturday, Oct. 4 9 AM – 5:15 PM (Doors open at 8 AM) As we journey together, learn about your specific path during break-out sessions for adults, Latinos, youth and children. Explore the exhibitor hall to discover faith formation, worship and service opportunities throughout the Archdiocese and beyond. Experience the fullness of the Catholic faith with the celebration of Holy Mass. Saturday features: Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, Scott Hahn, Father Dave Dwyer, Curtis Martin, Leah Darrow, Kelly Wahlquist, Sonar, Jeff Cavins and more!
Find Register at Rediscover-faith.org Friday (Adult 18+): $15. Saturday (Includes break-out sessions for adults, Latinos, youth and children) Adult: $20. Youth (Grades 7-10): $10. Child (Grades K-6): $7. Space is limited Questions? Please contact Rediscover@archspm.org or call the Rediscover: Program Support Helpline at 651-291-4411.
The Catholic Spirit • June 5, 2014
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out more at Rediscover-faith.org