The Catholic Spirit - March 3, 2016

Men’s conference 7 • Divorce and Communion 9 • Domestic violence and art 21 March 3, 2016 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

‘My heart is with the Basilica’ Woman leaves church shopping behind, prepares to become Catholic — Page 8

Rafiann Olchefske, a catechumen at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, likes the welcoming atmsophere there and looks forward to joining the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass at the Basilica March 26. “My heart is with the Basilica,” she said. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

24 Hours

for the Lord

As priests prepare to hear 24 hours of confessions at the Cathedral and Basilica March 4-5, two who minister in downtown parishes with long confession lines reflect on the sacrament’s spiritual and psychological benefits, and warn not to dismiss small sins. — Page 22

ALSO inside

Chancery’s new home

‘Spotlight’ anti-Catholic?

Prayer without ceasing

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis plans to move central offices from Cathedral Hill to Dayton’s Bluff.

— Page 5

The Oscars’ Best Picture is imperfect, but its message should be taken seriously, Vatican newspaper says.

— Page 10

Taking to heart lessons learned from his father, a Cathedral parishioner has put prayer at the center of his life.

— Pages 12-13

2 • The Catholic Spirit

PAGE TWO

March 3, 2016 OVERHEARD

in PICTURES

“Let’s not be kidding ourselves about what the stakes are here: If we are going to bring peace, if we are going to reconcile nations, if we are going to secure countries and communities, particularly minorities, particularly people who are persecuted, we are going to have to make an unprecedented effort.”

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican minister of foreign affairs, commenting Feb. 25 on the effort needed from nations to help resolve violent conflicts, such as those in Syria and Iraq

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit CRASHED ICE Against a backdrop of the Cathedral of St. Paul’s east rose window, skaters in the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship come out of the starting gate during the final day of competition Feb. 27. Lakeville native Cameron Naasz won the event and the overall Ice Cross Downhill World Championship with 3,385 points. He is the first American to win the title. The event will air on FOX 5:30 p.m. March 5. Dianne Towalski/For The Catholic Spirit

Cathedral raises funds in Crashed Ice campaign “Like the backdrop?” the Cathedral of St. Paul asked in a text campaign during Red Bull Crashed Ice National Championship Feb. 26-27. The answer was “yes” with donations totaling $525. During the campaign, the Cathedral asked people to donate $5 to help restore the 26-foot historic east rose window that served as the dramatic backdrop to the downhill ice cross racing event. The Cathedral restored its other rose windows last fall.

Global Solidarity Sunday March 5-6 Global Solidarity Sunday will be observed March 5-6 in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis with the theme of “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” A special collection during Masses will support four initiatives selected by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa and humanitarian activities of Catholic Relief Services. Learn more at www.centerformission.org.

ACCW hosting ‘The Young Messiah’ premiere The Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women is hosting a showing of “The Young Messiah” 7 p.m. March 10 at the White Bear Township Theatre, 1180 County Road J, White Bear Lake. A donation of $10 is suggested per ticket, which will only be sold in advance. For tickets, contact Chris Allie at 651-291-4545 or alliec@archspm.org. The movie opens in theaters March 11.

For more information and to see a trailer, visit www.nccw.org.

STATE FINALIST Ninth-grader Jake Svihel, right, of Totino-Grace High School in Fridley tries to get the upper hand against Charlie Pickell of Mankato West in the State Class AA wrestling finals at 106 pounds Feb. 27 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Svihel lost the match 13-6 and finished the season with a record of 44-6. Also placing for the T-G Eagles at state were senior Sam Anderson at 285 pounds (third place) and junior Jared Florell at 170 pounds (fourth place). The Eagles also competed as a team, but did not place. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

WHAT’S NEW on social media

Vatican II father to speak on Year of Mercy Bishop Remi De Roo, bishop emeritus of Victoria, British Columbia, will speak on Vatican II and the Year of Mercy at Corpus Christi in Roseville 7 p.m. March 15. Bishop De Roo is one of the last surviving bishops who attended all four sessions of Vatican II in 1962-1964. He was the youngest bishop in the world when he was ordained in 1962 at age 38. For more information, visit www.churchofcorpuschristi.org.

Pro-life legal challenges Siena Symposium focus

Need a reintroduction to the Holy Spirit? Gina Barthel, a parishioner of St. Michael in St. Michael, praises Franciscan Father Dave Pivonka’s new online series on the Holy Spirit, “The Wild Goose.” “This series . . . has reminded me that the Holy Spirit meets us right where we are at,” she wrote. “Gentle or booming; whatever we need.”

Our Facebook is packed with Crashed Ice photos and videos: If you missed the event page, you can live vicariously through our footage.

Check out quickly captured moments at Corpus Christi in Roseville, St. Catherine University in St. Paul and the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 21 — No. 5 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor

University of St. Thomas law professor Teresa Collett is speaking on legal challenges facing the pro-life movement in “Life on the Edge: Upcoming Legal Challenges” at the 2016 Siena Symposium 7:30 p.m. March 31. The lecture will be held in the North Woulfe Auditorium of the Anderson Student Center at the University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul.

Collett is the 2016 Siena Symposium Humanitarian Leadership Award recipient.

CORRECTION In “Correction” in the Feb. 18 issue, we misnamed a Poor Clare for whom we published an obituary Feb. 4. The sister who died was Sister Anne Condon. The Catholic Spirit apologizes for the error.

Materials credited to CNS copy­righted by Catholic News Service.

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March 3, 2016

FROM THE APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR

The Catholic Spirit • 3

Crashed Ice and the call to conversion

W

hy would anyone want to be a bishop?

A few weeks back, one of the Catholic news services carried an interview with Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the pope’s point person for the naming of bishops around the globe. The headlines all pointed to his statement that it is no longer “exceptional” to have priests decline an appointment to the episcopacy.

Some priests, it seems, look at the job description of a bishop and see all “onus” and little “bonus.” I sure wish those men could have been with me in the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul on the first Sunday of Lent (or with Bishop Andrew Cozzens at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis) for the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion. What a privilege it was to be able to meet those who have been preparing to enter the Catholic Church this Easter, as well as those family members and fellow parishioners who have been walking with them on this journey.

Our preliminary numbers show that there will be 215 adults and children of catechetical age who will be baptized in the parishes of the archdiocese at the Easter Vigil this year, a slight increase over last year.

They will begin their sacramental lives as Catholics along with nearly 450 others who, having been baptized in another Christian community or church, are now opting to enter the Catholic Church.

While adults choosing to FROM THE enter the Church often speak APOSTOLIC of having been motivated by ADMINISTRATOR their hunger for the Eucharist, or the beauty of the liturgy, or the internal consistency of Archbishop Church teaching, or an

Bernard Hebda

Archbishop Bernard Hebda blesses athletes before Red Bull Crashed Ice’s Ice Cross Downhill World Championship Feb. 27 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. Dianne Towalski/For The Catholic Spirit appreciation of the Church’s history stretching all the way back to Christ, most will also speak about the concrete witness to the Catholic faith given by family members or friends or colleagues who joyfully manage to put their faith into action, or who manifest an inner strength in times of crisis, or who seem to have an unwavering moral compass.

Those stories remind us of the opportunities that we all have to be missionary disciples who take seriously Christ’s words to his Church before ascending to heaven: Go and make disciples. Our Catholic faith is missionary at its core.

For the last few weeks, the area around the Cathedral has been abuzz with another round of Crashed Ice, an event that brings 100,000 visitors into contact with the “Mother Church” of the archdiocese. I was delighted to see that the young adults group at the Cathedral recognized this as an

extraordinary opportunity for witnessing to our faith, for evangelizing. I received one of the thousands of handouts they distributed, presenting a brief history of the Cathedral, some information on Mass times and the schedule for confessions, and a cheery invitation to join in and learn more. Pope Francis would be thrilled by the outreach.

We can only hope that many who encountered those young adults or found their way into the quiet and splendor of the Cathedral during Crashed Ice might come back. The Lord did not find his first disciples in the synagogue, but on the seashore.

Let’s pray that some of this year’s visitors might even find their way to next year’s Rite of Election or Call to Continuing Conversion, giving your new archbishop, whoever he might be, a very good reason for being thrilled that he said “yes.”

Competencias sobre Hielo y el llamado a la conversión

P

or qué querría alguien ser obispo?

Hace unas semanas atrás, uno de los servicios Católicos de noticias realizo una entrevista al Cardenal Marc Ouellet, persona de contacto del Papa para el nombramiento de los obispos en todo el mundo, y los titulares destacaron su declaración de que ya no es “inusual” que los sacerdotes rechacen un nombramiento al episcopado.

Algunos sacerdotes, al parecer, ven en la descripción de trabajo de un obispo todo “responsabilidad” y poco “beneficio.” Me hubiera gustado que estos hombres hubiesen podido estar conmigo en la Catedral de San Pablo el primer domingo de Cuaresma (o con el Obispo Andrew Cozzens en la Basílica de Santa María) para el Rito de Elección y el Llamado a la Conversión Continua. Que gran privilegio fue el ser capaz de conocer a todos aquellos que se han estado preparando para entrar en la Iglesia Católica en esta Pascua, así como a los miembros de sus familias y feligreses que han estado caminando junto con ellos en este camino.

Nuestros números preliminares muestran que habrá 215 adultos y niños en edad catequética que serán bautizados en las parroquias de la arquidiócesis en la Vigilia de Pascua de este año, un ligero aumento respecto al año pasado. Ellos comenzarán sus vidas sacramentales

como católicos junto con cerca de otras 450 personas que, habiendo sido bautizados en otra comunidad Cristiana o iglesia, están optando ahora por pertenecer a la Iglesia Católica.

Mientras que los adultos que eligen entrar en la Iglesia hablan a menudo de haber sido motivados por su hambre de la Eucaristía, o por la belleza de la liturgia, o por la consistencia interna de la enseñanza de la Iglesia, o por la apreciación de la historia de la Iglesia, que se extiende todo el camino de vuelta a Cristo; la mayoría también habla sobre el testimonio concreto de la fe católica dada por familiares, amigos o compañeros de trabajo que, gozosamente, se las arreglan para poner su fe en acción, o que manifiestan una fuerza interior en momentos de crisis, o que parecen tener una brújula moral inquebrantable. Esas historias nos recuerdan las oportunidades que todos tenemos de ser discípulos misioneros, quienes toman en serio las palabras que Cristo dijo a su Iglesia antes de ascender al cielo: Vayan y hagan discípulos.

Nuestra fe católica es misionera en su núcleo.

Por las últimas semanas, el área de los alrededores de la catedral ha sido testigo de otra ronda de “Competencias en Hielo” (Crashed Ice), un evento que atrae a 100,000 visitantes y los pone en

contacto con la “Madre Iglesia” de la arquidiócesis. Yo estaba encantado de ver que un grupo de jóvenes adultos en la catedral reconoce esto como una oportunidad extraordinaria para dar testimonio de nuestra fe, para evangelizar. Recibí uno de los miles de folletos que se distribuyeron, en ellos presentan una breve historia de la catedral, alguna información sobre los horarios de las Misas y el horario para las confesiones, y una alegre invitación para unirse y aprender un poco más. El Papa Francisco estaría encantado de ver la divulgación y alcance que se logró.

Sólo podemos esperar que muchas de

las personas que se cruzaron con estos jóvenes adultos o de las personas que encontraron el camino a la tranquila y esplendorosa Catedral durante las competencias, puedan volver. El Señor no encontró a sus primeros discípulos en la sinagoga, sino en la orilla del mar.

Oremos para que algunos de los visitantes de este año puedan también encontrar el próximo año su camino al Rito de Elección o al Llamado a la Conversión Continua, dando al nuevo Arzobispo, quienquiera que éste sea, una muy buena razón para estar contento de decir “Sí.”

OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Reverend Bernard Hebda, has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: Effective February 19, 2016 Reverend Paul Treacy, appointed temporary parochial administrator of the Church of Saints

Peter and Paul in Loretto and the Church of Saint Thomas in Corcoran. The current pastor, Reverend John Gallas, is on a leave of absence.

Effective February 24, 2016 Reverend Joseph Whalen, appointed temporary parochial administrator of the Church of Saint William in Fridley. The current pastor, Reverend Timothy Dolan, is on a leave of absence.

4 • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

March 3, 2016

SLICEof LIFE

Jesus is condemned

Jesus, played by Hector Bautista, is condemned to death during “Living Stations of the Cross: Were You There?” at St. Ambrose in Woodbury. Bautista, the parish youth minister, and the other members of the cast are offering performances March 9 (6:45 p.m.), 11 (6:30 p.m.), 18 (6:30 p.m.), 20 (1 p.m.) and 25 (noon) at St. Ambrose. Standing next to Jesus and playing a Roman soldier is Eric Hatful of St. Ambrose. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

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The Catholic Spirit • 5

in BRIEF NORTHFIELD

Archdiocese sells Hazelwood acreage

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis plans to move its offices to 777 N. Forest St., St. Paul, above, the 3M Company’s former headquarters. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Archdiocese to move to historic 3M headquarters

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis plans to move its central corporation offices to the 3M Company’s former headquarters in St. Paul. The archdiocese signed a lease Feb. 29 for the 75,000square-foot building in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood, northeast of downtown.

Cost, size and the opportunity to renovate to meet the chancery corporation’s needs were factors in choosing the property, said Father Charles Lachowitzer, moderator of the curia. Archdiocesan leaders also wanted the building to be part of its neighborhood’s economic development.

Built in 1939, the building served as 3M’s headquarters from 1940-1962 and is owned by the St. Paul-based developer Exeter Group. It is part of the Beacon Bluff Business Park, which is under development by the St. Paul Port Authority.

In a Feb. 29 email to archdiocesan employees, Father Lachowitzer said he expects central corporation employees to move offices in late fall.

“We are very excited about the new space, and particularly about the opportunity to have all of our staff under one roof,” he said.

The archdiocese is selling the three buildings that currently house its offices near the Cathedral of St. Paul. The archdiocese listed them five months after filing for Chapter 11 Reorganization in January 2015 in response to mounting claims of clergy sexual abuse.

A U.S. bankruptcy court judge approved Feb. 25 the sale of residential property the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis owned near Northfield. The 10-acre property with a 2,500-square-foot house sold to a Faribault couple for $365,000, $45,000 less than its initial asking price. Located at 10310 295th St. W. in Greenvale Township, the property was on the market for six months. The house was built in 1973 and has five bedrooms and three baths. Bernard and Delores Hofschulte donated the property to the archdiocese in December 1998. The archdiocese called the acreage “the Hazelwood property” because of its close proximity to the unincorporated community Hazelwood in Rice County. Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn lived there for several years after he retired, and Archbishop Emeritus John Nienstedt used it as a weekend retreat.

ST. PAUL

St. Kate’s president taking new job as leader of Milwaukee college After announcing last fall her plans to step down as president of St. Catherine University, Sister Andrea Lee has accepted the position as president of Alverno College in Milwaukee. Sister Andrea, of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, will take office at the start of the 2016-2017 academic year for the Catholic women’s college. In a Feb. 23 letter to colleagues, Sister Andrea said, “Leaving St. Kate’s will be among the hardest things I have ever done,” citing the university’s accomplishments and community she’s experienced since she began in 1998. St. Kate’s board of trustees expects to name a new president in March.

Hennepin painting recommended for removal from Capitol room A legislative committee has recommended the painting “Father Hennepin at the Falls of St. Anthony” in the Governor’s Reception Room in the Minnesota State Capitol be relocated to another part of the Capitol with “appropriate interpretation.” The Subcommittee on Capitol Art submitted its preliminary report to the Minnesota State Capitol Preservation Commission Feb. 23 after studying the building’s current art. “Father Hennepin,” which shows explorer Father Louis Hennepin blessing Minneapolis’ St. Anthony Falls, was

flagged among controversial artwork because of its depiction of Native Americans. In a Jan. 8 letter to the subcommittee, the Minnesota Catholic Conference expressed opposition to the painting’s removal because it represents an important moment in the state’s Christian history. Alternatives that could “reasonably address the legitimate concerns” of its location, it suggested, “include better resources to contextualize the art, or slight modifications to the original artwork; even a new painting depicting the same historical moment.”

Sister Simone Campbell advocates bridge-building in election year Sister Simone Campbell championed learning to listen respectfully to different perspectives and entering into truly fruitful dialogue, especially during a divisive election year, during “Breaking the Impasse VII,” a Feb. 23 lecture at St. Catherine University. Drawing on Pope Francis’ analogy of “bridge building” used in his September address to Congress, she said that bridges must first be deeply rooted in the bedrock of one’s convictions, but that rootedness shouldn’t be mistaken for the “bridge” itself. She went on to address the divides of racism, economic barriers and politics. Sister Simone is a Sister of Social Service and executive director of NETWORK, a Washington-based Catholic social justice lobby. Also presenting was Dr. Fatma Reda, chairwoman of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition’s executive board. The event was sponsored by the Justice Commission of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, NETWORK and St. Kate’s Myser Initiative on Catholic Identity.

St. Kate’s to use $18 million from GHR Foundation for curricula, faculty St. Catherine University has received an $18 million gift from Minneapolis-based GHR Foundation to expand its health care education, President Sister Andrea Lee recently announced. St. Kate’s will use the gift to develop new programs and curricula, as well as fund technology and additional faculty.

“The GHR gift will help us develop culturally sensitive practitioners who will both improve the quality of patient care and lower overall health care costs,” said Penelope Moyers, dean of the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health and the graduate college. The gift honors St. Kate’s alumna and GHR co-founder Henrietta Rauenhorst, after whom the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health was named.

6 • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

Fridley pastor on leave during investigation Archdiocese outlines protocols followed to cooperate with police

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit The pastor of St. William in Fridley remains on leave from ministry while he is the subject of an Edina Police Department investigation.

In a Feb. 19 statement, Archbishop Bernard Hebda announced that Father Timothy Dolan, 60, is involved in a police investigation and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment is cooperating with police.

Jennifer Bennerotte, spokesperson for Edina Police, confirmed that the Edina police are investigating Father Dolan after receiving a call Dec. 31 regarding suspicious activity. She said the archdiocese has been “very cooperative.”

St. William parishioners were notified in a Feb. 19 letter signed “parish staff and trustees.”

Archdiocesan representatives, including Tim O’Malley, director of ministerial standards and safe environment, met with parish leaders Feb. 19 and parishioners Feb. 20-21. Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens celebrated Feb. 21 Masses at the parish.

A warrant and affidavit filed by Edina police Feb. 19 reveal that Father Dolan is being investigated after neighbors reported several instances of hearing what they believed sounded like a child “in distress” in the priest’s Edina residence.

Cooperating with police Edina police met with archdiocesan leaders Feb. 6.

O’Malley said police asked the archdiocese not to take actions that would interfere with the investigation, including immediately putting the priest on leave or notifying the parish.

On Feb. 18, Edina police informed the archdiocese that they had spoken to Father Dolan, and the archdiocese was able to take certain actions. Police asked O’Malley and Archbishop Hebda, the archdiocese’s apostolic administrator, not to “unnecessarily highlight” the nature of the criminal investigation. The pair met with Father Dolan that evening and the priest agreed to take a leave of absence. “Father Dolan’s leave included restrictions that met the archdiocese’s commitment to the safety of children,” O’Malley said in a Feb. 20 statement.

The warrant filed late the following day revealed that police searched Father Dolan’s home Feb. 18.

When archdiocesan leaders notified the parish Feb. 19, “We intentionally did not disclose the nature of the investigation, as requested by the Edina Police Department,” O’Malley said in the statement. “Again, the decision regarding the nature of the leave of absence and the level of public disclosure was made in full cooperation and

consultation with law enforcement.”

The nature of the investigation became public, however, with the warrant and affidavit filing. Based in part on information in the documents previously unknown to archdiocesan leadership, and after O’Malley consulted with Edina police, archdiocesan leaders placed new restrictions on Father Dolan’s leave, including prohibition from wearing a Roman collar or presenting himself as a priest.

Following protocols In meetings with parishioners and the Feb. 20 statement, O’Malley emphasized that the archdiocese’s steps were in accord with its safe environment protocols.

“When law enforcement contacted us, we cooperated fully and provided them with any information we might have had that might be relevant,” he told The Catholic Spirit Feb. 25.

Archdiocesan leadership also explained their protocols to police.

When a priest is accused of child abuse or possessing child pornography, it is the archdiocese’s policy to remove him from ministry immediately and publicly announce his leave. That protocol addresses public safety and encourages people with information, or other alleged victims, to come forward.

“However, one of our protocols that trumps that [remove and announce policy] is that we will not take any actions that would interfere with law enforcement efforts,” O’Malley said, “and in this case, in that first meeting I explained our protocols to them and said our preference is to take those actions, and they instructed us not to.”

O’Malley said he trusts law enforcement prioritized the safety of children when asking the archdiocese to postpone placing Father Dolan on leave. He also said that at the request of the Edina Police Department, he is not talking about nature of the investigation until police have finished their work on the case.

O’Malley noted in his Feb. 20 statement that Father Dolan is presumed innocent, and he urged people not to jump to uninformed conclusions. He also asked anyone with relevant information to contact the Edina Police Department.

The archdiocese plans to conduct an investigation after law enforcement advises it can do so without interfering with the police investigation. The Ministerial Review Board will analyze the results before making a recommendation to O’Malley, who will then make a recommendation to the archbishop.

Father Dolan was ordained in 1983 and has ministered at St. William for two years. While on leave, he remains pastor of the parish but has no authority to act in parish operations. The archdiocese appointed Father Joseph Whalen as St. William’s parochial administrator Feb. 24 and has arranged to make sacraments available at the parish during Father Dolan’s leave. Father Whalen was the parish’s pastor from 2001-2013.

March 3, 2016

LOCAL FUNDING FOR CRS RICE BOWL 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

$71,577 $70,570 $76,093

TCS graphic

$88,120 $97,713

New grant process to expand local impact of Rice Bowl funds

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Participants in Catholic Relief Services’ annual Rice Bowl initiative know their donations are helping people around the world, but they might not realize they’re also helping people around the corner, said Deacon Mickey Friesen, director of the Center for Mission in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Each year, one-fourth of Rice Bowl donations stay in the archdiocese to fund local food programs for people in need. Prior to 2015, the archdiocese administered the program and transferred 25 percent of collected funds to Catholic Charities. Last year, Rice Bowl administration transitioned to the Center for Mission. In November, it provided more than $19,000 to Catholic Charities for three programs: the Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul and the Opportunity Center and Northside Child Development Center in Minneapolis. It expects to provide an additional $5,000 from local funds sent directly to CRS that did not pass through the archdiocese.

The Center for Mission plans to expand the funds’ local reach through a small grant program. Deacon Friesen expects Catholic Charities to continue to receive a portion of the funding, but hopes Catholic parishes and schools with food shelves, or other food-related programs for people in need, will apply. Applications will be available in March and due May 16.

Known as Operation Rice Bowl until 2012, the 41-year-old Lenten initiative funds CRS food programs in 40-45 countries and the United States through the funds that stay in dioceses.

The initiative includes a paper bowl or box to hold participants’ donations and online materials including meatless recipes from countries where CRS serves, along with vidoes and stories of the people it has helped.

The Center for Mission has distributed almost 44,000 Rice Bowls in the archdiocese this year. Last year, 123 local parishes, schools and Catholic institutions participated, and donations totaled $97,713 — $27,000 more than the local Rice Bowl collection in 2012. In its first 40 years, CRS Rice Bowl has collected more than $250 million nationally to alleviate hunger and poverty.

Catholic Relief Services is the U.S. bishops’ humanitarian arm.

LOCAL

March 3, 2016

The Catholic Spirit • 7

Catholic Watchmen movement launches at men’s conference

By Sam Patet For The Catholic Spirit About 1,700 men gathered for a morning of training Feb. 27 at the University of St. Thomas’ Anderson Fieldhouse in St. Paul. Leading them were some of the best coaches in the Twin Cities.

But these men were not competing for a medal. They were attending the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Catholic Men’s Conference, and their goal was simple: learn how to lead themselves and their families to the ultimate victory — salvation.

“We really believe that it is time to call Catholic men to be who God created you to be,” said Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens at the beginning of the event.

“We’re here not to be entertained, we’re here not to watch some kind of sporting event,” Jeff Cavins told attendees later in the morning. “We’re here because we have a desire for God in our own lives.”

LEFT Bishop Andrew Cozzens addresses men during the archdiocese’s annual men’s conference Feb. 27 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

RIGHT Men listen to Bishop Cozzens deliver his keynote address. At the end of the conference, Bishop Cozzens invited the men to be Catholic Watchmen. All 1,700 men in attendance stood up and made the commitment. Ted Brakob/For The Catholic Spirit

New initiative Unlike previous archdiocesan men’s conferences, this year’s event didn’t bring in a nationally known speaker from outside the archdiocese.

That was intentional. Bishop Cozzens and Cavins wanted the conference to be the launching pad for an archdiocesanwide initiative — the Catholic Watchmen — whose goal is to train men to protect, provide for and lead their families in the faith.

The Catholic Watchmen is a parishbased movement that is meant to enhance — not replace — existing men’s groups, Cavins said. It draws its name from the Book of Ezekiel, where the prophet laments at finding no one to “stand in the breach” and protect God’s people from the enemy.

A breach was a hole or opening in a wall that surrounded an ancient city, explained Cavins, director of the archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, which oversees the event. To make sure the enemy didn’t enter the city through those breaches, he said, watchmen were assigned to stand guard and sound the alarm if needed.

“When God calls men to stand in the breach, he’s saying, ‘I need somebody to protect my people here and somebody to stand in the breach,’” Cavins said.

Put another way, a man who stands in the breach is one who sacrifices his life for the good of others.

“We know that in the heart of every person — and especially every man — is a much deeper desire, and it’s a desire to make a gift of my life,” Bishop Cozzens said during his keynote presentation. “In fact, I’ll only truly be happy when I discover how to make a gift of my life.”

That attitude appealed to 28-year-old Eric Flaherty, a parishioner at Maternity of Mary in St. Paul. He’s a St. Paul police officer and a member of the Minnesota Army National Guard.

“I’m married and I have two kids, and it’s always been my hope to be that leader of the family,” he said. A man, he added, is “somebody who’s willing to put [in] the effort and the time and the sacrifice, and to bring his family . . . to heaven.”

First-time attendee Mark Meuer, 50, a parishioner at St. Paul in Ham Lake, also

“We know that in the heart of every person — and especially every man — is a much deeper desire, and it’s a desire to make a gift of my life.”

Bishop Andrew Cozzens

was struck by Bishop Cozzens’ challenge.

“The most important thing for me is being a husband and being a father and doing that in a way that is faithful to the Lord,” he said.

Needing the Lord for success One of the movement’s most important components is establishing groups of men that will implement it at their parishes. These groups — called “vanguards” — should consist of 10 to 12 men, Cavins said. Bishop Cozzens has met twice with a vanguard of 30 men — priests, deacons and laymen — to pray for and brainstorm ways to reach men of the archdiocese.

At the heart of the vanguards’ work will be inviting men to adopt seven spiritual disciplines. These are basic practices of the spiritual life, Cavins said, and include praying daily, going to confession monthly and fraternizing with other Catholic men.

As Bishop Cozzens explained, though, if these practices are to bear fruit, they have to be coupled with a fundamental humility: Men have to realize how much they need God.

“If I try even to follow God without depending on his strength, I’ll never be able to do it,” Bishop Cozzens said. “I need him. And I need to find ways to allow myself to depend on him.”

Men can’t do it on their own because of original sin, Bishop Cozzens said. “We live in a world that is painfully wounded by sin,” he said. “And it’s God’s mercy that changes us — it heals us, it strengthens us, and it allows us to be the person that we’re called to be.”

God’s mercy, Bishop Cozzens said, is at the heart of every true encounter Jesus had with someone in Scripture. The woman caught in adultery, the tax collector Zacchaeus, St. Peter — all of them realized two things when they encountered Jesus. First, that they were sinners, and second, that they were sinners who were infinitely loved by God. “When we experience it [God’s mercy], it changes us. It allows us to begin to follow him in a new way,” Bishop Cozzens said.

Looking ahead By conference’s end, the men had gone

Catholic Watchmen’s seven spiritual disciplines Daily 1. Pray with persistence and devotion to Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

2. Encounter Jesus in sacred Scripture.

3. Strive to be a spiritual father like St. Joseph.

Weekly 4. Engage fully in Sunday Mass.

5. Serve and be a witness to family and community.

Monthly 6. Go to confession.

7. Build fraternity and evangelize men in monthly parish gatherings.

through an intense spiritual workout in preparation to become Catholic Watchmen. When Bishop Cozzens invited them to make the commitment, every attendee stood up.

Among them was 30-year-old Mitch Milless of Holy Family in St. Louis Park.

While the father of two knows he won’t live out the seven practices perfectly, that didn’t deter him from giving his yes.

“It’s a nice way to remind myself to be committed to something specific and know that other people are going to be committed to it as well,” he said.

The induction ceremony was simple: The men prayed together with the bishop and then received a pin.

In his closing remarks, Cavins outlined the steps the archdiocese wants to see take place over the next seven months.

From March through August, men should establish vanguards at their parishes and begin to plan with their pastors. Starting in September, they should hold monthly meetings for all men. These meetings should include adoration, confession, a meal, a discussion on one of the seven disciplines, and a personal invitation to become Catholic Watchmen.

For its part, Cavins’ office will provide parishes with planning materials, as well as host a number of archdiocesan events.

Bishop Cozzens and Cavins hope all men of the archdiocese commit to be Catholic Watchmen. When that happens, however, they won’t be able to train in the Anderson Fieldhouse; it will be too small.

“I see a day, and I think many of you would say the same thing,” Cavins said, “when that new football stadium [that] was built for the Vikings — I see a day when it’s filled with Catholic men.”

For more information about the Catholic Watchmen movement, visit www.thecatholicwatchmen.com.

8 • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

March 3, 2016

A catechumen’s spiritual homecoming Parish’s inclusiveness, grandmother’s example paved journey to Church

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit Rafiann Olchefske was “church shopping,” as she put it, when something happened that compelled her to find out more about the Catholic faith.

After many years of not attending religious services, she was at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis about a year ago.

“I remember it was at the point in the Mass when we pray for others [the prayers of the faithful],” Olchefske said.

“We asked God to bless our Muslim brothers and sisters.”

She first thought that was strange, to pray for a group that included people who were persecuting Christians.

But she said she realized, “It’s so pure, that kind of love, that Catholics are willing to pray for people different than themselves.”

It’s an attitude very different from how she was raised, she said. And it has led her to prepare to be baptized and receive the Catholic Church’s other sacraments of initiation on Easter vigil at the Basilica March 26.

Learning from others Olchefske, 30, grew up in the Philippines. Although her parents had been Catholic, they became Jehovah’s Witnesses, and she was raised in what she recalls as the closed, restrictive environment of that tradition.

“Ever since I was 11 or 12, I started asking questions, and I didn’t get the answers I was looking for,” she said.

“After I moved out of my parents’ home I stopped going” [to Jehovah’s Witness activities].

Living in the United States since 2011, Olchefske said memories of her grandmother, a woman whose Catholic faith was evident in her daily actions,

www.TheCatholicSpirit.com

Rafiann Olchefske, right, greets Bishop Andrew Cozzens during the Rite of Election Feb. 14 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit played a role in her own spiritual search.

“My grandmother always found the good in other people,” she said. “When she died, the whole city was there for her funeral. Her relationship with God was real. When I started looking for a faith, that stuck with me.”

Olchefske, who is married and works for a financial services firm in Minneapolis, said she tried several churches.

“I told myself I’m just going to look, I’m not going to join. I’m just church shopping,” she said.

At Mass at the Basilica one day, she heard an announcement that anyone interested in learning more about the Catholic faith was invited to go downstairs after Mass to check it out, she recalled.

“I told myself I was going to go and learn and be very objective about it,” Olchefske said.

She started attending the inquiry sessions that are part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, the Church’s formation rite for people who

wish to become Christians in the Catholic Church.

“I didn’t expect to like it as much as I do now,” Olchefske said of the two-hour Tuesday night sessions. “I really find myself enjoying it.”

Because Olchefske is preparing for baptism, she is considered a catechumen. Others preparing to join the Church who have been baptized are candidates. During dual Rite of Election ceremonies Feb. 14 at the Basilica and the Cathedral of St. Paul, 634 catechumens and candidates came forward in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Along with learning about the Church, Olchefske said RCIA participants learn from each other.

“Their faith journeys are beautiful,” she said.

A spiritual home Paula Kaempffer, director of learning at the Basilica, said she has found Olchefske to be open to talking about her spirituality.

“Rafiann talks about knowing that God has been calling her for a long time, and she can’t say ‘no’ anymore, she can’t refuse,” Kaempffer said.

Olchefske said the welcoming feeling she got from the diverse mix of people who attend Mass at the Basilica tugged at her.

“The Catholic Church always attracted me because it seemed so inclusive,” she said. “It includes everyone who wants to be a part of it.”

Although she tried other churches, she said, “My heart is with the Basilica.

And the church itself is really beautiful.”

Constance White and Kathy Clarkson are Olchefske’s sponsors, and after Easter she’ll join Clarkson in a program in which a group of Basilica parishioners will visit with people on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to learn more about immigration.

Olchefske said she admires the fervor for social justice that many Catholics have.

“You see the passion. They [Catholics] really do care about other people,” she said. “That’s one of the beautiful things about the Catholic faith.”

Bonus benefit And there’s one more thing of beauty that Olchefske said has come from her faith journey.

Her husband, Doug, was raised Catholic but has never actively practiced the faith, she said.

“When I started the RCIA process, he supported me, but he said he wasn’t going to get involved,” she said.

He started going to the sessions as well, however, and although he hasn’t made any commitments, she said they’re praying together and enjoying discussing the topics that are part of RCIA formation.

“He said he’s learning a lot of things he didn’t know,” Olchefske said, and she appreciates that he accompanies her.

Cheerfully she said, “It’s a good bonus.”

U.S. & WORLD

March 3, 2016

The Catholic Spirit • 9

Fresh start: Pope calls for integration of divorced into Church life Pope’s document on family synods expected by Easter

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Those who hope Pope Francis will give divorced and civilly remarried Catholics a blanket welcome back to Communion and those who fear he will open the doors to such a possibility are both likely to be disappointed by his decision.

Pope Francis told reporters traveling with him from Mexico to Italy Feb. 17 that his document reflecting on the 2014 and 2015 synods of bishops on the family should be published by Easter.

There is widespread expectation that the document will be dated March 19, the feast of St. Joseph.

On the specific issue of Communion for those who are civilly remarried without having obtained an annulment of their sacramental marriage, Pope Francis said it was a possibility, but only after a process of re-integration into the life of the Church.

Reception of the Eucharist, he said, would be “the point of arrival.”

However, he insisted, “integration into the Church does not mean ‘receiving Communion’” as if it were automatic. “I know remarried Catholics who go to Church once or twice a year and say, ‘I want to receive Communion’ as if it were some prize.”

It is not, the pope said. An eventual return to the sacraments would be the result of “a work of integration.”

“All doors are open, but one cannot say, ‘from this moment on they can receive Communion,’” Pope Francis said.

Without a declaration that their sacramental marriage was null, “such a situation contradicts the Christian sacrament,” which is meant to be an indissoluble bond, Pope Francis had explained last August during one of his weekly general audience talks about the family.

Communion, and communion Speaking to reporters on his plane in mid-February, he said a blanket invitation to return to Communion without looking at individual circumstances, helping them take responsibility for a failed marriage and encouraging repentance “would harm the spouses, the couple, because it would mean not having them follow that path of integration.”

Pope Francis pointed to the testimony of Humberto and Claudia Gomez, a couple who spoke at his meeting with families Feb. 15 in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico. Claudia was divorced before they married 16 years ago and while Humberto said their relationship always has been one of “love and understanding,” three years ago “the Lord spoke to us,” calling them to join a local parish group for divorced and remarried Catholics.

“We cannot receive Communion,” Humberto said, “but we can communicate through those who are needy, sick or deprived of their freedom,” whom the couple serves through their parish outreach programs.

“These two are happy,” the pope told reporters. “And they used a very beautiful expression: ‘We do not receive eucharistic Communion, but we make communion in visiting the hospital.’”

“Their integration has remained there,” the pope said. “If there is something more, the Lord will tell them, but it is a journey, a path.”

The “integration” of families in the life of the Church was a key point at the synods on the family, the pope said, and is a concept that will feature in his postsynodal document, particularly when speaking about families experiencing difficulties and those formed by new unions.

Focus on process Pope Francis’ focus on the process — and not on the possible end result — means it is an incremental change from what St. John Paul II had written in his 1981 exhortation on the family, “Familiaris Consortio,” which called on pastors to accompany such couples in a process of discernment regarding their share of responsibility for the breakdown of a marriage, their behavior toward their spouse and children since the divorce and their conduct in their new relationship.

However, St. John Paul wrote, “the Church reaffirms her practice, which is based upon sacred Scripture, of not admitting to eucharistic Communion divorced persons who have remarried” because “their state and condition of life objectively contradict that union of love between Christ and the Church which is signified and effected by the Eucharist.

Besides this, there is another special pastoral reason: If these people were admitted to the Eucharist, the faithful would be led into error and confusion regarding the Church’s teaching about the indissolubility of marriage.”

St. John Paul’s points about the objective situation of the couples and about possible scandal were repeated by many bishops at the synod last October.

Several of them insisted the synod’s recommendations to Pope Francis left no room for changing that teaching and possibly allowing some couples, in some circumstances, to receive Communion.

Other bishops at the synod insisted that a process of discernment would mean little if full reconciliation with the Church and reception of all the sacraments were not ultimately possible.

They saw their recommendations as leaving the possibility open.

Pope Francis’ remarks to reporters indicate that he, too, sees a possibility, but both the sacraments of marriage and of the Eucharist are too sacred to be treated lightly.

Commentary/idea/opinion?

Call 651-291-4444 or email: catholicspirit@archspm.org

Catholic war hero U.S. President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Honor to U.S. Navy Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers Jr. during a ceremony at the White House in Washington Feb. 29. Byers, a Catholic, was honored for his courageous actions while serving as part of a team that rescued an American civilian in 2012 who was held hostage in Afghanistan. CNS/Gary Cameron, Reuters

Sister Helen Prejean recounts early years in fight against death penalty

By R.W. Dellinger Catholic News Service “They killed a man with fire one night. They strapped him in a wooden chair and pumped electricity through his body until he was dead,” Sister Helen Prejean told an audience in Los Angeles Feb. 27.

“His killing was a legal act because he had killed. No religious leaders protested his killing that night,” she continued. “But I was there. I saw it with my own eyes. What I saw set my soul on fire, a fire that burns me still.

And now here is an account of how I came to be and still am.”

With these words from a new book she is in the process of writing, Sister Helen began her keynote address on the second day of the 2016 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress.

And for the next hour-plus, the author of the 1993 best-seller “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States” explained how a shy selfspiritual-centered woman religious in her 40s became one of the nation’s

outspoken voices against the death penalty.

The Sister of St. Joseph of Medaille said she’d been a comfortable suburban junior-high teacher when her community decided to return to its French roots of ministering to society’s down-and-out. Sticking with the new social justice line, Sister Helen naively agreed to become the pen pal of a killer on Louisiana’s infamous death row. And when he asked her to visit, she did. Soon she became his prisonregistered “spiritual adviser.” She also started learning about how capital punishment was mostly applied to poor black men who had killed whites in Louisiana.

The religious sister witnessed the April 5, 1984, electric-chair execution of her pen pal, who was white.

Sister Helen said the best part of doing the book and movie was meeting with both St. John Paul II and Pope Francis. She got their support against the death penalty as a crucial pro-life issue along with abortion and euthanasia.

10 • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & WORLD

March 3, 2016

Vatican newspaper: ‘Spotlight’ not anti-Catholic

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service The Vatican newspaper said the Oscar-winning film “Spotlight” is not anti-Catholic.

“It is not an anti-Catholic movie, as has been written, because the film succeeds in giving voice to the alarm and deep pain” experienced by the Catholic faithful when a team of investigative newspaper reporters in Boston revealed the scandal of clerical abuse, said the article published Feb. 29 in L’Osservatore Romano.

The paper said it was also a “positive sign” when Michael Sugar, the movie’s producer, said he hoped the film would “resonate all the way to the Vatican.”

In his acceptance speech at the 88th annual Academy Awards Feb. 28, Sugar said the movie “gave a voice to survivors, and this Oscar amplifies this voice.”

He then expressed hopes this voice would “become a choir that will resonate all the way to the Vatican.”

“Pope Francis, it’s time to protect the children and restore the faith,” he said.

The fact there was such an appeal, the Vatican newspaper said, was “a positive sign” because it shows “there is still trust in the institution [of the Church], there is trust in a pope who is continuing the cleanup begun by his predecessor.”

“There is still trust in a faith that has at its heart the defense of victims, the protection of the innocent,” said the article, written by Lucetta Scaraffia, a professor of contemporary history and a frequent contributor to the Vatican newspaper.

“Spotlight” won two awards: one for best picture and one for best original screenplay. The film documents the Boston Globe’s investigation into the scandal and cover-up of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy in the Archdiocese of Boston.

The Vatican newspaper said the film does not touch on the “long and tenacious fight” by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in launching action against abusers in the Church.

“But a film can’t say everything, and the difficulties that Ratzinger encountered only confirm the premise of the film, that is, that too often the Church institution did not know how to respond with the necessary determination before these crimes,” the article said.

While children are vulnerable to abuse in many other places, like in the family, school or sports teams, it said, “it is now clear that too many in the Church were more worried about the image of the institution than the seriousness of the act.”

“All of this cannot justify the very grave crime of one, who as a representative of God, uses this prestige and authority to take advantage of the innocent,” the article said.

The film, in fact, shows the kind of devastation wrought on victims when “they don’t even have a God to plead with anymore, to ask for help,” it said.

Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors,

Archdiocesan official encourages Catholics to see ‘Spotlight’ Tim O’Malley, director of the Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said movies such as “Spotlight” raise awareness, and he encourages others to see the film.

“It tells a compelling story, highlights the courage and import of survivors’ voices, shows the power of journalism and the merit of searching for the truth — no matter how difficult or painful,” he said in a March 1 statement.

O’Malley reiterated what came from the Boston Globe’s investigative series: the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2002 Dallas Charter, which “set nationwide standards that we continue to develop and implement in our local Church.”

Read the full statement at www.archspm.org.

“There is still trust in a faith that has at its heart the defense of victims, the protection of the innocent.”

Lucetta Scaraffia, professor of contemporary history and frequent contributor to L’Osservatore Romano

told Vatican Radio many bishops had urged others to see the film and “take seriously its central message, which is that the Catholic Church can and must be transparent, just and committed to fighting abuse, and it must ensure it never happens again.”

Catholic leaders cannot think clerical sexual abuse will go away if they don’t talk about it, Father Zollner said. “I think this is one of the central messages of the film.”

Director Tom McCarthy had said that while he’s excited the pope is a “forward-thinking, inclusive, progressive, reform-minded person,” addressing the scourge of sexual abuse will not occur overnight.

“He’s taking over the reins of an institution that does not change very quickly,” McCarthy said in an interview with America magazine in November 2015.

“Like any leader, within his institution, he’s got his work cut out for him. What remains to be seen is how much change, how much action happens under his guidance. I think you just have to wait and see,” McCarthy said.

Pope Francis visits the San Carlo Community, a Catholic-run drug rehabilitation center on the outskirts of Rome near Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Feb. 26. CNS/L’Osservatore Romano

For ‘Mercy Friday’ initiative, pope visits young addicts at rehab center

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service In the second of his “Mercy Friday” gestures, Pope Francis spent two hours with a group of young adults at a Catholic-run residential drug rehabilitation center.

To the complete surprise of the 55 residents, Pope Francis showed up in his compact Ford Escort at the San Carlo Community Feb. 26 with just a driver. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, organizer of the Vatican’s Year of Mercy events, arrived separately at the community outside of Rome near Castel Gandolfo.

“We were speechless when we saw the car with the pope enter our community where every day our young people fight their battle to return to life,” said Roberto Mineo, president of the Italian Solidarity Center, which runs the facility. “The pope, like a caring father, spent a long time with each person, listening to their stories and embracing them one by one. Some of the young people showed him photos of their families, their children, and the pope had a word of hope and a blessing for each of them.”

Sitting in a large circle, Pope Francis asked the residents about their activities and learned that one of their therapeutic projects is learning how to cook.

“What is the best thing you make?” the pope asked.

Their response was not reported by the few people present, but at break time, they shared with Pope Francis some of their cheese pizza, made from scratch.

In a press release, Archbishop Fisichella said Pope Francis chose the drug rehab center as a follow-up to his visit to Mexico where he repeatedly denounced drug traffickers and urged Catholic pastors and parishioners to be close to all those who have fallen prey to drug addiction.

One Friday a month for the rest of the jubilee year, Pope Francis was to demonstrate personally the works of mercy. In January, he visited a home for the aged and a nearby facility caring for people in persistent vegetative states. Reporters are not invited to accompany the pope and news of the events is not released until the pope already has arrived.

Congratulations

Reverend Father Robert Hazel on 50 years of

devotion and obedience to our Lord and for your service to

our church community.

The Church of Saint Joseph, New Hope, Minnesota

U.S. & WORLD

March 3, 2016

The Catholic Spirit • 11

in BRIEF VATICAN CITY

Pope calls for ‘harmonized response’ to migrant crisis in Greece Countries like Greece that are on the front line of the migrant crisis need the cooperation of all nations to help those fleeing from “wars and other inhuman situations,” Pope Francis said. “A harmonized response can be effective and equally distribute the weight,” he said Feb. 28 after reciting the Angelus with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square. Thousands of Syrian and Iraqi refugees were stranded in Idomeni, Greece, in late February after Balkan countries announced a daily cap of migrants crossing their borders. Noting the generosity of countries like Greece, which are handling the growing influx of migrants, the pope called on European Union member states to “focus decisively and unreservedly on negotiations” to assist nations receiving refugees.

ST. LOUIS

St. Louis archbishop pushes for switch to Girl Scout alternatives The Archdiocese of St. Louis has formed a new Catholic Committee for Girls Formation that is being charged with ministry to all girls in the archdiocese.

Archbishop Robert Carlson announced the new committee in a Feb. 18 letter to priests, scouting leaders and the faithful of the archdiocese. The letter reiterated the ongoing concerns with the values and policies of Girl Scouts USA, which he said are “becoming increasingly incompatible with our Catholic values.”

“While continuing to serve our Catholic girls involved in various scouting programs, this committee will also reflect our ongoing commitment to educating and forming all young women,” he wrote. Archbishop Carlson appointed Barb Hussey and Katie Cannavan as co-chairs of the new committee. “I’m looking forward to a sense of cohesiveness and moving forward for the good of the girls,” Hussey said. The faith-formation programs, which teach youths about Mary, the saints, the Holy Spirit and the rosary, among other topics, are open to all youths, regardless of affiliation with a scouting organization. Archbishop Carlson was an auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 1983-1994.

SYDNEY

Cardinal tells Australian abuse hearing he won’t defend indefensible The Vatican’s prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, Cardinal George Pell, told a special hearing of Australia’s Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that he was not trying “to defend the indefensible.” Commencing the morning of Feb. 29 — 10 p.m. Feb. 28 in Rome — Cardinal Pell gave evidence at a special session convened in Rome’s Hotel Quirinale via video link to the Commission in Australia, from where he was questioned for four hours by Gail Furness, senior counsel assisting the commission. “The Church has made enormous mistakes and is working to remedy those,” he said. “The Church in many places, including Australia, has mucked things up and let people down, and I’m not here to defend the indefensible.” A heart condition prevented the cardinal from making the flight back to Sydney for the hearing, with the commissioners agreeing to his request to give evidence via video link.

The Royal Commission also ruled that Australian survivors of abuse, their supporters and media from Australia would be permitted to be in the room while the cardinal testified, and the Verdi room at Hotel Quirinale was filled to capacity for his evidence.

BEIJING

Chinese authorities continue campaign, remove cross from church Chinese authorities are continuing their campaign of removing crosses in Zhejiang province, and one of the latest was taken from a Catholic church. Government officials removed the cross of Zhuangyuan Church in Yongqiang parish just before dawn Feb. 25, two weeks after Zhejiang’s religious affairs director called for “religious stability” ahead of the Sept. 4-5 Group of 20 summit in the provincial capital, Hangzhou. Ucanews. com reported that the previous evening, the Catholic community in Yongqiang parish called an emergency meeting amid warnings that the cross was about to be removed. They were unable to stop state officials despite resisting a similar attempt to remove the cross last year.

“The person in charge of the church didFr_Bob_Ad_2016.pdf not inform the parish priest about the removal this time, possibly

Thank you to Fr. Bob Hazel

for your service to our Catholic Community over the last 50 years!

Your Friends at St. Victoria

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because government officials threatened him to keep quiet,” a church worker told ucanews.com on condition of anonymity. “When the priest realized the situation from others, he called a meeting immediately.”

1

2/22/16

8:51 PM

— Catholic News Service

Congratulations on your 50th year of ordination

Father Bob Hazel Thank you from the thousands of married couples saved by your ministry in Retrouvaille.

Twin Cities Retrouvaille SAVING MARRIAGES FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS tcr-mn.org

12 • The Catholic Spirit

Acts o

Noting intentions Cathedral parishioner’s habitual prayer for the living and the dead flows from call to serve the Church Part four in a 14-part Year of Mercy series highlighting local Catholics who live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

By Susan Klemond • For The Catholic Spirit Photos by Dave Hrbacek • The Catholic Spirit

W

ith a green spiral-bound notebook in hand, Tony Guajardo walks into his parish, the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, to pray before the Blessed Sacrament.

In his notebook, he’s written the names of at least 100 people or groups for whom he prays regularly. Some have asked for his prayers, while others he’s been inspired to pray for. Once a name is in his book, he doesn’t stop praying.

He reads the names, places the book on the altar next to the monstrance, kneels and bows his head in prayer with petitions and a Catholic prayer book containing the mysteries of the rosary, litany of humility, and acts of faith, hope and love, among others.

He intercedes for the living and the dead in this routine three times a week.

“It helps me to place myself in the presence of God, and it also helps me to refocus on my life,” said Guajardo, 56, who seven years ago retired from the landscaping business he owned in Michigan. “I wait for God to move me in ways that are good and just. I ask God for things. I wait for God to speak.”

To end his time in eucharistic adoration, Guajardo prays the Apostles’ Creed and rosary for those in his book and for priestly and religious vocations. When he has more time, he prays a special 15-decade rosary, followed by five more decades on the rosary his dad gave him. Later, he writes his inspirations from prayer in the green notebook.

“You will fall in love with God the more you pray,” he said.

Spreading God’s love Guajardo’s personal ministry is praying every day for his living and deceased relatives and friends, emergency responders, those in need and even entire cemeteries of souls he never knew.

Guajardo’s dedication is one of seven spiritual works of mercy, which he not only performs at Mass and eucharistic adoration, but also while driving, updating his Facebook status and doing other daily activities. The practice of prayer he learned from his father when he was young is all about offering those in need charity, which he said he receives in return from the Lord.

“My prayer life is constant,” Guajardo said. “I always pray for somebody. Sometimes I pray for myself, and I ask others to pray for me as well.”

Friends and family — even those not practicing the faith — bring intentions to Guajardo, said his wife, Ann Guajardo, who works at the Cathedral.

Because he feels God is even more present during the consecration at Mass, that’s another time Guajardo prays for living and deceased relatives, including his mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, and her caregivers. The more time he spends praying for others and in personal prayer, the more he receives from Mass, he said.

On his Facebook page, he asks God to help anyone who needs it that day. On the social media platform, he shares what he’s heard from the Lord in prayer, faith-related articles, saint biographies and family photos with his more than 3,100 Facebook friends. And to signify his prayer postings, he adds a “digital sign of the cross” by typing three plus signs.

“I feel fulfilled praying, so I know God is energizing me and motivating me to pray more,” he said. “I feel God encourages me to spread his love and message. That is why

Tony Guajardo’s prayer journal is filled with inspiring messages, plus names of people he is praying for.

I post my thoughts and prayers on Facebook. I want to spread God’s love and message.”

Unceasing prayer Guajardo cites Scripture verses that encourage Christians to pray without ceasing (1 Thes 5:17) and to pray for others (Jn 17:24).

Each morning, Guajardo begins bringing those needs to the Lord during prayer with his wife and their two young sons in their Maplewood home. Wherever he is, he starts each prayer with the sign of the cross, praying mostly formal prayers as opposed to spontaneous, informal prayers.

But whether formal or informal, he said, “We’re designed to live the prayers that we recite, and say them from our heart.”

As he drives his sons to school, Guajardo prays when police or emergency vehicles pass. He said prayer has increased his respect for law enforcement.

He also prays for the dead while passing cemeteries or roadside markers where someone died. He says a quick prayer for the departed and sometimes asks God to “send his angels down to the souls, that they may rise to heaven.”

“When I was a little boy, my dad would pass a cemetery and he would always say a prayer,” Guajardo recalled. “I just picked up on that habit. I always say God gave me my faith, and my dad put my faith on course.”

Prayer matters While Guajardo was growing up in Michigan, his father taught him to pray for the dead, along with the Our Father, Hail Mary and Act of Contrition, which he and his family now pray at Mass after Communion.

In 2005, his dying father’s request for continued prayers convinced Guajardo of the importance of this prayer.

When he read 2 Mc 12:39-45, he realized souls might be in purgatory, where they are unable to pray for themselves.

“If they’re already in heaven, God will apportion prayers to souls who do need them,” he said. “We need to be praying all the time. Prayer is so important — praying for each other, the living and the deceased.”

Guajardo’s prayer for the living and dead has led him to other works of mercy, including teaching catechism

Whenever Tony Guajardo passes by a cemetery, he takes time to pr (instructing the ignorant), reaching out to the homeless (feeding the hungry and clothing the naked) and caring for the sick.

Because he’s discerned that his prayer is part of a deeper call to serve the Church, Guajardo said he plans to apply for the permanent diaconate this spring.

Acknowledging that prayer isn’t always easy, Guajardo said that over the years prayer has become a joyful part of his life.

“When I was younger, it was not as joyful,” he said. “It

The Catholic Spirit’s Acts of Mercy series is mad National Catholic Society of Foresters. Learn abo

of

Mercy

March 3, 2016 • 13

Pray for the living and the dead

By Father Michael Van Sloun

Tony Guajardo prays in the Piéta TonyatGuajardo prays of in St. thePaul. chapel the Cathedral at theplaces Cathedral It’s Piéta one ofchapel his favorite to lift of St. Paul.intentions.

It’s one of Other his spots up his prayer favorite to liftadoration up his include the places eucharistic prayer intentions.

Other spots chapel and the Mary and Joseph include the Hrbacek/The eucharistic Catholic chapels.

Dave adoration chapel and the Spirit Mary and Joseph chapels.

ray for the dead buried there.

Tony Guajardo uses social media to assist his prayer life, using Facebook to send messages to people he’s praying for and to post prayers.

seemed dry and more like work. But as I have aged, prayer is a joy.”

He said God has blessed him when he prays for difficult people.

“The best time to love someone is when you don’t want to, when they really don’t deserve it,” Guajardo said.

“That’s when God is really blessing you.”

Ann Guajardo said prayer is one reason her husband is a strong man of faith who rarely thinks of himself.

“He just tries to live right, always remaining the same,”

de possible in part through a grant from the out the organization at www.ncsf.com.

she said.

Guajardo doesn’t expect anything in return, but sometimes feels love and joy from God and people he’s praying for, such as a Facebook friend’s “thank you” or comments from others who appreciate his prayers.

Although Guajardo can’t pray for every need, he trusts God will tell him when to write another name in his notebook.

Prayer “does matter in some way, whether it’s helping somebody or changing somebody,” Guajardo said. “When I pray, it makes a difference. When I don’t make pray, it also makes a difference.”

It is a spiritual work of mercy to pray for the living and the dead. These prayers make intercession for the spiritual benefit of another, for the living — that the person would receive a special grace or blessing — or for the dead — that the deceased person would be forgiven any remaining temporal punishment for sin, be aided along the journey to heaven and be warmly welcomed by God, as well as the angels and saints, and take the dwelling place that has been prepared in the Father’s house.

Jesus prayed for the living Father Michael as an act of mercy. Jesus VAN SLOUN prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail and that he would be able to strengthen his brothers (Lk 22:32). He also prayed for his disciples, asking his Father to “keep them in your name . . . that they may be one” (Jn 17:11). He also prayed, “Keep them from the evil one” (Jn 17:15); “Consecrate them in the truth” (Jn 17:17); and “I pray . . . also for those who will believe in me through their word” (Jn 17:20). Jesus prayed for his enemies from the cross when he asked his Father, “Forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34).

Jesus was deeply concerned about the spiritual welfare of others, and he prayed for their benefit.

Jesus has left us an example. As he has done, so we should also do.

The practice of praying for the living is firmly established in sacred Scripture. Abraham prayed for the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:22-32). Moses prayed for his troops as they fought the Amalekites (Ex 17:8-13), for healing for Miriam (Num 12:13), and for recovery for those who had been bitten by saraph serpents (Num 21:7). Solomon prayed for the welfare of the people of Israel (1 Kgs 8:22-53).

The practice of praying for the dead goes back to Judas Maccabeus. Some soldiers in his army died in battle, and when it came time to bury them it was discovered that they were wearing amulets, small figurines of a false god, a serious offense against the First Commandment. Because these men died in sin, “they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out” (2 Mac 12:42). Their prayer “made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved of their sin” (2 Mac 12:46).

It is a good and noble act to pray for the dead.

The funeral Mass is a special way to do so, and eucharistic prayers include a special prayer for the deceased person. Additional prayers for the dead include the various funeral rites: the reception of the body, the vigil service or wake, the funeral Mass, the funeral liturgy outside of Mass, and the committal or graveside prayers. In many places, it is also customary to offer a rosary for the deceased at the wake or before the funeral Mass.

It is an act of mercy to pray for the dead on a regular basis. All Souls Day, Nov. 2, is set aside to pray for the faithful departed, and the entire month of November is a time to pray for the dead.

Mass intentions can be offered. Each eucharistic prayer has an invocation for the dead. It is customary to offer the last intercession of the prayers of the faithful for those who have passed away. It is good to make visits to the cemetery to pray at the graves of family and loved ones. Prayer is a bond that unites the communion of saints of the living with the communion of saints of the faithful departed.

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata.

14 • The Catholic Spirit

ANALYSIS

March 3, 2016

Being human Pope Francis delights many, frustrates some

Pope Francis arrives Feb. 17 to visit Cereso prison in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. CNS/ Paul Haring

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

T

When people call Pope Francis “the pope of surprises,” they usually say it with a delighted sense of expectation. But there are people in the world who really don’t like surprises.

he pope is human. Pope Francis demonstrated that in Mexico, as he does wherever he goes, and most people find it attractive most of the time.

In Pope Francis, Catholics can see a real person trying to live his faith in a complicated world. Sometimes he waves at them and they can see the frayed edges of his soutane sleeve.

When his sciatica is acting up, he needs extra help going down steps. His aides do not keep his reading glasses, so sometimes he fumbles with the soutane pocket trying to get them out.

Crowds “ahhh” when he tenderly strokes the face of an obviously sick person, and they applaud when he gives a big hug to a child. However, they can be shocked when the human side of the pope is impatience or downright anger like it was Feb. 16 in Morelia, Mexico, when one of the thousands of people who grab the pope at public events yanked him, pulling him on top of a person seated in a wheelchair.

“What’s the matter with you?” the pope snapped. “Don’t be selfish!”

While security officers helped the pope back up, Pope Francis caressed the face of the boy he’d fallen on.

ask him questions. It sometimes frustrates journalists who are given his prepared remarks in advance, knowing full well that he may use little or none of the printed text. For people who do not usually agree with Pope Francis, the ad-libbing is just a nightmare. And, those spontaneous remarks can be frustratingly incomplete or imprecise.

But the pope knows that. For example, when he speaks about the growing gap between the rich and poor, he openly approximates. “If I’m not mistaken — the figures are approximate — but more or less 80 percent of human wealth is in the hands of less than 20 percent of the population,” he said Feb. 10 at his weekly general audience at the Vatican.

When people call Pope Francis “the pope of surprises,” they usually say it with a delighted sense of expectation.

But there are people in the world who really don’t like surprises.

‘Pope of surprises’

Off-the-cuff answers

The off-the-cuff Pope Francis is very human, too. That touches people who experience a pope really listening to them and who is taking notes as people

As far back as the papal trips of St. John Paul II, journalists have valued being on the papal plane because it is the only time they are guaranteed a

Then, answering the question about Zika, he said, “Avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil. In certain cases, such as the one I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear.” The answer led to headlines saying the pope said it was possible that using birth control in response to Zika could be tolerated.

Personal insights chance to ask the pope questions. Popes do not hold regular news conferences.

With Pope Francis, unlike with Pope Benedict XVI, the questions are not submitted in advance, and his answers almost always make the news.

Flying back from Mexico Feb. 17, Pope Francis was asked to react to Donald Trump’s accusations that the pope is political and, since the pope had just celebrated Mass at the Mexican-U.S. border, he also was asked to comment on Trump’s proposal to build a wall along the entire length of the border and deport millions of immigrants. Pope Francis answered, “If he says these things, this man is not Christian.”

The pope was less clear in responding to a question about whether “avoiding pregnancy” could be considered a “lesser evil” when facing the possibility of birth defects from the Zika virus. The pope used the word “contraception” when referring to Blessed Paul VI allowing women religious in the Belgian Congo in the 1960s to take the pill to avoid becoming pregnant if they were the victim of rape, which was being used as a weapon of war.

The pope’s responses to journalists, particularly to the Trump question and to the Zika question, made a splash in the news and on social media.

Thomas Peters, who tweets as @AmericanPapist, tweeted, “For the 1 millionth time, no more in-flight papal news conferences please!” And a bit later, he added, “Seriously, who believes that off-the-cuff interviews at 30,000 feet after a weeklong international trip is a good idea anymore?”

Pope Francis’ answer to another question, one that did not make the news, also illustrates his human side.

He was asked what he was praying for during the 20 minutes he sat before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

He said he prayed for so many things that Mary, “poor thing,” probably had a headache when he was done. He said he prayed for forgiveness, for the growth of the Church, for the Mexican people, for priests, nuns, bishops.

“I asked for a lot.”

But he would not say more or give more details. “The things a child tells his mother are kind of secret,” he explained.

March 3, 2016

ANALYSIS

V Little Sisters of the Poor the public face of fight against HHS mandate

By Kurt Jensen • Catholic News Service

isuals often are much easier to grasp than a complicated thicket of issues.

That may be why the Little Sisters of the Poor have become the public face of Zubik v. Burwell, which goes before the U.S. Supreme Court March 23.

Zubik is not just about the religious order’s legal challenge of the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate for employers. It is a consolidated case also involving East Texas Baptist University, Southern Nazarene University and Geneva College, which is a Presbyterian institution, as well as Catholic entities, including the Archdiocese of Washington; the dioceses of Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania; and Priests for Life.

Both sides on the mandate issue have been working to attract public support. The Little Sisters, like Priests for Life, have launched a website explaining their side of the issue, and of any of the cases, the Little Sisters suit has received the most attention, media and otherwise.

In January, two Little Sisters sat in the House Chamber for the State of the Union address, invited by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin. The religious order also has been invoked on the campaign trail for the Republican presidential nomination by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Rubio and Bush, who is now out of the race, pointed to the order’s mandate suit as part of the ongoing fight for religious liberty.

Pope Francis met with some of the sisters in Washington last September during his apostolic visit.

Once the high court hears oral arguments in Zubik v. Burwell, a decision is expected before the court term ends in June.

With the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, it is widely predicted the result will be a 4-4 tie. In the 2014 Hobby Lobby case, Scalia provided the deciding vote in a 5-4 decision, and two private, for-profit companies that objected to the mandate on moral grounds prevailed in their argument that complying placed an undue burden on their religious freedom. The court ruled that closely held companies — meaning, with limited shareholders — are exempt.

In all of the cases to be argued before the high court in March, appellate courts in various jurisdictions sided with the Obama administration.

On Feb. 18, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruled against the Eternal Word Television Network and three other Catholic entities. That ruling also said the HHS mandate should not be enforced until the Supreme Court rules on the issue.

Undue burden on religious exercise The Denver-based Little Sisters order, which operates nursing homes for the elderly poor, has been the symbol of the case since Dec. 31, 2013, when Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued a stay hours before the order would have had to comply with the mandate.

Under the federal Affordable Care Act, most employers, including religious ones, are required to cover employees’ artificial birth control, sterilization and abortifacients, even if employers are morally opposed to such coverage.

Churches and institutions that primarily employ and serve their own members are exempt.

The Little Sisters, like the other plaintiffs in Zubik v. Burwell, object to doing this for their employees under their health insurance plan, the FROM TOP Sister Elisabeth Anne Roche adjusts a balloon next to honoree Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust. Citing Rita Driess during a birthday party for centenarians Jan. 20, 2015, at the the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, Little Sisters of the Poor’s Queen of Peace Residence in the Queens borough known as RFRA, the religious order says the of New York. • Pope Francis greets Sister Marie Mathilde during his mandate amounts to an undue burden on their unannounced visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor residence in Washington free exercise of religion.

Sept. 23. • Members of the Little Sisters of the Poor attend the 2014 To respond to religious objections, the celebration of the third annual Fortnight for Freedom Mass at the Basilica of Department of Health and Human Services the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in created an “accommodation.” Any organization Baltimore. CNS with religious objections to providing the

The Catholic Spirit • 15 coverage must state that in writing in order for HHS or the Department of Labor to direct that a third party provide contraceptives to the organization’s employees.

In its friend of the court brief filed in the Zubik case, the government says the case comes down to “whether the RFRA entitles petitioners not only to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage themselves, but also to prevent the government from arranging for third parties to provide separate coverage to the affected women.”

“It’s unprecedented for an organization to actually oppose the process for which they are allowed to opt out of something,” said Gretchen Borchelt, a vice president at the National Women’s Law Center, in an interview with Catholic News Service. The center, based in Washington, is among organizations that support the government’s stance.

The Catholic and other plaintiffs in Zubik object to that third-party notification because they say they still would be complicit in providing coverage they oppose.

The brief from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops zooms in on the argument: “History is replete with instances in which an individual went to his or her death to avoid committing an act objectionable to the individual on religious grounds, though thought by others to be innocuous.”

As examples, the USCCB cites St. Thomas More, beheaded by King Henry VIII for not accommodating the king’s demand for a divorce; Polycarp, an early Christian martyr burned at the stake for his simple refusal to say “Caesar is Lord”; and Eleazar, who, in the Second Book of Maccabees, was recorded as having been tortured and killed for refusing to eat meat not allowed by Jewish dietary laws.

If no exemption, millions in fines Refusing to comply with the mandate means substantial fines, which in the case of the Little Sisters have been estimated at $70 million. The USCCB brief argues that the order would face “financial ruin” as a result. “No one benefits from such an outcome — not the organizations, their donors, their clients or their employees.”

As for “substantial burden,” the amicus brief from former state attorneys general in support of HHS maintains that the onus does not exist, since religious organizations would not even be informed of which of their employees are receiving contraceptive coverage.

Other issues include claims of a financial burden on employees. As an example, the National Women’s Law Center brief maintains that the employees of the Little Sisters, without the accommodation, would have to pay more for contraceptive measures. The alternatives they’ve put forward “remove contraception from a woman’s regular insurance system, and impose additional administrative, logistical and monetary burdens that would make it difficult, if not impossible, for women to access contraception.”

Mark Rienzi, a lawyer with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents the Little Sisters, calls that “a very strange argument” since the government-operated health care exchanges provide a workable alternative. Those, he said, are “generally praised by the government as providing affordable, comprehensive, easy-toaccess coverage. In fact, that’s precisely the way many employees of small businesses get their insurance. So the notion that it is somehow too hard, too complicated, or too expensive for employees of the Little Sisters is bizarre.”

What happens if the Supreme Court deadlocks 4-4? The rulings of the lower courts would be affirmed or the court may set the case aside for re-argument when Scalia’s seat is filled, predicted Rienzi.

If so, “we can come back in a year,” he told CNS.

16 • The Catholic Spirit

FOCUS ON FAITH

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES

Deacon Paul Strommer

A question for Lent: Why are we faithful?

We know it as the “parable of the Prodigal Son,” the story that possesses a remarkable quality: the ability to consistently produce new questions within us. What question will arise in us this Sunday?

First we’ll meet the “prodigal son.” His is the story of abandoning home for “a distant country.” He’ll come to his father and say, “Father, give me the share of your estate.”

Then we’ll meet the father. His is the story of unconditional love. The son’s words mean that he’d prefer his father dead. Despite the dishonor heaped upon him, the father will freely entrust

everything he has to his sons, desiring only their good.

Eventually, we’ll come to meet the older son. His is the story of remaining home. Prior to this meeting, we’ll observe the dramatic downfall of the younger son. In vivid detail we’ll learn how he “squander[s] his inheritance on a life of dissipation.” But, the entire time, it’ll be the older son who’ll remain at home and will “not once disobey.”

The figure of the older son often produces great questions. “Nearing the house, and coming upon the sound of music and dancing,” we’ll watch him.

He’ll discover that his younger brother,

March 3, 2016

“who swallowed up [his father’s] property,” is given “the fattened calf . . . [to] celebrate with a feast.” How will he react?

The older brother, becoming angry, will stubbornly refuse to enter the house.

Now, suddenly, we’ll see who he truly is.

Just as the father had run out to meet the younger son, he’ll go out to meet the older son, who refuses to come inside.

The older son will complain: “Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders.” Beneath all those years of obedience we’ll learn of the great interior distance between the older son and his father. It’ll appear that the older son obeyed for his personal gain, not out of love.

Often, and especially during the Lenten season, those of us who remain faithful in the Church should ask ourselves: What is beneath our practice of the faith? Are we engaged so as to remain and grow in our relationship with God? Or, are we faithful only because we know that in the end God will owe us something in return?

We’ll hear the father remind his older son: “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” All of those

Sunday, March 6

Fourth Sunday of Lent Readings • Joshua 5:9a, 10-12 • 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 • Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 years the older son had remained at his father’s side. Yet, when his younger brother returns to that fattened calf, the older son shows the tremendous distance he is living from home.

It’s possible to remain at home but to live only like servants of God. But we have to remember that God is our father.

This Sunday, ask: How can I live all the Church asks of me, not only as a servant of rules, but also as a beloved child of the God of mercy?

Deacon Strommer is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity for the Diocese of Duluth. His teaching parish is St. Ambrose in Woodbury. His home parish is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth.

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, March 6 Fourth Sunday of Lent Joshua 5:9a, 10-12 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Monday, March 7 Isaiah 65:17-21 John 4:43-54 Tuesday, March 8 Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12 John 5:1-16

Wednesday, March 9 Isaiah 49:8-15 John 5:17-30

Saturday, March 12 Jeremiah 11:18-20 John 7:40-53

Thursday, March 10 Exodus 32:7-14 John 5:31-47

Sunday, March 13 Fifth Sunday of Lent Isaiah 43:16-21 Philippians 3:8-14 John 8:1-11

Friday, March 11 Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22 John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Father Michael Schmitz

Dealing with ‘twin sins’ of despair and presumption

A. This is a real issue, and I don’t think that the problem is limited to young people. I have met plenty of adults in my time who seem to exhibit the same disposition. What we are talking about are the “twin sins” of despair and presumption. I call them “twin sins” because both the temptation to deny God’s love and the temptation to presume upon God’s love are two sides of the same coin. They have a common root, and they also have a common remedy.

The problem with these twin sins is not that one takes sin too seriously and

Wednesday, March 16 Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 John 8:31-42

Monday, March 14 Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 John 8:12-20

SEEKING ANSWERS

Q. You’ve spoken about God’s love before and how it is important to know that God will never stop loving us. But my issue is that I teach young people who seem to think that, since God loves them, it doesn’t matter how they live.

Tuesday, March 15 Numbers 21:4-9 John 8:21-30

the other doesn’t take sin seriously enough. Although that would appear to make sense, it isn’t true.

That might even seem to make sense to you. Imagine that you are counseling a person tempted to despair of any hope because of their sins. Imagine someone who felt so awful for their sins that they just couldn’t dream that God could ever love them and raise them out of their brokenness. In that scenario, you might be tempted to advise them to “lighten up” about sin. You might be tempted to assure them that their sins “aren’t that bad.” (Note: there is such a thing as scrupulosity. But being scrupulous isn’t being sensitive to sin; that’s merely being holy. Scrupulosity is seeing sin where there is no sin.)

On the other hand, imagine one of the young people you mentioned. This kind of person claims to know something about God’s love. They might say, “I

Thursday, March 17 Genesis 17:3-9 John 8:51-59 Friday, March 18 Jeremiah 20:10-13 John 10:31-42

don’t have to be concerned with following God; he loves me no matter what.” If you were counseling a person in this state, you might be tempted to point out all of the ways that sin wounds the soul (and even often wounds the body!). You might point out all of the ways that sin destroys relationships and leads to death. It might be a very compelling thing to try to describe how truly ugly sin is. And that wouldn’t be wrong. All of those things are true. It might even be that your words could move this person’s heart and mind to take sin more seriously.

But I think that, in both cases, we are called neither to merely invite people to take sin less seriously nor to take sin more seriously. The lasting solution is to take the cross more seriously.

People tempted to despair do not need to take sin less seriously but to take the cross more seriously. If people take the cross of Jesus seriously, they know that there is no sin that Jesus didn’t die for.

They know that they are not “beyond saving.” If a person really and truly takes the cross seriously, they would never question whether or not God loved them. Despair would be impossible.

Further, if people tempted toward presumption take the cross of Jesus seriously, they could not possibly dismiss the gravity of their sins. The cross is the price God paid for their sins. If a person takes the cross of Christ seriously, they have to recognize that it is their sin that

Saturday, March 19 Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16 Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a Sunday, March 20 Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Isaiah 50:4-7 Philippians 2:6-11 Luke 22:14–23:56

moved the God of love to embrace suffering and death in order to forgive them.

Despair is the sin of Judas. It is ultimately rooted in pride. It says, “God’s love poured out on the cross is enough to save other people, but it cannot save me.” The person in despair sees the world with themselves at the center. If they would only be willing to realize they are not the center of reality, and that the saving cross of Jesus stands at the center of reality, they would realize they are both worse than they thought and that they are more loved than they could have imagined.

Presumption is the sin of our modern age. It is also rooted in pride. It says, “I do not need God’s (or anyone’s) help.”

Or it says, “God understands all things.

He will always forgive, even without my repentance.” If this person would only acknowledge that the consequence of each of their sins was the death of God Incarnate, they might not be so cavalier about the need to turn from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.

Ultimately, the answer to both despair and presumption is to take God seriously, to accept his love, and to accept his call to live a new life relying on his grace.

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

Reach him at fathermikeschmitz@gmail.com.

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY

March 3, 2016

LENT

Elizabeth Kelly

‘Woman, there is your son’: Entrustment on Calvary It is a well-known point that St. John Paul II claimed in “Mulieris Dignitatem” that “the moral and spiritual strength of a woman is joined to her awareness that God entrusts the human being to her in a special way.”

So compelling was this idea that in 2013 the Vatican hosted an international seminar to explore it in depth. Scholars came to discuss just what is meant by “the entrustment of the human person to woman.” The very first presentation, given by Father Livio Melina, the dean of the JPII Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Rome, drew an obvious connection to our subject for meditation this week.

He writes: “‘Woman, here is your son.’ These words that Jesus spoke as he was dying on the cross, words addressed to his mother entrusting her with the beloved disciple John, included with John all of the emerging Church. This is certainly the scene that inspired the great anthropological insight that John Paul II placed at the center of [‘Mulieris Dignitatem’].”

A woman’s sensitivity to the human person — her receptive nature — is God-given, God-ordained.

But receptivity has gotten a bad rap

In the manner of [St. John Paul II], to receive — and in particular, feminine receptivity — is among the highest expressions of cooperation with God.

for millennia, and some of us are confused about it still. Through numerous twists and turns in the development of metaphysics, men have been more strongly associated with being active and women with being receptive. This is frequently mistranslated to mean: men are actors and women are acted upon.

Feminine receptivity?

Under the influence of this misinterpretation, we don’t like to think of women as receptive because we think it means women cannot initiate (tell that to Blessed Mother Teresa), or that women cannot lead (tell that to St. Joan of Arc, Helen Alvaré or Mary Ann Glendon), or it’s a sign of weakness and passivity to be in the position of receiving (tell that to St. Teresa of Avila or any mystic).

But feminine receptivity has been re-appropriated as a formative presence throughout the life of Christ, including at the foot of the cross. St. John Paul II interprets feminine receptivity, says Father Melina, as “necessary for a full understanding of love . . . [it] expresses a characteristic of created beings before their Creator.”

In the manner of the late pope, to

GUEST COMMENTARY

Sister Carolyn Puccio

Religious sisters: numbers smaller, impact still great Gone are the days when young Catholics and their families interacted with numerous religious sisters in classrooms, hospitals and parishes.

While the number of women religious may be smaller than in decades past, their presence and influence is still widely experienced and appreciated. Sisters from more than 40 different religious communities serve in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“The recently completed Year of Consecrated Life called for by Pope Francis and the upcoming National Catholic Sisters Week . . . have helped to raise awareness of the gifts that sisters continue to offer to the Church and society in general,” said Sister Mary Soher, an Adrian Dominican Sister and co-executive director of National Catholic Sisters Week, now in its third year.

“This awareness has led to

The Catholic Spirit • 17

Celebrating sisters National Catholic Sisters Week, March 8-14, features events honoring women religious. For local events, visit www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org. connections between young adults and sisters,” she said. “New friendships have developed, and existing relationships have deepened into mentoring opportunities, particularly with collegeage women.”

At St. Catherine University in St. Paul, where Sister Mary works, two student-initiated groups — the CSJ Alliance and the Catholic Katies — provide opportunities for Sisters of St. Joseph, the founders and sponsors of the university, and others to connect with the women both formally and informally at events and activities

istock receive — and in particular, feminine receptivity— is among the highest expressions of cooperation with God. “Woman, there is your son,” is not only Christ’s inauguration of the communion of saints. In a real way, it highlights the particular charisms women contribute to the Church. Note, too, it is followed by the address to John, “There is your mother.”

How interesting, as Father Melina points out, that John the apostle was first given to Mary. The first move was to assure that sensitivity to humanity would be secured for the apostle and by extension, the whole Church, including offered by each group.

Recently, the CSJ Alliance invited students and sisters to make valentines for the women at Sarah’s . . . an Oasis for Women. It was an opportunity for the women to learn about this ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph that welcomes women from all over the world who are without resources and have survived violence, abuse, torture, war, discrimination and trauma, and empowers them to begin new and productive lives.

“I am aware of all the people who took time to guide me and form me in my faith,” commented Sister Charlotte Berres, CSJ. “Joining the [college] women at prayer, in conversation at meals, especially listening to their concerns about school, family or boyfriends and working side by side on projects is my way of being present.

And in building relationships with them, I hope to support them in their faith development with the same generosity that I experienced as a young adult.”

Personally, I am inspired by the students’ sincerity, their desire to deepen their faith and their willingness to dedicate time to this effort in the midst of the challenges of classes, projects and other responsibilities.

Getting to know these women is enriching for me. Their enthusiasm is infectious. Spending time with them also challenges me to express my own Catholic faith and values as a sister in

the priesthood. Motherhood in this sense was the priority, not an inessential afterthought.

Feminine genius, therefore, was honored and operating at the foot of the cross.

Next time: “My God, why have you forsaken me.”

Kelly is an award-winning speaker and the author of five books, including “Reasons I Love Being Catholic.” She is trained as a spiritual director in the Ignatian exercises and leads retreats with a particular focus on helping women to flourish in their faith.

As religious sisters, we agree that the smiles, welcoming hugs and the sincere thank yous the women offer let us know that our presence is appreciated. ways that are meaningful for their generation.

As religious sisters, we agree that the smiles, welcoming hugs and the sincere thank yous the women offer let us know that our presence is appreciated.

National Catholic Sisters Week is funded by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton foundation, headquartered at St. Catherine University. For more information, including suggestions on how to create connections between individuals, or groups and religious communities, visit www. nationalcatholicsistersweek.org.

Sister Carolyn, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, is the delegate for religious in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

18 • The Catholic Spirit

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY

March 3, 2016 LETTER

EVERYDAY MERCIES

Alyssa Bormes

The shirt box

Treasures are funny. So are those little boxes that we keep them in. Usually, when someone finds our treasure chests, the “treasure” part might not be immediately recognizable. I have an old shirt box with scraps of paper, and it is full of gems — that is, they are gems to me: written gems.

Here are a few of them: “Apples, cider, cheese and fudge — the four food groups.”

“It was a windy night for a bowl of chili.”

“It’s better to drop bad habits than a laptop.” “Next time I’ll bring my guitar.”

“It was a funny day in the sacristy.” “J.M.J. is the monogram I have chosen for my life.”

You might wonder why I save these; they seem like nothing. Except that they are absolutely not nothing when writer’s block visits. It’s then that I go to the shelf in the garage, pull out the worn shirt-boxturned-treasure-chest, and start digging around. The scraps of paper are like Burpee seeds in the spring; something is bound to take root.

I keep running into the “four food groups” one, and it cracks me up every time, yet I’ve never written about it. I’ve

given a try or two to the J.M.J. — Jesus, Mary and Joseph — is the monogram I have chosen for my life. It’s been just a couple emails, but no serious attempt for that one, either.

But there is one scrap that frightens me a bit.

Each time I see it, my eyes fill with tears.

Once, someone was here when I was digging through the box, and she asked me to read aloud what the scraps said.

When I got to it, I choked up as usual. She asked me, why does that make you cry? “I don’t know.” She persisted: What does it mean? More distantly this time, “I don’t know.”

And so I just keep putting it back in the box.

Well, today, I found it again. It said the same thing as it has for years: “God calls me ’Lyssa.” It feels so ridiculous to be wiping tears again. So, let’s finally get at it. ’Lyssa is a name that only my family uses for me. Have I heard God call me it?

No. Have I felt him say it? Not exactly. But, the other day at confession, I experienced the consolation of being super aware of having been forgiven. The priest said that I

GUEST COMMENTARY

Sharon Wilson

Learning to love the Stations of the Cross I have a confession to make. Since it is Lent, it seems like a good time to lay out the truth.

Here goes: For as long as I can remember, I have never liked praying the Stations of the Cross. I mean, I never “got” it. As a child, I remember waiting out the time repeating words I didn’t understand. Later, when I taught physical education at a Catholic school, I jokingly called it “Catholic aerobics.” Stand, genuflect, kneel, repeat.

I suppose, as with other beautiful Catholic devotions I didn’t immediately take to, I needed to explore the Stations more deeply and see how God could make them personal for me. And that’s exactly what he did last year.

On Good Friday, my husband and I attended the Stations of the Cross at our parish, Divine Mercy in Faribault. Father Kevin Finnegan, our previous pastor, had compiled beautiful reflections from various Catholic authors and saints that fit each Station perfectly. My husband and I were in tears at the end of the service. The journey of Christ’s passion, through the Stations, finally became personal for me.

The Stations of the Cross are Christ’s journey to the cross. We follow in his footsteps with each station, and reflect on

our own journey through life and the specific trials we have encountered.

After my experience with the Stations of the Cross, coupled with the beautiful reflections Father compiled, I set out on another journey: to share these Stations with others.

After Easter, I approached Father about the possibility of publishing these Stations as a book. Perhaps if I struggled with the Stations of the Cross, maybe others did, too. Perhaps these additional reflections could assist them in growing in their love of this timeless devotion, like they helped me.

Well, I am happy to share that these Stations are now available in a book called “A Walk of Mercy: The Divine Mercy Stations of the Cross.” Inspired by the prayers of St. Faustina, it includes reflections from various Catholic saints and writers, and is a moving devotional for personal or communal use. Along with the stations, Father Finnegan gives instruction on how to pray the Stations.

Also included in the book are striking photographs of the 100-year-old Stations of the Cross from the old German Catholic church in our community.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens provided the foreword in the book, writing:

The other day at confession, I experienced the consolation of being super aware of having been forgiven. The priest said that I am as new as I was at baptism, and his words had that ungraspable feeling to it, until I saw the scrap of paper again.

am as new as I was at baptism, and his words had that ungraspable feeling to it, until I saw the scrap of paper again.

It all ties in with this Sunday’s Gospel reading, the Prodigal Son. Only, I am the prodigal daughter, and each time I return, God runs to me and calls me ’Lyssa. It’s a name only my family uses, and he’s my Father. And now I know, when he calls me ’Lyssa, I am home, very mercifully home.

Bormes, a member of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, is the author of the book “The Catechism of Hockey.”

“This Walk of Mercy is meant to draw us more deeply into the merciful love of Jesus. It is meant to teach us that our own sufferings and failings are places of mercy, not places of condemnation. It is meant to show us that the merciful love of Jesus knows no limits.

“This is what allows us to surrender our whole lives to him: We know the depth of his mercy for us, so we can pick up our cross and follow him. As you pray these Stations and meditate on Jesus’ mercy poured out for you, I pray you will be able to say in every circumstance what Jesus himself said the night of his passion, ‘for his mercy endures forever.’”

Thankfully, I don’t hate the Stations of the Cross anymore. And I am recommitted to exploring other Catholic traditions that haven’t penetrated my heart yet. (The key word here is “yet.”)

This Lent, consider exploring a devotional tradition that has slipped away from our modern lives.

Reporting abuse In the article entitled, “Vatican: Monsignors’ talk doesn’t change guidelines on abuse” in the Feb. 18 edition, Msgr. Anatrella clarified his remark that the obligation to report abuse falls first to victims and families, “not necessarily bishops.” His clarification says, “I said in this paragraph that the bishop or his representative will first encourage the minorvictim and his or her family to file a complaint with the police.

If they do not, then it is up to the Church authority to make a report.”

Having the bishop or his representative discuss with the victim the pros and cons of filing a complaint is exactly why the Church is in such trouble. The obtuseness of Msgr.

Anatrella is mind boggling. The bishop and Church should not delay in reporting abuse. It is up to the victim and the victim’s lawyer to determine what steps to take, independent of any discussion with any Church official. Having the bishop or his representative discuss the situation with the victim only provides an opportunity to delay and obfuscate and sidestep the situation. This practice must end, and the focus must be on the victim and not the bishop, his representative or the Church.

Enough.

Floyd Grabiel Christ the King, Minneapolis Editor’s note: It is the policy of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis that anyone working or volunteering in a parish or Catholic school who knows or has reason to believe that a minor (a child under the age of 18) is being abused or neglected or has been abused or neglected must report the abuse or neglect to proper civil authorities within 24 hours of the abuse or neglect becoming known to him or her.

Additionally, many people working or volunteering in a parish or Catholic school, including clergy, are mandated reporters under state law and must report abuse or neglect of a child to proper civil authorities within 24 hours or face criminal charges.

Maybe it is the daily rosary, a particular novena, “lectio divina,” eucharistic adoration or Stations of the Cross. Maybe it is recommitting to the practice of fasting and abstinence. Maybe it is answering that question, “What are you giving up for Lent?” in a way that allows real commitment to journey with Christ in the desert.

Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@archspm. org. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit.

Letters may be edited for length or clarity.

Our Catholic Church is rich in so many traditions, and we are blessed to have God working in our hearts in so many ways.

We want to hear from you!

CatholicSpirit@archspm.org

Wilson is a parishioner of Divine Mercy in Faribault. “A Walk of Mercy: The Divine Mercy Stations of the Cross” can be purchased at www.amazon.com or St. George Books and Gifts in Blaine. Proceeds go to the Garden of Mercy at Divine Mercy parish.

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY

March 3, 2016

TWENTY SOMETHING

Christina Capecchi

Nun who kissed Elvis, ditched Hollywood and found her home Dolores Hart was 19 when she filmed her first movie scene: kissing Elvis Presley.

The aspiring actress was dressed in a polka dot dress with her honey-brown hair swept in a ponytail. He wore a denim jacket with the collar turned up, his glossy bangs grazing his brow. They were directed to kiss again and again and again, lip locked until finally they heard “cut!” First a make-up artist had to touch up Dolores’ bright red ears, then Elvis’ ears needed concealer. After one seemingly endless kiss, Elvis pulled away and called “cut,” saying he needed to come up for air.

It was his first onscreen kiss, too.

On set, Dolores never missed a chance to hear Elvis croon. “He totally took you when he was singing on stage,” she told me. But when Elvis asked her out on a date, Dolores was all business, explaining

they’d have to return by 7:30 p.m. to get enough sleep before her 4 a.m. alarm for hair and makeup.

He was a gentleman, always calling her “Miss Dolores,” and the Catholic from Chicago recognized in the Mississippi Pentecostal a fellow spiritual seeker. They would go on to discuss Scripture, with Elvis pulling out a Bible and asking for her thoughts on various verses.

When Paramount released “Loving You” in 1957, Dolores became an overnight star. She earned a Tony nomination two years later, and critics called her “the new Grace Kelly.”

Dolores’ faith kept her grounded, especially daily Mass. After a long Broadway run, a friend encouraged her to recuperate at Regina Laudis, a Connecticut abbey of cloistered Benedictine nuns. Dolores felt a peace there and knew it wasn’t simply the

FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA

Shawn Peterson

Failure of all-or-nothing politics Even someone as accustomed to political victory as Otto von Bismarck said that “[p]olitics is the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best.”

But too many elected officials today, mired in a political environment of hyper-partisanship and ideological rigidity, are unwilling and feel unable to compromise to find solutions if it means allowing an opponent’s policy to pass.

Better, it seems, to do nothing than to allow the opposition to score even a single political point.

This zero-sum attitude — tailored to appease a small base of constituents, donors and activists — impedes the creation of policies that improve our communities. As a result, problems persist and frustration with public life mounts.

While partisan brinkmanship thoroughly characterizes national politics, it can also rear its head here in Minnesota.

For example, Republicans and Democrats failed to convene a special session last month to address a host of pressing issues facing the state. Talks stalled when legislators couldn’t agree on measures to target one of the most serious of these problems: the economic and educational disparities between some minority communities and whites.

These disparities are most evident among Minnesota’s African-American community. For instance, the 2014

median income level for black households ($27,000) was less than half of the overall state median ($61,500). An African-American in our state is also three times more likely to be in poverty than is the average Minnesotan.

The causes of such disparities are complex and often have their source in problems that public policy is illequipped to address, such as family fragmentation. But there is little disagreement among legislators that

The Catholic Spirit • 19

reprieve from Hollywood pressures.

“There was something more,” she wrote.

She began dating Don Robinson, a handsome Catholic architect. The two were engaged in a year. Dolores’ dream of marriage and motherhood was within reach: The big day would be Feb. 23, 1963. Wedding invitations were printed.

But the tug of religious life persisted, and Don felt Dolores grow distant.

“You’re still thinking about that monastery, aren’t you?” he asked.

She returned and felt its powerful draw.

Wandering through a pine forest as the snow fell, Dolores sobbed over the “jumble” in her mind. Besides giving up Don, she’d also be forfeiting a fairytale career, including four scripts from MGM and an offer from Universal to star opposite Marlon Brando. She penned a letter to God that day, writing, “I can’t understand your ways.”

Dolores broke the news to Don her first day back. She entered the convent on June 13 and cried herself to sleep that night.

Religious life didn’t come easily to the 24-year-old. Looking back now, at 77, Mother Dolores sees how her early suffering in the abbey carved out a “purity of heart.”

She didn’t instantly shed her vanity.

“You still have that drive, but you redirect it,” she told me. “I came to the realization that who you are in your soul, who you come to love and who loves

you is what makes you beautiful.”

The same force behind her acting — her desire “to be a bridge, a connector” — was fully satisfied through a life of prayer, enabling Mother Dolores to become “a bridge for people to an eternal life.” She founded a theater at the abbey “to help young people find their vocation in Christ through the medium of theater.”

Mother Dolores rose to new challenges that came to feel like a homecoming. She became a carpenter — a trade, she later learned, that had been passed down in her family since the 17th century.

Mother Dolores wants to share her joyful outcome, so she’ll be recording a www.sisterstory.org oral history — unvarnished, uninterrupted, in her own words — to be released this spring. It’s “important” to highlight the stories of women religious, she said, which is the goal of National Catholic Sisters Week, an official component of Women’s History Month. In their stories, we lay Catholics can better understand our own paths to holiness and appreciate that which unites us, Mother Dolores said.

“My life in the monastery has allowed me to be open to the grace of creation and what it means to be a human being in the world.”

these disparities exist, are detrimental to our entire state, and need to be addressed promptly.

As Catholics, our faith calls us to take inequality very seriously, and to work to find solutions that can lessen such gaps.

In their 1986 pastoral letter, “Economic Justice for All,” the U.S. Catholic bishops stated, “As Christians, we are called to respond to the needs of all our brothers and sisters, but those with the greatest needs require the greatest response.”

For our legislators, the difficulty in responding to this great need stems not from an unwillingness to acknowledge the problem, as is sometimes the case in politics, but from an inability to compromise on potential solutions.

While the Republican-controlled House and the DFL-controlled Senate could not agree on a special session, they did come together for several hearings. A willingness to listen and be open to ideas

are all stepping stones toward finding a common solution.

During the hearings, Democrats proposed a legislative package that included fast-track GED programs and workforce development efforts.

Republicans were willing to accept the DFL proposal if it was joined to one of their own: giving low and middleincome families (those earning less than $47,000 a year) the opportunity to receive a personal income tax credit for the tuition they paid at a non-public school of their choice.

The policies would have only begun to scratch the surface of the myriad factors that contribute to racial inequality in Minnesota. Still, a compromise package would have been an important symbolic step, demonstrating concern for the issue and the political will to make important concessions to address a major public challenge.

That partisan politics continues to prevail over common sense solutions indicates a lack of vocational direction in our elected officials.

If legislators are searching for an inspiring vision of political life, they can look to Pope Francis. “Legislative activity is always based on care for the people,” the pope reminded the U.S. Congress in his September address. “To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.”

Our legislators missed an opportunity to serve the people they represent when they failed to convene a special session.

Fortunately, they will have the chance to right that wrong in the upcoming legislative session. Let us pray they will live out their noble call and pursue the common good instead of the siren’s call of all-or-nothing politics.

Help provide economic security to families in need Ask your legislators to increase MFIP cash assistance The Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) provides employment support and temporary assistance for children and their parents. Parents are expected to work to be eligible for the program, and most families have a lifetime limit on MFIP of 60 months. In 2014, 24,752 adults and 60,154 children received cash assistance through the program.

However, the rate of assistance has not increased in 30 years, despite rises in inflation and the cost of living; average monthly assistance is only $348 a month. As a result, many parents enrolled in MFIP struggle to find stable housing and affordable transportation, and to provide basic needs to their families. A bi-partisan bill (HF869/SF734) has been introduced to address this problem by increasing MFIP cash assistance $100 per month.

This increase would improve employment opportunities and family stability.

Call your Minnesota legislators and tell them you support raising MFIP cash assistance $100 per month. To find out who represents you, call 651-296-2146 or 1-800-657-3550. Signup for the Catholic Advocacy Network at www.mncc.org to receive timely action alerts during the 2016 legislative session.

Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights and the editor of www.sisterstory.org.

Peterson is the Minnesota Catholic Conference’s associate director for public policy.

20 • The Catholic Spirit

CALENDAR

Dining out St. Patrick’s luncheon and singalong with the Cassidy Family Singers — March 12: 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. at Ascension Church, 1723 Bryant Ave. N., Minneapolis.

612-529-9684 or www.ascensionmpls.org.

Spaghetti dinner — March 12: 5–7:30 p.m. at St. Helena Church, 3201 E. 43rd St., Minneapolis.

KC Italian dinner for WomenSource and Feed My Starving Children — March 12: 5:30–8 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 9100 93rd Ave. N., Brooklyn Park. www.saintvdp.org.

Music

Peace Church Hall-St. Martin campus, 21304 Church Ave., Rogers.

Lenten Mission with Father John Klockeman — March 13-15: 7–8:30 p.m. at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood. 651-777-8116 or www.presentationofmary.org.

Vatican International Exhibition Eucharistic Miracles of the World — March 19-21: 8:30 a.m.–8 p.m. (closes at 3 p.m. Monday) at Epiphany Church (gymnasium), 11001 Hanson Blvd. NW, Coon Rapids. www.epiphanymn.org.

Bingo and ham raffle — March 20: 12:30–3:30 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. 763-788-9062 or www.iccsonline.org.

Totino-Grace “Spectacular Show Choir Competition” — March 5: 9 a.m.–11 p.m. at 1350 Gardena Ave. NE, Fridley. www.totinograce.org.

Eucharistic Miracles of the World Exhibit — March 31-April 3: 8 a.m.–8 p.m. at St. Timothy Church, 8 Oak Ave. N., Maple Lake. www.churchofsttimothy.org.

Brahms’ requiem sing — March 6: 6:30 p.m. at St. Olaf Church, 215 S. Eighth St., Minneapolis. www.saintolaf.org/ sacred-music/music-series/.

Prayer and worship

Parish events ALPHA: dinner, videos and discussion about life, faith and God — Mondays, Feb. 22–May 9: 6:30–8:30 p.m. at St. Michael Church, 611 Third St., Stillwater. www.stmichaelstillwater.org.

Lenten evening with Bishop Andrew Cozzens — March 3: 6–8 p.m. at Good Shepherd Church, 145 Jersey Ave. S., Golden Valley. www.goodshepherdgv.org.

16th anniversary of eucharistic adoration chapel celebration Mass and potluck — March 5: 4 p.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, 2119 Stillwater Ave., St. Paul.

Contact Marlene Wacker at 651-738-0677, ext. 13.

Women’s morning of reflection — March 12: 9–11:30 a.m. at Good Shepherd Church, 145 Jersey Ave. S., Golden Valley. www.goodshepherdgv.org.

Ham bingo — March 5: 5–8 p.m. at St. Matthew Church, 510 Hall Ave., St. Paul.

Mary Queen of Peace religious education breakfast — March 6: 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. at Mary Queen of Peace Hall-St. Martin campus, 21304 Church Ave., Rogers.

Ham bingo — March 12: 7–10 p.m. at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood.

651-777-8116 or www.presentationofmary.org.

KC bingo — March 13: 1–3:30 p.m. at Mary Queen of

Mary, Mother of the Church Stations of the Cross — March 4, 11 and 18: 7–8 p.m. at 3333 Cliff Road E., Burnsville. www.mmotc.org.

Basilica of St. Mary First Fridays: Year of Mercy — March 4: 7 a.m.–1:30 p.m. at 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis. www.mary.org.

Fiftieth jubilee Mass and reception for Father Robert Hazel — March 6: 10 a.m. at St. Joseph Church, 8701 36th Ave., New Hope.

Healing Mass with Father Jim Livingston — March 8: 7 p.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Church, 155 County Road 24, Medina.

Taize prayer — March 18: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Hermitage retreat — April 1-3: 1 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Schools Art exhibit by Hill-Murray High School students — March 7-28: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. at the Benedictine Center, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 952-829-1386 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Speakers “Life, Death and Everything In-Between” Minnesota Catholic Conference legislative tour — March 6: 12–1 p.m. at Church of St. Paul, 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd.

NE, Ham Lake. www.mncc.org.

“Annulments” presented by canon lawyer Amy Tadlock — March 8: 6:30 p.m. at St. Edward Church, 9401 Nesbitt Ave. S., Bloomington. Deacon Jim DeShane, 952-835-7101, or www.stedwardschurch.org.

“Be the Voice of Hope” featuring The Vineyard director Jane Leyden Cavanaugh — March 12: 8:30 a.m.– noon at St. Joseph the Worker, 7180 Hemlock Lane N., Maple Grove. www.sjtw.net/be-the-voice-of-hope.

Reboot Live! with Chris Stefanick — March 30: 7–9:30 p.m. at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood. www.presentationofmary.org.

Conferences, seminars, workshops Prison ministry workshop — March 5: 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Church, 13900 Biscayne Ave., Rosemount. RSVP requested. Kevin Connors, 952-426-8633 or www.stjosephcommunity.org.

March 3, 2016 DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated date of publication.

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 ONLINE: www.thecatholicspirit.com/ calendarsubmissions

MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul MN 55102

A note to readers As of Jan. 1, 2016, The Catholic Spirit no longer accepts calendar submissions via email.

Please submit events using the form at www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions A Guided Journey Through the Triduum with Sister Carol Rennie — March 24-26: 1 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Other events

Retreats

The Compassion of God: adult learning series — March 6-13: 11 a.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis. www.mary.org.

Consoling the Heart of Jesus Retreat — March 6, 13, 20: 1:15–3 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road E., Burnsville. 952-890-0045 or www.mmotc.org.

Life: What’s Death Got to Do with It — March 8: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

The Beatitudes: Jesus’ Commandments of Mercy Lenten retreat — March 5: 8:30 a.m. at the Basilica of St. Mary, 88 N. 17th St., Minneapolis. www.mary.org.

Sidewalk counseling training seminar — March 10: 7–9 p.m. at Epiphany Church, 11001 Hanson Blvd. NW, Coon Rapids. 651-797-6364 or www.plam.org.

Annual Religious Sisters Appreciation Day — March 13: 12:30–4 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights.

651-636-2382.

Women’s Lenten retreat “The Little Way-Everyday” with Nancy Jo Sullivan — March 12: 8:15 a.m.–1 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. 763-788-1897 or www.iccsonline.org.

Workshop on Thomas Merton: “Solitude, True Self and Compassion” — March 11: 7-9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Minneapolis Deaneries Council of Catholic Women — March 14: 9 a.m.–2:15 p.m. at Assumption Church, 305 E. 77th St., Richfield. Shirley 763-420-7759 or Kathy 612-598-1702.

St. Timothy Church Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m.

St. Edward Church — 5–7 p.m. at 9401 Nesbitt Ave.

8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. www.guardian-angels.org.

Dementia support group — March 8 and second Tuesday of each month: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

FISH fries & LENTEN dinners March 4 Faithful Shepherd Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m.

at 4030 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan.

Guardian Angels Church (Oakdale) — 4:30–7 p.m. at

8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. www.guardian-angels.org.

Holy Cross Church — 5–7 p.m. in the parish’s Kolbe

at 707 89th Ave. NE, Blaine. www.kc5141.org.

March 11 Holy Cross Church — 5–7 p.m. in the parish’s Kolbe Center, 1630 Fourth St. NE, Minneapolis. www.ourholycross.org.

S., Bloomington. 952-835-7101 or www.stedwardschurch.org.

St. John the Baptist Church — 5–8 p.m. at 14383

Center, 1630 Fourth St. NE, Minneapolis. www.ourholycross.org.

St. Matthew Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 507 Hall

Holy Family Maronite Church Lebanese dinner — 4:30–7 p.m. at 1960 Lexington Ave. S., Mendota

Ave., St. Paul.

Heights.

St. Nicholas Church — 6:30–7:30 p.m. at 51 Church

Immaculate Conception Church — 4:30–6:30 p.m. at

Forest Blvd. N., Hugo. www.stgens.org.

Center, 1630 Fourth St. NE, Minneapolis. www.ourholycross.org.

Holy Family Maronite Church Lebanese dinner — 4:30–7 p.m. at 1960 Lexington Ave. S., Mendota Heights.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church enchilada dinner — 11:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. at 401 Concord St., St. Paul.

651-228-0506 or www.olgspchurch.com.

Holy Family Maronite Church Lebanese dinner — 4:30–7 p.m. at 1960 Lexington Ave. S., Mendota

St. Albert the Great Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 2836

Mary Queen of Peace Church-St. Martin campus Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m. at 21304 Church

at 707 89th Ave. NE, Blaine. www.kc5141.org.

Ave., Rogers.

March 18

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church enchilada dinner — 11:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. at 401 Concord St., St. Paul.

Faithful Shepherd Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m.

at 4030 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan.

33rd Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.saintalbertthegreat.org/ fish-dinners.

St. John the Baptist Church — 5–8 p.m. at 14383

Forest Blvd. N., Hugo. www.stgens.org.

St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Church potato pancake and soup dinner — 4:30–7 p.m. at 2201 Third St. NE, Minneapolis. 612-789-6252.

St. Matthew Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 507 Hall

Ave., St. Paul.

St. Michael Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 16311

Heights.

Holy Spirit Church — 5–7:30 p.m. at 515 Albert St. S.,

St. Paul. www.holy-spirit.org.

Knights of Columbus No. 4967 — 4–7 p.m. at St. Peter

Catholic School cafeteria, 2620 N. Margaret St., North St. Paul.

651-228-0506 or www.olgspchurch.com.

St. Albert the Great Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 2836

33rd Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.saintalbertthegreat.org/ fish-dinners.

Holy Cross Church — 5–7 p.m. in the parish’s Kolbe

St., Elko New Market. www.stncc.net.

St. Pius X Church — 4:30–7 p.m. at 3878 Highland

Ave., White Bear Lake. www.churchofstpiusx.org.

4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. www.iccsonline.org.

Knights of Columbus No. 4967 — 4–7 p.m. at St. Peter

St. Stephen Church — 5:30–7 p.m. at 525 Jackson

Catholic School cafeteria, 2620 N. Margaret St., North St. Paul.

St. Timothy Church Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church enchilada dinner — 11:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. at 401 Concord St., St. Paul.

St., Anoka. www.ststephenchurch.org.

Guardian Angels Church (Chaska) Knights of Columbus — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at First Street and Cedar

Avenue, Chaska.

Guardian Angels Church (Oakdale) — 4:30–7 p.m. at

651-228-0506 or www.olgspchurch.com.

St. Albert the Great Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 2836

33rd Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.saintalbertthegreat.org/ fish-dinners.

St. Jerome Church — 5–7 p.m. at 384 Roselawn Ave.

E., Maplewood. www.stjerome-church.org.

St. John the Baptist Church — 5–8 p.m. at 14383

Forest Blvd. N., Hugo. www.stgens.org.

St. Matthew Church — 4:30–7:30 p.m. at 507 Hall

Ave., St. Paul.

Duluth Ave. SE, Prior Lake, lower level of Archangels Hall.

St. Nicholas Church — 6:30–7:30 p.m. at 51 Church

St. Nicholas Church — 6:30–7:30 p.m. at 51 Church

St. Stephen Church — 5:30–7 p.m. at 525 Jackson

St., Elko New Market. www.stncc.net.

St., Anoka. www.ststephenchurch.org.

St. Stephen Church — 5:30–7 p.m. at 525 Jackson

St. Timothy Church Knights of Columbus — 5–7 p.m.

St., Anoka. www.ststephenchurch.org.

St., Elko New Market. www.stncc.net.

at 707 89th Ave. NE, Blaine. www.kc5141.org.

March 3, 2016 The Catholic Spirit • 21

Tea cup art a visual reminder of domestic violence Installation at St. Catherine University in March

The letters “PTSD” — post-traumatic stress disorder — were common in the carvings. Others inscribed words “Freedom,” “The Night Before” and “Justice,” with cross-hatched lines of prison bars etched below.

Cleary said one woman expressed herself by

By Bob Zyskowski smashing the tea cup, then arranging the pieces with The Catholic Spirit the points of fragments facing upward “to show the pain,” Cleary said.

It isn’t the usual setting for tea.

Conversations didn’t go easily at first, she said.

Ceramic tea cups surround a teapot on three simple CLASSIFIED ON LINE “It ADS was pretty shocking at the beginning,” Cleary black tables in St. Catherine University junior Lizzie said. “I think you can be comfortable talking about Cleary’s art installation. classifiedads@archspm.org these subjects when you haven’t been personally Rather than matching cups, each has a different design, and each expresses the feelings, pain and fears involved, but there it was real. The depth of the conversations was great.” of victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.

She added: “Hearing those stories, I can’t ignore Cleary, a member of St. Cecilia in St. Paul and a these issues any more.” studio art major with a concentration on ceramics, Continuing to keep the issues of sexual assault and took on the project as part of a biennial activity of domestic violence in conversations around tables is the Violence and Prevention Collective at the point of Cleary’s installation.

St. Catherine, an interdepartmental group at the With the pieces glazed and fired, they’ll be installed St. Paul university “committed to make sure we are in the second-floor atrium in the Coeur de Catherine continuing to talk about sexual assault and domestic student center on St. Kate’s St. Paul campus and on violence,” Cleary said. display March 6-11, with a reception at 5 p.m.

Already active with her mother, Julie Michels, in March 10.

St. Cecilia’s Domestic Violence Education and Action The installation&will also be exhibited March 13-16 team, Cleary worked the clay and made the cups in CONSTRUCTION REMODELING at Old Main Deli on the school’s Minneapolis January. campus, with a noon reception March 15.

“I see art as more of a process than a product,” Cleary said she chose the tea cups setting because Cleary said, “so I wanted people to be more engaged tea can be a comforting beverage. Parishioners at in this work.”

She took them in their “leather” form — almost dry St. Cecilia donated tea bags to be used in cups in the installation. The tea bags will also be attached to but still workable — to discussions with fellow postcards for those who view the installation to take students; with women living at Ascension Place, a as a reminder to continue conversations about shelter in north Minneapolis; and with women domestic violence and sexual assault. involved with Ramsey County’s SOS Sexual Violence Services. After the discussions she invited people to “The call to action [of the installation],” Cleary carve into the clay what they wished other people said, “is to talk to people around these topics and to knew about their feelings. listen to them.”

www.ShowcaseRenovation.com

Lizzie Cleary holds one of the tea cups that will be part of an art installation at St. Catherine University. The cup was made by Cleary, a studio art major, but it was decorated by someone with personal experience of domestic violence or sexual assault. Bob Zyskowski/The Catholic Spirit

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22 • The Catholic Spirit

FAITH & CULTURE

March 3, 2016

Fear not the confessional

Been away from confession?

The archbishop has advice

Priests explain sacrament’s purpose ahead of 24 Hours for the Lord March 4-5

24 Hours for the Lord

Archbishop Bernard Hebda reflects on 24 Hours for the Lord, St. John Vianney and the Year of Mercy, and offers advice for Catholics who have been away from the sacrament of reconciliation, in a Q&A at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com.

Open to all Catholics 1:30 p.m. March 4 – 12 noon March 5

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit

• Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul • Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis

I

For more information, visit www.archspm.org.

t’s not unusual for Father Joseph Hurtuk to have to interrupt the confession line ahead of the 12:10 p.m. weekday Mass at St. Louis, King of France in downtown St. Paul.

It’s often the only way he can start Mass on time.

When he isn’t teaching theology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, he serves as an associate priest of St. Louis, where he and other priests hear confessions 14 times a week — now 15 during Lent and ahead of 24 Hours for the Lord March 4-5.

“There’s a long tradition here of people coming [for confession],” said Father Hurtuk, who’s been a Marist priest for 41 years and has served for nine years at St. Louis, a parish of about 800 households.

Parishioners seek out the church for confession, but it also draws downtown workers and many priests, he said.

“Some days, it feels like we already have 24 hours” of the sacrament, he joked.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is hosting a full 24 hours of confessions at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul and the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis from noon March 4 until noon March 5 as part of 24 Hours for the Lord, a worldwide Lenten initiative promoted by Pope Francis for the Year of Mercy. The event begins locally with priests’ confessions until 1:30 p.m.

On Wednesdays during Lent, St. Louis added a 4:45 to 5:15 p.m. slot for people leaving work.

Father Patrick Kennedy, pastor of St. Olaf in Minneapolis, sees similar traffic for the nine confession times at the downtown church throughout the week.

When it comes to the sacraments at St. Olaf, he said it’s about accommodating people’s time.

“Like anything, it’s done well if there’s a rhythm in a person’s life,” Father Kennedy said.

Catholics don’t need to confess weekly, he said, but should seek reconciliation when they are burdened and feel they need grace.

“When people have a profound experience and have been touched in some way by the love of God and the mercy of God, they naturally want to come back and experience more of that,” he said. “And that’s what I think it’s about.”

Spiritual, psychological benefit While Father Hurtuk sees the sacrament frequently used at his parish, he acknowledged its general decline among Catholics, citing the “modern mindset that shies away from objective truths.”

“Generally, people tend to see things subjectively: ‘What’s right for me is right for me, [and] what’s right for you is right for you,’” he said. “In that context, I’m going to be able to find that not too many things are wrong for me because I can work out a rational approach to anything. That’s normal human nature.”

With that cultural perception, he said people tend to

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Pope Francis goes to confession during a 2015 Lenten penance service in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. CNS/Stefano Spaziani think they don’t need confession. But he explained that even venial sins can take their toll.

Father Hurtuk said the Church has traditionally taught that the sacrament of reconciliation is beneficial, even therapeutic, from the human point of view.

“You have a problem, you tell a friend about your problem, [and] usually, your anxiety level goes down . . . because you got it out,” he said. “It was always the same idea that [confession] was not only psychologically therapeutic, but [also] religiously therapeutic . . . that you felt this religious healing in your soul when Christ came to you in that moment of absolution.”

In Scripture, Jesus’ encounters with individual people were always one-to-one when there was any type of fault, evil, frustration or sin involved, he said.

“It’s all this personal encounter of an individual with Jesus, where Jesus hears the person out, encourages them, heals them — which is our Catholic understanding of absolution — and sends them on their way healed, renewed [and] restored,” he said, “but [Jesus] tells them, basically, ‘Let’s get on the right path.’”

Focus on mercy The Church teaches that the sacrament of reconciliation is necessary to restore a person’s relationship with God severed by mortal sin, or a grave offense against God that jeopardizes one’s soul.

However, Father Hurtuk cautioned Catholics from dismissing venial — or less serious sins — as trivial.

While “100 million venial sins are never going to equal one mortal sin . . . 100 million venial sins can lead a person into more sinful behavior,” he said.

Father Hurtuk remembers the nuns who taught him as a child saying that a bank robber didn’t start stealing $1 million from a bank; he started taking nickels and dimes from kids in the cafeteria.

“Our actions — good and bad — have ramifications for the whole community, the whole Church,” he said.

“The more positive and uplifting and healed a person is — and more sinless a person is — the stronger the Church becomes, the stronger the community becomes.”

Father Kennedy, who’s been ordained for 38 years, said when people frequent the sacrament of reconciliation, they not only come to appreciate it more, but they also experience its effects.

“God is not only love, but God is mercy. Period,” he said. “The power of the spirit working in our lives works sometimes whether we like it or not, but there’s always that invitation to deepen our life in God, especially through the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation.”

As a priest of the Society of Mary, Father Hurtuk was

trained to have a broad notion as a confessor. The order’s founder, French priest Jean-Claude Colin, emphasized mercy in the confessional no matter a person’s sins in order to help the penitent know the purpose and to feel healed and whole again, as Christ did. “[Father Colin] said, above all, you have to be merciful, you have to be understanding,” Father Hurtuk explained.

“Not that you approve . . . the sin, but that you do approve the sinner, and love the sinner as a person.”

While part of a priest’s role as confessor is more “legalistic” as they help penitents discern their lives based on their confessions, ultimately, their role is about mercy, as Pope Francis talks about, Father Hurtuk said.

“Jesus in his encounters, especially with sinners, did not stop there. Jesus then healed them,” he said. “So, you have to then . . . show the mercy of the Lord, the love of the Lord, the compassion of the Lord. Yes, you may have done some things wrong, but the Lord wants to forgive you because the Lord wants you to get back up and move again.”

Father Kennedy said the majority of priests who hear confessions are trying to exemplify the love and the mercy of Jesus Christ in that encounter. What stops people from coming to the sacrament, especially after a long time away, he said, is fear and shame.

“But that’s one of those things that I think Pope Francis is saying loud and clear: that you don’t have to be afraid . . . not only in the encounter, but [also] afraid that God, in some way, shape or form, is not going to love you and to be merciful to you,” he said.

People often let their sins define them, he added.

“The depth of a person’s soul is where people have to get to [in order] to understand what really defines them,” he said. “We’ve been created in the image and likeness of God.” Father Kennedy has heard confession described as “an apostolate of the ear.” He said the confessor should listen and then welcome and encourage people “into a deeper life with Jesus Christ through the forgiveness of their sins.”

For Catholics who return to the sacrament after a period of time, Father Hurtuk recommends “giving your status at the beginning — have you been away for six months or 60 years? From there, the priest will be your guide.”

Father Kennedy said he believes that after confession, the majority of people feel the love and mercy of Jesus, as well as the hospitality of the Church to welcome them — not only to confess their sins, “but [also] to believe that they’ve been forgiven and reunited with themselves, with others and with God,” he said.

“I think that’s redeeming in itself for people,” he said.

March 3, 2016

FAITH & CULTURE

The Catholic Spirit • 23

Benilde-St. Margaret’s senior Obasi Lewis plays a Roman centurion who is a witness in “Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment.” In the background is Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Lillehaug, who acted as judge in the Feb. 25 trial. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

BSM student jurors decide no death penalty for Jesus

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit In a mock trial that simulated the legal system in Texas, student jurors at BenildeSt. Margaret’s High School in St. Louis Park chose overwhelmingly to spare Jesus Christ from the death penalty.

“It was a pretty good day for Jesus, overall,” prosecuting attorney Mark Osler concluded at the end of “Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment” Feb. 25.

Osler, author of a book of the same title, is a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis and has conducted similar simulated trials in 11 states, but never before at a high school.

Just as in a regular trial, members of the junior class at the suburban Minneapolis school who acted as jurors received instructions in the law from a judge — in this case an actual judge, Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Lillehaug.

They heard opening arguments, listened as “witnesses” testified and were cross-examined, and heard attorneys’ closing arguments, with Osler as the prosecutor and Hank Shea, a veteran attorney who also teaches at St. Thomas, as defense counsel.

Staging the program at BSM was the idea of religion teacher Claire Shea, Hank’s daughter.

“We study morality in our religion classes,” she said, “so it’s so important to get situations in front of students where they have to apply morality.

“Students are going to face moral questions in real life, tough questions, so this is a good model to get them to deal with those kinds of questions.”

Osler explained that, for the purposes of the program, the first part of the Texas death penalty law was being skipped; in that portion of the proceedings, Jesus was found guilty of blasphemy, a capital offense, and of aggravating factors.

The second part of the law in Texas — the state with by far the highest number of executions both within the past five years and over the last 40 — requires juries to determine, first, if there is a probability that, if not

executed, the defendant would be a continuing threat to society, and second, if the death sentence is still warranted despite any mitigating circumstances.

Passages from the Gospels were used to elicit testimony about Jesus’ extraordinary power (walking on water), his ability to draw masses of people and for violence to be committed on his behalf (when Peter cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant).

Jesus’ words were turned against him, and testimony elicited to show that he was a threat to the economy and society by calling disciples away from their jobs and families.

Questioned by the defense, witnesses — Simon Peter and his wife, a centurion, and the woman Jesus saved from stoning — told of Jesus’ history of love, healing, forgiveness and his respect for Roman law (“Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”).

Divided into traditional jury groups of 12, students deliberated then were asked for their verdicts.

Nearly two-thirds of the 16 groups dismissed the death penalty for Jesus outright, deciding he did not pose a continuing threat to society. Most other “juries” said he did pose a continuing threat, but they either decided there were mitigating circumstances that precluded Jesus’ execution or the jurors failed to reach the mandatory unanimous decision to apply the death penalty.

Of the 16, only one group of student jurors voted that the death penalty was warranted for Jesus.

Benilde-St. Margaret’s principal Susan Skinner called the trial an opportunity to approach faith from a different perspective.

“It’s an opportunity for our students to think critically and make the connection between the intellectual and the heart of faith,” she said.

From a faith formation perspective, Claire Shea said it is sometimes easy to forget Jesus was a person with human emotions.

“As a religion teacher, when we talk about the need to know Jesus, we can more easily find that relationship and that connection when we see him as human,” she said. “I hope to inspire that more.”

Rob Wills 2010 Nonprofit Honoree

“To change the world, we must be good to those who cannot repay us.”

Do Pope Francis’ words describe somebody you know? Someone who has the courage, humility and spirit of service to Lead with Faith at their workplace? The Catholic Spirit is celebrating the 15th year of our Leading with Faith Awards, which recognize women and men in the archdiocese whose Catholic values shape their work ethic and service to others. We have been honored to include among our past winners Rob Wills at Sharing and Caring Hands, who helps teenagers in difficult circumstances.

Nominations are being accepted through May 2 at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com or by calling 651-251-7709 for more information.

24 • The Catholic Spirit

THE LAST WORD

March 3, 2016

From left, Diane Rossini of Corpus Christi in Roseville, Renae Mottaz of St. Rose of Lima in Roseville and Kathy Schaefer of St. Rose prepare food to serve Feb. 19 at the annual fish fry at Corpus Christi.

Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit

Fish fry fraternity Roseville parishes’ annual Lenten feast serves up cod and camaraderie

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

A

fish fry at Corpus Christi Feb. 19 might have been most notable because of who wasn’t there.

The annual event, now in its eighth year, brings together the clustered Roseville parishes of Corpus Christi and St. Rose of Lima. It has always featured the high energy and bubbly personality of volunteer Debbie Schuster, a St. Rose parishioner who came on board the first year with her husband, Steve, and faithfully served as order taker.

Debbie died Nov. 26, 2015. Her four-year fight with breast cancer ended her time behind the counter of the Corpus Christi kitchen during Lent.

Yet, her legacy is just beginning.

Enter Tammy Thompson, a St. Rose parishioner who started volunteering five years ago along with her husband, Tom. She had preferred to serve quietly in the background — until she felt the prompting to step into Debbie’s role this year.

“I’d just been getting little pings, as I term them, from Debbie,” Thompson said. “I would get this [message], ‘Just do this, just do this. Now it’s your time.’”

Then, at a meeting unrelated to fish fry business that included Steve, he, too, encouraged her to fill the role.

Tammy brought an energy of her own to the first of three Friday fish fries this Lent. About 50 volunteers from both parishes serve about 400 people a night, with nearly everyone making advance reservations. Two more fish fries are scheduled for March 4 and 18.

Though Debbie is absent, her husband Steve continues to work in the garage adjacent to the church building with other men, most of whom belong to the Knights of Columbus. They tend to the four fryers they bought six years ago with proceeds from previous fish fries. With a smile on his face, Steve hustles the finished product back to the kitchen, enjoying the work so much that it feels like Debbie is still there.

“When we were done cooking and enjoying some fish ourselves, I actually caught myself looking over to the other tables to see who Debbie was sitting with,” he

From left, Norm Goranowski, Dan Norris, Bob Jorgenson and Steve Schuster man the fryers in the garage at Corpus Christi.

All are members of the Knights of Columbus and St. Rose of Lima, with Schuster having a dual membership at both St. Rose and Corpus Christi. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit said. “Yes, she is still with us.”

Though Thompson and others choked up while talking about Debbie, their tears were wiped away once the cod fillets started hitting the hot oil and diners started filling the tables in the church’s gathering space.

The mood was festive as Thompson handed plates of fish and fries to dozens of grade school and high school servers, who carried them into the dining area.

“Debbie wouldn’t want it any other way,” Thompson said. “The music is cranking in the kitchen, people are laughing, running around having a great time. That’s what she wants. She wants us to continue life, and she’d be disappointed if we didn’t do that. That’s how she lived.”

Four other founding couples remain on the job: Tom and Sue Valois, Mark and Wendy Motzel, Dave and Maureen Boxrud, and Mike and Elaine McGurran. They come from both parishes and have brought their kids into the mix as well.

This year, three of the four Valois children were there the first night. The oldest, Peter, brought along his fiancé, Lauren Rupp. They will be married at Corpus Christi Sept. 16, with their reception happening in the

same gathering space as the fish fry.

And, what will be served for dinner on their wedding day?

The couple pondered the question, then Peter’s sister, Marie, a senior at Roseville High School who has helped at every fish fry, piped in with her suggestion.

“You should have a fish fry,” she told her brother.

“Yes, we’ll have it,” he said. “It’ll be a fish fry. It’ll be a beautiful, really fancy fish fry.”

According to members of the fish fry committee, the goal of building community between the two parishes has been achieved. Valois said the mix of diners from the two parishes is “about 50-50” and the two-hour reservation list gets filled fast, with some people coming all three times during Lent. Walk-ins are accepted, but there can be a considerable wait.

The event is a success from a financial standpoint, too, but that isn’t how the results are measured.

“We end up making a good chunk of money, but that’s not the objective,” Mark Motzel said. “This is about community building, it’s not about fundraising.”

That’s precisely why the fish fries will continue. In fact, a summer barbecue has been added as a way to keep people from the two parishes coming together.

Now that four fryers have been purchased, there’s no way the fish fry committee will stop now.

“I think it would be sacrilegious to even think about it,” Tom Valois said about the possibility of discontinuing the event. “We don’t even want to bring it up.”

What they do want to keep bringing up is the memory of Debbie Schuster, whose lively and brave spirit has cast the mold for how to volunteer.

“I’ve never met anyone like her,” Thompson said.

“She had cancer three times, went through numerous surgeries, all sorts of stuff. And, a lot of people didn’t even know, because she always had a smile on her face.

She always looked like a million dollars. Her faith was incredibly strong, and she just lived her life, literally, till the last days.”