Religious order at St. Peter 5 • Memorial Day Masses 14 • Holocaust book 18 May 18, 2017 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Look for our next issue June 8
Fatima seers become Church’s youngest non-martyred saints By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service
S
tanding before the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Fatima, Portugal, Pope Francis canonized two shepherd children who saw Mary there. What’s especially significant, he said, is that they heeded the call to pray for sinners and trust in the Lord. “We declare and define Blessed Francisco Marto and Blessed Jacinta Marto as saints,” the pope said May 13 as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims broke out in applause before he finished speaking. The relics of the young shepherd children, encased in two thin golden crosses, were placed in front of the famed statue of Our Lady of Fatima, the “lady dressed in white” as the siblings and their cousin described her. The Marian apparitions began May 13, 1917, when 9-year-old Francisco and 7-year-old Jacinta, along with their 10-year-old cousin Lucia dos Santos, reported seeing the Virgin Mary. The apparitions continued once a month until Oct. 13, 1917, and later were declared worthy of belief by the Catholic Church. After contracting influenza, Francisco died April 4, 1919, at age 10, while Jacinta died Feb. 20, 1920, at age 9. The children, beatified by St. John Paul II in 2000, are now the youngest non-martyrs to be declared saints by the Catholic Church. Before his arrival at the shrine, the pope met privately with Portuguese Prime Minster Antonio Costa and then made his way into the sanctuary that houses the tombs of Sts. Francisco and Jacinta and their cousin Lucia, who died in 2005 at age 97. The diocesan phase of Lucia’s sainthood cause concluded in February and is now being studied at the Vatican. Pope Francis stood for several minutes in front of the tombs with his eyes closed and head bowed. In his homily at the canonization Mass, the pope reflected on the brief lives of the young sibling saints, who are often remembered more for the apparitions than for their holy lives. But rather than an apparition, Mary’s message and example are most notable, he told the crowd, which Portuguese authorities estimated at about 500,000 people. “The Virgin Mother did not come here so that we could see her. We will have all eternity for that, provided, of course, that we go to heaven,” the pope said. Instead, he continued, Mary’s messages to the young children were a warning to all people about leading “a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures.”
Pope Francis leads a vigil in the Little Chapel of the Apparitions at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal May 12. The pope was making a two-day visit to Fatima to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions and to canonize two of the young seers. CNS/Paul Haring “Such a life — frequently proposed and imposed — risks leading to hell. Mary came to remind us that God’s light dwells within us and protects us,” the pope said. The hopeful message of Fatima, he said, is that men and women have a mother, and like children clinging to her, “we live in the hope that rests on Jesus.” Pope Francis called on the pilgrims to follow the example of heroic virtue lived by Sts. Francisco and Jacinta, particularly their insistent prayer for sinners and their adoration of “the hidden Jesus” in the tabernacle. This continual presence of God taught to them by Mary, he said, “was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering.” By following their example, the pope said, Christians
can become “a source of hope for others” and counter “the indifference that chills the heart” and “worsens our myopia.” “We do not want to be a stillborn hope. Life can survive only because of the generosity of other lives,” he said. It is with the light of hope, the pope added, that the Church can radiate “the true face of Jesus” and reach out to those in need. “Thus, may we rediscover the young and beautiful face of the Church, which shines forth when she is missionary, welcoming, free, faithful, poor in means and rich in love,” he said.
ALSO inside
Next steps
Road to sainthood
Congratulations, graduates
After reaching private fundraising goal, Catholic Charities looks to state funding for new Dorothy Day Center. — Page 5
Wisconsin-born Capuchin Father Solanus Casey to be beatified.
Three high school seniors reflect on how Catholic education prepared them for life’s next stage. — Pages 10-11
— Page 8
2 • The Catholic Spirit
PAGE TWO
May 18, 2017 OVERHEARD
in PICTURES
“We are not orphans, we have a mother in heaven. In difficult moments, may Mary, the mother that Jesus has given to us all, always guide our steps.” Pope Francis, speaking May 10 at a general audience at the Vatican ahead of Mother’s Day and the 100th anniversary of Mary’s first apparition of Fatima. May is the month the Church especially dedicates to Mary.
NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit
Basilica’s annual Blessing of the Wheels May 21 Bikes, roller blades, trikes, wheelchairs, strollers and wheels of all kinds will be blessed 1 p.m. May 21 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis “to ensure safe rolling throughout the year.” Participants should gather in the Basilica Plaza before a procession of the wheels into the church, where the blessing will be held. Vendors will be on site to offer safety tips and tune-ups in the plaza, and food and ice cream will be available. For more information, visit www.mary.org. FULLY VESTED Deacon Toulee Peter Ly receives his vestments during the transitional deacon ordination Mass May 13 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. Deacon Ly was one of four deacons ordained during the Mass. The others were Deacons Aric Aamodt, Raphael Akurugu and Gabriel Ayamdoor. Deacons Ly and Aamodt were ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and Deacons Akurugu and Ayamdoor for the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga in Ghana. Assisting Deacon Ly with his investiture was Deacon Nao Kao Yang. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
Young Adult Film Study on ‘Silence’ May 21 St. Mark in St. Paul invites young adults to watch the Martin Scorsese film “Silence” in its parish center 6:30 p.m. May 21, followed by a discussion about Christian interpretation of its message. For more information, visit www.saintmark-mn.org.
Priesthood ordination at Cathedral May 27 Ten men are scheduled to be ordained priests by Archbishop Bernard Hebda 10 a.m. May 27 at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. Being ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are: Deacons Paul Baker, Bryce Evans, Nicholas Froehle, Nicholas Hagen, Matthew Quail, Tim Sandquist, Brandon Theisen, Chad VanHoose, Benjamin Wittnebel and Timothy Wratkowski. Deacons Hagen and Wratkowski have been studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome; the others have completed their studies at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul.
Women’s health program info session June 15
HAIL, HOLY QUEEN Parishioners of All Saints in Minneapolis process with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima May 13 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Mary’s first apparition to the shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. The procession was part of a two-day conference on Fatima that included Mass and talks by Raymond de Souza, president of the Sacred Heart Institute in the United States. Father Eugene Brown/For The Catholic Spirit
WHAT’S NEW on social media Watch video of the beginning of the annual rosary procession from the Capitol to the Cathedral of St. Paul May 6, led by Knights of Columbus and Archbishop Bernard Hebda. What’s it like to be a child whose mother has been deported? Lynda McDonnell shares one Minneapolis family’s story.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 22 — No. 10 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor
An informational session on Fertility Education and Medical Management (FEMM), a women’s health program that aims to “revolutionize” discussions around and medical approaches to women’s reproductive health, will be offered for the first time in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis 7 p.m. June 15 at St. Joseph Hall of the archdiocese’s chancery, 777 Forest Ave., St. Paul. The event is open to the public, but organizers especially encourage the attendance of natural family planning providers, Catholic Medical Association guild and Curatio members, and people working with crisis pregnancy centers. For more information or to RSVP, contact Nancy Schulte at 651-291-4489 or schulten@archspm.org.
Widows’ Day of Reflection in Edina June 17 Our Lady of Grace in Edina will host the seventh annual Widows’ Day of Reflection 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. June 17. With the theme “A Widow’s Walk,” the day includes Mass, lunch and speakers Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Michele Denise Michaels. Cost is $20. RSVP required. For more information, visit www.olgparish.org or contact Cheryl Broich at 952-831-2656.
Quo Vadis vocations camps at SJV in July Registration is open for two Quo Vadis summer camps at St. John Vianney College Seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, hosted by the archdiocese’s Office of Vocations. A July 9-12 camp is for boys ages 12-17, and a July 16-19 camp is for girls ages 12-17. The camp includes Mass, prayer, speakers, confession and rosary, as well as recreation. For more information and to register, visit www.10000vocations.org. Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year: Senior 1-year: $24.95: To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631. Published semi-monthly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857. TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580
May 18, 2017
FROM THE MODERATOR OF THE CURIA
The Catholic Spirit • 3
After 27 years, priesthood continues to exceed expectations
T
wenty-seven years ago on June 2, I was ordained to the priesthood of Jesus Christ at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. I had never before known such joy. I offer my support and prayers to all of our priests who celebrate their anniversary this month and to all who will be ordained for our archdiocese May 27. What I did not know at my ordination was that my life ahead as a parish priest was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Even during that first weekend in my first assignment, I only glimpsed what would be involved in the next 23 years of parish life. Yet as a baby priest, I did not yet know of the depth of joy in the priesthood that would persist even through the deepest sorrows in the people of God. It still overwhelms me that I get paid to pray and to say “God bless you” even when no one sneezes. In that first year of priesthood, I was amazed that the miraculous presence of Jesus Christ was in my daily routine of the privileges of proclaiming the Gospel, administering the sacraments, serving a community of faith, and working for justice and peace to build on earth the kingdom of God. All the privileges that have been mine pale in comparison to the gifts in my life of incredible parishioners, lifelong friends and so many pilgrims on the way to the heaven that is yet to come. I am greatly blessed by all their prayers and support. I am thankful as well for all the lay leaders who made me look like a more effective leader than I really was. I have grown so much as a priest through the parishes I have been privileged to serve. Even in my two pastorates spanning some 20 years, the parish shaped me far more than I shaped ONLY JESUS the parish. Yes, I was a good shepherd. No, I was not the potter. Father Charles Lachowitzer I did not know when I was ordained — let alone when I was a
seminarian — that as a priest, I would be the clay. For the past three-and-a-half years, I have served as the vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. I have looked at the priesthood and parish life through the lens of a microscope, studying and responding to slides smeared with the pathology of diseases in the priesthood, viruses of discord in parishes and the dead cells of fiscal insolvency. With so many friends asking me, “How are you doing?” while they silently pray that I have a short answer, I often simply say, “I’m all right because we are doing what’s right.” I still believe that I am a witness to a remarkable chapter of reform, renewal and transformation. Sure, there is a lot of work yet to be done to move on as a Church of healing and reconciliation. It has been a steep learning curve for me. Awareness is a painful process, and this necessarily precedes any work on healing. Nonetheless, every time I look up from the microscope, blink my eyes a few times to adjust to the light and look around at the lived life of faith, I am given great encouragement, hope and joy. There is so much good happening in so many parishes, schools, outreach agencies, individuals and community foundations. But it really should not surprise faithful disciples that every day at the chancery, the pastoral center for the archdiocese, the grace of God has been made manifest in the efforts of a talented and dedicated staff. We are most fortunate for and inspired by the leadership of Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Archbishop Bernard Hebda. Every day, in the movement of the Holy Spirit, a healing balm is gently placed on the wounds in the body of Christ. The grace of that beautiful sacrament of holy orders still moves me to know a joy in the priesthood I could not have imagined when I was ordained. It shouldn’t surprise me either that still today, I have a peace in my heart that truly surpasses all understanding.
Después de 27 años, el sacerdocio continúa excediendo expectativas
H
ace veintisiete años — el dos de junio, recibí mi ordenación para el sacerdocio de Jesucristo en la Catedral de Saint Paul, nunca antes había sentido tanta dicha. Les ofrezco mi apoyo y mis oraciones a todos los sacerdotes que celebran su aniversario en el sacerdocio este mes, así como a todos los que van a ser ordenados para nuestra arquidiócesis este 27 de mayo. Lo que no sabía cuando fui ordenado fue que mi vida en adelante como sacerdote de parroquia iría más allá de lo que yo podría haber imaginado. Aun ese primer fin de semana de mi primer puesto de trabajo fue solo un destello de que serían los próximos 23 años de la vida de parroquia. Todavía como sacerdote recién ordenado, no sabía la profundidad de la dicha en el sacerdocio y que ésta dicha persistiría aun en los momentos de tristeza más profunda en el pueblo de Dios. Todavía me asombra que me pagan por rezar y por decir “que Dios te bendiga” aún cuando nadie ni siquiera estornuda. Durante el primer año de sacerdocio, yo estaba sorprendido que la presencia milagrosa de Jesucristo estaba diariamente
en mi rutina del privilegio de proclamar el Evangelio, en la administración de los sacramentos, en el servicio a la comunidad de fe y en el trabajo por la justicia y la paz para construir el reino de Dios en esta tierra. Todos los privilegios que he tenido se quedan cortos en comparación con los regalos en mi vida por los parroquianos increíbles, amigos de toda la vida y muchos de los peregrinos en camino al reino de los cielos que todavía está por venir. Soy bendecido grandemente por todas las oraciones y el apoyo y también estoy agradecido por todos los líderes laicos que me han hecho lucir como un líder eficaz más de lo que en realidad yo era. Como sacerdote he crecido mucho por medio de las parroquias en las que he tenido el privilegio de servir. Aun a lo largo de mis dos pastoreados de unos 20 años, la parroquia me preparó más a mi que yo a la parroquia. Si, era un buen pastor. No, yo no era el alfarero. No, yo no sabía cuando fui ordenado — y mucho menos cuando era seminarista — que como sacerdote, yo sería el barro, la arcilla.
Por los últimos tres años y medio, he servido como vicario general y como moderador de la curia para la Arquidiócesis de Saint Paul y Minneapolis. He mirado el sacerdocio y la vida en parroquia bajo la mira del microscopio, estudiando y respondiendo a las laminillas de vidrio manchadas con la patología de la enfermedad en el sacerdocio, el virus de la discordia en las parroquias y las células muertas de la insolvencia fiscal. Con tantos amigos preguntándome ¿Cómo estas? mientras ellos silenciosamente rezan para que les de una respuesta corta; yo a menudo digo simplemente “estoy bien porque estamos haciendo lo correcto.” Todavía creo que soy testigo de un capítulo excepcional de reforma, renovación y transformación. Seguro, aun hay mucho trabajo por hacer como iglesia en la sanación y reconciliación. Ha sido un camino cuesta arriba en el aprendizaje para mi. La concientización es un proceso doloroso que necesariamente antecede a cualquier trabajo en el camino de la sanación. Sin embargo, cada vez aparto mi vista del microscopio, al pestañear varias veces
para ajustarme a la luz y al ver a mi alrededor la vida vivida en la fe, me da gran aliento, esperanza y dicha. Hay tanto que es bueno sucediendo en muchas de las parroquias, en las escuelas, la agencias de enlace y en las fundaciones individuales y de la comunidad. Pero no debiera de ser una sorpresa para los fieles discípulos que cada día en la cancillería, centro pastoral para la arquidiócesis, que la gracia de Dios se ha hecho manifiesta en los esfuerzos del personal talentoso y dedicado. Somos muy afortunados, e inspirados por el liderazgo del Obispo Andrew Cozzens y del Arzobispo Bernard Hebda. Cada día, en el movimiento del Espíritu Santo, es un bálsamo de sanación que es puesto suavemente sobre las heridas del Cuerpo de Cristo. La gracia del bello sacramento de las órdenes sagradas todavía me mueve al conocer la dicha en el sacerdocio, lo que no podría haber imaginado cuando fui ordenado. Aun hoy tampoco me debiera sorprender, pues tengo la paz en mi corazón que verdaderamente sobrepasa todo entendimiento.
June 1, 2017
Reverend William Deziel, appointed pastor of the Church of the Guardian Angels in Chaska. This is following his assignment as parochial administrator of the same parish, and a transfer from his assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Peter in North Saint Paul.
Retirements Effective July 1, 2017
OFFICIAL Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:
May 2, 2017 Reverend Hilary M. Khanh Hai Nguyen, Congregation of Mother Co-Redemptrix, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Anne – Saint Joseph Hien in Minneapolis. He replaces Reverend Vincent Thanh Au, CMC, who has been reassigned outside of the Archdiocese by his religious superior.
Reverend Fernando Ortega, appointed parochial vicar of the Church of the Incarnation in Minneapolis. This is a transfer from his assignment as pastor of the Church of the Guardian Angels in Chaska. Reverend William Deziel, appointed parochial administrator of the Church of the Guardian Angels in Chaska. This is in addition to his assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Peter in North Saint Paul.
July 1, 2017 Reverend James Devorak, appointed parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Rose of Lima and the Church of Corpus Christi in Roseville. This is a transfer from his assignment as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Gerard in Brooklyn Park.
Reverend Matthew Northenscold, appointed parochial vicar of the Church of Divine Mercy in Faribault. This is a transfer from his assignment as parochial vicar of the Church of Saint Peter in North Saint Paul. Reverend David Ostrowski, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint William in Fridley. This is a transfer from his assignment as pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Minnetonka.
Reverend John Malone, released from his assignment as pastor of the Church of the Assumption in Saint Paul and granted the status of a retired priest. Father Malone has served the Archdiocese as a priest since his ordination in 1967. Reverend Frank Wampach, released from his assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Francis Xavier in Franconia and the Church of Saint Joseph in Taylors Falls and granted the status of a retired priest. Father Wampach has served the Archdiocese as a priest since his ordination in 1984.
4 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
May 18, 2017
SLICEof LIFE
Taking aim
Ninth-grader Emily Foley of Providence Academy in Plymouth gets ready to fire at a clay target during trap shooting practice at Park Gun Club in Orono May 5. Both girls and boys compete in the club sport, and this is the third year that Providence Academy has fielded a team. Foley, who shot 95 out of 100 at a competition last year, is in her third year. Her sister, Helen, a seventh-grader, started this year. The girls’ father, Christopher, is one of the coaches, and their mother, Amy, is a volunteer. “When I was in seventh grade, my parents gave me the idea of shooting,” Emily said. “It’s really a sport for everyone.” Said Christopher: “This is actually the most heavily subscribed sport in Minnesota. There are more shooters than there are hockey players.” Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit
Seek God. Seek Greatness. Seek Excellence.
CONGRATS GRADS!
findcatholicschools.org
May 18, 2017
LOCAL
Catholic Charities asking Legislature to ‘do its part’ Public funds were promised, now need to come through, CEO says By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis has hit its private fundraising goal for the new Dorothy Day Place in downtown St. Paul, but it needs the State Legislature to allocate public funding to complete the $100 million project before the session ends May 22. Catholic Charities leaders announced May 5 at an annual fundraising breakfast at the St. Paul Hotel that the charitable organization had recently achieved its $40 million goal for private donations. The project’s first phase, Higher Ground St. Paul, opened in January with housing and other services for people who are homeless in St. Paul. The organization is eager to start the project’s second phase, the Opportunity Center and Dorothy Day Residence, which will provide job training and a community clinic. In order to complete the project, it’s critical that public funding comes through, Catholic Charities President and CEO Tim Marx said at the breakfast. “We need more stable homes for a lot more people, and that’s why we need Dorothy Day Residence, but we need your help,” Marx said. “The private sector has done what it said it was going to do, in this historic private-public partnership … . The Legislature has not done its job.” Because the Legislature has not passed legislation to fund the project, investors are getting nervous, Marx said. “Costs are increasing. Time is a-wasting,” he said. “We must be in the ground this summer.” Marx and other Catholic Charities leaders encouraged attendees to contact their legislators to support funding for the private-public partnership, which is the largest in state history. The buildings are replacing Dorothy Day Center, a soup kitchen turned overnight shelter, which opened in 1981. In 2011, demand for the space exceeded availability, and Catholic Charities had to turn people away from the center for the first time in its history. The situation led St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman to form a
An Italy-based fraternity of priests will assume pastoral care of St. Peter in North St. Paul July 1, Archbishop Bernard Hebda announced May 13. Two priests of the Priestly Fraternity of the Missionaries of St. Charles Borromeo will begin serving the parish this summer, and a third will join them in the fall. Also known as the Fraternity of St. Charles or simply “the Fraternity,” the order has about 130 priests serving around the world, including in Boston, Denver and Washington, D.C. In a May 13 letter to the parish announcing the news, Archbishop Hebda said the Fraternity contacted him to offer its help to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Archbishop Hebda said Boston’s archbishop, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, recommended the archdiocese to the order. Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens announced the news at parish Masses May 13-14. “They were looking for a stable parish with a commitment to both Catholic education and evangelization,” Archbishop Hebda wrote in the letter. He mentioned that both he and Bishop Cozzens became acquainted with the order while living in Rome “and were delighted by the possibility of welcoming such fine priests into the archdiocese.” “After consultation with the archdiocesan Clergy Assignment Board, a few visits [from Fraternity priests] to the archdiocese and discussions with leaders at a number of parishes, there was agreement that St. Peter’s would be the best fit,” Archbishop Hebda wrote. The Fraternity priests “will be working with [St. Peter’s] existing parish staff and leadership to provide for both the sacramental and administrative needs of your parish community.”
Knights honor clergy, religious from parishes in Dakota County By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit
Catholic Charities’ Higher Ground St. Paul opened in January. Courtesy Catholic Charities
What to watch as session wraps up Minnesota Catholic Conference Executive Director Jason Adkins said he hopes that school choice related tax credits will survive bill negotiations, and that the next few days will determine the fate of other key proposed policies, including a Palliative Care Advisory Council, an increase in the Minnesota Family Investment Program’s cash grant and tax credits for beginning farmers. Read the story at www.thecatholicspirit.com. task force, which recommended in 2013 that Catholic Charities build a new center with the aim of ending homelessness in the city. The annual Dorothy Day Community Breakfast included a joint invocation by Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Rev. Patricia Lull, bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Archbishop Hebda is a non-voting member of Catholic Charities’ board of directors. At the breakfast, Catholic Charities also recognized volunteer David Moss and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation with community service awards.
Italian fraternity of priests coming to St. Peter in North St. Paul By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit
The Catholic Spirit • 5
St. Peter’s pastor, Father William Deziel, has been appointed pastor of Guardian Angels in Chaska. Its parochial vicar, Father Matthew Northenscold, has been appointed parochial vicar at Divine Mercy in Faribault. Although the 128-year-old parish and its school will be in the care of a religious order, it “will continue to be an important parish” in the archdiocese, Archbishop Hebda wrote. “While I am grateful to Father Deziel and Father Northenscold for their exceptional service and leadership here at St. Peter’s, I am confident that the presence of the priests of the Fraternity will not only be a blessing to the archdiocese, but also greatly benefit your parish and help you continue your growth and outreach to your fellow parishioners and those in need in your community,” he wrote. Beginning in July, Fraternity priest Father Ettore Ferrario will serve as the parish’s pastor, and Father Pietro Rossotti will serve as the superior of the local community. Father Daniele Scorrano will join them later this year. Fraternity priests typically live together in houses of three or more men. Father Massimo Camisasca founded the Fraternity in 1985 with seven priests and 10 seminarians. It has ties to the lay Catholic movement Communion and Liberation, and is inspired by the movement’s founder, Father Luigi Giussani. “They are passionate men of prayer who have distinguished themselves in their commitment to bringing Christ into the modern world and who are looking forward to accompanying each of you by sharing your struggles, joys and questions,” Archbishop Hebda wrote. The parish will hold town hall meetings to address parishioners’ questions and concerns about the change.
On an evening dedicated to clergy and religious, Father Charles Lachowitzer gave an overview of the state of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, painting a hopeful picture of the future. A vicar general and the moderator of the curia of the archdiocese, Father Lachowitzer highlighted clergy’s dedication to the archdiocese’s efforts to strengthen their formation and oversight following a sexual abuse crisis in the local Church. “The worst in a few of us does not take down the best in all of us,” Father Lachowitzer said. “That’s giving sin too much power, and ultimately, it denies the cross of Jesus Christ. That is why, in the worst crisis in the history of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the best things — by the grace of God — have come out of this tragedy.” Father Lachowitzer spoke at the Knights of Columbus’ Mother Teresa Fourth Degree Assembly’s clergy and religious appreciation night May 11 at St. Joseph in Rosemount. He said that “we have policies and procedures, protocol and processes to accept our responsibility, to handle effectively misconduct in the clergy and the personnel of our Church.” He noted that the archdiocesan Ministerial Review Board, which reviews cases of priest misconduct, includes professionals in psychiatry, social work, law enforcement and child protection advocacy. A third-degree Knight who joined in 1978, Father Lachowitzer said he became familiar with the Knights’ biennial appreciation event while serving as pastor of St. John Neumann in Eagan from 2002 to 2013. In his remarks, he reflected briefly yet fondly on his time at the parish. The Mother Teresa Assembly hosts the event to recognize the priests, deacons and consecrated religious who serve Dakota County parishes. This year’s event drew about 20 active and retired clergy from the area, along with local religious sisters from St. John the Baptist in Vermillion and St. Joseph. More than 100 lay men and women, mostly Knights and their wives, also attended. “We need to get behind clergy and support them, and ... also thank them for what they do,” said Mel Meier, a fourth-degree Knight and parishioner of Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville. Meier, who emceed the event, said the dinner is a “good way to start promoting more religious vocations in our area.” During the evening, Father Jim Perkl, pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church, and Father Paul Kammen, St. Joseph’s pastor, received fourth-degree Knights swords. Both were gifts from the assembly, an organization of fourth-degree Knights in Dakota County parishes. “It’s a beautiful gift,” said Father Perkl, who added that he found the gift fitting since the archdiocese’s patron saint, St. Paul, is depicted with a sword. The Mother Teresa Assembly formed in 2003 and began hosting the dinner and program in 2008. The assembly draws from All Saints in Lakeville; Mary, Mother of the Church; Risen Savior in Burnsville; St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings; St. John the Baptist in Vermillion; St. John Neumann; St. Joseph in Miesville; St. Joseph in Rosemount; St. Michael in Farmington; St. Peter in Mendota; St. Pius V in Cannon Falls; and St. Thomas Beckett in Eagan. Robert Penas, a deputy for the Minnesota Knights of Columbus state council, attended the event. He said that not all fourth-degree assemblies or councils have clergy and religious appreciation nights.
6 • The Catholic Spirit
LOCAL
May 18, 2017
Parishes, schools concerned about fear’s effect on Latino families By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Antonia Alvarez’s 12-year-old daughter, Melina, can’t talk about the issue of deportation without crying, so the two rarely discuss it. Her daughter is a U.S. citizen, but Antonia, 46, is not. Melina is afraid she’ll come home one day from her St. Anthony school and find that her mother, a community organizer, has been deported. Fear surrounding deportation is widespread within the Latino community in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and has increased since the election of President Donald Trump, said leaders at IncarnationSagrado Corazon de Jesus in Minneapolis, Alvarez’s parish. While parish leaders have not observed an increase in the rate of deportation of unauthorized immigrants in their community, some Latino parents have reported to staff that their children are having trouble sleeping and are distracted in school because of the issue. “The children are not immune to what Washington says or what the president says; quite the contrary. They are very much affected by it,” said Brad Capouch, Incarnation’s administrator. “Kids who go to school are concerned about leaving their parents and not knowing if their parents are going to be there when they come home.” The issue has been severe enough to warrant a statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics in January following the Trump administration’s executive orders bolstering deportation and calling for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. “When children are scared, it can impact their health and development. Indeed, fear and stress, particularly prolonged exposure to serious stress — known as toxic stress — can harm the developing brain and negatively impact short- and long-term health,” it stated. Michael Rogers, president of Risen Christ Catholic School in Minneapolis, said he knows that fear affects students at the school, although it’s difficult to distinguish whether it is that anxiety or a myriad of other stressors the school’s families face that affect students’ relationships and academic performance. “A lot of our students are dealing with toxic stress, regardless of what is going on,” due to social and economic issues that affect many low-income families, he said. Of the school’s 335 students, 98 percent qualify for free or reduced lunch. Eighty-eight percent of Risen Christ’s students are Hispanic, making it the school with the largest Latino population in the archdiocese. The school doesn’t collect information on students’ immigration status, and staff doesn’t know who is undocumented or living
Unauthorized immigrant parents Based on 2014 data, the Pew Research Center estimates that 7.3 percent of kindergarten to 12th grade students in public and private schools across the U.S. have at least one parent who is an unauthorized immigrant. The states with the highest shares of such students are Nevada, Texas, California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico, ranging from 17.6 to 10.1 percent. In Minnesota, 3.8 percent of students are estimated to have at least one undocumented parent. About 100,000 unauthorized immigrants are living in the state, which has a total population of 5.49 million. Meanwhile, the total number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. has remained at 11.1 million since 2009, Pew reports. Immigrants from Mexico have declined in number, while immigrants from other regions of the world have increased since the Great Recession. Mexicans continue to make up slightly more than half of U.S. unauthorized immigrants. — The Catholic Spirit with undocumented parents. About half of the student body stayed home on “A Day Without Immigrants” in February, Rogers noted. He has written twice to students’ families assuring them that the school is a safe place. “Teachers and staff at Risen Christ Catholic School are aware of the concerns, tension and fear that exist in our students’ lives because of the recent rhetoric and actions related to immigration,” Rogers wrote in a Feb. 22 letter. “We are heartened by the response of our local churches, pastors and bishops, and we continue to pray for all who are affected.” Risen Christ worked with community organizations to compile information for families, including the publication “Know Your Rights” from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, that’s available through the school office. It has also emphasized that the school’s staff is available to help students struggling with stress, anxiety or trauma. Seven miles north at St. John Paul II Catholic Preparatory School in Minneapolis, Principal Edgar Alfonzo said a couple of parents initially expressed some concerns about deportation, but that he hasn’t seen a difference in behavior or anxiety among his students. He said it could be a cultural difference — most of his students are from Ecuador, not Mexico — but he can’t know for sure. School leaders have written letters in support of students’ parents’ citizenship process, and last year they
wrote a letter supporting a parent slated for deportation, describing him as a good parent involved in his children’s education. He ultimately was able to remain in the U.S. “We always tell them that we support them,” Alfonzo said of the school’s students and their families. “We do anything they ask us to do.” Incarnation has been working for years to help people at risk for deportation by offering resources to help families get in order their legal matters, including child care, in the event one or both parents are deported. Parish staff and volunteers are also trying to make sure that people in that situation don’t fall victim to predatory behavior, as their situation makes them vulnerable to scam offers for similar work for large sums. “We’ve been working on changing the immigration laws for a long time, or at least giving people who have been here for a great period of time more opportunities to ... become residents or eventually become citizens,” Capouch said. In March, the parish publicized the arrest and deportation of one of its parishioners, who was driving with his wife and son near the home of his son’s caregiver in Minneapolis when he was stopped and arrested. Capouch and others tried to make a case for him to stay with documents attesting to his character, but because the man had already been deported once before, they were not successful in keeping him in the country. They’ve since focused on making sure his wife and child are supported by family and friends. For Alvarez, compounding her daughter’s fears is the family’s housing situation. Despite Alvarez’s community organization efforts, the Lowry Grove mobile home park where she lives in St. Anthony has been sold and is slated to close, and she needs to find a new place for her family to live. Her immigration status has affected her ability to find a new home, she said, and the time she’s invested in standing up for her community — both Latinos and her mobile home park — means she hasn’t had time to focus on herself and develop a plan if she were deported, she said. “It’s quite an incredible strain that’s put on the people,” Capouch said, “and I think those of us who are not in the constant fear don’t really understand how great a burden this is, not only for them, but for their children, to always be looking over your shoulder and not knowing if today is the day you get picked up. And that level of anxiety when it gets raised only makes it that much worse.” Find resources on how faith communities can support immigrants and refugees at www.archspm.org.
FORMED fuels discipleship with range of online resources By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit One-size-fits-all faith formation programs don’t exist, but a new online platform called FORMED has taken a serious stab at providing a wealth of resources to fit with parishioners’ hectic lives. “Not everybody has the time to be able to sign up for a multi-week series or be able to come to the parish because they work or they have different schedules,” said Andy Wagenbach, co-director of faith formation and youth ministry at St. Peter in North St. Paul. Through FORMED, “they can do these things at their house. The fruit of that is that they’re able to still be formed even though they’re not able to come on site.” Forty parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have been offering the program since it launched in 2015. FORMED provides a one-stop shop of formation materials ranging from videos to Church documents to help adults, youth and families grow in their faith. The program was created by the Augustine Institute in Denver, which has provided both faith formation and theological education since 2004. “It’s meant to be in every home within the parish, really empowering, enabling parishioners to take
ownership of their own formation so that the great teachings of the Catholic Church aren’t confined to a parish program,” said Annie Grandell, YDisciple coordinator for the Augustine Institute. Grandell became familiar with FORMED while using the Augustine Institute’s YDisciple program as the youth minister for St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater. YDisciple provides online material for small groups of youths to grow in their faith, and it is now among the resources at FORMED. St. Peter has also used YDisciple through FORMED for youths and the St. Peter Catholic School students in grades five through eight. Families in the St. Peter’s young family ministry also use FORMED talks at home, and they discuss them at the ministry’s gatherings. FORMED draws from a wealth of Catholic resources such as Ignatius Press and Catholic Lighthouse Media. Its content provides a boon for sacramental preparation, which is how St. Michael in Farmington has used the program. Kathy Ruhland, the parish’s director of faith formation, said the parish has found it valuable. She said one family asked to watch and discuss a FORMED video on confession together for a child’s make-up lesson, even though parent participation wasn’t required. Ruhland didn’t hesitate to grant
permission, “because the goal is to have families embrace this and talk about it as a family [and] have it bolster their faith,” she said. Wagenbach said he has seen FORMED build marriages, since couples can watch and discuss videos. Some of the couples who went through FORMED’s “Beloved” series on marriage shared with him that “it was kind of the first time in their marriage that they had actually done a series together as a couple. Some of them had been married eight to 10 years.” While FORMED has content for children, youths and families, it doesn’t stop there. Ruhland said most of the content works for adult faith formation. Last fall, St. Michael hosted a Bible study on the Eucharist using FORMED content. However, parishes would like to see more Catholics using the program. Parishes pay $1,680 per year to give every parishioner access to the site. St. Michael in Farmington has 284 subscribers. St. Peter is up to 350, after encouraging parishioners to try it during Lent and Advent. Ruhland and Wagenbach said there’s been good feedback so far. “I think the biggest thing [for participants] is just realizing that instead of maybe watching Netflix, they can watch something about their faith,” Wagenbach said.
LOCAL
May 18, 2017 in BRIEF BUFFALO
Christ the King director named U.S. Oblate provincial Oblate Father Louis Studer of Christ the King Retreat Center has been named the new provincial for the U.S. province of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Father Studer will serve in the new role, announced April 27, for the next three years at the order’s provincial headquarters in Belleville, Illinois. He had been serving as Christ the King’s director for four years. During that time, Father Studer acquired the role of vicar-provincial and personnel director for the U.S. province in 2012. He previously served as director for the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, and led fundraising efforts for the Oblates. An Iowa native, Father Studer made his final vows with the Oblates in 1975 and was ordained in 1976.
CROOKSTON
Bishop denies coercing abuse victim from reporting allegation The bishop of the Diocese of Crookston “categorically denies that he in any way forced, coerced or encouraged” a candidate for the permanent diaconate not to report his claim of sexual abuse against a priest of the diocese, the Diocese of Crookston stated May 9 in response to a lawsuit filed that day against the bishop and the diocese. The plaintiff, Ron Vasek, said he told Bishop Michael Hoeppner about the abuse, which he suffered as a teenager, while he was considering becoming a permanent deacon for the diocese in 2009 or 2010. He said the bishop told him that he couldn’t tell anyone because it would damage the reputation of the accused priest, Msgr. Roger Grundhaus, who has held leadership positions in the diocese. He also accused
the bishop of coercing him to sign a letter stating that the abuse didn’t happen and curtailing his hopes of being ordained a deacon in June. According to the diocese, the abuse allegation was reported to law enforcement in 2011. According to attorney Jeff Anderson, Msgr. Grundhaus’ name was not included on a list of priests accused of abuse the diocese released in 2014. The diocese has pledged to “conduct a thorough investigation” into the matter.
MAPLEWOOD
Minnesota United FC player Kallman joins Hill-Murray boys soccer staff Hill-Murray added Minnesota United FC defender Brent Kallman to its boys soccer coaching staff, the Catholic high school announced May 11. Kallman, a parishioner of St. Ambrose in Woodbury, will coach with all teams in the Pioneers’ boys soccer program. One of six Minnesotans in Major League Soccer, Kallman has four years of professional soccer experience. He joined Minnesota United in 2013 when the club played in the North American Soccer League, and he remained with the team when it joined MLS this year. Kallman, a Woodbury native, played for Woodbury High School in the 2000s. He went on to play NCAA Division I soccer at Creighton University, which made the final four of the College Cup twice during his time there.
Back to health. Back to home.
MENDOTA HEIGHTS
St. Thomas Academy fires teacher over text messages to students St. Thomas Academy fired a theology teacher in her first year at the school after it learned that she sent text messages regarding drugs, alcohol and sex to several students. The Catholic, all-male college preparatory military high school learned of the text messages May 8 and terminated Kristin Vanyo May 9 “because the wellbeing of our students, faculty and staff is our top
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The Catholic Spirit • 7 priority,” STA said in a May 10 statement. The school noted that it immediately contacted the Mendota Heights Police Department, which is still investigating. An affidavit of the MHPD search warrant revealed that Vanyo, 45, admitted she wrote a paper for a student in exchange for marijuana, and “purchased and delivered $120 in alcohol for students” before the school’s prom. The school discovered a text message from her on a student’s phone referring to wanting to “cheat” on another relationship with him. Vanyo has not been arrested in the case or criminally charged.
NEW HOPE
Senior care organization awards scholarships to youth volunteers St. Therese, a Catholic senior care and housing organization, awarded two $2,000 scholarships to youth volunteers for their service to seniors. Kylie Nevells, 17, a student at Benilde-St. Margaret’s in St. Louis Park, and Nicholas Jackson, 18, who attends Robbinsdale Cooper High School, received the organization’s Youth Volunteer Scholarship. They were honored during a celebration April 19 at St. Therese of New Hope, where they both volunteer.
ST. PAUL
Gov. Dayton vetoes two pro-life bills Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed two pro-life bills May 10 after the House and Senate passed both in previous weeks. House File 809 would have ended taxpayer funding of abortions, a measure that Dayton also vetoed in 2011. The other bill, H.F. 812, aimed to bolster abortion regulations by requiring licensing and inspections of any medical facility that performs 10 or more abortions monthly. The bill’s requirements of inspections conformed to those of the abortion industry, according to Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life. Minnesotans have paid taxes for abortions since the 1995 Doe v. Gomez trial in the Minnesota Supreme Court.
8 • The Catholic Spirit
U.S. & WORLD
Post-Fatima trip, pope talks Medjugorje, Trump visit, abuse commission resignation By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service While the investigations into the very first alleged apparitions at Medjugorje must continue, Pope Francis said he has doubts about claims that Mary continues to appear in the Bosnia-Herzegovina village. Asked May 13 about the authenticity of the Marian apparitions, which reportedly began in 1981, the pope referred to the findings of a commission chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the retired papal vicar of Rome. “The report has its doubts, but personally, I am a little worse,” the pope told reporters traveling with him from Fatima, Portugal. “I prefer Our Lady as mother, our mother, and not Our Lady as head of the post office who sends a message at a stated time.” “This isn’t Jesus’ mother,” he said. “And these alleged apparitions don’t have much value. I say this as a personal opinion, but it is clear. Who thinks that Our Lady says, ‘Come, because tomorrow at this time I will give a message to that seer?’ No!” Three of the six young people who originally claimed to have seen Mary in Medjugorje in June 1981 say she continues to appear to them each day; the other three say Mary appears to them once a year now. A diocesan commission studied the alleged apparitions in 1982-1984 and again in 1984-1986 with more members; and the then-Yugoslavian bishops’ conference studied them from 1987 to 1990. All three commissions concluded they could not affirm that a supernatural event was occurring in the town. Despite his personal doubts, the pope said the “spiritual and pastoral facts cannot be denied: People go there and convert, people who find God, who change their lives. There isn’t magic there,” he said. In February, Pope Francis appointed Polish Archbishop Henryk Hoser of Warsaw-Praga to study the pastoral needs of the townspeople and the thousands of pilgrims who flock to Medjugorje each year. The pope also was asked about his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, who will visit the Vatican May 24 as part of his first foreign trip as president. Specifically asked how he would speak to a head of
“There are always doors that aren’t closed. Look for the doors that at least are a little bit open, enter and speak about things held in common and go forward, step by step.” Pope Francis
state with clearly opposing views on issues such as immigration, the pope said he would never “make a judgment about a person without listening to him first.” “There are always doors that aren’t closed. Look for the doors that at least are a little bit open, enter and speak about things held in common and go forward, step by step,” the pope said. “Peace is artisanal; it is made every day. Even friendship among people, mutual knowledge and esteem are made every day,” he said. Pope Francis also was asked about the March 1 resignation of Marie Collins, one of the founding members and the last remaining abuse survivor on the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. She cited the reluctance of members of the Roman Curia to implement recommendations or cooperate with the commission’s work. The pope praised Collins’ work on the commission and her continuing role in training bishops to deal with abuse allegations. As for her reasons for leaving the commission, Pope Francis said, “She is a little bit right because there are so many cases that are delayed.” However, the pope said the delays in handling cases are due to the need to draft new legislation and the fact that there are few people capable of handling cases of sexual abuse. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the faith, he added, are looking “for new people.”
Blogs and commentary: CatholicHotdish.com
May 18, 2017
Wisconsin-born Father Solanus Casey to be beatified By Mike Stechschulte Catholic News Service Sixty years after his death, Capuchin Father Solanus Casey is on his way to sainthood. Pope Francis announced May 4 that Detroit’s beloved friar met the requirements for beatification and will be named “blessed” — the second U.S.-born man to achieve such a designation and the first person from Michigan. Although Father Casey, who has ties to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, was born in Oak Grove, Wisconsin, in 1870, he spent most of his adult life and ministry in Detroit, caring for sick, poor and downtrodden people and lending a listening ear and caring heart to the thousands who came to him for counsel, wisdom and aid. Pope Francis recognized the authenticity of a miracle necessary for the friar to be elevated from venerable to blessed after a review by the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes was completed Father Solanus earlier this year. CASEY The miracle needed to raise Father Casey to blessed involved a woman with an incurable genetic skin disease. The woman was visiting friends in Detroit and stopped at Father Casey’s tomb to pray for others’ intentions. After her prayers, she felt a strong urge to ask for the friar’s intercession for herself, too, and received an instant and visible healing. The miraculous nature of her cure was verified by doctors in her home country, in Detroit and in Rome, all of whom confirmed there was no scientific explanation. Father Casey himself died of a skin disease in 1957. The beatification, which will take place during a Mass in Detroit later this year, is the final step before sainthood. A declaration of sainthood requires a second miracle attributed to Father Casey’s intercession. Born Bernard Francis Casey Nov. 25, 1870, Father Casey was the sixth of 16 children to Irish immigrants Bernard James Casey and Ellen Elizabeth Murphy, who lived in Hastings, Minnesota, for a time. — The Catholic Spirit contributed to this story
U.S. & WORLD
May 18, 2017
The Catholic Spirit • 9
public safety; punishment must ‘correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and [be] more in conformity to the dignity of the human person.’”
in BRIEF BATON ROUGE, La.
Papal envoy travels to diocese for dedication of new shelter
VATICAN CITY
Pope Francis has targeted eradication of human trafficking as one of his papacy’s highest priorities, and he’s hoping the solution runs directly through the Diocese of Baton Rouge. The pope recently dispatched one of his top advisers, Bishop Marcelo SanchezSorondo, to Baton Rouge for the dedication of Metanoia Manor, a one-of-a-kind shelter for young trafficking victims. Staffed by four Hospitaler Sisters of Mercy, the home is the vision of Father Jeff Bayhi, pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Zachary and will provide a safe haven for female victims under age 18. It will house 16 girls who will be home-schooled as well as taught life skills and job skills. They also will be allowed to stay as long as necessary.
WASHINGTON
Bishops among first signatories to pledge to end death penalty Bishops attending a meeting were among the first to sign the National Catholic Pledge to End the Death Penalty at the U.S. bishops’ headquarters building May 9. Each person taking the pledge promises to educate, advocate and pray for an end to capital punishment. “All Christians and people of goodwill are thus called today to fight not only for the abolition of the death penalty, whether legal or illegal, and in all its forms, but also in order to improve prison conditions, with respect for the human dignity of the people deprived of their freedom,” Pope Francis has said. This quotation kicks off the pledge. The pledge drive is organized by the Catholic Mobilizing Network. Quoting from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the network stated, “The death penalty is not needed to maintain
Vatican official: Ratify test ban as step toward eliminating nukes Fully ratifying and adopting the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty offers the world the “best hope of stemming nuclear proliferation” and taking a concrete step toward the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, a Vatican official said. “The Holy See cannot but lament the fact that the potential devastation caused by the use of nuclear weapons so clearly identified over 40 years ago has not been relegated to history,” Msgr. Janusz Urbanczyk told government representatives meeting in Vienna. During a meeting May 2-12, the monsignor, who is the Vatican’s representative to United Nations agencies in Vienna, reiterated the Vatican’s goal of a “world free of nuclear weapons.” Countries, including the United States, began signing the treaty in 1996, but the U.S. Senate has failed to ratify it. China, Egypt, Israel and Iran also have signed, but not ratified it, while India, Pakistan and North Korea have yet to sign the treaty.
MANCHESTER, England
Vatican launches Belgium euthanasia investigation The Vatican is investigating the decision of a group of psychiatric care centers run by a Catholic religious order in Belgium to permit doctors to perform euthanasia of “nonterminal” mentally ill patients on its premises. Brother Rene Stockman, superior general of the Brothers of Charity, told Catholic News Service that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, is personally examining the situation. Brother Stockman complained directly to Rome after the Brothers of Charity Group, which runs 15 centers for psychiatric patients across
Belgium, rejected a formal request from him to reverse the new policy. In a May 4 email to CNS, Brother Stockman, a psychiatric care specialist, said: “Because it is a matter of the Belgian group, I informed the Belgian bishops’ conference in order to ask for their opinion and to ask a clear statement of them. “At the same time, I am in contact with the Vatican — the Congregation [for Institutes] of Consecrated Life [and Societies of Apostolic Life] and the secretary of state, who asked me for more information. I hope that there will come a clear answer from the Belgian bishops and the Vatican.”
NEW YORK
New York center reaches people ‘about the genius of Catholicism’ Theater is the lingua franca of New York City, and the Catholic Church has used art in myriad forms through the centuries to spread the message of the Gospels. But it was not until 2015 that the Archdiocese of New York jumped with both feet into a bold effort to evangelize through the theatrical medium. It re-purposed one of its many decommissioned schools as the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Center for Thought and Culture. From the outside, the unassuming building on Bleecker Street in Lower Manhattan still looks a lot like it did when it educated generations of Sicilian-American children as Our Lady of Loreto School. Inside, two theaters, a gallery and rehearsal space host plays, movies, lectures, discussions and art. Each program is selected to serve the center’s mission to highlight the true, the good and the beautiful. “It’s a way to reach people about the genius of Catholicism,” said Executive Director William Spencer Reilly. Plays and lectures “get people inside the tent,” where he hopes they will be surprised, excited and engaged by what they discover. The target audience is millennials, many of whom live in the gentrified neighborhood. “We can dig deep and unpack complex issues” with people living in “a sound bite universe where little thought is given to big issues,” he said. — Catholic News Service
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May God bless you abundantly as you continue your journey to ordination into the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. From your Church of St. Raphael family
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May God bless you as you continue to prepare for the priesthood! From the parishioners of the Cathedral of Saint Paul and Saint Vincent Campus
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God Bless You On Your Ordination to the Diaconate
From your teaching parish Immaculate Heart of Mary, Minnetonka
10 • The Catholic Spirit
Congratulations, graduates
T
o honor graduating seniors in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, The Catholic Spirit asked Catholic high schools in the archdiocese to nominate a student to be considered for this feature.
The Catholic Spirit is highlighting three students who credit their Catholic education with providing opportunities to help them learn about the world, serve others and grow in their faith. Congratulations to all our graduates. We wish you the best. Academy of Holy Angels, Richfield •B accalaureate Mass — 6:30 p.m. May 31 at Academy of Holy Angels, 6600 Nicollet Ave. S., Richfield, with celebrant Father Mike Tix.
DeLaSalle class of 1978 and clergy representative to the DeLaSalle board of trustees.
• 133 graduates
•C ommencement — 6:45 p.m. May 18 at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, with speaker LaSallian Christian Brother Konrad Diebold, DeLaSalle class of 1955, member of the DeLaSalle Hall of Fame and retired president of St. Patrick Catholic High School in Chicago.
Benilde-St. Margaret’s, St. Louis Park
• 192 graduates
•B accalaureate Mass — 11 a.m. May 21 at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center, 30 S. Seventh St., Minneapolis, with celebrant Father Tim Wozniak.
Hill-Murray School, Maplewood
•C ommencement — 4 p.m. June 4 at Academy of Holy Angels, with speaker Thomas McCoy, class of 2017.
•C ommencement — 7 p.m. June 2 at the William Haben Activity Center, 2501 Hwy. 100 S., St. Louis Park.
•C ommencement — 7:30 p.m. June 2 at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. • 166 graduates
• 219 graduates
Holy Family Catholic High School, Victoria
Bethlehem Academy, Faribault
•B accalaureate Mass — 2 p.m. May 14 at St. Victoria Church, 8228 Victoria Drive, Victoria, with celebrants Father Bob White and Father Rolf Tollefson.
•B accalaureate Mass — 7:30 p.m. May 24 at Divine Mercy church, 139 Mercy Drive, Faribault, with celebrant Archbishop Bernard Hebda. •C ommencement — 8 p.m. May 26 at Bethlehem Academy’s Van Orsow Auditorium, 105 Third Ave. SW, Faribault, with speaker Dominican Sister Ann Willits.
•C ommencement — 7 p.m. May 17 at Holy Family Catholic High School, 8101 Kochia Lane, Victoria, with speaker Angela Dimler, class of 2004, director of strategic communication for Catholic Community Foundation.
• 34 graduates
• 103 graduates
Chesterton Academy, Edina
Providence Academy, Plymouth
• Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement — 6:30 p.m. June 2 at Holy Family Church, 5900 W. Lake St., St. Louis Park with celebrant Father Joseph Johnson. • 27 graduates
Convent of the Visitation School, Mendota Heights •B accalaureate Mass — 10:30 a.m. May 21 at Convent of the Visitation Chapel, 2455 Visitation Drive, Mendota Heights, with celebrant Father T.J. McKenzie. •C ommencement — 3 p.m. June 4 at Visitation School, 2455 Visitation Drive, Mendota Heights, with speaker Amy Rauenhorst Goldman, class of 1982. • 74 graduates
Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul •B accalaureate Mass — 9 a.m. May 31 at Lumen Christi, 2055 Bohland Ave., St. Paul, with celebrant Father Pat Kennedy, school chaplain. •C ommencement — 7:30 p.m. May 31 at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. • 286 graduates
Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Minneapolis •B accalaureate Mass — 6:30 p.m. June 9 at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School gymnasium, 2924 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, with celebrant Jesuit Father John Paul. •C ommencement — 2 p.m. June 10 at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School gymnasium, with a student speaker. • 85 graduates
DeLaSalle High School, Minneapolis •B accalaureate Mass — 6:30 p.m. May 17 at DeLaSalle High School, 1 De La Salle Drive, Minneapolis, with celebrant Father Kevin Kenney,
•B accalaureate Mass — 4 p.m. June 2 at the Basilica of St. Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, with celebrant Archbishop Bernard Hebda. •C ommencement — 8 p.m. June 2 at Providence Academy Center for the Arts, 15100 Schmidt Lake Road, Plymouth, with speaker Gordy DeMarais. • 67 graduates
St. Agnes School, St. Paul •B accalaureate Mass — 11 a.m. June 1 at St. Agnes church, 548 Lafond Ave., St. Paul, with celebrant Father Mark Moriarty. •C ommencement — 7 p.m. June 2 at St. Agnes School – Bandas Gym, 530 Lafond Ave., St. Paul, with speaker Mother Assumpta Long of Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. • 66 graduates
St. Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights •B accalaureate Mass — 7:30 p.m. June 5 at St. Thomas Academy, 949 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights, with celebrant Father Nels Gjengdahl. •C ommencement — 7:30 p.m. June 7 at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul, with speaker alumnus Thomas Malchow, Olympic swimmer. • 133 graduates
Totino-Grace High School, Fridley •B accalaureate Mass — 7 p.m. May 31 at St. Odilia, 3495 Victoria St. N., Shoreview, with celebrant Father James Stiles. •C ommencement — 7 p.m. June 2 at Totino-Grace High School, 1350 Gardena Ave. NE, Fridley. • 197 graduates
Lifelong Visitation By Anne Fredrickson For The Catholic Spirit
E
ntering high school at the Convent of Visitation in Mendota Heights, Kally D knew she would face challenges. She expe demands of achieving academic success, b activities and homework, and navigating t opportunities that accompany the teenage She didn’t, however, expect those challe include serious complications with her he would impact her daily life. Starting her freshman year, Daniewicz b experiencing health issues that included se stomach pain that would send her to the h Through the last four years, she has endur hospital stays, a surgery, and visits to docto clinics, Mayo Clinic and the University of Despite their best efforts, doctors have not to find a conclusive cause, and therefore tr for Daniewicz’s illness. “It’s been very frustrating,” Daniewicz made it hard because I missed a lot of sch in the hospital, at doctor appointments home not feeling well. I’ve been very luc teachers have been accommodating, hel organize my schedules or giving me mor turn in assignments.” Daniewicz, a member of St. Pascal Baylon has been a part of Visitation her entire life, the baby room when she was 3 months old continuing her education there until her gr
Faith and family gu Viridiana Arevalo Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Minneapolis Parents: Audencio and Eloisa Arevalo Parish: Assumption, Richfield Post-graduation plans: Study entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul By Sharon Wilson For The Catholic Spirit
V
iridiana Arevalo will be the first in he attend college next fall. This accompl no small feat considering that first-generat students often don’t have the family supp expectation of pursuing post-secondary ed
Arevalo credits her father, Audencio Are her desire to study entrepreneurship at the of St. Thomas in St. Paul this fall. A small b owner, his caring, helpful and positive lead always been an example to her, she said. N her parents completed high school, and bo to support the family. Entrepreneurship is not new to her. At a Arevalo started her own business choreogr quinceañeras to support her family. She sa experience taught her the value of hard wo management and using her time wisely. N Arevalo grow from the experience, but her connection to God also grew. “God puts obstacles in our paths, so we how to face and deal with them,” said Are
May 18, 2017 • 11
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Kally Daniewicz Convent of the Visitation School, Mendota Heights Parents: John and Kathleen Daniewicz Parish: St. Pascal Baylon, St. Paul Post-graduation plans: Study English and architecture at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles this spring. She credits the Visitation community with helping her stay positive through her challenges. “I’ve been very grateful that I was raised in a faithfilled community, because it’s been really helpful to have my faith to turn back to. Many times when I’ve wondered why this is happening to me, I’ve always been able to turn to God, to know he has a plan and is looking over me,” she said. “Also, being in community with the sisters, I know that the sisters are
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parishioner of Assumption in Richfield with her father; mother, Eloisa; and younger sister, Gissell. “You grow out of the experience.” At Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, many opportunities have led her to believe that “service can be a transformative experience,” she said. She has served in a variety of leadership roles at Cristo Rey Jesuit, including working with HIV and AIDS patients, working on retreats and being part of a University of St. Thomas research program. Called “Together Possible,” the program is a collaboration between Cristo Rey Jesuit and St. Thomas researching first-generation college students. Through this research, Arevalo said she realized that “God reminds you that just because you come from a certain background, it doesn’t make you different or less worthy in his eyes,” and that it’s important for everyone to have equitable access to education. “God doesn’t make any mistakes with his creation, including first-generation college students,” she added. Arevalo’s faith life has grown over the years, too, and she has learned to see God in all things. “As a child, I was sort of confused about my faith, but I have come to see solutions to problems in my life that can only be connected to miracles by God.” She added, “You know that you are not alone in this world when these events happen. You know that God is at work.” Faith, service and family have all been important in her life as she looks beyond high school and sets her sights on college and her future. The unique work study opportunity at Cristo Rey Jesuit has also given her a chance to broaden her horizons. For the past two years, she has been working for St. Paul-based Hubbard Broadcasting, which owns several television and radio stations. Her internship has been with KSTP 5 Eyewitness News. Though not involved with on-air projects, her skills and perspective have grown as she has worked with social media outlets by adding pictures to the website and other duties. After completing college, Arevalo hopes to start a beauty company and continue her commitment to serving others by reaching out to create educational opportunities for young girls who otherwise wouldn’t have them.
Photos by Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit
praying for me, even the ones in heaven. I was really close with Sister Marie Therese when I was growing up, and even though she passed away when I was a freshman, I know that she’s looking over me.” While Daniewicz has focused on her life as a student, not her illness, she has learned valuable lessons through her experience. “I’ve had to learn to accept that I can’t do everything on my own because I had to rely on other people,” she
said. “I’ve always been pretty independent and always pushed myself to do my best, but I learned that it is OK to step back and ask for help.” She has also learned perseverance, compassion and understanding. While she had her own health problems, her father was dealing with complications from a cancer diagnosis that has been in remission since a stem-cell transplant when Daniewicz was in middle school. “I have more of a realization that everyone is dealing with something whether or not you know it,” she said. “I make more of an effort to reach out to others, realizing how important it is to have a connection with the people around you.” The people around Daniewicz have been inspired by her success despite her challenges. Following her love of reading and writing, Daniewicz submitted her writing to the National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and won awards for six of the seven pieces she submitted, with one of them earning a silver award at the national level. She has received multiple scholastic art awards, been a member of the track team and leadership team, served on yearbook committee and worked on the student newspaper. In addition, Daniewicz is a eucharistic ministry coordinator, was the vice president of the sophomore class and serves as a student representative to the student council. She plans to attend the University of Southern California in Los Angeles this fall to study English and architecture, and hopes to participate in a summer photography program in Italy that focuses on architecture.
Former orphan shows gratitude through service Carlos McMertyBrummer BenildeSt. Margaret’s, St. Louis Park Parents: Matthew and Andrea McMerty-Brummer Parish: Holy Name of Jesus, Medina Post-graduation plans: Study Spanish and education at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit
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arlos McMerty-Brummer’s memories of his native Honduras are vivid. He remembers the five houses that made up the orphanage he entered as a baby in 1998 and the presence of two American missionaries who would alter the course of his life. The senior at Benilde-St. Margaret’s in St. Louis Park clearly describes the day he walked across the soccer field at the orphanage as a 6-year-old with one of those American missionaries and told him he was determined to go back to the United States with him and another missionary. “I told him I was going to go back to the U.S. with them on a boat — because I had no idea there were airplanes — and then he asked me how I’d go to school,” McMerty-Brummer recalled. “I said I’d just take the boat back [to Honduras]. I never knew what the world was like.” The two missionaries who would become McMerty-Brummer’s adoptive parents first had to get married before his plan could transpire. In 2011, after navigating through the international adoption
process, Matthew and Andrea McMerty-Brummer adopted Carlos, as well as his older brother and younger sister, and returned to the U.S. “I had no idea what was coming,” McMertyBrummer said of leaving the orphanage. “I was just excited to be with them and explore the world.” From day one, McMerty-Brummer has attended Benilde-St. Margaret’s, where his father now teaches world languages. Although he was held back a year when he started school as a seventh-grader, he learned English well enough to advance to graduate with his class. In ninth grade, he went on a mission trip with other BSM students to Honduras, where they served at the orphanage where he spent the first half of his life. He even reconnected with one of his best friends growing up at the orphanage. McMerty-Brummer believes his BSM classmates left with a renewed sense of gratitude and realized they can improve others’ lives by volunteering and donating. “One small thing makes a huge impact,” said McMerty-Brummer, a member of the National Honor Society, soccer team and a captain on the track team at BSM. “Spending time with kids and making them smile makes a huge difference.” Looking back, he says his life experiences show God’s purpose for him, and he’s grateful he was adopted. “[God] did this out of love, but he did this to make me realize that I should be helping others,” he said. McMerty-Brummer has held true to that belief. He has volunteered with Feed My Starving Children, and Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners. At his parish, Holy Name of Jesus in Medina, he leads small groups, retreats and vacation Bible school. He said attending a Catholic school has helped him see others’ needs. “I shouldn’t just be thinking about me and what people can do for me,” he said. “I struggled with that for a while. It’s what I can do for others. That’s what being Catholic means.” He plans to continue to serve others when he attends the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul this fall. One day, he said, he’d consider a missionary stint like his parents, and he’d like to adopt a child from a foreign country.
12 • The Catholic Spirit
FROM AGE TO AGE
May 18, 2017
Retired educator honored for ongoing work with students Samuel Salas receives Ignatian Volunteer Corps’ Madonna Della Strada Award By Melenie Soucheray For The Catholic Spirit
S
amuel Salas says when his wife asks him when he’s going to retire, he responds with, “I don’t know, because I never studied to be a retired person.” In a nutshell, that’s one reason why the Ignatian Volunteer Corps Twin Cities branch presented Salas, 85, with its 2017 Madonna Della Strada Award May 11 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. The award is named for Sancta Maria della Strada, the first church entrusted to St. Ignatius of Loyola and the early Jesuits where they served the urban poor in central Rome. The award honors those who reflect Ignatian values of direct service to the poor as well as those who seek a more just society through work and education. In 2007, as his career was winding down, Salas wondered what to do next. His wife of 56 years, Cecilia, advised him not to worry and that something would turn up. Sure enough, he noticed a blurb in the parish bulletin at Good Shepherd in Golden Valley, where he’s a member, recruiting for IVC, a national organization that offers men and women 50 and older opportunities to serve and grow as Christians in the Ignatian tradition. He signed on to volunteer as a tutor and adviser at Hospitality House Youth Development, a Christian nonprofit in North Minneapolis that focuses on the spiritual, intellectual and physical development of inner-city youths and their families. Kathleen Groh, IVC regional director of Minneapolis and St. Paul, said Salas was selected for the award because he “has taken a rich life experience as an educator, administrator and a person of faith to serve those who are poor and vulnerable in North Minneapolis. He not only brings his many skills and expertise with him to all endeavors he undertakes, [but] he in turn experiences the gifts of those who struggle while finding God among them.” Steve Lucke, who served with Salas for five years on the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School-Twin Cities board of directors, said he “was always impressed by his wisdom, patience, professionalism and desire for people to work together in a spirit of collaboration.”A member of the IVC Regional Council, Lucke added: “Sam is a pro in the education field and is very collaborative.” Salas, a soft-spoken a native of Santiago, Chile, came to the United States with Cecilia in 1960. He took a position at Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. At the Episcopalian boarding school, Salas oversaw the resident students, taught Spanish and
Samuel Salas, center, talks with students Latrell Oliver and Kelly Quizhpi at Hospitality House Youth Development in Minneapolis. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit coached soccer. Eventually, their family grew to include two sons and a daughter, and Salas advanced to become the head of school. In 1987, Salas was named headmaster of Breck School in Golden Valley, where he served until 2007. “They accepted people of all religions,” Salas said of the private Episcopal school. “We were interested in having people learn about religion and respect the religions of others. I started a community service program through which all students in the upper school and the teachers would do community service in the morning, once a week. They go to 20 different agencies and do service, then they come back and continue their academic work.” Serving others is deeply-rooted in Salas’ life. “My mother used to work in the St. Vincent de Paul organization in our parish,” he said. “The organization has a structure that I really like. You become in charge of the family. You help them with whatever needs they have.” And he also strives to model his father’s example. “Since I was young, when he was paid, the first thing he did was to go to the store and get a couple of bags of groceries and give them to the poor,” Salas said.
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As a child in Catholic school, Salas and his classmates visited hospitals and jails. Those experiences shaped his understanding of what is important in life. “It has been very much a part of my understanding of what it is to be a Christian. [Jesus’] first assignment — self-assigned or from the father through the Holy Spirit — was to help others,” he said. A life of service, Salas believes, is celebrated when Pope Francis speaks. “Somehow, with time, organizations start losing their origins,” Salas observed. “The Church, with this pope, has found what is fundamental — going back to Jesus as he lived and who he was. Imitate him. The task is so clear.” Salas also volunteers at a variety of other nonprofits, including the Aim Higher Foundation, Catholic Charities, YMCA, Children’s Theatre Company, MacPhail Center for Music, the Nature Conservancy and the shoe ministry at the Basilica of St. Mary. On May 11, IVC also awarded the Robert Hobbins Community Service Award to Hospitality House Youth Development. For more information about the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, visit www.ivcusa.org/ivc-offices/msp.
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FROM AGE TO AGE
May 18, 2017
The Catholic Spirit • 13
Speaker to grandparents: Bring God to grandchildren At first regional grandparents meeting, adult faith formation director shares advice for fostering faith By Melenie Soucheray For The Catholic Spirit
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mid the hustle and bustle of family life, there are people who can cut through secular influences and nurture a child’s faith. Depending on the family, they’re known as “Gobby and Pa,” “Gigi and Pops” or sometimes simply “grandma and grandpa.” The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Evangelization and Catechesis hosted the first in a series of regional grandparents meetings May 10 aimed at sharpening grandparents’ faith-building skills. Dozens gathered at St. Pius X in White Bear Lake, which cosponsored the event, to celebrate the Eucharist, pray the rosary and to hear Mary Pedersen speak about “Passing on the Faith: Naming Grace in the Domestic Mary Church.” PEDERSEN Pedersen, known as “Mimi” to her eight grandchildren, serves as the director of adult faith formation for the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa. She has degrees in religious studies, and ministry and preaching. “I love being a mom, but being a grandmother is much better,” said Pedersen, who has six children. “[Grandparents] get to see the world anew through the eyes of these little ones.” And, she doesn’t have to make any more parenting decisions, she added. “They say for children to grow up healthy and happy, they need at least five caring adults in their lives. At least five,” Pedersen stressed. “We [grandparents] had better be one of those five.” Pedersen’s 39-year-old daughter remembers her late grandmother as her best friend. “She said, ‘Mom, it’s because I could just be me.’ We can be that type of person,” Pedersen said. Pedersen noted documents from the Second Vatican
Upcoming events Grandparent Study Group Training Workshop • 5:30–7 p.m. May 24 • Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis (St. Joseph Hall), 777 Forest St., St. Paul • Free-will offering ($10 suggested donation) A light dinner will be served.
Grandparents Technology Workshop • 5:30–7 p.m. June 14 • Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis (St. Joseph Hall), 777 Forest St., St. Paul • Please bring a cell phone, tablet or laptop for this hands-on workshop. • Free-will offering ($10 suggested donation) A light dinner will be served. For more information about these events and to register, visit rediscover.archspm.org, or contact Susanna Bolle at 651-291-4411 or bolles@archspm.org. Council that cite parents as the primary catechists and first preachers to their children. Furthermore, Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics to “name grace” by making God’s presence more visible in the home and beyond. Pedersen urged grandparents to praise God in front of children. “Speak of God when God is present,” she said. “The more we name grace, the more we’ll experience grace.” Several grandparents in the audience nodded in agreement. Others were hearing the advice for the first time. Jeff and Debbie Lentsch, both 68, are members of St. Joseph in West St. Paul. They have two children and three grandchildren. “When I came and I saw the name of this speech, I thought, ‘Boy, I don’t get this connection right now,’” Debbie said. “Now, it will be a conscious thing. We can look for that opportunity to name the grace, bring
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God to them and let us see God in everything.” Jeff said one of his takeaways was to send grandchildren handwritten notes. Lilee Perera, 77, a member of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, has five grandchildren. She gave one of her granddaughters, Grace, a medal depicting Our Lady of Grace for her first Communion. When Grace recognized the shared name, she smiled, Perera recalled. “The Holy Spirit was with me when I said, ‘Grace, I was thinking Jesus will see your medal and say, ‘“That’s my Mom.”’ I think it’s the Holy Spirit who knows what the child should hear,” she said. Crystal Crocker, interim director of the archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, and soon-tobe-grandmother, explained that prioritizing grandparents seemed like a good strategic move. The office, with the archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life, launched the Catholic Grandparent Ministry with a major conference in 2016. “Grandparents play a big role in the family and are very important to the faith formation of children,” Crocker said. The 350 people who attended the first conference seemed hungry for support, Crocker said. They wanted practical ways to be credible witnesses to their own spiritual lives, so they could pass their faith on to the next generations. A core group of advisers was formed to suggest next steps, which included the regional program. Patti Ries, pastoral care associate at St. Pius X, is one of the grandparent ministry advisers, with Father Joe Bambenek, St. Pius X pastor, serving as the group’s spiritual director. “We help our grandparents be the ones who share the truth and goodness of the Catholic faith with their grandchildren and children, [and] to live as authentic witnesses of Jesus in the world today,” Ries said. Father Bambenek noted that the ministry empowers grandparents to take back the role that God intended for them in the lives of their grandchildren. “Intergenerational encounters are a crucial part of what it means to be human beings. We’ve kind of lost that in our culture now,” he said. For more information about upcoming grandparents’ programs in the archdiocese, visit rediscover.archspm.org.
14 • The Catholic Spirit
FROM AGE TO AGE
May 18, 2017
With Find A Grave, volunteer honors memory of the dead By Cynthia Hill Special to The Catholic Spirit
Memorial Day Masses planned at cemeteries May 29
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hen Dick Huber was growing up as a parishioner of St. Francis de Sales in St. Paul, visiting the graves of grandparents and other relatives at Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul was a family ritual. These days, Huber still stops by Calvary frequently, mostly as a volunteer, photographing headstones for memorial pages on Find A Grave, an online cemetery genealogy tool. Find A Grave is a free service aimed at finding, recording and presenting gravesite cemetery information. It calls itself “a virtual cemetery experience” for anyone interested in locating the burial site of family and friends, as well as those of famous individuals. Find A Grave members set up memorial pages for deceased relatives and submit biographies, pictures and other data. Five years ago, Huber, 75, joined Find A Grave as part of his growing interest in his family’s genealogy. “I found that creating memorial pages on Find A Grave was a wonderful way to build a family history that can be shared online within our family,” Huber said. With time to spare in his retirement, Huber signed up to become a Find A Grave photo volunteer. It works this way: Find A Grave members can request a headstone photo to be taken for a memorial page, and volunteers like Huber take on the assignment for cemeteries in their ZIP code. The job involves going to the cemetery, finding the gravesite, taking the photo and uploading it to the site. A self-professed “history nut” and 1960 Cretin High School graduate, Huber enjoys visiting the cemeteries in his area, especially Calvary. “I love Calvary. I’ve been rooted here since the time I was a child,” he said. “There’s so much history here and such beautiful monuments.” When he receives a request for a Calvary grave, Huber
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Resurrection Cemetery
2101 Lexington Ave. S., Mendota Heights 10 a.m. rain or shine with Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 6690 and American Legion Hamline Post No. 418.
St. Mary’s Cemetery Dick Huber kneels next to a grave in Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit checks in with office manager Linda Radtke to locate the site. With a cemetery map, he heads out to find the graves, often trimming and cleaning the markers before taking the photograph. Not all graves have markers. In those cases, Huber places a temporary wooden cross — or an angel statue for infants — at the grave site for the photo. When the grave is of a former service member, he adds a small flag for the photo. “I try to treat each grave as if it were one of my own relatives. It’s to honor the memory of these people who have gone before us,” he said. “They are gone but not forgotten.” In his five years as a Find A Grave volunteer, he has fulfilled 500 photo requests and has uploaded 2,650 photos to more than 1,500 memorials, 650 of which he’s added. The rewards of his volunteering are simple, Huber said. “It’s fun helping others. And I hear back from the majority of those who have requested a photo expressing their gratitude. That’s very satisfying.” A version of this story first appeared in the Fall/Winter edition of “Heritage,” Catholic Cemeteries’ newsletter.
4403 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis 10 a.m. rain or shine with Knights of Columbus Council No. 435, American Legion Post No. 345, and the First and Second Minnesota Volunteer Infantry.
St. Anthony’s Cemetery
2730 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis 10 a.m. rain or shine with fourth-degree Knights of Columbus, Good Shepherd Assembly of Fridley.
Gethsemane Cemetery
8151 42nd Ave. N., New Hope 10 a.m. rain or shine with honor guard, fourth-degree Knights of Columbus, American Legion Post No. 251 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 494.
Calvary Cemetery
753 Front Ave., St. Paul 10 a.m. rain or shine. For more information, visit www.catholic-cemeteries.org.
FOCUS ON FAITH
May 18, 2017
SUNDAY SCRIPTURES
Deacon Timothy Smith
A reason for our hope People who know and love Jesus Christ exude a great joy. Every day, Catholics who make a witness of their faith to the people around them heal others through their work. The Acts of the Apostles demonstrate the power that comes from awakened believers who give witness through their words and deeds. St. Philip Neri, whose feast day is May 26, is a great model for every Catholic. He proclaimed the truth of Christ and lived out his identity and the hope for salvation that comes from Jesus Christ. The result was entire cities coming alive with the joy of the Gospel. Every member of the Church is called to evaluate the way in which we have given witness in our attempts to live and to communicate Christianity. A witness is a person who can give evidence based on personal and immediate knowledge of a fact, event or
The Catholic Spirit • 15
experience. The Christian concept of witness adds to the popular notion the idea of a religious experience to which a believer testifies by his or her life, words and actions, and thus inspires others. By the grace of the sacraments of baptism and confirmation, we are fully equipped to be witnesses of the faith to the people in our lives. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to communicate the truths of the faith and help lead others to salvation. At every holy Mass, Jesus gives himself in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist so that we may be strengthened and nourished to proclaim his name and live the life of grace. When we are prepared to give an explanation for the hope that is within us, amazing things happen in the lives of others. Our personal testimony helps others recognize that it is reasonable to be a Christian. Through our words and deeds, we communicate to others the tremendous advantage it is to be a person of faith. The reason that so many people abandon the faith in our world today is because they see no trace of this advantage to live the Christian life. Our role as witnesses in the Church means that we know in the depths of our hearts that Jesus Christ is the reason for the hope that is within us. Living like a Catholic means that we look to Jesus as the fundamental answer to the deepest questions in our lives. Our world is starving for credible witnesses who will be able to share with others — in a matter-of-fact way — how Jesus Christ has changed their lives. Servant of God Msgr. Luigi Giussani proclaimed that
Sunday, May 21 Sixth Sunday of Easter Readings •A cts 8:5-8, 14-17 • 1 Pt 3:15-18 • Jn 14:15-21
“nothing is so incredible as the answer to a question that is not asked.” If you declare what God has done in your life, you give others the answer that they have been looking for all along. And like St. Phillip, you will help lead others toward their eternal destiny through Christ Jesus our lord. Deacon Smith is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. His teaching parish is St. Patrick in Oak Grove, and his home parish is St. Michael in Sioux Falls.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, May 21 Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 1 Pt 3:15-18 Jn 14:15-21 Monday, May 22 Acts 16:11-15 Jn 15:26–16:4a
Wednesday, May 24 Acts 17:15, 22–18:1 Jn 16:12-15
Saturday, May 27 Acts 18:23-28 Jn 16:23b-28
Tuesday, May 30 Acts 20:17-27 Jn 17:1-11a
Friday, June 2 Acts 25:13b-21 Jn 21:15-19
Thursday, May 25 Acts 18:1-8 Jn 16:16-20
Sunday, May 28 Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:1-11 Eph 1:17-23 Mt 28:16-20
Wednesday, May 31 Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Zep 3:14-18a Lk 1:39-56
Saturday, June 3 St. Charles Lwanga and companions, martyrs Acts 28:16-20, 30-31 Jn 21:20-25
Friday, May 26 St. Philip Neri, priest Acts 18:9-18 Jn 16:20-23
Tuesday, May 23 Acts 16:22-34 Jn 16:5-11
FAITH FUNDAMENTALS
Father Michael Van Sloun
Infant baptisms in the Church Even with parish classes that help prepare parents for their children’s baptisms, the curriculum might not closely examine the Church’s teaching and historical practice regarding infant baptism. The following is meant to help Catholics be more conversant in the Church’s practice and to motivate Catholic parents to prioritize their infants’ baptisms.
Historical roots of baptism The earliest people to be baptized were adults. After Peter delivered his Pentecost speech, “Those who accepted his message were baptized” (Acts 2:41). It is presumed that these converts were adults because they had to be old enough to accept the message. After Peter’s second speech, “Many of those who heard the word came to believe” (Acts 4:4), and infants are not old enough to hear and comprehend. After the apostles worked signs and wonders, “Men and women were added” (Acts 5:14). The Ethiopian court official was an adult convert (Acts 8:38). So was Saul (Acts 9:18) and Cornelius (Acts 10:48).
Monday, May 29 Acts 19:1-8 Jn 16:29-33
Thursday, June 1 St. Justin, martyr Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 Jn 17:20-26
But almost immediately, baptism was extended to children, most likely also to infants. When Paul preached in Philippi, not only was Lydia baptized, but also “her household” (Acts 16:15), which typically includes a mother, father and children. They were baptized on the basis of Lydia’s faith, including the children who, if very young, would not have been old enough to decide for themselves. Other examples of household baptisms include the families of the jailer (Acts 16:33), Crispus (Acts 18:8) and Stephanas (1 Cor 1:16). “The practice of infant baptism is an immemorial tradition of the Church. There is explicit testimony to this practice from the second century on” (No. 1252, Catechism of the Catholic Church).
A family of faith Canon law states that “Parents are obliged to take care that infants are baptized in the first few weeks” (Canon 867.1). This teaching is based on the high rate of infant mortality over the centuries (even in some areas today), the need to blot out original sin and the desire to access sacramental grace as quickly as possible. The urgency for baptism within “the first few weeks” has been modified somewhat in light of improved infant survival rates, yet baptism is a rebirth in the Spirit — the gateway to the other sacraments — and incorporates a person into the body of Christ, the Church. “The Lord himself affirms that baptism is necessary for salvation” (No. 1257, CCC; see Jn 3:5). These rich graces and spiritual advantages should not be delayed or withheld, but received at the soonest possible time. The Church also teaches that “For an infant to be baptized licitly, the parents or at least one of them …
Sunday, June 4 Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-11 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 Jn 20:19-23
must consent; [and] there must be a founded hope that the infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion; if such hope is altogether lacking, the baptism is to be delayed” (Canon 868.1, 868.2). If the parents are members of the Church, their children should be members with them, and if the parents are practicing their faith, their children should be able to practice the faith with them. Shared belief and practice unites the family.
Learning and choosing faith Some parents and Christian groups oppose infant baptism and think that the sacrament should be delayed until adolescence or adulthood, a time when people are more able to maturely and freely decide on their own to be a Christian. A person can learn the faith as an adult, but it is easier when a person is young. It is much like learning a foreign language or playing a musical instrument — it is more easily assimilated at an early age, which is evident in school curricula in which foreign languages and music lessons are taught in the primary grades. Children assimilate the faith of their parents. If the parents believe in God, say their prayers, go to Mass and love each other, the children will follow them. Then, when they are older, when the time comes for them to choose for themselves, because they have learned the language of faith and value what it means to be Catholic, it is much more likely they will choose the Catholic faith for themselves. Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. Read more of his writing at www.catholichotdish.com.
16 • The Catholic Spirit
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
CATHOLIC WATCHMEN
Vincenzo Randazzo
What’s in a name? You know the feeling: You are being greeted by a lot of familiar people, they all know your name and you’ve forgotten theirs. It’s the worst. This happened to me recently: I walked into a venue to see my friend perform in her band, and I hear, “Hi Enzo!” I turn and I see a familiar face, but I cannot put a name to it. It seems that when Minnesotans forget someone’s name, they are much more likely to pretend they know and just say, “Hey ... you!” or something. But I, being from Michigan, tend to gamble: “Hey — Dan?” I said. “Nope” he replied. “Philip?” No, he said, now looking a little offended. “I am sorry. Remind me of your name,” I said. “Think ‘archangel,’” he said. “Mike! Of course, Mike. I remember now.” Thank God he didn’t tease me and say, “No, my
name is Gabriel,” because I honestly didn’t actually remember — his hint made it obvious. I then sat down with Mike, who proceeded to name everyone around me and tell me about them. I’d met him just a couple of times, and not only did he know my name — first and last — he could recall my work and the last conversation we had. Mike struck me as being full of love and interested in others. I don’t know for sure, but he also struck me as a man who prays. I asked him how is it that he’s so good at memorizing names. He said to me simply, “I care about the people I meet.” I was embarrassed because I knew my forgetfulness wasn’t because I lack a Godgiven gift, it was because of my lack of love. Later in the week, I heard a homily where the priest emphasized memorizing people’s names as an act of love. That priest, whom I know personally, is probably the best name-memorizer I’ve ever met. But he didn’t speak of memorizing names as an end, he spoke of it as a means to better love our neighbor. I began thinking about Mike and all the people in my life who seem to have this skill. It occurred to me that many of the people I know who are “good at names” are priests, and so I wondered if there is a correlation. Priests care about and pray for people — it’s their job — and people who care about you and pray for you are people who know your name. Archbishop Bernard Hebda, himself very good at memorizing names, asked the men at the Archdiocesan Men’s Conference in March to make a daily examination of conscience. Prior to his words I
May 18, 2017
thought of the examination as merely going through the Ten Commandments — which is a good examination — but the archbishop raised the bar: “In your examination each day, do not just look at where you were sinful, but look for where God was present in your day and how you responded both positively and negatively.” This, he said, would enable us to become men of contemplation and men of action, and men who better love others. I’ve since realized that must be how Archbishop Hebda memorizes names: He thinks and prays for the people he encountered in his nightly examination. I have tried to do the examination in this way every night. It’s a hard discipline to keep. But when I do it, I look at how God has blessed me during the day and the blessings inevitably involve people. It requires me to put names to faces, which requires me to care for them and to pray for them. In this way, memorizing names is no longer the end goal, but a secondary means for what ought to be the main goal: to better love our neighbor. If we men are going to grow in love for others, we ought to take to heart Archbishop Hebda’s challenge to examine our conscience every night. Randazzo is an evangelization manager in the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and director of development at St. Stephen in Minneapolis.
THE LOCAL CHURCH
Laura Fanucci
Walking at their pace I balance the laundry basket on my hip while coaxing a sleepy preschooler downstairs. He wants me to carry him. I explain that my hands are full. He crosses his arms and pouts. I ask him to come with me. He takes one stubborn step down the first stair and glares. Exasperated, I give up and scurry ahead of him. He’s fine and safe on his own, I rationalize. And I’m busy. And in a hurry. In 20 minutes, I’m rushing his brothers into the car. “Hurry up!” I urge. “Backpacks, lunches, swim gear, shoes, let’s go!” so we can get out the door — punctuated by claps — on time. While working from home with multiple children underfoot (and another on the way), I often find myself hurrying everyone along so that we can get to the next thing. Yet, rushing rarely works. I turn into the yelling mom, they turn into angry kids. I brood each time our morning unravels. Am I just unorganized? Too impatient to parent with gentleness? What’s wrong? One sunny Saturday this spring, I took the kids to explore a state park while my husband was home sick. The older kids ran ahead, confident of the trails, calling out sights they recognized from past hikes. I was left to walk with the littlest. Halfway through the hike, I realized this was our first visit without a stroller or baby carrier. What’s more, I couldn’t carry him safely on tree-rooted hills while pregnant. So we walked together. Slowly. Holding hands. I lifted him up when he stumbled. I praised him when he did not complain. I celebrated when we summited a huge hill. We drank in the waterfall views, noticed rocks beneath our feet and heard squirrels scampering alongside the trail. It turned into the perfect pace for both of us. He hiked 2 miles on 2-year-old legs. I avoided getting short-winded from pregnancy exertion. We
Here’s what a long walk with a short companion reminded me: God doesn’t rush us. God is always waiting patiently. God never hollers back from 20 yards ahead, “Hurry up! You’re making me late!”
istock/standret both plopped into the car at the end, red-cheeked and happy. Here’s what a long walk with a short companion reminded me: God doesn’t rush us. God is always waiting patiently. God never hollers back from 20 yards ahead, “Hurry up! You’re making me late!” Scripture repeats the quiet truth of God’s gentle pace over and over: “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:11). “When you look for me, you will find me” (Jer 29:13). “Come to me … and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). The Church reflects this healthy, holy pace in our liturgical rhythms. Lent’s slow season stretches with 40 spacious days to pray and prepare. Advent’s measured weeks temper our antsy yearning for Christmas. Out of love, God comes to each of us at our own pace. This is how we grow into faith: slowly over time, not force-fed by someone else’s frantic schedule.
Am I too busy for the ones God has given me? No. If I feel like I am, then I am the one who needs to slow down. So I pad our morning routine with 10 more minutes to let us breathe. I pause to look at each of my children with lingering eyes of love, setting aside my to-do list. I remember to let each child lead. As they stir the cookie dough, slow as molasses. As they erase their homework with painful precision. As they walk downstairs beside me, holding my hand. And I give thanks for this patience-building life: the chance to raise these children and learn from their pace each day. The pace that slows me back to God. Fanucci, a parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, is a mother, writer and director of a project on vocation at the Collegeville Institute in Collegeville. She is the author of several books, including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting,” and blogs at www.motheringspirit.com.
THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY
May 18, 2017
FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA
Jason Adkins
Immigration and an Easter people The Easter season is a time to confidently celebrate the victory of Christ over death, once and for all. But the confidence of the resurrection is too often missing from our lives as Christians — in our commission to proclaim the good news, yes, but also in our call to faithful citizenship. The radical social demands of the Gospel — to welcome the stranger, prioritize the needs of the poor and the vulnerable, and protect life at every stage — can too easily be rationalized away as “naive” and “unrealistic.” I encountered this dynamic firsthand as a participant in a recent debate on the proper Catholic response to President Donald Trump’s immigration and refugee policies. The debate showed that Christ’s commandment to selflessly love our neighbor (and our enemy) remains the hardest part of Christian discipleship. It also exposed how easily we can turn from our Lord (and the social doctrine he has passed on to us through the Church) when his demands involve hard work and uncertainty. In other words, the immigration debate highlighted a crisis of confidence in Christ and his Gospel.
Principled, not fear-based Let’s start with this fact: A faithful Catholic need not support the specific immigration and refugee provisions endorsed by the U.S. bishops. As migration policy is a matter of prudence, people of good will can come to different conclusions about specific policy outcomes, so long as their conclusions are the product of a prayerful,
Ask Gov. Dayton to sign into law Opportunity Scholarships Opportunity Scholarships are included in the Minnesota Legislature’s final omnibus tax bill. This provision will help children from low- and middle-income families access a quality education at a non-public school of their choice. But Opportunity Scholarships need to be signed into law by Gov. Mark Dayton before they can go into effect, and the governor has opposed school choice in the past. Please call Dayton and urge him to make sure Opportunity Scholarships are signed into law: 651-201-3400. good-faith effort to apply the Gospel and the social doctrine of the Church to complex problems. But in my recent debate, my opponent made no such effort to ground his support for President Trump’s immigration and refugee policies in the Church’s social teaching. Instead of appeals to Scripture or the magisterium, he built his case primarily on a foundation of idolized nationalism and fear-driven consequentialism. For instance, his final point against a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants was that migrants from Latin America were an invasion force being ushered in to further the progressive agenda. Similarly, he opposed resettling Muslim refugees from Syria because Muslim newcomers, he claimed, would inevitably impose an Islamic theocracy upon us all.
Confidence, not consequentialism These all-too-common arguments flow from an impulse that seems less concerned with doing the hard
The Catholic Spirit • 17
and difficult work of loving and evangelizing our neighbors, and is instead animated more by a kind of passivity unbefitting of Christians. The doom-and-gloom outcomes forecasted — that people or their descendants to whom we offer hospitality will respond with malice or engage the social order in a way that some find harmful — may, perhaps, be somewhere deep within the realm of possibility, but they are anything but inevitable. In fact, these scenarios seem possible only if Christians sit on their hands and do nothing. Like with the Good Samaritan, love is a risk. Hypothetical outcomes don’t absolve us from our responsibility to do the right thing when the situation is presented. Ultimately, scapegoating others, particularly Latino immigrants and Muslim refugees, as threats and harbingers of the inevitable downfall of the United States is a convenient way to avoid our responsibility of welcoming newcomers and reclaiming society for Christ.
Christ is risen Confidence in Christ is not stupidity, nor is it a suicide pact. We need not toss common sense and prudence out the window when it comes to crafting and enforcing just immigration and refugee policy. But we must also not let fear obscure the fact that the millions of undocumented immigrants in the shadows of our society and the tens of thousands of refugees on our doorstep are providing us with an opportunity: an opportunity to love Christ boldly by welcoming the stranger, confidently accepting the missionary demands that might follow. For as Christ proved through his death and resurrection, we have nothing to fear when we follow him. His grace is sufficient. Like the apostles, hiding in the Upper Room, we will be able to live confidently in this truth only when we allow the Lord into our midst and accept his spirit into our life, not clutching at the ring of power for temporal security. Only we can separate ourselves from the love of Christ. Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.
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18 • The Catholic Spirit
FAITH & CULTURE
May 18, 2017
Author tells of Catholic couple who saved dozens in Holocaust
Jesuits to return South Dakota land to Rosebud Sioux
By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit
Catholic News Service
In 2009, Marty Brounstein stumbled upon the home of a Catholic couple in Dieden, Netherlands, who hid and saved two dozen Jews during the Holocaust of World War II. Since the encounter on a summer trip with his wife, Leah Baars, Brounstein, a management consultant, has immersed himself in sharing the story of Frans and Mien Wijnakker. The Wijnakkers have been recognized in the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Israel, which has an area dedicated to those who saved Jews in the Holocaust. Brounstein, who lives in San Francisco, has written a book, “Two Among the Righteous Few: A Story of Courage in the Holocaust” (Tate Publishing, 2011). He researched the Wijnakkers’ story and learned more through their five living children. Brounstein also speaks about the Wijnakkers around the U.S. and lined up four talks in the Twin Cities May 11-23. He said that the story has appealed to both religious and secular audiences alike. Though the Wijnakkers were Catholic and regular Sunday Massgoers, Brounstein said their children couldn’t confirm what role faith had in their shielding Jews from the Nazis. Hiding Jews in the Netherlands was extremely risky, since the country had one of the largest Nazi occupations, Brounstein said. The couple also faced antiSemitism among other Catholics. The Wijnakkers’ parish priest didn’t support their housing Jews, Brounstein said. For two years, the Wijnakkers hid Jews in their country home. At least a couple of the Jews who hid there are still alive, including Shulamit Schwarz, whom Brounstein interviewed for his book. Brounstein, a Jew, discovered he had a personal connection to the story, although he grew up in Canada and has no close relatives who were in the Holocaust. He said he reserves sharing about that link to the Wijnakkers for his presentations. Brounstein will speak 1 p.m. May 23 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 674 Johnson Parkway, St. Paul.
The Jesuits are returning more than 500 acres in South Dakota to the Rosebud Sioux. The formal return of the property is expected to be complete sometime in May. The property had been given by the U.S. government to the Jesuits in the 1880s for use for churches and cemeteries, according to remarks in a YouTube video by Jesuit Father John Hatcher, president of St. Francis Mission. “At the beginning of the mission, we had 23 mission stations,” Father Hatcher said. “But over the years as the people moved off the prairie and into cluster housing, those churches were closed because they were considered unnecessary.” Other properties never had churches built. “It’s now time to give back to the tribe all of those pieces of land that were given to the Church for Church purposes,” Father Hatcher added. “We will never again put churches on those little parcels of land. But it’s an opportunity to return land that rightly belongs to the Lakota people,” of which the Rosebud Sioux are a part. The property, totaling about 525 acres, is dotted throughout 900,000 acres on a Rosebud reservation in the south-central portion of the state, bordering both the state of Nebraska and the Missouri River. Rodney Bordeaux, chief operating officer of St. Francis Mission, said that when he started work there five years ago, the land transfer, having been initiated by Father Hatcher, was “stalled.” He attributed it to finding the right office within the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs to follow through. “It was just a matter of someone doing it,” Bordeaux said. “We did it on
“We will never again put churches on those little parcels of land. But it’s an opportunity to return land that rightly belongs to the Lakota people.” Jesuit Father John Hatcher
our end, but finding the right office to carry it out — it’s just a cumbersome process.” With the land back in the Rosebud Sioux’s hands, “it might just be used for agricultural purposes like it is now, for grazing. It might be used for community development. It might continue to be used for religious purposes,” said Harold Compton, deputy executive director of Tribal Land Enterprises, the Rosebud Sioux’s land management corporation. “It’s because they’re so scattered, I think each one will eventually evolve due to their own location.” Compton said land in the area is worth $1,000 to $2,000 or more an acre. There are about 25,000 people enrolled with the Rosebud Sioux, 15,000 of whom live on the reservation. “It’s the symbolism of returning. This land was categorically reserved by the government for the Church’s use. So, the Church returning this to the tribe is a plus for everybody,” Compton said. OFFICIAL
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CALENDAR
May 18, 2017 Dining out
Hebda — June 3: 6:30–8:30 p.m. at St. Charles Borromeo, 2739 Stinson Blvd. NE, St. Anthony. www.ccro-msp.org.
Benefit Partnership with Hope Lodge Breakfast — May 21: 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at Knights of Columbus Hall, 1910 S. Greeley St., Stillwater.
Eucharistic procession — June 11: 3 p.m. at Holy Cross, 1621 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis. www.ourholycross.org.
Music St. Rose of Lima spring concert — May 20-21: 7 p.m. May 20 and 2 p.m. May 21 at 2090 Hamline Ave. N., Roseville. www.saintroseoflima.net.
Schools Minneapolis Northside St. Austin and St. Bridget Alumni Mass — June 4: 9:30–10:30 a.m. at St. Bridget, 3811 Emerson Ave. N., Minneapolis. www.stbridgetnorthside.com.
Ongoing groups Faithful Spouses support group — Third Tuesday of each month: 7–8:30 p.m. at the archdiocesan chancery, 777 Forest St., St. Paul. For those who are living apart from their spouses because of separation or divorce. 651-291-4438 or faithfulspouses@archspm.org.
Conferences/seminars/ workshops
CARITAS cancer support group — Wednesdays: 10:30 a.m.–noon at St. Joseph’s Hospital, second floor, maternity classroom 2500, 45 W. 10th St., St. Paul.
Parish events Sacred Heart treasure hunt/rummage sale — May 18-20: 3–7 p.m. May 18, 8:30 a.m.– 6. p.m. May 19 and 9 a.m.–noon May 20 at Sacred Heart, 4087 W. Broadway, Robbinsdale.
Charism Workshop: Gift of Generosity with Pete Fastner — May 20: 9–11 a.m. at St. Peter, 6730 Nicollet Ave., Richfield. office@ccro-msp.org or www.ccro-msp.org. Catholic Divorce Survival Guidance — Mondays through May 22: 7–8:15 p.m. at St. Edward, 9401 Nesbitt Ave. S., Bloomington. www.stedwardschurch.org. The Jewish Connection to the Land of Israel — May 24: 7–8:30 p.m. at Holy Name, 3637 11th Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.churchoftheholyname.org.
Prayer/worship
Speakers
Taize Prayer — Third Friday of each month: 7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.
“Charismata: Encounter God in Praise, Adoration and Prayer Ministry” with Father Michael Becker — June 9: 8–10 p.m. at St. John the Baptist, 835 Second Ave. NW, New Brighton. www.ccro-msp.org.
Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office’s annual Pentecost Vigil Mass with Archbishop Bernard
Our Lady of Fatima presentations with speaker Barb Ernster, president of the World Apostolate
The Catholic Spirit • 19
of Fatima Twin Cities Division — May 24 and 31: 6:30–8 p.m. in Hayden Hall at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. www.cathedralsaintpaul.org/cya-calendar.
Other events CAA Women’s Slow Pitch Softball League — Fridays, May 19-July 21: 6 p.m. at Edgcumbe Fields, 320 Griggs St., St. Paul. caa.director@ hotmail.com. Downtown Congregations to End Homelessness Sofas and Spokes Drive — May 20: 9 a.m.–noon at Plymouth Congregational Church, 1900 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis. www.dceh.org/upcoming-events/ dceh-sofa-and-spokes-drive.
CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. 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 submission. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication: • Time and date of event • Full street address of event
The Basilica Landmark Ball — May 20: 5–11 p.m. at U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis. www.thebasilicalandmark.org. Association of Pastoral Ministers Spring Banquet — May 23: 6–9 p.m. at the University of St. Thomas’ Binz Refectory, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul. Chris Sorensen at 952-698-1722 or www.apmspm.org. Lay Third-order Carmelite Information Sunday — June 4: 1 p.m. at 324 S. Prior Ave., St. Paul.
• Description of event • C ontact information in case of questions. ONLINE: www.thecatholicspirit.com/ calendarsubmissions
FAX: 651-291-4460 MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106
Women’s Source “Life is Beautiful” 5K Walk and Fun Run — June 10: 9:30 a.m.–noon at Bassett Creek Park, 5715 32nd Ave. N., Crystal. www.womensource.org/news-events/life-is-beautiful-5k. Knights of Columbus bingo — Wednesdays: 6–9 p.m. at the Solanus Casey Council Hall, 1920 S. Greeley St., Stillwater.
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The St. John Paul II Area Faith Community, consisting of the Church of the Holy Family, Silver Lake, Holy Trinity, Winsted and St. Pius X, Glencoe is seeking a Director of Administration to oversee and direct the finances, personnel and facilities of the entire area faith community. For a job description and to apply please contact Rev. Anthony J. Stubeda, pastor, at pastor@stpiusxglencoe.org. C13084 The St. John Paul II Area Faith Community, consisting of the Church of the Holy Family, Silver Lake, Holy Trinity, Winsted and St. Pius X, Glencoe is seeking a Parish Secretary for the Church of the Holy Trinity and a Bookkeeper and Assistant to the Director of Administration for the AFC. For a job description and to apply, please contact Rev. Anthony J. Stubeda, pastor, C13084 at pastor@stpiusxglencoe.org.
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20 • The Catholic Spirit
THE LAST WORD
May 18, 2017
365 M
Archbishop Bernard Hebda greets Fourthdegree Sir Knight Lloyd Frank of Council 4145 at St. Mary of the Lake in White Bear Lake after Mass May 6 at Transfiguration in Oakdale. The Mass, concelebrated with Father Bill Baer, pastor of Transfiguration, and program afterward honored local Knights. Photos by Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit
days
ay 13 marked the one-year anniversary of Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s installation as archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He sat down with The Catholic Spirit to reflect on the past year and to share his goals and vision for the future. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Read a longer version and watch a video excerpt at www.thecatholicspirit.com Interview by Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
Q. As you look back on the past year, what has been the most important thing you’ve learned?
A. We’re really a Church that’s blessed with talented
people, and I certainly can’t do these things alone. How wonderful it is that we’ve had people who have stepped up to offer their expertise and time in a whole variety of areas. I think that’s helped us to make some progress. What I’ve learned the most is how blessed we are to have such gifted laity here, and priests as well.
Q. What’s been the biggest challenge that you’ve faced as archbishop?
A. It’s coming and not knowing all of the history that’s
here. We certainly had some challenging situations with the criminal charges [in Ramsey County] and also the bankruptcy matter. We were able to have a successful resolution to the charges that had been filed against us — both with the civil agreement and with the dropping of the charges — but we’re still in the midst of bankruptcy. I’m still trying to rely on the lay people in the archdiocese who have some expertise in this area and who are going to be able to help us. Certainly, we’ve been trying to keep our ideals the same, in terms of doing the most for the most, and really trying to bring this to a resolution as quickly as possible, so those who have been hurt can receive some compensation.
Q. Do you have a sense of a timeline for the bankruptcy resolution?
A. I’m praying all the time for that, as I know a lot of people are in the archdiocese. So, we’re hoping that it will be sooner rather than later. Most optimistic, my advisers would say, is maybe September.
Q. What’s given you the greatest satisfaction or joy in this past year?
A. It was a great pleasure last May to ordain a class of
deacons and to ordain a class of priests, and now to be preparing to do that again. That’s one of the real indicators of the life of this archdiocese — that we continue to have young men who step forward to serve as priests, and they are by no means alone. Also, I’ve had the opportunity to preside at the [Archbishop Harry J. Flynn] Catechetical Institute graduation, recognizing all of those lay people who have really given of their time to learn more about our faith, learn more about the Church and who are excited about serving. We also had an opportunity to have a similar ceremony for a Latino leadership cohort, and that was really magnificent as well. I really enjoyed getting to have a deeper understanding of the multicultural nature of our archdiocese, not only with the large and growing Latino presence that brings so much vitality to our Church, but also with those who come from Asia.
opportunity to experience the life of the parish. It’s a wonderful opportunity just to talk to people I don’t know. Most of the time it was fish fries. Our Lady of Guadalupe [in St. Paul] has a wonderful enchilada dinner on Fridays during Lent as well.
Q. Why did you go unannounced? A. This way there’s no hype. It’s an opportunity just to
have that raw experience of what parish life is like. I think there’ll always be the temptation to pull out the salmon instead of the cod. And this way, nobody gets nervous.
Q. Prior to your appointment, you held a series of
listening sessions to provide information for the next archbishop. How have they informed your work?
Q. You’ve visited many parishes and schools. Do any A. That was really a treasure trove of information, experiences in particular stand out?
A. I’ve been impressed with all of the school visits, and
I realize how successful our principals and teachers are in working on a shoestring to provide an excellent education. I’m always excited by the enthusiasm of our students and by how clearly they articulate the value of a Catholic education. I often ask the question: If I had a niece or nephew moving to Minnesota, why should I tell them they should come to your school? Inevitably, they speak about ‘this is a place where we learn about Jesus, where we can pray, and where we’re able to learn what it means to be Catholic.’ That’s even with some of our students who aren’t Catholic, who come from other faith traditions, but they perceive that as well.
Q. What about parishes? I’m thinking of your visit
to St. John in Hugo [where a parishioner wrote the archbishop a letter joking he was upset about the potential loss of revenue from the parish’s fish fry after Archbishop Hebda granted the meat dispensation for St. Patrick’s Day. He included a fake invoice for $2,000, the parish men’s club anticipated loss of revenue, and asked the archbishop to pay or visit.] You went to the fish fry, right?
A. I did, I did. It was fun. I ate well, but I think they
were surprised to see me. I tried going every Friday to a different parish unannounced, and it gave me the
especially in terms of the strengths of the diocese and the challenges of the diocese. One of the things that I’ve seen is that the information that we’ve gathered is pretty much right on point, especially when it comes to the challenges. As we try to address the need for evangelization, or as we look at a need for stabilizing our schools, or re-establishing trust in the archdiocese, all of those themes are things that I see now even more clearly, and recognize what an accurate picture the faithful of this archdiocese have of our situation.
Q. Last fall, you said you planned for the
archdiocese to embark on a synod. Have plans been made for that? What would the goal be?
A. We’re still very much at the preliminary planning
part of that. Because it’s such a major effort, my thought would be that we really need to resolve the bankruptcy before we would put our energies to something like a synod. If it’s going to be successful, it’s going to require a lot of attention. We’ve been doing some remote planning. We have some great thinkers on the staff here in the archdiocese who have been consulting with other dioceses to see how they’ve managed to accomplish a synod. It’s been in part to set some priorities and to bring a sense of greater clarity on what the expectations are for me, for our priests and for the faithful.
Q. Do you have a particular prayer intention for the archdiocese in general?
“We pride ourselves on the diversity in our It would be for unity. We pride ourselves on the archdiocese. My prayer would be that in the midst of A. diversity in our archdiocese. My prayer would be that in the midst of that diversity and celebrating that diversity, that diversity and celebrating that diversity, that we that we might be able to keep our eyes in a unified way on Jesus, and in that way, move forward as a might be able to keep our eyes in a unified way fixed on fixed unified Church. That really offers credibility to the world when they see that we, in spite of our diversity, Jesus, and in that way, move forward as are unified in our faith and in our outlook, even in those objectives that we think are important for moving a unified Church.” Archbishop Bernard Hebda
the Church forward. I’d be looking for opportunities to have greater dialogue between Catholics who see things in different ways.