thecatholicspirit.com
May 21, 2020 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
‘Unthinkable’ reality
Congratulations, graduates!
Nurse cares for COVID-19 patients in local hospital ICU, offering comfort and prayer to the seriously ill and dying. — Page 7
The Catholic Spirit celebrates the Class of 2020 with a look at traditions lost — and gained — in the midst of a pandemic, profiles of three Catholic school seniors and advice from Catholic leaders for the road ahead. — Pages 10-13
Justice and healing Victoria Johnson assumes role as ombudsperson for clergy sex abuse victim-survivors in the archdiocese, taking over for her husband, Tom. — Page 6
First steps
Catholic schools left out? Leaders concerned about COVID-19 relief funding excluding nonpublic schools in bill before Congress. — Page 9
Brian Eberhardt of St. Peter in North St. Paul waits to be escorted to a pew for 8 a.m. Mass May 19 at the church. The day marked the first time St. Peter offered public Masses since Archbishop Bernard Hebda suspended all public Masses in the archdiocese March 18 due to concerns about the novel coronavirus. Eberhardt was one of nine people who signed up to attend, all of whom were escorted to their pews by the pastor of the parish, Father Ettore Ferrario, who celebrated the Mass.
Pandemic funerals Cemeteries adapt to provide meaningful services for grieving families. — Page 15
Miniature master St. Joseph, West St. Paul, eighthgrader garners national publicity for dollhouse designs. — Page 20
We’re taking a Memorial Day break! Look for our next issue June 11.
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Masses allowed to resume, but for most, 10-person limit too small By Joe Ruff and Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
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imiting the congregation to 10 people per Mass, sanitizing hands and encouraging face masks were steps a parish in North St. Paul made to start public Masses the week of May 18.
“I think it was a real yearning for our priests here. Our parishioners were yearning for it as well,” said Jeff Peterson, chief of staff at St. Peter, which is served by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Charles Borromeo. Initially anticipating that at least a third of the church could be used — allowing more people per Mass — St. Peter and many other parishes across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis geared up for the first public Masses since mid-March. But Gov. Tim Walz’s much-anticipated May 18 loosening of some COVID-19
safety directives continued to limit religious gatherings to 10 or fewer people. That prompted some parishes, such as Pax Christi in Eden Prairie, to start planning for 10-person public Masses (for Pax Christi, beginning May 26), while other parishes waited in hopes of a more promising start after Archbishop Bernard Hebda and the state’s other Catholic bishops discussed that directive with Walz’s administration May 18 and 19. On May 15, the archbishop expressed PLEASE TURN TO FIRST STEPS ON PAGE 5
St. Peter’s Basilica reopens to the public with safety measures in place Catholic News Service
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lmost 10 weeks after St. Peter’s Basilica was closed to the public in cooperation with Italy’s COVID-19 lockdown measures, the faithful and tourists were allowed back in May 18. Pope Francis celebrated Mass at 7 a.m. at the tomb of St. John Paul II to mark the 100th anniversary of the Polish pope’s birth. Then, at 8 a.m., the general public was admitted. The basilica was sanitized May 15 in preparation for the reopening. It had been closed to the public since March 10. On the edge of St. Peter’s Square, a sign advises visitors they must wear a mask and stay 2 meters (6.5 feet) away from others in
order to enter the basilica. The Vatican sanitation service placed hand-sanitizer dispensers at the end of the colonnade surrounding St. Peter’s Square. From there, the public finds “keep your distance” labels and tape on the cobblestone path leading to the health and security checks before entering the basilica. At the end of the path, two members of the Knights of Malta dressed in white, lightweight hazmat suits point a small thermoscanner at the visitor’s forehead. If the person does not have a fever, he or she can proceed to the line for the metal detectors. Except for the expanded space needed for the line for security checks, St. Peter’s Square remained closed.
CNS
A woman has her temperature checked before entering St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican May 18 after the basilica reopened to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
MAY 21, 2020
PAGETWO
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May God stop this tragedy, stop this pandemic. May God have mercy on us and also stop other awful pandemics: those of hunger, war, children without education. And we ask this as brothers and sisters, all together. May God bless us and have mercy on us.
Pope Francis, praying at Mass May 14 as religious leaders around the world marked the day with prayer, fasting and acts of charity to ask God to stop the coronavirus pandemic. The day of prayer was called for by the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, an international group of religious leaders formed after Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, signed a document in 2019 on promoting dialogue and “human fraternity.”
NEWS notes
5 COURTESY ST. THOMAS ACADEMY
FOOD SHELF HELP High school seniors at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights transfer groceries from a car to a collection of donated food May 6. Unable to hold their usual two weeks of onsite volunteer work because of the coronavirus pandemic, the seniors instead hosted a 250-car parade at the school, with families passing by a long line of faculty and staff and dropping off 350 bags of food for a food shelf in St. Paul’s Frogtown neighborhood run by the Franciscan Brothers of Peace. Business closures and high unemployment driven by COVID-19 safety measures are increasing the need for food at that food shelf. Spearheading the effort were seniors Jack Bartlett of Inver Grove Heights, Max Fulton of Edina, Jack Kelly of St. Paul, and Matthew Boland, Devin Klein and Andres Ridley, all of Mendota Heights.
The number of men who will be ordained transitional deacons of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul 10 a.m. May 23: James Bernard, William Duffert, Brian Fischer, Michael Reinhardt and Josh Salonek. Also being ordained are Brother Joseph Barron and Brother David Hottinger for Pro Ecclesia Sancta, a religious community that serves St. Mark in St. Paul and several schools in the archdiocese. The ordination will be livestreamed at archspm.org/ordination and on the archdiocese’s Facebook page.
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The number of men who will be ordained priests of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul 10 a.m. May 30: Deacon Austin Barnes, Deacon Clayton Forner, Deacon Nathan Hastings, Deacon Paul Hedman and Deacon Timothy Tran. Also being ordained are Deacon Yamato Oshima and Deacon Cesar Martinez for Pro Ecclesia Sancta. The ordination will be livestreamed at archspm.org/ ordination and on the archdiocese’s Facebook page.
1983
PAPAL PARENTS Emilia and Karol Wojtyla, parents of St. John Paul II, are pictured in their 1906 wedding portrait. Their sainthood cause was launched May 7 at the Virgin Mary Basilica in St. John Paul II’s hometown in Wadowice, Poland. Poland’s Catholic bishops urged citizens to learn from St. John Paul II, as the 100th anniversary of his birth May 18 was celebrated with Masses and other events across his homeland and elsewhere.
The year Bishop-elect Peter Muhich graduated from the University of St. Thomas, where he studied while in formation at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul. It was announced May 12 that Pope Francis has named Bishop-elect Muhich to lead the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota. The bishop-elect, 59, is a priest of the Diocese of Duluth and the rector of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth. The Diocese of Rapid City has been without a bishop since July 2019 when Bishop Robert Gruss was installed as bishop of Saginaw, Michigan. As of May 12, Bishop-elect Muhich’s episcopal installation had yet to be scheduled.
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The number of recent photos and videos of life around the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis featured in a new two-minute video to encourage the faithful and assert that amid the pandemic, the Church is “still here.” It shows the many ways the Church has been present in the community and Catholics’ homes. Watch it at Facebook.com/ ArchdioceseSPM.
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CNS
REDISCOVER:Hour On the show that aired May 15, Rediscover:Hour host Patrick Conley interviewed Tim Cahill about how the Minneapolis and St. Paul chapter of the Catholic Beer Club is adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic; Nell O’Leary, managing editor of Blessed Is She, talks about the “new normal” of stayat-home life during the pandemic; and Jim Ennis, executive director of Catholic Rural Life, speaks about the national nonprofit, which is dedicated to the vitality of the American countryside. Listen each week on Fridays at 9 a.m., Saturdays at noon, and Sundays at 2 p.m. on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Find past shows at rediscover.archspm.org.
CORRECTION In the May 7 edition, a letter to the editor by Roland Mayer included a typographical error. It should have read: “God always forgives, man sometimes forgives, nature never forgives.”
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 25 — No. 10 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor-in-Chief JOE RUFF, News Editor
The length in minutes of “Letting Go: A Quarantine Project,” a virtual choir video from Missed the Boat Theatre featuring the cast of “Catholic Young Adults: The Musical” released April 26. When Father Kyle Kowalczyk, parochial administrator of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano, started the virtual choir project with cast member Chad Berg, he saw the video as something just for fun. But the Holy Spirit is using it to speak to people’s circumstances, he said. “This is the time for us all to let go,” Berg added. “Maybe the Lord is asking us to re-center ourselves on him, and use this time in our homes to grow in prayer and grow in our faith.” Read the story and watch the video at TheCatholicSpirit.com.
1 million
The number of families the Little Sisters of the Poor aims to recruit to pray the rosary for a coronavirus cure. The campaign is called “A Million Families, A Million Rosaries” and is based on Mary’s words to Sister Lucia, one of the Fatima visionaries, during the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal: “When a million families pray the rosary, the revolution will end.” The Little Sisters are asking people to commit to praying the rosary daily for an end to the coronavirus pandemic. People interested in joining this effort are invited to sign up at littlesistersofthepoor.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 21, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3
FROMTHEMODERATOROFTHECURIA ONLY JESUS | FATHER CHARLES LACHOWITZER
Where is God?
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here is God? It is an ancient question. Ever since Adam and Eve, as the result of original sin, our world beats with a mortally flawed heart. There is that ever-present reality of sin, sickness, suffering and death. However much forces beyond our control contribute to a sense of helplessness and powerlessness, when we give in to frustration and anger, we only indulge in hopelessness. Though we are never without hope, this is a time of great challenge that can trouble the mind and grieve the heart. We are vulnerable and comparatively weak against the forces of nature. Only the forces of human nature act with conscious choice and deliberate intent. Our first parents experienced every parent’s nightmare and buried a child. Fratricide, genocide, famine, plague, war and every injustice imaginable weave through all the chapters of history. It is from each wail of grief, that the question “why?” opens the mind to the question of God. Is there a God? And if there is, then where is God? Even for the most devout disciples of Jesus, there is that contemplation on where to see God’s power in the midst of the existence of darkness and the forces of evil. The fragility of life lays claim to God’s greater power and heartfelt prayer to be delivered from every evil. I often use in preaching two different images for
¿Dónde está Dios?
¿D
ónde está Dios? Es una pregunta antigua. Desde Adán y Eva, como resultado del pecado original, nuestro mundo late con un corazón mortalmente defectuoso. Existe esa realidad siempre presente del pecado, la enfermedad, el sufrimiento y la muerte. Por mucho que las fuerzas fuera de nuestro control contribuyan a una sensación de impotencia, cuando cedemos a la frustración y la ira, sólo nos entregamos a la desesperanza. Aunque nunca estamos sin esperanza, este es un momento de gran desafío que puede perturbar la mente y afligir el corazón. Somos vulnerables y comparativamente débiles contra las fuerzas de la naturaleza. Sólo las fuerzas de la naturaleza humana actúan con elección consciente e intención deliberada. Nuestros primeros padres experimentaron la pesadilla de todos los padres y enterraron a un niño. Fratricidio, genocidio, hambruna, plaga, guerra y todas las injusticias imaginables entrelacen todos los capítulos de la historia. Es a partir de cada lamento de dolor, que la pregunta “¿por qué?” abre la
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Though we are never without hope, this is a time of great challenge that can trouble the mind and grieve the heart. reflecting on the presence and power of God when both seem absent. One is a light switch. The other is a set of weighing scales. First the light switch. Imagine going into a room and it is dark. We do not look for a switch to turn off the darkness, rather, we look for a switch to turn on the light. Spiritually, we are reminded that there is no switch to turn off the darkness. Jesus Christ himself suffered and died on the cross, not to take away the world’s darkness, but to be the light through it. From the beginning of creation, God gave light the power over darkness. Even in a pool of water deep inside a cave where it has been dark for so long the fish are blind, a visitor need only to hold up one lighted candle and that ancient darkness flees. With the rising of the Son on Easter morning, the darkness has no power in the presence of the light. God listens in love to all prayers, but we ourselves can move beyond the prayer to “turn off the darkness!” and instead pray for the light of Christ that leads us through it. When we were baptized, we were proclaimed as “children of the light.” Through the presence of the
mente a la cuestión de Dios. ¿Hay un Dios? Y si lo hay, ¿dónde está Dios? Incluso para los discípulos más devotos de Jesús, existe esa contemplación sobre dónde ver el poder de Dios en medio de la existencia de las tinieblas y las fuerzas del mal. La fragilidad de la vida es reclamada por el mayor poder de Dios, con una oración sincera, para ser liberada de todo mal. A menudo uso en la predicación de dos imágenes diferentes para reflexionar sobre la presencia y el poder de Dios cuando ambos parecen ausentes. Uno es un interruptor de luz. El otro es un conjunto de básculas de pesaje. Primero el interruptor de luz. Imagínate entrar en una habitación y está oscuro. No buscamos un interruptor para apagar la oscuridad, sino que buscamos un interruptor para encender la luz. Espiritualmente, se nos recuerda que no hay interruptor para apagar la oscuridad. Jesucristo mismo sufrió y murió en la cruz, no para quitarle las tinieblas del mundo, sino para ser la luz a través de ella. Desde el principio de la creación, Dios dio luz el poder sobre las tinieblas. Incluso en un charco de agua en lo profundo de
Holy Spirit, we still have that flame of faith burning in our hearts. It is an inner light that shines on the path to Jesus, light of the world. We are called to shine this light on those in their darkest hour. The second image is a set of weighing scales. This image has been long-used in the legal system for justice. It is also a biblical image for human injustice, when the seller fixes weights to cheat the buyer out of a fair measurement. As a spiritual image, on one side of the scale, there is the weight of sin, suffering and death. We are powerless to lift it off the scale. It is a large boulder and includes everything that is wrong, false and evil. Add to this weight the heaviness death brings to this side of the scale. We are too weak to drag it along our pilgrim path. On our own, we have no greater weight to balance that scale. Where is God? On the other side of the scale. The smallest of little joys, a mere pebble, is given by God the grace of great weight. On this side of the scale, God takes the cross of Jesus Christ and the rolled-away stone to counterweigh the other side and its burden of sorrow with the joy of faith. When the scales are balanced, we can move forward along the pilgrim path. So, light a candle and seek the little joys each day. Be a light for others. Through even the smallest acts of faith, hope and love, be a pebble on God’s side of the weighing scale. In the light and through the weight of grace — this is where God is.
una cueva donde ha estado oscuro durante tanto tiempo los peces son ciegos, un visitante sólo necesita sostener una vela encendida y que la antigua oscuridad huye. Con el surgimiento del Hijo en la mañana de Pascua, la oscuridad no tiene poder en la presencia de la luz. Dios escucha con amor todas las oraciones, pero nosotros mismos podemos ir más allá de la oración para “apagar las tinieblas!” y en su lugar orar por la luz de Cristo que nos guía a través de ella. Cuando nos bautizamos, fuimos proclamados como “hijos de la luz”. Por medio de la presencia del Espíritu Santo, todavía tenemos esa llama de fe ardiendo en nuestros corazones. Es una luz interior que brilla en el camino hacia Jesús, luz del mundo. Estamos llamados a iluminar a los que están en su hora más oscura. La segunda imagen es un conjunto de básculas de pesaje. Esta imagen ha sido utilizada durante mucho tiempo en el sistema legal para la justicia. También es una imagen bíblica para la injusticia humana, cuando el vendedor fija pesos para engañar al comprador de una medición justa. Como imagen espiritual, a un lado
de la escala, está el peso del pecado, el sufrimiento y la muerte. Somos impotentes para levantarlo de la báscula. Es una roca grande e incluye todo lo que está mal, falso y malvado. Añadir a este peso la pesadez que la muerte trae a este lado de la escala. Somos demasiado débiles para arrastrarlo por nuestro camino de peregrinación. Por nuestra cuenta, no tenemos mayor peso para equilibrar esa escala. ¿Dónde está Dios? Al otro lado de la escala. La más pequeña de las alegrías, un mero guijarro, es dada por Dios la gracia de gran peso. En este lado de la escala, Dios toma la cruz de Jesucristo y la piedra laminada para contrarrestar el otro lado y su carga de dolor con la alegría de la fe. Cuando las escamas están equilibradas, podemos avanzar a lo largo del camino de peregrinación. Por lo tanto, encienda una vela y busque las pequeñas alegrías cada día. Sé una luz para los demás. A través incluso de los más pequeños actos de fe, esperanza y amor, sean un guijarro en el lado de Dios de la báscula de pesaje. En la luz y a través del peso de la gracia, aquí es donde está Dios.
in REMEMBRANCE
Retired priest dies of COVID-19; longtime friend anointed him in final days By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit On May 14, Father James Herrmann became the first priest in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to die of COVID-19. He was 82. Longtime friend Father Matthew Ehmke lived with Father Herrmann at St. Therese of New Hope for the last five years in an apartment they shared. In mid-April, Father Herrmann was diagnosed with COVID-19 and had to be quarantined. Father Ehmke, however, was able to give Communion to his
friend, and administer the sacrament of anointing of the sick days before he died. “When they knew that he was dying, they let me visit him,” said FATHER JAMES Father Ehmke, 81, HERRMANN who met Father Herrmann when both were studying for the priesthood while members of the Crosiers. “(But) for a month, I had just telephone contact with Father Jim. It was really hard on him.”
When the two men met in the 1960s, they “just hit it off,” Father Ehmke recalled. Even though a year older, Father Herrmann, who grew up in Oregon, was a year behind Father Ehmke in the seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Father Herrmann was ordained in 1970 as a Crosier, and eventually was assigned to the Crosier Seminary in Onamia, where he served as business manager until the Minnesota preparatory school closed in 1989. After a one-year assignment at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony as a pastoral assistant, Father Herrmann
served at St. Stephen in Anoka from 1990 to 1995 before leaving for an assignment in Japan to be chaplain for an international school and for an order of sisters serving in Tokyo. He came back in 2005 and continued serving in the archdiocese, where he later was incardinated, becoming a priest of the archdiocese. He was assigned at St. Raphael in Crystal in 2007 and served there until his retirement in 2012. Dates for Father Herrmann’s funeral Mass and burial have not been set. Both will take place in Oregon City, Oregon, where he was born.
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MAY 21, 2020
LOCAL
SLICEof LIFE
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Shrine of hope
Thomas and Kelly Jacobs, center, pray with their children, Flynn (far left) and Sloan (far right), at a shrine to Our Lady of Hope at Providence Academy in Plymouth. The school, which Flynn and Sloan attend, put up the shrine May 5 just inside the main gates of the parking lot and is encouraging school families — and anyone — to pray there for the school, families, the Church, the state, the nation and the world as people struggle with the coronavirus pandemic. “We come as a family because the family that prays together stays together,” Kelly Jacobs said. “(The shrine) gives the kids a place to come in this time of unknown. It’s very confusing, I think, for a lot of the children. Prayer is so important. And, in the end, Our Lady’s immaculate heart will triumph — bottom line.”
MOVIE REVIEWS TheCatholicSpirit.com
MAY 21, 2020
LOCAL
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5
What to expect when you return to Mass: a short guide When parishes resume public Masses, the faithful can expect several changes. The following is adapted from directives the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Worship sent May 8 to parishes and Catholic institutions in the archdiocese. u Watch for parish communication before Mass alerting you to any changes in schedule, place or procedures. u You might have to sign up to attend Mass online or through some other means, to help the parish limit occupancy to approved numbers. Your parish may adjust the Mass schedule or add Mass times in order to serve more people. u Mass may be held outdoors, with you remaining in your vehicle. u If Mass is in the church, church doors may be propped open before Mass to minimize touch, and windows may be open to maximize air circulation. u S ome doors might be designated “entrance only” or “exit only.” Ushers might be stationed near doors to help people maintain social distancing as they enter. They also will count people as they enter the church, and not allow more people to enter when the
FIRST STEPS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 disappointment with the 10-person limit Walz announced May 13 when unveiling the next phase of the state’s COVID-19 response, Stay Safe Minnesota. The governor’s stay-at-home order expired May 18. In anticipation of that order’s expiration, Minnesota’s Catholic bishops asked parishes on May 1 to prepare to resume public Masses by May 18 at onethird church capacity. The governor’s most recent executive order has prompted the bishops to reconsider the date for opening. Archbishop Hebda said in a May 15 statement that the bishops would announce their next steps toward public Masses following their meetings with Walz’s administration. Father John Ubel, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, expressed his disappointment in Walz’s directive in a May 14 letter to the editor in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He was among priests ready to begin offering public Masses at 30% capacity May 24. Considering the Cathedral’s size, “a limit of 10 people appears unscientific, unjustified and, dare I say, capricious. What a shame,” Father Ubel said in his letter. He told The Catholic Spirit that if the governor changed his directive before May 24, the parish would do all it could to offer public Masses, but so much would depend on the timing and details of such an announcement. But, by May 31 the cathedral could be ready to accommodate any new directives that would expand current capacity limitations, he said. Father Ubel said he wrote the letter to the editor because “having a voice in the public square is critically important. The faithful have legitimate questions. To many of them, it appeared that our sincere efforts to be responsible in our planning were met with a lack of flexibility and a ‘one-size-fits-all’ for spaces of varying sizes.” Parish officials at St. Peter pressed on despite the 10-person limit, offering
church has reached the approved capacity. If you cannot enter, you’ll be encouraged to participate from outside or return for a later liturgy. Some parishes might livestream the Mass in a secondary space, such as a school gym. u If you’re older than 2, you are strongly urged to wear a face mask. u S igns will be posted to remind you of social distancing and sanitary guidelines. u Hand sanitizer will be available at entrances, but pastors might encourage you to bring your own. u Expect that high-use parts of the church, including restrooms, will be disinfected before and after each liturgy. u Baptismal fonts and holy water stoups will be empty. u Hymnals, missalettes and other shared items, such as children’s toys, will be removed from common areas. Digital projection screens might be used instead, or you might be able to access readings and prayers using your smartphone. u You need to remain at least 6 feet away from others outside your own household during Mass — including when entering and leaving, on sidewalks, in parking lots and
other common spaces, indoors and outdoors. u Pews might be taped or roped off, and pews might be marked with 6-foot intervals, to help maintain social distancing within the church. u “Cry rooms” will be unavailable, because social distancing is difficult in those spaces. u When more than 10 people are at Mass, Communion will be distributed to the congregation after Mass. u At the beginning and end of Mass, the priest may choose not to process through the assembly. u There won’t be altar servers, and there will likely be fewer liturgical ministers than usual. u There will not be congregational singing or choirs, since singing expels more respiratory particles than speaking. Soloists or instrumental music may be used instead. u The collection will not be taken by “passing the plate” — or basket. Online donations are best. u You won’t exchange the sign of peace, or, in the parishes where it is the custom, hold hands during the Lord’s Prayer. u When you approach the altar for Communion, mind social distancing. Floors or pews will be marked to help. In some parishes, you might be asked to remain in your pew, and
Communion will be brought to you. u If a priest or deacon is over age 65, he should not distribute Communion. Extraordinary ministers will distribute holy Communion instead. Whomever is distributing Communion should wear masks. u Keep your face mask on while the minister holds up the host and says, “The body of Christ.” Reply, “Amen,” and then remove your face mask to receive Communion. u You are recommended to receive Communion in the hand. You may not wear gloves or receive the Eucharist in a disposable item such as a cup, tissue or plate. You will not be able to receive the Precious Blood at this time. u If the minister touches your face or hand while giving you Communion, he will sanitize his hands before giving the next person Communion. u As you leave, ushers may help you maintain social distancing, perhaps by dismissing pews one row at a time. u Bulletins will not be handed out. They might be available in a stack, but electronic access is preferred.
weekday Masses beginning May 19 for congregations of up to nine people at 6:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Parishioners could sign up for a Mass at the parish’s website. Meanwhile, St. Peter plans to continue to livestream its 10:30 a.m. Sunday Masses for those who cannot attend Mass in person, Peterson said. “We’re balancing the need to fulfill the spiritual side, while at the same time balancing the safety side,” he said. The archdiocese’s Office of Worship released directives May 8 recommending that people older than 65 or with underlying health conditions not yet attend in-person Mass. Archbishop Hebda has reiterated that archdiocesanwide dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass and holy days of obligation continues until all people can safely attend Mass again. At St. Peter, a priest along with another member of the clergy would celebrate each Mass; or the priest with an altar server; or a musician, cantor or lector, Peterson said. Signs outside and throughout the church instruct people where to stand, point to a hand sanitizing station and provide other instructions, while ushers help people navigate the process. People are assigned seats at least 6 feet part. Those arrangements were to continue through the weekend Masses, at which point they might be changed to accommodate more people, if that became a possibility, the church said on its website. The church at St. Peter was thoroughly cleaned after the coronavirus hit Minnesota, and it continues to be cleaned as people participate in eucharistic adoration and confession from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Peterson said. Diluted bleach was replaced with another, non-caustic cleansing procedure because the finish on the pews was wearing away, he said. The $2,000 permanent, spray-cleaning unit with a replaceable, $400 cartridge cleans the church in an environmentally
friendly manner, Peterson said. Plans are to purchase a similar unit for the school, and share information about the product with other parishes, he said. At the Cathedral, plans for allowing one-third of its capacity to be used for public Masses include roping off two out of every three pews with newly purchased cords, proper cleaning of the church and a detailed seating chart shown on large maps placed at all entrances, Father Ubel said. In southern Dakota county, the three rural parishes of St. John the Baptist in Vermillion, St. Mathias in Hampton and St. Mary in New Trier have been preparing to reopen, but with the governor’s limitations on faith-based gatherings, plans are on hold, said their shared parochial administrator, Father Michael Tix. In the meantime, their leaders are focusing on developing volunteer cleaning teams to disinfect pews and other “touchpoints” before and after Masses when their churches do reopen. “It’s going to look and feel different,” Father Tix said of Mass in the time of coronavirus. “It’s important right now for people to know that, just to begin to imagine what that’s going to look like.” For the two weeks parishes across the archdiocese were preparing to re-open May 18 at one-third capacity, Father Tix wasn’t sure how to coordinate Masses to limit attendees. Potentially capping Masses at 10 people proves an even greater conundrum. “The hard part of what we face is how to designate 10 people in a rural area where many — especially our seniors — are not utilizing technology to use something like Sign-up Genius,” he said, referring to an online tool some parishes are using for parishioners to reserve a spot at Mass. “The thing everyone wants to avoid is capping the crowd at 10, and having to then send others who may arrive away with disappointment and hurt feelings.” Father Tix, who also serves as the archdiocese’s episcopal vicar for Clergy and Parish Services, has been using the
May 8 document from the archdiocese’s Office of Worship, as well as the resources from state officials, to inform his parishes’ plan for reopening safely. He suggests that around the archdiocese, it may take a group of people at each parish to evaluate their particular situation and determine what could work best. “Every church, every church building is a little different from one other,” he said. “Some churches are built in 1900, and there’s a long, narrow (nave) … and then you’ve got the Cathedral, and then you’ve got … a church in the round. How do you apply (regulations and recommendations) to different places?” Noting that the parishes he leads have traditional floorplans, Father Tix said he’s gotten to work trying to figure out logistics. He took a roll of painter’s tape and partitioned off pews to promote social distancing. He also taped 6-foot increments down the center aisle to determine how many people he could have in a Communion line. “OK, how many people can we get in here?” he asked himself. “How’s this going to work?” The project — and visualizing his church in use under COVID-19 recommendations — made him realize he’s going to need more ushers than usual to greet people and explain how the seating will work. In the meanwhile, he’s wondering how to encourage people to continue social distancing outside the church entrances and in parking lots, where people are used to congregating after Mass, or how to handle special liturgies, such as first Communion and confirmation. And, like pastors around the archdiocese, he doesn’t know whether Catholics will rush back to Mass, or be cautious about — or even uncomfortable with — returning as long as the pandemic persists. “It’s going to be a new normal,” Father Tix said.
— The Catholic Spirit
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6 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
MAY 21, 2020
New ombudsperson for abuse survivors has heart for helping others heal By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Tom Johnson is stepping down from his role as ombudsperson for clergy sex abuse victim-survivors, but someone who knows the work well is taking the helm — his wife, Victoria Johnson. Like Tom, Victoria is a lawyer who has worked with victims of injustice, and both personal and professional experiences have given her a heart for people in need of healing. She said that the invitation to assume the role first felt “out of the blue,” but, as people whom she trusted encouraged her to take it, she realized it was something she wanted to take on. “Justice and healing are very important to me,” Victoria said. “I got started as a prosecutor, and I saw victims who were harmed and the fallout from that. And I think clergy abuse goes even deeper, because these are people who are supposed to be your protectors. There’s a ripple effect to that harm into their own families and into the community, and I just feel so strongly that they need somebody there to be able to listen to them.” A 1971 graduate of Convent of the Visitation in Mendota Heights, Victoria earned a degree in psychology and sociology from York University in Toronto before earning a law degree
at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul in 1979. She then worked as an assistant county attorney for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. In 1981, she entered private practice in St. Paul, before becoming the associate director at Learning Law and Democracy in St. Paul, a civics education organization, where she worked from 1998 to 2008. Then, in 2010, she began freelance consulting work that she continues today. From 2012 to 2014, Victoria worked as parish administrator at her parish, Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis, alongside its pastor, Father Daniel Griffith. Her work coincided with his time as the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Delegate for Safe Environment. Although Victoria wasn’t involved in confidential matters related to that role, Father Griffith sought her wise counsel, he said, describing her as “a person of deep faith and abundant talent” with a strong moral compass. As Victoria assumes the role, helping victim-survivors find healing is paramount, she said. She expects to draw from her own experience finding healing from an abortion she had at age 16 and her involvement in Rachel’s Vineyard Twin Cities, a retreat ministry for men and women affected by abortion. A former three-term Hennepin County
HUNTER JOHNSON | COURTESY VICTORIA JOHNSON
Victoria and Tom Johnson in their Minneapolis home. attorney before going into private practice, Tom Johnson was named the first ombudsperson to the archdiocese, a volunteer position created in a 2015 settlement agreement between the archdiocese and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office on civil charges alleging the archdiocese had failed to protect children in a clergy sex abuse case. Selected jointly because of his extensive experience in child advocacy by Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Tim O’Malley, the archdiocese’s director of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment, Tom Johnson assumed the role in 2018. He has been a resource for people who have Church-related sexual abuse claims but who don’t want to communicate directly with a clergy
member or Church official, or have concerns about how the archdiocese is addressing their claim. When Tom Johnson took the role, he had been diagnosed with cancer but he felt well enough to begin the work. The cancer has since progressed. In an email to the archdiocese shared with The Catholic Spirit, Tom said he was honored to be chosen for the ombudsperson role “and to be a small part of exciting and profound changes in how the (archdiocese) sees its role relative to victim-survivors.” “The opportunity to observe this up-close was exhilarating,” he said. “New people brought new leadership, new approaches, new policies and more transparency. The response to clerical sexual abuse became much more centered on the victim-survivors, as it should be.” As to Victoria stepping into his shoes, he said he is “delighted” she is succeeding him.“She certainly knows how I’ve approached the responsibilities of the position. And she will undoubtedly want to make some changes, which is exactly what should happen,” he said. “For Victoria, helping people recognize they need healing, and then helping them through the process, is hugely important. It’s a deep and heart-felt commitment. Victim-survivors will be very well served.”
National nonprofit evaluates archdiocese’s child protection policies By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit A nonprofit think tank dedicated to safeguarding children evaluated the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ written policies on child protection against similar policies in other archdioceses, finding that “overall its policies do well” in the comparisons. The 76-page report from Philadelphiabased Child USA was commissioned by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office near the end of its four-year oversight of the archdiocese’s safe environment efforts, following a settlement agreement of civil charges it had filed against the archdiocese in 2015 alleging that the archdiocese had failed to protect three children from abuse. That settlement agreement included improvements and codifications to the archdiocese’s safe environment policies. Noting that there was no “current standard” for an evaluation of archdiocesan policies, Child USA began
its review of the archdiocese’s written policies by comparing the policies of all 32 Catholic archdioceses in the United States. Its investigators found that across the archdioceses, the policies’ components could be categorized in four general areas: prevention, detection, care for victims and investigation. The report notes that the review was based solely on the examination of written policies and, therefore, “it may not provide a complete picture of how the archdiocese handles issues related to child protection and sexual abuse.” The report identified the archdiocese as having, among archdioceses, the strongest whistleblower protections and the “most complete” policy for responding to credible but unsubstantiated abuse allegations. The report also stated the archdiocese was above average in its written policies on specialized child abuse prevention training, victim assistance and responding to substantiated abuse.
Congratulations to Josh Salonek
on your ordination to the transitional diaconate. May God abundantly bless your vocation.
The report found the archdiocese’s written background policy appeared to be below average in comparison to some other archdiocese and cites a few examples relating to hiring processes. However, the report notes, “After reviewing an earlier draft of this Report, the Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment provided documents to show that they do most of these as part of their hiring practices.” In a May 15 statement, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he appreciated Child USA’s work. “We believe Child USA’s innovative approach used in comparing archdiocese policies with the child protection standards used by dioceses around the United States will serve as a useful platform to assist the archdiocese as it continues to further develop effective child protection protocols as well as provide context for their efforts,” he said. “The Child USA report can also serve as a useful scan of existing best practices for
communities throughout Minnesota and the United States.” Tim O’Malley, the archdiocese’s director of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment, wrote in a May 5 letter to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office that “the Report’s gap analysis comparing the policies of the archdioceses in the United States is a useful exercise for considering varied approaches and which ones work best in different contexts.” O’Malley noted that his office this year has undertaken a review of all of its policies, procedures and protocols. A copy of the Child USA report will be provided to people participating in the review process and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office will be consulted, he said. “Although we are pleased that Child USA found that the policies of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are among the most comprehensive of all those reviewed, we remain committed to continual improvement,” he said.
If you suspect abuse of a minor, your first call should be to law enforcement. You are also encouraged to contact the archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Program at (651) 291-4475. For confidential, compassionate assistance from an independent and professional local care provider, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, contact Canvas Health at (651) 291-4497.
MAY 21, 2020
LOCAL
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7
Working in the ‘twilight zone’ St. Paul nurse relies on Holy Spirit while caring for COVID-19 patients By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Rebecca Maslow’s work day begins long before she walks through the doors of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis to work as a nurse in the intensive care unit. She takes a brief time to pray before going to work, seeking the help of the Holy Spirit to love and care for the patients she will see that day. Every time she walks into a room, she knows that this could be the patient’s last day of life. She must be ready to help them die. That’s because, woven into her job description in recent months is caring for seriously ill and dying patients, most of whom have COVID-19. Since being assigned primarily to the intensive care unit in March, she now sees the worst of the coronavirus pandemic every day. It is exhausting work, physically and emotionally, and she can’t for a moment neglect the intensive protective regimen needed to keep her from getting the virus herself. At the same time, she feels that avoiding COVID-19 is likely a losing battle. “I know that I will probably get it in the near future,” said Maslow, 28, who graduated with a nursing degree from the University of Minnesota in 2014 and belongs to Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul. “Most of us (hospital employees) have a resignation that we’ll probably get this at some point simply by being exposed to it so frequently, even though we’re taking these precautions.” But, that is not the toughest part of being a nurse who is constantly exposed to the virus. The real hardship comes when she thinks about the care she cannot provide to the person lying in a bed unable to get up and, more important, unable to see visitors. “The only people who are walking into their rooms are health care workers who are covered from head to toe in protective gear,” she said. “There was one patient that I was helping to care for. … He was anxious and I was trying to comfort him. But, it just struck me — he could barely see my face. I’m smiling at him and he can’t see it because I have this mask over my mouth, my eyes are covered in protective covering, I have a surgical cap on my head, I have an isolation gown on, and gloves.” She paused after saying “gloves.” “Physical touch is such an important thing, right?” she said. “Especially when someone’s feeling isolated and alone. And, to not be able to have that connection with other people is just so hugely challenging.” Fortunately, she has devised new and equally meaningful ways to put her hands to work in providing care to COVID-19 patients. Like the time she held an iPad in front of a dying patient so he could have a final Zoom call with his family. He was unresponsive, but at least family members could see him. Yet, she knew that, for the
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Rebecca Maslow of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul sees God in the midst of suffering as she cares for COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. family, it wasn’t the same as being there. “I can just vividly imagine the agony of not being able to be there as your family member, your loved one, is dying,” she said. “And, it just broke my heart as I was in the room. I was listening to what the family members were saying. And, the daughter was talking to her dad (the patient). She was forgiving him for all the hurts he had done (to) her throughout her life, telling him repeatedly how much she hopes he can go to God, knowing that she forgives him, knowing that she loves him, and praying that he’ll accept God’s mercy and love.” Silently, unbeknownst to the family members, who couldn’t see her on the screen, Maslow took it all in — and prayed. “I just got this sense of we’re all connected as the body of Christ,” she said. “And, somehow, in some small way, maybe the Lord was answering a little bit of her prayer, providing for her father by having me there when she couldn’t be there. I think in those moments, especially when it’s so hard to know what to say and there’s urgency in some of those heartbreaking situations, I just found myself more constantly praying, ‘Come, Holy Spirit.’” Those three words spill from her lips often — before her 12-hour shifts, during the long and stressful hours with patients, and long after her work for the day is done. Through them, she finds strength to keep going, and even to encourage her co-workers. Early in her days in the ICU, she sat down in the break room near a co-worker she knows well. Both are Christians, but hadn’t talked much about their faith. This conversation delved deep into that topic, as coworkers surrounding them expressed fears about the pandemic. Maslow made a light remark as she quoted a line from the movie “Frozen II,” then followed up with a message of hope and encouragement about “having
a God who we can trust, in his plan and his providence and his care for us.” Both walked away uplifted by their short talk, Maslow said. “I felt solidarity with her, and the deepening of friendship,” she said. “It was just a wonderful gift.” One of the most powerful movements of the Holy Spirit she experienced was while caring for a man dying of respiratory failure. While in the room with him the day he died in early April, a doctor who had been seeing him told Maslow that the man was a Christian. This inspired Maslow to action as she walked over to his bedside. Like other patients, the man was dying alone, and Maslow wanted to offer him tangible comfort. She had been with him throughout the morning, and even had prayed silently over him. Now, knowing he was a Christian, she offered something more. She felt like she had “this green light to be more bold with him.” “I just sat next to him and held his hand,” she said. “And, I leaned in really close to his ear so he could hear me. And, I told him that I had heard that he was a Christian, that I was, too, and that I was going to pray over him. So, I traced the cross on his forehead. After that, I was able to just stay by his bed and hold his hand. I was not busy at all that day, which is very odd.” She called it “such a blessing” to be with him for an hour and a half. She said he looked “calm and comfortable” after she prayed over him. He died a little while later, with Maslow still holding his hand. Providing such care for patients has its roots in her own tragedy. On July 4, 2010, her younger brother Alex died in a car accident at the age of 16. The pain of that loss connects her to the suffering of the patients and families she sees today. But, it does come with an emotional price. “It’s really hard because of what my family experienced,” she said. “It’s really hard for me to see families grieving. I have trouble keeping my composure.” “When I see someone weeping, crying over their family member, it brings me right back (to Alex’s death),” she added. “It’s hard to know, sometimes, what to do with that. But, I think, even though that’s hard, it’s emotionally taxing for me, I think it’s taught me, it’s carved out a space in my heart where I can maybe empathize and love these people in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to do before.” As she tries to make sense of the pandemic and her place in it, she thinks of Jesus’ passion and his redemptive suffering. Reflecting on God’s personal love has “convicted me of hope,” she said, “and equipped me to love these people more personally and walk with them.” The journey could last a few more months, or longer. She plans to stay the course and continue to serve where she has been called. It all adds up to a reality that seems to be taken from a TV show that aired while her parents were growing up. “The degree to which things have changed, in terms of what we’re doing in the hospital, is pretty crazy,” she said. “It feels very strange, like we’re living in some ‘Twilight Zone’ (episode), doing things now that a few months ago would have truly been unthinkable.”
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in BRIEF
Man sentenced in theft A New Brighton man was sentenced to 30 days on home monitoring, 30 days in jail, 10 years of supervised probation and ordered to pay more than $110,000 in restitution to St. Peter in Mendota after agreeing to plead guilty to three counts of theft by swindle from the parish. Christopher Seiple, 48, who was charged last summer, agreed to the plea deal in December and appeared remotely in Dakota County Court May 15 for the sentencing hearing, KSTP-TV in St. Paul reported. He worked at St. Peter as the director of operations from July 2018 to May 2019.
Mission schools support A new initiative will help renew commitment to nine Catholic elementary schools serving low-
income families in seven cities in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said Jason Slattery, director of Catholic education, in a May 13 memo to Catholic school leaders. Called the Drexel Mission Schools Initiative, the effort grew out of the Roadmap for Excellence in Catholic Education announced last year. It defines mission schools as having 50% or more of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, 50% or more of students being children of color, and the schools meeting a threshold for total enrollment, Slattery said. The nine schools are Ascension, Risen Christ and St. John Paul II in Minneapolis; St. Peter Claver in St. Paul; St. Jerome in Maplewood; St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center; Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights; Community of Saints in West St. Paul; and Blessed Trinity in Richfield. — The Catholic Spirit
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MAY 21, 2020
Catholic schools preparing for strong fall reopening By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit Expecting schools to open in the fall in Minnesota, the Office for the Mission of Catholic Education is laying the groundwork to create a unified effort in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. In a May 18 memo to Catholic school leaders, the office credited Catholic schools for their quick and effective response to going onlineonly since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, being together in the same space is an essential mark of Catholic education, and as school officials look to the fall, there appears to be no reason to think that school buildings won’t reopen, the office said. To help make that effort go smoothly, the office announced a Catholic Schools Task Force that beginning June 1 will help coordinate messages on the opening of Catholic schools for the 2020-2021 school year, write protocols on how to safely open buildings and structure the learning environment, and develop contingency plans should a school be disrupted by COVID-19. The task force also will identify needed resources such as funding and medical and safety equipment. While the task force’s work will
primarily focus on K-8 Catholic schools, Catholic high schools also could benefit from the work being done, the memo said. Needs beyond funding and equipment will include recommendations for social distancing practices; acquisition of cleaning and sanitation supplies and schedules; accommodations for students, teachers and staff who may be in high-risk groups; preparedness plans and responses to community outbreaks; and relationships with public school districts for provision of services related to transportation, academic support, counseling and nursing, the memo said. Mike McGinty, principal of Good Shepherd Catholic School in Golden Valley, will co-chair the task force with Emily Dahdah, associate director of the Office for the Mission of Catholic Education. Members of the task force include Jane Bona, principal of Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights; Kate Wollan, principal of Nativity of Our Lord, and Kevin Ferdinandt, headmaster of St. Agnes School, both in St. Paul; and a representative of the Catholic Finance Corp. Experts in finance, communication, law and public and mental health will augment the task force’s work as needed.
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MAY 21, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9
NATION+WORLD
New emergency aid bill would cut most benefits to Catholic schools A child in Washington runs near the U.S. Capitol April 6 during the coronavirus pandemic. Catholic leaders May 15 expressed deep reservations about a new $3 trillion tax cut and spending bill to help the economy because it would restrict support for Catholic school students. The measure was up for a vote in the House May 15. CNS
By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service Catholic leaders expressed deep reservations about a new $3 trillion tax cut and spending bill in response to the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic that would restrict support for Catholic school students. Unveiled May 12 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, or HEROES Act, includes a provision that would rescind funding of equitable services to nonpublic schools, including Catholic schools, that had been established in the CARES Act, an earlier $2.2 trillion emergency aid package. Other provisions in the Democrats’ bill that has rocked the country’s private education sector include the lack of direct assistance to families for tuition expenses or tax incentives that can be used for tuition; a measure that cuts out nonpublic schools, except in limited cases for children with disabilities, from $90 billion in school aid; and it rescinds a discretionary fund utilized by the secretary of education established under the bipartisan CARES Act. Disallowing emergency aid to one part of an affected community and allowing it for another runs contrary to long-held social policy, Catholic education advocates said. Urged on by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, state Catholic conferences have mobilized as well around the bill as well to stop what education advocates consider a major step back from long-established federal policies. “The key thing to this bill is not that it is an education bill, it’s an emergency relief bill. When in history have we excluded those suffering from an emergency
from federal relief?” said Jennifer Daniels, associate director for public policy in the Secretariat of Catholic Education at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “When Congress releases emergency relief bills, it’s available to everyone who is suffering from that emergency. All we’re saying is that private schools are suffering right next to the public schools, and we should have access to emergency relief funds. All we want is our fair share and for our children to be served in an equal manner,” Daniels said. The private education sector has rallied to oppose the provision specific to school funding. A May 14 letter to Congress from Michael Schuttloffel, executive director of the Council for American Private Education, expressed “extreme disappointment” with the “unworkable” education provisions in the HEROES Act. The USCCB is a member of the council, which is known as CAPE. “If passed, these provisions would eliminate from eligibility for aid almost all students enrolled by their parents in private schools,” Schuttloffel wrote, adding, “To approve such policies would be to send a message that the House of Representatives is only concerned with the safety of some of America’s students and teachers, not all.” The letter raised concern that the HEROES Act education provisions reopens the CARES Act “to restrict which private school students will be eligible for relief voted on by Congress, and signed by the president, over a month ago.” Presentation Sister Dale McDonald, director of public policy and educational research at the National Catholic Educational Association, said the bill as written would harm nonpublic schools across the country because it
“reinterprets” what is emergency aid versus what is traditional education aid. State Catholic conferences across the country have been alerted to the bill’s measures. The conferences have joined a nationwide effort to make sure the provisions are dropped from any final bill. The bill includes $1 trillion for state, city and tribal governments to avoid layoffs; $200 billion for “hazard pay” for front-line workers; a new round of cash payments for individuals and households; $175 billion in housing assistance for rent and mortgage payments; $75 billion for medical testing; a 15% increase in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; subsidies for laid-off workers to pay for health insurance premiums and maintain COBRA; an employee retention tax credit for businesses; and $25 billion for the U.S. Postal Service. The House of Representatives passed the bill May 15 largely along party lines. However, the likelihood of the Republican-controlled Senate taking up the measure as written is slim. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, told reporters at the Capitol there was no “urgency” to act and that consideration of any relief measure by the chamber would not happen until after Memorial Day. The long-standing equitable services policy has existed since 1965 with passage of various civil rights laws under President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society campaign. It allows federal funding to be sent to states, which then funnels money to local school districts. In turn, the local districts provide equitable services such as English language training or special education based on the needs of the private school.
HEADLINES u Vatican announces ‘Laudato Si’’ anniversary year. The Vatican announced May 16 that it will commemorate the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment with a yearlong series of initiatives dedicated to the safeguarding and care for the Earth, beginning May 24. As the world continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the dicastery said, the encyclical’s message is “just as prophetic today as it was in 2015.” u Catholic leaders warn of humanitarian, environmental tragedy in Amazon. Indigenous people who suffer violence for their efforts to defend their land against miners, loggers and land-grabbers are also at great risk from COVID-19, according to a May 18 statement from the Pan-Amazonian Church Network. Throughout the Amazon, more than 30 indigenous groups have reported more than 500 COVID-19 cases and more than 100 deaths, but figures could be much higher due to unreported cases and deaths in some Amazonian cities in Brazil and Peru, where health care systems are overwhelmed. u Fauci to Jesuit high school graduates: ‘We will get through this.’ Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke directly to graduates of the nation’s 60 Jesuit high schools in mid-May with words of encouragement and congratulations. “Please, hang in there. We need you to be smart, strong and resilient. With discipline and empathy, we will all get through this together,” he said in a recording. Fauci, who has advised six U.S. presidents on national health concerns, was Jesuiteducated in both high school — at Regis High School in New York — and college — at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. u Justice Department urged to aggressively prosecute pornography vendors. A former colleague of Attorney General William Barr is backing a letter from three Catholic bishops asking Barr to aggressively pursue antiobscenity prosecutions in the wake of increased traffic to online pornography sites with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. “With five a year, you’d put the porn industry out of business,” said Patrick Trueman, president of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, May 15. Trueman is a former Justice Department obscenity prosecutor. On April 30, Archbishops Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City and Bishop David Konderla of Tulsa, Oklahoma, wrote Barr to request stepped-up prosecutions. u Bishops call for end to surrogacy as pandemic strands newborns in Ukraine. Border closures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have highlighted another “pathology” in modern Ukraine: the practice of commercial surrogacy, said the country’s Catholic bishops. They asked the government to enact family-support policies that would “ensure that Ukrainian mothers do not have to trade their bodies and their children for their own and their families’ survival.” Their statement came after BioTexCom, one of the country’s largest surrogacy agencies, posted a video on YouTube April 30 showing 46 infants being cared for in a Kyiv hotel suite. The text and narration sought to assure the people who contracted for the children that they are safe and healthy. u Divided court reexamines insurance coverage of contraceptives. The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court seemed divided May 6 over Trump administration rules that give employers more ability to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage in their health plans. The argument, part of a handful that will take place by teleconference during the coronavirus restrictions, took another look at an issue that has come before the court already. As in previous terms, it highlighted the Little Sisters of the Poor, the order of women religious who care for the elderly poor. “There are very strong interests on both sides here, which is what makes the case difficult, obviously,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh said in the May 6 arguments. He said the interests include religious liberty for the Little Sisters of the Poor and others, and ensuring women’s access to health care and preventive services. — Catholic News Service
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Maggie Wussow, a senior at Visitation School in Mendota Heights, stands next to a school sign displayed in the front yard of her home in Apple Valley May 8. “There is a sense of pride … in that we’re getting through this pandemic and that we’ve been able to cope with it as a class,” Wussow said. “But there’s also disappointment in all the things we just naturally assumed would happen in the school year.” DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
COVID-19 precautions mark end of high school senior year By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit
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mily Wilder is disappointed she is missing out on longstanding traditions that make a senior year of high school so special. She knows them well, having attended every graduation ceremony at Bethlehem Academy in Faribault since 2013. Three older siblings graduated from her school, and her younger sister is on track to do so in 2025. “Graduation is like passing from adolescence to an adult, and going on to the real world,” she said. “I always thought that was a cool way to mark the transition.” She looked forward to her own turn in the senior spotlight this spring. But classes went online in midMarch in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. And nothing’s been the same since. Safety precautions related to COVID-19 have upended high school graduation ceremonies and other end-of-schoolyear traditions across the state. “It’s a magical whole week at my school,” Wilder said of graduation activities. They would have started May 20 this year with the school’s traditional Mary ceremony, when students honor the Blessed Virgin, and seniors thank their parents and others who have helped them reach this point in their lives. The Mary ceremony was held this year, but it was a virtual experience. Wilder remembers previous years, when people teared up watching seniors distribute daisies and roses to their loved ones. “It’s a shame that (it) can’t happen the way it’s always been done,” Wilder said. Shari Piehl, English teacher and senior class adviser at Bethlehem Academy, said the Mary ceremony is a particularly emotional event. It’s important for students to see and understand Many schools are still that, she said, because determining how to honor their faith is the foundation of their education. As seniors. Visit school websites part of the virtual Mary for up-to-date information. A list ceremony, seniors were encouraged to mail of school websites is available two cards a classmate at TheCatholicSpirit.com designed that depict Mary: one with a bouquet of roses, and one with Mary draped in daisies. Despite the disappointment, Wilder sees a silver lining. “Every day is a blessing,” she said. “I’ve gotten to spend a lot more time with my family.” In addition to being with her parents and siblings, the family is hosting an exchange student from Korea. Like Wilder, seniors across the archdiocese have mixed emotions about this unprecedented end to their senior year. Ella Sutherland, a senior at Hill-Murray High School in Maplewood, is disappointed that things she’s been looking forward to won’t happen, including the senior Mass and senior retreats. She also thinks about the last time she wore her school uniform and the last day she
was at school, which she said was great. But, she tries to focus on the positives. “I’ve gotten a lot out of this, just in terms of faith,” she said. “I have gotten to … focus on my relationship with God and start praying a lot more, because that’s now what I have time to do, which is what’s most important in my life.” Her mother, Peg Sutherland, said Ella understands that God has a plan in all this. “You have a group of kids who are very strong in their faith and can see a higher purpose in all of it,” she said. While Peg feels the sense of loss, she said, “I almost think we parents are mourning it more for them, because we know what it should be like for them.” But, Peg said, she is heartened by responses to the pandemic that she sees among students and teachers. At one point during the online class regimen, school officials asked the seniors to drive to the school to pick up lawn signs celebrating the senior class. “I saw a video, and the kids drove through a parade of their teachers cheering and waving,” Peg said. “I was crying. They genuinely love these kids and feel for them, too.” At St. Agnes School in St. Paul, headmaster Kevin Ferdinandt said faculty have been sensitive to the needs of seniors, including fun and laughter. For example, some faculty shot a video of them dancing and singing to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” “We had so much fun,” he said. St. Agnes senior Andrew Brownell said the hardest part is missing senior year highlights such as senior prom, the senior lock-in and sports. He would have run track and field this spring, but the season was canceled. Brownell also misses seeing his classmates, but he has learned how to put things in perspective. “You have to be grateful for the time you have with friends and others, and not let that time go to waste,” he said. “Don’t take it for granted because, just like the virus, no one saw it coming. You never know when that time can end.” One tradition at Visitation School in Mendota Heights that seniors will miss is the spring day when they sign each other’s uniform shirts. “That is a big, big part of that end of the year that they’ve seen seniors do for a long time. And that’s not something they’ll be able to do in person,” said Rene Gavic, head of school. But while she has seen grief and sadness among seniors, Gavic has also noted their resiliency, their ability to step up, to be leaders, to look outside themselves and see the needs of the broader community and even underclassmen. Visitation seniors led underclassmen in making a video to lift the spirits of all the faculty, she said. The seniors also sent an uplifting note to all underclassmen. “It really takes your breath away,” Gavic said. “It’s what you’d hope would come out of a … Catholic high school — to look beyond themselves.” “They know this is a crisis, and that a lot of people are suffering, and they’re stepping into that space with beautiful grace,” she added. “We’re incredibly proud of them.”
PROFILES
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GIA GIAALEMAN ALEMAN
GRADUATION
Service is is life’s life’s teacher teacher Service ia Aleman has experienced loss and filled voids.
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ia Aleman has experienced loss and filled voids. The soon-to-be graduate of Academy of Holy The soon-to-be graduate of Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield lost her father when she Angels in Richfield lost her father when she was 7, and both grandfathers at about the same was 7, and both grandfathers at about the same time. She spends a lot of time these days filling gaps in time. She spends a lot of time these days filling gaps in other people’s lives. Her high school’s focus on serving other people’s lives. Her high school’s focus on serving others gives her numerous opportunities for that. others gives her numerous opportunities for that. As a senior, Aleman, 18, interviewed for and won a As a senior, Aleman, 18, interviewed for and won a spot on a campus ministry team to become what Aleman spot on a campus ministry team to become what Aleman calls “the face for the example to live out the Christian calls “the face for the example to live out the Christian or Catholic life.” Team members plan Masses and service or Catholic life.” Team members plan Masses and service retreats, and perform acts of service on a weekly basis. retreats, and perform acts of service on a weekly basis. The 40 to 50 seniors in campus ministry serve weekly The 40 to 50 seniors in campus ministry serve weekly in smaller groups at various sites such as Sharing and in smaller groups at various sites such as Sharing and Caring Hands’ Mary’s Place, transitional apartments in Caring Hands’ Mary’s Place, transitional apartments in Minneapolis for homeless families with children. The Minneapolis for homeless families with children. The main service site for Aleman’s group of five is GiGi’s main service site for Aleman’s group of five is GiGi’s Playhouse, an achievement center for children and adults Playhouse, an achievement center for children and adults with Down syndrome. Aleman worked with children ages with Down syndrome. Aleman worked with children ages 3 to 7 on athletic activities and motor skills, providing 3 to 7 on athletic activities and motor skills, providing them the chance to be around other people, she said. them the chance to be around other people, she said. The experience gave her a new outlook and insight into The experience gave her a new outlook and insight into other people’s lives, she said, and provided proof that one other people’s lives, she said, and provided proof that one person can make a difference. person can make a difference. Aleman also participated in two mission trips during Aleman also participated in two mission trips during high school. The summer before her sophomore year, her high school. The summer before her sophomore year, her soccer team traveled to Tanzania where team members soccer team traveled to Tanzania where team members served at a church and school. “We helped the kids, taught served at a church and school. “We helped the kids, taught them English, brought them supplies and just gave them them English, brought them supplies and just gave them … interaction that they might not have experienced,” she … interaction that they might not have experienced,” she said. said. Before her junior year, she traveled to Honduras with Before her junior year, she traveled to Honduras with a group from her parish, All Saints in Lakeville, to serve a group from her parish, All Saints in Lakeville, to serve with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Our Little Brothers with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (Our Little Brothers and Sisters). The organization supports thousands of and Sisters). The organization supports thousands of vulnerable boys and girls in Latin American countries. vulnerable boys and girls in Latin American countries. Aleman’s group worked with children in an orphanage. Aleman’s group worked with children in an orphanage. The trips opened her eyes to other cultures and ways of The trips opened her eyes to other cultures and ways of life, Aleman said. “It was a chance to see how privileged life, Aleman said. “It was a chance to see how privileged we are, and how people and kids with so little can be so we are, and how people and kids with so little can be so happy.” happy.” Aleman plans to attend the University of Wisconsin, Aleman plans to attend the University of Wisconsin, Madison, this fall to study biochemistry on her path to Madison, this fall to study biochemistry on her path to becoming a physician. Becasue of her positive experience becoming a physician. Becasue of her positive experience in high school, she also intends to continue volunteering in high school, she also intends to continue volunteering in college. in college. Meg Angevine, admissions officer at Holy Angels, said Meg Angevine, admissions officer at Holy Angels, said Aleman has always been a strong ambassador for Holy Aleman has always been a strong ambassador for Holy Angels at open houses and recruiting events. “You name it Angels at open houses and recruiting events. “You name it and she is there,” Angevine said. “We have no doubt that and she is there,” Angevine said. “We have no doubt that Gia will continue to be an AHA … ambassador throughout Gia will continue to be an AHA … ambassador throughout her years at Madison and beyond.” her years at Madison and beyond.”
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MICHAEL UNDERWOOD
BEN GUERRERO
graduating high school seniors in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, The Catholic Spirit asked holic high schools — Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis and e Academy in Plymouth — to nominate students for the following profiles. The three students selected r Catholic education with deepening their faith and commitment to living out its principles. Stories by Barb Umberger, photos submitted by students
Convert, on priesthood path
Turning to God healed his grief
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enior year of high school is a milestone and, by its very nature, memorable. Michael Underwood has added a life-changing twist to the story of his senior year. Underwood, 17, is a senior at DeLaSalle High School n Minneapolis, where he started his Catholic education as a freshman. He was raised a Protestant but recently completed he Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults to become Catholic — the only person in his immediate family to do so, he said. This fall, he will study philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and plans to apply o St. John Vianney College Seminary in a couple of years. His goal: To become a priest. “I wasn’t … a Catholic growing up, but I was a eligious person,” he said. “Christianity was always a very real and prevalent thing in my life. It just wasn’t ully manifested.” Underwood credits his teachers for boosting the development of his faith over the years. “They were very open about their faith,” he said. His theology eachers and classes, in particular, had a big influence on his life and conversion. He gave special recognition to his teachers in his reshman and sophomore classes, who described and discussed the life of the saints, “that idea of just being around the saints and the example they set,” Underwood said. He always walked away from those essons thinking, “I need to step up my game.” He felt challenged by the knowledge of the saints and who they were “to be a better Christian, to be a better eader, a better Catholic — but to be a better person, most importantly. And that was what my teachers … were shooting for,” he said. Underwood is involved in campus ministry programs at DeLaSalle, where he serves as a lector and cantor n liturgies. He is a section leader in the school’s A Cappella Choir, where he has been a member all four years of high school. The arts and music are very mportant to his family, and Underwood said he and his mother enjoy singing together at home. He also helped launch the school’s co-curricular Ethics Bowl team this past school year. The team won first place in Minnesota in its inaugural year. A friend once asked Underwood why he would encourage someone to attend a Catholic school instead of a public school. “It’s a very different aura,” he said. Among his reasons, Underwood said, was that “you need to function not just physically in this world, but also spiritually.”
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en Guerrero’s parents divorced during his freshman year at Providence Academy in Plymouth. He thought he could handle it, but by his sophomore year, he made some bad choices, including substance abuse. “I struggled through that year and made friends with people I shouldn’t have,” he said. He missed a lot of school and felt lost. Teachers and close friends tried to help, but he turned his back on his true friends. “I didn’t know how to go through whatever I was going through,” he said. “I just wanted to stop my grief.” Guerrero, 18, credits faith with turning his life around. He will soon graduate from Providence Academy and plans to attend the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul or St. John’s University in Collegeville to study pre-medicine with a minor in Catholic studies. The first step of his turnaround occurred while visiting an out-of-state relative who works in behavioral health. She described someone with serious anger issues who would go into “major meltdown mode” at school, bullying students and teachers. Guerrero said she was able to help the young man, telling him that change is inevitable, and someone can either work with it or against it. Something about the story clicked with Guerrero. “She helped him with his struggles, inspiring me that I can change and become better,” he said. And he did. “My junior year, I was inspired to do well and I wanted to have more of a spiritual life,” he said. He starting going to church. Then his father introduced him to videos of Mother Angelica, the founder of the Eternal Word Television Network, EWTN. “I really thought that she was speaking to my heart,” Guerrero said, “and I felt a special connection with her.” He started watching Mother Angelica’s messages every day before he went to school. “I would start my day … listening to what she had to say about God. And my relationship with God was getting so much stronger.” Guerrero started depending on God to help guide him through more of his life, including fears and struggles. At that time, he also realized that his true friends were always there for him. He said he now gives it all to God. “Every time I get a good grade, I say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for helping me.’ He changed my attitude and he helped me so much, especially the Holy Spirit. He really helped me change for the better.” As Guerrero’s spiritual life became more central, his grades improved, as did his attitude. “All my teachers could see this [change] in me,” he said, “and everything was making more sense.”
Dear graduates The Catholic Spirit invited Catholics in various leadership positions throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to share advice for the class of 2020. The following is a selection of those responses. They have been lightly edited for style and space. Read the advice from all our respondents at TheCatholicSpirit.com.
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any years ago a young man, not much older than you, found himself isolated. Recently ravaged by war, his country and culture were now terrorized by a brutal occupation. Because of threats to himself and his loved ones from the outside, his life became centered around a smaller circle behind drawn curtains and closed doors. Although it was difficult, it was behind those closed doors that this young man found out who he truly was. Stories were told, songs were sung, plays were acted out and Masses were held. Yes, his life was upended. To be sure, his plans were changed. But in some incomprehensible way, his trials made him better able to hear God’s call. In time, he would be ordained a priest. And Father Karol Wojtyla would live an unparalleled life of trial and triumph, faith and frailty as the great Pope John Paul II. St. John Paul II, as he is now regarded, was known for two great mottos: “Be not afraid,” and “Totus tuus (Totally yours).” My friends, the times in which you are graduating are simultaneously frustrating and frightening, but rest assured in these truths: You are dignified and defined not by your accomplishments or your shortcomings, but by your ineradicable status as a beloved child of God. You are called not to comfort, but to greatness. You will suffer in a world of uncertainty and imperfection. And if you keep your discerning eyes open, you will receive immeasurable grace now and in the life to come. So, be gentle in your love and strong in your convictions. Follow Truth wherever it beckons you. Pray unceasingly. A whirling, treacherous, exciting, Spirit-filled life awaits you. Look to God and daily utter the worlds of a saint: “Totus tuus. I am totally yours.” Congratulations, graduates! Be not afraid. Dr. Tod Worner Managing editor, Word on Fire’s Evangelization & Culture Journal
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our senior year will be remembered as historic, by much of the world in a negative way, but it presents an opportunity to you that few people will ever have. By virtue of your Catholic upbringing, you have been given a great gift of faith. Your task now is to discern your true calling, which your heart will know because of the peace that the Holy Spirit will bestow on you when you hear it. Answer the call. Every generation sees troubles, but your opportunity is to be Christ for others in a world filled with troubles not seen in a century. To those who are fearful, be reassuring. To those who are ill, be a healing presence. To those who are struggling in any number of ways, large or small, be the helping hands of Christ. In whatever you do in this life, set as your goal the attainment of everlasting life. If you stay Christ-centered, then all will be well. Those instructions may sound lofty, but they are precisely what the saints in heaven did as they walked on earth as people just like you. You can bring the grace of God to others and show them that, in the midst of confusion, Christ is before them, beside them and behind them always. Finally, thank your parents for choosing to raise you in the faith and for all of the sacrifices they have made for you. You can touch lives with Christ’s love. Go out into the world and make him known! Gail Dorn President, Catholic Schools Center of Excellence CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
GRADUATION
With pandemic, what’s next? Graduates face uncertainty, retain long-term hope By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
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atholic high school graduates face uncertainty in the next stage of their lives as the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact schools, parishes and businesses across the country. Some are rethinking the cost of college, particularly if classes go online to help prevent spread of the virus, said Amanda Anderson, guidance and college counselor at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park. Paying $40,000 to $60,000 a year for distance learning starts to look pretty steep, she said. Commitments to colleges and universities usually are made by May 1. Now, many colleges are pushing that day to June 1. “That gives kids a little more time,” Anderson said. But many soon-to-be graduates in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are sticking to the plans they made before the virus hit the United States early this year, and they retain long-term hope and commitment to those plans, said Anderson, other school counselors and high school seniors. Many seniors want to stay with financial aid packages they’ve been offered, said Raquel Gudiel, director of college counseling at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School of the Twin Cities. But, if classes go online, they might have to work with schools on a refund for fees paid in advance for on-campus activities and housing that wouldn’t be used, she said. Students also might find they have to adjust their plans in late summer, if the pandemic continues to impact university and college campuses, Gudiel said.
Wait and see Officials in Minnesota higher education also are in a wait-and-see mode, after switching to online-only coursework in mid-March. “We are at a time of ‘betwixt and between’ in living with the uncertainty the COVID-19 pandemic situation has created,” said Becky Roloff, president of St. Catherine University in St. Paul, in a May 1 statement to that school’s community. While St. Catherine’s summer classes will take place online, plans are being made to offer a mix of online and classroom coursework this fall, with modified living and eating arrangements on campus to account for social distancing requirements and other safety measures, Roloff said. A combination of online and classroom offerings also is planned for the fall at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Social distancing and other safety accommodations will be made, President Julie Sullivan said in a statement May 1. Even as high school seniors turn their eyes to the fall, the pandemic is challenging them in other ways, said Pamela Patnode, dean of women at Chesterton Academy of the Twin Cities in Hopkins. “I notice a real sense of loss,” she said. “I think the seniors are hopeful for the future. But they are grieving. These seniors, none of these students could have imagined their (high) school careers would end in quarantine. They miss spring sports and theater, choir concerts, and they wonder if there will be a graduation ceremony.” Still, seniors are forging ahead, Anderson said. “Some are excited, meeting roommates online.” She added: “They will just go” to college as expected, unless something blocks their plans and they have to change course.
Faith and flexibility A commitment to moving forward with faith, hope and flexibility is certainly true for eight seniors at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, Cristo Rey Jesuit, Benilde-St. Margaret’s and Chesterton Academy. “I’m supposed to head off to college at the end of June. Hopefully that date won’t change. But it might,” said William Domler, a Cretin-Derham senior and member of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, who plans
JOE RUFF | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Olivia Pace, a senior at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park, poses May 13 near Goldy the Gopher on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis, where she plans to attend school in the fall. to attend the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. Frankie Lynch of Benilde-St. Margaret’s said he expects to join Washington University’s cross-country and track teams this fall as he seeks an engineering degree at the school in St. Louis, Missouri. “I’m still hopeful I will be on campus in the fall,” said Lynch, a member of St. Patrick in Edina. Perhaps the coach will ask the team to be in St. Louis to train, even if classes are online. Perhaps classes and dorm rooms will be set up with social distancing and other procedures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, he said. Or perhaps he will be home, Lynch said, still training, learning online, getting ready for when life gets back to some semblance of normal. Lynch’s classmate, Olivia Pace, is taking a similar approach to her plans to attend the University of Minnesota’s College of Biological Sciences in the Twin Cities, with an eye toward becoming a doctor. She would like to live on campus, but wouldn’t have to because her family lives in Minnetonka. “One thing the pandemic has taught me is that medicine is the road for me. I’m ready for the next chapter of my life, no matter what form it comes in,” Pace said.
In God’s hands Domler said the uncertainty of the fall has not impacted his commitment to joining the Army as a commissioned officer. If classes go online, he will remain with his family in St. Paul and take them. He’s leaving it in the Lord’s hands. “I’m placing my trust in God,” Domler said. At Chesterton Academy, Sally Zweber, a member of St. Michael in Prior Lake, said she is committed to joining one of West St. Paul-based NET Ministries’ Catholic evangelization teams that travel the country each year. Whether that happens this fall or sometime in the months that follow, Zweber said she will not be deterred. After her NET Ministries experience, she hopes to attend Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio, perhaps to study theology and philosophy. Another Chesterton senior, Grant Hagen, said he feels called to the priesthood, and this fall he plans to enter St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul. As he works through that application process, his plan B is to attend the University of St. Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. Studying physical therapy remains an interest, as well, he said. If online classes become the only option this fall, he can stay home and attend that way, he said. At Cristo Rey Jesuit, senior Maria Medel plans to attend the University of Wisconsin in Madison; Ignacio Sanchez is headed to St. John’s University in Collegeville and Nyemade Fallah is bound for Carlton College in Northfield. None of them has changed their plans in light of COVID-19. “I still want to continue my plan and go to school,” Fallah said. “My plan is to be on campus, but if that changes (to online coursework) to preserve my health or the health of others, I will make that change.”
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hese are trying times for all of us. Some days it can feel like the world is coming to an end. It’s not! Think of all the generations of Catholics who came before us and all they endured. And not only did we as Catholics survive, we ultimately thrived. You will too. To help you thrive on your journey, I would like to share with you a few of the maxims that guide me. I hope they are helpful to you, too. uRemember that everyone has a cross to bear. The only things you don’t know are how big it is and how well equipped they are to carry it. Cut everybody a little slack. uTreat others as you would like to be treated. Always. It’s called the Golden Rule for a reason. uSt. Francis reputedly said, “In all things preach the Gospel and if you must, use words.” Your actions will always speak much louder than your words. uDon’t sweat most decisions too much. Make the decision. Then, by your actions, make it turn out to be the right one. uPrayer wins out. I know it makes a difference. Find time every day. Find a daily devotional that speaks to you. uHave a Positive Mental Attitude, PMA. You will make more of a difference for others and live a richer, more joyful life if you see the glass as half full. Even now. Congratulations on your graduation and all the best! Doug Milroy Former chairman and CEO, G&K Services, Inc.
I know well the plans I “F or have for you says the Lord,
plans for a future full of hope and peace” (Jer 29:13). Congratulations 2020 graduates! Your commencement has arrived. Though you are ending your high school experience, “commencement” is a beginning. It’s the start of something new. I know that one of the things you are thinking about and looking forward to in this new season of your life is a new kind of freedom. Freedom is a marvelous gift, and how we understand and exercise that freedom will make all the difference in our lives. The popular notion of freedom is that I get to do whatever I want, when I want. We can be tempted to think that fulfillment in life is found in the pursuit of pleasure or the accumulation of things. However if we use our freedom this way, we end up not free at all. We have freedom because we are made for love. Love that is forced is not love at all. We have freedom so that we can make choices and decisions ordered to love. When we really love someone we commit ourselves to them and make choices to build our lives, activities, behaviors around them. If we want to be happy and achieve the greatness for which God created us, we must reject the false notion that freedom means keeping all my options open and never choosing and never committing. All this means is that we never love. Over the next years of your life, you will be making choices that will determine in large part whether all that we legitimately hope for in life and the true happiness we long for are realized. The most important choice you will make is to live in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Your faith will be tested for sure, and if you do not actively choose for your faith, you will likely lose it. Choose right now to pray every day, to attend Mass, to find good friends and faith community, and to seek out wise mentors. The Lord has an amazing call for your life. Choose to seek the Lord and his call and offer to him your whole future. Therein lies the path to “peace that passes understanding” (Phil 4:7), “indescribable joy” (1 Pt 1:8), and immeasurable and inexpressible love. Gordy DeMarais President and founder, St. Paul’s Outreach CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
GRADUATION
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ou are graduating at a time of particular challenge. I don’t mean the coronavirus, but the cultural climate in which we live. Our secular culture encourages you to settle for a onedimensional life of consumerism and “self-expression.” It instructs you to be satisfied with shallow, shifting personal relationships and a post-secondary education awash in trendy clichés. C.S. Lewis, the great Christian thinker, saw this coming decades ago. Ironically, in our prosperous era that does not know God, he suggested, our ambitions are too small, not too big. “If we consider the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels,” wrote Lewis, “Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” As you go out into the world, recall Jesus’ charge to his disciples: “Be not afraid.” Reject the secular culture’s recipe for a flat, uninspired life. At college, insist that your teachers acquaint you with the cultural treasures of Western civilization. Don’t be satisfied with temporary intimate relationships, but devote yourselves to building a loving, lasting marriage and a rich family life. Take up the quest for the true, good and beautiful. Live life on the spiritual seashore — the life “lived in color” that God meant human beings to have. Katherine Kersten Senior policy fellow, Center of the American Experiment
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ongratulations. You have the gift of graduating in interesting times! You also have the gift of education, with a connection to the Catholic faith. I suggest you ponder what you will do with these gifts by asking yourself three questions: uYour education provides privilege and opportunity. How will this change what you do? uYou have now learned the basics of Catholic social teaching and traditions. What renditions of these traditions will guide you? uYou have been exposed to much vitriol and meanness in our public discourse. Can you help model humility and restraint to put us on a better course? You may not feel privileged, as the uncertainty of the pandemic weighs on you. You will have to work hard, but your God-given gifts and education offer you the opportunity and likelihood of a standard of living of which the vast majority of the
7.8 billion people in our human family would be envious. Justice, peace, human rights, and pursuit of the common good with a preference for the poor and vulnerable are among the building blocks of Catholic social teaching, all of which work together to promote and defend the fundamental dignity of each human person. You have the opportunity to bend the postpandemic arc of history toward these values in ways large and small. Kindness is not weakness. Compromise is not corrupting. Acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly with God will bring you joy (Mi 6:8). Keep the faith — Feel As If There’s Hope! Tim Marx CEO, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis
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irtual classes, award ceremonies, graduation. While most of us remember when we graduated and the traditions that went with it, you will remember it for all that did not happen. Instead, I believe, you received at least three special gifts inside of terrible wrapping paper that will serve you well for the rest of your lives. uDeal with roadblocks; reach your destination anyway. As frustrating as this experience has been, you made it anyway. Treasure that feeling of accomplishment. With the great achievements of your life will come great disappointments. Draw confidence from the roadblocks you have already overcome. uChoose your attitude; it is all you really control. It is about your belief in yourself and others. It is about taking personal responsibility, accepting the situation, and making the most out of it though you did not choose it. It will not be the last time you experience this in your life. uLove what is real, honest, and true; there is nothing virtual about God and love. God did not bring you to this place to abandon you. Faith is real. Hope is real. Love is real. And we know the greatest of these, don’t we? Love. There will be a “new” on the other side of this; you have the great opportunity to help determine what that is through your determination, your attitude and choosing love. With great confidence and hope in you, I offer you my deepest and warmest congratulations. Becky Roloff President, St. Catherine University
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reetings in the spirit of mercy and thanksgiving as you conclude your studies and prepare for your “next” within the context of our present moment. The word “context” from the Latin “contextere” is translated as “to weave together,” which frames what I believe will be our collective work and especially your
specific task as you move forward with an attitude of grace, mercy and hope. Specifically, I would advise that you take a moment to creatively express your gratitude to your family, friends and others who have supported you thus far on your journey and at the same time, invite God to assist you in gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to move forward faithfully while building on the lessons from your journey. Weaving together your understanding with the present moment, I urge you to take the Holy Father’s advice and “go to the periphery” internally and externally as you make wise choices that will support your ultimate vocation and advocation. Fully expect change and disruption along the way, but know that you are capable of mending and weaving your way forward with God’s love and merciful work. Appreciating the crucible of change and your inability to celebrate what is tradition, I would offer that this may be an invitation for you to make a new set of traditions and post them on your preferred social media platform. St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us that “compassion is the fire that Jesus came to set on the earth” and St. Ignatius urges us all to go out and “set the world on fire.” May you be blessed during this time of celebration and find ways to express abundant joy. Reynolds-Anthony Harris Founder, Lyceum Partners + design Inc.
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f you take one thing away from reading this paragraph, it is this: “Do not fear change; embrace the changes you are about to face.” Your steps after high school are about personal growth; and growth happens with change. College is the process of having new experiences: from a new place to live, to new classes, new daily routines, to new hobbies and friends. The key to this next step is your willingness to get out of your comfort zone! Whether your next step is college, a gap year, a year to work or a year to travel, I encourage you to try new things and take hold of the opportunities that come your way. At first, you may be overwhelmed or nervous, the Lord knows I was! It’s OK to be nervous, that’s the most normal thing to feel! When nervous, I turned to my faith to strengthen me for the
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13 change. So trust in the Lord, talk to him daily, and he’ll guide you as you venture into the future. I encourage each of you to embrace the unknown, and take the new opportunities that will come with change. Kathryn Kueppers Miss Minnesota 2019-2020
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ongratulations! Now brace yourself for the many wellintentioned relatives and loved ones about to ask you, “So what’s next?” Don’t worry, the person asking you that didn’t know what was next when they graduated either; they thought they knew, and then, well, life happened. We predict, we plan, we pick up the pieces and begin again. Our desire for certainty is at odds with our life experience. I invite you to have this conversation with your loved ones this weekend. Ask them about the biggest surprises, twists and turns they have experienced since they graduated. Ask them what their plans were when they were your age. Some parts of these stories will be happy, other parts will be sad, others funny, still others fascinating, but as you hear these stories told, listen for the hope and the hidden graces. These hidden graces are only uncovered by the perspective earned through the passage of time. Your future will be full of twists and turns; trust that God’s grace is there, though often hidden. I recall when I was 18, I was planning on becoming a priest. Just prior to entering the seminary, where I studied for several years, I went to freshman orientation on campus. I met a beautiful woman in my tour group and thought, “Well, this will never happen.” I graduated from college and stayed in Minnesota, and she graduated and left for Washington, D.C. She is currently in the next room with our five children. We’ve been blessed in marriage for almost 14 years, with many twists and turns along the way. Santo Cruz Vice president of government and community relations, and associate general counsel at CentraCare Health
14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
MAY 21, 2020
MEMORIALDAY Text alerts unite Catholics in prayer for COVID-19 patients who will receive anointing By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit
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n May 6, Faith Pawl signed up to receive text messages letting her know someone with COVID-19 was going to receive anointing of the sick, an indication that the person was likely near death. By 4 p.m. that day, she had already received six messages. “I was just blown away to have these texts rolling in. It just made the whole crisis very palpable,” said Pawl, a parishioner of St. Mark in St. Paul. “It’s the mystical body of Christ. These are members of my Church. … And it’s so different to think about the crisis when you’re thinking about it as individual people.” The text alerts are part of an initiative of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, which has formed a team of priests specifically trained to provide anointing of the sick to people dying of COVID-19. When a member of that team is dispatched, the archdiocese sends out a prayer alert, asking people to pray an Our Father for the person near death, a Hail Mary for the patient’s family, and a Glory Be in thanksgiving for the priest and for his protection, as well as the patient’s medical team. The text alerts began May 4, the same day the Anointing Corps priests completed their training. As of mid-afternoon May 19, more than 1,400 people had signed up to receive the alerts, and 40 texts had been sent. Known as the Anointing Corps, the priests are volunteers who responded to a request Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens sent April 17, asking them to consider adding this responsibility to their current roles. A dozen priests were selected, all under 50 with no underlying health conditions that would make them more susceptible to the novel coronavirus. Anointing of the sick is typically available to anyone with a condition that could lead to death. However, because of the extraordinary situation surrounding COVID-19, especially its contagion level and the personal protective gear the priests use, the Anointing Corps priests are responding only when patients are near death, Bishop Cozzens told The Catholic Spirit. They are following hospital and nursing home protocols, and also visiting people’s homes. To request an anointing, people contact their parishes. That request is forwarded to nurse volunteers, who evaluate whether a priest should be immediately dispatched. If so, they notify a member of the Anointing Corps. Catholics across the archdiocese have been invited to support the team and “those who are suffering most intensely, usually in sterile isolation, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the archdiocese states on its website.
COURTESY FATHER JOSEPH BAMBENEK
A bottle of the oil of the sick and a cotton ball used for anointing of the sick.
The text alerts are identical, beginning with an invitation: “Please now pray one Our Father for someone suffering from COVID-19 who is about to be anointed in our archdiocese.” They include the prayers and their purposes, and request the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, and St. Roch, a 14th-century Mediterranean saint traditionally invoked against plague. To join the text-based prayer chain, people can text “archspm-anointing” to 55321. When Pawl receives a text, she said she tries to pray immediately, often with her husband and their five children. “You see the numbers, you see the statistics about what the daily infection rates are and how many people die. But it just seems really abstract,” said Pawl, 40, a philosophy instructor at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. “This has been really powerful to get these texts. It’s been a blessing … to get to pray for people, and just to have that reminder that this is very real.” Kaye Roan, a parishioner of St. Boniface in Cold Spring who used to live in Minneapolis, also signed up for the text alerts within the initiative’s first week. “For me, it’s very emotional because you feel a connection with that person,” said Roan, 81. She noted that many of the people who are dying are near her age. “I know that many of these (people) grew up thinking that they would be anointed at death. That just (wasn’t) happening now, and now it is, in most cases,” she said. The text alerts complement a related initiative, an email-based prayer chain for health care workers. The archdiocese is inviting anyone who works in health care — from doctors to therapists to hospital maintenance — to sign up for prayers. All Catholics are invited to join an email list to pray for them at the archdiocese’s website.
The website also contains resources for health care workers, including links to the local chapter of the Curatio apostolate, an organization of Catholic health care workers. Coordinating these efforts are Deacon Steven Koop, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, and Father Larry Blake, chaplain at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and a former hospital chaplain. “This is a group of people that are under a lot of stress,” said Deacon Koop, who ministers at St. Rita in Cottage Grove. “There is a group of health care workers who are tending to the COVID patients, and they’re the most obviously stressed. The entire health care system is stressed because of all the routine care that we would normally do has been disrupted.” Health care workers who request to be part of the archdiocese’s prayer chain can provide their name or choose to remain anonymous. “We give them the option to identify themselves to the degree they wish,” he said. As for those who are signing up to pray, the ability to offer prayer helps Catholics overcome feelings of helplessness in the face of the pandemic, Deacon Koop said. A former U.S. Air Force chaplain, Father Blake compares the situation to “a war against this invisible enemy,” the novel coronavirus, and said he sees parallels between the experiences of health care workers and deployed soldiers, including post-traumatic stress syndrome. “We’re in a battle right now,” he said. “And some are called to be on the front lines. Others are called to support those that are on the front lines. And so whether it’s praying for health care workers, or praying for those who are sick, or for the priests who are visiting them and anointing them, perhaps offering them the … last rites, all of that is part of this whole large-scale battle that we’re in.” And offering one’s prayers is not just “a nice thing to say,” he added. “The power of prayer — it’s a tremendous power,” he said. “We’re coming up on the feast of Pentecost, where we’re reminded that the disciples were gathered in that room and they’re praying. And then the Holy Spirit came upon them in such a powerful way. … We believe that there is a such thing as a ‘prayer warrior,’ and that the power of that is tremendous to provide support, healing for those who are sick, (and) comfort for family members who have lost a loved one. All of that is part of what we can do as the Church.” More information about the archdiocese’s COVID-19-related prayer efforts, including how to sign up for the text alerts or health care worker prayer chain, is at archspm.org/covid19prayers.
MEMORIALDAY
MAY 21, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15
‘The last responders’ Catholic Cemeteries gates are open, but services look different during pandemic By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit
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eople visiting a Catholic Cemeteries site in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will find that much has changed because of COVID-19, but much remains the same. Memorial Day Masses May 25 are canceled because of the pandemic. At burials, only 10 people at a time are allowed at a grave site, and everyone must maintain a social distance of 6 feet apart to help prevent spread of the virus. Still, many of the same services continue to be offered — just for smaller gatherings — at Calvary in St. Paul, Gethsemane in New Hope, Resurrection in Mendota Heights, St. Anthony in northeast Minneapolis and St. Mary in south Minneapolis, all part of the Mendota Heights-based The Catholic Cemeteries. People can visit graves or walk through each cemetery from dawn to dusk on Memorial Day or any day, said Joan Gecik, The Catholic Cemeteries’ executive director. The Cemeteries’ website, catholiccemeteries.org, offers alternatives to formal events, including making gravestone rubbings and saying simple prayers. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to ensure social distancing at the annual Memorial
Day Masses, so they have been canceled this year, she said. The Catholic Cemeteries’ burial options have not changed with the pandemic, but they now include new safety measures, such as limiting the number of people at a grave site, she said. To avoid contact with the casket, such as touching it one last time to say goodbye, people are asked to be in their cars while it is lowered into the grave, Gecik said. Cemetery and funeral staff treat all deaths as possible COVID-19 cases because they’re unsure of transmission. The Catholic Cemeteries is offering additional pastoral care — often remotely through email, photos or phone — as it strives to help families through grief that can be compounded if they can’t be with their loved one at death because of COVID-19 isolation, said Gecik and Tracy Flanagan, The Catholic Cemeteries family service counselor. “We can’t even walk into a church, we can’t share in the Eucharist, and what that does to a family who’s experiencing someone dying … is tremendous,” said Sister Fran Donnelly, the director of The Catholic Cemeteries’ LifeTransition Ministries. Safety precautions because of COVID-19 extend to funeral homes, as well, said Dan Delmore, owner and funeral director of Robbinsdale-based Gearty-Delmore Funeral Chapels. The Minnesota Department of Health is requiring funeral homes to provide as much service online as possible, said
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Sister Fran Donnelly, director of The Catholic Cemeteries’ LifeTransistion Ministries, hands a wooden urn to Barbara Bovy during the Rite of Committal at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights May 8.
Delmore, a Catholic Cemeteries board member. The cemeteries and Delmore are helping families find creative solutions, such as attending services in shifts or using video to accommodate more people, Gecik said. Delmore’s chapels are using precautions such as protective body suits in handling COVID-19 cases. Cremation isn’t required in coronavirus deaths, he said. Experts currently believe embalming seems to eliminate the contagion, but as a precaution a coronavirus victim’s loved ones should avoid touching the body at a viewing, he said. Natural burial, which doesn’t involve embalming, remains an option for COVID-19 deaths, Gecik said. Many families of the recently deceased
are waiting to have a funeral, burial or both, until their entire family can gather, Sister Donnelly said.“The traditional wake and funeral and then the burial isn’t happening,” she said. “They might be happening in bits and pieces.” The Church doesn’t prohibit separating or postponing funeral and burial rites. A full-body burial can be delayed for a period, depending on funeral home storage. In the case of cremation, all rites can be postponed, she said. However, grief counselors and other experts don’t recommend delaying or eliminating a funeral, Delmore said. Funerals force the grieving back into the community to choose the funeral liturgy, songs and who will participate, he said, adding that the parish community and neighbors also support survivors. As families wait, Delmore fears they’ll forego having funerals or burials altogether. Some families may decide not to bury cremated remains, which The Catholic Cemeteries discourages, Sister Donnelly said. “We are always trying to present the Catholic perspective that the Church’s teaching is strong about that,” she said. “We treat those cremated remains with the same respect as we would treat a full body.” Gecik said she hopes The Catholic Cemeteries has learned more about caring for the deceased and their loved ones during the pandemic. “We, in a sense, are the last responders,” Gecik said.
16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
MAY 21, 2020
FOCUSONFAITH DAILY Scriptures
SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER TERRY BEESON
Jesus is with us
I could not wait to be an adult. I could not wait to be on my own. It wasn’t that I did not love my parents. In fact, I love them very dearly. But I am very much the individual wanting to explore life on my own. So, after my first year of college at Moorhead State in Moorhead, at the age of 19, I decided to move away from nearby Fargo, North Dakota, where I grew up, to Minneapolis, with dreams of being a radio broadcaster. I attended Brown Institute, and a couple years later, I had my first radio gig in Carrington, North Dakota. I lasted six weeks and found myself moving back home with my parents. It was not long, though; nine months later I was in the Army. After the Army I moved back to Minneapolis. Even though I have been away from home most of my adult life, I feel my parents are still a part of my life, that they are with me always. They are with me most tangibly when I go home to Fargo for a visit. But even when I have not seen them for a while, they are still with me. My dad has been dead for over 20 years, but he is still with me, certainly in my physical features. I have his nose and his eyes, the same type of body; the Beeson laugh is his laugh. But there are other things that were his that are now part of me, like the love of playing golf. Every time I walk the golf course, even though I am playing by myself, I feel he is there with me. Many of the sayings that people hear me say, many of the jokes I tell, originated from him. We celebrate the feast of the Ascension: Jesus being taken up to heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father. In a sense the Apostles are now on their own. But in the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel, even while he sends them forth on their own to make disciples of all nations, Jesus says he will be with them always. In one sense, Jesus entrusted his Gospel to his Apostles. He taught them everything they needed to know. And despite all our trepidations, Jesus trusts that we can continue to carry out the mission of his Gospel. How is that possible? Well, in the sentimental sense that my dad is with me always, Jesus is with us always. And much like I have taken on many of the characteristics of my dad, we have taken on the characteristics of Jesus Christ, characteristics that identify us as Christians. We have taken on those characteristics ever since our baptism, and those characteristics show in the way we act: through our charity, through the way we make our faith a priority in our lives, through the way our faith gives us a sense of joy, through our unity as members of the Body of Christ. Jesus is with us in a more tangible way, as well. He is with us as we celebrate the sacraments. Through baptism, the light of Christ dwells within us. Through reconciliation, the healing power
FAITH FUNDAMENTALS | FATHER MICHAEL VAN SLOUN
Confirmation basics, part two
Last month’s column provided the first half of a list of the basic aspects of the sacrament of confirmation: the duty to receive it, the prerequisites, the appropriate age, preparation with prayer and study, and the qualifications and duties of the sponsor. This article completes the list. Combined, the lists offer a general overview of confirmation. Frequency. Confirmation is administered only once. It has a permanent, lifelong effect, an indelible character. It marks and changes the soul. A bridging sacrament. Confirmation completes the sacraments of initiation and serves as the foundation for the sacraments of commitment: marriage and holy orders. Confirmation name. In addition to one’s baptismal name and middle name, the candidate is confirmed with a third name, the confirmation name, a saint chosen by the confirmand. The new name reflects a change in status and a new reality, that the person is a fully initiated Catholic and has freely and intentionally made a mature, lifelong commitment to Christ and his Church. The saint serves as a personal patron, a model and inspiration for Christian
Sunday, May 24 Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:1-11 Eph 1:17-23 Mt 28:16-20 Monday, May 25 Acts 19:1-8 Jn 16:29-33 Tuesday, May 26 Acts 20:17-27 Jn 17:1-11a Wednesday, May 27 Acts 20:28-38 Jn 17:11b-19 Thursday, May 28 Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 Jn 17:20-26
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This Gospel passage brings a great sense of comfort to me. I know that in good times and in bad, whether we are at work or at play, whether we are healthy or sick, Jesus is with us. iSTOCK PHOTO | KRISTILINTON
of Christ is present to forgive our sins. Through confirmation, Christ is there as we, for the first time, speak for ourselves that we are committed to our Catholic faith. Through ordination, men stand for the first time in persona Christi. Through matrimony, Christ’s covenant with the Church speaks through the grace of the covenantal union of woman and man becoming one flesh. Through the anointing of the sick, Christ’s healing presence is there as we journey through our physical woes. Through the Eucharist, we truly and profoundly experience Christ’s presence. Every time we celebrate the Mass, we experience with our own eyes, our own ears, our own touch, our own taste the presence of Christ. Word and Eucharist play to all the senses that Christ is present among us. This Gospel passage brings a great sense of comfort to me. I know that in good times and in bad, whether we are at work or at play, whether we are healthy or sick, Jesus is with us. He is a part of each and every one of us, until the end of time, and for all eternity. Father Beeson is pastor of St. Pius V in Cannon Falls and St. Joseph in Miesville.
living, a companion and protector on the journey of faith, and a special intercessor before God. Minister. The ordinary minister of confirmation is the bishop of the diocese. He serves as a sign of unity with the universal Church. The bishop can delegate an auxiliary bishop, if there is one, or another bishop such as one who is visiting or retired, or a priest. A priest is the minister at the Easter Vigil for those who are baptized or received into the Church in the rite of full communion. A bishop or priest may confer the sacrament if there is danger of death. Ritual method. Confirmation is conferred by an anointing with sacred chrism in the form of a cross on the forehead and applied by the right thumb of the minister. Simultaneously, there is an imposition of the hand, technically achieved by the anointing alone, but also demonstrated by the extended fingers and the open palm of the hand of the minister that are placed on the confirmand’s head as the person is anointed. The minister says, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The response is, “Amen.” Then the minister adds, “Peace be with you,” and the confirmand replies or the candidates from that parish alone. In emergency situations, confirmation may be conferred outside of a church. Seasonal timing. The preferred time to celebrate the sacrament of confirmation is during the Easter season — the 50 days that begin with Easter when confirmation is celebrated at the Easter Vigil and end with Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation can be celebrated during any liturgical season. Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. This column is part of an ongoing series on confirmation.
Friday, May 29 Acts 25:13b-21 Jn 21:15-19 Saturday, May 30 Acts 28:16-20, 30-31 Jn 21:20-25 Sunday, May 31 Pentecost Acts 2:1-11 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 Jn 20:19-23 Monday, June 1 Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church Gn 3:9-15, 20 Jn 19:25-34 Tuesday, June 2 2 Pt 3:12-15a, 17-18 Mk 12:13-17 Wednesday, June 3 St. Charles Lwanga and companions, martyrs 2 Tm 1:1-3, 6-12 Mk 12:18-27 Thursday, June 4 2 Tm 2:8-15 Mk 12:28-34 Friday, June 5 St. Boniface, bishop and martyr 2 Tm 3:10-17 Mk 12:35-37 Saturday, June 6 2 Tm 4:1-8 Mk 12:38-44 Sunday, June 7 Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9 2 Cor 13:11-13 Jn 3:16-18 Monday, June 8 1 Kgs 17:1-6 Mt 5:1-12 Tuesday, June 9 1 Kgs 17:7-16 Mt 5:13-16 Wednesday, June 10 1 Kgs 18:20-39 Mt 5:17-19 Thursday, June 11 St. Barnabas, apostle Acts 11:21b-26; 12:1-3 Mt 5:20-26 Friday, June 12 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-16 Mt 5:27-32 Saturday, June 13 St. Anthony of Padua, priest and doctor of the Church 1 Kgs 19:19-21 Mt 5:33-37 Sunday, June 14 Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a 1 Cor 10:16-17 Jn 6:51-58
MAY 21, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17
COMMENTARY FAITH AT HOME | LAURA KELLY FANUCCI
Continuing Easter
May is usually a month crammed with celebrations on our calendars. We rush between graduations, first Communions, confirmations, showers for summer weddings or babies, Mother’s Day brunches and Memorial Day barbecues. But now we find ourselves facing a very different spring and summer. Staying at home and staying apart are taking their toll on our society and our spirits. For many of us, being apart from our parish communities is particularly painful. How can we continue to celebrate Easter when we can’t receive the sacraments? Here are ideas for living out the 50 days of the Easter season with your family. Even as we long to come back together in church, let us remember how God delights to surprise us in Easter by showing up where we least expect it. Get up early and watch the sunrise. Then cook breakfast together and read the story of Jesus serving a morning meal for his friends on the beach (Jn 21). Visit a park and notice signs of spring: flowers in bloom and fresh green trees. Give thanks to God for the beauty of nature and the resilience of creation. Light a white candle on your dinner table. Pray in a special way for your parish with whom you usually gather around the altar: your pastors, parish staff, musicians and all the parishioners. Take a walk with your family, as many of us are doing these days. Before you go, read the story of the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35). When you get home, read the Gospel again and reflect on the disciples’ discovery together. Sing Alleluias. Add extras to your grace before meals. Listen to sacred music during work or home schooling. Put on praise
FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA | LYNN VARCO
Equality of care
The unprecedented scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing efforts to provide critical hospital care have raised serious questions about rationing (limiting access) based on disability or age. Although, like everything else, health care is subject to the problem of scarcity, principles exist for determining the appropriate allocation of medical resources, especially during a pandemic. COVID-19 offers an opportunity to reflect on those principles and to consider how they apply in concrete circumstances to avoid discrimination. Those considerations underscore the importance of Catholic hospitals and Catholics, more generally, to witness to the broader community the best care practices that value human dignity and uphold the common good. According to the Center for Public Integrity, 25 states have scarce resource policies and protocols for hospitals. These policies could potentially harm people because they may limit access to life-saving medical equipment such as ventilators. States are using a patchwork of rationing protocols in hospitals: first come first serve (first to the hospital gets treated); a lottery (random selection sidesteps triage); categorical exclusions (age, disability, pre-existing conditions place you at the back of the line); resource intensity (less care if your care drains resources); and fair-innings (if you’re “late in the baseball game,” your resources are allocated to someone younger). Depending on the level of scarcity and patient need, each protocol can lead to discrimination. A recent Hastings Center essay noted that Minnesota’s “resource intensity” model permits prioritization based on expected or documented length of need, either in the initial decision to allocate a scarce medical resource or in a later decision to re-allocate the resource. Some might argue that this is appropriate because it does not imply an overt prejudice against people who are disabled. But, according to the author, this protocol can slide into less obvious forms of discrimination when categorical exclusions creep back in and inform an unspoken rationing policy.
and worship songs after Sunday breakfast as you’re preparing to pray with an online Mass. Do spring cleaning with others in mind. What could you give to those in need, especially now that so many are suffering? Read Acts 2:43-47 to remember how the early Christians shared with each other so that no one was in need. Plant a small garden together. Read the parable of the sower and the seed (Mt 13). Remember how seedlings are a sign of hope and seeds are a world waiting to happen, a promise held in our hands. Bake bread together. Flour and yeast are finally coming back to grocery shelves, as more people are baking than ever before. Take advantage of time at home to watch the ordinary miracle of dough rising. Savor the smell of freshly baked bread filling the house and read the parable of Luke 13:20-21. Set Sundays apart. Days can run together when weekdays and weekends feel the same. Brainstorm ways to make Sunday feel special: Visit a park together, take a longer walk, bake a special dessert or let yourself nap on the day of rest. Feast in community, social-distancing-style. Share dinner with family over FaceTime or have a virtual happy hour with friends to raise an Easter glass on Zoom. Share small moments of grace from the past week. Travel down memory lane and reminisce about a favorite holiday together. Dye eggs again on Pentecost or have another at-home egg hunt in your backyard or living room. (Why not, while we’re still stuck at home?) Stretch the season of Easter out till the end. Part of the fun of being Catholic is celebrating holidays for weeks after others move on. Remember — even as the world is changing — it is still Easter: a season of surprising joy, stunning transformations and Christ coming among us all over again. 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 motheringspirit.com.
The problem of health care rationing reveals biases based on a medicalized view of disability and older age, which can place less value on such lives compared with younger or able-bodied persons. Catholic bioethicist Charles Camosy has recently warned, “If rationing arrives, we must stand up unambiguously for the marginalized and vulnerable, the elderly and disabled, lest what Pope Francis has decried as the modern throwaway culture deems them expendable.” Resource scarcity shouldn’t be a driver that overtly devalues certain persons and the dignity of their lives. Health care decisions must be made primarily on clinical factors such as the patient’s condition and his or her ability to respond to certain forms of treatment. Disability and age should not be used as categorical exclusions when deciding the allocation of scare resources like ventilators. Furthermore, if we ask caregivers to balance an individual patient’s “quality of life” possibilities against the medical needs of everyone else, there’s greater risk of bias and discrimination. To avoid this, the federal government should issue national triage protocols based on sound principles to make certain that care is allocated in a fair and equitable manner that doesn’t discriminate. To prevent unjust discrimination, organizations such as the Catholic Health Association and National Catholic Bioethics Center have outlined sound principles for providers to address these challenges during a pandemic. And the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops ensure Catholic hospitals follow appropriate principles and ethical norms. Ultimately, COVID-19 hospital care is a cautionary tale for other issues. We should support a consistent ethic of life where care is based on the dignity of the human person and not their perceived “value” to others. Rationing often works against this idea in the same way as physician-assisted suicide, which has been justified on similar discriminatory grounds, that is, that life can be ended when it’s thought to no longer have meaning or purpose. Just like with physician-assisted suicide, however, the current pandemic is a powerful reminder that we ought to more fully support better forms of care, such as palliative and hospice care. There is an urgency to create holistic care models that support the medical needs of all people. Varco is a member of the Minnesota Alliance for Ethical Healthcare, an advocacy partner of the Minnesota Catholic Conference. The views represented here are solely the author’s own.
LETTERS Schools not missing a beat We’re so glad The Catholic Spirit highlighted distance learning in archdiocesan Catholic schools in its April 23 edition. However, the headline “A work in progress” suggests that Catholic schools are still figuring it out. On the contrary, Catholic schools have been nimble, creative and excellent in executing distance learning for about 20,000 preschool-through-eighthgrade students in our archdiocese. (Yes, even preschool!) Certainly, school communities have had to work through common issues, but ultimately, Catholic schools have risen to the top. Students continue to learn on and off screens, and communities remain connected with school-wide virtual game nights and weekly virtual school Masses. Catholic school students aren’t missing a beat in distance learning. We at the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence, which supports the 79 Catholic grade schools in the archdiocese, commend the remarkable accomplishments of principals, teachers, parents and students. Because of their faith and hard work, Catholic schools will come out of this pandemic even stronger. Annemarie Vega, director of enrollment Catholic Schools Center of Excellence, Edina
Get serious about abortion Why is the Catholic Church leadership (priests, bishops, archbishops) so weak-kneed and mamby-pamby on their follow-through of enforcing standards relative to abortion. Last year another 800,000 U.S.A. babies were dead because of abortions. Yet fewer than one excommunication per archdiocese for parishioner-support of this practice took place. A Catholic diocese is complicit by its woeful inaction. Misconduct exists within a supportive spiritual environment! Meanwhile, business owners, executive directors, principals, doctors, senators, civic leaders, congressional members and even presidential candidates profess to be Catholic, all the while openly and blatantly giving voice and money to the pro-choice abortion machine. Through their misconduct, these leaders fail to give witness to the Catholic Church’s teaching on abortion. Some church ushers, church council members, eucharistic ministers, Knights of Columbus members, etc. are all allowed positions of honor and respect, all the while the parishioners know of their “unchecked” support of abortion. Someone in Church leadership needs to go into the temple and turn over the tables! Greg Schoener St. Joseph, Red Wing
Sacrament not just for dying I am responding to your article written for the April 23 edition, “Priest team in works for COVID anointings.” A beautiful idea, really! Taken “in context” or “out of context,” I arrive at the same conclusion for something that Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens is quoted: “If it’s very clear that the person is not going to die, but they do have COVID, PLEASE TURN TO LETTERS ON PAGE 18
18 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
CATHOLIC WATCHMEN | DEACON GORDON BIRD
Invigorating symbols of the faith
Behaviors are beliefs in action. Standards of evangelization are often set high for all of us in representing the faith we cherish and love. Whether we like it or not, so much is at stake for Catholics in articulating what we say about what we believe, and how we act upon our beliefs as Christians. Perhaps more important is the latter, as I ponder on Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of May: “We pray that deacons, faithful in their service to the word and the poor, may be an invigorating symbol for the entire Church.” Thank you, Holy Father! Deacons will take all the prayers the pope offers up! Even during these days of restricted movement, face masks and hand sanitizers, proclaiming the word and reaching the margins of those in need are paramount. Yet, integrating and extrapolating this prayer to all the faithful makes sense — clergy, religious, laity and especially the family — because we all come from a family. Being “an invigorating symbol” of the holy Church reminds me of St. Pope John Paul II referring to the family as a learning center for prayer, urging it to be “ecclesiola” — a little church. Within it, the Eucharist and the Scriptures are the center of the life of the family. And, from a disciplined and joyful prayer life at home, the word reaches out in action to those in great need — the poor both materially and spiritually. We can embrace the love and the study of our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph to invigorate this symbol of faith we are to represent. The month of May — Mary’s month — begins with the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. In their examples of prayer and service, we put the word of the Gospel into action as a family. Since he was 12 until his ministry at age 30, we know very little of the times of Jesus and his family through sacred Scripture. We do know, however, of the humility, obedience and devotion of Mary during Christ’s life, death and resurrection. And the silent obedience of St. Joseph portrays the foster father’s great strength, authority and leadership given by God to raise his
YOUR HEART, HIS HOME | LIZ KELLY
Cosmic tenderness in a time of quarantine
My sister conveys to me this wonderful story about a well-to-do gentleman, who in his early retirement could be yachting through the south of France or golfing in Bermuda, but decides that he would like to perform some service for his community. He volunteers at a local hospital to be a “cuddler.” A cuddler is on hand to help with the babies in the nursery, particularly those whose mothers may be in distress and unable to hold them as much as might be needed or as much as they might like. As you can imagine, the cuddler job is the most coveted volunteer position at the hospital, and the wait to be trained and get approval to serve in this role sometimes takes years. But this gentleman is patient. He attends all the necessary meetings, trainings and vettings, and one day his position in line to active cuddler status jumps up quickly when he volunteers for the less desirable 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. shift. This is where he meets James, a newborn. James makes it known that he is in need of holding, so this gentleman volunteer scoops him up and settles into a rocking chair. Their time together begins something like this: “James,” says the cuddler, “I’m going to tell you all about a wonderful man named Jesus.” James replies, “Who, Jesus? Oh, I know him. I met him at my conception.” The cuddler reports that this conversation was made
COMMENTARY only begotten son — “the son of a carpenter” (Mt 13:55). For Mary, as an “open vessel of longing (for God),” Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI explains, “life becomes prayer and prayer becomes life.” He elaborates on why the Church needs a Marian mystery, “because the Church is not a manufactured item; she is, rather the living seed of God that must be allowed to grow and ripen.” And, this kind of fruitfulness in the Church starts at home, where we learn to become “holy soil for the word.” Mary helps us “retrieve the symbol of fruitful soil” by learning through the Scriptures and sacred traditions “the depth of (her) prayer, longing and faith (that) give the Word room to grow.” Morning prayer, evening prayer, rosaries, the Angelus and “Regina Caeli,” the examen, the sacraments — all feed, strengthen and vitalize “the little church” as an invigorating symbol for the Church. St. Joseph’s spiritual and physical leadership, his labor and years of service in bringing up God’s son as his own, was no easy task. I support the view of Mother Angelica — may she rest in peace — that “old men don’t walk to Egypt.” We as Catholics are not required to succumb to any age placed on Joseph during Jesus’ infancy narratives. We can, however, assess his courage, perseverance and stalwartness given the dream-driven tasks he accomplished. He was not wealthy, but he trusted God in his divine providence through it all. The Pillar of Families, the Lover of Poverty. Given here are only two among a litany of many titles and attributes of St. Joseph. He is the patron saint of the Catholic Watchmen for no small reason. His example as provider, protector and leader of the first domestic church — the Holy Family — are what Watchmen recollect and work to embrace, from the breach and to the heights of their households. St. Joseph’s primary vocation was to be the adoptive father of Jesus — complementing the Blessed Mother who was entrusted to his care. His entire life was focused on working for God, and all his work became sacred. Take an integrated, cohesive look through the lens of our Blessed Mother and the Protector of the Holy Church with your family. There are consecrations and devotions dedicated to both great saints designed to bring you closer to God through the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Mary and Joseph are indeed invigorating symbols par excellence of the faith for all times. Deacon Bird ministers at St. Joseph in Rosemount, All Saints in Lakeville, and assists the Catholic Watchmen movement. Reach him at gordonbird@rocketmail.com. Learn about the archdiocese’s Catholic Watchmen initiative at thecatholicwatchmen.com.
possible because “James spoke to my soul.” I don’t doubt it for a second. And I wonder if there weren’t angels all around to witness this quiet, hidden exchange, like Gabriel at the Annunciation delivering his glad tidings. The most momentous of things breaking out over all creation in unimaginable power, and the most reverently concealed intimacy. And I wonder how many moments like this are taking place all over the world every day at this strange and difficult time in the world’s history. Between the sick and their caregivers and families, between those separated by distance but not by heart, between so many souls and the Blessed Sacrament we long to meet, filling the world with tiny explosions of grace, what Catherine Doherty would call “cosmic tenderness.” This notion of spiritual Communion: I don’t prefer it to actual Communion, of course, and I find myself rankled by the extension of lockdowns and quarantines. “Enough already.” So goes the interior tantrum. But then I remember this story of James and his cuddler, and I do not doubt its veracity. I do not doubt it was real and complete and accomplished all that it was meant to accomplish in drawing two souls together — into the heart of Truth. So too with my Jesus. He will speak to my soul, even in silence, even through sanctioned separation, when I’m in need of being picked up and held a long while and told of the wonders of heaven. It is the pure tenderness of God we meet in spiritual Communion, an unspeakable mercy. Oh Jesus, may my soul be attentive to that. Father, breach the chasm, find me and awaken my soul to your presence and grace, quiet and hidden, holding up the universe, accomplishing every good thing. Kelly is the author of seven books, including “Jesus Approaches” and the “Jesus Approaches Take-Home Retreat.” Find her on Instagram at lizktoday or visit her website at lizk.org.
MAY 21, 2020
LETTERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 we would probably recommend that they not be anointed until it is clearer they’re going to die.” What an alarming statement! Consider how this would play out in a typical priest sick call. Someone is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, but is doing well, but not knowing when he or she will become really sick. No anointing at this point, you don’t appear to be dying yet! I recall when the Church dropped “extreme unction” and changed the term to “anointing of the sick.” The point of this blessing with oils is to bless and comfort the sick, always with the hope and intention that maybe, just maybe, the holy oils and blessing from a priest may change the outcome of the illness. It seems a very compassionate plan to set up a priest team and hopefully, it will be of great assistance to all who ask for anointing with oils. The role of the priest in this endeavor would seem to be to provide the blessing, and not determine who receives it or who is not worthy to receive it. Katherine Smith Rice Lake, Wisconsin
Divine correction? Are we experiencing a global reality check? Traditional marriage is now at an all-time low. Human unborn abortion is now at an all-time high. Holy Mass attendance is now at an all-time low. Depiction of media violence and antifamily values is now at an all-time high. Defection from God and the Mother Church of Christendom by Lucifer and Luther, is now at an all-time high. Belief in the real presence in the Eucharist memorial, continuous since his “Last Supper” is now at an all-time low. The accelerated splitting of Christianity is now at an all-time high. Throughout biblical history, a divine correction became necessary to a people gone astray. Everett C. Dehmer Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul
Gender questions I believe there is a profound question underlying our thinking about gender identity. That question — does our spirit have gender separate from the body? Take from me an arm or a leg and I would still be me with all the attributes of my mind, my personality. Likewise, take from me my corporeal genitals and I would still be me with the mental attributes of a male. Finally, take from me my body entirely. It is my Christian hope that I would yet be me — eternally. Will this include my sense of gender? Should I be defined by the eternal me, or by the body which shall molder in the grave? Should a person’s sexual identity then be defined by their eternal spirit, or by the attributes of the flesh? When attempting to express his thoughts on the meaning of gender a priest once said, “A bird does not fly because it has wings. It has wings because it flies.” If you can understand what he was trying to say, then I think you will understand what I’m trying to say. Gary Mayer St. Peter, Forest Lake Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@archspm.org. Please limit your letter to the editor to 150 words and include your parish and phone number. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit.
MAY 21, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19
CALENDAR Quarantine with Cozzens: Conversation for Young Adults — May 21: 7 p.m. Young adults are invited to join Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Vincenzo Randazzo for a Facebook Live and YouTube Live streamed conversation. More information at archspm.org. Diaconate ordination — May 23: 10 a.m. livestream from the Cathedral of St. Paul. See Page 2 News Notes for more information. archspm.org/ordination Priesthood ordination — May 30: 10 a.m. livestream from the Cathedral of St. Paul. See Page 2 News Notes for more information. archspm.org/ordination Virtual Pentecost concert — May 31: 7 p.m. Musician David Haas will perform to raise awareness and funds for Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, a St. Paulbased arts organization that supports artists with and without disabilities. Youtube.com/ DavidHaasVideo ‘Praying with the Psalms’ retreat — June 1: St. Thomas More in St. Paul offering six-week retreat, “Praying with the Psalms: A Retreat in Daily Living.” Includes daily prayer and weekly small-group meetings, in person or online. May 25 registration. For more information, call the parish office 651-227-7669. morecommunity.org Catechetical Institute School of Discipleship — June 2: 7 p.m. Online or in-person option for School of Discipleship at St. Pius X in White Bear Lake. Bible scholar Jeff Cavins will teach the four-week course on the basics of discipleship. $125. semssp.com/ci
The Catholic Spirit is accepting calendar events for virtual events. Submit your event at TheCatholicSpirit.com/ calendarsubmissions.
KSTP to air story of Black Elk, on sainthood path
in REMEMBRANCE
By John Mulderig Catholic News Service
Dominican priest recalled for campus ministry aptitude
In the late 1800s, Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota medicine man participating in the Ghost Dance movement, had a vision of a figure with pierced hands who identified himself as the Son of God. He called on all the people of the world to unite. Several years later, Nicholas Black Elk was baptized on his namesake’s feast day and devoted much of the remainder of his life to serving as a tireless catechist among the Oglala. His legacy proved enduring and in 2017, the cause for his canonization was opened in the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota. “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood,” an intriguing profile recounting Black Elk’s eventful life, premieres locally at 5 a.m. May 24 on KSTP-TV. Presented in partnership with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission, the film was funded in part by the Catholic Communications Campaign. The former warrior was made famous by author John Neihardt’s classic 1932 book “Black Elk Speaks,” in which he recalled the lost ways of Native American life. But Black Elk had already been involved in several landmark events in American history. Present at both the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn — he was Crazy Horse’s second cousin — and the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890, in between, Black Elk had traveled to England with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. The troupe gave a command performance for Queen Victoria in 1887. Neihardt’s narrative delved into Lakota spirituality. But it omitted any mention of Black
Elk’s conversion to Christianity or the ministry he carried out in collaboration with the Jesuits who served his Pine Ridge Reservation. Through archival photographs and footage, reenactments as well as interviews with Black Elk’s descendants, a prominent biographer and theologians, filmmaker and Franciscan Sister Judith Ann Zielinski seeks to redress that imbalance. “Walking the Good Red Road” conjures warm memories of its subject and touches humorously on his role as a heyoka, or sacred clown. Perhaps more controversially, the documentary also enthusiastically celebrates Black Elk’s ability to combine Lakota religious traditions with sincere adherence to Catholicism. The “spiritual genocide” to which Native Americans in general were subjected is justly condemned. But the intricacies of successfully integrating nonscriptural beliefs and practices with those derived from JudeoChristian revelation are somewhat blithely overlooked. A more detailed examination of the subject would have been useful in combating any suspicion that Black Elk crossed the line between legitimate and welcome inculturation and syncretism. Such an analysis would have been particularly useful to viewers not well-versed in their faith. Overall, however, “Walking the Good Red Road” — enriched by Douglas Thomas’ sweeping cinematography of beautiful landscapes and soothing narration by Jim Greulich — is a touching evocation of a Catholic historical figure whose virtues deserve to be better known. It makes uplifting viewing for the whole family, although scenes of the aftermath of combat may scare tots.
By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit A Dominican priest born and raised in Minneapolis who developed a ministry of retreats, workshops, conferences and renewals in parishes throughout the United States and Canada died May 7 in Chicago. Father Paul Johnson was 88. He attended Annunciation School and thenSt. Thomas Military Academy before studying chemical engineering at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Father Johnson entered the novitiate of St. Albert the Great Province in 1952 at St. Peter Martyr Priory in Winona and was ordained a priest in 1959. In FATHER PAUL 1972, he was appointed personnel JOHNSON director of the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great. From late 1976 to 1978, he served in campus ministry at St. Cloud State University, and from 1979 to 1988 at campus ministry at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Father Michael Joncas, artist in residence and research fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas, said he got to know Father Johnson when the older priest was his “boss” at the Twin Cities Newman Center. “I cannot imagine a finer priest under whom to learn how to minister beyond a parish setting,” Father Joncas said. “He was constantly creative, trying to find topics of interest to the lives of Catholic students, staff, faculty and administration at the University of Minnesota, all the while maintaining a weekend worshiping community, trying to get a hearing for issues of special interest to Catholics on the campus, and being involved in strong ecumenical outreach, in addition to raising and administering the money needed for this specialized ministry.” After a sabbatical in 1989, Father Johnson developed his ministry of retreats and workshops. Later, as his health began to fail, he shifted to parish ministry. Father Johnson was cremated, and his funeral Mass is planned to be held at an undetermined date this summer at St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis, where the Dominican community resides at St. Albert the Great Priory, followed by interment at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Minneapolis.
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20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
MAY 21, 2020
THELASTWORD
‘Doing my little thing’
Ella Doyle, 13, works on a miniature stove and kitchen wall set May 12 in her Mendota Heights home. COURTESY KATIE DOYLE
Eighth-grader at Catholic school in West St. Paul turns dollhouse hobby into business
A By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
A dollhouse business started by St. Joseph’s Catholic School eighth-grader Ella Doyle in West St. Paul is a family affair. And it has garnered national attention. Since Doyle launched her commercial effort in August, Joanna Gaines of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper” and Magnolia Market fame shared on Instagram Doyle’s miniature replica of Gaines’ Silos Baking Co. in Magnolia Market at the Silos in Waco, Texas. Doyle has been featured in stories by The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, the Minneapolis Star Tribune and KSTP in St. Paul. At her website, lifeinadollhouseshop.com, Doyle sells miniature kitchen walls complete with a stove, shelves and crockery for $325. She once sold a custom dollhouse interior for $700. Her 4-inch signature lemon trees (with ovenbaked clay lemons attached to small leaves and branches snipped from decorative garlands) go for $30. The business began with Doyle’s interests in all things miniature, combined with her flair for design and her parents’ jobs as custom home builders in Mendota Heights. Her cardboard box miniature rooms caught the eye of her grandfather, Will Kolesar, whose garage at his Eagan home is a woodworking shop. Soon, Kolesar was taking direction from Doyle on size and type of dollhouse or dollhouse rooms and fashioning them for her. They often work side-by-side, but in this time of COVID-19 precautions, Kolesar drops the shells off at the Doyles’ front steps. “I miss him,” Doyle said of not working in the same room.
ON THE WEB See Doyle’s work at her website lifeinadollhouseshop.com; Instagram @life.in.a.dollhouse; and Facebook @LifeInADollhouse As she and her grandfather worked on the dollhouses, Doyle learned this wasn’t his first go-around with miniatures. “My mom and grandpa used to build dollhouses,” she said. “I really didn’t know it, until I learned it after I started building dollhouses with my grandpa. That’s kind of how he knew how to do it.” Her grandmother, Nancy Kolesar, helps paint some of the dollhouses. And Doyle’s parents, Sean and Katie, help on the business side, signing papers (“since I’m 13 I can’t do a lot”) and assisting with re-investments in the business. A 3D printer is the latest big purchase, but there is a continuous need to restock supplies and meet other obligations. “I’m more of the creative director,” said Doyle, who has two younger sisters. But “I’ve learned a lot about investing.” Katie Doyle said her daughter has always been creative, independent and passionate, even as a small child, and her success is not a surprise. The overnight attention and recognition, though, was a bit of a shock, she said. “I think we’ve settled into it a little bit more now, and it is a kind of a new normal for her,” Katie Doyle said. Doyle works about 20 hours a week at her business but still finds time for school and volleyball. Thus far, she has made about $9,000 selling dollhouses, rooms and accessories. She invests in the business, saves a large chunk for future needs such as college or a car, and recently donated $300 to a customer’s GoFundMe effort to make COVID-19 face masks for “front line” workers in the pandemic. “I like donating to
good causes,” she said. She has seen an uptick in business since the novel coronavirus outbreak, Doyle said. She thinks it’s driven by adults in their 30s and 40s who might not have a lot of money to build a home of their own, but want to let their imaginations run, do some of their own decorating with miniature accessories and have something nice to show off — a decorative dollhouse. Some people have contacted Doyle asking about dollhouses for children to play with. “I tell them, ‘It’s not kid-friendly,’ but I’ll do it (build them what they want),” she said. Doyle said she wants to run a good business, with quick responses to emails and getting orders out on time. “I try to be honest with my prices,” she said. “I don’t want this to be all about the money, but so others will have an opportunity to have nice things.” Catholic values drive her work, as well, said Doyle, a parishioner with her family at St. Joseph in West St. Paul, who hopes to attend CretinDerham Hall in St. Paul for high school. “I’ve always felt I want to be the best person I can be,” she said. Doyle’s science teacher, Ellen Schafer, is a big fan. Schafer said Doyle is a bit shy, but students gathered around her one day around Christmas as she showed them her Instagram account. Schafer was particularly impressed with the Gaines bakery replica. “It was like the coolest thing ever,” Schafer said. “I ran down the hallway saying (to fellow teachers), ‘You’ve got to see this!’” Doyle said the attention she has drawn has been surprising. “I think it’s nice that she thinks that it’s cool and she wants to share it,” Doyle said of her teacher. “I’m not opposed that it’s being shared. I think it’s crazy that it is shared, because I thought it would just be me, doing my little thing.”