The Catholic Spirit - May 7, 2020

May 7, 2020 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Looking ahead to the Synod, Archbishop Hebda reflects on lessons learned so far

PRAYING

Coronavirus slowdown Farmers turn to faith and hard work to meet production challenges presented by COVID-19.

FOR PROTECTION

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churches open for daily prayer, and, in some cases, eucharistic adoration.

Confessions are available in wellventilated spaces that meet social distancing recommendations, and weddings and funerals can be celebrated with 10 or fewer people attending.

Outdoor Masses without the distribution of Communion, and attendees remaining in cars, are allowed.

As to beginning phase two May 18, Church leaders “will be working with public officials in a collaborative way to meet that goal,” he said. The phase adds public Masses in churches limited to no more than one-third of the church’s seating capacity, or approximately every third pew, he said. Parishes are “always required” to observe social distancing directives for people not of the same household, he said.

“Parishes will need to develop ways to ensure that this capacity limit is strictly followed, such as by implementing online signups and having ushers in place to ensure crowds are limited and controlled,” Archbishop Hebda said. “Since the Sunday obligation has been dispensed, Catholics will be encouraged to attend other Masses during the week instead of on Sunday, in order to spread out the numbers. More Masses than usual will need to be offered in some cases to accommodate everyone who desires to attend Mass during this phase.”

He said archdiocesan leaders plan to provide well in advance of May 18 “detailed protocols” for these Masses and

he stay-at-home order has radically changed our schedules.

I terribly miss pastoral contact, but I appreciate having some additional opportunities for personal prayer and reflection. In particular, I have been blessed to have more time to take a deeper dive into the data that was obtained from our pre-Synod Prayer and Listening Events. I would like to share with you what I have learned and offer a few thoughts on the next critical stage of our Synod process; but first, let me remind you about FROM THE the Archdiocesan ARCHBISHOP Synod.

A synod is a formal representative assembly designed to help a bishop in his shepherding of the local Church. It is my hope that the process will help to draw on the gifts that have been bestowed in such abundance on the faithful of this archdiocese to discern and establish pastoral priorities in a way that promotes greater unity, and leads us to a more vigorous proclamation of Jesus’ good news.

The pre-Synod Prayer and Listening Events held over the past eight months created an opportunity to hear what you thought, to hear the Holy Spirit speak through you. The input was wonderful.

Not surprisingly, with over 8,000 members of this local Church already participating in the process, we have over 2,000 pages of comments.

The materials sit on my windowsill as a reminder of God’s goodness, manifested not only in the great number of participants at our Prayer and Listening Events and focus sessions, but also in the generosity of those who stepped up to organize or host those events; those who persevered in transcribing handwritten comments; those who translated the information that came in Spanish, Vietnamese and Polish; those who coded and collated the responses; and those who analyzed and summarized the data, pointing out areas of convergence and divergence.

On top of the pre-Synod data, there is also the information that had been gathered for the report that I presented to Pope Francis at the “ad limina” visit earlier this year, as well as the information that was collected through the Disciple Maker Index designed by the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI). I was pleased to learn from CLI that you, the generous people of our archdiocese, completed more surveys than any other diocese. The CLI input enables us to glean important insights

PLEASE TURN TO MASS ON PAGE 5

PLEASE TURN TO SYNOD ON PAGE 7

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Heartfelt ministry Longtime hospital chaplains adjust to coronavirus restrictions.

— Page 6

More than academics At-home outreach to Catholic school families extends beyond books.

— Pages 10-11

Seminary ‘cloister’ Seminarians forge special bonds under coronavirus restrictions.

— Page 12

Wondrous works St. Paul artist finds a niche in religious painting and sculptures; Cologne Catholics rejoice in church renovation.

— Pages 14-15

thecatholicspirit.com

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Archbishop Bernard Hebda prays a blessing over Jane Juaire, a resident of St. Therese of New Hope, a care facility hit hard by COVID-19. Archbishop Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens visited five long-term care facilities, including St. Therese, to pray a decade of the rosary and to sprinkle holy water on the grounds. After the blessing at St. Therese, in which residents and staff members gathered in front of the building, Archbishop Hebda greeted and blessed residents. Juaire is a former member of St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center. For more information about how the pandemic is affecting St. Therese and other facilities, see story on page 8.

Minnesota’s dioceses preparing to resume limited public Masses May 18

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit

L

eaders of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are developing a gradual, multi-phase approach to returning to public worship amid the coronavirus pandemic, Archbishop Bernard Hebda announced May 1.

Under a plan developed by Minnesota’s bishops, public Masses statewide are expected to resume, under heavy restrictions, May 18 — exactly two months after public Masses were suspended in the archdiocese.

Gov. Tim Walz announced April 30 that he is extending Minnesota’s stay-at-home order, which was set to expire May 4, to May 18.

“The bishops of Minnesota gathered yesterday after the governor’s news conference to carefully consider our own phased approach back into having public Masses,” Archbishop Hebda said in a letter to the faithful. “We recognize that when we return to public Masses, we will have to do so with carefully defined protocols in order to keep people safe and to prevent the spread of the virus. We know that if we work together, we can do this safely.”

In the letter, Archbishop Hebda outlined three phases in the bishops’ plan to resume public Masses. He said that the dispensation of Catholics from their obligation to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation “will continue until such a time that it is safe for all to return.”

Phase one, the current phase, includes

2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MAY 7, 2020

PAGETWO

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Contemplating the face of Christ with the heart of Mary, our mother, will make us even more united as a spiritual family and will help us overcome this time of trial.

Pope Francis in a letter addressed to all Catholics and released by the Vatican April 25. He asked Catholics to make a special effort in May to pray the rosary, knowing that by doing so they will be united with believers around the world asking for Mary’s intercession in stopping the coronavirus pandemic. The month of May is traditionally devoted to Mary, and many Catholics already are in the habit of praying the rosary at home during the month, he noted. Pope Francis wrote two prayers to Mary that can be recited at the end of the rosary. Find the prayers at TheCatholicSpirit.com.

NEWS notes

14.4 DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

ROSARY INDOORS Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens crowns a statue of Mary May 3 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul during the Family Rosary Devotion. Normally held outdoors as a procession from the State Capitol to the Cathedral, this year’s event was held inside the Cathedral due to restrictions for large gatherings by Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order. Bishop Cozzens was joined by Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Father John Ubel, right, rector of the Cathedral. Among the prayers was one renewing the consecration of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to Mary.

The percentage of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Minnesota who are health care workers, according to the state’s Department of Health. The archdiocese has resources available for health care workers seeking prayers, or people who want to pray for health care workers and priest chaplains. Additionally, people can text “archspm-anointing” to 55321 to sign up for alerts to pray each time an Anointing Corps priest is dispatched to give last rites. (See related story on page 6.) For more information, visit archspm.org/covid19prayers.

12-18

The ages of students Minnesota Catholic Conference is inviting to participate in a remote learning opportunity from 10-11:30 a.m. May 12. Middle and high school students attending the “Lessons in Advocacy: Students Standing for Life and Dignity” webinar can learn more about the Catholic faith and applying Church teaching to issues in the public arena.

Topics will include why Catholic students’ voices matter in the political process, what the Church teaches about defending the life and dignity of every person, how their ideas can become laws, and how to stand up for life and dignity by effectively interacting with legislators. The webinar will give students a chance to hear from and pray with Bishop Andrew Cozzens, and to participate in a Q&A session with a member of the Minnesota Legislature. A student’s parent or guardian must register students for the secure webinar at mncatholic.org/lessonsinadvocacy.

50

CNS

COVID-19 AMERICA A man wearing a mask to protect against spread of the coronavirus rides his bicycle along the Saucon Rail Trail near Hellertown, Pennsylvania, May 3. Scenes like this are playing out across America in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic.

REDISCOVER:Hour On the show that aired May 1, Rediscover:Hour host Patrick Conley interviewed Daniel McClure and Krista Masek from Novare Counseling Center in St. Paul about the effect of COVID-19 on mental health and relationships; Father Joseph Johnson, pastor of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, spoke about the feast of St. Joseph the Worker; and Kari Younes and Sharon McCartney from St. Bartholomew in Wayzata shared about their women’s program, Devoted Life. 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 A story in the April 23 edition incorrectly reported that Father Jerome Fehn, hospital chaplain, is involved in the Anointing Corps team of priests preparing to offer anointing of the sick to Catholics with COVID-19. He is not involved with the team or its training.

Read more about his ministry on page 6.

The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 25 — No. 9 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor-in-Chief JOE RUFF, News Editor

The percentage of people — about half — who have been safely moved out of Higher Ground homeless shelters in the Twin Cities run by Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis to help prevent any spread of the coronavirus. With help from Hennepin and Ramsey counties and other officials, the nonprofit agency has been moving people who are homeless and particularly vulnerable to the virus to hotels across the Twin Cities.

That effort also gives the agency more room to adopt social distancing policies within its shelters. In another development, Catholic Charities’ annual Dorothy Day Community Breakfast May 7 was canceled, but Gov. Tim Walz and others expected to commemorate the day with a 15-minute virtual gathering for Catholic Charities supporters. The nonprofit organization also offered virtual tours May 4, 5 and 6 of its facilities at Higher Ground and Dorothy Day Residence in St. Paul and Northside Child Development in Center in Minneapolis.

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The number of parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis receiving help from $120,000 distributed in the first round of grants from a coronavirus-prompted relief effort set up by the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota. Thus far, the St. Paulbased foundation has raised nearly $1.3 million in cooperation with archdiocesan officials through its Minnesota Catholic Relief Fund, and it is developing the next round of grants.

In a separate but related effort, the foundation is distributing an additional $210,000 to 22 parishes to help immigrants and refugees who contact parishes because they are struggling with layoffs in the midst of the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.

3

The number of letters Minnesota Catholic Conference and other advocacy groups recently wrote to Gov. Tim Walz urging him to take steps to protect prison workers and inmates from the spread of COVID-19, prevent debt collectors from garnishing people’s federal stimulus payments, and advocating for nonpublic schools to be included in Minnesota’s application for COVID-19-related federal assistance to schools. The conference represents the public policy interests of the state’s Catholic bishops. The letters were signed by Jason Adkins, MCC executive director, and representatives of more than a dozen different organizations.

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MAY 7, 2020

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3

FROMTHEMODERATOROFTHECURIA ONLY JESUS | FATHER CHARLES LACHOWITZER

The road to Emmaus

O

n the road to Emmaus, Jesus did Bible study. He interpreted for those two travelers all the Scriptures, beginning with Moses, which revealed who he is. Yet they did not recognize the risen Christ until their eyes were opened to the real presence of Jesus in the breaking of bread.

It is not known whether the two disciples invited Jesus to stay in their home, or they went to an inn to resume their travels in the light of day. It is known that inviting Jesus to stay with us is to invite the living Christ into our very homes.

Whether the road be less traveled or a crowded freeway, the way home is an ordinary, daily routine. Whether by school bus or alone in traffic, we become quite used to going home. For those with a GPS in their vehicle or on their phone, wherever we are, even lost, we are told how to get home.

The road to Emmaus is different.

It is the aisle to the altar. In the holy sacrifice of the Mass, the home to which we invite Jesus is none other than our very hearts. Like the open doors to a tabernacle, the fundamental disposition of the heart to the reception of holy Communion is an ardent plea for Jesus to stay with us.

How odd that the Creator of the universe does not enter our hearts without an invitation. God does not just barge in like a landlord collecting rent. God knocks. And when we invite Jesus into our hearts as our most welcome friend, the expected banquet of

hospitality is nothing more than simple bread and ordinary wine. The guest becomes the host and shares with us the person and real presence of God in the flesh, Jesus Christ.

In this unprecedented time of restricted movement and limited social interactions, our earthly home has become our shelter. We did not go to our homes in the usual way. We were put in them, told to stay home.

This extraordinary disruption to ordinary life has already produced horror stories and heroes. This is an all-too human reality through every war, whether against a known enemy or an anonymous virus. To the world, the faithful are deprived of the ability to gather with over 1 billion sisters and brothers in the Catholic Church. The celebration of the Eucharist is the height of worship, the source of the fullness of grace! It is a personal encounter with Jesus. At every Mass, we open the doors to our hearts, and the Savior himself steps inside. Through the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, we become one bread, one body.

Our mortal flaw in an indifferent and often hostile world of nature, is all the broken ways we die. Organ failures and diseases. Accidents and natural disasters.

One too many by the hands of others.

One too many by their own hands. The shadows of death have always been and will always be, until the end of time, an ever-present gloom on the road to anywhere.

The inevitability of death, by some way or another, turns us to God in tears. Nonetheless, the eyes of faith look beyond death to the hope of eternal life.

Just as in this life the road to Emmaus is

the aisle to the altar, so too is it the road from this life to the next. There is no destination for those who do not know where they are going. Maps do not work if their users do not know where they are.

The road to Emmaus is a conscious and practiced choice to move forward through all that is wrong to all that is right. It matters not our earthly home or lack thereof. Being at home is different than going home. Through baptism and confirmation, we have already been given our identity and mission. We are already temples of the Holy Spirit with hearts burning for the love of Jesus.

Already we have been given the bread of life and the chalice of our salvation.

Already we have the fullness of truth through our Catholic tradition. Already we know and experience the love of Jesus

Christ and the communion of the Holy Spirit. Wherever we are sheltered, God has already gifted us with more than enough blessings and sufficient grace to move through this chapter of separation and the sacrifice of community worship.

As we have been, so too are we now and will be until death. As disciples of Jesus Christ, sinners though we may be, we are members of his body, the Church. We know where we are going.

As a pilgrim people, we are on the road to Emmaus. We travel to shelter in our eternal resting place where we will meet Jesus face to face. We travel to join in the greatest of all family reunions. Our destination is our heavenly dwelling place.

On the road to Emmaus, we are going home.

El camino a Emaús

la disposición fundamental del corazón a la recepción de la santa Comunión, es una ferviente súplica para que Jesús se quede con nosotros.

Qué extraño que el Creador del Universo no entre en nuestros corazones sin una invitación. Dios no sólo irrumpe como un arrendador que cobra el alquiler. Dios llama. Y cuando invitamos a Jesús a nuestros corazones como nuestro amigo más bienvenido, el esperado banquete de hospitalidad no es más que pan simple y vino ordinario.

El invitado se convierte en el anfitrión y comparte con nosotros la persona y la presencia real de Dios en la carne, Jesucristo.

En este tiempo sin precedentes de movimiento restringido e interacciones sociales limitadas, nuestro hogar terrenal se ha convertido en nuestro refugio. No fuimos a nuestros hogares de la manera habitual. Nos pusieron en ellos, nos dijeron que nos quedaran en casa.

Esta extraordinaria interrupción de la vida ordinaria ya ha producido historias de terror y héroes. Esta es una realidad demasiado humana a través de cada guerra, ya sea contra un enemigo conocido o un virus anónimo. Para el mundo, los fieles se ven privados de la capacidad de reunirse con más de mil millones de hermanas y hermanos en la Iglesia Católica. ¡La celebración

de la Eucaristía es altura de adoración, fuente de la plenitud de la gracia! Es un encuentro personal con Jesús. En cada misa, abrimos las puertas a nuestro corazón, y el Salvador mismo entra.

Por medio del poder transformador del Espíritu Santo, nos convertimos en un pan, un solo cuerpo.

Nuestro defecto mortal en un mundo indiferente y a menudo hostil de la naturaleza, son todas las formas rotas en que morimos. Insuficiencias órgano y enfermedades. Accidentes y desastres naturales. Demasiados por las manos de los demás. Demasiados por sus propias manos. Las sombras de la muerte siempre han sido y serán siempre, hasta el fin de los tiempos, una penumbra siempre presente en el camino a cualquier lugar.

La inevitabilidad de la muerte, de una u otra manera, nos vuelve a Dios llorando. Sin embargo, los ojos de la fe miran más allá de la muerte a la esperanza de la vida eterna. Así como en esta vida el camino a Emaús es el pasillo al altar, también es el camino de esta vida a la siguiente. No hay destino para aquellos que no saben a dónde van. Los mapas no funcionan si sus usuarios no saben dónde están.

El camino a Emaús es una elección consciente y practicada para avanzar a través de todo lo que está mal a todo lo que es correcto. No importa nuestro

hogar terrenal ni la falta de ella. Estar en casa es diferente a volver a casa. Por medio del bautismo y la confirmación, ya se nos ha dado nuestra identidad y misión. Ya somos templos del Espíritu Santo con corazones ardiendo por el amor de Jesús. Ya se nos ha dado el pan de vida y el cáliz de nuestra salvación.

Ya tenemos la plenitud de la verdad a través de nuestra tradición católica.

Ya conocemos y experimentamos el amor de Jesucristo y la comunión del Espíritu Santo. Dondequiera que estemos protegidos, Dios ya nos ha dotado de bendiciones más que suficientes y suficiente gracia para avanzar a través de este capítulo de separación y el sacrificio de la adoración comunitaria.

E

n el camino a Emaús, Jesús hizo el estudio bíblico. Interpretó para esos dos viajeros todas las Escrituras, comenzando por Moisés, que reveló quién es. Sin embargo, no reconocieron a Cristo resucitado hasta que sus ojos se abrieron a la presencia real de Jesús en la ruptura del pan.

No se sabe si los dos discípulos invitaron a Jesús a quedarse en su casa, o fueron a una posada para reanudar sus viajes a la luz del día. Se sabe que invitar a Jesús a quedarse con nosotros es invitar al Cristo viviente a nuestros hogares.

Ya sea que el camino sea menos transitado o una autopista llena de gente, el camino a casa es una rutina ordinaria y diaria. Ya sea en autobús escolar o soloen en el tráfico, nos estamos acostumbrando a volver a casa. Para aquellos con un GPS en su vehículo o en su teléfono, dondequiera que estemos, incluso perdidos, nos dicen cómo llegar a casa.

El camino a Emaús es diferente. Es el pasillo del altar. En el Santo Sacrificio de la Misa, el hogar al que invitamos a Jesús no es otro que nuestro corazón. Al igual que las puertas abiertas a un tabernáculo,

“

Wherever we are sheltered, God has already gifted us with more than enough blessings and sufficient grace to move through this chapter of separation and the sacrifice of community worship. iSTOCK PHOTO | JOHNY007PAN

Como hemos sido, también lo somos ahora y lo seremos hasta la muerte.

Como discípulos de Jesucristo, pecadores, aunque seamos, somos miembros de su cuerpo, la Iglesia. Sabemos adónde vamos. Como peregrino, estamos en el camino a Emaús. Viajamos a un refugio en nuestro lugar de descanso eterno, donde nos encontraremos con Jesús cara a cara. Viajamos para unirnos en la mayor de todas las reuniones familiares.

Nuestro destino es nuestra morada celestial.

En el camino a Emaús, nos vamos a casa.

4 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MAY 7, 2020

LOCAL

SLICEof LIFE

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4 • The Catholic Spirit

‘Angel’ among us

SLICEof LIFE

Students on parade

March 9, 2017

St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Avis Allmaras, center, talks with Rose Carter, left, and Irene Eiden at Peace House in south Minneapolis Feb. 27. Sister Avis goes to the center weekly and visits frequent guests like Carter. Eiden, of St. William in Fridley, is a lay consociate of the Carondelet Sisters. Peace House is a day shelter for the poor and homeless.

“It’s a real privilege to know these people and hear their stories,” Sister Avis said. “I could not survive on the streets like they do. There are so many gifted people here.” Said Carter of Sister Avis: “She’s an angel. She hides her wings under that sweatshirt. She truly is an angel.”

HRBACEK Catholic | THE CATHOLIC DaveDAVE Hrbacek/The Spirit SPIRIT Students and families of Notre Dame Academy in Minnetonka drive by teachers and staff members at the school April 24. The parade of cars was organized around the school’s annual marathon fundraiser. Because the campus is now closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, students were asked to do marathon activities on their own and either donate online the money they raised, or drop it off in person during the parade. It was an emotional experience, especially for the teachers, who now can’t be with their students every day in the classroom. “It was so wonderful to see the kids,” said Principal Ginger Vance, who noted that allCatholic kindergarten-through-eighthNational Sisters Week is grade teachers were lined up to greet people in more than 100 cars that drove through. “As educators, we love those kids so March much, and hard tocomponent be away from 8-14.it’sAnsoofficial of them, especially for this long. Summer break is one thing, because you know they’re coming back. But, this has just been something completely different.”

Women’s History Month and She noted that some families drove through two or three times to make sure the students could greet all of their teachers. As teachers and staff, Vance said, means the world.” headquartered at St.“It Catherine University in St. Paul, the week celebrates women religious and their contributions to the Church and society. View local events, including two art exhibitions, at www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org.

Celebrating sisters

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5

Coronavirus slowdown, plant shutdowns hit Minnesota farmers

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit

NATIONAL NOVENA FOR FARMERS

Ray and Bridget Pieper’s family near Lonsdale took a loss when they shipped out 40 cows for slaughter that would have continued producing milk if schools and restaurants hadn’t closed and demand dropped in mid-March because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Hog farmers Harry and Kellie Sloot near Winthrop had to act fast to find new outlets for their product when business slowed for restaurants and food service.

About 4,000 head per year from Sloot Family Farms goes to a niche, high-end food company that serves those outlets; about 2,000 head goes to Tyson Foods for processing.

“The product sold to restaurants and food service went to almost zero,” Harry Sloot said. “We had to find other buyers. And now other buyers don’t need product.”

The Piepers and the Sloots are just two of thousands of farmers across Minnesota and the country hit by repercussions of the economic slowdown and in several cases shutdown of meatpacking plants because of outbreaks of COVID-19. With several meatpacking plants hit by the virus and idled, about 40% of U.S. hog slaughtering capacity has been temporarily lost.

Examples include a JBS USA pork plant in Worthington, a Smithfield Foods pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and a Tyson Foods pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa.

It’s not just pork. Three Jennie-O turkey processing plants, one in Melrose and two in Willmar, have been idled because workers tested positive for COVID-19.

As demand dropped for dairy products in restaurants, schools and other outlets, milk producers in Wisconsin dumped product that had no place to go.

The impact reverberates to crop farmers such as Dave Neske of Buffalo, a member of St. Timothy in Maple Lake, who estimates losing $30,000 since March because corn and soybeans stored at his farm are not fetching the prices they would have under other circumstances. Even corn-based ethanol plants are being idled because of lower oil prices and reduced demand for gasoline, Neske said.

“The pandemic has totally turned upside down our food system,” said Jim Ennis, executive director of St. Paul-based Catholic Rural Life, which promotes ethical food production and rural outreach and ministry.

A longtime advocate of a diversified farm system of large, medium and small farms, Ennis said the pandemic is laying bare the vulnerabilities of relying too heavily on large plants with just-in-time production, because one broken link fouls up the closely-knit chain.

While mid-size and smaller farms use or can find niche markets or sell direct to buyers in homes, larger farms might have too much product going to too few places, he said. When plants shut down, euthanizing animals that have grown too large for processing

MASS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 the distribution of Communion so that parishes can prepare. Phase two does not include “social gatherings and other small group meetings,” he said, but some other sacramental celebrations may occur, following the same rules as public Masses.

“If a liturgical celebration or event cannot maintain the capacity and other social distancing requirements, it may not take place during” phase two, he said.

It is unknown when Minnesota’s Catholics will be able to begin phase three, “which would provide more opportunity for us to have larger celebrations,” he said. “We will continue to evaluate and follow the

Seeking God’s intervention in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Catholic Rural Life of St. Paul will hold a national, livestreamed novena beginning May 7 and ending May 15, the feast day of St. Isidore, patron saint of farmers and of the nonprofit outreach ministry.

“We really do believe we need God’s intervention in this as well,” said Jim Ennis, executive director. “We recognize this (pandemic) is causing a lot havoc in a lot of families.”

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Ray Pieper checks on a newborn calf at his farm near Lonsdale May 4. Like many other farmers, the Piepers have suffered financial losses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that has swept across the country. becomes the only answer.

President Donald Trump’s demand that meatpacking plants remain open as an essential service will have to be balanced against safety for the workers, Ennis said. Startups will be slow and workers will be adjusting to new protocols for social distancing and avoiding cross-contamination that could spread the virus, he said. Production also will be significantly reduced because fewer workers will be allowed into plants at any one time.

“So now, how do we redesign (these plants) to be safe?” Ennis said. “And people stay 6 feet apart? There are locker rooms and all kinds of chances for crosscontamination. They will have to do extra cleaning.”

Farmers themselves are worried about contracting COVID-19 because many don’t have ready backups to plant their crops, take care of their livestock and harvest their grain, Ennis said.

Other rural concerns include too few hospitals with too few beds and long distances for people to travel for medical care in the event of an outbreak. The health of migrant workers is a concern because they do so much during harvest and meeting other farm needs, he said.

Neske said he will go without a part-time worker this spring because of the economic strain, and he hopes he remains healthy. “My wife and I are doing it all ourselves,” he said.

Ever-present concerns don’t go away, either, Neske said. “Weather plays a big factor — and having faith and hope.”

The Piepers, members of Most Holy Trinity in Veseli and owners of Metogga Lake Dairy Farm, said they were milking about 400 cows a day, but with the slowdown, the dairy plants they use don’t need as much of the product. The Piepers haven’t had to dump milk, but they not only had to cull their herd as they adjusted to lower demand for milk, they had to do it at a time prices for slaughter animals were down, Bridget Pieper said.

guidance of civil authorities and public health experts.”

All phases require “strict guidelines for social distancing and sanitation,” Archbishop Hebda said.

According to the bishops’ plan, people over 65 are “strongly encouraged” not to attend Mass, and anyone who is sick or with a sick household member should not attend.

Churches must be thoroughly sanitized before and after each service. Hymnals must be removed and holy water fonts must be empty. Signs must be posted to remind attendees about social distancing and sanitation requirements, as well as how to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Hand sanitizer must be available in church entries. People must follow local safety orders regarding face

Special prayers will be said for those ill and dying from COVID-19, Ennis said.

Each day, one of four bishops on Catholic Rural Life’s board of directors will lead morning prayers. It will culminate May 15 with a livestreamed 10:15 a.m. Mass celebrating St. Isidore’s feast day, as well as the concluding novena prayers, with Bishop Brendan Cahill of the Diocese of Victoria, Texas.

More about the novena can be found at catholicuralife.org. It will be livestreamed at facebook.com/catholicrurallife.

— Joe Ruff On their hog farm, the Sloots, members of St. Francis de Sales in Winthrop in the Diocese of New Ulm, found several smaller production facilities within about a 300-mile radius of their farm. “We were fortunate enough to find some processing, but we did a lot of legwork,” Harry Sloot said. And they recognize that not every producer has that option.

“Some producers have no option because of the size of their operations,” Harry Sloot said. “Right now, the normal process has been reduced by 50% because of plant closures. And they have livestock with nowhere to go.”

The Piepers, Sloots, Neske and Ennis said they are relying on prayer and hard work to get through this unprecedented time. But it’s been difficult because so much of what they are accustomed to has been upended.

“It’s something that’s heart wrenching,” Harry Sloot said. “You put your heart and your soul into your work. All of your sweat equity goes into it. It’s not the kind of work where you leave, and ‘it’s not my problem.’ It’s like your new car, you don’t even want a scratch on it.”

All decisions on the Sloot farm are made in an ethical manner, and that won’t change, he said.

“I can’t say it’s brought me to where I question my faith,” he said. “I’ve dealt with death, stress in farming and in my personal life. Faith is something that keeps me grounded. It’s an anchor in dealing with this.

If anything, it makes me more mindful and more diligent, more deliberate.”

“We’re thankful that we have our faith,” Kellie Sloot said. “It’s always gotten us through.”

coverings, and be instructed not to touch others.

“These phases will allow for the ability to re-evaluate the process as necessary in order to ensure the health and safety of the community going forward,” Archbishop Hebda said.

Walz’s stay-at-home order began March 28 and was initially scheduled to last until April 13. He has since extended the order twice.

Archbishop Hebda suspended Catholics’ obligation to attend Sunday Mass and holy days of obligation beginning the weekend of March 1415. On March 18, he announced the suspension of all public Masses in the archdiocese to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Archbishop Hebda ended the May 1

letter with an appeal to Mary under her title “Consoler of the Afflicted.”

“Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters who have died from COVID-19, for those who mourn them, for those who are sick from this disease and for the people who are caring for them, often at great risk to themselves and their families,” he said.

“Know of my prayers for them and for you and your loved ones.”

Minnesota health officials reported 594 new cases of COVID-19 in the state May 1, with 28 more deaths — the highest number of deaths reported on a single day in the state, tying with April 26. As of press time May 5, the state had reported a total of 7,851 cases of COVID-19 and 455 deaths, with 80% of deaths among nursing home residents.

6 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

LOCAL

MAY 7, 2020

Through the lens of a chaplain Priests find creative ways to serve at hospitals during COVID-19 pandemic

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit When Father Jerome Fehn first started doing hospital ministry in the 1980s, he could not have imagined using a video camera to provide pastoral care to a patient.

That is the new reality during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has driven many hospitals locally and throughout the country to limit entry into rooms of patients testing positive for the coronavirus. The restriction can even apply to family members and chaplains.

It has left priests like Father Fehn, who has added his own protocols and follows hospital rules to protect himself and patients, scrambling and struggling to find ways to offer meaningful support to those sick with the illness and, in some cases, dying from it.

He calls the new protocols “for sure” the biggest change he has seen in 35 years of hospital ministry, dating back to 1985 when he was assigned to serve both Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park (HealthPartners) and Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina (now M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital).

Both hospitals currently allow chaplains to enter rooms with COVID-19 patients, but Father Fehn has decided to stay out of those rooms due to a desire to protect his health. He does not want to be quarantined and pulled out of ministry should he contract the illness or be suspected of having it. Both hospitals support his decision, hospital spokespeople said.

In addition to staying out of rooms with COVID-19 patients, Father Fehn limits his time in the two hospitals in general. He now only enters either hospital when paged to see a specific patient, which is only a handful of times per week, and wears a mask at all times while inside the building. After checking in, he sees only that patient, and he leaves the hospital when he is finished.

That routine reduces another part of his ministry, which is to hospital staff. Now, he only briefly greets doctors and nurses as he is coming and going to a patient’s room. It all adds up to him being a priest with lots of care to give and — much more often than he would like — no place to give it.

“The past week and a half, I’ve been called maybe six times,” said Father Fehn, 67, who was ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1978.

He sees anyone who asks, and has visited with three COVID-19 patients so far. And, outside of anointing a person who is in danger of dying (using a cotton swab or Q-tip to administer the sacrament of anointing of the sick), he only visits a COVID-19 patient through a glass window or through a camera set up in the patient’s room with a video feed to a room where he is.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens is pursuing a more formal ministry to COVID-19 patients. He is recruiting young priests to be available to administer the sacrament of anointing of the sick to seriously ill COVID-19 patients in hospitals, nursing homes and patients’ homes. A dozen priests selected for this ministry are receiving training and will be available to anoint COVID-19 patients, Bishop Cozzens said. Calls for these priests will come from parishes, with those interested asked to contact a local parish to be connected to specialists who can navigate the health system and help arrange anointings. (See sidebar.)

Another experienced chaplain also is adjusting to the new reality. Father Michael Monogue, 68, has ministered at United Hospital and Children’s Minnesota Hospital, both in St. Paul, since 2009. He has seen one COVID-19 patient in person that he is aware of. The visit took place in mid-March, after he had been called to the emergency room to anoint the person. At the time, it was not known whether the patient had COVID-19. A positive test result came later.

He still keeps regular hours at the two hospitals, but

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Father Jerome Fehn ministers under a new reality at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, where he now walks through the doors only when called to see a specific patient. He has been a chaplain at this hospital, and at M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, since 1985. wears a mask in every room when he visits patients.

His only in-person visits are with non-COVID-19 patients. Visits with COVID-19 patients are mostly by phone, with the option of a video meeting available.

So far, he has had three phone conversations with COVID-19 patients.

Despite the change, “I have found it to be very meaningful,” Father Monogue said of the phone calls.

He also arranges to have Communion brought to the patients if they desire it. He will give it to a nurse to bring into the room, along with prayers for the patient to pray before and after receiving Eucharist. He said patients have responded positively to receiving Eucharist in their room.

“It’s different, but I’m very happy about the fact that I can still be in contact with the person and that they can still receive the sacrament of holy Communion,” he said. “I also explain to them what the archdiocese is doing, and how the graces of God are available, even if we cannot do the sacraments in the normal fashion. … They find that to be very meaningful, and nurturing and sustaining for them at this point in their lives.”

Both priests know that they are early in the new chapter of hospital ministry during the current pandemic, and expect to see more COVID-19 patients at their respective hospitals. And, both are ready to provide whatever spiritual care they can.

“I love what I do as … a chaplain,” Father Monogue said. “And, if I can serve (COVID-19 patients), I certainly want to do that. And, I want to help the archdiocese do what it can do, and the Church to do what it can do to continue to (ad)minister the sacraments to them.”

Similarly, Father Fehn wants to keep serving in hospital ministry, which for him has its roots in his teenage years when he got a job at as a speech pathology aide at the University of Minnesota Hospital. In his first year of priesthood in 1978, he volunteered to be on call as a chaplain at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis two to three nights a month. That eagerness to spiritually care for sick and dying people remains.

“Sometimes, in praying and listening to the family or the patient, I have teared up,” he said. “If I stop tearing up, if I stop feeling it in my heart, that’s the day I have to leave hospital ministry.”

ANOINTING CORPS With local hospitals tightening restrictions for entering the rooms of patients with COVID-19, Bishop Andrew Cozzens is addressing an important pastoral need — administering the sacrament of the anointing of the sick to those suffering from the illness who are in danger of dying.

Some chaplains at local hospitals no longer enter rooms to see COVID-19 patients, instead ministering by phone or video camera.

So, Bishop Cozzens has put together a team of about a dozen priests (the number is still being finalized) to anoint patients with sacramental oil.

Bishop Cozzens said April 28 that the team is scheduled to have two training sessions within the next week, one online and the other in person, presented by Catholic medical professionals who will outline safety procedures and protocols. Immediately after training is completed, the priests will be put on call to visit patients in their homes, at local hospitals and in nursing homes.

Parishes will be the first point of contact for anointing requests, and will pass along information to medical specialists who will determine who meets the criteria for receiving the sacrament, meaning the person is sick enough to need anointing right away.

Then, those specialists will contact one of the priests to visit the patient in person. All priests serving in this ministry are under 50 and most are parochial vicars, meaning they are not serving as pastors. More than 30 stepped forward to volunteer.

“Our priests have already been getting some anointing requests from people who are seriously ill because of COVID-19,” Bishop Cozzens said. “We plan to use these priests to anoint people wherever they are.”

As they move forward in this ministry, the priests will quarantine themselves, either alone or with other priests on the team, and will pull back from parish ministry. In some cases, they will temporarily change residences.

One of the issues will be navigating the restrictions that are in place at hospitals and care facilities. Bishop Cozzens said he is talking with priests now serving as chaplains at those facilities to determine the best way to proceed.

“We will do our best to work with individual hospitals and their policies,” Bishop Cozzens said, “with in mind this deep concern that the Church always has, that those who are in danger of death could receive the sacraments. So, we will always do our best to try to do that to the extent that we are allowed.”

— Dave Hrbacek

LOCAL

MAY 7, 2020

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7

Synod data analysis was highly organized, deeply spiritual, committee says

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit If the comments were miles, they’d circle the globe — and then some. From January to early April, volunteers spent days each week reading and organizing comments collected from the Prayer and Listening Events held from September to March in preparation for the Archdiocesan Synod.

In all, there were 35,026 comments, described as constructive, heartfelt and insightful by Therese Coons, the Synod’s director.

The comments were the fruit of 19 general Prayer and Listening Events held around the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, as well as 11 focus events with particular groups, such as professed religious, new Catholics and college students. At each event, participants were invited to share three things that are going well in their parishes or the archdiocese right now, and three challenges or opportunities as their parishes and the archdiocese look to the future. They assigned each comment on their feedback forms to one of 15 categories or “other,” and submitted them on paper or electronically.

Those comments addressed the gamut of Catholic life — from marriage and Catholic education to evangelization and the sacraments. It wasn’t uncommon for people to have divergent opinions

SYNOD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 about the faith life of the various demographics who participated and how parishes assist individuals with their spiritual growth.

It’s a lot to digest. Nonetheless, I have set for myself a deadline of June 29 (one of the feasts of our patron, St. Paul) to complete my discernment and announce, as the next step in this process, the broad focus areas that will shape next year’s deanery and parish consultations, which will in turn prepare us for the Synod itself in 2022. Please pray that I might discern wisely and well. I’m grateful that I am supported in this effort by the Synod executive and prayer teams. I am also counting on good feedback in the month ahead from the members of the Presbyteral Council, one of my key advisory bodies.

What have I already learned?

1. Those who participated drew on their broad experience of Church and have given me a great number of topics that would be worthy of discussion and deliberation at a Synod.

Given the experience and level of engagement of those who participated in the Prayer and Listening Events, it probably should not have been surprising that the comments were comprehensive in addressing areas of growth for our local Church. The written comments reflect thoughtfulness and a desire to make sure that our Church is able to give a credible witness to the joy of the Gospel. At times the comments were very specific and addressed particular areas of interest and expertise, at others the comments were high level and treated issues that are being faced across the country if not across the globe. I was impressed by the insightfulness of the assessments.

2. The setting of focus areas is necessary for the success of the Synod, which means some important topics won’t be treated at the 2022 Synod.

Experts in strategic planning have uniformly told me that the success of our Synod, and ultimately its effect on our Church, will depend on our ability to focus on a limited number of areas.

about the same topic, said Dave Bendel, a member of a committee of volunteers that organized and analyzed the data.

In some cases, he said, there were people who felt passionately that something should be one way, and a similar number of people who felt passionately that something should be done another way.

“You wind up having such an extraordinarily broad perspective of opinions, which is exactly what I think the archdiocese was looking for: how to tap into that and get an update in terms of what’s on people’s minds,” said Bendel, recently retired from a career in banking and a member of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake. “It was fascinating to me how strong some of the views are.”

What the comments held in common was respect, said Deacon Bob Schnell, a committee member and retired lawyer who now ministers at St. Patrick in Edina.

“There are lots of people who have very strong feelings, and most of the people have a very deep affection for the archdiocese. People don’t agree.

That’s not a surprise. But almost all of the comments, even when people didn’t agree, were civil, polite and respectful,” he said.

Those comments are informing Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s discernment of focus areas for an Archdiocesan Synod in 2022. Last year, when he announced his plans

I agree. If we try to do everything, we won’t accomplish anything. I would prefer to see us at the conclusion of the Synod doing a few things well rather than taking on too many ideas and ending up with little or no impact.

We’ve all been presented with the classic query: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! I’m looking to determine where we bite first, trying to identify those topics that are either the most urgent or the most foundational (thereby equipping us to address some of the other topics in the future).

I realize that there will be some who will be disappointed that the topics that they proposed might not be within the initial focus areas presented for our deanery and parish consultations next year. I have been wisely cautioned, however, that I need to be realistic about how much we can bite off and chew at this time, conscious of our human resources and financial resources while being confident that the Lord will provide what we need.

I take some comfort in knowing that there will be other opportunities to address those worthy topics, perhaps even in future synods. I have 15 years before I reach retirement age. My hope in the short run is to develop a culture of collaboration that will be ongoing and that will allow us to respond to pressing issues sequentially. We need to address what we want parishes and the archdiocese to look like in the near future so that we can together tackle important issues effectively in the years to come.

That requires a focus on first things first.

3. It seems prudent to focus on areas where there is a realistic hope that our work will be meaningful and present measurable results.

I would wager that few would want to embark on a synod if it’s not going to have consequences that are both real and positive on our life as Catholics in this archdiocese. I need to choose focus areas that will be impactful and that will empower the Synod to be a real tool of governance rather than a mere theoretical exercise.

Among the discussion topics that

for a synod — the first in the archdiocese since the 1930s — he didn’t outline the topics he expected the synod to address. Instead, he first wanted to hear from Catholics in the archdiocese and let their voices inform those topics.

The Prayer and Listening Events were the primary way he sought that input. The Synod team counted a total of 8,173 participants at the three-hour events, which included prayer and reflection, group discussion, and individual feedback shared with Archbishop Hebda.

In November, volunteers began the data entry process, with one volunteer in particular typing the handwritten comments three days a week until late March. Comments written in Spanish, Vietnamese and Polish were translated into English, and all comments were entered into Excel documents.

In early January, Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the Synod’s chairman, organized a committee to begin coding them, matching the comments to subcategories within 20 broader categories. When the right code wasn’t immediately evident — or if a single comment included several “sub-comments” — committee members discussed as a team the best fit.

The process resulted in 144 different subtopics, most coded with whether the writer conveyed the topic as something that “worked well” or “needed

appeared with some frequency are a few that go beyond the competence of a single diocese or mere archbishop to resolve. Some had called, for example, for consideration of the ordination of women as deacons. Others called for changes in the Roman Missal.

While these are topics that could be appropriately discussed at the Synod of Bishops in Rome, decisions on these specific questions at the archdiocesan level could not be concretely implemented, given that these areas are reserved exclusively to the Holy Father.

That doesn’t mean, however, that we won’t be discussing the crucial role of women in our local Church or the importance of the liturgy. It just means that we will be focusing on the portions of those topics over which the Church gives a diocesan bishop competence.

We certainly need women who are involved and engaged in the mission of the Church, as well as liturgies that are reverent and meaningful.

4. The focus areas that will be presented for the deanery and parish consultations have to be open to further refinement.

Pope Francis reminds us that synods must be open to the presence of the Holy Spirit. I am hopeful that my efforts to prayerfully discern the appropriate focus areas will both faithfully reflect the data that was gathered and bear fruit for the next phase of discussion. At the same time, I fully expect that the discussion that will take place next year at the deanery and parish levels will refine and focus the topics before they would be presented to the delegates of the 2022 Synod, especially in light of the ways that the pandemic is changing our lives.

Those discussions will be important steps before we move to the Synod itself. I sure hope that we will get the same positive response that was so evident at the Prayer and Listening Events.

It seems appropriate, moreover, that we would continue to look for opportunities to receive input from groups that may have been underrepresented in our initial consultation.

Plans had been underway for a gathering

PLEASE TURN TO SYNOD DATA ON PAGE 8

of those who feel that they have been marginalized by the Church, but that was put on hold by the pandemic. I hope that we will still find an opportunity for that input and outreach.

5. The Synod process would benefit from the availability of further catechetical and theological opportunities.

Those who participated in the Prayer and Listening Events will recall that the purpose of the listening portion was simply to receive what was presented, rather than respond to the substance of any particular comment. There wasn’t the time or the opportunity for theological or catechetical discussions.

With the adjustment in the schedule required by the pandemic, it seems that there might now be time for those discussions. I will be exploring with the Catechetical Institute, the seminary and our nearby Catholic universities the possibility of scheduling over the next year: one session on the sources of Catholic teaching (Scripture, tradition and magisterium); another on priesthood (looking at both the priesthood of the baptized and the ordained priesthood); another on the Church’s understanding of the dignity of women; and finally, one on the foundations of the Church’s teaching on sexual morality and the family. That could help ensure that we all have a common grounding in the Church’s teaching before we engage in further discussion and deliberation on what it means for us.

6. The success of the Synod will depend on the continued involvement of the faithful.

Seeing the fruits of the Prayer and Listening Events, I feel blessed that we have generous laity, consecrated women and men, and priests who have so much wisdom and good will to offer our Church. The success of the Synod will depend upon efforts to sustain that broad interest, particularly as its trajectory has been lengthened. Please stay tuned for the announcement of the focus areas, and please remember to continue to pray for the fruitfulness of the Synod (and particularly for my work in the next month).

8 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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MAY 7, 2020

Archbishop Hebda, Bishop Cozzens bless senior care residents amid COVID-19 pandemic

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit Sue Schinzel lost her mother, Margaret Strauss, on April 21 to COVID-19.

Strauss, 83, had Alzheimer’s disease and had lived for three years in the memory care unit at St. Therese of New Hope. When she moved to St. Therese, her husband, Thomas, 87, visited her several days a week, until coronavirusrelated restrictions that began in March prevented him, Schinzel said. A staff member updated the family each day.

On April 15, the family learned Margaret had stopped eating. The next day, test results for coronavirus came back positive. Five days later, she died.

Margaret is among 47 residents at St. Therese who have died from COVID-19 since April 6. The first time someone at the facility tested positive for the virus was April 5.

While the deaths on the skilled nursing side of the facility — a complex that also offers independent living apartments — account for about 10% of Minnesota’s 455 deaths related to COVID-19, it is not alone among senior care facilities struggling with the illness.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported May 4 that 80% of deaths in the state stemming from COVID-19 have occurred in long-term care and assisted living facilities.

Recognizing the hardship and trauma, Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens visited St. Therese and four other senior care facilities in the

Twin Cities May 2. They prayed a decade of the rosary at each and blessed the facilities and their residents.

Local news media have reported that some family members wonder if the St. Therese facility could have done more or kept residents and families better informed. Schinzel said that was not her family’s experience.

“I just want to say that nobody’s angry,” said Schinzel, a nurse practitioner who worked in a nursing home earlier in her career. Schinzel said she and her father were pleased with Margaret’s care. “I think it all was taken care of correctly ... and the staff (at St. Therese) were wonderful, the social workers to occupational therapists, everybody.”

St. Therese has now tested every resident for coronavirus, and awaits results. In early March — about a month before the first resident tested positive for the virus — the facility closed its 258-bed skilled nursing facility to visitors, vendors and partners to protect residents and staff. The facility has not taken any new admissions since April 5, said Barb Rode, its president and CEO. “We didn’t want to … not be aware of who might be coming in with COVID,” she said, because people can carry the virus but not show symptoms.

Residents who died of complications from COVID-19 ranged in age from 83 to 96, Rode said. Most had orders in place not to be resuscitated or intubated in the event of any serious illness. All but one was a resident in long-term care.

In a statement released April 29,

St. Therese officials said any time a resident’s condition changes, that person’s family is asked about any desires to change treatment options. Even after learning that their loved one tested positive, most families kept their existing treatment plans, while others adopted advance directives, officials said.

Having so many residents with “do not resuscitate” and “do not intubate” directives is one reason why only a handful of residents were hospitalized, facility officials said. Only one family asked to move their relative from the facility after hearing of a positive test.

Sue Sullivan’s mother, Dianne Crawford, 86, was a nursing director at St. Therese for more than 25 years, and she lives there now. She has Alzheimer’s disease and has tested positive for the coronavirus. She lives in an area with other residents who have tested positive for the virus, and so far she is doing well, Sullivan said.

The facility moved all virus-positive residents together to prevent infection of others, and to conserve personal protection equipment for staff. The move follows guidance from the Atlantabased Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Minnesota Department of Health, facility officials said.

Sullivan said her mother’s condition is stable, and she is confident that her mother is getting the care she needs. As with all visitors now, her father cannot visit his wife, but he is updated daily on her status.

In addition to her mother’s work at St. Therese, the family has longstanding ties to the facility, Sullivan said. Her grandmother and great-grandmother were residents. Many family members worked there. Sullivan’s work there began with volunteering as a young teen and, later, she became a nurse’s aide and unit manager.

Schinzel said her late mother, Margaret, was a fiery redheaded Irish gal before Alzheimer’s changed that. During the four weeks her family could not visit, they could have called her, but Margaret always pulled out her hearing aids. Once death neared, they were allowed to visit, but Thomas declined. By then, Margaret was unconscious. “She was there, and then it was like she just vanished,” Schinzel said.

Because of the pandemic, the family did not bring home her belongings. A “normal funeral” wasn’t an option, but Schinzel’s father insisted on Mass right away at the couple’s parish, Epiphany in Coon Rapids. With pandemic-related restrictions, only 10 people could be present, so seven family members attended in addition to the celebrant, server and a singer. Any number of people were welcome outdoors at the plot, but they needed to stand 6 feet apart. Some wore masks and a few wore gloves.

Besides arthritis, Margaret had no underlying medical conditions. She could not receive anointing of the sick in her final days, but staff told Schinzel that she did receive the sacrament last fall at the facility.

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There were nights in the past few months that Fasano couldn’t sleep, she said, as she found herself thinking long and hard about a particular writer’s pain or experience.

For committee member Viviana Sotro, the comments served as a reminder that each person is important to the local Church. “Every personal life is being touched in a very unique way, and spiritually, it’s like all of us are together in this journey to God,” said Sotro, who oversees marriage and family life ministry at St. Stephen in Minneapolis. “Each of us is bringing our own baggage, and we are blessed to have the Church at this time willing to hear that … a Church that wants to know what’s going on in the life of their people.”

Committee members said they are confident that the process met a high standard of integrity, and that the final report is true in its quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data.

“In other words, we can’t just form summaries based on our intuition or our personal experiences, or the things we thought we read in doing our data input, or forming mental notes,” said Bendel, who worked on the final report. “It was very data driven.”

The Prayer and Listening Events — and the feedback they provided — was the first phase of a now-three-year process leading up to the Archdiocesan Synod, a weekend event in spring 2022. Launched June 2019, the pre-synod process was initially designed to take two years, but last month, Archbishop Hebda extended it a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. With the committee’s report in hand and access to all 35,026 comments, he is discerning the Synod topic areas. He expects to announce them by June 29.

improvement.” They then analyzed the data, prepared a final report and presented it to Archbishop Hebda in April, along with a list of proposed focus areas for the Synod based on the data.

The process “was a lot of work and a lot of fun,” Coons said. “It was a privilege to work with such a talented group of people all motivated out of love for our Lord and his Church. Like any big project, the work was broken down into pieces and th e team worked collaboratively. It took fortitude — that’s for sure — but the team was undaunted and took joy in each other and the process.”

Committee members were chosen to reflect a cross section of Catholics: clergy, religious sisters, and lay men and women from different cultures. They rooted their work in prayer, beginning the day with lectio divina, prayerful meditation on Scripture. They often attended the noon Mass at the Catholic Center together, and prayed again in the afternoon, sometimes the rosary with decades in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. And they prayed for the people who wrote the comments, especially in cases where a comment revealed pain or a personal need.

It was a privilege to read the words people shared, said Yen Fasano, a committee member and a parishioner of St. Anne-St. Joseph Hien in Minneapolis.

The more she read, the deeper her commitment grew to honoring those comments and upholding the integrity of the process.

When people shared what was going well, their comments were simple, clear and concise, she said. When people shared challenges, the comments were typically longer and more complex.

MAY 7, 2020

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9

NATION+WORLD Church life expected to reflect safe practices when public Masses resume

By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service When public Masses and the celebration of the sacraments resume in dioceses where they were suspended, the look and feel of worship are not expected to be that which parishioners have been accustomed.

Social distancing in pews, requirements that Massgoers wear facial protection and even Masses without distribution of holy Communion — or having distribution moved to the end of a liturgy or to another time — are all possibilities depending on local circumstances and the prudential judgment of bishops.

Bishops are faced with having to balance public safety while maintaining the respect and reverence of the Eucharist and the liturgical and sacramental symbolism of Mass rites.

Don’t expect a one-size-fits-all standard, advised the executive director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“It isn’t really possible to have national guidelines,” Father Andrew Menke told Catholic News Service April 29.

“Circumstances are different in different places.

Different places are in different stages in the evolution of the crisis. And you have practical differences in what’s happening in urban areas than that in rural areas. So it’s really hard to make guidelines for everyone,” Father Menke said.

“Different bishops may have different thoughts on how best to serve their people in these odd circumstances,” he added.

Individual bishops and state Catholic conferences have begun considering how they will proceed as state governors begin to ease stay-at-home orders, allow businesses to reopen and lift restrictions on public gatherings.

A few dioceses never suspended public liturgies, with the local bishop determining that the risk of spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was minimal.

Entering into the mix is extensive guidance developed by the Thomistic Institute at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington. The institute’s Working Group on Infectious Protocols for Sacraments and Pastoral Care April 28 released guidance on a wide list of practices that would maintain the integrity of liturgy and the distribution of Communion.

The guidance, the 21-page document said, “aims to clarify how spiritual care, including public Masses, can be responsibly offered, especially as peak restrictions on public activities are beginning to be relaxed in phases.”

It follows a White House plan issued in mid-April calling for the gradual reopening of U.S. society in three phases. A newer draft guidance offers more specific recommendations on how the country, including places of worship, increasingly can best reopen.

The working group document detailed the steps that parishes and dioceses can take through the various phases. It offered recommendations on the scheduling of Masses, the distribution of holy Communion and the role of priests at Mass.

The working group includes a mix of clergy and physicians who worked in consultation with others who have expertise in liturgical norms, theology and medical practices.

Representatives of the working group were unavailable for comment.

One specific provision in the guidance, whether under strict or eased limits on public gatherings, advised that the priest celebrant and other ministers should not wear masks or gloves during the celebration of Mass.

Under more strict limits, the guidance suggests that all ministers stay at least six feet away from each other and prayer books could be placed on a stand so that

Mass servers would not have to violate social-distancing standards.

As gathering restrictions ease, the guidance suggests that Masses could be scheduled more frequently, with attendance on a first-come, first-served basis or on a rotating basis among parishioners. It supported drive-in Masses, which have become an increasingly wider option for parishes and missions, with worshippers remaining in their vehicle.

Pews can be roped off to allow for proper physical distancing, the task force said.

The guidance also offered options for the distribution of holy Communion under tight restrictions: u Mass can be celebrated with only the priest and deacon, if present, receiving the Eucharist, with no distribution to the limited number of people in attendance. “Obviously, it is far preferable that the faithful would receive Communion, but at least in this case they would be able to attend Mass in person.” u Mass followed by Communion distribution with precautions. The task force said this option is preferred because it “respects the symbolic and liturgical integrity of Mass,” avoids practices in Mass that could lead to liturgical abuse, gives greater freedom to worshippers to receive Communion or not, and provides additional precautions to reduce risk.

Widespread use of hand sanitizer is recommended in the guidance before and even during distribution should a priest come in contact with a person receiving Communion. u A “reasonable option” is Communion distribution during Mass as normal as long as special care is taken to maintain social distancing otherwise throughout the liturgy. The guidance said the minimal interaction among priest and communicant poses little risk based on federal health guidelines.

The guidance urged that Communion in the cup should not be offered at all even when limits on gatherings are lifted. Only people with a severe reaction to gluten should be allowed to receive Communion from the cup, the guidance said.

It stressed that anyone receiving Communion should do so without a mask in place and without protective gloves, and Communion cannot be distributed by anyone wearing gloves.

As limits on public gatherings ease, the guidance said, more restrictive practices for receiving holy Communion could also be eased as long as special precautions remain in place to limit contact between individuals.

The guidance said that Communion on the tongue could be allowed even under highly restrictive gathering limits. It called for appropriate precautions to be followed so that “it is possible to distribute on the tongue without unreasonable risk.”

Archbishops and bishops in several dioceses have temporarily suspended the reception of Communion on the tongue.

An hourlong webinar April 29 organized by GIA Publications featured a discussion by two members of Hartford, Connecticut-based Trinity Health of New England, who cautioned worshippers to wear masks when church services resume.

“No one should be in a Catholic church without wearing one of these,” said Jerry Galipeau, executive director for mission integration for the health system, while pointing to the surgical mask he was wearing.

“That’s going to go on for a year.”

He and Dr. David Shapiro, a surgeon serving at the system’s St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, acknowledged planning for a return of church ministries will be difficult in the weeks and months ahead, given that social distancing will be key to keeping the coronavirus at bay.

“We have to start thinking like Costco in our churches,” Galipeau told webinar participants. That means church ushers may have to tell the faithful to maintain social distancing whether they are entering a church for Mass or in line to receive holy Communion.

HEADLINES u Joliet Diocese’s bishop resigns, Bishop Pates continues as administrator. Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of 71-year-old Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of Joliet, Illinois, just over four months after the bishop took a medical leave of absence.

In the May 4 announcement, the Vatican nuncio to the United States also said Pope Francis had confirmed retired Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, as apostolic administrator of the diocese, a role he has held since Bishop Conlon’s leave of absence. The normal retirement age for a bishop is 75. u Vatican says bones are not those of missing woman. Because all of the human bones found in a Vatican cemetery last summer were at least 100 years old, the Vatican City State court officially closed April 30 its investigation into the possibility that some of the remains belonged to a teenage woman missing for more than 30 years. Emanuela Orlandi, a Vatican City resident and the daughter of a Vatican employee, disappeared in Rome June 22, 1983, when she was 15. A forensic team concluded its study of the bones July 28, 2019. u U.S. bishops issue statement in support of migrant farmworkers during pandemic. Four U.S. Catholic bishops called on government officials April 29 to consider the role and plight of U.S. migrant farmworkers during the coronavirus pandemic and made recommendations that include free testing and care should the workers test positive for COVID-19. The bishops recommended that housing and transportation for farmworkers comply with current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, that workers receive information on proper health and hygiene accessible in multiple languages and infographics for workers who can’t read, that employers ensure access to proper hygiene and safety protections at work sites, including hand-washing facilities or stations, and masks or other personal protective equipment. u Catholic leaders press Trump to support aid to schools during pandemic. President Donald Trump said he would seek federal financial support for Catholic schools as they confront the coronavirus pandemic, in an April 26 conference call with Catholic leaders and educators. Many schools across the country have sustained severe financial stresses since the pandemic emerged in the U.S. in February, according to the National Catholic Educational Association. The need is particularly acute under the pandemic even though some schools have obtained forgivable Small Business Administration loans under the new Paycheck Protection Program. The loans are primarily meant for entities with less than 500 employees, including nonprofits such as schools and churches, so they can keep staff employed for up to eight weeks. Catholic school administrators nationwide face major questions as they prepare for the new academic year, however, because of the potential loss of tuition from families whose wage-earners have suffered layoffs and the high expense of converting in-person classes to online learning. u Sainthood cause for Dorothy Day picking up steam in U.S. The sainthood cause for Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker movement, believes it could have all of the documentation prepared at some point next year to send to the Vatican Congregation for Saints’ Causes. It would represent the culmination of an effort begun informally in 1997, but in earnest in 2002. The Claretian Fathers, through their magazines U.S. Catholic and Salt, began hailing Day as a saint shortly after her death in 1980. u Vatican releases free book of pope’s homilies, prayers for ‘difficult times.’ The Vatican published April 21 a free downloadable book of Pope Francis’ prayers and homilies responding to the trial and suffering of the coronavirus pandemic. Titled “Strong in the Face of Tribulation,” the book also contains suggestions for Catholics who are unable to receive the sacraments due to restrictive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. u Pope sets up new commission to study women deacons. Pope Francis established a new “Study Commission on the Female Diaconate” April 8 as a follow-up to a previous group that studied the history of women deacons in the New Testament and the early Christian communities. None of the commission’s 12 members were part of the commission Pope Francis established in 2016 to study the historical facts about the women referred to as deaconesses in the New Testament and about the role of women deacons in the early Chuch.

— Catholic News Service

10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Creativity and despite

Father Nels Gjengdahl, chaplain and theology teacher at Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria, connects with students via livestream and online video from his office at the rectory of Sts. Joachim and Anne in Shakopee, where he lives. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Spiritual connection Chaplains minister to high schoolers at home

By Debbie Musser For The Catholic Spirit

A

s distance learning has become the new normal this spring across Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, students have had to adapt to onscreen lectures, sitting alone in the confines of their homes.

That can be difficult for classes like theology, which are particularly enriched by open discussion.

But, steps are being taken online to help maintain relationships and grow spiritually, including unique opportunities for faith formation and prayer.

“It’s really been an eye opener to tell us how badly we need our daily interactions with people outside of our house,” said Edward Stuart, a sophomore at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights who lives in Edina.

Stuart is missing the classroom experience of attending his favorite class, “Sacraments and Morality,” taught by Father Mark Pavlak, who also serves as school chaplain.

“That class is so special and different from the rest of my classes as it’s discussion-based, where we can ask questions and have deeper conversations with a priest,” Stuart said. “It’s been great for our faith life and our personal life, too.”

To maintain that connection with students, Father Pavlak is using both recorded lectures and live class sessions, and checking in to ask how his students and their families are doing. He also records short YouTube videos that students (and parents) can access to be strengthened in their spiritual lives.

“It could be a Gospel reflection, a word of encouragement, Stations of the Cross, a discussion of the parts of the Mass or taking a tour of the sacristy,” he said.

Father Pavlak notes that his biggest challenge has been not seeing the students at school, with their energy, humor and personalities that are complemented by being around one another. “It’s been important for me to stay connected with them as their priest,” he said.

“During times of uncertainty, fear and disappointment, a Catholic school must continue to pass on the faith, pass on what is best in culture and draw out what is best in their students,” he said.

Father Nels Gjengdahl, chaplain and theology teacher at Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria, also acknowledges the challenges students are facing during these trying times.

“For most of their lives, they have been told by well-meaning adults to put the screen down,” said Father Gjengdahl. “Now they are told to spend hours and hours facing the screen without the usual breaks to interact with their peers.”

To foster students’ spiritual lives, Father Gjengdahl broadcasts live daily Mass as well as night prayer at the end of the day. He’s also starting an optional online Bible study and weekly Catholic book club.

“I am a big fan of the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose stories were influenced not just by his Catholic faith, but were really an expression of his understanding of Jesus Christ and salvation,” Father Gjengdahl said.

“One of Tolkien’s greatest themes has been the ability of God to bring unexpected and beautiful good out of tragedy — the very message of Easter,” he said. “This is an important message for our school community, especially the seniors, who are experiencing losses that will not be able to be replaced.”

Kalie Dahl, 17, of Cologne, is one of those Holy Family seniors. “This pandemic started with the cancellation of our overnight senior retreat that we were looking forward to all year,” Dahl said. “Then came the cancellation of our spring sports seasons, senior spring break trips, honor society banquet, prom and wondering if we’ll have a graduation.”

“I feel so blessed to be a part of a community that goes above and beyond to care for every individual,” Dahl said. “Our spirits are brightened by daily convocation videos, which always begin with, ‘Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God.’ They include prayers usually said each day at school, so continuing to recite them at home creates a solidarity with our whole school community.”

Rogers resident Anastasia Setter, 18, is also finishing her senior year, through distance learning at Totino-Grace High School in Fridley. “It’s a place where many of us find our identities, and walking through the front doors is something I miss daily,” she said.

Setter is grateful that the school’s campus ministry staff is offering opportunities for students to gather in community and share in prayer.

“Father Andrew Zipp is just a joy to have as our chaplain in general, but his online involvement has been very special to us as we embark on this new journey to spread God’s joy,” Setter said.

“Tuesday mornings before classes begin, Father Zipp joins in a Google Hangout with anyone from the student body who logs on, answering questions about faith, the Bible and really anything,” she said.

Totino-Grace also offers online chapel prayer services led by students Wednesdays and Thursdays, plus Friday Coffee and Convos, where students have spiritual conversations with weekly guests including faculty, staff and Christian

As Catholic schools enter the eighth week since c distance learning, school leaders and parents con High school chaplains are striving to meet their st particular for seniors whose final year has been u schools that have high percentages of students liv extends well beyond reading, writing and math, to navigating parents’ job loss. These endeavors are Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis recomm rest of the academic year.

DISTANCE LEARNING CONTINUES Archdiocesan leaders recommend the campuses of the 91 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis remain closed to students for the remainder of the academic year.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the archdiocese’s vicar for Catholic education, and Jason Slattery, archdiocesan director of Catholic education, announced the recommendation in a letter to school leaders April 23, hours after Gov. Tim Walz announced Minnesota’s public and charter school buildings would remain closed for the rest of the school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This new executive order brings with it new challenges for the entire community, especially for our Catholic schools. Following the recommendation of Public Health officials, we are recommending that Catholic school buildings remain closed for students,” Bishop Cozzens and Slattery said in the letter.

Walz closed Minnesota public school campuses March 18. The same week, with the recommendation of archdiocesan leaders, Catholic schools in the archdiocese closed their school buildings and transitioned to distance learning for their students.

“COVID-19 remains a threat that has substantially impacted K-12 education,” the letter from Bishop Cozzens and Slattery stated. “As we learn more about this threat every day, the Archdiocese continues to carefully assess and provide guidance to our Catholic schools. Along with our commitment to the mission of Catholic education, the guidance of Public Health officials has been essential to inform how our Catholic schools might best serve our students during these uncertain times.

“Admittedly, for all of us, the learning curve is high,” they continued. “The challenges are many, and time has not always been on our side, but your trust in the help of God and the remarkable leadership you show in Catholic schools shines through all these obstacles.”

— Maria Wiering Brothers, who sponsor the school.

“As we continue to navigate what it means to be online, we are looking to create other opportunities for us to be a community of faith,” said Traci Bennington, Totino-Grace campus minister.

“We’ve added weekly men’s and women’s small groups, as well as service opportunities for the students such as writing encouraging letters to senior communities and hospitals,” she said. “As we set on this new course, we want to help our students keep God and one another close and present in thought and prayer.”

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MAY 7, 2020 • 11

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n Sartell likens it to a skyscraper. cating children can feel like a e construction project, building ntals in order to reach great rincipal of Risen Christ Catholic nneapolis, Sartell uses the onvey the intricacy of a Catholic

he coronavirus has forced her se and implement distance ell said, that skyscraper is in new gine someone knocked at your you a blueprint and said, ‘Take kyscraper. It better not fall.’ That’s asked parents to do.” is especially daunting for g in poverty, which hinders their ments that are now crucial such as utors, translators, childcare, food Sartell understands their needs an 90% of Risen Christ students ee or reduced lunch based on me. holic schools with the largest populations in the archdiocese mountains to make remote k, but their closures have resulted able lag in the tutoring that had place, threatening to widen the gap and capsize already stressed

hrist, which enrolls 330 students arten through eighth grade, the ed to alleviate their burdens one

aptism by fire,” Sartell said. “This e learning. This is emergency ning. There’s a difference.” isen Christ staff equipped their h the technology needed for ng, offering to lend them tablets books from the classroom — one bout 80% needed them, Sartell

an exhaustive effort to ensure dent has access to the internet. imply alerting parents to w COVID-19 offer of free wireless,

— The Catholic Spirit

Bryan Sinchi, a fourth-grader at Risen Christ Catholic School in Minneapolis, receives a pizza from Principal Joelynn Sartell April 29 in front of his south Minneapolis apartment building. At left is Susana Villalobos, a fourth-grade teacher at the school. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

staff members made the calls for their parents to get them set up.

“It wasn’t a quick process,” Sartell said. “For some it took about two weeks.”

Providing learning materials in both English and Spanish was paramount, including the SeeSaw app, live video calls on Zoom and the IXL educational website. Spanish is the first language in the vast majority of Risen Christ families.

If parents are in the dark because of a language barrier, trouble can ensue. Some students tried to convince their Spanishspeaking parents that school is on hiatus due to the coronavirus, Sartell said.

Faculty coordinate Zoom calls with care, mindful of how many families are sharing one device. Teachers make a point to check the previously scheduled Zoom calls for their students’ siblings before setting a time.

Keeping every student engaged has required the outreach of some 18 staff members, Sartell said. They’ve set up a process to check in with families who fall silent.

After a day of no contact, someone sends an email. The message: “Is everything OK?” After a second day, someone calls.

Their efforts are paying off. Around 85% are communicating with their teachers on a daily basis, Sartell said.

She tries to respond to all their needs. Every Monday parents come to the school for a drive-through pick-up of free meals. A link on the school’s website that says “How can we help you?” leads to a simple Google form where parents can request other forms of help.

The school’s City Connects employee is busy helping families access resources from Minneapolis, including those who have lost their work and are struggling to pay bills.

Viviana Dominguez is among them. Her job doing food prep at a restaurant got reduced to four hours a week, and her husband lost his factory job due to COVID-19.

“It’s very difficult,” she told a translator in Spanish.

Thankfully, Risen Christ supplied her daughters with a tablet and free food. And when Dominguez called to discuss her job loss, she was told not to worry about tuition. “It was a huge burden lifted off my shoulders,” she said.

Sartell confirmed that donors are aware of the pandemic’s devastating impact and are increasing financial aid as needed.

Still, Dominguez wishes she could be of greater service to her daughters, who are in second and fifth grade. Most of their online materials appear in English and do not make sense to her, she said. “It’s stressful because I wish I could help the girls more,” she said.

Instead, her older daughter periodically helps her younger daughter. No doubt, it is not the same as receiving in-person instruction from an experienced teacher.

These educational gaps are emerging in more pronounced ways among low-income students. Many rely on tutors, whose aid was largely absent from the initial weeks of distance learning.

A legion of nearly 100 volunteer tutors help Risen Christ students, but as their primary teachers were consumed by planning and executing their own brand-new online lessons, they were unable to set up the tutors.

In late April, one month after remote learning began, the tutors were just beginning to be utilized online.

Risen Christ’s Title I and Title III teachers, meanwhile, were directed to focus on the highest risk students, which make up about 20% of the student body — even though twothirds qualify for those services based on their standardized test scores, attendance and lack of a permanent home.

“Some of those kids are on pause right now,” Sartell acknowledged.

Arranging additional online meetings with specialists — on top of the regular requirements — is an unrealistic expectation for some families right now. “With those kids, just doing what the teacher is asking was hard enough,” she said.

Teachers recognize those pressures and, as needed, have scaled back the workload. They intend to be proactive about making up any losses. In late May, the Risen Christ faculty will document where they left off with their standards and confer with teachers of the subsequent grade to determine how they should adjust the fall curriculum.

Teachers at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Twin Cities in Minneapolis will be making similar adjustments as they recalibrate for the fall. The school donated or loaned more than 100 computers to students, though it could have used more, according to Principal Erin Healy. Some students are still relying on smartphones to do their distance learning, she said.

Healy and her team also secured funding to set up around 75 hotspots for students and recent graduates. Around a dozen staff members check in with students to help keep them engaged on a daily basis — and the majority are.

“However, we have students in each grade who are still really struggling and have completed far less work,” Healy said.

Unlike grade-school students living in poverty, teens shoulder an additional burden: taking on jobs or picking up extra hours to

make up for their parents’ COVID-19-related job loss. Sometimes it’s too much to bear.

“I worry about them every day,” Healy said.

Faculty have tried to make distance learning as manageable as possible, in part by doing asynchronous classes. Not all students can meet at a set time when some have jobs. It also helps families who have limited devices and bandwidth.

Like Risen Christ, Cristo Rey Jesuit has not been able to maintain its robust tutoring program. Before the high school closed, about 120 of the 485 students were in tutoring. As of late April, only 20 were being tutored online.

More are participating every day though, Healy said.

The school’s two full-time counselors and one part-time counselor are busy helping students cope with the myriad stresses brought on by the coronavirus.

Being mindful of those stresses, Healy said, is what distinguishes a Catholic education, which forms a student’s body, mind and soul.

“Our approach isn’t: ‘Where’s your stuff?

What’s the problem?’” Healy said. “We care deeply about academics. We have really high standards. But right now, we’re emphasizing the Jesuit principle of ‘cura personalis,’ care of the whole person. First and foremost, we want to make sure the student is doing OK.” Offering the kind of spiritual support that Cristo Rey Jesuit students have come to rely on is more urgent than ever during a pandemic, Healy said. That’s why the school has continued its ritual of doing a daily examen at 1:20 p.m. This is supplemented by virtual prayer services and encouraging videos from faculty members.

Sartell models a similar approach at Risen Christ. “If a student seems out of sorts, your first question should always be about the social and emotional aspect and not ‘How come I didn’t get your assignment?’”

After 30 years in education, she’s learned that when an academic or behavior problem pops up, there’s always an underlying issue at home.

Blanketing students in a strong sense of community through school helps — which requires some creativity now that they are apart. Sartell launched “Virtual Bingo with the Principal,” which has been a fun way to stay connected.

The winner promptly receives a free pizza delivered by Sartell herself, joined by staff members who practice social distancing. They chant and cheer for the student at the front door, leaving behind warm food and warm hearts.

12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MAY 7, 2020

FAITH+CULTURE Seminarians strengthen bonds in ‘cloister’ during pandemic

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit

O

n March 20, as Minnesota residents prepared to follow Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order to curb the spread of COVID-19, men studying for the priesthood at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul embarked on an opportunity: instead of returning home, they began a “cloister” at the seminary.

While many major seminaries in other parts of the country chose to send their seminarians home, Father Joseph Taphorn, seminary rector and vice president, met with his leadership team and decided to keep the facility open to its graduate-level seminarians. It would operate in a cloistered environment, with little direct contact with the outside world.

The decision took effect the weekend before spring break.

“It made the most sense to me because this is home,” Father Taphorn said. The vast majority of the seminarians live at the seminary, where they also worship and take classes.

“We might as well do it together (rather) than scatter to the four winds,” he said. “Let’s continue the work we were doing.”

Seminary leadership gave the men and their bishops a choice to stay or go home.

“Rather than say ‘everybody has to do this,’ we phrased it like an invitation: If you would like to … ride out the storm together, this is what it will look like. And we’d love to have you stay together and be part of it,” Father Taphorn said.

One diocese asked its three seminarians to return home, and another seminarian from a second diocese also left. Four Pro Ecclesia Sancta brothers and deacons, as well as one other seminarian, already lived off-site.

The other 59 seminarians decided to stay. Twelve priests are also living at the seminary, including spiritual and formation directors and Father Taphorn.

There have been challenges under the unique circumstances, but it also has born great fruit and offered opportunities for growth, several seminarians said.

At first it seemed daunting to live so

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

From left, seminarians Kyle Etzel, Jason Lee and John Rumpza talk in the courtyard at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul April 27. close with others, with no chance to break away by going to a restaurant or a movie, said Jason Lee of St. Boniface in Waukee, Iowa.

“But that also allows friendships to become closer,” Lee said. “A lot of guys play board games or go for walks together or bike rides, so it’s a great opportunity for fraternity and solidarity.”

Being able to take long bike rides has been “heaven,” Lee said.

The special fraternity developing among the seminarians will impact their future ministries, said Kyle Etzel of St. Hubert in Chanhassen. “Once we’re ordained and have the kinds of bonds that we’re developing in this sort of pressure cooker situation, I think it’s going to pay off. Fraternity within a seminary is something every seminarian hopes for and every rector is trying to accomplish.”

The faithful will benefit, too, Etzel said, when their priests know each other well and can have a good, holy, healthy fraternity. “I think that’s the single biggest thing that’s going to come out of this.”

Another fruit of the cloistered environment was a March 25 online video prepared for Pope Francis. Seven seminarians gathered in the chapel to sing and record “Ave Maria,” honoring the solemnity of the Annunciation. The video includes a message from transitional Deacon Tim Tran to the Holy Father dedicating their prayer to Pope Francis and his ministry, and to people around

the world suffering, especially from the coronavirus pandemic, and unable to receive the sacraments at this time.

The cloister experience also has confronted the seminarians with an opportunity to take a hard look at their interior lives, said seminarian John Rumpza of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, referring to what C.S. Lewis called “a severe mercy.”

“It’s given me the opportunity to spend time with the Lord and show him those places … and actually bring healing, joy and peace,” he said. It’s difficult but powerful work, Rumpza said, and it has profoundly changed him.

Rumpza said it wasn’t difficult for him to decide to stay in cloister. “What will best serve my mission of being formed into a spiritual father and leader?” he asked. “To remain here in an environment of prayer, study and brotherhood? Or risk going somewhere else, where much would be uncertain?”

He values the support of his fellow seminarians, and formation and spiritual directors. “And we are immensely blessed to have the chapel in house,” he said.

The decision also did not require a lot of thought for Etzel, knowing he’d have access to the sacraments and be in the house with “brother seminarians.” Etzel said he called his mother and assured her of his love for her and the rest of the family, but he felt called to remain with Jesus and the Eucharist.

The fraternity and “being around 70 of my closest friends,” makes this easier, Etzel said, and technology keeps him connected with family.

Lee said he felt a bit anxious about being cloistered, but that ultimately, the decision wasn’t his. It was up to his bishop and the vocations director.

“They were asking us to stay … and if we had a good reason to come back home, I could take it up with them. So that took away the anxiety and a lot of the stress,” he said.

It also was a chance to practice obedience, he said.

The seminarians had high praise for Father Taphorn. “It’s been inspiring to watch him lead us,” Rumpza said, “with his characteristic sense of ease and openness, yet also with great strength and vision. He truly is the house father, and we are so grateful.”

Today, seminarians can access the chapel, a kitchen area and community room while practicing social distancing.

They can leave the building for exercise, but no one from outside can come into the “cloister,” which draws on the idea of

a monastery community whose members rarely, if ever, leave.

Classes are livestreamed or prerecorded. “That’s been great,” Rumpza said. “When I didn’t quite catch something, I can simply rewind.” Online classes pose challenges, he said, but he is grateful to be able to continue his studies.

Class times vary, but the in-common schedule includes eucharistic adoration at 6:30 a.m., morning prayer at 7:15 a.m. followed by breakfast, Mass at 11:45 a.m. followed by lunch, an optional rosary at 4:30 p.m. and evening prayer at 5 p.m. followed by dinner.

A food service worker from the University of St. Thomas — where the seminarians normally eat their meals — wheels a large food cart just steps away from the university to the seminary three times a day, leaving it in the vestibule for someone to retrieve and disinfect.

Wearing gloves, an assigned team lays out individual meals. Each seminarian takes a meal to a table where chairs are spaced widely apart, or to another room or the back patio.

They go to daily Mass in the seminary’s St. Mary’s Chapel, but tape is used to mark the distance seminarians need to sit apart. They receive the body of Christ at Mass and can go to confession behind a screen at a greater distance. Seminarians do not receive the precious blood, nor do they exchange the sign of peace.

Etzel said they do not take for granted the chance to attend Mass at a time public Masses are suspended, and to receive sacraments.

Being in cloister, Lee said, also provides more opportunities for prayer. “One thing this cloister has taught me is the importance of intercessory prayer for other people. We can’t go out and minister to people, but what we can do is bring all their prayers and petitions to the Lord at Mass.”

Each seminarian works with a “teaching parish” for four years.

Assignments vary and usually involve on-site visits. Now they turn to virtual connections. Many seminarians give online lessons to members of their teaching parish, or teach classes for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Rumpza said.

Rumpza thought it would be difficult to connect in this format. “But I’ve been amazed to find that God is generous with his grace, making it every bit as fruitful — and in some cases, maybe even more so,” he said.

The seminarians know their life together like this won’t last forever. They are scheduled to leave for the summer May 23.

Etzel normally would be working in hospital ministry this summer, but because of coronavirus-related precautions at hospitals, plans have changed. Instead, he and other seminarians will be studying Spanish in online classes. Transitional deacons will be placed in parishes.

In cloister mode, Lee said, life is simplified. “Our schedule is simplified.

Our food has become more simple. … We just have what we need. And that is good enough.”

In that simplicity, Lee said he sees how God provides for daily needs. “Everything comes from God. We’re not wanting. …

It’s a very beautiful way to live.”

MAY 7, 2020

FAITH+CULTURE

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13

U.S. bishops aim to bolster parish-based pro-life outreach

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

PRO-LIFE WORK

A

n unplanned pregnancy hasn’t been the only difficulty Diane faced this year. Putting food on the table and connecting with loved ones also were challenges.

But, the 18-year-old single mother found help. While caring for her two older children and looking for housing, she received a pro-life organization’s help with needs big and small, from assistance in finding rides around Minneapolis to a trip to Kansas City to stay with loved ones.

That support helped Diane, who asked that her real name not be used, choose life for her baby, said Nancy Kiolbasa, 59, founder and director of the Stillwaterbased outreach Marriage Material, which accompanies and provides aid to women during pregnancy and encourages them to consider marriage after their baby’s birth.

Women in crisis pregnancies “feel very loved just by someone calling Lyft and getting them a ride someplace — it’s a tiny little thing that doesn’t cost much money,” Kiolbasa said.

Kiolbasa, a parishioner of St. Michael in Stillwater, also helped Diane this winter by buying groceries and bus tickets for her, her children and the baby’s father to return to Kansas City, Missouri, where Diane’s mother could assist them before the baby’s birth.

Parishes can play an important role in connecting mothers and families in need like Diane with organizations such as Marriage Material, that can help them, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. As part of an initiative launched March 25 called “Walking with Moms in Need,” Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, set up a website, walkingwithmoms.com, that includes resources, outreach tools and models to help parishes make, maintain and expand those connections. Bishops around the country are encouraged to invite parishes in their dioceses to participate.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Marriage, Family and Life will present the “Walking with Moms” initiative at its spring Respect Life Liaison Workshop scheduled for June 12 at Annunciation in Minneapolis.

Parish liaisons and others who would like additional information or resources can contact the Office of Marriage, Family and Life at 651-291-4489. People also are encouraged to visit the USCCB’s Walking with Mom’s website, join daily in its “Prayer for Pregnant Mothers” and take advantage of the parish resources on the site, said Nancy Schulte Palacheck, family and laity outreach coordinator.

The initiative was inspired by Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical, “The Gospel of Life,” which was released 25 years ago, also on March 25. The quarter-century anniversary also fell on the feast of the Annunciation.

As local parishes consider how they’re providing links to pro-life organizations that accompany women and families, Kiolbasa and leaders of several other organizations welcomed the initiative as a way for them to provide more assistance.

Pregnancy help centers continue to support women in need during the governor’s stayat-home order. Meanwhile, a coalition of doctors and Minnesota residents are suing the state’s abortion providers to stop them from performing surgical abortions during the coronavirus pandemic, arguing they are using masks, gloves and gowns needed to treat COVID-19 patients. Read the stories at TheCatholicSpirit.com.

COURTESY BABY BLANKET

Items on display at the Baby Blanket boutique for mothers in need at St. Bridget of Sweden in Lindstrom. Under stay-at-home restrictions, the boutique is open by appointment.

This winter, Kiolbasa presented 13 parishes in her deanery in the northeastern area of the archdiocese with a plan for implementing the bishops’ initiative. She encouraged them to make their websites more noticeable to expectant mothers and designate pro-life parishioners who can return women’s calls to their parish. These parishioners can help women connect with local organizations to find needed resources.

Even during the statewide stay-athome order to help curb the spread of COVID-19, Marriage Material is helping pregnant women who reach them through its website, mostly providing services remotely, Kiolbasa said.

Kiolbasa said she hopes Marriage Material will be able to assist more women as a result of the initiative. Since 2014, the organization has worked with women who respond to its website and has helped them overcome obstacles during pregnancy and afterward.

Kiolbasa is also a board member of Philomena House, a St. Paul home providing lodging, food and support to pregnant women in need.

Another organization that could benefit from Walking with Moms is the Baby Blanket, operated by St. Bridget of Sweden in Lindstrom on its parish grounds. Founded in 1997, its boutique offering new and used infant and toddler and maternity clothing, as well as other programs, draws hundreds of women and families each year from Chisago Lakes and the surrounding area, said program coordinator Jayne Taylor, 65.

Parents who attend a monthly enrichment program called Hannah’s Arms, which consists of a craft, talk and lunch, qualify to receive a new crib or portable play yard and if they return, a car seat.

The challenges many mothers in need face can be compounded by a lack of family support, Taylor said. The Baby Blanket, she said, is “trying to give them some material support, some emotional support and just that someone cares for them out there.”

Under stay-at-home restrictions, the Baby Blanket’s boutique is open by appointment, Taylor said, and Hannah’s Arms is suspended. Families can call

651-304-0432 for an appointment or other assistance.

The organization’s mission fits with the Walking with Moms initiative, Taylor said. “It feels like a reaffirmation that we’re on the right track in being that safety net in the community,” she said.

Founded in 2014, the Nest walks with moms by providing a structured, supportive home for them in Rockford until they establish a more stable

situation, said co-founder Cristal McClain, 31.

A crisis pregnancy also can involve broken family relationships, debt, lack of education and low paying jobs, she said.

Walking with Moms is a way of bringing attention and support to the complex problems of some mothers in need, McClain said.

Assisting two women and their children at a time in a family home setting, Nest staff help them figure out their needs while serving as a safety net, and that assistance continues under stay-at-home restrictions, she said.

Pro-life organizations walk with moms in different ways but can’t always solve all of their problems, she said. “We see ourselves not as solving all those things but more on the journey along the way” with them, McClain said. “Like a little oasis with a spring of water where they can rest and can get what they need to be able to continue their journey.”

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14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MAY 7, 2020

WORSHIP+ENVIRONMENT Artist brings life to sacred spaces, religious icons

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit

H

appenstance changed the focus of Alec Smith’s career.

He worked as a carpenter to help pay his way through the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

After graduating with a degree in psychology and philosophical perspectives on nature, and with a strong interest in art and drawing, Smith painted murals and worked as a decorative painter.

Nine years ago, Smith, who lives in St. Paul, contracted with a decorative finish company on a restoration project at Holy Redeemer in Marshall, about 165 miles southwest of the Twin Cities. Painting new plaster over the church’s water-damaged walls, he also paid attention to historic detail: Emmanuel Masqueray, the French-American architect who designed the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul and the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, also designed Holy Redeemer church.

During the project, the pastor asked Smith and his boss about painting angels high on the sanctuary walls.

Smith suggested painting a 16-foot angel on each side of the altar. Parish leaders agreed and Smith proceeded.

“This church renovation was an inspiring opportunity to get a sense of the impact that artwork, architecture and design can have in a sacred space,” Smith said.

It also served as his entry into a new career opportunity. Word spread about Smith’s beautiful artwork and artistic gifts, and that led to more work in liturgical painting and sculpture.

Less than a year later, St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona called and commissioned him to paint large oil portraits of the Virgin Mary and St. John Baptist de La Salle for its St. Thomas More chapel. The university also asked him to create a 6-foot-tall crucifix cast in bronze to place between the paintings, and later, a life-size bronze sculpture of St. Teresa of Kolkata — Mother Teresa — placed along a wooded pathway on campus.

Smith created a bronze bust installed late last year of Blessed Christian Brother James Miller for CretinDerham Hall High School in St. Paul. And a life-size bronze sculpture depicting St. John Baptist de La Salle

Alec Smith works on his projects in an art studio on the second floor of his St. Paul garage.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

and a second bronze sculpture showing a Christian brother seated on a bench grace Lewis University near Chicago.

Life-size bronze sculptures can take up to a year from start to finish, Smith said. That includes client meetings on expectations and proposals and several long production stages. The fabrication process has remained essentially unchanged for thousands of years, he said, and cast bronze sculptures can last for millennia.

Smith, 41, who describes himself as a spiritual person, does not practice a particular religion, said he primarily focuses on artwork that incorporates the human figure in sculpture, paintings and drawings.

He finds special enjoyment in creating religious art, and appreciates the imagery and history behind the visuals and figures he creates. Before creating the Mother Teresa sculpture, he studied who she was, her influence and the inspiration she provides. The context where a piece of art is installed also plays a large role in its design, he said.

“The artwork should transform the environment with its presence,” he said, “hopefully enhancing the space.”

Perhaps most of all, Smith values the interaction with people that his creations compel. “The greatest reward for me after completing a large figurative sculpture

project is when I … (can) see or hear how the sculptures are providing a platform for the viewer to develop their own relationships with the artwork,” Smith said. “This tells me I did my job and feel as though I have made a contribution.”

As one example, Smith said he heard stories about the impact of the statue of Mother Teresa. One graduate wondered what to do after leaving the college, and while walking through campus, she stumbled across the sculpture. Smith heard that the graduate was inspired to pursue a vocation in which she could give back to others.

“If I’m lucky, I feel like I’ve accomplished what I set out to do and, hopefully, the piece is going to take on its own life and people develop their own relationship with it,” Smith said. “It’s a fascinating job for me for sure.”

Now, Smith is exploring “funerary art” as another focus. He describes it as using figurative representation to honor an individual or the human condition. The artwork could be bronze, stone or wood — any material that holds up to the elements — made into freestanding figurative sculptures or bas-relief scenes on gravestones or urns.

To view Smith’s work, visit alecmsmith.com.

Authors celebrate cathedrals in wake of devastating Notre Dame fire

By Graham Yearley Catholic News Service Among the many disasters of 2019, the burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris evoked, possibly, the most universal sadness as this cathedral and the Eiffel Tower are the two most famous symbols of Paris. The cathedral fire, which started April 15, destroyed the roof, brought down the spire and damaged many precious objects housed in the cathedral.

The silver lining is that no human lives were lost; an alarm was sounded and the cathedral was cleared a half hour before flames were sighted. There has been no evidence found, as of yet, that the burning was the act of a terrorist.

Before the fire, a fund for the restoration of the cathedral had been started in 2018 and scaffolding had been put up and was there on the day of the fire. But officials worried that there wasn’t enough in the fund to continue the project.

The day after the fire, more than a billion dollars was donated. The day after the fire French President Emmanuel Macron bravely declared, “We will rebuild” and set an ambitious timeline of

completing the restoration in five years.

Very few think this restoration can be done in this time, including the bestselling author Ken Follett, who wrote a short book in the days following the fire (“Notre-Dame: A Short History of the Meaning of Cathedrals,” Viking, 2019, $17). All proceeds from the book will be donated to the charity, La Fondation du Patrimoine.

In the life of a cathedral, five years is the bat of an eye. The Notre Dame we see today was a rebuilding itself, begun in 1160. The Gothic style had become popular and the old cathedral, built in Romanesque style, seemed dowdy and old-fashioned. The basic construction of Notre Dame was done by 1345, which is a speedy pace compared to many cathedrals. But since then, additions have been built, the spire erected and the building electrified.

The electrification may have been the cause of the fire — a spark from a decaying electrical wire might have ignited the debris collected under the roof beams. As there were no sprinklers in the attic, the flames would have spread quickly. But it also might have been started by the quick toss of a

CNS

The covers of “Notre-Dame: A Short History of the Meaning of Cathedrals” by Ken Follett and “Notre Dame de Paris: A Celebration of the Cathedral” by Kathy Borrus. cigarette butt.

But Follett’s point is not to investigate what happened in the 2019 fire, but to explain why cathedrals get built and why we want to preserve them.

Kathy Borrus’ book, “Notre Dame de Paris: A Celebration of the Cathedral,” has a similar purpose and is part of a flood of new books published since the fire (“Notre Dame de Paris: A Celebration of the Cathedral,” Black Dog and Leventhal, 2019, $25). It is a picture book filled with photographs and drawings of

the cathedral and its contents.

There is an interesting section on the precious relics and treasures of Notre Dame and what happened to each object. For example, the organ built in the 18th century was already in need of restoration, but the fire further damaged it. The altar built in 1725 and topped by a statue of Mary lamenting with Jesus lying dead across her lap did survive the fire but was blackened with soot and the statue was damaged.

Notre Dame has survived desecration during the French Revolution, German bombings during both World War I and II, and shifts of architectural and decorative tastes. It will rise again even if it takes longer than Macron predicts.

Subsequent to the publication of both books, the cathedral’s rector told the media that the walls that remained after the fire may still collapse. The scaffolding put up before the fire is exerting great pressure on the walls. If they do collapse, restoration would be made infinitely harder, if not impossible.

But these books are concerned with Notre Dame’s past and present before the fire, and this news does not alter their value as celebrations of a great cathedral.

WORSHIP+ENVIRONMENT

MAY 7, 2020

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15

Church’s restored beauty draws parishioners deeper into their faith

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

A

s parishioners at St. Bernard in Cologne “beautified” their church two years ago, they were inspired by the church’s decor in 1938 — but at the same time gave it a fresh look for today.

St. Bernard’s first major update in more than 40 years included decorative painting, statue restoration, new altars and a gold-leaf sanctuary dome evoking the 1930s, thanks to gifts from two parishioner-brothers.

Since the project’s completion in March 2019, the parish’s 250 families have found spiritual inspiration in the church’s restored beauty, even if COVID-19 social distancing restrictions temporarily prevent them from entering.

“We were so grateful for what we had, and we enhanced that,” said Roger Storms, 78, a former parish trustee and beautification project manager. “We were bringing back elements our forefathers gave us.”

The church needed an update, said Julie Kleindl, 52, beautification committee communications volunteer.

The sanctuary dome was stained, there were cracks in the wall plaster and paint on the statues was dull, she said.

“The paint that was used in the past, whether it was just the age of the paint, (the statues) weren’t very bright,” she said. “It was just so dull, so in order for everything to kind of flow they all needed to be done.”

Father Abraham Kochupurackal, 59, became pastor of St. Bernard last July, after the project was completed, but said he particularly appreciated the work after parishioners showed him a “before” picture.

“In the picture I saw before it was a little dark; now it’s very bright and colorful,” he said.

The $200,000 project was funded by two lifelong parishioners, brothers Leon and Adrian Wickenhauser.

They ran their 200-acre dairy farm outside Cologne together. Funds came from a gift from Adrian’s estate following his 2017 death, and from Leon and his wife, Marcy.

“We farmed for 50 years, and we never had a barn fire,” said Leon, 84. “We were dairy farmers, we never had a fire, we never got hailed out, never had a tornado

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COURTESY ST. BERNARD | RITA VANNETT PHOTOGRAPHY

Renovations at St. Bernard in Cologne include a new wooden high altar that holds the tabernacle, statues, and the church’s life-size and backlit crucifix. go through, and now we’re retired and it’s time to give back, to say thank you.”

Using a 1938 photo of the church’s interior, beautification committee members sought to imitate some of the earlier features, although restoring others, including the altars on either side of the sanctuary, proved too expensive, Storms said.

The work, which began in April 2018, included

repairing and decoratively painting the church’s plaster walls, as well as the tile ceiling. A new wooden high altar holds the tabernacle, statues, and the church’s life-size and backlit crucifix.

“It’s a very religious feeling, like you’re in the presence,” Storms said of the crucifix. “You can visualize this really happening.”

The new high altar was placed at the back of the sanctuary in place of a larger high altar, which was moved to the front to become the main altar.

Liturgical artist Craig Gallagher of St. Michael repaired and repainted the church’s statues, Stations of the Cross and a relief modeled after Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” that is set in the front of the main altar. He also created a painting of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the parish namesake.

During the beautification project, the parish replaced lighting, ceiling fans and the choir loft staircase with $35,000 from a fund established by former St. Bernard school principal School Sister of Notre Dame M. Christa Rein, Storms said. A number of parishioners also donated their labor and skills for the project.

Father Kochupurackal said he’s seen how the renovated church is affecting parishioners spiritually.

“I’ve heard the people say when they come to church, they feel that kind of atmosphere, especially the sanctuary,” he said. “Everything is repainted, and the Last Supper scene is beautifully depicted.”

With the archdiocesan suspension of public Masses due to COVID-19, the church is not open, and the parish does not livestream Masses, Father Kochupurackal said. The parish offers drive-in eucharistic adoration on Wednesdays from 3 to 8 p.m.

Before public gatherings were restricted, parishioners were bringing friends and family who didn’t belong to the parish to see the church, Storms said.

When at Mass, the beauty of the church draws Kleindl to the source and summit of her faith, she said.

“The dome and just everything draws you forward, where our focus should be at Mass.”

16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MAY 7, 2020

FOCUSONFAITH SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER MICHAEL JONCAS

The way, the truth, the life

After Gospel readings on the Third Sunday of Easter concentrating on the empty tomb and appearance narratives concerning the risen Lord Jesus, and the mid-point of Eastertide focus on the Good Shepherd on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, the Church turns our attention in the second half of Eastertide to reflection on Jesus’ “farewell address” as recounted in the Last Supper narrative of the Gospel of John.

Rather than directly relating to the Gospel readings, the other two non-psalm scriptural proclamations give us semi-continuous readings from particular New Testament books: the first from the Acts of the Apostles, recounting the growth of the early Christian community impelled by their faith in the risen Lord, the second from the First Letter of Peter, which some Scripture scholars believe contains a very primitive baptismal instruction/homily. The psalm is a hymn of praise, calling on those who live in covenant with God to exult and praise him because he is both creator and sovereign of the world. Christians could easily apply the psalm’s call to praise YHWH, the God of Israel, to Jesus the risen Lord.

My reflections today will concentrate on the appointed Gospel reading. The Bible recounts many “farewell addresses” by significant figures in addition to Jesus in Luke 22 and John 14-17, e.g., Jacob (Genesis 49), Moses (Deuteronomy 31-33), Paul (Acts 20), etc. A typical farewell address occurs after a notice that

ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ

How open can I be with people?

Q I am wondering how much I can be

vulnerable with people. I have been able to tell some key people in my life about struggles of mine, but when can I tell others?

A Thank you very much for writing. As I see it,

based on the rest of your letter, there are two issues at work here.

The first is your very good question about when to be vulnerable with others. In my years of working with young people, I find this is a lesson that is often learned the hard way. It usually goes something like this: A young person makes a connection with another young person and they become “instant friends.”

Because this might be the first new friend they have ever had (all other friends are either family members or people they have known for their entire life), this relationship has a lot of new elements that those other relationships don’t. For example, those other relationships are close because of the very nature of the relationship. A situation such as a group of cousins who were raised together doesn’t require that each cousin “bare his or her soul” to the others in order to have a solid friendship. What is more, when they do reach a point in their lives where they share deeper things, there is a history and a knowledge to guide that process.

And this is the missing piece. In a relationship that has just started, it is necessary to reveal things about yourself to the other.

That is one of the key ways two people get to know each other.

And yet, since they are still getting to know each other, they do not know the degree to which they can trust each other. And herein lies the problem: In order to be known, I have to reveal myself. But in order to know the depth to which self-revelation is wise, I need to know if I can trust the other person.

The solution? Patience.

Every one of us has had to learn that just because we have bonded with another person over sports, comic books or even God, that doesn’t mean that we can trust another person with our heart. We want to be known. We want to know the other person.

And there can be, at the start of a friendship, a certain urgency to share. But if we have ever made that mistake, we know that real wisdom in this situation demands slowing down and being wise.

We have learned that trust has to be earned.

the speaker is about to die or depart. The speaker then exhorts his hearers by means of prophecies, cautionary words about the future and revelations of God’s intentions for the future. The hearers are frequently charged to pass this message on to others. In some cases, there may also be a notice of the speaker’s death and burial.

Jesus begins his “farewell address” at the beginning of this Sunday’s Gospel reading, announcing his imminent departure, as well as his return to bring his hearers with him to a place of permanent communion with God. Thomas interrupts to state on behalf of the other disciples that they do not know where this place of permanent fellowship with God is, nor do they know how to get there. This interruption leads to what is the climax of today’s passage, when Jesus declares that he is the way (in Greek, “hodos”: normally a physical street, road or path, but metaphorically a process), the truth (“aletheia”: the real state of affairs as uncovered or revealed) and the life (“zoe”: distinctively divine, eternal life, as opposed to “bios” — life shared by plants and animals — or “psyche” — human “interior” life). As with others of the great “I AM” statements in John’s Gospel, there is an implication here that Jesus shares the status of the God of Israel, whose personal name is revealed to Moses in Exodus 3 as “I AM WHO AM.” I have found John Dominic Crossan’s translation of this statement a magnificent summary of what Jesus hands on to his disciples at this point in his farewell address: “I am the authentic (truth) vision (way) of existence (life).” The challenge for us, as it was for the hearers of Jesus’ “farewell address,” is to live “in Christ,” i.e., to recognize and live by Jesus’ authentic vision of existence in contrast to other seductive visions offered to us, whose ways are dead ends, whose teaching is inauthentic and whose mode of existence keeps us apart from God.

DAILY Scriptures

Father Joncas, a composer, is an artist in residence at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

Sunday, May 17 Sixth Sunday of Easter Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 1 Pt 3:15-18 Jn 14:15-21

I want to repeat that: Trust must be earned.

How can you be vulnerable with people? By naturally sharing some things and seeing how the others respond. Do they honor those things you have shared? Do they fail to respond well to them? Over time, do they demonstrate that they are a “friend for a moment” and “friend for a season,” or a “friend for a lifetime”?

That can only be known over the course of time. They truly have to prove themselves. And you will have to prove yourself as well.

Some might think that this is incorrect. They might claim that friendship ought to be freely given. I disagree. Love can be freely given. A person might not have to prove themselves in order to be loved. But we are not talking about whether someone is “worth loving.” We are talking about whether someone is worth trusting. The fact is, many people do not deserve your trust and vulnerability. They have to prove themselves.

Now, onto the second part of your question.

You mentioned in your letter that the issues you are talking about are things that you struggle with. You further clarified that you’ve brought these things to confession and have shared these with close family members and a couple of select friends.

My question to your question is: Why does anyone else need to know?

I would imagine that this primarily comes from the (good) desire to be known. We all have this. It is the recognition that we are made for relationship. And in real relationship, there is a certain depth of self-revelation and “knowing” the other person. It makes sense that you would want to share these things in order to be known more deeply.

But the issue as I see it is that you have “identified with” these actions or with the shame attached to these actions to such a degree that they are what you want to share, as if they are your true self.

But that is not true. You are not your sin. You are not your shame.

Of course, you might want to share these with others so that you can be reassured that you can share your shame and still be loved, but you have already done that with important people and with God. And they still love you. God still loves you. Why are you still carrying your shame? Jesus has already forgiven you. He does not want you to torture yourself over what he has already suffered in order to forgive you and set you free.

You are not disqualified from God’s love. You are not your shame. You can share it with those who have proven themselves worthy, but you can also leave it at the foot of the cross.

Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermikeschmitz@gmail.com.

Sunday, May 10 Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 6:1-7 1 Pt 2:4-9 Jn 14:1-12 Monday, May 11 Acts 14:5-18 Jn 14:21-26 Tuesday, May 12 Acts 14:19-28 Jn 14:27-31a Wednesday, May 13 Acts 15:1-6 Jn 15:1-8 Thursday, May 14 Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 Jn 15:9-17 Friday, May 15 Acts 15:22-31 Jn 15:12-17 Saturday, May 16 Acts 16:1-10 Jn 15:18-21

Monday, May 18 Acts 16:11-15 Jn 15:6–16:4a Tuesday, May 19 Acts 16:22-34 Jn 16:5-11 Wednesday, May 20 Acts 17:15, 22–18:1 Jn 16:12-15 Thursday, May 21 Acts 18:1-8 Jn 16:16-20 Friday, May 22 Acts 18:9-18 Jn 16:20-23 Saturday, May 23 Acts 18:23-28 Jn 16:23b-28 Sunday, May 24 Seventh Sunday of Easter Ascension of the Lord Acts 1:1-11 Eph 1:17-23 Mt 28:16-20

MAY 7, 2020

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17

COMMENTARY TWENTY SOMETHING | CHRISTINA CAPECCHI

‘Keep that hope machine running strong’

It started with the Italians, whose arias rose from the balconies. They were on lockdown, but their voices rang out down empty moonlit streets. Ballads, the national anthem, improvised ditties over the barking of dogs.

Cellphone footage of the singing went viral, offering hope amid the horror.

“Italians are like their opera characters: When they suffer, they sing instead of crying,” one YouTube viewer quipped.

As the coronavirus traveled the globe, pictures of other music-makers emerged. A man playing an accordion on his balcony in Hungary. A husbandwife duet on their balcony in Brazil, breathing their prayers for humanity through a flute and a bassoon — woodwinds for the weary. In New York City, a group of habited nuns singing “Lean On Me,” a brunette on the end clanging two spoons in syncopation.

“Spoon Nun’s on my apocalypse team,” one New Yorker tweeted.

In the face of a pandemic, people of every color and creed have responded the same way: by adding to the beauty. They perched teddy bears in windows, hung Christmas lights and colored driveways. They drew images that felt like an antidote to all the masks and morgues: hearts, butterflies, rainbows. They tried to tilt the scales of the universe with tempera paint and sidewalk chalk.

ALREADY/NOT YET | JONATHAN LIEDL

True productivity and embracing the void

What new language are you learning? Have you planted a victory garden? How many books a week are you reading?

It’s amazing how quickly the stillness and simplicity offered (to some of us, it must be said) by this time of staying-at-home is threatened by the stifling encroachment of any number of to-do lists and selfimprovement projects that could fill our time. It’s as if our society is collectively aware of Blaise Pascal’s insight that “all of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” But we’re actively, creatively and determinedly intent on avoiding the solution he suggests, no doubt afraid of what we’ll find.

This tendency can be found in Christian circles as well. I was driving back from a parking-lot Mass recently when I passed a church with a display that read, “John Bunyan wrote ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ while in isolation. What will you do?” The implication seems to be that if you don’t produce your magnus opus during the COVID-19-induced quarantine, there’s something wrong with you.

Now, there is a healthy degree of zeal, even holy ambition, that some of us might be able to put into action during this strange time. And maybe, in his providence, God has ordained your stay-at-home time as the opportune period to learn French, or to start

“

In the face of a pandemic, people of every color and creed have responded the same way: by adding to the beauty.

An illustration for The Okee Dokee Brothers’ “Hope Machine” song. Used with permission.

Mo Willems, creator of the award-winning “Elephant & Piggie” series of children’s books, offered Lunch Doodles, free online drawing lessons for kids in quarantine.

“You might be isolated, but you’re not alone,” Mo wrote. “You are an art maker. Let’s make some together.”

Meanwhile, The Okee Dokee Brothers, a familyfriendly, Grammy-winning bluegrass duo, released an album early to help put a spring into social distancing.

The first track, “Hope Machine,” was written a year ago but feels tailored to our strange new reality: “Plan what you can plan, dance when you can-can. … Keep that

“

We might not be atheists.

But it’s still probably true that we don’t leave adequate space for God. that podcast on the theological insights of the music of Selena Gomez. To which I say, if you’re ready, come and get it.

But we need to be on-guard against a kind of busyness for busyness’ sake. Because “being productive” is actually not productive — it doesn’t “lead forth” or “draw out” the person we are meant to become, as the Latin root “producere” suggests — if it comes at the expense of responding to God’s call to a deeper reception of his love and presence.

This is true of prayer as well. You may have more time on your hands, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to double the amount of spiritual reading you’re doing. Stay-at-home order or not, most good spiritual directors will advise doing no more than a few pages of spiritual reading a day. It’s not about the quantity of pages read, but the quality with which you read them, because blowing through 50 pages of St. John of the Cross isn’t likely to facilitate fruitful contemplation on the mysteries of God. Perhaps the invitation for our spiritual lives now is to do more with less. To savor our prayers, to pray them with heartfelt intensity, not necessarily to multiply them mindlessly, like the babbling pagans Christ warns us about in Matthew 6:7, “Who think they will be heard because of their many words.”

The pagans are right if prayer is calculated according to a worldly logic, which says that more is always better. But it’s not. Prayer is first of all a work of God, which means that our first concern should not be the number of prayers we say, but the disposition of openness with which we say them. “The most fruitful human activity,” says Father Jean Corbon, the French

hope machine running strong.”

“Songs go where they are needed,” said the guitarist, Joe Mailander. “Families need a hopeful message about getting up and trying to find some light right now.”

Quarantine has been a productive time for the award-winning artist Brother Mickey O’Neill McGrath, a 63-year-old Oblate of St. Francis de Sales who has been drawing in the second-story studio of a rowhouse in Camden, New Jersey.

“I haven’t spent so much time here in years,” he said.

The sought-after speaker had developed the habit of drawing a faith-based coloring page and sharing it in his e-newsletter once a week. But, the pandemic has compelled him to do so on a daily basis.

The response has been overwhelming. Newsletter subscribers say it is calming to color each image and reflect on its meaning. “You’re keeping me sane,” one woman told Brother Mickey.

Brother Mickey understands the impact of an artistic ministry. “When we’re in the presence of beauty, we’re in the presence of God, so we pray best before beauty,” he said. “It goes to a place deeper than words.”

The Catholic Church has always led with beauty, drawing people in by building the world’s greatest cathedrals, using gold leaf and stained glass to convey majesty and mystery. Historically, we were patrons of the arts and teachers of the faith — two functions that were intricately connected. The coronavirus has given that old approach new meaning.

Pope Francis expressed it on Palm Sunday, offering a message for Holy Week that continues to resonate: “This is what we need today: the creativity of love.”

The words struck Brother Mickey, who lettered them in neon green against a crimson red, drawing palm branches in the center.

“It’s a human drive to create and to bring joy,” he said. “That’s how I see art. We’re co-creating with God.” Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.

Dominican who served as a key redactor of much of the Catechism’s section on prayer, “is to receive from God.” We don’t like to receive from God, because it involves acknowledging that we are dependent upon him. It requires us to open ourselves up to the apparent void of the unknown, beyond our immediate control and preference.

Yet, this is exactly what we most often need.

I was recently struck by the story of Lisa Fitzgerald, a Harvard Law grad and former atheist who plans on entering the Church at Pentecost in Portland, Oregon. Fitzgerald said that her atheism had never been militant; she was, intellectually, open to the possibility of God. “But,” as she says, “I had never embraced the void. I made myself as busy as possible.

I never left any space.”

We might not be atheists. But it’s still probably true that we don’t leave adequate space for God. We avoid, instead of embracing, the void, that place of stillness and silence where God speaks most intimately and profoundly. We can be like Mary Magdalene on Easter Sunday, too caught up in our own preoccupations to initially hear the Risen Lord speaking our name.

Or Cleopas, who set off on the road to Emmaus instead of remaining in the uncomfortable ambiguity of Jerusalem with its empty tomb. Though Christ eventually tracked him down, the lesson seems to be that we should remain with Jesus, especially when things are beyond our control.

If we want to make this stay-at-home time truly productive, truly a time of “leading forth” to become who God has made us to be, we can’t start anywhere better than in embracing the void, the experience of our solitude in which we discover our dependence upon Another.

Liedl is a seminarian in formation for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Beginning this month his column, To Home From Rome, will appear under the title Already/Not Yet.

18 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

SIMPLE HOLINESS | KATE SOUCHERAY

One thing is assured

There is no question that the time in which we are living is marked by uncertainty and fear.

As I wrote this column at the end of March, we heard Gov. Tim Walz was adding additional weeks to his stay-at-home executive order. The coronavirus pandemic came on so quickly and has made such a devastating impact that it caught most of us unaware and ill-equipped to manage our day-to-day experiences.

Most of us have never seen such an upheaval or confusion in our lifetime. We may have heard stories of the Great Depression, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the day President Kennedy was assassinated, or perhaps we lived through the horrors of 9/11. The coronavirus pandemic certainly rises to the level of these catastrophes. As we are living through this time and experiencing it firsthand, we will have tales to share with grandchildren and great-grandchildren that will appear fabricated or fictitious.

Yet, we are also witnessing the kindness and generosity of health care workers and other serviceoriented professionals who stepped up to the challenges presented by this lethal enemy and stared it down with their commitment to the common good. There’s a lesson here for marriage: What if each individual in a couple made the clear and unswerving decision to make

GUEST COMMENTARY | GREG ERLANDSON

Reflecting on the before and after

I’ve been experiencing some weird side effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

For example, the obsessive critiquing of television advertisements. They are now divided into two categories: pre- and postpandemic. When I see pre-pandemic ads of happy people celebrating clear skin, fast food or car insurance, I am filled with alarm and resentment.

How dare they stand so close to each other, for Pete’s sake! Talking and touching, being lighthearted without masks and gloves. Are they out of their minds?

Watching a pre-pandemic television show — which is just about every show except those where musicians and news anchors are broadcasting from their basements — I feel a kind of trepidation for the characters.

They go about their contrived comedies or copsand-robbers showdowns completely unaware that the

LETTERS Let letters stand alone I expect you are going to start receiving fewer letters to the editor. The response you made criticizing or “correcting” the letter writer regarding the primary election was so over the top I scarcely know what to say (“Clergy and partisan politics,” Letters, April 26). It was inappropriate of you to do so, to say the least. I take no side in this issue, neither his nor yours. But what you did violated the basic tenet of having a “Letters to the Editor” section. Who is going to write a letter to the editor knowing they might be publicly shamed? The letter writer had a point of view. You have a different one. In your mind, you are right and he is wrong. That is your interpretation, nothing more. Slamming him with your not so sly snide remark about not being clear was inappropriate. Pick up the Star Tribune and read the letters to the editor column. I assure you the editors think many of the letters are factually incorrect but their job is to share what the people wrote, not challenge anything that disagrees with what they believe to be the

COMMENTARY their marriage the best it could possibly be, just as these professionals have done to protect us?

We would likely see happier, healthier adults, as well as stronger, more resilient families, if each individual of a couple embraced the commitment of his and her wedding vows. So often, we are referred to as a “disposable society.” We consume and we discard. When we get bored with something, we look for the next shiny object to distract or entertain us. However, Christian marriage was never intended to fit into this category.

Rather, it was intended to provide lifelong, committed, adult growth for individuals of the marriage contract, and thus a stable environment for the children created through the union.

As we faced the pandemic, we’ve all likely experienced moments of panic, depression, fear or disbelief. We may have felt we could not take one more day of isolation, and yet we were helpless to resolve the situation. We have had no choice but to live through it as best we could. We may have been surprised that our best was sorely lacking, and that we had few resources to address the dearth we encountered.

Today is a day for rejuvenation and recommitment to becoming the mentally and emotionally healthy adult we had hoped to become, and address misconceptions about the inner strength we thought we possessed, but found we did not.

If you have used this time to become closer to God and immerse yourself in his word, you may have found you have accepted the uncertainties. This is the essence of our faith: that God is with us in every moment of our lives, not just the contented times, but also the contentious ones.

This, too, is the message of the cross and the promise

MAY 7, 2020

ACTION CHALLENGE Take time to talk with your loved ones about the lessons you have learned from this difficult time. Decide to infuse moments of connection and creativity into your family routines, so that you continue to hold on to these lessons for many years.

of the Resurrection. Jesus knew he would be resurrected following his death, and as he entered into his passion, he embraced it all as a moment to fully experience the presence of God the Father. Psalm 22 begins with the grieving expression “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” only to conclude with “And I will live for the Lord; my descendants will serve you. The generations to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought.”

In a time of uncertainty, one thing is assured: God’s presence is with us. Let us look forward to the ways we will live our lives in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic and all it has taught us about living a good, healthy, adult life. Commit yourself today to never forget these lessons as you embrace each new day with gratitude and the commitment to be the best you can be today.

Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a member of Guardian Angels in Oakdale. She holds a master’s degree in theology from The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul and a doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.

entire world is about to come screeching to a halt. They, poor naive fools that they are, have no idea that the big challenge they will face is not some sitcom farce but how to stay 6 feet apart from everyone else in a grocery store.

That is unless their show is situated in Georgia, where people will have to come up with creative ways to stay 6 feet apart while getting a tattoo or their nails done.

That would make for an interesting reality show, come to think of it.

Recently I began thinking about the neutron bomb.

For those too young to remember, the neutron bomb is an enhanced radiation weapon designed, as the 1980s rhetoric put it, to kill people but leave buildings intact.

I thought about the neutron bomb when I went back to my office one day to fetch something I needed.

It was eerie walking through the quiet halls, as if a time machine had dropped me back into March 14, the last day those offices were occupied. Everything looked as I remembered, yet all the people, poof! The building was still here, but the people had vanished.

COVID-19 is a viral version of the neutron bomb: The department stores and barbershops and restaurants are still standing, as empty as a scene out of “The Twilight Zone.”

We can’t help but contrast now with then. One moment, record low unemployment. The next moment, 26 million seeking unemployment checks.

One moment, oil at $50 a barrel. The next moment, oil traders paying people to take their goo, and gas at 97 cents a gallon in some places.

One baby boomer joke circulating on the internet is that we all feel like teenagers again: Gas is cheap and we are grounded.

We seem stunned by the whiplash of these rapid changes. Some of us — volunteers, health care workers and first responders most of all — have heroically risen to the occasion. Elsewhere, we see citizens pitted against citizens, political scapegoating, and even the willingness to sacrifice the few for the financial needs of the many.

As is so often the case, there are spiritual lessons here.

We want to return to the way it was just a few months ago, but we are absolutely not in control. We hope, but we must endure. And in our endurance, we are challenged to think of the needs of others: Our children.

Our parents. The poor. The elderly. Our neighbors. The strangers near us in the supermarket.

Hardship reveals our character, tests our resilience and humbles us. We will get through this, but we won’t be the same. I am hoping that our deep divides, our angry polarities, might ease and we recover the meaning of the aspirational phrase on our pocket change: “E pluribus unum.” Out of many, one.

truth. I think many of the letters printed are nonsense but I support the right of the letter writer to be heard.

Shutting down another person’s opinion because you “know” your interpretation of the facts is correct is a slippery slope.

i.e. our responsibility. So, let’s not blame God for the differences or quirks among us. Is there any evidence available to indicate whom or what to blame? Well, yes, there is, in my view, namely the disintegration of family life and the concomitant role-modeling for the young, alongside a pervasive culture which rejects sexual norm and encourages the misuse of sexuality and gender confusion. The importance of family life and culture used to be affectionately labeled “Mother Nature,” and had a powerful cautionary adage connected to it: “God always forgives, mom sometimes forgives, nature never forgives.”

Jim Koepke Nativity of Mary, Bloomington

Nature and nurture The pain Elizabeth Rosenwinkel showed with your readers in your (April 9) issue (“Sexual identity,” Letters) made me believe that she is probably the loving mother of a “transgender” child. However, I question her implications that “God wanted us the way we are” and therefore all our differences must be accepted. Yes, God created our souls, but not our bodies, except for those of Adam and Eve. All the other bodies of the billions of us who have lived or are living or will live on this earth are the result of human generation and nurture,

Erlandson, director and editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service, can be reached at gerlandson@catholicnews.com.

Roland Mayer Epiphany, Coon Rapids Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@ 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. archspm.org.

MAY 7, 2020

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19

CALENDAR Together: Family Day Retreat — May 9: Join other Catholics for a simple, at-home retreat. It’s “scheduled” for May 9, but the materials are available anytime and can be used in a variety of ways. Organized by the archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life. archspm.org/familyretreat

In ‘Quarantine with Cozzens,’ bishop fields questions, offers advice

Celebrating mothers Saturday@St. Joe’s — May 9: 1-3 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker parking lot, 7180 Hemlock Lane N., Maple Grove. “Rolling prayer,” blessing and a flower to recognize mothers, grandmothers and women with a mother-like presence. Includes a collection for A Community Caring for Life. sjtw.net

Relaxed and visiting for more than an hour from his residence, Bishop Andrew Cozzens fielded about 20 questions April 23 in a livestreamed chat called “Quarantine with Cozzens: Conversation for Young Adults.”

Vincenzo Randazzo, evangelization manager for the archdiocese’s Office of Marriage, Family and Life, served as moderator. He read the questions and chatted with the bishop as they explored topics in a casual, friendly atmosphere. Both appeared on a split screen from their respective homes, Bishop Cozzens in Hopkins, Randazzo in St. Paul.

As Bishop Cozzens sipped a beer, he addressed wide-ranging questions, offering his perspective, sprinkled with humor, often with personal stories to help people understand.

Questions posed to the archbishop ranged from what to say to someone who lost a job and and how to handle sadness following Easter when the feeling should be joyous, to advice on finding a spiritual mentor and what it feels like to say Mass in an empty church. At one point, Randazzo asked him how often someone should pray.

“I was just thinking about this today,” Bishop Cozzens said. “This quarantine is long enough to form a good habit. They say it takes 30 days to form a habit. You got this.”

He advised setting aside time every day to focus on God alone and what he calls “mental prayer,” speaking to God from one’s heart and listening to his word.

“I think everybody should be able to do that for at least 15 minutes a day, if not a half-hour,” he said.

“Certainly, prayer before a meal, a rosary at some point … read from a spiritual book, pray together with your household.”

For parents with young children,

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit

Mini-Retreat for Moms — May 11-13: 7-8 p.m.

St. Mary in Stillwater to host “At the Feet of Mary,” a livestreamed mini-retreat for moms with presentations

by Sister Maria Ivana, principal of St. Croix Catholic School, and Nicole Thompson, an art teacher in Denver.

Includes discussions and Holy Hour. Register by May 9. stmarystillwater.org Vespers at Lourdes — May 14: 7:30 p.m. Speaker Nell O’Leary, managing editor of Blessed is She, and a cocktail demonstration by Isaac Huss. For young professional Catholics in the Twin Cities. lourdesmpls.org/lourdes-live NET Ministries virtual benefit — May 14: 7 p.m.

“Rejoice in Hope” supports NET Ministries’ mission.

Featuring keynote speaker Father Mike Schmitz and hosted by Bishop Andrew Cozzens. netusa.org/rejoiceinhope Pints and the Padre — May 20: 6:30 p.m. Holy Name of Jesus Young Adults in Wayzata’s monthly gathering for people ages 21 to 39. Includes book discussion and Q&A. RSVP for the link at hnoj.org/pints Ordination to the diaconate — May 23: 10 a.m. livestream from the Cathedral of St. Paul. Ordinands for the archdiocese: James Bernard, St. Joseph, West St. Paul; William Duffert, St. Stephen, Anoka; Brian Kenneth Fischer, Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul; Michael Reinhardt, Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis; and Josh Salonek, St. Michael, St. Michael. Also being ordained are Brother Joseph Barron and Brother David Hottinger for Pro Ecclesia Sancta and Zephirino Tumwejunise for the Diocese of Kabale, Uganda. archspm.org/ordination Ordination to the priesthood — May 30: 10 a.m. livestream from the Cathedral of St. Paul. Ordinands for the archdiocese: Deacon Austin Barnes, Deacon Clayton Forner, Deacon Nathan Hastings, Deacon Paul Hedman and Deacon Timothy Tran. Ordinands for Pro Ecclesia Sancta: Brother Yamato Oshima and Brother Cesar Martinez. archspm.org/ordination The Catholic Spirit is accepting calendar events for virtual events during Gov. Tim Walz’s stay-at-home order. Submit your event at TheCatholicSpirit.com/calendarsubmissions.

SCREENSHOT FROM FACEBOOK LIVE | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Vincenzo Randazzo, evangelization manager for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Marriage, Family and Life, left, serves as moderator for the livestreamed “Quarantine with Cozzens” April 23, as Bishop Andrew Cozzens, right, answers questions from young adults. the bishop said with a laugh, “It’s survival of the fittest. I’ve seen it.”

Before the first question was presented, Randazzo asked Bishop Cozzens if the Church had ever before seen something like today’s pandemic.

Bishop Cozzens thought the closest would be the plagues of the Middle Ages and the 16th century.

With some parallels to today, he described the work of St. Charles Borromeo in Milan, who closed churches for two years to prevent spread of disease and celebrated Mass in the street with people watching from their apartment windows.

Bishop Cozzens expressed gratitude that we would not need to do so for that long. He also mentioned how St. Charles heroically brought sacraments to individuals who were dying.

Promoted on Facebook in an effort that drew more than 100 questions for the bishop, and streamed on Facebook Live, the evening event also was available on the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Facebook

page and its website. There were 1,900 views on Facebook by the next morning, and one week later, views had grown to 4,700.

Randazzo said he suggested the livestream because Bishop Cozzens is gifted at answering questions about faith with gentleness, understanding and precision.

Comments posted on Facebook reflected a sense of community the event was intended to foster. There also were comments of gratitude.

“Honestly, it feels like the Theology (on Tap) we used to go to when we lived in St. Paul,” said Ryian Louise Hilpisch of St. John the Baptist in Savage. “It was so nice being here with all these friends!”

“This was wonderful! Thank you!” said Amanda Jensen of Faribault.

Randazzo said a long-form conversation on Facebook Live “is a great way to use new media to reach out to Catholics and even others … in a way that is familiar and with low commitment. The comments we received were so positive.”

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20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MAY 7, 2020

THELASTWORD

‘Faith begins at home’

From left, Sadie, Charles III, Ben, Tanya and Charles Goff Jr. take a walk in their Woodbury neighborhood April 23.

It is one meaningful way the family can connect, Tanya said, during the stay-at-home order.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Stay-at-home order gives families opportunities to reunite around God

By Debbie Musser For The Catholic Spirit

F

amilies throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are finding themselves together at home much more than ever before, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the situation brings many struggles, some families are enjoying a slower pace of life and opportunities for growth in faith.

“We’re hearing of families having dinner together far more often than they ever have,” said Bill Dill, marriage preparation and youth ministry events coordinator in the archdiocese’s Office of Marriage, Family and Life.

“Family dinners are one of the most fruitful aspects of life for healthy youth development, and I hope families don’t let go of this in PQ (post-quarantine) life,” Dill said.

Dill noted that faith conversations have moved home as well. “We in the ministry world have become increasingly aware that faith formation of young people has grown to be a bit out of balance, with far more happening with the ‘experts’ at the parish and not nearly enough by the most important people in young people’s lives — their parents.”

Brianna St. Amour, who heads youth ministry and middle school faith formation at St. Ambrose in Woodbury, said many families who normally can’t attend daily Mass at St. Ambrose have now made the parish’s livestream Mass part of their morning routine. She’s also hearing from families who have never really taken the time to pray together, or maybe didn’t know how to begin.

“Now somewhat forced to pray together, it has broken down a barrier that was present, allowing them to talk about faith and find ways to grow together as a family,” St. Amour said.

The Goff family — Charles Jr., 48; Tanya, 46; Charles III, 19; Ben, 17; and Sadie, 14 — sets aside time each Sunday to watch St. Ambrose’s livestream Mass.

“We watch Mass and we are present,” said Tanya.

“There are pros and cons; it seems more intimate

when it’s just our small family, but it seems so distant as well.”

Tanya said she’s always relished family time, so she loves that everyone is now home, including their oldest son, who returned from the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

“We don’t feel rushed anymore. We go on walks, and we just talk,” Tanya said. “I’m checking in to make sure the kids are OK, as they are social beings, which can make navigating this situation a challenge.”

Tanya noted that time spent at home has been easier for the “bookends” — their oldest and youngest children — as they tend to be more homebodies, while middle child Ben is more social.

“It’s different, but I’ve been able to adapt,” Ben said. “I prioritize by making time to talk to people on the phone or the computer to continue my social life.”

Ben also appreciates gathering as a family each Sunday for Mass.

“We put aside everything to watch Mass, and then we talk about how we perceived the readings and the homily,” he said. “Because we’re all together in our house, it’s a lot easier to have those discussions right after Mass, as we have the time to talk and reflect.”

The Faulkner family, parishioners of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, appreciates meals together without having to run out the door to an activity or event.

“We also have more time for morning prayer as a family, and discussing the readings of the day,” said Bill Faulkner, 47. He and his wife, Erica, 43, are the parents of Eleanor, 12, Katharine, 9 and William, 6.

“It was very different going through Holy Week without going to church, but there were blessings, including a renewed sense of appreciation for the richness of our faith tradition and the sacraments,” Faulkner said. “Because of the quietness and opportunity for reflection absent distractions, in some ways we lived one of our most meaningful Holy and Easter weeks.”

Holy Family’s pastor, Father Joseph Johnson, received photos from families celebrating Holy Week at home, including a father washing his family members’ feet, families venerating the cross, and a family lighting a bonfire for the Easter Vigil.

“We too easily separate from one another when we’re busy,” Father Johnson said. “This is a great invitation to appreciate one another and strengthen the family as the domestic church, as faith begins at home.”

DO-AT-HOME FAMILY RETREAT At the request of Bill Dill, marriage preparation and youth ministry events coordinator in the archdiocese’s Office of Marriage, Family and Life, a do-at-home family retreat was created by Andrew Wagenbach, director of youth and young adult ministry at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony, and his wife, Coreen.

The retreat, Together: Encountering Jesus as a Family, features games, activities and talks appropriate for all ages, and includes sections from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

“This is a retreat that families can do at home during this difficult time, but without technology,” Coreen Wagenbach said. “With four young boys, we wanted to write a retreat that we could do ourselves and take advantage of this time ‘trapped’ together.”

“The focus is on what we and likely every family needs to work on: our family identity, forgiveness, increased spiritual life together and change,” Wagenbach said. “A family is able to do the entire retreat in one day, or they can break it up over a few days.”

To download materials for the retreat, visit archspm.org/ familyretreat.

Bryan Binstock, 53, serves as a high school small group leader at his parish, St. Paul in Ham Lake. He and his wife, Bridget, 51, are the parents of Nathan, 21, Melissa, 19, and Matthew, 16.

“We spend many evenings playing games as a family, but also virtual game nights with friends and extended family,” Binstock said. “We are a very social family, so it has been challenging not to be able to spend time with others outside the house.”

“But the time together has been priceless,” he added. “We’ve had more conversations around important topics with all the kids. And more family prayer time.”

Cate Bunnell, director of youth ministry at St. Paul in Ham Lake, has found the shifts in family life heartening.

“It’s been beautiful to support families in their call to be ‘the domestic church’ at the present moment,” she said. “God has good things and abundant blessings to come in the future, yes, but he is also pouring out his goodness and blessings right now.”