The Catholic Spirit - November 19, 2015

‘Misfits’ Reading 8A • Senior Services Guide 16A – 21A • Financial Report B Section November 19, 2015 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Archdiocese all ears

Archbishop Hebda says wide input helpful for nuncio, next archbishop U.S. Catholics offer prayers, condolences after Paris attacks Catholic News Service

Archbishop Bernard Hebda gives his attention to a listening session participant Nov. 4 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

Eric Wuebben/For The Catholic Spirit

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit An estimated 2,000 people attended 10 listening sessions Archbishop Bernard Hebda hosted throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in October and November, and hundreds of other Catholics have shared their thoughts on the archdiocese’s future and next archbishop through letters, emails and its website.

The two-hour events — the likes of which Church experts

have called “unprecedented” — “were a great opportunity for people to come together to talk about something that obviously was very important to them: this local Church,” Archbishop Hebda said. “I was overwhelmed by the number of people who came and impressed by how passionate they are about the Church.”

Archdiocesan officials are in the process of preparing

An outpouring of grief, condolences and prayers came from Catholics across the United States in reaction to the Nov. 13 evening attacks in Paris, attacks the French government said were carried out by three teams of Islamic State terrorists.

The U.S. Catholic bishops Nov. 14 pledged their prayers for those killed and injured at three sites in France’s capital and voiced their support for those “working to build just and peaceful societies.”

“Terror always seeks to separate us from those we most love,” said a statement issued by the Administrative Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Through their suffering, courage and compassion, Parisians are reminding us that the common bond of humanity is strongest when the need is greatest.”

“To the people of France, we mourn with you and honor the lives lost from several nations, including our own,” said the committee, which is comprised of USCCB’s officers, committee chairmen and other bishops representing every region of the United States.

“To our brothers and sisters in the church in France, your family in the Please turn to CATHOLICS on page 12A

Please turn to LISTENING on page 6A

ALSO inside

Giving thanks

The trouble with ‘Hennepin’

Creatures of habit

Through Make-A-Wish, teen from St. John Neumann in Eagan partners with food trucks to feed the hungry and show gratitude.

— Page 10A

A painting of Mississippi explorer Father Hennepin is at the center of a heated debate over appropriate art for the State Capitol.

— Page 11A

Local religious sisters share what wearing a habit — or not — means to them.

— Page 15A

PAGE TWO

2A • The Catholic Spirit

November 19, 2015

in PICTURES “Ask for forgiveness. Many good people struggle with this sin. You are not alone; there is always hope! . . . Freedom from pornography is a daily choice and calls for ongoing formation.”

A statement from a draft of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography” being considered for approval at their Nov. 16-19 fall general meeting in Baltimore.

“I feel that if you’re on the margins, the strange thing is that you have more power. If you are not within a structure, you’ve got nothing to lose, then in a strange kind of way, you gain everything.”

‘SISTER ACT’ A HOLY RIOT Taking the part played by Whoopi Goldberg in the movie version of “Sister Act,” Regina Maria Williams, left, plays the pseudo Sister Clarence along side Norah Long’s Mother Superior in the stage version now playing through February at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. See a review on www.thecatholicspirit.com at http://bit.ly/1MRL4Jk. Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp, 2015

Julia Bolton Holloway, 78, a Catholic “urban hermit” who describes her lifestyle as a kind of religious “freelance,” working as the caretaker of Florence’s English Cemetery and with the Roma — also known as “gypsy” — community.

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

ACCW Advent retreat is Dec. 5 The Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women will host its annual Advent retreat 8:30 a.m. Dec. 5 at St. Peter Church in Mendota. The event begins with prayer and a continental breakfast, followed by a program by Father Domenic Roscioli, a nationally known speaker from Kenosha, Wisconsin, and concludes at noon with Mass. Vendors also will be on site for participants to shop for Christmas gifts. Cost is $15. For more information and to register, call 651-291-4545 or visit www. accwarchspm.org.

Two Catholic cemeteries to host memorial Masses COATS FOR KIDS Knights of Columbus state deputy Joe Konrardy, front, delivers remarks at a press conference Nov. 4 at Osseo Police headquarters to announce a partnership between local Knights councils and the Osseo, Maple Grove, Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center police departments to bring winter coats to kids who need them. Knights of Columbus District 52 donated 108 coats to these police departments for distribution to needy children in an initiative called Coats for Kids. District 52 includes St. Joseph the Worker Council in Maple Grove, Osseo-Maple Grove (St. Vincent DePaul) Council in Brooklyn Park, Church of St. Gerard Council in Brooklyn Park, and Father Schumacher (St. Alphonsus) Council in Brooklyn Center.

Since the program began in 2008, Knights councils have donated more than 200,000 coats to kids throughout the U.S. and Canada. Courtesy PK Photography

WHAT’S NEW on social media In Case You Missed It: “Totino-Grace High School” was the correct answer to a final question on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” Nov. 5. The question about the Fridley school was: “While it doesn’t offer classes in how to make pizza rolls, which of these is an actual Catholic high school named after its frozen food magnate benefactor?”

Join Bishop Andrew Cozzens for a Google Hangout On Air 7 p.m. Nov. 24. Those viewing will be able to view the “Grill the Bishop” Q&A and post their own questions.

Participation requires a Google+ or gmail account. For more information, visit www.tcya.archspm.org.

Were you at the archdiocesan Fall Formation Day at Guardian Angels Church in Oakdale Nov. 5? If so, you were probably framed by @TheCatholicSpirit.

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 20 — No. 22 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor

Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights and Gethsemane Cemetery in New Hope will host Masses of Remembrance Dec. 5. Resurrection Cemetery, located at 2101 Lexington Ave. in Mendota Heights, will host a 10 a.m. Mass; and Gethsemane Cemetery, 8151 42nd Ave. N. in New Hope, will host a 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Mass. For more information, call Resurrection at 651-255-0530 or Gethsemane at 763-537-4184.

St. Paul Seminary to host lessons and carols David Jenkins, St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity liturgical music director, will direct the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity Chorale and the St. Paul Seminary Schola for carols and hymns of the season 4-6 p.m.

Dec. 6 at St. Mary’s Chapel, 2260 Summit Ave., St. Paul. A reception will follow.

Registration open for WINE women’s conference The annual women’s conference in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is slated for 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 6, 2016, at Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville. With the theme “Mercy: Encountering Boundless Love,” the event includes speakers, confession, prayer teams, lunch, door prizes, vendors and Mass. Cost is $55 per person (early bird); $65 per person after Jan. 6. ($25 for consecrated women). For more information, call 651-291-4411. To register, visit www.archspm.org. The event is sponsored by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, and WINE: Women In the New Evangelization.

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FROM THE BISHOP

November 19, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 3A

In Year of Mercy, pray and fast to end violence

A

ll of us have once again found ourselves in stunned shock and grief at the terrible terrorist attacks that happened Nov. 13 in Paris. We have been scandalized now for months

by ISIS’ senseless acts of violence, which has most often been directed against our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East. So many have been driven from their homes, and some of them brutally murdered because they refused to give up their faith. What are we to do in the face of such incredible evil?

At the request of our Holy Father Pope Francis, the universal Church is about to embark on a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Like every jubilee year, it will be an opportunity for great grace for us to enter into a deeper experience of God’s love. As Pope Francis has said, “It is indeed my wish that the jubilee be a living experience of the closeness of the Father, whose tenderness is almost tangible, so that the faith of every believer may be strengthened and thus testimony to it be ever more effective.”

FROM THE BISHOP Bishop Andrew Cozzens

Even before these most recent attacks, the bishops of Minnesota have been reflecting on the need for all of us to pray and fast in particular to help bring an end to violence in our culture, especially violence that destroys innocent human life. I want to propose that this would be a special focus of our prayer during this Year of Mercy.

And we don’t have to look across the ocean to find senseless acts of violence. It

seems often we find ourselves braced right here at home wondering where the next school or mall shooting will happen or when the next suicide in our community will occur.

All of us have been deeply scandalized by the videos produced about Planned Parenthood, which have shown their employees callously discussing the using — and even selling — of body parts of innocent babies. These discussions are so horrific that they are very difficult to watch.

The videos have made real for us all again the horror of abortion. As Pope Francis said, “The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some with a superficial awareness, as if not realizing the extreme harm that such an act entails.”

Pope Francis also points out that many times women choose abortion because they feel like they have no alternative, and he wants them to experience the power of God’s forgiveness.

For this reason, Pope Francis has granted to all priests in this Year of Mercy the faculty to absolve the sin of abortion. Previously abortion has been a “reserved sin” in order to highlight its significance in our culture, which takes it casually.

As a reserved sin it could require special permission from the bishop for a priest to absolve this sin, but during the Year of Mercy this will not be the case.

And, to be honest, we don’t have to look just at our culture — we know there has been violence in the Church. We are painfully aware of the violence committed even by priests against the young, and we are doing much in the archdiocese to prevent this terrible crime and to try to bring healing to victims. But we still must always remember to pray for the healing of the victims of this violence.

In light of these deep struggles in our culture

“I invite all of you to dedicate your own prayer and fasting on First Fridays to pray for an end to violence against human life as part of your activities in the Year of Mercy.” and our Church, I would like to propose a special initiative in our archdiocese over the next several months of the Year of Mercy. We would like to dedicate First Fridays of this Year of Mercy to praying for an end to violence against human life — praying that God would pour out his merciful love to change the hearts of all those who perpetrate these senseless acts of violence. The Office of Marriage, Family and Life will announce special activities at various parishes on First Fridays during starting Dec. 4 through May 6. (See related story on page 7A.) I invite all of you to dedicate your own prayer and fasting on First Fridays to pray for an end to violence against human life as part of your activities in the Year of Mercy. You may consider spending an extra hour in one of our adoration chapels for the intention of an end to violence against human life.

Let us pray that many people will come to experience God’s mercy, and let us look for ways to be merciful so that our culture may be transformed more and more from a culture of violence into a culture of life.

Durante el Año de Misericordia, orar y ayunar para que termine la violencia Editor’s note: Due to changes in Bishop Andrew Cozzens’ column, the following isn’t an exact translation.

A petición de Nuestro Santo Padre Francisco la Iglesia universal está a punto de embarcarse en un año de Misericordia. Como cada año jubilar será una gran oportunidad de gracia para nosotros entrar en una experiencia más profunda del amor de Dios. Como ha dicho el Papa Francisco, “ Es mi deseo, en efecto, que el Jubileo sea experiencia viva de la cercanía del Padre, como si se quisiese tocar con la mano su ternura, para que se fortalezca la fe de cada creyente y, así, el testimonio sea cada vez más eficaz.”

No ajeno a la necesidad de un Año de la Misericordia, los obispos de Minnesota han estado reflexionando sobre la necesidad de todos nosotros para orar y ayunar, en particular para ayudar a poner fin a la violencia en nuestra cultura, especialmente la violencia que destruye inocentes vidas humanas.

Todos nosotros hemos sido escandalizados profundamente por los videos producidos sobre la organización “Planned Parenthood,” que ha mostrado sus empleados discutir cruelmente el uso e incluso la venta de partes del cuerpo de bebés inocentes. Estas discusiones son tan impresionantes que son muy difíciles de ver. Ellos han hecho de nuevo realidad el horror del aborto para

todos nosotros.

Como dijo el Papa Francisco, “La tragedia del aborto es experimentada por algunos con un conocimiento superficial, como si no se dieran cuenta del daño extremo que tal acto implica.” El Papa Francisco también señala que muchas veces las mujeres eligen el aborto porque sienten que no tienen otra alternativa, y él quiere que ellas experimenten el poder del perdón de Dios.

Por esta razón, el Papa Francisco ha concedido a todos los sacerdotes, en este Año de la Misericordia la facultad de absolver el pecado del aborto.

Anteriormente el aborto ha sido un “pecado reservado” con el fin de resaltar su importancia en nuestra cultura que lo toma a la ligera. Un pecado reservado puede requerir un permiso especial del obispo a un sacerdote para absolverlo, pero durante el Año de la Misericordia este no será el caso.

Sin embargo el aborto no es el único acto de violencia que hemos visto contra la vida humana inocente.

También hemos sido escandalizados por los actos atroces de ISIS en contra de nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo en el Medio Oriente. Muchos han sido expulsados de sus hogares, y algunos de ellos brutalmente asesinados por negarse a renunciar a su fe. Y la violencia insensata de ISIS no se limita a los Cristianos, sino que incluye muchas otras víctimas inocentes.

Y nosotros no tenemos que mirar al otro lado del océano para encontrar actos de violencia insensatos. A menudo parece que permanecemos inmóviles en casa preguntando donde va a pasar el próximo tiroteo escolar o de un centro comercial o cuando será el próximo suicidio en nuestra comunidad.

Y para ser honestos, no tenemos que mirar nada más en nuestra cultura, sino que sabemos que ha habido violencia aún en la Iglesia. Somos dolorosamente conscientes de la violencia cometida incluso por sacerdotes contra los jóvenes. Pero siempre debemos recordar orar por la sanación de las víctimas de esta violencia.

A la luz de estas profundas luchas en nuestra cultura y nuestra Iglesia, me gustaría proponer una iniciativa especial en nuestra arquidiócesis para los próximos meses del Año de la Misericordia.

Nos gustaría dedicar los Primeros Viernes de este Año de la Misericordia para orar por el fin de la violencia contra la vida humana. La Oficina de Matrimonio, Familia y Vida anunciara actividades especiales en diversas parroquias los Primeros Viernes de cada mes comenzando el 4 de diciembre hasta el 6 de mayo. Pronto habrá un sitio web de la Arquidiócesis para el Año de la Misericordia, donde usted podrá encontrar toda esta información.

Yo los invito a todos ustedes a dedicar

su propia oración y ayuno en el Primer Viernes para orar por el fin de la violencia contra la vida humana, como parte de sus actividades en el Año de la Misericordia. Usted puede considerar pasar una hora extra en una de nuestras capillas de adoración por esta intención: el fin de la violencia contra la vida humana.

Oremos para que mucha gente venga a experimentar la misericordia de Dios y busquemos maneras de ser misericordiosos, para que nuestra cultura pueda transformarse cada vez más de una cultura de violencia a una cultura de vida.

OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Reverend Bernard Hebda, has announced the following appointment in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: Effective November 13, 2015 Deacon Peter Loving, appointed to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of the Assumption in Richfield. Deacon Loving is a deacon of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas.

4A • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

November 19, 2015

SLICEof LIFE

Feast for hunters

Katie Ragland, right, of St. Hubert in Chanhassen, receives a blaze orange rosary Nov. 8 from Father Bruno Nwachukwu, associate pastor of St. Hubert, who dressed up as the parish namesake for weekend Masses Nov. 7-8 to honor the Nov. 3 feast day of St. Hubert, the patron saint of hunters. Also receiving a rosary was Ragland’s daughter, Annie, left. The firearms deer opener in Minnesota was Nov. 7, with all hunters required to wear blaze orange. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

www.TheCatholicSpirit.com

November 19, 2015

LOCAL

The Catholic Spirit • 5A

MINNEAPOLIS

Basilica holds interfaith Prayer for Peace service In response to the recent attacks in France, Lebanon, Egypt, Nigeria and other countries, nearly 800 people attended an interfaith Prayer for Peace service at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis Nov. 15. The Basilica hosted the opportunity to pray for peace, especially to hold in prayer those lost and impacted by the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris. Johan van Parys, Basilica director of liturgy, explained, “Our world is in such pain. We have seen so many terrorist attacks in recent years, months and weeks throughout the world. There is so much anger and fear. We felt it very necessary to pray for peace in our world, in our cities, in our homes and in our heart. And, of course, we do that every time we gather for Mass. But this special service allowed us to bring together Jews, Christians and Muslims to stand together against violence and to pray together for peace.” The service was held in conjunction with the Memorial March for Paris, which began at the Alliance Française building in downtown Minneapolis, and included Vespers for Peace and Justice led by U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison; a reflection by Christina Selander Bouzouina, Honorary Consul of France; and Jewish, Christian and Muslim prayers for peace.

Open Window to stage C.S. Lewis classic Open Window Theatre’s expanded performance space will feature “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” Dec. 4-30. The special Christmas-time staging of the C. S. Lewis classic from The Chronicles of Narnia includes an invitation for children to meet Father Christmas after the show and receive a small gift. The Open Window Theatre is located at 1313 Chestnut Ave. in Minneapolis, just north of the Basilica of St. Mary. Although not a typical Christmas show, the script includes an appearance by Father Christmas, who foreshadows the ending of winter and of the White Witch’s reign. Themes of sacrifice, forgiveness and redemption are familiar to readers of the “Narnia” series.

For dates and ticket information, call the Open Window Theatre Box Office at 612-615-1515 or visit www. openwindowtheatre.org.

ST. PAUL

St. Agnes School names new activity center for Father Ubel St. Agnes School in St. Paul dedicated the $17.6 million Ubel Activity Center on its Thomas-Dale neighborhood campus Nov. 12, naming the new space in honor of Father John Ubel, the former superintendent of the St. Paul school and pastor of St. Agnes Church who was influential in saving the school from closing. Led by an initial gift of more than $11 million from St. Paul philanthropists John Nasseff and his wife, Helene Houle, the new activity center was built on the site that included the former high school gymnasium, Bandas Hall. The new facility includes

French flags are joined with the U.S. flag on the steps of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, which hosted an interfaith Prayer for Peace service in response to terrorist attacks in Paris and elsewhere. Terri Ashmore/Courtesy Basilica of St. Mary upgraded spaces for vocal and instrumental music as well as the visual arts, additional classroom space, an expanded gymnasium and a student commons area. Bishop Andrew Cozzens joined current St. Agnes pastor Father Mark Moriarty in presiding at Mass and blessing the new activity center. A procession through the new building included a sprinkling rite and the distribution of blessed crucifixes.

The new gymnasium will be Father John named Bandas Gymnasium to UBEL continue to honor the parish’s late pastor, Msgr. Rudolph Bandas. The center was named for Father Ubel at the request of the donors. The school was on the brink of closing in 2007 when Father Ubel approached Nasseff for funds to keep St. Agnes open.

Nassef offered $500,000 if other donors could match his gift. They did, and the revitalized school has since more than doubled its enrollment to 650 students in grades kindergarten through 12. Father Ubel is now rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

prize grant. With more than 580 donors, Catholic Charities met a $100,000 matching grant that helped raise $253,569 — the seventh highest total — to care for homeless men and women at the Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul, which is in the midst of building an expansion. Gifts will provide those experiencing homelessness access to food, emergency shelter and critical services like housing assistance, medical care, veterans’ benefits, and job skills training, according to a statement from Catholic Charities. Red Wing’s Catholic parish was the ninth-highest gift raiser at $135,745. St. Joseph, which is celebrating its 150th year, will use the funds to support its many ministries and community services. DeLaSalle was at the 25th spot, receiving $59,940 in donations for student scholarships. A dollar-for-dollar matching grant helped to push the total past the school’s $55,000 goal. Meanwhile, some schools held their own giving days separate from Give to the Max Day. Among them were Mendota Heights schools St. Thomas Academy, which raised $536,632, and Convent of the Visitation School, which brought in $515,908 in donations as of Nov. 12.

OAKDALE

Discipleship focus of Fall Give to the Max Day results: Formation Day for parish CDH No. 1 again; other leaders, clergy Catholic entities in top 25 Once again, donors to Cretin-Derham Hall High School made the St. Paul Catholic school the top recipient of gifts on Give to the Max Day Nov. 12.

Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, St. Joseph Church in Red Wing and DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis were also among the top 25 recipients of donors’ generosity in the online fundraising initiative. A total of $18,063,598 was raised for schools and nonprofit organizations across Minnesota. Cretin-Derham Hall raised $506,601, with 1,061 donors participating. With the first place total, the school also will receive a $10,000

Parish leaders, staff members and clergy from around the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis gathered Nov. 5 at Guardian Angels Church in Oakdale for a day with Sherry Weddell, cofounder and co-director of the Catherine of Siena Institute and author of “Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus.” Her daylong presentation laid out one of the biggest challenges for the Church — the declining number of Catholics and the increasing number of people who don’t identify with any religion. She noted that while Christian religions across the board are experiencing the same declines, Catholics need to build bridges and trust

with others in order for the trends to change. She noted that parish ministries are common entry points to welcome people in. “It’s not about money, and it’s not about numbers. It’s a stance, an attitude because of changed lives through Jesus Christ,” she said of discipleship, stressing that there’s no devotion, tool, retreat or approach to the dilemma, but that “we are the solution together.” Jeff Cavins, author and director of the archdiocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, ended the day emphasizing the importance of disciples living the Gospel, not just studying it. He recommended praying “lectio divina” (Latin for “divine reading”) and looking for opportunities to share Christ. The discipleship theme will continue with the Spring Formation Day slated for April 14, sponsored by the Association of Coordinators and Religious Educators.

DULUTH

Diocese of Duluth responds to court’s $8.1 million verdict A Ramsey County jury Nov. 4 handed down an $8.1 million verdict against the Diocese of Duluth in a sexual abuse case involving Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father J. Vincent Fitzgerald, who at the time of the abuse in 1978 ministered at St. Catherine Church in Squaw Lake, a parish in the Duluth Diocese. The jury attributed 60 percent fault to the Diocese of Duluth and 40 percent to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The Diocese of Duluth made the following response available to media Nov. 4 regarding the recent court case: “The Diocese of Duluth does not dispute the claim of sexual abuse in the court case decided today. We have great sympathy for the victim, and we support his right and every victim’s right to seek justice. At the same time, it is hard for us to understand being held responsible for a religious order priest’s actions in 1978 that the Diocese of Duluth knew nothing about and could not have prevented. With this in mind, we will be considering all available options in response, including an appeal of [the] decision.”

LOCAL

6A • The Catholic Spirit

November 19, 2015

Initial takeaway: Archbishop Hebda reflects on listening sessions Q. What do you make of the comments that questioned or challenged Church teaching?

Archbishop Bernard Hebda, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, spoke with The Catholic Spirit Nov. 10, less than a week after the final listening session, to share his initial impression ahead of a forthcoming comprehensive analysis. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Interview by Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit

Q. What was your goal for the listening sessions?

A. The first goal was getting more information. It helped me get a better sense of the archdiocese and provided that information for the process of choosing the next archbishop. The second was to have the opportunity for people to come together in a very positive way and to begin thinking about the future.

Q. Do you think you achieved it?

A. The number of people who came

and the information that was given was very helpful. I do think that we had some good, thought-provoking opportunities for people to begin to consider the future and what it is that we hope will happen, what we want to be part of when the next archbishop is named and when our local Church is in a better position to move forward, maybe post-bankruptcy.

Q. What is your main takeaway?

A. My main takeaway is the high level

of commitment that people have to this local Church and how easily they speak of their love for the Church, especially as they talked about their parishes and their priests. I came to get a glimpse of a diocese that is very much alive and certainly thrives at the local level.

Q. What surprised you?

A. Certainly the intensity. People feel

passionately about the liturgy and diversity in liturgy. I was a little surprised by how articulate people were in expressing their thoughts about the Church. They really demonstrated for me that we have a very well-educated laity.

Things were described not in just personal likes and dislikes, but in terms of theology and ecclesiology. That impressed me very much.

Q. What challenged you?

A. The question of how do we reach

out to people who have left the Church or feel marginalized is a challenge that

Archbishop Bernard Hebda listens to a listening session participant Nov. 4 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Eric Wuebben/For The Catholic Spirit we’re feeling not just all over the country, but all over the world. That’s where Pope Francis is really challenging us as well — to make sure we’re reaching out to those on the peripheries.

At many of the sessions they spoke concretely about people who are divorced and remarried, people who are experiencing same-sex attraction and feel like the Church doesn’t want them or care for them, people who have been hurt in the midst of the pedophilia scandals. There’s a real sense that we have to be proactive in reaching out to people and giving them the same sense of belonging that Pope Francis does.

Q. How do you plan to use the information you received?

A. We’re forwarding the summaries to the nuncio, and Msgr. [Michael] Morgan is going to share the information he received. I also know that it’s going to be hugely helpful for the next archbishop.

It’s a pretty fresh indication of what people are thinking in the archdiocese, what they see as being priorities. It’s something that usually takes a long time to gather, especially when a new archbishop comes and there’s so much excitement and so many things to do.

This will be of great assistance to him right off the bat.

Q. What convinces you that all this work will matter?

A. I’m really confident that it will be used, first of all because of the [nuncio’s] extraordinary effort in sending Msgr.

Morgan to be part of this. It gives us great indication that the nuncio is open to receiving information like this. Secondly, I think the quality of what was gathered

seems to ring true to what I’ve experienced in the life of this local Church. Because there was such cohesion, I think we have fairly reliable information that will be readily credible.

That makes it more likely to be usable and used. It did involve a fairly broad cross-section of archdiocesan life.

Obviously, we had people of all walks of life at the public listening sessions. I think we also got an interesting perspective from those in consecrated life and Hispanic leadership. They helped complete the picture. I’ve just been getting very good input as well from all of the deanery sessions where priests and deacons had a chance to really discuss [the same questions].

Q. You heard a lot of opinions, including many opposing views. How do you expect the nuncio to sift through that?

A. You hope that the information that you heard most often and seemed to resonate across the broadest cross-section is a good place to start. That doesn’t deny that you might get a prophetic voice, but when you look at the areas that were most commonly mentioned, they would give the next archbishop a blueprint for beginning to respond. I also think that sometimes, even when people had very different opinions, they were very much addressing the same issues. So, when people spoke about having priests who are prepared to address the problems of the day, even though people may have a different sense of what those problems are and what being prepared means, there was a real common emphasis on the importance of our two archdiocesan seminaries.

A. We certainly tried to help people to understand that our task was somewhat narrow, in terms of being helpful in that process of the selection of the next archbishop, but we did get a sense that some people really struggle with some Church teachings.

So often we can fall into misunderstandings, mischaracterizations of Church teaching, but on the other hand, we may fail to see the impact of Church teaching in somebody’s life, or how they might be hearing what the Church is saying. The listening sessions were very helpful in giving the next archbishop some idea of the vocabulary that he’s going to need to be able to address some of these issues.

Q. How do you think the listening sessions are shaping people’s expectations?

A. There’s a great tradition here of people speaking their minds and offering their opinions, and it seems to me that there’s an expectation that any good pastor, any good bishop or archbishop would want to know what the Lord is doing in the hearts of his faithful. There’s an expectation that that process of listening will continue. As people look to Pope Francis, who is engaged on so many levels in consultation, they rightly see that’s part of Catholic life in 2015.

Whether that be Pope Francis pulling together very quickly a ‘kitchen cabinet’ of eight cardinals and meeting with them, or whether it be in the two synods that he’s led in the short time that he’s been successor of Peter, all of those are opportunities for people to express those things that are most important in their hearts.

Q.Where do we go from here? How do we apply this information to helping the archdiocese heal and move forward?

A. A lot of it will take place once the new archbishop is named. The new information will be helpful in that selection process, but we really should leave it to the next archbishop to give us our marching orders on the information that was received. Of course, he would be in dialogue with the leadership throughout the archdiocese, but that will be the moment when we really see the utility of the information that was provided.

Listening session reports in progress for apostolic nunciature Continued from page 1A reports from the final listening sessions to the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See to the United States, the diplomatic mission that aids the pope’s selection of U.S. bishops.

The archdiocese has already forwarded reports from earlier listening sessions.

Nuncio Carlo Maria Viganó will also receive information from his own envoy, Msgr. Michael Morgan, secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature, who observed three listening sessions Nov. 2-4 and met individually with more than 30 Catholic leaders.

Those who attended the sessions were asked to share what they considered the archdiocese’s strengths, challenges and qualities desired in the

next archbishop.

Although Archbishop Hebda heard a variety of responses to all three questions, he noted that many people praised the archdiocese’s diversity, educational efforts and well-educated laity.

As for challenges, many people spoke about the archdiocese’s need to restore trust, be transparent and reach out to Catholics who feel marginalized or have left the Church, he said.

Making generalizations about the attributes people asked for in the next archbishop is “a little more difficult because there were so many,” Archbishop Hebda said. “So many people spoke about humility, needing a good communicator and somebody who’s prayerful.

“More often than not, what most people joked

about, but was fresh in their minds, is that they want somebody like Pope Francis,” he added. “I think that gives us a pretty good idea of what people are looking for.”

The Catholic Spirit plans to offer in-depth analysis of the reports after they are completed.

Msgr. Morgan told The Catholic Spirit that listening sessions to gather information ahead of the selection of a bishop were, to his knowledge, unprecedented, but he didn’t expect the process to become the norm.

However, he said, the extraordinary process was warranted by the archdiocese’s challenges, including Reorganization and the June resignation of Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché.

LOCAL

November 19, 2015

Steps underway to recoup CSA shortfall

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit Donations to the 2015 Catholic Services Appeal to date are $1 million short of the $9.3 million goal of the annual campaign that funds 17 ministries in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

However, Jennifer Beaudry, executive director of the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation, said she and foundation board members are optimistic about the campaign and working on several fronts to reach the goal.

The consequences of the CSA not reaching the goal would likely mean cuts in programs that the funded ministries serve, she said.

The amount of the shortfall at this stage of the campaign is unique for the CSA, Beaudry noted. “For the past four or five years at this point we’ve been over goal,” she said.

In one strategy to reach the goal, foundation board president Tim Healy is writing to those who have already given to the appeal to ask for an additional gift.

“Each and every dollar we receive helps immensely,” Healy wrote. “And

your dollar could be the dollar that allows another student to stay in a Catholic school, or another child to be given a warm meal, or a sick person to be anointed by a hospital chaplain, or a college student to build a relationship with God and become part of the next generation to carry on the mission of our Catholic Church.”

For the first time, the foundation participated Nov. 12 in Give to the Max Day, an Internet-based fundraising effort, Beaudry said, that isn’t just one day but continues through Dec. 15 at www.giveMN.org.

An anonymous donor has offered a $2,500 matching gift to those who donate to the CSAF through the online initiative, Beaudry said.

Members of the CSAF board — all lay people — will also be telephoning those who have made higher-level gifts in the past but who have yet to donate this year.

Beaudry noted that the 2015 CSA has 8,000 fewer donors to date than the previous year. The average gift, however, is higher than last year.

She also said it would be helpful for those who have yet to fulfill their pledges to the CSA to do so.

If the CSA numbers were to stay at their current below-goal level, Beaudry said, many of the 17 ministries would receive approximately 75 percent of the funding they are anticipating.

Scholarships that help 320 students attend Catholic high schools would not be impacted, however, nor would funding for the St. Paul Seminary or St. John Vianney College Seminary, Beaudry said.

“There are 17 good reasons for people to contribute to the Catholic Services Appeal: the 17 ministries,” she added. “A number of them do not get funds any other way than through the appeal.”

Beaudry said the foundation won’t have final figures until the end of the year, and even then contributions still trickle in.

“The shortfall could potentially turn around,” she said. “There’s a positive attitude in the archdiocese with Archbishop [Bernard] Hebda,” the apostolic administrator of the archdiocese until a new archbishop is appointed.

“We’re optimistically moving forward,” she added. “We’re positive healing will happen here.”

Parishes seek to ramp up security after recent crimes

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit Along with security issues some parishes regularly face, the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris have given them another reason to consider whether their security plans are comprehensive.

While local experts identify risks and stress the need to be alert and take steps to increase security, they also say heightened awareness can enhance a parish’s ability to welcome and serve parishioners and guests.

Serious incidents at churches are rare, but trending upward. In 2014, 74 violent deaths occurred at U.S. faithbased organizations, compared to 22 in 1999, according to Carl Chinn, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, who speaks to faith-based operators and law-enforcement groups about ministry security. Since 1999, he has compiled data about criminal incidents at religious institutions from major news outlets, law enforcement press releases and public court records.

In Minneapolis, two recent incidents at St. Olaf have led the downtown parish to evaluate its security.

“We want to make sure people feel safe when they come here,” said Don Grant, parish operations director.

That’s why St. Olaf hired the Minneapolis security firm Archway Defense to assess parish security, including better management of its skyway and other entrances.

Peter Johnson, who founded Archway Defense in 2014, said churches can defend themselves. He noted that the Catechism of the Catholic Church approves the legitimate defense of persons and societies (No. 2263).

Getting parishioners together to talk about security is the first step, Johnson said. Archway Defense offers a six-hour

“Everything is going to be the same. The only difference is you’re going to have people who know what to look for and are empowered to respond if something negative happens.”

Peter Johnson

course for parish leaders and volunteers covering issues including specific church needs, legal considerations and how to assess behavior.

“Just being more aware of what to look for, and how to approach safety and security, will naturally lend itself to help protecting the people along with the property,” Johnson said.

Mary Bosscher, an administration consultant and parishioner of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake, has advised many archdiocesan parishes for nearly 25 years. She said parishioners need to be involved, alert and accept personal responsibility, seeking to care for each other as a faith family, welcome visitors and value their church facilities and property.

That awareness should also enhance hospitality as staff and parishioners try to see and recognize each person who comes in, Bosscher said.

Setting up a hospitality desk at the entrance and asking people to sign in for faith formation and other events are ways to welcome while seeing parishioners and guests.

Along with welcoming guests, ushers and greeters can be trained to speak with them and recognize non-standard behavior, Johnson said.

“You’re still going to have the same open doors,” he said. “Everything is going to be the same. The only difference is you’re going to have

people who know what to look for and are empowered to respond if something negative happens.”

Archway also performs parish security assessments, Johnson said. He recommends that parishes partner with local police, fire and nearby churches in developing their security plan.

Protecting parishes from theft is another security concern. Pieces of the solid bronze tabernacle stolen from St. Pascal Baylon in St. Paul Sept. 4 have surfaced in pawn shops, but police haven’t identified a suspect, said Mike Lentz, parish administrator. The parish has added security and is working to increase awareness, he said.

St. Charles Borromeo pastor Father Troy Przybilla said he is also interested in security programs. Although the St. Anthony parish doesn’t face the challenges of inner-city parishes, it does have security issues. Following several thefts in and around the parish this summer, the staff developed safety guidelines for parishioners.

Father Przybilla said he wants the parish to be welcoming, but he recognizes the need to protect the church and parishioners.

“Are we going to sit back and just keep our fingers crossed and hope nothing happens,” he asked, ”or are we going to say, ‘What’s happening in the world?’” and respond.

The Catholic Spirit • 7A

Dec. 4 marks start of First Fridays of prayer, fasting to end violence

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Minnesota’s bishops have called for a day of fasting and prayer Dec. 4, the Friday before the Year of Mercy begins Dec. 8. In the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Catholics are asked to continue to pray and fast on the first Fridays of the month through May. According to the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the “Day of Fasting and Prayer in Reparation for a Culture of Violence and Disrespect for Human Life” was inspired by the undercover video series released earlier this year alleging Planned Parenthood had been selling for profit parts of aborted fetuses.

With the Day of Fasting and Prayer, the state’s bishops are asking people to pray and fast for an end to all forms of violence. Minnesota dioceses are holding days of fasting on various dates in December and January.

In the archdiocese, the series of First Fridays for prayer and fasting will culminate in the annual May rosary procession from the State Capitol to the Cathedral of St. Paul.

“The first Friday of the month has always been a day of reparation in the Church, with that sense of penitential love,” said Jean Stolpestad, archdiocesan director of Marriage, Family and Life and a coordinator for the Day of Fasting and Prayer initiative. “We’re sacrificing something in ourselves and connecting that with the ultimate sacrifice.”

Historically in the Church, Fridays have been days for acts of penance, the reason that Catholics once were required to abstain from meat on Fridays all year. When in 1966 the U.S. bishops lifted that requirement outside of Lent, they asked Catholics who chose not to abstain from meat on all Fridays to make another sacrifice instead.

Unfortunately, the practice of making Fridays a day of sacrifice has often been overlooked or forgotten, Stolpestad said, but she thinks its revival — especially for the intention to end violence — could bring about greater mercy and selflessness in people and the world.

In Scripture, Jesus pointed to a demon that he said could be driven out only by prayer and fasting, indicating the combination’s power, Stolpestad said.

“Born in original sin, we have a huge tendency to selfishness. When we choose to curb those selfish appetites . . . and instead see our brothers and sisters, that draws us closer to [God],” she said.“In order to receive mercy, we have to be merciful. We can only do it if Christ gives us the strength to do it.”

The devotion of dedicating First Fridays to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is well established in the Church. Cor Jesu, a regularly scheduled First Friday event for young adults at the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, will observe the Day of Fasting and Prayer Dec. 4. The archdiocese plans to announce subsequent First Friday events tied to the Day of Prayer and Fasting at www. archspm.org/mercy and encourages pastors to hold events at their parishes.

8A • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

November 19, 2015

Book club gives Catholic men excuse to read, think, talk, learn

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit On a soggy November evening, 14 Catholic men sloshed their way to a taproom in Stillwater, shook off the rain, grabbed a craft beer and headed up to the mezzanine to talk about “A Tale of Two Cities.”

At least at the start they did.

For the Misfits — a men’s book club that has been meeting for 13 years — discussing fiction is simply the launch point for conversation about, well, anything.

After reading about the bloody slaughter of the French Revolution that Charles Dickens used as the basis of his classic 1859 novel, some of the men couldn’t help but make a modern-day connection.

“The atmosphere reminded me of ‘The Walking Dead,’” said Mark Druffner, a physician.

Joe McGrath, a retired chemist, added, “It’s got its 20th-century counterpart in the civil war in Rwanda — and in ISIS, with the beheading.”

Seeing the image of Christ Buzz Kriesel, whose prior life as a U.S. Army special forces colonel sneaks into his leadership of the book club, noted the memorable, iconic phrases at both the beginning and end of the novel: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” at the beginning, and “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I

have ever done” at the end.

Thomas Loome, a retired theologian and bookseller, picked up on the latter line.

He said he sensed that Dickens’ portrayal of a man who gives up his life for another was written so “that we might see Christ better.” The character (spoiler alert!) who switches places with the condemned man is held up for readers’ admiration, Loome said. He’s the image of Christ, even to the extent of being followed by a crowd on the way to his execution “in an overtly Christian way,” Loome added. “I was not prepared for that.”

The Misfits — named for a character in Flanney O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” — brought all different versions of the book to the monthly session: hard covers, e-readers, paperbacks well-cared for, others thumbed through with bent covers, and even a library book. Meeting at the Maple Island Brewing taproom was a first for the group; they usually meet in the St. Thomas More Library up the hill at St. Michael Church.

They came at “A Tale of Two Cities” from various perspectives, too. Some questioned the significance of some of the lesser characters: some Dickens had drawn in detail and others were one dimensional.

The book first appeared in serial form as chapters in a newspaper, banker Scott Wagner reminded: “People who wouldn’t normally read history read it because it

was a novel and Dickens was such a good writer.” The literary device of ending a chapter leaving the newspaper reader in suspense was like a modern television drama’s close, Wagner quipped: “Stay tuned for a message from our sponsor.”

It wasn’t to be the last of the interjections that brought laughter to the book club meeting.

The taproom atmosphere may have been behind the suggestion for a new craft beer named after Madame LeFarge, a bloodthirsty leader of the guillotineloving mob in “A Tale of Two Cities.” It would have to be a red beer, one wag tossed out, “And there’s no head on it!” joked McGrath, busting up the crowd.

Opinions not always same John Leonard, an attorney, pointed out the contrast that British Dickens draws between the justice of London and the brutal, gory injustice of Paris.

“You do pick up a nationalistic tone,” Leonard said, but another lawyer and history buff, Carl Blondin, noted, “The English like to forget their own revolution. . . . They were as bad.”

Leonard also voiced a comment from his wife. “She said, ‘Dickens doesn’t do women well,’ ” which brought about the general agreement that, at least in “A Tale of Two Cities,” female characters are very one dimensional.

Druffner chipped in, “If I were a writer, I wouldn’t write about women well, either. I think women have a certain perspective of the world I don’t have.”

Blondin generalized, “It’s hard for the majority culture to write about the minority,” to which Druffer added, “Either that or women are more insightful than men.”

Sitting in an uneven circle around four tables pushed together, the men tossed out their personal analyses — that they got a good feel for the times of the French Revolution, that the collapse of all of society was depressing to read, that Dickens showed his lack of understanding of Catholic culture.

They chewed over the contrast between the revolution in France and the revolution that resulted in the founding of the United States, even though both occurred in relatively the same time period late in the 18th century.

While differences of opinion were expressed, particularly when a bit of American nationalism popped into the discussion, the conversation never got heated, with men willing to share their knowledge and willing to listen and learn from others as well.

Some of the group are self-taught history buffs, but all have a common base in knowledge about their faith, one gained by taking a yearlong course on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The 48, 90-minute classes were led by Loome, who taught theology at the thenCollege of St. Catherine in St. Paul before opening a bookstore in Stillwater.

Loome and Kriesel shared the credit for Please turn to BOOK on page 26A

Retirement Fund for Religious During her first year of teaching, Precious Blood Sister Ann Hipp, 95, had 40 students in four grades. “It was only by the grace of God that I got through that first year,” she recalls, laughing. Sister Ann would go on to spend 50 years in the classroom and continues in volunteer ministry today. She and some 33,000 senior Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests benefit from the Retirement Fund for Religious. Your generosity helps provide prescription medications, nursing care, and more.

Please give to those who have given a lifetime. www.retiredreligious.org Over 93 percent of donations aid senior religious.

To donate: National Religious Retirement Office/MSP 3211 Fourth Street NE Washington DC 20017-1194 Make check payable to Retirement Fund for Religious.

Or give at your local parish December 12–13.

Photos: (left) Sister Ann Hipp, CPPS, 95; (above from left) Brother Anselm Allen, OSB, 76; Sister Luanna Brucks, CPPS, 90; Sister Rosemary Zaffuto, ASCJ, 87. ©2015 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

Photographer: Jim Judkis.

November 19, 2015

LOCAL

The Catholic Spirit • 9A

Christmas opera’s spirit reaches beyond the stage Proceeds from ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’ performances to benefit local charitable causes

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit Vincent VanHatten, 12, had to imagine the life of a poor, crippled boy his age before he was ready to portray the fictitious Amahl in the holiday opera “Amahl and the Night Visitors” at local Catholic churches this season.

Along with learning to use a crutch while acting and singing, VanHatten has tried to understand his character’s life of poverty and family relationships, which he said are different from his own.

“I look at the words and try to imagine what feelings he has and the things he says,” said VanHatten, who lives in Plymouth.

VanHatten is performing the title role in the story of Amahl and his widowed mother, who experience miracles as they extend hospitality to the Three Kings traveling to Bethlehem to honor the Christ Child.

Three upcoming free performances of “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” produced by Gary Janisch and SOAR Regional Arts, are slated for two parishes in November and December.

This year marks the fourth time Janisch has produced the opera since 2004.

However, it’s the first production with SOAR, a St. Michael-based nonprofit that produces performing arts events for the communities of St. Michael, Otsego, Albertville and Rogers. As such, it features

From left, Christopher Fast (King Melchoir), Vincent VanHatten (Amahl), Rich Kubista (King Balthazar), Peg Janisch (Amahl’s mother), Andy Elfenbein (King Kasper) and, kneeling, Joshua Vosberg (the page) in a scene from “Amahl and the Night Visitors.” Courtesy Joe McDonald a professional team, 18-piece orchestra, boys’ choir and a new set.

“It’s a story that is heartwarming,” said Janisch, a member of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano. “You have some laughter, you get choked up, you have some tears in your eyes, and when you leave you just feel so good about the whole experience.”

The one-act opera, which runs 45 minutes and is sung in English, is among the most popular American operas. Gian Carlo Menotti composed the opera for NBC, which first broadcast a live television performance of it in 1951.

“Amahl and the Night Visitors” was performed locally Nov. 13 and 14 at St. Peter Church in Delano, part of

St. Maximilian Kolbe parish. It will be staged again Nov. 20-21 at St. Michael’s historic church in St. Michael, and on Dec. 5 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. Members of the North Star Boys’ Choir will sing Christmas carols before each performance.

The current production features several cast members from earlier productions, but has expanded from past years with Janisch’s new collaboration with SOAR. The organization is managing all aspects of this year’s production, said Terrell Beaudry, SOAR president and “Amahl” production manager. Janisch and members of St. Maximilian Kolbe organized the first production.

An anonymous donor has underwritten the $50,000 cost of this year’s production, and all donations collected at the performances will go to charitable causes, Janisch said. Money raised at four of this year’s five performances will go to Love INCHeartland, which mobilizes local churches to help those in need in communities west of the Twin Cities.

Proceeds of offerings at the Basilica of St. Mary performance will be applied to the Basilica’s operating budget.

While the production hopes to help the charities it supports, Janisch also hopes it affects its audience. “It’s more about everyone walking out of there and taking something with them — a good feeling,” he said. “It’s going to make a difference. They’re going to look at things differently.”

For more information, visit www.soararts.com.

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10A • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

November 19, 2015

Nonprofit hosts mission trip for Cristo Rey students

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit

“When I had the Make-A-Wish event, it made me feel really happy, and it made me forget what happened to me in the past,” Lucas said.

According to Ng, of the more than 300 kids that Make-A-Wish Minnesota works with each year, only a handful use their wish to help others.

Luckily, unlike cancer, happiness is contagious.

“People [at the Dorothy Day Center] were crying. It was very emotional for them to understand that here’s this kid who is very sick, and he wanted his wish to be to feed people,” Boppert said.

“There is something about a gift that is given from the heart, and it was very much what this felt like for our clients, that this was from the heart.”

Lucas’ wish has garnered national attention. He has been a guest on “The Rachael Ray Show,” where the celebrity cook gave him $10,000, and interviewed on “NBC Nightly News.”

To continue his wish to “do good with food,” Lucas decided to use the money from Ray to create a nonprofit, ChefLucasFood, which launched in September. Its mission is to bring good food to families with a member who has cancer. The Hobbs family will work with restaurants, chefs and food trucks to give families a meal at a fine restaurant or chef-designed meal kits to cook at home.

They’ll also bring back the food trucks for community thank-you events. The board of the new nonprofit includes John Levy, president of the Minnesota Food Truck Association, and Turner Berg, president of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Mendota Heights.

For Lucas, fulfilling his wish has come down to serving others.

“It’s been and extremely positive thing in terms of him understanding the importance of service,” Matt said.

“And more or less, he may have found his calling.”

Lucas said when he grows up, he wants to be a policeman or a chef.

Grace Strangis has a heart for children living in poverty — especially poverty in post-war environments amid broken governments. Poverty, Strangis explained, that’s tangible.

“I don’t think people understand poverty until they live it, feel it, smell it,” she said.

Since she founded Pathways to Children in 2009, she has used her background in health care and expertise in international travel to host trips to Kolkata, India, home to two Pathways schools, including a program for special needs children; the village of Belessa, Ethiopia, where Pathways is in the process of building a school; and now Bogotá, Colombia, where Pathways partners with the Sisters of St. Francis of Rochester for their mission. Two of Strangis’ sisters belong to the congregation.

Strangis invited students from Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Grace Minneapolis to STRANGIS experience a Colombia trip as a “cultural exchange.” Two teachers will accompany the 16 students who will be paired with a youth their age. Strangis and her husband, Ralph, parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis, plan to leave with the group Nov. 22 and return Nov. 30.

While there, the group will spend a day at a clinic for the elderly, play soccer and even prepare a Thanksgiving dinner.

“These trips change their lives,” said Strangis, who’s retired and a full-time volunteer with Pathways to Children.

“They change how they view the world, especially if they haven’t traveled in developing countries. It’s so great how they come over and connect with these handicapped kids, for instance.”

Pathways to Children was able to sponsor the trip for the students through grants. The students will receive course credit for the trip.

Last November, Strangis brought students from DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis to volunteer in India.

Those students later received a Jefferson Award for community service, leadership and volunteerism.

“We took a couple of kids who had been homeless and were living in shelters, and they came back saying how blessed they were, how lucky they were,” Strangis said.

She added, “There’s a lot of spirituality — even if you’re not Catholic — that goes along [with these trips] because you really get into the soul of the person, you get into the meaning of life because of what you see.”

For more information about ChefLucasFood, visit www.cheflucas food.com.

For more information about Pathways to Children, visit www.pathwaystochildren.org.

Lucas Hobbs, 13, who was diagnosed in January with Hodgkin lymphoma, serves from a food truck Nov. 3 at Catholic Charities’ Dorothy Day Center in downtown St. Paul. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Giving thanks by giving food 13-year-old foodie fighting Hodgkin lymphoma uses wish to feed others

By Bridget Ryder For The Catholic Spirit Lunch at the Dorothy Day Center in downtown St. Paul wasn’t the usual fare on Nov. 3. Two commercial food trucks, World Street Kitchen and Hot Indian Foods, pulled up and opened their windows to feed for free the hundreds of people who depend on Catholic Charities for their midday meal.

It was 13-year-old Lucas Hobbs’ way of saying thanks to all those who supported him while he was undergoing treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma.

For the five months after his diagnosis in January, Hobbs, a parishioner of St. John Neumann in Eagan, endured intense chemotherapy and radiation, surgeries and blood transfusions that took away not only the cancer, but also his appetite.

“The worst part was never knowing how I was going to feel,” Hobbs said of the treatments.

Most days, the kid who loves to cook and eat didn’t want to take a single bite.

But when he had a good day and his appetite came back momentarily, he appreciated the great meals that his fellow parishioners brought him and his family. They were bright spots in a bleak period of his young life.

Then in March, he received the opportunity to wish through Make-AWish Minnesota, a chapter of the national organization that grants the wishes of people between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 who have a life-threatening illness. Clients do not have to be terminal. They are referred by their hospitals.

“A wish can be anything,” said Helen Ng, marketing and communications director of Make-A-Wish Minnesota.

“They can wish to go somewhere, meet someone, be someone or give it back. A wish is seen as something that will give a child hope, strength and joy during the time they need it the most.”

Wishes also involve the whole family, since caring for a seriously ill member is stressful and often involves periods of

separation for hospitalization or treatments. Hobbs’ family includes his parents, Matt and Sarah Hobbs, and his four siblings: Brendan, 17, Madeline, 10, Owen, 9, and Julia, 5.

When volunteers from Make-A-Wish asked what Lucas wanted, he and his family were at a loss. Hobbs’ father said the family didn’t have a particular desire and, since he is a pilot for Delta Airlines, they already have opportunities to travel.

“That’s when I started to think if I could use my wish to help others, because when I was sick, people were really nice to me,” said Lucas, whose illness is now in remission.

That evening, the family watched the 2014 movie “Chef,” the story of a chef who takes his young son on a crosscountry trip in a food truck. Then at the dinner table, it struck them.

“Lucas said, ‘How about a food truck?’

And we all just kind of laughed,” Matt said. “Then it hit us all at once — that’s it.”

Make-A-Wish Minnesota approached the Minnesota Food Truck Association, and nine vendors volunteered to help fulfill Lucas’ wish. With the fleet of trucks, Lucas and his family held six events and fed thousands of people. In August, the Hobbses brought three food trucks to their parish picnic, and in the following weeks held events at Lucas’ school, the Minneapolis police department, his grandmother’s senior living community, the Minneapolis Children’s Hospital, and finally, the Dorothy Day Center, where Lucas and his family have regularly volunteered.

At each event, Lucas worked the food trucks. He learned to roll a burrito while working at World Street Kitchen at the Dorothy Day Center.

“He was so busy working it was hard to even see him,” said Wendy Boppert, program manager at Dorothy Day. “Afterwards, he had one burrito that was saved just for him. He was so full of life, and I think felt really accomplished.”

For Hobbs, reaching out to others gave him the emotional healing that a wish is meant to bring about.

November 19, 2015

FAITH & CULTURE

The Catholic Spirit • 11A

Capitol’s ‘Father Hennepin’ draws controversy as committee evaluates art

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit In 1680, the explorer and Franciscan priest Father Louis Hennepin was traveling the Mississippi River as a captive of the Dakota people when the group came across what he later described as a 50-foot waterfall. He named it for his patron, St. Anthony of Padua.

A painting in the Minnesota State Capitol depicting this moment is at the center of controversy as a subcommittee of the Capitol Preservation Commission evaluates the merits of the Capitol’s existing collection and potential additions to new public spaces opening as part of its comprehensive restoration.

In a small group discussion during a Nov. 12 public input meeting in Minneapolis, one citizen said the artwork and those like it represent a “naïve, skewed vision,” while another suggested they could be moved to the basement of the Minnesota History Center in boxes marked “past misunderstandings.”

The 7-by-10 foot “Father Louis Hennepin at the Falls of St. Anthony” by Douglas Volk shows Father Hennepin standing among five members of the Dakota tribe and a fellow explorer on the east bank of the Mississippi River at St. Anthony Falls. The Franciscan friar faces the water, holding a crucifix with his left hand and raising his right in a gesture of blessing.

The fellow explorer, Michael Accault, sits on the ground with four Dakota men, presumably resting after portaging canoes around the falls. To the right, a Dakota woman is entering the scene, carrying a large pack on her back. She is bare chested.

The Hennepin painting is one of several paintings in the Capitol criticized for inaccurate depictions of Native American dress and culture. It is also the only painting in the Capitol focusing on the Catholic contribution to Minnesota’s European exploration.

It was one of six paintings commissioned by Capitol architect Cass Gilbert around 1905 for the Governor’s Reception Room, an ornate space where the governor receives guests and often signs bills. Other artwork in the room, including Civil War battle scenes and “The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux” by painter Francis Millet, are also under fire for historical inaccuracies.

The Preservation Committee’s art subcommittee plans to submit recommendations in January to the Minnesota Historical Society for what to do with the Capitol’s art. The Historical Society will make the final decision.

St. Anthony Falls’ significance A native of present-day Belgium, Father Hennepin published books detailing his travels in “New France” along the upper Mississippi and Great Lakes. He describes how a Dakota tribe captured him and two French companions near Lake Pepin in April 1680 and took them to a village near Lake Mille Lacs. Another French explorer, Daniel Greysolon — aka Sieur du Lhut, from whom Duluth takes its name — negotiated their release that summer.

The focus of “Father Hennepin” was to tell part of the state’s early history, said Brian Pease, Minnesota State Capitol historic site manager for the Minnesota Historical Society.

“There’s a value of bringing forward that story of that early French exploration and people who were looking for the source of the Mississippi,” he said.

Volk’s painting of Father Hennepin highlights not only a moment in the state’s history, but also the importance of the Mississippi River and St. Anthony Falls for Minneapolis’ flour milling industry and the state’s economy, he added.

By the time Father Hennepin encountered the falls, they had long been sacred to Native American tribes.

Because the priest did not “discover” the falls, the painting’s original title, “Father Hennepin Discovering the Falls of St. Anthony,” has drawn the ire of its critics, as has the inaccuracy of both male and female Dakota dress.

“The way Natives are portrayed in the Capitol is incredibly inaccurate and offensive, and indeed some of the work is even traumatizing and adversely affects Native Americans,” said Jim Bear Jacobs, who works with Healing Minnesota Stories, a St. Paul Interfaith

“Father Hennepin Discovering the Falls of St. Anthony” by Douglas Volk, c. 1905. Courtesy the State of Minnesota Network initiative to encourage understanding between Native Americans and non-Native people.

Jacobs was among 40 people at the public input meeting, one of the first of a series of meetings planned around the state through Dec. 9.

“If the overall theme of the building is manifest destiny and civilization being brought to the great wilds of this area, it really does benefit that message if you can depict people who run around half-naked, who can’t properly dress themselves,” added Jacobs, a member of the Mohican tribe who lives in Coon Rapids.

Father Mike Tegeder, pastor of Gichitwaa Kateri in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities’ Catholic Native American community, agrees that the artwork is problematic.

From his writing, Father Hennepin seemed interested in engaging in the Dakota culture, he said, but two centuries later when the Capitol painting was commissioned, his story was revised to portray him as “an agent of enlightenment.”

As Native Americans fight discrimination and revitalize pride in their culture, “part of that is trying to get back to the history of things,” he added. “We have to educate ourselves, because we all have blinders on.”

This isn’t the first time the Father Hennepin painting has drawn controversy, Pease said, which is why the MNHS offers a booklet for visitors interpreting the painting and others like it. The room’s formal design and use complicate the installation of interpretive rails or plaques, he said.

Whatever Volk’s intentions, many Native American groups deeply object to the depiction of the native woman, said State Rep. Diane Loeffler (D-Minneapolis), one of the subcommittee’s chairpeople.

“People primarily, I think, view this piece as a story of Minnesota, not as a piece of fine art or to understand a certain school of painting,” she said.

“That’s one of the themes we’ve picked up: What should be the stories of Minnesota that visitors to the Capitol learn about and how do we use art to tell those stories? And, if we know there are errors, how do we deal with that?”

Catholic influence Although Volk’s painting of Father Hennepin is the most overt, Catholics do appear in other Capitol paintings. In the Senate Chamber, the allegorical — and also controversial — “Discoverers and Civilizers Led to the Source of the Mississippi” includes a tonsured priest holding a cross among the “civilizers.”

In the Supreme Court Chamber, painter John La Farge depicted a French count mediating between churchmen and secular rulers.

A young John Ireland, St. Paul’s first archbishop, even appears amid a battle scene as a chaplain in “The

Fifth Minnesota at Corinth,” a Civil War painting in the Governor’s Reception Room.

Darryl Sannes, a member of the Minnesota Civil War Commemoration Task Force, opposes the removal of the Capitol’s original artwork, which he considers as integral to the building as its columns, dome and iconic golden horses.

“When I look at those pictures . . . I don’t see the bare-chested maiden. I see the bigger picture,” he told The Catholic Spirit following the Nov. 12 public input meeting. “The center of Minnesota was the falls.”

Based on conversations he’s had around the state, Sannes believes he is fighting a losing battle, and is concerned about where the interest in replacing art will stop.

“Somebody is always going to find something offensive, so you’re just going to have a revolving door,” he said.

The subcommittees’ task of making recommendations on the art’s fate is challenging, said member Rep. Dean Urdahl (R-Grove City). A retired high school history teacher, he is inclined to leave the paintings as is. He said that for some paintings, even the inaccuracies are disputed.

Not all Native American groups agree how the paintings should be handled, he added; some say they want them to stay put.

The painting of Father Hennepin, however, concerns him the most because of its treatment of the Dakota woman. He said he has already developed opinions about some of the art, but wants to hear from the public before making up his mind.

“Certainly, interpretations and sensitivities have changed over the years, and we have to take that into account in terms of how these paintings are displayed,” he said. “We can do a better job of interpreting and explaining the art that is in the Capitol.”

Pease called the committee’s work “the most substantial look at the art within the Capitol” and noted that all the work — not just those that have drawn controversy — are being evaluated. Among them are the governors’ portraits, which some think take up room that should be allotted for other art. The MNHS has never removed original art from the Capitol, he said.

The commission is also asking for public input on what kinds of new art should go in the Capitol. Many citizens, including Jacobs, hope the new pieces show a more diverse and respectful representation of Minnesotans.

As for the fate of “Father Hennepin,” he asked if the painting conveyed how Catholics wanted to be reflected in the Capitol.

“Take a good, hard look at the painting,” he said.

“Are you happy with how you as a Catholic are represented in this?”

12A • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & WORLD

November 19, 2015

Catholics respond to attacks with Mass, prayer Continued from page 1A

People observe a minute of silence at the Trocadero in Paris Nov. 16. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for coordinating attacks throughout the city the evening of Nov. 13. CNS

USCCB head: Violence won’t alter Church’s refugee outreach

By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service Church resettlement programs in the United States will continue to aid refugees who are fleeing violence and social ills despite calls that the country’s borders should be closed to anyone but Christians.

The Church’s response is focused on people in need of food, shelter and safety and not their particular faith, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told reporters Nov. 16 during a midday break at the bishops’ annual fall general assembly.

“We at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Charities, we are always open to helping families who come into the United States in need of help,” he said at a news conference. “We have that tradition of doing it and we’re going to contribute.”

Archbishop Kurtz explained that any assistance provided to refugees and immigrants is carried out under government contracts and that the vetting of newcomers will have been completed by government agencies long before Church agencies become involved.

“Our efforts are going to be to reach out to people and to serve them,” the archbishop said. “My hope would be that the Church would continue to be able, within the law, to help those families.”

Questions about U.S. practices in the resettlement of refugees were renewed in the wake of the Nov. 13 attacks by extremists in Paris. French authorities said coordinated attacks left at least 129 people dead and more than 300 wounded.

The archbishop said he and other USCCB representatives met with President Barack Obama at the White House Nov. 13 to discuss immigration.

Archbishop Kurtz was guarded in his comments about details of the Obama meeting, saying that he did not want to violate the president’s request for privacy about it.

He told Catholic News Service that prison reform and religious freedom also were discussed with Obama.

The archbishop said that he planned to meet with House and Senate leaders Nov. 19.

“One of the areas we’ll be looking at is bipartisan efforts to reach out in a manner that takes into account the safety of the families and our capacity to reach out to people of all faiths,” Archbishop Kurtz said.

MILWAUKEE

Bankruptcy plan approved, provides $21 million for survivors A nearly five-year chapter in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s history came to a close Nov. 9 when Chief Judge Susan Kelley of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin approved the archdiocese’s plan of reorganization.

The plan calls for $21 million to be paid to 355 abuse survivors. It also includes a $500,000 therapy fund that will allow all survivors to receive counseling for as long as they need it. Attorneys for the archdiocese and the claimants came to an agreement on the plan for reorganization. Mediation attempts in 2012 and 2014 had failed. Archbishop Jerome Listecki, after thanking the judge for her time and for “handling the complexities of this case,” said, “I apologize to the victims and their families for what they endured under these clergy who exercised criminal and immoral behavior.

There is no resolution that will ever bring back what the victims have lost and their families have suffered.”

WASHINGTON

High court to hear challenge to Texas law The U.S. Supreme Court Nov. 13 said it will hear a challenge to two provisions of a Texas law regulating abortion clinics in the state. The 2013 state law requires the clinics to meet the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers when performing abortions and also requires abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital near an abortion clinic.

It is the first abortion case the high court has taken in eight years. In 2007, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision upheld the federal ban on partial-birth abortion, which was signed into law in 2003.

BALTIMORE

Supreme Court ruling prompts bishops’ pastoral plan for family, marriage As a way to move forward in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage this year, U.S. bishops are planning to develop a pastoral plan for marriage and family life. Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, said Nov. 16 at the bishops’ annual fall general assembly that Catholic leaders need to approach the court’s decision much like they did the Roe v. Wade court decision legalizing abortion by being active in advocacy work and in getting its pro-life message public.

United States holds you close to our hearts. May the tender and merciful love of Jesus Christ give you comfort during this great trial and lead you on a path toward healing and peace,” added the statement, issued from Baltimore, where the bishops were meeting ahead of their Nov. 16-19 general fall assembly.

In Paris, at least 129 people were killed and more than 350 injured, many of them critically, in the attacks. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a soccer stadium, gunmen attacked customers at cafes and restaurants, and a team of terrorists gunned down dozens of people at a concert.

Pope Francis called the attacks an “unspeakable affront to the dignity of the human person.”

In Boston, a Sunday morning Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross Nov. 15 brought together residents of the Boston area to pray for and remember the victims in Paris, and to pray for peace.

Father Kevin O’Leary, the cathedral’s rector, read a message of condolence from Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who had already left for the bishops’ meeting in Baltimore.

“There is absolutely no justification for the heinous actions which took place in Paris this past Friday,” the cardinal said. “We decry all such violence, which serves only to cause pain and suffering on the part of all who are directly impacted and the international community.

“May those who would strike out against others turn their hearts and minds to the peaceful resolution of disputes and embrace respect for the dignity and sanctity of the lives of all people.”

In Miami, French-speaking Catholics gathered at St. Thomas the Apostle Church for Holy Hour Nov. 14 to pray for the victims.

“I prayed for all the victims and all the families, and all the future (victims) because I’m sure there will be some others. And I prayed for the conversion of the terrorists,” said Amicie de Colonges, a native of France and a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish for two years.

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan in a Nov. 14 statement called the attacks “unspeakable and horrific crimes.” He said he joined the pope and the USCCB in condemning the brutal acts.

He said he contacted Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris “to express the sympathy and solidarity of all New Yorkers.”

“Sadly, New Yorkers are all too familiar with the pain and sorrow that accompanies these kinds of terrorist acts,” Cardinal Dolan continued, “but I echo the (Paris) cardinal’s call that ‘no one indulge in panic or hatred’ but continue to respond with ‘moderation, temperance and control,’ just as New Yorkers did in the aftermath of 9/11.”

U.S. & WORLD

November 19, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 13A

Pray, study, listen to conscience, pope says about eucharistic sharing

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service When a Lutheran woman married to a Catholic man asked Pope Francis what she and her husband could do to receive Communion together, the pope said he could not issue a general rule on shared Communion, but the couple should pray, study and then act according to their consciences.

“I would never dare to give permission for this because it is not in my authority,” the pope told Anke de Bernardinis after a lengthy response about the faith Catholics and Lutherans share and the ecumenical goal of full unity.

The pastor of Rome’s Christuskirche, a parish of the German Evangelical Lutheran Church, welcomed Pope Francis to an evening service Nov. 15 by telling him dialogue requires that people get to know one another.

De Bernardinis told the pope that she and her husband were happily married and shared many “joys and sorrows,” but they could not share the Eucharist.

Pope Francis told her the issue is not an easy one to resolve and responding was made even more difficult by the presence in the front row of “a theologian like Cardinal (Walter) Kasper.

I’m afraid!”

Clearly, the pope said, all people in heaven will share the Lord’s banquet at the end of time. “But on the journey, I ask myself — and I don’t know how to respond, I’m making your question my own — I ask myself, ‘Is sharing the Lord’s

“Lutherans and Catholics agree that sharing in the celebration of the Eucharist is an essential sign of the unity of the Church, and that the reality of the Church as a community is realized and furthered sacramentally in the eucharistic celebration.”

“Declaration on the Way: Church, Ministry and Eucharist,” October 2015

Supper the aim of the journey or is it “viaticum” for walking together?’ I leave this question to theologians, to those who understand.”

In general, the Catholic Church teaches that in most cases, only Catholics free from mortal sin may receive the Eucharist at Mass, although members of the Orthodox churches also may receive in special circumstances.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Ecclesial communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the Catholic Church, ‘have not preserved the proper reality of the eucharistic mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of holy orders.’ It is for this reason that eucharistic intercommunion with these communities is not possible for the Catholic Church.”

The Code of Canon Law, however, does envision a narrow set of circumstances in which eucharistic

sharing is possible “if the danger of death is present or if, in the judgment of the diocesan bishop or conference of bishops, some other grave necessity urges it,” as long as the non-Catholic party shares the Catholic belief in the meaning of the Eucharist.

A committee formed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recently released a document summarizing 50 years of formal Catholic-Lutheran dialogue, which included joint recognition of the Eucharist as the body and blood of Christ.

“Lutherans and Catholics agree that sharing in the celebration of the Eucharist is an essential sign of the unity of the Church, and that the reality of the Church as a community is realized and furthered sacramentally in the eucharistic celebration,” the document said.

“The Eucharist both mirrors and builds the Church in its unity,” the U.S. statement said, reflecting Pope Francis’ comment about the possibility of seeing shared Communion as a sign of full unity or as provisions and nourishment — “viaticum” — for the journey toward full unity.

Pope Francis told the Lutheran congregation in Rome that “it is true that sharing (the Eucharist) is saying that there are no differences between us, that we have the same doctrine,” which the official Catholic-Lutheran dialogue has yet to prove. “But I ask myself, ‘Don’t we have the same baptism?’ And if we have the same baptism, then we must walk together.”

A Catholic-Lutheran couple, he said, shares the same baptism and the same faith in Jesus. Their baptismal bond grows as they pray together and raise their children believing in Jesus.

A pastor friend, the pope said, once told him, “We believe the Lord is present there. He is present. You believe the Lord is present.” The pope asked, “So what is the difference?” and his friend responded, “Well, there are explanations, interpretations.”

“Life is greater than explanations and interpretations. Always refer to your baptism — one faith, one baptism, one Lord, as St. Paul tells us — and take the consequences from that,” the pope told de Bernardinis. “Speak with the Lord and move forward. I won’t say anything more.”

PAID ADVERTISEMENT We have so much to celebrate today! Today we remember the birth of St. Jeanne Jugan, the first and the foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Although she had to live her life in relative obscurity her influence is still felt today through her daughters, the Little Sisters here at St. Martin’s Home, and all around the world. Her sayings and her images are all around us, constantly nourishing our hearts and our minds, slowly and imperceptibly molding us, just as her simple and quiet presence did so in the novitiate at La Tour.

To use a nautical term, and perhaps one St. Jeanne would have been familiar with, we are still caught up, drawn into, her wake as it continues to ripple through the world, the Church, and the lives of all of us - Sisters, residents, friends.

And the draw of that wake brings us here today to celebrate the welcome of three young women into the Little Sisters’ postulancy program. We welcome Angela, Andrea and Courtney to this home, their new home for this year. We are over-joyed at their generosity and faith. It is a great blessing to be the home of welcome to young women responding to the call of God in their lives. We pray persistently for vocations to the Little Sisters. And today we see the fruits of those prayers.

We also welcome their families, particularly their parents. Thank you for being willing to share these gifts with the Church. It was in your home, the domestic Church, where the seed of a vocation was planted and nourished. It is because you faithfully lived out your own vocations through your marriage, and the witness you gave to living lives of poverty, chastity and obedience, that Angela, Andrea, and Courtney have been inspired to seek a vocation to religious life with the Little Sisters of the Poor where some day, hopefully they will embrace those vows in a different, but complimentary way.

Anyone asked to preach on this occasion could not have asked for better or more inspiring scripture readings. The passage from the Gospel of Mark leads us to a wonderful meditation on the invitation to follow Jesus. It is not an idealized story. It holds great lessons for us, regardless of what vocation God calls us to.

Bartimeaus is sitting on the roadside begging. While we are told he is blind, we don’t know if he has been blind from birth or if it was because of some illness or accident he lost his sight. He has probably been sitting in this spot for a while, a fixture on the road to Jericho. Like the men and women of our own time who are on street corners and intersections with their signs, imploring us to help them, he was probably considered a nuisance by some, but more likely he was ignored by most. He may have had a physical blindness, but the many people who passed by him and ignored him had blind hearts. They chose not to see.

And then Bartimeaus rocks the boat, creating ripples that will eventually grow into a wake. He starts to shout out to Jesus. “Have pity on me, have pity on me,” he cries. The people could not ignore him. So they try to shut him up.

But Jesus not only does not ignore him, he calls him.

The crowd begins to mock Bartimeaus - “He’s calling you. Get up and go to him.” Notice, no one says let me help you, let me take you to Jesus. No, they stand back and watch.

Then something amazing happens. Bartimeaus doesn’t just get up; we

Reception of Postulants to the Little Sisters of the Poor Celebration of the birth and baptism Of St. Jeanne Jugan, Foundress Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time October 25, 2015

are told he “SPRINGS UP” and throws off his cloak and goes to Jesus. Why that detail of the cloak? In first century Palestine a cloak was one of the most important possessions a person could have. It would have been heavy and thick to provide warmth and insulation, protection from the elements covering. It would have been versatile - it was clothing, bedding, and shelter. Bartimeaus springs up, casts off the cloak and never goes back for it.

The cloak symbolizes all that Bartimeaus is leaving behind - especially his blindness and the blindness of others. He runs toward a future that is uncertain, but filled with hope and expectation. He encounters Jesus who unlike others who would have passed by, and some who would have given him what they though he wanted, instead says to him, “What is it YOU want me to do for you?”

A traditional formula for many religious communities as a candidate moves through the various stages of formation is, “What is you ask?” or “What do you seek?” We all come to the Lord blindly. We hear him calling. There were probably some who wanted to talk you out of responding. The world does not generally value what we seek. They may tell us how much they admire or respect us, but how many of them are really thinking, is she nuts? Or “How can you just throw your life away.”

Well, there is something we need to throw away. Our cloaks. As necessary as they were to first century people, and I am not talking about not bringing a coat with you here, the cloak that Bartimeaus left behind also symbolizes all the things we normally depend on for happiness - appearances, success, popularity,

possessions and wealth, education, intelligence. They are good, and I know you bring some of these things with you, but they are secondary. They are not what is most important.

How fortunate you are. You are embarking on a year-long, and hopefully life-long pilgrimage of answering the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” You won’t really know the answer to that until you have cast off the cloak that represents the fleeting happiness of this world. Bartimeaus knew what he wanted Jesus to do for him, “Master, I want to see.” He did not want to just be able to see with his eyes, he wanted to be able to see with his heart, as well.

He did not want to leave behind one blindness, physical, to take up another blindness, that of the heart.

And how do we know he got what he wanted? Jesus tells him to go on his way. But Mark tells us that Bartimeaus follows Jesus on “the way.” “The Way” was the term used for those who followed Jesus. It was a new way of living, a new way of seeing, a new way of acting. Once we have experienced the transforming presence of Christ in our lives, what more could we want? Or as Sr. Peter once said: Where else could we go?

Courtney, Angela, and Andrea, you renew something in each one of us today. There is another aspect of the blessing you bring to all of us at St. Martin’s Home. As you live your postulancy here, we are going to be challenged to answer Jesus’ question in our own lives. “What do you want me to do for you?”

It is a time for us to look at how many cloaks we have gathered and wrapped around ourselves, how have we adopted what the world tells us will bring happiness and fulfillment.

Today it is time for all of us to look at the blind spots in our vision, the cataracts that blur our sight, the blindness in our hearts.

The Lord is calling each one of us. Do we have the courage to spring up, to cast off our cloak, to answer his question and then to follow him, as religious, as married men and women, as people who are single? Do we have the courage to see with the eyes of our hearts?

Today we celebrate that one woman, Jeanne Jugan, had the courage to spring up and run to the Lord whom she saw in the elderly poor and to give up even her bed for the Lord she met living in the streets. We know the waves that caused, and the even greater courage she needed to follow Christ through the hidden years of her life.

And we celebrate three young women who have been drawn into that wake of love. Today they are springing up and running to the Lord. What do you want me to do for you? He is asking. Andrea, Angela, Courtney, know that unlike that crowd who did not help Bartimaeus get to Jesus, you have already been accompanied by family and friends to come to this point. Parents, family and friends, thank you for bringing them here.

I want you to know they are in good hands. The Sisters will walk with them on this journey and will come to love them as you do. They are prepared to follow the way of Christ who calls out to others, What do you want me to do for you?

U.S. & WORLD

14A • The Catholic Spirit

Soup-kitchen-cook sister wins $10,000 on ‘Chopped’

By Joyce Duriga Catholic News Service It looked like prayer and the Lord were on Franciscan Sister Alicia Torres’ side as she won a special Thanksgiving competition on the Food Network’s “Chopped,” which aired Nov. 9.

On the show, Sister Alicia, 30, a Franciscan of the Eucharist of Chicago who ministers at Chicago’s Mission of Our Lady of the Angels, competed against three other chefs who, like herself, work in soup kitchens.

In the first round, the chefs made appetizers using typical Thanksgiving leftovers of turkey, cranberries, green beans and potatoes. They were given similar ingredients to make entrees and then dessert. The chefs competed for a $10,000 donation to their charity.

Sister Alicia said competing on “Chopped” deepened her faith experience.

“I didn’t expect that. I was very confident going into the competition that I very much could win,” she told the Catholic New World, Chicago’s archdiocesan newspaper. “And there were many people praying for me leading up to the competition and on the day of the competition.”

Sister Alicia’s cooking skills come in handy during regular meals for the neighborhood such as the Tuesday program for seniors. Our Lady of the Angels assists about 700 families a month with food, clothing and household goods through its food pantry. Food and staples come from the Chicago Food Depository, parishes and area businesses such as Whole Foods and O’Hare Airport. In addition, a monthly mobile food pantry assists about 250 to 300 families the first

Franciscan Sister Alicia Torres embraces a guest during a viewing party at Chicago’s Mission of Our Lady of the Angels Nov. 9. She says the $10,000 she won on “Chopped” will go to feed the poor in the community. CNS Saturday of each month.

Sister Alicia joked that “the process of elimination” led to her becoming lead chef for her community.

“You know when you enter religious life you come to serve, right? And you come to share your gifts and talents that you probably haven’t before. I always loved cooking before I was a sister. I was always known in college for the big dinners and cheesecakes,” she said.

Sister Alicia wasn’t familiar with “Chopped” until she heard the show was looking for women religious participants. She went to Father Bob Lombardo, telling him, “You know, I think I have a fairly good chance of getting on this TV show.” He gave his permission, she applied and within 24 hours of receiving her application, the show’s producers gave her a call.

After it was over she called the whole experience “incredible” and was grateful the show raised awareness about hunger.

November 19, 2015

Pope: A family that doesn’t eat together is ‘hardly a family’

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service A family that chooses to watch TV or play with their smartphones rather than talk at the dinner table is “hardly a family,” Pope Francis said.

“When children at the dinner table are glued to the computer or the telephone and do not listen to one another, they are not a family, they are retired,” the pope said Nov. 11 during his weekly general audience at the Vatican.

Continuing his catechetical series on family life, the pope reflected on the theme of togetherness, which is manifested at the dinner table. The pope said that “to share a meal — and not just food, but also affection, stories, events — is a fundamental experience.”

The pope said Christians have a special vocation to foster family togetherness. The dinner table, he noted, is the place chosen by Jesus to teach his disciples and where he summarized the meaning of his death on the cross “that nourishes true and everlasting love.”

For this reason, the family feels “at home” at the celebration of the Eucharist where they bring their “experience of togetherness and open it to the grace of a universal coexistence, of the love of God for the world,” he said.

Christian families who embrace this calling of togetherness, “cooperate with the grace of the Eucharist, which has the power to create an always new communion that includes and saves.”

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B

CONSECRATED LIFE

The Catholic Spirit • 15A

Cut from the same cloth

efore a 1965 Vatican document encouraged religious orders to re-examine their communities, it might have been easier to spot a sister.

But a small paragraph in Blessed Pope Paul VI’s “Perfectae Caritatis” (Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life) is the reason some women religious chose to forgo the habit — the long, simple garment worn to identify them as consecrated to God. Individual religious orders interpreted the text differently. The following vignettes share insights from local religious sisters — in and out of habit — about how their attire plays a role in their ministry.

Religious sisters find meaning in and out of habit

By Jessica Trygstad • The Catholic Spirit

Showing sisterhood through service Discerning appropriate attire for the Benedictine Sisters came down to their service in the greater community: They decided their credibility derived from their baptism, not their habit, said Sister Mary Lou Dummer, who lives at St. Paul’s Monastery in Maplewood.

“My call is an answer from God to live the Gospel and evangelize,” said Sister Mary Lou, who entered the order in 1956 when the sisters still wore habits. “The habit doesn’t give me that privilege. My baptism as a Catholic gave me that right to answer God’s call.”

Committed to the monastic community and the rule of St. Benedict, the Benedictine sisters focus on Jesus’ life.

Sister Mary Lou wore the habit for about 10 years before the order started to reconsider the sisters’ attire. They went through a transition period — first modifying and then abandoning the garb.

To signify they’re religious sisters, they wear a special Benedictine ring, and many wear a Benedictine medal; some sisters still wear the veil with ordinary clothes, and new members may choose to wear the full habit. Sister Mary Lou said they still dress simply, just as they live simply. But at the time the Benedictine Sisters were discerning their attire, Sister Mary Lou said they did so carefully, looking at their charism (spirit), founding and liturgical practices, then ultimately received approval from the Vatican not to dress in habits.

Citing the work the sisters do, including their ministry on the campus of Hill-Murray School in Maplewood, Sister Mary Lou said she was happy to leave the habit behind. In serving the poor, she sometimes felt more respected when she didn’t wear the habit.

“We have chosen to live and dress like the women of the 21st century to do this,” she said, adding that habit or not, women aren’t more or less a religious sister. “We sisters here at St. Paul’s Monastery are answering the call to do God’s will by living the Gospel, no matter what we wear.”

A prayer, piece by piece It’s the habit that attracted Sister Mary Juliana Cox to the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia of Nashville. In looking at religious communities, she only

iSto

ck

contacted those whose members wore habits.

“If I’m going to give myself to something, it has to be all or nothing,” said Sister Mary Juliana, superior and principal of St. Croix Catholic School in Stillwater. “The sisters have always understood the habit to be necessary for ourselves because of who we are as brides of Christ. We have to reflect that outward to ourselves.”

Each of the six pieces of the habit symbolizes who they are and whose they are, Sister Mary Juliana said. As they dress, the sisters say a prayer that goes along with each piece.

The tunic and veil signify wedding garb as brides of Christ, and the sisters pray to go before God with purity of heart. The belt also signifies purity. The rosary reminds the sisters to ask Jesus for help to take up the cross and follow him.

When attaching the scapular, the long white cloth in front, the sisters ask for the spirit of true religious obedience to follow Jesus. And when putting on the waist-length cape, they ask the Lord to create a clean heart in them.

Sister Mary Juliana likens the dressing ritual to a knight putting on armor, “giving oath to the king that each piece be our protection. It’s such a gift,” she said.

The Dominican Sisters have always worn the habit; for them, that short paragraph in “Perfectae Caritatis” meant

updating their attire to be more suitable for the times. They experimented with different fabrics and veils, ultimately choosing lighter material that allowed them to move more freely when playing with schoolchildren and driving.

For Sister Mary Juliana, who made her final vows in 2005, the habit also has helped shape her identity and has provided consolation during spiritual ups and downs.

“Sometimes we can feel distant from other people or ourselves,” she said.

“Wearing the habit is the reminder that no matter how I feel about myself or where I am with the Lord, I always belong.”

While she admitted the habit can bring negative attention in public, people mostly see the sisters’ habits as an invitation to pray, she said. She’s thankful for the reminder.

“My job is to pray for them. That’s important for me to remember — I don’t belong to myself, I belong to these people,” she said.

The habit re-purposed When the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet revisited their clothing standards, the congregation sent a team to France, where they began in the 1650s. They discovered that the first sisters were simple women, most of whom couldn’t read or write. But those first sisters noted the needs of society and

began to dress like widows — in long black dresses — so that they could travel unaccompanied. Sister Carolyn Puccio said this allowed them to care for people “without the burden of having your father or uncle with you.”

“As history bears out . . . the dress of the day somehow became more important than it was ever intended to be,” Sister Carolyn said, noting that the community was never meant to be monastic or cloistered.

When she entered in 1960, the sisters were in habit, and she fondly recalls the day she received hers.

“But the thing that troubled me was that I had responded to the call to be a sister so that I could be with people and for people and among people,” she said.

“And this seemed to be something that kept us apart.”

By 1968 when she made her final vows, they were wearing street clothes made from their habits.

“Our habits had lots and lots of yards of wool in the skirt. New outfits were cut out,” she said. “We thought we looked great. That was the spirit of poverty; recycling was in.”

As the delegate for religious in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Sister Carolyn interacts with a variety of consecrated women and men, and so she sees the variety of attire.

“There is a full spectrum of what women in religious life look like. The umbrella is big enough to embrace all expressions,” she said.

Searching for a sign Symbolism is prominent in the habits of the Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver in St. Paul.

Sister Genevieve Kudlik, superior, said she has visual reminders of her life’s mission. Her habit consists of a fulllength gray tunic, veil and St. Peter Claver medal that hangs from a red cord symbolizing the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The medal itself, she explained, is a sign to witness to a higher truth. The front depicts St. Peter Claver baptizing a slave.

“Every morning when I put the medal on myself, it reminds me of the virtues of my patron saint, who spent a long time trying to help the slaves, and this is what I want to imitate — his kindness and love for the less fortunate,” Sister Genevieve said.

Professed for 23 years, Sister Genevieve said she perceives the habit as a sign for people that the sisters are in the world but different — a sign that life is something more than the here and now.

“It’s not the habit in itself that makes me a religious sister, because I believe that many of those who are not wearing the habit are holy sisters and doing wonderful service in the vineyard of God,” she said. “But it’s a visible sign for people, which, maybe today, they need from time to time to see it and reflect.

Even though we live in a world that is so noisy and so taken, you can see that people are searching for something different. They are searching for some sign, some symbol in it.”

— Maria Wiering contributed to this story.

SENIOR SERVICES GUIDE

16A • The Catholic Spirit

November 19, 2015

Priest: Elderly can keep growing, offer gifts

2015

Senior Services Guide

By Thandiwe Konguavi Catholic News Service Paulist Father Thomas Ryan was turning 50 when he decided he didn’t want just another birthday cake, scoop of ice cream and “Happy Birthday” song.

The U.S. priest wanted to look seriously at the second half of his life and its potential.

Instead of a birthday party, Father Ryan — who was directing an ecumenical center for spirituality in Montreal at the time — called for a 50th birthday weekend retreat, inviting family and friends. It was refreshingly countercultural, engaging in topics such as retirement, health limitations and even some “wonderful sharings” about the kind of funeral people would like, he said.

His birthday retreat program, he added, was a hit.

Nearly 20 years later, Father Ryan, now 69, continues to lead the retreats all over North America.

In this age of obsession with youth, advertisements and nightly news programs often convey a sense that if you eat right, exercise regularly and take the right vitamins and medicines, people will live indefinitely, said Father Ryan, a Washington-based author and director of the Paulist Fathers’ Ecumenical and Interfaith

American Paulist Father Thomas Ryan, 69, says the elderly can learn to age with gentleness and creativity. CNS Relations.

He said never before have so many North Americans reached retirement age with such advanced education, social consciousness and good health.

“So what will we do with it?” he asked. “We have an unprecedented opportunity to keep growing, to learn and to offer our many gifts to our neighborhood, our city or school.”

Passive aging sees the last season of life as “a slow slide toward death, and the natural changes of the body are accompanied by a

creeping paralysis of the soul,” Father Ryan said.

“But I’m talking about active aging, and active aging works with the effects of aging by adjusting the rhythm and the pace,” he told retreat participants.

For Father Ryan, healthy aging means living life as a celebration.

The person who ages actively “moves to simply a gentler form of exercise but stays active.” Or, perhaps they compensate for their hearing loss by getting a good pair Continued on next page

STAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD!

WALK TO DAILY MASS when you live at 1440 Randolph Avenue!

Also Open Saturdays!

12 Noon to 2 p.m.

Reasonably priced, spacious 1 & 2 BR Apartments* for Independent Seniors 55 and Better. Come see our stylish and modern kitchens! On a bus line, within blocks of supermarket, Walgreens Pharmacy, local coffee shops, Cretin Baseball games and just a little further Highland National Golf Course and the Grand Avenue Shops! t ELEVATOR t Underground heated/outside garages* t On-site Management t State-of-the-art Monitored Fire & CO System

The Best Kept Secret in Highland Park!

Located adjacent to Holy Spirit Catholic Church and School, in the lovely Highland Park area, this building provides a quiet, simple, yet elegant living atmosphere for independent seniors of 55 and Better who wish to "Stay in the Neighborhood" or live in close proximity to a Catholic Church and the Sacraments.

Guests are greeted by classical music just inside the entry of the building's upscale, smartly appointed and warmly finished Lobby. Summer months on our quaint patio offer the calming sounds of a graceful fountain beside an inviting cafe table and umbrella in addition to a bench upon which to rest and enjoy the sunset at the close of each day.

*When available.

651-690-4961

For more information, contact MJ Properties of Saint Paul, LLLP

www.1440apartments.com

MJ PROPERTIES OF SAINT PAUL, LLLP

November 19, 2015

SENIOR SERVICES GUIDE

For priest, healthy aging means celebration Continued from previous page of headphones to listen to programs or CDs. Aging is not a burden or problem to be solved, he said. Today, the aging process can extend for 30 or more years, and several delicate passages need to be negotiated, he said. For example, it can mean the loss of one’s professional identity. When you are no longer head of your corporation or your office, or principal of the school, who are you?

Other delicate passages might include the departure of your children; the new rhythm of life when all of a sudden your spouse is with you at home or the confrontation of solitude for those who have already lost a spouse; the arrival of grandchildren; or the decline of strength and energy.

“Those are difficult issues for us to face squarely,” Father Ryan said. He pointed to a study that found nearly 70 percent of adult children have not even talked to their parents about issues related to aging. Facing these realities squarely and accepting their inevitability has a big reward, he said.

“When we truly accept that life as we know it on this lovely blue and green planet is not given in limitless supply, we begin to think more clearly about what is important to us,” he said. “What do I want to do with the time I have, how do I want to use my available resources? We employ the talents which God has gifted us to leave our world better than we found it.”

“When we truly accept that life as we know it on this lovely blue and green planet is not given in limitless supply, we begin to think more clearly about what is important to us.”

Father Thomas Ryan

In 2012, Father Ryan published his book “Remember to Live! Embracing the Second Half of Life.” The book is a compilation of 15 years of collecting people’s experiences, listening to reflections and his own experience with aging. The book includes exercises that can transform the way people see the potential of the later years of life, he said. Participating in a retreat on aging can have the same effect.

When people open their eyes to life and to its richness in each day’s living, they realize that every day, every minute, every breath, truly is a gift from God, Father Ryan said.

“In short, you remember to live. Each day’s living just becomes so much richer — cultivating gratitude in your heart for the sweetness of life, for the glories of creation, for the gift of the love received from family and friends.”

The Catholic Spirit • 17A

Pope: Biggest shortage facing humanity is lack of love

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service With God’s light, Christians learn to look within themselves with truth and look upon others with love, Pope Francis said.

Inspired by Christ, people can look at the world with a new pair of eyes to see others “not as obstacles to overcome, but as brothers and sisters to welcome,” he said in an audience at the Vatican Nov. 12.

The pope was meeting with members of the Guanellian Family, a group of individuals and associations inspired by the life and charism of St. Louis Guanella, the Italian founder the Servants of Charity, the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence and the Confraternity of St. Joseph.

Pope Francis told them that if he were to imagine what their founder — who died in 1915 — would tell them today, he said it would be “to trust, look and hurry.”

People have to trust in the fact that God cannot help but love his children no matter what, he said.

“If we are distant from him, we are longed for; when we draw close, we are embraced; if we fall, he picks us up; if we are repentant, he forgives.”

God feels bad when his children do not trust completely in him and do not believe he wants only what is best for them, the pope said.

Fears or doubts that God is distant or a cruel master, who asks too much or creates great ordeals, he said, are “a great deception” sown by the devil who likes to “conceal what’s real and disguise the good as evil.”

People are tempted to keep their distance from God because they’re afraid his fatherly nature may not truly be loving and good, he said.

When people trust in God and see themselves as children who are loved, then they “learn to look at the world with new eyes, made brighter by love and hope.”

Such eyes let people see “inside themselves with truth and to see far away with charity,” he said.

In fact, of all the problems, injustices and new forms of poverty in the world, the biggest shortage facing humanity right now, he said, is charity and love.

“Sometimes our spiritual vision is nearsighted because we cannot see beyond our own selves. Other times we are farsighted: We like to help those who are far away, but we are not able to stoop down to help those next to us.

Sometimes, however, we prefer to close our eyes because we are tired, overwhelmed by pessimism.”

Lastly, the pope said, Christians must hurry. Just like Mary ran in haste to help her cousin Elizabeth, “we, too, listen for the Spirit’s invitation to go immediately to those who need our care and affection.”

Mark Your Calendars You’re Invited to Join Us

Two Communities, One Home for Holiday Cheer!

St. Therese Southwest

The Glenn

Holiday Apartment Home Tour

Holiday Tour of Apartments

December 3, 2015 2:30 – 4:30 pm

December 3, 2015 2:30 - 4:30 PM

Kick off the Holidays with a festive tour & delicious treats!

Enjoy the Season with a tour & refreshments!

RSVP to Chrysauna: 952-960-5558

RSVP: 952-345-4408

St. Therese Southwest The Towers · 1011 Feltl Court Hopkins, MN 55343 www.StThereseSouthwest.com

The Glenn 5300 Woodhill Road Minnetonka, MN 55345 www.TheGlennSeniorHousing.com

For The Catholic Spirit Readers

18A • The Catholic Spirit

SENIOR SERVICES GUIDE

To our readers The descriptions of senior housing and services in this section were provided by the facilities and service agencies, which are responsible for the accuracy of the content.

The Catholic Spirit

The Wellington Senior Living and The Alton Memory Care The Wellington Senior Living and The Alton Memory Care are located in the Shepard Park neighborhood of Highland Park. St. Paul’s Highland Park offers retail shopping, various community centers, places of worship and beautifully landscaped park areas.

A free, scheduled transportation shuttle is provided during the week to a variety of locations in this area.

The Wellington Senior Living offers independent living, assisted living and 24-hour care suites. Our team is dedicated to providing premier senior living with an emphasis on living.

We offer a variety of services from restaurant-style dining with meals prepared by a chef, housekeeping and a full array of social activities. Health care professionals, including licensed

nursing staff and certified home health aides, are trained, dedicated and available to meet the needs of residents needing these services.

The Alton Memory Care is committed to providing “persondirected” care in a fun environment that meets the specific needs of each individual, helping families spend quality time together by providing peace of mind knowing residents are well cared for in all aspects of their lives. When a person encounters memory issues, unique challenges arise for the person affected and their family members.

At The Alton, we focus on each person’s strengths and provide programs and services to support each individual.

For more information or to schedule a tour, visit www.shepardpark seniorcampus.com, or call The Wellington at 651-699-2664 or The Alton at 651-699-2480.

November 19, 2015

T Trojack Law Office, P.A. • Guardianships • Powers of Attorney • Wills • Conservatorships • Health Care Directives • Trusts • Probate John E. Trojack, Attorney at Law

We offer tailor-made, client-focused estate planning and related services from a Catholic Perspective

Trojack Law Office, P.A. • 1549 Livingston Ave., Ste. 101 • W. St. Paul, MN 55118

Phone: 651.451.9696 • www.TrojackLaw.com

Our expansion includes contemplative gardens and courtyard areas with traditional graves, cremation graves and a beautifully designed columbarium with more than 300 niches for cremation.

Find out more at: www.saintvdp.org/cemetery or (763) 425-2210

So much more online:

Full calendar of events • Catholic Hotdish Blog Photos and videos • Search the archives www.TheCatholicSpirit.com

Be faithfully informed Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

We Mend Bodies and Spirits Throughout the Benedictine Health System, our residents, patients and their families are welcomed and treated with love and respect. As one of the largest Catholic senior care organizations in the United States, with nine communities within the Twin Cities, we believe our Benedictine Core Values of Hospitality, Stewardship, Respect and Justice are not just posters on the wall; those values guide the work we do every day.

We provide high quality senior living services, including independent and assisted living, long-term care, short-term care, memory care, in and outpatient therapy as well as adult day services.

For more information or to schedule a tour: Benedictine Health Center at Innsbruck 1101 Black Oak Drive | New Brighton 651-633-1686 | bhcinnsbruck.org

Cerenity Senior Care – White Bear Lake 4315 2nd Avenue | White Bear Lake 651-232-1818 | CerentiySeniorCare.org

Benedictine Health Center of Minneapolis 618 E. 17th Street | Minneapolis 612-879-2800 | bhcminneapolis.org

Interlude Restorative Suites 520 Osborne Road NE | Fridley 763-230-3131 | Interluderestorativesuites.org

Benedictine Senior Living at Steeple Pointe 625 Central Avenue | Osseo 763-425-4440 | steeplepointe.org

Regina Senior Living 1175 Ninninger Road | Hastings – Daily Mass 651-480-4333 | regina-seniorliving.org

Cerenity Senior Care - Humboldt 512 Humboldt | St. Paul 651-220-1700 | CerentiySeniorCare.org

St. Gertrude’s Health and Rehabilitation Center 1850 Sarazin Street | Shakopee 952-233-4400 | stgertrudesshakopee.org

Cerenity Senior Care – Marian of Saint Paul 200 Earl Street | St. Paul – Mass six days a week 651-793-2100 | CerentiySeniorCare.org

To review the full list of communities and services go to: bhshealth.org

November 19, 2015

SENIOR SERVICES GUIDE

The Catholic Spirit • 19A

St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery

Interlude Restorative Suites

St. Vincent de Paul Church in Brooklyn Park is proud to have a beautiful cemetery that dates back to 1856.

In 2014, there was an expansion that included garden and courtyard sections with 300 new traditional grave sites, 70 cremation grave sites and a beautifully designed columbarium containing 300 niches for cremation. The expansion includes new opportunities to remember and commemorate loved ones, with monuments and walkways, as well as a location for outdoor Mass and other liturgical services.

For more information, visit www.saintvdp.org or call 763-425-2210.

With the opening this year of Interlude Restorative Suites, post-acute care patients now have an option that entirely redefines transitional care. Because it’s a joint effort of Allina Health, Benedictine Health System and Presbyterian Homes and Services, Interlude Restorative Suites can offer guests a truly upscale, soothing environment with superior clinically-integrated care, in-patient rehabilitation and guest-centered hospitality.

Brand new locations on the Unity Hospital Campus in Fridley and Abbott Northwestern WestHealth Campus in Plymouth both deliver this unique vision.

For more information, visit www.InterludeRestorativeSuites.org.

Crest View Senior Communities Crest View Senior Communities is a faith-based not-for-profit organization that has been providing services to older adults since 1952.

Crest View Senior Community in Columbia Heights offers a continuum of care and services, including senior housing, assisted living, home care, memory care, rehab care and skilled nursing care.

Crest View is developing a new campus of service for older adults in Blaine that will open in fall 2016.

For more information, visit www.CrestView Cares.org, or call 763-782-1601 for Columbia Heights or 763-755-0712 for Blaine.

Benedictine Health System The Benedictine Health System is one of the largest Catholic senior care organizations in the country, operating more than 40 communities in six states; including nine in the Twin Cities. BHS is a missionbased, nonprofit health system headquartered in Minnesota, sponsored by the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth. BHS provides complete long-term care services for aging adults, including independent housing, assisted living, skilled nursing and rehabilitation services.

For more information, visit www.BHSHealth.org.

The Catholic Cemeteries

MJ Properties of St. Paul, LLLP

When we are baptized into the body of Christ, we are welcomed into the Christian faith community.

When we or one of our loved ones die, our faith tells us it is not the end but a transition to what is to come. While awaiting the promise of eternal life, our Catholic tradition provides for the burial of our human remains in a Catholic cemetery among the community of the faithful departed.

The Catholic Cemeteries in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are sacred places of prayer and remembrance, offering a resting place until the resurrection.

The staff of The Catholic Cemeteries are available to help you make a thoughtful and meaningful decision — one that fits your budget and truly reflects your wishes.

For more information about traditional and cremation burial options at Resurrection, Calvary, Gethsemane, St. Mary’s or St. Anthony’s Cemeteries, call 651-228-9991 or visit www.catholic-cemeteries.org.

Walk to Mass daily when you live at 1440 Randolph Ave. in St. Paul’s Highland Park.

Our newly remodeled and value-priced apartments are perfect for today’s independent seniors, aged 55plus. Adjacent to Holy Spirit Church, 1440 provides a quiet, simple, yet elegant atmosphere for independent seniors who wish to “stay in the neighborhood” or live close to a Catholic church and have ready access to the sacraments. Nearby are parks, restaurants, fuel, car repair, pharmacy, groceries, coffee houses, medical/dental offices, beauty/barber shops and more.

At 1440 Randolph, you can enjoy a modernized elevator, underground heated parking and outside garages, state-of-the-art monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, new appliances, friendly on-site management, mini health clinic, fitness center and resident lounge with wireless Wi-Fi access and cable TV. 1440 is a great value for anyone on a budget!

For more information or to schedule a showing, call MJ Properties of St. Paul at 651-690-4961.

Cerenity/Marian Senior Care

warm atmosphere for our residents, tenants and patients as well as their families. We also create a wide variety of programs and services that fit their physical, social and spiritual needs.

Cerenity Senior Care is a leader in elder care services in the Twin Cities area.

On our three unique campuses, we offer different levels of care and housing options for aging adults, including assisted and independent living, memory care, transitional care and therapy services, skilled nursing and adult day services.

We strive to provide a welcoming, respectful and

For more information and to schedule a tour, visit www.CerenitySeniorCare.org, or call: Cerenity Marian – 651-793-2100 Cerenity Humboldt – 651-220-1700 Cerenity White Bear Lake – 651-232-1818

GET

inspired

TheCatholicSpirit.com

SENIOR SERVICES GUIDE

Episcopal Homes Episcopal Homes has a variety of senior housing available in St. Paul. The following is a brief description of senior living residences. For more information about any home, visit www.EpiscopalHomes.org or call 651-632-8800.

Episcopal Church Home Nursing and short-term rehab care in a faith-based, not-for-profit. Medicare/ Medicaid certified. Our mission is to support each individual’s physical, social and spiritual needs. Weekly Catholic Communion and rosary, plus monthly Catholic Mass.

For a tour, call 651-632-8800.

Episcopal Church Home – The Gardens Minnesota’s first nursing homes based on the game-changing “Green House” model of care.

Only 10 elders per home. Care ratio is 5 to 1.

For a tour, call 651-632-8800.

Iris Park Commons “A Community of Heart” with 59

one/two bedroom and studio apartments and a flexible menu of assisted living services for age 62-plus.

Catholic Communion every Sunday, plus weekly Communion.

For a tour, call 651-632-8800.

Cornelia House Gracious living for independent adults age 62-plus. We offer 47 one- or two-bedroom apartments, community spaces and a lively resident council that organizes social events.

For a tour, call 651-632-8800.

November 19, 2015

Kings Crossing Affordable independent living for age 62-plus. It’s located above the shops of Frogtown Square at University and Dale.

Residents enjoy the same priority access to our programs and services as residents of our home campus. Fortynine one-bedroom, air-conditioned apartments.

For a tour, call 651-493-4606.

To ADVERTISE in The Catholic Spirit

20A • The Catholic Spirit

Dick Martens 651-251-7717 martensr@archspm.org Chris Pierskalla 651-251-7714 pierskallac@archspm.org

Seabury Affordable independent living, age 62-plus.

Recognized as one of the finest HUDsubsidized senior housing facilities in the nation. Forty-nine one-bedroom apartments with central air conditioning.

For a tour, call 651-379-5102.

Carty Heights Affordable independent living for age 62-plus at University and Lexington.

Forty-nine one-bedroom, airconditioned apartments.

For a tour, call 651-288-1142.

www.TheCatholicSpirit.com

SENIOR SERVICES GUIDE

November 19, 2015

St. Therese Southwest and The Glenn by St. Therese Southwest

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT _____________ SPORTS & FITNESS _____________ ONGOING LEARNING _____________ MUSIC & DANCE _____________ OUTINGS _____________ INTERGENERATIONAL PROGRAMS

The Alton Memory Care The Wellington Senior Living

Shepard Park Senior Living

WHO ELSE CAN PROVIDE THIS MUCH ENTERTAINMENT, CULTURE AND FUN? WE CAN!

Come and tour.

Get a free pie!

The Alton (651) 699-2480

The Wellington (651) 699-2664

Subscribe to the print edition today!

Its ok to spill your coffee on it!

Call 651.291.4444

Offering the best in senior living in the southwest metro area.

Whether it’s 14 acres of breathtaking scenery in Hopkins or the quaint, small-town feel of Glenn Lake, you’re sure to find your ideal retirement lifestyle.

Our senior communities provide a spiritual environment in which people of all faiths are welcome.

Mass, interfaith services, rosary, Bible study and beautifully designed chapels for quiet reflection and prayer are a few of the amenities supporting your spiritual journey.

Gracious retirement living at its best is there for you with scheduled bus outings and numerous recreational activities, such as book club, baking group, craft class, card clubs and exercise class, to name a few!

For more information or to schedule your personal tour, please call: St. Therese Southwest 952-933-3333 www.StThereseSouthwest.com The Glenn by St. Therese Southwest 952-352-1000 www.TheGlennSeniorHousing.com

Trojack Law Office, P.A. A three-step strategy is used with each client.

First, we emphasize counseling, taking time to understand each person’s needs. Second, we assist in keeping the plan current. Third, we show our clients how they can pass along their wisdom as well as their wealth.

John Trojack will work hard to help you give “what you own, to whom you want, when you want and the way you want.” To ensure an “estate plan that works,” he maintains a formal updating program. And, the office assures you of fully-disclosed and controlled costs.

For more information, call 651- 4519696.

The Catholic Spirit • 21A

Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapels Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapels is the oldest family-owned funeral business in Minnesota. Established in 1857, before Minnesota became a state, Washburn-McReavy is a fifth generation business.

Quality, personal service, and funeral and cremation services are available at all of our chapels.

For more information, visit www.

Washburn-McReavy.com or call 612377-2203.

St. Benedict’s Senior Community Monticello St. Benedict’s Senior Community’s mission is: “Our actions are guided by the belief that ‘All Shall Be Treated as Christ.’”

With foundational values and beliefs rooted in the tradition of the Catholic faith, St. Benedict’s Senior Community welcomes people of all faiths.

Our campus features retirement, assisted living and memory care apartments. Amenities include a chapel, theater, general store, fitness center, club room and enclosed outdoor courtyard.

We take pride in building lasting relationships with our tenants. We take the time to get to know you and your lifestyle needs. We believe exceptional service still counts!

For a tour, call 763-295-4051.

St. Therese St. Therese is a nonprofit Catholic organization that has focused on the well-being of individuals since it opened in 1968.

We provide secure, stress-free living and the very best in senior care and housing with a commitment to each individual. St. Therese offers a full continuum of programs and services that are available in your own home or in one of our community settings.

St. Therese serves the Twin Cities metro area with campuses located in New Hope, Brooklyn Park, Shoreview and coming soon to Woodbury.

For more information, visit www. sttheresemn.org.

Thanks to these Web Advertisers for advertising on TheCatholicSpirit.com!

St. Agnes School St. Patrick’s Guild St. Therese At Home Solutions College of St. Benedict St. Therese Homes Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity St. Therese Southwest Benedictine Health Center at Innsbruck University of Mary, Bismarck, ND

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY

22A • The Catholic Spirit

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN Matthew James Christoff

Acknowledging the Catholic ‘man-crisis’ Editor’s note: In this issue we begin “Catholic Watchmen,” a new monthly column focusing on Catholic laymen.

There is a serious Catholic “mancrisis.”

The New Emangelization Project has documented the devastating loss of faith among Catholic men.

One in three baptized Catholic men in the U.S. have left the Church. The fastest growing religious segment of the U.S. population are called “Nones,” those who profess no religion. The single biggest contributor to the “Nones” are men who were formerly Catholic.

To have one-third of our fathers, brothers, uncles and sons leave the Catholic Church is a disaster. Imagine an army in a fierce battle that had one-third of its men go AWOL or fight for the enemy. The loss of so many Catholic men weakens the Church Militant in the battle against Satan’s ongoing assault on all people.

It gets worse. The majority (some 50-60 percent) who remain are “casual Catholic men” — men who don’t know or

practice the faith.

According to our research, large numbers of Catholic men don’t have a basic understanding of the faith. Only about 1 in 3 Catholic men strongly agree the sacraments are essential to their faith.

About half of Catholic men are “bored” in the Mass and don’t feel they “get anything out of the Mass.”

Men who understand the Mass could never be bored when encountering the King of Creation.

Most Catholic men believe that “how one lives is more important than being a Catholic.” Large numbers of Catholic men do not believe that Catholicism has a “greater share of truths than other religions.” Only about 1 in 4 Catholic men believe that being a Catholic “is among the most important things in life.” A startling 60 percent of Catholic men would consider leaving the Church.

“Casual Catholic men” do not practice the faith. Only about 1 in 4 Catholic men consider themselves to be “practicing Catholics.” Indeed, only onethird of Catholic men attend Mass weekly despite the fact that weekly Mass

GUEST COMMENTARY Our Sunday Visitor

Keeping the faith in tumultuous times With the Nov. 6 release of the new movie “Spotlight” — a film that centers on the investigation by the Boston Globe that brought the clergy sexual abuse scandal out into the open in 2002 — the curtain is raised yet again on a tragic piece of history in the U.S. Church.

The abuse crisis and its aftermath has been a dark, tumultuous time for Catholics. With each new revelation of past misdeeds, we have found ourselves asking when the revelations will stop, even as we know that — for the sake of the victims and ourselves — the scandals should never be forgotten.

More than a decade after that crisis first broke, the Church finds itself going through yet another difficult season.

In recent weeks, the Vatican has been plagued by intrigue, gossip and hierarchical infighting throughout the second Synod of Bishops on the family.

On the heels of the synod were allegations of corruption and the arrest of two members of a Vatican committee in late October — one a laywoman and one a Vatican cleric — for leaking confidential

financial information to Italian journalists. Then, in early November, came the publication of two books that contain enough damaging information to be dubbed “Son of Vatileaks,” a title that conjures up images of a “sequel” to the 2012 scandal in which the personal butler of Pope Benedict XVI was found guilty of leaking private documents to the press.

Whatever the resolution of this latest wave of crises, it is clear that the Church must necessarily commit itself to greater transparency and greater accountability.

But for we the faithful, this may be the time for us to gain some historical and spiritual perspective.

For more than two millennia beginning with the earliest apostles, the Church has weathered storm after storm, including betrayal, heresy, corruption and schism. Yet the Church still stands.

We have Christ’s own promise, as related in the Gospel of Matthew, that it will remain so: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld

attendance is a precept, or obligation, of the Church.

The majority of men are not going to confession. Some 8 out of 10 Catholic men have not gone to confession in the last year; annual confession is a precept of the Church. Only 1 in 50 Catholic men (2 percent) have a monthly practice of confession. Meanwhile, studies show that 60-70 percent of Christian men are viewing pornography monthly, raising the concern of widespread serious sin.

Most Catholic men are disengaged from parish life. Research shows that 8 out of 10 Catholic men do not participate in Catholic activities outside of Mass. One third of men who call themselves “Catholic” are not members of a parish.

These men are not committed to passing the faith along to their children.

Half of Catholic men do not know the faith well enough to explain it to their children, and they are not convinced it is important for their children to remain Catholic. The lack of commitment of fathers to pass the faith along to their sons will add to the Catholic “mancrisis.”

The Catholic “man-crisis” is wreaking havoc on men, women, children, the Church and society. What is needed now is for all Catholics of good will, especially priests, deacons and men themselves, to commit to call our wayward brothers back to the fulness of the faith.

Jesus Christ, the perfect man, expects no less from us.

Christoff is a parishioner of St. Anne in Hamel and founder of the New Emangelization Project at www.NewEmangelization.com. shall not prevail against it.”

At such times in the history of the Church — and there have been many — the question for faithful Catholics is always the same: How do we put aside the intrigues and scandals in our beautiful, messy Church and find a way, despite it all, to keep the faith? It’s at times like these where it behooves us to get back to basics: to strive to be, as Jesus asked us in the Sermon on the Mount, poor in spirit, meek, merciful, clean of heart, peacemakers and persecuted for our faith. To care, as Jesus commands, for the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the stranger, the prisoner, the least among us.

And, as Pope Francis reminded Congress in September, to treat others as we ourselves would want to be treated.

What’s more, such times of trial offer the faithful the opportunity to remember that, by the grace of God, our faith does not find its purchase in a Church employee, a priest, a bishop or even a pope. Instead, our faith is in Jesus Christ, savior and king. The individuals who make up our Church, be they laity or clergy, are just that — individuals. They are human beings who err, who struggle and who sin. Our task is to remain focused on what counts — Christ alone.

And as we enter the penitential and merciful season of Advent, let us pray for all those who hold positions of trust and responsibility in our Church.

This commentary appeared in the Nov. 4 issue of Our Sunday Visitor, a national Catholic newsweekly based in Huntington, Indiana. It was written by the newspaper’s editorial board.

November 19, 2015

LETTERS Grief actually has 10 stages Re: “Retired hospice doctor: It’s not unhealthy to think about death,” Oct. 22: While I am happy to see my mother’s legacy (Dr. Elisabeth KüblerRoss) frequently mentioned, I am always curious that no one ever notes that she actually mentions 10 stages in her seminal book, “On Death and Dying.”

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Web comment, Oct. 22

Blessed are the persecuted Thank you for the article on interfaith issues (“UST symposium: 50 years after Vatican II, interfaith learning, relationship building still a work in progress,” Oct. 22). We have indeed become entrenched in our own traditions. Every time we sing the third verse of “Be Not Afraid” and get to the words “and if wicked tongues insult or hate you all because of me, blessed, blessed are you,” I weep, not for the Catholics or other Christians, but for the Muslims and all the “others” we belittle, berate, condemn and kill in Jesus’ name.

Elizabeth Rosenwinkel St. Albert, Minneapolis

Remember Jesus’ mercy In “Praying for the dead” (Oct. 22), I found the quote of Father Gallas to be unfortunate and reflective of only one side of ancient tradition when he said, “Never presume a person is in heaven, unless that person is a baptized infant.” There is another side that speaks of the power of Christ to sanctify. For the past 32 years of my priesthood I have heard way too many beautiful and faithful Catholics fear that they might not be good enough to get to heaven. This denies the promise of Christ in the Eucharist that those who eat his body and drink his blood have eternal life.

Father Gallas in his teaching continues to raise the specter of an unmerciful God who is overwhelmed by the demands of justice so that even he cannot extend mercy to those most in need of it. This sort of flies in the face of Jesus’ death on the cross, doesn’t it?

Father Mike Anderson Pastor, St. Joseph, Lino Lakes Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@archspm. org. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY

November 19, 2015

MAKING SENSE OF BIOETHICS Father Tad Pacholczyk

Parents and sex ed: Duty cannot be delegated While some parents might be happy to avoid the awkward conversations that arise around human sexuality by allowing the school system to provide their children’s sex education, it is nonetheless important for parents to recognize that they are the most significant teachers and models for their own children as they mature sexually.

Instilling a healthy attitude about sexuality in young people involves a variety of considerations, including conveying a proper sense of constraints and boundaries. These boundaries arise organically through the virtue of chastity, by which a person acquires the ability to renounce self, to make sacrifices and to wait generously in consideration of loving fidelity toward a future spouse, out of self-respect and out of fidelity to God. This critical process of developing sexual self-mastery is an area where parents are particularly well suited to help their children.

At the end of the day, the parental duty to influence in a positive way a

child’s upbringing around sexuality cannot be abdicated or delegated.

Parents know their children in a personal and individual way and are able to determine their readiness for, and receptivity to, sexual information.

Moreover, the reality of parental love toward their children enables a parent to say certain “hard things” in love that may need to be said, in a manner that only a parent may effectively be able to say it.

I recall the story that a middle-aged woman once shared with me about something that happened when she was 12. She was at home watching TV with her mother, who was the strong authority figure in the family. At a certain moment, a scene came across the screen where a woman was removing her clothing and dancing in front of a group of men. Her mother glanced over at her and without skipping a beat said: “I’ll kill you if you ever do that.” Her daughter understood, of course, that she didn’t mean it literally, but appreciated

WORD ON FIRE Bishop Robert Barron

Daniel and the great unveiling Toward the end of the liturgical year, we Catholics hear at Mass from the mysterious, often confounding and utterly fascinating book of Daniel. Recent scholarship has demonstrated that the book of Daniel had an extraordinarily powerful influence on the first Christians, providing them a most important template for understanding the significance of Jesus. Daniel is, of course, an example of apocalyptic literature, which in the common understanding means that it has to do with the end of the world.

Well, yes and no.

The word “apocalypse” carries the sense of unveiling, literally taking back the kalumna (veil). This is why, when the early translators rendered the term in Latin, they chose “revelatio”(removing the velum, unveiling). Apocalyptic books, therefore, reveal something of decisive significance. They display a hidden truth, indeed raising the curtain on a new world.

The book under consideration is famous, of course, for its memorable narratives of Daniel in the lion’s den, of the three young men who are thrown into the furnace but who survive through God’s grace, of the handwriting on the wall and of the rape of Susannah. But it is

also a book of visions, dreams and their interpretation, for Daniel is something like Joseph in the book of Genesis, an inspired solver of puzzles. In the second chapter of the book of Daniel, we hear of a dream dreamt by King Nebuchadnezzar. In his night vision, the king saw a statue made of a variety of substances: its head of gold, its breast and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of brass, and its feet of clay. He then saw a stone, not hewn by a human hand, crash into the statue and shatter it to pieces.

None of the king’s wise men and soothsayers could interpret the dream, but Daniel, an Israelite from the community of exiles, was able to read it.

The statue constructed of various substances stood, Daniel explained, for a series of kingdoms that would follow one upon the other. The destruction by the stone, not made through human intervention, indicated that the final kingdom would be established by God alone.

In the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel, this truth is reinforced. We are told that Daniel himself had a dream of four great beasts coming up out of the sea, the first like a lion, the second like a bear, the third like a leopard, and the fourth a terrible animal with 10 horns

The Catholic Spirit • 23A

that her mother cared enough about her to be very direct: “What my Mom said on that and many other occasions stayed with me for years afterwards, and helped me to reflect carefully on the right use of my sexuality.” Parents influence their children in thousands of different ways, sometimes not even realizing how particular comments or observations they make can become highly significant to their child’s thinking.

Helping children to think correctly about human sexuality remains a delicate and challenging task in the midst of a sex-saturated society like our own. Indeed, our thinking about human sexuality can easily go off the rails, and sexual activity itself can quickly degrade into a selfish and self-referential kind of activity, even within marriage, if we aren’t careful to attend to deeper realities.

Spouses who have made a lifelong marital commitment to each other in the presence of God are uniquely empowered to live in a way that exceeds merely viewing each other as objects or as a means to satisfying their appetites; they become called to, and capable of, a higher kind of love that involves friendship, sacrifice and self-giving.

Otherwise, a dominance of things over persons can take over, leading to forms of selfishness in which persons are used in the same way as objects are used. In the context of this kind of selfishness, a woman, for example, can become a mere “object” for a man, and children can be reduced to mere “hindrances” on the part of their parents.

The human sexual love that is nurtured within a healthy marriage, meanwhile, generates communion between persons, as each comes to consider the good of the other as his or her own good. Marital sexuality is thus meant to go beyond merely existing with someone else and using them for selfish gain, and instead calls a person to exist for someone else through total self-gift.

As husband and wife seek to live out these truths of their human sexuality, they impart valuable and important lessons to their children about generosity, unselfish living and chastity, where that chastity is seen as the spiritual energy capable of defending love from the perils of selfishness and aggressiveness. Parents are in the unique position of being able to model for their children a healthy example of sexual integration, generosity and self-mastery within marriage. Under these circumstances, parents also convey to their children the beautiful message that human sexuality reaches far beyond the biological and touches on the most intimate core of the human person, particularly as experienced in his or her capacity for personal and radical self-gift to another in marriage, faithful even unto death.

and teeth like iron. Then, as the dream continued, the “Ancient of Days,” the Lord God, took his throne and thousands ministered to him, and the four beasts were disempowered.

Next, Daniel saw “one like the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Arriving at the throne of the Ancient of Days, he was given “dominion, power and glory” and told that all nations would serve him. Once again, we have a reference to the four kingdoms that will succeed one another and then a final kingdom, not of purely human origin, that will come to be.

When will all of this take place? Here we have to look at chapter nine of the book of Daniel, which recounts, not a vision, but a direct angelic revelation.

Daniel had received the tradition from the prophet Jeremiah that the restoration of Jerusalem and Israel would happen 70 years after the Babylonian exile, but that time had already passed. The angel Gabriel (keep him in mind for later in the biblical story) tells the prophet that this means “70 weeks of years,” which comes out to 70 times seven years, or 490 years.

Now if we put this all together, we conclude that pious Jews, studying the book of Daniel, would be expecting four wicked kingdoms to rise and fall before the final kingdom would be ushered in.

Further, they would be anticipating that this consummation would occur around 500 years after the Babylonian Captivity, which took place between 587 BC and around 500 BC. So now consider pious commentators in the first century. They had seen four great kingdoms emerge: Babylon, Persia, Greece and finally, Rome. More to it, they knew they were

living just around 500 years after the captivity. The upshot was that messianic expectation was especially fevered among Jews as the first century got underway.

Father Pacholczyk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did postdoctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, and serves as the director of education at The National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia.

And therefore, when Jesus came preaching precisely the kingdom of God, we should not be surprised that people took him to be announcing the fulfillment of the Daniel prophecy. But was this in the mind of Jesus himself?

Recall that when he stood before the Sanhedrin at the climax of his life and was directly asked whether he was the Messiah, Jesus replied, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.” He was, of course, directly citing the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel, announcing himself as the human/divine figure, who would be given dominion over all the nations. The next day, over the cross of Jesus, Pontius Pilate, representative of the fourth kingdom, the Roman Empire, placed a sign announcing that the new and final king had arrived: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

This, in a word, is the apocalypse, the great revelation: a kingdom, not made by human hands, has come, a kingdom that succeeds a series of fallen polities, a dominion that will last forever. What is this kingdom? It is Christ himself and the Church, which is the mystical body of Christ. The emergence of the Church of Jesus signals the end of the old world and the beginning of a new one. It is the pulling back of the veil.

Bishop Barron is an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.

FOCUS ON FAITH

24A • The Catholic Spirit

November 19, 2015

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES

Sunday, Nov. 22

Deacon Doug Liebsch

Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Readings

Make sure Jesus, king of the universe, is also king of our hearts The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe is one feast in which we recognize the grand majesty of Jesus. This feast helps deepen our understanding of who Jesus is.

In the incarnation, Jesus expresses and realizes the desire of an infinite God to draw inconceivably close to us and take on our nature. As a result, it can be easy for us to picture this as his natural state: that Jesus is merely human. It can be difficult to recognize Jesus’ divinity in our culture where we overemphasize the closeness, niceness and even friendship of God. As good as some of these things may be, they mean nothing if we don’t

recognize Jesus’ authority.

There are many different ways we picture Jesus: friend, brother, savior, teacher and shepherd. However, this feast of the Church is completely dedicated to Jesus as king. Many images of Jesus as king show him with a large crown on his head and a globe in his hand, symbolizing how the world and all things are subject to his reign. But is this really the case?

If someone comes up to us on the street and asks if Jesus is king of the universe, many of us would respond with, “Yes, Jesus is king of the universe!”

However, if someone asks, “Is Jesus the

• Daniel 7:13-14 • Revelation 1:5-8 • John 18:33b-37 king of your heart? Does Jesus have authority there on a daily basis?” we might hesitate to acknowledge his kingship there. In the dialogue between Pilate and Jesus, Pilate recognized Jesus as a king of somewhere, but not king under his own roof. Does he enter under our roof with the same reality?

This is the last Sunday in ordinary time before we begin the season of Advent, which specifically focuses on preparing our hearts to receive Jesus, the king. Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

If our thoughts, goals, desires and lives are of this world, how can Jesus be king of our hearts? If we seek to make Christ

the king of our hearts, it might be worth our time this Advent season to consider “giving up” something of the kingdom of this world, something that may have too much authority or control over us, so that we can prepare the way in our hearts to receive the King of the Universe. Our desire to have Christ reign in our hearts must be out of this world.

Deacon Liebsch is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity for the Diocese of St. Cloud. His teaching parish is St. Michael in St. Cloud and St. Joseph in Waite Park. His home parish is St. Mary of Mount Carmel in Long Prairie.

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Nov. 22 Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Daniel 7:13-14 Revelation 1:5-8 John 18:33b-37 Monday, Nov. 23 St. Clement I, pope, martyr; St. Columban, abbot; Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, priest, martyr Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20 Luke 21:1-4

Tuesday, Nov. 24 St. Andrew Dung-Lac, priest, and companions, martyrs Daniel 2:31-45 Luke 21:5-11 Wednesday, Nov. 25 St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin, martyr Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 Luke 21:12-19 Thursday, Nov. 26 Daniel 6:12-28 Luke 21:20-28

Friday, Nov. 27 Daniel 7:2-14 Luke 21:29-33 Saturday, Nov. 28 Daniel 7:15-27 Luke 21:34-36 Sunday, Nov. 29 First Sunday of Advent Jeremiah 33:14-16 1 Thessalonians 3:12–4:2 Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

SEEKING ANSWERS Father Kenneth Doyle

Explaining Eucharist to child; defending Mary Magdalene Q. At Mass recently, after listening

intently to the words of consecration, our 4-year-old granddaughter whispered to my wife, “Is wine really blood?” How would you answer her question? Also, would your answer be different for a 7-year-old, a teenager or an adult taking RCIA classes?

A. First of all, I credit your granddaughter for her attentiveness, and only wish that many of the grownups at Mass were so sharply focused.

Next, the short and completely truthful answer to her question is, “Yes.” At Mass, following the consecration, what started as wine has now been changed into the blood of Christ. That is the “mystery of faith” that the Church has taught for 2,000 years. (St. Aquinas, in his 13th-century “Summa

Monday, Nov. 30 St. Andrew, apostle Romans 10:9-18 Matthew 4:18-22

Theologica” noted that the priest, in repeating the words of Jesus, does not say, “This bread is my body”; he says, instead, “Hoc est enim corpus meum,” which is simply, “This is my body.”)

This is the “hard saying” referred to in the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel.

Jesus had said, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”

Even though many disciples would not accept that teaching and walked away, Jesus made no attempt to call them back by saying that he had only been speaking symbolically.

Now having said this, I don’t think your granddaughter needs to know all of that right now. Little children think in pictures, so I’m not sure that I would mention “body and blood” at all.

I might say something like, “It still tastes like wine, but it’s different now,

Tuesday, Dec. 1 Isaiah 11:1-10 Luke 10:21-24 Wednesday, Dec. 2 Isaiah 25:6-10a Matthew 15:29-37 Thursday, Dec. 3 St. Francis Xavier, priest Isaiah 26:1-6 Matthew 7:21, 24-27

and special; it’s Jesus coming into our souls to help us be good.”

I’m not even sure that a teenager is ready for a philosophical explanation of transubstantiation, but in fairness I think that I would try — as I certainly would with an adult Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults catechumen. (I would explain that the “accidents” of bread and wine remain — the taste, smell, texture — but that, in the Mass, the “substance” is changed into the body and blood of Christ.)

Q. I was chatting with a friend who is a Buddhist. She does not have a deep knowledge of the Bible and she talked about Mary Magdalene as a great sinner and former prostitute who developed a romantic relationship with Jesus. I wanted to correct her, but I couldn’t find the right words. Can you help me?

A. Your friend has perhaps been influenced by the novelist Dan Brown, who suggested in his book “The Da Vinci Code” that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and fathered a child by her.

Dan Brown is in the entertainment business. He is a writer of fiction, and this is what he has done. There is no historical basis for the scenario he has created. Mary of Magdala first appears

Friday, Dec. 4 St. John Damascene, priest, doctor of the Church Isaiah 29:17-24 Matthew 9:27-31 Saturday, Dec. 5 Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8 Sunday, Dec. 6 Second Sunday of Advent Baruch 5:1-9 Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11 Luke 3:1-6

in Luke’s Gospel as a woman from whom seven devils had been expelled.

There is no scriptural evidence to link her to the sinful woman mentioned a chapter earlier in Luke who, at the Pharisee’s house, washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and dried them with her hair.

What we know from the Gospels about Mary Magdalene is that she was a loyal disciple of Christ who, along with other women, helped to support his work financially. She witnessed his crucifixion and his burial, and she spoke with the risen Lord on Easter Sunday morning and reported his resurrection to the apostles.

Besides the lack of any hard evidence for his fanciful assertions, I would want to ask Brown this: If Mary Magdalene and Jesus really were married and had a child together, then why, from the cross on Good Friday, did Christ assign John to take care of his mother and make no provision for his “wife” and their “child”?

Father Doyle writes for Catholic News Service. A priest of the Diocese of Albany, New York, he previously served as director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, NY 12208.

CALENDAR

November 19, 2015 Dining out St. Mary’s Church-New Trier sausage supper and bingo party — Nov. 22: 12–5:30 p.m. supper, 6–8 p.m. bingo at 8433 239th St., Hampton.

Free Thanksgiving dinner at the Bierstube — Nov. 26: Noon–2 p.m. at two locations: JW’s Bierstube – 7121 10th St. N., Oakdale; and JJ’s Bierstube – 2670 E. County Road E, White Bear Lake. Dinner will be provided for anyone who wishes to celebrate Thanksgiving but finds it difficult to do so for various reasons. All who are in need are welcome. Information and reservations: Jodi at 651-271-4961.

Music St. Andrew pipe organ dedication concert — Nov. 22: 3 p.m. at 566 Fourth St. NW, Elk River.

Information: www.saint-andrew.net.

Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble concert with Christ the King Church’s organist, Jane Becker — Nov. 22: 3 p.m. at 5029 Zenith Ave. S., Minneapolis. Information: 612-920-5030 or www.CTKmpls.org.

Luke Spehar Christmas Concert — Dec. 3: 7:30 p.m. at Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis. Tickets and information: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2365202.

Steven C. “Christmas Beyond” concert — Dec. 10: 7:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. Tickets: www.eventbrite. com/e/steven-c-christmas-beyond-concerttickets-18783592230.

Holy Family Home Educators present “A Christmas Carol” — Dec. 11, 12, 18 and 19: 7 p.m. at Holy Family Academy, Kattar Hall, 5925 W. Lake St., St. Louis Park. Free-will offering.

Information: whitneyeanderson@comcast.net.

Parish events Turkey bingo — Nov. 20: 6:30–8:30 p.m. at St. Odilia Church, 3495 N. Victoria St., Shoreview.

Information: www.stodilia.org.

St. Lawrence Church and Newman Center turkey bingo — Nov. 20: 7–10 p.m. at 1203 SE Fifth St., Minneapolis. Information: 612-331-7941.

Farmington Knights of Columbus turkey bingo — Nov. 21: 5:30 p.m. dinner followed by bingo at St. Michael Church, 22120 Denmark Ave., Farmington. All proceeds will go to the Farmington Food Shelf.

Turkey bingo — Nov. 21: 7–10 p.m. at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood. Information: www. presentationofmary.org.

St. George Church holiday boutique — Nov. 21: 9 a.m.–4 p.m. at 133 N. Brown Road, Long Lake.

Information: 952-473-1247.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your press release.

Serenity retreat for those in recovery — Dec. 4-6: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 to 1:15 p.m. Dec. 6 at 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Information: www.franciscanretreats.net/serenityaaalanon_ retreats.aspx.

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar: • Time and date of event • Full street address of event • Description of event • Contact information in case of questions

Men’s Retreat – Pope Francis and St. Francis; Rebuilding the Church, Bringing Hope to the World — Dec. 11-13: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 to 1:15 p.m. Dec. 13 at 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake.

Information: www.franciscanretreats.net/mens_ retreats.aspx.

ONLINE: www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102

On the Crest of a New Year — Dec. 31: 10 a.m.–7 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Information: 651-777-7251 or benedictinecenter@stpaulsmonastery.org, or www. stpaulsmonastery.org.

A note to readers As of Jan. 1, 2016, The Catholic Spirit will no longer accept calendar submissions via email. Please submit events using the form at www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions Our Lady of Guadalupe Church craft and bake sale — Nov. 21-22: (Nov. 21) 9 a.m.– 3 p.m. and (Nov. 22) 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at 401 Concord St., St. Paul. Information: 651-228-0506.

St. Therese Church fall market — Nov. 21-22: (Nov. 21) 9 a.m.–7 p.m. and (Nov. 22) 9 a.m.– noon at 18323 Minnetonka Blvd., Deephaven.

St. Margaret Mary Church holiday bazaar — Nov. 21-22: (Nov. 21) 9 a.m.–6 p.m., (Nov. 22) 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at 2323 Zenith Ave. N., Golden Valley. Information: www.smm-gv.org.

St. Leonard of Port Maurice Christmas Faire — Nov. 22: 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at 3949 Clinton Ave. S., Minneapolis. Information: 612-825-5811 or www. stleonardmn.com.

Turkey and ham raffle — Nov. 24: 7:30 p.m. at St. Boniface parish hall, Seventh Avenue and Second Street NE, Minneapolis. Adults only. Information: 612-788-8051.

Nativity Men’s Club Christmas tree lot — Nov. 27-Dec. 22: 5:30–8 p.m. Monday–Thursday; 3–8 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Saturday; and 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Sunday. Opening at 10 a.m. Nov. 27.

Located at 1900 Stanford Ave., St. Paul. Information: Pat Bollom at 612-599-8096 or pat@sdata.us.

St. Michael Church CCW Christmas boutique — Dec. 5: 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at 337 Hurley St. E., West St. Paul. Information: 651-457-6566.

Trivia night fundraiser — Nov. 21: 6–8 p.m. in the Peter O’Neill Social Hall at Guardian Angels Church, 8260 Fourth St. N, Oakdale. Information: www. guardian-angels.org.

Incarnation Church annual bake and boutique sale — Dec. 5-6: (Dec. 5) 9 a.m.– 2 p.m., (Dec. 6) 8:30 a.m.– noon at 3801 Pleasant Ave. S., Minneapolis.

CATHOLIC CHARITIES in all copies of this issue.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend — Nov. 20-22: Franciscan Retreat and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake.

Information: www.wwme.org.

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

Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.

St. Stephen Church craft fair — Nov. 21: 9 a.m.–4 p.m. at 506 Jackson St., Anoka.

Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from

Retreats

CALENDAR submissions

Guardian Angels Women’s Club Christmas boutique — Dec. 5-6: (Dec. 5) 9 a.m.– 4 p.m., (Dec. 6) 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale.

Information: www.guardian-angels.org or www. facebook.com/GuardianAngelsOakdale.

NOTICE

The Catholic Spirit • 25A

St. Vincent de Paul Church Christmas bazaar — Dec. 5-6: (Dec. 5) 9 a.m.–5 p.m., (Dec. 6) 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N., Brooklyn Park.

Pax Christi Church parishioners’ art exhibit reception — Dec. 6: 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. Multi-media exhibit ends Dec. 20. Information: 952-941-3150.

Prayer and worship Festive Advent Vespers: Prayer, Reflection, Music — Nov. 29: 5 p.m. at St. Mary Church, 261 Eighth St. E., St. Paul. Information: 651-222-2619.

Speakers The St. Paul Seminary’s Father John Klockeman presents “The Biblical Call of Watchmen for Strengthening the Family” — Nov. 23: 8:45 a.m. in Steiner Hall of Nativity of Our Lord Church, 1900 Stanford Ave., St. Paul. Sponsored

by Nativity Grandparents Apostolate of Sts. Joachim and Anne. Information: 651-696-5401.

Conferences, seminars, groups Dementia Support Group — Second Tuesday of every month: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood.

Information: www.stpaulsmonastery.org or 651-777-7251 or benedictinecenter@ stpaulsmonastery.org.

Advent evening prayer with the Sisters of St. Joseph and Consociates — Sundays of Advent — Nov. 29, Dec. 6, 13 and 20: 4:30 p.m. at Our Lady of the Presentation Chapel, 1880 Randolph Ave., St. Paul. Information: www.csjstpaul.org.

Faithful Spouses support group — Third Tuesday of each month: 7–8:30 p.m. in Smith Hall of the Hayden Center, 328 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul.

Information: 651-291-4438 or faithfulspouses@ archspm.org.

Taize prayer — Dec. 18: 7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Information: 651-777-7251 or benedictinecenter@ stpaulsmonastery.org, or www.stpaulsmonastery. org.

Other events

More events online www.thecatholicspirit.com/ calendar

Little Sisters of the Poor Christmas Boutique — Nov. 21-22: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. at 330 Exchange St. S., St. Paul. Information: www. littlesistersofthepoorstpaul.org.

Minneapolis Deaneries Council of Catholic Women quarterly meeting — Nov. 23: 9 a.m.–2:15 p.m. at St. Patrick Church, 6820 St. Patrick Lane, Edina. Register by Nov. 18 through a parish CCW deanery representative or call (saint parish) Shirley 763-420-7759, or (non-saint parish) Kathy 612-598-1702.

Men’s Night Out — Dec. 4: 5:30 p.m. Mass followed by fellowship, dinner and speakers Jeff Cavins and Matthew James Christoff, then adoration until 9 p.m. at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood. Information: www.presentationofmary. org.

26A • The Catholic Spirit

November 19, 2015

Father Zappa, 65, was pastor and actor

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit A priest and longtime pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville, Father James Zappa Jr. also will be remembered for playing the role of a medieval cardinal for many years as one of the actors at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.

Father Zappa, 65, died Nov. 5 after a lengthy illness.

A funeral Mass was offered Nov. 10 at the Burnsville church.

Interment was in Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights.

Ordained in 1976, Father Zappa served as an associate pastor of St. John the Baptist in Savage, Holy Trinity in South St. Paul and St. William in Fridley. He was pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary in St. Paul from 1985 until 1991, when he joined Father Donald Burns as co-pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church. When Father Burns retired in 1993, Father Zappa became pastor, the position he held until June 30 of this year, when he was granted retirement for health reasons.

During his priesthood, he served as a dean on the archdiocesan

Presbyteral Council before being elected council president in 2002.

Father Zappa was an outspoken advocate for social justice and lay participation in the Church, an approach for which he credited the people at his childhood parish St. Thomas the Apostle on St. Paul’s east side (since Father James merged with ZAPPA JR. and renamed Blessed Sacrament) and his pastor there when he was young, the late Father Thomas Robertson.

“Jim was a person of compassionate heart,” recalled his seminary classmate Father Paul Jaroszeski. “He was a good leader and a gracious person. He had a profound love of the Eucharist and the people he served. He also had a profound love of his Italian heritage.”

In March 2003, Father Zappa was one of five priests who participated

in a healing service for victims/ survivors of sexual abuse by priests and nuns, apologizing for the actions of his brother priests. When parishioners of Mary, Mother of the Church put together Thanksgiving food baskets for the needy in 2012, Father Zappa bought a cart of groceries and donated a basket of his own.

From 1987 to 2006, he was part of the cast of the Renaissance Festival, walking the grounds at the annual late-summer event in Shakopee in red garb and a golden cape as a Catholic cardinal.

Carr Hagerman, now the artistic director of the festival, remembered Father Zappa presiding at Saturday evening Masses for cast members and presiding at weddings, too.

“He was kind of a pastoral presence in the cast,” said Hagerman, who in his younger days would play the part of the rat catcher at the festival, a foil who would chide the cardinal with jibes, all part of the time-period act.

“He always responded in a kind and humorous way,” Hagerman said, “and it took us a while to figure out that that was not just an act. That’s who he was.”

Book club just for men Continued from page 8A deciding that the book club would read fiction.

“Apologetics puts me to sleep,” Kriesel said. “We read literature because it’s exciting and timeless. It’s transformative. It gives you insights into man’s condition that are remarkable.”

Brad Lindberg, a teacher, said, “I’ve been exposed to books I wouldn’t otherwise have read,” and the group tossed out the titles of some of their favorites: “Sword of Honour,” the trilogy by Evelyn Waugh; “A Postcard from the Volcano” by Lucy Beckett, and “Kristin Lavransdatter” by Sigrid Undset. (See complete list at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com.)

The fellowship the group offers, however, is as important to the Misfits as all they’ve gained from the classics the group has read and discussed over the past 13 years.

Druffner suspected that there aren’t many men’s groups that meet in as intimate a way as the Misfits.

“The group challenges us to talk about and think about things going on inside that we normally don’t,” Druffner said. McGrath said he appreciates being able to talk about spiritual, ethical and moral things, “and getting insight from the group.”

Wagner explained, “These books have shown us how broad and diverse the Catholic Church is. Look at this group, all the different professions contained here. The greatest benefit is our getting together as Catholics exploring the richness of our faith.”

Artist Nick Markell found that richness in the “communal dimension” of the men’s book club.

“Wisdom,” Markell said, “comes through the community.”

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BEYOND THE BELTWAY

The Catholic Spirit • 27A

In Waconia, innovative technology meets age-old values

THIRD IN A SEVEN-PART SERIES

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit It’s like a scene from a futuristic movie.

In a grade-school classroom, students work at “pods,” odd-shaped work stations that take on the look of islands, each with three peninsulas. Each peninsula hosts a large, glistening computer monitor, and pods share some of the newest technology available.

It’s the Smart Lab at St. Joseph Catholic School in Waconia, a town of 11,500 some 35 miles west of Minneapolis that is transitioning from a rural area to an outlying suburb.

It’s where teacher Amy Gallus “facilitates the learning” on a wide range of projects. She takes a hands-on, inquiry-based approach that’s part of the school’s new STEM program, which focuses on science, technology, engineering and math.

“It’s an awesome environment,” Gallus said. “It’s so great seeing kids so alive and having fun learning.”

St. Joseph, however, has added a “C” before the STEM — for Catholic — making the school an environment for integrating faith into lessons as well.

“One of the criteria for each stage is defining how I’m a better Christian, a better Catholic, by doing this project,” added Gallus, who is St. Joseph’s C-STEM curriculum specialist. “They’re picking it up right away.”

Enrollment rising again The STEM initiative was something recommended

by Jill Riley, the now retired superintendent of the former Office of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, recalled Bruce Richards, St. Joseph’s principal.

Enrollment had been up to 380 students in the mid-2000s, but there had been a steady decline in recent years. The school has also had five principals in the past 10 years.

“We’ve experienced our first growth this year,” said Richards, who is beginning his third year at St. Joseph.

An 8 percent increase brought the number of students to 151 in kindergarten through grade eight.

“We feel we’ve turned a corner,” Richards said.

Integrating C-STEM is part of that.

In order to add STEM certification to their teaching licenses, all St. Joseph faculty completed a 15-month

At St. Joseph Catholic School in Waconia, first-graders, from left, Mary-Margaret Donovan, Soleil Ehalt and Venice Lonnes are learning about colors and developing creativity as they use watercolors to illustrate their personal interpretation of “God’s rainbows,” noted teacher Mollie Olsen. Bob Zyskowski/The Catholic Spirit set of graduate level STEM courses through St. Catherine University in St. Paul, home of the National Center for STEM Elementary.

Grants from the GHR Foundation and Speranza scholarships from St. Catherine made the STEM training affordable.

“Our teachers were curious, hungry and eager to do something transformative,” Richards said, “and they’ve made C-STEM work.”

Jay Olson teaches literature, math and what St. Joseph identifies as “faith,” an approach in which teachings of the Catholic Church and morals are discussed and identified in all content areas during the school day.

Working with fifth- and sixth-graders to help them understand “how to get the knowledge to stick,” as Olson put it, he watched as students in groups of twos and threes read to one another and then quizzed each other.

“It’s a process of hearing first,” Olson explained, “and moving toward logic and reason, memory and eventually knowledge.”

In working on critical thinking, he said, classes in the past have taken on contemporary topics, among them, the “hands up, don’t shoot” phrase of those alleging racially motivated abusive police actions.

Students research the moral and ethical dilemmas and debate both sides of the issues.

First-grader Jared Templin works on the clouds and the threatening sky portion of his watercolor painting of “God’s rainbow” at St. Joseph Catholic School in Waconia. The activity combines learning about colors with developing students’ creativity, teacher Mollie Olsen explained.

Bob Zyskowski/The Catholic Spirit

“These are topics kids need to know about and get beyond the headlines,” Olson said. “They learn how to argue through persuasion, and they can say, ‘This is why I’m a Catholic.’”

Getting the word out St. Joseph’s main challenge is marketing — telling the stories about what is happening at the school — Richards acknowledged.

“We haven’t done enough,” he said, adding that he relies on parents to spread the word.

St. Joseph does have an inspiring new video — thanks to student parent Paul David, owner of the video production company that carries his name.

While the video — at www.school.stjosephwaconia. org — tells St. Joseph’s story well, Richards said he’s hoping the newly formed Catholic Schools Center of Excellence will provide the marketing support necessary to help his school continue moving forward.

“We need someone to start to champion who we are,” he said.

Next in the series: Mary, Queen of Peace in Rogers

St. Joseph sixth-graders Hannah Good, left, and Rose Johnston plant seeds as part of a longrange science project. “Our first chapter is all about creation,” said their teacher, Sarah Szczeck.

“It’s amazing here — I love it here. I love being able to talk about God in all we do.” Bob Zyskowski/The Catholic Spirit

THE LAST WORD

28A • The Catholic Spirit

Mary Mehegan Hill (seated in chair), devout Catholic and wife of railroad tycoon James J. Hill, poses with her daughters. The Hill women were key financial supporters of the Cathedral of St. Paul around the time of its completion in 1915 and after.

Courtesy Cathedral of St. Paul

November 19, 2015

In this photo of Cathedral parish activities dated May 18, 1947, Mrs. John F. Fallon, left, pours tea with Mrs. John Varstraete, one of the first brides to be married in the Cathedral (1916), and Msgr. George Ryan, rector of the Cathedral, at an open house.

Courtesy Cathedral of St. Paul

CHURCH BUILDERS

Cathedral events honor founding women

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit

A

final event celebrating the Cathedral of St. Paul’s centennial is likely to be an evening of “did you knows?”

For instance, did you know that women donated most of the stained glass windows in the Cathedral? Or that the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet raised $30,000 in 1914 for the Chapel of St. Joseph by selling cookbooks?

And then there were the hundreds of women who contributed in other ways.

Despite their hard work, many of the instrumental women cannot be named because they are not in the Cathedral’s records, said event organizer and Cathedral staff member Mary Connelly.

Honoring them with the final event, she said, “is a perfect way to remind people that it wasn’t men alone. The women really complete the whole picture.

They’re a huge force, especially the Sisters of St. Joseph.”

“The Women Who Helped Build the Cathedral of St. Paul” begins at 6 p.m.

Dec. 1 at the James J. Hill House, 240 Summit Ave., St. Paul, a half-block from the Cathedral. The event includes a social hour, dinner, a historic presentation, musical entertainment and tours of the home of the railroad tycoon and his family, now in care of the Minnesota Historical Society.

“Historically, we thought the Hill mansion would be an appropriate place to have it; Mary Mehegan Hill was a devout Catholic and a supporter of many Catholic causes,” Connelly noted.

One of the Hill daughters, Charlotte Hill Slade, donated the Cathedral’s altar and baldachin in honor of her father.

Other Hill daughters also made contributions.

Proud to play a part Archbishop John Ireland, who commissioned the Cathedral’s construction, and Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, its architect, generally are the historic names associated with the Cathedral of St. Paul. Many aren’t as familiar with the role women played to help build the Cathedral before and

upon its exterior completion in 1915.

“Archbishop Ireland raised the money for the meat of it, but someone had to fill it up, and those were the women,” said Celeste Raspanti, Cathedral archivist and parishioner.

Women funded three of the Cathedral’s largest chapels — the Chapel of St. Peter, the Chapel of St. Joseph and the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The monetary donations also made possible the furnishing and embellishing.

In a letter dated Sept. 19, 1952, Minnie A. Bell of St. Paul wrote to then-rector Msgr. George Ryan to pledge $1,500 for stained glass windows in honor of her parents. An undated letter to Msgr. Ryan also pledged money for the stained glass fund “in thanksgiving for the comfort I have had in being able to go to Mass or visit Our Lord at the Cathedral. And for the prayers and kindness of all the priests,” wrote Mrs. J. Waldorf, who signed the letter, “A child of Mary’s.”

Connelly noted that most of the donations for the Cathedral came from ordinary women “who weren’t wealthy by any means.” Cathedral records show that a cook for a wealthy family made monthly pledges to fund the inset marble shield on the floor of the sanctuary, now covered by the altar.

The Cathedral of St. Paul after its completion in 1915.

Courtesy Cathedral of St. Paul

Building a church and the Church Aside from women’s financial contributions, there also were contributions of time and might from the women who scrubbed floors, arranged flowers, and washed and ironed vestments and altar cloths, noted Raspanti, who’ll present at the event.

And women in parish associations played an instrumental role in building the Cathedral as a community.

“In the women of the Cathedral, there has always been this mission of taking care of the Cathedral, and yet, being sure there’s an extension of that,” Raspanti said. “And that’s an important part of our tribute.”

Raspanti highlighted the Ladies Catholic Benevolent Society, which Archbishop Ireland founded around the 1860s. Members took care of the

altar, but also had a house on Marshall Avenue for unwed mothers, providing for all the needs of the women there.

Then there was the St. Paul Eucharistic Society, which provided everything used in the Mass. Members raised money for the items and took care of them. They later extended this ministry to needy parishes.

With parents of children at the Cathedral school, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet built the future of the Cathedral through education, raising “generations of parishioners,” Raspanti said. “And that’s part of the building; it’s not just the stone.”

Connelly added that the Sisters of St. Joseph — whose provincial superior at the time was Archbishop Ireland’s younger sister, Mother Seraphine — had a huge impact because they inspired a lot of people.

“As the faith of the people started over from whatever country they came from, their Catholic faith was their show of faith in a beautiful Cathedral,” she said.

For more information about the event, visit www.cathedralsaintpaul. org/centennial or call 651-228-1766.

November 19, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 1B

Archdiocesan Chancery Corporation Annual Financial Report • 2015

“T

Good stewardship in challenging times

he next archbishop is going to have to be up to the task of guiding the Archdiocese through its financial challenges.” “He’s going to have to be a great administrator who knows how to take advantage of the considerable lay expertise in this area.” “He’s going to have to put a premium on transparency.” These are all responses that I heard repeatedly during the 10 listening sessions held around the archdiocese in recent weeks.

In listing the qualities that he looks for in a bishop, Pope Francis has repeatedly indicated that he’s hoping to name bishops who are joyful and prayerful witnesses to Christ’s resurrection, men with pastoral hearts who are “neighbors and servants” who will be “gentle, patient and merciful” shepherds for Christ’s flock.

At the same time, he has recognized that it is “certainly helpful” that those shepherds “have the shrewdness of an administrator.” Being a good steward is

Archbishop Bernard HEBDA

part of being a good shepherd.

The 2015 Annual Financial Report of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis published in this issue would surely confirm the common perception that the next archbishop is going to be confronted with some pressing financial challenges as he begins his ministry of service to this local Church. At the same time, the annual report illustrates that much is already being done to address those considerable challenges and to lay the groundwork for a return to long-term stability.

I recognize that those positive developments are unfortunately overshadowed by the magnitude of the extraordinary costs, outside our normal operating budget, that are indicated in this year’s annual report. While our financial report refers to them as “Special Issues expenses,” they are more easily understood as the expenses associated with the bankruptcy process and the resolution of the civil and criminal claims that have been made against the archdiocese. The good news is that they are not annual costs that would be recurring in the future; the bad news, however, is that they are substantial.

In any bankruptcy, the party petitioning for Reorganization bears the costs not only of its own attorneys, but also those of the creditors. I can assure you that those costs

are carefully scrutinized by the bankruptcy court as well as by our creditors. I can attest, moreover, that the archdiocese monitors those costs closely and is working with attorneys on all sides to try to minimize costs where we can. While the expenses associated with reorganization are great, the experience in other dioceses and similar situations suggests that these expenditures should best be seen as a solid investment not only in an efficient and equitable resolution of claims, but also in a Church that is better positioned to fulfill her mission.

In the five months that I have been serving here as apostolic administrator “sede vacante,” I have been consistently impressed by the Archdiocese’s commitment to good stewardship. The members of the Corporate Board of Directors, the Archdiocesan Finance Council and the College of Consultors have all generously recognized that extraordinary times require extraordinary efforts.

Their openness to new opportunities for collaboration has already brought about a fruitful exchange of ideas and experience that is proving to be invaluable in addressing head-on the serious challenges before us. They ask tough questions, set high standards, and are relentless in

making sure that in the midst of all the numbers and financial analysis we’re never losing sight of the moral imperative.

As I have become acquainted with the community leaders serving in those roles, it is obvious to me that the archdiocese is benefiting from real expertise as well as good will.

I am confident that a perusal of the annual report will highlight for you, as it did for me, the strides that are already being taken by the archdiocesan staff to help restore financial health to our operations. Our department managers attend monthly budget meetings to carefully review their expenditures in an effort to be as efficient and responsible as possible. While the current financial realities have necessitated a significant reduction in the size of the staff, the various archdiocesan offices have somehow managed to respond professionally to the needs of this local Church. Their joy and commitment to the Church have been great motivators for me.

I realize that the archdiocese is only able to continue its good work because of your generosity. I thank you for that support and encourage you to read the annual report and to continue your prayers that the Lord will bless this local Church with a wise and prudent shepherd after his own heart.

Financial Officer Report Author’s note: The following comments elaborate on the financial statements of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Chancery Corporation (“Archdiocese”) that ended June 30, 2015. Condensed financial statements are included in this issue of The Catholic Spirit. The Management Discussion and Analysis and Financial Statement are posted at www.archspm.org on the Administration and Finance page.

By Thomas Mertens, CFO

Introduction Since I last reported to you on our annual financial statements in November 2014, our Archdiocese filed for Reorganization under the Bankruptcy Code (January 2015). The path to this difficult decision has received much publicity, but bears review.

At the time of release of our financial statements last year, the Archdiocese was facing an unknown number of claims due to the lifting of the civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse of minors until May 2016. The Archdiocese was considering all options to address this situation and archdiocesan leaders sought the best path to ensure fairness for victims of clergy sexual abuse and fairness for the faithful whose stewardship has made archdiocesan ministry possible.

Archdiocesan leaders consulted with various representative clergy and lay leadership groups and with outside professionals about the decision regarding Reorganization.

Archdiocesan leaders concluded that Reorganization was and is a way to respond to all victims by allowing the available funds to be equitably distributed to all who have made claims, not just those who have the earliest trial dates or settlements.

The process we’re in now is actually bringing together the victims, the Archdiocese, parishes and insurers to come up with a fair and just settlement for all who have been abused and made claims. Compared to other diocesan bankruptcies nationally, it’s an unprecedented comprehensive process that has all sides working toward the same goal of healing and hope for a better tomorrow.

Further, Reorganization would allow the Archdiocese a fresh start to adhere to reforms made to minimize the threat of this circumstance ever happening again and to continue its service and support of the faithful and the stewardship that makes archdiocesan ministry possible.

Before the Archdiocese filed for Reorganization in January, we had begun efforts to significantly reduce operating expenses and to be better stewards of the monies parishes contribute through assessments and other contributions received directly by the Archdiocese every year.

In addition, we knew in order to weather the Reorganization process we would need to conserve our resources because much would be consumed as we engaged legal and other professionals in preparing for Reorganization and to assist with negotiating with insurance carriers and plaintiffs counsels.

In November 2014, we made the painful and necessary decision to reduce our workforce and non-personnel expenses. These reductions resulted in almost $5 million in expense reductions, which was 20 percent of our entire annual operating expense budget. Total Operating Expenses, without Special Issues expenses, decreased from $30.5 million in 2014 to $22.9 million in 2015, a 25 percent reduction.

After much analysis and consultation, the Archdiocese also made the difficult but necessary decision to place the Chancery, Archbishop’s Residence, Hayden Center, Dayton Building and the Hazelwood property on the market for sale.

These buildings, which are located across from and behind the Cathedral of St. Paul and in Northfield, are being aggressively marketed for sale by Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq, and we have a signed purchase agreement for $4.5 million on the Hayden Center. The proceeds from their eventual sales will generate cash with the hope of and desire to help us move through Reorganization efficiently.

Because our buildings have not yet sold, a new facility, which we would lease, has not been selected. It is our commitment to find property in an area where the Church’s presence can be an integral part of a neighborhood revitalization and renewal effort. We anticipate that the annual expenses of leasing office space will be neutral to current costs of maintaining our existing facilities.

The reason we do all of these things is simple: To make sure the Archdiocese can continue its unique role in the Church’s mission by forming and assigning priests, ensuring those in hospitals and prisons are ministered to, providing parishes the support they need and ensuring people of all cultures and languages are evangelized and catechized.

It is important to understand that this financial report

does not cover parishes, schools or other Catholic entities within the 12-county area that comprises the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. All of those organizations are separate legal entities and prepare their own financial accounting reports.

It has been our practice since the year ended June 30, 2013, to release our full audited financial report to be transparent and accountable to our many stakeholders among the Catholic faithful. Indeed, almost 65 percent of our support for our valuable missions comes from parish assessments, which are the result of contributions to the local Church by parishioners. It is for this reason that Archbishop Hebda, the Archdiocesan Finance Council and I continue to support full transparency and timely reporting of our financial results.

As you may recall, Fiscal Year 2014, which ended June 30, 2014, was the first year we did not receive an unqualified opinion from our certified public accounting firm. They issued a disclaimer of opinion and a going concern qualification as a result of our inability to provide an estimate of our liability related to ongoing litigation and claims of sexual abuse. At that time, we had pending claims and a significant number of notices of claims, with each claim being unique and requiring factual development to determine the liability, if any, that existed.

As a result of our continued inability to estimate our liability related to sexual abuse claims at June 30, 2015, of which 416 sexual abuse claims were filed by the Aug. 3, 2015, timely filing deadline, we are not able to have an audit of our financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2015.

In consultation with the Archdiocesan Finance Council and Corporate Board of Directors, we filed a motion with the Bankruptcy Court, and were granted approval, to allow our CPA firm to perform Agreed Upon Procedures on the Fiscal Year 2015. These procedures do not represent an audit and as a result you will not see an Independent Auditor’s Report attached to our financial statements. The Agreed Upon Procedures were developed by management in consultation with our CPA firm and will assist us in governance of the Archdiocese by requiring attestation procedures on key balance sheet accounts and internal controls. Our financial records are submitted on a monthly basis to the Bankruptcy Court and United States Trustee and are subject to their review.

When we emerge from Reorganization, we intend to return to the standard practice of annual independent Continued on next page

2B • The Catholic Spirit

November 19, 2015

Archdiocesan Chancery Corporation Annual Financial Report • 2015 Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Chancery Corporation Operating Revenue FY 2015: $22.4 Million

Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Chancery Corporation Operating Expense FY 2015: $22.9 Million* Community Services $ 0.2 Marriage, Family & Life Development & Stewardship $ 0.9 $ 0.6

Other Income $ 0.6 Contributions $ 3.1 Investment Income, net $ 0.04

Parish Assessments Parish Services and & Outreach $ 14.2 Parish Services Outreach, $2.0$ 2.0

Special Issues Exp

Central Services Central Services, $5 $ 5.7

Communications $ 2.2

General & Administrative General & Administration, $ 3.4

Fees & Program Revenues $ 4.5

Evangelization &

Clergy Services Clergy Services , $5.0 $5.0

Evangelization & Catechesis $ 0.5

Catholic Education $2.4 * Operating Expense before Special Issues expense

Continued from previous page audits and will continue our practice to promptly release our financial statements and auditor’s report upon completion.

Financial Condition For the year ended June 30, 2015 (our Fiscal Year 2015), we incurred a loss from operations before Special Issues expenses of $516,542 as compared to a loss from operations before Special Issues expenses of $4,940,448 in FY 2014.

Our loss from operations in FY 2015 was $5,750,086 and compares favorably to a loss of $9,120,676 for FY 2014. Special Issues expenses were $5,233,544 and $4,180,228 in FY 2015 and FY 2014, respectively. In addition, in Fiscal Year 2014 we had a $4.7 million negative impact to our operating activities as a result of two unusual items, of which $1 million was a write-off that did not negatively impact our cash.

After adjusting for these two unusual items, our deficits, before Special Issues expenses, in FY 2015 and FY 2014 were comparable.

The Special Issues expense of $5,233,544 incurred by the Archdiocese during FY 2015 related predominately to both legal fees incurred by attorneys representing the Archdiocese in the Reorganization and the Ramsey County charges, as well as legal counsel representing the unsecured creditors committee and the parish committee. Within Reorganization, the Archdiocese is referred to as the “Debtor in Possession” and as such, it is responsible for paying all legal fees incurred both by our legal counsel and the legal counsel representing the plaintiffs or victims of sexual abuse. This is generally not the case with the defense of claims in civil law and is unique to Reorganization.

Our legal counsel and staff have spent thousands of hours going through clergy files, conducting investigations, and reviewing claims and financial records to assist us in the goal of a fair, just and expedient Reorganization. Resources were also spent on working with numerous insurance carriers that issued policies to the Archdiocese over the past seven decades dating back to the late 1940s. We are working closely with the insurance carriers to determine coverage for claims and to find equitable settlements for those who

were abused.

Reviewing and investigating sexual abuse claims against the Archdiocese, which now total 416, is expensive, as are the costs of legal notifications in national, regional, state and local publications. Special Issues expenses are substantial but necessary in order to achieve the goal of obtaining the most resources for those sexually abused by clergy. We clearly recognize that we cannot sustain this level of spending for Special Issues indefinitely and that is why it is imperative that we negotiate a fair and just resolution to this Reorganization in the near term.

including personnel reductions implemented in November 2014.

On an annual basis, those reductions will equate to almost $5 million and highlights that we are willing to make the tough decisions to operate going forward (postReorganization) with some surplus that will allow us to build reserves as we anticipate that little to no liquid assets will be available after we emerge from Reorganization.

For more detailed explanations of the Operating Expense, please see “Supporting the Mission of the Church” on page 3B.

Revenue

Non-Operating Activity – General Insurance Program

Total Operating Revenue in 2015 was $22,430,660 as compared to $25,525,732 in 2014. The major reason for this decline is a decrease in Investment Income and Contributions, offset by a slight increase in Parish Assessments. The decline in Investment Income is the result of the Archdiocese selling investments prior to filing for Reorganization. U.S. Bankruptcy Court rules required us to sell investments and convert them to cash or low-risk investments such as government-backed securities, and we chose to convert most of our investments to cash.

Parish Assessments, our primary source of revenue which is generated from the 187 parishes within the Archdiocese, increased by 3.4 percent to $14,246,426 in 2015 from $13,776,682 in 2014. Assessments are calculated and billed on a two-year lag which means the parish financial results for the years ended June 30, 2013, and 2012 formed the basis for the Parish Assessment revenue for the years ended June 30, 2015, and 2014, respectively. Sunday collection revenue at the parishes, the most significant driver of the assessment calculation,

increased from 2012 to 2013.

Operating Expense Our Operating Expense, without Special Issues in 2015, totaled $22,947,202 as compared to $30,466,180 in 2014, a 25 percent decrease. After adjusting the 2014 Operating Expense for the two unusual items mentioned earlier, Operating Expenses in 2014 were $25,772,538. That almost $2.8 million or 11 percent decrease is due to the significant expense reductions in program expenses

The General Insurance Program of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis provides comprehensive, uniform coverage to all of the parishes, Catholic schools and certain other Catholic entities within the Archdiocese, as well as the Chancery Corporation. The coverage provided by the General Insurance Program includes commercial general liability and workers’ compensation. The General Insurance Program is maintained for the benefit of the participants who have contributed those funds in exchange for obtaining insurance coverage.

The General Insurance Program had a deficit from operations of $972,739 in 2015 as compared to a deficit from operations of $131,124 in 2014. The decrease year over year was due to billing credits effective from Jan. 1, 2014, through June 30, 2014, and a reduction of premiums charged to participating parishes, schools and other Catholic entities from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2015, because the reserves were larger than required by professionals engaged to determine the appropriate reserve for outstanding and incurred claims.

Non-Operating Activity – Priest Benefits The Archdiocese coordinates a self-insured health and dental benefit fund for active priests and seminarians within the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese invoices parishes, Catholic schools and other Catholic entities Continued on next page

November 19, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 3B

Archdiocesan Chancery Corporation Annual Financial Report • 2015 Supporting the Mission of the Church Despite reductions in most departments, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis remains committed to serving Catholics and the greater community. The following narrative explains the function of each department and the funding level for FY 2015. See also the chart on page 2B that illustrates the expenditures, as compared to other departments.

Catholic Education – $2,393,136 June 30 of 2015 saw the close of the Office of Catholic Schools (OCS) and the transition to the Office for the Mission of Catholic Education. The OCS supported the education and formation of children at Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The support included Catholic identity review and support, leadership development and assistance in implementing academic programs. The OCS also provided programmatic oversight to promote innovation and excellence in local urban Catholic schools. The new Office for the Mission of Catholic Education continues those functions with a new emphasis on forming a new generation of Catholic students while teaming up with the newly-formed Catholic Schools Center of Excellence and other private partners.

Central Services – $5,665,950 The Department of Central Services provides support and services to the archdiocesan staff and the parishes.

The department includes the offices of the chancellors of civil and canonical affairs, computer services, the Metropolitan Tribunal, human resources and benefits, the Parish Accounting Services Center and maintenance.

Also covered in this category are administrative services to the General Insurance Program, the lay and priest pension funds, and the Archdiocese Medical Benefit Plan Trust, as well as dues to the Minnesota Catholic Conference and the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Clergy Services – $4,984,442 The role of this office is to provide support and formation for priests and deacons in all aspects of ministry and pastoral care. Services provided by this office include the following: Seminary Formation: There are currently 52 men in formation for the priesthood for service in our Archdiocese. While the number changes throughout the discernment process, our Archdiocese has one of the largest enrollments of seminarians of any diocese in the country. Expenses include a portion of the cost of tuition, room and board for men at The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity and St. John Vianney College Seminary.

Center for Clergy Formation: The Institute of Ongoing Formation for Clergy and the Institute of Diaconate Formation comprise the Center for Clergy Formation. Each entity of the center provides an integrated approach to priestly and diaconate formation, Continued from previous page based on clergy assignments and pays benefit providers directly for any claims.

Priest Benefits generated a slight income in both 2015 and 2014.

Financial Position Net Assets of the Archdiocese were $26,056,959 on June 30, 2015, as compared to $32,540,508 in 2014, a $6,483,549 or 20 percent decrease as a result of the Statement of Activities deficit in 2015. The increase in Cash to $15,304,260 in 2015 from $3,861,917 in 2014 is the result of converting Investments to Cash as required by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Of the total Cash on June 30, 2015, of $15,304,260, $8,726,282 represents Unrestricted Cash.

The remaining Cash is Board Designated and Restricted. The categories of Board Designated and Restricted and their

including gatherings and support for newly ordained priests, programs to assist new pastors in their role, and ongoing formation opportunities for priests and deacons throughout the Archdiocese.

Continuing Education: This includes continuing education opportunities, a sabbatical program, international enculturation and a biennial presbyteral assembly.

Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment: The mission of the Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment is to work with our community to address the devastating societal problem of the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by implementing abuse prevention programs, immediately reporting allegations of abuse to law enforcement and/or child/adult protection officials and cooperating fully with their investigations, and helping those affected by abuse in their healing journey.

Priest Support: This includes support for priests who are not in ministry due to personal health issues or a disciplinary leave of absence and those who have been permanently removed from ministry.

Chaplaincies: There are 22 priests and 19 deacons in full or part-time ministry at hospitals and correctional facilities throughout the Archdiocese who are supported by the Archdiocese. There are many other priests and deacons throughout the Archdiocese who provide pastoral care at health care or correctional facilities, either as a ministry of their parish or through volunteer work. They offer the sacraments and spiritual support during some of the most difficult times in peoples’ lives.

Last year, thousands of people throughout our community were served by chaplains.

Specialized Ministries: This includes the Office of Vocations, support for international clergy, and retired clergy.

Communications – $2,238,271 The Office of Communications helps convey the teachings of the Church and fosters communications between the Archdiocese and the faithful, parish and school leaders and staff, and others in our community. It does this through The Catholic Spirit, multiple websites, social media, e-newsletters, printing services and other communications. The office also conducts media training for clergy and other representatives of the Archdiocese, and works with secular TV and radio stations, as well as print and online publications.

Community Services – $225,000 The Archdiocese helps men, women and children most in need within our local community, including the poor, hungry and homeless, primarily through cash support to Catholic Charities.

Evangelization and Catechesis – $535,580 The Office of Evangelization and Catechesis was established in 2014 to help create opportunities for people to encounter Jesus Christ and to make the truth of Christ and his Church clearly understood and

availability for operations will be determined at a future date by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Total Cash and Investments on June 30, 2015, were $16,367,039 compared to a balance on June 30, 2014, of $19,172,616, and decreased by $2,805,577 or 15 percent, mainly as a result of the cash outlay for Special Issues expenses.

The Litigation Reserve of $4,600,000 did not change from 2014 to 2015 as a result of management’s inability to estimate our liability related to ongoing litigation and claims of sexual abuse as each of the 416 claims are unique and require factual development to determine financial exposure.

It is important to understand that the value of the assets and liabilities on the Condensed Statements of Financial Position are not necessarily reflective of the outcome of Reorganization. With the exception of the Litigation Reserve, they are based on Generally Accepted

accessible. Evangelization and catechesis efforts are created and experienced in cooperation with parishes and Catholic schools and the many ministry groups throughout this local Church.

Marriage, Family and Life – $888,429 This department assists the laity and parishes through programs supporting marriage preparation, family education programming, respect life, pro-life groups, biomedical ethics, and outreach for people with disabilities.

The office of Marriage, Family and Life also sponsors the annual Archdiocesan Youth Day that brings together hundreds of local high school-aged teens to praise God, grow in the faith and find fellowship. In addition, this office helps coordinate local representatives attending World Youth Day, the National Catholic Youth Conference and other youth events.

Parish Services and Outreach – $1,990,116 The Office of Parish Services provides consultation, planning, and leadership development opportunities to parishes throughout the Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese supports outreach ministry to various groups and members of the archdiocesan community, including Latino ministry, Indian ministry, the Commission on Black Catholics, the Venezuelan mission, the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women, deaf ministry, and other groups and coalitions.

For example, there are more than 20 Latino ministry parishes throughout the Archdiocese that receive support from the Office of Latino Ministry. These Latino ministry parishes offer the sacraments, catechesis and spiritual support to tens of thousands of Spanish-speaking people throughout the local Church. The Office of Latino Ministry also oversees special days of celebration of the faith and family throughout the year. In addition, biblical, catechetical and pastoral leadership formation institutes are provided for members of the Latino community to assist them in growing in the faith.

Support Services General and Administrative – $3,415,146 The offices of the archbishop, retired archbishop, bishops, vicar general, accounting, finance and general administration are included in the General and Administrative category. Over half of this category of expense supports salaries and benefits of staff. Also included are expenses incurred as part of the staff reductions, non-bankruptcy related legal fees, and bad debt expense.

Development and Stewardship – $611,132 This office works with parishes and Catholic schools to help grow a culture of stewardship in local communities and to support parish and school development efforts. The office also engages in outreach to benefactors who wish to support specific ministries or programs of the Chancery Corporation.

Accounting Principles. Assets, particularly Land, Property and Equipment, are recorded at their net book value, which may not reflect their fair market value.

Final determination of the value of the assets and liabilities will be at the discretion of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Looking Forward Shortly after we filed for Reorganization in January 2015, Judge Robert Kressel ordered the parties into mediation.

Although I am not able to speak about the mediation in detail, it is our hope to continue to work with insurance carriers, victims’ counsel, creditors, parishes and other Catholic entities to obtain a fair and just settlement of victim claims. At that time, the next step for us would be to file a Plan and Disclosure Statement and obtain Confirmation of a Plan from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Archdiocesan leadership is taking the

necessary steps to ensure that our financial situation is resolved fairly and just compensation is received for victims of clergy abuse while honoring the gifts of stewardship of past and present faithful in pursuit of the mission of the Church. This has not changed and has been our goal since this chapter of the Church’s history began a few years ago.

Our focus has been and will continue to be fairness to victims of clergy abuse and adherence to reforms. I once again would like to thank all the clergy and lay leaders, staff, volunteers, parishioners and others throughout our local Church who continue to work in these challenging times to strengthen sustainability in support of our shared mission.

Mertens is the Chief Financial Officer of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

4B • The Catholic Spirit

November 19, 2015

Archdiocesan Chancery Corporation Annual Financial Report • 2015 Condensed Statements of Activities Condensed Statements of Activities (Unaudited) • Years Ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 2015 OPERATING REVENUE Contributions $3,117,446 Parish Assessments 14,246,426 Fees and Program Revenues 4,465,302 Investment Income, Net 37,925 Other Income 563,561 Operating Revenue 22,430,660 ‘ OPERATING EXPENSE Program Services: Catholic Education 2,393,136 Central Services 5,665,950 Clergy Services 4,984,442 Communications 2,238,271 Community Services 225,000 Evangelization & Catechesis 535,580 Marriage, Family and Life 888,429 Parish Services and Outreach 1,990,116 Total Program Services 18,920,924 Support Services: General and Administrative 3,415,146 Development and Stewardship 611,132 Total Support Services 4,026,278 Total Operating Expense before Special Issues Expense

Notes to Condensed Financial Statements 2014 $3,895,992 13,776,682 4,957,004 1,607,862 1,288,192 25,525,732

4,753,327 7,247,153 5,685,981 2,676,251 1,534,072 328,686 1,054,818 2,337,966 25,618,254 3,183,337 1,664,589 4,847,926

22,947,202

30,466,180

Change in Net Assets from Operations before Special Issues Expense

(516,542)

(4,940,448)

Special Issues Expense

5,233,544

4,180,228

Change in Net Assets from Operations

(5,750,086)

(9,120,676)

NON-OPERATING ACTIVITY General Insurance Program Revenues General Insurance Program Expenses Priest Benefit Revenues Priest Benefit Expenses

5,674,873 (6,647,612) 3,050,633 (2,811,357)

6,700,775 (6,831,899) 3,058,037 (2,755,324)

(733,463)

171,589

$(6,483,549)

$(8,949,087)

Change in Net Assets from Non-Operating Activities CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

Condensed Statements of Financial Position Condensed Statements of Financial Position (Unaudited) • Years Ended June 30, 2015 and 2014 2015 2014 Assets Cash $15,304,260 $3,861,917 Contributions Receivable, Net of Allowances 597,553 714,516 Accounts Receivables, Net of Allowances 4,972,445 5,542,489 Loans and Notes Receivable, Net of Allowances 1,037,286 1,245,775 Investments 1,062,779 15,310,699 Beneficial Interest in Perpetual Trusts 1,485,029 1,551,285 General Insurance Program Assets 8,963,083 10,220,349 Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets 1,170,449 740,954 Land, Property and Equipment, Net 8,207,566 8,978,417 Total Assets $42,800,450 $48,166,401

The Archdiocese The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis (the Archdiocese) was first established as a diocese by the Holy See in 1850 (originally Minnesota and the Dakotas) and elevated to an archdiocese 38 years later.

Now comprising a 12-county area, there are 187 parishes and 90 Catholic schools (including elementary and high schools) within the Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese is home to roughly 825,000 Catholics, hundreds of clergy and religious men and women, and thousands of lay leaders, employees and volunteers who serve in parishes, Catholic schools and many other ministries.

The mission of the Archdiocese is to make the name of Jesus Christ known and loved by promoting and proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed through vibrant parish communities, quality Catholic education, and ready outreach to the poor and marginalized.

Petition for Relief under Chapter 11 On Jan. 16, 2015, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis (the “Debtor-inPossession”) (the “Debtor”) filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court (the “Court”) for the District of Minnesota. Under Chapter 11, certain claims against the Debtor in existence prior to the filing are stayed while the Debtor continues business operations as a Debtor-inPossession.

These claims are reflected on the June 30, 2015, Statement of Financial Position as “Pre-Petition Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities” within the liabilities section of the statement. Additional claims may arise subsequent to the filing date resulting from rejection of executory contracts and a determination by the Court of allowed claims. The timely filing deadline for the filing of claims of sexual abuse and general creditor claims was Aug. 3, 2015.

The Debtor received permission from the Court to pay or otherwise honor certain of its pre-petition obligations, including the costs of employee wages, benefits and expense reimbursements.

Nature of Organization

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS Liabilities Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities, Pre-Petition $628,257 Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities, Post-Petition 5,615,681 Litigation Claims Payable, Net of Insurance Recovery of $700,000 4,600,000 General Insurance Program Claims Payable and Other Liabilities 5,035,301 Amounts Held for Others Under Agency Transactions 122,032 Parish Demand Deposits 679,304 Deferred Revenue 62,916 Total Liabilities 16,743,491

$4,387,768 — 4,600,000 5,240,134 119,786 1,209,075 69,130 15,625,893

Net Assets Unrestricted: General Insurance Program Undesignated Total Unrestricted

16,679,939 4,729,579 21,409,518

17,651,756 10,219,907 27,871,663

Temporarily Restricted Permanently Restricted Total Net Assets

2,642,520 2,004,921 26,056,959

2,597,668 2,071,177 32,540,508

$42,800,450

$48,166,401

Total Liabilities and Net Assets

The Management Discussion and Analysis and Financial Statements with footnotes are posted at www.archspm.org on the Administration and Finance page.

The financial statements include all administrative and program offices and departments of the Chancery Corporation.

Parishes, Catholic schools and other separately incorporated and operated Catholic entities within the 12-county area of the Archdiocese are not under the fiscal or operating control of the Chancery Corporation and therefore, in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, are not included in the Chancery Corporation’s financial statements.

Basis of Presentation The financial statements of the Chancery Corporation have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting. The Chancery Corporation reports information regarding its financial position and activities according to three classes of net assets: unrestricted net assets; temporarily restricted net assets; and permanently restricted net assets, based on the existence or absence of donor-imposed restrictions.

Financial Statements The financial statements of the Chancery Corporation for FY 2015 were not audited by an independent certified public accountant as a result of our inability to estimate our liability related to sexual abuse claims at June 30, 2015, due to each claim being unique and requiring factual development to determine the financial exposure. For FY 2014, our auditors issued a disclaimer of opinion and a going concern qualification on the sole basis of the uncertainty of the financial impact due to sexual abuse litigation and our resulting inability to provide sufficient evidence to form a basis for an audit opinion on litigation matters.

The accompanying condensed Statement of Financial Position and condensed Statement of Activities were prepared from our internal financial statements and in the interest of brevity, do not contain a similar level of detail and are not accompanied by complete explanatory footnotes. In order to see the full footnotes, please refer to the archdiocesan website at www.archspm.org on the Administration and Finance page.

Other The Chancery Corporation acts as a conduit for special collections in the parishes designated by the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops or for local purposes.

During 2015, $1,485,000 was contributed by parish communities for such collections and sent to the Chancery Corporation for remittance to the intended recipient. This amount includes $192,000 for service of debt at the Cathedral parish resulting from the building restoration.