The Catholic Spirit - November 22, 2018

November 22, 2018 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Hollywood’s ‘Jesus’ at Catholics at the Capitol Actor Jim Caviezel will speak at MCC’s biennial public policy education day in February.

— Page 7

Ministry in a war zone On Minnesota visit, Syrian archbishop describes harrowing situation for Christians living amid civil war.

— Page 5

Marking 150 years St. Louis, King of France in downtown St. Paul and St. Nicholas in Carver celebrate their 1868 foundings.

— Page 6

Won’t you be my

Neighbor?

St. Paul couple gives up much to help those with little Jo Zimmel, a St. Paul native, directs Ayden during physical education class Sept. 28 at Praise Academy at Lakeside in Shreveport, La. Zimmel and her husband, John, former parishioners of Lumen Christi in St. Paul, moved a year ago to spend their retirement volunteering at the Christian school and in the surrounding poverty-stricken neighborhood. Read the story on pages 10-11.

U.S. bishops meet At Vatican’s behest, bishops table votes on clergy abuse-related proposals, but look ahead to possible actions.

— Page 8

Gratitude and science University of Minnesota researchers explain why being grateful is good for us.

— Page 12

Wisdom of time Pope Francis’ new book highlights the gifts senior citizens can offer young people.

— Page 13

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Pope recognizes martyrdom of former Cretin High School teacher

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit

Between his stints teaching at thenall-boys Cretin, which merged with allgirls Derham Hall in 1987, Brother Miller worked in Nicaragua, only leaving when the political situation there threatened his life. He later chose to serve the poor in Guatemala, despite the possibility of murder. He was shot to death by three hooded men Feb. 12, 1982, while he was working on a ladder repairing a wall.

C

retin-Derham Hall director of campus ministry Lou Anne Tighe considers providential the timing of Pope Francis’ recent recognition of former teacher Christian Brother James Miller.

“This month, we remember always those who have died, and it’s like his spirit is here,” Tighe said of Brother Miller, who taught at then-Cretin High School in St. Paul from 1966-1971 and 1979-1980. “We’re very proud and mindful of his presence in the entire building.”

On Nov. 8, Pope Francis recognized Brother Miller as a martyr, paving the way for his beatification.

Brother Miller, who was murdered in 1982 while serving a Catholic boys school in Guatemala, taught Spanish at Cretin and founded the school’s soccer program. He also did maintenance on the building.

“He would leave after first period [Spanish] and go back and do custodial duties,” said Don Geng, a former Cretin teacher who shared a classroom with Brother Miller. “We called him ‘Brother

“He really, really felt deeply about the poor in Central America,” said Geng, 65, who now teaches English for South St. Paul Public Schools.

CDH president Frank Miley said Brother Miller’s example is “making the ultimate sacrifice for our faith,” and it’s an inspiration.

COURTESY CRETIN-DERHAM HALL

Brother James Miller, who was born in 1944 in Wisconsin and shot to death in Guatemala in 1982, has been recognized as a martyr by the Vatican and will be beatified. An icon of Brother Miller, above, was created by local artist Nicholas Markell.

Fix-It’ because he was always walking around with his tools in his kit.”

“The kids [at CDH] know his story, and we couldn’t be happier to know that this man who did the ordinary things with extraordinary attention to detail would be recognized, that his death was in the name of Christ,” said Tighe, who has interviewed Brother Miller’s family and encouraged the commissioning of an icon of the late Christian Brother.

PLEASE TURN TO BROTHER MILLER ON PAGE 5

CYBER MONDAY 1/2 PRICE SALE Through Monday, Nov. 26, buy a one-year gift subscription to The Catholic Spirit for friends or family for only $15.

TheCatholicSpirit.com/CyberMonday

2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

PAGETWO

“

[Archbishop] John Ireland was a great man and a great churchman. In the second half of the 19th century, he could count among his friends and admirers — yes, even his detractors — almost everyone worth knowing in this country, from [Pope] Leo XIII to [Father] Isaac Hecker [founder of the Paulist Fathers], Presidents [William] McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt, [and] Gilded Age tycoons.

Russell Hittinger speaking at the University of St. Thomas Nov. 8 about Archbishop Ireland and the intersection of Church, state and education. The event marked the 100th anniversary of the death of Ireland, who founded the University of St. Thomas in 1885 and St. Paul Seminary in 1894. Hittinger is the Warren Chair of Catholic Studies and Research Professor of Law at the University of Tulsa.

COURTESY THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

GOING UNDERGROUND An addition to the Chapel of St. Thomas at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul will be constructed under the 100-year-old building, the university announced Nov. 15. Architectural renderings show a 23,000-square-foot structure that will take advantage of the chapel’s placement on a hill, with skylights and glass walls surrounding the building’s entrances. Construction is set to begin in the spring of 2019. Commissioned by Archbishop John Ireland, the university’s founder, the chapel was designed by Emmanuel Masqueray, the architect of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul and Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. The expansion will include a sacred arts gallery, a reception space, wedding-preparationrelated facilities, an amphitheater, interfaith meditation room and UST’s campus ministry offices.

NEWS notes

16

The number recently retired Twins catcher and first-baseman Joe Mauer wore for baseball in high school at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, from where he graduated in 2001. Mauer announced his retirement from Major League Baseball Nov. 12 after 15 seasons with the Twins. “Joe never [sought] out attention and treated everyone with respect,” said former CDH baseball coach Jim O’Neill, who coached Mauer in high school. “Those traits carried into his professional life and helped him cope with the high expectations and pressures that came with his success.”

1973

The first year — held in Minneapolis — of the now-45th annual Huether Lasallian Conference of teachers from De La Salle Christian Brothers schools in the United States and Canada. That anniversary was marked by the conference returning to Minneapolis Nov. 15-17. Archbishop Bernard Hebda celebrated Mass Nov. 17 before a banquet honoring Distinguished Lasallian Educators, including two from Minnesota: Jack McClure, program director of the Doctorate in Education in Leadership Program at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus, and Kathie Brown, principal of Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria. More than 200 educators gathered at the conference, which also focused on the Year of Lasallian Vocations to be celebrated in the 2018-19 liturgical year. The special year honors the 300th anniversary of St. John Baptist de La Salle’s death and the mission he started as founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 17th-century France. The archdiocese is home to seven Lasallian institutions.

65 DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MASS FOR VETERANS Archbishop Bernard Hebda greets military veteran Clifton Dougherty before Mass Nov. 17 at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Minneapolis. Behind Dougherty, a resident at the home who served in the U.S. Air Force, is Joe Novak of Assumption in Richfield and member of the Knights of Columbus Bloomington Council No. 3827. Novak and Yvonne Macko of St. John Neumann in Eagan and St. Louis, King of France in St. Paul organize Saturday Masses year-round at the home. Archbishop Hebda has celebrated the Mass the last three years in November to coincide with Veterans Day Nov. 11.

CORRECTIONS In “New school to open for south metro Catholics” in the Nov. 8 issue, it was incorrectly reported that Archbishop Bernard Hebda has approved the opening of Unity High School at Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville. He has affirmed that the school, which plans to open in fall 2019, may announce plans to explore the possibility of becoming a Catholic school. Also, the story quoted a source stating incorrectly that there are no Catholic high schools in the metro area south of the Minnesota River. Both St. Thomas Academy and Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights are south of the river. The story also incorrectly stated that those schools are the closest Catholic high schools to Mary, Mother of the Church; Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield is also about nine miles from the school’s planned site. Additionally, the story stated incorrectly that the school will provide Mass. Rather, students will have the opportunity to attend daily Mass at Mary, Mother of the Church.

Also in the Nov. 8 issue, “Speakers: After predicting sexual revolution ills, ‘Humanae Vitae’ still offers hope” did not include a complete listing of the event’s sponsors. The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity and the Siena Symposium for Women, Family and Culture at St. Thomas also co-sponsored the event.

The Catholic Spirit apologizes for the errors.

The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 23 — No. 22 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor

The number of members of the Together in Hope Project choir who traveled from their home base in Minneapolis to Rome Oct. 26-Nov. 2 at the invitation of the Vatican to open the 17th annual International Festival of Sacred Music and Art. The choir is dedicated to ecumenism and includes Catholics, Lutherans, members of other Protestant denominations and others not formally part of a faith group. The choir sang at the festival at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Sistine Chapel, the All Saints Day Mass at which Archbishop Bernard Hebda presided Nov. 1 at St. Peter’s Basilica, and at a general audience with Pope Francis. Choir members were accompanied by 120 supporters known as Ambassadors of Hope, including Archbishop Hebda, Bishop Ann Svennungsen of the Minneapolis Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Father Erich Rutten, parochial administrator of St. Peter Claver in St. Paul and chairman of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Commission on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs.

8

The date in December the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women will hold an Advent Morning of Reflection at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina. Archbishop Bernard Hebda will preside at a noon closing Mass for the gathering, which falls on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The morning begins at 8:45 a.m. and will feature music from Father Michael Daly and artist Daniel Kantor. Register at archspm.org/accw2018advent.

3

The number of positions Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet Sharon Howell will hold at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. After 30 years at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Sister Sharon will serve St. Catherine as the director of the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice. In that role, she will serve as the Archbishop Harry Flynn Endowed Chair in Catholic Identity and director of the Myser Initiative. Sister Sharon served in a number of roles at St. Thomas, most recently as assistant dean for students, university ombudsperson and parent liaison.

Materials credited to CNS copy­righted by Catholic News Service.

All other materials copyrighted by The Cath­olic Spirit Newspaper.

Subscriptions: $29.95 per year: Senior 1-year: $24.95: To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631.

Published semi-monthly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460.

Per­i­od­i­cals pos­tage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices.

Post­master: Send ad­dress changes to The Catholic Spirit, 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106-3857.

TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: tcssubscriptions@archspm.org • USPS #093-580

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3

FROMTHEMODERATOROFTHECURIA ONLY JESUS | FATHER CHARLES LACHOWITZER

Follow the light?

Author’s note: Herschell — yes, with two “L’s” — was a character I invented while studying in Jerusalem in 1989. Since then, in those parishes and schools where I have served, Herschell was a familiar fellow who learned his lessons the hard way and still, somehow, through it all, reflected the heart of God.

O

nce upon a time, not too long ago and not too far away, there was a man named Herschell. Now Herschell was in his “man cave” (the garage) rearranging his toolboxes for a project he had yet to begin. He noticed on his chainsaw-brand clock that it was time to go back to the house to rejoin his family.

As he walked from the garage to the house, he could see through the picture window that his family was watching one of those game shows. He knew that they were daydreaming about what they would do if they won all that money and all those prizes.

Suddenly, Herschell saw that the nighttime sky had

¿Sigue la luz?

Nota del autor: Herschell — sí, con dos “L” — era un personaje que inventé mientras estudiaba en Jerusalén en 1989. Desde entonces, en esas parroquias y escuelas donde he servido, Herschell era un tipo familiar que aprendió sus lecciones de la manera difícil y aún, de alguna manera, a través de todo, reflejó el corazón de Dios.

É

rase una vez, no hace mucho tiempo ni muy lejos, había un hombre llamado Herschell. Ahora Herschell estaba en su la cueva de hombre (el garaje) reorganizando sus cajas de herramientas para un proyecto que aún no había comenzado. Notó en el reloj de su marca de motosierra que era hora de volver a la casa para reunirse con su familia.

Mientras caminaba desde el garaje a la casa, él podía ver a través de la ventana de la imagen que su familia estaba viendo uno de esos juegos. Él sabía que estaban soñando despiertos sobre lo que harían si ganaran todo ese dinero y todos esos premios.

taken on an eerie glow. He could see that some kind of light was shining down from the clouds and touching the earth somewhere in the near distance. He shouted as loudly as he could for his family to come outside.

Even though they were engrossed in the promise of televised riches, they thought Herschell was hurt and they rushed outside.

Herschell just pointed to the sky. His wife, Miriam, stared in awe. Their daughter, Herschellette, was puzzled and asked if it was an “oofoe.”

“That’s U.F.O.,” corrected Miriam. “It means ‘unidentified flying object.’ I don’t see anything flying.”

Their son, Herschellum, was pointing his MyPhone to take a MyPicture to send to his MyFriends. It went viral and in a short time, dozens of people arrived to stare at the strange sight.

Herschell cried out to the crowd, “It might be a holy light shining on a holy place or even on a holy person!”

There was excitement in the crowd as many anticipated some kind of new Bethlehem. “We should go on a pilgrimage!” cried out one bystander.

And so they all did. They began walking toward the

place where the light touched the ground. Some sang hymns. Others prayed. Still others shined their LED flashlights up at the cloud, blinking their lights on and off, hoping for some kind of extraterrestrial communication.

Herschell ran ahead of everyone else. He was the first to reach the top of a ridge, and he couldn’t believe his eyes. He turned around and yelled, “It must be really big! There must be a thousand cars already!”

As the others broke into a run, Herschell stared more closely at the phenomenon, and his heart sank.

The light was not shining down from the clouds on to the earth, but rather from the earth up in to the clouds. It was one of those swiveling, million-candle spotlights. And there, in front of all those cars, was a huge sign that read: “Welcome to the Mall of America!”

— Already there are the annual holiday displays of so many lights. As we prepare for the Advent and Christmas seasons, which light will you be following?

De repente, Herschell vio que el cielo nocturno había adquirido un brillo misterioso. Él podía ver que alguna luz brillaba desde las nubes y tocaba la tierra en algún lugar cercano. Gritó tan fuerte como pudo para que su familia saliera. A pesar de que estaban absortos en la promesa de riquezas televisadas, pensaron que Herschell estaba herido y salieron corriendo.

Herschell acaba de señalar el cielo. Su esposa, Miriam, lo miró asombrada. A su hija, Herschellette, le desconcertó y le preguntaron si se trataba de un “oofoe”.

Eso es U.F.O. “, corrigió Miriam. “Significa objeto volador no identificado. No veo nada volando “.

Su hijo, Herschellum, estaba apuntando su MyPhone para que tomara un MyPicture para enviarlo a sus MyFriends. Se volvió viral y, en poco tiempo, docenas de personas llegaron a contemplar la extraña visión.

Herschell gritó a la multitud: “¡Podría ser una luz sagrada que brilla en un lugar santo o incluso en una persona santa!”

Había entusiasmo en la multitud, ya que muchos anticipaban algún tipo de nuevo Belén. “¡Debemos ir en

peregrinación!”, Gritó un espectador.

Y así lo hicieron todos. Comenzaron a caminar hacia el lugar distante cercano donde la luz tocaba el suelo.

Algunos cantaban himnos. Otros oraron. Otros más encendieron sus linternas LED en la nube y encendieron y apagaron la luz con la esperanza de algún tipo de comunicación extraterrestre.

Herschell corrió por delante de todos los demás. Fue el primero en llegar a la cima de una cresta y no podía creer lo que veía. Se giró y gritó: “¡Debe ser realmente grande! ¡Ya debe haber mil carros!

Cuando los demás echaron a correr, Herschell miró más de cerca el fenómeno y su corazón se hundió.

La luz no brillaba de las nubes a la tierra, sino de la tierra a las nubes. Era uno de esos proyectors giratorio con un millón de luces. Y allí, frente a todos esos autos, había un enorme cartel que decía: “¡Bienvenido al Mall of America!”

— Ya hay las exhibiciones anuales de vacaciones de tantas luces. Mientras nos preparamos para las temporadas de Adviento y Navidad, ¿qué luz seguirás?

Lay Advisory Board to promote healing, mission

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit Recognizing the many gifts the laity bring to the Church, Archbishop Bernard Hebda is forming a Lay Advisory Board to meet with him quarterly to help him promote healing and a renewed sense of mission in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

By Jan. 15, parish pastoral councils across the archdiocese will each select a member to represent them and their parish. Regional meetings will be held in February and March to choose one representative from each deanery, forming a 15-member Lay Advisory Board.

Between quarterly meetings with the archbishop, expected to begin in the spring, board members will share with the other pastoral council representatives from their deanery the fruits of discussions on the archdiocesan board.

The council representatives, in turn, will be expected to share the information with their pastoral

councils, and ultimately, with the faithful of each parish.

Lay participation and collaboration with the archbishop and the broader archdiocese are important goals for the board and all representatives involved, Archbishop Hebda said in a Nov. 15 letter to priests announcing the initiative.

The board also could help the archdiocese as it begins to solidify plans for archdiocesan efforts to promote healing and for the anticipated archdiocesan synod, the archbishop said.

Suggestions for more lay involvement in the Church have been made by priests and lay people in the wake of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, and the board is one step in making that happen, said Father Michael Tix, archdiocesan liaison for the effort and episcopal vicar for clergy and parish services.

The idea also has been discussed with the Presbyteral Council.

Everyone in the archdiocese has been impacted by the scandal in

one way or another, Father Tix said.

The board can help promote healing by sharing effective ways they’ve seen parishes approach such efforts, he said. The board also can be a source of ideas and feedback as the archdiocese seeks renewal in its “mission of serving others in the name of Christ,” he said.

Tim O’Malley, director of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment, said the board is an example of enhanced lay involvement in the archdiocese, such as expertise provided in the course of the abuse crisis by the Archdiocesan Finance Council and the Ministerial Review Board.

Rick Storms, a member of St. Odilia in Shoreview who is involved with the leadership council of that parish, said he is aware of the broad call for lay involvement in the Church. A lay advisory board is a step in the right direction, he said.

“Lay people bring a lot of knowledge, expertise and insight that we just can’t expect from any one priest,” Storms said.

OFFICIAL Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:

Effective October 26, 2018 Reverend Paul Treacy, appointed temporary parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Francis de Sales in Saint Paul. This is in addition to his current assignment as pastor of the Church of the Assumption in Saint Paul. Father Treacy is succeeding Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt, SEMV, who was serving as pastor when he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Hartford.

Effective November 5, 2018 Deacon James Reinhardt, appointed to a temporary assignment to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of the Holy Family in Saint Louis Park, while Deacon James Meyer is on a leave of absence. This is a transfer from his previous assignment at the Church of the Risen Savior in Burnsville.

Effective November 15, 2018 Reverend Erich Rutten, appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Peter Claver in Saint Paul. Father Rutten has been serving as parochial administrator of the same parish.

4 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

LOCAL

Armistice anniversary

SLICEof LIFE DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Vietnam veteran Richard Bergling of Anoka greets preschool students Audrey Bigham, left, and Sander Freeman at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Robbinsdale Nov. 14 during the school’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, which marks the treaty that ended World War I Nov. 11, 1918. Principal Karen Bursey organized the event, which featured three fifth-graders carrying the American flag; a presentation by Father Michael Creagan, Sacred Heart’s former pastor who serves as a military chaplain; and remarks by Bergling, who served in the Navy, and Mike Clark, also a Vietnam veteran. “We wanted to make the children aware of the significance of the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day,” Bursey said. “I think it’s important for kids to hear personal stories of our veterans in the parish and community.” Also present were Grand Friends, senior citizens in the parish who partner with the school’s fifthgraders. The students meet monthly with the 21 seniors, some of whom are military veterans. The Nov. 11 observance was celebrated as Armistice Day in the U.S. until 1954, when President Dwight Eisenhower renamed it “Veterans Day” to make it inclusive of all veterans.

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

LOCAL

Damascus archbishop says Syrian Catholics ‘live our faith in a very dangerous situation’

Catholic Services Appeal lagging behind goal Leaders ask Catholics to contribute as part of year-end giving

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit On Jan. 8, a bomb exploded in the bedroom of Archbishop Samir Nassar, who leads the Archeparchy of Damascus, Syria. He was in a nearby room and wasn’t hurt.

The incident illustrated the point Archbishop Nassar emphasized during a Nov. 8-15 visit to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis: “We are living in a very dangerous area because of the [Syrian Civil] war,” he said. “We try to live our faith in a very difficult situation.”

The possibility of bombing is a constant threat in the fighting between Islamic regimes, although Christians are not direct targets, he said. However, he said, more than 60 Christian churches in Syria have been damaged since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. Neither the danger nor the damage to his own home has dissuaded Archbishop Nassar from continuing his ministry in Damascus.

“We have to stay for witness,” Archbishop Nassar said in a Nov. 9 interview with The Catholic Spirit.

Archbishop Nassar visited Minnesota as part of a partnership that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis recently formed with the Archeparchy of Damascus. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had requested in 2016 that U.S. dioceses assist Christians in the war-torn Middle East.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda asked the Center for Mission in the archdiocese to find a Middle Eastern diocese with which to partner. Deacon Mickey Friesen, who directs the Center for Mission in the archdiocese, suggested the Damascus archeparchy (which is like an archdiocese) after learning about it through St. Maron, a Maronite-rite Catholic Church in Minneapolis, and Catholic Relief Services. The partnership formed in 2017, bringing Archbishop Nassar and Deacon Friesen in regular contact.

“It’s like oxygen,” Archbishop Nassar said of the new partnership. “It’s more faith to share and solidarity.

The Holy Spirit, I think, organizes it.”

Archbishop Nassar spoke at St. Paul in Ham Lake Nov. 9 and St. Paul in Zumbrota Nov. 10. He also gave two presentations at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul Nov. 15. He was present for Mass Nov. 9 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul and Nov. 11 at St. Maron, and he participated in an ecumenical prayer service at St. Maron Nov. 14.

In his presentations, Archbishop Nassar noted that Syria had been Christian before the Muslim conquest in the 600s. There, Christianity preceded the Apostle Paul, whose conversion occurred on the road to Damascus.

He also noted that the Uamyyad Mosque in Damascus, visited by St. John Paul II in 2001, was formerly St. John the Baptist Cathedral, and it remains the burial site, according to tradition, of St. John the Baptist’s head.

BROTHER MILLER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Tighe was introduced to Brother Miller’s story as a student at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona, also Brother Miller’s alma mater and a Christian Brother school. She researched his life and later connected with his family.

Tighe then commissioned from local artist Nicholas Markell an icon of Brother Miller, which depicts him in overalls holding a lamb.

Geng said Brother Miller wore overalls often, including when they took evening classes at St. Paul College in St. Paul in 1981. Miller took a welding class while Geng was learning computer science.

“The next day, he would go to [Spanish] class and simply wore them, and there would be burns in

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Archbishop Samir Nassar of Damascus talks about the plight of Christians in Syria during a presentation Nov. 15 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

Catholicism in Syria has been challenged in many ways, he said. Syria’s government took over Catholic schools and in 1968 designated them as public schools.

Catholic children learn Islam in school, and they often live among Muslim children in their neighborhoods.

Parishes offer catechesis on Fridays, when schools are closed. However, children don’t stay involved in parish life long, often disappearing after first Communion.

Archbishop Nassar said many young Catholics marry Muslims, who aren’t permitted to become Catholic in Syria. For a couple in which the Muslim spouse wished to convert to Catholicism, the only option would be to go to Lebanon, which borders Syria to the west.

Archbishop Nassar also noted that Muslim youth greatly outnumber Catholics, since Syria’s Muslims typically have larger families than its Catholics.

“We have problems of evangelization of our people,” Archbishop Nassar said, later adding, “We are losing our young people.”

The Damascus archeparchy has 13 priests — more priests than parishes in which to minister. Archbishop Nassar ordained a priest in 2014 who didn’t receive a parish because there wasn’t one available, but the young priest started his own parish in the south end of Damascus.

Lebanon supplies resources for the local Church, including religious goods such as hosts for Communion. Priests and religious study in Lebanon or elsewhere, as there is no Maronite Catholic seminary in Syria.

Since the current war between the Syrian government and several factions began following the Arab Spring protests, the Syrian Catholic Church has become less visible in society, and its processions, which once drew thousands, have moved indoors for safety, Archbishop Nassar said.

However, while the Syrian Catholic Church dwindles, another dynamic is taking shape.

Archbishop Nassar noted that Iraqi refugee Catholics in Syria are overt about their faith, taking it to the streets. They have a devotion to the sacrament of reconciliation and “don’t go to holy Communion before confessions,” he said.

Maronites, Catholics of other rites and Orthodox Christians support each other in Syria, he said.

“I try to help them; I try to encourage them,” Archbishop Nassar said.

them,” Geng said of the overalls. “That’s what he was about — a Christian Brother, a vow of poverty.”

Brother Miller was born in 1944 in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and grew up working on his family’s farm.

A cause for his canonization opened in 2009, and later that year, Pope Benedict XVI gave him the title “Servant of God.” His beatification date and location are yet to be set.

“Cretin-Derham Hall is truly blessed to count Brother James Miller among those who taught so many Cretin graduates,” Miley said.

Tighe said people remember Brother Miller for his example and work ethic. She said his past students said he had a well-structured classroom, expecting discipline and academic achievement.

“There were kids that loved him as a teacher,” Tighe said.

The 2018 Catholic Services Appeal is about $488,000 in pledges behind where it was last year at this time, its leaders said Nov. 6. They hope to turn that around in order to meet its $9.8 million pledge goal by year-end.

“If they’ve given in prior years, please come back and support us in our time of need,” said Greg Pulles, treasurer of the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation board of directors, of CSA donors. “We’re projecting 6,000 [donors] short, and that means we’re cutting funding to these ministries and they really desperately need these funds.”

The Catholic Services Appeal provides funding to 18 ministries in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, including the seminaries, Catholic schools, and hospital and prison chaplains. In 2017, the appeal exceeded $9.8 million in pledges, and its leaders expected to raise a similar amount this year.

From the start, however, this year’s fundraising has failed to keep pace with last year’s milestones. The appeal also is down by about 6,000 donors, meaning people who contributed last year have yet to contribute again this year. In the past few years, the CSA has had about 40,000 total donors. Twelve years ago, about 76,000 people donated to the annual appeal. Meanwhile, large-gift donors, including those who are members of the CSAF’s Deo Gratias Society, have increased the size of their contributions, Pulles said. He said he’d like to see more small donors contribute, too.“You’ve got the unfortunate situation that fewer people are carrying the load as we move forward,” he said.

CSAF leaders don’t know what factors are influencing the downturn in donations or donor numbers, but they speculate that the “in-pew ask” during the February kick-off weekend in parishes didn’t get the attention that it did in 2017.

Last year, 115 parishes had met their parish goal at this point. This year, 105 parishes have met it so far.

Parishes that meet goals for parishioners’ contributions receive a percentage of those contributions. The CSAF plans to pay out nearly $1.3 million in rebates to parishes that met the first goal deadline of Oct. 31.

Since the lag began so early in the year, CSAF leaders do not attribute the downturn to fallout from the U.S. clergy abuse scandal, although that is a concern for the 2019 campaign, acknowledged Jennifer Beaudry, CSAF executive director.

“There might be some people who are upset with the archdiocese [Church hierarchy], but the ministries themselves are serving people in the archdiocese [area]. It’s not funding anything direct for our archdiocese to use for their ... [operational] funds,” said John Norris, CSAF board chairman.

The CSAF supports: American Indian ministry, the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women; the University of Minnesota’s Newman Center; St. Paul’s Outreach; Catholic Charities; deaf ministry; Catholic elementary school scholarships and subsidies; Catholic high school scholarships; the archdiocesan Office of Evangelization; hospital chaplains; prison chaplains; Latino ministry; the archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life; St. John Vianney College Seminary; St. Paul Seminary; the archdiocesan Venezuelan mission; Rachel’s Vineyard Twin Cities; and parishes.

Beaudry said she hopes Catholics remember these ministries by including the CSA in their yearend giving. “This money ... goes to these ministries that ... can’t support themselves for the most part,” she said. “When we end up short, the ministries will feel it.”

6 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

LOCAL

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

Sesquicentennial: Carver, St. Paul parishes mark 150 years

St. Nicholas in Carver, pictured in a recent photo, will celebrate its 150th anniversary Dec. 1-2 and Dec. 5, the eve of its patron’s feast day.

St. Louis, King of France, pictured in a historic photo from around 1915, celebrated its 150th anniversary Nov. 4 with Mass and a gala.

COURTESY BREDKA PHOTOGRAPHY

uSt.

Nicholas

A church built by German farmers on the brow of a hill in Carver overlooking the Minnesota River will mark its 150th anniversary on the feast day of its patron saint — Dec. 6, St. Nicholas Day. A congregation of 200 processed on St. Nicholas Day in 1868 from Carver’s Town Square to the dedication Mass for St. Nicholas Church at the top of the steep hill where it still stands today, in a community sustained over time by steamboat traffic, factory workers and housing developments.

And now, a congregation of about 850 people — including a growing Hispanic presence that makes up about half the parish — will celebrate the parish’s history of faith and service, said Jodee Korkowski, parish administrator.

“It’s that small, family feeling,” Korkowski said of the parish. “People know each other and are welcoming and supportive.”

St. Nicholas served as a refuge and symbol of hope for the people of Carver during a major flood in 1965. Earlier in its history, the parish became home to the area’s Catholic school when it moved from downtown Carver in 1876 to a new school on the parish’s eightacre campus. It grew to have 150 students taught by three Benedictine sisters, but closed in 1917.

The outside of the red-brick church, to

COURTESY MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

which a wooden steeple was added in 1880, has largely remained the same over time. Renovations to the brickwork about four years ago were recognized by the city and state with preservation awards, Korkowski said.

Anniversary celebrations begin with Archbishop Bernard Hebda presiding at 4 p.m. Mass Dec. 1, followed by a reception and a historic memorabilia display. The celebration continues 8 a.m. to noon Dec. 2 with a pancake breakfast for people who attend the 9:15 a.m.

Mass in English or the 10:30 a.m. Mass in Spanish.

Attendees can expect to see Jerry Riesgraf cooking sausages for the breakfast. A fifth-generation, lifelong member of the parish, Riesgraf also serves on the parish’s finance council.

“My ancestors were involved in building the church” and they received all their sacraments there, Riesgraf said, noting that the tradition has continued for himself and his children.

A third celebration will anticipate the feast of St. Nicholas itself, with a 6 p.m.

Dec. 5 anticipatory Mass and a faith formation program for the parish’s youths. Jim Hammers, a member of Guardian Angels in nearby Chaska and a local historian, will present a history of St. Nicholas’ feast day and its celebration worldwide. ­— Joe Ruff

uSt.

Louis, King of France

In 1868, French-Canadian immigrants founded St. Louis, King of France in downtown St. Paul as a spiritual and cultural haven. Today, the “Little French Church” is still a place where many find respite in prayer, sacraments, concerts and French-inspired décor.

As the parish reflects on its history, it also is celebrating the faith, beauty and music that continue to radiate from the small church located on the busy intersection of 10th Street and Cedar Avenue.

The current church is the parish’s third. In 1868, a wood-frame church was built across the street from its current location by a mostly French-Canadian congregation. Its first bell was donated

by Capt. Louis Robert, a riverboat owner and businessman after whom Robert Street was named, according to a parish history written by a former assistant pastor, Marist Father John Emerick, who died in 1993.

In 1881, the parish moved from its wood-frame church to a former Universalist church a block away. By the early 1900s, the congregation had outgrown that second church and hired the French emigrant Emmanuel Masqueray, architect of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul and Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, who designed for them a brick and limestone

Romanesque-style church. Construction was completed in 1909.

The parish had a school, “Ecole St. Louis,” from 1873 to 1963, when the area began to transition to high-rise offices and apartments. During that time, many of the parish’s families moved away, and new downtown dwellers became members.

“Often we get new parishioners, and they tell me that they’re new to the area and kind of shopping around for a parish,” said Father John Sajdak, a member of the Society of Mary, aka Marists, and pastor of the church, which seats 300. “They come to our church and they’re just overwhelmed with the beauty.”

The Marists have been entrusted with the parish since 1885. They offer ample confession opportunities — one of the parish’s hallmarks along with beautiful music, especially from the parish’s organ, donated in 2016 to replace one damaged in an arson fire in 1957.

“It’s an oasis of peace in music in downtown St. Paul,” said Marist Father Paul Morrissey, who served as the parish’s pastor for 28 years until 2016.

The parish celebrated the anniversary Nov. 4 with Mass offered by Archbishop Bernard Hebda, followed by a gala dinner at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul. ­— Susan Klemond

LOCAL

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

Caviezel to speak at Catholics at the Capitol

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Actor Jim Caviezel will take the stage at the St. Paul RiverCentre in St. Paul for Catholics at the Capitol in February.

Known for his role as Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ” in 2004, Caviezel will talk about witnessing to the Catholic faith in Hollywood and the call for all Catholics to evangelize. A Minnesota Catholic Conference event, Catholics at the Capitol is a day of reflection and training in political engagement from a Catholic perspective and a chance to visit with state legislators. MCC announced Caviezel’s participation Nov. 13.

Rachel Herbeck, MCC policy and outreach coordinator, said Caviezel will help attendees get “the ‘why’ behind our Catholics at the Capitol event.” She said the purpose of Catholics at the Capitol is for Catholics “to engage, inspire and educate people.”

“So, we want people there to be able to engage their legislators on important issues,” Herbeck added.

Caviezel’s success in Hollywood climbed in the late 1990s through roles in “The Thin Red Line” in 1998 and “Ride with the Devil” in 1999. He became public about his Catholic faith in the early 2000s when he refused to be in a “love” scene for “High Crimes” in 2002.

Since the “The Passion of the Christ,” he has been in other faithbased films such as “Paul, Apostle of Christ” in 2018 but hasn’t been in mainstream Hollywood films

CNS

Jim Caviezel, left, as Luke and James Faulkner as Paul are seen in the 2018 film “Paul, Apostle of Christ.” Caviezel also portrayed Jesus in the 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ.” He will speak Feb. 19 at Catholics at the Capitol in St. Paul.

regularly since the early 2000s.

“Those are not things that are easy to do, so we thought it would be a great inspirational time to help encourage Catholics and say, ‘Yeah, this is part of who we are essentially as Catholics to go out and to take risks to love our neighbor,’” Herbeck said.

Caviezel has reached beyond Hollywood to speak with Catholic and Protestant organizations.

Earlier this year, he spoke in Chicago at a conference for national college campus ministry Fellowship of Catholic University Students, or FOCUS. An adoptive father of two children with special needs, he also has spoken at various pro-life events.

“We have views on human dignity or human life or other things that are unpopular,”

Herbeck said of Catholics. “Getting involved in the public arena is a way that Catholics are going into the peripheries.”

The Feb. 19 event will be the second Catholics at the Capitol.

The first one in 2017 drew more than 1,000 to the St. Paul RiverCentre and the Minnesota State Capitol, where participants met with their state legislators.

MCC hopes 2,000 will attend this time.

“I think a lot of people realized at Catholics at the Capitol how integrated politics ... and being out in the public arena is with the faith, and that it’s not this separate thing that you do, and that it’s not ‘OK, well, just if I’m interested in politics, that’s something that I do,’” Herbeck said.

Legislative topics for Catholics at the Capitol have yet to be announced, but the event will focus on the dignity of human life.

Speakers include Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia and Catholic media personality Gloria Purvis, who also spoke at the 2017 event. Catholic musician Danielle Rose also will perform.

Caviezel’s participation remained a secret until Nov. 13. The MCC provided clues on its Twitter feed leading up to the announcement.

In addition to the the keynote presentation, Caviezel will attend a fundraising breakfast the morning of Catholics at the Capitol.

MCC is the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota.

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7

Panel: Community is one answer to the millennial crisis

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Five millennials in Los Angeles gathered for dinner in 2010 to discuss their lives after losses of loved ones.

Later known as “The Dinner Party,” it grew into a movement across the U.S. as a new approach to grief support. During a Nov. 8 forum, St. Mary’s Press President and CEO John Vitek described it as an example of the spiritual search of religiously-unaffiliated millennials. “As we de-construct our religious identity that’s tied to this traditional institution, we reconstruct a new religious identity,” he said.

Vitek spoke as one of four panelists at the Giving Insights forum on engaging and retaining millennials and post-millennials in the life of the Church. More than 100 people attended the forum, which was organized by the Catholic Community Foundation and held at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. CCF is a St. Paul-based community foundation that stewards the resources of Catholic individuals and institutions.

Theology professor Jeffrey Kaster of St. John’s University in Collegeville served as the moderator for the discussion. Panelists included John Poitevent of the Los Angeles-based Catholic leadership network Parish Catalyst, Nataleigh Waters of Anselm House at the University of Minnesota, and Jennifer Tacheny of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Consociates in St. Paul.

Vitek drew insights from the recent study “Going.

Going. Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics,” which Winona-based St. Mary’s Press commissioned from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. The reasons for millennials and post-millennials leaving can’t be pinned on one thing, he said; instead, it’s a gradual “chinking away,” similar to the breakdown of a marriage.

Two more panels in this Giving Insights series are scheduled for April 9, 2019, on immigration, and June 25, 2019, on Catholic schools. For more information, visit ccf-mn.org/events/forums.

MAXIMIZE YOUR IMPACT! A generous group of donors have doubled their donations this year.

They are challenging you to increase your giving, with the goal of raising an additional $500,000 to impact countless lives in our community.

Your Byline Here.

The Catholic Spirit is seeking experienced, professional freelance journalists to report on Catholic life in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Interested? Email

CatholicSpirit@archspm.org

VISIT CCTWINCITIES.ORG/DONATE OR CALL 612-204-8374 BY DECEMBER 31.

CS.11-2018.indd 1

10/31/18 3:22 PM

8 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

NATION+WORLD

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

Bishops offer perspectives on next steps forward in addressing abuse

Diocese of Winona-Rochester to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

The Catholic Spirit and Catholic News Service

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy by the end of November to compensate victims/survivors of clergy sexual abuse and to ensure the diocese’s daily operations can continue uninterrupted, Bishop John Quinn said in a Nov. 18 letter included in parish bulletins at weekend Masses.

“Together, we are committed to creating an environment of healing for these victims and their families, as well as for all of us in our diocesan community,” Bishop Quinn said. “As part of this healing, it is incumbent upon us to create a path forward that provides just compensation for the victims of abuse. This path forward must include public acknowledgment of their pain and an apology for it as well as financial compensation.”

The diocese is facing 121 claims of sexual abuse of minors by priests from the 1960s through the 1980s.

The letter said that all of the accused have either died, been removed from ministry, or laicized and no longer function in any priestly capacity in the diocese.

The diocese over the last 15 years also has taken important measures to protect children from abuse, including safe environment training and background checks on clergy, employees and volunteers, Bishop Quinn said.

Diocesan officials are working with lawyers representing the survivors of abuse as it undertakes the bankruptcy process, the bishop said. “My prayers go out to those who have experienced sexual abuse, and I stand committed to providing support and healing,” he said.

Matthew Willkom, director of communications for the diocese, said the bankruptcy process will not impact day-to-day operations of the diocese, parishes and schools.

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester will be the fourth Minnesota diocese to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a result of clergy sexual abuse claims filed under the Minnesota Child Victims Act. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis entered bankruptcy in January 2015 and expects to complete reorganization by the end of the year. The Diocese of Duluth entered bankruptcy in December 2015, followed by the Diocese of New Ulm in March 2017. Bishop Donald Kettler of St. Cloud said earlier this year that the St. Cloud Diocese plans to file for bankruptcy, but it has yet to do so.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda said he was “grateful for the honest discussions” that took place during the assembly of U.S. bishops in Baltimore Nov. 12-14, “and for what I perceived as a consensus that every bishop should be held accountable for his actions, and that the successful investigation and evaluation of any allegations against bishops would require lay leadership and review.”

“Nonetheless,” he added in a Nov. 19 statement, “with many of the bishops, I was frustrated that we were not able to take the decisive action at this time that the situation seems to require.”

The U.S. bishops arrived in Baltimore expecting to make a statement with a series of steps meant to address a new clerical sexual abuse scandal in the Church, among them a collection of standards of episcopal accountability, the creation of a lay-dominated commission to investigate allegations of bishop misconduct, and a third-party reporting system to field such complaints.

However, they left Baltimore with no definitive action on those steps. The Vatican asked the bishops to delay voting on the abuse-related agenda items until after a February meeting for the heads of all bishops’ conferences worldwide and so the proposed measures could be checked for their conformity to canon law.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, USCCB president, opened the assembly Nov. 12 announcing that request from the Vatican, to the visible surprise of many bishops.

“I was stunned by the news, but am confident that it will not lessen the U.S. bishops’ resolve to bring about meaningful reform,” Archbishop Hebda said in a Nov. 12 statement shared with The Catholic Spirit.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens, auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, expressed a similar perspective. “I share the disappointment that Cardinal DiNardo expressed in his announcement that there would be no votes on the proposed measures for accountability and transparency for bishops,” he said in a statement. “I believe those measures were and will be a very important step in the right direction towards that transparency.”

The evening of Nov. 12, Archbishop Hebda gave the homily at a Mass concluding a day of prayer and penitence before the Blessed Sacrament, during which the bishops heard presentations from clergy sexual abuse survivors, a religious sister, and lay leaders.

The archbishop shared with his

Bishops approve sainthood cause of black U.S. sister, document condemning racism The U.S. bishops gave their assent to the canonization effort launched for Sister Thea Bowman by the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi.

The assent, on a voice vote, came Nov. 14, the third day of their fall general meeting in Baltimore. The “canonical consultation” with the body of U.S. bishops is a step in the Catholic Church’s process toward declaring a person a saint.

Sister Bowman, a Mississippi native and the only African-American member of her order, the Wisconsin-based Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, was a widely known speaker, evangelizer and singer until she died of cancer in 1990 at age 52. She even made a presentation at the U.S. bishops’ spring meeting in 1989, moving some prelates to tears.

Also Nov. 14, the bishops overwhelmingly approved a pastoral letter against racism. The document, “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love — A Pastoral Letter Against Racism,” passed 241-3 with one abstention. It required a two-thirds vote by all bishops, or 183 votes, for passage.

“Despite many promising strides made in our country, racism still infects our nation,” the pastoral letter states. “Racist acts are sinful because they violate justice. They reveal a failure to acknowledge the human dignity of the persons offended, to recognize them as the neighbors Christ calls us to love.” brother bishops the insight of a survivor of abuse in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who has drawn strength from Caravaggio’s painting “The Incredulity of Thomas,” in which the Apostle is seen putting his finger into the wound in Christ’s side. Believing that healing is to be found in the wound, the survivor has challenged bishops to live “at the lip of the wound in the modernday body of Christ” and to accompany survivors into the pain of their wound. “This, brothers, is our moment to give it our all, to listen attentively to those who are hurt, to listen deeply with discerning ears and hearts to each other as we share the fruits of our prayer, the fruit of our discussion, the fruit of our experience,” he said. “And to act in a way that convincingly shows our commitment to change.”

The next day, some bishops began advocating for a greater role for archbishops, who serve as metropolitans for the regions in which they serve, like Archbishop Hebda.

Archbishops and their archdiocesan review boards were recommended as a possible avenue for the reporting of allegations against bishops and a starting point for determining the credibility of such allegations; an archbishop also could persuade a bishop to step aside at least temporarily from his diocese as an investigation got underway. The proposal was presented as a possible alternative to a national lay-led commission for investigating bishops accused of abuse or mishandling abuse allegations.

Bishop Cozzens said he still supports a lay commission.

“Although the meeting certainly

did not accomplish what I and many other bishops had hoped, there were many positive things that became clear,” he told The Catholic Spirit in a Nov. 16 statement. “The firm resolve which the U.S. bishops expressed in their desire to do something concrete about accountability for bishops is very strong. And there is wide support for the principles upon which we must do it. There must be some sort of lay commission to investigate and make recommendations about accusations of misconduct against bishops.”

Noting that Cardinal DiNardo formed a task force for “preparing concrete options for the bishops as we go forward,” Bishop Cozzens said, “The work is going ahead, even though we could not take a definite vote. There is also now the possibility to contribute to the international conversation, as Cardinal DiNardo prepares for the meeting of the presidents of the episcopal conferences of the whole world in February.”

“As we know from past experience when we developed the Charter for the Protection of Young People in 2002, at first Rome was resistant to the ideas therein, but eventually they saw their wisdom and much of the Charter became law for the universal Church,” he continued. “There is great hope that this will happen again, especially since the conviction of the need is so deep in the bishops of the United States. I’m convinced they will not give up until we see the kind culture change needed.”

In his Nov. 19 statement, Archbishop Hebda said, “I am confident that the bishops will use well the additional time that we now have [ahead of the February meeting of worldwide bishops] to sharpen our proposals.”

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit

Deceased bishop accused of abuse while a priest in St. Cloud Diocese The Visitor Bishop Donald Kettler has added the name of Bishop Harold Dimmerling to the list of clergy likely to have abused minors, according to a Nov. 12 statement from the Diocese of St. Cloud. Dimmerling was a priest of the St. Cloud Diocese who later served as bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, from 1969 until his death in 1987.

Bishop Kettler recently received an allegation that Dimmerling sexually abused a minor while serving as a priest in the Diocese of St. Cloud, the statement said.

Bishop Kettler has spoken with the victim/survivor and, after prayer and consultation, deemed the allegation credible. The allegation has been reported to law enforcement. There had been no other report of sexual misconduct involving Dimmerling in the Diocese of St. Cloud prior to receiving the present allegation, the statement said.

In line with past practice, Bishop Kettler will hold listening sessions in the near future in areas of the diocese where Dimmerling served. The sessions have three primary goals: to assure parishioners of the bishop’s support and assistance; to offer a process whereby sexual misconduct issues and concerns can be voiced and discussed; and to allow other potential victims/survivors the opportunity to come forward and receive assistance and healing.

The Visitor is the newspaper of the Diocese of St. Cloud.

NATION+WORLD

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

HEADLINES

CNS

uPope offers prayers for victims of wildfires; death toll climbs. Cal Fire officials said Nov. 19 the death toll had reached 77 in the Camp Fire north of Sacramento, one of the deadliest blazes in the state. At the Vatican Nov. 18, Pope Francis said, “A special prayer goes to those affected by the fires that are plaguing California. ... May the Lord welcome the deceased in his peace, comfort their families and support those who are involved in relief efforts.” Residents of Southern California have been coping with the Woolsey Fire near Los Angeles. Three fatalities were confirmed there. uSymposium marks the 70th anniversary in December of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said the rights of all are threatened when human life is treated as “property” rather than as a gift and when the focus is only on an individual and not what is common to all human beings.

“Unfortunately, it is precisely the right to life that seems most exposed to the individualism that particularly characterizes Western society,” the cardinal said Nov. 15 at an international symposium at the Vatican

sponsored by the Joseph Ratzinger-Pope Benedict XVI Foundation. uChurch leaders turn attention to concerns of Catholic youths and young adults. Near the close of the U.S. bishops’ Baltimore meeting Nov. 14, Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, a delegate at the October Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment at the Vatican, told the bishops that to continue the synod’s momentum, dioceses could provide assemblies or synods.

On a parish level, priests and other leaders should identify mentors for young people, bring youths into Church leadership roles and help them embrace their vocation. uJesuit priest from Kenya who led teacher training center killed in South Sudan. Jesuit Father Victor Luke Odhiambo, 62, died Nov. 14 when armed men stormed a church compound where he lived, said John Madol, Gok state information minister. The priest had been the director of a Catholic Church-run training center for teachers. Madol told Radio Tamazuj that a motive for the killing remained unclear.

Church, and the heads of religious nonprofit organizations are urging Congress to repeal a change in the Internal Revenue Code that would tax houses of worship and other nonprofits for parking and transit benefits they provide to their employees. Dubbed the “parking lot tax,” the provision has prompted a broad range of institutions to respond, including leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. uDecentralization, simplification heart of curial reform. Pope Francis’ call for a missionary Church that is focused on preaching the Gospel will be the guiding principle of the apostolic constitution that will govern the Roman Curia, the secretary of the pope’s international Council of Cardinals said.

Addressing students and staff at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University Nov. 12, Bishop Marcello Semeraro of Albano, Italy, said the document also will focus on the need for subsidiarity and “a healthy decentralization,” which will strengthen the Church’s mission to serve others.

uPope meets Israeli president at the Vatican.

Pope Francis welcomed Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to the Vatican Nov. 15 for a private discussion that included the importance of building greater trust between Israelis and Palestinians. During their 35-minute meeting, the Vatican said in a statement, “The hope was expressed that suitable agreements may be reached” also between Israeli authorities and local Catholic communities “in relation to some issues of common interest.”

uTemporary mobile health clinic for the poor opens in St. Peter’s Square. As workers were getting St. Peter’s Square ready for this year’s Nativity scene, nearby a large mobile health care facility was set up and running to serve the city’s homeless and poor. Doctors volunteering from Rome hospitals or other health clinics and nurses from the Italian Red Cross took shifts running laboratory tests and seeing patients from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.

Anyone in need could find general and specialist care, including cardiology, dermatology, gynecology and ophthalmology.

uFaith groups could be taxed on transit, parking benefits for employees. Leaders of a diverse group of faiths, including the Catholic

uFinal HHS rule confirms religious exemption to contraceptive mandate. A rule finalizing the religious exemption to the contraceptive

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9 mandate should be “the end of a long cultural war fight” over the issue and confirm that the U.S. government “never needed nuns to give out contraceptives” to women, said the president of the Becket law firm. Commenting in a press call to reporters Nov. 8, Mark Rienzi said the rule issued a day earlier by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services “should be welcomed by people of good faith” on all sides of the issue. In a joint statement Nov. 9, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairman of its Committee for Religious Liberty applauded the Trump administration’s decision “to finalize commonsense regulations” for religious employers.

CNS

uCatholic, international aid agencies press for end of war in Yemen. David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Program, called Yemen “the world’s worst humanitarian disaster in 100 years.” Half of Yemen’s 28 million people are on the brink of starvation and the country is suffering from the worst cholera epidemic in modern history. The United Nations says one child dies every 10 minutes. “The humanitarian disaster in Yemen is of horrific proportions,” Kevin Hartigan of Catholic Relief Services told Catholic News Service, describing the crisis erupting in the impoverished nation at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula which is embroiled in a nearly four-year-old conflict.

10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

“M

iss Joan, my daddy’s in jail. They came and picked him up this morning.”

A child delivered this news to his principal, Joan Pingel, at a small school in Shreveport, Louisiana, before the beginning of the school day.

Her job for that day became figuring out how to help the student and his three other siblings at the school navigate their trauma, while they tried to focus on the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.

That particular event happened about two years ago, but that kind of occurrence is common in the Lakeside neighborhood of this low-income city, population 194,000.

Lakeside lies within the poorest ZIP Code in the state, where torrential downpours throughout the year pound homes to the point of collapse, yet many people, including the school’s families, don’t have running water.

Such squalor is why Pingel, 51, lives in Shreveport, not just to run the school, Praise Academy at Lakeside, but to live two houses down from it. Pingel, a Catholic and lifelong educator, moved in 2004 from South Bend, Indiana, to serve the poor in the Lakeside neighborhood and then took the principal job when the Christian school opened in 2015.

The owners of the house where Pingel lives are John and Jo Zimmel, Catholics from St. Paul who decided to use their retirement years to, as they put it, “serve the Lord.”

The former members of Lumen Christi in St. Paul moved to Shreveport a year ago, and they have committed their lives to volunteering at the school and in the surrounding neighborhood, which is plagued by violent crime, prostitution and drugs. Jo, 64, is a retired physical education teacher; John, also 64, is a retired chemist. They wear many hats in the course of a school day, which begins with breakfast at 8 a.m. and ends at 3:15 p.m.

The Zimmels’ arrival in Shreveport last October was a reunion of sorts. They joined two of their four adult children, David Zimmel and Jeanette Duddy, who already were living there and serving the neighborhood as part of the ecumenical Christian community People of Praise, to which all four belong.

People of Praise is not Catholic, but many of its members are, with some serving as priests and deacons, and, in one case, a bishop in Portland, Oregon. A national organization, People of Praise has a branch in the Twin Cities with 448 members; its Marriage in Christ program is being used in parishes throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

People of Praise missionaries began serving in Shreveport in 2002 after a quest to find a city within the Mississippi River valley where they could focus their ministry. They chose Lakeside, where they moved into adjoining houses and lots so they could live side by side and create a neighborhood outreach. Today, there are two clusters of homes with 26 People of Praise members within a twoblock area.

Together, they fixed up existing homes and built prefabricated houses with a goal of strengthening relationships with each other and their neighbors.

David and Jeanette have served off and on in Shreveport for more than a decade, and their parents visited during the summers to help at camps for neighborhood children.

All of the Zimmels knew what they were getting into when they chose to live in Shreveport. They accepted the poverty and hardships of inner-city life, wanting simply to make a difference. They feel they can best do that by living and serving in the midst of people they know are in need of God’s love — and their help.

“To me, that’s connected with what Pope Francis is saying,” said David, 35, a leader of a division of the People of Praise called Christians in Mission, which serves in Shreveport and several other low-income neighborhoods in the United States. “The poor are a holy people. We talk in America so much about fixing the poor and fighting poverty. [But], there is a thing that’s called ‘holy poverty.’

And, while we need to really help people who are destitute and do good acts of mercy, our goal is not riches. Our goal is being with Christ. The people that I’ve met in this neighborhood have something that I would never want them to lose — a real genuine faith, the spirit of God.” That’s what he discovered when he went door-to-door several years ago to ask the people what kind of help they wanted from the missionaries. It was already obvious they needed economic assistance. Dilapidated houses dotting the neighborhood were clear signs of the perpetual poverty plaguing the people in this mostly African-American

district of Shreveport.

But, the residents wanted more than just money, and they shared their deeper desires, some rooted in faith.

When People of Praise started offering a four-week summer children’s Bible camp in 2003, neighborhood parents responded enthusiastically. More and more children came each year, and now the camp draws as many as 150 participants each summer.

Seeing this, the missionaries decided to focus their outreach efforts on children. But, instead of relying on their own ideas, they queried people in the neighborhood.

David was part of a team that hit the streets to visit residents.

“We went out and talked to every single person within two blocks of our homes with an open-ended question: What does God want us to do?” he said. “As I talked to more and more people, I was surprised that it wasn’t just one person with one idea. It was the whole neighborhood with one idea. It’s like everybody had the same idea, which was a neighborhood school — in the neighborhood, for the neighborhood, where kids would learn how to pray, they’d learn how to read. Every child would be taken care of. It would be a safe place.”

In the middle of a block with seven People of Praise houses, they turned the largest home into a school. It opened with eight children. There are now 25, all AfricanAmerican and all poor. The adjacent home has been turned into a second school building.

Tuition is $7,000 a year per student, with families paying what they can afford under the school’s “fair share” tuition policy. Some pay as little as $5 a month, some pay nothing.

None pay anything close to full tuition. It costs $325,000 per year to run the school, which includes modest salaries for the staff. All of the funds come from private donations.

Overall neighborhood outreach is supported by the People of Praise Mission Fund.

Educating children who are economically, socially and educationally disadvantaged is hard work, sometimes exhausting, staff members say. During nearly every classroom session, someone is misbehaving. Arguments

and fights are common. Near the end of one school day in September, Jo proudly proclaimed that she did not have to break up a single fight in her three physical education classes.

Small victories like this are celebrated. Any progress, no matter how small, fuels the drive she and her husband have to work with these children, many of whom have parents who can’t read.

“When they have a success, you’re super excited,” John said. It can be as simple as the time he was working with a student who finally learned that six plus three equals nine.

Instead of counting it on her fingers, the student calculated it in her head. When she blurted out the answer twice in a row, her joy became his.

It spreads to the parents, too, who notice what the school does for their children. Shameka Blair is a 27-yearold single mother of nine who lives in a small home a few blocks from the school. Four of her children, ages 4 to 9, attend Praise Academy, and David often drives them home when classes are done for the day.

“I like this school,” Blair said. Her children “are doing great since they’ve been there. When they first went there, they didn’t know how to spell their names. Now, they know how to spell their names.”

David sometimes stops in at the home when he drops off the four children who attend Praise Academy. He knows all nine children by name, including newborn Zechariah, whom he held Sept. 27 in the family’s living room during a

The po

PRA

St. Paul family members move to serve in neigh

Story and photos by Dave H

visit. Despite the constant commotion, he moved about comfortably in the home, displaying a familiarity that comes from spending hours with the family.

At first, Blair didn’t trust the white people who moved into her neighborhood, David explained. All of the People of Praise members who live there now are white, and he said there is a general distrust of white people in Lakeside among the neighborhood’s African-American majority.

But, she warmed up to the missionaries over time. After many interactions, she now says, with palpable warmth in her voice, that she “loves them people.”

And, they love her. Pingel has become a go-to for Blair whenever a need arises, even driving Blair to the hospital

NOVEMBER 22, 2018 • 11

ower of

AISE

to impoverished Louisiana city hborhood school

Hrbacek • The Catholic Spirit

“It’s in my face all the time,” Pingel said. “It is a missional life. Often, our interactions with families don’t stop when school is done.”

That’s evident when the weather gets cold during the winter months and the above-ground pipes of many houses freeze. Pingel has learned to call around when this happens to ask if people have running water. If they say no and need to do laundry, her reply is always the same: “Come on over.”

There are other times when families have run out of food, and Pingel and others have gone to the store and brought several bags filled with groceries back to their houses. One time, she went into the house with one of the children because there were other adults, not family members, in the house, and she feared they might hijack the food. After walking into the living room, she sat down on the floor with the children while they ate.

This act, meant to provide security for the children, symbolizes something deeper. As much as the People of Praise members want to help neighborhood residents, they also want to get to know them. It means spending time under each others’ roofs. That is why Pingel and the Zimmels often invite families over for dinner.

Overall, they want to live a common life and bring the people of Lakeside into it. David feels the addition of his parents has helped this process along.

“We treat each other like family here,” he said. “It’s like one big community that’s all one big family. And the fact that some of us are actually family has made it a lot easier to explain what it is we’re doing.”

One current Praise Academy parent was a teenager when People of Praise arrived in Lakeside. Lacondra Woodson, 28, had just lost her best friend to cancer when the first People of Praise families moved in just a few doors down from her family’s home. She opened up and shared her grief with her new neighbors, and a bond was formed. She now is married with three children, all of whom attend Praise Academy.

Woodson made a big sacrifice to live near the school, as she works two hours away. She drops off her kids at a

future of the school’s graduates. In a neighborhood where some children never get beyond the third-grade level and end up incarcerated, Praise Academy students can dream of graduating from high school and even going to college.

The school’s lone eighth-grader has declared she wants to go to medical school and become a surgeon. A Praise Academy board member — who spent several decades as an instructor in a college nursing program — has made time to talk with her about the medical field. At the moment, there is discussion about trying to raise money so the girl can attend a private high school. Potential donors have shown interest, and Pingel is optimistic about getting tuition help for the student.

Regardless of the outcome for this student and the other 24, the People of Praise members in Lakeside are there for the long haul. John and Jo have no other retirement plans; they merely say they will re-evaluate in a few years. Even if they ever felt like leaving, they might have a hard time convincing Pingel to let them go. She wanted them to come even before they had made the decision.

“When they had decided that when they retired that they wanted to look into whether they’d like to move into the missionary field, I started praying that they would come to Lakeside,” she said. “And, when they said they had discerned that this was where they were going to go, and they were invited to come, I said, ‘Wow.’ This huge relief came over me ... because I know they have a lot of gifts that they could offer.”

The list of the ways they serve continues to get longer.

John has become a handyman and also has developed teaching skills, as he dutifully helps Jo in her physical education classes and spends a half-hour every school morning reading with students.

It’s all part of doing whatever they can to advance the kingdom of God in a poverty-stricken area that can seem forgotten not only by the State of Louisiana but even the rest of Shreveport. David Zimmel explained how, decades ago, a freeway was built in Shreveport that essentially cut off this part of the city. At one time, the area was home to a robust Jewish community; one of the few signs of that past life is a Jewish cemetery across the street from Praise Academy.

Poor residents here continually ask the city and state for help, but it’s slow in coming, David said. Some local churches, including a Catholic parish, have offered assistance, while others are reluctant to come into the neighborhood.

“How do you live down here? You live the Beatitudes,” Jo said, noting a favorite quote from Jesus in the Gospel of Luke that she has made her own: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has invited me to bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, new sight to the blind, to free the oppressed and to announce the Lord’s year of mercy.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Jo Zimmel helps Grazier with classwork Sept. 28 at Praise Academy at Lakeside in Shreveport, La. The school asked that students’ last names be withheld.

The Zimmels stand in front of the main school building: David, left, John, Jo and Jeanette.

David Zimmel talks with Shameka Blair, right, in her home while holding her newborn son, Zechariah. He visits the home regularly, sometimes after he drops off her children who attend Praise Academy.

John Zimmel listens to Mariah read at the start of the school day. Every morning for the first half-hour of the school day, teachers and volunteers work one-on-one with students on reading. to deliver three of her babies, including Zechariah, who was born Labor Day weekend.

“They have helped me out a lot,” said Blair, who first met them at neighborhood barbecues hosted by People of Praise. “Especially, Mr. David and Miss Joan. Out of everybody, I know them the best. They’ve been good to me and my family. ... They do a good job, and they come down and they show love.”

For Pingel and others at the school, which has six fulltime teachers plus regular volunteers like the Zimmels, their work in the school and community is not so much a job as it is a lifestyle. It’s a calling that is lived out from dawn to dusk, no matter the need.

friend’s house at 4 a.m. before leaving for work so that she can get there at 6 a.m. She has no complaints about spending four hours on the road every day.

“It’s a school, but it’s more like home to my kids because we kind of grew up around here,” she said. “Just seeing the smile on my kids’ face[s] when they get home ... makes me happy. I want the best for my children, and I feel that they have the best [at Praise Academy]. I don’t want to take them out of [the school].”

There is no long-term vision for expanding Praise Academy. Pingel said it would be hard to sustain the school if enrollment kept growing. One of the foundational principles is one-on-one time with students. It starts with a half hour of reading with each student every morning.

Teachers and volunteers sit down one-on-one with students, and listen to them read aloud.

Students receive more individual attention throughout the day, especially when there are disciplinary issues.

Teachers or volunteers will pull a struggling student aside to talk through problems and conflicts. Often, the discussion centers on teaching students nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts with other students. It’s challenging because this method is not taught or modeled in most of the homes, Pingel said. She said she has had to tell some parents that “we don’t fight; we’re not a fighting school. ...

That’s not what we do.”

The students’ academic success is coming in small increments, enough for staffers to get excited about the

“I really believe these are God’s people,” she said. “My job isn’t much different than Jesus’, which is to keep on loving them. When I get up in the morning, I pray for the love of the Lord to keep on keeping on. It’s not my strength, it’s not my feeling, it’s my love for the Lord, that he’s called me to serve these people at this time. And, I’ll give it my best shot, with his grace.”

This commitment is stretching into the third generation for the Zimmel family, as their daughter Jeanette, 33, and her husband, Thomas Duddy, are raising their two children in the Lakeside neighborhood. Like all of the other People of Praise adults — and even some children — the Duddys put in regular volunteer hours at the school, cleaning and helping wherever needed.

“It’s a real privilege to get to live with the poor,” Jeanette said. “Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor,’ and there’s a lot of truth there. So, I feel really blessed to get to live here and be part of our work, living next door to people who really need a lot of help, need the Lord.”

Already, she has seen racial barriers start to fall, with some of the neighborhood children keeping pictures of her daughter, prompting their friends to ask: “Do you have a white sister?”

“I think we’re forming those kinds of relationships with our neighbors,” she said. “But, it’s taken a while, and the opposition is real. There’s been really horrible things that have happened in our [American] history, which make it hard to earn trust and to be friends together. But, when you live with people, that makes a big difference. If we didn’t live here, it would be totally different.”

12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

FROMAGETOAGE

Gratitude is good for you U of M researchers, faith experts explain why gratitude benefits body and soul

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit

R

esearch has shown that saying “thank you” does more good than one might think.

“I really look at gratitude as being a way of seeing that really alters our view of the world,” said Mary Jo Kreitzer, who recently led a gratitude research study at the University of Minnesota.

“When we come with a perspective of gratitude, I think that shapes what we notice in our lives.”

Kreitzer, the director and founder of the Center for Spirituality and Healing at the university, said she also has read “hundreds of studies” that show the benefits of practicing gratitude. Kreitzer is a nursing professor at the university, and her work at the Center for Spirituality and Healing involves researching and teaching about integrated healing in the medical field.

“They have found that gratitude helps increase optimism, reduce[s] hopelessness, decreases stress, decreases depression [and] improves sleep,” she said about the studies.

Sister of St. Joseph Carolyn Puccio, a licensed psychologist, said gratitude benefits people on both a faith level and a natural level. She said it’s central to life for Catholics because “we are a eucharistic people” and “it’s the foundation of who we are.”

“Gratitude feeds the soul [and] gives the soul energy and peace,” said Sister Carolyn, delegate for consecrated life in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “It’s important to have that foundational, healthy attitude as persons.”

The word “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving,” and in the Mass, the eucharistic prayer emphasizes gratitude

iSTOCK | JIVKO

Recording three things daily for which a person is grateful reduces stress, research has found. with the words “it is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks.”

Father Tom Margevicius, director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship, said St. Thomas Aquinas “considered ingratitude the most grievous sin possible” in his “Summa Theologiae.”

Kreitzer noted that the majority of the University of Minnesota’s recent gratitude study participants identified themselves as Christian. The university partnered with CaringBridge for the study to explore how gratitude helps people with health issues. Participants completed two online surveys and committed to writing down three things for which they are thankful daily over a 21-day period.

Outcomes the researchers looked for

included impact on stress, gratitude and social support. They had 882 participants in the study, 55 percent of whom were senior citizens, and 73 percent of whom were CaringBridge website visitors. CaringBridge is a website that helps people communicate about a loved one’s illness.

“Another really interesting finding from the study was that 69 percent reported that they practiced the gratitude practice five or more days a week,” Kreitzer said of recording the three things. “We did find that people who practiced more did have a greater reduction in stress.”

While the majority of the study’s participants were senior citizens, Kreitzer said she hasn’t seen gratitude studies that focus on senior citizens in

particular. However, she said gratitude is useful in the later years of life for doing “legacy work,” or people reflecting on their lives.

But gratitude is beneficial for all ages, she added.

“It trains you to begin to notice the positive in life,” Kreitzer said.

Jesuit Father Patrick McCorkell said it helps people recognize God’s blessings and providence in their lives, and it helps people overcome selfishness.

“It’s our basic stance toward God,” said Father McCorkell, the director of the Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Elmo.

Kreitzer said the studies she has done and explored don’t distinguish between gratitude toward people and gratitude toward God, but spirituality and religion have their place in practicing gratitude.

“There’s prayers of thanksgiving and there’s prayers of gratitude that certainly fall within all kinds of religious traditions,” Kreitzer said.

Father McCorkell recommends the practice of the “Examen,” developed

by St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits. The “Examen” consists of reflecting on God’s work in one’s day, and one’s response to God’s graces.

Father McCorkell said he’s seen men at Demontreville deepen in gratitude over the years as they make their annual retreat there.

“You become grateful a lot more often and in different situations,” Father McCorkell said.

The Thanksgiving holiday provides an opportunity to improve the practice of gratitude. Sister Carolyn encouraged using Thanksgiving dinner as a time for each person to share what he or she is grateful for.

“Sometimes I think we might be surprised at what people have come to feel grateful for, because with a certain maturity, it’s possible to be grateful for even the difficult things,” Sister Carolyn said.

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

FROMAGETOAGE

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13

Pope calls for new alliance between young, old to change the world

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

W

ith the launch of a new book, Pope Francis is calling for a new alliance — between young and old — to change the world.

In an effort to counteract today’s “culture of waste” that too easily marginalizes or ignores the young and the elderly, the book by Loyola Press creates a model of storytelling, dialogue, connection and reflection to help inspire these two groups to come together and rediscover older people’s lost “treasure of their wisdom.”

Packed with large full-color photographs of the elder contributors, the coffee-table-style book, titled, “Sharing the Wisdom of Time,” was released Oct. 23 at a book launch in Rome attended by Pope Francis.

The 175-page book fleshes out what Pope Francis said he feels “the Lord wants me to say: that there should be an alliance between the young and old.”

This alliance entails elders sharing their past experiences, advice, insights and dreams with younger people who are hungry for guidance and support as they prepare for their future.

Older people need to be “memory keepers,” forming a choir of praise and prayers supporting the people around them, he wrote, especially younger people, showing them the secrets not just to survival, but to finding meaning and living life to the full, he said.

The pope calls on young people “to listen to and bond with their elders,” and the book offers a starter course, with scores of stories and wisdom from older people from 30 countries and from various walks of life: retired lawyers and engineers, farmers, garbage pickers, activists, refugees and a spiritual elder of the Lakota People in the United States.

They speak of their experiences with racism, forgiveness, imperfection, conversion, beauty and joy.

The stories are spread over five thematic chapters: work, struggle, love, death and hope, and each chapter begins with the pope reflecting on each theme.

People’s stories are interspersed with the pope’s own reflections on an individual’s story.

The book also includes a few stories by younger people sharing “what I learned from an elder” and how an older person acted like an anchor, offering hope, support or inspiration in their lives.

The book invites readers to find opportunities to dialogue with elders and to visit sharingwisdomoftime.com for ideas and suggestions on how to spearhead intergenerational conversations, events and projects at home, in their communities and their parishes.

Some of the words of wisdom by the pope in the book: u“Failure is the source of much wisdom. ... No complaining allowed! It does not help. It does more harm than good.” u“Our life is not given to us as an already scripted opera libretto,” where all the scenes are predetermined and fixed.

“Failures cannot stop us if we feel the fire in our heart” to move forward and learn from mistakes. u“The success of life is not glory but patience. Sometimes you need a lot of it.”

The cover of “Sharing the Wisdom of Time,” a book in which Pope Francis offers commentary on the life stories of older people throughout the world.

CNS

u“Our God wants to join us in our history,” he said. Just being content with survival and “not wanting to make history is a parasitic attitude.” uOne person cannot solve all the problems in the world, but she or he can oppose them with being good, kind and caring to oneself and others. “You can fight with the smile and with the

readiness to be kind to others.” u“Learn the wisdom of getting help.

You experience the solidarity that allows your heart to dream” and escape despair. u“Failure is not the last word. Failure always has a door that opens; woe to you if you turn it into a wall. You will never be able to get free.” u“Sometimes we turn our little misadventures into epic dramas,” but people need to put things into their proper perspective and maybe have a good sense of humor. “Love is creative, and it will not be overcome by the disasters and pitfalls of life.” u“We can look at death and feel rich because God lavishly ‘wastes’ his grace poured out on us.” u“If God did not forgive sins, the world would have ceased existing a long time ago.” uIt is easy to judge others who have sinned, but “what I see are people who

have lived. ... Hope can be read in wrinkles.” uOn life being like a tapestry, “there is good and bad, death and life. If I look at my life, I like to think that the Lord would say with a smile, ‘Look what I did with all your mistakes,’” giving the tangled threads new shape and meaning. u“Hypocrites will be scandalized by the miracles God works with our mistakes.” Reversing a situation from sin to grace “is one of the most wonderful ways God acts in our lives.” u“Complaining rusts out the soul,” so do not pine over lost opportunities and temporal glory; remember the true final destination is to be with God. u“Faith is not paying a toll to go to heaven.” God wants people to go forward with his love and “give us back to ourselves. God does not want anything ‘from’ us; he wants everything ‘for’ us.”

14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

FROMAGETOAGE

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

Maryland pilgrims walk 50 miles ‘in penance and prayer’ for priesthood

By Paul McMullen Catholic News Service Stephanie Rubeling’s support of the priesthood goes beyond thoughts and prayers. The 54-year-old parishioner of St. Peter the Apostle in Libertytown, Maryland, was among 19 hardy souls who set out Nov. 9 for a three-day trek on foot from Emmitsburg to Baltimore, dubbed “Fifty Miles in Faith: Pilgrimage-Walk for the Priesthood in Penance and Prayer.”

Pilgrims arrived in Baltimore the day before the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opened its fall assembly there Nov. 12-14. The clergy sexual abuse crisis, which precipitated the pilgrimage, topped the bishops’ agenda.

Rubeling’s oldest son is Father Michael Rubeling, a Baltimore Archdiocese priest.

Another son, Peter, is studying at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg. His brother, Timothy, recently entered formation with the Capuchin Franciscans.

“As the mother of a priest and a seminarian,” Rubeling said, “we need to do whatever we can to help priests and the Church to repair the damage done and support those who want to move forward in holiness. Coming out of our comfort zone a little bit is a good thing.

“There is so much negative media,” she continued. “We need to go the extra mile, pardon the pun, in support of priests who are trying to lead holy lives, and remind everyone, there are good things going on in the Church.”

The walk was led by Father John “Jack”

Lombardi, a priest of the Baltimore archdiocese. He also led “Feet for Francis,” a weeklong, 100-mile walk from Baltimore to Philadelphia in September 2015, in conjunction with the archdiocese, to see Pope Francis on his visit to the U.S. “This is a reminder that we’re walking for the Lord, to repair what’s been torn,” Father Lombardi said. “It is our privilege to walk.”

KEVIN J. PARKS | CNS

Monica Rubeling, 16, of St. Peter the Apostle in Libertytown, Md., walks the “Fifty Miles in Faith: Pilgrimage-Walk for the Priesthood in Penance and Prayer” Nov. 9.

Her brothers include a priest and two studying for the priesthood.

w a s hb ur n - m c re av y . c o m

Funeral Chapels, Cemeteries and Cremation Services

Since 1857, you can trust the McReavy family for professional advanced planning, funeral and cremation services.

612.377.2203

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

FROMAGETOAGE

Audio, large-print resources can help elderly parishioners, expert says

Trojack Law Office, P.A. • Wills • Powers of Attorney • Trusts • Health Care Directives • Probate

By Tom Tracy Catholic News Service

W

ith a large aging population of Catholics in many areas of the country will come an array of age-related vision complications that invariably hinder full participation in the liturgy and in spiritual life.

The situation may be best addressed by readily available technology such as audio materials and large print texts especially prepared for elderly churchgoers, according to the director of the Xavier Society for the Blind.

“At some point [later in life], you are more likely to get vision impairment, macular degeneration or diabetes, which in one way or another affect vision,” said Malachy Fallon, executive director of the New York-based Xavier Society. “We are seeing more people who are losing vision but aren’t reading Braille because they are losing sight later in life, which is why our audio content is so important.”

Founded in 1900, the Xavier Society was inspired by a group of dedicated laywomen aided by a priest, Jesuit Father Joseph Stadelman, who helped create what was the only Catholic publishing house to make crucial writings available to the blind. All its services were provided free of charge — a tradition that continues to the present, according to Fallon. There are some 2,400 active clients worldwide.

Xavier Society for the Blind produces Braille books on spiritual and religious topics and provides Braille catechetical textbooks for students in religious education courses. Additionally, the Propers of the Sunday Mass — the Old and New Testament readings, selected prayers and responses — are available in Braille and audio. Many who receive the materials in Braille serve as lectors in their churches.

Vision loss among the elderly is a major health care problem, with approximately one person in three likely to have some form of visionreducing eye disease by the age of 65, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. At the same time, the elderly population in the United States is increasing rapidly. By the year

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15

John E. Trojack, Attorney at Law

• Guardianships • Conservatorships

Call to attend complimentary workshops 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

CNS

Catholic materials in Braille are seen in early May at the residence of Cuban-American Adelina Maideski, a former gift store employee at Miami International Airport, who attends St. Martha Church in Miami Shores.

2030, an estimated 70 million Americans will be over 65 years of age.

“I think there are many more people out there who can take advantage of our services if they knew we were out there,” said Fallon, who added that his agency has run church bulletin announcements in large states like New York, California, Texas and Florida. “We want to get our materials out to as many people as possible in whatever format they need; if they want to download something from their smartphone or the iPhone we can do that, too.”

Fallon said since he came on board in 2016, the society has added to the selection of Catholic books and programming available in its audio books or Braille catalogue. It recently added the Catechism of the Catholic Church in Spanish, and contemporary academic lectures from Fordham University’s Center on Religion and Culture.

About four times a year, the Xavier Society publishes a Braille magazine, the Catholic Review, which reprints Catholic articles and news from several religious publications and newspapers, including Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic Digest, Maryknoll and the Jesuit-run America.

CatholicHotdish.com

16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

FOCUSONFAITH SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER JAN MICHAEL JONCAS

uFrom his role as Redeemer: “Christ is also King by acquired, as well as by natural right, for he is our Redeemer.”

Christ has purchased us at a great price and our very bodies are “his members” according to “Quas primas.”

The lectionary selections for this solemnity in Year B of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite highlight the universal sovereignty of Christ, the revelation of that sovereignty at the end of time, and the contrast between this world’s notions of sovereignty and those of Christ.

Daniel 7:13-14 and the day’s responsorial psalm employ enthronement imagery to emphasize the cosmic significance of Christ’s power and authority, with “One like a Son of Man” (i.e., Christ) presented to the “Ancient One” (i.e., God the Father) receiving “dominion, glory and kingship.” Christ’s sovereignty extends over all humanity (“all peoples, nations and languages”) and all time (“an everlasting dominion”).

Revelation 1:5-8 forms part of the opening formula prefixed to the “Inaugural Vision and Letters to the Seven Churches” that forms an early unit of the Book of Revelation. Our passage omits the triadic description of God (the Father?) and the “seven spirits” (Holy Spirit?) in Revelation 1:4 to concentrate on the triadic description of Christ as “faithful witness” (connecting to his ministry, passion and death), as “first born of the dead” (connecting to his resurrection) and as “ruler of the kings of the earth” (connecting to his exaltation and the “Parousia,” “when every eye will see him.”)

Finally, John 18:33b-37 presents the clash of perspectives between Pilate, the Roman puppet who cynically asks, “What is truth?” (Jn 18:38), and Jesus the self-sacrificing Messiah, who declares that the role of the king in the reign of God he imagines and embodies is “to testify to the truth.” And the truth is that the kingdom Christ preaches and manifests “does not belong to this world” with its anger and violence, but nevertheless that Christ is truly a king.

“Quas primas” provides a powerful application of the meaning of this feast for our practice as believers: “[Christ] must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls, or to use the words of the Apostle Paul, as instruments of justice unto God.”

uFrom the will of God the Father, as Matthew 28:18 records: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

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

King of the universe

By means of his encyclical letter “Quas primas,” promulgated in 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King, to be celebrated in the Roman Rite as the last Sunday of the month of October, meaning the Sunday that immediately precedes the Feast of All Saints. In 1960, Pope John XXIII simplified the Roman Rite liturgical calendar, establishing Christ the King as “a feast of the first class,” or a feast that outranks others if there’s conflict within the liturgical calendar. The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite — implemented at All Saints in Minneapolis, for example — continues to observe this feast according to these rubrics.

But by means of the apostolic letter “Mysterii Paschalis,” issued in 1969, Pope Paul VI changed the title of the feast to “Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe,” shifted its observance to the last (34th) Sunday in Ordinary Time (meaning the Sunday immediately before the First Sunday of Advent of the new liturgical year), and gave it the rank of “solemnity,” as the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite celebrates it today.

It should be clear that in both the Extraordinary and Ordinary Forms of the Roman Rite, the connection of the feast to All Saints or the First Sunday of Advent gives it a strong eschatological emphasis.

Citing St. Cyril of Alexandria, Pius XI adduces three reasons that the Church proclaims the universal sovereignty of Christ: uFrom the hypostatic union: “[T]he Word of God, as consubstantial with the Father, has all things in common with him, and therefore has necessarily supreme and absolute dominion over all things created.”

FAITH FUNDAMENTALS | FATHER MICHAEL VAN SLOUN

The Eucharist as thanksgiving

You have no idea how many people have told me, “I don’t get anything out of Mass.”

I am quick to reply, “You have it backwards.

You don’t come to Mass to get something.

You come to Mass to give something, and that something is your thanks to our good and gracious God for the blessings that you have received.”

Sometimes the person will add, “And Mass is boring, too.”

So I will needle the grumbler, “Have you received any blessings this week?” Usually there is a blank stare and a long pause. After a brief uneasy silence, I pipe up, “What about each new day? You have your health, food on the table, clothes on your back, a roof over your head, money in your pocket, friends at your side and some happy experiences, too.”

This brief exchange is headed to two final questions.

“Where did all of this come from?” For a person of faith, the correct answer is, “God.” “And, what did you do to deserve it?” The correct answer is, “Nothing.” Everything that we receive over the course of a week is an undeserved gift from our benevolent and generous God, and if all is a gift, the least a person can do is set aside an hour a week to go to Mass to give God praise and thanks.

Actually, once a week is not enough. At the parish where I served on the South Side of Chicago, there was a spiritual hymn that was one of the congregation’s favorites: “Every day is a day of thanksgiving. God’s been so good to me. He’s been blessing me. Every day is a day of thanksgiving. Glorify

the Lord today.”

When Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he established it as an act of thanksgiving. The Words of Institution are: “He took the bread, and giving thanks, broke it,” and, “He took the chalice, and once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples” (see Lk 22:19, 17 and 1 Cor 11:24). The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes this as “consecratory thanksgiving” (No. 1346). The two substances, bread and wine, are signs of gratitude, as first seen when the priest Melchizedek offered bread and wine to thank God the Creator for the fruits of the earth (Gn 14:18-20).

The Greek word “eucharisteo” means “to give thanks.” The Catechism states that the Eucharist “is an act of thanksgiving to God” (No. 1329). The entire Mass is a prayer of thanksgiving, which is stated explicitly in some prayers and implied throughout. The priest says, “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” and the congregation replies, “It is right and just.” The Preface continues, “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father.” The Preface concludes with the “Holy, Holy,” a hymn of praise that gives thanks to God. Similarly, the words of the doxology are, “Through him and with him, and in him, O God, almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, for ever and ever” — a joyful song of praise to offer thanks to God. After we receive holy Communion and Christ is really present to us in an intensified sacramental way, it is a perfect time to have a chat with the Lord, to mention a few of the blessings we have received over the past week, and to tell Jesus just how grateful we are. All we have is from God, and without God we would have nothing. It is an empty argument to say, “I don’t get anything out of Mass.” We go because we owe God our praise and thanks.

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. This column is part of an ongoing series on the Eucharist available at TheCatholicSpirit.com. Read more of Father Van Sloun’s writing at CatholicHotdish.com.

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Nov. 25 Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Dn 7:13-14 Rv 1:5-8 Jn 18:33b-37 Monday, Nov. 26 Rv 14:1-3, 4b-5 Lk 21:1-4 Tuesday, Nov. 27 Rv 14:14-19 Lk 21:5-11 Wednesday, Nov. 28 Rv 15:1-4 Lk 21:12-19 Thursday, Nov. 29 Rv 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9a Lk 21:20-28 Friday, Nov. 30 St. Andrew, Apostle Rom 10: 9-18 Mt 4:18-22 Saturday, Dec. 1 Rv 22:1-7 Lk 21:34-36 Sunday, Dec. 2 First Sunday of Advent Jer 33:14-16 1 Thes 3:12­­­–4:2 Lk 21:25-28, 34-36 Monday, Dec. 3 St. Francis Xavier, priest Is 2:1-5 Mt 8:5-11 Tuesday, Dec. 4 Is 11:1-10 Lk 10:21-24 Wednesday, Dec. 5 Is 25:6-10a Mt 15:29-37 Thursday, Dec. 6 Is 26:1-6 Mt 7:21, 24-27 Friday, Dec. 7 St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church Is 29:17-24 Mt 9:27-31 Saturday, Dec. 8 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Gn 3:9-15, 20 Eph 1:3-6, 11-12 Lk 1:26-38 Sunday, Dec. 9 Second Sunday of Advent Bar 5:1-9 Phil 1:4-6, 8-11 Lk 3:1-6

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17

COMMENTARY YOUR HEART, HIS HOME | LIZ KELLY

Make some desert in your Advent

“

All of Advent is an opportunity to practice: to sit and search the heavens and wait in silence.

It was just one of those days. I found myself sitting at my desk, overwhelmed with work and deadlines and decisions to be made, deep concerns over loved ones seriously ill. I love my work and my life, but it was just piling so high. I needed to go walk in the desert

with Jesus a while.

I got in my car and drove to a favorite adoration chapel not too far from my office. In the basement of a church, it’s always reminded me a touch of the catacombs, and I thought it would be the perfect place to go hide with the Lord. I tried one door, and then another, but it was closed due to a special event. I got back in my car and made a Plan B: I would drive to a country church I knew with an adoration chapel. I hopped on the highway and prayed, “Lord, I just need to bury myself in your stillness. Let me find you in the desert!”

On the way, I had a vague recollection of another church nearby that I was sure had perpetual adoration, though I had not stepped foot in it in many years. At the last possible second, I turned off of the highway and wound through the quiet neighborhood streets looking for a steeple until I found it. I entered and realized it had been renovated and reoriented, and I couldn’t find the chapel. A church secretary told me I had to go back out around the building and enter from the street. She gave me the code to the door.

FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA | JASON ADKINS

(Civic) friendship is an apostolate

When you read this, the 2018 elections will have passed. The anger will continue to boil, and new opportunities for outrage will undoubtedly abound. The demonization of political opponents will persist, and the saddling of the American presidency with criminal investigations and threats of impeachment will likely become a permanent feature of our politics.

It is hard to see a way out of our current predicament, other than a new Great Awakening through a tremendous outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Yet, whatever the designs of Providence for the American republic, we know what Catholics must continue to do to foster moral and civic renewal: participate in the public arena as faithful citizens, embodying Pope Francis’ reminder that politics is one of the highest forms of charity because it serves the common good.

In short, we must be true friends to our elected officials and our fellow citizens.

Friendship, not power The idea of politics as friendship seems counterintuitive, given that politics often looks like a power game in which the primary goal is to defeat our opponents in elections and then impose our will upon them. In this struggle for control, the ends justify the means, and those who do not share our political opinions are not just of a different mind, but of a different kind — they are “one of them” or “the other.”

But the Church proposes a different idea of politics — one that goes back to the ancients. Politics comes from the Greek word “polis,” meaning “city.” Some of

iSTOCK | F9PHOTOS

I’d barely finished punching it in before I opened the door and fell to my knees in relief. Finally, my Jesus. I felt myself beginning to disappear.

But then there was a man sitting toward the back of the chapel that kept looking at me, watching me as I settled in. I could tell, he had that “are you a sub?” question on his face. As he readied to leave, he quietly inquired.

“No, I’m not a sub,” I said, “but I will happily remain for the next hour.” He smiled and explained that the woman who usually held that hour wasn’t perfectly reliable, and so he was relieved I had arrived. Once he was reassured that I knew what to do in adoration, he slipped quietly out the door and I sat there in the still and silent presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and truly wanted nothing else; no answers, no direction, not even consolation or rest. Just the desertquiet of adoration in a tiny, hidden chapel on a Tuesday afternoon.

It was in Carlo Carretto’s lovely book “Letters from the Desert” that I read, “Make some desert in your life.” us live in the polis of Minneapolis, for example.

Politics, the communal process of deliberation within the polis, was not a wrestle for control; it was first and foremost a task of friendship. This friendship shared among citizens was shaped by the pursuit of virtue — and this made it possible for citizens to come together as equals to deliberate how they ought to order their common life in pursuit of the good.

The Church embraced this understanding of politics, identifying its proper purpose as the pursuit of the common good.

To have strong communities (literally, a sharing of gifts), everyone needs to play a role and offer his or her perspective. We each have unique gifts to share in that great conversation about how we ought to bring about the good in our city. We need to learn to see ourselves as all being fundamentally on the same “side.”

Living civic friendship Yes, political debates can get heated because important issues are at stake.

Our battle for justice and the common good, however, is not against people, but, as St. Paul reminds us, against the powers and principalities (Eph 6:12). It is a spiritual battle. That is why Cardinal Robert Sarah could say in a recent speech that “a Christian does not fight anyone. A Christian has no enemy to defeat. Christ asks Peter to put his sword into his scabbard. This is the command of Christ to Peter, and it concerns every Christian worthy of the name.” This is an important lesson: In politics, we may have temporary opponents, but we must never mistake them for permanent enemies.

Our discourse has become so coarse, and so much anger flows through our nation because our horizons have become political rather than eschatological — or related to death, judgement and eternity. When there is no ultimate justice meted out by God, we look for politics to bring it about. And it cannot. Hence, when we place our hope in princes, we will always be disappointed. And that is where the cycle of anger and political decay begins and sets in.

Christians must model a different way: a model of friendship. Just as any good apostolate must be rooted in relationship, fostering friendship with others through

And it has always stuck with me.

By this, he does not simply mean reducing activity, or even making more time for quiet, but rather, he means something more. He writes: “The men of Galilee would have gone on fishing in the lake and attending the synagogue of Capernaeum if [Jesus] hadn’t been there to say, ‘Come.’ That is the truth we must learn through faith: to wait on God. And this attitude of mind is not easy. This ‘waiting,’ this ‘not making plans,’ this ‘searching the heavens,’ this ‘being silent’ is one of the most important things we have to learn.”

All of Advent is an opportunity to practice: to sit and search the heavens and wait in silence.

Lure me to your desert, O Lord, where you are waiting for me, and speak to my heart.

A parishioner of St. Michael in Stillwater, Kelly is the author of six books including the award-winning “Jesus Approaches” (Loyola Press, 2017). “Your Heart, His Home” is now a podcast. Listen at lizk.org.

Attend Catholics at the Capitol How does one begin to develop civic friendships? The bishops of Minnesota created Catholics at the Capitol and Capitol 101 events as ways to grow in faithful citizenship and civic friendship. Through these opportunities, Catholics are formed and sent to be true resources — friends — to their elected officials and communities. The next Catholics at the Capitol event takes place in St. Paul Feb. 19, 2019.

Join more than 2,000 Catholics in a day of education, inspiration, prayer and advocacy that will include actor and speaker Jim Caviezel (see story on page 7). Grow in your knowledge and courage to be a faithful citizen. Join your voice with others to bring a Catholic perspective on issues to our State Capitol. Tickets are $40 and now on sale. Visit catholicsatthecapitol.org for more information and to register.

Space is limited; register early. friendship with Christ, faithful citizenship is no different.

We must reach out to both our elected officials and fellow citizens in friendship, offering ourselves as resources and as friends in the important conversations about how we ought to order our lives together.

Sometimes we will disagree, and that is OK. But disagreements need not lead to division or demonization. Sometimes, people will see us as enemies, and some will even persecute us. But politics lived as true friendship will change hearts, build stronger communities and undo the knots of division and resentment plaguing our communities.

Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota.

COMMENTARY

18 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN | DEACON GORDON BIRD

Striving for unity in all seasons

The robust, seasonal fluctuations we now experience come with celebrations and holidays — both secular and religious. As we press on in November, making adjustments to colder weather patterns, we honor veterans, celebrate Thanksgiving and, with a Catholic slant, prepare for a new liturgical year via Advent. The season offers an opportunity to calm the storms in some relationships, closing the gap from trivial to large matters that can sometimes divide us as family, co-workers and, yes, even fellow parishioners.

Unifying this division starts with looking in the mirror. I’m personally reminded of this with an example from C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce.” There is a compelling remark made by his guide on a dreamlike visit to the portals of heaven: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’”

A personal, loving God allows our desires and choices — good, bad or indifferent — and respects our free will.

Are there times when we choose to impose our will on others at the expense of the relationship? Or, do we even lose some people at “hello”? (Granted, none of us wants to sacrifice truths, principles, values and nonnegotiables as Catholics for the sake of being nice.)

Narrowing the gap on what divides us, however, generally takes more than our personal wits and oneupmanship. It takes “agape” — self-sacrificial love, a kind of love that wills the good of the other — God’s will be done for the other’s good. We can learn this from Jesus’ example — and his longest prayer recorded in the Gospels.

The breadth and depth of the prayer of Jesus for unity

“

There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’

C.S. Lewis

iSTOCK | LARISABLINOVA

is beyond the limits of the finite, human mind. Yet, Jesus did reach out to God the Father for the sake of all believers in his petition: “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they may also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (Jn 17:20-21).

In this high priestly prayer of Jesus, in which he first prayed for his Twelve Apostles “that they may be one,” his attention then turned from them as he prayed for essentially a larger result: the unity of the universal Church. More than 2,000 years later, we deal with this challenge of living undivided as Christians within a secular environment. In this atmosphere, only a devout prayer life provides the spiritual oxygen, actionable fortitude and prevailing hope to press on in the midst of division.

In the faith journey of Catholic Watchmen — as spiritual leaders, providers and protectors — we must take all things to prayer and employ the necessary action to help the world we are “in” — a world we are often reminded to be “in,” not “of,” yet “for.” The world

of pleasure, wealth, power and honor often divides people in their relationships with others — and with God. This is separate from the natural world of God’s goodness, beauty and truth, although it needs our astute stewardship.

Given one of the salient truths that “life is hard,” how does one solve such division? At a recent Catholic Watchmen brotherhood gathering, we watched a production on Vimeo of Michael Naughton, the director of the Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas, titled “Fortified Man — Being Catholic in a Secular World.” As typical guys, trying to learn and assess how we could better “achieve” in the secular world as Catholic men, surprisingly we took away from the talk a different approach to amending division, starting with ourselves. We were guided on the importance to embrace habits of “receivement.”

As the norm, we split off in small groups and pondered some of the key points: developing habits of resting and receiving that provide a capacity to have both exterior and interior silence; celebrating and protecting all of the Lord’s Day; and reaching out to serve those in the margins. This means prayer, keeping the Sabbath holy and works of mercy on the home front. Meanwhile, in the workplace, we should strive for excellence, produce good works to serve others, and create more than what we have been given — “good wealth.”

Live a life undivided at home, work, church and in community — a fortified Catholic watchman. And this should not only be over the holidays or during commemorations, celebratory times, special and ordinary liturgical seasons, but at all times. This unites.

Deacon Bird ministers at St. Joseph in Rosemount and assists the Catholic Watchmen movement of the archdiocese’s Office of Evangelization. As a permanent deacon ordained in December 2017, he and his wife, DiAnn, are also members of All Saints in Lakeville. They have two married children and four grandchildren. Reach him at gordonbird@rocketmail.com. Learn about the archdiocese’s Catholic Watchmen initiative at rediscover. archspm.org/the-catholic-watchmen or at facebook.com/ thecatholicwatchmen.

Does your CATHOLIC SPIRIT just show up in your mailbox?

It’s not divine intervention.

Most Catholic Spirit subscribers receive a free annual subscription through their parish.

Parishioners who do not receive it can

call their parish office to sign up today!

Or purchase a subscription for $29.95 by calling 651-291-4444.

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19

CALENDAR Music

FEATURED EVENTS

Spiritu “Emmanuel” Advent and Christmas concert — Dec. 4: 7 p.m. at Nativity of Our Lord, 1938 Stanford Ave., St. Paul. spiritumusic.com/ emmanuel2018.

Catholic Watchmen Rally — Nov. 29: 6:30–9 p.m. at St. Nicholas in Elko New Market. Archbishop Bernard Hebda will take part in a gathering of men that will include eucharistic adoration, confession and dinner. Archbishop Hebda will lead a conversation after dinner. Free-will offering of $10 is requested. For more information, contact Enzo Randazzo at 651-291-4483 or randazzov@archspm.org, or visit rediscover.archspm.org/the-catholicwatchmen.

Songs of Advent: The Season of Waiting — Dec. 4: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2676 Benet Road, Maplewood. Led by Father Michael Joncas. benedictinecenter.org.

Sing Christmas! A Christmas Cantata — Dec. 9: 2:30–4 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road, Burnsville. mmotc.org.

Parish events

An Evening with the Shepherd Girl — Dec. 3: 7 p.m. at St. Hubert in Chanhassen. Author Liz Kelly offers the final complimentary session for her “Jesus Approaches” Women’s Study on the Shepherd Girl. Admission is free. For more information, contact Kelly at liz@ lizk.org.

Thanksgiving Saturday Father/Son and Men’s Morning — Nov. 24: 8–10 a.m. at St. Timothy, 8 Oak Ave. N., Maple Lake. Super Bowl champion and former Minnesota Viking Matt Birk will speak following 8 a.m. Mass. churchofsttimothy.org.

Beauty Elevates: Rediscover the Beauty of Your Mind, Body and Soul — Dec. 8: 8:30 a.m.–noon at St. Raphael in Crystal.

Author and speaker Alyssa Bormes will present at the Advent Morning of Reflection for Mothers of Young Children, with a talk entitled “Inspired by God.” The morning will include other guest speakers and Mass for the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Registration is $20. Event is cosponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Marriage, Family and Life, and the Cana Family Institute. For more information, contact Amy Holewa at 763-391-0205 or arholewa@gmail.com.

Dining out Knights of Columbus Lumberjack Breakfast — Dec. 9: 8:30 a.m.–noon at Mary Queen of Peace, St. Martin campus, 21304 Church Ave., Rogers. Sponsored by NW-Hennepin Knights of Columbus Council. mqpcatholic.org.

“Made For More” with Christopher West and Mike Mangione — Nov. 30: 7–9:30 p.m. at St. Michael, 611 S. Third St., Stillwater. For ages 15 and older. P.J. Butler at 651-379-1272. stmichaelstillwater.org.

Christmas Village — Dec. 1: 8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. at St. Raphael, 7301 Bass Lake Road, Crystal. straphaelcrystal.org.

at Holy Cross, 1621 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis. ourholycross.org.

Christmas fair — Dec. 1 and 2: 9:30 a.m.– 5:30 p.m. Dec. 1; 9 a.m.–noon Dec. 2 at St. Hedwig, 129 29th Ave. NE, Minneapolis. ourholycross.org.

Christmas boutique and cookie sale — Dec. 1 and 2: 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Dec. 1; 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Dec. 2 at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. guardian-angels.org.

Holy Cross Council of Catholic Women Rosary Guild Christmas craft and bake sale — Dec. 1 and 2: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Dec. 1; 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Dec. 2

DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the next issue date.

St. Bridget Unique Boutique, bake sale and luncheon — Dec. 1 and 2: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Dec. 1; 9 a.m.–noon Dec. 2 at St. Austin Campus, 4055 Thomas Ave. N., Minneapolis. stbridgetnorthside.com.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief no­tices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and organizations. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission. Included in our listings are local events submitted by public sources that could be of interest to the larger Catholic community.

Caramel roll and craft sale with children’s games — Dec. 2: 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at Holy Spirit, 500 S. Albert St., St. Paul. holy-spirit.org.

Advent Evensong — Dec. 2: 7 p.m. at St. Cecilia, 2357 Bayless Place, St. Paul. stceciliaspm.org.

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication: uTime and date of event uFull street address of event uDescription of event u Contact information in case of questions

Christmas at the Monastery — Dec. 8: 3–7 p.m. at 2675 Benet Road, St. Paul. To support the ministries of the Sisters of St. Benedict of St. Paul’s Monastery. tinyurl.com/christmasmonastery2018.

ONLINE: thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions

Retreats School of Discernment — Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. benedictinecenter.org.

Men’s silent weekend retreat – Be Patient in Affliction — Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. kingshouse.com.

Why Are You Still Catholic? — Dec. 1: 9 a.m.– noon at Our Lady of Grace, 5071 Eden Ave., Edina.

An Advent program for women. leagueofcatholicwomen.org.

St. Vincent de Paul Christmas bazaar — Dec. 1: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N., Brooklyn Park. Hosted by the Council of Catholic Women. saintvdp.org.

CALENDAR submissions

Advent day of centering prayer and Lectio Divina — Dec. 5: 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at Christ the King Retreat Center, 622 First Ave. S., Buffalo. kingshouse.com.

Advent silent retreat — Dec. 7-9 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo.

Presented by Susan Stabile. kingshouse.com.

Serenity retreat for those recovering from addiction — Dec. 7-9 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake.

“The Forgotten Heart: Steps 6 and 7” presented by Father Dennis Mason. franciscanretreats.net.

MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106

Singles Solitude and Friendship — Nov. 27: 4–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood.

Singles will be given time to examine their current scripts for living their single lives. benedictinecenter.org.

Schools Chesterton Academy choirs Advent concert — Dec. 1: 7 p.m. at Annunciation, 509 W. 54th St., Minneapolis. Directed by Nicholas Chalmers and Christopher Ganza; performance by St. Cecilia String Academy, led by virtuoso violinist Michael Sobieski. 952-378-1779.

“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” – directed by Tracy and Karen Sattler — Dec. 7, 8, 14 and 15: 7–9:30 p.m. at Holy Family Academy, 5925 W. Lake St., St. Louis Park. spotlightft.wixsite.com/shows.

All Saints Catholic School holiday craft fair — Dec. 9: 10 a.m.–3 p.m. at 19795 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville. school.allsaintschurch.com.

Marketplace • Message Center Classified Ads Email: classifiedads@archspm.org • Phone: 651-290-1631 • Fax: 651-291-4460 Next issue: 12-6-18 • Deadline: 3 p.m. 11-29-18 • Rates: $8 per line (35-40 characters per line) • Add a photo/logo for $25 TheCatholicSpirit.com ACCESSIBILITY SOLUTIONS STAIR LIFTS - ELEVATORS WHEELCHAIR LIFTS FOR HOMES, CHURCHES & SCHOOLS Arrow Lift (763) 786-2780 AGING IN PLACE UNIVERSAL DESIGN/ADA Residential – Commercial CJG Architecture, L.L.C. (952-) 933-4950

ANTIQUES TOP CASH PAID For Older Furniture Advertising Signs • Beer Items • Toys • Misc.

(651) 227-2469

ATTORNEYS Edward F. Gross • Wills, Trusts, Probate, Estate Planning, Real Estate. Office at 35E & Roselawn Ave., St. Paul (651) 631-0616.

CEILING TEXTURE Michaels Painting. Popcorn Removal & Knock Down Texture: TextureCeilings.com (763) 757-3187.

CEMETERY LOTS FOR SALE Resurrection Cemetery, 3 side-by-side lots Value $1740/ea. Price $1400/ea., or best offer (727) 337-3028 Gethsemane Mausoleum: Prime Interior Chapel Aisle, true companion crypt, No. 35, Tier B. Transfer to be handled by cemetery.

Value $22,580; Price $17,500 (651) 260-5869.

Resurrection Cemetery: 1 lot. Value $1740; Price $1300. Sec. 62 Block 8 Lot 14 Grave 1, (651) 674-0720.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Hiring people to join our team as cleaning specialists! We clean mainly residential homes. We provide all the cleaning equipment & supplies to get the job done!

Part- & Full-time hours available between the hours of 8a-4p Monday through Friday.

Email us: corcleaning@yahoo.com (612) 799-1080.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES In search of part-time office coordinator to handle communications, scheduling and database management at St. Frances Cabrini, Mpls. FFI see: http://careers. archspm.org/jobs/office-coordinator-7/

GREAT CATHOLIC SPEAKERS CD of the Month Club Lighthouse Catholic Media, Scott Hahn, Jeff Cavins and more! $5/month includes shipping.

Subscribe online at http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia. org/cdclub Please Enter Code: 1195

HANDYMAN WE DO 1,162 THINGS AROUND THE HOME! Catholic Owned Handyman Business: We will fix/repair and remodel almost anything around the home. Serving entire Metro. Call today.

Mention this ad and receive 10% off labor.

Handyman Matters (651) 784-3777, (952) 946-0088. www.HandymanMatters.com.

HARDWOOD FLOORS

Sweeney’s Hardwood Floors

FALL IS HERE! Spruce up your home with new or refurbished hardwood floors: 10% off labor. Sweeney (651) 485-8187.

PAINTING For painting & all related services. View our website: PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND. COM or call (651) 699-6140.

Merriam Park Painting. Professional Int./ Ext. Painting. WP Hanging. Moderate Prices, Free Estimates. Call Ed (651) 224-3660.

Ask a our 3 bout t speciaime l!

ROOM WANTED

Housekeeper in closed NE Mpls convent seeking room & board in exchange for company and housework. Call Rita (218) 841-5453.

VACATION/FAMILY GETAWAY Knotty Pines Resort, Park Rapids, MN. 1, 2 & 3 bdrm cabins starting at $565/week. www.knottypinesresort.com (800) 392-2410.

Mention this ad for a discount!

WANTED TO BUY Estate & Downsizing: I buy Van Loads and Bicycles. Steve (651) 778-0571.

Michaels Painting. Texture and Repair.

MichaelsPaintingllc.coM. (763) 757-3187.

Dennis Heigl Painting Interior/Exterior Serving Mpls. & suburbs. Free Estimates.

(612) 819-2438

PRAYERS NOTICE: Prayers must be submitted in advance. Payment of $8 per line must be received before publication.

catholichotdish.com

20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

NOVEMBER 22, 2018

THELASTWORD

For love of the kitchen Father Damien Schill works on citron bread Nov. 12 for a family dinner at his Mendota Heights home. In addition to the bread, the menu featured prosciuttowrapped mozzarella, salmon spread, potato soup, Brussels sprouts Dijon, truffle roasted potatoes, bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin with herb stuffing and pumpkin orange cheesecake.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Cookbook expresses VA chaplain’s passion for cooking, hospitality

By Doug Hovelson For The Catholic Spirit

A

nyone who likes good food — and the making of good food — will find a lot to like in the recently published “Cooking and Eating with Father Damien and Friends” cookbook, available now in select bookstores in the Twin Cities and Fargo, North Dakota.

Father Damien Schill, principal author of the book, serves as chief of the chaplain service at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. A North Dakota native, Schill, 62, cut his culinary chops while working as a priest in the Fargo Diocese in the late 1980s and ‘90s. It was there that he met and befriended RaeAnn Lehse, housekeeper and cook for the diocese and, like Father Schill, a lover of the culinary arts.

He and Lehse swapped recipes and cooking ideas for many years, staying in touch even after Father Schill left the Fargo area to serve as chief chaplain for the VA in Philadelphia in 1998. In 2001, the VA relocated him to Minneapolis. The two culinary co-conspirators talked for years about writing a cookbook together, and finally began putting their thoughts on paper a few years back.

Their collaboration began in earnest after Father Schill suffered through a very serious illness that reminded them both of the fleeting nature of time. Then two years ago, Lehse developed breast cancer and died, leaving Father Schill to carry on with their joint project. He had plenty of material on his own but wanted to include Lehse’s recipes as well — if that was her wish.

“I asked her husband if he wanted me to remove her recipes“ from the then-unpublished cookbook, Father Schill said. Her husband, Jim Lehse, assured Father Schill that Lehse would have wanted him to include her work in the book, which he self-published this past Easter.

The present 446-page tome is just the first installation in what is intended to be a three-volume series. Volume one — chockfull of recipes for appetizers, salads, soups, sauces and side dishes preparatory to the main course — sets the table for volume two, with an emphasis on main entrée dishes. Father Schill expects to publish volume two around Easter 2019. Desserts are expected to get their due in volume three in 2020.

Father Schill traces the beginnings of his obsession with food, and more specifically the preparation of food, to his pre-ordination days. Living in Denver, where he worked for the Keebler Corp. and J.C. Penney, he grew fond of hosting food-driven parties. Of the catering costs, however, he was not so fond. That’s when the notion of learning how to cook — to really cook for the satisfaction of others — took hold. “I decided that if you can read, you can cook,” he recalled.

That approach bore fruit when he was ordained for the Diocese of Fargo in 1987. There he helped to organize and produce dinner parties that became an integral part of the community.

Food is the instrument by which Father Schill works to bring forth the gift of hospitality. “Eating doesn’t really interest me that much,” he said. “I really like preparing the food.”

Father Schill admits to not cooking much for himself.

On his own, dinner might consist of a quesadilla, he said with a laugh. It’s the act of cooking for others that he relishes. He works his food-related projects around

his busy schedule for the Minneapolis VA. He is responsible for a staff of 54 employees, including all clergy from other religious denominations based at the Minneapolis VA. In addition to his administrative duties, Father Schill fulfills his role as a Catholic priest within the strictures of the VA system, and under the ecclesial jurisdiction of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA. Given all that, Father Schill still finds time not only to organize and prepare meals for elaborate dinner parties, but also to make a variety of ribbon-worthy homemade jams, jellies, salsas and the like. His plum jam is a three-time Minnesota State Fair ribbon winner.

It all started with a salsa, which he entered in a northern Minnesota county fair contest on a whim. No one was more surprised than he when the salsa earned a ribbon. Now he’s piled up a bounty of about 150 ribbons for his homemade delights.

The preparation and serving of food have reverential qualities that Father Schill lovingly honors. “As Catholics,” he said, “everything for us revolves around the eucharistic sacrament. Jesus himself shares a lot of meals, as we see through the Scriptures — although he doesn’t prepare them.”

Father Schill’s giving role extends to preparing seasonal specialties such as fruit cakes.

“I’m not really a fruit cake guy myself,” he said. But his personal physician is — and so for him, he prepares a sumptuous fruit cake, replete with real fruit, for Christmas. It’s a fruit cake for people who actually like fruit cake. “No preservatives, so it won’t last a hundred years,” Father Schill quipped.

While not quite as ambitious at hosting large dinner parties as he did in his Fargo heyday, Father Schill still puts on three or four “major” dinner parties a year with 60 to 70 guests. He also gives many smaller dinner parties throughout the year, such as a recent gathering for Veterans Day. “Cooking and Eating with Father Damien and Friends” retails for $25. Sales barely cover the printing costs, Father Schill said. He does all the work in getting the books ready for publication, including typing the recipes. And since he self-publishes, he pays all the printing costs.

“It’s never been about the money,” he said of his interest in sharing his lore and love of cooking.

Unsure about how well the first volume of the “Cooking “ trilogy would sell, he only printed 350 copies.

“I’m surprised at the reaction in the market to the book,” he said. “I thought I would be giving them out for Christmas presents for the next 20 years.” Instead, only about 60 copies remain unsold.

Locally, “Cooking and Eating with Father Damien and Friends” can be purchased at St. Patrick’s Guild and Leaflet Missal, both in St. Paul.

Prices starting at $2,499 ~ with Airfare Included in this price from anywhere in the USA

Several trips to different destinations: the Holy Land; Italy; France; Portugal; Spain; Poland; Medjugorje; Lourdes; Fatima; Ireland; Scotland; England; Austria; Germany; Switzerland; Turkey; Greece; Budapest; Prague; Our Lady of Guadalupe; Colombia; Brazil; Argentina; Domestic Destinations; etc.

We also specialize in custom trips for Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.

Call us 24/7 508-340-9370 or 855-842-8001 www.proximotravel.com anthony@proximotravel.com (Hablamos Español)

NOTICE

Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from

CATHOLIC CHARITIES

in all copies of this issue.