November 5, 2020 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Serving Venezuela Priests of the archdiocese build 50-year legacy of ministry in South American country, with relationships built between local Catholics and parish of Jesucristo Resucitado in San Felix. — Pages 10-11
Columnist Liedl: How the election doesn’t change anything — Page 17
Year of St. Joseph
Enrollment hike More students are filling classrooms of local Catholic schools, causing excitement and hope that the uptick will continue after COVID-19 pandemic ends. — Page 5
Pope said what? Remarks by Pope Francis presented in recent documentary stir tension and controversy about his stance on civil unions, as Vatican officials work to provide clarity and context. — Page 9
Vocation trifecta St. Stephen in Anoka celebrates ordinations of three parishioners who followed calling to religious life. — Page 13
Personal consecration prep begins Nov. 6
Miraculous mettle Former Marine survives landmine blast while wearing Marian medal, resolves to follow God and becomes Catholic in the years that follow.
— Page 6
— Page 20
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Twin Cities artist painted the image above of the Holy Family for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Year of St. Joseph. The artist, who wishes to remain anonymous, was inspired by ideas about Joseph that came from the Synod Prayer Team. The painting is titled “Light for the Next Step” to emphasize Joseph’s “ready obedience to the Lord’s command,” the artist wrote in a statement about the artwork. “The image that kept coming to the forefront for the (prayer) group was that of Joseph and Mary making the journey to Bethlehem, where our Lord was to be
born,” the artist wrote. “Knowing that this image would most likely be used on prayer cards which are very small, it seemed important to zoom in on Mary and Joseph and Jesus rather than to try to incorporate the surrounding scene. There is the suggestion that Mary is on a donkey and that there are trees in the background, but the details are left largely to the imagination of the viewer. Rather, the intention is to emphasize the relationships between these three people. “Jesus is hidden in the womb, yet very prominent,” the artist continued. “Mary, leaning back against Joseph, is looking at us and drawing us in. She is free to do
so, because she knows that Joseph will take care of her and Jesus and be their guide for the journey. Joseph’s left arm is supporting Mary and she is pressing his right hand tight to her womb.” Although the source of the light Joseph is following is not in the painting, it’s reflected on his face, the artist explained. “He will follow it to a cave in Bethlehem where he will witness the birth of his Savior and Lord, indeed the Savior of the world.” Read more about the Year of St. Joseph, which begins Dec. 8, on page 6. — The Catholic Spirit
2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
PAGETWO NEWS notes
$751,101
The amount raised by donors of DeLaSalle High School during the Minneapolis Catholic school’s first virtual Christian Brothers’ Gala Oct. 10. This year’s gala, which included student testimonials and a live auction, attracted 463 viewers from 18 states and the United Kingdom. The Christian Brothers of the Midwest provided the largest gift: $125,000. The annual fundraiser is the school’s largest for student scholarships, and it continued an upward trend in proceeds, with last year’s event raising $538,000 and the 2018 gala raising $406,000. DeLaSalle provides $3.3 million annually in grants and scholarships to students who qualify for need-based financial aid. The fundraising success also follows the school’s success last spring in raising more than $178,000 to help more than 100 families experiencing economic hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic.
7 COURTESY MARK McCARTY
WARMHEARTED MASS Father Bob White, left, pastor of St. Victoria in St. Victoria, and Deacon Ray Ortman lift the body and blood of Christ as snow falls during an outdoor Mass in the church parking lot Oct. 25. With parishioners pulling up lawn chairs, the parish has been celebrating an outdoor Sunday Mass since May to allow people concerned about COVID-19 to attend an in-person Mass. It plans to continue to offer an outdoor Mass as long as it can into the winter. Currently the parish offers weekend Masses with one indoor, one livestreamed and two outdoors.
COATS FOR KIDS From left, Emanuel, his mother, Sonia Parra, and his sister, Lupita, get some help for the coming winter Oct. 24 from the Knights of Columbus at a Coats for Kids giveaway at Holy Rosary in Minneapolis. With each local Knights council’s coat purchase matched by the Knights’ national organization, these Holy Rosary parishioners are among nearly 3,000 children across the state benefiting from the Knights’ coats this year. The Minnesota Knights made this special effort as part of the Knights’ “No Neighbor Left Behind” program in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Patrick Farrelly, the Knights’ Minnesota state membership director and co-chair of the state effort, said that by taking on this project, the Knights also are honoring their founder, Father Michael McGivney, who was beatified Oct. 31 in Hartford, Connecticut.
7
The number of months Open Window Theatre went without live performances because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. But in-person performances have returned with the production through Nov. 29 of “Lolek,” a story about Pope St. John Paul’s II’s experience as a young man during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Performances of the three-person play, written by co-founder and executive artistic director Jeremy Stanbary, are being offered at the Inver Grove Heights theater both in-person and online, and could continue into the new year. The theater was founded in 2011 to bring art together with a Catholic worldview. More information about the theater, performance schedules and tickets can be found at openwindowtheatre.org.
19
The number of songs on the “Catholic Young Adults: The Musical” album just released on streaming platforms and for purchase. Recorded with the original live cast from the locally written and produced musical performed in St. Paul last fall, songs include “Catholic Lady,” “Save the Parish” and “Start Again” for a total of 63 minutes of music. Father Kyle Kowalczyk, pastor of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano, wrote the script for the musical, which drew sold-out audiences over two weekends. It was directed by Mary Shaffer, a parishioner of St. Michael in Stillwater. Music was composed by former Twin Cities resident Brother John-Marmion Villa. Plans to perform another run of the show have been postponed due to COVID-19.
in REMEMBRANCE Deacon Cross ministered in three dioceses The Catholic Spirit
COURTESY JUAN CUZCO
REDISCOVER:Hour On the show that aired Oct. 23, Bishop Andrew Cozzens discusses the importance of Respect Life Month in October. Rediscover:Hour host Patrick Conley interviews Jason Adkins about faithful citizenship and forming consciences when it comes to voting. And Zach Jansen joins Conley for a look into the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ archives to learn about saints who had special ties to Minnesota. Listen each week on Fridays at 9 p.m., Saturdays at 1 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. (Note some times have changed.) Find past shows at rediscoverhour.archspm.org.
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The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
United in Faith, Hope and Love
The number of schools being served by Teach for Christ, a mission organization based in Hopkins that recruits and trains college graduates to serve as teachers, assistant teachers, tutors and marketers for Catholic schools. A growing ministry, it is now accepting applications from graduates for this January as well as for the next school year. Schools currently being served are Ascension and St. John Paul II Catholic Preparatory in Minneapolis, St. Peter Claver in St. Paul, Chesterton Academy in Hopkins, St. Jerome in Maplewood, Holy Family Academy in St. Louis Park and Marquette Catholic in Virginia, Minnesota.
Vol. 25 — No. 21 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor-in-Chief JOE RUFF, News Editor
Deacon Robert Cross, 95, who served the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Diocese of Sioux Falls in South Dakota and the Diocese of Marquette in Michigan, died Oct. 23 on the farm of one of his daughters near Marshall, Minnesota. A native of Kenosha, Wisconsin, Deacon Cross served 32 months in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. Ordained a Baptist minister in 1953, he was accepted into the Presbyterian faith as a minister in 1957, where he served for 10 years. He and his family converted to Catholicism in 1971.
He was ordained a deacon for the archdiocese in 1976 and served in several parishes, including the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, St. Joseph in Taylors Falls, St. Francis Xavier in Shafer and St. Peter in Forest Lake. He moved to South Dakota in 1995 and served as a deacon in the Diocese of Sioux Falls. In 1998, he moved to a home on Lake Michigan, where he served in Manistique, Michigan. He and his late wife, Nancy, had 12 children, including four children who were adopted as orphans. His funeral Mass was Oct. 31 at St. Joseph in Taylors Falls. Deacon Cross was interred at Franconia Cemetery in Franconia.
Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year; seniors, 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 5, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3
FROMTHEBISHOP ONLY JESUS | BISHOP ANDREW COZZENS
Saints will be the answer to the problems of our culture
L
ast Sunday we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints, which is always for me one of the most inspiring feast days of the year. It reminds me that I am not alone and that I am surrounded always by this “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1) who are members of the same Church as I am, and who are not only models for me but friends who are helping me to attain the goal of my life. The goal of my life, by virtue of my baptism, is to become holy, in imitation of the holiness of Jesus. One of the greatest renewals that came from the Second Vatican Council was emphasis on the fact that every member of the Church is called to holiness. “The Church, whose mystery is being set forth by this Sacred Synod, is believed to be indefectibly holy. Indeed Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is praised as ‘uniquely holy,’ loved the Church as His bride, delivering Himself up for her. He did this that He might sanctify her. … Therefore in the Church, everyone, whether belonging to the hierarchy, or being cared for by it, is called to holiness, according to the saying of the Apostle: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (“Lumen Gentium,” 39). We are living in tumultuous times. The pandemic that continues to profoundly affect our daily lives, the violence and the breakdown in morality that has wracked
our country, the many tensions including racial ones that continue to divide us, and of course the tumultuous election — which, as I write these words, is still undecided. I believe that politics and other social movements, important as they may be, cannot save our crumbling culture. The problems of our culture, like those of every time, are rooted in sin, which is the great divider and destroyer of life. If sin is the real problem, and we cannot legislate it away, then what will save our culture? The answer is people bringing the truth, the love, the goodness of Jesus Christ into our culture, which overcomes sin and transforms ordinary humans into saints. What is a saint? Saints have been captured by the merciful love of God manifested in Jesus Christ and desire in gratitude to imitate Jesus Christ as his faithful disciple in everything they do. Saints are also sinners, but they know the joy of being forgiven and have entered fully into the daily struggle of seeking to be holy in every aspect of their lives. They love virtue and seek to grow in its practice daily. Of course, they begin to live their daily lives through the strength of the three great virtues of faith, hope and love. But they also love virtues particularly lacking in our modern culture like humility, chastity, temperance, prudence, courage and perseverance. There has never been a saint who did not have a deep personal relationship with God in prayer, and through daily spending time with God in prayer and meditating on his word they develop a supernatural
outlook, which allows them to see the problems of our modern culture from God’s perspective. Led by the Holy Spirit, they learn to give their whole lives in fidelity to God’s particular call for them, whether that is serving the poor daily, being the best lawyer or judge they can be, bringing the love of God to medicine as doctors or nurses, teaching and forming children in the home, counseling women considering abortion, or an infinite number of things, always using the particular gifts God has given to them. Again, to quote Vatican II: “This holiness of the Church is unceasingly manifested, and must be manifested, in the fruits of grace which the Spirit produces in the faithful; it is expressed in many ways in individuals, who in their walk of life, tend toward the perfection of charity, thus causing the edification of others” (“Lumen Gentium,” 39). Saints are the most joyful people on earth because they have discovered and are living the true meaning of their lives. Through prayer they have learned to model their lives on the paschal mystery and they begin to see their daily sufferings as their participation in Christ’s suffering. This makes their suffering deeply meaningful because they know that through uniting their sufferings to Christ’s at holy Mass, it is fruitful for the whole world just as his was. Nothing can conquer this joy of knowing that their lives are part of the great work of redemption that Jesus began with his incarnation and continues in his Church throughout all time. This is why the
universal testimony of the martyrs is that they went to their death with joy! For saints, even the greatest evil of death becomes another step toward union with the one they love. The great mystery of human life is that we were created by God to be saints. As St. John Henry Newman said, “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission.” Thus, the only real tragedy in life is not to fulfill this mission from God. What a sad thing it would be to die and to meet God and to have him say to me, “Look at all the wonderful things I wanted to do through you, if only you would have listened to me more in prayer.” What must we do? Each of us must commit ourselves to fulfilling this Godgiven mission we have. It begins when I honestly look at my life and ask myself: Is holiness, imitation of Jesus Christ, the real goal of all my life? Am I doing everything I can to love the Lord, my God, with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind, and to love my neighbor as myself?” If I’m not doing this, then my life has to change, today. I need to seek out those who can help me do this. It will certainly be difficult, but not impossible. And it is important to remember the saying my mom always told me, “If you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.” Let’s be saints and be part of God’s plan to heal our world.
Los santos serán la respuesta a los problemas de nuestra cultura
ha sacudido a nuestro país, las muchas tensiones, incluidas las raciales, que siguen dividiéndonos y, por supuesto, las tumultuosas elecciones, que, mientras escribo estas palabras, todavía está indeciso. Creo que la política y otros movimientos sociales, por importantes que sean, no pueden salvar nuestra cultura en ruinas. Los problemas de nuestra cultura, como los de todos los tiempos, tienen su raíz en el pecado, que es el gran divisor y destructor de la vida. Si el pecado es el verdadero problema y no podemos eliminarlo por ley, ¿qué salvará nuestra cultura? La respuesta es que la gente traiga la verdad, el amor y la bondad de Jesucristo a nuestra cultura, que vence el pecado y transforma a los seres humanos comunes en santos. ¿Qué es un santo? Los santos han sido capturados por el amor misericordioso de Dios manifestado en Jesucristo y desean en gratitud imitar a Jesucristo como su fiel discípulo en todo lo que hacen. Los santos también son pecadores, pero conocen el gozo de ser perdonados y han entrado de lleno en la lucha diaria de buscar ser santos en todos los aspectos de sus vidas. Aman la virtud y buscan crecer en su práctica a diario. Por supuesto, comienzan a vivir su vida diaria a través de la fuerza de las tres grandes virtudes de la fe, la esperanza y el amor. Pero también aman las virtudes que carecen particularmente en nuestra cultura moderna como la humildad, la castidad, la templanza, la prudencia, el coraje y la perseverancia. Nunca ha habido un santo que no haya tenido una relación personal profunda con Dios en la oración, y a través del tiempo diario con Dios en oración y meditando en su palabra, desarrollan una perspectiva
sobrenatural, que les permite ver los problemas de nuestra cultura moderna. desde la perspectiva de Dios. Guiados por el Espíritu Santo, aprenden a entregar toda su vida en fidelidad al llamado particular de Dios para ellos, ya sea sirviendo a los pobres diariamente, siendo el mejor abogado o juez que puedan ser, llevando el amor de Dios a la medicina como médicos o enfermeras , enseñar y formar hijos en el hogar, aconsejar a las mujeres que están considerando el aborto, o una infinidad de cosas, siempre usando los dones particulares que Dios les ha dado. Nuevamente, para citar al Vaticano II: “Esta santidad de la Iglesia se manifiesta incesantemente, y debe manifestarse, en los frutos de la gracia que el Espíritu produce en los fieles; se expresa de muchas formas en los individuos, que en su camino de la vida, tienden a la perfección de la caridad, provocando así la edificación de los demás” (“Lumen gentium,” 39). Los santos son las personas más alegres de la tierra porque han descubierto y están viviendo el verdadero significado de sus vidas. A través de la oración han aprendido a modelar su vida en el misterio pascual y comienzan a ver sus sufrimientos diarios como su participación en el sufrimiento de Cristo. Esto hace que su sufrimiento sea profundamente significativo porque saben que uniendo sus sufrimientos con los de Cristo en la santa Misa, es fecundo para todo el mundo como lo fue el suyo. Nada puede conquistar esta alegría de saber que sus vidas son parte de la gran obra de redención que Jesús inició con su encarnación y continúa en su Iglesia a lo largo de todos los tiempos. ¡Por eso el testimonio universal de los mártires es que fueron a la muerte con alegría! Para los
santos, incluso el mayor mal de la muerte se convierte en un paso más hacia la unión con el que aman.
E
l domingo pasado celebramos la Solemnidad de Todos los Santos, que siempre es para mí una de las fiestas más inspiradoras del año. Me recuerda que no estoy solo y que siempre estoy rodeado de esta “gran nube de testigos” (Heb. 12:1) que son miembros de la misma Iglesia que yo, y que no solo son modelos para mí, sino amigos. Que me están ayudando a alcanzar la meta de mi vida. El objetivo de mi vida, en virtud de mi bautismo, es llegar a ser santo, a imitación de la santidad de Jesús. Una de las mayores renovaciones que vino del Concilio Vaticano II fue el énfasis en el hecho de que cada miembro de la Iglesia está llamado a la santidad. “Se cree que la Iglesia, cuyo misterio expone este Sagrado Sínodo, es indefectiblemente santa. De hecho, Cristo, el Hijo de Dios, quien con el Padre y el Espíritu es alabado como “singularmente santo”, amó a la Iglesia como Su esposa, entregándose a Sí mismo por ella. Hizo esto para poder santificarla. ... Por tanto, en la Iglesia, todo el que pertenece a la jerarquía o es cuidado por ella, está llamado a la santidad, según el dicho del Apóstol: “Porque esta es la voluntad de Dios, vuestra santificación” (“Lumen Gentium,” 39). Vivimos tiempos convulsos. La pandemia que sigue afectando profundamente nuestra vida cotidiana, la violencia y la ruptura de la moral que
El gran misterio de la vida humana es que fuimos creados por Dios para ser santos. Como dijo St. John Henry Newman, “Dios me ha creado para hacerle un servicio definido. Me ha encomendado un trabajo que no ha encomendado a otro. Tengo mi misión”. Por tanto, la única tragedia real en la vida es no cumplir esta misión de Dios. Qué triste sería morir y encontrarme con Dios y que él me dijera: “Mira todas las cosas maravillosas que quería hacer a través de ti, si tan solo me hubieras escuchado más en oración”. ¿Qué debemos hacer? Cada uno de nosotros debe comprometerse a cumplir esta misión que Dios nos ha dado. Empieza cuando miro mi vida con sinceridad y me pregunto, ¿es la santidad, la imitación de Jesucristo, la meta real de toda mi vida? ¿Estoy haciendo todo lo que puedo para amar al Señor, mi Dios, con todo mi corazón, con toda mi alma y con toda mi mente y amar a mi prójimo como a mí mismo? Si no estoy haciendo esto, entonces mi vida tiene que cambiar hoy. Necesito buscar a aquellos que puedan ayudarme a hacer esto. Sin duda será difícil pero no imposible. Y es importante recordar el dicho que mi mamá siempre me decía: “Si no eres parte de la solución, eres parte del problema”. Seamos santos y seamos parte del plan de Dios para sanar nuestro mundo. Los santos son las personas más alegres de la tierra porque han descubierto y están viviendo el verdadero significado de sus vidas.
SLICEof LIFE
4 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
LOCAL
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
Banner day
SLICEof LIFE
Askari Imani, right, of EMERGE Community Development in Minneapolis gives a peace sign Oct. 22 as he holds a banner addressing a spate of violence in north Minneapolis. The banner was unfurled and blessed in front of Sojourner Truth Academy, across the street from St. Bridget in north Minneapolis. It has been hung across the street as a message of peace and to emphasize the connection between the parish and school and the ways both are working to help make the neighborhood safe. “I dropped everything I was doing to be here,” Imani said of the Oct. 22 blessing. “I had other things on my agenda today, but this took precedence because it’s very, very important to me.” The event was organized by Joni Sandlin, St. Bridget parish administrator, who invited other local churches and organizations to participate. “We know that by putting this banner up that things aren’t going to change overnight. From condos to castles, But, we’re going to be deliberate performance exceeds promise in saying we not only want peace, Kathy Kueppers DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT but we’re going to work for peace,” said. Needs for all Your Buying andsheSelling
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LOCAL
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5
Enrollment is up in Catholic schools — especially in earliest grades, office reports By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit The number of students in kindergarten to grade eight at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Roseville has jumped by more than 50 this year, and many of them didn’t enroll until the end of August. That meant teachers scrambled to order new textbooks and Chromebooks to meet students’ needs, said Principal Sean Slaikeu, but it’s been a welcome challenge. He capped classroom size at 18 due to COVID-19 precautions. There's now a waiting list for grades three and six. “It's been awesome,” he said of the enrollment boost, which brought the school’s K-8 student body to 135, compared with 78 students at the same time last year. It would be easy to attribute the uptick solely to COVID-19 and his school’s in-person instruction, when other schools are doing distance-learning or hybrid learning, he said. But he thinks the school has attracted families with its reputation for quality education. “What we’re hearing is that COVID has impacted people looking for schools with smaller class sizes, and we committed to being open,” Slaikeu said. “But the things that we’ve been doing for the past many years have put us in the position for this.” Enrollment is up at Catholic schools across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, according to its Office for the Mission of Catholic Education. The overall increase is the first in recent history for Catholic schools in the archdiocese’s 12-county area, the office said. Office leaders observed the 4.4% increase through its annual Archdiocesan Schools Report, which the office uses to collect school data in October each year. The 91 elementary and high schools reported a total of 26,106 students enrolled in kindergarten to grade 12 at the beginning of the 2020-21 academic year — up 1,096 from the year before. In an Oct. 26 letter to Catholic school leaders with an “initial enrollment snapshot,” office leaders noted that
this year’s boost in enrollment may affect future years. Most Catholic schools in the archdiocese returned to in-person learning, while many public schools did not. “We did see an increase in the number of families who were seeking the essential service of education and a partner in the education of their children,” Slattery said. “Those families have clearly connected with Catholic schools who remain committed, following COVID preparedness plans, to providing in-person learning for students.” Alison Dahlman, principal of St. Peter Catholic School in North St. Paul, said that her school’s enrollment for grades kindergarten to eight has held steady this year. What is unusual, she said, is that the school has had more inquiries and student transfers after the start of the academic year than in years past. “In talking with these families, they’re either growing very weary of the hybrid model they signed up for and it’s just not working, or their (public school) district is going from hybrid to distance (learning) and they just don’t want to do that, or there’s frustration with whatever’s happening — be it hybrid, be it distance — with their school,” she said. Dahlman said there’s a question around whether students who have joined Catholic schools this year because they’ve offered an in-person learning option will stick with Catholic schools post-pandemic. Catholic schools have to figure out how to show those families their value, even as they can’t offer the regular community building that would deepen families’ connection to the school. “How can our Catholic culture actually lead to some conversion of wanting to stay? That’s the huge task that we all have upon us, so that next year — or whenever — we don’t see that gain of 1,000 go to a loss of 600, and have this swing,” she said of schools across the archdiocese. “Because what we have to offer is unique and distinct compared to what they (students) were receiving.”
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
From left, identical twins Olivia and Maria Younce, first-graders at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Roseville Oct. 30. “enrollment by grade level is particularly meaningful.” Kindergarten enrollment has increased from last year by almost 400 students, a nearly 40% boost. First- and second-grade enrollment both report an increase of more than 200 students, resulting in an increase of more than 10%. Combined, the enrollment of those three grades account for nearly 80% of the total enrollment growth, office leaders said. They said “it is a great blessing to have reversed a steady trend of decreasing enrollment across the K-12 system of Catholic schools of the Archdiocese.” Enrollment in grades K-12 has declined in recent years. Total enrollment in 2016-17 was 26,282, and it has fallen by several hundred in each subsequent year prior to this year. A graph of enrollment in the previous five years shared with the letter shows a slight decrease in grades six and seven this year over last year, but total enrollment is up in both categories of grades kindergarten to eight and nine to 12. However, enrollment varies by school. Some experienced continued enrollment decline. Jason Slattery, director of Catholic schools in the archdiocese, said he can’t speculate to what extent the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the numbers, or how
Father Gamber remembered for priestly service, restoring historic homes By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit Father William Gamber, remembered as a “priest’s priest and a people’s priest” for his service, also loved to restore old homes, cementing a strong memory for Father David Blume, director of vocations in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “He was 85 or so, up on a ladder, painting the eaves of the house,” after some restoration work, Father Blume said of Father Gamber, who died Oct. 24 at age 91. “I said, ‘Bill, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.’ He said, ‘Oh, I’m doing fine.’” That house was in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, the town where Father Gamber grew up and returned in 1996 after retiring from 32 years of active ministry in the archdiocese. He returned to take care of his aging mother, who died at 98 in 2002. The historic house had been moved to a nearby city, but Father Gamber bought it, had it brought back to town, restored and lived in it. The same energy Father Gamber had for housing projects he poured into his priestly ministry, Father Blume said. Even in retirement, he continued to concelebrate Masses, hear confessions, visit the ill in hospitals and support vocations at Our Lady of Victory in Fergus Falls, he said. Father Gamber also traveled often from Fergus Falls to the Twin Cities to visit friends, attend funerals and events. “He wanted to serve God until his last breath. He did that in whatever way he could,” said Father Blume, who got to
know Father Gamber about 12 years ago and visited him regularly. Father Blume gave the homily at Father Gamber’s funeral Mass Oct. 29 at Our Lady of Victory. Archbishop Bernard Hebda celebrated the Mass. Father Gamber’s ministry to others included enlisting in the Navy in 1950 after FATHER attending a college WILLIAM GAMBER seminary for two years. He served four years in Hawaii before enrolling at the then-College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, graduating and entering The St. Paul Seminary in 1959. Ordained in 1964, he served at Holy Spirit, then-St. Therese and thenSt. Vincent de Paul, all in St. Paul, and at then-St. John the Baptist in Hugo, the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis and St. John the Baptist in New Brighton. He also was a chaplain at the veteran’s medical center in Minneapolis. Father Alan Wielinski, pastor of Our Lady of Victory, said he was a transitional deacon at the parish in 1983 when he first met Father Gamber on one of the priest’s frequent visits to Fergus Falls. Now as pastor, he was privileged to have Father Gamber’s assistance the last seven years at the parish, Father Wielinski said. “He was a priest’s priest and a people’s priest, both,” Father Wielinski said. “He loved the Church and he exuded gratitude to God for his many gifts and the long life that he enjoyed.”
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6 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
LOCAL
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
Year of St. Joseph to begin with archdiocesan consecration Dec. 8 Bishops encourage preparation with 33-day guide for personal consecration
YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH AND THE SYNOD The archdiocese’s Year of St. Joseph is tied to the pre-synod process, which it began in June 2019. Following the first year, which included 30 Prayer and Listening Events held around the archdiocese to pray and gather feedback from local Catholics, the second year has included two virtual series, “Praying with Scripture” and “Healing and Hope.” Also planned are a five-part, catechetical “Faith and Culture Series” in January and February, and a “Synod at Home” program in Lent. The synod itself is scheduled for May 2022, and will help Archbishop Bernard Hebda develop a pastoral plan for the archdiocese.
By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit After completing a personal consecration to St. Joseph in March, Anne Marie Hansen felt so richly blessed by the experience that she bought 500 copies of the 33-day guide to give to family, friends, coworkers, neighbors and anyone she sensed needed to read it. By late October, the stash had dwindled to half a dozen. “I love St. Joseph,” said Hansen, 47, a parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. “He has been such a large presence in my life as really a father.” Around the time she bought the books, she also asked Archbishop Bernard Hebda to consider designating a Year of St. Joseph in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. She wasn’t the only one. “Dozens” of Catholics in the archdiocese had reached out to him with similar ideas, Archbishop Hebda said, ever since the January release of “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father” by Father Donald Calloway, a priest of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. Archbishop Hebda noted that fellow U.S. bishops have championed the book and the fruits of placing their dioceses under the patronage of Jesus’ foster father. Among them are Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, who in March declared a Year of St. Joseph for his diocese, and Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona, who is encouraging individuals and families to pray the consecration. Meanwhile, Archbishop Hebda and the Synod Prayer Team had already been contemplating placing the next step in the pre-synod process under the patronage of St. Joseph. The first part of the process was under the patronage of Mary, Mother of the Church. The archbishop called the Synod team’s discernment and the separate encouragement from other Catholics “parallel tracks” leading to a local observance. Last month, Archbishop Hebda announced that the archdiocese will celebrate its own Year of St. Joseph beginning Dec. 8. It aims to place the archdiocese and its next phase of the pre-synod process under St. Joseph’s patronage and guidance. Because Joseph was so willing to follow God’s direction, he’s a model for the whole Church, Archbishop Hebda said. Archbishop Hebda hopes that the saint can unite the archdiocesan family in the Synod process. “It gives us that opportunity for the whole archdiocese to reflect on St. Joseph’s role,” he said. “We look to him as protector and guide of the Church, as he cared for the Holy Family. We are looking for that same kind of guidance (because) this is a significant year in the pre-synod process.” Archbishop Hebda will formally inaugurate the Year of St. Joseph and consecrate the archdiocese to St. Joseph Dec. 8, the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St. Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church. The consecration will take place 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. It will be livestreamed on the Cathedral’s Facebook page. The day is also the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, when the Church celebrates that Mary was conceived without original sin. Archbishop Hebda noted that a consecration to St. Joseph doesn’t detract from a consecration to Mary — a devotion especially promoted by St. Louis de Montfort, who died in 1716, and whose 33-day model Father Calloway followed with his guide to a St. Joseph consecration. Archbishop Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens have invited the faithful to anticipate the archdiocesan consecration with a 33-day preparation period for an individual consecration to St. Joseph using Father Calloway’s “Consecration to St. Joseph” guide. (See sidebar.) That preparation begins Nov. 6. The archdiocesan consecration is “a formal request for his intercession and dedicating ourselves to following his model as the Church,” Archbishop Hebda said. For individuals, it’s “a way in which we renew our commitment to the Church,” he said.
In August, Archbishop Hebda identified three focus areas for the synod, developed from information gained at the Prayer and Listening Events. They are: u Forming parishes that are at the service of evangelization. u Forming missionary disciples who know Jesus’ love and respond to his call. u Forming youth and young adults in and for a Church that is always young. Father Joseph Bambenek, the archdiocesan Synod’s assistant director, said that Joseph is an appropriate patron for “a year of preparation” in the Synod process, as the archdiocese looks ahead to a “rebirth” in the life of the local Church. “Joseph was Jesus’ protector during his 30 years of preparation,” he said. “He was Mary and Jesus’ protector during the nine months of pregnancy. He was their guide and protector on the way to Bethlehem, and then to Egypt and back to Nazareth. … It’s fitting as we’re looking to go out and to bring people to Jesus, that Joseph who was the protector during all of that time would be the patron.” For more information, visit archspm.org/synod/stjoseph. CNS
This is the cover of “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father” by Marian Father Donald Calloway. Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens are encouraging Catholics to use the book as a guide for a personal consecration ahead of the Dec. 8 consecration of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to St. Joseph. The book can be found online and at local Catholic bookstores. While he has his own hopes for the archdiocese’s consecration to St. Joseph, Archbishop Hebda expects individuals to bring their own vision to their personal consecration and expectations for the year. Hansen, who is chairwoman of the archdiocese’s committee on the Year of St. Joseph, said that she hopes it will bring about a greater sense of fatherhood in the priesthood, and repair a relationship between priests and laity she sees weakened by the clergy sexual abuse crisis. She said she is a survivor of years of clergy abuse as a child. Her love of St. Joseph began in her childhood and gave her hope despite the abuse, she said. She’s deepened her relationship with the saint as an adult, and her consecration in March was actually a formal reconsecration, she said. She participated in a group Father Calloway led online. Today, her devotion to St. Joseph includes appealing to his patronage for “a happy death” in her work as founder and CEO of Minnetonka-based Gianna Homes, which offers in-home and residential care for people with dementia. “I think it will be such a gift for our archdiocese,” Hansen said of the consecration. There are “so many people who are hurting, there’s been so many lost to death with COVID, there’s so much fear, there’s jobs (uncertainty). … There’s something St. Joseph gives, at least in my experience: hope.” Hansen is working with Father Joseph Bambenek, the Synod’s assistant director, and others to discern how the year will be observed. Events beyond the consecration are yet to be determined, but committee members noted that some may be tied to the nine parishes in the archdiocese dedicated to St. Joseph. Those parishes are in Lino Lakes, Maple Grove, Miesville, New Hope, Red Wing, Rosemount, Taylors Falls, Waconia and West St. Paul.
— Maria Wiering
SEEKING SPIRITUAL CARE Marian Father Donald Calloway believes the Holy Spirit wants to draw Catholics’ attention to St. Joseph, husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus, “in a major way.” “We need to entrust ourselves to his spiritual care at this very difficult time in the world and in the Church,” the priest told Catholic News Service in February, a month after the publication of his book, “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father.” “In ages past whenever there was some difficulty the Church was involved in, popes and saints would turn to Our Lady as a remedy,” he explained. “This remains necessary for our times as well, of course, but today when so many families lack a father, scandals among clergy — our spiritual fathers — have occurred in the Church, we need to look to St. Joseph for answers.” In his book, Father Calloway outlines a 33-day preparation period in Part 1, includes several readings on the “Wonders of Our Spiritual Father” in Part 2 and several prayers to St. Joseph in Part 3. He said Catholics need only consider the many titles of St. Joseph to see why he is the role model for these times. He was the head of the Holy Family, of course, but he also has been called “Pillar of Families,” “Glory of Domestic Life,” “Guardian of Virgins” and “Terror of Demons,” the priest said. “He is still under-appreciated because most Catholics have the wrong impression of St. Joseph,” Father Calloway said. “Most Catholics think he was an old man and previously married to another woman — with other children from that marriage — before he espoused Our Lady. These ideas are completely false and have never been the teaching of the Church. “What consecration to St. Joseph seeks to do is give the faithful a true image of St. Joseph: a young, virginal and strong husband and father.” — Catholic News Service Read or listen to Catholic Spirit Editor-in-Chief Maria Wiering’s interview with Father Donald Calloway at TheCatholicSpirit.com.
LOCAL
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7
Pandemic’s toll: Catholic parishes, organizations help people find jobs By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
For nearly a year, Kimberly Burns was without a job. Laid off as an executive assistant at a health insurance company in September 2019, the Plymouth resident’s search for work continued for almost a year. Meanwhile, businesses and restaurants, movie theaters and department stores, schools and other establishments temporarily closed or personnel worked from home to help prevent spread of the novel coronavirus. Since the start of the pandemic, business activity and the economy have remained uncertain. According to the most recent data, unemployment in Minnesota was double in September what it was one year ago that same month — 6% versus 3.2%. Emails, virtual meetings on the internet and telephone calls have replaced many in-person job interviews. Interviews conducted in person also have drawbacks, such as the need for face coverings and social distancing, further complicating the search for work, Burns said. “It was utterly hard,” she said. “I tried to keep my attitude up, worrying and praying. I kept saying, ‘The only way to climb this mountain is one step at a time.’” She had help — from her husband, Derek, who continued to work, and from her faith as a Catholic. Burns, who attends Mass at St. Joseph in New Hope and the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, also found a dynamic and supportive career transition, job networking and accountability group at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina, on the border with Plymouth. Led the last six years by Mike Bangasser, a member of Holy Name and owner of a manufacturing equipment company in Plymouth, the ministry had been part of Holy Name for at least 10 years before he took over. The group primarily helps people find entry- to midlevel white-collar work by helping job searchers develop interview skills, hone resumes and foster contacts with people that can lead to jobs. People don’t have to be parishioners or Catholic to participate. A 2018 Catholic Spirit Leading with Faith Award winner, Bangasser said he got involved after finding an employee for his company with assistance from Holy Name’s ministry. “I thought I should give back and help the group,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for quite a few years and I love it. It’s great to meet new people.”
Networking Maintaining and increasing job-related contacts is key to an effective job search, he said. Many people who have had success report having met someone who knew someone who knew of a job — and even the person doing the hiring — which led to a good position, he said. Bangasser’s group is one of several faith-based, job search groups in the Twin Cities. The Basilica of St. Mary, St. Joseph Business Guild in North St. Paul and Grace Church in Eden Prairie are just three examples of groups that help people find work. There also are governmentsponsored job search programs, and people receiving unemployment assistance are required to stay active in the job hunt. Bangasser and others encourage people to use any avenue available. Burns said she used government-supported and other job search tools. “A parish-based group felt more like a community or family,” she said. Before the pandemic, Bangasser’s career transitions group met every third Thursday at Holy Name, and his accountability group, intended for those seeking weekly support, for about an hour each Tuesday at his business. The ministry turned to virtual meetings with the statewide shutdown in March, but resumed in-person in August — this time in lawn chairs in Holy Name’s parking lot. Weekly accountability meetings continue to be held virtually, but by Oct. 15, the career transitions group was back indoors at Holy Name’s monthly gathering, wearing face coverings and social distancing. “It was a fantastic meeting with about 20 people attending,” Bangasser said. “There were many new people, and everyone was excited to finally have a meeting in person and inside.” About a dozen people attended the career transition group’s Sept. 17 outdoor meeting to hear Kari Elias, a senior partner with an employee recruitment firm
JOB SEARCH HELP Lisa Bryant of Cottage Grove has worked in communications for about 20 years, sometimes full time, more recently making ends meet through a part-time call center job and freelance work at small nonprofits. With interview, resume and other assistance over the last 10 years from the Employment Ministry at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, she sought and won various jobs. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bryant landed another full-time communications job in June, this time with a nonprofit environmental initiative that works to protect soil, water and air.
JOE RUFF | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Kari Elias, a senior partner with an employee recruitment firm, holds a job search checklist Sept. 17 at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina. in Eagan, talk about the employment picture and navigating the challenges of COVID-19. Elias offered advice, such as writing effective cover letters that are unique to the job opening and demonstrate skills that match the position. She also gave the group homework for the week: “I want three solid follow-ups (to job applications). Not three voicemails, not three emails. I want you to get three people on the telephone.”
Helpful support Paul Go, 49, said he moved to the Twin Cities from North Carolina with his wife and daughter in early August to be closer to family, and joined Holy Name. A college librarian, he came without a job prospect. Then the pandemic hit higher education particularly hard. Now, he is looking for work in software development. “It’s going OK,” he said several weeks after the September meeting. Go said his network of connections has grown quickly, and he is using it to help others find work, even as he searches for a job. It’s “good to have that camaraderie and support,” he said. Matt Earhart, a Holy Name parishioner laid off in February in retail management, learned about Bangasser’s group from a neighbor who also attends Holy Name. He attended his first meeting in March. Six months later, after networking, dusting off his resume, practicing interviews and polishing an “elevator speech” for employment, he was hired as a risk manager for an engineering consulting firm. Bangasser’s group was enormously helpful with “the support and the prayers,” said Earhart, who now is volunteering with the ministry as a resource for others. Burns said she heard about Bangasser’s group through a friend, and she followed Bangasser’s advice despite her own reluctance. “I had a really hard time with networking,” she said. “I needed to build up a LinkedIn profile. This was right before COVID, so it was hard to find a job.” For her, finding a job included networking with Bangasser’s group and the job search group at Grace Church, where she attended webinars, signed up on a job board and attended an eight-week job search training program. She also took online computer classes to sharpen her skills and Zoom courses on any number of job-related topics, while connecting with people attending those classes who might be helpful. “I really, honestly did not think I would find a job after COVID,” she said. But Bangasser’s insistence on never giving up led her to contact a friend of a friend with connections to a home security, air and water systems company in Golden Valley. With that person’s company connections and recommendation, she submitted her resume, interviewed for the job and started work Aug. 24 as an executive assistant, helping the president of products and solutions and a vice president in marketing. “You never find an end to God’s faithfulness,” she said.
“Every resume I sent out got a response, and I was able to hone my skills at answering interviewers’ questions successfully,” said Bryant, 55, of her most recent job search, praising the one-on-one assistance that Basilica’s ministry emphasizes. Janet Grove leads the ministry at the Basilica. She said it has been busier since the economic downturn began in March, caused by temporary shutdowns and the struggles of some businesses to stay afloat during the pandemic. Last year in September, one or two people a week might contact the ministry, which currently is serving about 140 people, Grove said. Now, about three to four people each week call for help, she said. Six job coaches are lined up to assist people. Before the pandemic, the meetings would be face to face. Now, it is telephone and Zoom calls, Grove said. But the faith-driven effort to help the unemployed continues, buoyed by the generosity and hard work of many, said Grove, who has been with the ministry for 17 of its 35 years. “This is a program for our whole community,” Grove said, emphasizing that people of all faiths are welcome. The Basilica’s ministry also can help people who might be in less-than-satisfying jobs explore their talents, hopes and dreams, Grove said. Some job coaches are more like life coaches, she said, asking people, “What is your story, how long have you been looking, what are you looking for?” “Our program is one-on-one,” she explained. Grove said she works with other faith groups on employment ministry, including nondenominational Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie and that church’s new branch, just across Loring Park from the Basilica. Mike Bangasser, who leads a career transitions group at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina, said help also can be found at the nondenominational Grace Church in Eden Prairie, which offers an extensive job search program titled Crossroads Career Network. Harry Urschel, a member of Grace Church and a partner in a Twin Cities executive search firm, said he leads 42 volunteers as they offer job interview, networking and other assistance. Grace Church, in turn, networks with other job ministry efforts, including Woodbury Lutheran in Woodbury and North Heights Lutheran in Arden Hills, Urschel said. Bryant said she isn’t Catholic, but years ago she heard about the Basilica’s Employment Ministry through a job search support group. The ministry’s ability to reach employees and executives of large corporations, even within its own congregation, was impressive, she said. A source of job-search connection specifically for Catholics is the St. Joseph Business Guild, founded in March 2019 by retired entrepreneur Roger Vasko and three of his friends from St. Peter in North St. Paul. The guild offers opportunities for spiritual enrichment as well as an online business directory, job posting and job seeking lists and other networking opportunities. It has about 250 members and it is growing, Vasko said. As the pandemic wears on, it is a good place to explore career opportunities and meet people willing to help, Vasko said. It costs $35 a year for individuals and up to $200 a year for a business, depending on its revenue, he said. The guild is ideal for networking, said Vasko, a 2004 Catholic Spirit Leading with Faith Award winner. “You can go right to the owner (of a business) if you want to,” he said. “These are people who want to help.” — Joe Ruff
8 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
NATION+WORLD Washington leader to be first African American cardinal
HEADLINES u Archbishop Lori says Blessed McGivney, as parish priest, embodied beatitudes. Blessed Michael McGivney was a priest of the Eight Beatitudes because he lived them “so consistently and thoroughly” as a parish priest and as the founder of the Knights of Columbus, said Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, the Knights’ supreme chaplain, in his homily during the Nov. 1 Mass of thanksgiving for the beatification of Father McGivney a day earlier. Archbishop Lori was the principal celebrant of the Mass at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut, the parish where Blessed McGivney served for seven years and founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882. Blessed McGivney (1852-1890) is the first American parish priest to be beatified.
CNS
Cardinal-designate Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Washington, delivers the homily during a Mass he celebrated Oct. 25 at Holy Angels Church in Avenue, Md. Four hours earlier he learned Pope Francis named him a cardinal, so it was his first Mass as a cardinal-designate. He thanked Pope Francis “with a very grateful and humble heart” for naming him as one of 13 new cardinals. “This appointment ... will allow me to work more closely with him in caring for Christ’s Church,” he said in a statement issued shortly after the pope announced new cardinals at the end of his Angelus address. Installed as Washington’s archbishop in May 2019, Cardinal-designate Gregory, 72, will be the first African American from the United States to be elevated to the College of Cardinals. He and the other 12 prelates will be elevated at a Nov. 28 consistory at the Vatican. Nine of the new cardinals are under age 80 and will be eligible to vote in a conclave; four elderly churchmen will receive red hats as a sign of esteem and honor. In addition to Cardinal-designate Gregory, the pope chose as cardinal electors two officials of the Roman Curia and bishops from Italy, Rwanda, the Philippines, Chile and Brunei.
French bishops ‘cleanse’ Nice basilica after attack Catholic News Service French bishops conducted a “penitential rite of reparation” inside a church in which three people were murdered in late October. The Nov. 1 Mass of reparation was celebrated in Notre Dame Basilica by Nice Bishop André Marceau, who was joined by Archbishop Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille and Archbishop Dominique-Marie David of Monaco. The church was the scene of an Oct. 29 attack in which a man hacked three people to death with a foot-long blade before he was shot 14 times by the police. The penitential rite was necessary to purify the church from the stain of a “gravely injurious act,” such as a homicide, before normal religious activities could resume, according to a Nov. 1 statement on the website of the Diocese of Nice. Amid maximum security, the bishops, joined by priests of the diocese, wore penitential purple for the evening event, which began when the church, with its altar stripped and bare, was plunged into darkness. The church was blessed throughout with holy water before the lights were turned on again, and the bishops changed their vestments to white to signify the Resurrection. Restrictions in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 meant that only a small number of guests, including Mayor Christian Estrosi, were invited to the liturgy, though a crowd of people gathered outside. Photographs of the three victims of the attack were displayed in the church, and the faithful were encouraged to light candles for them. Vincent Loquès, 55, the sacristan, died inside the church along with Nadine Devillers, 60, while Brazilian-born Simone Barreto Silva, 44, fled after she was stabbed but died in a nearby cafe. Her last words were reported to be, “Tell my children I love them.” Brahim Aoussaoui, 21, who had entered
CNS
Notre Dame Basilica in Nice, France, Nov. 1, as French bishops conduct a “penitential rite of reparation,” following the Oct. 29 deadly attack at the church. France after arriving on a migrant boat to Italy in September, was arrested at the scene. He is in critical condition in a hospital from gunshot wounds. Five others, ages 25-63, have since been arrested in Nice and nearby Grasse in connection with the killings. They are suspected of assisting Aoussaoui after he was dispatched to France to carry out the attack, according to the Journal du Dimanche newspaper. French authorities have said they believe the killings were an act of Islamist terrorism, which came amid mounting anger at President Emmanuel Macron’s defense of satirical cartoons of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. On the same day of the attack, police shot dead a man who was brandishing a handgun and shouting “Allahu akbar” in the southern city of Avignon. On Oct. 31, Greek Orthodox Father Nikolas Kakavelakis, 45, was shot twice by an unknown attacker as he locked up his church in the French city of Lyon; he is said to be in critical condition. The French Council of Muslim Worship condemned the Nice attack and asked Muslims to cancel Oct. 29 celebrations of the birth of Muhammad in solidarity with the victims and their families.
u Nations affirm ‘inherent’ right to life, reject ‘international right’ to abortion. The United States and 32 other U.N. member nations have signed on to the Geneva Consensus Declaration, which reaffirms the inherent “dignity and worth of the human person” and states that “every human being has the inherent right to life.” The document calls on countries to “promote the rights of women and strengthen the family” as the foundational unit of society. It also emphasizes there is “no international right to abortion” and states that “in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning.” In an Oct. 29 statement, the chairmen of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life, international policy and defense of marriage committees praised the Trump administration for its leadership in bringing countries together to sign “this historic declaration that proclaims many critical truths about the sanctity of human life and the family.” u Pope, Austrian Church leaders urge end to hatred after Vienna attacks. Pope Francis and Austrian Church leaders expressed dismay and sorrow after a terrorist attack that left at least five dead in central Vienna, and they urged citizens to uphold key values of tolerance and respect. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, told Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna Nov. 3 that Pope Francis was “deeply shaken” by the news of “the acts of violence in Vienna that caused the death and suffering of innocent people.” In addition to the dead, at least 17 people were injured in Nov. 2 attacks at six locations close to the Austrian capital’s central Jewish synagogue. u Apostolate promotes Election Day eucharistic adoration. Unite Our Nation helped organize adoration of the Blessed Sacrament events at more than 600 parishes nationwide on Election Day, Nov. 3, while the voting polls were open in parishes’ respective time zones. Based in Milwaukee, Unite Our Nation is an apostolate founded by Catholic laity “to help bring peace and prayer to local communities, and healing to our nation,” according to its website. In the archdiocese, participating parishes included Epiphany in Coon Rapids, Holy Childhood in St. Paul, Holy Cross in Minneapolis, St. Ambrose in Woodbury, St. Jude of the Lake in Mahtomedi, St. Michael in Stillwater, St. Pius in White Bear Lake and St. Stephen in Anoka. Other local parishes held similar opportunities of prayer for the nation, such as a 40-hour devotion at St. Mark in St. Paul. u Senate confirms Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. A divided Senate, in a 52-48 vote, confirmed Amy Coney Barrett as a justice for the Supreme Court the evening of Oct. 26 and soon afterward she was sworn in by Justice Clarence Thomas at a White House ceremony. The 48-year-old Barrett, who has been on the Chicago-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit since 2017, said she was “truly honored and humbled” to be stepping into this role, a lifetime appointment. Barrett is now the 115th justice for the court, replacing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18. She is the sixth Catholic justice on the current bench. u Former spiritual adviser to Medjugorje visionaries excommunicated. A former priest who had been an early spiritual adviser to the alleged visionaries of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been excommunicated, according to an announcement by the Diocese of Brescia, Italy, where he lives. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI had laicized Tomislav Vlasic, formerly a Franciscan priest who had served as a spiritual adviser to the Marian visionaries in Medjugorje. Pope Benedict, in a document issued “motu proprio” (on his own initiative), returned Vlasic to the lay state and dispensed him from his religious vows as a member of the Order of Friars Minor. u World, theology need intelligence, gifts of women, pope tells scholars. The Catholic Church needs to rediscover its maternal heart, and the world needs Mary’s motherly guidance so it can become a place where everyone is welcomed as brothers and sisters, Pope Francis said. “We need maternity, those who generate and regenerate life with tenderness, because only giving, caring and sharing hold the human family together,” he said during an audience Oct. 24 with professors and students of the Marianum, a pontifical institute for the study of Mariology in Rome. A world without mothers has no future, he said. u Vatican extends time to obtain full indulgences for souls in purgatory. Plenary or full indulgences traditionally obtained during the first week of November for the souls of the faithful in purgatory can now be gained throughout the month of November, the Vatican said Oct. 23. “The Plenary Indulgence for those who visit a cemetery and pray for the deceased, even if only mentally, normally established only on the individual days from 1 to 8 November, may be transferred to other days of the same month, until its end,” said the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal that deals with matters of conscience. In a notice updated Nov. 2, the tribunal clarified that that plenary indulgence can only be fulfilled with an actual cemetery visit. The new provisions were made after a number of bishops asked for guidance as to how the faithful could perform the works required for receiving a plenary indulgence given the ongoing pandemic and restrictions in many parts of the world limiting the number of people who can gather in one place, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, told Vatican News Oct. 23.
— Catholic News Service
NATION+WORLD
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9
Pope Francis film stirs controversy over same-sex unions, reedited quotes By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service When Pope Francis said gay people have a right to be in a family and that gay couples needed some form of civil law to protect their rights, he was not saying that gay couples should have a right to adopt children. In his documentary “Francesco,” director Evgeny Afineevsky presented the statements as if Pope Francis had said them one right after the other; the director used the quotes immediately following a story about a gay couple with children. Released Oct. 21, the film gave some people the erroneous impression that Pope Francis approved civil union laws that would equate gay couples to married couples. Pope Francis consistently has said that gay people deserve love, respect and the protection of the law; however, he has insisted marriage can be only between a man and a woman. Afineevsky, who a Vatican official said was never granted an on-camera interview with the pope, pulled the quotes about families and the quote about civil unions from a 2019 interview by Valentina Alazraki, correspondent for the Mexican television station Televisa. When the documentary debuted at the Rome Film Festival and some news outlets focused on the 20-second clip referring to civil unions, a Vatican official dismissed it as old news, pointing out that the comments were from the 2019 interview with Alazraki. But, when the Vatican, which filmed the interview, gave Televisa the footage, the quotation about civil unions had been cut. Catholic News Service obtained the complete transcript of the uncut interview, including the comment about civil unions. The clip in “Francesco” is a reedit, placing phrases the pope did say in the interview together in an order not found in the original. The pope, speaking in Spanish, referred to “una ley de convivencia civil,” literally “a law of civil cohabitation,” but commonly called a civil union. The clips used in Afineevsky’s film put together quotes from three separate moments of the Televisa interview, so the pope appears to say: “They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.” At one point in the interview — in the piece aired on Televisa and included in
the transcript the Vatican originally put online — Alazraki and the pope spoke about the “journey” of discernment and conversion he called for in his exhortation on the family, “Amoris Laetitia,” and about the habit of referring to certain people as being in “irregular” situations. “If we were convinced that they are children of God, things would change quite a bit,” the pope says. Then he brings up his response in August 2018 to a journalist who had asked what he would say to a father whose son or daughter tells him he or she is gay. On the plane returning from Ireland, he had responded: “I would tell him first of all to pray. Pray. Don’t condemn, (but) dialogue, understand, make room for his son or daughter.” The parent should respond, “You are my son; you are my daughter, just as you are. I am your father or your mother, let’s talk about this,” he had said. “And if you, as a father or mother, can’t deal with this on your own, ask for help, but always in dialogue, always in dialogue. Because that son and daughter has a right to family, and their family is this family, just as it is. Do not throw them out of the family.” In the interview with Alazraki, Pope Francis paraphrased his earlier responses, saying, “Homosexual persons have a right to be in the family and the parents have a right to recognize this son as homosexual, this daughter as homosexual. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it.” The pope explained to Alazraki how upset he was that a newspaper, reporting on his comments on the flight from Ireland, ran a headline saying that the pope said homosexuals should see a psychiatrist when he clearly meant that if parents see their son or daughter struggling with their sexuality, professional help might be a good idea. “And I repeated it: ‘They are children of God and have a right to a family,’ and so on,” he told Alazraki. Alazraki pointed out that as archbishop of Buenos Aires, he opposed gay marriage. “I’ve always defended doctrine,” the pope said. “And it is curious about the law on homosexual marriage — it is a contradiction to speak of homosexual marriage. But what we have to create is a civil union law, that way they are legally covered. I defended that,” he said, referring to his efforts to support an alternative to legalizing gay marriage that would still protect the rights of gay couples when it came to matters like inheritance, health care decisions and visitation when one is ill.
POPE FRANCIS AND CIVIL UNIONS Pope Francis often has expressed openness to the idea of laws recognizing civil unions, including for gay couples, to protect their rights. The pope’s comments in a brief passage in the documentary film, “Francesco,” are similar to his long-held position: “Marriage” is only between a man and a woman, but civil union laws could provide legal protection for couples in long-term, committed relationships. In a 2019 interview on Mexican television, he was asked about his opposition to gay marriage in Argentina and his openness to LGBT people as pope.”I have always defended doctrine,” he said. “It is a contradiction to speak of homosexual marriage.” But he also told the interviewer, “Homosexual persons have a right to be in the family; persons with a homosexual orientation have a right to be in the family and parents have the right to recognize a son or daughter as homosexual; you cannot throw anyone out of the family, nor make life impossible for them.” In the 2017 book-length “A Future of Faith: The Path of Change in Politics and Society,” with French sociologist Dominique Wolton, he and the pope spoke about gay marriage and civil unions in the context of a discussion about tradition, modernity and truth. “‘Marriage’ is a historical word,” the pope said. “Forever, throughout humanity and not only in the Church, it’s been between a man and a woman. You can’t change it just like that. It’s the nature of things. That’s how they are. So, let’s call them ‘civil unions.’”
In a 2014 interview published in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Pope Francis was asked about moves across Europe to legalize gay marriage or adopt civil union laws. “Marriage is between a man and a woman,” he said. “Secular states want to validate civil unions to regulate different situations of cohabitation, driven by the need to regulate economic aspects between people, such as ensuring health care. ... It is necessary to see the different cases and evaluate them in their variety,” he said. According to “The Great Reformer,” a biography of Pope Francis by Austen Ivereigh, then-Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio went head-to-head with the government in 2010 when it began a drive to legalize gay marriage. He favored gay rights and legal recognition for civil unions, Ivereigh wrote. “But he was utterly opposed to any attempt to redefine marriage in law.” The future pope, the book continued, “had not raised strong objections to a 2002 civil unions law that applied only to Buenos Aires and that granted rights to any two people cohabitating for more than two years, independent of their gender or sexual orientation. He regarded it as a purely civic, legal arrangement that left marriage unaffected.” In 2003, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had issued a document urging Catholics to oppose giving “legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons,” particularly when such recognition would equate the unions with marriage and would allow the couple to adopt children.
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ARCHBISHOP HEBDA RESPONDS Pope Francis’ expression of openness to the idea of laws recognizing civil unions, including for gay couples, to protect their rights does not change Church teaching on marriage as being between one woman and one man, said several U.S. bishops and dioceses. The pope’s comments, as well as those of others who defend traditional marriage, show “openness to civil unions as a kind of middle way that would allow persons of the same sex in long-term relationships to have legal benefits without a civil definition of marriage itself,” Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis said in a statement. Calling Church teaching on marriage “clear and irreformable,” Archbishop Hebda said “the conversation must continue about the best ways to reverence the dignity of those in same-sex relationships so that they are not subject to unjust discrimination.” “The pope seems to be emphasizing that we are called to find ways of extending a true sense of family to those who find themselves on the margins, so that they might experience the security of belonging and the joy of encountering the life-changing mercy of Jesus Christ,” he said. — Catholic News Service
— Cindy Wooden
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10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
50th Anniversary
Venezuela mission stirs gratitude, hope By Jonathan Liedl For The Catholic Spirit
F
or many Twin Cities Catholics, “Father Greg Schaffer” has become synonymous with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ mission in Venezuela. And not unreasonably so. The St. Paul native, who serves as pastor of the mission parish of Jesucristo Resucitado, has been in Ciudad Guayana for 26 years, the longest tenure of any archdiocesan priest who’s had the assignment. During that time, he’s forged strong relationships between Minnesotans and the Venezuelan people he serves, whether through organizing intercultural trips between the two locales, or by actively inviting archdiocesan laypeople to support the many initiatives undertaken at the mission. But every time he steps out on the street outside the parish, Father Schaffer is reminded of his place in a much broader legacy. There, in a colorful mural emblazoned with the title, “Misioneros de San Pablo,” the painted likenesses of many of the 22 missionary priests who have served over the course of the mission’s 50-year history smile back. “It’s really unique to be a part of that,” said Father Schaffer, referring to the archdiocese’s mission presence, which began in December 1970. He is currently joined at the parish by Father Dennis Dempsey, who Twenty-two tons previously served the mission for of rice on way to five years in the mission: Read at 1990s. “The TheCatholicSpirit.com people here still remember the men that came before with such fondness and real sincere love for them.” Although plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary have been postponed due to COVID-19, Father Schaffer and others who have contributed are taking the occasion to look back gratefully upon a vibrant and varied history. According to Deacon Mickey Friesen, who directs the Center for Mission in the archdiocese, it’s also a chance to reflect upon the spirit that’s animated the mission throughout its distinct chapters and phases. Identifying the beating heart of the mission, he hopes, will help inform its activity going forward into a future that — amid a political crisis in Venezuela and a declining number of available priests in Minnesota — will likely look different from its past. “We have a calling to be there,” Deacon Friesen said of this common element. “And this is a part of who we are as a diocese, to be serving in mission there.”
‘MISSION-SENDING ARCHDIOCESE’ Although the archdiocese’s Venezuelan mission wasn’t officially established until 1970, its genesis can be traced back at least 15 years earlier. In 1955, Pope Pius XII promulgated “Ad Ecclesium Christi,” an apostolic letter urging Catholics in Europe and North America to assist the Church in the southern hemisphere. Over a quarter of the world’s Catholics lived in Latin America at the time, but they lagged behind their northern counterparts not only in terms of material wealth, but also in the number of ordained ministers. The urgings of subsequent papacies, coupled
with the missionary spirit of the 1960s, contributed to the establishment of a multitude of Latin American missions operated by North American dioceses and religious orders. As part of what became known as the “Twentieth Century Crusade,” some U.S dioceses provided financial support. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis intended to send what it had then in abundance: priests. In 1968, the archdiocesan priests’ senate voted to formally establish a mission in Latin America. Initially, all eyes were on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, where the Diocese of New Ulm had already established a mission in San Lucas Toliman. Father Donald Schnitzius, then the director of the archdiocese’s Society for the Propagation of the Faith, made a visit to explore possibilities. But providence had something else in store. Archbishop Leo Byrne was made aware of the need for priests in Venezuela, and so he sent Father Schnitzius to investigate. The priest spent two weeks in Venezuela in 1969, visiting nine different locations. Among them: Ciudad Guayana, a young but bustling metropolis in Venezuela’s underdeveloped, mineral-rich east. The setting struck him for its natural beauty, but also because of its parallels to the archdiocese back in Minnesota. For one, Ciudad Guayana really consists of “twin cities,” San Felix and Puerto Ordaz. Like St. Paul and Minneapolis, these cities are separated by a wide river, the Rio Caroni. The location’s urban character, as well as its proximity to significant mining activity, were additional points of connection to the Twin Cities. Father Schnitzius returned to St. Paul and presented his findings to his brother priests. Two final options were proposed for the site of the archdiocesan mission: San Antonio, Guatemala, or Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela. The choice was put to a vote. Ciudad Guayana won by a considerable margin. “And so it was that the presence of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis began in Venezuela,” wrote Father Schnitzius in his personal reflections on the establishment of the mission. “In December 1970 we became a mission-sending archdiocese when Fathers Ray Monsour and Larry Hubbard brought Christmas to the expectant people of Virgin del Valle Parish.”
THREE PHASES Deacon Friesen, who has written a brief history marking the anniversary, speaks of the “three phases” the mission has gone through since its founding. The first phase, he says, was characterized by sharing Minnesota priests to help build up the laity in Venezuela. Trained at the Maryknoll mission center in Bolivia, the first group of priests viewed themselves as itinerant missionaries, more focused on equipping local laypeople to be leaders in their community than on becoming permanent fixtures in it. “You’re there, but you’re not there forever,” Deacon Friesen said, describing the approach. One of these “first phase” priests is Father Jerry Hackenmueller, who served at the mission for 11 years, beginning in 1972. From a family that includes more than 30 missionary priests and religious, he describes his time as a missionary as “the fulfillment of what I always wanted to do.” Even so, Father Hackenmueller said the beginning of his time in Ciudad Guayana was “a real learning experience,” as it was for all the archdiocesan priests taking part in this new
In this file photo from 2009, a woman and child join the congregation for Sunday Mass at the
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
LEFT Father Greg Schaffer, pastor of Jesucristo Resucitado, joins members of the parish and
RIGHT From left, Father Ray Monsour, Father Donald Schnitzius, Archbishop Mata Cova of Ci the year the Venezuelan mission was started. missionary venture. “It was really starting from scratch,” he said of the mission at Virgen del Valle parish, located in Puerto Ordaz along the Rio Caroni. “The church building was there, but there was no pastor or church community.” The warmth and generosity of the Venezuelan people were a helpful factor in making the transition, he said, and so was the assistance of members of the U.S.-based Missionary Helpers of the Sacred Heart, who helped the priests find housing and navigate the new culture around them. One of these sisters, Sister Marian Pohlner, joined the Minnesota priests to create a mission team. They went door to door in the barrios, building relationships among the 50,000 people in the parish boundaries. Forming young people to be leaders, preparing families for the sacraments, developing religious formation curriculum, and helping to establish local groups
of apostolates like the Leg Cursillo movement const 1975, Franciscan Sisters fr Minnesota, joined the mi assistance as nurses and e Archbishop John Roach 1976, and it was determin would expand to serve a s community, Buen Pastor marked the beginning of phase, characterized by es new parishes in the poore Guayana, building them over to Venezuelan pasto At different points in th archdiocesan mission serv communities: Virgen del well as Jesucristo Resucita Asis, which the archdioce Priests from the Archdioc Minneapolis also served a
NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • 11
chapels in the parish barrios. A parish center with a medical center, dentist office, classrooms, meeting spaces and apartments for visitors was also built in 2006, and a soup kitchen that provides weekly meals for 100 people in the neighborhood has been established.
A MUTUAL EXCHANGE
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
e church of Jesucristo Resucitado in San Felix, Venezuela.
COURTESY CENTER FOR MISSION
d other guests on a Stations of the Cross walk in 2009.
iudad Bolivar, Archbishop Leo Byrne and Father Larry Hubbard gather for a photo in 1970,
gion of Mary and tituted their work. In rom Little Falls, ission, providing educators. h visited the mission in ned that the mission second parish in San Felix. This the mission’s second stablishing a number of est parts of Ciudad up before turning them ors. he 1980s, the ved four different parish Valle and Buen Pastor, as ado and San Francisco de ese helped to construct. cese of St. Paul and as coordinators for many
key ministries in Ciudad Guayana, which became its own diocese in 1979. At a time when the diocese was without a bishop, the local priests selected Father Hubbard to serve as diocesan administrator — even though he’d already returned to Minnesota. As the mission marked its 25th anniversary in the mid-1990s, it entered a new chapter. The Franciscan sisters had withdrawn, and the determination was made to concentrate efforts on one parish community, Jesucristo Resucitado. The parish is located in one of the poorest parts of San Felix, where an estimated 60,000 people live within its 11 barrios. The archdiocese and Diocese of Ciudad Guayana renew a contract every five years establishing the archdiocese’s pastoral responsibility for the community. The singular focus has allowed the mission to build up Jesucristo Resucitado over the past few decades. A new church building was constructed in 2001, and the mission also established several
The stability of having a single parish has also allowed for a new development that has become a hallmark of the mission’s current iteration: increased involvement of laypeople from the archdiocese. Several groups have visited Ciudad Guayana over the past 20 years, usually focused on some type of service work in the community such as playing with orphans, visiting the sick or cleaning houses. But those Minnesotans who have traveled to the mission are just as quick to point out that they’ve benefited enormously from the experience, too. “What really struck me was the people,” said Tim Steigauf, who first got involved with the mission in 2000, when he reconnected with Father Schaffer, with whom he’d attended grade school at St. Pascal Baylon on St. Paul’s East Side. After serving on the archdiocese’s Venezuela Commission for several years, Steigauf visited the mission in June 2013 with his family, a group of students from Hill-Murray School in Maplewood and people from several parishes to serve the poor at Jesucristo Resucitado. He says that while “you can’t unsee” the conditions of poverty in which many Venezuelans live, something else made an even greater impression. “They have nothing, but they’re so happy,” he said. “It really makes you think, wow, what is life about?” The visit also had a profound impact on his children, including his eldest daughter, Gretta. Now a medical student at the University of Minnesota, she says the visit is “one of the sole greatest contributors to my passion and desire to have a career in medicine.” “It increased my desire to dedicate my future to serving others and helped show me how I would be the most successful and happy doing that,” she said, noting that she plans to provide medical care as a doctor to Venezuelans and other people in need. Rebecca Medellin has led several visits to the mission for students at Cretin-Derham Hall high school in St. Paul, where she teaches Spanish. The visits were an opportunity for her students to experience Latin American culture, and also to challenge local teams to a friendly game of baseball, Venezuela’s national sport. Though she can’t recall the boys from CDH winning a single game, she said it was still an invaluable experience for them, as they helped out with various projects. “It was amazing to see these guys, (who) had never really done any service work, kind of be overtaken by this spirit of giving,” she said. For Dean Hilgers, the most important things he’s taken away from his experiences at the mission are the friendships he’s made with the people of Jesucristo Resucitado. He first got involved with the mission in 2004, after he had sold his company and “was looking for a purpose.” He’s visited 10 times, often bringing others down to Ciudad Guayana to introduce them to the work of the mission. His parish, St. Joseph in Waconia, has also formed a lasting partnership with the mission. Parishioners hold fundraisers every year, have sponsored the formation of Ciudad Guayana seminarians, and have hosted delegations of Venezuelans who began visiting Minnesota in 2002 to celebrate the partnership, typically through performances of traditional Venezuelan dance. “It’s been an enduring relationship, and it’s ongoing to this moment,” he said.
UNCERTAINTY, BUT HOPE Many of those relationships live on, but unfortunately, they’re limited today to Facebook messages and phone calls. Given the unrest that has engulfed Venezuela over the past several years, visits to the mission no longer take place, including a previously annual trip made by seminarians studying at The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Venezuela’s economic and political crises also presents challenges for the mission itself. A current shortage of gasoline, for instance, has limited the soup kitchen’s ability to deliver meals at a time when local people need them most. The sky-high rates of unemployment have prompted an exodus of young people from the country, removing a vital source of creativity and energy in the parish. The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t helped, as a ban on public celebrations of the Mass is in effect. But it’s uncertainty about the one constant throughout the mission’s history that leaves Deacon Friesen most concerned: the presence of archdiocesan priests. Although Father Schaffer and Father Dempsey have chosen to stay amid the turbulent situation, other factors complicate the archdiocese’s ability to continue sending priests. Given the breakdown in U.S.-Venezuelan diplomatic relations, obtaining a visa to the South American country has become a near impossibility for Americans. Father Schaffer would be unable to return to the country if he left. The limited number of ordained men back home in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis also suggests the possibility that there may soon not be priests available to send. For those committed to the mission, this reality isn’t a cause to abandon the special relationship between Minnesota and Venezuela, but to creatively consider new possibilities. Deacon Friesen, for instance, would like to see a visit by an archdiocesan delegation to meet with their counterparts in Ciudad Guayana and ask the question, “What do we want to do together?” “There’s been three different kinds of incarnations of this mission,” he said. “What’s the fourth incarnation? What will it look like? So the relationship can continue, even if it looks different.” Other Minnesota dioceses that have had missions to Latin America have already crossed this bridge. St. Cloud supports a Venezuelan diocese financially, and has a Venezuelan priest serving in Latino ministry in the diocese, while in New Ulm, a nonprofit was established to operate the Guatemala mission formerly run by the diocese. Father Schaffer is hopeful that the priestly presence can continue, especially considering the shortage of priests in Ciudad Guayana, where there are 40-or-so priests for a population exceeding 1 million. “It would be great to continue to have the support of a priestly presence here, to bring the sacraments of the Church to the people here,” he said. “That’s a huge gift.” Either way, Father Schaffer is exploring options to ensure that the 50-year legacy of the “Misioneros de San Pablo” continues, even if in a new way. He’s looking into establishing an endowment that could provide ongoing financial support to the mission’s charitable initiatives. He also hopes to establish a hospice center to minister to the many elderly in Ciudad Guayana who have been abandoned during the crisis, with the hope that caregivers from Minnesota could volunteer to staff it. “We just need to be open to whatever the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church to,” he said. “What can this relationship look like, so that it can be mutually beneficial, to both the people in the archdiocese and the people here?”
12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
FAITH+CULTURE Veteran’s Day: Military chaplain prays more priests feel call to serve armed forces By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
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innesota Army National Guard Lt. Nick Kehtel found himself in the middle of the Mojave Desert in July as part of a training session in California simulating war conditions. But he was able to attend Mass on all 23 days of training. And he was grateful. “If Father Creagan was not there, there would be no access to Mass or the (other) sacraments,” which are important in stressful times, said Kehtel, who serves with the 147 Human Resources Company in Arden Hills. “It’s 12-plus hour days. It’s extremely hot. You’re away from your family.” Kehtel’s reference was to Father Michael Creagan, pastor of St. Joseph in West St. Paul, a major and the only Catholic chaplain in the Minnesota Army National Guard. As the nation honors those who have served in the military this Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Kehtel, 31, and Father Creagan, 49, hold a special place in their prayers for priests who put their lives on the line as military chaplains, and hope that other priests will respond if they feel the call. “I am praying that there may be some others whom God is calling,” said Father Creagan, who was commissioned as a military chaplain in 2013 and knows well the need for Catholic chaplains across the armed services. “Given the number of Catholic soldiers … having him (Father Creagan) there to supply support is really critical,” said Kehtel, who typically attends Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul and Pax Christi in Eden Prairie. The Minnesota Army Guard has 11,000 soldiers and about 25%, or 2,700, are Catholic. Father Creagan is a brigade chaplain serving with the 347 Regional Support Group headquartered in Brooklyn Park. Kehtel’s unit is part of that brigade. The National Guard is unique because its members are called to serve locally but also globally. Father Creagan served three months in Afghanistan last year and six months in Kosovo in 2015. “In my experience being sent overseas, I have supported not only Army personnel, but also Catholics from the other services and even partner nations with NATO,” said Father Creagan, who comes from a military family that includes his late father’s service in the Air Force, an uncle who retired as a fourstar general in the Air Force and three great-uncles who served in World War II. While in Afghanistan to support soldiers on five bases, Father Creagan met Army Capt. Thomas Batina, who grew up in St. Anne in Hamel and graduated from Providence Academy in Plymouth. The encounter was faith-filled and provided the priest a little insight as to why he was so far from home — to serve someone from the archdiocese, as well as all the others there, Father Creagan said. “A soldier sat next to me on the bench, and to start conversation I said, ‘Where are you from?’” Father Creagan said. “He said, ‘I am from the Twin Cities.’” In a few moments Father Creagan realized he knew Batina’s parish, school and even his confirmation sponsor.
And Batina had a request: A way to participate in eucharistic adoration. “I went back to the main base chapel where I was stationed and was grateful to find a 6-inch monstrance in storage,” Father Creagan said. “The next time I flew to his forward operating base we had a 30-minute period of adoration with Catholic soldiers representing three nations.” With mandatory retirement age generally 60 in the military, Father Creagan said he is determined to serve until there are two Catholic chaplains in the Minnesota Army Guard, “or as long as my knees hold out and I can pass the physical training test!” For priests who might consider such an assignment, he encourages each to “bring it to prayer, visit with a spiritual director, inquire with the archbishop (Bernard Hebda) and not be afraid. If God is calling, he will provide.”
COURTESY LT. NICK KEHTEL
Father Michael Creagan stands at a makeshift altar with Lt. Nick Kehtel in the Mojave Desert in California Aug. 3, where both were assigned to warfare simulation training.
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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13
VOCATIONS
Three ordained in three months from Anoka parish By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit
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s there something in the holy water at St. Stephen in Anoka? From May 16 to Aug. 8, three young men from the parish were ordained — two as transitional deacons and one to the priesthood. Pushing coincidence’s limits, Dominican Father Christopher Johnson, 34, and Dominican Brother Benjamin Keller, 29, grew up across the street from each other in Andover, never imagining that either would someday commit to religious life. Both attended St. Stephen with DOMINICAN their families, where BROTHER Brother Keller was BENJAMIN KELLER baptized, and St. Stephen’s Catholic School. As children, the two knew each other and rode the same bus to school but, five years apart, were not close friends. Their mothers remain close, Brother Keller said, and often take walks together. When he recently participated at Mass at St. Stephen, a parish with about 4,200 families, it happened to be one where Johnson’s mother served as sacristan. To complete the ordination trifecta, Deacon Bill Duffert, 32, was ordained a transitional deacon May 23 for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He continues studies at The St. Paul Seminary on his path to priesthood and anticipates that ordination May 29, DEACON 2021. BILL DUFFERT All three recently ordained men credit the parish where they grew up, citing pastors who served there and encouraged vocations, parishioners’ prayers for vocations, and an openness at the parish to invite young associate pastors to minister, providing yet more examples of men
called to the priesthood. Brother Keller, a 2009 graduate of Andover High School, was ordained a deacon May 16. Now finishing his studies, he expects to be ordained a priest May 22, 2021. Father Johnson, a 2004 graduate of Totino-Grace High School in Fridley, was ordained a Dominican priest Aug. 8. Both serve the Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great, based in Chicago. Brother Keller and his parents, and St. Stephen’s pastor Father Bennet Tran, attended Father Johnson’s ordination at St. Vincent Ferrer parish in River Forest, Illinois, a Chicago suburb where Father Johnson lives. He teaches sophomore religion and advanced placement European history at Fenwick High School in Oak Park. Deacon Duffert grew up in Champlin and attended St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Brooklyn Park. But his family moved to Ramsey when he was in high school and became parishioners of St. Stephen, and he considers St. Stephen his home parish. He graduated from Totino-Grace in 2006. “(St. Stephen) is where I started discerning more seriously and … when I returned there, it always … felt like a home parish to me,” he said. Deacon Duffert recalled the peace and joy he felt when praying in the parish’s adoration chapel, and the time he spent wrestling with the question of whether God was calling him to the priesthood. “There were definitely times when I (went) there for consideration and just receiving … that affirmation … that this is where God wants me to be,” he said. Following a summer assignment at Holy Name of Jesus in Medina, Deacon Duffert continues to work with his teaching parish, Holy Family in St. Louis Park. He said he “didn’t tell a soul” when considering priesthood. He described it as “a stirring in my heart, where I kept praying and thinking about whether or not God is calling me to discern the priesthood.” He recalled the newly ordained priests who have served at St. Stephen. “They
National Vocations Awareness Week • Nov. 1–7 COURTESY DOMINICAN BROTHER DOMINICK JEAN, DOMINICAN PROVINCE OF ST. ALBERT THE GREAT
Dominican Father Christopher Johnson celebrates Mass following his ordination to the priesthood Aug. 8 at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in River Forest, Illinois. definitely had an impact on me and my discernment,” he said, “and when I … started praying and thinking about it more seriously.” He also described the value of a parish that fosters vocations and prays for them. Father Johnson also credits the power of parishioners’ prayers. “I joke with people that … generations of elderly people who have gone to Mass every day and prayed the rosary for vocations in the parish … have paid off,” he said. Father Tran said he agrees with the men’s observations. Before every weekend Mass, the congregation prays for vocations. “As a parish,” he said, “we pray for holy vocations in all aspects of the Church because we recognize that priestly vocations come from the ‘first seminary’ in life, which is in a holy, devout and faithful home.” In addition to the parish’s history of frequently being assigned young associate pastors, its active parish vocations committee would invite a seminarian or priest to share vocation stories. Having young associate pastors is a good testament to how they live
their priestly life with joy, Father Tran said. Committee members also pray for vocations. Father Tran also credits the good work and leadership of his predecessors, Father Michael Van Sloun and Father Jack Long. When he asked all three of the recently ordained men about their influences, Father Tran said they primarily credited the witness of the parish priest at the beginning of their discernment. “Obviously, the two Dominicans were further influenced by their interaction with … members of the Dominican order, but that initial spark came from the good witness of the other priests who were serving in this community as they were growing up.” He said the parish marked the ordinations by recording and posting interviews with the young men to the parish YouTube channel. The videos also were designed to encourage prayers as each approached ordination. Father Tran said he told the three that whenever they come home, let him know and he’ll put them to work. “With any luck, … we’ll continue the momentum,” he said.
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VOCATIONS
14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
Sharing God through art Actor answers spiritual calling to support artists, proposes religious institute By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit
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ole Matson believes artistic creation is not just a pastime, but a vocation that can benefit the world if God inspires it. That’s why the former managing director of Open Window Theatre is working to establish what he believes will be the first Catholic arts monastery in the country devoted to prayer, artistic creation and support of artists. The proposed religious institute, likely based in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, will share Christ through the fine, performing and literary arts — both sacred and secular, said Matson, 36, who worked at the Inver Grove Heights-based theater from 2019-2020. “Wanting to spiritually accompany artists and encourage them in their vocation and also help them have a grounding of a solid spiritual community was the second half of that charism,” he added. The institute, which would have both vowed members and a retreat center mainly for artists, represents nearly a decade of discernment for Matson, who has been met with both encouragement and disbelief while wrestling with his idea. In a religious institute, members live together in common and make public vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Though still in planning stages, the institute’s tentative name is “Servants of Christ in Beauty” because it seeks to make Christ incarnate through beauty, said Matson, a trained actor. The institute won’t receive members for several years, but artists and others are expressing interest. Matson grew up as a Presbyterian in Texas and Virginia, and he planned to be a clinical psychologist involved in theater. He entered the Catholic Church while studying theology at Oxford University in England and learning about religious orders on campus. “I realized (religious life) was the thing I had been looking for my entire life, and didn’t know it even existed,” he said. While completing a doctorate in theology imagination and the arts
I realized (religious life) was the thing I had been looking for my entire life, and didn’t know it even existed. Cole Matson
COURTESY MATTHEW BERDAHL
Cole Matson, who formerly served as managing director of the Open Window Theatre in Inver Grove Heights, at the theater’s 2019 Christmas Concert. at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2012, he wrote down his ideas for a community whose apostolic mission centered on art and service of artists. The following year he made private vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Seeking to serve artists, Matson worked in theater productions, started an organization to connect Catholic artists called The Catholic Artist Connection and lived in community with artists in New York City. Serving artists on his own proved difficult, and Matson realized he needed a religious community’s support. He questioned whether he was on the right track. When he shared his idea for a religious institute, Matson said he sometimes was met with disbelief that artists, who are often unconventional, could live together. A friend from Oxford questioned pairing the artistic vocation with
religious consecration, because Christian artists might feel their art is uplifting or religious according to the community’s standards, when the art might actually be of low quality. Another friend suggested that unless the institute created only religious art, artists should “live in the world generally,” Matson said. Despite the skepticism, “every time I get frustrated or there’s a lack of support or maybe this whole thing is falling apart, I meet someone else who just straight out encourages me,” he said. In 2019, Matson came to Minnesota to pursue his idea and work at Open Window Theatre. He helped the Catholic-inspired theater with business administration, produced a play and helped develop a cultural series. “He’s just a great networker and connector of people,” said Jeremy Stanbary, theater co-founder and executive artistic director. When COVID-19 temporarily halted theater productions, Matson saw an opportunity in June to pursue the idea of an institute full time. “I think he is serving a need,” Stanbary said about Matson’s goal, “and I’m hoping it comes to fruition eventually because there certainly is a need for someone, an institute or order, to be really focused on serving the spiritual needs of artists.” A priest friend connected Matson with Franciscan Bishop John Stowe of Lexington, who in May gave him permission to explore founding an institute in the diocese. During the summer and fall, Matson has worked to determine where he will start learning this winter about structure, rules and pitfalls of creating a religious institute. Raising money online to cover his travels, he is visiting and learning from
communities in northern California and other parts of the country. He anticipates the new institute may draw from Benedictine, Ignatian and desert influences to foster the contemplative-active artist vocation that involves listening to God and creating to share with others through the Holy Spirit. About five male and female artists are interested in discerning vows in the new institute. Twelve men and women are interested in a lay-associate role, he said. Matson would like to accept men and women, but he said it may be necessary to found separate institutes. “I want to be very, very careful and make sure that I’m doing this in a healthy way that provides a space for people to be free to be their best selves in Christ and not get forced or coerced into a certain shape because I’m ignorant that that shape isn’t actually the best shape,” he said. Along with artist-members, Matson envisions running a retreat center for Christian and non-Christian artists. He envisions the institute’s first house as contemplative and monastic, likely in the Lexington diocese. Matson said he also wants eventually to open houses within and outside larger cities where more artists live. It may be a long time before a new institute welcomes artists, but Matson believes God will continue guiding him toward it. “I’m hoping this can be a kind of pilgrimage center where artists can come to experience the local culture and the local beauty, and it can become kind of an arts hub for Catholic artists in the country,” he said. For more information about Servants of Christ in Beauty, visit colematson.com.
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
VOCATIONS
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15
Despite uptick in N. Mpls violence, Visitation sisters’ outreach undeterred By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit
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either increased violence in north Minneapolis nor a pandemic is about to stop a group of religious sisters who have lived in the area for 31 years. The Visitation Sisters continue to help their neighbors, finding creative ways to reach out. Neighborhood crime escalated following the May 25 officer-involved death of George Floyd, an African American. But Visitation Sister Karen Mohan, one of seven sisters in their 50s to 90 living at the monastery, said that “the primary part of my life just goes on as (before). We hold the world in prayer four times a day.” Minneapolis Police Department data show that, across the city, incidents of violent crime — homicides, rape, aggravated assault (including domestic) and robbery — reached 4,433 from Jan. 1 to Oct. 27 this year. Of that number, 68 were homicides. Violent crime incidents for that same time period last year were 3,653, with 36 homicides. Gunshots have rung out in the sisters’ neighborhood, and when it happens, they pray. “We’re concerned for the people who might be out and about,” Sister Karen said. She acknowledges some escalation in crime but quickly added, “We love our Northside neighborhood. … There is just a wonderful, neighborly spirit here and we … are not afraid.” The sisters do take precautions at night, such as not walking outside after dark, but Sister Karen added, “We have never felt threatened or endangered in any way.” The shootings make peace more fragile, she said, but she described a strong community spirit, noting in particular the outreach of local churches. “(All) of these components make for the building of peace,” she said. As members of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, Sister Karen said their charism is about attentiveness to the will of God and liberty of spirit. “We strive to rest in the heart of Jesus and bring the needs of God’s people to his Sacred Heart,” she said. St. Francis de Sales, one of the order’s founders, stressed “the little virtues,” she said, especially humility and gentleness as the great expression of the love of Jesus, citing Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel: “Learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart.” “In our Minneapolis community, we have been led to express our charism in special relationships with those whom society describes as more vulnerable,” Sister Karen said. “We learn from the poor among us a radical trust in God.” The north Minneapolis monastery is one of a dozen Visitation monasteries in the U.S., and the only one with a direct ministry of prayer and presence in an inner-city setting, Sister Karen said. The sisters continue ministering to their neighbors while maintaining health and safety protocols in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve canceled in-person activities such as an annual women’s retreat and inviting neighbors to join them for Mass and community prayer. And they couldn’t sponsor neighborhood children’s stay at Catholic Youth Camp this summer, as the camp was canceled. That means they’ve looked for new
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
From left, Dianna Bady, a frequent visitor and volunteer, greets Visitation Sisters Katherine Mullen, Karen Mohan and Suzanne Homeyer on the porch of their monastery in north Minneapolis Oct. 22. ways to connect. “We have to be creative in our ways of outreach and being present in the neighborhood,” Sister Karen said. For years, the sisters played host to neighbors on regular evenings for conversation, potluck and fellowship. That gathering went virtual in September using Zoom videoconferencing. Because neighborhood children couldn’t come inside the monastery for Halloween this year, two students from Visitation School in Mendota Heights were on site to make available wrapped candy — packaged by other Visitation students — for trick-or-treaters. Visitation students will also help the sisters pack food that neighborhood families can pick up for Thanksgiving dinner. “(We’re) ... growing in our ability to reach out, to participate with the broader community and in ways that we hadn’t tried before,” Sister Karen said. Despite COVID-19, their core “door ministry” remains active. Neighbors in need of transportation or supplemental food can pick up bus tokens and grocery gift cards, and sometimes gas or gift cards. They meet a sister on the front porch while wearing masks.
The sisters view that outreach as a relationship with people who need help while respecting their dignity. Referring to Mary’s visit with Elizabeth, who “welcomed the God who lived within her,” Sister Karen said, “we try to meet Jesus in the people who come to our door.” A number of partners help ensure the sisters continue to meet community needs. For example, when gift cards run out, the sisters share groceries, often
delivered by local churches. One that “especially shines” is St. Thomas Becket in Eagan, Sister Karen said. Parishioners had planned to send food for the sisters to distribute before Easter last spring, but due to COVID-19, could not deliver it. But a small caravan of its parishioners recently delivered large tubs of food for distribution. “They found a way to make it happen,” she said. Sister Karen described a strong faithbased network near their monastery, from Christ the King, Ascension and St. Bridget parishes to Shiloh Temple, Lutheran churches and the neighborhood Episcopal church. “We help each other out,” she said. “It’s a really wonderful feeling that, what we can’t do on our own, others can be with us.” While grieving the Sept. 22 loss of Sister Mary Margaret McKenzie, 92, a member of the order for more than 65 years, the sisters also look forward to a new monastery. They use two houses as their monastery today, but plan to combine their life into a single, larger, but yet-to-be-built home nearby. In late October, the sisters were still awaiting building permit approval. “We are getting ready for a new expression of our life in a chapel that will be large enough to fit more people … and a little larger welcoming area for the neighbors,” Sister Karen said. “We’re excited about it. “We love being part of north Minneapolis,” she said.
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16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
FOCUSONFAITH SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER MICHAEL JONCAS
Cultivating wisdom through knowing God Our culture tends to be ambivalent about those with higher education. On the one hand we are wary of the highly educated, perceiving them as snobs with elitist stances toward the rest of humanity. On the other hand, we appreciate those who have achieved multiple university degrees, with a string of distinguishing letters after their names, as experts whose knowledge may and should be of help to humanity.
A common character in many of our culture’s jokes is the “brainiac” who possesses an extraordinary amount of book knowledge, but who cannot carry on the tasks of daily living with any grace and fluency. Much of the humor of two television sitcoms, “The Big Bang Theory” and “Young Sheldon,” comes from observing the title character who thinks at the forefront of theoretical physics, but who is ignorant of many of the customs that allow human beings to function in society. As my mother once told me: “You might hold a doctorate, but you don’t have the common sense God gave a turnip.” This Lord’s Day’s readings brought all of this to my mind because they focus so powerfully on the notion of “wisdom.” Unlike our notions of knowledge as theoretical mastery of a field of inquiry, the Hebrew notion of wisdom is closer to “cleverness” or “skill,” expertise in the practice of one’s art, craft or occupation. Just as there are people who gain “street knowledge” or “worldly wisdom” by their experiences, so there are those who gain a sage’s wisdom by learning the skills needed to live according to God’s way of life: the fear of God, discernment, prudence, understanding, discretion, equity, etc. This notion of wisdom is personified in the Old Testament as “Lady Wisdom” (“Hokmah”), especially in Proverbs 1, 3 and 9 and today’s reading: She originates from God, she participates
ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ
No chance to be a saint? Q I’ve been having a difficult time with the
idea that I’m called to be a saint. I mean, I have responsibilities and work that needs to get done. I have people who need me to be present to them. I don’t have time to live in a church and just pray. Does that mean that I have no chance of being a saint?
A First of all, thank you! Thank you for acknowledging the fact that God has made you for this one purpose: to become a saint. And thank you for caring enough about this call that it actually bothers you that you might not be able to become the person God has made you to be. In fact, to not become the person God has made you to be would be devastating. As Leon Bloy said, “There is only one real tragedy in life, not to have been a saint.” By this, he does not mean being “declared a saint” by the Catholic Church. He also doesn’t mean being recognized by others as someone who sticks out because of personal holiness. He further did not mean that, without long fasts and all-night vigils, a person could not hope to be holy. Those might be characteristics of saints (and they might be what God is calling you to at some point), but none of those “tasks” are the key to holiness. Let me back up. The Second Vatican Council reminded Catholics that it is the destiny of every human being to become holy. Now, “destiny” here does not mean the same thing as “fate.” As Catholics we do not believe in fate, but we do believe that every person has been created by God with a “destination” in mind. And that destination is eternal life with God in heaven. All of us are made for one reason: to become saints. In fact, that is what the term “saint” refers to: being “holy.” And “holy” refers to being “set apart.” If a thing or a person is holy, they are set apart for God. That is why St. Paul can refer to those who are baptized as “holy ones” or “saints:” because through their baptism, they have been set apart and consecrated for God. And if you are baptized, the same is true for you: You have been set apart for God. You are one of his “holy ones.” The invitation now is to actually live what you already are. To not do this would be to make a shipwreck of your life. To do this would be to cooperate with
in God’s creation, and she is discovered by God-inspired reflection on human life. Today’s first reading is taken from the book of the Wisdom of Solomon, a document preserved in Greek and probably written ca. 100-50 BCE. In line with the author’s counsel to follow the example of Solomon in acquiring skill for living according to God’s intention, it depicts Lady Wisdom as radiantly beautiful, eminently desirable and in search of the seeker of “sagacity,” one who wants to develop quickness of perception, soundness in judgment and farsightedness. The good news here is that biblical wisdom is achievable by anyone whom God calls to acquire it/her. Our responsorial psalm vividly depicts the person searching for wisdom: seeking, pining and thirsting for God; remembering God even when prepared for sleep; and meditating throughout the night on God’s intention for godly living. The Gospel parable describes 10 female teenagers (probably the groom’s sisters and cousins) awaiting his return to his father’s family compound where he will take his place along with his wife in a new kinship setting. As John J. Pilch describes them in “The Cultural World of Jesus, Sunday by Sunday, Cycle A” (The Liturgical Press, 1995), five are “clever” and five are “dull-witted.” Unlike the “wise” who are prepared for their roles in the ceremony, the “foolish” fail to make adequate plans in case of the spouses’ delay and are shut out from the wedding feast. Clearly the “dull-witted” have not learned the skills needed for their roles. Finally, St. Paul warns the Thessalonian community (and us) not to fall into “foolishness” about death. “Wise” Christians do not grieve without hope for their beloved dead, and knowing that the death and resurrection of Jesus has opened new possibilities for human existence beyond physical death, they experience consolation from that knowledge. As we grapple with the meaning of these Scriptures for our lives, we might want to consider the questions T.S. Eliot poses for us in the first part of his “Choruses from the Rock” (1934): “Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” Father Joncas, a composer, is an artist in residence at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. God in making a masterpiece of your life. And this is noteworthy: The process of living what you already are (becoming a saint) is primarily God’s work. God is the one who makes us holy. We can either cooperate with his grace and become who he is crafting us to be, or we can refuse or ignore his grace and become something infinitely less, a distorted and stunted version of who he has created and redeemed us to be. So, how does a person (especially a person like you who has responsibilities and people counting on you) become a saint in the midst of your busy life? Well, there are the obvious things: We have to repent of sins and turn to God. There is also the purification of our hearts and lives. We have the ability to fill up our lives with meaningless diversions and distractions. I mean the things that simply steal our attention and rob us of really living. The kinds of things that, if we make it to heaven, it will be in spite of these things, not because of them. But then the key to being a saint is simply this: saying yes to God. This is incredibly simple. If God is calling you to pray, say yes. If you’ve fallen into sin and God is calling you to go to confession, say yes. If you have been away from the Church and God is calling you back, say yes. If you have the sense that God is calling you to act in any way, say yes. I know that you indicated that you aren’t always able to pray. I would invite you to pray on a daily basis. Without prayer, there is no possible way we can grow in holiness. You are not called to spend your entire day in the church. Still, you are called to live what you already are: set apart. St. Francis de Sales had a fantastic way to do this. It can be encapsulated in three simple words: “ask, offer, accept.” First, before any task, we ask God to be present and to make us holy by his grace. Second, we offer whatever the task is to him as a gift of love. Third, we resolve to accept what the fruit of that time dedicated to him is. In doing this, we allow every moment to be a sacrament (God is present and active). Every moment is a sacrifice (which makes every moment an act of worship). And every moment becomes a profound act of surrender (in which we entrust our lives to God in faith). Imagine! Every moment of your life is a sacrament, sacrifice and surrender! Even when you are not technically “in prayer!” You have been set apart. By “asking, offering and accepting” every moment, your life is also set apart for love of God. Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Nov. 8 Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time Wis 6:12-16 1 Thes 4:13-18 Mt 25:1-13 Monday, Nov. 9 Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 1 Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17 Jn 2:13-22 Tuesday, Nov. 10 St. Leo the Great, pope and doctor of the Church Ti 2:1-8, 11-14 Lk 17:7-10 Wednesday, Nov. 11 St. Martin of Tours, bishop Ti 3:1-7 Lk 17:11-19 Thursday, Nov. 12 St. Josaphat, bishop and martyr Phmn 7-20 Lk 17:20-25 Friday, Nov. 13 St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin 2 Jn 4-9 Lk 17:26-37 Saturday, Nov. 14 3 Jn 5-8 Lk 18:1-8 Sunday, Nov. 15 Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31 1 Thes 5:1-6 Mt 25:14-30 Monday, Nov. 16 Rv 1:1-4; 2:1-5 Lk 18:35-43 Tuesday, Nov. 17 St. Elizabeth of Hungary, religious Rv 3:1-6, 14-22 Lk 19:1-10 Wednesday, Nov. 18 Rv 4:1-11 Lk 19:11-28 Thursday, Nov. 19 Rv 5:1-10 Lk 19:41-44 Friday, Nov. 20 Rv 10:8-11 Lk 19:45-48 Saturday, Nov. 21 Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Rv 11:4-12 Lk 20:27-40 Sunday, Nov. 22 Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe Ez 34:11-12, 15-17 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28 Mt 25:31-46
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17
COMMENTARY TWENTY SOMETHING | CHRISTINA CAPECCHI
Hospitality at 6 feet: keeping our distance while letting others in
“Can you come in?” My grandma’s favorite question is one we now discourage her from uttering. The impulse to swing open her door and her arms, honed over nine decades and stitched into her IrishCatholic DNA, is not easily thwarted. Yet we have attempted to do so this year. She’s doing her best, but she doesn’t like it one bit. Social distancing goes against every fiber of her being. At 90, Grandma still lives in the two-story brick home where she raised her six kids. It is the hub for our sprawling extended family. We all gather there on Christmas Eve, when she’s perched at the piano, plucking out carols we sing along to across the living room. Individually, we flee there on bad days, when we need a sympathetic ear and a soft place to land. She sits by the fireplace, a candy dish at one elbow and a basket of newspapers and magazines at the other. She listens so wholeheartedly, with appreciative sounds and interjections, and instantly everything seems better. That is hospitality in its truest sense. The word originates from the Latin word for “hospital.” Grandma’s expression of hospitality does indeed turn her home into a hospital: a refuge for the sad and lonely, a place for healing. I’ve been reflecting on the virtue of hospitality, which feels more needed than ever and also harder than ever to exercise amid a pandemic. How are we to practice hospitality now, when our faces are covered and our reserves are depleted? How are we to embrace the stranger while keeping 6-feet distance?
ALREADY/NOT YET | JONATHAN LIEDL
How the election doesn’t change anything
When you write a column a couple weeks in advance, you have to accept that your piece might not be able to incorporate the latest news from the day that it’s published. In the case of this column, I’m writing in late October, so I don’t even know who won the Nov. 3 presidential election. Maybe it was that one guy. Maybe it was the other guy. Maybe they’re still counting ballots. Even though I don’t know the outcome, I’m confident that, no matter who ends up in the Oval Office, the following statement is true: In a certain sense, the election results don’t change anything for a faithful Catholic. I don’t mean to say that elections don’t matter. And I don’t mean to say that who our president is — and the policies and vision he’ll implement — isn’t of great significance. Lives are at stake, from the unborn to the immigrant, the child struggling with transgender ideology to the poor person struggling to access health
(Hospitality) does not require uncluttered counters. It does require an uncluttered heart. iSTOCK PHOTO | MAXIMFESENKO
If hospitality is defined as kindness toward strangers, the friendly reception of guests, then the opposite is judgment. It’s forming unfair and unfavorable ideas about others based on our own insecurities and ignorance. This means hospitality is not so much an act as a disposition. It is recognizing the opportunity to be Christ to others and to receive Christ from others. It does not require uncluttered counters. It does require an uncluttered heart. Emily Stimpson Chapman, author of “The Catholic Table,” taught me this back when visions of immaculate Pinterest boards held me back. “When we think of hospitality not as impressing people but as loving people, it’s easier to let go of all the extras that make welcoming people into our home stressful or expensive,” the Pittsburgh mom told me. The biblical command to care for those in need does not exclude times of pandemic, Emily pointed out. It does require greater creativity and greater courage. “What God calls us to, he always gives us the grace to do,” she said. The Benedictines consider hospitality a charism, a
special spiritual gift. St. Benedict explored the topic in a chapter of his book “Rule of Benedict,” written in the year 516. He believed guests should be warmly received upon arrival and departure. Doesn’t it feel good when a host grabs your bag as you enter or walks you out as you leave? St. Benedict emphasized the “humility” at the core of hospitality, and he described it in action: A host should bow to their guests to adore the Christ within, pray with them, sit with them and wash their hands. The spirit of those gestures can be done from a distance, even remotely: listening well, affirming others, praying for them, checking in, mailing cards, leaving banana bread at the front door. We can smile with our eyes even when our mouths are masked. Perhaps that’s a metaphor for hospitality in 2020: We have less to work with, but we’re doing what we can. We’re trusting that, once again, God will give us the grace.
care. Different possible presidents bring different possible agendas — and different possible challenges to the common good and the integrity of human life that a Catholic must confront and stand against. But what doesn’t change is something more fundamental than a president’s agenda or the issues at hand. It’s the Christian’s obligation to engage in the public square faithfully and fearlessly, doing his or her part to shape our shared life together in a way that more consistently reflects the truth of our God-given human dignity. As Pope Francis has said previously — and reiterated in his newest encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti” — political participation is a “lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good.” Charity. A desire for the good of the other and the good of all. This must be the beating heart of a Catholic’s civic engagement, characterizing everything we do in the realm of politics, from every Facebook post we share to every vote we cast. My concern, though, is that in this past decade or so of increased and hyperpartisanship, we’ve forgotten that charity, more so than even any particular issue, is the heart of Catholic social life. Instead, I worry that too many Catholics have become something like shills for a particular party or politician, failing to consistently advocate for life and human dignity by transcending the false dichotomy of our political landscape. This isn’t to say that we can’t support a candidate, even a deeply flawed candidate, if we prudentially discern that his or her election will be relatively better for the common good when compared to the other options. But being complacent and silent in the face of our candidate’s violations of human dignity sacrifices
our distinctive witness to a coherent Gospel of Life. What might it look like to reclaim that witness? Well, in a sense, an election gives us a fresh start. And I suggest we begin by being willing to hold our own preferred candidates accountable when their policies deviate from respecting the dignity of their fellow citizens. If President Trump won re-election and you voted for him, I’d argue that you have a unique duty to stand up for immigrants who have been demonized by the president for political points, or to call him out for dangerous rhetoric that undermines our political institutions and civic unity. And if you’ve helped make Biden the next resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., I’d say something similar about your doubled responsibility to adamantly oppose him when it comes to his extremist views on abortion, or his willingness to legally enshrine dangerous ideologies of sex and gender that prey upon young children. This same kind of exercise can likely be applied to every single candidate who won election because — newsflash — very rarely do our politicians today perfectly sing from the Catholic social teaching songbook. And that’s the point: Catholic political engagement is not primarily about a party, or a candidate, or a set of issues, even as it’s true that some issues, like abortion, are more preeminent than others. Catholic political engagement is about charity. Charity for those neighbors near and far, young and old, rich and poor, born and unborn. And no matter which party moves through the revolving door of Washington, D.C., that will never change.
Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.
Liedl lives and writes in the Twin Cities.
18 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
FAITH AT HOME | LAURA KELLY FANUCCI
Teach us to pray as stressed-out parents Lord, we’re tired. Overwhelmed. Anxious. Uncertain. This year has brought massive changes to our families. Work, school, church — all of it looks different now. Our kids are struggling to understand, accept and adapt. We’re struggling, too. How can we help our families when we need support for ourselves? How can we teach our kids to pray when we’re wrestling with faith, too? Where do we start when everything feels like it’s unraveling around us? Here is one answer you gave us: “He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive
SIMPLE HOLINESS | KATE SOUCHERAY
The good in each day My husband and I had a few hours off together in mid-September on a lovely Friday afternoon and we decided to visit a local apple orchard. We found a parking space in the already-overfull lot, and as he carefully opened his door in an effort not to hit the car next to us, I found myself once again so grateful for this man I chose to marry nearly 40 years ago. His moral fiber is as intact today as it was all those decades ago, and I welled up with gratitude for how this guiding factor in our marriage has been such a gift to me, our marriage and our family. Taking a moment to notice special surprises with a grateful heart is a suggestion made by St. Gianna Beretta Molla, as she states “the secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness.” It is so easy in this chaotic time to miss the moments to offer gratitude to God for his grace and his presence. Offering a message of gratefulness to someone, stopping to thank God for his goodness or even keeping a gratitude
LETTERS Gratitude for virtual prayer series The “Praying with Scripture Series” provided by the archdiocese was so very well done, timely and helpful! I want to thank all those who participated in preparing the series for us. The talks by Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Cozzens were some of the best I have heard on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius — easy to understand and insightful. I also want to offer that one of the most powerful ways to pray with Scripture in this way was not highlighted: Entering into the Scripture to know the person, the personality, the heart of Jesus. While it is good to look for direction, lessons, morals in Scripture (what I should do or what it means), praying with Scripture this way also opens the door to know the person of Jesus. And, the more we know someone, the more we can love them. This is true with our friendship with Jesus. When entering into a scriptural scene, try asking Jesus personal questions. It has been stunning to me to receive direct and immediate answers to questions like, “Lord Jesus, what emotions were you experiencing?” or “Lord, why did you do that?” Many times the answers were not at all what I expected and helped me know him better. He wants to reveal himself to us — and help our friendship to grow. And when he reveals himself so completely, it helps me to be more
COMMENTARY
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test’” (Lk 11:1-4). Each line of Scripture can speak to us today, Lord. Open our hearts to hear your word. “He was praying in a certain place.” Remind us that our circumstances and contexts don’t have to be barriers to prayer. Keep drawing us to you in our own particular places, just as you would leave behind the chaos and crisis of the crowds to pray alone. “Lord, teach us to pray.” Humble our hearts to ask you to teach us. When we don’t know what to do or where to go, nudge us to ask for help. Let us be open to receive and willing to learn. Comfort us to remember we aren’t alone, that we all need your grace and guidance to keep going. “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.” Help us to start simply. To begin each day and each prayer by calling out to you. To praise your name and put you first. To remember that we are your beloved children. To hope in your goodness, trust in your promise and surrender to your ways. “Give us each day our daily bread.” Let us see all the goodness of life — even time and food — as gifts from you. Let us ask for enough for today, and trust that tomorrow will take care of itself. Let us be open to receive you: in sacraments, in Scripture and in sustenance for our bodies and minds.
Let us pray not just for ourselves and our families, but for all who are in need. “Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.” Guide us to confession and forgiveness. Be merciful with our fumbling, failures and fears. Help us to forgive ourselves, our families and all those we struggle to love. Guide our feet to the path of your healing, and teach us to work and serve each day in the light of your love. “Do not subject us to the final test.” Have mercy on us. Protect us. Stay with us through the end. Bring us back each day to these holy words. Help us teach them to our children, to pray them when we are at home and when we are away. Most of all, Lord, be present to us wherever we are — as parents, guardians, grandparents, godparents and all who love, teach or raise young people in today’s tumultuous world. May we trust that we and the children we love are always in your care, that your peace is always only a prayer away. Amen.
journal are all suggestions from the experts to help us focus on finding the good in each day. Martin P. Seligman, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and the father of positive psychology, conducted an experiment regarding happiness. He instructed half of his study participants to write a letter of gratitude to someone from their childhood, whom they had never thanked, for a kindness they had extended to them. He found that in doing so, these study subjects experienced a significant increase in their happiness scores, as opposed to those participants who did not take a moment to think of someone who had done something nice for them. Clearly, taking time to notice the good and provide a verbal or written message of gratitude seems to be good for us. In this day and age, when we are unsure of which way our country and our world are moving, we must take every opportunity to see the good and offer our thanks for that good. Particularly in our marriages, as the impact of COVID-19 and the presidential election continues, we are likely feeling more uncertainty about the future. We likely have a deep desire to return to something that looks and feels like normal, and yet we have no guarantee of when, or if, that will happen. What we do have is today. Take time this week to notice the good things in your life. Whether it is a completed intention by your spouse, or an expressed intention, take time to extend a word of gratitude. As your children and adolescents continue
ACTION STRATEGY
honest and open with him. I recommend the “Praying with Scripture Series” and I recommend asking these types of questions during your conversation with Jesus. Paul Putzier Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul
Spiritual emergency Father Thomas Margevicius recently sent the Liturgical Calendar 2020-21 to the priests of the archdiocese. In it he writes: “Pastors are welcomed to make use of the still-current permission to offer General Absolution during Advent.” This is certainly a proper response to the COVID-19 virus. Physical emergency is easy to identify. Spiritual emergency is more difficult to quantify. As a Church we are called to consider both physical and spiritual needs of our parish communities. Pew Research Center published in 2015 the results of their findings on confession practice: 43% say they go to confession at least once a year; 28% never go; 29% are between the two extremes. If this is not a spiritual emergency, then what is? Is it too much to ask to have an open discussion on this topic? Father John Malone Retired priest of the archdiocese
A parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, Fanucci is a writer, speaker and author of several books including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting.” Her work can be found at laurakellyfanucci.com.
Notice the little things others do and extend a message of gratitude to them. Do all you can to maintain a positive attitude during this chaotic time. Remember to turn to God in prayer. to manage the school schedule and all the chaos the pandemic has created for them, take time to send an email to their teachers, offering a note of thanks and perhaps a well-wish for a happy and prosperous holiday season. In your work setting, take a few moments to offer a message of gratitude to your employees or coworkers, sharing with them your feelings of relief that they are sharing this unpredictable time with you, helping you each day to find normalcy amid the turmoil. We will get through this time and we must trust that we will become stronger and more resilient through the difficulties it presents us. And we must remember that a little gratitude goes a long way. Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a member of Guardian Angels in Oakdale. She holds a master’s degree in theology from The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul and a doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Eucharistic healing Bishop Cozzens’ column on the healing power of the Eucharist (“The need for healing,” June 25) is welcome during this time of COVID crisis and the need for each of us to take responsibility for ourselves and others by physically distancing and wearing our masks. However, can the wounds of white privilege and systemic racism be healed without addressing these sins and their causes? No. Please, bishops, speak out boldly! Call upon the Holy Spirit! Follow the promptings of Pope Francis! Help us to speak and act in ways that challenge social injustice and sinful acquiescence in our own white privilege. Only then will Eucharist provide genuine healing for all persons created in God’s image and likeness. Anne Klejment Lumen Christi, St. Paul Share your perspective by emailing TheCatholicSpirit@ Please limit your letter to the editor to 150 words and include your parish and phone number. The Commentary pages do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit. archspm.org.
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19
CALENDAR PRAYER+RETREATS Archdiocesan Synod: Healing and Hope series: Five-part online retreat. Videos will be posted online and available on the Archdiocesan Synod app. Livestreamed 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Nov. 17 on Facebook and YouTube. archspm.org/healing-and-hope-series “Walking the Sacred Path” virtual retreat with Dan Schutte — Thursdays through Nov. 19: 7–8:30 p.m., hosted by St. Joseph in New Hope. Online materials included. Attend live or watch recorded sessions. Free. stjosephparish.com/retreat “Speaking Truth with Robust Love” — Nov. 6: 9–11 a.m. hosted online by St. Paul’s Monastery, Maplewood. Explore healthy and life-giving ways to talk about sensitive or important issues with candor and love. Session includes reflection, discussion and summary of insights. benedictinecenter.org “Forgive Me, Lord”: Women’s Retreat — Nov. 7: 7:20 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at St. Peter, 6730 Nicollet Ave. S., Richfield, or via livestream on St. Peter’s Facebook page. The morning starts with the rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet followed by Mass. Father Jerry Dvorak will give a presentation on forgiveness. $10. stpetersrichfield.org SoulCollage Sunday Circles — Nov. 8: 1:30–4 p.m. online through St. Paul’s Monastery, Maplewood. Casual afternoon to explore inner wisdom. Session includes spiritual reflection, collage making and creative exercises. No previous experience is necessary. benedictinecenter.org Women’s silent midweek retreat — Nov. 10-12 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. King’s House preaching team presents “A Listening Heart.” Suggested offering is $160 per
person; a $30 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve a room. 763-682-1394 or register at kingshouse.com. “Eucharist and the Healing of the Earth” with Father Joseph Nassal, CPPS — Nov. 13-15 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. Men and women’s silent weekend retreat. Suggested offering is $175 per person; a $30 nonrefundable deposit per person required to reserve a room. 763-682-1394 or register at kingshouse.com. Deacon Discernment Day — Nov. 14: 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at The St. Paul Seminary, 2260 Summit Ave., St. Paul. This is a day set apart to explore the vocation of deacon in the archdiocese. Wives are encouraged to attend. No charge. Registration is required as seats are limited. Register online at semssp.org/idf. For more information, contact sjleif@stthomas.edu or 651-962-6891.
“Our Essence and Our Life” virtual conference on water stewardship — Nov. 17: 7–8:30 p.m. hosted by the Archdiocesan Care for Creation Team. An opportunity to learn from watershed experts about water as a resource and how to work with watershed districts to preserve its quality. archspm.org/events In Focus: Racism in Housing Access — Nov. 18: Noon. Hosted by MPR News with Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis as part of MPR’s In Focus series on racial disparities in education, health and other areas. In-depth discussion on housing access and race, with a panel of experts being assembled. Virtual gathering via Zoom, more information and registration at mprevents.org.
CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the next issue date. 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. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication: uTime and date of event
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uFull street address of event
Gold Mass for Catholic Scientists — Nov. 16: 7 p.m. at 2001 Dayton Ave., St. Paul. For Catholics who are or have been involved with science, including scientists, retired or former scientists, science teachers at any level, science graduates and undergraduate science majors. Mass will be in person as well as livestreamed. facebook.com/events/491852241770747
Quilters for a Cause Holiday Sale — Nov. 21: 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at St. Jerome, 380 E. Roselawn Ave., Maplewood. Sale includes kitchen items, table runners, pillow cases and baby items. Proceeds will further the charitable work of the Quilters for a Cause. Face coverings and maintaining social distancing will be required.
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AWARDS
“What do we know about the real history of Native Americans?” — Nov. 9: 7–8:30 p.m. hosted virtually by St. Frances Cabrini, Minneapolis. Linda LeGarde Grover, a UMD professor of American Indian Studies, will discuss ways in which federal policies have adversely impacted Native Americans living in Minnesota. cabrinimn.org/tegeder-talks
Fall stewardship coffee and Annual Pillars of Stewardship Awards — Nov. 14: 9–10:30 a.m. online. Join Archbishop Bernard Hebda for the annual “Stewie Awards” and an engaging presentation by Prenger Solutions Group. First 125 to register by Nov. 11 receive a gift card to Caribou Coffee. Register to remmelt@archspm.org. archspm.org
uDescription of event uContact information in case of questions ONLINE: T HECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM/ CALENDARSUBMISSIONS
Archbishop Hebda joins ecumenical election night prayer effort By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit People searching for a few moments of peace on election night Nov. 3 could go online to prayerful reflections offered live by faith leaders including Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Organized by a nonprofit called Braver Angels, the 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. “Moments of Peace: Coming Together on Election Night,” was organized into 15-minute segments of faith leaders and everyday citizens offering peaceful reflections, stories, songs, prayers or silence.
Braver Angels offered similar 15-minute Zoom segments by secular leaders and others. After registering on Braver Angels’ Facebook page, participants were invited to enter the religious or secular channels at any time. Archbishop Hebda’s segment began at 7:30 p.m. Presenters also represented other Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. Formed after the divisive general election of 2016, Braver Angels works for unity in a time of political and cultural divisions. Bill Doherty, a professor of family and social science at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, helped found the group.
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20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
NOVEMBER 5, 2020
THELASTWORD
‘Explosion of grace’ Soldier’s wrongful step leads to leap of faith By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
C
olin Faust wasn’t even Catholic when he was wearing the Miraculous Medal that he now believes helped save his life. He was a 21-year-old Marine serving in Afghanistan in 2010, stationed in the most dangerous combat zone in the country, he said. On top of that, he had one of the most dangerous assignments — forward scout observer. His job involved helping clear and secure areas once occupied by the enemy, walking on terrain riddled with improvised explosive devices. He stepped on one the morning of Oct. 15. Walking a few feet behind a combat engineer, whose job it was to use a minesweeper to detect IEDs, Faust’s left foot caught a mine that the sweeper had missed. The explosion catapulted him about 5 to 10 feet upward. He recalls looking down at the ground while feeling suspended in mid-air. His rifle later was found 100 yards from the point of impact. “I remember being extremely confused … not knowing what just happened,” said Faust, now 31. “And, my first reaction, my instinct, for whatever reason, was to say a prayer. I don’t even remember what I said.” But he definitely remembers what he wore — a Miraculous Medal he had received from his Catholic grandmother that once belonged to her brother, a priest. She had given it to him while he was on leave shortly before his deployment. He hadn’t given it much thought before his accident, but he now reveres this piece of sacred jewelry, which he sees as a sign that God saved his life. It was the only thing he was wearing on that day that survived the blast. And, he wore it daily for seven more years before putting it in a storage box in his home to preserve it for his family. As he looks back on the traumatic incident now, he sees so many reasons his life could have — and maybe logistically should have — ended that day. First, he would have bled to death, he said, had it not been for some quick medical attention from a Navy corpsman, who applied tourniquets to both legs and his left arm. For injuries such as his, Faust said tourniquets need to be applied within 45 seconds to avoid fatal blood loss. Second, the helicopter deployed to lift him out of the area could not because of heavy enemy artillery surrounding Faust’s position. After being driven out by Faust and other Marines, Taliban fighters stormed back after the IED blast. And, the helicopter was called off. Third, a medic tried to give him a shot of morphine to kill the pain, but such a shot would have killed him due to the amount of blood he had lost. Fortunately, the syringe didn’t work and the medic ditched the effort. All of this before he even was transported from the scene. The final danger came when a group of soldiers placed him on a tarp and ran across the field away from where he lay and toward a safe position, all the while being fired upon by the enemy. Faust found out later there were about 50 IEDs placed throughout the field, which could have caused serious injury or death if anyone had stepped on one. With these risk factors in mind, he does not credit his survival to “luck.” The medal has served as a concrete reminder that it was God who saved him. Faust, who described the Lutheran faith of his upbringing in Waconia as “lukewarm,” years later turned to God and began to follow him. Then, he joined the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil at St. Victoria in Victoria March 31, 2018, his 29th birthday. He already had made a connection to the Church by marriage to his wife, Julia. A lifelong Catholic, she met Colin in 2013 when her mother and his, who were friends, set up a family dinner to connect Colin and
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Julia, hoping they would date. It worked. By that time, Colin had gone through numerous surgeries and more than two years of rehabilitation. The bottom of his left leg was lost in the blast, and his right leg was severely damaged, along with serious injuries to his left arm. What remained, however, was a quiet strength and positive attitude that drew Julia to him. Though their first meeting was not a “date,” their long conversation made it feel like one. She was struck by his humility. It triggered an impression that has lasted to this day. “He’s different, in the best way,” she said. “It was very refreshing and exciting and comfortable.” They got married at St. Victoria Oct. 15, 2016, the anniversary date of his accident. They now belong to Our Lady of the Lake in Mound and have a 13-monthold son, Leo. Colin’s faith is evident in how he has bonded with Leo. “It’s just awesome to see him now as a dad,” said Julia, a nurse. “He’s just gone above my wildest expectations with Leo. It’s been wonderful to watch. And, (Leo) is a dad’s boy. Their bond is really (strong). He (Leo) rarely reaches for me. He’d much rather be with Dad.” Today, Faust’s primary passion is his faith. He is pursuing a master’s degree in theology from The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, and describes himself as an avid reader who likes to study all things Catholic. That, in fact, is what got the conversion ball rolling for him. Throughout his rehabilitation and readjustment phase, following his honorable discharge from the Marines, he suffered bouts of depression and went through what he calls “some very dark periods.” “I sought short-lived pleasures to mask the interior suffering,” he wrote in a 2019 speech he gave at St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano. “This period included bad decisions of trying to fill that void with created things that, by their nature, could not fill that infinite hole, because they were not the one and only infinite, limitless good, our ultimate end — God.” He uses a quote from St. Augustine’s “Confessions” to sum it up: “The heart is restless until it rests in Thee.” Three years ago, Faust experienced what he calls an “explosion of grace.” He credits the Blessed Mother for this, which he ties to wearing the Miraculous Medal on the battlefield. The medal, also known as the Medal of Our Lady of Grace, originates from St. Catherine Labouré in France following her apparitions in 1830 of the Blessed Virgin. Faust was sitting in bed late one night, waiting for Julia to come home from work, and felt convicted about his lukewarm faith. “I could see clearly my spiritual state, my own contradiction — professing to believe but not acting like I believe,” he wrote. “I saw my lukewarmness and the consequent danger my soul was in. … I needed to restructure and reorient my life in a radical, dramatic way.” In that moment, he said, “a fire was lit in my soul that, to this day, not only continues to burn, but is growing more intense by the day. It is something I can quite literally feel in the most intimate depths of my soul.”
Colin Faust and his wife, Julia, play with their son, Leo, in their Mound home.
After that, he started reading about the Catholic faith and discovered St. Padre Pio, an Italian Capuchin Franciscan priest with a range of spiritual gifts who died at age 81 in 1968. Faust bought a book about him and “was absolutely blown away by the man’s heroic virtue and holiness and sanctity,” he said. “I had never encountered anything like it. And, reading that book was the tipping point at which I wanted to convert.” As if to underscore that desire, he set up a meeting with Father Bob White, pastor of St. Victoria. The priest then invited Faust to join a pilgrimage that members of the parish were going on the following week. “And, guess what that was?” Faust wrote in that speech. “To venerate the relics of St. Padre Pio. What an amazing sign this was to affirm that I was on the right track, and certainly beyond coincident, as it was the first time ever that the St. Pio Foundation had done this relic tour in America.” Faust made the pilgrimage to LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and venerated first-class relics including the saint’s blood-soaked gloves that had covered the stigmata on his hands. His next step was taking part in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at St. Victoria. One thing he relishes about being Catholic is going to confession. He still remembers the first time he went to confession with Father Tony O’Neill, then-pastor of Our Lady of the Lake, calling it an “unforgettable, powerful experience.” He also has a strong Marian devotion. He prays the rosary daily and has consecrated himself to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He describes himself as being “utterly consumed with everything Catholic — constant reading, listening to Catholic podcasts instead of (secular) music, learning, adoration, study, prayer, devotions, Mass, volunteering, confession. Virtually every free moment I have, I spend immersed in learning about the Catholic faith, trying to faithfully live the Catholic faith, and helping others learn about the Catholic faith.” This lifestyle connects to one of his favorite Scripture verses, Matthew 16:24: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Faust certainly has carried a cross — the suffering of years of surgery and rehabilitation, and having to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. But the way he talks about it now indicates he has pushed self-pity out of his life. It has been replaced by a deep wisdom for which he has paid a heavy price. “A joyous peace reigns through the soul when one realizes that all the pain, suffering and moments of trial in this life are not meaningless, but rather they become the means of your own and others’ sanctification when united to Christ as part of his Mystical Body,” he wrote. “Thus, when ordered to our proper end, they do have meaning, they do have a purpose, and as one progresses in the interior life, one learns that they are to be cherished. They conform us to Christ, they provide opportunity to demonstrate our love, destroy our ego and lean on God in our vulnerability. How contrary this is to the wisdom of the world.”