The Catholic Spirit - October 27, 2016

Public servants 8 • Divine mercy film 10 • Hospice and Funeral Planning 19-21 October 27, 2016 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

14

and counting

The Mulvahill family of Holy Name of Jesus in Medina includes 14 children adopted from China. Posing for a photo on the front steps of their home are, front row, from left: Joey, 8, and Luke, 7; middle row: Ben, 10, Madeline, 9, Abby, 10, Sam, 10, Melissa, 10, Jenny, 11, Anna, 10, and Ellie, 14; back row: Emma, 16, Sarah, 16, Jim, Jean, Mia, 14, and Ava, 11. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Medina family adopts children with special needs from China See story on page 7 ALSO inside

Resettling refugees

Home away from home

Tiny Treasures

Cardinal-designate Joseph Tobin addresses fears in lecture at University of St. Thomas.

— Page 5

Totino-Grace High School converts former convent to board international students.

— Page 6

Mother’s ministry brings corporal work of mercy to clothe the naked to grieving parents.

— Pages 12-13

2 • The Catholic Spirit

PAGE TWO

in PICTURES

October 27, 2016 OVERHEARD “I am standing here today, as the ‘Today’ show weatherman, because of what I learned at Xavier High School. My Jesuit priests, my Jesuit teachers taught us to be curious, taught us to be free thinkers, to be compassionate, and they also instilled an interest in the arts.”

NBC’s Al Roker in a keynote speech in Iowa at the Diocese of Sioux City’s annual fundraiser for Catholic schools in late September.

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

Bishop Cozzens to host radio hour with students Nov. 1 Bishop Andrew Cozzens will host a live national broadcast from noon to 1 p.m. on Relevant Radio (1330 AM) Nov. 1, All Saints Day. He will answer faith questions from students of St. John Paul II Catholic Preparatory School in northeast Minneapolis. The show will also be available online and on the mobile app.

Archbishop Hebda to celebrate Year of Mercy Mass Archbishop Bernard Hebda will celebrate the closing Mass of the Year of Mercy 6:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. The Basilica’s Holy Doors opened Dec. 13, 2015, and will close to mark the end of Pope Francis’ jubilee year. All are welcome to pass through the Holy Doors before Nov. 20.

NEW PRESIDENT St. Catherine University President ReBecca Koenig Roloff and her husband, Mark Roloff, process in at the Inaugural Mass Oct. 11 at Our Lady of Victory Chapel on St. Kate’s St. Paul campus. Archbishop Bernard Hebda celebrated. Rebecca Zenefski, By Rebecca Studios

Girls basketball tourney set for Thanksgiving weekend The first Thanksgiving Tip-Off Tournament featuring 12 girls basketball teams from Catholic high schools from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Winona will be Nov. 25-26 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. The participating schools are Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Holy Family in Victoria, Benilde-St. Margaret’s in St. Louis Park, Lourdes in Rochester, Cotter in Winona, Providence Academy in Plymouth, Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, St. Agnes in St. Paul, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, Totino-Grace in Fridley, DeLaSalle in Minneapolis and Visitation in Mendota Heights. Cost is $6 a day or $10 for a two-day pass. For more information, visit www.archspm.org/turkeytourney.

in REMEMBRANCE Deacon William Umphress, 81, died Oct. 10. He served in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as director of human resources after his ordination in 1979. He played a significant role in creating the archdiocese’s Justice in Employment policy. Deacon Umphress, an Eagan resident, is survived by his wife, Sally, and children Mary, Michael and Lisa.

His funeral Mass was Oct. 14 at Holy Spirit in St. Paul.

CHAMPION FOR LIFE Viviana Sotro of St. Stephen in Minneapolis receives a St. John Paul II Champions for Life award from Bishop Andrew Cozzens at the annual luncheon Oct. 13 at St. Peter in Mendota. Sotro, a staff member at St. Stephen, was the professional category winner. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

WHAT’S NEW on social media Once a regular summer residence for pontiffs, Pope Francis opens the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo to visitors. See a video tour at: www.facebook.com/thecatholicspirit.

The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 21 — No. 21 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor

Deacon John Joseph Flood, 88, died Oct. 11. Deacon Flood was ordained in 1986 and served at St. Odilia in Shoreview, where his funeral took place Oct. 14. A Roseville resident, Deacon Flood is survived by his wife, Ruth, and children John, Tom, Mary, Katie and Joan.

Deacon Thomas Barrett, 87, died Oct. 18. Deacon Barrett was ordained in 1990 and served in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His funeral was Oct. 24 at St. John the Evangelist in Little Canada. He is survived by his wife, Margaret, and sons Patrick, Stephen and David.

CORRECTION In the story “St. Bernard committed to keep iconic bell towers” Sept. 22, Charlie Deutsch’s name was misspelled. We apologize for the error.

Materials credited to CNS copy­righted by Catholic News Service.

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October 27, 2016

FROM THE BISHOP

The Catholic Spirit • 3

Prayer, hope in Christ can be our guide at the polls Nov. 8

O

ne evening a couple of weeks ago, I was filling up my car at a gas station and a man whom I did not know came up to me and said, “Father, I hope you are praying for our country!” I said that I am praying, and I hoped he was, too. His sentiment captured what many of us feel about our country, especially regarding the upcoming election. For conscientious Christians, many of us find our nation in a state of crisis.

I must acknowledge that this year, when it comes to voting, I find myself in a moral quandary greater than I ever have before. First and foremost, as a Catholic, I want to vote in a way that defends the right to life for all people, especially the unborn and the vulnerable, since this is the most foundational of human rights. Additionally, I want to vote for candidates who will protect our religious liberty, which has been undermined by the current administration and seems likely to be further undermined by an explicit anti-Catholic bias seen in this campaign.

Although these struggles are huge, they are not the only ones I face. I also want to vote for a candidate who reverences the dignity of the many immigrants I know who are wonderful, contributing members of our society and our Church. Those I know would make wonderful citizens, but because of our failed immigration policy in this country for many years, they are here in legal limbo without a pathway to citizenship. I believe they deserve a chance to stay here as we reform our immigration laws.

Most of all, I want to vote for a presidential candidate whom I can trust. Though I do not expect elected officials to agree with me on every issue, I should at least be able to expect that they have the character to serve in the best interest of our nation’s people. Unfortunately, I do not believe either of the two major candidates for president can be trusted to do so.

Thus, I find myself, as we all should be, driven to prayer to discern how to vote in this election. I know I have a moral obligation to vote, most especially because there are so many local elections that are so important. But I am disappointed that it will in part be an exercise in choosing between the lesser of evils, including the possibility of voting for a thirdparty candidate, or not voting at all for president — which is a legitimate way to exercise one’s vote.

ONLY JESUS I know that many people might disagree with me and say it is better to vote against the candidate that seems to pose the Bishop Andrew Cozzens greater evil, even if you are voting for a candidate you still find

Please don’t let your discouragement about the presidential race prevent you from voting in the many other important local elections. Much good can still be done right here in Minnesota to promote life, liberty and the common good by electing legislators who share our values.

morally problematic. I certainly understand that perspective, which is why I invite all Catholics to the same prayerful reflection I am trying to do about this election. Please visit the website of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, www.mncatholic.org, which provides helpful guidelines Catholics should consider in discerning their vote, as well as contains the Minnesota bishops’ election year statement and novena that begins Oct. 30 and can be found in print and video formats.

Please don’t let your discouragement about the presidential race prevent you from voting in the many other important local elections. Much good can still be done right here in Minnesota to promote life, liberty and the common good by electing legislators who share our values.

Most of all, let us pray for our country. I know many people who are discouraged and afraid of what might happen after this election. But fear and discouragement ultimately are not real options for us as Christians. Rather, we are called to be people of hope. We know from experience that the love of Jesus Christ is in fact the greatest power in the universe. History has taught us that even when society goes astray from that love, Jesus Christ and his Church always remain. Given where our country is today, I fully expect that more suffering will come to those who seek to sincerely practice their Catholic faith. But this suffering has always been part of the life of the Church. And we know that, united with Christ’s death on the cross, the sufferings we endure as part of the body of Christ can bear great fruit.

La oración, la esperanza en Cristo puede ser nuestra guía en las elecciones este 8 de noviembre

U

na tarde, hace un par de semanas, estaba llenando mi auto en una gasolinera y un hombre, al que no conocía, se me acercó y dijo: “¡Padre, espero que usted este orando por nuestro país!”, le dije que yo estaba orando, y esperaba que él también. Su sentimiento captura lo que muchos de nosotros sentimos acerca de nuestro país, especialmente en relación con las próximas elecciones. Para los cristianos con conciencia, muchos de nosotros encontramos nuestra nación en un estado de crisis.

Debo reconocer que este año, cuando se trata de votar, me encuentro ante el dilema moral más grande que nunca antes he tenido. Antes que nada, como católico, quiero votar de una manera que defienda el derecho a la vida para todas las personas, especialmente los no nacidos y los vulnerables, ya que este es el más fundamental de los derechos humanos. Además, quiero votar por candidatos que protejan nuestra libertad religiosa, la cual ha sido quebrantada por la administración actual y, parece probable que sea socavada aún más por un explícito sesgo anti-católico visto en esta campaña.

A pesar de que estas polémicas son enormes, no son la única lucha que enfrento. También quiero votar por un candidato que respete la dignidad de los muchos inmigrantes que yo conozco que son personas maravillosas, que

contribuyen con nuestra sociedad y con nuestra Iglesia. Aquellos que yo sé que serán unos excelentes ciudadanos, pero que, debido al fracaso de nuestra política migratoria en este país por muchos años, ellos están aquí en el limbo legal sin un camino a la ciudadanía. Creo que ellos se merecen la oportunidad de estar aquí mientras reformamos nuestras leyes migratorias.

Sobre todo, quiero votar por un candidato presidencial en quien pueda confiar. Aunque no espero que los funcionarios electos estén de acuerdo conmigo en cada uno de los asuntos, al menos ser capaz de esperar que tengan el carácter de servir en el mejor interés de la gente de nuestro país.

Desafortunadamente, no creo que podamos confiar en ninguno de los dos candidatos principales a la presidencia para hacerlo.

Por tanto, yo mismo me encuentro, como todos deberíamos estar, impulsados a la oración para discernir cómo votar en estas elecciones. Sé que tengo la obligación moral de votar, sobre todo porque hay tantas elecciones locales que son tan importantes. Pero estoy decepcionado porque será en parte un ejercicio de elegir entre el menor de los males, incluyendo la posibilidad de votar por el candidato de un tercer partido, o no votar en absoluto por el presidente — que es una forma legítima de ejercer el voto.

Sé que muchas personas podrían estar en desacuerdo conmigo y decir que es mejor votar en contra del candidato que parece plantear el mayor mal, incluso si usted está votando por un candidato que todavía encuentra moralmente problemático. Ciertamente entiendo ese punto de vista, y es por eso que invito a todos los católicos a la misma reflexión en oración que yo estoy tratando de hacer con respecto a esta elección. Por favor, visite el sitio web de la Conferencia Católica de Minnesota, www.mncatholic. org, que proporciona guías prácticas que los Católicos deben tener en cuenta en el discernimiento de su voto, además de contener el comunicado de los obispos de Minnesota acerca del año de la elección y la novena que comienza el 30 de octubre y que puede encontrar en los formatos de impresión y vídeo.

Por favor, no deje que su desaliento acerca de la carrera presidencial le impida votar en las muchas otras elecciones locales importantes. Mucho bien todavía se puede hacer aquí en Minnesota para promover la vida, la libertad y el bien común mediante la elección de los legisladores que comparten nuestros valores.

Sobre todo, vamos a orar por nuestro país. Conozco a muchas personas que están desanimadas y con miedo de lo que pueda pasar después de esta elección.

Pero el miedo y el desánimo finalmente no son opciones reales para nosotros

como cristianos. Más bien, estamos llamados a ser personas de esperanza.

Sabemos por experiencia que el amor de Jesucristo es, de hecho, el mayor poder en el universo. La historia nos ha enseñado que incluso cuando la sociedad se desvía de ese amor, Jesucristo y su Iglesia siempre permanecen. Donde se encuentra nuestro país hoy en día, creo que más sufrimiento vendrá a aquellos que buscan sinceramente practicar su fe Católica. Pero este sufrimiento siempre ha sido parte de la vida de la Iglesia. Y sabemos que, unidos a la muerte de Cristo en la cruz, los sufrimientos que soportamos como parte del cuerpo de Cristo pueden producir grandes frutos.

OFFICIAL Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: Effective December 1, 2016 Deacon Russell Shupe, appointed to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Saint Michael in Farmington.

This is a transfer from his current assignment at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul.

4 • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

October 27, 2016

Running on principal

SLICEof LIFE

Mike Strommen, principal at St. John the Baptist School in Vermillion, greets students at the end of his marathon run Oct. 14 to make good on a pledge he made last month. He told students that if they met their goal of $20,000 for the annual school fundraiser, he would run a marathon. They reached the mark Oct. 13, and he put on his running shoes the next day and completed a 29-mile loop through several towns with parishes that support the school — St. Joseph in Miesville, St. Mary in New Trier and St. Mathias in Hampton. “I’m feeling good,” Strommen, 48, said shortly after he finished.

“There was so much support coming from everywhere. My part was easy. I just had a nice run on a Friday afternoon.” He began at 9:15 a.m. and finished at 3:15 p.m. An experienced marathon runner and triathlon competitor, he stopped along the way to talk with supporters.

One farmer driving a tractor stopped when he spotted Strommen and made a donation on the spot. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Celebrate 800 years of Dominican influence and outreach!

Celebrate 800 years of Dominican influence and outreach!

Free Admission. No RSVP needed.

All are welcome!

Saturday, November 5, 2016 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Holy Rosary Catholic Church

2424 18th Ave. So. Minneapolis, 55404 holyrosaryop.org

Free Admission. No RSVP needed. All are welcome!

Saturday, November 5, 2016 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Led by Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Very Rev. Jim Marchionda, Prior Holy RosaryO.P., Catholic Church Provincial of St. Albert the Great, and Sister Toni Harris, O.P., Prioress of the 2424 18thDominican Ave. So. Sinsinawa Sisters Minneapolis, 55404 holyrosaryop.org 6:30 p.m. — Solemn Vespers 7 p.m. — Remarks and Blessing • Blessing of Couples who were married at Holy Rosary Church or any Dominican parish • Blessing of students who attended any Dominican school • Blessing of the Rosaries 7:30 p.m. — Veneration of Arm Relic of St. Jude Thaddeus, Apostle of Christ Plus, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting!

Led by Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Very Rev. Jim Marchionda, O.P., Prior Provincial of St. Albert the Great, and Sister Toni Harris, O.P., Prioress of the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters 6:30 p.m. — Solemn Vespers • Led by Archbishop Bernard Hebda 7 p.m. — Remarks and Blessing • Blessing of Couples who were married at Holy Rosary Church or any Dominican parish • Blessing of students who attended any Dominican school • Blessing of the Rosaries 7:30 p.m. — Veneration of Arm Relic of St. Jude Thaddeus, • Apostle of Christ • Plus, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting!

October 27, 2016

LOCAL

The Catholic Spirit • 5

Cardinal-designate Tobin notes fears around immigration, refugees

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Addressing a packed crowd at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul Oct. 24, Cardinal-designate Joseph Tobin dispelled misunderstandings about immigration and welcoming refugees.

“This welcome is an essential part of our Catholic identity,” Cardinal-designate Tobin said during the lecture, co-sponsored by the university’s Institute for Catholicism and Citizenship and several departments.

God’s call to welcome refugees Cardinalhas not changed despite heightened dangers worldwide designate over the past few years, CardinalJoseph designate Tobin said. The TOBIN archbishop of Indianapolis explained the three sources of Courtesy University fear people need to stand up to in of St. Thomas respecting the dignity of people from other countries.

Cardinal-designate Tobin has stood up for refugees in his own archdiocese. He described the work of

Catholic Charities there supporting Syrian refugees.

He also spoke of his dialogue with Indiana governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence over the refugees. Pence had said he wanted to ban refugees from resettling in the state.

In addressing the sources of fear for people, the cardinal designate began with terrorism, which he called a legitimate concern. He highlighted FBI Director James Comey’s statements about the U.S. government’s vetting process, particularly in December 2015.

Cardinal-designate Tobin recalled how Comey told a U.S. congressman that, “vouching for each and every refugee would be practically impossible.”

“Not wanting to assume direct, personal responsibility for each refugee is a very different thing than saying, ‘There’s no way to know [if they’re terrorists],’” Cardinal-designate Tobin said.

The archbishop also made it clear that the secular media does no favors to the public when reporting about terrorism. He said the profit-driven nature of the business has made reporting facts accurately and truthfully a secondary priority.

“Have you noticed how difficult it is to be informed straightforwardly about local and national issues?”

Cardinal-designate Tobin asked the crowd in the James B. Woulfe Alumni Hall. He encouraged

attendees to read and listen to media reports critically.

Media often appeal to stereotypes and emotions such as fear, the cardinal-designate indicated. The repetition of the message makes it believable for people.

The Indianapolis archbishop also talked about how globalization contributes to the fears about immigration and refugees. Globalization challenges people’s boundaries, even more so in the current climate.

“Because there’s a fear, who I am and who we are together is slipping out of our hands,” he said.

“Somebody is threatening our identity.”

He later added, “For us Americans, the ‘other’ arguably has become Muslims from the Middle East.”

None of the three fears dispense Catholics from welcoming people from other lands, especially refugees, said the cardinal-designate, who Pope Francis named with 16 others Oct. 9.

“Regardless of their religious affiliation or national origin, these refugees are above all human persons, made in the image of God, bearing inherent dignity, deserving our respect and care and protection by law from persecution,” Cardinal-designate Tobin said, quoting Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

University of Minnesota accused of using fetal tissue illegally

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit A Chicago-based nonprofit law firm charged the University of Minnesota Oct. 19 for illegal use of aborted fetuses in its research practices.

The Thomas More Society, which focuses on pro-life cases, filed a petition in the Fourth District Court of Hennepin County. The firm acted on behalf of St. Paulbased Pro-Life Action Ministries and University of Minnesota graduate student Bridget Busacker.

“The petition basically says to the Hennepin County

District Court, ‘By what authority does the University of Minnesota violate Minnesota’s law prohibiting transplantation research on the remains of aborted fetuses,’” said Attorney Erick Kaardal of Minneapolisbased Mohrman, Kaardal & Erickson, P.A., who served as a special counsel for the Thomas More Society in the petition. Kaardal cited Minnesota statute 145.1621, which requires certain treatment of aborted fetuses.

According to a medical research policy on the university’s website, the Anatomy Bequest Program will not “obtain tissue from abortions performed in Minnesota.” Earlier, the policy stated that the ABP can obtain tissue from entities “outside Minnesota that

operate in compliance with federal law and applicable state laws.”

Brian Gibson, director of Pro-Life Action Ministries, said that the university could use donated fetal remains from miscarriages instead, which would create a medically ethical situation.

“That way, those who are involved in this process can freely and openly give permissions properly so that there isn’t the commodification of the human remains,” Gibson said.

The university’s medical school conducts research in Please turn to U of M on next page

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6 • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

New boarding program welcomes world to Totino-Grace High School

October 27, 2016

Fridley school converts retreat center to dormitory

Through education, Latinos could be key to pro-life movement’s success

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

Six Totino-Grace High School students have the shortest distance from home to class out of all Catholic school students in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

They just go down the hall from their boarding residence to class at the Fridley school. The accommodations offer many advantages for these students in a new program at Totino-Grace.

“I thought living in the dorm would help me improve my academics because the school’s really close, and I can go ask the teacher anytime if they’re there,” said Totino-Grace junior Hyunji Lee, known as Avelyn, from Korea. “I don’t have a lot of distractions going on here.”

It fits with the intense academic vision these international students have. They come from China and Korea to the U.S. for its academic and economic opportunities.

“They take their education extremely seriously,” Totino-Grace President Craig Junker said.

Junker noted that Totino-Grace has hosted international students before through a home-stay program. Lee and fellow junior Calisto Zhang, from China, participated in the home-stay program last year and returned to Totino-Grace for the boarding program. Sophomore Konas Xu, also from China, transferred from St. Croix Lutheran High School in West St. Paul, which also has a boarding program.

“They have taken each other in as siblings, sort of,” said boarding supervisor Cindy Williams. “They have already learned when to back off [and] when the other person needs support.”

Because the students take such an intense approach to their studies, the boarding sometimes has to encourage balance. Lee likes to cook after school. Some students will play video games, pingpong or piano in the recreation room during down time.

“First and foremost, we want to make sure our students are well taken care of, so they’re learning academically and they’re growing in their personal lives,” Junker said.

Junker came to Totino-Grace with significant experience in boarding programs. He worked at Cotter Catholic High School in Winona, which has a boarding program.

“I could see firsthand the value that these kids brought,” Junker said.

Totino-Grace’s program grew out of the need to find a new use for its retreat center as the school’s 50th anniversary approached this fall. Once the convent for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the retreat center lost money from its retreat program.

“We had this beautiful facility that was unused,” Junker said.

Junker had the school partner with the Cambridge Institute of International Education, a Boston-based organization that works with nearly 300 private schools nationwide. The institute assists in recruiting international students and developing facilities for schools with a boarding program.

From disadvantaged immigrants to millennials, Latinos are in the abortion industry’s crosshairs. And while the largest U.S. minority group’s involvement in the prolife movement is critical, many lack information to counter proabortion arguments, said Astrid Bennett Gutierrez, executive director of the Los Angeles-based VIDA Initiative, which trains leaders to work in local communities to end abortion.

“As goes the Latino Astrid BENNETT community, so goes the pro-life movement,” said Gutierrez, 43, GUTIERREZ speaking at Human Life Alliance’s Oct. 18 gala in Maplewood. “[With] the goals that we have as a pro-life movement, if we don’t reach Latinos, I don’t see how we can reach [the goals].

It’s imperative that the Latino community be a part of who we’re reaching, and I would say it’s top priority.”

U of M continued from previous page major areas such as cancer, bone and marrow transplant, immunology, cardiology and neuroscience.

But advancements and positive outcomes cannot justify breaking the law, Gibson said.

“The question isn’t whether research is good or bad at all,” he said.

Kaardal echoed Gibson’s claim.

“That was a circumvention,” he said. “Here you have the University of Minnesota Medical Center, their research staff and their lawyers circumventing

From left, Totino-Grace High School juniors Frank Chen, Calisto Zhang, Avelyn Lee and Olivia Song study in the residence where they live on campus in Fridley. Lee is from Korea, and the others are from China. Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit The Cambridge Institute, though not Catholic, respects the faith tradition of the schools it works with.

“We try to guide them but not impose any path,” Cambridge Institute boarding partner Anizio Silva said.

“They pick and chose which way they want to go. We want to give them the best environment possible to make the decision.”

Totino-Grace renovated the retreat center this summer. It can accommodate up to 50 students. The boarding facilities have separate wings for boys’ and girls’ residences and restrooms. Students have access to a recreation room and a dining area. The staff provides three meals a day.

Students ease into American culture at the boarding program. That includes gradual introduction to American cuisine versus more familiar food from their respective countries.

Boarding students fully participate in the life of the school, getting involved in extracurricular activities outside of class. Zhang plays for the boys tennis team.

Lee competes with the girls golf team and participates in the business club. Xu takes part in music and art.

Similarly, the students get introduced to the Catholic faith through their religion classes, weekly school Mass and service projects. None of the boarding students this year comes from a Catholic background.

“We don’t want to overwhelm our students with the academic side of the faith; we want them to learn how to live the faith,” Junker said.

Junker envisions gradual growth for the boarding program, which could include local students, too. He hopes to get the program enrollment up to 40 students.

“We’re going to do it in a very strategic process,” Junker said.

No other Catholic school in the archdiocese currently has a boarding program. Several archdiocesan schools once had boarding programs, such as Bethlehem Academy in Faribault. St. Joseph Academy had one in St. Paul during the late 1800s before the program moved to Derham Hall in 1905.

St. Joseph Academy closed in 1971, and Derham Hall merged with Cretin High School in 1987.

the law. We can’t have a university that has a law school openly and notoriously violating the law.”

The university’s use of aborted fetal tissue became public in September 2015 when the Center for Medical Progress in California released one of its undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood officials and affiliates discussing the sale of body parts from aborted fetuses. Gibson requested a Freedom of Information Act to obtain university documents regarding use of the aborted fetal tissue. He obtained invoices showing the university purchased fetal tissue from other states.

“No matter where you get the bodies from, it’s still illegal to be doing this in Minnesota,” Gibson said.

Non-negotiables According to Census data, Latinos make up 17 percent of the U.S. population. Gutierrez said although they are instinctively pro-life, they hear from social workers and doctors in poor neighborhoods or from Planned Parenthood that abortion is acceptable or even the only way out of difficult situations.

As the 2016 election approaches, Latinos are not hearing a lot about the issue of abortion — one of the Catholic Church’s “non-negotiable” issues — either through Spanish-language media that focuses on issues such as immigration or even in some parishes, said Gutierrez, who was previously a co-host on Eternal Word Television Network’s “The Catholic View for Women.” (Four other non-negotiable issues outlined by the U.S. Catholic bishops are euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, cloning and same-sex marriage.)

Gutierrez shared about the East Los Angeles neighborhood where she lived as a child. It is home to many poor and immigrant Latinos — and where nine abortion centers operate within a one-mile radius.

Staff and volunteers at the pro-life clinic serving the neighborhood have helped save 6,000 babies in the past 16 years, she said.

Contraception and information about reproductive services are available to poor and immigrant Latinos in California often at the same location as government services, and social workers and doctors frequently pressure them to abort, she said. Proabortion policies like those in California may later be implemented in other states, she said.

“A lot of Hispanic women are lied to,” she said in a separate interview. “They’re being pressured into abortion because they’re being told they’re too poor, they’re too young, they’re alone, they’re immigrant, a number of myths and lies,” Gutierrez said. “They’re making a lot of money off our women and the vulnerability of our community.”

Catered messages Educating with truth, love and effective pro-life materials helps Latinos realize what abortion is.

The VIDA Initiative, founded this year, prepares leaders and those they serve to provide education along with Blaine-based HLA, which produces Spanish-language and bilingual publications.

Gutierrez and the VIDA Initiative have collaborated with HLA to produce a bilingual publication covering Please turn to PRO-LIFE on page 23

LOCAL

October 27, 2016

The Catholic Spirit • 7

God puts Chinese children on couple’s heart, then in their home

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Jim and Jean Mulvahill are enjoying a quiet conversation in a small room tucked away in the southeast corner of their Medina home on a fall Sunday afternoon.

The solitude won’t last. It never does. One or more of their 14 adopted children could come waltzing in at any moment.

They wouldn’t have it any other way. Members of Holy Name of Jesus in Medina, they chose to start adopting children from China as their five biological children were growing into adults and leaving the nest.

What started as an attempt to expand their parental love has turned into a string of adoptions that could set a Guinness World Record if there were such a category.

And, perhaps most amazing of all, each child has some sort of special need, either physical, emotional or developmental.

Yet, their explanation of how it all started in 2006 is matter of fact, although their daily lives are anything but.

“The [biological] kids were going to college, and so the house was getting quieter,” said Jean, 58. “We just felt that we had more to give. We really enjoyed being parents and we enjoy children, we enjoy doing things with our children. And so, we felt like maybe God had more plans for us.”

They first tried to scratch the itch to fill the house by getting a dog, a golden retriever named Sissy that lives with the family to this day. But, that wasn’t enough. By fall 2006, they were taking classes to learn about adoption.

One thing they discovered was that few countries welcome adoptive parents approaching age 50. China was on the short list of willing countries, so they turned their attention there.

After watching a video about a well known Christian musician who adopted a child from China, they decided they should do the same.

But, there’s not much to go on when it comes to researching children available for adoption in China.

Prospective parents are able to see a picture and a short writeup, and that’s it. Fortunately, that’s all it took in the case of the first child from China to join their family.

They looked at pictures of children through an agency called Children’s Home Society. One stood out.

“There was this adorable little girl with cleft palate,” said Jim, 59, who is part owner of a pharmaceutical company.

“A wide open lip, a wide open palate,” Jean said. “But, she was just absolutely adorable. And, those eyes were just. ... It was like, ‘That’s it. That’s her.’”

Now 10, Anna arrived in the Twin Cities to join the Mulvahill family in August 2007. She has had several

Jean Mulvahill works with her kids to make afternoon snacks in the kitchen. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit surgeries since her arrival, and her cleft palate now is barely noticeable.

The next child, Sarah, 16, came in December 2008.

She is one of two 16-year-olds in the family, and has gone back to China on several adoption trips to help ease the language barrier.

The family has taken seven trips to China to bring home children. The most prolific year was 2013, when they brought back five children on two trips — Mia, 14, Melissa, 10, and Madeline, 9, in February, and Ben, 10, and Luke, 7, in December. That was one of three years in which they picked up more than one child.

Generally, the process of discernment is simple. They see a picture of a child, then God puts it on both of their hearts to bring the child home. Part of their attraction to adoption is thinking about the child’s future in China and a possible future in America.

“I can’t imagine saying no to a child that needs a home,” said Jean, who was a school nurse at Providence Academy in Plymouth before retiring so she could stay at home with the kids. “How can we close our door on a child that needs a home? Honestly, if someone was at my doorstep right now: ‘Absolutely, come on in. We can pull an extra chair up at the table; we can get an extra bed, no problem.’”

That attitude is precisely why they are set to welcome two more children in November — Jacob, 9, and Grace, 8. Their target date to go to China to get them is Nov. 16, which means they will have a grand total of 21 children at the dinner table for Thanksgiving.

The 16 adopted children join Matt, 32, Katie, 31, Billy, 28, Mark, 26, and John, 23. Mark and John still were living at home when the first adopted children arrived from China. All five have bonded with their adopted siblings.

“Before we adopted, we talked to all [five] of them,” Jean said. “And, they were on board. Johnny had to

think about it a little longer because he was the [youngest] one home, so it was going to affect him the most. But, once he gave us the green light, we were, ‘OK, let’s do this.’ He was eager because he could see it getting quiet around here.”

It’s not quiet anymore. The house is bustling with activity almost nonstop, as Jean home schools the kids and will do so all the way through 12th grade. And, they take their act on the road, hauling kids to soccer, gymnastics and many field trips both for education and for fun. On top of that are the countless visits to hospitals and clinics for the many appointments to address physical needs.

They will add one more medical condition to the list when Grace arrives.

“Grace was born with Spina Bifida and a club foot, which is probably partially due to the Spina Bifida,” Jean said.

Perhaps, the most dramatic adoption story from a medical standpoint involves Luke, 7, who arrived in December 2011.

“His heart was in horrible shape, and no one would do surgery on him, especially being an orphan,” Jean said. “People in China want to keep their healthy boys.

But, if there’s a boy with a disability, they can’t afford the medical attention for the child, so they abandon the child.”

That’s how Luke ended up an orphan. They found out about him from a friend who had a special needs orphanage in China, where Luke was living at the time.

“I saw a picture of a little boy [Luke],” she said. “And, I heard God say, ‘He is your son.’ And, I was in shock. I said, ‘No, God, he’s too young. He’s only 18 months, Lord. Jim and I are older. This can’t be.’”

Then, while they were contemplating adopting Luke, Israeli doctors offered to do surgery on 18 Chinese orphans as a gesture of good will.

Luke was the 18th child selected. But because his heart condition was so serious, he could only have the surgery if he was flown to Israel.

“He got a visa, which is unheard of, and a passport for a Chinese orphan, and a nanny went with him, and he had lifesaving surgery in Israel,” Jean said.

When the two new children arrive in a matter of weeks, the family will have to up-size their vehicle. They currently own a Mercedes Sprinter that seats 17.

“It’s a FedEx truck with windows,” Jim said.

The question is: Will they stop at 16 adopted kids?

“I think we’re done,” Jean said. “But, people say, ‘You always say that ... .’ It’s more likely that that’s accurate now. But, God’s in charge, so we’ll see what happens.”

Whether they keep going or stop at 16, Jean has achieved her dream, which unfolds every Sunday at Holy Name, where the family lets its light shine for all parishioners to see — filling an entire row in the pews.

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8 • The Catholic Spirit

FAITH & CULTURE

October 27, 2016

Faith-filled public servants Three Catholics who serve Minnesota share how their faith guides their work for the common good

By Jessica Weinberger For The Catholic Spirit

Q. What legacy do you hope to leave for your work as a judge and justice?

ll eyes may be locked on the upcoming presidential election, but closer to home, public officials continue to serve the needs of the community by promoting justice and advocating for change across the state. For many, faith serves as the lens for addressing key issues, making fair decisions and withstanding the pressures of public service.

The Catholic Spirit asked three public officials in varying roles to describe how their Catholic faith impacts their work and how they strive to advance the common good for all Minnesotans.

The responses have been edited for length.

A. My greatest privilege or legacy is to be a husband, father and grandfather. My second greatest privilege has been to serve as a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. It was truly an honor and privilege to serve with six exceptional, independentthinking individuals who participate in the decisionmaking process on the Minnesota Supreme Court.

A

Christopher Dietzen Christopher Dietzen, 69, recently retired as a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court after being appointed in February 2008.

He said he always felt a call to serve the Lord in both family life and the legal profession. So, once his children were grown, he began Christopher to give back to the community as a judge, a role he compares to DIETZEN “neutral umpires in a game.” This father of four and grandfather of 10 lives with his wife in St. Paul. They are parishioners at Nativity of Mary in Bloomington.

Q. Do you consider your judicial work to be your vocation?

A. Yes. I believe that each of us has a calling and that

we seek God in faith to determine how we can serve him through our occupation or profession. My calling has been to be a husband, father and grandfather, and as a lawyer, judge and justice.

Q. Describe the role of faith in your day-to-day work as a judge and justice.

A. The role of a judge or justice is to apply the rule

of law in a fair and impartial manner to all persons who seek justice before the court. The decisions judges and justices make are often difficult ones, and I prayed for wisdom every day to make a fair and impartial decision in every case presented to the court.

Q. What activity as a judge or justice are you most proud of?

A. In my role as chair of the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission, we worked to recommend changes to drug sentencing in Minnesota that were adopted by the legislature. The changes will make treatment more available to those who are chemically dependent and desire treatment, and reduce geographic disparity in drug sentencing in the state.

Q. What is the most difficult judicial decision you had to make?

A. Last March, I announced my decision to retire effective Aug. 31, 2016. My term expired in early January 2017, and it didn’t make sense to run for reelection because I would reach the mandatory retirement age in March 2017. After a lengthy discernment process, I concluded that I should select the option that best furthers the interests of a justice, who must be non-partisan and non-political.

Q. How do you stay grounded in your faith amid

the pressures of this type of work?

A. Daily prayer, reading Scripture, my men’s group,

and participation in the sacramental life of my Roman Catholic faith. But the most important thing I’ve learned is that everything begins and ends with Jesus Christ.

Joyce Peppin Joyce Peppin’s interest in politics sparked as a 10-year-old watching President Ronald Reagan handle the American hostage situation in Iran in the early 1980s. Now, Peppin, 46, serves as the majority leader for the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Joyce Republican party, she was first elected in 2004 and is serving her PEPPIN sixth term. Peppin and her husband have two daughters, and are parishioners at Mary Queen of Peace in Rogers.

Q. Do you consider your political work to be your

vocation?

A. I always strive to be a servant of God. While I don’t consider political work to be my vocation, it does give me a unique platform to serve [God].

Q. Describe the role of faith in your day-to-day work as a politician. Does faith have a place in politics?

A. Absolutely. In spite of our best intentions, humans are fallible. Seeking God’s guidance gives me confidence in my decisions because I know that I’m not making them alone.

Emily Johnson Piper Emily Johnson Piper, 37, has worked as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services since December 2015. She comes from a long line of family members who have served in elected positions and throughout the community, including her Emily grandmother, who was the first female president of the JOHNSON PIPER Minneapolis City Council. A member of the Democratic Farmer Labor (DFL) party, she lives in Golden Valley with her husband and four children. They are parishioners at Good Shepherd.

Q. Do you consider your political work to be your vocation?

A. I consider public service to be a vocation I intentionally committed myself to when I came to state service in 2011, and a natural extension of community work that I have been engaged in throughout my whole life.

Q. Describe the role of faith in your day-to-day work as a politician.

A. Hubert Humphrey said, “The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” Overseeing programs that serve over 1 million Minnesotans in need every year, I am charged with assuring that our government meets this moral test. I find comfort and support in my faith every day as I support the mission of the Department of Human Services to help people meet their basic needs, so they can live in dignity and achieve their highest potential.

Q. What piece of legislation or other political

Q. What piece of legislation or other political activity are you most proud of?

A. Being elected to the position of majority leader

A. In the 2016 Minnesota legislative session, I worked to secure $28 million in funding necessary to continue operation of 120 group homes for people who live with significant disabilities and severe mental illness. The people who live in these homes are unable to be served by other providers in our state due to their complex needs, and are some of the most vulnerable people in Minnesota.

activity are you most proud of?

was an incredible and humbling honor.

Q. What is the most difficult political decision you’ve had to make? How did your faith guide you through that process?

A. This year, a veto threat from Gov. Mark Dayton forced a compromise that prevented education-based tax credits meant to open up opportunities for children of disadvantaged families to attend private schools.

Although severely disappointed, I viewed the compromise as a way of following the call to be peacemakers, and I remain hopeful for future progress on the issue.

Q. How do you stay grounded in your faith amid the pressure of this type of work?

A. One of the best things about working at the Capitol is the proximity to the Cathedral of St. Paul.

When things become stressful at work, attending Mass or being able to pray at the Cathedral is a way for me to filter through the pressure of the job and focus on God’s word.

Q. At the end of your political career, what legacy do you hope to leave?

A. As a mother of two daughters, I always think

about the future and want to make a difference for them. I hope my legacy will be that I always tried to act with faith and be a voice on issues that are important for future generations.

Q. What is the most difficult political decision you’ve had to make?

A. In my position, the most difficult decisions are not political; they are decisions related to the care of the 2,000 people I am public guardian to and the children in our child protection system, which I supervise. My obligation is to speak for those without a voice, including making sure their needs are met by making decisions about their support infrastructure, housing and most significant medical decisions.

Q. How do you stay grounded in your faith amid the pressures of this type of work?

A. I find strength in our Good Shepherd school community that my family and I are part of, and find comfort and support in the Gospel, particularly the Gospel of Matthew.

Q. At the end of your political career, what legacy do you hope you leave?

A. My hope when my service as commissioner comes to an end is that people who I am charged with serving are better off because of my leadership.

October 27, 2016

FAITH & CULTURE

The Catholic Spirit • 9

Late night liturgy Last Chance Mass drawing max capacity crowds to St. John Vianney College Seminary

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Every Sunday night during the school year, St. John Vianney College Seminary gets packed to the gills.

Nearly 300 students and adults come for the Last Chance Mass at 9 p.m. in the minor seminary at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Since the Mass’ inception a decade ago, it continues to bear fruit.

“I’ve really taken those homilies at Last Chance to heart, and I’ve seen God work in my life in amazing ways,” UST junior Katie Schacht said.

Schacht began taking time for daily prayer since attending.

“It’s just made me a happier, less stressful [and] friendlier person that people want to be around, and has given me courage to talk to others about my faith and about Jesus,” Schacht said.

Brityn Ryshavy doesn’t hesitate to invite fellow UST students to the Last Chance Mass. Ryshavy sees it as a welcoming atmosphere with contemporary music, engaging homilies and strong fellowship following Mass, including good snacks.

“That makes it really easy for somebody who hasn’t been to Mass in a long time, or ever, to step in and not feel uncomfortable,” Ryshavy said.

UST alumnus Danny Lindsey attended the Masses during college, which helped him journey to the Catholic faith. Mitchell Watkins, a current student, also joined the Church, as did alumnus Griffin Snyder.

Snyder kicked for the UST football team, the original intended congregation. An SJV seminarian who played

Father Michael Becker delivers the homily during Sunday evening Mass Oct. 9 at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul.

Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit for the Tommies in 2006 approached then rector Father William Baer about the need for a Sunday night Mass to accommodate students’ schedules. Father Baer offered the first Last Chance Mass for a group of six.

News about the Mass spread quickly around campus.

Students from nearby St. Catherine’s University and people from the surrounding community began coming, too.

“In just a matter of months, we were over capacity — 250 people coming to Mass in a chapel that only seated 125,” Father Baer said.

Father Michael Becker continued the Mass after he became SJV’s rector in 2010. He sees the fruitfulness continuing.

“It’s the future of the Church, and it’s just exciting to me,” Father Becker said. “It brings me a lot of hope and joy to see young people captured by their gaze on Christ, their love for God, for the Church [and] making that value No. 1 in their lives.”

Father Becker said the students will naturally go to earlier Mass times after college with demands of work and family. Both he and Father Baer have seen alumni continuing to live the faith after college.

Father Baer has celebrated seven weddings of previous Last Chance Mass attendees. A recent one included a former UST football player and his wife.

“I was thrilled to discover that this couple had registered at a parish, St. Pius X [in White Bear Lake], and were actively involved with that,” Father Baer said.

One former attendee, Zachary Galante, will enter seminary next fall for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Galante currently studies in Rome through UST. The Last Chance Mass benefits SJV’s seminarians, too.

Many of them serve in hospitality before and after the Mass, a chance to minister to their peers.

SJV’s Sunday night liturgy has allowed for seeds of faith to grow. Father Baer saw that potential right away.

“It wasn’t just a Mass, it was a mission,” he said.

Men in Christ • Men of the Church • Men for Others www.vianney.net • 651.962.6825 • sjv@stthomas.edu

10 • The Catholic Spirit

FAITH & CULTURE

October 27, 2016

Parishioner brings divine mercy film to Andover theater

By Beth Blair For The Catholic Spirit Last winter, Donna Zroka and other parishioners at the Church of St. Paul in Ham Lake saw a movie trailer for “The Original Image of Divine Mercy.” The documentary traces the history of the painting that’s based on the description St. Faustina Kowalska recorded in her diary after receiving revelations from Jesus in the 1930s.

Intrigued about the film, the group researched its availability and discovered that the parish could rent the movie for five days at a cost of $300. Given the layout of the sanctuary with its abundant natural light, the film would have to be shown in the evening.

Between the cost and setting, the ideal scenario didn’t seem feasible. That’s when Zroka, 61, and the other parishioners added a request to a prayer book that God would somehow bring the film to the parish. The prayer book holds intentions for the Year of Mercy as well as the answered prayers as they are granted.

Zroka said the key to answered prayers is asking, then letting go.

“Let God do the work,” she said.

In the meantime, another St. Paul parishioner, Kevin Bittner, 53, also saw the trailer for the documentary in a Facebook posting.

“After I watched the trailer a couple of times, I became interested in seeing the film and started searching for where it was playing,” Bittner said.

The search, though, was a dead end; the film wasn’t playing anywhere in Minnesota.

Like his fellow parishioners, Bittner received the same news that the film was only available through a licensing agreement to bring it to a parish or

other venue.

Unbeknown to Zroka, the prayer was being set into motion.

“I started looking at what could be done to bring the film here,” Bittner said.

“I worked with the director of adult formation at St. Paul’s, Jona Winkelman, to see what dates might be available to bring the film to the church.”

But there was another challenge in showing the film at the parish.

“We really couldn’t find a date that would work at the church within the Year of Mercy, and that was my goal,” Bittner said. “I thought about letting the whole idea go, but then I would go back and watch the trailer again, and I would get this strong feeling that I was supposed to continue pursuing this. So, I started looking into alternative venues.”

Bittner learned he could rent the Andover Cinema, which holds 235 people, for a reasonable price. He’s hosting the film there 9 a.m. Nov. 12.

“Kevin was chosen to bring this gift to the parish in a much broader form, since now hundreds of people can see the film,” Zroka said. “It’s a beautiful gift to end the Year of Mercy.”

Father Jim Livingston, pastor at St. Paul, said Pope Francis’ Year of Mercy has attracted attention from Protestants as well.

“There is never a bad time to hear the story of St. Faustina and God’s desire to bring mercy to our world,” Father Livingston said, “but while we are still in this year of grace, it’s a great enrichment opportunity.”

The contact for licensing the film was the film’s director, Daniel diSilva. The timing was impeccable. DiSilva was going to be in Green Bay for a director’s cut that same week and asked if Bittner

If you go: Nov. 12 “The Original Image of Divine Mercy” documentary •A ndover Cinema, 1836 Bunker Lake Blvd. NW, Andover •D oors open at 8:30 a.m. with the film starting at 9 a.m., followed by a presentation from the director, Daniel diSilva.

• T ickets will be sold at the door to the first 150 people for a suggested donation of $10.

For more information, visit www.holyyearofmercy.com/event/andover-mnnov-12-andover-cinema/ Courtesy Springtime Productions would like him to present in Andover.

“After a brief consideration, I felt that divine providence was at work, so it seemed like a no-brainer to say yes to that offer,” Bittner said. “The Director’s Cut Film Presentation is accompanied by a gallery of original artwork, holy relics and important artifacts that are relevant to the film, some of which are priceless.

Mr. diSilva also brings an exact replica of the original image of divine mercy, which has been physically touched to the original image, making it a third-class relic.”

The film features well known Catholics including Bishop Robert Barron of Los Angeles, author and activist George Weigel, comedian Jim Gaffigan and singer/actor Harry Connick Jr. Shortly after the painting was completed in Poland, the Soviet Union

and Germany invaded the country in 1939, and the Church and the painting went underground. The original image was largely forgotten for a time.

Bittner hopes the film touches at least one person who doesn’t know Christ or who has been away from the Church. As for those who are familiar with divine mercy, he hopes the film draws them to an even deeper knowledge of God’s mercy.

“But ultimately, it’s not up to me; I’m just trying to make the opportunity available and not get in the way of how the Holy Spirit wants to work through the film and Mr. diSilva,” Bittner said.

A DVD release is scheduled for Nov. 20.

For more information about “The Original Image of Divine Mercy,” visit www.divinemercyfilm.com.

Sorrow and joy: Marking the Reformation with honesty about the past

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service As Catholics and Lutherans prepare to mark the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, Pope Francis said they should feel “pain for the division that still exists among us, but also joy for the brotherhood we have already rediscovered.”

The pope will travel to Lund, Sweden, Oct. 31, to participate in an ecumenical prayer service launching a year of anniversary activities. Lutherans mark Oct. 31 as Reformation Day, honoring Martin Luther, who was a Catholic priest in 1517 when he began the process that became the Protestant Martin Reformation.

LUTHER His “95 Theses” were a list of topics which, Luther believed, the Catholic Church needed to reform. Asserting that faith, not deeds, leads to salvation, many items on the list were triggered by the “selling” of indulgences, a practice the Council of Trent later banned.

The Catholic Church believes that Christ and the saints have accumulated a treasure of merits, which other believers — who are prayerful and repentant — can draw upon to reduce or erase the punishment they are due because of sins they have committed.

Colloquially, an indulgence is described as a promise of reduced time in purgatory.

While making money from indulgences was a spark, the heart of the Reformation became different understandings of justification, or how people are made righteous in the eyes of God and saved. In 1999, after

years of theological study, discussion and review, a joint declaration on justification was finalized and signed. It said Lutherans and Catholics agree that justification and salvation are totally free gifts of God and cannot be earned by performing good works, but rather must be reflected in good works.

Overcoming the hurdle of differences on justification paved the way for Catholics and Lutherans to discuss possibilities for common commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In 2013, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation published a document, “From Conflict to Communion.”

“Luther had no intention of establishing a new church but was part of a broad and many-faceted desire for reform,” the document said.

The controversy over indulgences and over the degree to which a person must cooperate in his or her own salvation “very quickly raised the question of which authorities one can call upon at a time of struggle,” the document said. Luther emphasized the authority of Scripture while Church leaders emphasized the role of Church teaching and tradition in interpreting Scripture.

In the 16th century and later, the document said, “Catholics and Lutherans frequently not only misunderstood, but also exaggerated and caricatured their opponents in order to make them look ridiculous.”

“What happened in the past cannot be changed, but what is remembered of the past and how it is remembered can, with the passage of time, indeed change,” the document said.

Especially since the Second Vatican Council and with 50 years of official theological dialogue, Catholics and Lutherans have come to a deeper understanding of Luther’s concerns, as well as to a recognition of the

hostility and even political factors that pushed the two sides further apart.

In a joint statement published in early October, Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Rev. Martin Junge, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, said the joint commemorations will acknowledge how Martin Luther set out to reform the Church, but — partly because of the “convoluted context of social, political and economic upheaval” — ended up splitting the Church and unleashing centuries of tension and outright war.

At the same time, they said, the anniversary events will honor the progress made in 50 years of CatholicLutheran dialogue and, especially, recognize the “strengthened relationships and more profound mutual understanding reached in many parts of the world in service and witness.”

In addition to the ecumenical prayer service Oct. 31 in Lund — the city where the Lutheran World Federation was founded in 1947 — Pope Francis and leaders of the Lutheran World Federation will witness the signing of a cooperation agreement between the federation’s World Service and Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based umbrella organization of national Catholic charities.

“The meeting in Lund stems from a process of dialogue spanning several decades,” said the Rev. Michael Bjerkhagen, official chaplain to the king of Sweden. “A milestone in this process was the document, ‘From Conflict to Communion,’ signed in 2013. In this document, Lutherans and Catholics express sorrow and regret at the pain that they have caused each other, but also gratitude for the theological insights that both parties have contributed.”

FOCUS ON FAITH

October 27, 2016

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES

Deacon Brandon Theisen

Don’t let sin stop you from seeking Jesus I don’t like being judged for my sins.

When I was younger, I would do two things to conceal my identity when I went to confession.

First, I would “sandwich” my sins. If I had a big sin to confess, I would slip it in between two lesser sins and say the larger sin quickly. If swearing were the larger sin, I’d say, “Lying, talking back, swearing, disobeying my parents.” The priest would respond, “What was the last sin?” “Talking back?” I would say. And he would reply, “The one after that.”

“Disobeying my parents?” I would say.

Then the priest would give up, and I felt

like I won because he wouldn’t hear my big sin.

My second trick was to speak in a deeper voice. I would also change my voice when I went behind the screen, so the priest wouldn’t recognize that it was me. I did both of these things because I didn’t want the priest to judge me for my sins.

In the Gospel for Oct. 30, we read about Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus, a story with which we are all too familiar.

Zacchaeus was a wealthy tax collector and a man of small stature. He abused his position as chief tax collector to steal

The Catholic Spirit • 11

money from his fellow Jews so as to line his pockets. These offenses are why tax collectors were seen as social outcasts and sinners. But Zacchaeus’ heart was filled with joy when Jesus visited his village.

Zacchaeus so desired to see Jesus that he did two radical things: He ran to get a better view, and he climbed a tree. It might not seem too radical to us, but in Jesus’ time it was undignified for a man of Zacchaeus’ status to run in public or climb trees. But Zacchaeus was so moved by the joy of Christ that he didn’t care what others thought of his actions.

So, do we appear like Zacchaeus, a man who is struggling with sin, but longing to encounter Jesus? Or do we try to hide our faults and indiscretions?

As a young penitent, I did not act like Zacchaeus, but rather tried to cover up my sin. I was ashamed, embarrassed and afraid to be judged. On the other hand, Zacchaeus’ sins were known publicly, but that didn’t stop him from coming before Christ and following him.

We can learn from Zacchaeus that Christ doesn’t care how our sin appears to others, only how it appears to him.

Sunday, Oct. 30 Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Readings • Wis 11:22-12:2 • 2 Thes 1:11-2:2 • Lk 19:1-10 We long to encounter Christ, but we feel unworthy because of our sins and our baggage.

Don’t fear the judgment of your family, friends or whomever. Instead, act joyfully like Zacchaeus, run to Christ, climb a tree, do whatever you need to do to renew your relationship with your heavenly father.

Deacon Theisen is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. His teaching parish is Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul, and his home parish is Epiphany in Coon Rapids.

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Oct. 30 Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Wis 11:22-12:2 2 Thes 1:11-2:2 Lk 19:1-10

Wednesday, Nov. 2 Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) Wis 3:1-9 Rom 5:5-11 Jn 6:37-40

Monday, Oct. 31 Phil 2:1-4 Lk 14:12-14

Thursday, Nov. 3 Phil 3:3-8a Lk 15:1-10

Tuesday, Nov. 1 Solemnity of All Saints Rv 7:2-4, 9-14 1 Jn 3:1-3 Mt 5:1-12a

Friday, Nov. 4 St. Charles Borromeo, bishop Phil 3:17 – 4:1 Lk 16:1-8

Saturday, Nov. 5 Phil 4:10-19 Lk 16:9-15

Tuesday, Nov. 8 Ti 2:1-8, 11-14 Lk 17:7-10

Sunday, Nov. 6 Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time 2 Mc 7:1-2, 9-14 2 Thes 2:16-3:5 Lk 20:27-38

Wednesday, 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

Monday, Nov. 7 Ti 1:1-9 Lk 17:1-6

SEEKING ANSWERS

Father Kenneth Doyle

Same-sex weddings; Catholic prosecutor and death penalty Q. Our family consists of a mixture

of Catholic and Protestant Christians.

One family member, who is gay, is contemplating marriage to a same-sex partner. My husband and I do not plan to attend the ceremony, in deference to our Catholic faith. (I assume that the Church would not want us there to witness and seem to approve such a union.)

Over the years, we have worked hard to promote cohesiveness in a family where everyone is loved and accepted.

Several family members do not seem to have a problem in attending this “commitment service,” and I fear that our absence will create a major rift. We do expect to continue to welcome both this family member and the partner into our home, as it is not our place to pass judgment, but we are concerned that after this “hurtful snub” they will

not want to come and that other family members may disown us as well. Please advise us as to how to be true to our beliefs while also keeping our family intact.

A. In 2013, when the state of Rhode

Island was debating whether to approve same-sex marriage, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence advised Catholics that they should “examine their consciences very carefully” before deciding to attend a same-sex ceremony, lest their presence be taken as a sign of approval. Two years later, Bishop Michael Jarrell of Lafayette, Louisiana, was even more direct, saying that “all Catholics are urged not to attend same-sex marriage ceremonies.”

So although there is no absolute canonical prohibition against attending, Church leaders would likely advise you not to go. The consistent teaching of the

Thursday, Nov. 10 St. Leo the Great, pope and doctor of the Church Phlm 7-20 Lk 17:20-25 Catholic Church over the centuries, based on biblical texts (and recently reaffirmed

by Pope Francis in his 2016 apostolic exhortation “Amoris Laetitia”), is that marriage is a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman — and Catholics in their daily decision-making are asked to give witness to that teaching.

At the same time, I recognize and admire your deep desire to maintain harmony in the family and to keep the bonds of love unbroken. Perhaps it would be good for you to sit down (over coffee or lunch) with the family member in question; in that setting, you could describe your inner conflict about whether to attend as well as pledge your continuing love and support.

Q. I am in prison. Since the Church opposes the death penalty, I am trying to understand how a Catholic prosecutor can be allowed to argue repeatedly in favor of it.

A. The Catholic Church today clearly and strongly opposes the death penalty.

In June 2016, in a video message to an international congress against capital punishment, Pope Francis called for “a world free of the death penalty.”

The pope’s words in that message were perhaps the most definitive yet in the Church’s growing opposition to the execution of criminals. “Nowadays,” the pope said, “the death penalty is

Friday, Nov. 11 St. Martin of Tours, bishop 2 Jn 4-9 Lk 17:26-37 Saturday, Nov. 12 St. Josaphat, bishop and martyr 3 Jn 5-8 Lk 18:1-8 Sunday, Nov. 13 Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time Mal 3:19-20a 2 Thes 3:7-12 Lk 21:5-19

unacceptable, however grave the crime of the convicted person.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church stops somewhat short of that, saying that “the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor” (No. 2267).

The catechism quickly adds, though, that in contemporary society, cases in which execution is an absolute necessity “are very rare, if not practically nonexistent.” Interestingly, of the 195 independent nations recognized by the United Nations, more than two-thirds have abolished the death penalty in law or practice.

I can understand how Catholic prosecutors or judges might argue that, since the Church’s historical position on the death penalty has not been categorical and absolute, they should be free to carry out the responsibilities of their jobs; but given the clarity of the Church’s current position, I would think it more proper for such officials to recuse themselves when the death penalty is on the table.

Father Doyle writes for Catholic News Service. A priest of the Diocese of Albany, New York, he previously served as director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Questions may be sent to askfatherdoyle @gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, NY 12208.

12 • The Catholic Spirit

Acts o

In the palm of God’s hand Stillwater mother’s Tiny Treasures ministry clothes babies born and gone too soon

Tiny Treasures’ more skilled seamstresses use gifted wedding dresses to create burial gowns and suits as part of its Brides to Babies Project. Hagen welcomes anyone’s talent and contribution to Tiny Treasures. Many volunteers, some who’ve lost a baby, pray for the families as they make the garments.

Sometimes, the babies are big enough for parents to bathe and brush their hair before they wrap them in the delicate garments, the kind of care parents anticipated doing repeatedly.

“But when you know you can only do it this one time,” Hagen said, “it takes on incredible significance.

It’s almost like taking that whole lifetime you expected in just one moment.”

A friend who was full-term and delivered a stillborn baby was the impetus for Hagen to become a perinatal loss doula — a person trained to accompany women during pregnancy loss at a medical facility or in their home. She soon learned about bereavement support and decided she, too, could operate such a ministry. With six children — three daughters and three sons, ages 16, 13, 10, 8, 5 and 2 — knitting baby clothes for Tiny Treasures is something she can do from home, where she homeschools them. The older children help, too. “[Starting Tiny Treasures] felt like a way to honor the babies we lost,” Hagen said. “So, oftentimes I make a piece in honor of our babies, and it keeps their legacy and their memory alive.”

Part 13 in a 14-part series highlighting local Catholics who live out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit

T

iny handmade hats, gowns and cloth diapers fill an entire room of Christelle Hagen’s workshop. The soft material is fitting for any newborn. But these garments are made for the frailest of babies — those whose parents must clothe them for burial rather than home.

Layettes containing clothing, a diaper, a blanket, sometimes booties and hats, and a keepsake for the parents are packaged and stacked neatly on shelves and in bins, ready to be sent to parents who experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth. Volunteers from across the country sew, knit and crochet these baby items for Tiny Treasures, which Hagen started in 2013 to support grieving families.

“By giving clothing to these babies, all of a sudden, they’re not just a fetus, they’re a person,” said Hagen, 43. “And I think that is another very important reason why I do this.”

Tiny Treasures provides hats for babies as young as 14 weeks’ gestation up to 6 months old. Handmade wraps called “angel pockets” fit babies who died up to about 24 weeks’ gestation. The baby is placed inside the pocket, and the corners are tied together. Even smaller babies — at 14-19 weeks’ gestation — can be placed in buntings. In the common size comparisons to produce, at 14 weeks, a baby is the size of a nectarine, weighing about one and a half ounces. At 24 weeks, a baby is as long as an ear of corn and weighs a little over 1 pound.

Because Hagen doesn’t personally deliver the layettes to families, she doesn’t typically get to hear what the gesture means to them. But for her, it’s an act of love and mercy — to know that someone was thinking of them even before their loss.

“I think the clothes are beautiful,” Hagen said. “I would never send out something that I didn’t think was beautiful. That’s important to me. I do stress with the volunteers often that this is the only thing [the parents] are ever going to put on that child.”

Close to home Hagen and her husband, Christopher, 40, parishioners of St. Michael in Stillwater, experienced six miscarriages at various stages of development. They know the pain and uncertainty of what to do when losing a baby through miscarriage or stillbirth.

At the time of their first pregnancy loss in 1998, they had been married for about seven months and weren’t Catholic. Not knowing what to do, they decided to bury their first child, whom they placed in a jar, near a tree in a cemetery.

A few months later, she was supposed to be celebrating Mother’s Day. But at church that Sunday, she recalled sitting and sobbing when mothers were given flowers; she didn’t consider herself a mother.

Hagen never imagined she would miscarry a baby, let alone several; she miscarried again six months later, and had several other losses around 2010. Some of the pregnancies were too early to have anything of the baby to bury. The Hagens were able to bury four of their six babies.

“For us Catholics, it’s one of the works of mercy to bury the dead, and it’s very much an act of love,” she said.

Hagen’s most recent miscarriage occurred last June.

But she had time to prepare. She made a pouch for Anaïs Zélie’s burial, and later, planted a memory garden.

“I feel really, really good about that,” said Hagen, who’s pregnant. “It felt so different to have something that I made personally for that child. And I know if I

ABOVE Christelle Hagen, center, works on baby clothing with her dau

ABOVE LEFT A sample of Tiny Treasures baby items. Dave Hrbacek/T give it to someone else, even though they didn’t make it, [they know] someone intentionally created something specific for their child.”

Serving every need The workshop on their rented 14-acre hobby farm — Claret Farms in Lakeland Township near Stillwater — also serves as a playroom for their children and a retreat center for guests. The Hagens host retreats for parents who’ve lost a child, and Tiny Treasures also provides free maternity clothing, books for parents and children about the loss of a baby, and resources and information about post-loss lactation and milk donation. In the works is an online course to educate people about what they can do and say to others who’ve lost a baby. While everything Tiny Treasures provides is free, Hagen has a Go Fund Me page on her website, www.teamtinytreasures. weebly.com, to provide even more goods and services to families.

She also partners with local hospitals, birthing centers and midwives to supply Tiny Treasures items. She said families treasure any mementos they can get.

“As time goes by, it can be very easy to question if [the

The Catholic Spirit’s Acts of Mercy series is made possible in part through a gran National Catholic Society of Foresters. Learn about the organization at www.ncsf.c

of

Mercy

October 27, 2016 • 13

Clothing the naked

By Father Michael Van Sloun

ughter, Emilie-Rose, left, and mother Marilyn Kallio. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

The Catholic Spirit loss] was even real,” Hagen said. “Usually, no one else experienced the baby … so when you can take out that memory box and you can see that tiny diaper or hat or hand mold, it’s, ‘Yes, this really did happen. This child was real.’ That’s something that I wish everybody knew.”

Many people tell Hagen that they weren’t given any clothing for their baby at the hospital.

“That was an additional pain for them that doesn’t need to be,” she said.

Once a year, her parish has a special naming and commending ceremony for babies who have died. At its last one, Hagen set up a Tiny Treasures display, where she asked attendees their babies’ names, and then wrote the name in calligraphy on a card attached to a handmade ornament.

“What always breaks my heart is when I see the really elderly couples there, because they’ve been carrying these losses for years and years, and they’re finally getting a way to acknowledge [those children],” Hagen said. “Because way back, people didn’t even talk about these things.”

Learning about others’ experiences with miscarriage and stillbirth has broadened her mission; she seeks to

nt from the com.

raise awareness.

Because Tiny Treasures and similar organizations tend to be mom and pop operations, not a lot of hospitals and birthing centers know of these additional support

services. Eventually, she hopes to have people on board to serve as ambassadors who reach out to medical facilities.

“With the loss of an older child, other people saw that child and interacted, and they share the grief,” Hagen said. “But with a pregnancy loss, it’s often you’re the only one who ever saw them, and so they’re an abstract loss. And I think it becomes extremely important for many parents who’ve lost a baby either in pregnancy or during birth to keep that child’s memory alive in some way. And this is a ministry that people can engage in. For some people, it really is a way of grieving and taking grief to help someone else.”

She added: “It’s meaningful of itself to be able to provide a beautiful piece of clothing to somebody who’s experiencing what’s probably one of the worst days of their entire life.”

The corporal works of mercy deal with care for a person’s bodily needs. Food and water stand at the top of the list, and clothing comes right behind (see Sir 29:21). Jesus described this merciful work as “naked and you clothed me” (Mt 25:36). Nakedness can mean nudity, the complete lack of clothing, but more often it means partial or inadequate clothing. Destitute is a synonym for nakedness because it usually is caused by extreme poverty.

Emotionally, nakedness is humiliating, and clothing eliminates the embarrassment Father Michael and shame. Physically, clothing is needed to protect VAN SLOUN the body from the elements.

Thin or lighter clothing is needed in sunlight to prevent sunburn and skin cancer; heavier clothing is needed in cooler conditions to prevent chill, hypothermia and frostbite; work clothing is needed to protect from abrasions and slivers; and footwear is needed to protect from cuts, bruises and falls.

To clothe the naked as an act of mercy is firmly grounded in the Hebrew Scriptures. Tobit instructed his son, Tobiah, “Give … to the naked some of your clothing” (Tb 4:16). The prophet Isaiah, speaking on behalf of God, declared, “The fast that I choose … clothing the naked when you see them” (Is 58:6,7); and the prophet Ezekiel, also speaking on God’s behalf, stated, “If a man is just — if he does what is right ... [he] clothes the naked” (Ez 18:5,7).

Several biblical examples include the sons of Noah, who covered their drunken father (Gn 9:2023); Joseph who gave fresh clothing to his brothers when they came to Egypt (Gn 45:22); and the Israelite soldiers who gave clothes to naked captives (2 Chron 28:15).

The classic example is St. Martin of Tours. As a young man he was a Roman soldier, and one wintry day he was riding on patrol and came upon a poor beggar at the city gate. The man was old, hunched and almost naked, shivering and suffering from the cold. The beggar cried out for alms, but Martin had no money. With only the clothes on his back, Martin withdrew his sword and sliced his tattered, thick military cloak in two and wrapped one piece around the beggar. That night, Martin had a dream in which he saw Jesus in heaven wrapped in the same cloak he had given to the beggar. An angel asked Jesus, “Master, why are you wearing that battered old cloak?” Jesus replied, “My friend Martin gave it to me.”

In modern Western society, there is a disturbing contemporary aspect to nakedness — immodesty.

Ironically, even though ample clothing is available, an individual may decide to wear only a few clothes, leaving more of the body exposed than is appropriate. Parishes, schools and families, priests, teachers and parents, need to educate everyone, particularly the young, about the importance of modest dress and honoring the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.

When it comes to providing clothing, charity begins at home with the purchase of adequate clothing for the family, and it continues with dressing young children and those with a sickness or disability that hinders their ability to dress themselves. Beyond the home, it includes almsgiving to organizations like the St. Vincent de Paul Society, the Red Cross or a local emergency shelter. It is also desirable to go through one’s closets and drawers periodically to gather clothes to be donated to Goodwill or other organizations that assist the poor.

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. Read more of his reflections at www.catholichotdish.com.

14 • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & WORLD

October 27, 2016

Listecki: AntiCatholicism ‘equal opportunity prejudice’ in campaign

By Brian T. Olszewski Catholic News Service

A Christian militiaman holds up a large rosary in front of Iraqi special forces soldiers Oct. 22 in Bartella, near Mosul.

CNS/Goran Tomasevic, Reuters

Once Iraq recaptures Mosul, people will still need help, archbishop says

By Barb Fraze Catholic News Service The military operation to liberate the Iraqi city of Mosul from the Islamic State is not the only solution needed to get life back to normal, said Iraqi Archbishop Bashar Warda of Irbil.

The Chaldean Catholic archbishop, who has called for such intervention in the past, said the solution was a package. People must “think again about the education, about the curriculum, about all the violent acts that happened during the last years.”

“Where is the possibility of creating, of building bridges of reconciliation among the divided community?” he asked.

Archbishop Warda spoke to Catholic News Service Oct. 20, the fourth day of the U.S.-backed operation in which Iraqi and Kurdish forces fought to free Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, from the Islamic State. He said troops would not find any Christians in and around Mosul because they fled in 2014, when Islamic State militants gave them a choice to convert to Islam, pay the Islamic jizya tax, or be killed.

Many of those Christians fled to Irbil, where the Church has been caring for them. Just within the city, the Irbil archdiocese is providing housing to more than 10,000 internally displaced families, but many more live in trailers or open buildings.

Church people work “to provide the necessary needs: shelter, education, health, food packages, and be with them, and try to comfort them in their material needs and their spiritual and pastoral needs,” the archbishop said. The people need “social intervention and political intervention, economic intervention and, most importantly, how we are going to reconcile all those divided groups which will remain, and they’ve been called to live together?”

The Christians from the region are the original owners of the land, he said. Many have said their

neighbors turned against them as the Islamic State approached.

“We have lived with Islam for 1,400 years. There was a trust in us, and we have to build on this trust — initiatives for the peaceful future,” he told CNS. “We need the outside world to help us” start such initiatives, but they must come from within, because people are suspicious of outsiders.

Archbishop Warda spoke of celebrating Mass with the displaced, calling it “Eucharist in the fullest sense.”

“Everyone has given something valuable and painful to remain Christian,” he said.

Celebrating Mass is “different because you are with a suffering people, with persecuted people who made the right choice — Christ — so here we have a church which is alive. Yes, there are faces tired of what’s happening, being persecuted, but every response you get from the community during Mass is full of faith.

And you could sense that they made the right choice, to stay Christians and to suffer for their faith,” he said. It adds “a special joy for the Mass.”

Archbishop Warda, who often visits Iraqis in the United States, said Church leaders in his country are asking the U.S. government “to play a role in protecting the minorities, because we’ve seen that, due to this American intervention in 2003, they have a moral responsibility, really, to finish the whole job in a decent and a dignified way. Minorities have suffered a lot because of all this intervention. I’m not blaming (the U.S.) directly, but ... they are responsible, morally responsible for what happened.”

He also thanked American Catholics for their prayers and material help during the crisis, noting that it “made a difference in the life of brothers and sisters in Iraq.” He asked for their continued support and for them to be a voice for Christians in the Middle East.

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki called anti-Catholicism “an equal opportunity prejudice” evident in the presidential election.

Quoting historian Arthur Schlesinger Sr., he noted the campaigns of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton have engaged in “the deepest held bias in the history of the American people.”

Writing in his “Herald of Hope” column in the Oct. 20 Catholic Herald, a publication serving the Catholic community in southeastern Wisconsin, the archbishop said Trump’s criticism of Pope Francis last February “smacked of ‘nativism’ and a demeaning Archbishop of the Catholic faith.”

The candidate’s comments Jerome were a response to the pope LISTECKI saying, “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”

Regarding the Clinton campaign, Archbishop Listecki said emails released by WikiLeaks and allegedly hacked from the server of a top aide to Clinton “indicate how high-ranking members of the Clinton campaign view the Catholic Church. These are close advisers who think that Catholics are unthinking and backward.”

In particular, he noted the email exchange between Sandy Newman, president of Voices for Progress, writing to John Podesta, chairman of the Clinton campaign, calling for “a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a Middle Ages dictatorship.”

The archbishop wrote, “The subtlety is that Catholic leadership is out of touch and keeping its flock back from embracing this new social reconstruction.”

While leaders in the Clinton campaign said they were Catholic, Archbishop Listecki asked if they were “committed Catholics or just Catholics in name only, picking and choosing what they decided to accept rather than what the Church teaches.”

The archbishop said Catholics are being targeted because they are seen as “a dangerous group in need of drastic suppression and radical change.”

He noted that what some find “dangerous” is that Catholics are working to stem abortions, promote traditional marriage and families, support constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom, respect life from womb to tomb, and champion the rights of parents as the first educators of their children.

“Yes, we Catholics are a dangerous group — dangerous to those who seek social reconstruction at the expense of personal dignity and religious freedom,” Archbishop Listecki wrote.

The archbishop cautioned about secularism — “a subtle religion being established by the political forces.”

“It critiques organized religion by assessing whether or not the church conforms to its social progressive thought,” Archbishop Listecki said. “Its high priests and prophets are the theorists that put forth what they believe — and I emphasize ‘what they believe’ — to be right for the society.”

Despite all the negativity aimed at the Catholic Church, the archbishop said he is not pessimistic.

“Because simply speaking, I am a believer. Jesus is our savior. He established his church to lead us to our salvation. He warned us that his message would be rejected, but we must remain faithful to the end,” the archbishop said.

U.S. & WORLD

October 27, 2016 in BRIEF DUBUQUE, Iowa

World War II chaplain’s remains laid to rest in Dubuque archdiocese Nearly 75 years after his death at Pearl Harbor, Father Aloysius Schmitt, a World War II Navy chaplain, was coming home to his alma mater to be laid to rest. Father Schmitt, a native of St. Lucas and a 1932 graduate of Loras College, was the first U.S. chaplain killed during World War II. In September, the military announced that Father Schmitt’s remains had been identified and would be returned to Iowa. Upon the formal reception of his remains at Loras Oct. 7, a vigil was held at Christ the King Chapel on the campus of the Catholic college. His funeral Mass was Oct. 8.

WASHINGTON

Catholic groups urge physicians to support AMA code Two Catholic organizations are calling on physicians to urge the American Medical Association to maintain its current stance against physician-assisted suicide. The call from the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Catholic Bioethics Center comes as the AMA’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs gathers information to “outline the current landscape” on physician-assisted suicide. Representatives of the Catholic organizations are concerned that this effort by the AMA is a first step toward taking a neutral stance on assisted suicide, thus opening the door to such a practice becoming more widely accepted. The organizations are urging physicians to address their concerns during the AMA’s interim meeting Nov. 12-15 in Orlando, Florida.

Bishops to vote for USCCB president, vice president at general assembly U.S. bishops are scheduled to elect the next president and vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at their upcoming fall general assembly Nov. 14-16 in Baltimore. Each office is elected from a slate of 10 candidates who have been nominated by their fellow bishops. Released by the USCCB, the slate of candidates for president and vice president are as follows: Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of GalvestonHouston, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit, Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami and Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The president and vice president are elected to three-year terms, which begin at the conclusion of the general assembly. The current president, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, and the current vice president, Cardinal DiNardo, will complete their terms.

MOUNT NEBO, Jordan

Memorial marking where Moses saw Promised Land reopens The Memorial of Moses on Mount Nebo has reopened its doors to the public amid festivities, after nearly a decade of restoration. Believed by ancient tradition to be the site where Moses saw the Promised Land and died, a church and monastery are perched atop this 3,300-foot rugged mountain facing the northern end of the Dead

Sea. It has drawn Christian pilgrims throughout the centuries and is considered one of the most important pilgrimage, tourist and archaeological sites in Jordan and the Holy Land.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, the special envoy of Pope Francis and prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, said he was thrilled to officiate at a place of great spiritual significance to Jews, Muslims and Christians alike.

LAGOS, Nigeria

Catholic leaders welcome release of 21 kidnapped girls Three Catholic leaders welcomed the release of some of the girls kidnapped in 2014 from a school in Chibok and urged the Nigerian government to prioritize the release of the remaining girls. Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, retired archbishop of Lagos, said he had mixed feelings when he heard the news of the release of 21 of the girls kidnapped by Boko Haram, because he felt like they should have been released before now. Twohundred-seventy-six girls were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School in Chibok April 14, 2014; 57 escaped the same day and one two years later. Their Oct. 13 release of the 21 girls was part of a deal brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss and Nigerian governments. Cardinal Okogie blamed the past administration for not sanctioning the governor of the state under whose watch the incident happened then.

— Catholic News Service

The Catholic Spirit • 15

Pope: Protect child migrants, refugees who face greater risk of abuse

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Children are the most vulnerable and hardest hit among the world’s migrants and require special protection, Pope Francis said.

“Children are the first among those to pay the heavy toll of emigration, almost always caused by violence, poverty, environmental conditions, as well as the negative aspects of globalization,” he said.

“The unrestrained competition for quick and easy profit brings with it the cultivation of perverse scourges such as child trafficking, the exploitation and abuse of minors and, generally, the depriving of rights intrinsic to childhood as sanctioned by the International Convention on the Rights of the Child,” he said.

The pope made the comments in a message on the theme of “Child Migrants, the Vulnerable and the Voiceless” for the World Day for Migrants and Refugees 2017. The World Day for Migrants and Refugees is observed Jan. 15. In the United States, National Migration Week will be celebrated Jan. 8-14.

Minors are especially fragile, vulnerable and often invisible and voiceless — unable to claim or unaware of their rights and needs, the pope said.

Christians must offer a dignified welcome to migrants because every human being is precious and “more important than things,” the pope said.

16 • The Catholic Spirit

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY

FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA

Shawn Peterson

Make voting ‘down ballot’ a top priority Over the past several months, many faithful Catholics have expressed deep dissatisfaction with this year’s presidential election, and understandably so: Neither major party candidate seems personally guided by a consistent ethic of life, and there are deep, concerning questions about the character of both.

In fact, many Minnesotans are so frustrated and disgusted with the presidential race that they have declared they will not be voting at all.

But staying home on Election Day will not change the lack of qualified national candidates, nor will it do anything to address the serious threats to life and dignity that are being advanced in our state and nation. On the contrary, it will make these problems worse. Moreover, refusing to vote out of frustration with national politics prevents us from making a difference where it matters most — in our own backyard.

‘All politics is local’ With the media’s non-stop fixation on national politics, it might be easy to forget the wise words of Catholic congressman and former Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill: “All

politics is local.”

While what happens in national politics does matter, O’Neill’s maxim is an important reminder to make sure we’re paying at least as much attention to St. Paul (and our local communities) as we are to Washington, D.C. Most decisions that affect citizens every day — from property tax rates to community development projects to school curricula — are determined by local officials who are chosen in local elections.

The perceived importance of state and local government may be diminished as the concentration of power has increased at the federal level. But if we are truly to embrace subsidiarity — the Catholic principle emphasizing that social roles and responsibilities should be carried out by those most naturally suited to fulfill them — then we must take seriously our duty to be good stewards of our corner of the vineyard. One important way we practice subsidiarity is by voting in local elections.

Additionally, voting locally today is an important way of vetting the national candidates of tomorrow. After all, many well-known politicians get their start at the local level. For example, Vice President Hubert Humphrey didn’t begin

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN

Matthew James Christoff

A father like St. Joseph Most Catholic fathers are “good dads” who work hard to provide their children’s necessities: shelter, food, education, etc. But in the baptism of their children, Catholic fathers vow to be great fathers — fathers who teach their children to know, love and serve Christ Jesus.

Catholic fathers can have a great impact on the faith lives of their children. If a father earnestly practices his faith, his children are more likely to remain in the faith.

Sadly, research shows that the majority of young Catholics are leaving the faith. With the decaying culture increasingly luring kids away from God, Catholic fathers must strive even more valiantly to lead their kids to Christ.

St. Joseph can help Catholic men become great fathers. The Church recognizes that St. Joseph is the greatest human father and holds St. Joseph up as the model of fatherhood for Catholic men. Devin Schadt’s book, “Show Us the Father,” provides some principles to

help Catholic men strive to be fathers like St. Joseph.

Fully committed to fatherhood, St. Joseph accepts his new identity as the father of Jesus, and it changes his destiny; his primary vocation is “the father of Jesus.” Like St. Joseph, each Catholic man must consciously accept his identity as a spiritual father whose primary vocation is to bring souls to be adopted children of God. We must continually pray to grow in fatherhood. St. Joseph was a model of prayer who prayed and received God’s guidance. Like St. Joseph, Catholic men must pray for God’s guidance each day as they seek to grow in fatherhood.

Prayers to St. Joseph Make spiritual fatherhood your primary work. While he earned money as a carpenter, Joseph’s primary vocation was to be the father of Jesus (and the husband of Mary). So, too, Catholic men’s spiritual fatherhood is their primary vocation. Men must vigilantly battle against the pressures of

October 27, 2016

his career in the White House — he first made his mark as the mayor of Minneapolis, before going on to the U.S. Senate and the vice presidency.

Your vote matters Our ability to impact national politics is limited. Minnesotans know this well.

During caucusing this past March, we collectively picked two major party nominees for president who won’t even be on the ballot in November.

But our vote has a much greater impact locally. Consider this: In the 2014 elections, Republicans picked up 11 seats in the Minnesota House, giving them control with a 10-seat majority. But if the six closest House elections, which were all won by the Republican candidate by an average of only 433 votes, had gone the other way, the DFL would have retained control of the House.

This year is shaping up to be another close election cycle, and the contours of our state legislature could be shaped by a handful of votes. One of them could be yours.

Much at stake Voting locally is especially crucial this year. The entire state legislature (67 senate seats and 134 house seats) is up for election in November. Control of both the Minnesota House and Senate is in the balance, with issues like the legalization of assisted suicide, the legitimization of commercial surrogacy, funding levels for social safety net programs, protection of water and other natural resources, and parental choice in education set to be decided in St. Paul.

Disgust with presidential politics, while understandable, should not prevent us from casting our vote in “down ballot”

career and trust God to provide for the family.

Demonstrate the sacrificial love of a father. St. Joseph sacrificed everything to protect and provide for the Virgin Mary and Jesus. Like Joseph, Catholic men must demonstrate sacrificial love by leading their families with charitable and cheerful authority, cherishing their wives to model the role of husband to daughters and sons, defending the virginity and chastity of their children, and practicing virtue and battling vice.

Spiritually adopt and bring your children to Christ. St. Joseph spiritually adopts Jesus by accepting him as his adoptive son, naming Jesus at his circumcision, presenting Jesus at the temple, protecting and providing for Jesus, teaching Jesus the Jewish faith, guiding Jesus to manhood, and passing on a trade. Like St. Joseph, every Catholic man must spiritually adopt his children by being present, listening with love, praying with and blessing children, reading Scripture to children, leading the family to reconciliation and Mass, practicing and passing on the Catholic faith, and teaching virtue.

Catholic men can become great fathers by striving to be fathers like St. Joseph.

St. Joseph, pray for us!

Christoff is a parishioner of St. Anne in Hamel and founder of the New Emangelization Project.

Study, pray, vote Faithfully form your conscience, identify the candidates and their positions, and prayerfully prepare for Election Day with resources from the Minnesota Catholic Conference. Its election resource center includes: • An election year video message from the Catholic bishops of Minnesota (also available as a text document) • “Nine Days for Our State & Nation,” a novena for Election Day with video reflections from Minnesota’s bishops, and brochures that can be printed or ordered • “Discerning Your Vote,” a one-page distillation of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” • Candidate questionnaires that can be used to find out where state legislature candidates stand on issues.

Visit www.mncatholic.org/election or call 651-227-8777. races. If we stay on the sidelines and fail to exercise our duties of faithful citizenship, we won’t be making a symbolic statement about our government; we’ll be allowing others to shape society in ways contrary to God’s providential care for all of creation.

Peterson is the associate director for public policy at the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

Johnson’s theological work ‘a gift’ to the Church I was saddened to read two letters to the editor [Oct. 13] criticizing The Catholic Spirit for LETTER advertising a lecture and conference featuring eminent theologian, Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, at Wisdom Ways Center for Spirituality. Sister Elizabeth is a Sister of St. Joseph of Brentwood in good standing. (I am a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet from the St. Paul Province. She is one of us!)

She did her doctorate in theology at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She is currently a distinguished professor of theology at Fordham University in New York. Sister Elizabeth’s theological work is a gift to the whole Church in its aim to express fully the faith of the whole people of God, its women and men. Six women theologians from six continents will accompany Sister Elizabeth to St. Paul and will launch a new book, a collection of articles on Christology by 25 women theologians from around the world. The book is “The Strength of Her Witness” (Orbis 2016). Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, is the editor.

Joan Mitchell, CSJ St. Paul Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@archspm.org. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit.

Letters may be edited for length or clarity.

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE • COMMENTARY

October 27, 2016

EVERYDAY MERCIES

Alyssa Bormes

Becoming the holy doors of Christ’s mercy During this jubilee Year of Mercy, there is a particular gift we have been given — Holy Doors!

Since only a few of us will be able to walk through the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, there are holy doors in each diocese throughout the world, including our own at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul and the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.

So what is it about walking through doors?

Let’s turn to St. John the Evangelist for the answer: “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep … . I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be

saved … .” Jesus is the door!

We pass through so many doors in our life. In order to be here in the first place, we entered through the door of birth, then the door of the sacraments, those of the first day of school, of a new house, a new job, a vocation, and we will all pass through the final door — that of death, when we will meet our maker.

Doors are thresholds to something different. Physically, we have traveled from the outside to the inside, or vice versa. There are different atmospheres on each side of the door. It might be the change from public to private space as in a home, or it might have the sensation of

WORD ON FIRE

Bishop Robert Barron

Knowing who we are, knowing what we’re supposed to do This fall, I am giving presentations to all of the high school teachers, staff and administrators in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. These annual talks are dedicated to a regular cycle of topics. This year, the theme is morality. Lucky me! My guess is that disquisitions on doctrine or Church history or pastoral practice wouldn’t raise too many hackles, but ethics is practically guaranteed to rile people up, especially now when issues of same-sex marriage, transgenderism and assisted suicide are so present to the public consciousness.

I am not sure whether I’m delighting or disappointing my audiences, but I am not ordering my talks to address these hot-button questions. Indeed, it is my conviction that a good deal of mischief and confusion is caused precisely by characterizing Catholic morality primarily as a matrix for adjudicating such matters. A purely rational or deductive approach to controversial ethical choices is largely an exercise in missing the point. For to know how to behave as a Christian is a function of knowing, first, who we are as Christians. Understanding how to act is, if I can pun a little, a function of understanding what play we are in.

The great biblical scholar N.T. Wright has said that most of us are like actors who are dressed up for Hamlet, who have memorized all of the right lines from Hamlet, and who thoroughly grasp the thematics of Hamlet. The only problem is that we are in Romeo and Juliet. Therefore, what I am sharing with the good teachers of the L.A. archdiocese is largely Christian

anthropology, a fancy way of saying the articulation of what play we’re in and what role we’ve been given in that production.

Like the great Shakespeare plays, the drama of salvation history consists of five acts: Creation, the Fall, the Formation of Israel, the Coming of the Messiah and the Church.

Comprehending the dynamics of all five acts is indispensable to knowing how to behave. So, let’s take things one step at a time.

According to the still breathtaking poetic account in the first chapter of Genesis, all created things come forth in an orderly and harmonious manner from the hand of the Creator. Sun, moon, planets, stars, the earth itself, animals, even those things that crawl upon the earth, come into existence as a sort of stately liturgical procession.

What the author is showing, first, is that none of these things — all of which at one time or another in the ancient world were the object of worship — is divine. What he is demonstrating, secondly, is that all of them find their purpose in giving praise to the Creator. It is of crucial significance that the final element in the parade — like the last figure in a liturgical procession — is the human being. We are meant to see our identity and our task: to give praise to God on behalf of all creation. Before the Fall, Adam was the first priest.

So, what is the Fall? What takes place in act two is the loss of our priestly identity. Grasping at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we end up

The Catholic Spirit • 17

Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep … . I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved. heat and cold, as is so common in our extreme seasons.

Thresholds often have a spiritual dimension. How often have we been able to breathe more easily when at last entering our homes at the end of a day?

Conversely, how often have we crossed a threshold that we know we shouldn’t cross? Darkness is on the other side, like the darkness of gossip, or impurity, or covetousness, or any other sin.

We are now invited to physically and spiritually walk through holy doors. We walk through them first leaving the world and entering the sacred. This year, mercy is the door. Perhaps we then choose the door to the confessional, where we meet mercy, and then we exit that same door having to be merciful to ourselves — forgiving ourselves for our sins. We are asked to wander through the sacred place, linger in the beauty, meet

worshiping our own egos rather than God, and from this misdirected praise, chaos follows. Things fall apart, both inside and outside — that is to say, in our hearts and in the natural order — and the Garden becomes a desert.

Throughout the Bible, the basic problem, though it manifests itself politically, culturally, psychodynamically, etc., is always bad praise.

But God does not abandon his people; on the contrary, he sends a rescue operation. Beginning with the covenant with Abraham, God shapes a nation according to his own mind and heart; he teaches a particular tribe to worship him aright, to be his priestly people. His ultimate intention is to use Israel for the instruction of all the nations of the world. Mt. Zion, the locale of the temple, the place of right worship, is meant to become a magnet to the whole of humanity: “There all the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord” (Ps 122:4). The entire drama of Israel is the content of act three.

But we hear, over and again, that Israel does not live up to its high calling, that it falls short of its vocation to worship the Lord alone. And so the best and the brightest among the chosen people commence to dream of a Messiah, a figure who would represent the full realization of Israel’s mission and identity. The coming of this anointed one is the central drama of act four. The still startling claim of the first Christians is that Jesus, the carpenter from Nazareth, is this long-awaited Messiah, the one in whom faithful Yahweh finally meets faithful Israel.

Notice, please, how Jesus is consistently presented as a priestly figure. John the Baptist declares him to be the “Lamb of God;” at the climax of his life, he comes into the holy city of Jerusalem and cleanses the temple, declaring, “I will destroy this place and in three days rebuild it,” referring to the temple of his own body; and on the cross, bearing the sins of the world, he offers a final priestly sacrifice, offering right praise to his father and bringing sinful humanity

the saints, walk the Way of the Cross and enter into the Mass. While we are there, we can meet our neighbors who are there with us.

Then, we are asked to depart through that same holy door, returning to the world, but taking the sacred with us to the rest of our neighbors — being a sort of door, being Christ to them.

Although the Holy Doors will soon close here in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and in Rome, all of our doors — to home, to work, to our heart — are to become holy doors. In a sense, the jubilee Year of Mercy was just a renewed kick-start to what always should be, a meeting with mercy, a meeting with Christ.

Bormes, a member of Holy Family in St. Louis Park, is the author of the book “The Catechism of Hockey.”

back on line with him. This is precisely why, in the light of the resurrection, St. Paul would refer to Jesus as “the new Adam,” which is to say, the one who restores the human race to correct praise.

Now, we are ready for act five and the proper context for speaking of morality.

Act five is the life and work of the Church. Grafted on to Jesus, members of his mystical body, all of the baptized are meant to do what Jesus did and be who Jesus was. We are meant, as Paul put it, to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord.” This implies that we are to turn every aspect of ourselves — our minds, our wills, our personal affairs, our jobs, our recreation, and yes, our sexuality — into acts of worship. To make it more pointed, our bodies and their desires do not belong to us; they are not intended to serve our selfish purposes. They are designed to be turned to God’s purpose, which implies that they be placed under the aegis of love. Now we can understand why the Church is so demanding in regard to sex, why it stands so staunchly athwart divorce, contraception, same-sex marriage, masturbation, etc. It is not because the Church is against sex or against pleasure or against selfdetermination. It is because the Church is for turning the whole of life into an act of radical love. And its dearest hope is that the very quality of its right praise will attract the whole world to Christ.

I realize that it sounds strange to put it this way, but the moral lives of the baptized are not meant finally for them; they are meant to be salt and light for the rest of humanity.

What I’m telling the Catholic high school teachers of L.A. is what I want to tell all Catholics: You won’t know how to behave until you know who you are.

And you won’t know who you are until you realize what play you’re in.

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

18 • The Catholic Spirit

ANALYSIS

B

ack in June, Kristan Hawkins, who heads Students for Life, got a firsthand look at how this presidential election differs from all others when she participated in Donald Trump’s outreach meeting with evangelicals, which had only a few Catholics present.

She said the Republican nominee for president appeared to be unfamiliar with the pro-life movement. “He kept saying ‘the pro-life.’ I think I would have liked to have known more of his heart, and less stump speeches.”

Three months and two campaign managers later, Trump issued a specific document about his pro-life positions with the formation of his 34-member Catholic Advisory Group, whose members include Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List; Janet Morana, co-founder of the Silent No More Campaign; and Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.

On Oct. 5, the Trump campaign sent a letter to members of the Catholic Leadership Conference meeting in Denver pledging his support for pro-life issues. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was invited to address the group, but her campaign declined.

As recently as the Oct. 9 town hall debate with Trump, Clinton said she wants “a Supreme Court that will stick with Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose.”

How prominent a role have life issues — abortion but also capital punishment and assisted suicide — really played in the 2016 presidential elections?

“It’s about personality, mostly,” said Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, in an interview with Catholic News Service. He called the presidential campaign “morally confusing. The voice of the values voters, especially on abortion, is not as important as it used to be.”

Clinton’s running mate, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, also supports the Supreme Court’s Roe v.

Wade ruling, which legalized abortion virtually on demand in 1973. As a practicing Catholic, Kaine says he is personally opposed to abortion, but that as a public official he cannot impose his views on his constituents.

The Democratic National Platform, endorsed by Clinton and Kaine, opposes “Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers” and seeks to overturn federal and state laws and policies that impede a woman’s access to abortion, including by repealing the Hyde Amendment.” This represents a shift by Kaine, who has supported the Hyde Amendment in the past.

Trump’s document makes four promises: that as president, he would nominate pro-life Supreme Court justices; that he would sign into law a 20-week abortion ban known as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act; would support stopping federal

What role are life issues playing in this year’s presidential election?

By Kurt Jensen • Catholic News Service

Athina Giouvalakis, a member of the Hofstra University Newman Club, participates in a “Stand Up for Life” roadside vigil in Huntington Station, New York, on Respect Life Sunday, Oct. 2. CNS/Gregory A. Shemitz dollars from going to Planned Parenthood “as long as they continue to perform abortions;” and support making the Hyde Amendment permanent law. Each year the ban on using federal funds for abortions must be approved as a rider on the appropriations bill.

In the vice presidential debate Oct. 4, Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, an evangelical Christian, remarked, “I think if you’re going to be pro-life, you should be pro-adoption.”

Kaine said he believed that women should make their own decisions about pregnancy.

On the issue of the death penalty, the Democratic Party’s platform calls for its abolition. The Republican Party platform calls it “firmly settled” as a constitutional issue, and additionally, condemns the U.S. Supreme Court for what it calls the “erosion of the right of the people to enact capital punishment.”

It remains an issue for voters in several states, with referendums on the death penalty on ballots in California, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Nebraska voters

October 27, 2016

will decide if they want to keep the state’s ban on capital punishment as voted in by the Legislature; Nebraska’s governor vetoed it, lawmakers overrode the veto, then the issue went to the ballot to have voters decide.

California’s Proposition 62 calls for replacing it with life imprisonment with no chance for parole, and Oklahoma voters are being asked if they want to add the death penalty to the state’s constitution.

In all three states, priests were expected to address the issue as a pro-life matter from their pulpits.

“In the past,” says a statement from the California Catholic Conference, capital punishment “was sometimes morally justified in order to protect society, but those times have passed.” California bishops also are asking voters to say no to Proposition 66, which would expedite the review of death penalty cases.

“Any rush to streamline that process will inevitably result in the execution of more innocent people,” the conference said.

Kaine, the only Catholic among the four national candidates, has been outspoken on the death penalty.

He defended death-row inmates and opposed the death penalty as a lawyer. As governor of Virginia, however, he approved 11 executions and granted clemency in only one appeal. He says he remains personally opposed to the death penalty but pledged to uphold the law in Virginia.

“And I’ll also feel bad just because I think it’s outrageous that there is the death penalty,” he said in July 1987 after his client, inmate Richard Lee Whitley, went to Virginia’s electric chair. “It’s not the biggest outrage in the world, but it’s one of a number of outrageous (things) where people don’t appropriately value the sanctity of human life.”

Pence supports the death penalty, but there have been no executions while he has been governor of Indiana. The last execution in that state was in 2009.

“Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” the U.S. bishops’ document on political responsibility that guides Catholics on election decisions, states: “Society has a duty to defend life against violence and to reach out to victims of crime. Yet our nation’s continued reliance on the death penalty cannot be justified.”

On the issue of assisted suicide, the Republican platform opposes euthanasia; the Democratic platform, as in past years, has no language on it. The Republican document states, “We oppose the nonconsensual withholding or withdrawal of care or treatment, including food and water, from people with disabilities, including newborns, as well as the elderly and infirm, just as we oppose active and passive euthanasia and assisted suicide.”

“Faithful Citizenship” calls assisted suicide “intrinsically evil,” ranking it with abortion, and adds, “It is a mistake with grave moral consequences to treat the destruction of innocent human life merely as a matter of individual choice.”

Debate shines spotlight on candidates’ views on abortion and more

By Kurt Jensen Catholic News Service The final debate between the presidential nominees before Election Day featured testy exchanges about abortion, immigration and gun control.

The issues were addressed by Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the Oct. 19 debate in Las Vegas.

Trump restated his promise to nominate pro-life justices “of a conservative bent” to the Supreme Court, acknowledging that if the court were to repeal Roe v. Wade, “it will go back to the states and the states will then make a determination.”

He also denounced late-term abortions.

“If you go with what Hillary is saying,” Trump said, “in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of

the womb of the mother. Just prior to the birth of the baby. You can say that that’s OK and Hillary can say that that’s OK, but it’s not OK with me.”

In her response to moderator Chris Wallace on the issue, Clinton restated her support of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion virtually on demand, and she pledged continued support for Planned Parenthood.

Official Catholic teaching condemns the intentional killing of the unborn at any time from conception on.

Clinton called Trump’s argument against partial-birth abortion in particular “scare rhetoric,” adding, “This is one of the worst possible choices that any woman and her family has to make.

And I do not believe the government should be making it.”

Clinton added that if government regulates abortion, it has to be done

“with the life and the health of the mother taken into account.” She said that “the kinds of cases that fall at the end of pregnancy are often the most heartbreaking, painful decisions for families to make.”

In 2003, Congress passed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, and the bill was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The Supreme Court upheld the ban by a 5-4 vote in 2007.

The law prohibits a form of late-term abortion known as “partial-birth,” also referred to as an “intact dilation and extraction.” A live fetus is partially delivered and an incision is made at the base of the skull, through which the brain is removed, allowing for easier delivery of the collapsed head and the rest of the baby’s body.

The two presidential nominees also addressed the issue of immigration, with

Trump repeating his vow to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and saying that as president he would deport those currently in the country without legal permission. He said there would be no path to legalization unless they leave the country and then apply to return.

“We’re a country of laws. We either have a border or we don’t,” Trump said.

“Now, you can come back in and you can become a citizen, but it’s very unfair — we have millions of people that did it the right way. ... Very unfair that somebody runs across the border, becomes a citizen.”

Clinton said: “I think we are both a nation of immigrants and we are a nation of laws and that we can act accordingly. And that’s why I’m introducing immigration reform within the first hundred days with a path to citizenship.”

HOSPICE & FUNERAL PLANNING

October 27, 2016

The Catholic Spirit • 19

What’s in a wake? Prayer, sharing of memories, expert says Interview by Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit John Cherek, director of Catholic Cemeteries, shared his thoughts about wakes with The Catholic Spirit.

Q. What is the traditional definition of a wake and how does it fit into the overall funeral and burial process?

John Cherek, director of Catholic Cemeteries, believes that wakes are an important part of the funeral and burial process, and recommends following the Order of Christian Funerals.

Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit

A. The actual word “wake” comes from an AngloSaxon word, “waken.” And it means to keep watch, to be awake while you watch. In many ancient cultures as well as Christianity, the wake became the custom of keeping vigil, or watch, over a body, from the time of death until burial. And, it usually continued through the night. I think, quite simply, a wake is the custom of keeping vigil or watching over the body or being with the body after death until burial occurs, and it continues through the night in some fashion.

Q. Why are wakes important?

A. It’s a specific time and place for the family and

the community to begin the process of letting go of this person, of journeying with this person in death to the place of burial. It’s a structured interlude between the death and the funeral. It gives people some time to grasp the reality of the fact that this person has died. It gives time for the community to gather its resources and gather with the family, to begin this accompaniment on the journey through this process.

Q. What is the origin of wakes in the Catholic tradition?

A. It goes back to some of the Jewish traditions and Roman traditions that the early Church encountered. There were many traditions that the

Jewish folks had, especially, in preparation of the body — the washing of the body, the anointing of the body, the placing of the body into white linens and the opening of the gravesite, which was, in most cases, a cave. It was allowed to be open for three days before the stone would be placed because there was this thought, in the Jewish tradition, that it took the soul three days to depart the body, so you needed to keep the door open for the soul to get out. The whole ritual sense of caring for the body after the person died was important to the early Christians. They picked up on that, and they were the ones who took care of the body. They would gather, once the body had been prepared and anointed and washed and clothed, and the body would be laid out in a person’s home, and then the community, over a period of

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time, would come and gather with them. There was praying, and there was telling stories, and there may have been music. It was an extended period of gathering around the body and accompanying the bereaved people.

Q. What would the ideal wake include and how much time should be allowed for it?

A. It’s fairly simple. I think what people need at the time of a death, especially in today’s world, is some kind of structure, something that they can look to to perform what is needed at the time of someone’s death. I think more so than any other Continued on next page

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20 • The Catholic Spirit

HOSPICE & FUNERAL PLANNING

WAKE continued from previous page religious tradition, the Order of Christian Funerals performs that function for us as Catholics. We do have a form for this process. If you look for the elements of a good wake and how to put one on, I think as Catholic Christians, we should look at the Order of Christian Funerals and the elements that it contains for the vigil service.

As Catholics, the vigil is the first step in the funeral rite of the Church, and the vigil is actually a prayer. It has suggested readings and a format. Within our culture, the vigil prayer can be placed in the context of what we call a wake, where people are gathering around the person who has died.

I think today we’re more attached to words like visitation, where people come during a certain period of time to the funeral home or to the church, and they express their condolences. They talk to people and then they leave. That’s the visitation. It’s kind of a social event.

But, in order for it to be a Catholic wake, you would have this time period where family and friends and relatives and the community gather with them around the body. We then employ the vigil prayer into that context. The vigil prayer can have a music element; it should have Scripture readings; it should have a reflection on the Scripture readings by the person who’s presiding.

And, most importantly, there’s a time for sharing memories and telling stories about the person who’s

died, which can be the beginning of, especially for the family, acknowledging that the person has died. And there are many wonderful memories that we have of that person that tell us who he or she was.

So, the storytelling is really an important part of that. There can also be some ritual involved like inviting family members to go up and sign the cross on the body or, in the case of an urn, to sign the cross on the urn as part of that vigil ritual. So, the bottom line is that you should use the map that the Church provides. I think that’s a good starting point.

Another element for a successful wake would be having the body there. And, that’s the Church’s preference, even if you’re going to be cremated, that the body be present for the vigil and for the funeral Mass itself.

That’s the reason we’re gathering: to honor the body.

This is the body that this person was living in throughout their life, that went through all the sacraments of the Church. The hands, the mouth, all the parts of the body were part of who this person is and the impact that they had and the relationship that they had with their families.

It’s not only a religious factor, but it’s also an instinctive factor that the body should be present for an ideal wake, and done in the context of the vigil prayer.

I think there should also be some time set aside for this whole process to occur. I think, at least in today’s world, if you can get four or five hours of time, preferably the day before the funeral Mass, that’s as ideal as you’re going to get.

October 27, 2016

We know in the past, the wake, the watching with the body, could extend over a number of days. And, in many cases, it happened in people’s homes. They watched with the body during the night. We don’t do that anymore, but I think there should be a set time for the visitation or wake for people to come and gather. And, the vigil prayer obviously is part of that.

I also think setting the time [aside for the wake] is really important. I talked to my wife, who’s a counselor, and she said initially, especially in the case of a sudden death, the mind doesn’t have the capacity to grasp all of what’s happened in a relatively short period of time. So, by having a visitation or a wake, that period of time before the funeral, gives the mind some time to slow down and acknowledge the fact that, “Yes, my [loved one] is dead.”

It can prepare people in a more holistic way for what’s to come. Interestingly, the Church has a prayer when the body is brought into the church. There’s a blessing ritual that the family can actually perform as the body is brought into the church for the wake or visitation.

I don’t believe most Catholics are aware of that, nor is it practiced. There are some times and opportunities in the order for that to occur. The order itself really promotes participation by the family, to be part of this, to help in the planning of the funeral, to help in the planning of the wake or vigil service. There are opportunities for music selection, for participating in readings, participating in music itself, especially at the Coninued on next page

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The Catholic Spirit • 21

WAKE continued from previous page wake because there are no conditions that the Church prefers in terms of who can speak and how long they can speak.

Q. What tools and/or technologies can enhance a wake?

A. It’s an interesting question. Having access to music, whether it’s recorded music or having someone there with an instrument, is good. I think you can go to most funeral homes now, and they’ll have videos made of photographs that family members provided. The video will be constantly playing during the wake or the visitation.

A lot of families will put photo boards together. There are condolence or message boards that funeral homes provide, as well as the newspaper obituaries. The one fairly new and innovative practice is live streaming wakes and funerals to people who can’t be there. That’s probably going to become more common.

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Q. A recent trend is people not having a wake the day/night before the funeral and instead having a oneto two-hour visitation right before the funeral. Is that a good idea, or are people who do that missing out on something that could be of benefit to grieving family members and friends?

A. I don’t know if there’s a right or wrong answer to that. I think if you look at a one- or two-hour visitation, in many cases, it’s for older people, and if you talk to family members, they say, “Well, a lot of my mom’s friends are gone. We don’t expect many people to come, so we’re not going to have it for a long period of time.” That may be true — that the parents’ friends have died — but what they fail to remember is that they have friends and their family members have friends and connections to the community in which the person lived. A lot of those people might show up. So, the one- to two-hour visitation, to me, becomes a receiving line. People line up to express their sympathies to the immediate family members and then, in many cases, go on their way if there’s nothing more than that.

So, if there’s no vigil prayer, then it simply does become a receiving line, and it’s usually, in many cases, rushed because there is the deadline of the funeral Mass starting at 11 o’clock, so we have to at least have 15 or 20 minutes to prepare for that. I think what it does is eliminates the use of the vigil prayer, which is difficult to do in that period of time. It eliminates the possibility for storytelling and sharing memories, at least at that point in time.

It’s almost like it becomes a one-stop event. There’s no movement, there’s no procession to it. People show up and the body’s already present and the funeral Mass and whatever happens with the body will occur perhaps privately or with a smaller group of people, maybe even the next day. So, folks coming don’t have this sense of movement or procession. It’s simply a period of time when we go in, express our sympathies, and we may or may not stay for the funeral service.

I don’t think there’s any right or wrong answer to it, whether it’s bad or good.

But, I think people really are missing something by compressing in time this part of the whole process.

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22 • The Catholic Spirit

CALENDAR

Dining out Sausage supper — Oct. 30: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. at St. John, 110 W. Main St., Vermillion. www.stjohns-vermillion.com.

K of C pancake breakfast — Oct. 30: 9 a.m.– noon at St. Patrick, 1095 Desoto St., St. Paul.

All-you-can-eat waffle breakfast — Oct. 30: 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. www.guardian-angels.org.

Dad’s Belgian Waffle Breakfast — Oct. 30: 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at St. Ignatius, 35 Birch St. E., Annandale.

K of C Ladies Auxiliary spaghetti dinner — Nov. 1: 5–7 p.m. at Knights of Columbus Grand Hall, 1114 American Blvd. W. Bloomington. www.kofcbloomington.com.

Music Brahms Requiem concert — Oct. 30: 2 p.m. at Our Lady of Grace, 5071 Eden Ave., Edina.

Christian Mother’s Guild Christmas bazaar — Nov. 12: 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at 629 Second St. NE, Minneapolis. 612-670-7145.

St. Maron Lebanese bake sale — Nov. 12-13 at 602 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis. Pre-order: 612-379-2758.

St. Joseph of the Lakes Christmas bazaar — Nov. 12-13 at 171 Elm St., Lino Lakes. www.mystjoes.org.

St. Alphonsus Christmas bazaar — Nov. 12-13 at 7025 Halifax Ave. N., Brooklyn Center.

Guardian Angels turkey bingo — Nov. 13: 2–4 p.m. at 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale.

Prayer/worship First Friday Day of Prayer — Oct. 7, Nov. 4 and Dec. 2: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. at St. Richard, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield. www.strichards.com/first-fridays.

All Souls evening prayer — Nov. 2: 6:30 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale.

Taize Prayer — Third Friday of every month: 7 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Jazz Vespers — Nov. 13: 7 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. www.guardian-angels.org.

Fall bazaar — Nov. 5-6: 9 a.m.–6:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Victory, 5155 Emerson Ave. N., Minneapolis.

Ongoing groups

Retreats

Faithful Spouses support group — Third Tuesday of each month: 7–8:30 p.m. in Smith Hall of the Hayden Building, 328 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul. For those who are living apart from their spouses because of separation or divorce. 651-291-4438 or faithfulspouses@archspm.org.

Birthmothers’ Day of Reflection — Nov. 12: 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Grace, 5071 Eden Ave., Edina.

Career Transition group meeting — Third Thursday of every month: 7:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Community, 155 County Road 24, Medina. www.hnoj.org/career-transition-group.

Dementia Support Group — Second Tuesday of every month: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. 651-777-7251 or www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Parish events 800 Years of the Dominican Order — Nov. 5: 6–8:30 p.m. at Holy Rosary / Santo Rosario, 2424 18th Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.holyrosaryop.org.

Fair Trade sale at St. John Neumann — Nov. 5: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at 4030 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan.

St. Timothy Christmas Fair — Nov. 5: 9 a.m.– 3:30 p.m. at 707 89th Ave. NE, Blaine.

Epiphany Star Bazaar — Nov. 5: 9 a.m.–4 p.m. at 11001 Hanson Blvd. NW, Coon Rapids. www.epiphanymn.org.

Conferences/seminars/ workshops Called and Gifted Workshop — Oct. 28-29: 7 p.m. at Church of St. Paul, 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd. NE, Ham Lake. www.churchofsaintpaul.com/events-1.

Jona at 763-757-6910 or jona@churchofsaintpaul.com.

True Leadership, a Higher Calling dinner and discussion — Nov. 14: 5–8 p.m. at University of St. Thomas Anderson Student Center, Woulfe Alumni Hall, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul. www.stthomas.edu/business/events/college-events.

Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. Mary at 763-3233479 or Al at 651-482-0406.

Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. 763-425-0412.

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October 27, 2016

CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief no­tices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions.

If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your press release.

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

(No attachments, please.)

FAX: 651-291-4460 MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 A note to readers As of Jan. 1, 2016, The Catholic Spirit no longer accepts calendar submissions via email.

Please submit events using the form at www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions.

Speakers

More online

Devoted Life-Women’s Speaker Series — Nov. 8, Jan. 10, March 14, May 9: 7–9 p.m. at St. Bartholomew, 630 E. Wayzata Blvd., Wayzata. www.st-barts.org/community/devotedlife.asp.

at Guardian Angels, 218 W. Second St., Chaska.

Alpha is a program that can bring deeper joy, change your life and that of anyone you may wish to invite. The topics provide the basis for people to explore faith at an introductory level and prepare them to go deeper. www.gachaska.org.

Mary White: Our Human Condition and the Mercy of God — Nov. 15: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Bringing the Saints to Life: Portraits of the Saints by artist Christopher Santer — Oct. 30-Nov. 14: 10 a.m.–8 p.m. at Pax Christi, 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. www.paxchristi.com.

Young adults

Conversation: Cultivating a Heart for Community — Nov. 3: 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Debate Night – Is it rational to believe in God? — Nov. 9: 6:30–8:30 p.m. at O’Gara’s Bar and Grill, 164 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul.

Other events Art Exhibit: Movement = Life — Through Nov. 18: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. www.stpaulsmonastery.org.

Women with Spirit Bible Study — Tuesdays through April 4, 2017: 9:30–11:30 a.m. at Pax Christi, 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. www.paxchristi.com/wws.

40 Days for Life Twin Cities coordinated by Pro-Life Action Ministries — Everyday through Nov. 6: 6 a.m.–6 p.m. in front of Planned Parenthood, 671 Vandalia St., St. Paul. www.plam. org/call-to-action/40-days-for-life-twincities.

Alpha — Tuesdays, Oct. 4-Dec. 13: 6:30–8:45 p.m.

Operation Andrew Dinner for men discerning priesthood and religious life with Archbishop Bernard Hebda, Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Father David Blume — Nov. 8: 6–8 p.m. at the Archbishop’s Residence, 230 Summit Ave., St. Paul. www.10000vocations.org/events.html.

Minneapolis Council of Catholic Women Deanery Meeting — Nov. 12: 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at St. Helena, 3204 E. 43rd St., Minneapolis. Register by Nov. 9.

763-424-2203.

Fontanini Nativity presentation and signing — Nov. 12: 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at Leaflet Missal, 976 W. Minnehaha Ave., St. Paul. www.leafletonline.com.

St. Therese fall market — Nov. 12-13 at 18323 Minnetonka Blvd., Deephaven. www.st-therese.org.

Women’s Ireland Pilgrimage May 18 – 30, 2017 Follow in the steps of Ireland’s saints to its most spiritual places including Knock Shrine & Lough Derg. Relaxing journey with local guides, daily program.

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Call 651-291-4444 for information.

October 27, 2016 The Catholic Spirit • 23 PRO-LIFE continued from page 6 abortion-related issues and alternatives for Latinas.

Planned Parenthood gives Latino high school students English-language materials on abortion and contraceptives, although their families communicate in Spanish, said Joe Langfeld, 49, interim executive director of HLA, which creates and distributes a range of print and digital materials designed to educate readers and support values of chastity and human life from conception to natural death.

“Planned Parenthood in the Hispanic community goes right at the public schools, and they give them Englishonly information so that either parents or grandparents can’t read it,” he said.

“They try to segregate them intentionally that way. A lot of these decisions get made amongst the whole family, so we want to make sure every generation can read.”

Latinos younger than 30 are shaping the culture, and pro-lifers can reach them with English-language messages that speak to their heritage and love of family, Gutierrez said.

Latinos see morality instinctively and don’t always understand the way life issues are presented in the United States, said Gutierrez, adding that there are no euphemisms such as “prochoice” in Spanish. ”We are trying to explain to them there are fundamental issues like right to life, and marriage and religious liberty that have to be respected first and foremost that are non-negotiables, but this is news to a lot of them,” she said.

In the election messages there has been “deafening silence” about life issues while the focus has been on

issues like immigration, she said.

“There is nothing more antithetical to Latino values than abortion because we love family,” Gutierrez said. “We protect our children. Immigrants are here for a better future for their children, and to destroy that child is absolutely the worst thing that can happen to us.”

Prayer and action Gutierrez also spoke to Latino parishioners at St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center Oct. 16 about the pro-life movement in the Latino community, and about praying and working to end abortion.

Reyes Colin, 40, said he has recognized through videos and other information that abortion is bad physically and spiritually. He admitted that many Latinos know little about it.

Kelly Flores, 15, said she doesn’t think a lot about the issue of abortion, although it was discussed in her 10th grade health class.

“It’s not a good thing. The innocent life isn’t the reason for [people’s] mistakes,” she said.

Ricardo Gonzalez, 32, attended the talk because he was curious about the issue and wanted to learn how to approach it. He agreed that Latinos aren’t well informed about abortion.

“Doctors don’t give them enough information,” he said. “The media doesn’t help.”

When more Latinos become informed about the nightmare of abortion in this country, they will be influential in ending it, Gutierrez said.

“The heritage is so beautiful, and we have the power to change this country, because in fact we do, for good or for bad,” she said. “It’s a mistake to ignore this community.”

in BRIEF BUFFALO

New priests attend pastoral management workshop More than 20 priests who have been pastors for less than six years attended a new workshop on pastoral management Oct. 9-14 at King’s House Retreat Center.

Topics included managing time with responsibilities, connecting the parish’s activities to a central vision, managing staff and parishioners, and managing money for the parish’s mission. The workshop was developed by the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity’s newly established Institute for Ongoing Clergy Formation.

MINNEAPOLIS

Three urban schools comprise new academy Three urban Catholic schools that primarily serve students from racially and ethnically diverse families — Ascension Catholic School in north Minneapolis, St. Peter Claver Catholic School in St. Paul and St. John Paul II Catholic Preparatory School in northeast Minneapolis — have joined forces as part of the newly established Catholic Academy. The partnership of the kindergarten through eighth-grade schools allows them to centralize governance and operations, and aims to provide greater stability, sharing of best practices among staffs, and strengthening of academic outcomes and student experiences. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis approved the model last summer.

Collectively, the three schools serve approximately 500 students. The GHR Foundation developed and is funding the partnership.

MINNETONKA

Aim Higher Foundation raises $212,000 The Aim Higher Foundation’s fourth annual “Night of Light” celebration Sept. 24 at The Depot in Minneapolis raised $212,000 for need-based tuition scholarships for children to attend the 79 Catholic elementary and middle schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The scholarships, approximately $1,000 per student, will allow the foundation, established in 2011, to provide an additional 200 scholarships for the 2017-2018 school year, for a total of more than 930 scholarships for Aim Higher scholarship recipients.

ST. PAUL

Archdiocese distributes pro-life posters to parishes During Respect Life Month, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis created posters picturing Pope Francis kissing a baby with quotes from him and St. Teresa of Kolkata, promoting “Catholics are for Life.” In a letter to all parishes Oct. 19, Archbishop Bernard Hebda reiterated that respecting the dignity of all human life from conception until natural death is one of the foundations of Catholic social teaching, and asked parishes to display the posters.

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24 • The Catholic Spirit

THE LAST WORD

October 27, 2016

The log chapel that started it all Roots of Cathedral parish, city of St. Paul trace back 175 years

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

I

n 1841 as Father Lucien Galtier’s pioneer parishioners installed a 3-foot cross on the roof of the new log chapel they named “St. Paul,” the young French priest also planted a seed of faith, which during the next 175 years would grow into the largest of plants: the parish of the Cathedral of St. Paul.

The chapel, located on the Mississippi river bluff in what is now downtown St. Paul, fostered the Catholic faith and also served as a catalyst for the capital city of the same name to develop around it. The story of the faithful who populated the new chapel, diocese and city of St. Paul inspires present-day Catholics and residents of the city, which narrowly escaped being named Pig’s Eye. “It was the beginning of the Father Lucien city of St. Paul,” said Mark GALTIER Labine, president of the Arden Hills-based French-American Heritage Foundation of Minnesota and author of, “In the Beginning, There was a Chapel.” “The city grew up around the chapel. …They built this little log chapel, and it became a cathedral and a school and a hospital, and the name of the city and the name of the capital of Minnesota.”

The Cathedral of St. Paul is commemorating the 175th anniversary of the chapel’s founding with a historical exhibit. Archbishop Bernard Hebda will celebrate 5:15 p.m. Mass Nov. 1, All Saints Day, marking the chapel’s 1841 dedication.

Named for the apostle Paul, the log chapel became the first permanent Catholic settlement in Minnesota. Its diverse congregation of FrenchCanadians in the fur trade, farmers, Native Americans and bi-racial Métis had kept the faith, though they had limited access to formal religious instruction and sacraments because no priests had been assigned within several hundred miles, according to several historical sources.

In “The Chapel of St. Paul: The Beginnings of Catholicity in St. Paul, Minnesota, 1840-1851,” archdiocesan priest Father Richard Moudry wrote that Father Galtier arrived at Fort Snelling in 1840, a few months after his priestly ordination. The year before, many in his future congregation had been forced by the U.S. government to move off the fort’s reservation land in the Mendota area and had begun settling several miles up river in the vicinity of a tavern owned by Pierre “Pigs Eye” Parrant (so named because of a damaged eye).

As the first resident priest, Father Galtier, age 31 and from an area near Lyons, France, served a previously unchurched population, Father Marvin O’Connell wrote in “Pilgrims to the Northland: The Archdiocese of St. Paul, 1840-1962.” He administered hundreds of sacraments and offered religious instruction while also saying Mass and hearing confessions, both at the new chapel and at the older St. Peter settlement (now Mendota). He also worked to encourage his congregation’s temperance toward alcohol.

Months after his arrival, Father Galtier and the 13 Catholic families in the new Pig’s Eye settlement decided to build a chapel. He chose the name St. Paul because of the apostle’s connection to St. Peter, the namesake of the closest settlement, and to seek the missionary saint’s patronage in evangelizing Native Americans, several sources state.

A log cabin built in 1841 served as the first cathedral in what is now the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It was called the Chapel of St. Paul and housed the Cathedral’s first parishioners. Courtesy Cathedral of St. Paul Father Galtier selected a site on the bluff that was then donated by two parishioners. Catholics also contributed the building supplies — including hand cut oak and tamarack logs — in a spirit of generosity echoed by succeeding generations of parishioners who provided for the three cathedrals that followed.

“People believe in their faith,” said Celeste Raspanti, the Cathedral’s archivist. “This is an important part, to give their lives. They can’t give cash, but they can give this.”

Eight parishioners hoisted the rough logs and secured them with wooden pins to form the walls of the chapel, measuring 24 feet long,18 feet wide and 10 feet high. The chapel was completed in October 1841 at a cost of about $65, according to the records of Isaac Labisonniere, one of the builders.

Father Galtier dedicated the chapel the following month and later noted that its poverty reminded him of the stable at Bethlehem. He recalled that one

‘In the Beginning, There was a Chapel’ Featuring Mary Lethert Wingerd, history professor at St. Cloud State University The event, sponsored by the French-American Heritage Foundation, will coincide with the Cathedral Mass: 6–9 p.m. Nov. 1 Minnesota History Center, 345 Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul For more information and to register, visit www.fahfminn.org.

year the humble chapel was festively decorated with candles and greens for a crowded Christmas Eve midnight Mass at which the congregation sang heartily, Father Moudry wrote.

“One moment they could get out of roughness of their lives and here was beauty, songs, music they loved,” Raspanti said.

Two years after the chapel’s dedication, the new parish had 454 members. In 1844, Father Galtier was transferred to Dubuque, Iowa, and Father Augustin Ravoux, another French priest who had been a missionary to the Sioux Indians, became the new pastor.

“These are fellow pilgrims on the journey, doing their best in the time that the Lord gave them, trying to be faithful to his call to serve as priests,” said Father John Ubel, the Cathedral’s current rector.

“This is most inspiring to me.”

Father Ravoux authorized an addition to the chapel that doubled its capacity in 1847. But four years later when the first bishop of the new St. Paul diocese, Bishop Joseph Cretin, consecrated the log chapel as a cathedral, Catholics in the diocese numbered 3,000.

The growth continued, and two successively larger cathedrals were built in downtown St. Paul before work began on the current cathedral in 1906. What remains of the Chapel of St. Paul is a mallet carved from one of its logs.

As the cornerstone of the Cathedral of St. Paul was laid in 1907, Labisonniere was present, representing a bridge between the humble yet stalwart chapel and its majestic 20th century descendant.

Reflecting on the Cathedral parish of St. Paul’s legacy, Father Ubel affirmed the spiritual connection with the pioneer founders.

“I offer a prayer of thanks for their many sacrifices, and believe that somehow they must be able to know what has become of the little log chapel, hoping that they would be proud.”