October 8, 2020 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
OFFICIALLY CATHOLIC
Called to mission Local Catholics describe how they serve the Church both overseas and in the U.S. as World Mission Day approaches. — Pages 10-11
‘Healing and Hope’ A five-part, archdiocesan virtual retreat addresses spiritual and emotional healing, identified in Pre-Synod Prayer and Listening Events as a need felt by many. — Page 5
Restorative justice film Documentary dedicated to filmmaker’s dad details a path toward healing for clergy-abuse victimsurvivors. — Page 6
Who are the People of Praise? National group with members in the archdiocese is put in the spotlight for its ties to U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. — Page 12
COVID challenges Parishes in the archdiocese grapple with how to carry out faith formation programs in the midst of a pandemic. — Page 13
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Juniors Clare Donnett, center, and Michael Perrault, left, react during a junior literature class taught outside and socially distanced by Eileen Hester, right foreground, at Holy Spirit Academy in Monticello Sept. 29. The school, with 42 students in grades nine through 12, has completed the process to become recognized as Catholic by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Read about the school and its recognition on page 7.
Belief in God as creator of all has practical consequences, pope says By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
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rofessing faith in God as the creator of all human beings, or even simply recognizing that all people possess an inherent dignity, has concrete consequences for how people should treat one another and make decisions in politics, economics and social life, Pope Francis wrote. “Human beings have the same inviolable dignity in every age of history and no one can consider himself or herself authorized by particular situations to deny this conviction or to act against it,” the pope wrote in his encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship.” Pope Francis signed the encyclical Oct. 3 after celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi, and the Vatican released the more than 40,000-word text the next day. The pope had been rumored to be writing an encyclical on nonviolence; and, once the COVID-19 pandemic struck, many expected a document exploring in depth his repeated pleas for the world to recognize the inequalities and injustices laid bare by the pandemic
CNS
and adopt corrective economic, political and social policies. “Fratelli Tutti” combines those two elements but does so in the framework set by the document on human fraternity and interreligious dialogue that he and Sheikh Ahmad el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt, signed in 2019. In fact, in the new document Pope Francis wrote that he was “encouraged” by his dialogue with the Muslim leader
Free copies of L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, with the front page about Pope Francis’ new encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti, on Fraternity and Social Friendship,” are distributed by volunteers at the end of the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Oct. 4.
and by their joint statement that “God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sisters.” The encyclical takes its title from St. Francis of Assisi and is inspired by his “fraternal openness,” which, the pope said, calls on people “to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, PLEASE TURN TO ENCYCLICAL ON PAGE 9
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Time in the evening of Oct. 12 that people can watch a lecture via Zoom by Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, on the dominance of identity politics in a fractured U.S. republic. Currently a visiting scholar at The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, Adkins will deliver “Progressivism, Patriotism and Patriarchy: Competing Identities in Post-Liberal America” as this fall’s St. Paul Seminary Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library Lecture. More information is at tinyurl.com/ archbishopirelandlecture.
1,500 DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
CHAPEL BEAUTIFIED Debbie Hora of Epiphany in Coon Rapids prays Sept. 25 in the newly-remodeled eucharistic adoration chapel at the parish. A major remodel was completed in late summer, including a new altar, carpet, walls, ceiling and room just off the chapel for parents with small children. It was reopened Sept. 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. “It’s beautiful,” Hora said of the remodeled chapel. “It just brings you right into the holiness of God.” Construction took a year, with the design effort led by Father Thomas Dufner, pastor of Epiphany. Parishioner Nick Vasko built the altar, and also helped Father Dufner and other parishioners with the overall design.
The typical number of young people who gather for the annual Archdiocesan Youth Day in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s ninth annual event will take place Oct. 24 with in-person gatherings at five parishes. Archdiocesan staff are working with five youth day “hub parishes” to plan smaller gatherings so people can be safely distanced at venues. The parishes are St. John the Baptist in New Brighton, St. Therese in Deephaven, St. Henry in Monticello, Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville and St. Joseph in West St. Paul. Activities will be livestreamed from St. Joseph. Look for more information at archspm.org. Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens plan to attend as many gatherings as they can.
$800
The amount spent in 1836 by Bishop Mathias Loras, the namesake of Loras Hall on the University of St. Thomas’ St. Paul campus, for a woman in slavery named Marie Louise while he was living in Mobile, Alabama. Bishop Loras, of Dubuque, Iowa, also is the namesake for Loras College in Dubuque, where college leaders, after learning details about the bishop’s slave ownership, removed his statue from that Catholic school’s campus Sept. 8 and began weighing whether and in what context the statue might be displayed in the future. UST President Julie Sullivan announced that St. Thomas will decide what to do about Loras Hall with the help of a panel discussion this month on best practices for addressing difficult historical truths. Sullivan said the university is also establishing a committee to develop principles on renaming structures, spaces and programs. After principles are determined, a process will be developed to put them into use, including convening a group to make recommendations for Loras Hall. Before the controversy, the hall was under consideration for destruction as the university looks at where to build a STEAM complex for multidisciplinary learning in science, technology, the arts and mathematics. Bishop Loras died 27 years before St. Thomas was founded in 1885, but he was the area’s ecclesiastical leader until the Diocese of St. Paul was created in 1850, and Loras Hall was named in his honor in 1913. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
FOREVER FRANCISCAN Brother Paschal Listi, left, of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace in St. Paul, receives a blessing from Archbishop Bernard Hebda during his lifetime profession of vows Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, in a Mass at St. Patrick in St. Paul. The community of 11 men includes one priest, Father Seraphim Wirth, right. Also concelebrating the Mass was Father Michael Becker, left. The brothers follow the Third Order Regular Rule of St. Francis and strive to proclaim the Gospel of life.
REDISCOVER:Hour
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On the show that aired Oct. 2, Rediscover: Hour host Patrick Conley interviews Joan Gecik, executive director of The Catholic Cemeteries on Catholic burial rites and a dignified burial option for cremated remains. Bill Dill of the Office of Marriage, Family and Life in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis talks about the new format for this year’s annual Archdiocesan Youth Day. And, Laura Sobiech, mother of Zach Sobiech, the teen from Lakeland who died of cancer in 2013 and wrote the song “Clouds” that went viral, shares about the new Disney+ movie, “Clouds” and her journey through her son’s illness and death. Listen each week on Fridays at 9 a.m., Saturdays at noon and Sundays at 2 p.m. on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. Find past shows at rediscover.archspm.org.
CORRECTION In the Sept. 10 story, “What to make of Black Lives Matter,” Michael Brown’s last name was incorrect. Brown was an 18-year-old Black man killed in 2014 by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. His death was a key moment in the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Sept. 24 story “Archbishop responds to priest’s controversial homily on COVID-19” incorrectly stated that Father Robert Altier’s homily was posted to website of St. Raphael in Crystal as “The Coronavirus: The Truth Revealed.” The parish posted the homily by its date, and it was reposted at another website under that title.
The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 25 — No. 19 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor-in-Chief JOE RUFF, News Editor
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The year St. Bernadette Soubirous reported the Virgin Mary appearing to her in Lourdes, France. In November, the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women is partnering with Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers to offer a free, virtual pilgrimage 3–5 p.m. Nov. 1 to the site, a source of many stories of healing. Participants can register via archspm.org/events to receive a free, mailed kit, including water from Lourdes.
900
The number of positions to be cut at Fairview Health clinics and hospitals in Minnesota and western Wisconsin to help stem financial losses, which officials said have been exacerbated by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that 16 clinics and the 90-bed Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul will be closed. St. Joseph’s Hospital in downtown St. Paul will be converted to COVID-19 care while retaining its inpatient mental health care at least through next year. Closing St. Joseph’s as a general hospital by the end of this year would mean losing Minnesota’s first hospital. In 1853, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet converted a school into St. Joseph’s Hospital to address a cholera epidemic.
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The decades in a rosary, a prayer shared by U.S. bishops in a virtual event Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, invoking Mary’s intercession for the country as it faces multiple crises. The “Rosary for America” premiered at 2 p.m. via the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ YouTube channel and its Facebook page. Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, USCCB president, announced the event Sept. 30 and invited several bishops from different regions of the U.S. to pray a part of the rosary.
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OCTOBER 8, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3
FROMTHEMODERATOROFTHECURIA ONLY JESUS | FATHER CHARLES LACHOWITZER
Table scraps
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Las sobras de la mesa
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menudo, hay un pasaje del Evangelio que está en mis pensamientos y oraciones mucho después de haberlo predicado. Últimamente, ha sido el Evangelio de la mujer cananea cuya hija fue “atormentada por demonios” (Mt 15, 21-28). Este Evangelio para el vigésimo domingo del tiempo ordinario desafía nuestra imagen de Jesús. En mi homilía, proporcioné un trasfondo de dónde viajaba Jesús y con quién estaba hablando. A partir de ahí, sus palabras aparentemente desdeñosas y la posterior magnanimidad se entendieron mejor. Sin embargo, mis continuas meditaciones sobre este Evangelio han sido sobre una visión del cielo. Me vienen a la mente tantas descripciones: puertas de perlas, calles de oro, mansiones majestuosas, ángeles trompeteros con coros de ángeles. Teológicamente, el encuentro de Jesucristo, cara a cara,
It is not about how heaven looks. It’s about how we look.
iSTOCK PHOTO | ARTYFREE
ftentimes, there is a Gospel passage that is in my thoughts and prayers long after I have preached on it. Lately, it has been the Gospel about the Canaanite woman whose daughter was “tormented by demons” (Mt 15:21-28). This Gospel for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time challenges our image of Jesus. In my Aug. 16 homily, I provided a background for where Jesus was traveling and to whom he was speaking. From there, his seemingly dismissive words and subsequent magnanimity were better understood. Yet my continued meditations on this Gospel have been about a vision of heaven. So many descriptions come to mind: pearly gates, streets of gold, stately mansions, trumpeting angels with the choirs of angels. Theologically, the meeting of Jesus Christ, face to face, the beatific vision, is a more poignant image of heaven. As an imperfect people in an imperfect world, heaven is the perfection of who God created us to be. Delivered, saved, redeemed and welcomed into eternal life in the company of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the communion of saints and the faithful departed. It is not about how heaven looks. It is about how we look. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI preached in his 2007 Christmas homily this image of heaven: “Yet if we believe that God is located in the heavens, meaning in the highest parts of the world, then the birds would be more fortunate than we, since they would live closer to God. Yet it is not written: ‘The Lord is close to those who dwell on the heights or on the mountains,’ but rather: ‘the Lord is close to the brokenhearted’ (Ps 34:18 [33:19]), an expression which refers to humility ...” “Heaven does not belong to the geography of space, but to the geography of the heart, and the heart of God, during the Holy Night, stooped down to the stable: The humility of God is heaven. And if we approach this humility, then we touch heaven.” To have an image of heaven as God’s humility is to recognize, with humility, the heaven that is
already here in the sacramental life of the Church. First and foremost, the holy sacrifice of the Mass, the celebration of the Eucharist, the Most Sacred Body of Christ and his Most Precious Blood, is the top of God’s mountain and the very source of our daily sustenance to live out our faith with great hope and much love. Nevertheless, what is our image of heaven when the greatest miracle on earth, the person and real presence of Jesus Christ in simple bread and wine, are but table scraps when compared to the eternal banquet of heaven? In physical matter, that little host would hardly be noticed if it fell from the tables of this world. But in the spiritual world, this mere piece of bread is not only noticed, but adored. I have wondered what it would have been like if the Mass were in the image of this world’s feasts. Parishes would have kitchens the size of one of those cruise boats. No doubt the attendance at Sunday and daily Masses would rival a county fair. If the Eucharist is but table scraps when compared
la visión beatífica, es una imagen más conmovedora del cielo. Como pueblo imperfecto en un mundo imperfecto, el cielo es la perfección de lo que Dios nos creó para ser. Liberados, salvados, redimidos y acogidos a la vida eterna en compañía de la Santísima Virgen María, comunión de los santos y de los fieles difuntos. No se trata de cómo se ve el cielo. Se trata de cómo nos vemos. El Papa Emérito Benedicto XVI predicó en su homilía de Navidad de 2007 esta imagen del cielo: “Sin embargo, si creemos que Dios está ubicado en los cielos, es decir, en las partes más altas del mundo, entonces los pájaros serían más afortunados que nosotros, ya que vivir más cerca de Dios. Sin embargo, no está escrito: ‘El Señor está cerca de los que habitan en las alturas o en los montes’, sino más bien: ‘El Señor está cerca de los quebrantados de corazón’ (Sal 34:18 [33:19]), expresión que se refiere a la humildad …” “El cielo no pertenece a la geografía del espacio, sino a la geografía del corazón, y el corazón de Dios, durante la Noche Santa, encorvado al establo: la humildad de Dios es el cielo. Y si nos acercamos a esta humildad, entonces
to the eternal banquet of heaven, then our image of heaven is far beyond pearly gates, golden streets and the mansions of popular imagination. With a little faith, I imagine that those fortunate to be welcomed to eternal life with Christ will find one great banquet table. Imagine sitting at table with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the communion of saints, all the faithful departed and Christ himself. It is the greatest of all family reunions! We actually do this at every Mass, but in heaven, the person sees what in this life is unseen. As we pass from this world to the new world of eternal life, enduring the purgation of our old earthly selves, we take nothing with us except what is in our minds and hearts. At that great banquet table of heaven there is no earthly food served. Everyone brings the fruits of their own lives and shares these with all at table. That’s quite a feast. Inspired by this Gospel on “table scraps,” I have a new image of the heavenly banquet: It will be potluck.
tocamos el cielo”. Tener una imagen del cielo como la humildad de Dios es reconocer, con humildad, el cielo que ya está aquí en la vida sacramental de la Iglesia. En primer lugar, el santo sacrificio de la Misa, la celebración de la Eucaristía, el Sacratísimo Cuerpo de Cristo y su Preciosísima Sangre, es la cima del monte de Dios y la fuente misma de nuestro sustento diario para vivir nuestra fe con grandeza. esperanza y mucho amor. Sin embargo, ¿cuál es nuestra imagen del cielo cuando el mayor milagro en la tierra, la persona y la presencia real de Jesucristo en el pan y el vino simples, no son más que sobras de la mesa en comparación con el banquete eterno del cielo? En materia física, esa pequeña hueste apenas se notaría si cayera de las mesas de este mundo. Pero en el mundo espiritual, este mero pedazo de pan no solo se nota, sino que se adora. Me pregunto cómo habría sido si la Misa fuera a imagen de las fiestas de este mundo. Las parroquias tendrían cocinas del tamaño de uno de esos cruceros. Sin duda, la asistencia a las misas dominicales y diarias rivalizaría con una feria del condado. Si la Eucaristía no es más que sobras
de la mesa en comparación con el banquete eterno del cielo, entonces nuestra imagen del cielo está mucho más allá de las puertas de perlas, las calles doradas y las mansiones de la imaginación popular. Con un poco de fe, imagino que los afortunados de ser bienvenidos a la vida eterna con Cristo encontrarán una gran mesa para banquetes. Imagínese sentado a la mesa con la Santísima Virgen María, la comunión de los santos, todos los fieles difuntos y el mismo Cristo. ¡Es la más grande de todas las reuniones familiares! De hecho, hacemos esto en cada Misa, pero en el cielo, la persona ve lo que en esta vida no se veía. Al pasar de este mundo al nuevo mundo de vida eterna, soportando la purga de nuestro antiguo yo terrenal, no llevamos nada con nosotros excepto lo que está en nuestra mente y corazón. En esa gran mesa de banquete del cielo no se sirve comida terrenal. Cada uno trae los frutos de su propia vida y los comparte con todos en la mesa. Es una gran fiesta. Inspirado por este Evangelio sobre las “sobras de la mesa”, tengo una nueva imagen del banquete celestial: el potluck.
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LOCAL
SLICEof LIFE
Sunday best
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Alfredo Lopez of Holy Rosary in Minneapolis is dressed for Sunday Mass while playing soccer Sept. 27 because that’s where he was before the game began. The game was organized by Father Yamato Icochea, right, who has been inviting men and boys from the parish to play on a field across the street from the church for the last two months. He had been scheduling the weekly games on Saturday evenings, then recently switched to Sunday afternoons. In this case, Lopez did not find out about Sunday’s soccer gathering until he came for Mass, so did not bring a change of clothes. “It’s not easy to run with dress pants,” said Lopez, 40, a father of eight who lives in Blaine with his wife, Guadalupe. “It was uncomfortable, but it was fun.” Despite the encumbrance, Lopez scored two of his team’s goals in a 6-3 loss, and said he would have scored “at least five” had he been wearing soccer attire. Father Icochea, ordained in May and part of the Pro Ecclesia Sancta religious order, hopes to use the events to build fellowship and draw more men to the parish. Lopez pitched in by offering to bring pizza the next week.
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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5
The Upper Room livestream connects faith and culture By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit In April, Vincenzo Randazzo livestreamed an hourlong video Facebook discussion with Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens on the COVID-19 pandemic, prayer and a range of other topics. He called it “Quarantine with Cozzens,” and he did a second, similar interview in May. The positive response prompted him to host two other discussions — one with a Catholic nurse on the pandemic and another with a young Black Catholic TOM HALDEN | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT following the May 25 policeVincenzo Randazzo prepares for a involved death of George livestreaming event at the Archdiocesan Floyd, an African American, Catholic Center in St. Paul. in Minneapolis. Randazzo solicited questions via social media from Catholics ahead of the discussions and invited typed questions during the livestream. The next conversation with Vincenzo Randazzo On Sept. 24, Randazzo, is Oct. 22 addressing the nomination to the 31, hosted a conversation U.S. Supreme Court of Amy Coney Barrett, a with Chorbishop Sharbel Catholic, and the Nov. 3 general election. Maroun, pastor of St. Maron Watch it at facebook.com/archdiocesespm or Maronite Catholic Church in youtube.com/archdiocesespm. Minneapolis, on the world’s response to the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut that killed at least 200 people, injured more than 6,500, damaged and destroyed homes and businesses. The discussion followed a similar format but has a new name: The Upper Room. The name is a sign that Randazzo’s occasional videocast series is here to stay. Since airing, The Upper Room edition with Chorbishop Maroun has attracted more than 2,000 views. During the discussion, people typed in questions, and the moderator and guest addressed them as part of their conversation. The evangelization manager for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Marriage, Family and Life, Randazzo sees The Upper Room as a chance to reflect on what’s going on in the world from a Catholic perspective. “The Catholic imagination is often divorced from everything else,” he said. “People seem to put it in a box and open it on Sunday.” But using and stretching the Catholic imagination brings light and life to all topics, he said. “As Catholics, let’s have a discussion and invite others to be a part of it,” said Randazzo, a Michigan native fluent in Spanish who studied for the priesthood and graduated in philosophy and Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He has held a variety of roles in ministry, at St. Stephen in Minneapolis, the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, and in the archdiocese, including planning the young adult trip as part of Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s and Bishop Cozzens’ January “ad limina” trip to Rome. Jean Stolpestad, director of Marriage, Family and Life, said, “The Upper Room is a place to address what’s happening in the world, in the moment, through a Catholic lens.” That view includes the need to respect human dignity in a way that leads to action, perhaps through prayer, a new way of thinking, outreach and kindness, “bridging a gap, mending a fence or building a pathway,” Stolpestad said. The Catholic-centered, monthly video-cast discussion combines evangelization with catechesis, in a relaxing format that gets people involved and reaches them where they’re at right now — online, where so much work and socializing is taking place, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, Randazzo said. Sally Shoubash, 26, watched The Upper Room conversation Sept. 24 after receiving a Facebook notification from her parish, St. Maron, that Chorbishop Maroun was about to go live on The Upper Room. The livestream was a great opportunity to connect more deeply, Shoubash said, especially after the pandemic prevented her from attending Mass for months. With precautions, she has recently returned to public worship, she noted. Shoubash plans to watch The Upper Room again. “It was great to see the back-and-forth of questions and answers. And to see how many people were watching the video from different churches,” Shoubash said. “Lots of people learned a lot. I learned a lot.”
THE UPPER ROOM
TOM HALDEN | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Sarah McCauley, a marriage and family therapist and parishioner of Transfiguration in Oakdale, speaks on camera Sept. 30 about healing for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ five-week virtual “Healing and Hope” retreat, which begins Oct. 18.
In response to listening sessions, five-week virtual healing retreat begins Oct. 18 By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit A five-part, virtual retreat called “Healing and Hope” begins Oct. 18 as part of preparations in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for the upcoming Archdiocesan Synod. Father Joseph Bambenek, the Synod’s assistant director, said the need for hope and healing surfaced in the comments of several hundred attendees of Pre-Synod Prayer and Listening Events held from September 2019 to March 2020. Members of the Synod prayer team also suggested that the topic be addressed as part of the Synod. When Archbishop Bernard Hebda was discerning topics for the Synod focus areas, Father Bambenek said he consulted with the prayer team. “A number of people … had the sense that healing should somehow be involved,” Father Bambenek said. The fall retreat follows on the heels of another five-week, pre-Synod virtual retreat, “Praying with Scripture.” That archived series, as well as segments of the “Healing and Hope” retreat as they are released, can be found at archspm.org/synod. The two series complement each other because the first addresses “praying to be closer to God,” and the second recognizes that harms suffered need to be healed or they can get in the way of drawing close to the Lord and hearing how he wants to speak in our lives, Father Bambenek said. The focus on healing and hope also recognizes that Catholics in the archdiocese have suffered pain because of the clergy sexual abuse scandal, Father Bambenek said. In January 2015, the archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the wake of mounting claims of clergy sexual abuse dating back as far as the 1940s. The archdiocese reached a $210 million settlement in 2018 with more than 450 victim-survivors, and it emerged from bankruptcy in December 2018. “Pretty much everyone has been wounded in some way by the scandal,” directly or indirectly, Father Bambenek said. While some aspects of the series will address clergy sexual abuse, the broader focus will be on healing from any number
HEALING AND HOPE The virtual “Healing and Hope” retreat begins Oct. 18 at archspm.org/synod. Each of the five sessions will feature two speakers and a testimonial from at least one person. Session themes are: u Oct. 18 Fundamental identity as a child of God and the body of Christ u Oct. 25 Identifying personal wounds: places of darkness; openings for resilience and grace u Nov. 1 The wounds of the body of Christ and people’s “bindings or tourniquets,” the knots people allow to be tied u Nov. 8 Turning over bindings to Mary, Undoer of Knots, and opening wounds to Jesus u Nov. 15 A new narrative in Jesus After the Oct. 18 premiere, new videos will be posted on the following Sundays. Each week’s video, approximately one hour in length, will also be streamed on the archdiocese’s YouTube channel and Facebook page on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Participants also can download the MyParish app and search for “Archdiocesan Synod,” or go to archspm.org/synod/fall2020 to sign up for weekly emails and links to the videos. Printed materials and other resources also will be accessible via the app, emails and posted on the website, including questions for each talk and a list of additional resources. of wounds, Father Bambenek said. It is designed to help participants grow in self-awareness by learning more about themselves and the people around them, and through that process become more fully who God wants them to be, he said. “Hopefully, they will learn how to bring their hurts to our Blessed Mother and to Jesus, and learn about some potential next steps — recognizing that this won’t be the be-all or end-all, but that healing is really a journey until we get to heaven,” he said.
SLICEofLOCAL LIFE
6 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
OCTOBER 8, 2020
Restorative justice film promotes healing, honors role of late ombudsperson By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit Filmmaker Hunter Johnson took on a commission of a lifetime when he agreed to make a documentary about restorative justice for clergy abuse victims while honoring his father’s legacy. Johnson, 31, is the son of the late Tom Johnson, a former Hennepin County attorney and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ first ombudsperson for clergy sexual abuse survivors, for whom he served as an independent advocate. Not long after his father passed away June 8 after a six-year battle with prostate cancer, Hunter’s mother, Victoria Johnson, also an attorney, succeeded her husband as the ombudsperson. Victoria Johnson provided feedback as Hunter completed sections of the film. When she saw the final, edited film, she felt overwhelming love for her husband and for her son, whom she said conveyed the story beautifully. “He told the story of restorative justice in a way that I think will speak to people’s hearts and especially to people who need healing,” she said. “I think their stories, their testimony is so compelling that if people are fearful, that would … help them move through that fear to reaching out to someone, be that me or anybody else who’s there to assist them, their church community.” Posted on YouTube as “Restorative Justice in the Catholic Church and Beyond,” the 19-minute film premiered
online Sept. 12 at a virtual restorative about,” and it was a good way to honor justice event hosted by Our Lady of him and his legacy, he said. Lourdes in Minneapolis, the Johnson “My dad had a really profound family’s longtime parish. Distribution empathy for people,” Hunter Johnson avenues are being determined, but said. “And I think that’s reflected in the victim assistance coordinators at parishes film.” across the country are among potential He said his father was one of the best audiences. listeners he knew, which was a good fit Victoria Johnson said the film shows a for his role as ombudsperson. continuing need for vigilance. “But he was also responsible for “But a page has been turned,” holding the Church’s feet to the fire,” she said, “when the archbishop he said, “and making sure they were (Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul following through on their commitments and Minneapolis) can go with the that they agreed to in the settlement.” COURTESY HUNTER JOHNSON ombudsman, my husband, on a cold, That settlement agreement, reached Hunter Johnson assembles a video camera snowy day to meet with a victim to see in 2015, was between the archdiocese and audio gear in July 2019 before interviewing and hear his story, and say, ‘I am sorry and the Ramsey County Attorney’s people in a New York City park for a Human this happened to you.’” Office over criminal and civil charges Rights Watch video project. An independent Restorative Justice that the archdiocese failed to protect Working Group that includes victimthree children from sexual abuse from “We really wanted that to be the survivors of clergy sexual abuse, parish former priest Curtis Wehmeyer. The perspective that people started with and representatives and archdiocesan agreement included a provision requiring were left with,” he said. employees commissioned the film last an ombudsperson, and the archdiocese The film includes footage shot year. They hoped it would introduce the and the county jointly appointed Tom last October at a restorative justice concept of restorative justice and explain Johnson to that role in January 2018. symposium held at the University of how the archdiocese uses the concept of Hunter Johnson said the film allowed St. Thomas School of Law in naming and healing harm to help victim- Minneapolis, which Tom Johnson him to learn things about his father survivors of clergy abuse. through other people’s eyes. moderated. Hunter Johnson, who studied “I feel like I’m getting to know my dad Father Daniel Griffith, pastor of Our filmmaking and has done documentary even better now … because I’m learning Lady of Lourdes, suggested the film be work in Latin America and across the all these other stories I’d never heard dedicated to Tom Johnson. U.S. spent nearly a year conducting before about this area of his work at the “As I was editing, I realized it couldn’t video interviews, including with archdiocese and how he helped people,” be anything but that,” Hunter Johnson victim-survivors and his father. HeFrom also condos he said. said. “And it was obviously super to castles, incorporated clips from other sources emotional for me.” performance exceeds promise and edited the film. Hunter Johnson said Watch “Restorative Justice in the But it also was therapeutic. it was important to start and end the film Catholic Church and Beyond” at “I knew it was something he would Kathy Kueppers with the words of a victim-survivor. want … completed and cared deeply for all Your tinyurl Buying.com and/restjust Selling. Needs
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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7
Holy Spirit Academy in Monticello formally recognized as a Catholic school By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Less than a decade ago, Teresa Donnett, a member of St. Timothy in Maple Lake and mother of 10, suggested to a church employee that he work on opening a Catholic high school in the area. He replied that if one were to happen, parents would have to start it. The idea was planted, and Donnett began floating it to like-minded parents. Convinced that if a new school was God’s plan it would come to fruition, a group formed to explore the possibility — and then worked to make it happen. Holy Spirit Academy opened in Monticello in 2014. Now, six years later, the school has gained formal recognition from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as a Catholic school. The archdiocese announced the development Oct. 2. The recognition was welcome news to the school’s leadership. “It matters to families that we’re a Catholic school and not just a school ‘in the Catholic intellectual tradition,’ as we’ve described ourselves,” said Headmaster Andrew Lang, who has led the school for five years. To use the name “Catholic,” institutions and organizations require the approval of their local diocese. The recognition process took longer than usual, acknowledged Jason Slattery, the archdiocese’s director of Catholic education. He said the extended timeline reflects changes at the archdiocese, and not any problems with the school’s application. The addition of another Catholic school in the archdiocese is also a sign of hope for the local Church, he said. In a Sept. 29 letter to Holy Spirit Academy notifying school leadership of the recognition, Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the archdiocese’s vicar for Catholic education, noted that the school “was founded as an apostolate dedicated to helping mothers and fathers deliver on their promise and pledge to provide their children with an integrated education in the Catholic faith.” “United as we are now in name, let us endeavor to provide families in the region served by Holy Spirit Academy with the best possible high school option,” he wrote. “Among the most admirable qualities that you have shown is a sincere and authentic desire to be at the service of parishes in the region, which I pray will bear great fruit in the years ahead for the Church.” In June 2013, just months after parents first met to discuss the school, they formed a nonprofit to begin raising funds. It was grassroots and shoestring. They held meetings at Donnett’s home and held a garage sale to fund an attorney to incorporate the nonprofit. They secured a site by renting classroom space from St. Henry in Monticello, in the geographic center of the area interested families were willing to drive. When Holy Spirit Academy opened its doors to a freshman and sophomore class in the fall of 2014, a dozen students enrolled. “It was kind of like the Twelve Apostles at the beginning,” said Donnett, 44, who serves on the school’s board of directors. “It’s really beautiful to see that God started it all, and it took a lot of work and it’s taken a lot of coordination, but it’s just been grounded in prayer from the beginning.” The school has since grown to an enrollment of 42 and graduated five classes. Earlier this year, it graduated its largest senior class: 12 students. It has 12 faculty and staff members, and is a member of the National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools and, for sports, the Minnesota State High School League. The school is small but mighty, its leaders say. Lang describes the school as having a liberal arts-based curriculum that is steeped in the great books of the Western canon and the traditions of the Catholic Church. Students read Homer, Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas; study fine art; and perform Shakespeare’s plays. They also begin their mornings either with Liturgy of the Hours or Mass, pray the Angelus at noon, and end their school day with an examination of conscience before the Blessed Sacrament. Teachers integrate the faith with all
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Seniors Hannah Greteman, left, and Russell Jarvis, right, talk with Andrew Lang, teacher and headmaster, during senior theology class Sept. 29 at Holy Spirit Academy in Monticello. subjects, Lang said, with an eye to the school’s mission: “Grounded in Truth. Prepared for Life.” In a testimony shared on Holy Spirit Academy’s website, a student wrote, “I will never forget the day my geometry teacher was explaining the Pythagorean Theorem to the class, and she started tearing up at the theological symbolism revealed in the shapes and proportions. The integration between classes became so clear to me, that I knew there was no way to separate Astronomy from Art, or History from Theology, and so on, because all things work together to point to Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.” The school aims to prepare students not just academically, but also with “genuine formation to go and do wonderful things for the rest of their life,” Lang said. The school operates with the understanding that education is not “just meant to train, but also meant to free,” he said. “It was meant to enable students to know who they were and to know what they’re called to. And so the traditional liberal arts educational philosophy has a goal of forming persons in addition to forming skills.” Senior Russell Jarvis, 16, said that conversations with teachers and fellow students and reading influential books has changed not only what, but the way, he thinks, thanks to logic and philosophy classes. The school’s student council president, Jarvis has also tried out most of its extracurricular offerings, including basketball (in cooperation with a local public charter school), drama and fencing. The school’s greatest strengths, he said, are the high quality of teachers and students’ strong friendships. He noted that there are only four others in his senior class, so classmates really know each other well. “Typically the people that go to HSA are people who are trying to be both good people and people who are trying actually to learn what the school is trying to teach, so you make very, very good friends — and … actually virtuous friends who are going to help you and impact you in a positive way,” he said. The school aims to keep tuition low, relative to other Catholic high schools, and this academic year’s rate is $7,490. Nearly 60% of families received financial aid this year. Many of the school’s families have modest means and several children, Lang noted, and it’s important to school leadership that cost isn’t an obstacle for interested families. The school’s growth has not been without growing pains. Lisa Stokman, 54, said that after putting so much “blood, sweat and tears” into launching the school, she wanted it to be perfect for her daughter, 2017 graduate Grace. But, she acknowledged, small class sizes have pros and cons, which she saw through her daughter’s experience. “Yet, from our eyes, she grew so much as a person
… because of the small class size and the committed faculty who lived and loved their faith and were excellent in the classroom,” said Stokman, a mother of seven and board member who now lives two hours north of Monticello in Crosby. Stokman also saw the school open new doors and tap hidden talent — such as Grace’s aptitude for art. Before taking Holy Spirit Academy’s art classes, Grace didn’t draw, and now Lisa reproduces her daughter’s work for Christmas cards. Art “was something that gave her life and she would get together with a friend and they would draw and paint together,” she said. Based on her own high school experience, Stokman thought that was unusual — in a very good way. Since its founding, the school’s boosters have found it complicated to explain that while HSA was firmly rooted in the Catholic faith, the archdiocese had yet to designate it as a Catholic school, and the school was following an approval process. That lack of official standing in the Church — despite its ties to St. Henry and the support of northeast metro parishes — may have stifled its growth, Stokman said. Meanwhile, a growing student body was needed to prove to the archdiocese that Holy Spirit Academy was there to stay. Now that it can call itself a Catholic school, school leaders anticipate growth and look forward to connecting with the resources the archdiocese provides through its Office for the Mission of Catholic Education, which Slattery directs. In addition to Holy Spirit Academy, there are 14 other Catholic high schools in the archdiocese. The nearest high schools to Holy Spirit Academy are Providence Academy in Plymouth and Totino-Grace High School in Fridley, which are 27 miles and 33 miles away, respectively. Two other schools — Unity High School in Burnsville and Chesterton Academy of the St. Croix Valley — have approached the archdiocese about gaining recognition as Catholic schools, Slattery said. Approval of an institution calling itself “Catholic” is a recognition from a bishop and a sign of unity with the local Church, Slattery said. Holy Spirit Academy’s recognition also points to geographic growth in the northeast metro area, the dynamic nature of the “living body” of the Church in responding to that, he said. It also affirms to the “deep desire of parents” for a Catholic education, Slattery said, noting that launching a school “is not for the faint of heart.” “They really, really want this,” he said, “and they want it to the point that they’re going to go to sacrifices to find a way for young people to have this, this beautiful gift of a high school education in the faith.”
8 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
OCTOBER 8, 2020
NATION+WORLD Cleaning house: Pope forges ahead with reform after cardinal’s ouster By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service Before the coronavirus pandemic halted all public audiences at the Vatican, Pope Francis met with members of the Vatican City State court and spoke of the Vatican’s “commitment to fight illegality in the field of finance at the international level.” “These actions have recently brought to light suspicious financial situations, which aside from their possible unlawfulness, are not in keeping with the nature and purpose of the Church, and have generated disorientation and anxiety in the community of the faithful,” he said Feb. 15. The pursuit to reform Vatican financial procedures took a surprising turn of events in late September with the forced resignation of Cardinal Angelo Becciu. The former prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes was forced to offer his resignation to the pope Sept. 24. According to Cardinal Becciu, he is accused of embezzling an estimated 100,000 euros ($116,361) of Vatican funds and redirecting them to Spes, a Caritas organization run by his brother, Tonino Becciu, in his home Diocese of Ozieri, Sardinia. Pope Francis signed a new set of laws in June to prevent fraud and corruption, including barring Vatican employees from awarding contracts to their relatives for the purchase of goods, property and services. Cardinal Becciu, who also had to renounce the rights and privileges of being a cardinal, strongly denied any wrongdoing during a news conference Sept. 25 and said that although he received no formal notification from authorities that he was under investigation or being charged with a crime, he hopes to clear his name. For some, the resignation of the Italian cardinal, whose name had also turned up in a questionable property deal in London, was an indication that the pope’s financial reforms, instituted gradually over the
HEADLINES u Bishops offer good wishes, prayers for Trumps, all suffering from COVID-19. Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said he was praying for President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, adding, “May God grant them full healing and may he keep their family safe and healthy.” The president, 74, announced Oct. 2 he and the first lady had tested positive for COVID-19. He was later treated Oct. 2-5 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center just outside Washington in Bethesda, Maryland. u Al Smith dinner draws presidential nominees for 75th year, but to a virtual dais. The Catholic vote and the coronavirus subtly headlined the annual fundraiser of the 75th annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner Oct. 1, livestreamed from the Manhattan residence of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan due to COVID-19. Remarks via recorded videos were delivered by President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the Republican and Democratic nominees, respectively, in the Nov. 3 presidential election. u Pandemic stimulus bill excludes Catholic school students, their families. The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ education committee said Oct. 1 “it is unconscionable” the HEROES Act stimulus bill proposed in the House is excluding Catholic school students and their families. The bill includes $225 billion for education, including $182 billion for K-12 schools, but “provides no equitable services for students in nonpublic schools and maintains language that prohibits any funds from being used to provide financial assistance to nonpublic school children,” said a news release about the measure from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. u China at center of meeting between Pompeo, top Vatican officials. After two weeks of
past seven years, are finally having an impact. Cardinal George Pell, former prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, has made no secret of his support for deep financial reforms at the Vatican, and he issued a congratulatory note for the way the pope dealt with Cardinal Becciu. “The Holy Father was elected to clean up Vatican finances. He plays a long game and is to be thanked and congratulated on recent developments,” the Australian cardinal said Sept. 25. Before returning to Australia in 2017 to face charges of sexual abuse, Cardinal CARDINAL Pell was tasked with tightening GEORGE PELL Vatican budgeting procedures and investigating corruption in Vatican finances as head of the Secretariat for the Economy, a dicastery created by the pope in 2014. One of the first public signs of resistance to how Cardinal Pell was carrying out the mandate came to light in 2016. Plans for an audit of the Vatican’s financial accounts by PricewaterhouseCoopers were suspended by then-Archbishop Becciu, who at the time served as “sostituto,” a position similar to chief-of-staff in the Vatican Secretariat of State. In interviews and press statements, Cardinal Pell and then-Archbishop Becciu gave contrasting views of the situation. But privately, Cardinal Becciu said later, they had a tense relationship that came to a head during a meeting of Vatican officials with Pope Francis, in which Cardinal Pell accused the Italian of being “a dishonest person.” Cardinal Pell, whose term as prefect expired in 2019 and who has lived in Sydney since an abuse conviction was overturned by the High Court of Australia, returned to Rome Sept. 20, just a few days after Cardinal Becciu’s departure. Whether the former prefect of the Secretariat for the
communicating through the media, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin spoke face-to-face about China, the topic of a major difference of opinion. Along with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister, “the sides presented their respective positions regarding relations with the People’s Republic of China in a climate of respect, relaxed and cordial,” the Vatican press office said after the 45-minute meeting Oct. 1. They also discussed “some zones of conflict and crisis, particularly the Caucasus, the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean,” the statement said. In an article Sept. 18 in the magazine First Things and, particularly in a tweet linking to the article, Pompeo criticized the Vatican’s plans to renew its agreement with China on a process for appointing bishops and urged the Vatican to use its “moral authority” to press China on human rights, principally religious freedom. Vatican officials did not appreciate his public pressure when a meeting was scheduled just two weeks later; some saw the move as a political tactic during President Donald Trump’s campaign for reelection. u San Francisco’s new indoor worship limit a ‘victory,’ but effort not over. As of Sept. 30, the city of San Francisco is allowing attendance for indoor worship to be 25% of the capacity of a house of worship, or up to 100 people, which follows the limit set by the state of California. In a message issued late Sept. 29, after the city announced the change, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco called it “an important victory to savor and celebrate.” However, he told the press, “this movement is not over.” Four days before the city increased the limit on indoor worship, the U.S. Department of Justice sent a three-page letter to San Francisco Mayor London Breed calling on her to “promptly” end discriminating against religious believers by loosening the city’s harsh restrictions on houses of worship. — Catholic News Service
Economy would meet with Pope Francis was unknown. But questions remain about Cardinal Becciu’s role in the Secretariat of State’s purchase of a majority stake in a property in London’s Chelsea district, a purchase which incurred major debts. The transaction is likely among the “suspicious financial situations” the pope referred to in his speech to the Vatican court. And, four days after accepting Cardinal Becciu’s resignation, Pope Francis appointed a new “promoter of applied justice” to the Vatican court. For the position, in effect a prosecuting attorney for specific crimes, the pope chose Gianluca Perone, a professor of commercial law. Cardinal Becciu said the pope made no mention of the London property deal during their meeting Sept. 24, and the cardinal insisted there was nothing wrong with the purchase, but the Vatican investigation appears to be ongoing. One question remaining is whether funds from the Peter’s Pence collection were used to finance the deal. Peter’s Pence is a papal fund used for charity, but also to support the running of the Roman Curia and Vatican embassies around the world. Cardinal Becciu consistently denied Peter’s Pence funds were used to purchase the London property; the money, he said, came from a fund within the Secretariat of State. However, when asked by a journalist Sept. 25 if the money in the Secretariat of State fund came from Peter’s Pence, Cardinal Becciu said, “Yes.” According to a Sept. 28 report by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Pope Francis has now taken away the Secretariat of State’s access to the fund. The fund, the report stated, now will be managed by Bishop Nunzio Galantino, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See, which handles the Vatican’s investment portfolio and real estate holdings, and by Jesuit Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves, Cardinal Pell’s successor at the Secretariat for the Economy.
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OCTOBER 8, 2020
ENCYCLICAL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives.” The title, which literally means “all brothers and sisters” or “all brothers,” are the words with which St. Francis “addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavor of the Gospel,” the pope wrote. That flavor, explained throughout the document, involves welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, listening to and giving a hand up to the poor, defending the rights of all and ensuring that each person, at every stage of life, is valued and invited to contribute to the community, he said. It also means supporting public policies that do so on a larger scale. Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, welcomed the encyclical as “an important contribution to the Church’s rich tradition of social doctrine.” “Pope Francis’ teaching here is profound and beautiful: God our father has created every human being with equal sanctity and dignity, equal rights and duties, and our creator calls us to form a single human family in which we live as brothers and sisters,” the archbishop said in a statement. “God’s plan for humanity, the pope reminds us, has implications for every aspect of our lives — from how we treat one another in our personal relationships, to how we organize and operate our societies and economies.” Building on the social teachings
NATION+WORLD of his predecessors, Pope Francis’ document once again strongly condemns the death penalty and makes an initial approach to declaring that the conditions once used to accept a “just war” no longer exist because of the indiscriminately lethal power of modern weapons. St. John Paul II in “The Gospel of Life,” published in 1995, cast doubt on whether any nation needed to resort to capital punishment today to protect its people; developing that teaching, Pope Francis in 2018 authorized a change to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to make clear that “the death penalty is inadmissible.” Signaling the start of a similar effort to respond to the current reality of warfare, Pope Francis in the new encyclical raised the question of “whether the development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and the enormous and growing possibilities offered by new technologies, have granted war an uncontrollable destructive power over great numbers of innocent civilians.” “We can no longer think of war as a solution because its risks will probably always be greater than its supposed benefits,” one of the main criteria of just-war theory, he said. “In view of this, it is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a ‘just war.’ Never again war!” At the heart of the new encyclical’s appeal to Catholics is a meditation on Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan and particularly on how Jesus takes a legal scholar’s question, “Who is my
neighbor?,” and turns it into a lesson on being called not to selectively identify one’s neighbors but to become a neighbor to all, especially those most in need of aid. “The parable eloquently presents the basic decision we need to make in order to rebuild our wounded world. In the face of so much pain and suffering, our only course is to imitate the good Samaritan,” the pope said. “Any other decision would make us either one of the robbers or one of those who walked by without showing compassion for the sufferings of the man on the roadside.” “The parable,” he continued, “shows us how a community can be rebuilt by men and women who identify with the vulnerability of others, who reject the creation of a society of exclusion, and act instead as neighbors, lifting up and rehabilitating the fallen for the sake of the common good.” Pope Francis used the encyclical “to consider certain trends in our world that hinder the development of universal fraternity” and acting as a neighbor to one another, including racism, extremism, “aggressive nationalism,” closing borders to migrants and refugees, polarization, politics as a power grab rather than a service to the common good, mistreatment of women, modern slavery and economic policies that allow the rich to get richer but do not create jobs and do not help the poor. “The pain, uncertainty and fear, and the realization of our own limitations, brought on by the pandemic have only made it all the more urgent that we rethink our styles of life, our relationships, the organization of our
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9 societies and, above all, the meaning of our existence,” he said. Anna Rowlands, a British theologian invited to help present the document at the Vatican, told Catholic News Service the text’s “golden thread” is about discerning “what gives life” and helps everyone to develop his or her full potential and flourish. “The whole theme of the document is about the way in which we’re called to attend to the world as Christ attended to the world,” paying attention to reality rather than “evading it and avoiding it,” and praying for the grace to respond as Jesus would. When people ask, “Who is my neighbor?” often what they really want to know is “Who is not my neighbor?” or “Who can I legitimately say is not my responsibility,” Rowlands said. Pope Francis called for catechesis and preaching that “speak more directly and clearly about the social meaning of existence, the fraternal dimension of spirituality, our conviction of the inalienable dignity of each person and our reasons for loving and accepting all our brothers and sisters.” He also used the encyclical to strongly reassert a traditional tenet of Catholic social teaching: “the universal destination of goods” or “the common use of created goods,” which asserts, as St. John Paul said, that “God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favoring anyone.” The right to private property, and the benefits to individuals and society of protecting that right, Pope Francis wrote, “can only be considered a secondary natural right.”
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10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
WORLDMISSIONSUNDAY
Answering the call World Mission Day, Oct. 18, provides an opportunity for Catholics to support the missionary life of the Catholic Church around the globe. “It also gives us the opportunity to renew our own missionary identity and discipleship in serving, encouraging, supporting and praying for the Church’s mission,” wrote Deacon Mickey Friesen, director of the Center for Mission in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, in an Oct. 5 letter to pastors about the importance of the annual collection. The worldwide theme this year is “Here I am,
send me!” In a message released ahead of World Mission Day, Pope Francis asks Catholics to consider the missionary journey of the whole Church, particularly in the suffering and challenges brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic. In the United States, the celebration of mission is also expanded this year to include learning about and supporting the Church’s mission overseas and in local communities by sharing the World Mission Day appeal with the “home missions,” or places served by missionaries in the United States. This unified
Edina native finds joy in missionary calling to Guyana
celebration is reflected in these pages of The Catholic Spirit, with stories about two local missionaries answering the call to mission, one overseas and the other in the United States. Parishioners are asked to support World Mission Day, also known as World Mission Sunday, and the Catholic Home Missions Appeal in a special collection during Masses Oct. 17-18, or online at centerformission.org. For more information, Contact Bonnie CurryGabel at 651-291-4451 or curry-gabelb@archspm.org. Sister Maria Nikopoia, who is serving as a missionary in the village of Charity, Guyana, poses in September with children from a nearby village after she helped them make rosaries. COURTESY SISTER MARIA NIKOPOIA
By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
T
herese Klobe never imagined spreading the Gospel in a foreign land. Her vision for life was much simpler. “I grew up in Edina; I went to Our Lady of Grace grade school,” she said. “Honestly, I never thought of being a missionary… . I never thought I would move (more) than 5 miles from my house in Edina in my whole life.” But, as she says today: “God’s plans are not our plans.” She made this remark during a Sept. 30 phone conversation from her current home in a small village called Charity in Guyana, South America. Now named Sister Maria Nikopoia, she is the superior of a small group of sisters from the religious order Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, founded in 1988 as a female branch of the Religious Family of the Incarnate Word in San Rafael, Argentina. Sister Nikopoia joined the order in 2008 and served in the U.S. until 2018, when she was asked to be the superior in Guyana. It was a task she didn’t feel capable of, she said, but she has found joy in the midst of poverty, hardships and cultural values opposed to her Catholic faith. “Here, it’s not necessarily a Christian society,” said Sister Nikopoia, who will turn 40 Oct. 21. “The bar is right across the street, always playing really loud music. And, they’re selling drugs on the back street. You just see the drug deals, and the alcoholics are walking drunk down the street, and prostitutes are doing their work. “You can see the lack of dignity and the lack of respect that they have (for themselves). They just don’t know their own dignity. The scene is very real, but you can also see, in some sense, the mercy of God.” Sister Nikopoia leads four other sisters as they serve the village, located on the northern coast of Guyana. Many of the residents are farmers, with rice and coconuts as the two main crops. With priests in the country spread thin, Mass only takes place twice a month in her village, as is the case in other villages. Priests often travel by boat down the Pomeroon River to reach villages sometimes located half an hour apart. The sisters do most of the catechesis in their village, serving the parish of St. Francis Xavier, which includes nine communities in the region. They work with people of all ages, with programs for girls and young women at the center of their outreach. “There are many broken families, a lot of abuse, a lot of suicide, not so much hope, at least where we live,” Sister Nikopoia said. “Once a girl graduates from high school, that’s about all that
she’s going to do. … So, we try to work with the girls — (teaching) human values, human virtues. We teach catechism and we have girls over sometimes, have girls’ groups (and camps).” The vision is expanding with a plan to build a new convent. They are hoping to break ground on the proposed $400,000 structure this month, pending approval of a grant they have applied for. Not only would it provide housing for the sisters, but it could accommodate guests, including young women from the region who wish to help the sisters, and even women from countries like the U.S. who want to explore missionary work and the Servants community. Sister Nikopoia knows well how effective personal interaction can be in drawing women to both religious life and missionary work. After working in both the corporate world and in Edina public schools, she met members of the Servants while chaperoning a group of high school girls on a vocations event at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul in January 2006. The connection was strong and immediate. “There were probably 10 orders of sisters there,” said Sister Nikopoia, a 1999 graduate of St. Agnes School in St. Paul. “And, there were two (Servants) sisters that were super young, really joyful, and they were in a habit. And so, I said to myself, ‘That’s where I’m going to enter. Whenever I have the courage to enter, I’m going to enter that order.’ I knew nothing about them at all, but I just knew that’s the order that I was going to enter.” She made a visit to the Servants, whom she
calls “blue sisters” because of their blue-colored habits, at a convent in New York in August 2008 and joined one month later, at the age of 27. At that time, she didn’t realize the Servants serve in eight countries around the world, and that she might be sent out someday. It took 10 years before the call finally came. She didn’t expect it, but she also understands missionary work in a broader sense. That made her ready to accept the invitation. “We’re all called to be missionaries,” she said, an idea Pope Francis explored in his message for this year’s World Mission Day, Oct. 18. “In our baptism, we’re called to be missionaries. In our own neighborhood, in our own families, we’re called to be missionaries. That’s part of our baptismal promise.” “In our particular order, the Servants of the Lord, we actually are missionary and Marian,” she added. “So, we go out to places where nobody wants to go to preach the Gospel. That’s just where God planted me, so I just have to be faithful to whatever God is asking of me.” Sister Nikopoia has learned that the job often entails things far beyond ministry and catechesis, like fixing busted water pipes and broken-down cars. She has become as familiar with hand tools as she has spiritual tools like the Catechism and the Bible. She wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s exciting to come to Guyana,” she said. “It’s exciting to be in the missions, it’s exciting to go and to use your vocation to bring souls to Christ in a place where very few people are Catholic.”
Priest fo call to m — in the By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
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lenmary Father up in a close-kn on a farm near M felt a pull to mis an early age. He experie aspects of that life duri three weeks in Guatem service closer to home Gradually, Father Paw thoughts about “missio accomplished only in f turned to consideration living in poverty and n Christ right here in the “So, when I discovere Home Missioners, it fel Father Pawelk, 60, as h before World Mission D it means to be on missi This year’s World Missi “Here I am, send me!” calling on everyone to of the missionary life o the world. Founded in 1939, th priests and brothers tha joined serves areas of th the Church is not yet e and poverty is prevalen Appalachia and rural ar where Catholics make the population and rat nearly twice the nation Every Catholic is call Father Pawelk said, just “By our baptism we are said. Even the word “Mass direction, as it’s derived word “missa” used at th the congregation out in said. “The Mass is there fo said. “It’s the ‘sending p station.” For Father Pawelk, w Glenmary Home Missio the call to serve was fue fascination with the wo people and places. “God made the worl he said. “Full of express food and color. I don’t Christ if I just stay hom Having served in stat Georgia, Kentucky, Mis and now as novitiate di Glenmary Home Missio Ohio, Father Pawelk ha cultures and approache his response to challeng changing environment “I tell people, ‘I’m a G from Minnesota.’ It’s b I am that I can work wi without the stress.” “I approach it as a lea already here. I help tha them find the light and great fruit,” he said. Missionary work far difficult, as it includes m friends and his home p in Maple Lake, Father P his seven brothers and
OCTOBER 8, 2020 • 11
ollows mission e US
Glenmary Father Steve Pawelk smiles with parishioners following the Feb. 2, 2019, dedication of St. Teresa of Kolkata Catholic Church. The church is the first Catholic structure built in Union County, Tenn., which had no Catholic presence before Glenmary Home Missioners arrived. COURTESY GLENMARY CHALLENGE MAGAZINE
Steve Pawelk grew nit, faith-filled family Maple Lake, but he ssionary service at enced particular ing college, with mala and six weeks of in St. Paul. welk’s initial on” being foreign countries ns about people not fully knowing e United States. red the (Glenmary) lt real to me,” said he reflected just weeks Day Oct. 18 on what ion in the Church. ion Day theme is Pope Francis is consider the needs of the Church around
he Catholic society of at Father Pawelk he country where effectively present nt, particularly reas of the South, up less than 3% of tes of poverty are nal average. led to mission, t in different ways. e all missioners,” he
s” points in that d from the Latin he dismissal to send nto the world, he
or the sending,” he place,’ the fueling
who joined the oners 36 years ago, eled in part by his orld, its varied
ld full of flavors,” sions of sound and know the body of me.” tes including ssissippi, Tennessee director of the oners in Cincinnati, as encountered many es to life. He keeps ges in adapting to ts very simple. German pig farmer because I know who with other cultures
arner. Christ is at emerge. I can help d nurture that to
from home can be missing family, parish of St. Timothy Pawelk said. Six of sisters live within 10
miles of his parents near Maple Lake. While smartphones and other technology makes contact from a distance easier, getting back home only once a year means much is missed. “I miss weddings, baptisms and funerals,” he said. Nonetheless, he remains close to his family, and they accept his vocation. He also knows his siblings are taking care of their parents, Eldor and Joan, allowing him to serve the Church, Father Pawelk said. His vocation includes helping the materially poor, such as collecting enough donations for two months of rent and other bills faced by 19 families after a 2018 Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a packing plant in East Tennessee that affected parishioners he served, chronicled in the 2019 Netflix documentary, “After the Raid.” “It was extremely emotional, and it is still ongoing,” Father Pawelk said. “Having children come crying into the church, people hiding in the hills. … Many of the cases (for possible deportation) have yet to be heard.” What drives him is the opportunity to
spread the love of Christ as a missionary, through the sacraments and through service in places where Jesus’ love is not widely known or understood and help is hard to find, Father Pawelk said. “I can help people who don’t know church, don’t have faith, don’t have self-confidence or suffer with guilt. If a sinner is rejected by family or community, (he or she) might wonder, ‘Why even try? I’m going to hell anyway.’ … We have the ability to accept someone others have judged. God’s mercy is real. We have a small church, so we can spend time with people, listen to their stories.” And there is the blessing of celebrating the Mass, including prayers for people who might not know Christ and his mercy, he said. “I am the person there, offering (the Mass) in a place that needs you,” Father Pawelk said. “It’s not about me. But now there are faces and names at that altar, that were not in the minds of someone before this. That will bring Christ to the community.”
THE LOCAL CHURCH | DEACON MICKEY FRIESEN
Here I am. Send me. During this year marked by the disruption and pain brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we find ourselves bound together with the rest of the world in ways unknown before, as we all reckon with our human frailty and uncertainty about the way ahead. To some degree, we are all in the same boat. It is in the midst of these troubled waters that the missionary journey of the Church continues. God is still calling and sending forth disciples to bring good news to the poor, light to those in darkness and liberty to captives. God is still asking, “Whom shall I send?” (Is 6:8). On this World Mission Sunday Oct. 18, we are invited to consider this question in light of our baptismal call to be a missionary Church. How might God be sending us forth at this time? It’s a time to ponder our own missionary vocation and to stand in solidarity with the Church’s mission around When we step the world. How might we echo the words of the prophets and out in faith to apostles before us who responded follow God’s call to God’s call and we ourselves say, “Here I am, send me” (Is 6:8)? and give of Like Peter in the Gospel caught in the middle of a storm, in the ourselves to middle of the lake, in the middle others, it is of the night, the Lord says, “Come” — step out in faith and then that we be not afraid. Pope Francis says, “In this context, the call to find ourselves mission, the invitation to step out and discover of ourselves for love of God and neighbor presents itself as an new gifts. opportunity for sharing, service and intercessory prayer.” When we step out in faith to follow God’s call and give of ourselves to others, it is then that we find ourselves and discover new gifts. Giving and receiving are bound together. We cannot allow the fear and physical distancing of this time to keep us from sharing ourselves, giving ourselves and receiving from others. Like the early disciples who crossed over to the other side of the lake to bring the good news of Jesus to the gentiles, the missionary call leads some to leave the comforts and familiarity of home and cross over into foreign lands and foreign realities to bring the good news. The Spirit of God went ahead of the disciples and went along with them to give them encouragement as they made their way. We can also encourage and support those who are willing to travel and serve beyond our borders. Pope Francis reminds us of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who put herself completely at the service of God’s will in her life while not fully understanding the meaning of God’s call to bear and birth the beloved Son: “I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done unto me, according to your Word” (Lk 1:38). Here I am, send me! The missionary spirit is a way of listening to God’s call and being ready to receive the truths about the kingdom of God still being revealed. Our times are revealing the disparities in our world that keep us apart and divided. God is speaking through those who are calling out for healing, for peace and for justice. Even though we are forced to be socially distant, we do not need to give in to the temptations of fear that can foster division based on our differences. We are together in the ark of God’s kingdom moving through these troubled waters, and we need one another and we need God’s help to lead us through. Now is the time to draw life from communion in prayer that can transcend the physical, social, economic, racial boundaries between us. In prayer, we are one Body in Christ. God is calling each of us to say yes to his kingdom. Here I am. Send me! There is a saying in mission: Some go to the missions by giving. Some give to the missions by going. Without both there is no mission. We are in this boat of God’s mission together. Let us listen and let us be ready to go when the Lord calls, “Whom should I send?” May we respond, “Here I am, Lord; send me!” Deacon Friesen is the director of the Center for Mission in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
OCTOBER 8, 2020
FAITH+CULTURE Supreme Court nomination draws attention to People of Praise By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit
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bout 440 people in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are among more than 1,600 around the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean who count themselves members of People of Praise, a charismatic covenant community that welcomes all Christians and works for the common good. The group has drawn national attention with President Donald Trump’s Sept. 26 nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court of Amy Coney Barrett, a federal judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. A Catholic, Barrett’s confirmation process to the appeals court in 2017 first drew questions about her faith and connections with People of Praise. “The dogma lives loudly within you,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said at one point, prompting widespread criticism that such statements reflected an anti-religious bias. Barrett, a former law professor at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, told senators she was a faithful Catholic and her religious beliefs would not affect her decisions as an appellate judge. With her current nomination to the country’s highest court (Barrett’s confirmation hearing is set for Oct. 12), and the Supreme Court’s impact on such issues as abortion, immigration and health care, questions again are being
CNS
President Donald Trump arrives with federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the 7th Circuit Sept. 26 to nominate her to fill the U.S. Supreme Court seat left vacant by the Sept. 18 death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett’s affiliation with People of Praise, which has more than 400 members in the Twin Cities, has put the ecumenical lay group in the national spotlight. raised about Barrett’s Catholic faith and her affiliation with People of Praise, which The New York Times reported in 2017 included her name on its website until it was removed that same year, according to a Sept. 24 America Magazine report on Barrett and People of Praise. Some media reports have referred to People of Praise as a cult with undue influence over its members, and criticized
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its former practice of calling women leaders “handmaids.” In a Sept. 24 blog post on mirrorofjustice.blogs.com, which is affiliated with the Program on Church, State & Society at Notre Dame Law School, Rick Garnett, a colleague of Barrett’s at Notre Dame, addressed Barrett’s nomination and criticisms of People of Praise, saying in part that questions about a judicial nominee’s faith could be acceptable. “What should be off-limits,” Garnett wrote, “are (a) misrepresenting or willfully misunderstanding a nominee’s or candidate’s religious beliefs and (b) applying, without justification or warrant, greater suspicion and skepticism to a candidate’s or nominee’s sworn testimony because of disagreement with that candidate’s or nominee’s religious beliefs or affiliations.” In a Sept. 19 story about People of Praise, Catholic News Agency said one former member acknowledged criticisms the group has faced, and said groups like People of Praise can develop unhealthy dynamics without careful attention. But he told CNA that “the rank and file People of Praise members are very, very good people, wholeheartedly dedicated to the Lord.” So, what is People of Praise? What do its members profess, and how might it influence their professional lives? What does its presence look like in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis? People of Praise leaders in the Twin Cities referred questions to Sean Connolly, a spokesman for the South Bend-based group. But as The Catholic Spirit prepared to go to press, Connolly said in an email that recent questions about the group have overwhelmed its ability to respond. According to its website, peopleofpraise. org, People of Praise is a charismatic Christian community that admires the first Christians “who were led by the Holy Spirit to form a community. Those early believers put their lives and their possessions in common, and ‘there were no needy persons among them.’” People of Praise includes Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians,
Episcopalians, Baptists, Pentecostals and other denominational and nondenominational Christians, the group’s website says, adding that members remain faithful to their own churches, but they also “have found a way to live together.” An association of priests and celibate men connected with the group is the Brotherhood of the People of Praise, and its members include Auxiliary Bishop Peter Smith of Portland, Oregon. There also are ordained Catholic deacons in the community, including in the Twin Cities, which is called the Servant Branch. Bishop Smith has told CNA that People of Praise is “a lay movement in the Church. There are plenty of these. We continue to try and live out life and our calling as Catholics, as baptized Christians, in this particular way, as other people do in other callings or ways that God may lead them into the Church.” Founded in 1971 in South Bend during an era that saw growing numbers of lay ministries and lay movements, People of Praise says it is grounded in love and service to fellow community members, made firm by “covenant commitments” that members make to the group after several years of discernment. The covenant is “neither an oath nor a vow, but it is an important personal commitment,” the website states, adding that “People of Praise members should always follow their consciences, as formed by the light of reason, and by the experience and the teachings of their churches.” If a member feels called to another way of life, that member would be released from the covenant. People of Praise branches often meet in small groups and hold larger community meetings. Members sometimes live in close proximity to one another. Also called to serve the broader community, members help people in need, with some deciding to move into poorer neighborhoods to help rebuild homes, hold prayer meetings, run camps for children, grow food on urban farms and provide other assistance. People of Praise supports marriages and families, and it developed a course for married couples titled Marriage in Christ. More than 1,300 couples have completed the course, which is based on prayer, conversation and forgiveness, and the program is being used in parishes throughout the archdiocese. The group has established five schools, including Trinity School at River Ridge in Eagan. People of Praise also founded Praise Academy, an elementary school located in an impoverished neighborhood of Shreveport, Louisiana. A retired Catholic couple from St. Paul with two children living and serving people in need in a People of Praise community in Shreveport now work at the school. The Brotherhood of the People of Praise was founded with the support of the late Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, the CNA report said, quoting Cardinal George as once writing of People of Praise: “In my acquaintance with the People of Praise, I have found men and women dedicated to God and eager to seek and do His divine will. They are shaped by love of Holy Scripture, prayer and community; and the Church’s mission is richer for their presence.”
FAITH+CULTURE
OCTOBER 8, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13
COVID a challenge for faith formation programs, but leaders rise to occasion By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit
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aith formation will look quite different this year at Holy Name in south Minneapolis. Classes are normally held after Mass on Sunday mornings to accommodate people driving from locations across the Twin Cities, said Erin O’Leary, director of faith formation. “While the kids are in class, the parents are in the social hall socializing, having donuts and coffee,” O’Leary said. “It’s a wonderful community setting, but we just can’t do it this year.” The COVID-19 pandemic has changed faith formation plans for parishes across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. About 40 families and 50 children participate in faith formation at Holy Name each year, O’Leary said. The program is moving to a more familybased program this year, which she said is “good catechesis anyway.” The program uses a hybrid model of inperson and distance learning, leaning toward distance learning at this point, she added. Faith formation started Oct. 3 at Holy Name. Many parishes are starting their program later this year, in midto late October, said Eric Pederson, an associate director of Catholic education in the archdiocese’s Office for the Mission of Catholic Education. The archdiocese provided faith formation guidance to parishes the first week of August, but left decisions to each parish. “The key principle was we want (them) to make the best decisions for their parish community,” Pederson said. The guidelines include three options: in-person classes, using guidance for safety concerns; a hybrid model, combining virtual with in-person classes; and online only. Parishes are working creatively to accommodate families who are uncomfortable returning to in-person classes, Pederson said. While each parish chooses its best option, he said all parishes should be prepared if pandemic-related circumstances change and there is renewed need to go solely online. “I really want to commend the (directors of religious education),” Pederson said. “They’re doing a …
difficult job and … pivoting on a dime to make the changes that are needed to continue to form disciples of Jesus.” Pederson said he is impressed with creative steps being taken to help families and continue the mission of religious education. During the 2019-2020 school year, parish catechetical programs in the archdiocese enrolled 31,600 students — more than Catholic schools, which educated more than 25,000 kindergarten-to-grade-12 students last year. At St. Ambrose in Woodbury, where about 1,100 students participated in faith formation last year, a dual-option approach will be used this year. Its program begins Oct. 21. In-person faith formation classes are offered Sundays and Wednesdays for grade school students. Children will be spaced apart in a classroom, with up to eight children in each room. St. Ambrose is also launching a YouTube channel to broadcast recorded lessons from Patti Watkins, director of faith formation, and another instructor each week. “We ordered brown grocery bags off Amazon,” Watkins said, “and each child will have all the supplies and materials, the worksheets and everything they need for each week from now until Christmas. “Parents can sit in with their child,” Watkins said. “We’ll have everything marked and (the children) will be doing the project along with us like they were in the classroom.” Students in grades nine and 10 at St. Ambrose will use Zoom videoconferencing and attend one in-person session at the church per month for confirmation preparation. “The church is big enough (for social distancing),” Watkins said. Faith formation is taking more time for staff this year, but it is well worth it, she said, adding that the parish is invested in spreading the word of Jesus even during a pandemic. At Holy Name, faith formation families will be responsible for two lessons at home each month. “If they have children in multiple grade levels, they’ll be able to do it as a family lesson,” O’Leary said. If the family has one or two children, they complete lessons by grade level. In addition, each family will come
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FAMILY FORMATION Seven years after Father Timothy Nolan began serving as the first pastor of St. Paul in Ham Lake in 1981, he said its traditional CCD program — with parents dropping off children for weekly instruction — wasn’t working. Some parents did not appear to live their faith, including regular attendance at Sunday Mass, said Deb Lindahl, who supports and encourages parishes across the country that implement St. Paul’s alternative to CCD. The chances their children stayed Catholic were probably slim because their faith wasn’t being prioritized at home, she said. Through directed prayer and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, she said, a small group working with then-pastor Father Nolan 32 years ago decided to discontinue that model and build a new one that included parents in their children’s religious instruction. Interestingly, Lindahl said, that approach — called family formation — has been used increasingly the past five years at other parishes. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops formally approved the parish’s Family Formation curriculum in 2019. “(Father Nolan) had great wisdom and insight and courage to say … we’re not going to continue to do this,” she said. “We need to do something different.” Family formation at St. Paul is offered to families with children in preschool through grade six, but parents are encouraged to involve the entire family in the weekly home lessons. In addition, parents and students come to the parish once a month for instruction. Children learn from a catechist in a grade-level classroom, and parents receive the same teaching from a presenter. “Our goal is to catechize the parents,” Lindahl said, “so they’re living the faith and the kids monthly to the parish on Sunday morning after Mass for a family faith formation session led by O’Leary. “I chose a series that has all the grade levels on the same unit theme each month,” O’Leary said. One benefit, she said, is being able to use the same theme at monthly gatherings. Sunday gatherings are planned for safety, she said, including use of a “huge space” in the social hall. Each
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are living and breathing it at home, and being immersed in it.” The parish started receiving calls from former parishioners asking to be sent the lessons to use at home. The parish accommodated by making a few extra copies for requests. Not long afterward, pastors and other Catholics started calling to say they’ve been impressed by how particular families live their faith and learned that they’re using the parish’s materials, Lindahl said. Word of St. Paul’s program has largely spread by word of mouth. By the end of last year, 148 parishes across the country were using it, “and this year, it’s well beyond that,” Lindahl said, estimating more than 200 users. One reason is the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has prompted some parishes to look for at-home alternatives for faith formation, Lindahl said. The parish has sold its award-winning Family Formation program for nearly 20 years. It includes materials, available in English and Spanish, and customer support. St. Paul received the New Wineskins Award in 2012 from the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. In addition to offering the product and support, parish staff and volunteers regularly pray for all parishes using Family Formation. “Each month, our core team spends an hour in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament,” Lindahl said, “in praise and worship, a time of silence and praying a litany listing each parish by name.” They also pray for specific prayer intentions shared by parishes and for all families involved in Family Formation. To learn more, visit churchofstpaul.com/ family-formation or familyformation.net. — Barb Umberger of three “pods” of families comes one of three Sundays for faith formation, and the fourth Sunday is for first reconciliation and first Eucharist planning. While COVID-19 has thrown a curveball at faith formation plans, O’Leary said she is trying to see it as a time of positivity and creativity. “It might give us some great opportunities,” she said.
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Angels and Demons: What do Scripture and Tradition Say about Them? by Fr. Michael Patella, OSB
Fr. Michael will outline the Christian understanding of the devil, angels, demons, ghosts, and spirits in Scripture and Tradition on:
Thursday, October 22- 6:30 p.m - 8:30 p.m.
Faith and Politics, Politics and Religion: Where do they Intersect? by Bernie Evans, PhD.
Bernie will discuss how do we talk about the common good in a society divided by extreme partisan politics on:
Friday, October 30 - 9:00 a.m - 11:00 a.m.
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FAITH+CULTURE
14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
OCTOBER 8, 2020
Brotherhood of Hope brings joy of Christ and religious life to U of M students By Susan Klemond The Catholic Spirit
traditional values, he said. “We see ourselves as kind of spiritual Navy Seals — that model of a small group of men that are very trained for a certain kind of role and are able to be in a certain way dropped behind the lines, but be together in the mission,” Brother Apuzzo said. Before students enter a vocation, the brothers want to equip them to live the Catholic life, said Father Merdinger, who serves in Minneapolis and before stepping down recently, served four years as SPO national chaplain. “It’s a very particular and narrow time in their lives when they can be open to coming into relationship with Jesus Christ as the bedrock of their existence,” he said. Fruit of all the brothers’ ministry includes Catholic marriages and priestly and religious vocations, said Father Merdinger, who also offers spiritual direction at The St. Paul Seminary. Along with evangelizing college students, the brothers participate in a Catholic covenant community called the Community of Christ the Redeemer in West St. Paul. Though the Brotherhood has several priests, men now enter to become celibate brothers, because without the responsibility of administering sacraments, they can focus on mission work, Brother Apuzzo said. Campus ministry with the Brotherhood is a joy, partly because of its straightforward mission, said Father Jake Anderson, pastor of St. Lawrence and director of the Newman Center. “They’re very single-hearted about the mission of spreading the good news and really forming young people, especially by raising up the laity in small groups and Bible studies,” said Father Anderson, who has worked with the Brothers on campus for about a year. In 40 years, the Brotherhood has helped many college students find Christ. But what most characterizes the men is their life together, at a time when religious brotherhood has declined significantly, Father Merdinger said. “We find ourselves in the position of trying to say something new about religious life to the young and then having a mission that obviously must involve the young at some point at least,” he said. “I think that has been the great joy, to see how this ideal, which the Church has held up for centuries, finds new expression in our life.”
A
s University of Minnesota senior Quinn Courteau wrestled with life decisions during the past year, he appreciated the wisdom and guidance of a few “older brothers.” Members of the religious community the Brotherhood of Hope, who serve in campus ministry at the university’s Twin Cities campus, have listened and helped Courteau, 21, as he’s discerned his vocation and whether to work another job while taking classes and doing Catholic outreach. “I would be lying if I said the influence that Brother Ken (Apuzzo) and Brother Matthew (Warnez) have had in my life hasn’t completely changed it,” said Courteau, a microbiology major from Maple Plain who is exploring becoming a brother in the community. “They’ve really helped me grow in Christian maturity.” For more than six years, the Brotherhood of Hope has played an active role in helping University of Minnesota students like Courteau meet Christ and mature in the Catholic faith while working together in Minneapolis with St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center and the college ministry St. Paul’s Outreach. As the Brotherhood celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, leaders are reflecting on the community’s beginnings, its dedication to evangelization in the Twin Cities and nationwide, and its joy and witness of religious life. The Brotherhood of Hope formed in 1980 after Father Philip Merdinger — then a diocesan priest in the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey — was inspired to found a Catholic community modeled after an ecumenical men’s community in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In Newark, Father Merdinger and five laymen made private vows. Membership has grown to 25 brothers, three priests and 13 associates (men considering membership), including Courteau and another Minnesota man. Built on a commitment to personal relationships with Christ, witnessing the joy of brotherhood and the Holy Spirit’s gifts and promptings, the community found its primary mission in evangelizing on secular college campuses. Six community members serve the University of Minnesota and live in the St. Lawrence parish rectory. Members of the Brotherhood also work
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
In this 2016 file photo, Brother Ken Apuzzo is pictured at St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center in Minneapolis. on the campuses of Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, Northeastern University in Massachusetts and Rutgers University in New Jersey, and are developing missions at 12 schools near their Boston motherhouse, said Brother Apuzzo, the Brotherhood’s general superior. Three community members arrived in Minnesota in 2014 to partner with the Inver Grove Heights-based St. Paul’s Outreach, Brother Apuzzo said, adding that both organizations evangelize through building relationships as they minister to some of the roughly 13,000 Catholics on campus. The brothers reach many students by maintaining a presence at campus events and helping students grow in faith, he said. Their efforts complement SPO’s work of forming students and bringing them to spiritual maturity. Students from different backgrounds, frequently with little faith connection, often enter a college environment that largely rejects faith and
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OCTOBER 8, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15
FOCUSONFAITH SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER MICHAEL CREAGAN
Jesus calls us to sacraments, prayer In 1993, St. Teresa of Kolkata sent a letter to the members of her order. She wrote, “I worry some of you still have not really met Jesus — one to one — you and Jesus alone. We may spend time in chapel — but have you seen with the eyes of your soul how He looks at you with love? Do you really know the living Jesus — not from books but from being with Him in your heart? Have you heard the loving words He speaks to you? Ask for the grace, He is longing to give it. Until you can hear Jesus in the silence of your own heart, you will not be able to hear Him saying, ‘I thirst’ in the hearts of the poor.” This letter is sobering because it could have been written to any one of us. The Gospel for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time brings us to the wedding banquet. The king has invited guests to his son’s wedding feast. Scripture scholar Edward Sri notes that the invitation would have been issued in two stages. The first was the initial invitation, and the second was the actual summons closer to the event. When the messengers go to summon the guests for the second call, some decline. This is the heart of the parable: When God calls, how do we respond to him? Are we letting Jesus draw close to us in all aspects of our lives? Mother Teresa’s letter was poignant, as it is possible for us to be living in the presence of the Lord as Catholics yet
ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ
What’s the one virtue I can’t neglect? Q I know that I should grow in virtue, but I’m
not sure where to start. If I were to grow in any virtue, which one should I make sure I don’t neglect?
A This is a great question. It demonstrates that
you know that your life is meant to be lived on purpose. Let me stop on that for one moment. We are all in the midst of crafting a life. We are all in the business of becoming who we will be for all eternity. This is what is happening every moment of our lives. God has created and redeemed you in Christ so that you can become his masterpiece. But too many people are drifting through life and becoming nothing more than a disaster. Unless we cooperate with the grace of God that has come to us through Jesus, our lives become nothing more than a waste of all that God has done for us. Does that sound extreme? Maybe. But only because we rarely live in touch with reality. We rarely acknowledge that this life is either lived on purpose or is wasted by living “off purpose.” To “live on purpose” means to live with vision. There is a vision that God has for your life, and we are meant to share this vision. This vision will be more than most people have naturally. Too often, many of us settle for a comfortable life rather than a great life. We settle for a life in which we have fame rather than a life in which we pursue excellence. We can only become the people God has made us to be if we share in his vision for our lives. And we can only manifest that vision if we make a great effort. Now, humility might be the most important virtue in so many ways. It reminds us of who we are and who we are not. Humility allows us to grow in gratitude to God and an awareness of our need for his grace. This might be the premiere virtue that leads to other great and necessary virtues of faith, hope and love. But while humility and the other virtues are essential, there is a call that God has placed upon every person on earth that moves us to not stop at simply acknowledging our place in relation to him. It is the virtue that moves a person to stretch beyond themselves and choose greatness, even in the midst of humility. There is one virtue that runs through all of the rest, and it is the virtue of magnanimity. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, magnanimity is the stretching forth of the mind to great things. Even more, he notes that a person “is said to be magnanimous chiefly because he is minded to do great acts.” The truly magnanimous person has rejected and overcome the natural timidity that self-aware people experience in the face of the truth about their own frailty.
remain distant from him and even unchanged because we don’t want to get too close to him. Sometimes we are more comfortable relating to Jesus as an acquaintance rather than a true friend. Hopefully hearing the Gospel this weekend will be a wake-up call for us. Encountering Jesus in the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist are key. Committed, daily prayer will also be a key to growing in our relationship with Jesus. No matter our vocation — priest, religious, married person or single person living in the world, we all need significant prayer each day. Prayer requires two things of us. It requires time and a place. Each one of us will need to discern the appropriate length of time. The amount of time will vary according to one’s vocation. A cloistered Carmelite will be called to spend more time in prayer than a busy parent raising a family. Yet the 30 minutes a day of a busy parent praying will be just as efficacious as the few hours of the cloistered religious. If you have not had the practice of meditative or contemplative prayer, start small, with even just 15-20 minutes each day. Dedicating daily time for prayer is the first requirement. The other thing required is a place. It is helpful to pray in church or one of our many perpetual eucharistic adoration chapels. Yet it is not always practical to get to church. Make sure to have a place at home that is conducive to prayer. A corner set up with a Bible, crucifix or other religious images can offer great help in trying to be recollected. Our relationship with the Lord is similar to our relationship with our relatives and beloved friends — it requires time and a dedicated place to be with that person. God has invited us to this great relationship. Let us respond with love and joy. Father Creagan is the pastor of St. Joseph in West St. Paul and currently the only Catholic chaplain for the Minnesota Army National Guard. Magnanimity acknowledges one’s littleness without allowing that reality to hold one back from the great acts God is calling a person to perform. This is true when it comes to our prayer lives, our vocations and the daily actions God has placed in front of us. One of the key elements of magnanimity is that it is more than merely the pursuit of the good. It is operating out of the conviction that one is called to do great things — to become great. This is so much more than “believing in oneself.” In fact, it has almost nothing in common with “self-confidence.” Magnanimity sees oneself in light of all that a person has received from God and is the determination to respond to these gifts that come from God. It is that a person has been so moved by God’s love and generosity that he or she is moved to do the same. This is why the true virtue of magnanimity has no room for pride. According to St. Thomas, pride is an excessive desire for one’s own excellence, which rejects subjection to God. Magnanimity pursues excellence in spite of one’s weakness and in direct response to God’s goodness. Because of this, magnanimous people rejoice anywhere they see God’s gifts magnified, whether in their own life or in another person’s life. And because of this, magnanimity can be lived out regardless of the success or fame of the person. From St. Katharine Drexel, an heiress who founded a community of religious sisters who served Africans brought to this country and American Indians, to Blessed Solanus Casey, a man who spent his life as a religious brother who swept the floors and answered the door of the monastery in which he lived — all of the saints of God have this in common: They did these things with magnanimity. They did these things with an eternal perspective. They knew that God had a vision for their lives, and they stretched themselves toward this great vision of God’s, even when the world did not recognize the importance of their work. One could rightly ask how both St. Katharine and Blessed Solanus could manifest the same virtue of pursuing greatness. After all, one spent her life transforming and saving individuals whom some saw as mere property to be used and discarded, and the other spent his life picking up after other friars. The greatness, the excellence does not lie in how famous or influential they were but in the way they lived their lives and performed their daily duties. In fact, the humble monastery broom handler once noted, “Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your task.” This is God’s vision for your life: for you to stretch yourself beyond yourself. God has made and re-made you to become like him: great in love and in generosity. All of the saints did this. With the strength provided by God, they did not shrink back from greatness, and they did not hide from the gifts God had given them. Rather, with great courage, the magnanimous rely upon God and seek to make of each gift he has given them an incredible gift back to God. Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Oct. 11 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 25:6-10a Phil 4:12-14, 19-20 Mt 22:1-14 Monday, Oct. 12 Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31−5:1 Lk 11:29-32 Tuesday, Oct. 13 Gal 5:1-6 Lk 11:37-41 Wednesday, Oct. 14 Gal 5:18-25 Lk 11:42-46 Thursday, Oct. 15 St. Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church Eph 1:1-10 Lk 11:47-54 Friday, Oct. 16 Eph 1:11-14 Lk 12:1-7 Saturday, Oct. 17 St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr Eph 1:15-23 Lk 12:8-12 Sunday, Oct. 18 Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 45:1, 4-6 1 Thes 1:1-5b Mt 22:15-21 Monday, Oct. 19 Sts. John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, and companions, martyrs Eph 2:1-10 Lk 12:13-21 Tuesday, Oct. 20 Eph 2:12-22 Lk 12:35-38 Wednesday, Oct. 21 Eph 3:2-12 Lk 12:39-48 Thursday, Oct. 22 Eph 3:14-21 Lk 12:49-53 Friday, Oct. 23 Eph 4:1-6 Lk 12:54-59 Saturday, Oct. 24 Eph 4:7-16 Lk 13:1-9 Sunday, Oct. 25 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Ex 22:20-26 1 Thes 1:5c-10 Mt 22:34-40
16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
OCTOBER 8, 2020
COMMENTARY TWENTY SOMETHING | CHRISTINA CAPECCHI
Our balm for 2020: the communion of saints
Paula Kraus wasn’t afraid to utter the wish burning in her heart, the one that seizes so many preparing to lose a loved one. The Minnesota mom yearned for some kind of indication that, though she and her dying father would soon be separated, they would remain connected. And being a Catholic, Paula had the vocabulary to express it. She had come for a one-on-one visit with her dad on a Saturday afternoon. His death appeared imminent, so she knelt at his side and peered into his hazel eyes. “Will you send me a sign?” Paula asked. “I really want to believe in the communion of saints. I want to believe that you hear my prayers.” “I will if I can,” he whispered. The next day, Paula brought her young children to see their grandpa. On the drive home, she explained to them that a metamorphosis was underway in him, much like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Early the next day, Fritz Koshiol died — a beloved 86-year-old father of 11 from Plymouth. Paula, his 10th child, was at his side. She promptly called her sister Maria, who exclaimed: “Oh, Paula, you just woke me from a dream about a cocoon changing into a big butterfly. It landed on a hospital bed in our old house.” The following day, Paula and her mom met with their priest to plan the funeral. They took the back roads home, which led them by their previous house, where they had lived until Paula was 7. The owners were outside, so Paula felt comfortable asking for a walk-through. As she entered the house, she felt a strong sense of her dad’s presence. Then they walked into the bedroom where Maria’s dream had taken place right
SIMPLE HOLINESS | KATE SOUCHERAY
Marriage and intimacy
Intimacy in marriage often seems like it should naturally develop without much effort, almost as if it should be taken for granted as a byproduct of saying, “I do.” And yet, we know that many spouses in marriage struggle with being open to the tension that accompanies intimacy. The experience of being fully known by one’s spouse is one of the most frightening, and most rewarding, experiences in life. We may say “yes” on our wedding day to sharing our life with this person, but do we really understand what that “yes” will require in the coming decades? According to David Schnarch, a licensed clinical psychologist, intimacy is much harder to tolerate than it is to create. He contends that as intimacy brings us closer to another person, we may feel a threatened loss of a sense of self, which we need to function in the world. Samuel T. Gladding, a professor of counseling at Wake Forest University, refers to this as the “tolerance of intimacy,” or the ability to sustain emotional closeness. Clearly, creating and tolerating intimacy is a challenging experience in any close relationship, but especially in marriage.
iSTOCK PHOTO | SEDMAK
The saints have experienced plagues and beheadings and riots. They know this human struggle. Paula Kraus as her dad was dying. The owner moved a file cabinet, revealing a poster of a butterfly taped to the wall. It said: “There is strength in loving. If you love someone, you must be strong enough to allow them to be.” Paula wept. The day of Fritz’s burial at Fort Snelling was blustery. After the ceremony, as the group walked back to their cars and the wind whipped, a big black swallowtail butterfly flew between the group and up into a tree. It felt like the sign she had asked for. Finally, she could truly believe in the communion of saints. She could feel it in her heart. She could feel her father close. As the years passed, and Paula lost her mother and raised her children, this belief turned into action. It became a way to live, on this side of heaven, a state of
In order to engage our spouse at a deep and trusting level, we must be vulnerable, which can be difficult for all individuals, particularly for those who have experienced difficulties in childhood related to attachment. Secure attachment is at the foundation of all trusting relationships throughout life, because these relationships require the most intimacy. Attachment is the experience the child has when its mother dotes on him or her. The mother is the one who attaches most significantly with the child, and it is from this relationship that the secure attachment bond develops. Secure attachment allows adults to tolerate intimacy in marriage without the fear of losing themselves in the relationship. If the fear of being overwhelmed by another person arises, an individual who has attachment injuries or attachment wounds may put up walls and resist closeness, as well as the intimacy that emanates from the shared relationship of trust, due to fear, not due to dislike or disdain. People might ask how they would know if they have unresolved attachment injuries or attachment wounds from childhood. A few signs of the lack of secure attachment in childhood include not having positive experiences in relationships in adulthood, because close relationships can be unpredictable. A lack of a positive sense of self throughout life is another sign of the impact of attachment wounds. Some adults may not even realize they lack a positive sense of themselves because this is how they have always felt. If you suspect that you have what are called attachment injuries or attachment wounds from
being that remains attached to those on the other side. “I don’t feel a separation from my parents,” Paula said. “I feel like I can access them any time.” She talks to them regularly. She prays to them during Mass, when all the angels and saints gather. She speaks of them in the present tense. She has turned her dad into a patron saint for her four young kids, invoking him whenever they depart on a road trip by remembering his penchant for taking the back roads. They pray an Our Father, a Hail Mary and a Glory Be, then say, “Grandpa, King of the Scenic Route, pray for us.” As All Saints Day and All Souls Day draw near this difficult year, when COVID-19 has claimed more than 200,000 lives, we should embrace the communion of saints, Paula said. “The saints have experienced plagues and beheadings and riots. They know this human struggle.” Look for little signs. Pay attention to that feeling of nearness. Talk to your loved ones in heaven. And utter those powerful words: “All you holy men and women, pray for us.” Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.
ACTION STRATEGY 1. Take a few moments this month and think about your ability to tolerate closeness in your relationships, especially with your spouse. If you have always thought that being close to him or her feels threatening, take some time to think about why that might be. 2. If you conclude that you fear intimacy, seek a therapist and work through your thoughts and feelings. It will be worth it.
childhood, consider finding a therapist who can help you explore and address these apparent weaknesses. I say “apparent” because we know that God works all things out for good, and it is our belief in this promise that is the foundation of our trust in God. There is simply no need to remain trapped in feelings of insecurity and self-doubt when there is so much help available. There are therapies to assist in developing an understanding of the insecurity and fear associated with intimacy and emotional closeness in marriage. Choosing not to reach out to them is akin to choosing to live in a prison. Life is too precious to do that. Soucheray is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a member of Guardian Angels in Oakdale. She holds a master’s degree in theology from The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul and a doctorate in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
COMMENTARY
OCTOBER 8, 2020
GUEST COMMENTARY | SISTER CONSTANCE VEIT, LSP
Little Sisters of the Poor and religious liberty: Debunking the myths
As Little Sisters of the Poor we find our joy in sharing our lives with those whom many in our society would prefer to forget — the elderly poor. Our mission calls us to live far from the spotlight, but in the last seven years we have found ourselves in the public square more times than we could have ever imagined or desired. Despite three wins at the Supreme Court, an executive order and a new rule that protects us and other nonprofit religious groups from the unconstitutional Department of Health and Human Services contraceptive mandate, our legal saga is not yet completely over. Several states and many politicians have promised not to rest until they succeed in stealing our hard-won exemption from the HHS mandate away from us. For many of our religious sisters, this time in the public eye has been a source of anxiety and a chronic distraction from our mission of caring for the elderly. We are grateful for the many people who have reached out to support us and assure us of their prayers. However, we have also been subjected to criticism, derision and even death threats. We’d like nothing better than to return to our mission unhindered by the fear of millions of dollars in fines. But our name still appears in the daily news cycle and much of what is said about us is inaccurate. To clarify the confusion I would like to respond to some of the most common questions and criticisms we face, including the following: 1) You shouldn’t be involved in politics; 2) You seek to impose your religious beliefs on people who do not share your faith; 3) You do not care about women who are prescribed hormonal contraceptives for a variety of health issues; 4) Your religious liberty claims are really nothing more than a cover for discrimination. First. We are, and always have been, apolitical. We have been very distressed by the politicization of our case. We never wanted this fight, and after our victory at the Supreme Court in 2016, we thought it was over. We were relieved beyond measure to retreat from the limelight and return to our mission of caring for the elderly without the threat of multimillion-dollar fines hanging over our heads. But then a number of states sued to take away our hard-earned
ALREADY/NOT YET | JONATHAN LIEDL
Be (truly) kind One of the most cherished virtues of our present-day society is kindness. The gospel of kindness, if you will, is preached to us in many different ways, be it in the form of yard signs that proclaim “kindness is everything,” to T-shirts admonishing us to “be kind.” The breezy ubiquity of these calls for kindness, and their tendency to be connected with progressive social causes that emphasize a sort of laissezfaire tolerance of any and all “lifestyle choices,” has prompted criticism from some of my Catholic friends of kindness itself. I’ve heard kindness dismissed as empty, “soft,” unmanly and even a harmful reduction of authentic Christianity, which calls us to bravely and boldly proclaim the truth, without concern for the sensibilities and potential “hurt feelings” of those who need correction. I think these friends are right to point out the inadequacy of society’s version of kindness. You know something is suspect when signs proclaiming the totality of kindness simultaneously posit a right to abortion and unmoored sex. What’s being described
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17
exemption. Faced with the possibility of huge fines once again, we had no choice but to return to court. Second. We are not trying to impose anything on anyone. We feel that others have repeatedly tried to impose their values on us by insisting that we cooperate in the provision of services that are incompatible with our Catholic faith. We wish only to remain faithful to our own deeply held beliefs. Our employees come from many different religious backgrounds and they are free to use contraceptives. These are readily available through many channels, often at no cost, without our involvement. Third. We understand that many women are prescribed hormonal contraceptives to treat serious health issues. Catholic teaching has always allowed the use of “contraceptives” for legitimate therapeutic purposes. So, our employee health plans have always covered We have been them in this context. subjected to criticism, Fourth. The accusations of derision and even death discrimination have been particularly hurtful to us. threats. We’d like Throughout our 181-year nothing better than to history, we Little Sisters of the Poor have cared return to our mission for needy elderly persons of every race or religion, unhindered by the fear even in a number of of millions of dollars predominantly nonChristian countries. in fines. We employ individuals regardless of race or religion and welcome the collaboration of people from diverse walks of life. We believe that our willingness to care for and work with anyone is one of the truest ways to live out the religious faith that animates our ministry. As we near the election, religious liberty matters will likely be at the forefront of political discussions. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” which can be found at usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship. In the document, the USCCB states: “As Catholics, we are part of a community with a rich heritage that helps us consider the challenges in public life and contribute to greater justice and peace for all people.” The COVID-19 pandemic has made us all more aware of our interdependence as brothers and sisters in one human family. We pray that this heightened sense of solidarity will foster a stronger sense of civility and mutual respect so that all Americans can freely live according to their sincerely held religious beliefs. Sister Veit is the director of communications for the Little Sisters of the Poor.
Kindness, properly understood, is a deeply Christian virtue, and one that our world sorely needs. in those instances is not kindness, but a genteel moral relativism. But these friends are wrong to denigrate kindness itself. Kindness, properly understood, is a deeply Christian virtue, and one that our world sorely needs. It’s easy to find examples of and expressions of kindness from some of our great women saints, like St. Therese of Lisieux (“Kindness is my only guiding star”) and St. Teresa of Kolkata (“Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile”). But it’s important to make clear that kindness is not a reserve of the fairer sex, but is rather a distinctive mark of Christian life. The Catechism, citing Galatians 5:22-23, describes kindness as a fruit of the Holy Spirit, a manifestation of the presence of God in our lives (CCC 1832). Scripture is replete with references to kindness, both as a quality of God (Lk 6:35, Rom 2:4, 11:22) and as a moral requisite for Christians (Zec 7:9, 1 Cor 13:4, Col 3:12). One Catholic dictionary defines kindness as “the quality of understanding sympathy and concern for those in trouble or need. It is shown in affability of speech, generosity of conduct, and forgiveness of injuries sustained.”
LETTERS Personal integrity The article “What’s a Catholic voter to do?” (Faith in the Public Arena, Commentary, Sept. 24) was very good and obviously timely. Discussing selected passages from Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church to apply to the candidates and political parties would certainly improve it. Start with loving the Lord and loving your neighbor as yourself. Add loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you. Do the words and actions of the candidate and/ or the political party indicate that they love something more than God, or that they do not love their neighbors or their enemies? Do their words and actions harm the poor and vulnerable? How extensively do they commit serious offenses against truth? His determination of the candidate and their party should occur before considering individual issues. The function of the political office is significantly greater than the individual issues. Ernie Frankovich St. John the Baptist, Savage
Check the Catechism In the “Faith in the Public Arena” column (Sept. 24), Jason Adkins’ response to the question “What does the Church say about Catholics’ involvement in political life and voting? Shouldn’t the Church stay out of politics? Is there any scriptural basis for its involvement?” could have been easily answered by referring the questioner to the Catechism of the Catholic Church section on “The Duties of Citizens,” paragraph No. 2240 in particular. Victoria Cihla St. John Neumann, Eagan PLEASE TURN TO LETTERS ON PAGE 18
So how is Christian kindness different from the version on offer today? The distinction lies in the Christian’s grounding of the moral life in the deeper reality of who we are and who God is. Treating someone kindly is not merely a matter of “making them feel good” or avoiding social unpleasantness. Rather, it flows from the recognition that they are a human being with infinite dignity, created, redeemed and meant for eternal union with God. Kindness, then, is a moral act consistent with man’s supernatural character and end. And because this is the case, true kindness is not compatible with moral indifference. Sparing someone’s feelings while they choose to close themselves off to God through sin is not kindness. It is complacency, and even complicity, in the face of someone else’s self-harm. This isn’t an endorsement of socially inept confrontations and “speaking truth to power,” which, like false kindness, is often motivated by pride. Instead, it’s a recognition that true kindness is compatible with and even calls for resisting sin and helping others overcome it. Like so many other words in our modern lexicon, such as “freedom” and “love,” an impoverished version of “kindness” is now in common usage. I suggest we counteract it not by abandoning kindness, but by embracing and living out the true expression of the word, hopefully with a smile on our face and a kind look in our eyes. Liedl lives and writes in the Twin Cities.
COMMENTARY
18 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
OCTOBER 8, 2020
FAITH AT HOME | LAURA KELLY FANUCCI
Faith at home is faith for others Did you know that one of the most famous lines attributed to St. Teresa of Kolkata was never spoken by her? “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” What Mother Teresa actually said came from her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 1979: “My prayer for you is that truth will bring prayer in our homes, and from the foot of prayer will be that we believe that in the poor it is Christ. And we will really believe, we will begin to love. And we will love naturally, we will try to do something. First in our own home, (then the) next door neighbor in the country we live, (then) in the whole world.” Rather than telling us to go home, she was urging us to go out — to start where we are, but never to stay there. In a year when religious education is happening at home for many families, this truth is more important than ever. Faith at home is not faith for home alone. The call to love moves outward, not inward. What happens within the walls of our homes cannot define our faith or limit our love, because we are always called to turn toward others and seek their good as we work toward the kingdom of God. What’s more, as parents, grandparents or guardians, the faith we are trying to nurture within our children is not only about them. As a white family living in the Midwest, for example, my husband and I do not experience racism as many of our friends and relatives do. But we are called to fight passionately against this evil.
LETTERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17
God or government? The coming presidential election may be the last opportunity to eliminate the heinous procedure to the violent extraction of 60 million of God’s preborn children. This continuous barbarity, the dissection of human unborn, promoted by many Catholics is an abomination unequaled in human history. Elections have consequences. Our choice: God or government. Everett C. Dehmer Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul
Disappointed I was disappointed to see an article mildly supportive of BLM in the Sept. 8 Catholic Spirit (“What to make of Black Lives Matter”). It is fairly well established that the leaders of BLM are Marxists or of Marxist ideology. They do not care about Black lives except to use as a destructive tool as evidenced by their silence when seven Black police officers were killed in 2019, and their silence is deafening concerning the approximately 400 Blacks, killed by other Blacks, in Chicago year after year. It is only when the police are involved in the riots, burnings, pillaging and more killings in our cities. That’s not justice and it doesn’t support Blacks or our country. Organizations that truly help Blacks must push for better education such as vouchers and charter schools as well as solutions for family structure. Approximately 70% of Black families are fatherless, which hurts families
My prayer for you is that truth will bring prayer in our homes, and from the foot of prayer will be that we believe that in the poor it is Christ. And we will really believe, we will begin to love. St. Teresa of Kolkata iSTOCK PHOTO | KATARZYNABIALASIEWICZ
As a middle-class family with food in our cupboards, we do not experience hunger or poverty like others in our community. But we are called to serve all who are suffering. As a family with access to technology and two parents who can work from home, we do not worry about our kids’ safety or supervision while they are distance learning. But we are called to care about the education of all children, not just our own. Our Church defines the common good as shared efforts to “make accessible to each what is needed to lead a truly human life: food, clothing, health, work, education and culture, suitable information, the right to establish a family, and so on” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1908). Now is the time for Catholics to pray, act and vote for the common good. As followers of Christ who came to lay down his life for others, we cannot concern ourselves only with our inner circle or our own wellbeing. Faith compels us to look outward, to see Christ in the least among us and to ask what the most vulnerable in our society need. How we pray, what we teach and how we serve are all ways that we form children (and adults!)
financially. Repeated social studies show that children thrive in two parent families. Unfortunately, BLM does not care about these solutions. Richard F. McMahon St. Pius X, White Bear Lake
‘Top shelf journalism’ The Jonathan Liedl special report in The Catholic Spirit (“What to make of Black Lives Matter,” Sept. 10) was top shelf journalism. I learned a lot and greatly appreciated that article. Greg and Linda Schoener St. Joseph, Red Wing
Forgive Bishop Loras I find it interesting that the administration of the University of St. Thomas, a professed Catholic institution, has a problem in dealing with the recent revelations of Bishop Loras when this situation simply involves one of the most basic tenets of the Catholic faith (see News Notes on page 2). This should be, in today’s parlance, a no-brainer. First, let me affirm that, yes, slavery is wrong and evil. Let me also state that slavery was a major factor in most of the “great societies” in the history of mankind. Second, I am stating that it still exists in our society to this very day. The very reason it still exists is that too many people around us contribute to its existence. Bishop Loras (born Pierre-JeanMathias Loras) was born in 1792 in France. During the French “Reign of Terror,” 17 members of his family,
to become people for others: Catholics called to the common good. The catechism reminds us that “the dignity of the human person requires the pursuit of the common good” (No. 1926). Our personal experiences, individual desires, or particular preferences are not ultimate. Instead, God calls us to move out toward those who are in need. Seeking the common good is challenging and countercultural, but deeply Christian. We need it acutely in this time of widespread suffering. Remember St. Teresa’s wisdom. She was not telling us to go home and shut the door behind us. She reminded us that home is where we start — and where we leave to serve our neighbors, strangers and even our enemies. In uncommon times, we are still called to the common good. A parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, Fanucci is a writer, speaker and author of several books including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting.” Her work can be found at laurakellyfanucci.com.
including his father, were guillotined — most likely for being Catholic or the descendants of aristocracy. He apparently worked hard throughout his life to be a good priest and a contributing, successful missionary and bishop. Arriving in this country in 1830, his first official United States assignment was as vicar general of the Diocese of Mobile, Alabama. His last assignment was as Bishop of Dubuque, Iowa. Our entire Catholic missionary structure in our region that endured into the 20th Century has its roots in his work. Regarding tenets of the Catholic faith: According to my understanding of Scripture, there is really only one prayer that Jesus taught to those around him (Mt: 6:9-13). He taught much about prayer and praying, but only this actual prayer. And in that prayer, (again Mt. 6:12) in the New American Bible, the official Bible of the Catholic Church, reads: “and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Those aren’t empty words. They stand alone, as do the other statements, in the only prayer that Jesus directly taught us. Owning a slave is wrong, but one sin doesn’t erase a life’s work. Father (earlier) Loras lived in the deep South and he succumbed to life around him. How often have we done that? And we, all of us, have hurt others. Should we go to hell for those sins? Or are we less forgiving than God? The St. Thomas administration has a perfect opportunity to bring Catholic teaching to the forefront and contribute some perspective to the conversation on race and equity. Instead, however, it appears
close to adopting the argument and solution du jour with no consideration of a resolution grounded in fact and Christ’s teaching. All of this discussion, if not grounded in Catholic (Christian) theology, risks throwing away a perfect, made-to-order opportunity for leadership. If that were to happen, I would be truly sorry — and embarrassed. You see, this is my Church too. Art Thell St. Joseph, West St. Paul
Close to home I was surprised to read the article in this week’s Catholic Spirit highlighting the Oregon fires and featuring a photo of firefighters in Paisley, Oregon (“Oregon Catholic family, good Samaritans survive terrifying canyon fire,” Sept. 24). Surprised because I was born in Paisley, a ranching town of only about 200 souls located in SE Oregon. It was where my dad, Robert Mahoney, got his first job as a teacher out of college. We still maintain connections to Paisley. Please thank the Portland writer for providing a sense of the danger faced, which we in Minnesota have difficulty understanding. Tom Mahoney Our Lady of Grace, Edina Share your perspective by emailing TheCatholicSpirit@archspm.org. Please limit your letter to the editor to 150 words and include your parish and phone number. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.
OCTOBER 8, 2020
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19
CALENDAR FOOD+FESTIVALS St. Richard’s Drive-Up Spaghetti Dinner — Oct. 11: 4–6 p.m. at St. Richard, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield. Curbside pickup, $10 per plate. Place orders at strichards.com/festival or call 612-869-2426. Our Lady of Peace Pumpkin Patch — Oct. 17-30: Noon–7 p.m. daily at Our Lady of Peace, 5426 12th Ave. S., Minneapolis. More than 1,500 pumpkins, warm cider, lawn games, crafts. olpmn.org/pumpkinpatch St. Pascal’s Men’s Club Booya — Oct. 18: 10 a.m. at St. Pascal Baylon, 1757 Conway St., St. Paul. Church parking lot, drive-through only. Four scoops, $17; eight scoops, $34. Cash or check. St. Agnes Fall Festival — Oct. 18: 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at St. Agnes, 535 Thomas Ave. W., St. Paul. Food and beverages including booya and cotton candy, pull tabs and raffle in Bandas Hall. Eat-in or take-out. churchofsaintagnes.org
PRAYER+RETREATS Archdiocesan Synod: Praying with Scripture Series — Sept. 13-Oct. 17: Led online by Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens. Livestreamed Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on Facebook and YouTube. archspm.org/synod “Lean Times, Living Stories” — Oct. 8: 9 a.m.–noon online, hosted by St. Paul’s Monastery, Maplewood. Participants will examine their lives and ways to tell their stories. benedictinecenter.org Women’s weekend retreat — Oct. 9-11: Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Theme: “Fear Not; I Am With You Always.” franciscanretreats.net/womens-retreats Rosary Coast to Coast 2020 — Oct. 11: 3–4 p.m. at St. Charles Borromeo, 2739 Stinson Blvd. NE, St. Anthony. Part of annual, national event. Gather in front of the church. stchb.org Directed retreat — Oct. 12-16 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. Includes daily Eucharist, daily spiritual direction. $300 per person, with a $50 non-refundable deposit. kingshouse.com CI: School of Discipleship — Tuesdays Oct. 13-Dec. 1: 7–8:30 p.m. at Church of St. Paul, 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd. NE, Ham Lake. Jeff Cavins
on discipleship; after seven weeks, a guided 40-day discipleship challenge. semssp.org/ci
Mass, rosary, confession, meditation. mileschristi.org
“Walking with Moms in Need: A Year of Service” — Oct 15: 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. Rosary for life, confessions, Mass, lunch, discussion. In-person or virtually. Hosted by northeast and St. Paul CCW deaneries. Free. Pre-registration required. wwminmn.eventbrite.com
SoulCollage Retreat on Resilience — Oct. 23-25: Hosted online by St. Paul’s Monastery, Maplewood, via Zoom. Rediscover joy, meaning and purpose in this time of adversity. benedictinecenter.org
Men’s silent retreat — Oct. 16-18 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Four talks, confession, anointing, Mass, Holy Hour and prayer. All meals cooked on site. franciscanretreats.net/mens-catholic-retreats Married couples retreat: “A Listening Heart” — Oct. 16-18 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. Presented by King’s House Preaching Team. $320 suggested donation per couple with non-refundable $60 deposit. kingshouse.com Archdiocesan Synod: Healing and Hope retreat series — Oct. 18-Nov. 21: Virtual five-part retreat encountering Jesus’ love and mercy. Videos online through the Archdiocesan Synod app beginning Oct. 18. Livestreamed Tuesdays at 7 p.m. beginning Oct. 20, on Facebook and YouTube. archspm.org/synod
CALENDAR submissions
SPEAKERS+CONFERENCES “What Crisis Teaches: A Benedictine Perspective” — Oct. 22: 9–11 a.m. hosted online by St. Paul’s Monastery, Maplewood, via Zoom. Learn from the COVID-19 pandemic through the prism of St. Benedict’s call to attentiveness and conversion. benedictinecenter.org Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office Fall Conference: “New Growth in the Holy Spirit” — Oct. 24: 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. at All Saints, 19795 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville. Keynote speaker Father Mathias Thelen. In-person and online. ccro-msp.org
DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the next issue date. LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and organizations. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission. Included in our listings are local events submitted by public sources that could be of interest to the larger Catholic community. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication: uTime and date of event uFull street address of event uDescription of event uContact information in case of questions ONLINE: T HECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM/ CALENDARSUBMISSIONS
COMMUNITY OUTREACH Red Cross blood drive — Oct. 15: 1–7 p.m. at 1900 111th Ave. NW, Coon Rapids. Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Sign up at redcross.org.
SoulCollage Sunday Circles — Oct. 18: 1:30–4 p.m. online through St. Paul’s Monastery, Maplewood. Casual afternoons (via Zoom) with spiritual reflection, collage making and creative exercises. benedictinecenter.org At-Home Ignatian Retreat for Women — Oct. 20: 8 a.m. online hosted by St. Thomas More in St. Paul. Four video lessons, opportunities for small group discussion. morecommunity.org/womens-retreat Praying with the Psalms — Oct. 20: 7–9 p.m. hosted online by St. Paul’s Monastery, Maplewood, via Zoom. benedictinecenter.org
Sidewalk counseling training seminar — Oct. 15: 7–9 p.m. at 901 E. 90th St., Bloomington. Presented by Pro-Life Action Ministries. Free. Register at debra.braun@plam.org or 651-797-6364. plam.org/events
BENEFITS Life Legal Defense Foundation benefit dinner — Oct. 24: 6 p.m. at Bloomington Knights of Columbus Hall, 1114 American Blvd. W., Bloomington. Keynote speaker Alexandra Snyder. lifelegaldefensefoundation.org
Hope Day (Dealing with Loss): Finding a Reason to Hope — Oct. 21: 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. Presented by Sister Brenda Rose Szegedy, OSF, and Father Lon Konold, OMI. $40 suggested offering, includes lunch. kingshouse.com “Spiritual Exercises for Men” — Oct. 23-25 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. St. Ignatian-based, silent retreat with talks by priests of Miles Christi;
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20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
OCTOBER 8, 2020
THELASTWORD
Fly a little
higher
Zach Sobiech’s legacy lives on in upcoming release of ‘Clouds’ movie By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit
I
n the opening scene of the movie “Clouds,” a tall, lanky teenager walks into Stillwater Area High School on crutches. At one time, those crutches belonged to Zach Sobiech of St. Michael in Stillwater, who courageously battled an aggressive form of cancer called osteosarcoma before dying from the disease May 20, 2013. Scheduled for release by Disney+ Oct. 16, the movie gets its name from the song Zach wrote and recorded about eight months before he died, which went viral on social media and led to an avalanche of publicity about his fight and support from well-wishers around the world. To make the film more authentic, producer and director Justin Baldoni, who also produced a documentary about Zach’s final days, wanted to bring in meaningful items from Zach’s life, including the crutches, some of his clothing and his guitars. All were used by Fin Argus, who portrayed the remarkable teen from Lakeland, 15 minutes south of Stillwater along the St. Croix River, whose fame and inspiring music has lasted far beyond his final breath. Baldoni’s strategy worked — at least on Zach’s mother, Laura Sobiech, who attended the first week of filming last fall in Montreal, and was taken aback when she saw Argus walk onto the set dressed as Zach. “Fin did an amazing job, even down to the way he used the crutches,” said Laura, 51, who noted that the first scene filmed was the opening scene. “That was a hard day, a lot of mixed emotions when he came walking in on Zach’s crutches, with the bald cap on (to signify losing his hair after chemotherapy treatments) and in Zach’s clothes, looking just like Zach. That was hard. I did a lot of crying that day.” Eventually, other members of the Sobiech family — Rob, 56; Alli (Shoemaker), 30; Sam, 27; and Grace, 22 — got involved. Rob and Grace spent a weekend in November visiting the set and spending time with the actors who portrayed them, and the whole family got to spend time with cast members when they came to Minnesota. Even though some of the cast members had never portrayed a real person before, Laura gave them all high marks, including the woman who played her, Neve Campbell. “Neve and I got to spend some time together up in Montreal and just really hit it off. I just love her,” Laura said. “She did a great job. I just am thrilled with how she portrayed me, and it’s just been fun to watch.” The movie coincides with the re-release of a book Laura published in 2014 called “Fly a Little Higher: How God Answered a Mom’s Small Prayer in a Big Way.” It offers an inside look at how the family struggled with Zach’s diagnosis, battled the disease with him, and wrestled with deep life questions and faith. The new title is “Clouds: A Memoir” and it will be released Oct. 13. Laura did not change the original text, just added more content, including an update to the epilogue and more pictures. She started writing the original version just one month after Zach died and released it two weeks before the one-year anniversary of his death. At that time, she wanted to tell the spiritual side — and the human side — of Zach’s four-year battle with cancer, which she recounts in the book. His story got lots of coverage in the secular media during his struggle, but often faith elements were given minimal or even no coverage at all, Laura noted then.
DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
Laura Sobiech sits in her son Zach’s room, which she has left intact since he died in 2013. She wanted people to know how deep and inspiring Zach’s faith was, especially in the last year of his life, when he channeled his thoughts and prayers into inspiring songs that touched millions and offered hope in the midst of suffering. His courage and determination to make the most of his shortened life prompted his girlfriend, Amy Adamle, to make this comment in an article in The Catholic Spirit just weeks before he died: “His faith has made my faith stronger because even in dark times, he still looks to God.” Laura wanted spiritual themes in the movie, too. There are unmistakable Catholic expressions in the film, including scenes from a family trip to Lourdes, France, which are based on a trip the Sobiechs actually took to visit the shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes while Zach was sick. Laura said including Lourdes in the movie actually was Baldoni’s idea, but she got plenty of chances to add her feedback on many parts of the screenplay as it was being written. One example came during a read-through of the script. There was a scene in which she and Rob were having an argument as Zach was getting sicker. The scene didn’t feel right, so she sat down with Campbell, Tom Everett Scott — who played Rob — Baldoni and screenplay writer Kara Holden. “We reworked that (scene) and I think it really paid off because I feel like it rang true,” Laura said. “That was kind of an unusual thing, probably one of the weirder things I’ve done in my life is write a fight scene between my husband and me with the actors that play us.” She has a joke she tells people about the disagreement portrayed in that scene: “I win.” On the serious side, she is hoping the real winners of all the efforts behind the film and her book will be children who suffer with osteosarcoma and their families. It is a form of bone cancer that typically affects teenagers. All of the proceeds from Zach’s music go to a fund set up in his name, the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund, which is part of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, a national nonprofit that began at the University of Minnesota in the 1970s. More than $2 million has been donated to Zach’s fund, Laura said, and every penny goes to research. On top of that, Laura now works as a community outreach coordinator for Children’s Cancer Research Fund, giving her another way to help defeat the disease that took her son’s life. Laura said both her family and Zach’s friends
are doing well these days. Adamle pursued a TV news career and worked at a station in Duluth until July, when she returned to the Twin Cities to take a job in public relations. Sammy Brown, Zach’s music partner and childhood friend, works for a children’s book publisher in New York. And, another friend, Mitchell Kluesner, works in cancer research and wants to go to medical school and be a pediatric oncologist. All three made brief appearances in the movie as extras. As for the Sobiechs, Laura and Rob are now grandparents. Alli got married shortly after Zach died and now has two children. She and her husband, Collin, live in River Falls, Wisconsin, while the two youngest Sobiech siblings, Sam and Grace, live in the Twin Cities. Taking part in the filming of the movie and spending time with cast members, including one time at their Lakeland home, has been healing for the entire family, Laura said — and inspiring to their faith. “It’s just been really fun, in a lot of ways, to watch God’s hand in this,” she said of the movie project. It also has been a period of deep reflection and growth in understanding how God works, using even deep pain and suffering for good. “I’m learning to trust God,” she said. “It’s an ongoing thing, for sure. I remember when all my kids were really little and just thinking about what it would be like to lose a child. And, it was terrifying. It was just this gut-wrenching thing to think about, and I really struggled with trusting God with my life. … It’s a scary thing. “And so, I’ve lived through my worst nightmare … and I got to see God’s hand in it. And, there’s comfort in that. Certainly, it’s not easy to watch a loved one suffer and die. You have to go through all the emotional turmoil of that. But there is a peace and there’s even a joy in it, knowing that God’s hand is in it and he’s in control. He’s there. He knows what’s going on, he knows what he’s doing. And, just to have the peace that comes with that is a gift.” This well-seasoned trust in God gives her encouragement even though the release of the movie and her book takes places during tumultuous times, with a global pandemic, widespread natural disasters and racial tensions leading to hostility and even violence in cities across the U.S. “The phrase keeps popping into my mind — ‘for such a time as this,’” she said. In the midst of today’s turmoil, she believes the movie can be “this little shining light of hope.”