The Catholic Spirit - September 24, 2015

Listening sessions 6 • Syrian outreach 11 • Making a Catholic home 14 September 24, 2015 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

The whirlwind begins

Papal surprise: Copeland lands private meeting with Pope Francis

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Pope Francis walks with President Barack Obama while greeting dignitaries upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland just outside of Washington Sept. 22. CNS/Kevin Lamarque, Reuters

Ahead of his highly anticipated U.S. visit for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, Pope Francis left his mark on Cuba.

For ongoing coverage of the pope’s U.S. trip and the World Meeting of Families, visit www.thecatholicspirit.com/featured/pope-francis-in-the-united-states

The Pope in Cuba: Pages 9, 10 and 15

A local Catholic servant of the poor whom some consider a living saint will have a private audience with Pope Francis in Washington, D.C., Sept. 24.

Mary Jo Copeland, 73, who founded Sharing and Caring Hands in 1985, will meet the pontiff in person, along with her husband, Dick, and Bishop Andrew Cozzens.

Her voice cracked with emotion several times as she tried to describe what this meeting means to her and her ministry to the poor.

“This is such an overwhelming thing. I can’t quite believe it,” she said minutes before rushing off to greet the dozens of guests who line up daily outside her doors for lunch. “I believe that this means that God wants me to continue to know that he’s pleased with my work, and he wants me to continue to help his people. He says to me when I pray, ‘You help others and I’ll help you, Mary. You take care of my people, and I will take care of you.’ And, he has. I think that’s what God is saying through this visit.”

Copeland doesn’t know exactly what time her papal audience at the Vatican Embassy will take place, nor how long it will last. But, she is certain of what she wants to say to the Holy Father.

“I’m going to say, ‘Your Holiness, you have the heart of Jesus, and I want to come and tell you that you’re changing the world, and your love of the poor is like my Please turn to LETTERS on page 7

ALSO inside

Through thick and thin

Divorce in the Church

‘Masculine’ women

For holy matrimony, marriage prep encouraged early and often.

— Page 8

Understanding the meaning of marriage can help those who are separated, divorced.

— Pages 12-13

Art historian explores Michelangelo’s depictions.

— Page 16

PAGE TWO

2 • The Catholic Spirit

September 24, 2015

in PICTURES “We are asking our country to work with us to end 45.”

Dominican Sister Donna Markham, president of Catholic Charities USA, in discussing the organization’s campaign dubbed “#End45 – Raise a Hand to End Poverty in America.” The name reflects the 45 million people in the U.S. who live in poverty. Sister Donna gave her first address as president Sept. 10 during Catholic Charities USA’s national convention in Omaha.

“We show the world we can have a normal life, we celebrate life. The Middle East always has problems; this is our peaceful resistance.”

BECOMING A KNIGHT Cardinal Raymond Burke (in red) invests Jim Seidel, right, who attends Our Lady of Grace in Edina, as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre during a ceremony at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis Sept. 20. Seidel was among 72 people from eight states invested as Knights and Ladies of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, which also included Bishop Andrew Cozzens and several other priests of the archdiocese. Next to Seidel is Steve Schuler of the Diocese of Des Moines, who also was invested. Holding the book for Cardinal Burke is Aric Aamodt, a seminarian at the St. Paul Seminary.

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Nadim Khoury, who with his brother opened a now-famous microbrewery in Taybeh, West Bank, which hosts an annual Oktoberfest in the all-Christian Palestinian village.

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

Target to end ‘Take Charge of Education’ program Target Corp. announced Sept. 14 it plans to end in May 2016 the program allowing Red Card holders to designate schools to receive 1 percent of their credit and debit card purchases. Instead, the Twin Cities-based retailer is shifting those donations to health and wellness programs. Since launching “Take Charge of Education” in 1997, the company says it has donated more than $432 million to 84,000 schools across the country, including Catholic and other religious schools. A search of Target’s records found K-12 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have received funding ranging from $10,000 to more than $100,000. Schools have used the funds to pay for various equipment and programs.

Catholic Man Night event coming to Nativity parish The first Catholic Man Night at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 1 in the church’s Steiner Hall, 324 Prior Ave. S., St. Paul. The event will begin with adoration followed by confessions and a talk from Father Bill Baer, pastor of Transfiguration in Oakdale. A dinner, large group discussion and raffle will follow. For more information or to register, visit www.nativitymen.org/mannight.

OPENING MASS Bishop Andrew Cozzens greets Pamela Mayieka of St. John the Baptist in New Brighton after the Opening Mass of the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute Sept. 14 at the St. Paul Seminary chapel. Mayieka is a graduate of the institute (class of St. Francis) who served as a greeter. “I can’t think of a better, joy-filled, smiling face to greet a new student as they walk through the doors of the St. Paul Seminary for the first time,” said Kelly Wahlquist, assistant director of the institute, of Mayieka. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

WHAT’S NEW on social media Take an armchair pilgrimage Pilgrims from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, including Bishop Andrew Cozzens, are traveling to see Pope Francis. Many will also participate in the World Meeting of Families.

Catholic Spirit Editor Maria Wiering is accompanying a delegation to Philadelphia. Watch for frequent updates at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com and our social media channels. www.Facebook.com/MNatWMOF

@TheCatholicSpirit

@CatholicSpirit

@CatholicSpirit

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 20 — No. 18 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher United in Faith, Hope and Love

MARIA WIERING, Editor

Volunteers needed for Archdiocesan Youth Day The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is looking for adult volunteers to help coordinate at Archdiocesan Youth Day Oct. 24 at Roy Wilkins Auditorium, RiverCentre, St. Paul.

Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The day includes thousands of high school youth, dynamic speakers, Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens, Mass, reconciliation, eucharistic adoration, service and fun. All volunteers must satisfy the archdiocese’s “Essential 3” safe environment requirements. For more information or to sign up to volunteer, visit www.archspm.org/ayd.

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FROM THE APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR

September 24, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 3

Finding the Lord on the unexpected path Our Sunday Gospels in recent weeks have all been set in the context of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. St. Mark has been emphasizing the important lessons that the disciples learned “along the way”: the importance of taking up the cross, the connection between greatness and service, the urgency of avoiding whatever causes us to sin. These are gamechanging lessons that the disciples learn only because of their willingness to accept the Lord’s invitation to journey together.

APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR Archbishop Bernard Hebda

Since the middle of June, I have been learning a thing or two about the nature of journeys. Indeed, I have been passing through the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport often enough that the more observant TSA agents now regularly remind me to take my pectoral cross out of my pocket before I pass through security.

One of the things that I have come to appreciate is that no matter how well we plan, the

“In recent months, many of you may have been feeling that the road on which the Archdiocese presently finds itself is not a route that you would have ever chosen on your own, a sometimes difficult path with dizzying curves and more than the normal share of bone-jarring potholes that can shake us to our core as we move forward.”

Archbishop Bernard Hebda

journey is always full of surprises. An unexpected “weather event,” a blocked lane or a forgotten cellphone can all easily change the course of a trip.

In recent months, many of you may have been feeling that the road on which the Archdiocese presently finds itself is not a route that you would have ever chosen on your own, a sometimes difficult path

with dizzying curves and more than the normal share of bone-jarring potholes that can shake us to our core as we move forward.

St. Mark the Evangelist, I suspect, would be quick to remind us that it is precisely in those unexpected turns that we should expect to encounter the Lord.

Where should we be looking for Him on this uncharted course? Mother Teresa would often speak of encountering Jesus “in the distressing disguise of the poor.” St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Baptist de la Salle would recognize him in the child to be taught.

St. John Paul II would find him in crowds of teens and young adults searching for meaning at World Youth Day. On a recent evening under a starry Minnesota sky, I heard Laura speak of finding Christ in the campus ministry programs at the U of M, Father Jules [Omba Omalanga] recognize him in the patients at North Memorial Hospital, and Robert describe how he encounters him in a retreat program offered annually to inmates at the prison in Lino Lakes. In even the most challenging of circumstances and the most unlikely of places, the Lord is here and continues to teach.

Had it not been for a road construction detour on Summit Avenue, I may have never discovered the delights that awaited me on Grand, which runs one block parallel.

Who knows what the Lord who writes straight with crooked lines has in store for this local Church? Eye has not seen nor ear heard what God has ready for those who love him.

Encontrando al Señor en el camino inesperado Nuestros Evangelios dominicales de las últimas semanas han tratado acerca del viaje de Jesús a Jerusalén. San Marcos ha estado enfatizando las lecciones importantes que los discípulos aprendieron “en el camino”: la importancia de tomar la cruz, la conexión entre la grandeza y el servicio, la urgencia de evitar todo lo que nos hace pecar. Estas son lecciones que cambian el juego, que los discípulos aprenden solamente por su deseo de aceptar la invitación del Señor a caminar juntos.

Desde mediados de junio, he estado aprendiendo una o dos cosas acerca de la naturaleza de viajar. De hecho, he estado pasando por el Aeropuerto de Minneapolis-St. Paul con tanta frecuencia, que los agentes más observadores de la TSA ahora me recuerdan regularmente que saque mi cruz pectoral de mi bolsillo antes de pasar el control de seguridad. Una de las cosas que he llegado a apreciar es que no importa lo bien que planeamos, un viaje siempre está lleno de sorpresas. Un “evento climático” inesperado,

OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Reverend Bernard Hebda, has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: Effective September 17, 2015 • Reverend Ivan Sant, granted faculties of the Archdiocese and appointed parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Bernard in Saint Paul. Father Sant is a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark.

Effective September 21, 2015 • Reverend Sebastien Bakatu, appointed as chaplain to Abbott Northwestern Hospital. This is a transfer from his previous appointment at Saint John Vianney College Seminary in Saint Paul.

Arrivals • Reverend Ruben Spinler, granted faculties of the Archdiocese. Father Spinler is a retired priest of the Diocese of Winona.

un carril bloqueado o un teléfono celular olvidado pueden cambiar fácilmente el transcurso de un viaje.

En los últimos meses, muchos de ustedes han estado sintiendo que el camino en que se encuentra actualmente la Arquidiócesis no es una ruta que ustedes hayan escogido por su cuenta, un camino a veces difícil, lleno de curvas y con más de la cuota normal de baches que nos puede sacudir a lo más profundo a medida que avanzamos. Yo sospecho que, San Marcos el Evangelista, sería rápido para recordarnos que es precisamente en esos giros inesperados donde nosotros debemos esperar encontrarnos con el Señor. ¿Dónde debemos de buscar por Él en este curso desconocido? Madre Teresa solía hablar del encuentro con Jesús “en el disfraz angustiante de los pobres.” St. Elizabeth Ann Seton y San Juan Bautista de la Salle lo reconocería en el niño que hay que educar. San Juan Pablo II lo encontraría en multitudes de adolescentes y adultos jóvenes en busca del significado de la

Jornada Mundial de la Juventud.

Recientemente, en una tarde bajo el cielo estrellado de Minnesota, escuche a Laura hablar de encontrar a Cristo en los programas ministeriales del campus de la Universidad de Minnesota, el padre Jules [Omba Omalanga] lo reconoce en los pacientes del Hospital North Memorial, y Robert describe cómo lo encuentra en un retiro anual del programa que ofrece a los reclusos en la prisión de Lino Lakes. Incluso en las más difíciles de las circunstancias y en el más improbable de los lugares, el Señor está ahí y continúa enseñando.

Si no hubiera sido por una desviación por una construcción en la avenida Summit, nunca hubiera descubierto las delicias que me esperaban en la avenida Grand, que corre paralela a una cuadra. ¿Quién sabe lo que el Señor, que escribe derecho en líneas torcidas, tiene reservado para esta Iglesia local?

Que ojo no vio ni oído oyó lo que Dios tiene preparado para los que le aman.

Becoming social media savvy Archdiocese’s top leaders take to Twitter, Instagram The Catholic Spirit From celebrating opening Mass at the St. Paul Seminary to praying for Syrian children to glimpsing his first Minnesota lake, Archbishop Bernard Hebda is documenting his activities on Twitter.

Describing his new social media presence as “a work in progress,” Archbishop Hebda, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said he’s focusing his tweets on the archdiocese, although he has followers from the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, where he’s coadjutor.

“What I hope to achieve is to give people a window to see some of the

great things going on in the archdiocese,” he said, adding that it’s important to be able to communicate with people through various means.

Of Twitter, Archbishop Hebda said he’s grateful that it limits his thoughts to 140 characters. “It helps me figure out what is the core of what I want to share,” he said.

Archbishop Hebda is the sole user of

Follow the leaders @ArchbishopHebda • @BishopCozzens @bishopcozzens

@ArchbishopHebda; no one tweets on his behalf.

“So, I can’t blame anyone else,” he said in jest.

Ahead of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, and papal visit to the U.S. Sept. 22-27, Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens joined Twitter and Instagram, the social media platform that allows users to share photos and videos. Follow @bishopcozzens to see photos of his trip, which will include a private meeting with Pope Francis and Mary Jo Copeland of Sharing and Caring Hands.

LOCAL

4 • The Catholic Spirit

September 24, 2015

in BRIEF MINNEAPOLIS

Basilica closes Year of Mercy holy door The holy door at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis was closed after the 9:30 a.m. Mass Sept. 13 in anticipation of opening again in response to Pope Francis’ call for a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Cathedrals around the world will join together with Pope Francis in opening their holy door — symbolizing the beginning of the Year of Mercy — Dec. 8. The Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul also plans to designate a holy door. The Basilica’s holy door is covered with a picture of the Divine Mercy icon — the face of Christ. It will be closed for the next three months and open during Mass Dec. 13. In his letter introducing the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis said each holy door “will become a door of mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons and instills hope.” The Year of Mercy begins Dec. 8 and ends Nov. 20, 2016.

Our Lady of Lourdes pleased with new plan for Nye’s site Instead of the 29-story tower originally proposed to replace the former Nye’s Polonaise Room restaurant and bar in north Minneapolis, a six-story retail and apartment complex is being proposed.

The revised plan for the corner of Lourdes Place and East Hennepin Avenue has found favor with a committee from neighboring Our Lady of Lourdes parish, which has been monitoring the development because of potential effects to its historic church building.

“The revised proposal is a positive step forward,” noted a letter from the Our Lady of Lourdes Advisory Committee to its friends, parishioners and neighbors, “and we are gratified the owners and developer responded to the concerns voiced by the neighborhood and parish.

While we await more details about the project, we believe the community can get behind a properly designed six-story building.”

the Knight’s International Culture of Life Award at the Supreme convention in Philadelphia. The award is given to the council that best demonstrates conviction that every human life is a gift of God, endowed with certain inalienable rights — the first among these being the right to life. The council has held fundraising banquets for 13 years, and the event in 2014 raised more than $82,000 for the Wakota Life Care Center in West St. Paul. Proceeds of the successful fundraiser were used to purchase an ultrasound machine. Former NFL center Matt Birk, who attended the banquet, and Pat Foley, Wakota Life Care Center president, accepted the award in Philadelphia Aug. 5.

ST. PAUL

Laudato Si’ panel broadens discussion More than 350 people attended a panel discussion on Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si’: On Care for our Common Home” Sept. 9 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Hosted by the Minnesota Catholic Conference in partnership with Catholic Rural Life and St. Thomas’ Center for Catholic Studies, “Natural and Human Ecology” brought together experts to explore the encyclical’s impact on environmental stewardship and agricultural issues, but also family life, the poor and vulnerable, and humankind’s relationship to God and nature. Speakers included the Minnesota Catholic Conference’s Jason Adkins; Father Joseph Backowski, Diocese of St. Cloud; Fred Callens, Callens Honey Farm in St. Leo; Cecilia Calvo, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; Jim Ennis, Catholic Rural Life; Daniel Finn, St. John’s University, Collegeville; and Christopher Thompson, St. Paul Seminary. Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Paul Sirba of Duluth offered prayers. The event included video presentations from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy and meteorologist Paul Douglas.

Interim named Cristo Rey president

Archdiocesan donations top $300K

Jeb Myers, a founding faculty member who has served in several leadership positions at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis, was commissioned Sept.

10 as the school’s new president. Myers, who had been interim president, began teaching at Cristo Rey when the school opened in 2006. A member of St. Margaret Mary, Golden Valley, Myers has served as principal and assistant principal at Cristo Rey. The school’s mission is to serve under-resourced students and families in the Jesuit tradition as a Catholic, college and career preparatory high school.

Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis donated $248,893 for relief for the hundreds of thousands suffering following earthquakes earlier this year in Nepal. The Center for Mission in the archdiocese has forwarded the funds to Catholic Relief Services, which is partnering with Caritas Nepal for emergency relief and rebuilding over the next three years. The mission office has also sent $57,392 from Catholics in the archdiocese to Catholic Relief Services, money collected last Lent for CRS’ Operation Rice Bowl. As in past years, 75 percent of Operation Rice Bowl gifts supports CRS’ programs around the world. Receiving funds from the 25 percent of Operation Rice Bowl donations that are designated to remain in the archdiocese are Northside Child Development Center and the Opportunity Center, both in Minneapolis, and the Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul.

WEST ST. PAUL

Knights granted international honor In competition with more than 15,000 Knights of Columbus councils worldwide, the Father Lucian Galtier Council 4184 of West St. Paul received

Hispanic Ministry, Manancero was charged with leading pre-conference events for Latin American Catholics Sept. 21, ahead of the World Meeting of Families’ opening event Sept. 22. More than 130 Catholic Latino leaders who work in family ministries are expected to attend the pre-conference events, called Primer Encuentro Hispano-Latino Americano de Familias, or First Encounter of Hispanic and Latin American Families. The Latin American Episcopal Conference selected the delegates from each country.

The Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis closes its holy door Sept. 13 in anticipation of the Year of Mercy, which begins Dec. 8. Courtesy Basilica of St. Mary

MENDOTA

Virgin statue in Mendota Oct. 10 The International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima will be part of the World Apostolate of Fatima 2015 congress Oct. 10 at St. Peter Church, 1405 Sibley Memorial Hwy., Mendota.

The statue has been traveling around the globe for nearly 70 years and been seen in more than 100 countries, including Russia and China, bringing the Fatima message of salvation and hope to millions of people. Veneration of the statue will be open to the public from 1:30 to 3 p.m. The congress — from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. — includes an opening Mass, Rosary, Fatima prayers and veneration of the statue. Register online at www.fatimaonline.org.

COLLEGEVILLE

ESPN to highlight TommieJohnnie game Sept. 26 ESPN will air a segment the morning of the Sept. 26 Tommie-Johnnie college football game to describe to a national audience the rich history of the rivalry between the University of St. Thomas and St. John’s University, dating back to 1901. The teams have played a total of 83 times, including each of the last 63 seasons. St. John’s leads the all-time series 51-31-1. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at Clemens Stadium at St. John’s, Collegeville. ESPN will air a pre-game broadcast from 6-8 a.m. with SportsCenter on the Road.

WCCO Radio 830 will broadcast the game live. Both teams are undefeated heading into the game.

WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES, PHILADELPHIA

Latino ministry leader welcomes delegates

Estela Villagrán Manancero, director of the Office of Latino Ministry for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, was instrumental in welcoming to the World Meeting of Families Spanishspeaking delegates from 14 regions around the U.S. and delegates from the 21 Latin American countries. The president of the National Catholic Association of Diocesan Directors for

World Meeting presenters include UST law professor, parish Teresa Stanton Collett, a University of St. Thomas law professor, is scheduled to present “Digging into Dignity: Promoting the Dignity of the Human Person” Sept. 23 at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. A member of the Pontifical Council for the Family and director of St. Thomas’ Pro-life Center, Collett will be defining “human dignity” and addressing how the concept shapes “contemporary challenges to the Church’s understanding of the human person in the world,” according to the World Meeting of Families. The following day, Father John Echert, pastor of Holy Trinity and St. Augustine in South St. Paul, will draw on his experience as a military chaplain for the Minnesota National Guard on a panel titled “The Power of Family during Times of Separation.” He will also chair a session called “Flesh and Blood: Covenantal Love and the Meaning of the Incarnation.”

Philadelphia papal Mass to include music from St. Paul priest-composer Music composed by Father Jan Michael Joncas is slated to be performed as part of the pope’s Sept. 27 outdoor Mass on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with a million people expected to attend. “Exultate, Justi,” a processional written to be played “stately and powerful,” was created by Father Joncas, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who is artist-in-residence and research fellow in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

“I was surprised, delighted and humbled to learn that a composition of mine would be used for one of the papal Masses in Philadelphia,” Father Joncas said. “Since it’s been around since 1998, I think people must have already heard it and used it in other celebrations.” The cathedral-style composition’s refrain is sung in Latin, “Exultate Justi: Exultate justi in domino, in domino / Exultate justi cum magno gaudio,” meaning, “Exult, O just ones, in the Lord, in the Lord / Exult, O just ones, with great joy.”

The verses are built on the canticle in 1 Timothy 3:16, with a cantor singing various epithets about Christ and the people responding: “Adoramus te,” or, “We adore you.” Father Joncas said he hasn’t been told yet how the music will be used at the papal Mass but suspects it will be part of the prelude.

LOCAL

September 24, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 5

SLICEof LIFE

Play ball!

Kindergartner Anthony Dawe gets ready to take a swing during the 10th annual Annunciation Septemberfest Wiffle Ball Tournament Sept 10 at Annunciation in Minneapolis. More than 500 players of all ages on more than 70 teams played games in the tournament, which ran through Sept. 20.

Throwing the pitch is Scott Guilliatt. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

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LOCAL

6 • The Catholic Spirit

September 24, 2015

Fall listening sessions aim to shape archdiocese’s future

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit

Listening sessions

Archbishop Bernard Hebda is asking for Catholics’ input on the strengths and challenges of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and the qualities hoped for in its next archbishop, through a series of listening sessions to be held in October and November.

The sessions are “taking a page from Pope Francis’ playbook,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity for our local Church to be able to offer some input to Pope Francis and those with whom he’ll be collaborating in making a decision about the next archbishop,” he said. “I think it’s important that we see how consultative Pope Francis has been from the beginning of his pontificate. Consider, for example, his use of a committee of cardinals to advise him and the emphasis that he has placed on the Synod process. We’re hoping that we might be able to assist him — in all humility — along those lines by giving him some information from those who know the archdiocese best.”

Archbishop Hebda, the archdiocese’s apostolic administrator since the resignation of Archbishop John Nienstedt in June, acknowledged that the effort to obtain widespread feedback ahead of a new archbishop may be somewhat unusual, but suggested it could be something other dioceses adopt if it proves helpful.

Seeking diverse feedback The sessions will be hosted at parishes and Catholic institutions in several areas of the archdiocese in hopes that every Catholic who wishes to participate can. The locations were chosen for geographic diversity, their ability to accommodate large groups and as “parishes

Oct. 5 – St. Catherine’s University, 1-3 p.m.; St. Stephen, Anoka, 7-9 p.m.

Oct. 6 – Carondelet Center, St. Paul, 1-3 p.m. (for men and women in consecrated life only); Pax Christi, Eden Prairie, 7-9 p.m.

Nov. 2 – St. Peter, Forest Lake, 7-9 p.m.

Nov. 3 – Divine Mercy, Faribault, 7-9 p.m.

Nov. 4 – University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, 7-9 p.m. where different kinds of people would feel comfortable,” Archbishop Hebda said.

“Some of the sessions will be in non-parish settings, so even those who feel some distance from the Church might feel comfortable in sharing their views with us,” he said.

The public sessions begin Oct. 5 with a session 1-3 p.m. at St. Catherine’s University and 7-9 p.m. Oct. 5 at St. Stephen, Anoka. The following session will be held from 7-9 p.m. : Oct. 6 at Pax Christi, Eden Prairie; Nov. 2 at St. Peter, Forest Lake; Nov. 3 at Divine Mercy, Faribault; and Nov. 4 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

St. Catherine’s University will host a session 1-3 p.m.

A session 1-3 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Carondelet Center in St. Paul will be held for consecrated men and women.

The series will also include special sessions for priests

and Spanish-speaking Catholics.

Archbishop Hebda, who is also coadjutor archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, said he hopes Catholic leaders will participate in the two-hour listening sessions. The series will also include special sessions for priests and Spanish-speaking Catholics. The consultation may also include an online questionnaire to accommodate those who are unable to attend a session.

No small task Archbishop Hebda said it would be a large task to collate the information received and summarize common themes.

“Our hope would be to share our findings with the Holy Father through the nuncio in a concise way, but then also to have that information available for the next archbishop,” he said. “We’re also hoping that it’s going to give us the opportunity to share with the faithful of the archdiocese in the months to come.”

In addition to information-gathering opportunities, the listening sessions are “a reminder for people to be praying for this whole process — that the Holy Spirit will help Pope Francis to send just the right shepherd for this local Church,” Archbishop Hebda said.

Pope Francis appoints a bishop to a diocese typically after the position is vacated by death, retirement or — in rare cases — resignation, but may also appoint a coadjutor archbishop when the present bishop is expected soon to retire, as he did in the case of Archbishop John Myers of Newark, whose role Archbishop Hebda is expected to assume next summer.

It is not known when Pope Francis would appoint a new archbishop to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. When a decision is made, few people know before the Vatican officially announces it.

Help is here for archdiocese’s Catholic grade schools New education nonprofit seeks to get community on board

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit A new organization is rallying to boost enrollment and promote best practices for Catholic grade schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and it’s calling on the community to help.

The Catholic Schools Center of Excellence, a nonprofit headquartered in Minneapolis, was created last spring to support the 79 prekindergarten through eighth grade schools in the archdiocese after progressive enrollment drops and no proven solutions, despite years of efforts.

“It’s the goal of the Center of Excellence to bring inspiration and hope to these schools,” said CSCOE President Gail Dorn, a parishioner of St. Therese in Deephaven and former Target executive. “We so believe in what they’re doing and how important it is, not just for the future and mission of our Church, but for all of society. Our Catholic schools produce critical thinkers with mature moral values. So, we want to support them [schools] in their efforts.”

Last year, a group of key funders and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens determined that local Catholic schools needed a new path forward, and CSCOE was born. The organization’s board includes Bishop Cozzens and representatives from the Aim Higher Foundation, the Catholic Community Foundation, the GHR Foundation, and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, all longtime Catholic

school supporters.

Although a separate entity from the archdiocese, CSCOE works closely with Bishop Cozzens, vicar of education, and the archdiocese’s new Office for the Mission of Catholic Education to ensure common goals and direction, including schools’ Catholic identity.

“It’s important to realize that the Church has her expertise, but there are many wonderful people in the business world and the larger community who can serve our Catholic schools in very helpful ways,” Bishop Cozzens said.

Drawing on local expertise From the beginning, Bishop Cozzens said he supported the idea of a center of excellence because he saw the potential it had to bring in local experts as resources to Catholic schools that the archdiocese couldn’t provide on its own.

Gail Schools voluntarily work DORN with CSCOE, whose members meet with school leaders to understand their basic operational plans and areas of greatest need — whether that’s technology, scholarship dollars, marketing help or learning assessments.

“It isn’t a one-size-fits-all model,” said Dorn, a wife and mother of five. “We are not a school system, we are a system

of schools.”

At the forefront of CSCOE’s efforts is a much-needed strategy to grow enrollment.

In conducting focus groups of young parents, CSCOE learned that parents are making education decisions when their kids are still in diapers, a shift from learning about a school at a kindergarten roundup. “That’s why preschool is important for our feeder system,” Dorn said.

CSCOE has been helping school leaders reach out to families and engage in meaningful conversations about why they should invest in Catholic education for their children. At the same time, Dorn acknowledges that CSCOE wants to find ways to make Catholic education more affordable and attainable for all families who desire it, especially if they are enrolling multiple children.

Examining the need CSCOE also is conducting a retention study to find out why people leave the Catholic school system.

Its work, however, really began last fall when the Schulze Family Foundation sponsored a study asking all 79 grade schools what they needed and how CSCOE could help. Dorn said they received more than 1,000 pages of data, from which they determined to focus on enrollment and upholding excellence.

“We feel the product is not broken.

We’re doing an excellent job in our schools,” Dorn said. “But we’re very low

on resources in many of our schools.

And with declining enrollment, resources also decline.”

Although CSCOE’s immediate focus is Catholic grade schools because they have fewer internal resources, eventually it would like to collaborate and strengthen relationships with Catholic high schools and higher education.

“In the long run, CSCOE wants to support Catholic education in general, and we want to create a seamless path from pre-K to graduating from college,” Bishop Cozzens said. “We want to bring the gift of a Catholic education to every level.”

Community backing While each Catholic grade school is supported by its parish, Dorn said she hopes all Catholic parishes, regardless of whether they have a school on site, would support Catholic schools as a mission of the Church. Citing an urgent need to build enrollment, Dorn said one of CSCOE’s primary goals is to engage as many volunteers, funders and supporters as possible.

“We need help with volunteers and resources,” she said. “We want the community to be behind this.”

Dorn said help from the community could be anything from prayers for teachers, faculty and students, to volunteering at a school to making a financial gift.

For more information about the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence, visit www.cscoe-mn.org.

LOCAL

September 24, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 7

Letters lead to papal visit for Copeland Continued from page 1

called Mary’s Place “ground zero” for newly arrived immigrants and refugees from Somalia.

“I don’t think I’m done yet. That’s why God is love of the poor,’” said Copeland, a parishioner of sending me there [to Washington] because he has St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center. “’We can change another 25 years, so I have to be anointed and some the world. We can do it together.’” more grace be given to me,” said Copeland, who is known to wash her guests’ feet, imitating Jesus at the Humble beginnings Last Supper. “The Somali community is praying for my To be sure, Copeland — who has been compared to long life, and I know God hears their prayers.”

Blessed Teresa of Kolkata — has changed her small This isn’t the first time Copeland’s work has been corner of the world on her 11-acre campus on Seventh granted extraordinary recognition. In 2013, President Street just west of downtown Minneapolis and almost Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Citizens in the shadow of Target Medal, the nation’s Field. After raising her second highest civilian 12 children, she decided honor. President George to look for ways to serve W. Bush also recognized people in need. She left her work. Two a job at Catholic biographies have been Charities to strike out on published about her life her own. and work, the most She started with a recent in 2013. small storefront on The anticipated papal Glenwood Avenue, audience came about using a stipend of through letters sent $2,200 and hanging in both by Copeland and the window a handBishop Cozzens to the written sign that said pope through the “Sharing and Caring apostolic nuncio in the Hands.”

U.S. six months ago.

Three years later, she Initially, she wanted the bought her current pope to come to the property and first Mary Jo Copeland celebrates during the dedication of a new Twin Cities and visit her building for $225,000, addition to Mary’s Place Aug. 25, which featured Bishop Andrew at Sharing and Caring then spent an additional Cozzens, left. Copeland, her husband, Dick, and Bishop Cozzens are Hands, but Bishop $250,000 on renovation. scheduled to have a private audience with Pope Francis Sept. 24 at Cozzens told her that In addition to serving the Vatican Embassy in Washington, D.C. Dave Hrbacek/The likely wasn’t possible. homeless men and Catholic Spirit So, they wrote women, she began requesting the chance to helping mothers with meet him in Washington, D.C., during his stop there. children. That led to the building of Mary’s Place “We didn’t know if we’d get a response or not,” transitional housing in 1995. This summer she Bishop Cozzens said. “About three weeks ago, we got an completed an expansion of the facility, adding eight initial response.” more housing units plus a new teen center and The person he spoke with indicated a visit was children’s center. Mary’s Place now has 100 housing possible, but not yet confirmed. Eventually, they got the units, which can hold about 840 people. news that they were on the schedule to see Pope Francis.

Not done yet “I’m really excited about it,” Bishop Cozzens said. “I With the continued expansions, Copeland knows her think it’s a great gift for our archdiocese and a great work is far from done, despite being eight years past the honor to the work that Mary Jo Copeland has done for typical retirement age of 65. A 2014 Star Tribune story the poor.”

St. John Paul II Champions for Life winners announced The Catholic Spirit Since 2008, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has honored local Catholics who have worked to promote the Church’s pro-life mission with the St. John Paul II Champions for Life Awards. Winners of the 2015 St. John Paul II Champions for Life Awards are: • Debra Braun, St. Agnes in St. Paul: Adult – Pro-Life Professional. Described as a “silent saint for the unborn,” she works at St. Paul’s Pro-Life Action Ministries and often counsels women going into abortion clinics.

• Brother Paul O’Donnell, St. Columba in St. Paul: Adult – Pro-Life Professional (posthumous). A Franciscan Brother of Peace who died in February, Brother Paul was a national advocate of the unborn and founder of several pro-life groups.

• Julie Schleisman, Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights: Adult – Volunteer. A member of the Third Franciscan Order, she’s a longtime volunteer at North Side Life Care Center in Minneapolis.

• Lakers 4 Life, St. Michael in Prior Lake: Youth/Young Adult (individual or group). Prior Lake High School’s pro-life group “brought the pro-life conversation to social media, lunch tables and classroom discussions and projects,” noted nominator Pat Millea, director of high school faith formation and confirmation at St. Michael.

• Ruth Godfrey and Jennie Antolak, Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, and St. John the Baptist in New Brighton: Couple, Family or Catholic Affiliated Group. The mother-daughter team has worked with a pregnancy resource center to pilot a “Coach Approach” program.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens will honor the winners at a luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Oct. 8 at St. Peter in Mendota. Keynote speaker is Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America. Tickets are $35 each or $280 per table. Register at www.archspm.org or call 651-291-4489.

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8 • The Catholic Spirit

BACKGROUNDER

September 24, 2015

Solid marriage prep crucial to getting through thick and thin

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit As newlyweds, Matt and Jenna Jahnke faced infertility — a painful problem and source of strain even for couples who have weathered other relationship storms. Because they knew God was at the center of their marriage, the couples’ suffering drove them to him rather than away from each other.

“It was not a problem we could really fix,” Matt said.

“It was just learning to suffer and being able to suffer through it together.”

Now the parents of two daughters, the couple, who attend Maternity of Mary in St. Paul, say the formation, preparation and support that started well before they began dating has given them a foundation to handle new challenges of parenting.

Matt and Jenna Jahnke take time for family prayer with their daughters Margaret, left, and Adeline. This is an example of a family habit that they talked about during their marriage prep.

Dave Hrbacek/ The Catholic Spirit

Preparation starts at home Not all couples start married life like the Jahnkes.

Many come to marriage preparation lacking not only relationship skills, but also an understanding of the role of God and the Church in their marriage. Then, facing the inevitable challenges of the first years of marriage, they might have trouble putting into practice what they learned through the Church’s marriage preparation program. Lacking a parish connection, some also leave the Church after their wedding and don’t return until it’s time to baptize their first child, if ever.

Those who help engaged couples to become happily married couples say getting a good start involves ongoing formation and enrichment, opportunities for healing, encouraging parish involvement and support from peers and more mature mentor couples.

But ideally, couples should learn their first lessons about marriage from their parents while growing up, according to ministry leaders and a group of European, Asian, South American and African cardinals who recently penned essays on the topic.

In “Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family,” published this month by Ignatius Press, the cardinals acknowledge the importance of marriage preparation but stress that this preparation begins in the family with real examples of love, care, self-sacrifice, sharing and celebrating together.

Dating, marriage preparation and Catholic family life are among the topics to be addressed in Philadelphia Sept. 22-27 at the World Meeting of Families, the occasion of Pope Francis’ first U.S. visit.

“Marriage preparation begins in the womb and is acted out in the home the children grow up in,” said Julie Alexander, who with her husband, Greg, is cofounder of San Antonio-based Alexander House, whose Covenant of Love education and enrichment program for engaged and married couples is being used by 100 U.S. parishes, including several in St. Cloud. The organization is in contact with retired NFL center and St. Paul native Matt Birk, which could give the program eventual roots in the Twin Cities.

When men and women come from broken families, they don’t learn as much about relationships at home, nor are they gaining communication and other skills, ministry leaders say. Brokenness is passed on to the next generation, as 20 percent of marriages end after the first five years, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

During the engagement and early in the marriage are the best times for couples to seek healing of that brokenness and past wounds, including generational problems, sexual abuse and alcoholism, Julie Alexander said. Before learning the truth about marriage, couples need to heal, she added.

Parish life, Mass key for newlyweds Some wounds people especially protect, and they need trusting relationships to deal with them, or they might come out sideways in a relationship, said Ed Gross, co-coordinator of the Young Married Formation Program of the Community of Christ the Redeemer, a Catholic covenant community based in West St. Paul.

Healing is also found in the sacraments, but many couples aren’t attending Mass regularly after their wedding and may only find a parish after the birth of their first child. In 2011, only 25 percent of U.S.

“Marriage preparation begins in the womb and is acted out in the home the children grow up in.”

Julie Alexander

Catholics between the ages of 18-35 attended Mass weekly, according to a survey by The Catholic University of America sociologist William D’Antonio.

The Church needs to play a bigger role in eliminating the gap between the wedding and baptism of the first child, Gross said.

One way to do that is by connecting the engagement and marriage programs and by helping couples find a parish home, said Alison Kaardal, co-leader of a half day retreat for engaged and married couples at St. Mark in St. Paul, which runs monthly from September through May. “We also wanted to provide something for those who are newly married and kind of build a bridge between that process of being engaged and then preparing for marriage and then marriage itself.”

Through “radical hospitality,” which involves actively reaching out to everyone, St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove helps both engaged and newly married couples who have difficulty finding and plugging into a parish family, said Deacon John Wallin.

“When you see a community that feels like family, it’s much easier to walk through those doors,” he said.

“And that, I think, is the environment we have to create in order to get young couples to return to Church in a more committed way.”

Hoping that couples will see the parish as a place of refuge and support, Deacon Wallin said he encourages them to volunteer.

Mentor couples bridge gap It’s hard for large parishes to engage all members and visitors, and it might be hard for newly married couples to feel part of the parish, said Bill Dill, who works in marriage preparation in the Office of Marriage, Family and Life for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. But parishes should invite them to be part of small groups and other activities because they are among the most vulnerable participants, he said.

One parish relationship that begins during engagement and that could continue after the wedding is that of the mentor couple. Mentors, usually an older couple, help the engaged couple learn relationship skills such as communication and conflict resolution, and how to plan time together, said Mary and Jon Arntson, members of St. Joseph the Worker who have mentored more than 70 couples at the parish and in North Dakota

for 35 years.

“What we’re doing is preparing them by going through the issues every couple goes through eventually,” Jon said. “All the couples in our generation went through them on their own during the first years of marriage. We’re giving them a head start.”

Meeting with a mentor couple is among the archdiocese’s recommendations for engaged couples, which also include completing a marriage inventory, attending a marriage preparation retreat and taking natural family planning classes. While some parishes assign engaged couples to meet with certain mentor couples, Dill recommended that couples also reach out to married couples they know and admire to talk about marriage and seek advice.

Engaged couples also need to learn about God’s plan for their marriage. “There are a lot of us wanting joyfilled marriages, but we’re trying to obtain that by deviating from the plan,” Greg Alexander said. “The sad part is not many people even know God has a plan.”

After their wedding, couples need to continue learning to grow and be inspired by that plan, Gross said.

What’s after the wedding?

The roughly 13,000 couples who have gone on the archdiocesan “Living God’s Love” marriage preparation retreat over the past 13 years will be able to take a daylong refresher retreat in fall 2016, Dill said.

“We know that with marriage prep, the shelf life soto-speak is a few years,” he said. “We want to give them a chance to be re-inspired, to remember some of the key things about marriage, to re-engage God’s vision of marriage.”

The archdiocese also offers a retreat for newly married couples each February, he said.

More newly married couples are seeking enrichment on the Marriage Encounter weekend retreat, said Mary Jackson, executive director of Minnesota Marriage/ Engaged Encounter and a parishioner at St. Michael in Stillwater.

Previously, the retreat wasn’t open to couples married fewer than five years, but this year, those couples made up almost 30 percent of retreatants, Jackson said.

At the monthly retreat at St. Mark, newly married and engaged couples have benefited from the social relationships they form, Kaardal said, noting they can connect with others who share their values.

While programs can help couples build healthy marriages, an even better way to do it is encouraging good family life, Gross said.

Even before a couple’s first date, it’s possible to lay some of the foundation for a good marriage, said Jahnke, who participated in CCR and other formation programs while single.

“I almost feel like marriage prep for me started long ago in this basic Christian formation,” she said. “If I didn’t have that, I think our marriage would be a lot harder.”

U.S. & WORLD

September 24, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 9

Serve people, not ideology, pope tells Cubans at Havana Mass

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service As Cubans finally face the prospects of calmer relationships and greater ease of communication and commerce with the United States, Pope Francis told the Cuban people that love and service, not anyone’s ideology, are the keys to their happiness.

“We do not serve ideas, we serve people,” the pope told hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Havana’s Revolution Square for Mass Sept. 20.

For decades the square has been the site of major communist government rallies and is dominated by a huge image of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine Marxist who became a leader in the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s.

The image of Che was prominent at the pope’s Mass, but so was a banner proclaiming Pope Francis a “missionary of mercy” and an even bigger image of the merciful Jesus.

After decades of communism, Mass attendance in Cuba is low; even the Vatican reports that only 60 percent of the population is baptized Catholic. But as a sign of the pope’s hopes for the growth of the Church in Cuba, he granted an exception to his normal practice of personally giving Communion only to the altar servers and other ministers at his public Masses. Five Cuban children received their first Communion from the pope at the Mass.

In his homily, Pope Francis focused on an aspect of Jesus’ ministry that he tries to imitate: First of all, identify the good in a person, then help or challenge him or her to build on that good instinct or behavior.

Question of importance Using the normal Sunday Mass readings, the pope’s homily was a reflection on the Gospel passage from St. Mark in which the disciples are arguing about who among them is the greatest, and Jesus asks what they were discussing.

“We, too, can be caught up in these same arguments: Who is the most important?” the pope said.

“I remember more than once, at family gatherings, children being asked: ‘Who do you love more, Mommy or Daddy?’ ” he said. “It’s like asking them: ‘Who is the most important for you?’ ”

Pope Francis greets the crowd as he arrives to celebrate Mass in Revolution Square in Havana Sept. 20. In the background is an iconic image of Cuban revolutionary Camilo Cienfuegos. CNS/Paul Haring In the lives of individuals and nations, he said, the question of who is most important can take on historic importance because it motivates action and choices. “The history of humanity has been marked by the answer we give to this question,” he said.

“Jesus is not afraid of people’s questions; he is not afraid of our humanity or the different things we are looking for,” Pope Francis told the crowd, which had filled the square before the sun came up. “He knows the ‘twists and turns’ of the human heart, and, as a good teacher, he is always ready to encourage and support us.”

Jesus takes “our searching, our aspirations, and he gives them a new horizon” and challenges people, he said. Jesus sets aside the “right answers” and replaces them with the standard of love as the measure of all.

Love, he said, is lived in a concrete commitment to caring for others — especially the most vulnerable. It does

Pope visits Fidel before formal meeting with Cuba’s president Although it wasn’t part of his formal program, Pope Francis took time after Sunday Mass to visit Cuba’s ailing former leader, Fidel Castro. After the Mass Sept. 20 in Havana’s Revolution Square, Pope Francis was driven to the ailing 89-year-old’s residence for the meeting, which lasted 30-40 minutes. In the presence of Castro’s wife, children and grandchildren, the meeting was “familial and informal,” said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman. After lunch and a rest, Pope Francis made a formal visit to President Raul Castro in Havana’s Palace of the Revolution. While the pope and president were meeting privately, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, his secretary of state, and top Vatican diplomats were holding talks with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and his staff. The pope and president spent about 45 minutes speaking privately. CNS

not see superiority, or the best jobs with the best benefits, and it is not about helping just “my people” or “our people,” he said. Such an attitude always leads to judging and excluding some people as outsiders.

“Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it,” he said.

Pope Francis said he knows the Cuban people and the Catholic Church in Cuba have suffered. Yet, he said, they still know how to celebrate, to praise God and to serve others.

The greatness of a people and a nation, he said, is how it serves the vulnerable.

Cuban church grateful Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino of Havana addressed the pope at the end of the Mass “in the name of the Cuban people — the Catholics and many other believers, as well as nonbelievers. Thank

you for coming to visit our land, our beloved Cuba; thank you for sowing with your pontificate, good and necessary questions in our consciences, which had been sleeping and accustomed to mediocrity.”

He particularly thanked the pope “for promoting the process of renewing relations between Cuba and the United States, which will bring such benefit to our people.”

Normal, friendly and cooperative relations, the cardinal said, should reach not just the highest political levels in both countries, but also promote reconciliation between people in Cuba and Cubans who emigrated.

“Only love and forgiveness among us will be a valid means for a true and peaceful renewal of our Cuban nation,” the cardinal said.

A video to accompany this story can be found at https://youtu.be/t40aRlinfRA

10 • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & WORLD

September 24, 2015

Pope calls for ‘revolution of tenderness’ in Cuba

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Pope Francis called Cubans to a “revolution of tenderness” as he celebrated Mass in Santiago in the Minor Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, the country’s patroness.

While only about 60 percent of Cubans are baptized Catholics, the little statue of Our Lady of Charity, discovered 400 years ago, is also a widely recognized symbol of Cuban identity and of strength despite struggle.

Archbishop Dionisio Garcia Ibanez of Santiago, president of the Cuban bishops’ conference, told the pope at the end of Mass, “Believers and nonbelievers consider her a clear symbol of Cuban identity because in her we see reflected the greatness, yearnings and aspirations of our people.”

Celebrating Mass early Sept. 22 — just a few hours before he was scheduled to fly to Washington — Pope Francis told Cubans, “Our revolution comes about through tenderness, through the joy which always becomes closeness and compassion, and leads us to get involved in and to serve the life of others.”

Like Mary, who made haste to visit her pregnant cousin Elizabeth, the Catholic Church wants to be with Cubans in their state of hope and expectation “to build bridges, to break down walls, to sow seeds of reconciliation,” the pope said.

In the hours before Mass as the sun rose and roosters crowed, residents began to line the streets of El Cobre, a small town outside of Santiago.

“It’s important that he’s coming here because Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul (II) were also here. For us, it’s an honor that the pope continues to recognize us,” said Carlos Anaya as he leaned against a wooden barrier on the

A crowd reacts as Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass in Revolution Square in Holguin, Cuba.

Throughout his Sept.

19-22 stay in Cuba, Pope Francis preached the need to continue the official dialogue between the United States and Cuba, to heal hurt feelings existing between those who stayed in Cuba and those who emigrated and to ensure Cuba’s future is marked by concern for the weakest and poorest members of society.

CNS/Paul Haring sidewalk.

Just before 8 a.m., Pope Francis circled the grounds of the shrine, where several hundred people gathered wearing white baseball hats that were handed out at the entrance, and chanted “Francisco! Francisco!”

“To be able to see him this close, it’s amazing. It makes me feel hopeful,” said Oleydis Gonzalez, who stood near the back of the crowd and tried to record Pope Francis on a smartphone.

The crowd waved Cuban flags and cooled themselves with hand fans that depicted Pope Francis waving while standing in front of a Cuban flag. But there was little of the fanfare that greeted Pope Francis in Havana and Holguin. At least 250 chairs in the back of the outdoor viewing sat empty.

Cuban President Raul Castro was present for Mass in the shrine; he also attended the Masses that the pope celebrated earlier in Havana and Holguin.

U.S.-Cuba relations on the mind of the Holy Father Throughout his Sept. 19-22 stay in Cuba, Pope Francis preached the need to continue the official dialogue between the United States and Cuba, to heal hurt feelings existing between those who stayed in Cuba and those who emigrated and to ensure the nation’s future — no matter its economic and political system — is marked by concern for the weakest and poorest members of society.

During the Mass in the packed shrine — and with thousands watching from outside — Pope Francis paid special tribute to Cuba’s strong and steady grandmothers. They are the ones chiefly responsible for keeping the faith alive in the communist nation, he said.

The grandmothers, he said, “fostered, in the daily life of their homes, the living presence of God, the presence of

the Father who liberates, strengthens, heals, grants courage and serves as a sure refuge and the sign of a new resurrection.”

Grandmothers and mothers “kept open a tiny space” through which the Holy Spirit “continued to accompany the heartbeat of this people,” the pope said.

The faith of Cubans, even if it is “small as a mustard seed,” is ready to grow, he said.

At the end of the Mass, Pope Francis officially opened the celebration of a jubilee year to mark the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV proclaiming Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre the patroness of Cuba. The celebrations will continue through Sept. 24, 2016.

Contributing to this story was Ezra Fieser in El Cobre. Follow on Twitter: @Cindy_Wooden, @ezrafieser.

Pope appoints 18 couples to attend Synod of Bishops on family next month Catholic News Service More than 360 participants, including 18 married couples from around the world, were expected to attend October’s Synod of Bishops on the family.

In addition to the 166 synod members elected by their national bishops’ conferences, 22 heads of Eastern Catholic churches, 25 heads of Vatican congregations and councils and 10 heads of men’s religious orders, the pope appointed an additional 45 synod fathers to take part in the Oct. 4-25 gathering.

The complete list of synod participants and papal appointees was released Sept. 15 by the Vatican.

The ordinary synod will include many more people than last year’s extraordinary synod, which met over the course of 15 days. The ordinary synod will bring together nine additional leaders of Eastern Catholic churches and six more “fraternal delegates” from the Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant communities.

The pope also named 45 voting members of the synod — up from 26 last year — and he appointed 51 observers and 23 experts, including a total of 18 married couples. At the extraordinary synod, there were 38 observers and 16 experts, which included a total of 14 couples.

Almost half of the 45 papally appointed voting members are from Europe with another 15 from the Americas, three from Africa, two from Oceania and one from Asia. At the extraordinary synod, almost all appointees were from Europe, and none of the papal appointees was from North America or other English-speaking countries.

Pope Francis ensured that all the members of the synod’s general council would be present at the October meeting by appointing U.S. Cardinals Donald Wuerl of Washington and Timothy Dolan of New York as voting members.

In addition, he named U.S. Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago; U.S. Bishop George Murry of

Youngstown, Ohio; Canadian Cardinal Gerald Lacroix of Quebec; and New Zealand Cardinal John Dew of Wellington as members.

Some of the other papal appointees include German Cardinal Walter Kasper, Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Mechelen-Brussels, and Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, as well as Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, director of La Civilta Cattolica journal, and Msgr. Pio Pinto, dean of the Roman Rota, a Vatican-based tribunal that deals mainly with marriage cases.

Among 51 observers and 23 experts appointed by the pope, the majority are laymen and laywomen, including 18 married couples.

The 42 men and 32 women, who will not have voting rights, represent a more geographically diverse mix with fairly equal representation for Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Middle East, and a slightly higher number from Europe.

The synod’s voting members include officials from the Roman Curia, heads of the Eastern churches, and

archbishops of smaller Eastern Catholic churches, including Byzantine Archbishop William Skurla of Pittsburgh.

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and Australian Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, were to attend as officials of the Roman Curia.

Pope Francis will serve as president of the synod and will be assisted by Cardinals Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris; Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila; Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil; and Wilfrid Napier of Durban, South Africa.

As he did at last year’s extraordinary synod, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest will serve as relator with the duty of introducing the discussion and synthesizing its results, and Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto will serve again as special secretary.

Elected to attend by the U.S. Please turn to SYNOD on page 22

U.S. & WORLD

September 24, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 11

Archbishop Hebda: Local Church has role to play in Syrian outreach Catholic News Service and The Catholic Spirit Archbishop Bernard Hebda urged Catholics in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis wishing to aid Syrian refugees and migrants to look for immediate direction from Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development agency, but also affirmed that the local Church could play a direct role in their assistance should Syrians come to Minnesota.

Archbishop Hebda, the archdiocese’s apostolic administrator, released a statement Sept. 11 noting that many Catholics and parishes in the archdiocese have asked how they can help people who have fled the Middle East because of the ongoing conflict in Syria.

He said the archdiocese will look to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for recommendations in supporting coordinated relief efforts “given the global dimensions of the crisis,” and that it will forward that information to parishes as it becomes available. In the meantime, he encouraged people to visit Catholic Relief Services’ website and consider a financial donation.

“The faithful of the archdiocese will need to discern how we can generously respond to Pope Francis’ appeal to Catholic parishes, monasteries, religious

houses and sanctuaries to be open to welcoming refugee families,” Archbishop Hebda said.

Archbishop Hebda’s statement followed the Sept. 10 statement of USCCB president Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, who said the U.S. Catholic Church “stands ready to help” in efforts to assist refugees fleeing war-torn countries in the Middle East, and that Catholics in the U.S. and “all people of good will should express openness and welcome to refugees fleeing Syria and elsewhere in order to survive.”

Tens of thousands of people from Syria and other countries are “fleeing into Europe in search of protection,” he said, adding that images of those “escaping desperate” circumstances “have captured the world’s attention and sympathy.”

Archbishop Kurtz noted that Catholic Relief Services has been providing humanitarian aid to refugees in the Middle East and Europe, and in the U.S., he said, “nearly 100 Catholic Charities agencies and hundreds of parishes” assist refugees coming into the country each year.

The archbishops’ statements follow Pope Francis urging Catholics in Europe to respond to the needs of refugees entering their countries. Archbishop

Kurtz expressed solidarity with the pope, the bishops of Syria, the Middle East and Europe, “and all people who have responded to this humanitarian crisis with charity and compassion.”

The archbishop called on the U.S. government “to assist more robustly the nations of Europe and the Middle East in protecting and supporting these refugees and in helping to end this horrific conflict, so refugees may return home in safety.”

The Obama administration announced that it was planning to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in the coming fiscal year. However, a story from the Associated Press said they are “already in the pipeline” waiting to be admitted to the U.S. and are not part of the flood of people currently entering Eastern Europe to make their way to other countries.

“In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus, Mary and Joseph flee the terror of Herod,” Archbishop Kurtz said in his statement. “They are the archetype of every refugee family. Let us pray that the Holy Family watches over the thousands of refugee families in Europe and beyond at this time.”

In an interview with The Catholic Spirit, Archbishop Hebda reiterated the need for local Catholics to respond generously to Syrians in need. Many are

Christians fleeing persecution, he said, but the local Church would reach out to anyone in need. However, Christian refugees will need special spiritual attention from parishes, he said.

“The Church in the United States has already been very involved in this issue, even before it was in the newspaper every day,” he said,” especially through the work of CRS and MRS,” the USCCB Migration and Refugee Services.

Archbishop Hebda noted he visited with Syrian refugees during a 2014 trip to Jordan, and left with a greater appreciation for the importance of CRS, which works with the global Church’s humanitarian arm, Caritas International.

“I’ve been encouraged [to hear] that we should be looking for ways to work with our local Catholic Charities to mobilize parishes and expressions of openness to welcome a family,” he said.

“That openness is very important,” he added. “Pope Francis is hitting the nail on the head in terms of our spiritual response. I don’t think that the Holy Father is calling us to not respect the laws of the land, but rather to shape our government’s response. The U.S. bishops have been asking the U.S. government to take in refugee families, and had been proposing a much higher number than the administration has proposed.”

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12 • The Catholic Spirit

Finding beauty amid pain: divorce i

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit In a Church that upholds the sacrament of marriage, it’s no secret some Catholics who are separated or divorced have felt judged and alienated.

But Pope Francis has said it in no uncertain terms, and many Catholics already know it to be true: Divorce doesn’t have to be a dirty word in the Church.

In homilies ahead of the World Meeting of Families taking place now in Philadelphia, and October’s world Synod on the Family, the pontiff has focused on a slew of family issues, including ministry to separated and divorced Catholics.

During his 100th general audience Aug. 5, Pope Francis said Catholic pastors must “openly and coherently demonstrate the willingness of the community to welcome and encourage” divorced and remarried couples and their families to participate in Church life, Catholic News Service reported. For those same couples, he said prayer, listening to the word of God, attending Mass, educating their children in the faith, serving the poor and working for justice and peace should be part of their lives.

Two local Catholics who have actively sought spiritual guidance during separation and divorce say the Church has inspired them to do just that.

how to explain the situation to children in a way that’s respectful of their other parent, yet upholds the Church’s teaching.

After the separation, a priest reminded Nabors that nowhere in her vows did she say she’d physically live with her spouse.

“You can live out vows no matter what your spouse chooses to do,” she said, adding that love as an active choice is a concept that needs to be better addressed when couples prepare for marriage. “No one wants to talk about worst-case scenarios, but it is something that should be . . . clearly understood.”

Although she feels supported in the Church, Nabors said in trying to articulate to non-Catholics what her marriage means, she has felt ridiculed.

“I think a lot of it comes from our society’s view on what love is,” Nabors said. “I heard Pope Francis once say that our culture, our society is setting people in the mindset of divorce, that we throw things away; if it’s broken, you throw it away, if it’s not what you envisioned, if it’s not making you happy, that you would throw it away and pursue something different. But that’s not what love is.”

The experiences she’s had and lessons she’s learned have inspired her to document her thoughts and feelings at a blog she created, www.mysoulfullove.com.

Finding new meaning

Dedicated ministry

At one parish, it took the anguish of a widowed deacon Michelle Nabors faced a series of complicated questions to minister to people who shared that feeling, if for a when her husband of three years decided to separate from different reason. her last year. At first, the 26-year-old mother of two was angry — she thought if her marriage ends in divorce, why For the past 10 years, Deacon Greg Steele has hosted a would her Church insist she’s still support group for people who are married? And how would she live that separated or divorced. In 2004, at a out? time when Deacon Steele said few support groups existed in the west It took Nabors examining what her “Your marriage isn’t metro, Father Michael Becker, thenfaith says about marriage to bring a pastor of St. Michael in St. Michael, “radical shift” to how she sees the the way that you asked him to start one at the parish.

Church’s teaching. She says it’s one of “There were times I’d come to the the most beautiful teachings she has envisioned it would be, meeting, and there was no one,” said ever learned because it has prompted Deacon Steele, a deacon of the Diocese her to explore what it really means to but our faith gives us a of St. Cloud but “on loan” to the love. archdiocese. Now, some 10-15 people “When I look at Jesus on the cross, I third person in the attend any given session, and the see that he knew in that moment group doesn’t take breaks. every time I would reject him, deny marriage in Christ. His “They’re hurting every week. That’s him [and] abandon him. And yet in why we meet all the time,” he said, that moment, he still chose to give all love for us never ends, describing how many people are of himself in love for me,” said Nabors, a parishioner of St. Peter Claver in and his love for us is all spiritually and financially broken. He stressed that for those who are St. Paul. “He calls all of us to love separated from their spouses, we ever need. . . . everybody in that way, but I think our preserving the marriage is the ultimate families and our spouse, in a particular Christ can fill that spot goal. way, to really model that love. And that image has been very helpful in Meeting at the parish from 6:30 to in a way that your asking Christ to take me up on the 8:30 each Thursday night, the group cross with him [and] let me see my begins and ends with prayer. In spouse couldn’t spouse through his eyes with his between, members view part of a film mercy, his forgiveness and his love.” series and discuss it, then talk about even fill.” their week. But they have to abide by a Since her separation, Nabors has few rules: no cell phones, and they sought support from family, friends, Michelle Nabors must maintain confidentiality. The parish priests and a new group meetings often continue unofficially at sponsored by the Archdiocese of a local restaurant.

St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Marriage, Family and Life called The group took time to evolve, but Faithful Spouses.

Deacon Steele has found success in two different film series that address the practical and the spiritual — in Nabors appreciates that the group promotes love and particular, Rose Sweet’s “Catholic’s Divorce Survival respect for everyone involved — spouses, children and Guide.” From the 13-week program, Deacon Steele has extended family. Previously, she was part of a different seen “significant changes” in the group members, many of Christian support group, but stopped attending because the focus was about moving on, and conversations usually whom lacked shared spirituality in their marriages. ended in bitterness and anger.

“We’ve had people who weren’t even going to church who are now on the finance council; they’re eucharistic “Faithful Spouses has been helpful in fellowship, ministers, they’re readers,” he said. “We often say the support and prayer. [It’s] a community of people who are No. 1 goal of marriage is to get each other to heaven, but asking the same questions that are honestly questions that [often] gets low on the priority list.” most people in society don’t understand why you’re asking in the first place, much less how to answer,” Leo Gagnon agrees.

Nabors said.

For Gagnon, who attends St. Michael, divorce meant Among those questions: how to love someone who turmoil. The proceedings began in 2005 and ended in doesn’t reciprocate that love, what it means to be married 2010. He said it wasn’t until he sought God that he started when society has a different view of the relationship, and to feel better, taking inspiration from his mother, whom

he described as a woman with strong Catholic faith.

Around that time, he went to lunch with Deacon Steele, who told him not to let the divorce destroy him. He took the words to heart.

“We beat ourselves up,” Gagnon said. “We’re probably our own worst enemies . . . running through the ‘what-if’ scenarios.”

One part of the video series likens divorce to a tornado: The film shows a well-constructed city, a tornado knocks everything flat, people’s lives are in disarray, then the clean-up and rebuilding starts.

“That’s probably one of the most outstanding examples of a divorce, because that’s what it does,” Gagnon said.

“You don’t know what’s going on, [and] you don’t know if you’re up or you’re down. It’s just crazy. I wish I would’ve had that to start with when I went through my divorce, because I would’ve understood a lot more things about it and not have felt so alone.”

Gagnon said most people who hesitate to join a group don’t understand the benefit of having people understand how they feel and what’s going on.

“And yet,” he said, “people shouldn’t be embarrassed, either. This happens.”

Now a group facilitator, Gagnon asks people if they went to church when they were married, and even if they did, whether they were spiritually in sync.

Deacon Steele acknowledges the difficulty in praying for people who’ve hurt others, but “God’s asking us to go beyond ourselves.” He said it’s not necessarily about praying for change, but to have God work with the person.

“Those exes can be awful people, but how are you going to have change unless someone is praying?” he asked.

“That’s hard, because there’s so much anger,” but praying is especially important if children are involved. “You need to have God entering this relationship somewhere.”

Forgiveness has brought Gagnon resolution. “A lot of people don’t understand that forgiving somebody doesn’t

Divorced Catholics in the U.S.

According to a study released in September from the Pew Research C Among U.S. adults overall, 30 percent say they’ve had a divorce. Twe have sought an annulment. Of all U.S. Catholics who’ve been divorce haven’t done so because they didn’t deem it necessary.

RPIECE

September 24, 2015 • 13

in the Church

istock mean that what they did was right,” he said. “It means that you’re forgiving them, you’re letting that go. They did what they did, it’s over and done with. But if you hold the bitterness inside, it will literally eat you up. And that’s what destroys a lot of lives, and that’s where the prayer comes in.”

Marriage annulment Gagnon says putting God first in his life makes him happy; he doesn’t date. He also hasn’t pursued an annulment, a declaration from the Church that one of the essential elements of marriage was not present when the couple exchanged vows, rendering the marriage invalid.

Since he wasn’t going to date, he didn’t think an annulment was necessary.

But after a staff member of the archdiocese’s Office of Marriage, Family and Life spoke to their support group about what the sacrament of marriage means, Gagnon said he took it more seriously and is considering starting the process. He believes a lot of people don’t understand the Church’s teaching on marriage.

In early September, Pope Francis announced a streamlined annulment process in order to eliminate unnecessary and sometimes burdensome barriers toward obtaining a just and expeditious judgment. The changes are set to take effect Dec. 8, the opening day the pope’s Year of Mercy.

The Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, posted on its website a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions about the new changes. Read them at www.madisondiocese.org.

The challenge for the Church When a parish survey omitted a check box for separated or divorced status, Deacon Steele saw to its inclusion.

“People have a difficult time even going to their local separated and divorced meetings because of the stigma

Center, a quarter of U.S. Catholic adults say they’ve had a divorce. enty-six percent of the former group say they or their former spouse ed and haven’t sought an annulment — 43 percent — say they

and [wondering] who’s going to be at that meeting,” Deacon Steele said. What complicates it even more is that in small, close, heavily Catholic communities like St. Michael, “when you divorce someone in St. Michael, you divorce the community,” he explained.

To help erase the stigma many people feel, Deacon Steele said it’s important for clergy to be present at support group meetings.

“We’re not necessarily there for all their answers because we don’t understand what they’ve gone through. But at least we’re there to listen,” he said.

In ministering to people who are separated or divorced, Deacon Steele said he finds beauty in each of them and often observes them experiencing a sudden call to serve.

For instance, many of the men in the group now volunteer with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. What’s more, members of the support group have helped one another move; Gagnon has fixed lawn mowers and done yard work for group members.

“It’s amazing. In my mind, it’s somewhat miraculous,” Deacon Steele said. “It’s fun to watch it unravel and evolve, and to see them grow spiritually. They’re doing something with it. They’re active. It’s not just sit back and take it all in. You see results and fruit from all they’ve been through.

“People happen to make a bad choice in their life,” he continued. “They have so much guilt, and they feel abandoned by the Church. It’s hard to find people who are willing to minister to them. Especially clergy are uncomfortable.”

Deacon Steele said regardless of the percentage of separated or divorced Catholics, they all need to be helped, adding there should be a separated and divorced group in every parish.

“I’m not going to abandon these people, I’m not going to give up on them,” he said. “They need [the] Church so bad. I couldn’t walk away from it. They come in truly broken.”

Out from behind closed doors Although Nabors knew she wasn’t the only Catholic separated from her spouse, she didn’t know where to find others in similar situations. And she wasn’t hearing it talked about in church.

“We hear homilies on marriage frequently throughout the year . . . the traditional view or image of marriage,” she said. “But there’s a whole other group of people who are married but living apart from their spouse, and it’s something that I think isn’t really talked about — in many ways feels isn’t recognized — as something that people are doing actively in our parishes.”

Nabors pointed out that unless a Catholic has received an annulment, the Church continues to recognize a couple’s union as a marriage.

“In standing for our marriage, we’re choosing to stand for the same things as every other married Catholic, and to have that talked about a little more would be good,” she said.

For Nabors, being separated or divorced “doesn’t have to be something that’s a secret or behind closed doors,” she said. “Living out your married life when you’re separated and divorced is something that is nice to have affirmation from not only groups like Faithful Spouses, but also from the people you know in your parish, and to have them walk with you, even if it’s something they feel they can’t relate to.”

Nabors pointed out that while many aspects of marriage are private, “you publicly stood up in front of your family and your friends at the church when you got married.”

Nabors has yet to find a Catholic support group for children.

“Catholic children in this situation are put in a unique spot,” she said. “There are a lot of divorce support groups for children . . . but they focus on mommy and daddy moving on to new people; they [the groups] aren’t in a place of understanding the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage.”

Nabors has become more comfortable talking about the separation from her husband. Encounters with others have made it clear to her that Catholics who are separated or divorced need to talk more about how the Church is

Divorce FAQs From Father Timothy Cloutier, JCL, judicial vicar of the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Q. I’ve been divorced for a long time.

Why would I seek an annulment?

A. The marriage of baptized Christians is a sacrament, and is therefore an image of God’s unbreakable, faithful and fruitful bond with his people, as his bride, the Church. Following the teaching of Christ and of his apostles, therefore, the Church regards a valid marriage bond as also unbreakable, taking the parties at their word, “until death do us part.” To attempt another marriage bond while the prior bond still exists constitutes the sin of adultery.

Q. Does divorce automatically put me outside the communion of the Church?

A. A civil divorce of itself affects only the civil legal aspects of marriage: inheritance, custody of children, tax status, etc. A divorced Catholic who has not entered another marital relationship and remains chaste can receive the sacraments. In fact, it would be necessary to receive the sacraments in order to maintain one’s faithfulness and Christian life.

Q. What does annulment mean for my kids?

A. A declaration of nullity has absolutely no effect whatsoever on the legitimacy or other considerations of children born of a given marriage.

Q. Isn’t an annulment just a ‘Catholic divorce’?

A. No. A civil divorce breaks the civil effects of a civilly-recognized marriage, while a declaration of nullity — annulment — merely states that a marriage never existed because some essential element that is constitutive of marriage was absent or falsified at the moment of consent by one or both parties.

For more information about marriage and annulments in the archdiocese, visit www.archspm.org/departments/ metropolitan-tribunal guiding them through their marriage, even if only one of the spouses is honoring his or her vows.

“The people who can talk about it are the people who are experiencing it,” she said. “And if we’re not willing to step out of our comfort zone and talk about what might be a painful experience, who else is going to share this way of marriage that is so rarely talked about anywhere? . . . I think it’s something that the world needs to hear — not just Catholics: What is the love that God calls us to share with each other? And it’s so vastly different from what we see portrayed everywhere around us.”

Never-ending love Nabors approaches her sacrifice with love and fortitude.

“I think when you’re separated or divorced, there can be a feeling like unconditional love doesn’t exist,” she said.

“Your marriage isn’t the way that you envisioned it would be, but our faith gives us a third person in the marriage in Christ. His love for us never ends, and his love for us is all we ever need. . . . Christ can fill that spot in a way that your spouse couldn’t even fill.”

Nabors said she still receives the graces of the sacrament of marriage; in fact, she couldn’t continue without them, especially forgiveness, mercy and peace, she said. To see how others in Faithful Spouses are living their marriages helps her to know it’s possible for her, too, and she can do it joyfully.

14 • The Catholic Spirit

FAITH & CULTURE

September 24, 2015

Families share how they make their homes reflect their faith The Catholic Spirit The World Meeting of Families will be held for the first time in the U.S. in Philadelphia Sept. 22-25 with the aim of strengthening families in America and across the globe.

Under the theme “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive,” the four-day “congress” intends to deepen the Church’s understanding of the family and its challenges, and provide tools to build up what “Lumen Gentium” — a principal document of the Second Vatican Council — calls “the domestic Church.” Throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Catholic families are making daily efforts to build their own domestic Churches through prayer, charity and intentional living. The Catholic Spirit invited local Catholics to share their efforts to make their homes Catholic homes. The following are in their own words.

Making the saints ‘friends in heaven’ To make our home a Catholic home, we include the saints in our everyday lives. We read regularly to our children from a kids’ books of saints. Several months ago, Sara and other Catholic moms in the area participated in a saint peg doll exchange. Now our children have 50 different saints they can learn about and play with each day. We also celebrate the feast days of saints who are important to our family with special activities and treats.

Since we live within a few miles of the Cathedral of St. Paul, it’s really easy to bring the kids there on a rainy day and visit the Shrine of the Nations. We always light a candle at the St. Boniface and St. John the Baptist altars, because our family is of mixed German and French-Canadian descent. Making the saints, our friends in heaven, part of our everyday conversation and activities ensures that our children have holy role models to look up to.

John and Sara Rogers Four children, ages 16 months, 3, 5; St. Joseph, West St. Paul

Putting God first with four basic rules

Committing to family night prayer

When our kids ranged from newborn to the collegeage, we faced daily schedules juggling school programs, sports, music, paper routes, part-time jobs and more.

But we learned early on that if we put God first, nothing would be overwhelming. Our basic rules were: • Attend Sunday Mass as a family whenever possible.

Our children need to see us in prayer.

• Pray together before every meal and bedtime.

• Pray the rosary daily — even if only one decade.

Miracles will follow! Trust the Blessed Mother.

• Tell your kids often, “Our No. 1 goal for YOU is happiness for all eternity and that is only possible in heaven” (which means you may not always get your way here on earth!).

Our night prayers are the most important thing we do in our home to integrate the faith into our lives.

We examine our day, apologize for wrongs and give thanks for one thing. Then we pray The Confiteor, The Guardian Angel prayer, and close with the following aspiration:

Mary Ann and John Kuharski 13 children, ages 26-46; St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony

Creating simple daily traditions The Nicklaus family plays, prays and celebrates most everything! We play Mass with a child-sized Mass kit and vestments made from round tablecloths matching liturgical colors. Meals begin with different prayers and there is a rosary on the ride to church. Name saint feast days as well as baptismal and confirmation anniversaries are met with the simple, memorable tradition of the red plate at dinner and a treat or gift.

On a child’s baptismal day, we light their candle, remembering the questions of the Church, such as, “What name do you give this child?” We pray over the child and recall how God is working in that child’s life.

Simple, daily traditions help us grow in knowledge of our faith as we party with the saints!

Anne and Alan Nicklaus Five children, ages 7-17; Our Lady of Peace, Minneapolis

Feasting on feast days

My husband and I try to carry out God’s will in our ordinary daily life, and we try to lead our children to do the same; we work at remembering at every moment that God is our loving Father. To that end, every morning when the alarm clock goes off, we get down on our knees and offer everything to him, and every evening we get back on our knees and ask him to forgive us for all the ways that we have fallen short. Our morning offering and our nightly examination of conscience help us to live a Catholic life in all the moments in between.

One of our family’s Catholic traditions is celebrating the feast days of our patron saints. These feast days are written on our family calendar, just like birthdays and anniversaries.

How we celebrate the feast days varies from year to year. Often, the festivities include a special meal or dessert. For example, one of my daughters is Lucia, so on the Feast of St. Lucy, we enjoy cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

When our children were younger, we learned the saints’ stories, and over the years our collection of saint books, statues and holy cards has grown. Through this tradition, we hope that our children always know they are part of God’s family and have a communion of saints interceding for them every day.

Dia and John Boyle Three children, ages 15-26; Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul

Sara and Greg Damm Six children, ages 4-12; Transfiguration, Oakdale

Bookending the day with prayer

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I die in peace, and in your blessed company.”

Consequently, we are more aware of our daily struggles, humbly acknowledge those struggles before each other, and are grateful for the good while asking the holy family and our angels to be with us through the night.

Kristen and James Lang Five children, ages 3 weeks to 8 years; St. Michael, St. Michael

Embracing mission, prayer and silence As our kids are getting older, we felt like it would be important to anchor our family with a common mission statement. We talked about how we aspire to live out our lives as a Catholic family and articulated that into a basic mission statement. We have it displayed in our home and hope to incorporate it in our relationships and actions. It’s something we can speak about as we strive to treat others with love, and to do our best to live our lives for God. Since it’s nearly impossible to get a toddler to say a full prayer, we decided to come up with a simple family prayer that we could all say together. We use the prayer at the end of Mass, traveling in the car, or at the end of our dinner. Our prayer is this: “We love you Jesus, please help us be happy saints.” It’s a simple, straightforward reminder (for both adults and children) that our goal is to help one another get to heaven. It also reminds us that prayer doesn’t have to be complicated, just genuine.

We’ve also made a conscientious effort in our home to embrace the silence that occasionally falls upon our home. Granted, with small kids it is never quiet for very long, but our hope is to remove the noise of the television and radio in order to teach our family how to embrace the silence, rather than avoid it. While it never lasts long, it seems to help quiet everyone’s hearts and minds before the next exciting adventure begins.

Greg and Kate Aitchison Two children, ages 2 and 5; Our Lady of Grace, Edina

Saints helping the household Wondering what saints your family should turn to for their needs? Some saints have special connections to family roles. Saints — men and women the Church believes are in heaven — commonly asked to intercede for families (and their feast days) include:

Blessed Virgin Mary (Jan. 1) Patron of mothers

St. Joseph (March 19) Patron of fathers

St. Gianna Beretta Molla (April 28)

Patron of mothers and the 2015 World Meeting of Families

St. Eugene de Mazenod (May 21) Patron of dysfunctional families

St. Rita of Cascia (May 22)

Patron of difficult marriages, impossible causes, infertility and parenthood

St. Gerard Majella (Oct. 16) Patron of expectant mothers

St. John Paul II (Oct. 22)

Patron of World Youth Day and the 2015 World Meeting of Families

St. Nicholas (Dec. 6)

Patron of children, brides and grooms

Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin

Parents of St. Therese of Lisieux.

Their canonization is expected in October.

St. Margaret of Cortona (Feb. 22) Patron of single mothers

Sts. Joachim and Anne (July 26) Patrons of grandparents

— The Catholic Spirit

FAITH & CULTURE

September 24, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 15

Where to watch, listen and read about Pope Francis’ U.S. trip Web and social media

By Joseph McAleer Catholic News Service “All Francis, All the Time� could be the motto for media coverage of Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States Sept. 22-27.

Across network and cable television, satellite radio, the Web and social media, Catholics and the public at large are enjoying a feast of viewing and listening opportunities. Offered in Spanish as well as English, many of these options are available 24/7. Following are some of the highlights:

Television Network and cable news programs are offering extensive coverage of papal events, including liturgies, in Washington (Sept. 22-24), New York (Sept. 24-26) and Philadelphia (Sept. 26-27).

Catholic television providers, including Salt and Light Television (www.saltandlighttv.org), CatholicTV (www.catholictv.com), and the Eternal Word Television Network (www.ewtn.com), are airing live, uninterrupted programming. Check websites for schedules.

C-SPAN, the public service cable channel, has been presenting live coverage of the papal visit to all three cities. In addition to the C-SPAN1 channel, the network is also broadcasting on C-SPAN Radio and at www.c-span.org.

Time Warner Cable (www.timewarnercable.com) launched a 24-hour news channel dedicated entirely to the pope’s journey. It is available on TV, online and on the TWC News app. The Papal Visit Channel (channel 199 in most areas) is also available on Bright House cable systems.

At “The Call,� a live news call-in show telecast from New York City, viewers can discuss key issues. “Papal Visit 2015,� an in-depth nightly review program, is recapping each day’s developments.

Pope Francis accepts a copy of “Luis Antonio Tagle: Leading by Listening� from Catholic News Service Rome bureau chief Cindy Wooden as he meets journalists aboard his flight from Rome to Havana Sept. 19. CNS

Satellite radio The Catholic Channel, SiriusXM channel 129, is offering listeners nationwide comprehensive audio coverage of the papal visit. The channel’s staff of hosts and reporters, including Paulist Father Dave Dwyer, Lino Rulli of “The Catholic Guy Show� and special White House correspondent Jared Rizzi, will broadcast live, on-site, from every public event throughout the pontiff’s stay, and provide commentary on the proceedings. “The Catholic Channel will lead the way in providing coverage of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States,� said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York; the archdiocese administers the station. “People who want to know what’s happening — and what it all means — should make sure that they stay tuned to The Catholic Channel.�

A team of reporters are providing Catholic News Service (www.catholicnews.com) with in-depth coverage of the papal sojourn.

A video livestream is available online courtesy of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at www.usccb.org/ live.

The USCCB has also launched social media profiles on Twitter and Instagram, “Pope in US� and “Papa en USA.� An animated “gif� of themes associated with the papal trip accompanied the launch of these channels. #PopeInUS and #PapaEnUSA are hashtags promoted with the visit. The USCCB will post updates to Facebook at www.facebook.com/usccb and www.facebook.com/ USCCBEspanol.

Moreover, the just-launched USA Catholic Church mobile app, available for use in the U.S., is offering exclusive coverage. It is free to download at Google Play and Apple iTunes in English and Spanish. It also can be downloaded for free at www.USACatholic.church using a smartphone or tablet device.

The online Jesuit-run ministry America Media has launched a special website, papalvisit.americamedia.org, offering videos, photographs, reports from the field and analysis.

In a partnership between America Media and ABC News, Jesuit Fathers Matt Malone and Jim Martin and America’s Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell, will make regular appearances on many of the ABC News programs throughout the visit as well as on other major media outlets.

The Archdioceses of Washington (www.adw.org), New York (www.archny.org), and Philadelphia (www.archphila.org), have planned ample coverage of the pope’s stay in each of their cities.

More information and resources related to the visit of Pope Francis are available at www.uspapalvisit.org.

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16 • The Catholic Spirit

FAITH & CULTURE

September 24, 2015

Art historian explores Michelangelo’s ‘masculine’ women

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Strong shoulders, thick legs, defined muscles. The attributes were true of Michelangelo’s depictions of men, but also many of his women. In the past century, art historians have theorized that Michelangelo — creator of the world’s most famous Pieta, the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling and Last Judgment frescoes, and Florence’s David — masculinized the female form because he was a product of a patriarchal society that denigrated women, or because he found men more beautiful.

These theories never resonated with Elizabeth Lev, an art historian and American living in Rome. A soughtafter teacher and tour guide, Lev regularly encounters Michelangelo’s numerous works throughout the Vatican, Rome and greater Italy. Recent lighting improvements in the Sistine Chapel have added extra weight to her argument that the Renaissance artist had theological — not just aesthetic — ideas in mind when he gave some of his women athletic builds. Variety within his canon of women is much greater than widely perceived, she said, especially in his treatment of mothers.

Lev shared her research at the University of St. Thomas Sept. 14 before a large audience that included many former students from the university’s Catholic Studies program in Rome. In her lecture and slide presentation, she focused on Michelangelo’s women in

the Sistine Chapel — anything broader would be a semester class, she quipped.

The artist, who lived 1475-1564, is known for his “colossal” men, Lev Liz LEV said, pointing to his depictions of larger-than-life David, Adam and the Jesus of the Sistine Chapel’s Last Judgment.

Liz dispelled portraits of Michelangelo as a misogynist with his words and paintings. Although his mother died when he was a child, he grew up in a household of women and began his dictated biography by exalting his family’s ancestral matriarch. He wrote admiringly of other women in his life, and later in life he joined the Third Order Franciscans, known for their Marian esteem. His first and last works — and many in between — were of Mary, Lev noted.

She pointed to several of his works where he gave his women soft, delicate features — including in the mothers symbolizing Jesus’ genealogy on the sides of Sistine Chapel’s vaulted ceiling, where Michelangelo painted families,

not just the patriarchs.

“The Sistine Chapel is a repository of an exceptional variety of female figures,” Lev said. “He had a particular interest in painting mothers in general. . . . When you look at Michelangelo’s representation of mothers, you see a painter who is very different than the man who does those iconic symbols, very different than the sculptor who did the Pieta — a man who has a remarkably fresh, original view of motherhood that looks like he’s standing in a street of Florence.”

A lighting system installed a year ago revealed that these women were painted with careful attention to detail, despite being painted quickly — a necessity of the fresco method, where paint is applied to wet plaster. They’re in fashionable attire and are interacting with their young children — one is breastfeeding and rocking a cradle with her foot, and another juggles three children, including one who has climbed on her back. Most of the men, by contrast, are engaged in leisure activities — reading, reclining or sleeping.

Other women in the chapel include sibyls, Old Testament heroines, Eve in the ceiling’s creation sequences and martyrs in the Last Judgment. Rather than being monolithically athletic, their features and builds vary, as do their expressions and characteristics, Lev showed.

Lev highlighted the contrast between Michelangelo’s depictions of the

biblical heroines Judith and Esther.

Michelangelo places Judith in the center of the image with strong arms and shoulders. Esther, on the other hand, is tucked in the background, demure with a childlike face. Both women were equally influential in their times, but demonstrated different virtues, Lev said, which is what she thinks the artist conveyed.

In the Last Judgment, which occupies the wall behind the chapel’s altar, women do have athletic, masculine builds. This was a symbolic choice, Lev argued; the artist was trying to convey character and religious strength through powerful physiques.

Lev noted that attention and variety in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel women point to the complementarity he understood existed between the sexes and strove to convey in his art.

Lev anticipates her research will culminate in a book, her fourth since 2011. She’s also authored “The Tigress of Forli: The Remarkable Story of Caterina Riario Sforza de’ Medici” (2011), “Roman Pilgrimage: The Station Churches” with George Weigel (2013) and “A Body for Glory: Theology of the Body in the Papal Collections” (2014).

Her love of art history has roots in her childhood, she told The Catholic Spirit in an interview the day after her lecture. She was captivated by the stories, and as a teacher, she narrates the art in its context, which, she said, includes theology.

FOCUS ON FAITH

September 24, 2015

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Sharon Perkins

Avoid concealing own faults behind sins of others If you have any exposure at all to social or news media, you cannot escape the relentless public discourse about sin — even if the “s” word isn’t used. Behaviors that used to be whispered about in private, especially if committed by public figures, are now analyzed, condemned, applauded and endlessly commented upon for all to see. Following scandals through the news cycle has become a popular pastime.

This Sunday’s readings are all about

public sin and hidden sin, how condemnation of the former can serve as a smokescreen to conceal the latter, and what “scandal” really means.

Joshua, Moses’ longtime aide and a God-fearing man, responded with the best of intentions when he learned about Eldad and Medad prophesying in the camp in the same fashion as the 70 elders of Israel who had received the Lord’s spirit.

Scandalized, he protested to Moses,

The Catholic Spirit • 17

who saw through Joshua’s public complaint to the jealousy hidden beneath.

The apostle John had a similar grievance when he observed someone outside Jesus’ inner circle driving out demons in Jesus’ name. John’s wellmeaning objection concealed a deeper prejudice that led him to try to prevent the outsider from doing good.

Jesus exposed John’s hidden sin and corrected his faulty perspective in short order.

James’ epistle makes the claim that even the well-concealed injustices committed by rich and influential people will eventually see the light of day — the cries of their victims will reach “the ears of the Lord of hosts,” ensuring that hidden sin will one day be seen for the public scandal that it is.

These days, Christians can point to many public policies, cultural shifts and immoral behaviors that are objectionable to people of faith, and they can quite reasonably claim to be scandalized. The

Sunday, Sept. 27 Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings

• Numbers 11:25-29 • James 5:1-6 • Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil.” Those who have power to influence have a particular responsibility to avoid causing scandal, it says. That certainly applies to those of us within the Church who can find it much too easy to conceal our own faults behind our public comments on the sins of others.

This Catholic News Service column is offered in cooperation with the North Texas Catholic of Fort Worth, Texas.

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Sept. 27 Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Numbers 11:25-29 James 5:1-6 Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Wednesday, Sept. 30 St. Jerome, priest and doctor of the Church Nehemiah 2:1-8 Luke 9:57-62

Monday, Sept. 28 St. Wenceslaus, martyr, St. Lawrence Ruiz and companions, martyrs Zechariah 8:1-8 Luke 9:46-50

Thursday, Oct. 1 St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church Nehemiah 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12 Luke 10:1-12

Tuesday, Sept. 29 Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 John 1:47-51

Friday, Oct. 2 Holy Guardian Angels Baruch 1:15-22 Matthew 18:1-5, 10

Tuesday, Oct. 6 Jonah 3:1-10 Luke 10:38-42

Saturday, Oct. 3 Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29 Luke 10:17-24 Sunday, Oct. 4 Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Genesis 2:18-24 Hebrews 2:9-11 Mark 10:2-16

SEEKING ANSWERS Father Kenneth Doyle

Suicide and forgiveness; heaven for those B.C. Q. I need an answer. Our son had been suffering from clinical depression since he was 4 years old.

All of the doctors and all of the medications we tried over the years seemed to do little to help. One year ago, his own son died in an auto accident at the age of 24, and that seemed to be more than our son could handle; at age 50, he took his own life.

The priest from our church spent that evening with us. He told us that our son was forgiven because it was mental illness that caused him to take his life. Since my sister found out about my son’s self-inflicted death, she has refused to speak with us. I am wondering whether she believes that someone who commits

Monday, Oct. 5 Jonah 1:1–2:1-2, 11 Luke 10:25-37

suicide, no matter what the reason, is condemned forever.

I would like to have someone who is removed from the scene tell me what the Catholic Church’s thinking is on this subject.

A. Suicide, objectively, is a grave sin.

God has gifted us with life. We are only its stewards, not its masters. But in reminding us of that, the Catechism of the Catholic Church in No. 2282 is quick to note that the moral responsibility for a suicide may be diminished because the inner turmoil a person was going through precluded sound reasoning.

The catechism goes on to say in No. 2283 that “we should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have

Wednesday, Oct. 7 Our Lady of the Rosary Jonah 4:1-11 Luke 11:1-4

taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance.

The church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.”

In contrast to older versions of the Code of Canon Law, Canon No. 1184 no longer lists a person who died by suicide as someone who should not be given a Christian funeral.

Moral judgment in such cases is best left to God. The Church’s approach to the tragedy is pity, not condemnation, and your parish priest had a sound basis for the comfort he offered you.

Q. Human remains have been found that are 50,000 years old. But Christ came to earth only 2,000 years ago. Are all those “pagan” people before Jesus now in purgatory? And why did he wait so long to come?

A. My first instinct is to quibble with your use of the word “pagan” to describe all those who lived on earth before Jesus. My dictionary defines “pagan” as “a follower of a polytheistic religion” or “one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods.” I hardly think that definition fits the Jews — who fought to defend monotheism, had a strong commitment to prayer and

Thursday, Oct. 8 Malachi 3:13-20b Luke 11:5-13 Friday, Oct. 9 Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2 Luke 11:15-26 Saturday, Oct. 10 Joel 4:12-21 Luke 11:27-28 Sunday, Oct. 11 Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time Wisdom 7:7-11 Hebrews 4:12-13 Mark 10:17-30

a strict code of personal morality.

But on to your question. Catholic theology has traditionally taught that the righteous who came before Jesus were in the “limbo of the fathers,” a sort of spiritual waiting room where they remained until “in his human soul united to his divine person, the dead Christ went down to the realm of the dead. He opened heaven’s gates for the just who had gone before him,” says the Catechism of the Catholic Church in No. 637.

As to why Christ “waited so long” to come to earth, that is a matter of perennial speculation — to be answered, I suppose, only in heaven when we can ask the Lord ourselves.

One theory is that the Roman Empire provided the optimal setting, because by then common roads and a common tongue united the known world and the message of the Gospel could spread more quickly. (By that same reckoning, though, others would argue that the present day would have been better, since Twitter offers a worldwide system of instantaneous communication.)

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

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE

18 • The Catholic Spirit

GUEST COMMENTARY Father Michael Van Sloun

Finding a kindred spirit in St. Junipero Serra Editor’s note: As The Catholic Spirit went to press Sept. 22, Blessed Junipero Serra was slated to be canonized at a Sept. 23 Mass by Pope Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. My first encounter with then-Blessed Junipero Serra was when I was a Crosier religious brother on a trip to Phoenix, Arizona, in the 1980s. I have a special devotion to the Cross, and I had an aunt, now deceased, Sister Mary Eve Goering, who was a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls, so the Franciscans have a dear place in my heart. There, above the entrance to the La Casa Retreat House in Mesa was a statue of Father Serra holding a Latin cross and dressed in a Franciscan habit. I liked him right away!

Similar journeys As I learned more about St. Junipero

Serra’s life story, I discovered that we have some things in common. Father Serra had strong Catholic parents; so do I. He often attended daily Mass, was an altar server and attended a Catholic school; and so did I. I started discerning a vocation to religious life at 12 or 13; he started at 15. Father Serra entered the Franciscans at 17; I entered the Crosiers at 20. He was a college professor for eight years; I was a high school teacher for 16 years.

Father Serra was restless, and so was I. He was a brilliant college professor of philosophy and theology; I was a successful high school science teacher and athletic coach. Yet, we were both agitated, unsettled. God was shaking us.

God was pleased with what we were doing, but God wanted us to shift to a different ministry. When Father Serra was 36, he asked his Franciscan superiors if he could become a missionary to Mexico, and when I was

FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA Jason Adkins

Culture of relativism harming families, individuals, society As people from around the world gather in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families, it is important to take stock of one of the deepest challenges to the family today: moral relativism. Relativism is a powerful challenge to nurturing healthy families because it harms the moral ecology of society. It is hard for family life to flourish in a toxic moral, cultural and political ecosystem.

Agnosticism about what is good Under the practical relativism of today, Pope Francis says, “everything is irrelevant unless it serves one’s own immediate interests” (“Laudato Si’ ” 122). Therefore, because we cannot know what is good or true for anyone else, people must have broad latitude to choose their own particular, subjective truths and goods. Hence, we often hear statements such as “My truth is . . . .”

Relativism has become, in some ways, one of the defining features of our political discourse, and people on all sides of the political spectrum are beholden to it. People on the political right tend to embrace relativism in economic matters, allowing supposedly

scientific principles to guide economic relationships, empirical considerations and market ideology. Similarly, those on the political left often embrace relativism in our relationships with our bodies and sexuality, and in our family life.

Each form of relativism is deeply harmful to building a healthy culture in which the fragile life of families can flourish. In other words, relativism hinders the advancement of the common good — the sum of those conditions of social life that allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment.

Relativism and the throwaway culture In his recent encyclical “Laudato Si’ ”, Pope Francis connects moral relativism to a throwaway culture. He states: “The culture of relativism is the same disorder which drives one person to take advantage of another, to treat others as mere objects, imposing forced labor on them or enslaving them to pay their debts. The same kind of thinking leads to the sexual exploitation of children and abandonment of the

37, I asked my Crosier superiors if I could shift from brotherhood to priesthood.

Missionary par excellence This past July, I was blessed with an opportunity to make a pilgrimage to southern California to visit the Franciscan missions, nine of which were founded by Father Serra. Over the course of four days, we went from San Diego to San Francisco, visiting several missions each day. We drove along the rocky coast, over rugged mountains, across deep ravines, through forests and across several desert regions. I was delighted to be riding in a van as the engine strained. Heat fluctuations were extreme: AC in the desert, heat at elevation. Father Serra walked it all, and he covered thousands of miles by foot.

The difficulty of the route reminded me of my two pilgrimages to Greece. St. Paul set the standard for walking miles and miles to proclaim the Gospel.

St. Paul preached with courage and conviction to those who held other beliefs, and his message was so compelling that he converted many and founded one Christian community after another. Father Serra is an 18thcentury version of St. Paul. He was on fire for Christ, and nothing, not his short stature, injured leg, bouts with illness, the taxing journeys, or the sometimes disappointing results, could hold him down. Father Serra was

September 24, 2015

“Father Serra was restless, and so was I.” Father Michael Van Sloun

driven, a man on a mission to bring Jesus to as many people and places as possible. Like St. Paul, Father Serra converted many and founded one Christian community after another.

The saints The artwork in the mission churches reveals that Father Serra had a great devotion to the saints, and so do I. Father Serra held the Blessed Virgin Mary in high esteem, and she is often depicted as the Queen of Heaven, Our Lady of Guadalupe and our Lady of Sorrows. St. Joseph is often shown holding the child Jesus in his arms. In addition, St. Francis of Assisi, the founder of Father Serra’s religious order, is on display in almost every mission church, oftentimes holding a crucifix or with the stigmata in his hands. Two other Franciscan saints also receive major attention, St. Anthony of Padua, my middle name and second patron saint, and St. Bonaventure.

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata.

elderly who no longer serve our communal dimension, and the harmful interests. It is also the mindset of those acts of one can have great effects on who say: ‘Let us allow the invisible others. As Martin Luther King Jr. liked forces of the market to regulate the to say, we all do better when we all do economy, and consider their impact on better. society and nature as collateral Though every family and society is damage.’ . . . We should not think that unique, there are, as Pope Francis political efforts or the force explains, some of law will be sufficient to universally valid prevent actions which principles and truths affect the environment that must guide our because, when the culture “The tips for actions in order for us to itself is corrupt, and flourish. For example, in good living at objective truth and a household, founded universally valid principles on the marriage of a home are, are no longer upheld, then man and a woman, we laws can only be seen as prioritize our spending; generally arbitrary impositions or we keep our house clean obstacles to be avoided” and don’t soil our nest; speaking, the (No. 123). we provide for the and most same rules for weakest vulnerable first; we Renewing the new life, a good society celebrate household through protect it, nurture it and care for our loved ones — the family integral ecology when they are ill; and Pope Francis calls us to we respect each other’s writ large.” reject relativism and individuality, but instead embrace an ethic of recognize that with Jason Adkins “integral ecology,” which rights come seeks the objective good of responsibilities. both persons and the The tips for good environment, and does living at home are, justice to both. generally speaking, the same rules for a good society — the family writ large.

Notably, the term ecology, like the word economics, comes from the Greek What Popes Francis and Pope word “oikos,” meaning “household.”

Benedict XVI called “integral ecology” Though a dictatorship of relativism may is simply a new way of describing rule our culture, we all know intuitively Catholic social doctrine. Rediscover that such a regime is impractical and Catholic social doctrine to combat the harmful to the members of the dictatorship of relativism. Start with household, both individually and “Laudato Si’ ” and the Compendium of collectively. the Social Doctrine of the Church.

In a household, we understand that we are all inter-dependent. The same is Adkins is executive director of the true in families and society. Sin has a Minnesota Catholic Conference.

THIS CATHOLIC LIFE

September 24, 2015

MAKING SENSE OF BIOETHICS Father Tad Pacholczyk

Four reasons why clerk shouldn’t have been jailed for defending marriage Kim Davis, the now-famous clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky, who became known for her refusal to issue marriage licenses, was arrested and incarcerated [earlier this month]. She had refused to affix her signature to licenses being sought by two people of the same sex, even after the Supreme Court had legalized gay marriage, noting that this would force her to act against her conscience and her deeply-held religious convictions. Her resolve to stop issuing licenses under these circumstances needs to be grasped for what it really is, namely, a morally coherent course of action that respects the authentic nature of marriage and recognizes the duties of an informed conscience.

Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western University noted that Kim Davis “asked to be the person who issues marriage licenses. And the state defines who is eligible to marry,” and sometimes “the eligibility changes.”

In point of fact, however, he only begs the question under dispute.

Opponents of the Supreme Court’s

Obergefell decision stress that the state does not determine the nature of marriage; instead, it is nature that makes that determination through the radical complementarity of man and woman, a reality entirely outside the purview of the state to redefine or negate. The unique and exclusive eligibility of one man and one woman to marry each other cannot be changed by court order any more than gravity can be overturned by court decree.

Commenting on the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, Ed Peters, a canonist in Detroit, explains it this way: “Five justices imposed on marriage (true marriage, natural marriage, traditional marriage, whatever pleonastic phrase one wishes to use) the lie that marriage includes the union of two persons of the same sex. . . . The Court has published a naked, gross falsehood that tears simultaneously at the fabric of law, language, family and society. The word marriage has, and will always have, an objectively true meaning — no matter how many times it has been degraded.”

WORD ON FIRE Bishop Robert Barron

Our lives don’t belong to us It was [recently] revealed that, for the first time in its history, Harvard University, which had been founded for religious purposes and named for a minister of the Gospel, has admitted a freshman class in which atheists and agnostics outnumber professed Christians and Jews. Also . . . the House and the Senate of California passed a provision that allows for physician assisted suicide in the Golden State. As I write these words, the governor of California is deliberating whether to sign the bill into law. Though it might seem strange to suggest as much, I believe that the make-up of the Harvard freshman class and the passing of the suicide law are really related.

I suppose we shouldn’t be too surprised that non-believers have come to outnumber believers among the rising cohort of the American aristocracy. For the whole of their lives, these young people have been immersed in the corrosive acids of relativism, scientism and materialism.

Though they have benefited from every advantage that money can afford, they

have been largely denied what the human heart most longs for: contact with the transcendent, with the good, true and beautiful in their properly unconditioned form. But as Paul Tillich, echoing the Hebrew prophets, reminded us, we are built for worship, and therefore in the absence of God, we will make some other value our ultimate concern. Wealth, power, pleasure and honor have all played the role of false gods over the course of the human drama, but today especially, freedom itself has emerged as the ultimate good, as the object of worship.

And what this looks like on the ground is that our lives come to belong utterly to us, that we become great projects of self-creation and self-determination.

As the Bible tells it, the human project went off the rails precisely at the moment when Adam arrogated to himself the prerogative of determining the meaning of his life, when he, in the agelessly beautiful poetry of the book of Genesis, ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Read the chapters that immediately follow the

The Catholic Spirit • 19

Davis resolutely declined to lend her signature, and the authority of her office, to affirm this falsehood.

Even so, various commentators have tried to insist that Ms. Davis was elected to serve as a government official, and should carry out the provisions of the law even if she might not agree with them. But this argument is flawed on at least four counts.

First, the claim that public servants have a stringent duty to uphold the law tends to be selectively applied by those who make the claim. Nearly 18 months before Ms. Davis was jailed, and 15 months before the Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, another public servant in Kentucky named Jack Conway, the state Attorney General, failed to carry out his duty of defending the Kentucky Constitution that affirmed marriage to be between one man and one woman. He publicly refused to defend the law of the Commonwealth before the Supreme Court; and Mr. Conway was praised and celebrated for his decision by numerous voices in the national media and in the legal establishment. Mr. Conway’s refusal to perform this duty clearly contravened Kentucky law KRS 522.020; nevertheless, he was neither punished nor incarcerated for his failure to uphold the fundamental marriage laws of the state.

Second, it would be wrong to suppose that workers and employees are mere cogs in the machinery of governments or corporations, mindlessly following orders. Many German government officials and workers seemed to make this assumption during the last World War. Officials and employees are rather called to assist their employers in an attentive and collaborative way so that

the work of the institution or corporation they represent is marked by integrity and sound ethics. Ms. Davis sought to conscientiously protect the integrity of marriage and the work carried out in the Clerk’s Office by declining to issue licenses to two people of the same sex.

Third, when Ms. Davis was elected to the office of Clerk in Rowan County, gay marriage was still illegal, so she was elected to a position where, some time later, the ground beneath her feet abruptly shifted, and a new job description requiring her to violate her conscience was suddenly thrust upon her. Simply put, she hadn’t signed up for this.

Fourth, legality does not automatically equate to morality. If workers or officials are asked to perform a gravely immoral activity, even one sanctioned by a legislature, a parliament, or a Supreme Court, they must instead advert to a higher law, and individual conscience rights must be safeguarded to assure that they are not forced to comply with serious wrongdoing.

In sum, Kim Davis’ measured actions at the Clerk’s Office in Kentucky offer a coherent and courageous response to chaotic attempts to undermine marriage and the rule of law. Our society needs more of her coherence and courage, not less.

account of the Fall, and you will discover the consequences of this deified freedom: jealousy, hatred, fratricide, imperialism and the war of all against all. The rest of the biblical narrative can be interpreted as God’s attempt to convince human beings that their lives, in point of fact, do not belong to them. He did this precisely by choosing a people whom he would form after his own mind and heart, teaching them how to think, how to behave, and above all, how to worship.

This holy people Israel — a word that means, marvelously, “the one who wrestles with God” — would then, by the splendor of their way of life, attract the rest of the world. On the Christian reading, this project reached its climax in the person of Jesus Christ, a firstcentury Israelite from the town of Nazareth who was also the Incarnation of the living God. The coming-together of divinity and humanity, the meeting of infinite and finite freedom, Jesus embodies what God intended for us from the beginning.

Spirit, which orders our freedom and which opens up possibilities utterly beyond our capacities. To follow the promptings of this Spirit is, for Paul and for all the Biblical authors, the source of life, joy, and true creativity.

And this is precisely why Paul, one of Jesus’ first missionaries, announced him as Kyrios (Lord) to all the nations, and why he characterized himself as “doulos Christou Iesou” (a slave of Christ Jesus). Paul exulted in the fact that his life did not belong to him, but rather to Christ. In his letter to the Ephesians, he wrote, “there is a power already at work in you that can do infinitely more than you can ask or imagine.” He was referencing the Holy

The incoming freshman class at Harvard is a disturbing omen indeed, for the more our society drifts into atheism, the more human life is under threat. The less we are willing even to wrestle with God, the more dehumanized we become.

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

All of which brings me back to Harvard and legalized suicide. The denial of God — or the blithe bracketing of the question of God — is not a harmless parlor game. Rather, it carries with it the gravest implications.

If there is no God, then our lives do indeed belong to us, and we can do with them what we want. If there is no God, our lives have no ultimate meaning or transcendent purpose and they become simply artifacts of our own designing. Accordingly, when they become too painful or too shallow or just too boring, we ought to have the prerogative to end them. We can argue the legalities and even the morality of assisted suicide until the cows come home, but the real issue that has to be engaged is that of God’s existence.

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

CONSECRATED LIFE

20 • The Catholic Spirit

September 24, 2015

Brother-artist reflects on beauty, God and Matisse

By Bridget Ryder For The Catholic Spirit “Beauty is how we best encounter God,” Brother Mickey O’Neill McGrath, an artist and Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, told a gathering of consecrated men and women Sept. 13. “When we seek beauty and we find it, we become beauty for the world.”

Consecrated men and women joined with lay people in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis at St. Mary’s University Center in Minneapolis to celebrate the Vatican-proclaimed Year of Consecrated Life through prayer and art.

Brother Mickey gave two presentations at the Day of Prayer with Members of Consecrated Life. His presentation connected beauty, creativity, art and prayer.

He is an author of 11 illustrated books that depict the lives of saints or reflect on spiritual topics. His most recent work is “Dear Young People. . .

Reflections from Pope Francis for Everyone.”

At the event, Brother Mickey took the audience through a slideshow of his paintings and drawings explaining the spiritual ideas embodied in each. He also introduced attendees to “visio divina,” a type of prayer that uses visual arts and drawing to reflect on Scripture or other spiritual reading.

McGrath also called it “drawing my prayer.”

His first talk showed his illustrations of the lives of religious women from St. Hildegard of Bingen to Sister Thea Bowman.

He also showed a series of paintings on modern artist Henri Matisse and his friendship with the Dominican Sister Jacques-Marie.

He reflected on the women and sisters who had influenced his own life, including his mother and his first-grade teacher, Sister Miriam, an Immaculate Heart of Mary sister. His middle name, Louis, honors his aunt, Sister Mary Louis, a Sister of St. Joseph.

“I learned from them the presence of God and how calming that can be,” he said.

An artist since he had been a preschooler drawing under his mother’s ironing board, Brother Mickey shared how art and creativity could become a

“. . . creativity is healing.

It’s not about the product, it’s about the process.”

Brother Mickey O’Neill McGrath

An illustration of St. Hildegard of Bingen by Brother Mickey O’Neill McGrath, who spoke at a Year of Consecrated Life event Sept. 13.

Courtesy Brother Mickey spiritual path to finding the presence of God and bringing it to the world.

His drawings showed how saints and artists throughout history “have taken the ugliness the world serves us up and turned it into beauty.”

Brother Mickey pointed out that despite living through two world wars, Matisse, who died in 1954 at age 84, intentionally produced paintings that were colorful and joyful. He said Matisse had wanted his art to be for people who saw it “like sitting in an easy chair” at the end of a hard day.

“That is what meditation is about — you’re giving an easy chair for God in your heart,” Brother Mickey said.

He also pointed out how art is a cultural revolution in a society of technology, progress and constant motion.

“Miracles are happening every moment,” but technology prevents us from seeing it because it distracts one from the present moment, he said.

“This is always about the next thing,” he said, pulling out his smart phone.

Art can heal He shared how he saw the healing power of art in action in his home of Camden, New Jersey, a city with high rates of violent crime and poverty.

Asked to design an activity for a parish men’s retreat that would not involve “sharing your feelings,” he created a series of paint-by-number murals of the Holy Family and hung them in a nearby homeless shelter. The retreatants painted in the drawings.

Brother Mickey said the men who had initially protested that they couldn’t paint didn’t want to leave after three hours of work.

Guests of the shelter and people from the neighborhood also helped with the painting. McGrath said one woman told him, “I can’t tell you how calm I feel.”

“That’s why creativity is healing. It’s not about the product, it’s about the process,” he said, adding that when immersed in the creative process, one lives in the moment, which is where the presence of God is found.

McGrath also shared a series of paintings that reflected on Pope Francis’ recent encyclicals, “Laudato Si’” and “Joy of the Gospel.”

A panel gave brief responses to McGrath’s talk. Members said his presentation had led them to reflect on their own families, the importance of living in the present moment and the mystery of Christ’s Incarnation.

Pope thanks religious women for hard work

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

.

Religious, mainly women, from around the world attend an audience with Pope Francis in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Sept. 17. CNS/Paul Haring

Calling himself “a bit feminist,” Pope Francis praised women religious for always heading to the “front lines” to bring the Church’s tenderness and motherly love to those most in need.

“The Church thanks you for this, it is a beautiful witness. This is being close. Be close! Close to people’s problems, real problems,” he said during an audience Sept. 17 with young consecrated women and men from around the world, including Iraq and Syria.

About 5,000 people gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall for the hourlong papal audience; they were taking part in the World Meeting for

Young Consecrated Men and Women Sept. 15-19.

When talking about how successful evangelizers have a heart filled with fire and are driven to warm other people’s lives with Christ, the pope said he wanted to add something to that.

“Here I would like to — forgive me if I’m a bit feminist — give thanks to the witness of consecrated women. Not all of them, though; some are a bit frantic!” he said to laughter and applause.

Women religious “have this desire to always go to the front lines.

Why? Because you’re mothers, you have the maternal instinct of the Church, which makes you be near” people in need, he said.

CALENDAR

September 24, 2015 Dining out Knights of Columbus Breakfast — Sept. 27: 12:30 p.m. in the St. Vincent De Paul School Gym, 9100 93rd Ave. N., Brooklyn Park. Information: www. saintvdp.org.

Respect Life Breakfast — Oct. 4: 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at St. Albert Church Parish Center, 11400 57th St. NE, Albertville.

St. Pascal’s Men’s Club Booya — Oct. 18: 10 a.m. at 1757 Conway St.,St. Paul. Information: 651-774-0892 or rjhoffman43@msn.com.

Parish events Children’s clothing and toy sale — Sept. 26-27: (Sept. 26) 9 a.m.-2 p.m., (Sept. 27) 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 7180 Hemlock Lane N., Maple Grove. Information: 763-425-6505.

Study and faith sharing on Pope Francis’ “Joy of the Gospel” — Sept. 28; Oct. 5 and Oct. 19; Nov. 2 and Nov. 16: 6-8 p.m. at St. Olaf Church, 215 S. Eighth St., Minneapolis. Information: 612-332-7471 or Joan Miltenberger, jmiltenberger@saintolaf.org.

Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University — Tuesday evenings, Sept. 29-Nov. 24: Holy Spirit Church, 515 Albert St. S., St. Paul. For more information and to register: www.daveramsey.com/fpu/locations/ class/1001027/atid/l_ln or call 651-698-3353.

FBI Internet Safety event hosted by the ACCL Committee of St. Gabriel in Hopkins — Oct. 1: 7 p.m. at Notre Dame Academy, 13505 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka. Information: Kathleen Esh at 952-9337610.

Holy Childhood Holiday Boutique — Oct. 3: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Holy Childhood Church, 1435 Midway Parkway, St. Paul.

St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day Celebration — Oct. 3–4: (Oct. 3) 10 a.m. pet blessing and refreshments, (Oct. 4) noon-3 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 16770 13th St. S., Lake St. Croix Beach. Information: 651-436-7817.

Bishop Robert Barron’s ‘Mystery of God: Who God Is and Why He Matters’ — Tuesdays, Oct. 6– Nov. 10 at Holy Spirit Church, 515 Albert St. S., St. Paul. Information: www.holy-spirit.org Garage sale — Oct. 7-9: (Oct. 7) 1-9 p.m., (Oct. 8) 8 a.m.-8 p.m., (Oct. 9) 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 20000 County Rd. 10, Corcoran.

Information: Alice at 763-420-3349.

Parish festivals Our Lady of Peace Block Party — Sept. 25-26: (Sept. 25) 5-10 p.m.; (Sept. 26) 9 a.m.-midnight at 5426 12th Ave. S., Minneapolis. Information: www. olpmn.org.

Holy Spirit parish festival — Sept. 26: 4:30 p.m. at 515 Albert St. S., St. Paul. Tickets required. Information: www.holy-spirit.org or 651-698-3353.

St. Maron Touch of Lebanon Festival — Sept. 2627: 602 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis.

THE TWIN CITIES’ BEST Bilingual Mass at 10:00 a.m.

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

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

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

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar: • Time and date of event • Full street address of event • Description of event • Contact information in case of questions ONLINE: www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102

A note to readers As of Jan. 1, 2016, The Catholic Spirit will no longer accept calendar submissions via email. Please submit events using the form at www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions St. Michael’s Church Fall Festival — Sept. 26-27 at 337 E. Hurley St., West St. Paul. Information: 651-4572334 or www.stmichaelwsp.org.

Mendota. Information: www.fatimaonline.org.

Most Holy Redeemer fall festival – Sept. 27: 10 a.m. at Most Holy Redeemer Church, 206 Vine Ave. W., Montgomery. Information: Joyce Forcelle, 612-6690570 or jforcell@frontiernet.net.

Women’s Mid-Week Retreat — Oct. 6-8: 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Information: www. franciscanretreats.net/womens_retreat.aspx.

St. Pascal Baylon fall festival — Sept. 27: noon-5 p.m., Third Street and White Bear Avenue, St. Paul. Information: 651-774-1585.

St. Peter Fall Festival — Oct. 3-4: 4:30 p.m. at 2600 Margaret St. N., North St. Paul. Information: www. churchofstpeternsp.org, or Cathy Muellner at 651-7778304.

Holy Rosary/Santo Rosario Festival — Oct. 4 at 2424 18th Ave. S., Minneapolis. Information: 612-7243651.

St. Casimir Fall Festival and Polka Mass — Oct. 4: 9 a.m. at 927 E. Jessamine Ave., St. Paul. Information: 651-774-0365.

St. Francis de Sales Booya and Fall Fiesta — Oct. 4: 10 a.m. at Highland Park Pavilion, 1200 Montreal Ave., St. Paul. Information: 651-228-1169.

St. Peter fall festival — Oct. 4: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at 1405 Hwy. 13, Mendota.

St. Albert Fall Festival — Oct. 11: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at 11400 57th St. NE, Albertville. Information: www.churchofstalbert.org.

Prayer and worship

Retreats

Women’s Weekend Retreat — Oct. 9-11: 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Information: www.franciscanretreats.net/womens_retreat.aspx.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend — Oct. 9-11: Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. Information: www.wwme.org.

Women’s Day of Renewal — Oct. 10: 10 a.m.5 p.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Church, 155 County Rd. 24, Wayzata. Information: www.hnoj.org/womensday-renewal.

“Always The Seeker: The Spirituality of Thomas Merton” men’s silent retreat — Oct. 16-18: Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Information: 952-447-2182 or www.franciscanretreats.net.

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

Schools Immaculate Conception School Alumni Homecoming — Oct. 3: 4–9 p.m. at 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. Information: Principal Jane Bona, 763-788-9065, www.ICCSonline.org.

Speakers

Señor de los Milagros Mass of the Lord of the Miracles — Oct. 4: 12 p.m. at St. Olaf Church, 215 S. Eighth St., Minneapolis. Free parking in the Energy Ramp at Ninth Street and Third Avenue. Information: www.saintolaf.org.

Immaculee Ilibagiza Sharing her Story of Survival and Forgiveness amidst the Rwandan Holocaust — Sept. 29: 7:20-9 p.m. at Coffman Memoria Union Theatre, 300 SE Washington Ave., Minneapolis.

Information: www.umncatholic.com/parishappreciation-bbq/

Visitation of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue (IPVS) of Our Lady of Fatima — Oct. 10: 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. at St. Peter Church, 1405 Sibley Memorial Hwy.,

Human trafficking panel discussion with Artika Roller, a survivor from Women’s Advocates, and Ramsey County Attorney John Choi — Oct. 6:

BOOYA

As well as assorted American and Hispanic food. Games for all ages

Sunday, Oct. 4 Highland Park Pavillion

Festival begins at 11:30 a.m.

St. Francis de Sales Booya and Fall Fiesta St. Paul Police Band performs at 1:00 p.m.

7-8:30 p.m. at Lumen Christi Catholic Community, 2055 Bohland Ave., St. Paul. Information: www.lumenchristicc.org.

CALENDAR submissions

Our Lady of Mount Carmel festival — Sept. 27: 701 Fillmore St. NE, Minneapolis. Information: 612623-4019.

ANNUAL MULTICULTURAL PARISH FESTIVAL

ALL ARE INVITED!

Call Pam (651) 228-1169 for additional details

NOTICE Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from

SOLIDARITY FINANCIAL INC. in some copies of this issue.

The Catholic Spirit • 21

“Raising Christian Children in a Secular World” — Oct. 19: 7 p.m., presented by Mary Ann Kuharski, director of ProLife Across America, at St. Joseph Church, 13900 Biscayne Ave. W., Rosemount.

Other events Lakes Life Care Center’s Passion for Life Banquet — Sept. 25: 5:30 p.m. at the American Legion, 5383 140th St., Hugo. Tickets and information: www.

FriendsOfLakesLifeCareCenter.org or call 651-464-0262.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul eighth annual Friends of the Poor Walk — Sept. 26: 1 p.m. at Assumption Church, 305 E. 77th St., Richfield, followed by a picnic lunch prior to the 4 p.m. Mass. A social hour and dinner will follow Mass. All proceeds and donations to benefit people in the Twin Cities area served by SVdP. Free. Information: www.fopwalk.org.

Lawyers’ Guild of St. Thomas More 65th Annual Red Mass and breakfast — Sept. 28: 8-10 a.m. at the University of St. Thomas Law School Schulze Grand Atrium, 1000 Lasalle Ave., Minneapolis.

Father Larry Snyder, UST vice president of mission, presiding. Information: www.thomasmoremn.org or thomasmoremn@gmail.com.

Catholic Defense League Annual Dinner — Sept.

29: 6-9 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 835 Second Ave. NW, New Brighton. Information: www.cdlmn.org.

Seminars and workshops Reaching for Faith conference — Oct. 3: 8 a.m.noon at St. Raphael Church, 7301 Bass Lake Road, Crystal. Information: www.straphaelcrystal.org or 763-537-8401.

Catholic Perspective on Dying: Renewing End of Life Care and Obligations of a Holy Death — Oct. 21: 5 p.m. at the University of St. Thomas – Center for Catholic Studies Chapel and McNeely Hall, southwest corner of Summit and Cleveland Avenues, St. Paul.

Information: visit www.curatioapostolate.com, or contact 612-840-7066.

Life in the Spirit seminar — Thursdays through Oct. 22: 7 p.m. in the chapel at Church of St. Paul, 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd. NE, Ham Lake. Information: cosplifeinthespirit@gmail.com.

Career Transition group meeting — Third Thursday of every month: 7:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Community, 155 County Road 24, Medina. The Career Transition Group is for people looking for work, changing careers, or looking to improve skills and network. For more information, visit www.hnoj.org/career-transition-group.

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

22 • The Catholic Spirit

September 24, 2015

Synod on family to have Family generations, Franciscan friars mark worldwide participation Union Hill legacy upon 150th anniversary Continued from page 10

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit

Conference of Catholic Bishops were Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston; Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, conference president; Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, host of the World Meeting of Families; and Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles.

Many of the papally appointed observers and experts are active in family ministries and pastoral care, canon law and moral theology, and did not attend last year’s extraordinary synod.

Among the nonvoting members invited to attend are: • U.S. Sister Maureen Kelleher, a member of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Mary and an attorney who provides legal assistance and attention to immigrants in Florida.

• Catherine Witczak and Anthony Witczak of Philadelphia, former leaders of the International Ecclesial Team of Worldwide Marriage Encounter.

• John Grabowski, professor of moral theology at The Catholic University of America, Washington.

Fourteen “fraternal delegates” will represent other Christian communities, such as the Lutheran, Anglican and Baptist communities. Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, director of foreign relations for the Moscow Patriarchate, also is expected to attend.

The ordinary general assembly of the Synod of Bishops is focusing on “The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and the Contemporary World.” It will draw up pastoral guidelines responding to previous discussions looking at the challenges facing today’s families. It is expected the pope will then write a postsynodal apostolic exhortation that takes up the themes of the synod and develops them further.

When parishioners observe the 150th anniversary of St. John the Evangelist in Union Hill, Ron Pint may not be the only one who was there 50 years earlier when the parish observed its centennial.

Descendants of his and other families who founded the parish continue to live in the farmland west of New Prague and make St. John their spiritual home.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens will preside at the 10 a.m. anniversary Mass Oct. 11. The sesquicentennial celebration will continue following Mass with a reception at the Knights of Columbus Hall in New Prague.

Union Hill is five miles west of New Prague on Hwy. 19 and approximately 40 miles southwest of the Twin Cities.

Pint is a descendant of John Pint, patriarch of one of the 44 founding families of the Union Hill parish.

He lives right next door to the church.

“It’s a good parish,” Pint said. “I’ve lived there 76 years, all my life.

“I was baptized there, made my first Communion there and my confirmation there. I was married there, and I’ll probably by buried from there,” he said with a chuckle.

Like the majority of the founding parishioners, Pint’s ancestors emigrated from Germany, he said.

Victorin Ruhland’s thorough parish history, written for the centennial, noted that the availability of land to farm attracted the settlers, most of whom came from the Rhenish Provinces or Rhineland in what was then part of Prussia.

Repelled twice in their attempts to establish a parish because they were seen to be too close to other churches, the earlier settlers finally succeeded in getting permission from Bishop Thomas Grace in 1867. Father Alexander Berghold was the first pastor.

Leadership of the parish was transferred to the

St. John the Evangelist’s graveyard adjacent to the 150-year-old church is a visual reminder of the generations who have shared its parish life. Bob Zyskowski/The Catholic Spirit Franciscan Fathers in 1875. Franciscan Father Fabian Rechtiene led efforts to build a brick gothic-style church that was completed in 1883 and is still in use.

Among the Franciscans who served the people of Union Hill was the well-loved Father Elgar Bockenfeld, pastor from 1966 to 2010, nearly 44 years.

Father Bockenfeld’s remains are buried in the parish cemetery across the road from the church.

Today St. John the Evangelist is a part of the Western Catholic Community that is served by and part of St. Wenceslaus in New Prague. Father David Barrett of the St. Wenceslaus staff serves St. John the Evangelist, as well as St. Scholastica in nearby Heidelberg, as regional associate pastor.

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Going deeper into riches of mission

By Chris Codden The mission to serve our communities as Christians has become increasingly more difficult over the past few decades.

The United States, particularly, has shifted away from a Christian culture, drifting away from its foundation based on Judeo-Christian beliefs and values.

Christians, who live out the teachings of their church and are guided by their faith, have now become a minority.

In other parts of the world, Christians have never been the majority and, therefore, understand the struggles that being a Christian can bear — such as being taken as irrelevant, looked at as intolerant or unenlightened. But for us, this is a fairly new phenomenon.

In this new reality, it is necessary for us to boldly proclaim our faith. We believe there is right and wrong, a set of moral truths that comes from God alone. Our presence and voice in society, media, politics and institutions will help the world to become a better place.

When we face certain situations that are challenging because of a secular worldview, it takes courage and fortitude to stand up for life and our faith. “Do not live entirely isolated, having retreated into yourselves as if you were already justified, but gather instead to seek the common good together” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1905).

Even more critical is fostering the Gospel in our homes: teaching our children the truth that only comes from Christ and his Church, instilling in them their inherent dignity and responsibility as disciples, inspiring in them the truth that the family is founded on a communion of love — marriage, where two people become one flesh, indissoluble and the backbone of society.

Through marriage, a husband and wife are united for all of life, and through the gift of themselves are generously open to the precious gifts that God entrusts to them: children. Our children, as gifts, are unrepeatable, unique and — as the Catechism of the Catholic Church says — the “crowning glory” of a Christian marriage. Our home becomes a place where children learn by loving example how to love and disagree, how to compromise and forgive, and how to serve each other and the community.

By this witness to our children, we can offer the world a society of love, peace and mercy. For it is through our daily decisions regarding the importance of life and love that the woundedness that engulfs so much of the world today can find healing and grace.

In 1981, St. John Paul II wrote his apostolic exhortation on the synod on the family, titled “Familiaris Consortio.”

He said, “We must therefore go deeper into the unique riches of the family’s mission and probe its contents, which are both manifold and unified.” Thirty-four years later, as we prepare for the World Meeting of Families followed by a new synod on the family, may we too search for a deeper understanding of serving the family.

Codden is director of the Office of Marriage and Family of the Diocese of St. Cloud.

WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES

The Catholic Spirit • 23

‘I give my child to the Lord, along with my heart.’

When doctors suggested abortion, a Waite Park couple answered ‘no’ Choosing life

Victor Torres Limon and Lucia Torres Ramirez pose for photos after their wedding ceremony at St. Joseph Church in Waite Park Aug. 22. Edith Hernandez-Fussy/For The Visitor

By Kristi Anderson For The Catholic Spirit On May 12, Lucia Torres Ramirez and Victor Torres Limon, who were expecting their fifth child this month, headed to their local clinic for the baby’s first ultrasound. They were happy to learn that their four children — Christopher, 11, Madeline, 8, Kailynn, 5, and Hellen, 2 — would welcome a new brother.

“Sometimes I couldn’t believe [that] God had sent me another baby,” Ramirez, who speaks Spanish, said through a translator. “At that moment, my happiness was so big, I gave thanks to God for the blessing. I began to love my little one with all my heart. I began to love him the same way I love my other children.”

Four days later, Ramirez received a phone call from the clinic asking her to return for another ultrasound.

“I started to feel anxious and I began to cry out of fear. At that moment, for simply not knowing what was happening, I was scared. I told my husband that I needed to have another ultrasound, and he comforted me, saying not to worry,” she said.

Ramirez went to the appointment and, after a two-hour ultrasound, the nurse confirmed her worst fears.

“She told us that the baby had some cysts in his brain,” Ramirez said. “The nurse said that the doctor would come to explain in detail what was occurring.

She told me she needed to draw a blood sample to see if it was Trisomy 18.”

Trisomy 18, also known as Edwards syndrome, is a condition caused by an error in cell division. According to the Trisomy 18 Foundation’s website, it disrupts the normal pattern of development in significant ways that can be life-threatening, even before birth. A Trisomy 18 error occurs in about one out of every 2,500 pregnancies in the United States. Significant numbers of stillbirths occur in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Infants who survive typically

God made us for a reason.

His love is our life mission.

This mission enables us to find our true identity. If we choose to embrace this mission, we will have a new perspective on many issues, not just the family. To live the mission of the domestic Church means that Catholic families will sometimes live as minorities with different values than their surrounding culture. Our mission of love will require courage and fortitude. Jesus is calling and we can respond, choosing lives of faith, hope, charity, joy, service and mission.

–World Meeting of Families

require home nursing support to assist the parents. Many of these children do not live beyond their first birthdays, according to the Trisomy 18 Foundation. However, there are children with the condition who can enjoy many years of life with their families.

“I couldn’t understand what that disease was,” Ramirez said. “I had to keep asking [questions] in order to comprehend. The nurse said that babies who have deformities of the heart and have cysts in the brain are [likely to be] Trisomy 18. The baby has a very slim chance of living or not finishing the pregnancy. I felt huge pain with that news.”

Devastated, Ramirez returned home to await the final test results.

“I felt angry with myself,” she said. “I became furious with God for what he was doing to me. At that same moment, I was asking him for strength to go forth.”

When the test results came back positive for Trisomy 18, Ramirez and her husband returned to meet with the doctor.

“It was a slap to the face what the clinic proposed. They asked if I wanted to abort my child,” she said. “I answered no. I was going to fight with my son because my son lives. It’s God’s will and I give my child to the Lord, along with my heart.”

As she neared the end of her pregnancy, the family anxiously awaited the gift of their son and brother.

“Thanks to God and people’s prayers, we continue the battle,” Ramirez told

The Visitor. “I enjoy every kick that he gives me in my womb, which to me are little lights of hope. I have dreams where he is so beautiful. I smile at him, I kiss him, I hug him with all my love.

Happy and anxious I await the day of his arrival. I will always carry him in my heart and mind.”

Ramirez and her family are grateful for the support of their pastor, Father Oswaldo Roche, and their entire parish community at St. Joseph in Waite Park.

“God always wants us to choose life,” Father Roche said. “We are their family now, and we pray for them, for this couple, this child. When things like this happen, we grow in our faith. God will bless this family for making the decision to choose life.”

As their faith deepened, Ramirez and Torres also made another decision — to prepare for and receive the sacrament of marriage. The couple wed Aug. 22 at St. Joseph.

“We decided to get married because of the love we have for each other; we know that this is a covenant with God,” Ramirez said. “We wanted our children to see our union blessed and give them an example of what a holy matrimony is. We also wanted to await the arrival of [this] child knowing we had God’s blessing. And, we wanted to experience the most beautiful of experiences, which is to receive Christ in the Eucharist.”

Ramirez believes this is all part of a divine plan. “This experience has strengthened my Catholic faith,” she said. “It has brought me closer to God because I know God has the last word and God has a purpose for us through this experience.”

For this child, that divine plan 11th in a series: allowed for a life all too short.

He was stillborn Sept. 12, shortly Choosing Life after this story first appeared in In partnership with the The Visitor, newspaper of the Diocese of St. Cloud. Ramirez publications of all Minnesota and Torres’ parish family is dioceses, The Catholic Spirit supporting them through this featured an 11-part series on difficult time. families based on the World

Meeting of Families’ 10 themes.

Anderson is a staff writer for The Visitor in St. Cloud.

24 • The Catholic Spirit

THE LAST WORD

September 24, 2015

ABOVE Teacher Carolyn Kohlhaas, center, shows a chalice to fifth-graders Sarah Turner, left, and Maia Irwin at the gestures altar in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium. TOP RIGHT Displays with art and symbols are spread throughout the atrium for students to explore. BOTTOM RIGHT Fifth-grader Catherine Schue works to match names of saints with their figures/symbols.

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit During her earliest school years, Madeline Alinder frequently spent time in a room equipped with the elements of a miniature Mass, including an altar not much taller than a priest’s knees, a tiny chalice and child-sized vestments.

Now, because of the understanding of the Eucharist she gained in that little sanctuary located in a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd “atrium,” the high school junior doesn’t just show up for Sunday Mass, but actively participates.

“You can read about Mass parts and everything that happens in Mass, but actually, to be hands-on and understand that the Holy Spirit comes down, you remember that every time you’re in Mass,” said Alinder, 16, a parishioner of St. Patrick in Oak Grove. “You know what’s happening.”

Alinder, a student at Blaine High School, learned not only about the Eucharist, but also about Christ, Scripture and other aspects of the faith in her Catechesis of the Good Shepherd classes at The Way of the Shepherd, a Catholic Montessori school in Blaine, which she attended from preschool through fifth grade.

In parishes and schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, children ages 3 through sixth grade are learning the faith and how to pray in a Catechesis atrium — a room specially arranged for them with child-sized furnishings and materials. Along with their catechist’s presentations, the quiet atrium helps children discover God on their own and, gradually, other Church teachings, including moral law and salvation history.

In a Catechesis class during their school day or at evening classes after school, children learn and pray differently from how they would with textbooks, catechists and teachers say. Parents learn with their children while non-Catholic families and special education teachers appreciate how the program teaches faith at each child’s level.

The archdiocese isn’t involved in implementing Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in schools and parishes, but it respects the fruits of the program, said Jason Slattery, archdiocesan director of the Office for the Mission of Catholic Education. “It can be a favorable choice for families and children as a means of Catholic formation.”

Italian roots, international reach There is no archdiocesan record of local Catechesis programs, but at least eight local Catholic parishes and schools have programs, and four more are considering

‘Let the children come to me’ Forming the youngest Catholics through Catechesis of the Good Shepherd starting them.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is an international method using Montessori principles that was developed in Rome in 1954 by two Italian educators. The Montessori approach emphasizes independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological, physical and social development.

The National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is part of an international council that holds standards for catechist formation and atrium preparation, said Mary Mirrione, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based association’s national director. More than 2,000 atria operate in U.S. parishes, homes and schools, she said.

In a typical program, classes of about 12 students meet in one of three age-appropriate atria. The level one atrium focuses on the Gospel and Christ to help children establish a personal relationship with God before learning the moral law, said Christina Stokman, Good Shepherd program director at St. Joseph in West St. Paul, which offers three catechesis levels in evening and school programs.

Since many children in the first atrium can’t yet read, they experience Christ there in other ways, said Coreen Wagenbach, children’s ministry director at St. Peter in North St. Paul, which started its program two years ago.

When Jenna Williamson’s now-6-year-old son Charlie started in the Catechesis two years ago at St. Peter in North St. Paul, she said he wasn’t used to the quiet, but now he enjoys it. “I think there’s that peaceful, contemplative, repetitive work that he really likes,” she said.

The Catechesis helps children develop thinking skills, said Benjamin Brekke, who trained as a catechist this summer and teaches at St. Croix Catholic School in Stillwater. “It’s a lot about questioning and letting them

think for themselves, and not just giving them the answers,” he said.

The Catechesis in Catholic schools helps build Catholic identity as children understand their place in the faith story and unite that with what they learn in school, said Brekke, a parishioner of St. Mark in St. Paul, which also has an atrium.

‘Completely God’s work’ Children on the autism spectrum and the developmentally disabled also have benefited from the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Mirrione said.

The developmentally disabled adults that Vincent Lubbers and Cindy Boyer teach at St. Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center love the atrium and learn well in it, they said. They received level-two training this summer.

St. Alphonsus used the Catechesis in special education last year, Lubbers said.

Parents who haven’t been catechized well don’t always understand what their children are learning, Wagenbach said. They also need help in making the lessons more concrete for their children, she said.

Mirrione said the National Association of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd has materials on its website, www.cgsusa.org, to help parents, along with a parent guidebook.

Williamson said she trained as a catechist this year so she could better talk to her children about what they were learning. A convert to Catholicism, she also sought a better understanding of Catholic faith basics and Scripture.

While the Catechesis is essentially Catholic, it is open to Christians of other denominations, Mirrione said.

Anglican, Episcopal, Orthodox, Methodist and others have used it because it offers a way of serving God and children.

Parishes and schools sometimes find it difficult to dedicate a room as an atrium, but Mirrione said portable components can make sharing the space possible. St. Peter has a portable atrium, along with two permanent ones, Wagenbach said.

When children are encouraged to grow in their relationship with the Lord through the Catechesis, the fruit is evident, said Teri Jackson, a parishioner of Transfiguration in Oakdale and catechist who has taught at several schools.

“You see the joy, awe and wonder that happens in these kids just through the Holy Spirit and through the work,” she said. “So many things happen that are not of us. It’s just completely God’s work.”