The Catholic Spirit - January 7, 2011

JANUARY 7, 2011

Celebrating

a century of news and inspiration to guide our hearts.

CATHOLIC BULLETIN

1911 O n e f a i t h Many stories 1 0 0 y e a r s

2011 THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Commemorative Centennial Section • Regular Issue Inside

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100 YEARS

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

CELEBRATING A CENTURY OF CATHOLIC JOURNALISM I’ve been at The Catholic Spirit for almost six years now. That amounts to only about 6 percent of its history — a drop in the bucket when it comes to the newspaper’s century of service to Catholics of the See related archdiocese. editorial on But I’ve come to learn a lot page 5B about and appreciate that history during my tenure as editor, particularly over the last several months as we made preparations to commemorate this centennial year.

The celebration began Jan. 6 with a gathering in Minneapolis for friends and supporters of The Catholic Spirit who wanted to help us remember our past but also look ahead to the future of Catholic journalism in our archdiocese.

It continues with this special centennial issue — dated Jan. 7, our exact 100-year anniversary — that features the story of our beginning, a timeline of historic events the newspaper covered over the years, reminiscences from former staffers, an interview with Archbishop John Nienstedt and a story about how digital and social media are changing how and what we do.

We have another anniversary event planned for this fall to help parishes with their communications efforts. (Look for more information in future issues of the Spirit.)

In the meantime, please enjoy this special issue as we kick off our centennial year and recommit to our mission of informing, inspiring and nurturing a spirit of community within our local church.

— Joe Towalski, editor

HOW IT BEGAN

Newspaper served to unite Catholics

By Julie Carroll The Catholic Spirit

“Beloved brethren: In the early days of the new year, a new messenger of Catholic truth, a new advocate and defender of your holy faith, appeals to you for a cordial welcome to your homes, for an To read a earnest and loyal supcolumn by port in the purposes it holds in view, in Archbishop the work to which it John Ireland consecrates itself. . . .” that appeared With those words, in the first issue St. Paul’s first archbishop, John Ireland, of The bestowed his blessing Catholic on The Catholic BulBulletin, go to letin, The Catholic WWW.THE Spirit’s predecessor, in its inaugural Jan. 7, CATHOLICSPIRIT. 1911, edition.

COM. So began a journalistic tradition that has endured a century.

‘All things to all men’ The archdiocese did publish an earlier newspaper, the Northwestern Chronicle, from the 1860s until 1900; however, Archbishop Ireland sold the paper to a Milwaukee publishing company because of mounting debt, according to church historian Father Marvin O’Connell.

For 10 years, the archdiocese went without a newspaper until the summer of 1910, when Archbishop Ireland announced at a clergy retreat his plan to begin publishing The Catholic Bulletin.

Thirty-eight-year-old editor Father James Reardon, an archdiocesan recruit from Prince Edward Island in Canada, worked on the paper in a rented office

The Catholic Spirit The Catholic Spirit’s mission is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It seeks to inform, educate, evangelize and foster a spirit of community within the Catholic Church by disseminating news in a professional manner and serving as a forum for discussion of contemporary issues.

Vol. 16 — No. 1 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT BOB ZYSKOWSKI JOE TOWALSKI Publisher Associate publisher Editor Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by Catholic Spirit Publishing Company.

Subscriptions: $29.95 per year — Senior 1-year: $24.95 To subscribe: (651) 291-4444 Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444 — Classified advertising: (651) 290-1631 Published bi-weekly by the Catholic Spirit Publishing Company, a non-profit Minnesota Corporation, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. www.TheCatholicSpirit.com — e-mail: catholicspirit@archspm.org USPS #093-580

“BELOVED BRETHREN: IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE NEW YEAR, A NEW MESSENGER OF CATHOLIC TRUTH, A NEW ADVOCATE AND DEFENDER OF YOUR HOLY FAITH, APPEALS TO YOU FOR A CORDIAL WELCOME TO YOUR HOMES. . . .”

ARCHBISHOP JOHN IRELAND space at Fifth and Minnesota streets in downtown St. Paul, Father O’Connell wrote in “Pilgrims to the Northland.”

The first issue of the eight-page weekly broadsheet — all text and no pictures — was mailed to 2,500 subscribers at an annual rate of $1.50.

The purpose of the newspaper, Father O’Connell said in an interview, “was to keep Catholics in the faith, to keep them united, and to help them understand how their religion would fit into what was a different kind of culture than the

ones they were used to in Europe.”

“In a word,” it said on page 4 of the first issue, “The Catholic Bulletin will have for its object to supplement the catechism lesson and the pulpit sermon, bringing each week into the family life not merely news of the Catholic world, but positive, clear, well-defined instruction in Catholic dogma and Catholic precept, affording its readers arguments in defense of the faith, building up in every PLEASE TURN TO CATHOLIC ON PAGE 14A

Bishop John M. LeVoir rejoices with the Catholic faithful of the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota on the occasion of

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY WE PRAY THAT THE LORD WILL BLESS YOUR MISSION TO INFORM, EDUCATE AND EVANGELIZE.

100 YEARS

JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

WAR ENDS — BEGINS TIMELINE HIGHLIGHTS PEOPLE AND EVENTS THROUGHOUT A CENTURY OF DEADLINES AT CATHOLIC BULLETIN AND CATHOLIC SPIRIT

1911 First issue of the Catholic Bulletin published, Jan. 7.

1919 Father John Volz named ARCHBISHOP editor IRELAND of the Catholic Bulletin. * Msgr. John A. Ryan, a St. Paul priest, leads the National Catholic Welfare Conference’s Social Action Department, which issues a “radical� Bishops’ Program of

1936 Catholic Digest magazine founded by St. Paul priest Father Louis Gales and edited by Father Paul Bussard.

1938 Catholic Youth Centers opened in both St. Paul and Minneapolis.

1915 First Mass in “new� Cathedral of St. Paul, Archbishop John Ireland presiding. * Pro-Cathedral of St. Mary dedicated.

1918 Archbishop John Ireland dies, Sept. 25. * World War I ends.

1929 Great Depression starts. Churches feed the hungry.

1939 Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli elected Pope Pius XII.

Social Reconstruction calling for minimum wage laws, child labor laws, regulation of public utilities.

1923 Nazareth Hall opens for classes as the archdiocese’s minor seminary.

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1925 Bernard Vaughn named first lay editor of the Catholic Bulletin, a post he held for 33 years.

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1926 Pro-Cathedral in Minneapolis named a minor basilica, the first in the United States, with the new name, the Basilica of St. Mary.

1927 Diocesan Teachers College opened in James J. Hill home with 250 religious sisters registered for classes.

1928 Al Smith, governor of New York, first Catholic to run for president, defeated by Herbert Hoover.

Smith said Republican Party used his religion to defeat him.

1940 Resurrection Cemetery consecrated.

1941 Ninth National Eucharistic Congress held in Twin Cities. * Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. U.S. enters World War II. * Family Rosary Crusade for peace.

1945 U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.

1947 Catholics asked to pray for the conversion of Russia.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4A

LOOKING BACK

Associate publisher Bob Zyskowski searched the newspaper’s archives to produce the following timeline of events and significant people in the life of the church in this archdiocese, which were all featured in The Catholic Bulletin and The Catholic Spirit.

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100 YEARS

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

TURBULENT TIMES

LOOKING BACK

1960 John F. Kennedy, first Catholic elected U.S. president.

1962 Second Vatican Council opens Oct. 11. * Cuban Missile Crisis Oct. 14 to 28.

1963 President John F. Kennedy assassinated Nov. 22.

1964 Sister Giovanni Gourhan, SSND, starts a PRESIDENT KENNEDY summer program to serve Latino youth at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in St. Paul. It leads to alternative education programs for high-risk youth: the Guadalupe Area Project.

1965 Mass in the vernacular with the priest facing the congregation is approved.

1966 Archdiocese of St. Paul officially renamed Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

1969 Man walks on the moon, July 20.

1970 Priests of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis begin missionary service to parishes in Venezuela.

Mission is served today by Father Greg Schaffer and Father Thomas McCabe.

1973 U.S. Supreme Court legalizes abortion.

1976 First permanent deacons in archdiocese ordained.

1978 Cardinal Karol Wojtyla elected the first Polish pope, first non-Italian since 1523. He takes the name Pope John Paul II. 1978 Minnesota Supreme Court

decides in favor of Catholic Bulletin in 17-month suit to obtain abortion data from state computer records.

Considered a landmark decision in the public’s rightto-know how public funds are being used, the efforts won the National Newspaper Association’s freedom of information award. The data showed that in both 1976 and 1977 more than 2,000 claims were filed each year by abortion providers, and they were paid $414,106.94 and $391,019.84 from tax funds those two years.

1979 Pope John Paul II visits Poland, sparking formation of the Solidarity labor movement, which brought freedom and human rights to his native land. * Pope John Paul II visits Ireland and the United States. * Father J. Michael Joncas composes “On Eagle’s Wings.”

1980 Paulist Father Thomas Comber named publisher

of the Catholic Bulletin. * Archbishop Oscar Romero assassinated by a government soldier while presiding at Mass in San Salvador, El Salvador. * Archbishop John R. Roach elected president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

While president, he guided the development of the U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter on war and peace and initiated the bishops’ pastoral letter on the U.S. economy. * Bodies of four U.S. women missionaries discovered in El Salvador. Maryknoll Sisters Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel and lay volunteer Jean Donovan were murdered.

1981 EWTN, Eternal Word Television Network launched

by Mother Angelica. * NET Ministries team does first retreats for teens in Minnesota.

What started as part of the St. Paul Catholic Youth Center, now is a separate ministry under the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis and reaches across the United States and into Canada and Australia. * Catholic Eldercare nursing home established in northeast Minneapolis.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

May people everywhere dedicated to staying informed and continuing to learn about their faith and community celebrate your 100 years of award-winning Catholic journalism!

Our congratulations and best wishes from our whole community at St. John’s SAINT JOHN’S COMMUNITY

100 YEARS

JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

ENTERING A NEW ERA faith-sharing approach. * Bob Zyskowski named editor of the Catholic Bulletin.

1983 U.S. bishops approve a pastoral letter, “The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our Response,” which derided the use of nuclear deterrence.

1994 Archbishop Harry J. Flynn appointed coadjutor archbishop, to succeed Archbishop John R. Roach Sept. 8, 1995.

1984 Patricia Gries named director of Center for Ministry and of Ministry Personnel in Archbishop John R. Roach’s cabinet — the GRIES first woman in a cabinet position. * College of St. Catherine names Anita Pampusch first lay president.

1985 Mary Jo Copeland opens Sharing and Caring Hands in downtown Minneapolis as an outreach to the poor and homeless, funded solely through private donations.

1986 RENEW program of parish and individual spiritually launched in the archdiocese using small group

1996 Catholic Bulletin name changed to The Catholic Spirit. * “Dead Man Walking” — film based on Sister Helen Prejean’s work with prisoners on death row — earns four Oscar nominations and the Oscar for Best Actress for Susan Sarandon, who played the St. Joseph of Medaille nun. * Father Chue Ying Vang installed as first Hmong pastor in the United States at St. Vincent De Paul, St. Paul. * Archbishop Harry Flynn initiates “A Community Caring for Life” program to be established in

1997 Fred Johnson is the first black man in Minnesota to be ordained a permanent deacon. * Diana, princess of Wales, dies in an auto accident.

1999 Mercado Central opens in south Minneapolis as an authentic Latino marketplace, business incubator and cultural center. * Mike Krokos named editor of The Catholic Spirit.

to the University of St. Thomas.

2004 The Catholic Spirit earns first place for General Excellence from the Catholic Press Association.

2005 Joe Towalski named editor of The Catholic Spirit.

2006 The Catholic Spirit earns first place for General Excellence from the Catholic Press Association.

2007 Archbishop John Nienstedt appointed coadjutor archbishop. * The Catholic Spirit earns first place for General Excellence from the Catholic Press Association. * I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River collapses.

2000 Safe Place for Newborns becomes law, countering abandonment of infants. * Richard Schultze, founder of Best Buy, donates $50 million

2008 Archbishop Flynn retires, succeeded by Archbishop Nienstedt.

MISSING A PERSON, EVENT? See the full version of the timeline at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM and let us know if there is some event or person that we missed, or that The Catholic Spirit should consider for a future anniversary-related story.

E-mail: CATHOLICSPIRIT@ARCHSPM.ORG FAX: (651) 291-4460 Mail: 100 Years, The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave. St. Paul, MN 55102

tions Catho a l on lic atu r Sp g ir on it C

100 YEARS

As you embark on your second centennium.

LOOKING BACK

1982 Daniel Medinger named editor of the Catholic Bulletin.

every parish in the archdiocese to address the need for concern for life at every stage.

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2009 The Catholic Spirit earns first place for General Excellence from the Catholic Press Association.

Congratulations, Catholic Spirit, on your 100th Anniversary!

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100 YEARS

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARCHBISHOP The Catholic Spirit hen Pope Benedict XVI recently commented to a journalist about condom use in AIDS prevention, there was widespread discussion and confusion about what the pope meant and whether it represented a change in church teaching.

To clarify that no change in church teaching

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said during a Dec. 16 interview with The Catholic Spirit.

“Being one person — even though I’ve now gotten around to 158 parishes so far — I can’t be everywhere at the same time,” he said. Having a forum, such as The Catholic Spirit, in which to write a column to address important issues or questions is “very, very helpful.”

Archbishop Nienstedt is an avid reader of a

‘I SEE THE CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER . . . REALLY HELPING MY OFFICE TO EVANGELIZE, TO PREACH AND TEACH THE GOSPEL MESSAGE, TO CATECHIZE PEOPLE, TO FORM THEM IN THE FAITH.’

CATHOLIC MEDIA’S MISSION:

TO TEACH AND INFORM had taken place, Archbishop John Nienstedt provided The Catholic Spirit with a guest column about the issue from John Haas, president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center.

The archbishop, who is The Catholic Spirit’s publisher and who writes his own column titled “That They May All Be One” for each issue, said he views his column as well as other news and commentary in the newspaper as helpful aids in communicating with the people of God. “The role of the archbishop is basically to build up the sense of communion in the church, and communion necessitates communication,” he

wide variety of Catholic media. Because of his busy schedule, he said he often sets a stack of newspapers and magazines aside until he can read them over a weekend. He might also read them during his lunch or while traveling.

In addition to The Catholic Spirit, among the publications on his regular reading list are L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper; America magazine; Catholic Health World (the archbishop has a background in bioethics); Origins, Catholic News Service’s documentary service; the Servant; publications produced by the archdiocese’s Catholic universities; and diocesan

newspapers sent to him by fellow bishops in Minnesota and around the United States.

Regarding the role Catholic media should play in the life of the church, Archbishop Nienstedt points to a recent address by Pope Benedict to the Italian Federation of Catholic Weeklies.

The pope said a primary task of Catholic newspapers is to “give voice to a point of view that reflects Catholic thinking on all ethical and social questions.”

“I think, first and foremost, that’s what I look for in a Catholic paper,” Archbishop Nienstedt said. “I can use the secular press to get my news.

But the Catholic viewpoint is what I really need. I think that’s so important.”

The pope said Catholic newspapers, in addition to conveying important information about the church and the world, have an “irreplaceable formative function” in helping develop Christian consciences — a role that Archbishop Nienstedt said is “terribly important.”

“I see the Catholic newspaper as I would see other forms of Catholic media: really helping my office to evangelize, to preach and teach the Gospel message, to catechize people, to form them in the faith,” he said.

Contemporary challenges Catholic media today face numerous challenges. They must compete for Catholics’ attention with a vast array of other print, electronic and social media. And, Catholic newspapers in particular are searching for new ways to fund their ministries at a time when parishes and advertisers are facing PLEASE TURN TO FAITH ON PAGE 15A

Congratulations, Catholic Spirit, on your historic centennial and service to the Catholic community.

stkate.edu

100 YEARS

JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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BRINGING THE NEWS TO YOU

NUTS

1

BOLTS

3

AND

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HOW WE GET THE NEWSPAPER TO YOU

2

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Readers often ask how we construct each issue of The Catholic Spirit. How do we find story ideas? How do we choose which ones to report and print? What about photos? And, where does our national and international news come from?

The analysis here of one page in our Nov. 4, 2010, issue offers some insights into how we do what we do to keep you informed about what’s going on in this archdiocese and in the Catholic Church around the nation and the world.

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1

On the top of some of our pages, we feature a quote that connects with other content on the page. In this case, we used something from a document entitled, Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), published at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council in 1965. We use a variety of sources, both Catholic and nonCatholic. It may be a quote from a saint, or a pope or from someone in the news. It’s a way to, hopefully, draw readers into the content found on the page.

2

Reporter and news editor Pat Norby wrote a story about a development in the archdiocesan strategic planning process. From the time the planning process was announced by Archbishop John Nienstedt, until it was revealed to parishioners in the archdiocese Oct. 16, our staff continually published stories, letting readers know what was happening and what kinds of changes

might occur. And, it doesn’t end there. We will continue to document what happens as parishes and schools make the changes outlined in the plan and tell you what the archbishop and others say about the process.

3 Photographer Dave Hrbacek travels around the archdiocese to record important events that show what Catholics are doing in their parishes, schools and communities. In this case, he photographed the prayer service that concluded the ecumenical 40 Days for Life vigil at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. Archbishop John Nienstedt was on hand to lead prayer and stand in solidarity with pro-lifers of all faiths. It is an issue the archbishop is passionate about. He takes many opportunities to rally Catholics and non-Catholics to defend life at all stages. Hrbacek and photographer

Dianne Towalski try to capture both the people in the pews and local Catholic leaders to tell an important visual story about life in the archdiocese.

4 An important component of each issue of The Catholic Spirit is advertising. About 25 to 30 percent of the newspaper’s content is devoted to advertising. In some cases, the advertisers are Catholic organizations such as the Catholic Community Foundation, which hopes to draw Catholics to join its efforts to “support financially the spiritual, educational and social needs of our Catholic community.” In other cases, they are businesses and organizations seeking a Catholic audience, with practices that run parallel with Catholic values. These advertisers are an important part of our end product and we value their financial support.

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100 YEARS

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

BRINGING THE NEWS TO YOU CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7A

Frankly, it all starts with you — the readers and members of the 213 parishes in the archdiocese. Editor Joe Towalski receives some 100-plus phone calls and emails each week with news tips coming from people in the pews and those who work for Catholic organizations, parishes, schools and the archdiocese itself.

With the help and feedback of WE HOPE TO CONTINUE the rest of the INSPIRING YOUR FAITH news team, the list is narrowed down to the top 10 or so ideas, which are then assigned to either staff members or freelance writers. In some cases, sources are identified for interviews. In others, reporters must try and track down the right people for interviews and commentary.

Perhaps, the greatest challenge of all is squeezing everything we want to say into a limited amount of space, usually 24 pages consisting of 1,296 column inches. It can be agonizing to trim stories — sometimes in half — or eliminate them altogether. In addition, many of those inches are taken up by our loyal advertisers, without whom we could not exist.

That is one aspect of putting out a newspaper — any

ALL ABOUT OUR READERS

newspaper, be it a small weekly or a large metro daily.

A question we often get asked is: Why wasn’t a story about (blank) published in The Catholic Spirit?

Thankfully, we have devised an effective means for dealing with space issues — our award-winning website, THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM. Led by a team of two talented web specialists, we not only can post much more content than we could ever fit into our bi-weekly newspaper, we also can get it on the web immediately, as opposed to waiting for our next issue. In that sense, we can function like a daily newspaper, putting important stories, photos and information in front of our readers quicker than at any other time in our 100year history.

Just six months ago, at the annual Catholic Press Association national convention, The Catholic Spirit received an award for the best diocesan newspaper website in the country. That goes along with the second-place award for our print edition, not to mention a handful of individual awards.

Yet, the most rewarding thing for our staff of 20 employees is knowing that we have served you, the reader, and given you interesting and informative content that is both enriching and inspiring to your faith. As we look back and celebrate what we have accomplished over the last 100 years, we look ahead to being the Catholic newspaper you can count on for the next 100 years. And, as always, we welcome your feedback. See how to contact us on this page.

To our dear friends at The Catholic Spirit:

May you continue to go from strength to strength.

Congratulations on your centennial.

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WE WANT TO

HEAR FROM YOU We receive hundreds of

STORY IDEAS each month.

Here is how to send your ideas to The Catholic Spirit FAX: (651) 291-4460 E-mail: CATHOLICSPIRIT@ARCHSPM.ORG Mail: “Story Idea” • The Catholic Spirit 244 Dayton Ave. • St. Paul, MN 55102

Send CALENDAR items by noon Thursday, seven days before the next publication date FAX: (651) 291-4460 E-mail: SPIRITCALENDAR@ARCHSPM.ORG Mail: “Calendar” The Catholic Spirit 244 Dayton Ave. St. Paul, MN 55102

Send LETTERS

TO THE EDITOR

FAX: (651) 291-4460 E-mail: CATHOLICSPIRIT@ARCHSPM.ORG Mail: “Letters to the Editor” The Catholic Spirit 244 Dayton Ave. St. Paul, MN 55102

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Congratulations to The Catholic Spirit on your 100th anniversary!

Thank you for building, informing and helping unite the Catholic community in our Archdiocese for the last 100 years!

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100 YEARS

JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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THE STORYTELLERS REMEMBER

THEY HONED SKILLS AND GAINED WISDOM We asked former employees to reflect on the time they worked at the Catholic Bulletin or Catholic Spirit. Following are excerpts from just a few of their responses. Read their full reflections and the reflections of others at: THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM.

TOM HAUSER Former: Intern reporter, The Catholic Bulletin, 1981-1983 Current: Chief political reporter KSTP-TV “Hello, folksies . . .!”

That was the enthusiastic greeting we received in the Catholic Bulletin newsroom every day.

That greeting emanated from a journalism dynamo named Bernard (OK, we called him “Bernie”) Casserly. Bernie was nearing the end of his journalism career while I was just embarking on mine. He was a fine writer and journalist, but that’s not what I remember most about him. I was always amazed by his enthusiasm and zest for life even after more than 40 years in the newspaper business. . . .

Bernie was the editor who signed off on hiring me. But Bob Gibbons was the news editor at the time. . . .

Bob ran the day-to-day newsroom operation and instilled in me the notion

that while we worked for a newspaper focused on news about the Catholic Church, our journalism goals were the same as any newspaper. Get it right, get it first and get it in the paper. When Bernie and Bob left, the news operation was taken over by Dan Medinger. . . .

There I am typing away at my ancient Olympia typewriter, preparing that week’s Bulletin Board calendar of parish events. Dan calls me into his office, and says, “So what’s your situation? You ever plan on graduating?”

Dan had a combination of Bernie’s enthusiasm for his work and Bob’s demand for accuracy and accountability.

He had us step up our efforts through the “Every Home Plan” to find stories that mattered to Catholics at the parish level and tell them in a way that went beyond just a recitation of the facts.

I also had the opportunity to cover broader issues at the State Capitol, everything from abortion to the farm foreclosure crisis. The Bulletin even gave me a chance to cover the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and their stand on nuclear disarmament.

It couldn’t have been better training for the job I now have as the chief political reporter at KSTP-TV. At my going-away party, I was given my old Olympia typewriter because the

The Diocese of Fargo and New Earth newspaper congratulate Archbishop John Nienstedt and The Catholic Spirit staff on the 100th anniversary of The Catholic Spirit.

May God continue to bless your work in service to His people.

“To instill a fully Christian spirit into readers, a truly Catholic press should be set up and encouraged.”

— Inter Mirifica, 14

newsroom had upgraded to “video display terminals.” I still have that typewriter . . . and I can still hear the echo of Bernie Casserly’s footsteps bounding down that hallway.

CHRISTINA CAPECCHI Former: Intern, summer 2003; staff writer, May 2004October 2005 Current: Freelance writer I felt a sense of purpose and pride when I walked up the steps of The Catholic Spirit in May 2004 to begin my job as a staff writer.

And what a place to start! My first week there the staff celebrated a firstplace “General Excellence” award from the Catholic Press Association. They treated me as a peer, welcoming me into rigorous front-page debates.

I jumped into a routine Relevant Radio “Morning Air” phone interview one of my first Friday mornings. When I hung up and walked into the lobby, my colleagues broke into applause.

Members of the newsroom took their work seriously but not themselves. Mike Krokos, the editor, strolled through the newsroom with his sweater vests and easy jokes, leap-frogging from bishops to quarterbacks and bemoaning all the trouble sure to come from his quiet, disciplined writer Julie Carroll. Working with Mike made me a wittier person and a more confident employee. . . .

Emilie Lemmons and I shared a cubicle wall. Her mind moved as quickly as her fingers. She was graceful and feisty, a combination that allowed me to imagine [an unrestricted] career. . . .

We held weekly editorial meetings in the Bernie Casserly Library, where maroon hardback archives held stories of my great-grandfather, Joseph A. Capecchi.

The Bulletin-turned-Spirit has been there for it all, chronicling the people, places and events that mattered to five generations of Capecchis. It is a paper of record and a scrapbook of faith, knitting families and parishes and schools into an archdiocese. . . .

I got to see faith in action, to witness the live music that comes from ancient black-and-white sheet music — from Maria Bona, a stillborn who regained life, to Joe Pexa, who is now 101 and still writes me. . . .

I have no doubt the Holy Spirit works through The Catholic Spirit — from keyboard to mailbox. Today, Facebook and Twitter accelerate the transfer, but I believe there will always be room for a paper to hold in your hand and save in your heart.

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100 YEARS

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

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100 YEARS

JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

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THE STORYTELLERS REMEMBER MIKE FITZGERALD Former: Photographer, 1982-1997 Current: Fitzgerald Photography WWW.FITZGERALDPHO TOGRAPHY.COM

When Bernie Casserly hired me back in 1982, he wanted someone to develop the reporters’ film and produce prints. . . .

The newsroom was crammed with a variety of “vintage” metal and wooden desks that faced each other. Here’s a bonus, the sound of manual typewriters striking letters to a page to create a story. The closer to the weekly deadline, the louder and faster the typing.

The newsroom lost that sound [with the computer age] a few years after my arrival. What a change from working with chemicals in the darkroom and film in the camera to downloading images that can be transferred to composing within minutes, rather than “rushing” a photo within an hour or two. . . .

The Bulletin always had one overriding concern: staying afloat.

The obvious solution: why not expand into North Dakota? I visited local churches, taking pictures for future publications, and projecting a “hands across the prairie” attitude.

What really changed since then is security. One example comes from covering the pope. The paper flew myself and cub reporter Bob Zyskowski to Canada to cover Pope John Paul II during the ‘80s.

There was one indoor Mass that the press was allowed to cover, and we were not allowed inside. I had met a few other photographers, and we knew which door the pope would exit the church. There was a two-story house right across the street from that door with a second-story window perfectly placed to get a picture of the pope working the crowd.

Three of us managed to talk our way into the house, go up to the second-story window, take apart the window, then hang out the window so we could get the shot.

You could never do that shot today.

That house would have been crawling with security.

ADAM ROBINSON Former: Sales, webmaster, 2003-2007 Current: Catholic Charities’ Office for Social Justice organizer

Shortly after I got married to Annie in 2003, we moved to St. Paul from Iowa City, Iowa.

I typed “Ad Sales Jobs” into Google and the first result was for The Catholic Spirit. I applied, was interviewed and got hired all in the space of two or three days. . . . I was surrounded by faith-filled, smart, funny people who were thinking, talking and writing about interesting and engaging aspects of our Catholic community. The reporters and columnists were (and still are) writing about our lives as Catholics with wit and intelligence.

The advertising and business office folks were trying to support the mission of the paper, and the production team was consistently putting out a fantastic product.

Congratulations to The Catholic Spirit newspaper on 100 years of information, education and evangelization.

We extend our hands in blessing to you.

170 Good Counsel Drive, Mankato, MN 56001-3138 507-389-4200 • www.ssndmankato.org

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who conduct Christ the King Retreat Center in Buffalo, Mn., Congratulate the Catholic Spirit on its 100 years of service.

Fr. Louis Studer, OMI

Fr. Louis Studer, OMI, Director of King House and his staff, cordially invite you to a beautiful, inexpensive, lakeside weekend of wonderful relaxation and spiritual rejuvenation.

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Most important, working at The Spirit was a great place for me to learn and grow as a Catholic. My time at The Spirit reinvigorated my faith. We spent time talking with each other and other Catholics about their businesses, parish lives and their relationship with God. Bob Zyskowski took a chance and asked me to take over production of The Spirit’s website. I jumped in with both feet and tried to take the paper’s content online in dynamic, interesting ways.

I’ve always been committed to social and economic justice, so when an organizing position opened at Catholic Charities’ Office for Social Justice, I applied. Letting Bob know that I was leaving The Catholic Spirit family was one of the hardest conversations of my life, but Bob said that I needed to go where the Lord was calling me.

“The Spirit’s been around for nearly 100 years,” he told me, “and we’ve had people leave. We’ll miss you, but we’ll survive.”

I hope everyone at The Spirit knows how important they were to me, and how important they and their work continue to be to me and all Catholics in the archdiocese.

MORE REFLECTIONS These and others, online at THECATHOLIC SPIRIT.COM.

TERRY GRIEP GRIEP TERRY wrote about wrote about people people “on “on the themargins.” margins.”

MIKE KROKOS was extension of the bishop.

MATT KANE saw history.

DENNIS HEANEY influenced by two people.

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100 YEARS

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

INTO THE FUTURE

By Julie Pfitzinger For The Catholic Spirit

o you “like” The Catholic Spirit in the Facebook sense of the word? If so, you are one of more than 1,100 “friends” who regularly visit The Catholic Spirit’s Facebook page.

Or maybe you are a follower of The Catholic Spirit on Twitter, joining 18,000-plus others who

D

SOCIAL MEDIA

HERE TO STAY FACEBOOK, TWITTER, iPHONE APP HELP THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT REACH OUT TO NEW AUDIENCES. are watching for 140-character “tweets” several times a day from its web department and other staff members.

In this fast-paced world of expanding social media and changing technology, the staff at The Catholic Spirit is doing much more than just keeping up with the challenges — they actually seem to be enjoying it at the same time.

During a recent visit with associate publisher Bob Zyskowski and web coordinator Craig Berry, the pair enthusiastically showed off the brand

New ways to reach out

With an award winning website (THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM was awarded first place by the Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit Catholic Press Association of Catholic Spirit iPhone users can stay the United States and updated on the news thanks to the Canada in June) in addition newspaper’s new iPhone app. to the aforementioned social media sources, Zyskowski said the publication’s goal is “to always find ways Putting a face on news The Catholic Spirit Facebook page is another to reach out to audiences who are not likely to key element to increasing readership. read the print version of The Catholic Spirit.”

“Every Facebook person is connected to According to Berry, who regularly tracks the someone else,” said Zyskowski, adding that website traffic, there is also a surprisingly large statistics show the fastest growing demographic number of THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM readers who do of Facebook users is women over the age of 40. not even live in the archdiocese.

“About half the traffic we get is from Google, PLEASE TURN TO INTO THE FUTURE ON PAGE 13A which means visitors might just happen upon

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our site,” he said.

Nothing causes a spike in online readership more than a little controversy, said Zyskowski, when numbers can “go through the roof.”

“On the Saturday afternoon in October when the archdiocese released its strategic plan [for parishes and schools], we had somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 web hits at 4 o’clock,” he said, adding that the site crashed very briefly about a half hour later.

Broader topics also tend to bring web visitors — anytime there is an announcement of a new bishop or when Pope Benedict is in the news, readership increases.

Searches for answers to questions like, “Why do Catholics eat fish on Fridays during Lent?” also bring visitors to the site.

new Catholic Spirit iPhone app that complements the publication’s website. The site is also adaptable for viewing on a mobile phone.

The iPhone app can also be used with the increasingly popular touchscreen iPads.

“You really can’t underestimate the significance of iPads,” said Berry. “Over 15 million have already been sold and once the price starts to come down, they will be even more appealing to consumers.”

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100 YEARS

JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

13A

INTO THE FUTURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12A Even with the large number of online Catholic Spirit readers, Zyskowski said there truly is “a 50/50 split” between those who regularly read the print version and the ones who exclusively read online.

“The whole idea that someday everything will just be on the web is a fallacy,” he said. “People still like holding a paper in their hands and reading it that way.

If it’s sitting on the coffee table and doesn’t get looked at until Tuesday, it’s still there. It has a shelf life.”

Nevertheless, it remains vital for The Catholic Spirit to be up to speed on the changes in new media. To that end, the newspaper doubled the size of its web team two years ago — from one to two. In addition to Berry, Michael Pytleski also works in the web production department.

Although there is an extensive amount of daily upkeep required for THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM, the Facebook page and the apps, part of Berry’s job is to be looking toward the future.

“Every two or three years, you really need to roll over your website to keep it fresh,” he said. “You want to change the look and make sure you’re keeping up with the trends.”

Looking beyond laurels Zyskowski recalled returning to the Catholic Spirit offices last June after the Catholic Press Association

already thinking about changing the website,” said Zyskowski with a laugh.

Another challenge inherent in keeping up with social media trends is to find the resources needed to do that, which leads Zyskowski to another fallacy — the fact that many people remain convinced the Internet is “free.”

“Someone still has to produce content. There is writing, video and production work that all need to be done,” he said. “The fact is, all of that will get more expensive because the demand for more content will increase.”

Berry points to another key element in the role of a publication like The Catholic Spirit, both in print and online.

“At the end of the day, it’s still about writing. I think that gets lost in the glamour of photos and videos,” he said. “You still need to have someone report the story.”

Zyskowski, who started working for a Catholic newspaper in 1973 (his first day coincided with the day Catholic News Service launched its wire service), agrees about the importance of recognizing a good story, no matter what form it takes.

“The idea of serendipity in what you read is really important,” he said. “Many times, I’ll be reading a newspaper and find a story I didn’t know I was interested in until I started reading. There are so many stories out there that give us the potential to lead richer lives.”

FRIENDS & FOLLOWERS 1,127 Catholic Spirit Facebook friends/fans as of Dec. 30.

18,125 Twitter followers @catholicspirit as of Dec. 30.

2,534 E-newsletter subscribers. Sign up at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM.

7 Number of Catholic Spirit blogs.

Topics include book reviews, the outdoors, science, photography and catechesis. Visit them at THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM.

convention and talking to Berry about the website award.

“The first thing he said to me was that he was

Congratulations to The Catholic Spirit on its 100th year of unparalleled Catholic journalism!

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14A

100 YEARS

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

Congratulations to The Catholic Spirit on its 100th Anniversary!

MN Newspaper Guild/Typographical Union, representing the Catholic Spirit since 1965.

MN Newspaper Guild Typographical Union 2855 Anthony Lane S, #110, St. Anthony, MN 55418 Phone: 612-789-0044 E-mail: newspaperguild@mnguild.org www.mnguild.org

TheCatholicSpirit.com

HOW IT BEGAN

Catholic Bulletin defended the faith against attacks CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2A Catholic the true spirit of religion and creating in every household a true Catholic atmosphere.

“The Catholic Bulletin . . . will strive to be ‘all things to all men.’ . . .”

During Father Reardon’s time as editor, each issue contained local, American and European Catholic news; a summary of secular news; Catholic literature reviews;

Congratulations! to The Catholic Spirit on 100 years of serving and informing the Catholics of the Diocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The 74,000 members of Catholic United Financial say, “Thank You!” As of Jan. 1, 2011, Catholic Aid Association has changed its name to

a question-and-answer box; catechetical teachings; news from the mission lands; and family features.

Fighting prejudice In the early years of the newspaper, when Catholics were a minority in a majority Protestant culture, an antiCatholic sentiment pervaded society. “[T]he minds of our countrymen are being poisoned by the continuous infiltration of anti-Catholic literature in the shape of books, pamphlets and newspaper articles,” an unsigned column in Vol. 1, No. 1 of The Catholic Bulletin said.

“Every department of Catholic truth is being assailed, dogmatic and moral.” “[T]he reading of Catholic newspapers, while giving readers ‘the pleasure of the fulness [sic] of Catholic life,’ will at the same time help to fortify them against the persistent and insidious attacks upon their faith which assail them both in the secular press and in their converse with others,” the column continued.

There also existed the belief that Catholics were somehow un-American.

Father Reardon used the newspaper to show that Catholicism was not only compatible with American culture but also a defender of American values.

In his research, Father O’Connell said, he came across headlines in early issues of The Bulletin that illustrated the paper’s attempt to show Catholics in a patriotic light, such as: “Catholic girl on her way to Olympics receives Communion.”

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By the time Father Reardon stepped down as editor in 1922, he had increased the newspaper’s circulation ten-fold to 25,000. Today, The Catholic Spirit is delivered to 85,000 homes.

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100 YEARS

JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARCHBISHOP CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6A difficult economic times.

The Catholic Spirit’s board of directors is in the midst of a strategic planning process to help guide the newspaper — both its print version and website — into the future so it can continue its mission “to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis” while resting on a firm financial footing.

If local Catholics truly want to stay informed about what is happening in the church and grow in their faith, they need to be regular consumers of Catholic media, including The Catholic Spirit, Archbishop Nienstedt said.

“My advice to people would be to leave time in their weekly schedule — an hour or two — where they can pick up a book or pick up a number of articles that they think would be of interest on a particular topic and then go into some depth with it,” he said. “I think that’s what we’re called to if we’re going to continue that ongoing adult formation of our faith. It can’t be just in quick sound bites.

“Sound bites can and should lead us to a more in-depth study of a particular issue.” But, Archbishop Nienstedt added, “I would say that it’s hard to explain the doctrine of transubstantiation in a sound bite. There are just some theological and philosophical concepts that take time and need some in-depth study as well as some time to reflect upon.”

15A

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16A

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

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Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

The Catholic Spirit January 7, 2011

Join Us for Our Next 100 Years If you would like to subscribe to our paper, at a special anniversary rate for 2011, please call 651.291.4444 or 651.251.7705!

TheCatholicSpirit.com

News with a Catholic heart

FROM DEATH TO LIFE

One year after Haiti quake, rebuilding is slow but faith strong

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Mary Johnson of north Minneapolis considers Oshea Israel (formerly Marlon Green) her spiritual son, after forgiving him for the murder of her son, Laramuin Byrd, in 1993. They are pictured at the St. Jane House, a ministry of the Visitation Sisters and the headquarters of a group Johnson started called From Death to Life.

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Mom reconciles with son’s killer, with help from Visitation Sisters’ St. Jane House

The 34-year-old man rose from the couch in the living room. On his way out, he paused to exchange friendly words with a woman seated near him.

He whispered in her ear and kissed her on the cheek.

Then, he looked at her and smiled, and kissed her again.

An outsider might have thought the older woman who received this affection was his mother. And, in fact, she is a mother of sorts to this man. They both use the term “spiritual mother.”

This is a remarkable term, considering that, 17 years ago, this same woman wanted nothing more than to see the man rot in prison for the rest of his life.

A different road Few could blame her for feeling this way. In 1993, the man, Marlon Green, now named Oshea Israel, killed her son, Laramuin Byrd. There was an argument at a party, followed by gunfire and the death of Byrd.

Mary Johnson of north Minneapolis was in shock for two or three months, then became angry at her son’s killer and, ultimately, at God. But the story took a remarkable, if not miraculous, turn years later, when Johnson felt called by God to visit her son’s killer in prison. A tearful embrace at the end of their meeting took her down a road of forgiveness that eventually led to the son-like relationship with Israel today. She also has reconciled with Israel’s mother, Carol Green, and views her as family, too.

At the center of this compelling story about the power of forgiveness is the St. Jane House in north Minneapolis, which is part of the ministry of the Visitation Sisters. Six nuns have been living in the crimeridden part of the city for 22 years, setting up shop in two

Nearly a year after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti took the lives of as many as 300,000 people and left more than a million injured or homeless, growth is best measured by the Haitians’ hope for their country rather than the country’s infrastructure, even as they continFor more on ue to suffer from a cholera outbreak, according to local Haiti, see the Catholics who have visited the archbishop’s small island nation since the disaster. column on “It’s easy if you’ve never page 2B been to Haiti or you’ve just seen it through the eyes of the media to think that nothing has happened there,” said Sue Klappa, a St. Joseph in Hopkins parishioner and assistant professor in St. Catherine University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program who traveled to Haiti on three medical missions in 2010.

“There’s been a lot happening, it’s just not happening as fast as America would like to see with our vision of productivity.”

Bells for Haiti As the Jan. 12 disaster For information about anniversary approaches, the Bells for Haiti Klappa and several parishinitiative to es that have sister parish commemorate the relationships in Haiti reone-year anniversary flected on recent trips to of the earthquake, the impoverished country, contact Jenna and a Twin Cities group is Myrland at (612) 6076495 or JennaM@ encouraging churches and archq.org. other organizations to commemorate the anniversary.

Generous local response

houses.

St. Jane House is a third house, owned and directed

by Brian Mogren, who left a well-paying job at Target after 24 years and now devotes his time helping St. Jane House function as a retreat center that tries to offer a sense of peace and welcome in a neighborhood plagued by chaos and crime.

In 2007, Mogren, who is a lay member of the Visitation community, approached the sisters with the idea of having a retreat center to serve the neighborhood. They agreed and, soon afterward, invited Johnson to come and share her story with all of the sisters and anyone else who wanted to listen.

Eventually, she started an organization called From Death to Life that ministers to others who have lost a child through violence. Mogren serves on its advisory board and meetings take place at St. Jane House.

Today, the miracle of forgiveness continues to be repeated at St. Jane House. On Christmas Eve, Johnson, Israel, his mother and six other mothers of murdered children met to share stories and embrace each other in solidarity.

Marveling at the scene were people like Mogren and Janice Andersen of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minnea-

Last January, in what may have been the largest single archdiocesan collection for a relief effort, local Catholics donated more than $1,224,000 to Catholic Relief Services for aid to Haiti, according to Mike Haasl, global solidarity coordinator for the archdiocesan Center for Mission. CRS has received more than $190 million for Haiti relief and reconstruction, and so far has spent funds on food, emergency response, shelter and other needs.

Haiti’s close location may be one reason archdiocesan Catholics responded generously, Haasl said.

“There have been earthquakes in Chile and earthquakes in China and all over but to have that amount of catastrophe and that number of people who have died in [Haiti is] so close to us,” he said. “Our country is not only in close proximity, I would say our country has also been connected with Haiti in a lot of ways.”

Hoping to encourage that connection and continued support for Haiti, a group representing organizations with an interest in Haiti is requesting that churches and other organizations ring their bells or otherwise commemorate the disaster for 35 seconds at 3:53 p.m. CST on Jan. 12, the time the earthquake hit, said Basilica of

PLEASE TURN TO RECONCILIATION ON PAGE 6B

PLEASE TURN TO SISTER ON PAGE 4B

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JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

In Haiti, new beginnings hard to come by

That They May All Be One Archbishop John C. Nienstedt

Thankfully, as earthquake’s one-year anniversary approaches, some gains have been made to help those in need

Most Americans embrace the beginning of a new year with the hope that life will be better in the months ahead. We make annual resolutions to alter what we want changed in our daily routine.

Then we set out with determination to see those same promises through. With the new year, we almost naturally look forward to new beginnings.

Unfortunately, new beginnings are hard to come by for our brothers and sisters living in Haiti. The first anniversary of the devastating earthquake that hit their country will be Jan. 12.

Since then, they have suffered the effects of Hurricane Tomas, a November storm that destroyed another thousand homes. In addition, cholera has raised its ugly head amidst the lack of proper sanitation and remains a persistent enemy.

Signs of hope But, mercifully, there have been some gains. Since the earthquake of 2010, we have seen the following flickers of hope: ■ 900,000 people have received food assistance.

■ 273,205 people have received emergency shelter assistance.

■ 1,200 transitional shelters have been built.

■ 997 surgeries and 69,710 outpatient consultations have been conducted.

■ 767 water and sanitation units have been installed.

■ 663 separated children have been registered and are receiving

Official Newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis © 2011 The Catholic Spirit Publishing Co. 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 (651) 291-4444; Fax (651) 291-4460 e-mail: catholicspirit@archspm.org Web site: www.thecatholicspirit.com Most Rev. John C. Nienstedt Bob Zyskowski Joe Towalski Mary Gibbs Pat Norby John Wolszon Martie McMahon Dick Martens

Publisher Associate Publisher Editor Administrative Manager News Editor Network Administrator Accounting Supervisor Advertising/Marketing Director

NEWS TEAM Julie Carroll, Dave Hrbacek, Dianne Towalski PRODUCTION TEAM Jim Graham, Caron Olhoft BUSINESS OFFICE WEBSITE Deb Rotter Craig Berry, Michael Pytleski ADVERTISING TEAM Craig Moen, Chris Pierskalla, Christine Rech CIRCULATION MARKETING Marilyn Rivera Jackie Daugherty BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Archbishop John C. Nienstedt Dr. Dennis Brandstetter Craig Bryan Brenda Coleman Patrick Croke Sharon D’Agostino Fr. Bill Deziel Sister Kathleen Foley, CSJ Roger Green Fr. Peter Laird

Albert Maruggi Fr. Steven McMichael, OFM Patrick Mealey Jim Mulrooney Mark Neuzil Christina Ries Bruce Soma James E. Stevenson Ginny Sullivan Nancy Utoft Jeff Warner Jerome Welle Sister Marion Welter, SSND

Appointment Sister Ashton named delegate for religious Sister Mary Madonna Ashton, CSJ, will begin as Delegate to Religious on Jan. 17.

For more than 20 years, Sister Ashton was the president/CEO of St. Mary’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Minneapolis, then spent eight years as Minnesota’s State Commissioner of Health.

In 1991, she began organizing and managing 11 neighborhood clinics (St. Mary’s Health Clinics) for low-income, medically uninsured people. In 2000, she began volunteer service in retirement.

CNS photo / Barbara Fraser

Primary school students take a break for a meal provided by Catholic Relief Services last October at a school in Coteaux, Haiti.

care.

■ Soap, aqua tabs and cholera information have been distributed to more than 22,000 families.

■ $100,000 of medical supplies have been distributed for cholera response and increased water as well as sanitation services have been provided in 12 settlements.

■ 10,000 people have been employed in cash-for-work programs to clear rubble, clean out drainage canals and build temporary shelters.

It must be said that the response on the part of Americans to the needs of the earthquake victims has been remarkable. The

Catholic Church in this country alone collected $86 million to assist in the effort to respond to immediate needs as well as to lay a foundation for a lasting recovery.

Catholic Relief Services, the church’s representatives on the scene, are still working with Caritas, local church leaders and the Haitian government to help families and individuals find areas of shelter, to develop community infrastructure, to provide water and sanitation, and to secure the protection of the vulnerable.

PLEASE TURN TO CATHOLIC ON PAGE 5B

The Catholic Spirit 10 20

Winner of 7 awards from the Catholic Press Association in 2010 Including 2nd Place for General Excellence

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT SERVICES DIRECTORY LETTERS TO THE EDITOR E-mail to: catholicspirit@archspm.org Mail to: The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

Letters should be 150 words or less and include writer’s name, address, telephone number and parish.

CALENDAR To submit a notice of an upcoming event hosted/sponsored by a Catholic parish or institution, email spiritcalendar@archspm.org, fax (651) 291-4460, or mail to “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

OP-ED SUBMISSIONS For information on submitting opinions for “My Turn” and/or views that are longer than a letter to the editor, contact editor Joe Towalski at towalskij@archspm.org, or call (651) 291-4455.

THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM For comments or suggestions about The Catholic Spirit’s website, contact editor Joe Towalski at towalskij@archspm.org.

NEWS DEPARTMENT To submit comments and suggestions (about news coverage only) or to report errors that call for correction, e-mail news editor Pat Norby at norbyp@archspm.org, or call (651) 291-4447. News tips can also be relayed via the story idea hot line at (651) 251-7702.

EDITOR To contact editor Joe Towalski, e-mail: towalskij@archspm.org, or call (651) 291-4455.

TO PLACE AN AD Display: Call (651) 291-4444 e-mail: ads@thecatholicspirit.com Classified: (651) 290-1631 e-mail: classifiedads@thecatholicspirit.com.

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BACK COPIES/PHOTO REPRINTS For back copies and/or reprints of photos that have appeared in the newspaper, e-mail Dianne Towalski at towalskid@archspm.org, or call (651) 251-7731.

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OFFICIAL Archbishop John C. Nienstedt has made the following appointment in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: Effective Jan. 17, 2011: Sister Mary Madonna Ashton, CSJ: Delegate for Religious, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Couple inspired

by Service for Life The Catholic Spirit Kristen and Matthews Grant, both converts to Catholicism and members of Holy Childhood in St. Paul, have attended almost every Prayer Service for Life at the Cathedral of St. Paul since they moved here in 2003.

They, again, plan to bring their daughters, Elizabeth, 5, and Cecilia, 3, to this year’s service from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 22, which marks the 38th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion.

“We want to teach our children that God calls us to show special compassion to those who are weak. . . . Attending this service with our daughters is one powerful way to convey that belief,” she said.

The 2003 prayer service was Kristen’s first public expression of her commitment, while she was serving as a minister in the United Methodist Church.

A sermon she preached on the topic began conversations about personal experiences with abortion within the congregation, she said. “It also was an important part of my journey to the Catholic Church because the truth of the church’s teaching on the life issues helped open my mind to the other truths of the Catholic faith.”

Last year, about 3,000 people attended the prayer service, sponsored by the Office of Marriage, Family and Life, which is followed by the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life march to the State Capitol for a rally

Did you miss it?

The annual collection to support retired religious is taken up each December, and area Catholics have always been generous. But this year, School Sister of Notre Dame Midge Breiter, who oversees the local Retirement Fund for Religious, is concerned that many people missed the call to help because of bad weather.

If you still have an envelope to turn in or a donation you meant to make, check with your parish or send a check directly to: National Religious Retirement Office, 3211 4th St. NE, Washington, DC 200171194. For more information, visit WWW. RETIREDRELIGIOUS.ORG.

“Good teams become great ones when the members trust each other enough to surrender the ‘me’ for the ‘we.’”

Basketball coach Phil Jackson

Local The Catholic Spirit

News from around the archdiocese

For The Cathollic Spirit

Right: Senior guard Tanner Helgren of Wayzata High School dribbles past junior guard Cortez Tillman (10) and senior guard Raijon Kelly of Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul during the championship game of The Catholic Spirit Christmas Basketball Tournament Dec. 30 at the University of St. Thomas.

Helgren and the Trojans prevailed 68-64 to claim first place in their first appearance in the tournament.

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

Far right: Junior forward Dakari Davison of St. Agnes High School in St. Paul finds himself hemmed in by senior forward Ben Meyer of Totino-Grace High School in Fridley as he drives to the basket during first-round action in The Catholic Spirit Christmas Basketball Tournament Dec. 28 at the University of St. Thomas.

The tournament featured eight teams and was played in the university’s recently completed Anderson Athletic and Recreational Complex.

Business education at the University of St. Thomas took a leap forward by earning accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business in November.

St. Thomas is the first private university in Minnesota to hold AACSB accreditation and the second university, public or private, in the Twin Cities (the other is the University of Minnesota). Six business schools in Minnesota are accredited

by AACSB; the others are in Moorhead, St. Cloud, Mankato and Duluth.

Less than 5 percent of the world’s business schools hold AACSB accreditation, which also makes credentialed business schools eligible for many of the top rankings of MBA programs and provides faculty with greater research opportunities.

The accreditation will impact more than a third of the students enrolled at St. Thomas. Of its nearly 11,000 students, 36 percent, or 3,850, are enrolled in the Opus College of Business. Thirty-eight percent of undergraduates and 32 percent of graduate students study business at the university’s campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The Opus College of Business filed its AACSB application in 2006. After completing an internal review and evaluation process and developing a plan to meet AACSB standards, AACSB business deans visited and announced accreditation in November.

The College of Business’ accreditation will be recognized in April in New York.

ANOTHER YEAR OF MAKING A DIFFERENCE. . .TOGETHER

for 100 years of remarkable service to the Catholic Community of our Archdiocese

www.stpatricksguild.com

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UST’s Opus College of Business earns major accreditation

Trojans triumph in Spirit basketball tourney

Congratulations and our profound thanks to the Catholic Spirit

JANUARY 7, 2011

always more @ TheCatholicSpirit.com for you enrichment . . .

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THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

Pope calls for religious freedom, end to violence

A Haitian resident holds his relative who is suffering from cholera at St. Catherine hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in this photo from last November. Visitors to Haiti said the nation continues to deal with the effects of the cholera epidemic as the one-year anniversary of the earthquake approaches.

Catholic News Service Opening 2011 with a strong call for religious liberty, Pope Benedict XVI condemned deadly attacks against Christians and announced a new interfaith meeting next fall in Assisi, Italy.

At a Mass Jan. 1 marking the World Day of Peace and a blessing the next day, the pope voiced his concern about fresh episodes of violence and discrimination against Christian minorities in the Middle East.

In particular, the pope condemned an attack Jan. 1 against Orthodox Christians in Egypt, calling it a “despicable gesture of death.” A bomb that exploded as parishioners were leaving a church in Alexandria, Egypt, left 25 people dead and dozens more injured.

The pope said the attack was part of a “strategy of violence that targets Christians,” and which has negative repercussions on the entire population. He offered prayers for the victims and their families.

The pope also denounced the recent practice of “planting bombs close to the homes of Christians in Iraq to force them to leave.” At least seven Christian homes in Baghdad were targeted in bombings Dec. 30, leaving at least 13 people wounded.

The pope said the latest attacks in Egypt and Iraq “offend God and all humanity.”

Peace gathering Addressing pilgrims at his noon blessing Jan. 1, the pope said he planned to invite religious leaders from the world’s major faiths to gather in Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, in order to “solemnly renew the commitment by believers of every religion to live their religious faith as a service to the cause of peace.”

The pope said the gathering, planned for October, is meant to recall “the historic gesture” made by the late Pope John Paul II when he convoked the first World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi in 1986.

In his homily during Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Jan. 1, the pope spoke about the theme he chose for World Peace Day 2011: “Religious Freedom, the Path to Peace.”

He said religious freedom was challenged today by two extremes at work in the world: secularism that banishes religion to the private sphere and fundamentalism that seeks to forcefully impose religion on everyone. He said wherever religious freedom is guaranteed, human dignity is also respected.

CNS photo / St-Felix Evens, Reuters

Sister parishes deliver help to Haiti CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B St. Mary parishioner Dick Bernard, a co-convener of the group.

At least 24 Twin Cities churches and organizations plan to participate, along with the City of Minneapolis and churches in other parts of the country. Archbishop John Nienstedt supports the effort, said Deacon Mickey Friesen, Center for Mission director.

One thing Klappa didn’t expect when she traveled to the Hanger Clinic in Deschapelles, Haiti, in October was that she would be assisting cholera patients. A physical therapist, she made the trip through Physicians for Peace to help patients being fit with prosthetic limbs.

Through it all, she said, she was struck by Haitians’ sense of community and desire to help their own people.

“That community and coming together to support each other I think is one of the biggest lessons that comes from this,” she said. “And it’s about rebuilding the human spirit — which I think if you don’t do that, you can do all the infrastructure rebuilding and that will mean nothing.”

Blessing for all involved Bob Schilmoeller traveled to Haiti in August with a group from his parish, Risen Savior in Burnsville, which has had a sister parish relationship with Gris-Gris in western Haiti since 1999. Risen Savior has helped construct wells and a school, among other projects.

While damage in Gris-Gris wasn’t as extensive as elsewhere, the town had to accommodate residents’ friends and relatives, and food was in short supply after the disaster, he said.

The relationship blesses both parishes, Schilmoeller added.

“What’s interesting is they knew about the whole economic downturn up here,” he said. “They prayed about it, they talked about it. It’s nothing up here compared to down there, but yet they’re sensitive to what we were going through and what hardships people up here were going through.”

Residents in Bouzy, where St. Joseph the Worker’s sister parish is located southwest of Port Au Prince, were in survivor mode when David and Lori Henke visited in November, and the couple didn’t see many repairs or new construction. St. Joseph began its relationship with the Bouzy parish about two years ago and has done medical and other missions, David Henke said.

Like Gris-Gris, Bouzy was inundated with refugees after the earthquake. “Because it’s a small farming community, it’s really a fragile economy and when you bring new people in . . . you put a lot of pressure on a system that’s really fragile,” Henke said.

Even so, the couple was inspired by residents’ faith and resiliency. “They really have a strong faith there,” Lori Henke said. “They do believe that everything comes from God, that God is going to care for them. You can feel that.”

“Thanks to the new communications media, the Lord can walk the streets of our cities. . . .”

Pope Benedict XVI

This Catholic Life Opinion, feedback and points to ponder

JANUARY 7, 2011

The Catholic Spirit

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In 2011, there’s still a market for greatest story ever told et me tell you a story: Once upon a time, God came down to earth as a man named Jesus, a human being just like you and me. He went about the countryside doing good.

He also told stories, stories that held lessons.

The lessons Jesus taught are lessons our world still needs to learn today, and that’s why in 2011 there is a Catholic media organization named The Catholic Spirit Publishing Company right here in our midst: Somebody needs to tell the stories.

that. Continued transparency in all the church does can rebuild that trust.

L Editorial Bob Zyskowski Making use of new technology to spread the Gospel far and wide

In order to influence Catholics in today’s society the church also needs to continue to communicate — to tell its story, tell Jesus’ story — in many ways through many avenues.

The Catholic Spirit website, WWW.THE CATHOLICSPIRIT.COM, is one way The Catholic Spirit is using technology to spread the Gospel message.

Somebody, somehow Somebody needs to keep passing along the “good news” that Jesus Christ was born a man, lived and loved, and died to atone for the sins of the world, your sins and mine.

Somebody needs to keep teaching the lessons that Jesus’ parables taught.

Somehow we need to have a constant, consistent reminder that before he left, Jesus established a church to carry on the work he started.

Somehow we need to keep telling the stories of God alive in the world today through his church — you and I — the people of God. But how? How will the story be told?

Can’t rely on others Back when this newspaper was started 100 years ago, Archbishop John Ireland did so because he felt the Catholic story wasn’t being well told in the media of the day. A century later, not much has changed in that regard.

According to Amy Mitchell of the Pew Research Center, the mainstream media marginalize religion: Religion to secular media is an event, a story, an image; it is not a way of life.

Coverage is episodic; mainstream media fall all over themselves to cover the pope’s visit, then the next day couldn’t care less about the pope or anything else Catholic.

Faith to the mainstream press is really only important when there is controversy.

Secular media rarely dive into personal issues of faith. They won’t ask the deep questions, such as, “How does personal faith impact your decision-making?”

For 85 years, the answer was The Catholic Bulletin; for the past 15, it’s been The Catholic Spirit.

Two major changes Of course there’s been a century of change since that first issue of The

Catholic Bulletin in 1911. But in 2011, two stand out: The audience and the means to reach the audience.

No longer a primarily poor and immigrant church, ours today is a mostly better-off and well-educated one. While there are closed minds at both ends of the ideological spectrum, the majority of Catholics — burnished through freedom of the American culture — are open to hearing rational thinking from many perspectives; then they’ll make up their own minds about what they’ll agree with or agree to.

We — yours truly included — are far too influenced by our secular culture. The need to “fit in” is still strong.

For a church to influence us — to have our faith impact our decisionmaking — requires a relationship of trust, first of all, and the sexual abuse crisis has gravely undermined

While black type on white paper told the story for decades — and still does — the barrage of technological advances offer so many new ways to teach the Gospel, to explain why the church teaches what it does, to touch both the mind and the heart, that not to use it as well as newsprint would be very poor stewardship.

Mission hasn’t changed As Catholic newspapers have for 100 years, Catholic media today — through websites and video and smart phones and iPads and Facebook and Twitter and whatever comes out next, as well as through printed publications — will have the same charge: Through the years Catholics have clipped articles from The Catholic Bulletin and The Catholic Spirit and tacked them on their refrigerator door. How great is it that today they can read that same article in the paper or on the website, see it on Twitter on their smart phone, and with a few clicks send it to every one of their Facebook friends?

Jesus’ story is still the greatest story ever told, and modern technology will help our church tell that story in new ways and to greater numbers of people as The Catholic Spirit moves into its second century.

Catholic Relief Services suggests many ways to help Haiti CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2B In addition, the Haitian bishops together with the U.S. bishops, the Vatican and Catholic leaders throughout the world have created an organization called PROCHE (Proximité Catholique avec Haïti et san Eglise or “Catholic Closeness with Haiti and her Church”).

The purpose of this group is to rebuild the local church’s infrastructure since the national seminary, Catholic schools, hospitals, community centers, clinics, chapels and convents now tragically lie in ruins.

Besides meeting the spiritual needs of the Haitian people, 80 percent of whom are Catholic, these institutions before the quake were centers of community life for the people. A sense of normalcy will not return until those centers are rebuilt. (For more information, go to WWW. USCCB.ORG/HAITI.)

How to help What can we do here in the archdiocese to help? CRS suggests the following: Pray ■ Hold a prayer service at your parish for the contin-

ued needs of our Haitian brothers and sisters.

■ Use CRS Prayers of the Faithful and homily helps on the one year commemoration, Jan. 12.

Learn ■ Operation Rice Bowl features Haiti this year with videos, stories and lesson plans for grades K-12.

■ Host a Food Fast Retreat for youth.

Act ■ Join Catholics Confront Global Poverty and advocate for policies that promote long-term reconstruction and development in Haiti.

■ Find resources for U.S./Haiti church partnerships.

Give ■ Adopt a project in CRS’ Hope for Haiti gift catalog.

To date, less than 5 percent of the rubble from the earthquake has been cleared. Hundreds of thousands of people still live on the streets in poorly constructed shacks or under plastic tarps. Reconstruction is expected to last five to 10 years. Thus, the need is great.

I urge all of us to make this new year just a little bit brighter for our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

God bless you!

Archbishop Nienstedt’s schedule ■ Friday, Jan. 7 to Saturday, Jan. 15: Region VIII bishops’ retreat in Tucson, Ariz.

■ Sunday, Jan. 16: 2:30 p.m., Oakdale, Church of the Guardian Angels: Eucharistic celebration with Filipino community, celebrating the Feast of the Infant Jesus.

■ Tuesday, Jan. 18: 8:30 a.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Scheduling meeting with staff.

9:30 a.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Archdiocesan Comprehensive Assignment Board meeting.

1:30 p.m., St. Paul, Chancery: Archbishop’s Council meeting.

4 p.m., Minneapolis, Catholic Charities: Board of directors’ meeting.

■ Wednesday, Jan. 19: 12 p.m., St. Paul, Archbishop’s Residence: Mass and lunch with supporters from Benilde-St. Margaret’s Catholic High School.

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JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Reconciliation miracles continue at St. Jane House CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B polis, who was deeply touched by Johnson’s story and helped facilitate her church’s role as a fiscal agent on behalf of Johnson’s organization.

From hatred to forgiveness But none of this was conceivable back in 1993 to a woman so torn by grief and anger that all she could think about was seeing her son’s killer put behind bars.

Although a devout Christian, she had neither the strength nor desire to forgive Israel for ending Laramuin’s life at such a young age. In fact, it wasn’t love she felt for Israel, who was just a boy himself.

“I don’t know when the hatred came, but it came,” she recalled.

The anger simmered for years, even though she knew in her heart she was supposed to forgive. The internal conflict between the way she felt and the way she was supposed to practice her faith reached its peak when she was teaching a class at her church. She was using a book titled “Total Forgiveness” by R.T. Kendall.

“It began to open my eyes to what forgiveness is,” she said. “I had to be obedient to the things I was hearing inside [about forgiveness]. I had to pray for him [Israel]. I had to say out loud I forgave him. I had to choose to forgive him.

“I also had to repent of the feelings I had about him. I had to pray for forgiveness for myself and the things I was feeling about him and saying about him. I had to do all those things. I even had to forgive God. I had to let him go. After I

“I believe that the Holy Spirit moved within me and took me to a place where I asked God for help.

”

ANGEL CRADLE

realized I was mad at God, I had to forgive him because I held him responsible.”

As she went through these spiritual steps, she began to feel God leading her to visit Israel at Stillwater Prison. The feeling led her to a 21-day fast “to make sure I was hearing correctly that it was time for me to meet him.”

Of course, no meeting could take place without Israel’s consent, so she talked with prison officials who, in turn, talked to Israel. Unfortunately, he was not in the same frame of mind as she was.

“When I first heard about it, I said it’s not going to happen,” he recalled. “What do I want to meet her for? There’s nothing for us to talk about.”

Then, he thought about his own mother, and how she would want such a meeting if her son had been killed, so that she could gain some closure. So, he agreed.

The meeting took place in 2005. For Israel, he just wanted to “hurry up and do

it.” Then, he could get on with his life as an inmate.

Johnson, meanwhile, viewed this as an important step in the road to forgiveness and, ultimately, healing. What she didn’t know was just how thorough the cleansing would be, especially after the tearful embrace at the end of their meeting.

“What took place at that meeting was way beyond what I could have imagined,” she said. “I said [to Israel], ‘From the bottom of my heart, I forgive you, I loose you, I let you go.’ And, he asked me how I could do that. And, I said because of who was within me. I could no longer hold on to all that junk in my heart.”

family members. And, I was very angry at God for taking my son, and I didn’t understand why. But, I believe that the Holy Spirit moved within me and took me to a place where I asked God for help.”

As a first step, Cradle joined a local church called Shiloh Ministries. Some time after joining, the church held a forum for parents of murdered children.

She got there late, right in the middle of a talk given by one of the speakers: Mary Johnson. Cradle got there just as Johnson shared about how she forgave Israel.

“The word ‘forgiveness’ was way beyond my comprehension at that time,” she said. “I just started crying when she talked about forgiveness. I thought, ‘How can she forgive someone who took her child?’

“I cried for days after that. I didn’t want to have anything to do with Mary Johnson. I couldn’t see where she was at, but I knew that I needed some release from what I was feeling. I knew the Holy Spirit was working on me.”

That work continued when a coworker told her about Mogren and urged her to meet him. She agreed and went to St. Jane House.

“There was something good in him and I just embraced him and started telling him about my son,” she said. Still, it was only three months after her son was murdered, and she didn’t feel ready to forgive.

But she did accept an invitation from

Touching others Johnson retold her story while sitting on a couch at St. Jane House, just days after the Christmas Eve 2010 gathering took place. Seated across from her was Israel, clearly basking in the forgiveness she had granted him and the maternal love she had bestowed upon him.

And, listening intently and nodding in agreement was another woman just like Johnson — Angel Cradle. Three years ago, on June 19, 2007, her son, Duane Tyson Sr., was murdered at the age of 34.

It took place in Seattle, where he was living at the time. And, like Johnson, she dealt with a lot of anger before she found a path to forgiveness at St. Jane House.

“In the beginning of the tragedy of my son, I pretty much went solo in my communication with anyone,” she said.

“There was a couple of months when I didn’t want to talk to anyone, not even

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JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

From Death to Life group transforming lives of victims’ families CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6B Mogren to come back to St. Jane House to hear Johnson speak. This time, rather than walking in late, she got there early.

And, this time she became a participant.

Johnson had planned to read a poem titled “Two Mothers,” which was instrumental in her healing process. It is a fictional conversation between Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the mother of Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus.

But Johnson forgot her glasses and asked for a volunteer. Cradle raised her hand. By the time she had finished reading the second stanza, a dramatic transformation was beginning.

“That’s the day when I was delivered into this miraculous journey of hope,” she said. “I knew and I felt, after hearing her story, that there was hope for me, too. Mary embraced me that day, and I’ve been with From Death to Life ever since.

It’s changed my life. It has really, truly changed my life, even though the pain remains.”

Open to grace It’s transformations like these that impress the sisters and make them excited about their ministry at St. Jane House.

Sister Mary Margaret McKenzie first heard Johnson speak at St. Philip in Minneapolis in March 2007, along with Mogren.

“My reaction has always been, when I hear her, I just absolutely marvel at how she was faithful to God’s grace,” she said.

“It’s that step-by-step faithfulness that leads people to forgiveness.

“When you think of something that powerful happening because of Mary’s forgiveness, you have to be overwhelmed at the love God pours out on this earth through his forgiveness.”

Thanks to people like Mogren and the Visitation Sisters, more people are hearing Johnson’s testimony. After Andersen heard her speak, she told staff members at the Basilica. Eventually, Johnson was invited to speak there, drawing about 150 to 200 people, mostly youth.

“This story is so sacred and miraculous,” she said. “This is the nuclear blast of so many changes that are happening because of it.”

Andersen said the Basilica plans to have Johnson speak again in 2011, while continuing to accept donations on behalf of Johnson’s organization, which doesn’t yet have official nonprofit status.

People can write out checks to the Basilica, then note that they want the funds to go to From Death to Life. The parish routes the money there, helps manage it and provides other volunteer services. Since August, Andersen said, the Basilica has received about $5,000 in donations for From Death to Life.

August also is the month Israel was released from prison, 17 years after that fateful night when he pulled the trigger and ended the life of Laramuin Byrd.

And, it’s the month when his mother and Johnson were reconciled.

“. . . you have to be overwhelmed at the love God pours out on this earth.

”

SISTER MARY MARGARET MCKENZIE

Once again, the prompting of the Holy Spirit led to a miraculous event. Mogren facilitated a meeting between the two mothers. It coincided with a party at St. Jane House to celebrate Israel’s release from prison. Surely, Green would want to attend. And, Johnson would be there to offer reconciliation.

But Green had the same inner struggle Johnson did before meeting Israel. Part of her wanted to go — she was packing her suitcase, even while denying to her husband, B.J., that she was going anywhere — and part of her was reluctant.

Then, one day, she picked up her Bible and asked God what she should do. She turned to Psalm 23 (“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”) and saw in her mind the face of her son beckoning her to come to him.

“Tears started to come,” she said. That was it. She had a peaceful feeling when she walked into St. Jane House that August day. There even was a joy. And, best of all, she found healing in her meet-

ing with Johnson.

“We went through a huge transformation,” she said. “There was no animosity, no tension. We were OK. “It was definitely a miracle. And, there has been miracle after miracle from that point. It was truly awesome.”

It’s stories like this that cause Mogren not to regret leaving his job at Target in January 2008. His departure was abrupt — he went into his office one day not knowing it would be his last. But his desire to do ministry work in north Minneapolis had grown to the point where he sat down at his desk, cried, then turned in his resignation.

He no longer has the same economic comfort he did at Target, but comfort has come in other ways. “No amount of money could ever bring to me the joy and the fulfillment that participation in this work brings,” he said. “This is more fulfilling than any paycheck.

“We’re created for love and the whole of the material world is tools for love. The idea that I own anything is an illusion.

This house is not mine. It’s a tool for me to love people through. When I let go of it being mine, miracles happen.”

One of those miracles is named Mary Johnson. Yet, she doesn’t consider herself a miracle. She has a more practical term for how she can impact others.

“This is what I’ve been put on this earth to do — to be a bridge to these families [of murdered children],” she said. “I had to go through this to be that bridge.”

Stewardship A Way of Life Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, February 26 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

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2010 ARCHDIOCESAN STEWARDSHIP CONFERENCE Stewardship a Way of Life: Building Vibrant, Engaged Communities Featuring 3 highly regarded national experts: Father Daniel Mahan, executive director of the Marian University Center for Catholic Stewardship in Indianapolis, author of More than Silver or Gold: Homilies of a Stewardship Priest.

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Enclosed is my gift for the Missions of $__________. Send to: Rev. Mr. Mickey Friesen Rev. Mr. Mickey Friesen, 328 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102-1997

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“Peter (said) to them, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

— Acts 2:38

The Lesson Plan 8B

The Catholic Spirit

Reflections on faith and spirituality

JANUARY 7, 2011

Holy Spirit washes away original sin during baptism “By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” hose are the words that the priest or deacon quietly prays as he prepares the chalice that will contain the precious blood of Christ during the celebration of the Eucharist.

T

Sunday Scriptures Deacon Cole Kracke

As we observe the baptism of Jesus this Sunday, we are given a great opportunity to reflect and meditate on just one of the many instances where Christ humbled himself out of love for us and how the sacraments draw us closer to him.

Baptism is the first sacrament that we receive; it removes the stain of original sin and makes us adopted children of God. Christ, who was both fully human and divine had no need for baptism, yet, he chose to out of humility and love.

St. John recognized this, himself, as shortly before Jesus asks to be baptized, he prophesied to the Pharisees and Sadducees, telling them: “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Yet John was troubled when Jesus presented himself for baptism. He protested: “I need to be baptized by you, yet you are coming to me.”

John relented when Christ said, “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

Despite John’s doubts, the importance of Jesus’ baptism was confirmed by the appearance of the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, and the words of God heard from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Happy baptism We need to recognize the importance of this event in our own lives and how the Holy Spirit was present at our own baptism. Christ wants to lead us to repentance and righteousness so that we may

Readings Sunday, Jan 9 Baptism of the Lord ■ Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 ■ Acts 10:34-38 ■ Matthew 3:13-17

For reflection Read more about baptism and think of one way that you can commemorate the day you were baptized.

one day inherit the kingdom as sons and daughters of God. As most Catholics are baptized in infancy, they do not have a memory of that day — but it is something we should recount frequently.

Take the time to find the date of your own baptism and that of your children.

On the anniversary day, remind each

other of the importance of that day by thanking God for the grace of this sacrament and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Deacon Cole Kracke is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary. His home parish is All Saints in Lakeville and his teaching parish is Annunciation in Minneapolis.

First of our 7 sacraments welcomes us into the Body of Christ

By Johan Van Parys For The Catholic Spirit

Baptism is the first of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. It is the sacrament that incorporates us into the Body of Christ, the church, and opens the other sacraments to us.

The New Testament describes the baptism of several individuals and some households. Other early church documents testify to the development of rites and celebrations surrounding the process of initiation in the early church. These documents mention that after a period of preparation, those to be baptized professed their faith and then were initiated through baptism into the waters of salvation and through anointing with the Holy Spirit. Then they were brought into the church for the celebration of the Eucharist.

The main characteristics of baptism can be understood through the following three images: baptismal bath, baptismal burial and baptismal birth.

First, in baptism we are washed clean from everything that prevents perfect union with God who claims us as an adopted child.

Second, in baptism we are buried with Christ so that we may rise with him on the last day.

Third, through the waters of baptism we are birthed into the church, the Body of Christ.

Early Christian baptisms Although those who were baptized in the early church were mostly adults, there must also have been a number of children, as the entire household converted to Christianity. When Christianity became the predominant religion in Europe, the number of adult baptisms declined and infant baptism became normative. As a result, confirmation was separated from baptism because the children were baptized “quam pri-

“Different parishes have different programs to assist both parents and godparents in their understanding of the sacrament and their responsibilities vis-à-vis the child. This is not to be understood as some hoops parents are made to jump through, but rather as a great opportunity to learn more about the faith and about the role of Catholic parents and godparents.

”

mum” (with haste) by the parish priest out of fear for eternal damnation caused by original sin. Confirmation, which could only be administered by the bishop, happened whenever he came to the local church.

Some 13 centuries after infant baptism became the norm, parents still bring their children for baptism so they may be claimed by God as his adoptive child; so they may share eternal life gained for us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and so they may begin their sacramental journey as members of

JOHAN VAN PARYS

the Catholic Church.

In order for this to happen worthily and truthfully, parents should ask themselves, first, if that is indeed what they desire for their child. Second, they should resolve to accompany their child on the journey by teaching them through word and deed.

PLEASE TURN TO BAPTISM ON PAGE 11B

Lesson Plan

JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Daily Scriptures Sunday, Jan. 9 Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 Acts 10:34-38 Matthew 3:13-17 “He went about doing good.”

— Acts 10:38 This description of Jesus is simple, but it accurately sums up his life in a few words. His life was rooted in the knowledge that he was God’s beloved and it was from that truth that every choice flowed. Some of us have never heard deep in our hearts that we are beloved by God; others have forgotten. When that happens, fear works its way into our hearts and we go about doing harm. As a wise young friend recently said to me: “Before I say something, I always ask myself how I would feel if someone said this to me.” Spend a few minutes of quiet time today, allowing yourself to be loved by Christ so that you may share that love.

Monday, Jan. 10 Hebrews 1:1-6 Mark 1:14-20 What would you have to leave behind in order to follow your deepest God-given desire?

Tuesday, Jan. 11 Hebrews 2:5-12 Mark 1:21-28 Pray to be astonished by God’s power and compassion within you.

Wednesday, Jan. 12 Hebrews 2:14-18 Mark 1:29-39 Notice if the circle of people you reach out to has expanded.

Thursday, Jan. 13 Hilary, bishop and doctor of the church Hebrews 3:7-14 Mark 1:40-45 What do you most want to be healed of today?

Monday, Jan. 17 Anthony, abbot Hebrews 5:1-10 Mark 2:18-22 How have your choices changed because of your relationship with God?

Friday, Jan. 14 Hebrews 4:1-5, 11 Mark 2:1-12 Who has gone out of his or her way to get you help when you were in need?

Tuesday, Jan. 18 Hebrews 6:10-20 Mark 2:23-28 Do you feel free to break a rule when it interferes with a person’s legitimate need?

Saturday, Jan. 15 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 2:13-17 Notice if you tend to focus on the potential good in people.

Sunday, Jan. 16 Second Sunday in ordinary time Isaiah 49:3, 5-6 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 John 1:29-34 “He is the one whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’”

— John 1:30 I have always been moved by John’s willingness to step aside when the time came for Jesus to begin his ministry. His humility and apparent detachment to his role is even more impressive when you consider that John’s message was often sharp and emphasized repentance, while Jesus pointed to his works of healing as proof that he was indeed the one who was to come. How do we respond to change? Are we willing to let go of the illusion that we are indispensible?

Wednesday, Jan. 19 Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17 Mark 3:1-6 Whose criticism are you willing to risk in order to reach out in compassion to someone in need?

Thursday, Jan. 20 Fabian, pope and martyr; Sebastian, martyr Hebrews 7:25 — 8:6 Mark 3:7-12 Notice if you put a greater emphasis on the divinity of Jesus or the humanity of Jesus.

Friday, Jan. 21 Agnes, virgin and martyr Hebrews 8:6-13 Mark 3:13-19 How does prayer change your priorities?

Saturday, Jan. 22 Vincent, deacon and martyr; day of penance and prayer for violations of human life through acts of abortion

Hebrews 9:2-3, 11-14 Mark 3:20-21 Divine love is a mystery we cannot completely grasp.

Sunday, Jan. 23 Third Sunday in ordinary time Isaiah 8:23 — 9:3 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 Matthew 4:12-23 “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and purpose.”

— 1 Corinthians 1:10 Have you ever looked around church on a Sunday morning and been struck by the diversity?

Where else could you find people of different races, genders, ages, economic circumstances and political beliefs gathered together for a common purpose?

When Paul wrote to the divided community at Corinth, he reminded them that Christian unity is based on the message of the cross.

Putting our pride aside is not easy.

In fact, until we begin to listen instead of speak or admire the good in our enemy, we have no idea how much we dislike dying to our false self.

9B

Read more Father Michael Van Sloun, pastor of St. Stephen in Anoka, has also written about the Christian response to a long, cold winter and wraps up the Christmas season, which ends on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, with an article about Simeon and Anna, an older couple who were in the Temple when the infant Jesus was consecrated to the Lord.

Visit: WWW.THE

CATHOLIC SPIRIT.COM.

The daily reflections are written

by Terri Mifek, a member of St. Edward in Bloomington and a certified spiritual director at the Franciscan Retreat House in Prior Lake.

CATHOLIC MUTUAL GROUP WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND OUR SINCERE CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT NEWSPAPER FOR 100 YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY.

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10B

Calendar

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

Parish events Cana dinner at Sacred Heart, Robbinsdale — Jan. 8: 6 to 9 p.m. at 4087 W. Broadway.

Catered Italian dinner and presentation

by Jeremy and Cindy Rohr. For reservations, call (763) 537-4561.

Christmas cantata, ‘The Mystery and The Majesty’ at St. Patrick of Cedar Creek, Oak Grove — Jan. 9: 7 p.m. at 19921 Nightengale St. N.W. Pie social to follow.

Employment Ministry: Resume 101 and Cover Letter Writing Tips at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis — Jan. 11: 7 to 9 p.m. at 88 N. 17th St. Registration is required. E-mail JGROVE@MARY.ORG to sign up.

Cana dinner and dance at St. Peter, North St. Paul — Jan. 15: 6 to 10:30 p.m. at 2600 N. Margaret. St. Presentation by family therapist and author Jack Quesnell. For reservations, call (651) 777-8304, ext. 316 or visit WWW.CHURCHOFSTPETERNSP.ORG. Winter bingo at Transfiguration, Oakdale — Jan. 15: 5 to 9 p.m. at 6133 15th St. N. For information, call (651) 739-2714.

‘Churches of Minnesota: History, Stories and Breathtaking Photographs’ at St. Mark, St. Paul — Jan. 15: 10 a.m. at 2001 Dayton Ave. Author and photographer Doug Ohman will speak. Lunch will be served. Call (651) 644-9007.

457-6609.

For a complete listing of calendar events, visit THECATHOLICSPIRIT.COM.

Mystery theater dinner at St. Michael, Farmington — Jan. 15: Begins with social hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner and play from 6:30 to 9. Play is “Cabin Fever.”

Cost is $35 per person. For information, call (651) 463-3360.

Music Ministry Cabaret Theater at Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights — Jan. 21 and 22: 6 p.m. both nights at 4030 Jackson St. N.E. Theme is Broadway show tunes. For tickets and information, visit WWW.IMMAC-CHURCH.ORG.

Prayer/ liturgies All night vigil with the Blessed Sacrament at Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Paul — Jan. 7 and 8: 7 p.m. Fri. to 8 a.m. Sat. at 401 Concord St. World Apostolate of Fatima vigil of reparation at Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Paul — Jan. 7 and 8: Begins Friday with rosary at 7 p.m., Mass at 7:30 p.m. and confessions from 8:45 to 9:45 p.m. Concludes after a Mass at 12:30 a.m. Saturday at 333 South Exchange St. For information, call (651)

Healing Mass at Holy Name of Jesus, Wayzata — Jan. 15: 7 p.m. at 155 County Road 24. Father Joseph Gillespie, pastor of St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis, will be the celebrant. Rosary before Mass begins at 6:30 p.m.

Singles 50-plus Second Sunday Supper event at St. Joan of Arc, Minneapolis — Jan. 9: 5 p.m. at 4537 Third Ave. S. Includes social hour, supper and show featuring Al Sweet and the Somewhat Dixieland Band at 7 p.m. Cost is $10. Call (952) 884-5165.

School events Kinder story hour at St. Thomas More School, St. Paul — Jan. 7: 1 p.m. at 1065 Summit Ave. For children preparing to start kindergarten in the fall. For information, call (651) 224-4836.

Parent information night at St. Pius X School, White Bear Lake — Jan. 9: 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. at 3878 Highland Ave. Call (651) 429-5338 to reserve a place.

Open house at Benilde-St. Margaret School, St. Louis Park — Jan. 10: 6 p.m. at 2501 Hwy 100 S. For students entering grades 7 to 12. Pre-register at WWW.BSM SCHOOL.ORG/ADMISSIONS.

Other events Holy Name Society Apologetics Conference at St. Augustine, South St. Paul — Jan. 8: 1 p.m. at 403 Third St. N. Featured speaker is Mark Shea, Catholic author and speaker. To register, visit WWW.NOMEN SANCTUM.ORG. KC local level free throw contest at Transfiguration, Oakdale — Jan. 15: 10 a.m. in the school gym at 1533 15th St. E. Boys and girls ages 10 to 14 are invited to participate.

Forum on caring for seniors at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Hastings — Jan. 21: 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 2035 W. 15th St. Sponsored by Catholic Senior Services of the Archdiocese. Bishop Lee Piché will speak. For more information or to register, call (651) 437-4254, ext. 232.

Bus to March for Life prayer service and rally provided by Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville — Jan. 22: Bus leaves from 3333 Cliff Road at 9:15 a.m. for prayer service and 11:15 a.m. for rally. For information, call (952) 890-0045.

Hearing Tests Set for Senior Citizens Announcement — Free electronic hearing tests will be given all next week Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 4 pm.

The tests have been arranged for anyone who suspects they are not hearing clearly.

People who generally feel they can hear, but cannot understand words clearly are encouraged to come in for the test, which uses the latest electronic equipment.

Everyone, especially those over age 55 should have an electronic hearing test once

a year. Demonstrations of the latest devices to improve clarity of speech will be programmed using a computer to your particular needs — on the spot — after the tests.

See (and HEAR) for yourself if newlydeveloped methods of correction will help you understand words better.

Tests will be performed at one of 20 convenient Greater Twin Cities Avada Hearing Care locations.

Call 1-800-435-5189

TheCatholicSpirit.com

www.avada.com ©2011 HHM, Inc. 304

11B

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • JANUARY 7, 2011

Baptism implies community responsibility to teach by word and deed CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8B Different parishes have different programs to assist both parents and godparents in their understanding of the sacrament and their responsibilities vis-à-vis the child. This is not to be understood as some hoops parents are made to jump through, but rather as a great opportunity to learn more about the faith and about the role of Catholic parents and godparents.

Baptism may either be celebrated during Mass or outside of Mass. The custom of celebrating baptism at Mass goes back to the early Christian initiation of adults, when baptism culminated in the celebration of the Eucharist, the third of the sacraments of initiation.

Since we do not have the custom of communing infants after baptism, some will argue that it makes no sense to celebrate baptism during Mass.

Others argue for baptizing during Mass because this emphasizes the community aspect of the sacrament more so than a “private” baptism, a concept that is a contradiction in terms, as baptism essentially implies community.

In either case, the sacrament should be celebrated worthily and truthfully.

Johan Van Parys is director of liturgy and sacred arts at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.

Godparents play important teaching role The custom of identifying a godparent has its origin in the role of the sponsor in the early church.

Sponsors were and still are the people who vouch for adults seeking baptism and they also accompany them during the initiation process. The term “patrinus” or “godfather” (and now also “matrina” or “godmother”) was adopted to refer to sponsors of infants by the time infant baptism became the norm, i.e. by the end of the 8th century.

In essence, a godparent is the person who, along with the parents, will present an infant for VAN PARYS baptism, and most importantly, who will help the newly baptized child “to lead a Christian life in harmony with baptism, and to fulfill faithfully the obligations connected with it” (Code of Canon Law, No 872).

Normally, the parents or guardians select the godparent. In their absence, the pastor or baptizing minister may do so. Godparents must be baptized

Catholics who have received the sacraments of holy Eucharist and confirmation, and they have to be 17 or older. In addition, they are to live “in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken” (Code of Canon Law, 874.3).

Although only one godparent, either male or female is needed for baptism, the church allows for both a godmother and a godfather.

Because the godparent not only is responsible for the religious education and spiritual formation of the baptized person, but also represents the community of faith into which the child is being baptized, a Christian of another denomination, whether Orthodox or Protestant, cannot be a godparent. They may however function as a “Christian witness” to the baptism, along with the Catholic godparent. Likewise, a Catholic can only be a Christian witness for someone who is baptized into another Christian denomination.

In case of an emergency baptism, no godparent is needed.

— Johan Van Parys

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JANUARY 7, 2011 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT