Holy Family Area Catholic Community Newsletter — Feb 2023

Holy Family Area

CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

MEET ST. ANDREW’S PARISHIONER RITA ANDERSON Serving in Gratitude for the Blessings of Faith and Family

Getting involved in a ministry doesn’t need to be a big commitment that takes all your free time. It could just be a simple effort, like making sure the grounds look nice when you drive by. That’s what Rita Anderson does, among other things. She likes to make sure sticks are picked up, the bushes are trimmed and weeds are pulled at St. Andrew’s. She also does the watering about twice a week in the summer.

“It’s satisfying to make it all look nice,” Rita says. “People usually stop by to talk. Nobody told me I had to do this. I just started because I like it.”

Recently, Rita was asked by a friend to become a greeter, so she does that as well. She loves being there to welcome people into the church. She enjoys handing out the occasional hug and handshake.

Rita gets to about two daily Masses a week. She’s very thankful to have a parish to attend.

“I believe in God and because I believe in Him, I worship Him,” she says.

In addition, Rita prays the Rosary twice per day while she walks around her house — once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

“I have to stay in shape, so I can keep working in the gardens because that is what I love,” she says.

Rita has also been a member of the Council of Catholic Women for many years. The group is involved in fundraisers, and the members meet monthly. They are involved in the St. Andrew Fall Fair and raise money for various parish and community groups. In the past, they have helped purchase books for the parish, assisted with the Faith Formation program, and supported meals for homebound people, to name a few. Every year, Rita makes a quilt that is raffled off at the Fall Fair.

“That raffle usually brings in about $500,” Rita says. continued on page 5

Rita Anderson feels very blessed by her family and her parish family at St. Andrew’s.

You’re Invited

TO OUR UPCOMING LENTEN MISSION

CALL TO THE DEEP

Presented by Dcn.

March 12-15, 2023

7 p.m. talk followed by fellowship and a reception at St. Joseph’s, Montevideo

Night #1, March 12

God’s Saving Plan

Night #2, March 13

Spiritual Warfare

Night #3, March 14

Living in the Holy Spirit

Night #4, March 15

Grounded in Discipleship

Ralph Poyo

Deacon Ralph Poyo, Founder of New Evangelization Ministries With over 40 years experience, Deacon Ralph is a national speaker able to lead all ages to Jesus Christ!

THE WORD OF GOD: Hearing It and Responding to It

My Dear Friends in Christ,

Afew short weeks ago, we completed our Christmas season. We are now in what we call Ordinary Time – but as the month of February winds down, we will begin Lent with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 22.

The Gospel of John begins with the statement, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We speak often of the Word in the Church. As most of you are aware, the first part of our Mass is called the Liturgy of the Word. What does that mean to us?

Basically, there are four parts of our celebration of Mass: Introductory Rites; Liturgy of the Word; Liturgy of the Eucharist; and Concluding Rites. My focus in this reflection is that second part – the Liturgy of the Word. The main parts of that are a First Reading, a Responsorial Psalm, a Second Reading, the Gospel, and a Homily.

We draw on Holy Scripture from the Bible for the readings. As Catholics, we do not consider that these readings are about God, or about the Church, or about our faith, or a history lesson, or a nice story from long ago. We consider them to be God speaking directly to us. Thus, our attentiveness to what is being proclaimed is important. Are we listening? Do we hear? And then, do we respond in our lives? All of those should be facets of how we approach the Word of God.

For us, the Word of God is the living Word. God is speaking to us as a community, and He asks us to be faithful to His Word. If we pay attention and truly listen, God can nourish our spirit, and Christ can be more real and present to us. The Homily, the Responsorial Psalm, the Profession of Faith, and the Intercessions develop the Word further and complete it. The Profession of Faith is our acceptance of God’s Word. However, the question for us is, how do we respond to the Word? Does it change our lives? Does it bring us to the conversion necessary to live lives of stewardship and service? It is not easy, I know. Being able to listen, to hear and then to act requires time, practice, commitment, and a desire to fulfill all of this. That is one of my prayers for us – that we can hear the Word, and that we can bring it to life in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Paul Timmerman, Pastor

ST. JAMES PARISHIONER SHARES REFLECTIONS ON INTENTIONALLY “You Get So Much

Here at St. James in the Holy Family Area community, we are in the midst of the annual Stewardship Renewal. As we prepare to commit, we look back to last year when longtime St. James parishioner Joann Evjen presented a lay witness talk about stewardship and her commitments to the parish. In reflecting on Joann’s talk, we hope to further inspire our parishioners into service and stewardship.

“I think Commitment Sunday is very important,” Joann says. “It gives people a chance to sign up for something that they perhaps have wanted to do and just didn’t know how to go about it. That’s the first step. I think people do like to be personally asked, but that’s not always possible.”

Joann and her husband, Mark, have been parishioners since 1977, except for three years when they were members of St. Peter’s Parish in Canby while they lived in Porter. They have three sons and one daughter — all four kids are now married — and they have 14 grandchildren.

“I’ve always loved this parish,” Joann says. “It’s here where I met my first and dearest friends, being new to this community.”

Raised in the Catholic faith with both sets of grandparents being Catholic, prayer and the Church held importance in Joann’s upbringing. She recalls her parents being involved in their home parish, Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Taunton, saying that church life was a normal part of her upbringing.

“I will say that I wasn’t very wellcatechized,” she says. “I considered my religious instruction ‘Kumbaya.’ We mostly discussed feelings and what we were good at.”

Last year, when she received the Stewardship Commitment Card, Joann signed up for a few things.

“One of the things was going to Confession monthly,” she says. “At one point in my life, I didn’t go to Confession at all. Then after about 16 years, I knew I had to start. So I went twice a year. But when I saw on the Commitment Card to go monthly, and knowing this

was way outside of my comfort zone, I decided to just do it. It’s really changed my life.”

Joann says the commitment to regular Confession brings her peace. And while it isn’t her favorite thing to do, she says it has been of significant benefit.

“So, I encourage you all to complete your Commitment Card and return it,” Joann says in her witness talk. “Sign up to participate in our parish. Give of your finances. Give more than you normally do and see if you miss it. Pray for particular causes. Be a reader, usher, teacher, money counter, group leader, cleaner, or musician. Attend adoration, Stations of the Cross, and the Lenten Adult Education study. Give of yourself, try something new, and get involved. You get so much in return.”

Over the last year since presenting her witness talk, Joann says she wouldn’t change anything in her approach to stewardship. Daily, Joann prays, reads from The Word Among Us with her husband, and

PARISHIONER JOANN EVJEN INTENTIONALLY LIVING STEWARDSHIP

Much in Return”

they say the Rosary together. Last commitment Sunday, Joann signed up to say the Divine Mercy Chaplet, something that is now a regular practice for her. She also says that being involved with stewardship and service has given her more courage in being open about her faith and belief in God and His Mother.

“I also try to stand up for the Catholic Church in my daily living,” she says.

Joann participates in several ministries within our parish including the Stewardship Committee. She serves as a Rosary leader before Mass, as a sacristan, as a funeral worker, and brings Holy Communion to the homebound. Her advice to other parishioners in the community is simple but valuable.

“Sign up for something,” she says. “Be involved in your parish. Give of yourself. Say ‘yes!’”

RITA ANDERSON continued from front cover

“Making a quilt is a lot of work, but I enjoy it. I usually spend most of the year working on the quilt. I really like to sew.”

Rita also enjoys using those sewing skills to fix small things for the church, like altar cloths. Sewing and gardening are favorite activities for Rita. She also enjoys playing the piano (just for herself), walking, reading, and having coffee with friends. Having grown up in North Dakota, she enjoys going back there to visit.

Many years ago, Rita also taught CCD classes. This was a great fit because she had been a teacher professionally. Rita’s most recent job was as a third-grade

teacher at Bert Raney Elementary until she retired in 2002. Rita’s husband, Jack, passed away 11 years ago. She has four children, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandchild — another great-grandchild is on the way this spring.

“I enjoy having the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids around to visit,” she says.

Rita feels very blessed by her family and her parish family at St. Andrew’s.

“It’s small and you get to know people,” she says. “The people here are friendly, and they stick around to visit after Mass.”

“I think Commitment Sunday is very important. It gives people a chance to sign up for something that they perhaps have wanted to do and just didn’t know how to go about it. That’s the first step. I think people do like to be personally asked, but that’s not always possible.” — JOANN EVJEN

“It’s small and you get to know people. The people here are friendly, and they stick around to visit after Mass.” RITA ANDERSON

Living LentIN 2023

During the 40 days that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert, Satan was constantly tempting Him. He preyed on Jesus’ humanity, trying desperately to get Him to test God. Of course, we all know that it didn’t work.

Yet, the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert communicates an all-important truth to us. Jesus, the God-man, experienced everything we have and everything we ever will as human beings. Satan even tried to tempt Him, just as he tempts us every day.

Christ fought Satan tooth and nail, putting him in his place — “Get away, Satan! It is written, ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship, and Him alone shall you serve’” (Matthew 4:10). At that, the devil left Him.

We all find ourselves in similar situations. We live in a world wrought with sin, and, in his ever-so-cunning way, Satan makes the sinful look appealing. We must stand firm in our faith and tell Satan to “get away,” just as Jesus did. We fight sin and temptation by clinging to Jesus in prayer and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession. Only then will we truly experience the glory of the salvation that Christ came to give.

Lent offers us a particular time to fight Satan, taking courage in the resurrection that we are preparing to celebrate. Jesus gives us “resurrection power” through prayer and the sacraments. It is a time that we spend focused on strengthening our relationships with the Lord. Armed with His power, we can resist the temptations of the devil and accept the salvation Christ offers each one of us.

How can we do this? Get to know the Lord through prayer. Read the Scriptures often. St. Jerome tells us that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. So, we must be steeped in Scripture. Read it daily — chapter by chapter, verse by verse, or you can use the daily Mass readings. It is, after all, the Word of God! Draw close to the Blessed Mother — she is eager to bring us to her Son. Join her at the cross, where she witnessed her most precious Son die for each one of us. Pray the Rosary — individually and as a family. It is a powerful prayer through which, with Mary, we walk through Christ’s life, His death, and His resurrection. Unite with Christ Himself in His suffering.

Let us focus on the spirit of the season. We are to be preparing ourselves, just as Christ did, for the great event that won for us salvation!

PARISHIONER JOSH KOENEN

Embarks on the Joyful Journey to the Catholic Faith

Some conversion stories look like St. Paul’s — God knocked him off his horse, temporarily struck him blind, and, in a booming voice from the sky, demanded to know why St. Paul was persecuting Him. For some, their conversions happen quickly and dramatically, while for others, a conversion happens slowly and over a long period. No two conversions are the same. God works in the hearts of us all in very different ways. This slow and steady conversion was the experience of St. Joseph parishioner Josh Koenen.

Since getting married to his wife, Shannon, joining the Catholic Church had been at the back of his mind. God’s instrument for Josh’s conversion was his family. He grew up in Clara City and Shannon grew up in Willmar. They met after college and got married in 2008 at the Catholic parish of St. Mary’s in Willmar. They are parents to two boys — Kolton and Quinton. The family raises chickens on a farm north of Maynard.

“Over the years, I have regularly attended Sunday Mass with my family,” Josh says. “And now my boys are just getting older so they started asking questions about why I was not taking Communion.”

These questions and comments from his own children planted seeds for Josh. When a letter came in the mail about RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation, it sat on the counter for a while.

“I was actually really OK with Josh not being Catholic,” Shannon says. “We had agreed to be married in the Catholic Church and raise our children Catholic as well. So when he came to me and said, ‘I think I am going to do this as long as you can be my sponsor,’ I was so happy I had fireworks going off inside!”

Shannon and Josh attended RCIA classes together where they dove deeper into the teaching of the Catholic faith.

“It was nice to talk to each other on our way home about what that week’s lesson was about,” Josh

says. “Shannon’s grandma was a huge inspiration for us, so we would ask her questions along the way about what we were learning. She is 80 years old and she even learned something along the way, too. This was truly an amazing journey doing this together.”

Even though Josh has attended Mass for many

continued on back cover

Josh Koenen and his wife, Shannon, attended RCIA classes together where they dove deeper into the teaching of the Catholic faith.

“If you are thinking about becoming Catholic and taking the RCIA classes, it is a commitment but it is well worth the time and effort. In the end, all of the work you put in is so rewarding to finally be welcomed into the Church.” JOSH KOENEN

512 Black Oak Ave.

Montevideo, MN 56265

www.holyfamilyarea.org

MASS TIMES:

Sunday

8:30 a.m. — St. James, Dawson

10:30 a.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo

Tuesday

5 p.m. - St. Andrew, Granite Falls

Wednesday

5 p.m. — St. James, Dawson

Thursday

5:30 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo

Friday

10 a.m. — St. Andrew, Granite Falls

Saturday

5:00 p.m. — St. Andrew, Granite Falls

7:00 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo (Spanish)

CONFESSION TIMES:

30 minutes before daily Mass

Sunday

8 a.m. — St. James, Dawson

Saturday

9:30 - 10 a.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo

4:15 - 4:50 p.m. — St. Andrew, Granite Falls

PARISHIONER JOSH

KOENEN continued from page 7

years, his experiences within the parish itself have changed since joining the Church last year. Josh has also joined the Knights of Columbus and become more involved in the life of the parish itself. Learning about the faith through the knowledgeable RCIA team members has helped him to grow deeper in relationship with God. Forming relationships with the RCIA team and other parishioners has impacted his life in important ways.

“If you are thinking about becoming Catholic and taking the RCIA classes, it is a commitment but it is well worth the time and effort,” Josh says. “In the end, all of the work you put in is so rewarding to finally be welcomed into the Church.”

Josh and Shannon are parents to two boys — Kolton and Quinton. The family raises chickens on a farm north of Maynard.