Holy Family Area Catholic Community Newsletter — Mar 2023

CATHOLIC COMMUNITY

Holy Family Area

EMBRACING THE SACRAMENT

OF

RECONCILIATION DURING LENT

Don’t Miss Valuable Opportunities for Confession as We Prepare for Easter

As adults, we often know better than young people — we’ve been around longer and have more life experiences. But this Lent, let’s take our cues from the children and youth and be sure to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Ann Voller, the Area Coordinator of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry, says that most, if not all, of the Faith Formation students, embrace the opportunity to receive the sacrament when it’s offered at Advent and Lent.

“We should go to confession regularly to help us recognize what sins we struggle with and to ask Jesus for forgiveness and healing,” Ann says.

And, as Ann says, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is truly a gift that we should not let go to waste.

“Confession is God’s mercy and love to us, in the form of a sacrament, that can heal us from our sins, restore our relationship with Him and work to perfect us for glory with Him in heaven someday,” she says.

If you haven’t been to Confession in a long time, this is your year to draw closer to this sacrament once again. Don’t miss the chance to receive God’s grace!

“The healing grace I have received from the sacrament has been life-changing for me, and it has become life-changing for our students,” Ann says. “God wants to heal us from our sins. He wants to remove our guilt and shame and replace it with His loving grace and mercy.”

continued on page 5

Students from the Holy Family Area who are grateful for the Sacrament of Reconciliation

You’re Invited

TO OUR UPCOMING LENTEN MISSION CALL TO THE DEEP

Presented by Dcn. Ralph Poyo March 12-15, 2023

SEE

YOU THERE!

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

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!

DON’T FORGET TO BRING A FRIEND!

REFLECTIONS ON LENT AND STEWARDSHIP FROM POPE BENEDICT XVI

Dear Friends in Christ,

With the passing from this life of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Dec. 31, I found it fitting to share with you some of his teachings and reflections on Lent, as we have now embarked on our own Lenten journeys.

Pope Benedict was a lifelong scholar, a priest for 71 years, and pope from 2005 to 2013. Throughout his papacy, he offered us all a treasure trove of reflections, prayers, and advice for our Lenten journeys and constantly reminded and encouraged us during this 40-day journey to increase our faith and charity. In other words, through conversion of heart, we must intensify our commitment to stewardship with the sharing of our gifts during Lent.

In his final Lenten message as pope in 2013, he wrote: “The celebration of Lent… offers us a valuable opportunity to meditate on the relationship between faith and charity: between believing in God — the God of Jesus Christ — and love, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and which guides us on the path of devotion to God and others.”

While Lent is a time when we tend to ramp up our prayer lives, Pope Benedict always pushed us to do even more, and he encouraged us to take the next step as good and faithful stewards. He explained how faith leads to charity, which is a response to God’s love for us, thus urging us to use our renewed faith by sharing our time, talent, and treasure with others.

He wrote: “The entire Christian life is a response to God’s love. The first response is precisely faith as the acceptance, filled with wonder and gratitude, of the unprecedented divine initiative that precedes us and summons us. And the ‘yes’ of faith marks the beginning of a radiant story of friendship with the Lord, which fills and gives full meaning to our whole life. But it is not enough for God that we simply accept his gratuitous love. Not only does he love us, but he wants to draw us to himself, to

transform us in such a profound way as to bring us to say with Saint Paul: ‘it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’” (cf. Gal 2:20).

Pope Benedict continued his 2013 Lenten message, saying: “For its part, charity ushers us into the love of God manifested in Christ and joins us in a personal and existential way to the total and unconditional self-giving of Jesus to the Father and to his brothers and sisters. By filling our hearts with his love, the Holy Spirit makes us sharers in Jesus’ filial devotion to God and fraternal devotion to every man” (cf. Rom 5:5).

While we grieve that he is no longer with us here, I remain grateful to our Lord for Pope Benedict XVI and his ministry and invite you to reflect on his teachings and messages on Lent as you continue your own Lenten journeys with trust and joy.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Paul Timmerman, Pastor

Want to read more from Pope Benedict XVI on the Lenten journey?

Pick up his 2006 book, Journey to Easter: Spiritual Reflections for the Lenten Season , and his 2012 book, Lent with Pope Benedict XVI: Meditations for Every Day.

My

Good Shepherd:

A Special Place for Children to Learn and Explore Their Faith

Children learn through their senses. They take in the world around them by experiencing it and participating in it. While we may think of catechesis as something we learn from books, it is the foundation of a child’s relationship with God and they experience it in a very real way.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, or CGS, is a method that was developed out of Maria Montessori’s philosophy on education. It brings the stories, liturgies, and ideas of our faith to children in a way they can see, hear, taste, smell, and touch. The Holy Family Area is blessed with a team of catechists that are preparing to bring CGS to our own families.

Beth Gilb, Heidi Felton, Katie Pieh, and Alyssa Larson have been trained and are preparing a space, called the Atrium, where children ages 3 to 6 will come to learn. For each of them, CGS has a place in their hearts. From experiencing the fruits of CGS in their own children to discovering the beauty of it through their training, they are excited to offer this unique program to our parishioners.

“It is unlike any other religious education a child will receive,” Beth says. “The way they work with their hands penetrates the heart and deep places of their soul, impacting them for years to come.”

Lessons are taught to the children through beautiful materials and simple language. Children learn how to set up the altar and the names of each vessel by setting up a child-sized altar. Scripture is taught alongside figures that allow the children to see the story. The space is prayerful and peaceful, yet designed for the developmental needs of the children.

“I was amazed at the impact this quiet, meditative experience had on my loud boys, and the way they were learning to explore and articulate their personal faith,” Heidi says. “When catechist training was offered, entering into the program seemed like an obvious choice.”

CGS teaches the faith while speaking to a child’s heart. It shares the reality of the Good Shepherd who seeks a relationship with each of us.

“I love the recognition that everything in life is a gift continued on page 5

Alyssa Larson, Beth Gilb and Katie Pieh with their CGS Formation Leader, Carolyn Kohlhaas

Beth’s daughter, Lillian, working with the Good Shepherd material and setting up the model altar.

and the way CGS helps the child ‘open the greatest gift’ — a relationship with Jesus,” Katie says.

Alyssa has seen her son’s faith grow through his experience with CGS.

“He isn’t just learning about God — he is growing to know God personally,” Alyssa says. “It is easy to see that the Catholic faith he is discovering isn’t just in his head, it’s in his heart. And as a mother, I know that will make

all the difference.”

CGS is scheduled to begin in the fall at St. James and is open to families in the Holy Family Area. Look for sign-up information in the bulletin as the school year approaches. The CGS team is looking for help crafting the materials for the atrium. Anyone with sewing, painting, woodworking, or sculpting skills is invited to help.

To learn more about CGS or to help craft the materials, please contact Beth Gilb at 307-202-2322 or Heidi Felton at 320-241-1840.

THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION continued from front cover

Our Faith Formation students were excited to share their thoughts on how their relationship with Jesus has grown through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

 “It makes me feel closer to Him because, after Confession, I feel a weight off of my shoulders.”

— sixth grader, St. Andrew’s

 “It has made me feel like I can trust Him more, and I feel more open to Him when I need help.”

— seventh grader, St. Joseph’s

 “Every time I go, it feels like He frees my mind and hurts from the chains of sin.”

— 11th grader, St. James

 “It helps me move closer to Jesus because I know that even if I mess up, Jesus will forgive me.”

— ninth grader, St. Joseph’s

The students offer some helpful tips if you find yourself hesitant to attend Confession.

 “It’s okay. There is nothing to be afraid of. Confession is a good place!” — sixth grader, St. Joseph’s

 “It’s not as bad as you think. You will feel much better.” — sixth grader, St. James

 “Just give it a try because you will not get judged for what you say, because it’s just you, your priest, and Jesus.” — ninth grader, St. Joseph’s

 “You can do it! You get to talk to Jesus in private and remember that God loves you.”

— third grader, St. James

 “It may seem nerve-wracking at the beginning, but once you’re done and got all your sins off your chest, it almost feels as if you have a weight lifted off your shoulders.” — 11th grader, St. Joseph’s

5 p.m. - 5:20 p.m.; Friday: 5:30 p.m. - 5:50 p.m.; Saturday: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS AT ST. ANDREW’S A Special Opportunity to Journey with the Lord

The Stations of the Cross illustrate for us 14 parts of Jesus’s last day before His death and can be treated like a mini-pilgrimage. Reflecting on the Stations is a great way to enter into the solemnity of Lent. We can use the devotion as a chance to journey with Jesus and understand a small part of what He experienced during the Passion. The devotion begins with Jesus being condemned to death and ends with Him being laid in the tomb.

Kathi Gill has served as a Stations of the Cross leader for about 10 years at St. Andrew’s. It’s a really important devotion to her life. Even during the height of the pandemic, she and Cathy Michaelson found a way to offer the prayer in a socially distanced manner.

“The Stations of the Cross have always been one of my favorite Lenten devotions,” Kathi says. “I attended a parochial grade school, and every Friday afternoon, we had Stations of the Cross at the church before school was dismissed. Stations would end with Benediction. It was a devotion that always made Lent very meaningful for me.”

Having spent several years helping lead Stations for

Faith Formation students, Kathi worked with others to make the devotion meaningful for each grade level and to involve the students as much as possible.

“I have always felt strongly about sharing this Lenten practice with schoolchildren because they sometimes have less exposure to Lenten prayers and practices,” Kathi says.

She recalls when a special needs student volunteered to carry the cross when none of his classmates would. He carried the heavy cross and genuflected at the appropriate times, saying all of the responses right on cue. His sincerity and reverence stayed with Kathi all these years later.

For Kathi, the fourth Station — Jesus meets His Mother — is the most meaningful for her as a mother herself. She tries to truly reflect on what Mary must have been feeling.

Kathi asks that we all look for an opportunity at one of our parishes to participate in Stations of the Cross this Lent. For Kathi, this devotion makes Jesus’ sacrifices come alive and is an impactful way to prepare for Easter.

CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF St. Katharine Drexel

Feast Day, March 3 — Living a Life of Stewardship Ahead of Her Time

She was born to a mid-1800s wealthy Philadelphia family and lived an early life of luxury, yet Katharine Drexel wasn’t just an ordinary rich girl. Her parents instilled in Katharine and her two sisters one of the foundations of a stewardship way of life — their wealth was simply a gift from God that was on loan to them and designed to be shared with others.

Her road to a life of holiness and eventually sainthood — St. Katharine Drexel was canonized in 2000, and her feast day is celebrated on March 3 — began with that commitment to sharing her time, talent, and treasure with God and others as a young woman.

When the Drexel family took a trip to the Western United States when she was a young woman, Katharine witnessed the plight and destitution of the Native Americans of the region. This experience inspired her desire to act. This was the beginning of her lifelong personal and financial support of numerous missions and missionaries in the United States. The first school she established was St. Catherine Indian School in Santa Fe, N.M., in 1887.

Later, when visiting Pope Leo XIII in Rome, and asking him for missionaries to staff some of the Indian missions that she as a lay person was financing, she was surprised to hear the pope suggest that she become a missionary herself. After consultation with her spiritual director — Bishop James O’Connor, a Philadelphia priest at the time who later became the first Bishop of Omaha, Neb. — she made the decision to give herself totally to God, along with her inheritance, through service to Native Americans and African Americans.

Her wealth was now transformed into a poverty of spirit, and her sense of stewardship became a daily constant in a life supported only by the bare necessities. On February 12, 1891, she professed her first vows as a religious, founding the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament whose dedication would be to share the message of the Gospel and the life of the Eucharist among Native Americans and African Americans.

Always a woman of intense prayer, Katharine found in the Eucharist the source of her love for the poor and oppressed and of her concern to reach out to combat the effects of racism. Knowing that many African Americans were far from free, still living in substandard conditions as sharecroppers or underpaid menials, denied education and constitutional rights enjoyed by others, she felt a compassionate urgency to help change racial attitudes. She saw the need for quality education, and she discussed this need with some who shared her concern about the inequality of education for African Americans in the cities.

Restrictions of the law also prevented people of color in the rural South from obtaining a basic education. Founding and staffing schools for Native Americans and African Americans throughout the country became a priority for Katharine and her congregation. During her lifetime, she opened, staffed, and directly supported nearly 60 schools and missions, especially in the West and Southwest United States. Her crowning educational focus was the establishment in 1925 of Xavier University of Louisiana, the only predominantly black Catholic institution of higher learning in the United States at the time.

continued on back cover

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

6:30 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo (Spanish)

CONFESSION TIMES:

30 minutes before daily Mass

Sunday

8 a.m. — St. James, Dawson

Friday

5:30 p.m. - 5:50pm. — St. Joseph, Montevideo

Saturday

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

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

ST. KATHARINE DREXEL

continued from page 7

Her joyous incisiveness, attuned to the Holy Spirit, penetrated obstacles and facilitated her advances for social justice. Through the prophetic witness of Katharine Drexel’s initiative, the Church in the United States was enabled to become aware of the grave domestic need for an apostolate among Native Americans and African Americans. She did not hesitate to speak out against injustice, taking a public stance when racial discrimination was in evidence.

For the last 18 years of her life, she was rendered almost completely immobile because of a serious illness. During these years she gave herself to a life of adoration and contemplation as she had desired from early childhood. She died on March 3, 1955.

Through the prophetic witness of Katharine Drexel’s initiative, the Church in the United States was enabled to become aware of the grave domestic need for an apostolate among Native Americans and African Americans. She did not hesitate to speak out against injustice, taking a public stance when racial discrimination was in evidence.