OND Feb. B Vol. 71 No. 4

VOL. 71, NO. 4

WWW.CROOKSTON.ORG

FEBRUARY 22, 2017

Growing in knowledge, brotherhood

Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner and 30 priests of the Diocese of Crookston attended the third of seven Good Leaders, Good Shepherds sessions held in the diocese. They spent Feb. 7-10 at Maplelag Resort near Callaway, Minn., studying the oneto-one context of leadership. (Photos credit: Janelle C. Gergen/OND) TURN TO PAGE 3 TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PRIESTS ARE LEARNING AT GOOD LEADERS, GOOD SHEPHERDS.

Left: Father Bill DeCrans, Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner and Father Augie Gothman work on a group activity while Leadership Consultant Jim Goodell checks their progress during the morning session of Good Leaders, Good Shepherds on Feb. 8.

Center: Father Bryan Kujawa and Father Xavier Ilango study their Good Leaders, Good Shepherds materials, while Father Chuck Huck and Father Tom Friedl discuss it.

Right: Father John Cox, OMI, Father Raul Perez-Cobo and Father John Christianson work on a group activity.

INSIDE VOL. 71, NO. 4:

Pg. 6 - Catholic Schools Week Highlights Pg. 10 - CCF Seminarian Endowment Listing Pg. 15 - Scripture and Prayer Calendar

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February 22, 2017

A

COMMENTARY

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Voice from the Valley

BY BISHOP MICHAEL J. HOEPPNER

LENT During a trial in a small town, a grandmother was called to the stand. After being sworn in, she was asked by the attorney for the prosecution: “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?” She replied, “Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you’ve been a big disappointment. You lie, you cheat.

You talk about people behind their backs. You think you’re a big shot. Yes, I know you.”

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what to do next, he pointed across the courtroom and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?”

She again replied, “Why, yes, I do. I’ve known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too.

He’s lazy and he drinks too much. He’s opinionated and brags about himself. He likes to take advantage of people and

charges way too much for his supposed services.” Suddenly, the judge banged his gavel. He motioned to the two attorneys to approach the bench. In a very stern voice, the judge told them, “If either of you idiots asks Mrs. Jones if she knows me, I’ll hold you in contempt and move to have you disbarred.”

My friends, Lent approaches and we need to make good use of it. Each Lenten Season, Holy Mother Church invites us to take a really good look at ourselves. What would Mrs. Jones say about us if asked? What do others see when they see us; what do others get when they get us? More importantly, what would Jesus, the just judge, say?

The Church calls Lent a time of salvation and a time of sanctification. In this time of salvation, we ask for God’s help to make progress along the way of conversion. As Pope Francis writes in his Lenten mes-

sage for this year, we are called “to return to God ‘with all our hearts’ (Jl 2:12), to refuse to settle for mediocrity and to grow in friendship with the Lord.”

How will we accomplish this?

The question becomes, how will we allow God to accomplish this during this Lent?

How does anyone grow in friendship with another? If we want to grow in friendship with someone, we give them time and attention. During that time, by giving our attention, we share our thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams and desires.

Through that time and attention, we also listen as they share their thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams and desires.

Each year, the bishops of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota go on retreat at the beginning of January. Our retreat director this past January suggested that we “forget for a moment that God knows everything and suppose that God

knows about you only what you tell him, only what you take the time to share with him.”

“How much,” he asked, “would God know about you then?”

During Lent, Jesus invites us to grow in friendship with him.

He invites us to share our ups and downs, the good and bad, what’s going on and how we’re doing. He wants us to share it all with him within our hearts.

He will listen. We, in turn, need to listen to him. He will speak his word, and in his word we will learn, grow, be forgiven, be encouraged and be loved.

That is why Pope Francis reminds us, “At the basis of everything is the word of God, which during this season, we are invited to hear and ponder more deeply.”

During Lent, the Church makes it easy for us to hear what Jesus says about our lives with him by carefully selecting the daily Scripture readings

for Mass. I invite you to take time each day to ponder these Lenten Scripture passages, to share with Jesus how your journey on the road of conversion and sanctification is going, and to listen to what Jesus says to you about your spiritual life and growth. May God grace us all with a blessed Lent.

RITE OF ELECTION OR ENROLLMENT I eagerly look forward to March 5, 2017, and gathering at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception with the catechumens and candidates who have been preparing for baptism and reception into full communion.

It is wonderful to see the work of God’s love in their lives as God draws them to deeper communion with him.

How wonderful for all of us, as God’s family grows and is enVOICE: Cont. on Page 7

BISHOP’S CALENDAR February 26

8:30 a.m.

Rite of Confirmation, St. Stephen’s, Stephen

February 28

7:45 a.m.

Mass, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston

February 28

9:30 a.m.

Real Presence Radio Interview

February 28

12:00 p.m.

March 1

7:00 a.m.

March 2

11:00 a.m.

March 5 March 7

(USPS 414-940) Our Northland Diocese is a semi-monthly newspaper committed to publishing Good News for the purpose of strengthening and furthering the Reign of God in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Crookston.

Deans Meeting, Chancery, Crookston Ash Wednesday Mass, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston

Subscriptions: $16.34 per year in the diocese, $17.88 per year outside the diocese.

Assignments Committee, Chancery, Crookston

Publisher:

The Most Reverend Michael J. Hoeppner Bishop of the Diocese of Crookston

3:00 p.m.

Rite of Election, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston

Editor:

Dr. Mark Krejci

7:45 a.m.

Mass, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston

Associate Editor: Mrs. Janelle C. Gergen

jgergen@crookston.org

March 8

Minnesota Catholic Conference Meetings, St. Paul

Editorial Assistant: Mrs. Katrina Genereux

kgenereux@crookston.org

March 9

Catholics at the Capitol Event, St. Paul

Proofreader:

March 11

Dinner, Dance, Auction at St. Joseph’s, Moorhead

VICTIM ASSISTANCE STATEMENT

If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, your first call should be to law enforcement.

If you have been abused by a Catholic priest or another person in Church ministry, the Diocese of Crookston Victim’s Assistance Coordinator is also available to offer you help and healing.

Please contact Louann McGlynn at 218-281-7895 (24-hour confidential number) or Lmcglynn@ crookston.org.

Deacon Dan Hannig

For questions about subscriptions or address changes, please contact: Mrs. Renee Tate at rtate@crookston.org Periodical postage paid in Crookston, MN and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: send address changes to: Our Northland Diocese PO Box 610, Crookston, MN 56716-0610 Phone: 218-281-4533 Publishing dates and submission deadlines for news and advertisements can be found online: www.crookston.org/ond/

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

LOCAL

February 22, 2017

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Priests of the diocese continue leadership program Good Leaders, Good Shepherds seeks to help priests build fraternity, vibrant parishes

By Katrina Genereux Staff Writer, OND

CALLAWAY, MINN. – Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner and many priests of the Diocese of Crookston are nearly half way through the Good Leaders, Good Shepherds program.

They attended the third of seven gatherings from Feb. 7-10 at Maplelag Resort near Callaway.

They started the program in August 2016 and the final sessions will be held next February.

The leadership program for Catholic clergy created by the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) has six modules designed to help them grow in various levels of leadership interaction.

The modules are: self-preparation for leadership, leadership in the self context, leadership in the one-to-one context, leadership in the team context, leadership in the organizational context and leadership in the relationship context.

Good Leaders, Good Shepherds requires investment on three levels – diocesan, parish and individual. The priests themselves, as well as their parishes have committed to reserving time for them to attend each of the sessions.

The cost of the leadership program is divided into three portions. A quarter of the cost is paid for by the priest, a quarter by his parish and the diocese is responsible for the remaining half. Our Sunday Visitor awarded a grant to the Diocese of Crookston to help offset the cost of bringing this program

Carol Carlin, a Leadership Consultant with Catholic Leadership Institute teaches a session of Good Leaders, Good Shepherds on Feb. 8 at Maplelag Resort near Callaway, Minn. (Photo credit: Janelle C. Gergen/OND)

to the priests of the diocese.

It is the hope of CLI and the diocesan administration that investing in this program will lead to stronger, livelier parishes that will build up the people of God. During each gathering, two leadership consultants from CLI guide Bishop Hoeppner and the priests through the curriculum for the module. The

February session was facilitated by Carol Carlin and Jim Goodell.

Carlin has been working with CLI since 2010 and has years of experience at the parish and diocesan levels in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Goodell has worked with CLI since 2011 and specializes in organizational and professional development.

Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion Sunday, March 5, at 3:00 p.m., Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston.

Candidates and catechumens from parishes across the Diocese of Crookston along with their sponsors, friends and families will gather to celebrate these rites with Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

These rites mark the beginning of the period of final, more intense preparation for the sacraments of initiation, which will be celebrated during the Easter Vigil throughout the diocese.

Please come support those seeking to join the Catholic Church.

“Most of the guys didn’t become a priest to govern, to do a capital campaign or a building campaign,” Goodell said.

“They did it for sanctification and teaching, but governance is part of their ministry. If you do this well … you can do all the other stuff that you really love – and that we love – you doing.”

Carlin said Good Leaders, Good Shepherds is all about strengthening parishes by giving the priests the skills they need to effectively lead.

“Helping pastors so that they have vibrant parishes that nourish their parishioners’ relationships with the Lord … it’s what we hope for,” she said.

Each day, the priests gather for Mass and prayer in addition to seven hours of instruction.

They eat their meals together, and in the evenings have time for fellowship.

During the February gathering, they studied leadership in the one-to-one context.

“This week is all about leading others,” Carlin said. “It’s really about inviting them to help the people they lead to become independent achievers.”

Carlin said priests can do this by recognizing, cultivating and acknowledging the gifts and talents of the people they lead.

“Together as a pastor and as staff or parishioners, we’re working towards the vision we have for the parish,” she said.

They looked at values and points of view and how to effectively communicate with people who have different personalities or viewpoints.

They also discussed the importance of clearly communicating goals and expectations to parish staff members and volunteers.

Goodell said the sessions seek to follow the leadership model provided by Jesus as recorded in Scripture.

“Jesus never led the same way based on the situation at hand, and we certainly advocate that same thing for lowly people like ourselves,” he said. “It’s a lot about intentionality and versatility.”

During the sessions, the priests work individually and in small groups to analyze and discuss situations in their parishes where they can apply what they are learning.

They receive worksheets and reference guides to use when they return to their parishes.

Attendees are also encouraged to stay connected to each other and discuss the things they learned during the months between gatherings.

“They can make a difference in the lives of the people they lead by taking an interest in their role and helping them understand their responsibilities and set goals,” Carlin said.

Carlin and Goodell agree the challenge for them is making sure all of the priests are engaged throughout the presentations.

“It’s a rigorous curriculum, and you have to be patient with different experiences of learning,” Carlin said.

“It’s a lot of information – SHEPHERDS: Cont. on Page 7

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February 22, 2017

COMMENTARY

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

The rosary and the renewal of politics Exactly one hundred years ago, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children outside of Fatima, Portugal, sharing with them some extraordinary messages and prophecies. But Our Lady of Fatima’s most urgent plea was for repentance – on behalf of ourselves, sinners, and entire nations – as well as for people to pray the rosary. In the end, she promised, her Immaculate Heart would triumph.

As Pope Benedict noted in his homily at Fatima in May 2010, “[w]e would be mistaken to think that Fatima’s prophetic mission is complete.” Although great calamities seem to have been averted during the twentieth century due to her intercession – nuclear annihilation, Communist hegemony, and the assassination of Pope John Paul II – the world continues to be beset by deep conflicts between man and God, creation, other peoples, and within himself, all of which portend our destruction just as much as the threats of the last century.

None of us alone can thwart these trends or renew society.

And no politician or political program will do so either. The first and most urgent thing that is needed to restore all things in Christ and bring peace to the social order is a Church full of faithful citizens – faithful citizens who repent for their own sins, make reparation for the offenses to God perpetrated each day, and pray the rosary fervently for renewal.

FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA

By Jason Adkins

Executive Director Minnesota Catholic Conference

Come join us Thursday, March 9, 2017 in St. Paul, MN! WHO: You, along with the bishops of Minnesota, dynamic speakers, and Catholics from across the state

WHAT: A day of inspiration and advocacy, as we delve

deeply into faithful citizenship and bring a Catholic voice to the State Capitol

WHY: Minnesota faces urgent challenges, from the threat of legalized assisted suicide to persistent family poverty. Our faith calls us to protect life and human dignity.

WHEN: March 9, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. (Doors open at 7 a.m.)

WHERE: The RiverCentre and State Capitol in St. Paul, MN Registration is required. Register today by visiting www.catholicsatthecapitol.org or by calling 651-227-8777.

MARY’S OPTION FOR THE POOR In her various apparitions during the past 500 years, Mary seems to choose to visit the most humble of persons, whether children like St. Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes and Blessed Jacinta and Fran-

cisco Marto at Fatima, or the socially downcast, such as St. Juan Diego and his uncle, Juan Bernardino, indigenous converts to the faith, whose people had lost much after the Spanish conquest of Mexico.

Indeed, the rosary, the pres-

ence of which has figured strongly in the apparitions at Lourdes and Fatima, is an object of popular piety and devotion particularly among the poor and those of simple, yet profound, faith – faith as trusting as that of children.

By contrast, the Blessed Virgin has not appeared in recent times to clergy, social and political elites, or theologians. And justly so, perhaps, as oftentimes Marian piety and devotion to the rosary have been an object of derision from many enlightened proponents of a more “modern” faith.

Yet modernity continues to run frenetically after various fads, revolutions, products, and politicians that provide fleeting hope for change but then inevitably end in disappointment.

The world, and sometimes the Church, forgets the basic message of Our Savior – “repent!” Our Blessed Mother comes to us as our protector and intercessor, reminding us of the need to repent, and gives us a wonderful gift, the rosary, with which to bind ourselves to her and to meditate as she did on the great mysteries of her Son. The lesson of Fatima is that there is no salvation and no renewal, ecclesial or social, that is not rooted in deeper friendship with Jesus Christ. Mary’s message of repentance and the exhortation to pray the rosary brings us closer to Him. And it is the humble faith of the poor and little children, not

sophisticated programs, that is our model.

ROSARIES IN THE ROTUNDA Try as we might to renew public life as faithful citizens, we will have trouble without the gift of the rosary. All of the policy arguments, all of the meetings, and all of the latest advocacy tools will not change the public discourse without the intercession of Mary to prepare the way, so that the seed can fall on fertile ground in hearts softened by God’s mercy.

That is why, when the bishops of Minnesota host Catholics at the Capitol on March 9, an important component of the day will be the praying of Rosaries in the Capitol rotunda.

As attendees make their legislative visits, and suggest policies that promote life and human dignity, other participants will pray that our legislators’ hearts and minds are opened to the truth; that they serve the common good and not special interests; and that they protect the life and dignity of every person, from conception to natural death. And we will pray for our whole state, that amid all of its prosperity, it will always seek first to protect the poor and vulnerable – those little ones closest to Mary’s heart.

We come confidently and joyfully to St. Paul on March 9, knowing that whatever the outcome of our legislative activity, her Immaculate Heart will triumph.

My thoughts of Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ and the seaside martyrs I have long been an ardent fan of Martin Scorsese’s films.

“Taxi Driver”, “Raging Bull”, “Goodfellas”, “The Aviator”, “Gangs of New York”, “The Last Waltz”, “Casino”, etc. are among the defining movies of the last forty years. And “The Departed”, Scorsese’s 2007 crime drama, was the subject matter of the first YouTube commentary that I ever did. It is certainly the case, furthermore, that the director’s Catholicism, however mitigated and conflicted, comes through in most of his work. His most recent offering, the much-anticipated “Silence”, based upon the Shusaku Endo novel of the same name, is a worthy addition to the Scorsese oeuvre.

Like so many of his other films, it is marked by gorgeous cin-

WORD ON FIRE

By Bishop Robert Barron

Founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

ematography, outstanding performances from both lead and supporting actors, a gripping narrative, and enough thematic complexity to keep you thinking for the foreseeable future.

The story is set in mid-seventeenth century Japan, where a fierce persecution of the Catholic faith is underway. To this dangerous country come two young Jesuit priests (played by

Adam Driver and Andrew Garfield), spiritual descendants of St. Francis Xavier, sent to find Father Ferreira, their mentor and seminary professor who, rumor has it, had apostatized under torture and actually gone over to the other side. Immediately upon arriving onshore, they are met by a small group of Japanese Christians who had been maintaining their faith

underground for many years.

Due to the extreme danger, the young priests are forced into hiding during the day, but they are able to engage in clandestine ministry at night: baptizing, catechizing, confessing, celebrating the Mass. In rather short order, however, the authorities get wind of their presence, and suspected Christians are rounded up and tortured in the hopes of luring the priests out into the open. The single most memorable scene in the film, at least for me, was the sea-side crucifixion of four of these courageous lay believers.

Tied to crosses by the shore, they are, in the course of several days, buffeted by the incoming tide until they drown. Afterwards, their bodies are placed on pyres of straw and they are

burned to ashes, appearing for all the world like holocausts offered to the Lord.

In time, the priests are captured and subjected to a unique and terrible form of psychological torture. The film focuses on the struggles of Father Rodrigues. As Japanese Christians, men and women who had risked their lives to protect him, are tortured in his presence, he is invited to renounce his faith and thereby put an end to their torment.

If only he would trample on a Christian image, even as a mere external sign, an empty formality, he would free his colleagues from their pain. A good warrior, he refuses. Even when a Japanese Christian is beheaded, BISHOP BARRON: Cont. on Page 7

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

COMMENTARY

February 22, 2017

5

Catholic Parenting 101: Parents are the first teachers of the faith type of thinking to other areas our faith. Believing in God I grew up in a family where PRAYING in which they teach their chil- and being a Catholic was just dessert after supper was a speWITH THE dren. I go back to the dessert the way it was. Going to Suncial event. While we always when I was growing up: if my day Mass was what we did, athad meat and potatoes in one FAMILY parents would have decided tending Catholic school was the form or another (after all, my Dad and Grandpa were potato farmers) we did not have dessert after every meal (even though they also raised sugar beets). But perhaps once or twice a week the family would be treated to mom’s angel-food cake, glazed donuts from the bakery, or even the special treat of Grandma’s “Texas Chocolate Cake.” (My mouth is watering just thinking about these treats.) My brother and sister and I knew that we could not jump straight to dessert at the beginning of supper. We had to eat the chicken, some mashed potatoes and green beans first.

It was not that my mom always had to say “You must eat your supper before you get dessert,” because we just knew that this was the way it was.

Parents are given a long list of things to teach their children. Parents should serve as their children’s first teachers of right and wrong, respect for authority, how to treat people fairly, what are dangerous things in the world (ask me what my parents taught me about razor blades!), what does it mean

By Dr. Mark Krejci

Director of the Office of Marriage, Family and Life

longer considered themselves Catholics. He discovered that 63 percent stopped being Catholic between the ages of 10 to 17, and another 23 percent reported that they left the faith before age 10. These youngadult former Catholics identified a number of reasons they left the faith, including the following: their parents stopped being Catholic, they no longer believed in God or they selected another religion.

This made me think of an interview I read involving parents of a young child. They stated in the interview that they did not want to “impose” their faith on their children, and that they were going to expose their children to a wide range of religions and let them join the faith that they selected, if any.

I wonder if they extended this

to love, what does it mean to learn, and of course – based on my opening paragraph – what is proper nutrition. I could go on because the list is even longer, but I want to focus on parents as the first teachers of the faith, which brings me to the work of Dr. Mark Gray.

Dr. Gray is a researcher at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. Since 1964, CARA has gathered data about the Catholic Church in the United States. They look at everything from the number of parishes, priests, and religious in the country, to the percentage of Catholics who attend Mass, contribute money or are considering the priesthood. Dr. Gray recently published a report about young people who were baptized Catholic but no

they did not want to “impose” their eating habits on me as a child, that they were going to expose me to a wide range of food and let me decide which ones were right for me, my diet would have consisted solely of cookies, cake, donuts, chips and Cheerios (liberally sprinkled with sugar). Of course I would not have known that this was a bad diet because I was just a kid – I wanted to eat the sweets and did not care about proper nutrition. Instead, my parents guided me in a proper direction, and so I developed a taste for a wide range of foods (excluding most vegetables - sorry Mom) and I still wait until after the meal to have dessert.

My parents did a similar thing regarding my Catholic faith.

They raised me in the faith in order to provide me with a proper direction toward God. Unlike some of the young people in Dr. Gray’s research, I did not even realize there was an option to not believe in God or be anything but a Catholic growing up. Yet my parents were never “imposing” about

only option in my mind, and receiving the sacraments was a wonderful part about growing up. Because of their guidance while I was a child, my faith became a full and free act of faith as an adult.

In my next column, I will address those times of heartbreak when children are raised in the faith but then, for a variety of reasons, “opt-out.” For now, let us be grateful to God for the many parents that raise their children following the teaching of the Church handed down from popes, saints, priests, sisters and Vatican II. Let us pray for those parents who respond to the call from Christ’s Church to be the first teachers of the faith. Pope Francis calls this a “serious responsibility,” one that is at the core of the role of Christian parents. This is so serious because all of the other things parents are to teach their children – what is right, what is good, what is beautiful (versus dangerous) – is based on teaching their children that all are to love God and be part of the Body of Christ, the Church.

Will we be ready when Roe v. Wade is overturned by the Supreme Court?

I have started writing this column six different times, this is the seventh attempt.

It is high time those of us in the pro-life movement take a good, long, honest look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we are ready for what lies ahead.

Those of us who have been praying the past 44 years for an end to abortion on demand were given a glimpse of hope with the naming of Neil Gorsuch as the nominee to replace pro-life Justice Antonin Scalia on the United States Supreme Court.

Yet, let us not forget for the past seven years, six of the nine Supreme Court Justices were Catholic. Roe v. Wade, the Jan. 22, 1973, case which infected our nation with the scourge of abortion on demand, remains the law of the land. For seven years, Catholics Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, Samuel Alito and Sonia Sotomayor could not come together to revisit the case.

It is clear the nomination of Neil Gorsuch is not a sure thing when it comes to his holding

LIFE

FIRST

By Father Don Braukmann

Parochial Vicar - St. Philip’s Parish, Bemidji and St. Charles Parish, Pennington

a pro-life vote on the court.

Just ask Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush who both nominated justices who would not touch Roe v. Wade. Reagan and Bush promised they would appoint pro-life justices yet Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy (who is still serving) to the Court and neither turned out to be pro-life. Bush was one for two as he nominated pro-lifer Clarence Thomas but also proabortion David Souter.

Another matter to consider is the issue of precedence. Some judges who may oppose the way Roe v. Wade was decided will not vote to overturn it.

They may say a law which has slowly woven its way into the

fabric of American life for 44 years should not be overturned.

Some minor changes on the fringe (banning tax payer funded abortion for example) may be upheld but abortion itself may remain legal. A judge who is pro-life in his or her heart may vote in the case’s defense because of precedence. In other words, there is no guarantee how any of the justices will vote when specific abortion cases come before them.

Now, if Roe v. Wade is overturned in the coming years, abortion will not automatically be banned in the United States.

For the most part, the laws on the books of each state on Jan. 21, 1973, will become the law of the state once again.

Minnesota permitted abortion before 1973. Clearly, our work takes on a whole new level of urgency if the day comes when the Jan. 21, 1973 laws are restored! Will we be ready, as pro-lifers in Minnesota, to continue the struggle?

We also have an additional obstacle as the Minnesota State Constitution is believed to protect the right to an abortion even more clearly than the grounds used for Roe v. Wade in the U. S. Constitution.

So, obviously, our work as pro-lifers will really never end.

Overturning the law is one thing, but are we ready to put our blood, sweat, tears and money into changing the hearts of our brothers and sisters?

Will we appropriately fund education programs, healthcare programs for mothers and children, adoption services and support all that will be needed to stand with women who face the stark reality of an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy?

We cannot and must not simply order women to have their child and then walk away which is exactly the argument the pro-

abortion supporters make of us. Will we dictate with righteous indignation or will we stand with and walk with women (and men) facing situations we may not fully understand?

In the end, changing the law does not change the heart. I have a suspicion changing the law will be the easier task!

Our praying at the local Planned Parenthood office here in Bemidji will continue. Our gifts of time, treasure and talent must increase at the Northwoods Pregnancy Care Center next door to St. Philip’s Church.

Our speaking out in support of quality education, childcare and healthcare must only increase.

Neither political party has a consistent ethic of life when you look at their platforms. As Catholics, we are to hold our elected leaders accountable.

The silent scream of the child in the womb will only be heard if we give her a voice. The women who feel trapped in a pregnancy must know they are not alone, we are with them and we will walk with them as long as it takes ... without pointing a finger in judgment.

6

February 22, 2017

LOCAL

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Celebrating Catholic Schools Week Our Northland Diocese partnered with the following diocesan Catholic schools who shared glimpses of their observance of Catholic Schools Week from Jan. 20 - Feb 4. St. Mary’s Mission School, Red Lake, will celebrate Catholic Schools Week in the spring.

Sacred Heart School

East Grand Forks

Cathedral School

Crookston

Students show their Cathedral spirit after the Seniors vs. Teachers Volleyball Game.

For the first time, Sacred Heart School participated in the North Dakota Know Your Faith State Championship at St. Mary’s School in Bismarck during Catholic Schools Week. This event pitted Catholic high schools from Fargo, Bismarck, Dickinson, Minot and Sacred Heart in a Catholic trivia challenge. At the school level, each ninth – 12th grade student took a test, and the top students from each class competed to represent Sacred Heart School at the State competition.

Inset: The Freshman team, led by Lucy Bevelacqua, Bella Haas, and Ben Goetz, won at the school level.

Sacred Heart School Juniors and Seniors lead a Lectio Divina scripture session with fifth and sixth graders.

Holy Rosary School

Friday’s Spirit Olympics Tug of War.

Detroit Lakes

Students pack food for the “Hunger NO More” project.

The whole school sings "We are God's Children" after Mass on Wednesday.

Above: Students help the sisters of Mount St. Benedict in their library as a Fridays with the Father service project.

Right: Students made cards for those preparing for the priesthood and diaconate.

St. Bernard’s School

Above: Second grade and Pre-K students read together.

Right: This year’s student display was “108 Reasons We Love St. Bernard’s”.

Sledding and hot cocoa were part of Catholic Schools Week at St. Bernard’s.

St. Michael’s School

Fr. Dave Super shares his vocation with St. Michael’s School Kindergarten through second grade students while blessing their throats in honor of St. Blaise.

Thief River Falls

Mahnomen

St. Michael’s third through sixth grade students enjoyed skiing at the Waubun School Forest during Catholic Schools Week.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

VOICE: Continued from Page 2 riched by additional brothers and sisters.

The “Ceremonial for Bishops” states: “Through celebration of the rite of election or enrollment of names at the beginning of Lent, the Church hears the testimony of the godparents and the catechists, as well as the catechumens’ reaffirmation of intent, and then judges whether the catechumens are sufficiently prepared to receive the Easter sacraments. … [The Bishop] declares before all present the church’s decision and … asks the community to express its approval of the candidates.

He then asks the candidates to give a personal expression of their intention and, in the name of the church, he carries out the act of admitting them as elect.”

Long ago, St. Gregory Nazianzen praised the richness of what God calls us to.

“[Baptism] is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God’s Lordship.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1216) We extend a heartfelt, warm welcome to all being baptized this Easter and to all who come to full communion with us. At Easter, may our hearts be full of gratitude. May we give thanks and praise to God for the richness of the gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, clothing and seal of our own baptism into God’s life.

LOCAL

February 22, 2017

7

SHEPHERDS: Continued from Page 3 we call it drinking through the fire hose – but one of the big benefits of this is fraternal support and presbyteral unity,” Goodell said. “It’s a big thing just to understand that one of the resources they have is each other.”

Father Raul Perez-Cobo, pastor of St. Patrick’s, Kelliher; St. John’s, Nebish and St. Ann’s, Blackduck, said this is one of the things he has enjoyed during the process.

“It is great just to be together for three or four days at a time and for us to know that we are not just by ourselves in a corner in the parish, we belong to the diocese … we are a brotherhood,” he said.

Good Leaders, Good Shepherds has helped Father PerezCobo prioritize his day, keeping in mind the vision of the diocesan Church and the parish, and focus on the most important tasks.

“The best part is to know myself and how my personality and ways of view can impact

my ministry and how others view it,” Father Perez-Cobo said. He is also more easily able to understand people who have a different personality than his.

“It’s a great program in the way that we can build our knowledge of ourselves, build how we can help others [in our parishes] and help others within the presbyterate too,” he said.

Msgr. Timothy McGee, Pastor of Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes said it has helped him view interactions from alternative angles.

“This program has given me some new insights in dealing and visiting with parishioners,” he said.

Father Todd Arends, Pastor of St. Mary’s, Warroad; St. Joseph’s, Williams and Sacred Heart, Baudette, said knowing more about his personality has been helpful.

“Our personality does affect how we interact with each other and we have to be aware of how that could be used in helpful ways or cause difficulty in

interacting with each other and leading other people,” he said.

Father Daniel Nassaney of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate has been serving the parishes of St. Ann’s, Waubun; St. Anne’s, Naytahwaush; St. Frances Cabrini, Big Elbow Lake; Most Holy Redeemer, Ogema; St. Benedict, White Earth and St. Theodore, Ponsford since August. Two fellow OMI priests are also stationed at the six parishes.

He said, “It [Good Leaders, Good Shepherds] involves a reinforcement of the value of the person in what we do … we try to better understand the person so as to better respect as well as interact.”

Father Nassaney is enjoying gathering with fellow priests.

“It’s always good to be together as a presbyterate with the bishop,” he said. “That’s also an important element in this, because it is a presbyterate action in sharing. It is directed toward the good of the diocese.”

BISHOP BARRON: Continued from Page 4

he doesn’t give in. Finally, and it is the most devastating scene in the movie, he is brought to Father Ferreira, the mentor whom he had been seeking since his arrival in Japan. All the rumors are true: this former master of the Christian life, this Jesuit hero, has renounced his faith, taken a Japanese wife, and is living as a sort of philosopher under the protection of the state. Using a variety of arguments, the disgraced priest tries to convince his former student to give up the quest to evangelize Japan, which he characterized as a “swamp” where the seed of Christianity can never take root.

The next day, in the presence of Christians being horrifically tortured, hung upside down in-

side a pit filled with excrement, he is given the opportunity, once more, to step on a depiction of the face of Christ. At the height of his anguish, resisting from the depth of his heart, Rodrigues hears what he takes to be the voice of Jesus himself, finally breaking the divine silence, telling him to trample on the image. When he does so, a cock crows in the distance.

In the wake of his apostasy, he follows in the footsteps of Ferreira, becoming a ward of the state, a well-fed, well-provided for philosopher, regularly called upon to step on a Christian image and formally renounce his Christian faith. He takes a Japanese name and a Japanese wife and lives out many long years in Japan before his death at the

age of 64 and his burial in a Buddhist ceremony.

What in the world do we make of this strange and disturbing story? Like any great film or novel, “Silence” obviously resists a univocal or onesided interpretation. In fact, almost all of the commentaries that I have read, especially from religious people, emphasize how “Silence” beautifully brings forward the complex, layered, ambiguous nature of faith. Fully acknowledging the profound psychological and spiritual truth of that claim, I wonder whether I might add a somewhat dissenting voice to the conversation? I would like to propose a comparison, altogether warranted by the instincts of a one-time soldier

named Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Jesuit order to which all the “Silence” missionaries belonged. Suppose a small team of highly-trained American special ops was smuggled behind enemy lines for a dangerous mission. Suppose furthermore that they were aided by loyal civilians on the ground, who were eventually captured and proved willing to die rather than betray the mission. Suppose finally that the troops themselves were eventually detained and, under torture, renounced their loyalty to the United States, joined their opponents and lived comfortable lives under the aegis of their former enemies. Would anyone be eager to celebrate the layered complexity and rich ambiguity of their patriotism? Wouldn’t we see them rather straightforwardly as cowards and traitors?

My worry is that all of the stress on complexity and multivalence and ambiguity is in service of the cultural elite today, which is not that different from the Japanese cultural elite depicted in the film.

What I mean is that the secular establishment always prefers Christians who are vacillating, unsure, divided, and altogether eager to privatize their religion. And it is all too willing to dismiss passionately religious

people as dangerous, violent, and let’s face it, not that bright.

Revisit Ferreira’s speech to Rodrigues about the supposedly simplistic Christianity of the Japanese laity if you doubt me on this score. I wonder whether Shusaku Endo (and perhaps Scorsese) was actually inviting us to look away from the priests and toward that wonderful group of courageous, pious, dedicated, long-suffering lay people who kept the Christian faith alive under the most inhospitable conditions imaginable and who, at the decisive moment, witnessed to Christ with their lives. Whereas the specially trained Ferreira and Rodrigues became paid lackeys of a tyrannical government, those simple folk remained a thorn in the side of the tyranny.

I know, I know, Scorsese shows the corpse of Rodrigues inside his coffin clutching a small crucifix, which proves, I suppose, that the priest remained in some sense Christian.

But again, that’s just the kind of Christianity the regnant culture likes: utterly privatized, hidden away, harmless. So okay, perhaps a half-cheer for Rodrigues, but a full-throated three cheers for the martyrs, crucified by the seaside.

8

February 22, 2017

LOCAL

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Father Andrew Obel welcomed by Park Rapids celebrates Boy Scout Sunday Detroit Lakes Catholic Daughters

Father Tom Friedl, Diocesan Scout Chaplain, celebrates Scout Sunday with members of Troop 58, at St. Peter the Apostle’s, Park Rapids on Feb. 4.

Catholic Daughters of Holy Rosary in Detroit Lakes invited members to a meet and greet for Father Andrew Obel who recently began his assignment as Parochial Vicar at the parish. During the event, he spoke about his family, his peaceful country of Uganda and his journey to priesthood. (Submitted photo)

Lenten Practices Ash Wednesday (March 1) and Good Friday (April 14) are days of fast and abstinence. Fridays of Lent are also days of abstinence.

Fasting is to be observed by all who are 18 years of age or older, who have not yet celebrated their 59th birthday. On a fast day, one full meal is allowed. Two other meals sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to each one’s needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids, including milk and juices, are allowed.

Abstinence is observed by all who are 14 years of age and older. On days of abstinence, no meat is allowed. Note that when health or ability to work would be seriously affected, the law does not oblige.

When in doubt concerning fasting and abstinence, consult your parish priest.

Fasting, almsgiving and prayer are the three traditional disciplines of Lent.

The faithful and catechumens should undertake these practices seriously in a spirit of penance and of preparation for baptism or of renewal of baptism at Easter.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

NATIONAL

February 22, 2017

9

Bishop Vasquez welcomes federal appeals court ruling on refugee ban

By Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON – The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration welcomed a federal appeals court ruling that upheld a temporary restraining order against President Donald Trump’s travel ban on refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries that also temporarily suspended the country’s refugee resettlement program.

“We respect the rule of law and the American judicial process. We remain steadfast in our commitment to resettling refugees and all those fleeing persecution,” Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, said in a statement Feb. 10.

“At this time we remain particularly dedicated to ensuring that affected refugee and immigrant families are not separated and that they continue to be welcomed in our country,” the statement said.

The bishop pledged that church agencies would continue to welcome people “as it is a vital part of our Catholic faith and an enduring element of our American values and traditions.”

In a decision issued late Feb. 9, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rejected the government’s argument to lift the freeze on the president’s order and maintained that the court had jurisdiction in the case as a

Syrian refugee Baraa Haj Khalaf and her daughter, 1-year-old Shams, wave after arriving Feb. 7 at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. (Photos credit: CNS/Kamil Krzaczynski, Reuters)

check on executive power.

Trump had argued that his order was a matter of national security and that the courts had no claim to decide the issue.

The panel ruled otherwise saying that such an argument “runs contrary to the fundamental structure of our constitutional democracy.”

Further, the judges said, “although courts owe considerable deference to the president’s policy determinations with respect to immigration and national security, it is beyond question that the federal judiciary retains the authority to adjudicate consti-

wants your news and advertisements!

Find 2017 publishing dates and submission deadlines on the web: www.crookston.org/ond The next OND submission deadline is: Wednesday, March 1, by 12:00 p.m.

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“At this time we remain particularly dedicated to ensuring that affected refugee and immigrant families are not separated” – Bishop Joe S. Vasquez, Diocese of Austin, Texas

tutional challenges to executive action.”

The administration is expected to file an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump said in a posting on Twitter minutes after the ruling was released: “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” He later told reporters that the judges had made “a political decision.”

The case was filed by the state

of Washington, which argued that Trump’s order was unconstitutional because it discriminated against Muslims and that state agencies were harmed because students and employees were barred from re-entering the country. The state of Minnesota subsequently joined the lawsuit.

U.S. District Court Judge James Robart of Seattle halted Trump’s travel ban Feb. 3 by granting a temporary restraining order.

Several lawsuits have been filed challenging Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order that suspended the entire U.S. refugee resettlement program for 120 days and banned entry of all citizens from seven majorityMuslim countries – Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia – for 90 days.

Another clause in the order established religious criteria for refugees, proposing to give priority to religious minorities over others who may have equally compelling refugee claims.

In its 29-page ruling, the appeals court said the administration’s lawyers had provided no evidence that refugees from the seven countries named in the ban posed a national security threat through terrorism.

The judges also wrote that the government had not shown Trump’s order provides any avenue for those restricted from traveling to the U.S. to appeal the decision or seek a hearing to present their reasons for entering the country. The decision said that earlier court cases had determined that the protections established under the due process clause in the Constitution’s Fifth Amendment “apply to all ‘persons’” within the U.S. including aliens whose presence is “lawful, unlawful, temporary or permanent” as well as to people attempting to reenter the U.S. after traveling.

The court also considered the public’s interest in the case and determined that the public “has an interest in the free flow of travel, in avoiding separation of families and in freedom from discrimination.”

10

February 22, 2017

NATIONAL

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

USCCB leaders urge Trump to protect religious liberty

By Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON – Catholic Church leaders in a Feb. 16 statement said they were encouraged that President Donald Trump may be considering an executive order to protect religious freedom and said they would be grateful if he would move forward with the pledge that his administration would “do everything in its power to defend and protect religious liberty.”

“As Christians, our goal is to live and serve others as the Gospel asks. President Trump can ensure that we are not forced from the public square,” said the statement from committee chairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The statement was jointly issued by: New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, chair-

“As Christians, our goal is to live and serve others as the Gospel asks. President Trump can ensure that we are not forced from the public square” – USCCB Committee Chairs man of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty; and Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

The church leaders said an executive order would “implement strong protections for religious freedom across the federal government in many of the areas where it has been eroded by the preceding admin-

istration, such as health coverage, adoption, accreditation, tax exemption, and government grants and contracts.”

“We ourselves, as well as those we shepherd and serve, would be most grateful if the president would take this positive step toward allowing all Americans to be able to practice their faith without severe penalties from the federal government,” they said.

A draft version of the executive order was leaked in late January called “Establishing a Government-Wide Initiative to

Respect Religious Freedom.”

When it failed to appear on the president’s desk, rumors were circulating that a scaledback version might appear at his desk but there has been no word about it from the Trump administration.

The U.S. bishops posted an online letter for Catholics to send to the president urging him to sign the order after the draft version was leaked.

The Feb. 16 statement said the order would restore “the federal government’s proper relationship with the First Amendment and other laws protecting conscience and religious freedom will enable us to continue our service to the most vulnerable of Americans.”

The statement stressed that U.S. Catholic bishops have long supported religious liberty, adding that during the last several years “the federal government has eroded this fundamental right,” most notably with the

Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate for religious employers who do not fit the mandate’s narrow exemption including the Little Sisters of the Poor.

The USCCB leaders urged Trump to keep his promise and put an end to regulations and other mandates by the federal government “that force people of faith to make impossible choices.

“We express our fervent hope that with new leadership in the executive branch, basic protections for religious practice may be restored and even strengthened,” they said.

The statement said an immediate remedy to the threats against religious freedom is needed and without it the church’s freedom to serve others “will remain in jeopardy and needless conflict between the faith community and the federal government will continue.”

Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) Endowments and Memorials Education of Seminarians

Francis and Alvina Desrosier............................2,000.00

Louis and Laura Baril........................................2,500.00

St. Cecilia, Sabin.................................................500.00

Adrian and Jane Fortier.................................10,000.00

Frank and Judith Kleinvachter..........................2,000.00

Louis and Gertrude Staloch..............................1,000.00

St. Francis, Moorhead.....................................19,735.00

Albert & Irene Kuznia.......................................1,000.00

Frank and Mabel Mallinger.............................15,000.00

Louis J. Desrosier............................................32,498.97

St. Francis Xavier, Oklee......................................890.28

Alfonse & Helen DeCrans................................1,550.00

Fred & Eva Rivard..........................................10,000.00

Louis M. Theis...................................................9,732.58

St. John, Nebish, Sacred Heart, Wil.................9,000.00

Andrew & Madeline Hanson.............................2,000.00

George and Annie Baskerville...........................1,000.00

Lucille A. McGinnis Estate...............................27,425.00

St. John the Baptist, Georgetown.....................2,000.00

Andrew and Kathryn Rominski..........................1,000.00

George and Mary Rauenbuehler.......................1,000.00

M. Joseph Walsh...............................................1,000.00

St. Joseph’s, Ada.................................................500.00

Ann K. Brunner Endowment...........................25,342.12

Glen St. Ives Memorial......................................5,000.00

Marcel Novak................................................124,321.68

St. Joseph’s, Bagley.............................................545.00

Anton Tschimperele Estate...............................5,000.00

Godfrey and Blanche Keller............................10,000.00

Margaret & Celestine Maus..............................9,000.00

St. Joseph’s, Moorhead.....................................5,042.00

Arlin & Marcia Super............................................500.00

Grace Genereux................................................5,000.00

Margaret Tembrock.........................................15,000.00

St. Joseph’s Church, Beaulieu........................10,000.00

Ben & Elizabeth Balke ...................................10,000.00

Harold and Ann Pakuer...................................10,000.00

Marie V. Connelly.............................................10,000.00

St. Joseph’s of Benwood Youth Grp.................1,608.10

Ben & Elizabeth Landowski..............................2,500.00

Harold & Shirley Cyr……….......................……1,000.00

Mary Immaculate.............................................10,030.00

St. Joseph’s Parish, Oslo................................10,000.00

Bill & Dee Sullivan.............................................1,050.00

Helen Gartner Memorial....................................1,000.00

Matt & Ann Vorderbruggen..............................10,000.00

St. Lawrence Church, Mentor............................7,500.00

Bishop Balke...................................................15,000.00

Henry and Ida Ricard......................................33,099.22

Matthew J. and Anna Novak.............................8,000.00

St. Mary of the Lakes......................................10,000.00

Bishop Corbett Memorial................................10,035.00

Henry J. Schilling.............................................15,000.00

Michael John Steffl Memorial..........................52,500.00

St. Mary’s, Euclid..................................................100.00

Bishop Glenn..................................................18,695.00

Herbert and Lou Vicia Reese............................1,000.00

Miss Alice E. Chisholm Estate.........................45,088.40

St. Mary’s Church of Fosston............................2,357.00

Bishop Peschges............................................20,000.00

Herbert X. Brunner..........................................25,000.00

Mr. & Mrs. Henry McAleer Mem......................91,000.00

St. Mary’s, Warroad...........................................1,000.00

Bishop Povish.................................................20,035.00

Hildebrand, Assumption, Barnes.....................10,000.00

Mrs. Mae Lallier.................................................1,000.00

St. Patrick, Hallock..........................................10,000.00

Bob and Helen Widerskie...............................10,000.00

Holy Trinity, All Heavenly Beings.......................8,600.00

Mrs. Mary Plencner...........................................3,000.00

St. Peter’s, Gentilly...............................................100.00

Bray, Logan & Morin.......................................10,000.00

Holy Trinity, Tabor..............................................3,484.03

Msgr. A. I. Merth..............................................20,000.00

St. Peter’s, Park Rapids....................................1,000.00

Bud and Bernie Blokzyl....................................1,050.00

Izola McLaughlin Estate..................................13,564.07

Msgr. John Stearns.........................................10,000.00

St. Philip’s Church of Bemidji............................1,000.00

Candace Miller Memorial..................................5,844.57

J.F.A.B. .……………..........................................5,135.11

Nat’l Catholic Society of Foresters..................37,648.17

St. Rose of Lima, Argyle....................................4,250.00

Cathedral of the Immac. Conception................1,554.49

Jerome C. & Alice Steele..................................2,000.00

Neoma Madunich Memorial..............................1,000.00

St. Stephen, Stephen......................................12,702.00

Clarence Agnes…….............................………10,000.00

Jerry & Eris Super...........................................20,000.00

Other................................................................11,094.63

St. Theodore, Ponsford.....................................1,000.00

Clarice & Peter Dieser Families......................17,211.10

Jim and Theresa Schmitz..................................2,000.00

Pennies for Seminarians-MN KCs..................98,290.61

Stanley Bourassa............................................10,025.00

Clem & Kathryn Foltz......................................14,800.00

Joe and Jenny Prosby Family.........................10,000.00

Peter and Julia Stauffenecker...........................5,000.00

Stanley and Lucille Gruhot................................9,000.00

Edward Ignaszewski Estate..............................3,000.00

Joel & Nancy Kowalke......................................1,000.00

Peter J. Krolak.................................................20,000.00

Steven and Agnes Kary Estate.......................23,408.78

Elmer Ricard Memorial.....................................1,600.00

J. & M. Arends, F. & L. Hemberger....................4,309.35

Pope Pius X......................................................3,695.58

Sylvester & Clara Kasprowicz...........................1,000.00

Elvern Vanyo…................................………….85,194.22

John A. and Victoria Kuznia............................10,000.00

Ralph & Dolores Stocker...................................1,500.00

The Amon Family...............................................4,000.00

Eugene R. Connelly Memorial..........................5,000.00

John & Dorothy Morrisey Family.......................3,000.00

Ray and Loretta Borowicz...............................10,000.00

Theodore and Susie Michalski..........................3,000.00

Eva Charest Memorial..................................221,426.37

John Joseph......................................................1,105.00

Richard Rude..................................................10,000.00

Vernard & Mae Dora Berberich.........................1,000.00

Father Bill Keefe.............................................21,974.47

Joseph & Elizabeth Pulczinski Fam..................2,000.00

Robert Kresl Family...........................................2,000.00

Virgil LaPlante...................................................4,000.00

Father Ed Nistler...............................................6,000.00

Joseph and Rose Parent.................................10,000.00

Robert & Carmel Montgomery.........................17,370.16

W. Donald Archer Memorial............................14,107.66

Father James P. Flynn....................................21,654.46

Julius and Toni Kleinwachter.............................2,000.00

Sacred Heart I................................................20,000.00

Walter & Monica Novak Memorial.....................7,000.00

Father John Merth..........................................10,000.00

Knights of Columbus.......................................24,540.92

Sacred Heart, Frazee......................................10,000.00

Wilhelmina Patnode........................................20,000.00

Father Keough Patnode..................................80,365.00

Lake of the Woods Cath Comm......................10,000.00

Sacred Heart Parish, Roseau...........................1,720.60

William and Loretta Erickson.............................1,000.00

Fathers Sheehy & A.M.A.S.............................10,000.00

Leonard & Marie Hapka..................................10,000.00

Simon & Marion Super....................................11,000.00

William Jirik.......................................................2,000.00

Felix & Theresa Pietruszewski..........................2,000.00

Leonard and Isabelle Kuznia............................1,000.00

SS. Peter & Paul, Warren................................11,200.00

Total.............................................................1,958,456.70

Fr. Louis McMahan...........................................2,800.00

Leonard E. & Veronica B. Boucher...................1,000.00

St. Aloysius, Leo...............................................3,400.00

Frances Karboviak............................................1,000.00

Lloyd and Dorothy Rivard................................10,000.00

St. Bernard’s Parish, TRF.................................2,050.00

This endowment listing will be printed again on May 17, 2017.

Want to know more about endowments and memorials within the Catholic Community Foundation? Do you have questions about the endowments published above?

Contact Joe Noel, CCF Director, at 218-281-4533, ext. 453 (office) or 218-280-6858 (mobile). Joe may also be reached at: jnoel@crookston.org.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

INTERNATIONAL

February 22, 2017

11

Pope Francis names envoy to study World needs women, pastoral care of faithful in Medjugorje not for what they do, but

By Cindy Wooden who they are, pope says Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Without commenting on the authenticity of alleged Marian apparitions in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pope Francis has appointed a Polish archbishop to study the pastoral needs of the townspeople and the thousands of pilgrims who flock to the town each year.

The pope chose Archbishop Henryk Hoser of Warsaw-Praga as his special envoy to Medjugorje, the Vatican announced Feb. 11.

“The mission has the aim of acquiring a deeper knowledge of the pastoral situation there and, above all, of the needs of the faithful who go there in pilgrimage, and on the basis of this, to suggest possible pastoral initiatives for the future,” the Vatican announcement said.

Archbishop Hoser’s assignment has “an exclusively pastoral character,” the Vatican said, making it clear his task is separate from the work of a commission set up in 2010 by now-retired Pope Benedict XVI to investigate the claims of six young people who said Mary had appeared to them daily beginning in 1981. Some of the six say Mary still appears to them and gives them messages each day, while others say they see her only once a year now.

Pope Benedict had named

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

Pilgrims pray around a statue of Mary on Apparition Hill in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in this Feb. 26, 2011, file photo.

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Henryk Hoser of WarsawPraga, Poland, as his special envoy to Medjugorje, the site of alleged Marian apparitions. A Vatican statement said his role would be to study the pastoral situation in Medjugorje. (Photo credit: CNS/Paul Haring)

retired Italian Cardinal Camillo Ruini to chair the group studying the apparitions. In June 2015, Pope Francis told reporters that Cardinal Ruini had given him the group’s report and that it would be studied by the cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

At the time, Pope Francis said, “We’re close to making decisions,” although nothing was announced until the appointment of Archbishop Hoser about 20 months later.

Thousands of pilgrims travel to the small town each month

to meet the alleged seers and to pray. Because the apparitions have not been approved, the Vatican has said dioceses should not organize official pilgrimages to Medjugorje. However, it also has said Catholics are free to visit the town and pray there, and that the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno and the Franciscans who minister in the town should organize pastoral care for them.

The Vatican’s February announcement said that Archbishop Hoser “is expected to finish his mandate as special envoy by summer of this year.”

VATICAN CITY – The exploitation of any person is a crime, but the exploitation of a woman “destroys harmony” in the world, Pope Francis said.

Commenting on the Genesis story of God creating Eve, Pope Francis told people at his early morning Mass Feb. 9 that the creation story emphasizes how the world needs the qualities women have.

Men and women “are not the same, one is not superior to the other, no,” the pope said. “It’s just that men do not bring harmony. She is the one who brings that harmony that teaches us to caress, to love with tenderness and who makes the world something beautiful.”

After the creation of Adam, the pope said, “God himself notices the solitude” of Adam, who “was alone with all these animals.”

God could have said, “’Hey, why don’t you take a dog, who will be faithful, to accompany you through life and two cats to pet.’ A faithful dog is good, cats are cute – at least some think so, others no, for the mice no!” the pope said.

But Adam still felt alone, so God decided to make a suit-

able companion for him. In the Genesis story, God casts a deep sleep on Adam, the pope noted, so it is reasonable to assume that before Adam saw Eve, he dreamed of her.

“To understand a woman, it is necessary to dream of her first,” the pope said. And when Adam awakes, he recognizes her immediately.

Too often when people speak about women they talk in terms of function, “’woman was made to do this’ – No!” the pope said. The woman herself is special and “without her the world would not be the same.”

“Often we hear people say, ‘In this company, this institution, there must be a woman to do this or to do those things,’” he said. “It’s true that women must do things and that she does things like all of us do,” but her purpose does not lie in a task, but in the qualities she brings.

“Exploiting a person offends humanity,” he said, “but exploiting a woman is something more, it is destruction, it is turning back, it is destroying harmony.”

“Woman is harmony, poetry, beauty,” the pope said. “Without her, the world would not be as beautiful, it would not be harmonious.”

Pope at Angelus: be Christians of Don’t dialogue with the substance, not appearance alone devil, pope says at Mass

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY – Obeying the true spirit of the commandments and not just a literal interpretation of them is what makes Christians become authentic witnesses, Pope Francis said.

As seen through Mary’s example, following the commandments “is possible with the grace of the Holy Spirit which enables us to do everything with love and to fully carry out the will of God,” he said Feb. 12 before reciting the Angelus with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“May the Virgin Mary, woman of docile listening and joyful obedience, help us to approach the Gospel not just having a

Christian ‘facade,’ but being Christian in substance,” he said.

The pope reflected on the Sunday Gospel reading from Matthew, in which Jesus explains to his disciples the Mosaic law and warns that “unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

This righteousness, the pope said, must be “animated by love, charity and mercy” in order to fulfill the true purpose of the law and “avoid the risk of formalism,” which is strict adherence to prescribed laws.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus focused on three specific commandments: against murder, adultery and swearing.

While insulting someone “does not have the same grav-

ity and culpability as murder,” the pope said, Jesus affirms that the commandment is violated by behavior “that offends the dignity of the human person.”

Just like murder, theft, corruption and other sins, the pope said, adultery “is first conceived in our innermost being and, once the mistaken choices are carried out in the heart, they are acted out in concrete behavior.”

Finally, swearing in God’s name “is a sign of insecurity” and using God’s authority to “guarantee our human affairs,” the pope said.

Christians are called to build trust in their families and communities, he said “rather than resorting to higher interventions in order to be believed.”

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY – Satan is a liar and a cheat who promises people everything then leaves them with nothing, Pope Francis said at his early morning Mass.

In his homily Feb. 10, Pope Francis contrasted the way Eve interacted with the serpent in the garden of Eden and the way Jesus reacted to the devil after spending 40 days in the desert.

With Eve, “the father of lies” demonstrates how he is a specialist in tricking people, the pope said. First, he makes her feel comfortable, then he begins a dialogue with her, leading her “step by step” where he wants her to go.

Jesus, on the other hand, does not enter into a dialogue with the devil, but responds to his temptations by quoting Scripture, Pope Francis said.

“The serpent, the devil, is astute,” he said, but “you cannot dialogue with the devil.”

Instead of listening to the devil and hiding from God, the pope said, when one feels tempted, the best thing to do is pray, “Help me, Lord, I’m weak. I don’t want to hide from you.”

Such a prayer is a sign of courage, he said. “And if we are tricked because of our weakness in the face of temptation, may we be granted the courage to stand up and move forward,” asking God’s forgiveness.

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February 22, 2017

INTERNATIONAL

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Diocesan phase of Fatima visionary’s sainthood cause completed

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY – The Diocese of Coimbra concluded its phase of the sainthood cause of Carmelite Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the three children who saw Our Lady of Fatima in 1917.

Bishop Virgilio Antunes of Coimbra formally closed the local phase of investigation into her life and holiness Feb. 13 in the Carmelite convent of St. Teresa in Coimbra, where she resided until her death in 2005 at the age of 97.

The ceremony included the sealing of 50 volumes – 15,000 pages – of evidence and witness testimonies detailing the life of Sister Lucia. The documents sealed at the ceremony were to be shipped to the Congregation for Saints’ Causes at the Vatican.

After a thorough review of the materials and a judgment that Sister Lucia heroically lived the Christian virtues, her cause still would require the recognition of two miracles – one for beatification and another for canonization – attributed to her intercession.

The Marian apparitions at Fatima began on May 13, 1917, when 10-year-old Lucia, along with her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, reported seeing the Virgin Mary.

The apparitions continued once a month until Oct. 13, 1917, and later were declared worthy of belief by the Catholic Church.

Father Romano Gambalunga, postulator of the visionary’s cause, said that while “Lucia is already a saint in the

eyes” of many people, “the prudent path of the church is that she is proposed to all, not just those who believe.”

“Lucia became holy over the years, not because of the apparitions,” Father Gambalunga told Agencia Ecclesia, the news agency of the Portuguese bishops’ conference. Without providing details, he said she had a “spiritual experience” in the convent.

While many hope her heroic virtues will be recognized by the church soon, it is important “not to do things in a hurry,” he said Feb. 13.

The evidence and testimonies gathered for Sister Lucia’s cause, he said, provide “a great occasion for spiritual and theological deepening,” and the material will help “illuminate the history of the church over the last 100 years.”

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Fatima May 12-13 and many people hope he will use the occasion to canonize Sister Lucia’s cousins, Francisco and Jacinta, who were beatified by St. John Paul II in 2000.

Bishop Antonio Marto of Leiria-Fatima told Radio Renascenca, the Portuguese bishops’ radio station, that while nothing is certain, he is “deeply hopeful” the canonization will take place this year, the centenary of the apparitions.

“We are waiting and continue to pray to the Lord. But I hope that, during the centenary, we will have the grace and joy to participate in the canonization,” he said.

Bishop Marto also admitted that “he is a convert,” who, as a priest, was initially skeptical of the Marian apparitions in

Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the three children who saw Our Lady of Fatima in 1917, is pictured in a 2000 photo. Bishop Virgilio Antunes of Coimbra, Portugal, formally closed the local phase of investigation into her life and holiness Feb. 13 in the Carmelite convent of St. Teresa in Coimbra, where she resided until her death in 2005 at the age of 97. (Photo credit: CNS/Paulo Carrico, EPA)

Fatima.

“I was a skeptic. I didn’t care; I did not take an interest nor did I take a position. I understood it as something for children,” Bishop Marto said.

The skepticism changed into belief after attending a conference on the apparitions and reading Sister Lucia’s memoirs, he told the radio station. “I was deeply impressed, both by the

authenticity of the testimony she gave and by the seriousness of the problems she dealt with.

I read her memoirs three times to find the historical and ecclesial context” of the apparitions.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

COMMENTARY

WORD to LIFE February 26

EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Isaiah 49:14-15; Psalm 62:2-3, 6-7, 8-9; Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34

By Jeff Hedglen Catholic News Service I will be showing my age and possibly run the risk of losing many Generation X and millennial readers when I use this example, but sometimes when I feel at the end of my rope, or look around at the state of the world or even look at how my day-to-day life can seem out of control, I often think of a 1970s television show called “Hee Haw.” There was a recurring segment that featured a song with the lyric: “Gloom, despair and agony on me/ Deep, dark depression, excessive misery./ If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all; Gloom, despair and agony on me.”

The song was meant to be comedic, but there are times in my life when I take this lyric quite literally.

We all go through times of doubt, worry and despair. For some, this state of mind can be persistent. There are no simple answers or one-size-fits-all remedies. Even the powerful words of the holy Scriptures are not some kind of divine magic formula that, when read, come with a guarantee to ease all symptoms and launch us into euphoria. Yes, miracles happen, but they are not the sole guarantee of God’s presence in our life.

God is present and aware of every moment of our life. While he does from time to time step in and dramatically impact the created order, more often than not God chooses to walk with us through the hard times to help us grow in holiness.

This week’s readings give us some hope and some advice as to what to do when our world becomes too much.

1 Corinthians 4:1-5;

February 22, 2017

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FOR FAITH-SHARING GROUPS

March 5

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7; Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11

Psalm 51:3-6, 12-13, 17;

1 Romans 5:12-19;

By Deacon Mike Ellerbrock Catholic News Service

First, the hope: The prophet Isaiah says: “Can a mother forget her infant? ... Even should she forget, I will never forget you.”

Then, Jesus reveals what we should do when we are overwhelmed: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” He means, stop focusing on yourself and the temporal world and look to him and his kingdom.

But not only that. Also seek to be righteous or holy like he is holy. Then, and only then, will there be perspective and peace. We might feel lost, but we are not forgotten.

Questions: How does it feel to realize that God never forgets you?

What are some things you do to seek first the kingdom of God?

“I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU.” – ISAIAH 49:15

Was the original sin of Adam and Eve a reminds us that Jesus is the source of matter of simply disobeying God’s com- redemptive grace and model of unconmand to not eat of a certain tree when ditional love. tempted by a snake? Or was it a deeper isBearing fruitful grace and love, the stusue: falling prey to the devil’s false prom- dents made a sacrifice, knowing it was ise that they could attain equality with the right thing to do.

God by partaking of the tree of knowlNo human has the authority to act edge of good and evil? equal to God, deciding matters of life Upon attaining equality with God, their and death. Pursuing a life without God creator would henceforth become unnec- is the devil’s folly. Surpassing intellectual essary, they thought. Life in the Garden knowledge, true wisdom draws us into of Eden would be splendid without di- right relationship with our creator and vine supervision! savior.

In March 2014, three college roomLent means “springtime.” May we mates bought a used couch for $55 from humbly return to the garden, purified of a Salvation Army thrift shop in New suffocating weeds, and blossom in God’s Paltz, New York. After noticing odd image as fruitful flowers of faith. lumps in the old couch, they opened it up to find $40,000 in cash, plus a receipt with a woman’s name.

They called the woman and learned that she kept her life savings in the couch.

At 91 years old, the woman had gotten quite ill and entered a hospital, where her family expected her to die, so they started liquidating her property, giving the old couch to the Salvation Army. However, she survived and had returned home.

The poor, broke students returned the money, bringing tears of joy to the woman.

Eve and Adam’s mistake was refusing to believe that they were already created in the image of God. Seeking equality with God is preposterous, not something to be grasped at.

Questions: The students who returned the money personify the difference between living in Why do we see others, but not ourselves, as the image of God versus acting equal to images of God? God. In his Letter to the Romans, Paul Is doubt the devil’s doorway?

“THE LORD GOD FORMED MAN OUT OF THE CLAY OF THE GROUND AND BLEW INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE, AND SO MAN BECAME A LIVING BEING.” – GENESIS 2:7

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February 22, 2017

InterNATIONAL

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Even in dark times, never lose hope in God’s love, Pope Francis says

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY – Christians must never lose hope and should remind themselves that God loves them even at their worst, Pope Francis said.

God’s love provides “security” both in difficult moments and even when “I have done something terrible and evil,” the pope said Feb. 15 during his weekly general audience.

Among the thousands of pilgrims present at the Paul VI audience hall were numerous student groups from Europe, including several children’s choirs from Italy and Spain.

When greeting the Italianspeaking pilgrims, the pope was interrupted by each choir who broke out in song to greet him.

Despite several applauses, one choir continued singing to the amusement of Pope Francis. He laughed heartily while praising them for their persistence in finishing the entire song.

“When you want something, that’s how you do it. That’s what we should do with prayer; when asking something from the Lord: insist, insist, insist.

That is a beautiful example, a beautiful example of prayer,” the pope said off-the-cuff, following his praise of the determined choir group.

Continuing a series of talks on Christian hope, the pope reflected on a passage from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans in which the apostle says Christians “should boast in hope of the glory of God.” “Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope,” St. Paul writes.

The pope said boasting

Pope Francis watches as children release doves from the window of his studio at the Vatican in this Jan. 26, 2014, file photo. In his Feb. 16 morning Mass homily, the pope recalled the dove release and how a seagull and crow swooped down to attack the doves. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Pope Francis smiles during his general audience in Paul VI hall Feb. 15 at the Vatican. Also pictured is Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the papal household. (Photo credit: CNS/Claudio Peri, EPA)

is “surprising” since from a young age, people are taught that boasting reflects “a certain pride” and reveals “a lack of respect for others, especially toward those less fortunate than us.”

He explained that Christians are called first to “boast of the abundance of grace we have received in Jesus Christ” by “learning to read everything with the light of the Holy Spirit.”

“If we pay attention, acting – in our history, in our lives – we are not alone, but above all with God. It is he who is the absolute protagonist, who creates everything as a gift of love, who weaves the storyline of his plan of salvation and who fulfills it in us through his son,” the pope said.

However, the pope continued, St. Paul’s second invitation to boast in times of tribulation “is not easy to understand.”

While it may seem to be unrelated with the peace that comes from “boasting of the

abundance of grace,” Pope Francis said that peace does not mean the absence of difficulties, but that “God loves us and he is always close to us.”

“It’s easy to say: ‘God loves us,’” the pope said, departing from his prepared remarks.

“But think a little; is each one of us capable of saying: ‘I am sure that God loves me?’ It is not so easy to say, but it is true.

This is a good exercise, to tell yourselves, ‘God loves me.’

This is the root of our security, the root of our hope.”

God’s love, he said, nourishes Christian hope that “doesn’t separate us from others, nor does it lead us to discredit or marginalize others.”

“Our greatest boast is having, as a father, a God who does not make preferences, who excludes no one, but rather opens his home to all human beings, beginning from the last ones to the far away so that as his children, we learn to console and support one another,” Pope Francis said.

God will ask an account for blood spilled in today’s wars, pope says

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY – Humankind will have to answer to God for the bloodshed of the innocent victims of war, and the blood spilled by greed and arms trafficking, Pope Francis said.

While God has given peace to the world, inside all human beings “there is still that seed, that original sin, the spirit of Cain who out of envy, jealousy, greed and the desire for domination, makes war,” the pope said Feb. 16 during his early morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

The pope centered his homily on the day’s first reading in which God makes a covenant with Noah and all of humanity after the flood and warns that he “will demand an account for human life.”

This covenant, along with the rainbow and the dove holding an olive branch, are signs of “what God wanted after the flood: peace; that all men and women would be in peace,” the pope explained.

The rainbow and the dove are symbolic of peace not only be-

cause of their beauty, but also because of their fragility, he said.

The pope recalled the unfortunate incident when, after delivering his Sunday Angelus address Jan. 26, 2014, he and two children released two doves as a gesture of peace. A seagull and a crow swooped down and attacked the two doves.

“The covenant God makes is strong, but how we receive it, how we accept it is with weakness,” the pope said. “God makes peace with us, but it isn’t easy to keep the peace.”

The seed of war that creates jealousy, envy and greed in people’s hearts, the pope continued, “has grown into a tree,” causing “bombs that fall on hospitals, on a school and kills children.”

“The blood of Christ is what makes peace, not my brothers’ blood that is spilled by me, or arms traffickers or the powers of the earth in the great wars,” he said.

Pope Francis said that all men and women are called not only to protect peace, but to “handcraft” it every day, beginning in their hearts and in their homes.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

PRAYER CALENDAR

MARCH 2017

MARCH 1 ASH WEDNESDAY Fr. Vincent Miller MARCH 2 THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY Fr. Daniel Nassaney, OMI MARCH 3 ST. KATHARINE DREXEL, VIRGIN Fr. George Noel MARCH 4 ST. CASIMIR Msgr. Jerry Noesen (retired) MARCH 5 FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT Fr. Andrew Obel MARCH 6 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Ray Palcisko (retired) MARCH 7 STS. PERPETUA AND FELICITY, MARTYRS Msgr. Mike Patnode MARCH 8 ST. JOHN OF GOD, RELIGIOUS Fr. Raul Perez-Cobo MARCH 9 ST. FRANCES OF ROME, RELIGIOUS Fr. Mario Prada (retired) MARCH 10 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Duane Pribula (retired) MARCH 11 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Bob Pryor (retired) MARCH 12 SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT Fr. Joe Richards MARCH 13 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Jerry Rogers MARCH 14 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Bob Schreiner MARCH 15 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Luis Silva MARCH 16 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Bob Stone (retired)

MARCH 17 ST. PATRICK, BISHOP Fr. Pat Sullivan MARCH 18 ST. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH Fr. David Super MARCH 19 THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT Fr. Johnmelkies Suvakeen MARCH 20 ST. JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Fr. Emmanuel Sylvester MARCH 21 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Craig Vasek MARCH 22 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Dennis Wieland MARCH 23 ST. TURIBIUS OF MOGROVEJO, BISHOP Fr. Larry Wieseler (retired) MARCH 24 LENTEN WEEKDAY Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner MARCH 25 THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD Bishop Victor H. Balke (retired) MARCH 26 FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT Fr. Todd Arends MARCH 27 LENTEN WEEKDAY Msgr. David Baumgartner MARCH 28 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Don Braukmann MARCH 29 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Luis Buitron MARCH 30 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. Tim Bushy MARCH 31 LENTEN WEEKDAY Fr. John Christianson

VOCATION PRAYER OF POPE FRANCIS: God our Father, you made each of us to use our gifts in the Body of Christ. We ask that you inspire young people whom you call to priesthood and consecrated life to courageously follow your will. Send workers into your great harvest so that the Gospel is preached, the poor are served with love, the suffering are comforted, and Your people are strengthened by the sacraments. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER

February 22, 2017

15

POPE FRANCIS’ PRAYER INTENTION

MARCH 2017

SUPPORT FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS That persecuted Christians may be supported by the prayers and material help of the whole Church.

(Photo credit: CNS)

DAILY SCRIPTURE MARCH 1 - Jl 2:12-18; Ps 51:3-6, 1214, 17; 2 Cor 5:20 –6:2; Mt 6:1-6, 1618 MARCH 2 - Dt 30:15-20; Ps 1;1-4, 6; Lk 9:22-25 MARCH 3 - Is 58:1-9a; Ps 51:3-6a, 18-19; Mt 9:14-15 MARCH 4 - IS 58:9b-14; PS 86:1-6; Lk 5:27-32 MARCH 5 - Gn 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Ps 51:36, 12-13, 17; Rom 5:12-19 MARCH 6 - Lv 19:1-2, 11-18; Ps 19:810, 15; Mt 25:31-46 MARCH 7 - Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-7, 16-19; Mt 6:7-15 MARCH 8 - Jon 3:1-10; Ps 51:3-4, 1213, 18-19; Lk 11:29-32 MARCH 9 - Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Ps 138:1-3, 7c-8; Mt 7:7-12 MARCH 10 - Ez 18:21-28; PS 130:18; Mt 5:20-26 MARCH 11 - Dt 26:16-19; Ps 119:12, 4-5, 7-8; Mt 5:43-48 MARCH 12 - Gn 12:1-4a; Ps 33:4-5, 18-20, 22; 2 Tm 1:8b-10; Mt 17:1-9 MARCH 13 - Dn 9:4b-10; Ps 79:8-9, 11, 13; Lk 6:36-38 MARCH 14 - Is 1:10, 16-20; Ps 50:89, 16bc-17, 21, 23; Mt 23:1-12 MARCH 15 - Jer 18:18-20; Ps 31:5-6, 14-16; Mt 20:17-28 MARCH 16 - Jer 17:5-10; Ps 1:1-4, 6; Lk 16:19-31

MARCH 2017 MARCH 17 - Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a; Ps 105:16-21; Mt 21:33-43, 45-46 MARCH 18 - Mi 7:14-15, 18-20; Ps 103:1-4, 9-12; Lk 15:1-3, 11-32 MARCH 19 - Ex 17:3-7; Ps 95:1-2, 6-9; Rom 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn 4:5-42 MARCH 20 - 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Ps 89:2-5, 27, 29; Rom 4:13, 1618, 22; Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Lk 2:4151a MARCH 21 - Dn 3:25, 34-43; Ps 25:4-9; Mt 18:21-35 MARCH 22 - Dt 4:1, 5-9; PS 147:1213, 15-16, 19-20; Mt 5:17-19 MARCH 23 - Jer 7:23-28; Ps 95:1-2, 6-9; Lk 11:14-23 MARCH 24 - Hos 14:2-10; Ps 81:6c-11b, 14, 17; Mk 12:28-34 MARCH 25 - Is 7:10-14, 8:10; Ps 40:7-11; Heb 10:4-10 MARCH 26 - 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 1013a; Ps 23:1-6; Eph 5:8-14; Jn 9:1-41 MARCH 27 - Is 65:17-21; Ps 30:2, 4-6, 11-12a, 13b; Jn 4:43-54 MARCH 28 - Ez 47:1-9, 12; Ps 46:23, 5-6, 8-9 MARCH 29 - Is 49:8-15; Ps 145:8-9, 13c-14, 17-18; Jn 5:17-30 MARCH 30 - Ex 32:7-14; Ps 106:1923; Jn 5:31-47 MARCH 31 - Wis 2:1a, 12-22; Ps 34:17-21, 23; Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

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February 22, 2017

NATIONAL

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE