VOL. 69, NO. 11
WWW.CROOKSTON.ORG
JUNE 10, 2015
Ordination fulfills call to priesthood
Two sons of the diocese devote their lives to Christ’s Church By Katrina Genereux Staff Writer, OND
CROOKSTON, MINN. – Every celebration of Mass is meant to be a time of transformation for all in attendance. This was especially true for two men in the Diocese of Crookston on May 23. They entered the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception as transitional deacons, but left as priests. Years of preparation and study on their part, and prayer and support on everyone else’s came to a culmination as Johnathon Christianson and Bryan Kujawa were ordained to the ministerial priesthood for the Diocese of Crookston. The Cathedral was filled with family, friends, classmates and priests from near and far who came to show their support, witness the Sacrament of Holy Orders and pray for the two new priests. “The unity of the Catholic Church is so evident when it comes time to ordain priests,” said Father Bryan Kujawa prior to his ordination. “People from all over the diocese will be there, along with people from other dioceses. They’ll all be coming because of the priesthood, which was instituted at the Last Supper. So many people have been praying for Deacon John and me simply because we’ll be ordained to the priesthood. What a gift!” Jeremy Bock, a seminarian in his second year of theology for the Diocese of Duluth, said, “It is nice to see how others enter into the celebration in another diocese, and to see the life of the Church and the hope that two newly ordained priests give to the diocese.” Bock was a classmate of Father Bryan and Father John for four years. “It is surreal for me still,”
INSIDE VOL. 69, NO. 11:
Deacon Bryan Kujawa and Deacon Johnathon Christianson lie prostrate on the floor of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception during the Litany of the Saints at their ordination on May 23. (Photo credit: Janelle C. Gergen/OND)
said Father Blake Rozier who was ordained for the Diocese of Duluth last June, and is the Associate Pastor at St. Francis, Brainerd. “It is amazing and humbling hearing priests again called to be servants. God provides the grace.” He added, “The Lord is doing good things, calling young men, and they are answering. It’s exciting and builds me up too. We’re brothers; we’re in this together.” During the Rite of Ordination, Father Peter Williams, Vice Rector of St. Paul Seminary, was invited forward to testify to the readiness of the two candidates. “It has been a great honor for me and all of us at the seminary to accompany these men to this sacred moment,” he said. “They are worthy, mainly because they know themselves to be unworthy. Because in these years
of their formation, they have opened themselves in countless ways to the growth that God has wanted to give them, and also because they have learned to trust the one who has called them.” Father John Christianson said the most impactful part of his time at seminary was having the opportunity to work in a parish. Debbie Schultz is a member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in North St. Paul, the teaching parish Father Christianson was assigned to. “It was beautiful getting to know him during the last four years,” she said. “We learned a lot from him, and he was very open to listen to our ideas and the discussions we had. He’s going to be a wonderful parish priest; he wants to know people’s names and be of service to the Lord.” Father Kujawa was most im-
Pg. 3 - Sacred Heart School Graduation Pg. 7 - Local Rice Bowl Grants Awarded Pg. 8 - Priestly Ordination Photo Spread
pacted by the sense of community he encountered at seminary. “When I was in college seminary, I became very good friends with another seminarian from Illinois and we both saw how much stronger disciples can be when working toward holiness together. We challenged each other a lot and we prayed together almost every night.” During his time in St. Paul, Father Kujawa found a similar group. “We keep each other accountable as well as sharing the graces of the Lord with each other,” he said. “Community is a powerful gift.” Bob and Jeanne Karschnia of Chaska belong to Guardian Angels Parish, Father Kujawa’s teaching parish, and were glad to attend the ordination. “It is exciting to share this with him after watching him grow these last few years,” said
Jeanne. “Bryan used to come to our house for dinner a lot,” said Bob. “Our family enjoys him,” added Jeanne. “It has been really good for our children to see a priest grow up.” The Karschnia’s added that Father Kujawa is great at engaging young people, and they wish he was staying in their area. During his homily, Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner outlined the duties of those called to priesthood and offered words of encouragement and advice to the pair to be ordained. “Now dear sons, you are to be raised to the order of priesthood,” he said. “For your part, you will exercise the sacred duty of teaching in the name of Christ, the teacher. Prior to handing on the Word of God, which you have received with joy, … see that you believe what you read, that you teach what you believe and that you practice what you teach.” He continued, “Let the holiness of your life be a delightful fragrance to Christ’s faithful, so that by word and example, you may build up the house which is God’s Church.” Bishop Hoeppner added that, as priests, it will be their duty to help those they serve know that, “whatever their duties and circumstance … they will grow in holiness day by day through the very situations of their lives, if they accept them with faith from the hand of our ORDINATION: Continued on Page 10
Turn to Pages 8 and 9 for more ordination photos
Pg. 11 - World Meeting of Families Catechesis Series Pg. 15 - Word to Life Faith Sharing Commentary Pg. 16 - Retired Priests Collection Information
2 June 10, 2015
A
COMMENTARY
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
Voice from the Valley BY BISHOP MICHAEL J. HOEPPNER
JUNE: FATHERS June is the month of Father’s Day! Congratulations to all fathers and blessings to you. What a unique and marvelous vocation it is to be husband and father. A husband is joined in holy matrimony to a wife. They are bonded together through human consent and divine grace, and then cooperate with the love of God the Creator in bringing children into the world. What makes someone a good father? I hope that everyone would be able to draw on the experience of their own father to answer that question. I am so very appreciative that I – as well as my brother and two sisters – can draw on my experience with my father to know something of what makes a good father. My dad was a good dad because he was there for us and we knew that he loved us. Dad sold insurance and was a good provider but it was clear to all that his family came first. During his work days, he’d stop what he was doing and come home for lunch at noon to be with us. I remember, as a preschooler, sitting on the curb in front of the house waiting for dad to come home for lunch and being jumping-up-and-down-happy when I saw him coming down the road. He’d scoop me up in his arms and we’d go inside for the lunch mom had waiting for us. When lunch was over, he’d head back to work, but not before giving mom a kiss (so we all could see and go ooooh) as he went out the door. Dad always gave mom a kiss when leaving the house and when returning. I mentioned in the homily at the Chrism Mass that my dad had some interesting sayings. For example, when we (or anyone) might say something dad knew was certainly wrong, he’d
say: “You talk like a ham sandwich.” By saying this, dad was not only conveying a sense of disapproval but he was also extending an invitation for us to think again more deeply. It didn’t always work that way, though, because as kids, we’d most often just laugh as our imaginations ran wild considering a ham sandwich actually talking. But we did learn from dad. A good father is someone you can learn from, someone who joyfully takes on the responsibility to patiently teach his children what is right and what is not, what builds character and what does not. A good dad is someone you can trust, someone on whom you can depend, someone whose judgement is sound, someone who is wise, someone you are happy to learn from. My dad was a good dad because he let us know that God was present and that He loved us; he led us to God. As we grew up, we went to Mass as a family almost every day (we had Saturdays “off ”). Dad drove us there in the car. Every day we prayed the rosary as a family. We prayed before every meal. We saw dad kneel down at the side of his bed to say his night prayers and he did that every night until the day he died. He taught us to do the same. At the Last Supper, in St. John’s Gospel, Jesus calls God “Father” in some way 45 times. The love, care, intimacy and closeness Jesus knows with his father is revealed beautifully on those pages of St. John’s Gospel. We call God “Father” only because Jesus revealed him as such. In Baptism, we become children of God, having God as our father. “As proof that you are children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying out, ‘Abba,’ Father.” (Gal. 4:6) As children of God, we too know
the love, care, intimacy, closeness and forgiveness of God our father. We come to know this with the help of our own good fathers. A good father knows God the Father who is the origin and standard of what it is to be a good father and through his life he leads his family to God. May God continue to be with you and help you be good fathers. As one little kid carefully scribbled on the Father’s Day card for his dad, we say to all fathers: Here’s to you dad on Father’s Day; you really are a hunny. I hope and pray you like the gifts (cuz they’re gunna cost you munny). JUNE 21 TO JULY 4: FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM Again, this year, the U.S. Catholic Bishops call upon us to celebrate and be wholeheartedly engaged in the Fortnight for Freedom. The theme for this year is: “Freedom to Bear Witness” referring to the freedom to bear witness to the Good News in our world, just as Jesus has sent us to do. (c.f. Mt. 28) During his Regina Caeli address on Divine Mercy Sunday 2013, Pope Francis said: “We must not be afraid of being Christians and living as Christians! We must have the courage to go and proclaim the Risen Christ, for he is our peace; he made peace with his love, with his forgiveness, with his blood and with his mercy.” Religious freedom is the freedom to respond to God’s presence and action in our world. This is a God-given right, not a man-made one. In America, we are so fortunate that this right is enshrined in our Constitution. This right includes the freedom to worship and thank God in prayer and also the freedom to do what Jesus asked, to go into the whole world and teach people the way to live as he showed us. This includes feeding the
BISHOP’S CALENDAR June 13 June 14 June 15
Bishop’s Cup Fishing Tournament, Lake Plantagenet 10:30 a.m. Rite of Confirmation, St. Lawrence, Mentor 7:45 a.m.
Mass, Cathedral, Crookston
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.
hungry and taking care of the sick, as well as all the other ways we Christians love our neighbors. We do these things in the name of Jesus and with the power of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, in our day, religious liberty is endangered. We are being told that the work of Catholic charities, Catholic universities and Catholic hospitals is not religious work, and so those engaged in this work must comply, or cooperate, in some works prescribed as part of the government health care policy, works that are directly contrary to living our faith as Catholic Christians. So, as Pope Francis says, we cannot be afraid. We must have courage to help our world and country see and appreciate what religious liberty is truly about, understand how religious liberty is enshrined in the foundation of this great country and stand against all that would rob us of religious liberty. I invite you to be fully engaged in the Fortnight for Freedom this year. The dates are June 21 through July 4, and they provide us with the opportunity to thank God again for the gift of religious liberty and to lovingly, but
firmly stand against, and speak out about all that would rob us of this God-given freedom. I have asked all pastors to fully engage their parishes in these days. One way I invite everyone to participate this year is by praying the rosary before the Blessed Sacrament. During the days of the Fortnight for Freedom, pastors should arrange Holy Hours with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, providing opportunities for all to join in this special prayer. While praying the rosary before the Blessed Sacrament, in addition to your own intentions, I ask you to pray for peace in the world, for our men and women serving in the military, and for world leaders. With each diocese throughout our land joining in this Fortnight for Freedom, what a wonderful expression of thanks to Almighty God these days will be, and what a wonderful prayer these days will offer as we implore our loving God for peace, safety for those in the military, wisdom for world leaders and for continued religious liberty in America and the world.
(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.
Subscriptions: $13.65 per year in the diocese, $14.90 per year outside the diocese. Publisher:
The Most Reverend Michael J. Hoeppner Bishop of the Diocese of Crookston
Editor:
Rev. Robert Schreiner Office of the New Evangelization, Director
Associate Editor:
Mrs. Janelle C. Gergen jgergen@crookston.org
Editorial Assistant: Mrs. Katrina Genereux kgenereux@crookston.org Proofreader:
Deacon Dan Hannig
For questions about subscriptions or address changes, please contact: 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: http://www.crookston.org/ond/
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
AROUND THE DIOCESE
June 10, 2015
3
Sacred Heart School graduates 18 By Janelle C. Gergen Associate Editor, OND
EAST GRAND FORKS, MINN. – The Holy Spirit was aflame in the hearts of all gathered on Pentecost Sunday in Msgr. A.I. Merth Gymnasium for Sacred Heart School’s 2015 commencement exercises. Diplomas were conferred to 18 graduating seniors by Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner and Superintendent Msgr. Mike Foltz on May 24. Megan Sarah Ogaard, valedictorian, spoke on behalf of the class. She described Sacred Heart School as a family, and defined the Sacred Heart difference in educating young people as love. “Love is not something that can be taught from a textbook,” she said. “Knowing the dictionary definition of love will not help you achieve it. Knowing the different types of love does not make it any easier to demystify. Love is taught through love itself; we were shown how to love when love was shown to us. Love is what takes us from the blank slate of childhood and forms us into people who change the world.” The commencement address was given by Sister Marguerite Streifel, Pastoral Associate of Sacred Heart Parish. Sister Marguerite taught high school English and choir at Sacred Heart School several decades ago, and has been in her current position in pastoral care for ten years. She met the Class of 2015 when they were freshmen, and she taught their religion class for a year. Sister Marguerite described her time teaching the group Old Testament Scripture as “quite the adventure”. Sister Marguerite had plenty of advice for the Class of 2015. The highlights included her articulation of the “four signs of a dynamic Catholic”. She quoted author Matthew Kelly from his book of the same name and paralleled the four signs of dynamic Catholicism as four signs of dynamic adulthood. These signs, or pillars, are prayer, study, generosity and evangelization. “Dynamic Catholics and dynamic adults have a daily commitment to prayer,” she said. “Develop a routine of prayer because without [it], over time, we forget attitudes and qualities that make us uniquely human: compassion, humility, fortitude.” She went on to say, “Dynamic Catholics and dynamic adults are continuous learners. Be a professional student. Ask questions and learn about things that will challenge your inner being.” Sister Marguerite continued, “Dynamic Catholics and dynamic adults are generous with the gifts God has given them. Be generous with your time, talent and treasure for the sake of the kingdom. Make time for others.” Concerning evangelization, she said, “Dynamic Catholics and dynamic adults invite others to grow spiritually by sharing the love of God with them. Be a disciple. Become intentional about living your faith. Become men and women of
Bishop Hoeppner, staff, school advisory council members and the Class of 2015 took a few minutes to gather around the altar and pray prior to commencement.
Sacred Heart School President Carl Adolphson carries the ceremonial mace as he leads the graduates from Sacred Heart Church to Msgr. A.I. Merth Gymnasium during commencement exercises. (Photos credit: Janelle C. Gergen/OND)
Class of 2015 valedictorian, Megan Sarah Ogaard, spoke on behalf of the graduating seniors.
Sister Marguerite Streifel delivers the commencement address.
Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner shares a few words with the graduating class before imparting a blessing on all.
virtue and character.” Principal David Andrys presented the class and called each member forward to receive a diploma. Many cheers of congratulations from loved ones and friends were heard from the crowd. Bishop Hoeppner addressed the class by saying, “You young people have been given gifts. You’ve worked hard. Congratulations to you on reaching this great moment in your lives.” He thanked the teachers and parents in attendance and said, “Catholic schools
are an advantage for life. Thanks for all who make Sacred Heart School possible.” Commencement exercises closed with a blessing imparted by the bishop, and the school band played recessional music for Sacred Heart School’s Class of 2015’s procession outside. The young men and women quickly gathered for a celebratory tossing of their caps, symbolizing the end of one journey and the start of another.
Edward Bushaw makes a gesture of triumph after receiving his diploma.
4 June 10, 2015
COMMENTARY
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
Silence can echo with great meaning I will confess to a decadelong lack in my piety development when it concerns any devotion to St. Joseph. There. I said it. And yes, I mean the St. Joseph. The one and the same who is the husband of Mary, who is the foster-father of Jesus, who is the much vaunted Worker of Nazareth. I mean the same St. Joseph who is heralded by the Church as her protector and who is celebrated as “the terror of demons.” Him. I appreciate that this admission of mine is tantamount to a Catholic going spiritually AWOL, but there’s a point to be made here. Hopefully. Throughout the development of my whole spiritual life, St. Joseph has always been described (and accurately so) as the silent one. He is the one of whom Holy Scriptures speak but who, in his turn, never speaks. Frankly, that never struck me as something which captured my imagination. It was when I was in high school seminary that I recall forming the blunt and rather morally inelegant opinion: I have one silent dad, why do I need another
CREDO
A NEW EVANGELIZATION WITNESS
By Father Robert Schreiner, S.T.L. Director of the Office of the New Evangelization
one? It would be years after my own father’s death that this formative thought would undergo a much needed transformation and conversion. My father was born in 1929 to two thoroughly Germanblooded parents. Though his mom and dad were native-born to America, his paternal grandparents were foreign-born (as memory serves). To make the point: great-granddad’s name was Wolfgang Schreiner(!). Dad remembered the family speaking German in the house as a little kid. Until, that is, there came the rise of Nazism in the 1930’s. From then on, his father directed the family to speak only in English. I’ve often wondered if that experience didn’t contribute to a kind of doubling down on an already tight-lipped genetic
heritage. Because, without the slightest hint of generalization, I can say that when it came to finding out what Dad was thinking, it was always a matter of grand silence. Gregarious by nature, Dad loved company and socialization. But when it came to revealing anything of his deeper thoughts, cue the crickets … because that’s all you’re going to hear. To the day of his death at age 73, Dad and I never once talked about his faith or his loves or his disappointments. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Attempts to do so would only yield a response of silence. So, when Jesus cries out in abandonment on the cross – a scripturally based complaint that his heavenly Dad had shut down on him at his moment of greatest need – I could only look up at Christ crucified and
for years think to myself: “I know it. Why is that, Jesus? But that’s two dads who went quiet on you.” Such were the adult sentiments built upon a teenaged son’s notion about silent dads. But then a friend with a great devotion to St. Joseph reminded me of Pope St. John Paul II’s tribute to St. Joseph (Redemptoris custos). He challenged me to re-read it and be open to the witness, if not the words, of St. Joseph. No problem. It was a single line in that work that initiated a decades-old need for my conversion of sentiment. Pope St. John Paul II wrote: “The same aura of silence that envelops everything else about St. Joseph also shrouds his work … It is, however, a silence that reveals in a special way the inner portrait of the man.” His silence revealed him and didn’t hide him. Ohhhh … With that taken to prayer, my memories filled with so very many moments of silence spent with my Dad as my dad. For example: the earliest childhood memory I have of Dad is when he silently sat with me in my hospital room through the
night; all the time we silently worked side by side planting all the trees on our property and pouring cement sidewalks and foundations; the countless hours and hours of sitting silently in the boat together never catching any of the walleyes he said he would; the hours and miles of riding silently from point A to point B in his semi-truck or in the beet truck – just so I could be with Dad; the countless hours silently spent together loving mom as we waited in the hospital family room during her many heart surgeries … to name just a few. All that silence revealing, not hiding, him. Oh sure, I would still like to have known Dad’s mind on a whole range of things. But, thanks to the challenge of a good friend, the witness of St. Joseph and the insight of Pope St. John Paul II, all those years of silence with my own dad are now rich with revelation and meaning, and they now echo within my heart. Silence can echo with great meaning, revealing the heart of a man and his love. Happy Father’s Day.
‘Until we meet again with God’ This would have been more appropriate closer to Memorial Day, but I received it just recently. Father James P. Flynn was a priest of the Diocese of Crookston and a military chaplain during World War II. Father Flynn was on the front lines with the 3rd Infantry Division in northern Africa and in Sicily. On July 18, 1943, Father Flynn was killed in action while the fighting raged in Sicily. On July 1, Father Flynn, knowing the 3rd Infantry Division was soon going to start an offensive, sat down and wrote the following letter to his parents back in Crookston. I share it in honor of all those priests who stand amidst the bullets to bring comfort to their fallen companions. If losing my life should happen to be the price I pay for the position I hold, then it’s certainly a cheap price, for after all I’m probably better prepared to meet God than I have
LIFE FIRST
By Father Don Braukmann Parochial Vicar - St. Philip’s Parish, Bemidji and St. Charles Parish, Pennington
ever been. If death must come, then far better for it to come when I am shoulder to shoulder with these men who are fighting to preserve for our country the freedoms you and I have known and to extend those freedoms to the oppressed peoples of the world. I’d a lot rather have it come when I’m giving absolution to dying men than to have it come by a heart attack in my sleep or an auto accident. I’d a lot rather have it happen when other men are going to know that in spite of being “scared as hell,” like the rest of them, a Catholic priest is still going ahead and doing his work. You know, Dad and Mother, I’m
awfully proud of the fact that I’m with these men. Proud of the fact that I, a priest, am able to say Mass for them and to bring our Lord down on all the altars while on maneuvers under the trees, in cantonment type chapels, on the tail gates of trucks, on an “altar” set up on a couple ammunition chests on the sun deck of a ship, in front of a grandstand – these and a dozen other spots – so that whatever we have done there, the men have at least had the opportunity of going to Mass and receiving our Lord in Holy Communion. No matter what the price is, it has been worth it over and over again. I’ve
been a priest to these men, and in every sense of the word. God has been good to me and whether God wants me to come upstairs and check over my stewardship now or in the years to come makes little difference to me. After all, it’s all in his hands. But whether life is going to be measured in days or years, I’ll always be grateful for the perfect opportunity I’ve had to help my fellow men. Sometimes I haven’t done too good a job, at other times everything has worked out well. But at least I’ve had the chance and at a time when it is much needed. Funny thing about this letter, if I’m alive two weeks from now, you won’t receive it. In other words if you get this letter it will mean that Almighty God has decided that I’ve been on earth long enough and that he wants me to come up and take the examination for permanent service with him. Funny thing about the coming operation – I don’t really believe I’ll come out alive. Call it an Irishman’s hunch or a presentiment or whatever you will. I believe it’s our Lord and
his Blessed Mother giving me the tip to get prepared. Naturally I’ll go to confession before we sail and get absolution and whatever my friend, Father Denny Moore of the 15th, can give me. Furthermore in the event that I do get killed, you can have the scant consolation of knowing it was in the line of duty, not only to my country, but especially for the work of Almighty God. I could write for pages and never get said all I want to. So my darling Mother and grand Dad, “au revoir” as the French say, and “adieu” – until we meet again with God. We’ll never split up, for through our prayers we’ll always be together, and God willing, we’ll stand united at his throne some day. And why not? For that’s the reason God put us into the world after all. God bless you. Don’t cry, just pray and God will see to it that everything works out for his honor and glory and your and my eternal welfare. Father James P. Flynn was 34 years old.
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
COMMENTARY
June 10, 2015
5
MCC ‘very proud’ prenatal diagnosis bill passed Excerpt from: The Visitor, Newspaper for the Diocese of St. Cloud
Thanks to the work of the Minnesota Catholic Conference and a coalition of disability advocacy groups, expectant parents whose babies are diagnosed with certain prenatal conditions will receive accurate and supportive information from local and national organizations. Gov. Mark Dayton signed the Prenatal Trisomy Diagnosis Awareness Act on May 14. The legislation covers diagnoses for three chromosomal conditions: Trisomy 13 (Patau syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards syndrome) and Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). It was supported by groups such as Prenatal Partners for Life, Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota and The Arc of Minnesota. “We’re very proud of that legislation — the seventh of its kind in the country, but the first to include requirements for passing on information to expectant parents about Trisomy 13 and Trisomy 18,” said Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the state’s bishops. “It had bipartisan support and passed overwhelmingly in the House and Senate.”
“Oftentimes, people are told information, even by doctors, about short life expectancies and low-quality of life in these cases,” Adkins said at the start of the session explaining the need for such legislation. “But, in fact, these lives can be beautiful lives that are a great gift to families and others. We want to make sure that people who receive these diagnoses aren’t overly discouraged, that they have the accurate information they need to deal with these difficult situations.” Other MCC-supported legislation, however, failed to garner the necessary support before the lawmakers wrapped up the Minnesota Legislature’s 2015 regular session May 18. And there’s not much chance the proposals would get a hearing during a special session focused on education spending that is likely to be scheduled in the next few weeks. Partisan politics shaped too many of the debates, Adkins said, adding that “the session started out promising, but ended rather poorly — and not just for some of our legislative priorities, but for a lot of folks.” Legislative initiatives that failed to become law this session included: Giving parents more choice in education: One bill would have allowed individuals and
organizations to receive a tax credit for donating to scholarship-granting organizations. A second bill would have extended the existing K-12 education credit to private school tuition and increase the income level that would qualify for it. Another bill creating education savings accounts for children with disabilities “picked up some momentum” during the session, but came too late for passage this year, Adkins said. The bill’s prospects are good to progress further next year, he said. Creating a legislative surrogacy commission: This proposal would have formed a commission to study the issue of commercial surrogacy and its impact on children, women and society in light of efforts in the state to legalize surrogate birth contracts and allow Minnesota to enter the global surrogacy market. “The surrogacy commission was part of the final negotiation in the state government finance omnibus bill,” Adkins said. “It passed the House and it passed the state and local government committee in the Senate. Unfortunately, it was negotiated out of the final bill. We’re extremely disappointed about that, but we’ll continue to advocate for it, and it will be a top priority in 2016.”
Restoring voting rights to ex-offenders: A provision to restore voting rights to Minnesotans with past felony convictions but who are no longer incarcerated became part of an omnibus bill in the Senate but was not heard by the House. “We’re disappointed by that,” Adkins said. “Seventy two organizations signed on in support of the bill. It’s an issue we’ll have to keep talking about and telling the stories of those who are coming out of an incarceration context and trying to reintegrate into the community.” Allowing undocumented immigrants who meet certain criteria to obtain a provisional driver’s license: This proposal also was part of an omnibus Senate bill but was rejected by the House. “This legislation made it further than we expected this year, and that conversation will continue,” Adkins said. “It’s an important issue that helps the well-being of immigrants and their families but also has an obvious benefit for all Minnesotans by fostering safe roads.” Increasing cash assistance for low-income families through the Minnesota Family Investment Program: “This proposal was not included in the final HHS omnibus bill, although there were some
very positive provisions in the bill concerning housing and homelessness assistance,” Adkins said. The defeat of an attempt to repeal MinnesotaCare and replace it with another program also was good news for low-income Minnesotans who rely on the program for their health insurance, Adkins said. The MCC partnered with the Catholic Health Association of Minnesota to oppose the effort. “We were concerned this would increase premiums and lead to less quality,” he said. “Fortunately, the proposal was shelved.” Despite the challenges of this year’s legislative session, “we were delighted by the fact that we were able to pass legislation like the Trisomy bill with broad bipartisan support,” Adkins said. “All of our bills, except for some of the education bills, had a DFL Senate lead author and Republican House lead author,” he said. “That was really encouraging. One of the great opportunities the Church has in the public policy arena is to build bridges across ideological and partisan lines to foster the common good. We had some significant accomplishments in that area this year.”
PLEASE
pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life
wants your news and advertisements! Find 2015 publishing dates and submission deadlines on the web: http://www.crookston.org/ond/ The next OND submission deadline is: Wednesday, June 17 by 12:00 p.m. Email: Janelle C. Gergen, Associate Editor jgergen@crookston.org
6 June 10, 2015
AROUND THE DIOCESE
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
First Holy Communion celebrated
St. Joseph’s, Ada (Submitted photo)
St. Elizabeth’s, Dilworth (Submitted photo)
Assumption, Florian (Submitted photo)
More First Holy Communion photos can be found on page 14!
St. Philip’s, Bemidji (Submitted photo)
St. Francis de Sales, Moorhead (Submitted photo)
Celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation
St. Joseph’s, Moorhead (Submitted photo)
St. Francis Xavier, Lake Park (Submitted photo)
St. Bernard’s, Thief River Falls (Submitted photo)
Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes (Submitted photo)
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
AROUND THE DIOCESE
Celebrating graduates
St. William’s, Twin Valley Baccalaureate (Submitted photo)
St. Michael’s, Mahnomen, sixth-grade class (Submitted photo)
St. Joseph’s, Red Lake Falls Baccalaureate (Submitted photo)
St. Joseph’s, Brooks Baccalaureate (Submitted photo)
Local Rice Bowl Grant recipients announced CROOKSTON, MINN. – Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner and the Office of the New Evangelization announce that on May 20, the applications of the following parishes and organizations were selected to receive a Diocese of Crookston 2015 Rice Bowl Local Grant: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Twin Valley; the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Moorhead; the Roseau Area Food Shelf, Roseau; St. Michael’s Catholic Church to assist the efforts
of the Helping Hands Food Shelf, Mahnomen; St. Theodore’s Catholic Church to assist the efforts of the Laporte Food Shelf, Laporte; the Dorothy Day House of Hospitality, Moorhead; Holy Rosary Catholic Church to assist the efforts of the Becker County Food Pantry, Detroit Lakes; and the Care and Share of Crookston, Crookston. The money collected from the CRS Rice Bowl is provided by the generous and sacrificial
giving of many throughout the Diocese of Crookston and the world. Seventy-five percent of the collection, is submitted directly to CRS for use in international aid to fund development projects in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. These projects help produce more food, increase income and address poverty. The remaining 25 percent stays in the Diocese of Crookston, and is dispersed in the form of the CRS Rice Bowl Local Grants
and are available every two years to parishes, organizations and projects within the diocese that work to alleviate hunger, through food programs (food pantries and soup kitchens); or by addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty (educational programs). To learn more about this local opportunity, visit www.crookston.org/ justice.
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National Catholic Youth Choir to perform COLLEGEVILLE, MINN. – The National Catholic Youth Choir will perform a concert at 7 p.m. June 23, at Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes. There is no charge to attend the concert, but a free-will offering will be collected to cover program costs. The concert is part of a tour of four Midwestern states from June 23-June 30. This year’s concert theme is, “All Ye Nations Praise the Lord.” The choir is made up of 25 high school students ages 1518 from 11 states. The choir is sponsored by Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary and meets beginning Monday, June 15, on the grounds of Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville. The choir sings music of various Christian traditions, ranging from medieval Gregorian chant to 20th-century music, and is led by renowned choral conductor Axel Theimer. The primary focus of the choir is liturgical, and the choir seeks to implement the directive of the Second Vatican Council that the “treasury of sacred music” be preserved and fostered in modern liturgy. The public can visit the choir’s website at www.catholicyouthchoir.org for more information.
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Raised to the Sacred Order o
“They will be consecrated as true priests o Gospel, to shepherd God’s people, and
Father Peter Williams, Vice Rector of Saint Paul Seminary, follows Father Vincent Miller, Vocations Director for the Diocese of Crookston, testifying to the worthiness and readiness of the men to be ordained.
Deacon Kujawa and Deacon Christianson listen intently as Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner delivers his homily. He spoke about the importance of the priesthood and the responsibility of those called to serve the Church in this way.
Bishop Hoeppner, flanked by Deacon Denny Bivens and Seminarian Matthew Schmitz, prays the prayer of ordination over Deacon Kujawa and Deacon Christianson, thanking God for the ministries and gifts given to the Church, and asking that the Holy Spirit strengthen them as they carry out their priestly ministries.
Following tradition, Father Johnathon Christianson and Father Bryan Kujawa up in the gathering space of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception a OND)
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iests of the New Testament to preach the and to celebrate the sacred liturgy.” – Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner Ordination Mass Homily, May 23
n Kujawa are welcomed by their brother priests as they pass through the lineception after their ordination on May 23. (Photos Credit: Janelle C. Gergen/
Bishop Hoeppner lays his hands on Deacon Kujawa’s head, expressing an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, a gesture found in the Acts of the Apostles.
Bishop Hoeppner anoints newly ordained Father Christianson’s hands with sacred Chrism, sealing him to serve in the sanctifying mission of Christ.
Priests from near and far gather around the altar to pray as Bishop Hoeppner leads the Eucharistic Prayer with Father Kujawa and Father Christianson for the first time during their ordination Mass.
Father Joseph Richards kneels to receive a blessing from newly ordained Father Bryan Kujawa.
Father Christianson prays with and then blesses a group including seminarians from St. Paul Seminary following his ordination.
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ORDINATION: Continued from Page 1 Holy Father, if they cooperate with the divine will, by showing everyone through their earthly activities the love with which God has loved the world.” “Remember,” he said, “when you gather others into the people of God through Baptism, and when you forgive sins in the name of Christ and the Church in the Sacrament of Penance, when you comfort the sick with holy oil and celebrate the sacred rites, when you offer prayers of praise and thanks to God through the hours of the day, not only for the people of God, but for the whole world, remember then that you are taken from among men and appointed on their behalf for those things that pertain to God.” As he concluded, Bishop Hoeppner instructed the men saying, “Work hard to strengthen the domestic church, to strengthen marriage and family life. Work hard to bring about in all who you serve such an enthusiasm for their faith that in living their faith in Jesus, they may freely share with others and joyfully and equally engage in the task of evangelization.” Father Christianson said he is looking forward to working in the ways Bishop Hoeppner
outlined. He said he is excited to receive “the ability to give people Communion and reconciliation with God through the Sacraments.” When asked what he was most looking forward to at the ordination, Father Kujawa replied, “I’m looking forward to completely giving my life over to the Lord and holding nothing back.” A long road, guided by the grace of God, led these two men to their ordination day. Father Christianson said he experienced three distinct things that helped him recognize his call to the priesthood. “The call withstood the test of time meaning that it wasn’t just a whim; my aspiration was not fueled by selfishness, but by a desire to serve God by serving his people and, finally, there has been a constant sense of peace with the vocation to the priesthood.” He said he was also influenced by many family members and priests, especially Father Jerry Rogers, Pastor of St. Mary’s Mission, Red Lake. Father Kujawa said that time in prayer was key to recognizing his call to the priesthood. “I spent a lot of time in prayer, asking the Lord how I could
best serve him,” he said. “I also met with a spiritual director a couple times a month and he confirmed a lot of what I was receiving in prayer. It became very evident that the best way I could serve the Lord and live in his glory is as a celibate priest.” He was also encouraged by Father Robert Schreiner and Mark Hollcraft, Youth Minister of Cathedral Parish. “Both of them gave me freedom to ask questions about the faith and at the same time, called me deeper into the love of God,” he said. “They, and so many other good Catholic friends, showed me what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.” Father Christianson encourages any young men who think they may have a call to the priesthood to not be afraid of considering it, and to ask questions. “Bryan and myself, as well as the other priests of the diocese, are willing and able to answer questions and listen to you,” he said. “You just have to approach one of us.” Father Kujawa recommends young men seek first to be strong disciples of Jesus. He encourages those considering the priesthood to pray and read scriptures every day. “Go to Mass at least on weekends, if
not more often. ... Go to Confession regularly. Give everything to the Lord. It would also be good to talk to a priest or some spiritual leader who can help you discern. Finally, come to Esto Vir!, the vocations camp put on by the diocese every summer,” said Father Kujawa. A note of thanks from Father Kujawa and Father Christianson was printed at the back of the ordination worship aid. In it they said, “Our ordinations are the signs of God’s work in our lives leading to today. It is not we who have called upon God to be ordained, but it is God who has called upon us. … Today, we devote our lives, in a new way, to God and the Church by making God present to the world through the priestly ministry of the Church. We ask all of you to continue to
pray that we fulfill the call that we are devoting our lives to.” Father Kujawa added to that sentiment, saying, “I’m so grateful for everything the Lord has given me over the past few years, and I am especially grateful for so many prayers said for me by the people of God during my time in seminary. In so many ways, I am unworthy to be a priest of Jesus Christ. But God has called me anyways, and I will only be a good priest because of the prayers of other people. We must always pray for good and holy priests.” Father Kujawa has been assigned as Parochial Vicar for St. Joseph’s, Moorhead. Father Christianson will be the Parochial Vicar serving Sacred Heart, East Grand Forks and its mission parishes of St. Francis of Assisi, Fisher and Holy Trinity, Tabor.
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CATECHESIS ON THE FAMILY: THE MEANING OF HUMAN SEXUALITY By Betsy Kneepkens
Dan and Sarah Driver, shown after their wedding in June 2014, prioritized purity while dating, which they say helped them make God the center of their married life and be open to children. (Submitted photo)
Purity in dating leads to fruitfulness in marriage By Susan Klemond for The Catholic Spirit
Dan and Sarah Driver come from polar opposite backgrounds. She grew up in a strong Catholic family in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and never left the faith, while he received less Catholic formation in Reading, England, and then adopted a hedonistic lifestyle until his conversion. “Dan’s conversion was pretty radical,” Sarah said. “Mine was ‘I still love Jesus and now I love him more.’” When the couple started dating in 2013, they didn’t meet in the middle but in the Church, each bringing insights from their past to their understanding of Catholic teaching on marriage. Now married, they say Christ is at the center of their sacramental union, giving them the grace to be faithful to each other and open to life. Practicing natural family planning has helped them grow in intimacy, communicate better and gain greater knowledge of their bodies. Parishioners of All Saints in Minneapolis, the Drivers also see the recent birth of their first child, Athanasius, representing a beautiful new part of a great adventure of living with the Lord. The Drivers met while working at National Evangelization Teams (NET) Ministries. Because of the ministry’s dating policy, they waited a year and a half to date and then set clear
WANT TO GO?
To register for the Diocese of Crookston’s pilgrimage, or for more information, go to: http://www. crookston.org/wmf
WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES SERIES: Our Northland Diocese will run a series of articles, in conjuction with publications from all Minnesota dioceses, highlighting the 10 themes of the catechesis and profiling families throughout Minnesota. To learn more about the catechesis document, Love is our Mission, go to: http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/about-theevent/catechesis/
boundaries for intimacy in their relationship. Setting boundaries “was really key to maintaining the values we knew intellectually and living them out,” said Dan, 29. As the relationship progressed from dating to engagement, they entrusted more to each other. Dan had received grace since his conversion more than seven years ago, he said, but still needed healing for past sexual relationships. “There’s a great intimacy there that is based on my woundedness,” he said. “Because of that, communication is free around everything else because everything else pales in significance to her bearing a cross with me, and carrying me when I’m carrying my cross.” Carrying that cross is a privilege, said Sarah, 25, quoting from the nuptial blessing in the wedding Mass: “May her husband entrust his heart to her.” Sarah said she gave Dan the
purity promise card she’d carried in her wallet since she was 14 on their wedding day but learned about purity from him because he hadn’t tested her. By upholding each other’s dignity they were called on to greater purity and love, Sarah said. Taking NFP classes during engagement represented a milestone in their relationship as they gained knowledge of Sarah’s reproductive physiology. “[NFP] gives me a way that I can love her in times of fertility and non-fertility,” Dan said. Sarah said openness in an intimate part of their lives makes her feel comfortable talking about other important but potentially contentious topics, such as finances, their dreams, failings and how to love in other ways. They pray for guidance on what to bring to each other, she added. They experience Christ in the sacramental element of their marriage and find stability and
Jesus’s incarnation proclaims that matter matters. If we let go of our desires, drives and inclinations, we could see the mastery of creation. It contains the harmony of our Creator’s ordered plan, with a diversity that tickles our intellect and a purpose that points us back to him. There is great value in understanding, as best as we can, the way his plan brings relevance to all things in relation to one another. Humankind has an obligation to study, by observation and by science, the purpose of all creation and its intermingling with the rest of matter. There is a sacredness to respecting our call to adore, and not repurpose this design to feed our desires, drives and inclinations. When we seek to exclusively satisfy our urges, we misalign purpose and negatively affect the greater whole whether or not we are aware of it. Although creation is widely diverse, all matter meets up with other matter, causing a great unity and oneness in creation. This interconnectedness manifests God’s glory and therefore, we should accept our obligation to all things and to each other. We must, for the sake of justice, acknowledge that we can never act with only ourselves in mind. Our brokenness and fallen nature beckon us to rationalize our self-driven choices. This breaks down the harmony our Creator intended to gift us. The crown jewel – the lynchpin of creation – is the human person, which utilizes matter as flesh to make our souls visible. Like nothing else on earth, our bodies and souls reveal the clearest, deepest understanding of the nature of our Creator because we are made in his image and likeness (Gen 1:26). The meaning of human sexuality is central to our relationship with our Creator. He crafted our bodies so that we may know, love and serve him. All parts of the human body are complete in their function and purpose. Those parts that allow a male and female to be one are incomplete without the other person. This intimate union between male and female is a sacramental act of completeness which allows humanity to know God as a communion of persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This union calls each person to be a mutual gift to the other and permits us to experience a particularly pure understanding of love: “This is my body given for you.” (c.f. Lk. 22:19) This understanding indicates God’s love for us, and the reason for human existence and earthly creation. God wants us to know that his love is regenerative. He wanted us to understand his love by allowing us to be co-creators with him through the act of union. Human sexuality is one way of knowing God intimately on earth, as God is revealed most particularly and clearly by the union of male and female. God does not want to be a total mystery to us. He wants us to know and love him. Christ came in the flesh so that we could experience God, and trust that his love for us is real and tangible. Matter is the tool God uses to teach us about himself. Our understanding of our matter, both male and female, is his greatest teaching instrument of all. Betsy Kneepkens is the director of the Department of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Duluth.
truth, Dan said. If the couple are not living their wedding vows and frequenting the sacraments the relationship suffers, Sarah added. God is first in their relationship, followed by each other, their son and then the world, Dan said. God wasn’t at the center of his previous relationships, Dan said, but he believes he was still guided by love, even if he didn’t see birth control as a destruction of life. Now, their life as a couple and parents is the most convincing
witness for living the Church’s teaching, he said. “Now we have this child that has shifted the paradigm of our whole experience of life in a most beautiful way,” Dan said. “Being able to give yourself fully to another is a beautiful thing that you kind of pass up a little bit when you’re practicing contraception. The richness of a relationship where you’re entrusting your heart and your bodies fully to each other is like no other. I’ve tasted it all and it’s like no other.”
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‘Victory’ app aimed at helping young people suffering addiction to porn By Abbey Jaroma Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Matt Fradd, a popular Catholic speaker who said he has dedicated his life to fighting pornography, teamed up with longtime youth minister Mark Hart, known as the “Bible Geek,” and LifeTeen to develop an app designed to assist young people in finding victory in their battle against porn. “I worked as an apologist at Catholic Answers for three years and I would travel the country and give many talks, and I couldn’t help but feel that while I was up there proclaiming the basic Gospel message to thousands of teenagers, a good number of these young men and women were looking at hardcore pornography,” Fradd explained in a phone interview with Catholic News Service. The app, Victory, is based on a calendar system where the user can mark the days they were victorious over porn, or had a setback, using colors. White represents the days they were victorious, and gray represents the days with a setback. A date with a green square around it signifies a day the user went to confession. “One of the reasons this app is so helpful is that it enables people to view freedom from porn, not as a destination, but as a daily choice. This app enables us to daily track our progress and reflect upon our victories. ‘Look at that, I had five days in a row that I was victorious,’” Fradd said. After the setback is logged on the calendar, the app assists you in pinpointing what the trigger was so you are more prepared to log a white day the next time that trigger occurs. Users can choose from various “trigger” options – boredom, loneliness, anger, stress or tiredness. According to Fradd, this helps a person to gain self-knowledge. The app includes a section for journaling, and there’s a prayer request button that will notify up to three “accountabil-
ity partners,” as the program calls them, to pray for you. The app is private and requires a four-digit passcode to log in. Rachel Penate, the assistant to the executive vice president of LifeTeen, said: “Not everyone struggles with pornography, or even the sin of lust, but everyone struggles with sin. It may require a bit of adaptation, but Victory can suffice as a tracking tool for any[body] struggling with a particular sin.” Being that Victory is geared toward Catholics, many have asked Fradd why it seems he is preaching to the choir, and his response is: “Because the choir is looking at porn.” Victory was launched May 28, and since then it has been downloaded over 4,500 times, which is a testament to its popularity. The app is free, and the accompanying book included in the app costs $1.99. The price of the book goes straight back to the app, though, not only to update the current version, but to launch an android version later this summer. There also is a donation page set up to increase funding for the app and it is donate.lifeteen.com/thevictoryapp. A donor matches every donation through that link. “We just want to create the best resource possible,” Fradd explained about the donation page. Fradd said he and his partners, Hart and LifeTeen, have high hopes that Victory will bring the addictive and destructive nature of pornography to light and to provide supportive and private assistance to liberate young people who have a porn addiction. “The hope of this app,” said Penate, “is that it will spark real and honest conversations about porn – what needs to happen to heal from addiction; why it’s destructive; and to encourage teens that they are not alone in this fight, that it is OK to struggle.” The developers hope it will be fruitful for the young church.
This illustration from the Victory App web site illustrates the calendar function and layout of the app. For more information, visit http://thevictoryapp.com.
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Administering mercy: Facilitating forgiveness does not downplay sin By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Always, but especially during a Holy Year, the Catholic Church does everything possible to help Catholics repent of their sins, receive forgiveness and draw closer to God. The Church’s law and its canon lawyers are part of that effort, said Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and a prelate of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican court handling matters of conscience. When Pope Francis announced the Holy Year of Mercy would open Dec. 8, he also said he would appoint “missionaries of mercy” to preach and teach about God’s mercy. They will be given special authority, the pope said, “to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See.” The first step, of course, is to recognize an action is a sin and confess it, expressing contrition and a willingness to do penance. Bishop Arrieta said the pope’s action is designed to ensure that the path to penance and reconciliation is not blocked by a priest not having the full authority to offer absolution in the name of God and the church. In an interview with Catholic News Service June 2, Bishop Arrieta said the pope’s mention of “reserved” sins refers to actions that can bring with them automatic excommunication, for example, abortion when the person is aware of the penalty and commits the sin anyway. The missionaries of mercy will have the “faculties” or authority to remove the excommunication and grant absolution in those cases, which normally require the intervention or permission of the local bishop or the Apostolic Penitentiary, he said. Some commentators have questioned whether the pope’s plan for mercy will send the message that abortion isn’t a serious sin. But for Vicki Thorn, founder of Project Rachel, a ministry promoting healing and forgiveness for those who regret an abortion, it is a crucial part of the Year of Mercy. “For millions of women, in their hearts abortion is the unforgiveable sin,” Thorn said during a telephone interview from
Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, is pictured in his office at the Vatican June 2. Bishop Arrieta explained why Pope Francis is appointing “missionaries of mercy” to preach and teach during the Holy Year of Mercy, which opens Dec. 8 and runs until Nov. 20, 2016. (Photo credit: Paul Haring/CNS)
her home in Milwaukee. “This sin holds people hostage,” she said. “Some women keep coming back confessing the same sin” over and over, Thorn said. “She knows she has committed a sin – the hard part is to convince her of God’s mercy.” In the Latin Church’s Code of Canon Law, Bishop Arrieta said, the offenses that carry automatic excommunication are: apostasy, heresy and schism; profanation of the Eucharist; physical violence against the pope; attempted absolution of an accomplice in sexual sin; attempted ordination of women; consecration of a bishop without papal approval; violating the secrecy of the sacrament of confession; recording the words of a confessor or penitent during confession; procuring, performing or actively assisting or pressuring a woman into having an abortion. “All sins can be forgiven,” Bishop Arrieta said, but more serious sins are also considered crimes under canon law and carry penalties. In order to receive
“The pope is saying the Church is like a field hospital in the middle of battle and the treasure of the merits of Christ and of the saints must be distributed broadly.” – Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts absolution, a person must be allowed to receive the sacraments, which he or she cannot do while under the penalty of excommunication. However, when an excommunicated person is in danger of death, any priest can hear his or her confession and grant absolution, the bishop said. That is because the priority in the Church’s law is the salvation of souls. “All the barriers of canonical penalties fall when faced with the need to save souls and the danger of death,” he said. When a woman goes to con-
fession seeking absolution for abortion, “the problem is not the sin, but the penalty, which prevents the reception of any sacrament,” Bishop Arrieta said, which is why Pope Francis is making special global provisions. In most dioceses of the United States, England and several other countries, the bishops regularly give all their priests the faculties to grant absolution for abortion. But in other places, like Italy, such permission is given only on special occasions. During the April 19 – June 24 public exposition of the Shroud
of Turin, for example, Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia of Turin granted his priests such faculties to “demonstrate the Father’s mercy toward those who repent of an evil committed.” He said, however, the permission would be valid only during the shroud’s public display so as not to “diminish the rigor of the law,” which is designed to teach people how seriously wrong it is to kill an innocent life. Bishop Arrieta said that when the Code of Canon Law was being revised in the 1970s and ‘80s, Church officials had long, passionate discussions about removing the penalty of automatic excommunication for an abortion. After all, the serious sin of murder does not carry the penalty of automatic excommunication. The penalty was maintained, however, because officials believed it could “give a distorted impression that the Church no longer sees abortion as so grave,” he said. “Sin is sin,” Bishop Arrieta said, and the offenses that can carry automatic excommunication are especially serious, but a Holy Year is an especially serious time of grace. “The pope is not saying abortion is no longer important. No. It’s important,” the bishop said. “It is the most frequent cause of excommunication.” By granting a special faculty to certain priests during the Year of Mercy, he said, Pope Francis is trying to balance a desire “to facilitate reconciliation as much as possible” while also “trying to form consciences” about the seriousness of abortion. “The Church has a spiritual patrimony and during a Holy Year, it encourages the faithful to draw on this patrimony” for the grace and strength to reconcile with God and begin a new life, he said. The pope is not saying that any sin is unimportant, the bishop said. “No, not at all. The pope is saying the Church is like a field hospital in the middle of battle and the treasure of the merits of Christ and of the saints must be distributed broadly” to heal the wounded.
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Celebrating First Holy Communion
St. Joseph’s, Moorhead (Submitted photos)
St. Francis de Sales, Moorhead (Submitted photos)
AROUND THE DIOCESE
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COMMENTARY
June 10, 2015
WORD to LIFE
FOR FAITH-SHARING GROUPS
ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
June 14
Ezekiel 17:22-24; Gospel: Mark 4:26-34
Psalm 92:2-3, 13-16;
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
By Catholic News Service
This Gospel parable, comparing the kingdom of God to a tiny seed growing into a large flourishing plant, would be a good fight song for everyone who tries to start a new ministry. Watching a ministry “sprout” can be frustratingly slow. When the initial response is tepid, it’s tempting to just walk away, unless you believe in the vision of the kingdom come. I sensed that temptation when my friend (and, incidentally, fellow Word to Life writer) Jeff Hedglen planned a youth service project at our parish one summer. Jeff and I were on the staff of St. Bartholomew Church in Fort Worth, Texas, at the time. I remember standing in the doorway of his youth ministry office listening as he described the program he envisioned: Each morning for a week, they would meet at church and head out into the community to participate in a variety of ministries from soup kitchen and nursing facilities to working with at-risk children and making repairs in low-income neighborhoods. Afterward, they would return to church, play some games and then divide into small groups to pray and discuss how Christ was present in the day’s experience. Jeff did a lot of preparation to promote the event, coordinate with local organizations, collect supplies and equipment, plan prayer activities and arrange transportation. On the first morning of the service week, I waved to Jeff as he passed my office with a couple of youth carrying supplies for the day. When he returned at the end of the
afternoon I asked how it went. “It was OK,” he replied, clearly disappointed, “only three people showed up.” Then he smiled, “But for those three it was great!” The experience of those teens was exactly what he’d envisioned for the ministry. So he did it again the next summer – with eight participants. Now, more than 20 years later, Jeff continues to coordinate the summer youth service program. It’s called Camp Fort Worth, and has grown into an enormous diocesan event with hundreds of youth participating each year. Many a Catholic youth has grown to adulthood with his or her faith first fed by that experience, flourishing and welcoming others to God’s kingdom. Why? Because three showed up – and it was great.
Questions: When have you felt frustrated by the meager beginnings of something you considered a valuable pursuit? How does the vision of God’s kingdom encourage you to persevere?
“THIS IS HOW IT IS WITH THE KINGDOM OF GOD; ... THROUGH IT ALL THE SEED WOULD SPROUT AND GROW, HE KNOWS NOT HOW.” — MARK 4:26-27
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Job 38:1, 8-11; Psalm 107:23-26, 28-31; 2 Corinthians 5:14-17 Gospel: Mark 4:35-41 By Catholic News Service A few years ago my brother and I hiked up Mount Cardigan in New Hampshire. When we started at the bottom, the midMay temperature was a cool 75 degrees. As we climbed, it got colder and we kept adding layer after layer of clothing. Right when we made it to the summit, it started to snow with the wind so brisk that the snow was horizontal. It was at once exhilarating and frightening, as I feared being blown right off the mountain. This was a literal storm, but in life there are other kinds of storms. I have many friends with young children – lots of young children. Their lives seem to be lived in a storm. Even their Facebook posts about laundry and family dinners make my trek up Mount Cardigan seem like a stroll along rolling hills. I regularly encounter another storm of life in my work with college students. Many of them are juggling one or two jobs, 15-18 hours of classwork, and the ups and downs of dating relationships, along with typical young adult social life. Their lives seem to be speeding past them like that snow on top of the mountain in New Hampshire. From time to time, we all have days, weeks and even years that seem like a raging storm, and it was times like these that were on my mind as I read this week’s readings. In them we hear of how God is Lord of creation, and we see the power of Jesus calming the storm. The Gospel story is about a literal, weather-related storm that Jesus calms on the Sea of Galilee. In the passage from Job, God reminds Job that God is the Lord over all of creation, basically saying if I can control all of creation, I
can certainly handle the storms in your life. Knowing that Jesus can calm the storms of life does not necessarily remove the circumstances swarming around us. But armed with this understanding of Jesus’ power, we can face what comes at us. We are not alone; there is One greater than the storm who is in the boat with us.
Questions: Have you ever seen the hand of God in a stormy time in your life? Does knowing God is the Lord of creation help you navigate the storms of life?
“QUIET! BE STILL!” — MARK 4:39
THE OND IS NOW ONLINE!! - ARCHIVED EDITIONS -
Vol. 69, No. 10 (May 20, 2015) can be viewed here: www.crookston.org/ond/
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