VOL. 70, NO. 20
WWW.CROOKSTON.ORG
NOVEMBER 2, 2016
Rooted in Christ: 2016 High School Youth Rally Father Bill DeCrans, Pastor of St. Joseph’s, Ada; Holy Family, Halstad and St. William’s, Twin Valley, raises the Eucharist to bless those gathered for adoration during the diocesan High School Youth Rally on Oct. 20. (Photo credit: Katrina Genereux/OND) TURN TO PAGE 8 FOR MORE PHOTOS AND COVERAGE OF THE 2016 DIOCESE OF CROOKSTON HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH RALLY.
Vatican releases instruction on burial, cremated remains On Oct. 25, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released updated instructions regarding burial of the deceased, specifically addressing the conservation of cremated remains. Msgr. Timothy McGee, Pastor of Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes, serves as the Coordinator of Cemeteries for the Diocese of Crookston, and shares some comments and a summary of the guidelines. TURN TO PAGE 4 FOR A SUMMARY OF THE UPDATED GUIDELINES FOR CONSERVING CREMATED REMAINS
INSIDE
VOL. 70. NO. 20:
Pg. 3 - Strengthening Our Future, Honoring Our Past Pg. 6 - Catholic School Rake-A-Thons Pg. 7 - 2016 DAA Video Receives Honorable Mention
(Photo: CNS)
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November 2, 2016
A
COMMENTARY
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
Voice from the Valley BY BISHOP MICHAEL J. HOEPPNER
NINE DAYS FOR OUR STATE AND NATION We need to pray for our country and for good leadership in our land. I hope you are praying the novena put together by the Minnesota Catholic Conference in preparation for our elections. As we come to Election Day, we ask God’s help and guidance. Each of us in the State of Minnesota, and in the United States of America depends on God’s continual care. Jesus taught us to ask for what we need and our God looks for us to ask, acknowledging his sovereignty over all. Asking God’s guidance as we prepare to vote and actually vote is a prayer that, as a result of our involvement in the political process, true good might come about to enhance the common good. Materials for the novena can be found at the Minnesota Catholic Conference web page: www.mncatholic.org/novena. The bishops of Minnesota have done a video for you to watch as part of the novena. Each day of prayer highlights an important issue. The first day of the novena, Oct. 30,
Visit www.mncatholic.org for the Election Day Novena video and other resources from the Minnesota Catholic Conference to help prayerfully prepare for voting on Nov. 8!
focused on religious liberty. In the successive days, the focus moves to the issues of life and bioethics, the poor and vulnerable, care of creation, labor and economy, marriage and family life, immigration, education and health care. It ends with a prayer for Election Day. In leading us to prayer around each issue, the materials also briefly explain why each issue is important in our common life, and remind us of the importance of finding out how each candidate stands on the issue. Each day of the novena, we pray: Virgin Mary, patroness of America, please prepare our hearts as we take part in this year’s election. Help us to humbly receive the wisdom of the Church, and to accept the
importance of her teachings in our lives and voting decisions. Guide us as we choose leaders who will best uphold the common good and the dignity of all. JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY CONCLUDES Pope Francis will conclude the Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy on Nov. 20, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. On this day, he will close the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Peter at the Vatican. He has directed that on the preceding weekend, the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy be brought to a close in local churches throughout the world. I will officially close the Holy Door at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston, during the 5 p.m. Mass on Nov. 12. This will conclude for us of this local church, this Extraordinary Holy Year, the Year of Mercy. I hope that this Year of Mercy has been one in which you have been especially aware of God’s mercy in your life. As I have gone around the diocese
and spoken about God’s mercy this year, I have met people who are appreciative and thankful to God for mercy in their lives. Aware of God’s mercy, we can readily extend mercy to others. This was the hope of Pope Francis in giving us this Holy Year of Mercy, as he said at the outset: “There are times when we need to gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we may become a more effective sign of the Father’s action in our lives. For this reason I have proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective.” During this year, I hope you have been more aware of God’s mercy in your life and of the challenge we are given by Jesus to be merciful: “Blessed are the merciful, they will obtain mercy.” There are a few days left if someone still wishes to take advantage of the special indulgences and graces of this Holy Year by praying and passing
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through the Holy Door while it is still open. Right before the final blessing at the Mass concluding the Year of Mercy, I will invite the faithful saying: “Brothers and sisters, let us joyfully thank God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout this year of grace, he has bestowed on us every heavenly blessing in Christ. He has given us this precious time of mercy and conversion. Let us express our thanks and joy in the words of the Virgin Mary, our Mother. As we sing the Lord’s mercy extending to every generation, let us ask him to pour out, like the morning dewfall, that same mercy unceasingly upon the entire world.” We will then join in praying the Magnificat and then receive the blessing at the end of Mass. Certainly our world needs God’s mercy today. We have been blessed as we celebrated and thanked God for his mercy this past year. Indeed, may God pour out his mercy unceasingly on us and our world in the years to come.
Publisher:
The Most Reverend Michael J. Hoeppner Bishop of the Diocese of Crookston
Editor:
Dr. Mark Krejci
Associate Editor: Mrs. Janelle C. Gergen jgergen@crookston.org Editorial Assistant: Mrs. Katrina Genereux kgenereux@crookston.org
NATIONAL COLLECTION UPDATE The faithful of the Diocese of Crookston generously supported the USCCB emergency collection to assist victims of the flooding in Louisiana with a total donation of: $26,741.11.
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.
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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
November 2, 2016
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Initiative to strengthen future, honor past launches Diocese invites people, parishes to help provide for seminarians, retired priests By Katrina Genereux Staff Writer, OND CROOKSTON, MINN. – The Diocese of Crookston’s Office of Stewardship and Development and the Catholic Community Foundation are kicking off a fundraising initiative called Strengthening Our Future, Honoring Our Past. With the generosity of the people and parishes of the diocese, they hope to bolster the Seminarian Education Endowment and the Priest’s Retirement Trust to provide for the future needs of our seminarians and retired priests. The center section of the last issue of Our Northland Diocese was used to introduce this fundraising initiative. Brochures containing more information will be distributed to pastors who will be asked to deliver copies to their pastoral and finance councils for consideration. At this time, approximately 10 percent of the diocesan budget, or $230,000, is spent on seminarian education. The Seminarian Education Endowment was started in the 1990s, and currently contains $1.9 million. “Last year that endowment paid around $30,000 to the diocese” said Joe Noel, the Executive Director of the Catholic Community Foundation, the entity responsible for the stewardship and distribution of earnings from the endowments it manages for the Diocese of Crookston. “We hope to grow that on a continuing basis,” he
“As a diocese, we take incredible joy each time a young man discerns a call to the priesthood. ... If we are fortunate, the call becomes a true vocation to the priesthood. We want every young man who hears the voice of God to feel free to explore such a serious choice.” - Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner
added. Currently, 25 of the 66 parishes in the Diocese of Crookston have established burses to support seminarian education. “As a diocese, we take incredible joy each time a young man discerns a call to the priesthood,” Bishop Hoeppner wrote in a letter announcing the initiative. “This call takes years to fully form and express itself. If we are fortunate, the call becomes a true vocation to the priesthood. We want every young man who hears the voice of God to feel free to explore such a serious choice.” The diocese hopes to build up the endowment to a level where the education expenses of seminarians are paid by the interest and dividends earned by the endowment fund. “While we must strengthen our future by providing for seminarian education, we must also remember to honor our past,” wrote Bishop Hoeppner. At this time, the Priests’ Retirement Trust helps provide
for the 12 retired priests of our diocese. That number will grow in the coming years. As a result, the retirement trust is actuarially underfunded by an estimated $1.2 million according to a review performed in June of 2015. “It is imperative that we look to the future and begin to grow this trust so that we can continue to provide for the priests who have given so much in the care of our families and our spiritual lives over the years,” Bishop Hoeppner wrote in his introductory letter. For more information about Strengthening Our Future, Honoring Our Past, or to make a gift toward the education of seminarians or the Priest’s Pension Trust, contact: Joe Noel, Executive Director of the Catholic Community Foundation at 218280-6858, or jnoel@crookston. org; or Reathel Giannonatti, JD, Director of Stewardship and Development at 218-281-4533, or rgiannonatti@crookston.org.
Frequently asked questions What is a burse and how is it different from an endowment? Many years ago, the CCF chose to use the word burse for named gifts that were being given for specific endowments. A burse given to the foundation will become a permanent part of a larger endowment held for a specific purpose, in this case, for the education of seminarians. Will my contribution be spent on anything other than seminarian education? No. Contributions to seminarian education burses are restricted gifts that can be used only for the purpose of the education of seminarians. Your gift is invested conservatively in the CCF’s investment fund and the earnings on the burse are used to pay for tuition, books, room and board and other miscellaneous educational expenses that support the discernment of our seminarians in both college and major seminary. Is there a minimum contribution for a named burse? Currently there is no minimum for a named burse. We suggest that a contribution of $1,000 be made to create the burse, but it is a matter open for discussion with Joe Noel, the Executive Director of the Catholic Community Foundation. Is my gift tax deductible? The Diocese of Crookston Catholic Community Foundation is recognized as tax-exempt by the IRS under section 501(c) (3) and appropriate tax letters will be provided to donors to evidence deductibility under IRS regulations. Donors should consult with their own financial and tax advisers to determine eligibility for deductions and amounts that could be deducted. The CCF does not provide tax advice.
For more information, call Joe Noel, Executive Director of the Catholic Community Foundation at 218-280-6858; or Reathel Giannonatti, JD, Director of Stewardship and Development at 218-281-4533.
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November 2, 2016
COMMENTARY
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
Proper conservation of cremated remains Editor’s note: Msgr. Timothy McGee is the pastor of Holy Rosary Parish in Detroit Lakes, and also serves as Coordinator of Cemeteries for the Diocese of Crookston. For more information about new instruction regarding burial of deceased and conservation of cremated remains, turn to page 12. Last week’s document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is entitled “Ad resurgendum cum Christo,” or “To Rise with Christ.” It is an instruction regarding the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation, and is a welcomed instruction in regard to the treatment of cremated remains. It has been over 50 years since the Catholic Church lifted the long held discipline that cremation was not an option for her faithful. Since then, the Church has always held that if cremation has taken place, the cremated remains or ashes were to be held as sacred and disposition of those ashes should be in a place of honor, a cemetery or a place set aside for this pur-
FROM THE DESK OF
THE DIOCESAN CEMETERY COORDINATOR
By Very Rev. Msgr. Timothy McGee Pastor Holy Rosary Parish, Detroit Lakes
“Next to the church, the tabernacle of the living God, is the cemetery, the earthly home of the departed – God’s Acre, as Catholic piety was once used to call it – it is the most sacred of places.” – Archbishop John Ireland First Archbishop of the Diocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
pose. Because of changes in our culture as to how people view funerals and burial, society has become somewhat lax with re-
gard to the reverence of the sacred ashes. It has become the custom in many parts of the country to simply “scatter” the ashes, whether it is from the air,
haphazardly to the four winds or broadcasting them in fields, yards or even on cemetery property. In recent years ashes have been preserved in mementos, pieces of jewelry (lockets and rings) and places of total disregard. None of these show due reverence or respect for the faithful departed. Burial at sea means exactly that – cremated remains are set afloat and washed out to sea and nature takes it course in disposition. This should not be confused with scattering at sea which is a scattering, broadcasting or pouring of ashes from an airplane which is contrary to the Church’s teaching. It is timely that we receive this document now so that those misconceptions in regard to cremation and conservation of the ashes may be cleared up. Questions in regard to the new document and the church’s position of cremation can be directed to your parish priest or to me as Coordinator of Cemeteries for the Diocese of Crookston.
As we enter November, the month of the poor souls, we remember in our prayers all the faithful departed. As we do so I am reminded of the solemn blessing that Archbishop John Ireland imparted at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Minneapolis in 1904. Here are a few of his statements: “Next to the church, the tabernacle of the living God, is the cemetery, the earthly home of the departed – God’s Acre, as Catholic piety was once used to call it – it is the most sacred of places. “There God is vividly present, in the nothingness of time, in the awful reality of eternity. The lesson is striking – time and the things of time are passing shadows: only eternity and the things of eternity have value. “There our relatives and friends are at sleep, awaiting the morning of the resurrection: their memories meanwhile thrilling us with hope in God’s love, if we are faithful to His laws, with dread of His judgments if we dare betray Him.”
Only two more editions of OND before Christmas! To get myself into the spirit to write this column, I am stretching a family rule that I remember from my youth. This rule was never set in stone by my parents, but it was a rule that we followed as a family: No Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. My parents did not own many albums – some music from their youth, a few Broadway or movie musical soundtracks – but by far the largest genre in the Krejci family library was Christmas. Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, Lawrence Welk and my personal favorite, “101 Strings: The Glory of Christmas.” Even though it is not yet Thanksgiving when I am writing this column (but Canadian Thanksgiving is only days away) I decided to put myself in a Christmas mood because I am going to use this and the two other columns before Christmas to write about a wonderful gift that God gave the entire world: the gift of Marriage and the Family. God did not give us this gift at the first Christmas because he had given this gift to humanity at the very beginning of creation. At the end of the creation narrative in the Bible, the
PRAYING WITH THE FAMILY By Dr. Mark Krejci
Director of the Office of Marriage, Family and Life
“Bring God’s love into your family to prepare the way for a celebration of the Holy Family on Christmas.” conclusion of Genesis 2, we read the first use of marital language: “That is why a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.” There it is, father, mother, their son (man) and wife. If you find yourself wondering, “Did God really give us the family, didn’t early humans create the family?” well then you are thinking about things more like an anthropologist who studies the development of society. Anthropology is an interesting area of study, but Catho-
lics understand that creation is ultimately a gift from God and that God created marriage and family life for a divine purpose. As we approach Christmas, the celebration of God’s greatest gift – his son, Jesus Christ – we should all reflect on the wonderful gift we have in marriage and family life. I will use the remainder of this column to reflect on one part of this gift – the unique and intimate relationship that families are meant to be: A community of life and love. We are meant to share God’s
love in our families for God created the family to be a living icon of his love. These words from St. John Paul II describe it very well: “Hence, the family has the mission to guard, reveal and communicate love, and this is a living reflection of and a real sharing in God’s love for humanity and the love of Christ the Lord for the church, his bride.” This is a pretty deep statement but at the same time very simple. If I dare paraphrase St. John Paul II, every family has been given a mission by God: To reflect God’s love to each other and to the entire world. Husbands, what acts of love for your wife can you do every day before Christmas that is meant to reveal Christ to her? Wives, what acts of love for your husband can you do every day before Christmas that is meant to reveal Christ to him? Parents, what acts of love for your children can you do every day before Christmas that is meant to reveal Christ to them? Children, what acts of love for your parents can you do every day before Christmas that is meant to reveal Christ to them? This column is in the Nov. 2 edition of OND, and factoring
in two days for mail delivery, you have about 50 days between now and Christmas to prepare your family for this great day by mirroring God’s love in your family. Just think, if every family member shared an additional act of love every day between now and Christmas, an act beyond the many acts of love I pray you are already sharing. Every family would be even more ready for the act of love we celebrate on Christmas, the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was raised by a loving mother Mary, protected by a loving father, Joseph, who centered their world around their beloved son, Jesus. Bring God’s love into your family to prepare the way for a celebration of the Holy Family on Christmas. Here is a prayer to sustain you on this journey of love: “Lord Jesus, in my family, help me to reflect your love each and every day. Help me reflect your love at all times, I pray. And for those times, in my family, when from your love I stray, return me to Jesus: The truth, the life, the way.”
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
COMMENTARY
November 2, 2016
5
The connection between wildfires and sexual purity Control is an illusion. On June 26, 2012 just west of Colorado Springs, the Waldo Canyon Fire began to escalate. A massive cloud of white and gray smoke rose high above the mountains and shone like a dramatic thunderhead in the bright sun. Fire and smoke had been part of the scenery for the last few days, but this seemed a bit more foreboding. No one had guessed what was about to unfold. In short order, the wildfire fueled by high winds raced down a ridge and out of control, quickly ran into a nearby residential neighborhood. What started, as a calm day of fire fighting became a massive evacuation effort of the northwest side of Colorado Springs. We would later learn that nearly 350 homes were destroyed and two people were killed. When we think of wildfires we realize that terms like containment or control can be only relative at best. Humans merely try to manage in response to factors that the fire and weather present. The events of June 26, 2012, are a reminder that with nature we ultimately have very little under our control.
INTEGRITY: HUMAN PERSON INSIGHTS By Mr. Dan Spadaro, MA, LPC Syndicated through The Colorado Catholic Herald
“Surrender allows us to remain vigilant not fearful. We trust that God can do for us what we are not able to do alone. This kind of trust is part choice and part reliance on God. It requires us to risk not being in control.” It can be similar with sexual lust. Control for those who have had a weakness in this area is also limited. It is easy to delude oneself that a little bit
of lust won’t hurt, not thinking that activating this type of desire could begin a process that can quickly escalate out of control, impacting one’s life
and the lives of those he or she loves. In a sense we think we can put our trust in lust. We think we can indulge lust like an old friend, who claims to have our best interests in mind. Recall the old cartoon character of Charlie Brown. His friend Lucy would offer a football for him to kick, but each time as Charlie Brown ran in for the big kick Lucy would rip it out from under him sending him flying on his back. Each new time he expected that things would be different. That it would work out better. We expect life to be perfectly manageable. “Just a little, not too much,” we say as we tiptoe into the mire of lust. The fact is that we trust ourselves to an experience or fantasy, relying on the memory of the pleasure and forgetting the negative consequences. We hope it will do for us what it appears to promise. But true to form, lust betrays us every time. What we learn is that selfcontrol comes by way of surrender. Many have found that sheer willpower does not last. Usually this leads to disappointment and frustration. Also,
mere sobriety (or abstinence) is not the whole picture either. There is a daily dynamic needed in the effort to live a new life. It seems the more we try to control the events and people around us the more life throws us a curve ball. Surrender is not giving up, but rather recognizing the areas where we have some control and acting on these. We can choose to give up our self-centeredness and make decisions based on the realities at hand. The rest is up to God. Surrender allows us to remain vigilant not fearful. We trust that God can do for us what we are not able to do alone. This kind of trust is part choice and part reliance on God. It requires us to risk not being in control. This is not necessarily an easy thing to do. Certainly sexual lust, like a wildfire, presents a real danger. Both are easier to deal with while they are small. We can make efforts to learn new boundaries and make lifestyle changes that are easier to practice in small ways. Surrender, similar to the virtues of humility and perseverance, is like water for a thirsty soul.
Dr. Tony Levatino: ‘You just made $600 cash in 15 minutes.’ “Reach in again and grasp I’m not sure what it would the catheter into a glass bottle LIFE FIRST take for America to realize the on the suction machine. This whatever you can. Set the jaw truth about abortion. Even though nearly every other gruesome human tragedy is fair game for television or movie screen, pictures of the result of an abortion are not allowed on television or, this time of year, in campaign ads. It seems to me America will not reject abortion until America sees abortion. What follows is a graphic explanation of a common abortion procedure called a “Suction Dilation and Evacuation” abortion. In his own words, written for the Priests for Life website, Dr. Tony Levatino, M.D., a man who once believed in abortion, lifts the veil of secrecy just a bit. Remember, what you are about to read happens many times a day in the United States of America … and it is perfectly legal. “Imagine for a moment that you are a ‘pro-choice’ obstetrician-gynecologist as I once was. Your patient today is 17 years old and she is 20 weeks pregnant. At 20 weeks, her uterus is
By Father Don Braukmann
Parochial Vicar - St. Philip’s Parish, Bemidji and St. Charles Parish, Pennington
up to her umbilicus and she has been feeling her baby kick for the last two weeks. “If you could see her baby, she would be as long as your hand from the top of her head to the bottom of her rump not counting the legs. “Your patient is now asleep on an operating room table with her legs in stirrups. Upon entering the room after scrubbing, you dry your hands with a sterile towel and are gowned and gloved by the scrub nurse. “The first task is remove the laminaria that had earlier been placed in the cervix to dilate it sufficiently to allow the procedure you are about to perform.
With that accomplished, direct your attention to the surgical instruments arranged on a small table to your right. The first instrument you reach for is a 14-French suction catheter. It is clear plastic and about nine inches long. It has a bore through the center approximately ¾ of an inch in diameter. “Picture yourself introducing the catheter through the cervix and instructing the circulating nurse to turn on the suction machine which is connected through clear plastic tubing to the catheter. What you will see is a pale yellow fluid that looks a lot like urine coming through
amniotic fluid surrounded the baby to protect her. “With suction complete, look for your Sopher clamp. This instrument is about thirteen inches long and made of stainless steel. At one end are located jaws about 2 ½ inches long and about ¾ on an inch wide with rows of sharp ridges or teeth. This instrument is for grasping and crushing tissue. When it gets hold of something, it does not let go. “A second trimester D&E abortion is a blind procedure. The baby can be in any orientation or position inside the uterus. “Picture yourself reaching in with the Sopher clamp and grasping anything you can. At 20 weeks gestation, the uterus is thin and soft so be careful not to perforate or puncture the walls. “Once you have grasped something inside, squeeze on the clamp to set the jaws and pull hard – really hard. You feel something let go and out pops a fully formed leg about four to five inches long.
and pull really hard once again and out pops an arm about the same length. Reach in again and again with that clamp and tear out the spine, intestines, heart and lungs. “The toughest part of a D&E abortion is extracting the baby’s head. “The head of a baby that age is about the size of a plum and is now free floating inside the uterine cavity. You can be pretty sure you have hold of it if the Sopher clamp is spread about as far as your fingers will allow. You will know you have it right when you crush down on the clamp and see a pure white gelatinous material issue from the cervix. That was the baby’s brains. You can then extract the skull pieces. If you have a really bad day like I often did, a little face may come out and stare back at you. “Congratulations! You have just successfully performed a Suction D&E abortion. You just affirmed her right to choose. You just made $600 cash in 15 minutes.”
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November 2, 2016
LOCAL
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
Catholic Schools clean up leaves, serve their communities
Students and staff from Cathedral School take a group photo after they finish raking leaves at a yard in Crookston during their annual fundraising service project on Oct. 19. (Submitted photo) Sacred Heart School, East Grand Forks, fourth grade students pause to take a fun photo during their rake-a-thon fundraiser service project on Oct. 28. (Submitted photos)
Above: Shawn Erickson and students from St. Joseph’s School, Moorhead take a picture with George Clifton and the leaves they cleaned out of his yard. Students have been visiting his yard with their rakes for four years. Right: Students fill a bag with leaves on Oct. 28 during St. Joseph’s School’s annual service project. (Submitted photos)
Cherie Walker-Bethel, a high school social studies and history teacher, and two high school students place leaves in a bag while working in an East Grand Forks yard.
wants your news and advertisements! Find 2016-17 publishing dates and submission deadlines on the web: www.crookston.org/ond The next OND submission deadline is: Wednesday, November 9 by 12:00 p.m. E-mail: Janelle C. Gergen, Associate Editor jgergen@crookston.org
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
All invited for hour of prayer at Planned Parenthood in Bemidji People of all ages and religious denominations are invited to join other pro-life prayer warriors for a silent and peaceful hour of prayer before the upcoming election. A group will gather on Nov. 7, at Planned Parenthood, 2504 Hannah Avenue NW, in Bemidji from 12 – 1 p.m. A limited number of signs will be available. Nov. 7 is the day before the election. Call 218-368-9019 with any questions.
LOCAL
November 2, 2016
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Diocesan stewardship video recevies recognition at national conference The Diocese of Crookston was recognized by the International Catholic Stewardship Council during their annual conference held Oct. 2-5 in New Orleans. Each year, ICSC presents awards to dioceses and parishes who promote the spirituality of stewardship. The Diocese of Crookston received Honorable Mention in the category of Annual Appeal Video for the 2016 Diocesan Annual Appeal video that was created and shared online and in parishes at the start of the appeal in January. Each year, dioceses and parishes who are members of ICSC are invited to submit their stewardship promotional materials for consideration in various categories. Reathel Giannonatti, JD, Director of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Crookston, partnered with Ad Monkeys of Grand Forks, to produce the 5-minute video. She submitted it, along with other DAA promotional materials, to ICSC and was notified at the end of September that the 2016 DAA video earned an honorable mention. “The International Catholic Stewardship Conference is a global organization that offers first-rate education from extremely talented Development leaders around the world. It has been a privilege to be part of this conference,” Giannonatti said. “I was filled with pride that the Diocese of Crookston, a mission diocese with relatively
Reathel Giannonatti, JD, Director of the Office of Stewardship and Development and Msgr. Micheal Foltz, Vicar General of the Diocese of Crookston pose for a photo with the ICSC Honorable Mention award. The award was received in recognition of the Diocesan Annual Appeal video that was created and shown in parishes at the start of the 2016 appeal yeaer. (Photo credit: Katrina Genereux/OND)
few Catholics spread out over 14 counties, was recognized for our stewardship work. The Honorable Mention Award for our first Diocesan Annual Appeal video was a wonderful surprise. The video won an award but more importantly it inspired many new gifts for the support of diocesan ministries.” The video will remain live on the diocesan website until the end of the year. Visit www. crookston.org/daa to view it. ICSC is a professional organi-
zation recognized internationally as a source of education, networking and information to advance the ministry of Christian stewardship as a way of life in the Roman Catholic Church, and to promote the cause of Catholic philanthropy in dioceses and parishes worldwide. Founded in 1962, ICSC has over 1,200 members representing over 800 dioceses and archdioceses, parish communities, Catholic organizations and professional firms internationally.
8 November 2, 2016
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
LOCAL
2016 High School Youth Rally Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner delivers his homily during Mass in the AdaBorup High School auditorium on Oct. 20. He urged the 230 students in attendance to learn to see that our Father in heaven has life for us and that we are created to be happy in heaven with God for eternity.
David Calavitta addresses the 250 people gathered for the 2016 High School Youth Rally during his keynote presentation. He spoke to students about God’s desire to know and love them, now and for eternity. (Photos credit: Katrina Genereux/OND)
Speakers encourage students to be rooted in Christ through prayer and sacraments By Katrina Genereux Staff Writer, OND ADA, MINN. – On Oct. 20, more than 250 people from throughout the Diocese of Crookston came together at Ada-Borup High School for the 2016 Diocesan High School Youth Rally. The theme for this year’s rally was Rooted in Christ. Rob Sheridan, a youth minister from Chico, Calif., who is also an illustrator, emceed the rally. Sheridan spoke about the saints of the Catholic Church and their roots in Christ. He created an illustration of Saint Paul of the Cross, whose feast day is Oct. 20, and shared details of this saint’s life. “He’s one of those people who wanted to go get away from the world so he could work on his holiness, so he could meditate on the Passion of Jesus. He said, ‘It is an excellent, holy practice to call to mind and meditate on Our Lord’s Passion because it is by this path that we shall arrive at a union with God. In this, the holiest of schools, true wisdom is learned, for it was there that all the saints became wise,’” Sheridan said. St. Paul of the Cross tried to pull away from the world, people continued to seek him, so he founded a religious order dedicated to the Passion of Christ. Sheridan spoke about all the ways Satan tried to stop St. Paul of the Cross in his mission to attain holiness. “We all have a mission, every one of us has a mission to grow in holiness. In our day, in this century, the devil doesn’t have to work that hard to tempt us and throw us off track,” he said. “All you have to do is spend
two minutes on TV or 30 seconds on the internet and you’ve been derailed … unless you’re learning from the school of Jesus on the Cross.” David Calavitta was the keynote speaker for the day. He has been involved with youth ministry since 2000 and is now the head of design and marketing for Life Teen International. He spoke to students about God’s love and his desire for relationship with all his people, and the invitation to relationship that he extends to everyone. Calavitta shared the parable of the sower found in Chapter 8 of Luke’s Gospel. It tells of a sower who scatters seed. Some of it falls on the path and is eaten by birds, some falls on rocky ground, and is unable to grow roots and withers away, other seed fell among thorns and is choked. The seed that falls on good soil is strongly rooted, and produces fruit. “This theme of rooted, which we’re going to continue unpacking throughout the day, starts first with a seed,” Calavitta said. “That seed is the invitation Jesus Christ offers you today … he wants your heart, he wants a relationship and he wants to invite you to see what that journey looks like.” He then spoke about the different things in modern life that compete with Christ’s seed of invitation and encouraged students to look beyond these things and open their hearts to the Lord. “I guarantee you, no matter how hard you work at life, when you come to that last moment, if you’re not holding onto the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, you will look back at your life in longing, in desperation,” Cala-
vitta said. “He’s the only one that will fulfill the desires of your heart that he created in you. He’s the only one that’s called you into existence and desires you to exist with him for all eternity.” In the afternoon, Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner celebrated Mass with youth rally attendees. Bishop Hoeppner shared a similar message during his homily. “Someone once said that the world belongs to the one who offers the greatest hope. We can never forget what our destiny is. Our destiny is to be one in the life of God, happy forever in our home, heaven,” Bishop Hoeppner said. He encouraged the students to be united with and rooted in Christ and to pray for the faith to know God’s love for them. “These events are certainly important because they provide students with the opportunity to deepen their relationships with Christ alongside one another,” said Anthony Lavorata, the Director of the Office of Youth Ministry and Catechesis for the Diocese of Crookston. At the end of the youth rally, Isaac Noel of St. Joseph’s, Moorhead, was presented with the St. Timothy Award. Each year, this award is given to a 12th grade student in recognition of high levels of leadership, service and commitment to the parish. Kellie Ross, also of St. Joseph’s, Moorhead, received the Vocatio Award. This award recognizes an adult volunteer who lives out his or her baptismal call through service to the young people in the parish. Next year’s High School Youth Rally will be hosted by Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes.
Father Bill DeCrans plays bingo with students in the interactive theme park during the 2016 Diocesan High School Youth Rally.
“The theme for today is that we would be rooted and grounded in love. To be rooted in love means you have to understand what love is, understand the love that God has for you in such a way that it changes you, in such a way that you become grafted to it, that you become nourished by it, that you live and breathe and drown in the depths of his love. And you can only do that if you understand what his love is.” - David Calavitta, Head of Design and Marketing for Life Teen International, during Eucharistic Adoration.
Rob Sheridan, speaks to a student about his artwork. Sheridan, a youth minister from Our Divine Savior Catholic Church in Chico, Calif., was the emcee for the youth rally. He also creates illustrations of the saints, which he handed out during the rally.
Nikayla Snyder from St. Joseph’s, Moorhead, shows two students the colors they will use to paint the image she is holding, which was inspired by the youth rally’s theme. The Canvas and Coffee booth was part of the interactive theme park at the youth rally.
The theme for the 2016 High School Youth Rally was Rooted in Christ. Here are a few quotes from the day’s presenters that focus on the theme:
“So what are you rooted in? If you’re rooted in Adam and Eve, when someone dies, or you die, you don’t even want to think about that because that is the end. … If you’re rooted in the Lazarus story when someone dies you just want them back … that’s not going to satisfy. But if you’re rooted in Christ, then, even if someone dies, if they are in Christ, we know that their sins have been taken away … their soul is enduring forever and even their body will be resurrected.” - Father Craig Vasek, Pastor of St. Patrick’s, Hallock and Holy Rosary, Lancaster, during a breakout presentation entitled Life After Death: How to Deal with Death
“We believe in Jesus, we are rooted in Jesus, but Jesus reminds us, you believe in me, but really, it’s the Father – whoever looks on me is seeing him who sent me. … All that the Father gives me shall come to me, and no one who comes will I ever reject because it is the will of him who sent me, the Father, that I should lose nothing of what he’s given me.” -Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner, Homily
“It is my hope that students would be able to take back to their home parishes some of the experiences and joys they had at the rally, share them with their friends and show them the ways the love of Christ has taken root in their hearts.” - Anthony Lavorata, Director of the Office of Youth Ministry and Catechesis for the Diocese of Crookston
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10
November 2, 2016
LOCAL
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
Benedictine Sister Eulalia Brophy, age 95, dies
Sister Eulalia Brophy passed away on Oct. 21, at Villa St. Vincent, Crookston. Mary Doris Brophy was born November 30, 1920 in Shauanvon, Saskatchewan, Canada. She was the second youngest of the three sons and six daughters of Timothy and Mary (McDonald) Brophy. The many stories of her childhood speak of one who was loved and cherished by her parents. At night, when the children were ready for bed, her mother would take care of the baby, and the children knelt by their father to say their night prayers. At an early age Doris portrayed many of the characteristics which would be apparent all through her later life: generosity, thoughtfulness and a great deal of initiative which sometimes got her into difficulty. Even at a young age she was impatient with delay and she admitted to wanting to “get things done!” Her sense of what was just and right impelled her as a child to stand up for what she believed to be right. Even as
an adult an often heard phrase, spoken emphatically, was, “I just don’t believe in it!” Her first encounter with sisters occurred when Sister Charitas, her oldest sister, came home for a visit. Doris had been one year old when Sister Charitas (Gertrude) left home for Mount Saint Benedict, so at the young age of seven she and her sister Bernice were in awe of this black robed person and implored their mother not to be left alone with her! However, they soon overcame their shyness, and Sister Eulalia later wrote that the example of her oldest sister was the first awakening of her vocation. A recurrence of her father’s asthma compounded by repeated crop failures led the family to sell their farm and return to Ottawa, Ontario, where Doris attended high school. By this time her desire to follow Sister Charitas to become a sister led her to Mount Saint Benedict where she was given the name Eulalia. When the prioress, Mother
Sister Eulalia Brophy, OSB
Monica Forkey, asked her how she liked her new name, Doris, ever honest, said, “I can’t pronounce it, I can’t spell it and I don’t like it!” Mother Monica explained that it was her baptismal name, and related the life story of the young martyr whose name it was. Sister Eulalia learned to love the name because of her love and admiration for Mother Monica who had been her mentor through the many homesick days of her
early life so far away from home. After making final monastic profession in 1943, Sister Eulalia’s ministries led her in many directions, supported by a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. Sister Eulalia was an expert and much-loved teacher of students in Lefor, N.D., and in various schools in the Crookston diocese: Detroit Lakes, Cathedral, Moorhead and East Grand Forks. She was principal at Detroit Lakes and assistant principal in East Grand Forks. In 1990, Sister Eulalia returned to the Mount where she continued her love of teaching children by supervising the computer lab at the Cathedral school. She personified gracious Benedictine hospitality when working at the reception desk, caring for the needs of guests staying in the guest department, encountering other sisters in her daily life and working at the Chancery assisting with various tasks for Bishop Francis Schenk. Sister Eulalia enjoyed design-
ing cards with pressed flowers, making hurricane candles and embroidering dish towels – her signature design was the butterfly! The person to call when there were gifts to be wrapped was Sister Eulalia. When asked to state what has appealed to her since she became a member of the community she wrote simply: daily prayer in common, the Eucharistic liturgies and community life. Sister Eulalia is preceded in death by her parents Timothy and Mary Brophy, brothers: Francis, Wallace and John, sisters: Rita Nierenhausen, Audrey Cox, Irene Thompson, Sister Charitas Brophy, Vera Brophy and Bernice Carson. She is survived by many nieces and nephews and the Sisters of Saint Benedict of Crookston. Reception of the body of Sister Eulalia was Oct. 27 at 4:30 p.m. with a prayer service at 7 p.m. The funeral was at 11 a.m. on Oct. 28. All services were held at Mount Saint Benedict Monastery.
Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) Endowments and Memorials General Endowment
St. Joseph, Beaulieu.........................................5,168.24
Our Lady of the Pines, Nevis............................5,615.50
Reverend Eugene Connelly..............................5,086.87
Bishop Balke...................................................15,000.00
St. Philip, Bemidji............................................90,063.39
St. Michael, Northome.......................................1,200.50
Mrs. Gladys Burlingame....................................1,000.00
Bishop Corbett.................................................20,000.00
St. Joseph, Benwood...........................................626.00
Most Holy Redeemer, Ogema...........................4,933.10
St. John Vianney...............................................3,000.00
Bishop Glenn...................................................10,000.00
St. Frances, Big Elbow Lake.............................1,189.77
St. Francis Xavier, Oklee...................................5,440.56
Bernard & Frances Crummy..............................2,500.00
Bishop Peschges.............................................20,000.00
St. Ann, Blackduck............................................1,873.75
St. Joseph, Oslo...............................................6,308.00
Henry and Ida Ricard......................................25,000.00
Bishop Povish..................................................10,000.00
St. Joseph, Brooks............................................7,340.00
St. Peter, Park Rapids.....................................14,889.53
Mr. & Mrs. R.W. Maves.....................................1,200.00
Dorothy Howard................................................5,045.62
Assumption, Callaway.......................................4,949.25
St. Charles, Pennington.........................................57.50
The Amon & Lee Families....................................200.00
Edward P. Herold.............................................25,000.00
Cathedral, Crookston......................................55,750.85
St. Theodore, Ponsford.....................................1,288.50
Total................................................................203,489.21
Frank A. & Mabel Mallinger.............................78,920.01
Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes..............................67,943.50
St. Joseph, Red Lake Falls.............................29,292.92
Newman Ministry
George E. Nemzek........................................250,000.00
St. Elizabeth, Dilworth.......................................1,552.50
St. Mary’s Mission, Red Lake...........................5,024.25
John Newman.................................................29,132.92
Gertrude Niehoff............................................ 27,533.04
Sacred Heart, East Grand Forks.....................71,209.00
Sacred Heart, Roseau.......................................6,816.37
Total..................................................................29,132.92
John Kowalski...................................................6,217.69
St. Mary, Euclid.................................................6,431.25
St. Cecilia, Sabin...............................................7,140.00
Youth Ministry
Margaret Widman..............................................5,000.00
St. Philip, Falun....................................................434.25
St. Stephen, Stephen........................................5,372.92
St. John Bosco................................................11,308.00
Msgr. John D. Stearns.....................................23,696.15
St. Joseph, Fertile.............................................4,507.50
Holy Trinity, Tabor..............................................6,218.85
Total..................................................................11,308.00
Reverend Jeremiah Sullivan...........................18,380.92
St. Francis, Fisher.............................................2,591.25
St. Bernard, Thief River Falls..........................73,066.88
Special Designation
Reverend John Merth........................................5,854.33
Assumption, Florian..........................................9,188.19
St. William, Twin Valley......................................5,271.25
Joe and Olga Merkens....................................28,458.02
Reverend John O’Toole Memorial...................27,523.38
St. Mary, Fosston............................................10,417.50
St. Mary, Two Inlets...........................................3,952.75
Sacred Heart, Frazee, Cath............................40,449.76
Reverend Louis McMahan..............................10,000.00
Sacred Heart, Frazee......................................23,861.50
Sts. Peter & Paul, Warren...............................14,278.83
KC Frazee Catholic Edu.................................24,500.00
Thomas & Patricia Hilger............................... 59,510.04
St. Peter, Gentilly...............................................2,166.25
St. Mary, Warroad..............................................4,956.57
John J. Arouni Catholic Education................356,000.00
Veronica ‘Roni’ Stainbrook..............................10,025.00
St. John, Georgetown........................................4,602.50
St. Ann, Waubun...............................................5,831.55
Total................................................................449,407.78
Total................................................................627,706.18
St. Ann, Goodridge............................................1,212.50
St. Benedict, White Earth..................................1,697.00
St. Joseph, Moorhead
Catholic Education
Blessed Sacrament, Greenbush.......................6,159.25
St. Joseph, Williams.............................................900.00
School Operations Endow.............................138,363.02
God’s Green Acre.............................................1,326.77
St. Clement, Grygla...........................................3,526.25
Sacred Heart, Wilton.........................................4,703.77
Sr. Mary Ann Welsch Endow.........................126,969.00
Hartmann & Reimann Families.........................4,000.00
St. Patrick, Hallock............................................2,066.25
Total................................................................870,037.98
Parish Operations Endowment.......................54,532.00
Julia B. Musil...................................................38,018.32
Holy Family, Halstad..........................................4,893.75
Priests’ Retirement
School Scholarship Endowment.....................63,055.00
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton................................650,500.00
St. Andrew, Hawley..........................................16,013.75
Rev. Ed Nistler Endowment..................................505.00
Setter School Scholarship.............................374,895.84
Total................................................................693,845.09
St. Edward, Karlstad.............................................295.00
Leo Osowski Endowment................................10,000.00
J. & K. Altobell School Scholarship.................21,185.00
Faith For Tomorrow-Catholic Education
St. Patrick, Kelliher............................................2,908.75
Joe and Jenny Prosby.......................................5,000.00
RE & Youth Ministry.........................................14,075.33
Capital Campaign Proceeds......................2,278,478.94
St. Francis Xavier, Lake Park...........................3,286.75
Frank Reid Endowment...................................49,372.86
M A Ellis Building Fund.................................100,000.00
Elvern Vanyo...................................................20,969.22
Holy Rosary, Lancaster..........................................77.50
Bishop Schenk.................................................11,250.00
SSG Andrew P. Nelson Scholarship...............14,385.00
Total.............................................................2,303,264.12
St. Mary of the Lk, Lake Eunice Tns.................9,981.25
John Stoltman Endowment...............................5,000.00
Sr. D. Charest Parish Nurse............................30,456.00
Parish Catholic Education
St. Theodore, Laporte.......................................1,600.00
Total..................................................................81,127.86
Alice Bartels Teacher Salaries.......................115,400.00
St. Joseph, Ada.................................................6,075.82
St. Michael, Mahnomen...................................11,670.00
Continued Education of Priests
Msgr. Michael Foltz School Schol...................12,610.00
St. John the Baptist, Alma....................................399.34
St. Lawrence, Mentor......................................33,778.38
St. Stephen’s...................................................20,000.00
Msgr. Michael Foltz Child & Youth FF.............13,075.00
St. Rose of Lima, Argyle....................................6,784.58
St. Joseph, Middle River...................................1,422.50
The Orville J. Woeste......................................11,605.00
Total.............................................................1,079,001.19
St. Mary, Badger...............................................1,887.00
St. Francis, Moorhead.....................................35,006.35
Dorothy Howard Estate...................................14,184.16
St. Joseph, Bagley...........................................11,299.50
St. Joseph, Moorhead.....................................92,333.82
Andrew & Frances Ignaszewski Mm.................5,000.00
Assumption, Barnesville....................................5,252.50
St. Anne, Naytahwaush.....................................2,069.70
Eva Charest Memorial...................................110,713.18
Sacred Heart, Baudette...................................21,558.70
St. John, Nebish................................................2,355.25
Leon & Irene Pribula.........................................4,000.00
This endowment listing will be printed again on Feb. 8, 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
NATIONAL
November 2, 2016
11
At border Mass nuncio prays for end to barriers that separate people By Nancy Wiechec Catholic News Service NOGALES, ARIZ. – The apostolic nuncio to the United States celebrated Mass at the U.S.Mexico border Oct. 23 offering prayers to break down the barriers that separate people. Archbishop Christophe Pierre faced the immense steel border fence in Nogales as he and the bishop of Tucson and the bishop of Mexico’s Diocese of Nogales, Sonora, concelebrated the liturgy with people gathered on both sides of the border. The nuncio began the prayer of the faithful with a plea for unity. “Jesus, we come before you today as your disciples, sometimes filled with fear and doubt, even suspicion,” he said. “We pray to dismantle the barriers within our hearts and minds that separate us, who are all members of your body.” Following his words, young people led the congregation in prayers for “needed immigration reform,” for humane treatment of migrants who don’t have documents, and for “se-
Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., greets people gathered for Mass at the international border Oct. 23 in Nogales, Ariz. (Photo credit: CNS/Nancy Wiechec)
curity and justice for all.” They prayed especially for migrant children, “who are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse,” and for all who have died in border violence, including border patrol agents, immigrants and innocent victims. The Mass was the third such one this year along the U.S.Mexico border in Arizona. The liturgies were organized by Dioceses Without Borders, an effort of the dioceses of Nogales, Tucson and Phoenix to work
collaboratively on issues that affect the church and people in the border region. During his homily and afterward in an interview with Catholic News Service, Archbishop Pierre echoed the sentiments of Pope Francis in regard to borders and the care of migrants and refugees, who the archbishop said all too often are looked upon as unwanted and as criminals. “Borders exist all over the world, and borders are not bad,
but borders should not be just a barrier – should not be a wall – but should be a bridge between people,” the nuncio said. “Anything that goes in the direction of understanding, helping each other, discovering the beauty of the other is what is necessary to covert hearts and transform the world,” he said. “It’s time to break the obstacles that exist between people.” To cheers from both sides of the border, Archbishop Pierre ended his homily with, “Viva Cristo Rey! Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! Viva la iglesia santa!” (“Long live Christ the King! Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe! Long live the holy church!”) Archbishop Pierre is no stranger to the people of Mexico. He served as nuncio in Mexico for nine years before being appointed as the pope’s representative in the U.S. But he said this Mass was his first visit to Nogales, Arizona. In what seemed to be a spontaneous moment during the service, five young people ducked under a barrier near the border fence to hold hands and pray
the Our Father with those on the other side in Mexico. They stayed at the border fence until the sign of peace, offering their hands to those on the other side. Carlos Zapien, music director for the Diocese of Tucson, said the special Mass was a statement that “faith can unite people.” Zapien’s original score “Misa de la Misericordia” (“Mass of Mercy”) was used in the crossborder liturgy with choirs on both sides participating. Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson said he was grateful for to Archbishop Pierre’s participation in the service. “He represents Pope Francis, whose heart is along the borders of our world, caring for immigrants and refugees,” he told CNS. “The nuncio’s presence is a reminder of our Holy Father’s great love for those who are suffering, for those who are in need. So this was a very special celebration here in ‘ambos Nogales’ (‘both Nogaleses’) as we pray together across walls united in our prayer for one another.”
Bishops to elect officers, hear task force report, vote on action plan Catholic News Service WASHINGTON – The U.S. bishops will discuss ways to promote peace in U.S. communities torn apart by violence, vote on ways to implement priority areas for their conference approved last year and elect new leaders during their Nov. 14-16 fall general assembly in Baltimore. The discussion about restoring peace in the nation will stem from a report to be presented to the bishops from a task force formed this past summer after shootings by police and of police took place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Minneapolis; and Dallas. When Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, announced the USCCB Task Force to Promote Peace in Our Communities, he said there needed to be “ways of nurturing an open, honest and civil dialogue on issues of race relations, restorative justice, mental health, economic opportunity and addressing the question of pervasive gun violence.” The task force is chaired by Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D.
Gregory, who told reporters in September that the U.S. bishops are in beginning stages of developing a pastoral letter that will examine racism in society and the church and will encourage dialogue on the issue as well as describe steps Catholics can take to bring about healing and reconciliation. As part of the USCCB’s 2017-2020 strategic plan, the bishops will discuss and vote on an action plan to support the five priorities they approved last November: evangelization; family and marriage; human life and dignity; religious freedom; and vocations and ongoing formation. They also will be given an update on preparations for the convocation of Catholic leaders from all across the country taking place next July in Orlando, Florida, and focusing on “The Joy of the Gospel in America.” It is an initiative of bishops’ Working Group on the Life and Dignity of the Human Person. The bishops will convene key leaders from dioceses and Catholic organizations from across the country “to assess the challenges and opportunities of our time,” particularly in the context
of the U.S. Catholic Church, according to the USCCB. Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2013 apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), the convocation “will form leaders who will be equipped and re-energized to share the Gospel as missionary disciples,” the USCCB said. Archbishop Kurtz will give his final address as USCCB president; his three year-term ends at the conclusion of the fall assembly. Also ending his three-term is the current vice president, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston. During their meeting, the bishops will elect a new president and vice president, whose three-year terms will begin at the conclusion of the assembly. Each office is elected from a slate of 10 candidates who have been nominated by their fellow bishops. The nominees are: New Orleans Gregory M. Aymond; Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput; Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley; Cardinal DiNardo; Texas Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville; Los Angeles Arch-
bishop Jose H. Gomez; Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori; Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron; Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski and New Mexico Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe. USCCB bylaws provide that the first election is that of the president by simple majority vote of members who are present and voting. Following the election of the president, the vice president is elected from the remaining nine candidates. In either election, if a candidate does not receive more than half of the votes cast on the first ballot, a second vote is taken. If a third round of voting is necessary, that ballot is a runoff between the two bishops who received the most votes on the second ballot. During the meeting, the bishops also will vote for new chairmen-elect of the following five USCCB committees: Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance; Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis; Committee on International Justice and Peace; and Committee on the Protection of Chil-
dren and Young People. They serve one year as chairmen-elect and then over as chairmen at the conclusion of the bishops’ fall assembly in 2017. The nominees are: – Canonical Affairs and Church Governance: Bishops Robert P. Deeley of Portland, Maine, and David M. Malloy of Rockford, Illinois. – Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs: Bishops Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Michael C. Barber of Oakland, California. – Evangelization and Catechesis: Auxiliary Bishop Robert E. Barron of Los Angeles and Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut. – International Justice and Peace: Bishop Robert W. McElroy of San Diego and Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese of the Military Services. – Protection of Children and Young People: Bishops Timothy L. Doherty of Lafayette, Indiana, and Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, Washington.
12
November 2, 2016
INTERNATIONAL
OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE
Pope tells Jesuits to walk to peripheries, be open to future By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis, speaking both as pope and a Jesuit, asked members of the Society of Jesus to continue to journey to where Christ is most needed, and always ask God for consolation, compassion and help in discernment. The Jesuits aim to “move forward, overcoming the impediments which the enemy of human nature puts in our way when, in serving God, we are seeking the greater good,” the pope told more than 200 Jesuits chosen to represent the more than 16,000 Jesuits at the order’s general congregation. Given that the Society of Jesus’ way of proceeding for “the greater good is accomplished through joy, the cross and through the church, our mother,” the pope said he wished to help revive its zeal for mission by reflecting on those three points. Instead of the usual custom of general congregation delegates going to the Vatican to meet the pope, Pope Francis went to the Jesuits’ Rome headquarters Oct. 24 to meet them. He was greeted by Venezuelan Father Arturo Sosa, who was elected superior general of the order Oct. 14, as well as by other members. He spent more than three hours at the headquarters, including time devoted to a “private conversation,” according to the Vatican press office. After taking part in morning prayer with the delegates, Pope Francis delivered a lengthy reflection on how the Society of Jesus can best serve God, the church and the world, while remaining true to its Ignatian identity and zeal for mission. He said the Jesuit way of journeying and moving forward as followers of the Lord requires: asking God insistently for consolation; allowing oneself to be moved by Jesus crucified on the cross for one’s sins; and doing good by being led by the Holy Spirit and by thinking with the church. The true work of the Jesuits, he said, is to offer the people of God consolation and help them so that “the enemy of human nature does not rob us of joy – the joy of evangelizing, the joy of the family, the joy of the church, the joy of creation.” May this joy not be stripped from “us, either by despair before the magnitude of the evils of the world or by the misun-
Pope Francis visits the Jesuits’ 36th general congregation in Rome Oct. 24. Pope Francis, a Jesuit, met his Jesuit brothers after the election of a new superior but did not participate in the election. (Photo credit: CNS/Itua Egbor, S.J.)
derstandings between those who intend to do good,” he said, and may it not be replaced “with foolish joys that are always at hand in all human enterprises.” Even when feeling unworthy, Jesuits should still pray persistently for consolation so that they may be a sincere, joyful bearers of the Gospel, he said. “Good news cannot be given with a sad face. Joy is not a decorative ‘add-on’” nor is it a cosmetic, “special effect,” he said. “It is a clear indicator of grace; it shows that love is active, working and present.” “This joy of the explicit proclamation of the Gospel – through preaching the faith and practicing justice and mercy -- is that which leads the Society to go to all the peripheries,” the pope said. “The Jesuit is a servant of the joy of the Gospel.” Jesuits can move forward by “letting ourselves be moved by the Lord placed on the cross – by him in person and
by him present in so many of our brothers and sisters who are suffering (and are) the great majority of humankind,” he said, quoting the late-Father Pedro Arrupe who said that wherever there is pain, the Society of Jesus is there. God’s mercy isn’t an abstract term, but “a lifestyle,” Pope Francis said. Too often, people “dilute” the life-giving power of mercy with “our abstract formulations and legalistic conditions.” God “looks upon us with mercy and chooses us,” sending people out to bring that same mercy “to the poorest, to sinners, to ‘discarded’ people and those crucified in the present world, who suffer injustice and violence.” Only when people experience firsthand God’s healing mercy on their own wounds “will we lose the fear of allowing ourselves be moved by the immense suffering of our brothers and sisters, and will we hasten to
walk patiently with our people, learning from them the best way of helping and serving them.” Lastly, journeying forward in doing good requires the grace of discernment -- so that actions are inspired by “the good Spirit,” which roots people to the church, he said. It is in the church that the Holy Spirit works and “distributes the diversity of her charisms for the common good,” Pope Francis said. The importance of thinking with the church is what lies behind the Jesuit St. Peter Faber’s insistence that “those who wanted to reform the church were right, but that God did not want to correct it through their means.” Thinking with the church, “without losing peace and with joy, considering the sins we see, in us as well as in others, and in the structures that we have created, involves carrying the cross, experiencing poverty and humiliations,” he said. St. Ignatius advised personal
reflection before speaking or acting in response to clear contradictions in order to operate according to the good Spirit. His invitation is not so much a guideline for how to respond to controversy, but a reminder to “act against” an anti-ecclesial spirit and orient oneself fully toward the mother – the church – “not to justify a debatable position, but to make room so that the Spirit could act in its own time.” Pope Francis said that serving the Holy Spirit with discernment “makes us men of the church – not clerical, but ecclesial -- men for others.” “We don’t walk alone or comfortably, but we walk with ‘a heart that does not rest, that does not close in on itself but beats to the rhythm of a journey undertaken together with all the people faithful to God,’” he said.
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Sorrow and joy: Marking Reformation with honesty about past By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – As Catholics and Lutherans prepare to mark the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation, Pope Francis said they should feel “pain for the division that still exists among us, but also joy for the brotherhood we have already rediscovered.” The pope will travel to Lund, Sweden, Oct. 31, to participate in an ecumenical prayer service launching a year of anniversary activities. Lutherans mark Oct. 31 as Reformation Day, honoring Martin Luther, who was a Catholic priest in 1517 when he began the process that became the Protestant Reformation. His “95 Theses” were a list of topics on which, Luther believed, the Catholic Church needed to reform. Asserting that faith, not deeds, leads to salvation, many items on the list were triggered by the “selling” of indulgences, a practice the Council of Trent later banned. The Catholic Church believes that Christ and the saints have accumulated a treasure of merits, which other believers – who are prayerful and repentant – can draw upon to reduce or erase the punishment they are due because of sins they have committed. Colloquially, an indulgence is described as a promise of reduced time in purgatory. While making money from indulgences was a spark, the heart of the Reformation became different understandings
A statue of Martin Luther is seen onstage as Pope Francis arrives for an audience with a pilgrimage of Catholics and Lutherans from Germany in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican Oct. 13. The pope visited Sweden Oct. 31-Nov. 1 for commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. (Photo credit: CNS/ Stefano Rellandini, Reuters)
of justification, or how people are made righteous in the eyes of God and saved. In 1999, after years of theological study, discussion and review, a joint declaration on justification was finalized and signed. It said Lutherans and Catholics agree that justification and salvation are totally free gifts of God and cannot be earned by performing good works, but rather must be reflected in good works. Overcoming the hurdle of
differences on justification paved the way for Catholics and Lutherans to discuss possibilities for common commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. In 2013, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Lutheran World Federation published a document, “From Conflict to Communion.” “Luther had no intention of establishing a new church but was part of a broad and many-
faceted desire for reform,” the document said. The controversy over indulgences and over the degree to which a person must cooperate in his or her own salvation “very quickly raised the question of which authorities one can call upon at a time of struggle,” the document said. Luther emphasized the authority of Scripture while church leaders emphasized the role of church teaching and tradition in interpreting Scripture. In the 16th century and later, the document said, “Catholics and Lutherans frequently not only misunderstood but also exaggerated and caricatured their opponents in order to make them look ridiculous.” “What happened in the past cannot be changed, but what is remembered of the past and how it is remembered can, with the passage of time, indeed change,” the document said. Especially since the Second Vatican Council and with 50 years of official theological dialogue, Catholics and Lutherans have come to a deeper understanding of Luther’s concerns, as well as to a recognition of the hostility and even political factors that pushed the two sides further apart. In a joint statement published in early October, Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and the Rev. Martin Junge, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, said the joint commemorations will acknowledge how
Martin Luther set out to reform the church, but – partly because of the “convoluted context of social, political and economic upheaval” – ended up splitting the church and unleashing centuries of tension and outright war. At the same time, they said, the anniversary events will honor the progress made in 50 years of Catholic-Lutheran dialogue and, especially, recognize the “strengthened relationships and more profound mutual understanding reached in many parts of the world in service and witness.” In addition to the ecumenical prayer service Oct. 31 in Lund – the city where the Lutheran World Federation was founded in 1947 – Pope Francis and leaders of the Lutheran World Federation will witness the signing of a cooperation agreement between the federation’s World Service and Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based umbrella organization of national Catholic charities. “The meeting in Lund stems from a process of dialogue spanning several decades,” said the Rev. Michael Bjerkhagen, official chaplain to the king of Sweden. “A milestone in this process was the document, ‘From Conflict to Communion,’ signed in 2013. In this document Lutherans and Catholics express sorrow and regret at the pain that they have caused each other, but also gratitude for the theological insights that both parties have contributed.”
Dialogue is expression of mercy, respect, love, pope says By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Dialogue is an essential component of mercy because it is the only way a husband and wife can understand each other, people of different religions can live in peace and the only way the Catholic Church can evaluate what is needed to promote the common good in the world, Pope Francis said. Good relations between husbands and wives, parents and children, employees and bosses, he said, require one “to listen, explain with meekness, don’t bark at the other, don’t yell, but have an open heart.” Pope Francis spoke about the importance of dialogue and
“Dialogue tears down walls of division and misunderstanding, creates bridges of communication and does not allow anyone to isolate him- or herself”
- Pope Francis
marked the feast of St. John Paul II Oct. 22 with a special Year of Mercy general audience in and around St. Peter’s Square. With about 100,000 people in attendance, according to Vatican police, the crowd overflowed the square. Making his rounds in the popemobile at the beginning of the audience, Pope Francis made sure to drive part way down the main boulevard outside the square to greet
people. In his main audience talk, Pope Francis said dialogue is an important aspect of mercy; it is what “allows people to know each other and understand the needs of the other.” In addition, “it is a sign of great respect,” because it involves listening to the other and making the effort to see the good in what the other is saying. “Dialogue calls us to place
ourselves before the other, seeing him or her as a gift of God,” the pope said. “We don’t dialogue when we do not listen enough or when we interrupt the other to prove that we are right,” he said. “How many times when we are listening to someone, we stop them and say, ‘No. No. No, that’s not right,’ and we don’t let the person finish.” Such an attitude, he said, is “aggression.” The church, too, is called to dialogue, Pope Francis said. Listening is the only way to know what is in the other’s heart and what the other needs. Dialogue is an expression of God’s love, which reaches out to each person, sowing seeds of goodness, he said. “Dialogue
tears down walls of division and misunderstanding, creates bridges of communication and does not allow anyone to isolate him- or herself.” Thousands of pilgrims from Poland attended the audience, which occurred on St. John Paul II’s feast day, the anniversary of the day in 1978 that he formally inaugurated his ministry as pope. Saying St. John Paul tirelessly proclaimed “the Gospel of mercy,” Pope Francis offered special prayers that the late pope would intercede to help young people face the challenges in their lives, help the sick “embrace with hope the cross of illness” and fill with love the families newlyweds are just starting.
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Final resting place: Vatican releases instruction on burial, cremation By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Professing belief in the resurrection of the dead and affirming that the human body is an essential part of a person’s identity, the Catholic Church insists that the bodies of the deceased be treated with respect and laid to rest in a consecrated place. While the Catholic Church continues to prefer burial in the ground, it accepts cremation as an option, but forbids the scattering of ashes and the growing practice of keeping cremated remains at home, said Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. “Caring for the bodies of the deceased, the church confirms its faith in the resurrection and separates itself from attitudes and rites that see in death the definitive obliteration of the person, a stage in the process of reincarnation or the fusion of one’s soul with the universe,” the cardinal told reporters Oct. 25. In 1963, the congregation issued an instruction permitting cremation as long as it was not done as a sign of denial of the basic Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead. The permission was incorporated into the Code of Canon Law in 1983 and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches in 1990. However, Cardinal Muller said, church law had not specified exactly what should be done with “cremains,” and several bishops’ conferences asked the congregation to provide guidance. The result, approved by Pope Francis after consultation with other Vatican offices and with bishops’ conferences and the Eastern churches’ synods of bishops, is “Ad resurgendum cum Christo” (“To Rise with Christ”), an instruction “regard-
Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, speaks at a Vatican news conference Oct. 25. (Photo credit: CNS/Paul Haring)
ing the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation.” Presenting the instruction, Cardinal Muller said, “shortly, in many countries, cremation will be considered the ordinary way” to deal with the dead, including for Catholics. Cremation, in and of itself, does not constitute a denial of belief in the immortality of the soul and the resurrection of the body, the instruction says. Nor does it “prevent God, in his omnipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life.” However, the Catholic Church wholeheartedly recommends continuing the “pious practice of burying the dead,” Cardinal Muller said. It is considered one of the corporal works of mercy and, mirroring the burial of Christ, it more clearly expresses hope in the resurrection when the person’s body and soul will be reunited. In addition, he said, when a person is buried in the ground – and, at least to some extent – when the urn of the person’s ashes is placed in a colum-
An urn containing cremated remains is seen in a niche in the Holy Rood Cemetery mausoleum in Westbury, N.Y., in 2010. During an Oct. 25 news conference in Rome, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that while the Catholic Church continues to prefer burial in the ground, it accepts cremation as an option, but forbids the scattering of ashes or keeping cremated remains at home. (Photo credit: CNS/Gregory A. Shemitz)
barium or tomb, the final resting place is marked with the person’s name, the same name with which the person was baptized and by which the person is called by God. “Belief in the resurrection of the flesh is fundamental,” he said. “A human cadaver is not trash” and an anonymous burial or scattering of ashes “is not compatible with the Christian faith. The name, the person, the concrete identity of the person” is important because God created each individual and calls each individual to himself. In fact, when asked if there was any way to rectify the situation when a person’s ashes already had been scattered, Cardinal Muller suggested making a memorial in a church or other appropriate place and including the name of the deceased. What is more, he said, labeling an urn or tomb in a public place is an expression of belief in the “communion of saints,” the unending unity in Christ of all the baptized, living and dead. “Other believers have a right
to pray at the tomb” and to remember deceased members of the Catholic Church on the feast of All Saints and All Souls. Keeping ashes at home on the mantel, he said, is a sign not only of love and grief, but also of not understanding how the loved one belonged to the entire community of faith and not just to his or her closest relatives. “Only in grave and exceptional cases,” the instruction says, local bishops may give permission for ashes to be kept in a private home. Cardinal Muller said it was not up to him, but to local and national bishops’ conferences to determine what those “grave and exceptional” circumstances might be. Placing the ashes in a sacred place also “prevents the faithful departed from being forgotten or their remains from being shown a lack of respect,” which is more likely to happen as time goes on and the people closest to the deceased also pass way, the instruction said. Asked specifically about the growing trend in his native Ger-
many of “forest burials,” where people pay to have their ashes in urns interred at the base of a tree in a designated forest burial ground, Cardinal Muller said the German bishops were not thrilled with the idea, but accepted it with the proviso that the tree be marked with the name of the person buried at its base. In the United States and other countries, a growing number of Catholic cemeteries set aside sections for “green burials” for bodies that have not been embalmed and are placed in simple wooden caskets that eventually will biodegrade along with the body. “We believe in the resurrection of the body and this must be the principle of our understanding and practice,” Cardinal Muller told Catholic News Service, noting that there is a difference between allowing for the natural decay of the body while protecting the environment and seeing the body of the deceased primarily as fertilizer for plants and trees.
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WORD to LIFE November 6
THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14 Gospel: Luke 20:27-38
Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15
2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5
By Jeff Hedglen Catholic News Service While reading this week’s Scriptures a song from the 2005 David Crowder Band album, “A Collision,” came to mind. One line in the song says, “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.” The reading from 2 Maccabees describes how many members of the Maccabee family were tortured and martyred by the occupying Greek army. To a person, they all welcomed death rather than violating their faith because they knew they would see God upon their death. To be sure, this is an extreme situation and few of us will ever be required to choose faithfulness to Jesus over death, but the question all of us can ponder is: “How real to us is the prospect of eternal life?” Years ago at a Bible study, my pastor asked for a show of hands of those in attendance who were ready to go to heaven that night. Of the 50 or so people in the room only a few people raised their hands. Believing in the Resurrection is one thing, but the process of taking part in it can be less than appealing because, of course, it involves our death. Last year at a young adult retreat, I listened as one of the participants was explaining how fearful she was about a particular situation. I said, “Worst case scenario is that you will die and get to see Jesus.” There was some laughter, but then the truth of my snarky comment began to settle in along with the realization that no matter what happens in this life, there is a greater, holier life that
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FOR FAITH-SHARING GROUPS
November 13
THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Malachi 3:19-20a; Gospel: Luke 21:5-19
Psalm 98:5-9
2 Thessalonians 3:7-12
By Sharon K. Perkins Catholic News Service
awaits us all. A woman I worked with at my parish embodied this attitude and outlook on life. She was terminally ill and had the good fortune to be in her home as she passed to the next life. She had always said she wanted to die sitting up with her feet on the ground as though she had someplace to go, and that is exactly what happened. Our faith calls us to the realization that we are destined to die, but it is not our ultimate destiny. Death is also a doorway to the presence of God.
Questions: Which do you think is harder, to die for your faith or to live every day like it is your last? Are you ready to die if Jesus called you home today?
"THE KING OF THE WORLD WILL RAISE US UP TO LIVE AGAIN FOREVER." – 2 MACCABEES 7:9
During my childhood, long before the days of downloadable music and satellite radio, there was vinyl (which, curiously, is making a comeback!). In our home, there was quite a collection of record albums, and my mother exposed us to the music of Schubert, Beethoven, Chopin and all the great composers. My favorites were the symphonies, and I learned to pick out the various instruments – oboe, flute, trumpet, harp and tympani – that retained their distinct voices while combining in a beautiful, harmonious composition. Indeed, the word “symphony” literally comes from the Greek words meaning “sounding together,” or a combination of different elements in harmony with one another. Today’s psalm depicts the kind of symphony that resonates throughout all of creation as a result of the Lord’s coming to “rule the earth with justice.” Harp, trumpets and horns are complemented by the sounds of rivers clapping their hands and mountains shouting for joy. But what does that symphony look like in terms of everyday living? St. Paul gives us a clue in his letter to the church at Thessalonica, when he contrasts “disorderliness” with the harmony of community life when its members perform their daily occupations conscientiously and peacefully. When performing a musical score, the orchestra is responsible for conveying the composer’s vision while closely following the lead of the conductor
through the various symphonic movements. Jesus cautions us about the importance of remaining faithful despite changing or alarming circumstances – not following deceptive counsel but focusing on his leadership. We each have our own unique part to play in the Father’s vision of peace and justice. Let’s “keep calm and play on.”
Questions: Describe your experience of living in a community that is disorderly or disharmonious. What insights do today’s readings offer for the healing of such a community?
"HE WILL RULE THE WORLD WITH JUSTICE AND THE PEOPLES WITH EQUITY." – PSALM 98:9
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