OND Oct. A 2016 Vol. 70 No. 18

VOL. 70, NO. 18

WWW.CROOKSTON.ORG

Diocese gathers to honor marriage Leo and Dianne Wald of St. Joseph’s, Moorhead, receive Bishop’s Medals from the Most Reverend Michael J. Hoeppner.

They were selected to be the honorary senior couple at the Diocese of Crookston’s 21st annual Marriage Celebration Day. Nearly 300 people gathered at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston, on Oct. 2 for Mass, followed by a reception and dinner. (Photo credit: Janelle C. Gergen/OND) TURN TO PAGE 6 TO READ ABOUT MARRIAGE CELEBRATION DAY.

A day of dedication Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner blesses and dedicates the new music space at Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes, during Mass on Sept. 18. The renovations included a large pipe organ, choir space and updated sound and video equipment. Mass was followed by a potluck dinner and an organ concert performed by Christopher Stroh, the Principal Organist at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis. (Photo credit: Katrina Genereux/OND) SEE PAGE 8 TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT AND DEDICATION EVENTS.

INSIDE

VOL. 70. NO. 18:

Pg. 3 - 2016 Bishop’s Guild Gathering Pg. 7 - Minnesota Bishops’ Election Statement Pg. 9 - Faith For Tomorrow 2016 Grant Cycle Begins

OCTOBER 5, 2016

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October 5, 2016

A

COMMENTARY

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Voice from the Valley

BY BISHOP MICHAEL J. HOEPPNER

CATHOLICS CARE, CATHOLICS VOTE It surely is quite an election year we are having, isn’t it? It’s a challenge to us all, but we must meet the challenge. Taking part in our political process and voting is both a privilege and a responsibility. Pope Francis put it well: “We need to participate for the common good. Sometimes we hear a good Catholic is not interested in politics. This is not true: good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern.”

How are we to immerse ourselves this year so that we might be faithful in fulfilling our responsibility? First, we need to pray. Mary, our mother and patroness of the Americas can help us. The Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) offers this prayer as part of a novena for our state and nation: “Virgin Mary, patroness of America, please prepare our hearts as we take part in this year’s elections.

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. In your Son’s name, amen.”

Responsible participation in the political process includes knowledgeably exercising the right to vote with a well-formed conscience. A well-formed conscience is a conscience aware of the truth, aware of the divine revelation Jesus brought and conveyed to the Apostles.

It is the good news proclaimed by the Apostles both by word and example and also in writing by those associated with them who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, committed the message of salvation to writing (Catechism of the Catholic Church 76). Thus, a well-formed conscience listens both to the voice of Scripture, the speech of God “put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit” and the voice of tradition, which transmits in its entirety the word of God which has been entrusted to the Apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit; and transmits it to the successors of the Apostles to preserve, expound, and spread it abroad by their preaching and teaching. (CCC 81) In the formation and exercise of our conscience, we are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the authoritative teachers of the Church. Again this year, the U.S. Catholic bishops are making available on the

web the updated guide: Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.

Page 18 of the document reminds us to always “do good and avoid evil”. It also states the exercise of conscience in our political process “begins with outright opposition to laws and other policies that violate human life or weaken its protection. Those who knowingly, and directly support public policies or legislation that undermine fundamental moral principles cooperate with evil.”

We are to uphold human life and dignity, marriage and family, peace and justice, the needs of the poor and all of creation.

There are some things that we must always avoid because they are intrinsically evil: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research and human cloning.

To make such intrinsically evil things legal is itself wrong.

In the document, Catholics in Political Life, the U.S. Bishops say, “Those who formulate law therefore have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good.” We must be vigilant; we must never formally cooperate in evil. And

so, “A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who favors a policy promoting an intrinsically evil act, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, deliberately subjecting workers or the poor to subhuman living conditions, redefining marriage in ways that violate its essential meaning, or racist behavior.”

Page 18 of Faithful Citizenship says, if one does vote for a candidate with the intention of supporting that candidate because they favor a policy promoting an intrinsically evil act, then that voter formally cooperates in moral evil.

The same section of the document also states, “There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate’s unacceptable position even on policies promoting an intrinsically evil act may reasonably decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons.

Voting in this way would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil.”

(USPS 414-940)

BISHOP’S CALENDAR October 9

10:30 a.m.

October 11

7:45 a.m.

October 12

10:00 a.m.

October 18-19 October 20

4:00 p.m.

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.

Rite of Confirmation, Sacred Heart, Baudette

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

Mass, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston Workshop on the Order of Celebrating Matrimony, St. Mary’s, Fosston

Publisher:

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

USCCB Pastoral Symposium for Bishops, University of Notre Dame, Ind.

Editor:

Dr. Mark Krejci

Diocesan High School Youth Rally Mass, Ada-Borup High School

NATIONAL COLLECTION UPDATE The faithful of the Diocese of Crookston generously supported the 2016 USCCB Catholic Relief Services Operation Rice Bowl with a total donation of: $9,297.54. Of the total amount, $6,973.15 was sent to CRS and $2,324.59 will be distributed locally through a grant process.

VICTIM ASSISTANCE STATEMENT

The Catholic bishops of Minnesota, through MCC, have also prepared materials to aid us. These materials can be found online at www.mncatholic.org/election.

In our election year statement, which can be found on Page 7 of this OND or online, we note that voting this November is particularly important in Minnesota. Our entire State Legislature is up for election. “This year’s elections provide a special opportunity to work for life and dignity where it matters most – in our own backyard.”

We ask the Good Lord to guide us as we carefully review the various party platforms and familiarize ourselves with candidates for various offices and their stances on many important issues. May our involvement in public life as faith-filled Catholics and our conscientious voting help provide good leaders for our state and nation and truly help provide for the common good.

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.

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: 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

October 5, 2016

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Members of Bishop’s Guild gather for prayer, fellowship Annual banquet is opportunity for Diocese of Crookston to show appreciation

By Katrina Genereux Staff Writer, OND CROOKSTON, MINN. – On Sept.

25, members of the Bishop’s Guild gathered at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for their annual fellowship event.

The Office of Stewardship and Development hosted the event that included Evening Prayer with Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner, a presentation from Dr. Mark Krejci about keeping young people in the Church, a meal and time for fellowship.

“Thank you for gathering on this day, but more importantly, thank you for your generosity to the Diocesan Annual Appeal,” Msgr. Michael Foltz, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Crookston, said during his welcoming remarks. “The Chancery staff are very grateful for your generosity because it gives them the opportunity to minister throughout the diocese.”

Bishop Hoeppner then led attendees through Evening Prayer, which was followed by a presentation from Dr. Mark Krejci entitled Youth and the Body of Christ.

“We are all part of the Body of Christ … But the problem is right now, we’re missing part of our body,” Krejci said referring to those who have left the Catholic Church.

Krejci’s presentation focused on the reasons for this decline, specifically in the Diocese of Crookston, and what can be done to make the Body of Christ whole.

Krejci began collecting data from ninth and 11th grade students in the Diocese of Crookston through the Faith Development Survey. He and a team of Concordia College students have been analyzing answers from 288 students from throughout the diocese. The survey will follow up with these students five and ten years after they graduate.

In the survey, Krejci said students answered questions about their personal relationship with God, their experience of the Church in their homes, their perception of their parishes, their personal lives of prayer and devotion, the depth of their faith, the emphasis their parishes put on youth through programs and activities and how well their parishes reflected the Catholic Church.

Dr. Mark Krejci, Director of the Office of Marriage, Family and Life, delivers a presentation entitled Youth and the Body of Christ at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Crookston, during the 2016 Bishop’s Guild gathering. (Photos credit: Janelle C. Gergen/ OND)

He said the study results yielded three predictors of a young person’s personal relationship with God – something that is key to their remaining active in the Church. They are: prayer, parish participation and the degree to which their parish reflects the Catholic Church.

Krejci said after he shares these predictors, people usually wonder about the impact parents have in their children’s faith lives.

“What we found in our data was that these high school kids are starting to pivot away from that direct experience, that direct impact from mom and dad, and are looking at the impact and witness of their parish and the other adults in their parish,” he said. “The stronger the faith life in their home, the more likely they were to have a personal relationship with God, so parents are key, especially in those early years.”

One indicator of the reason many leave was found in the responses to a question about whether or not being part of the Church is necessary to be religious. Only 28 percent of youth in the Diocese of Crookston said yes, meaning 72 percent did not see the Church as necessary to live a faithful life.

“When we gather in small groups and large groups, we form the Body of Christ and when we come here and wor-

Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner speaks to members of the Bishop’s Guild in Cathedral’s dining room prior to dinner.

ship we continue within the Body of Christ, so of course you need a church to be a follower of Christ,” Krejci said.

He ended his presentation with action points, saying the main thing parishioners can do is to have a strong, personal relationship with God and then share it with others, especially young people.

Krejci posed the question: “Do we have a way to talk about our prayer life and how it energizes us and how it unites us as people in the Body of Christ, and can we explain that to young people?”

He also emphasized the importance of catechesis and

Msgr. Roger Grundhaus, a retired priest of the Diocese of Crookston, visits with fellow members of the Bishop’s Guild during dinner.

apologetics – helping our youth learn about and experience what the Church teaches in a way that they can explain it to others.

“When they leave the parish, when they leave their family, they need to know what and why they believe,” Krejci said.

“We are all called to be for each other – to be for our youth – the Body of Christ and in so doing, reflect the image and likeness of God,” he said.

A reception and dinner followed the presentation.

Bishop Hoeppner shared a few words with guild members before blessing the meal.

“On a day when the diocesan offices thank you for sharing your blessings with the local Church, we all thank God for

the blessings that we have,” he said. “This is a celebration of people making their resources available to the offices of God’s Church here so that what God is doing through his Church can happen.”

The Bishop’s Guild is a recognition society of individuals who give to the Diocesan Annual Appeal at a level of $1,200 per year. According to the Office of Stewardship and Development, in 2015, there were 105 members of the Bishop’s Guild.

To become a member of the Bishop’s Guild, contact Reathel Giannonatti, the Director of the Office of Stewardship and Development, at 218-281-4533, ext. 420, or rgiannonatti@ crookston.org.

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October 5, 2016

COMMENTARY

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Finding the sacred center of a sacramental marriage Some of you may be familiar with Bishop Robert Barron and the many ways he engages in the new evangelization. You may have watched his Catholicism series that ran on PBS and can be found on DVD. His “Word on Fire” ministry has just come out with a new series called The Pivotal Players about the lives of some key people in the history of the Church. He is probably best known for the hundreds of brief YouTube videos he has published on all sorts of topics that explain Catholicism in easily accessible language.

Now I am going to write something that will date me: “Bishop Barron is the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen of today.” If you found yourself wondering who Archbishop Sheen was then you were probably born after 1960 or have not found him on YouTube. The Venerable Archbishop Sheen was a priest on the earth from 1951 to his death in 1979. Like Bishop Barron, Archbishop Sheen was a scholar who taught about the faith in a very under-

PRAYING WITH THE FAMILY

By Dr. Mark Krejci

Director of the Office of Marriage, Family and Life

standable way while using the new technology of his time. At first on radio, and later on a network TV show (ABC), he used the media to preach the Gospel in every home that would tune in. As a little boy I remember my parents turning on his thensyndicated show which ran from 1961 to 1968. While I do not remember what he said, I do remember his “presence” in our living room, for here was a man of God. You may be wondering at this point, why is this story in a column on marriage and the family?

When I was in graduate school at Notre Dame studying to become a Counseling

Psychologist, I felt drawn to work with married couples and families. I received excellent instruction and supervision on how to become a therapist but I kept thinking there was something that was missing. We learned about the “psychology of marriage and family life” but it gradually dawned on me that my preparation to be a marriage therapist was missing the sacred center of marriage: God. I had been taught about the sacrament of marriage through the witness of many couples in my youth, through wonderful instruction at Sacred Heart High School in East Grand Forks and during preparation

for the sacrament when my wife and I were married. When I was in graduate school, we were newlyweds and discovering what it meant to live a sacramental marriage. But I never made the connection between my faith and my professional life as a practicing psychologist.

To correct this gap in my education I started reading Church documents and other Catholic writers on the sacrament of marriage which brings me back to Archbishop Sheen.

I eventually came across a book written by the Archbishop which may seem dated to our contemporary ear but still holds a great truth. This truth can be found in its very title: “It Takes Three to Be Married.”

Who are the three needed to make a marriage? - Husband, Wife and God. When a woman and man come together to create a sacramental marriage they welcome God into the very center of their relationship. Some couples forget or never know about this basic truth. Some think that marriage is only about their own needs.

Others think that marriage is merely something shared by the wife and husband; they forgot that God is present in their marriage. God does not merely bless the union on the wedding day – God is present every day.

Just think if every couple experienced the love of God every day they live their sacrament. We would never hear about a couple arguing, being upset or angry with each other, let alone ever divorcing. I hope some of you are asking “How can we bring God into the center of our marriage?” but I am running out of space and want to answer this question!

OK – only time for the short answer here but you will hear more about this in future columns. Here is the short answer: PRAY. I know I am repeating myself but husbands and wives should pray with and for each other every day because this can keep God at the center of the marriage. God is already there – prayer brings the husband and wife into relationship with God as well as each other.

Beyond doubt, the lion is roaring and we are about to be devoured A month ago Derrick Ryan Dearman, 27, of Mississippi, entered a home where his girlfriend was staying in Alabama and killed five adults and an unborn baby. A three month old baby of one of the victims survived the attack.

After the killings, Dearman kidnapped his girlfriend and the surviving baby. He went to his father’s home back in Mississippi where he released the woman and the child. Dearman then turned himself in to police.

Derrick Dearman has been charged with six (did you catch that? Six!) counts of murder, five adults and a baby five months in the womb.

You know where I am going with this for I have said it all many times before, but it has to be said again in this election year.

How can a baby in the womb be a “murder victim” in this case while a child who is the victim of an abortion is not? I have never heard the reason for this bizarre double standard in over 40 years of pro-life work.

A child in the womb has no rights on the one hand when her life is snuffed out because of “choice,” yet, in another case when the result is the same for the child (death), someone

LIFE FIRST

By Father Don Braukmann

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

“A twisted conscience void of Jesus Christ ushers in the evil one who, as St. Peter says, ‘prowls the earth roaring like a lion, looking for someone to devour.’” can be charged with murder!

How does that make sense?

And, I guess, that is my point … it doesn’t.

Would it have still been murder if the pregnancy was just a month along? Two months?

Three? Four? When does life begin?

Science has been clear, life begins at the beginning! Now, that statement would seem to be common sense but apparently not. As the saying goes:

“If you are pronounced dead when your heart stops, why are you not pronounced alive when it starts?”

The simple and profound fact that life begins when it begins has been twisted and manipulated by Planned Parenthood and organizations like it who seem resolute in their efforts to protect their pocketbooks.

Many Catholic politicians have been quite clever in coming up with their own manipu-

lations often aborting their own conscience in trying to garner votes.

How often do we hear them say, “I am personally opposed to abortion but I will not force my values on someone else”?

Huh? They hesitate to defend the right to life because they don’t want to “force” their values on others but in the same breath tell us where our tax dollars go, how fast I can drive to Crookston on Highway 2 and which wars we will fight as a nation.

Every (and I do mean every) vote made by a politician forces their morality on the rest of us.

We have no personal opt out clause in the Constitution.

It is all about two things: votes and, the root of all evil – money. Some Catholic politicians scramble to garner more of both, selling their souls in the madness.

There are those who have slipped so far into the darkness they try to justify partial birth abortion, when a baby up to nine months into the pregnancy can be turned into the breach position and have their limbs flailing in the open air as an abortionist cuts open the base of the baby’s skull and sucks

out her brains. Then, a dead baby is “delivered” and the procedure is considered a success.

It is a horrific act which comes straight from the bowels of hell and yet is legal in the United States of America.

Funny, isn’t it that our politicians lust for votes and money while the most innocent among us have access to neither? As one courageous politician once said, “I find it odd that the only people who support abortion have already been born!”

Last night I watched the first presidential debate for 2016. I wish I could have asked both candidates two questions.

First, “When is it OK to kill a child?”

And second, “If a first grader is being stabbed in front of your house while walking home from school, would you take action or say ‘I am personally opposed to what is happening but I won’t force my morals on anyone?’”

A twisted conscience void of Jesus Christ ushers in the evil one who, as St. Peter says, “prowls the earth roaring like a lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Beyond doubt, the lion is roaring and we are about to be devoured.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

COMMENTARY

October 5, 2016

5

Part II: The technological revolution and Catholic identity Editor’s note: Part I in this series ran in the August 10 edition of Our Northland Diocese. It can be viewed at www.crookston.org/ond.

The Church reminds us of the importance of vigilance and discernment in the use of evolving technology and media.

We must ask: How are smart phones forming our relationships and faith? Studies related to such media use are indicating various negative effects of mobile technology and a decreased ability to attend to the more ordinary tasks and communications of life. A Catholic response to technology should also consider the impact on the spiritual dimension of the person, particularly efforts towards an ever-deepening encounter with God through prayer and common worship. It is worth understanding whether our mobile communication technology is a tool that simplifies our lives, or is simply a replacement of reality.

THE DIVERTED BRAIN Some researchers are exploring various ways that the brain is impacted by the use of technology. For example it has been observed that using a keyboard versus writing by hand has an effect on learning and memory.

In a Wall Street Journal article, Dr. Virginia Berninger from the University of Washington, indicated “pictures of the brain

INTEGRITY: HUMAN PERSON INSIGHTS

By Mr. Dan Spadaro, MA, LPC Syndicated through The Colorado Catholic Herald

“If Jesus had walked on the earth in the 21st century, would we have just been friends on Facebook or followed his latest parable Tweets?” have illustrated that sequential finger movements (as with handwriting) activated massive regions involved in thinking, language and working memory—the system for temporarily storing and managing information.” So interestingly, handwriting, while generally slower, activates the brain more effectively.

Another example is video gaming. Video gamers have been noted to have an increase in aggressive behaviors after acting out violence in a game.

One study “found that playing violent video games is a signifi-

cant risk factor for later physical aggression in both Japan and the United States – for boys and girls.” (Anderson, 2008) Gaming is also a form of connection for young people in online multiplayer settings.

Instead of kids playing outside, some meet “socially” in their fantasy world of choice.

All games train the player to get rewarded as they progress through the levels or tasks.

These hits of dopamine (reward/pleasure) are gained from an experience with a device.

Some seek feedback and advice from someone they know as

character in a game. Particularly for the young, these technology-based lessons are formative in how they relate and behave.

Even for adults, mobile technology and social media stimulate the brain in a way which print media or direct communication does not. It provides an immediate response and sense of connectedness. The brain has a way of adapting to this stimulation and tends to seek it out. This type of techno-overload creates an environment where a user’s attention is divided, as the person is involved in various realms of attention.

(Misra, 2014) As a result, the person who is media-multitasking is not fully present to those who are actually proximate to them. This seems to have a more significant impact on deeper personal relationships, than peer social gatherings.

SOCIAL FRAGMENTATION Our ability to attend and focus impacts our relationships.

Intimacy is fostered through very simple things like responsiveness, eye contact, and touch.

According to writer Hara Marano, for couples “Love lurks in the lulls, in the unstructured moments of just being together – the times we are most likely to turn to our devices.”

It seems that more couples are facing the challenge of what is being called “techno-

interference” in their fleeting moments together. Once, while waiting for a flight, I looked up in a crowded seating area to notice an older women quietly sitting in her seat looking around with a lost look on her face. She had no one to talk to. Everyone around her had their heads down checking something on their phones.

We come to this table of the technological smorgasbord thinking we have such a wonderful selection of entrées and possibilities, but the fact is we are becoming less able to simply enjoy one thing at a time.

Throughout biblical history, we learn of a God who incarnationally engaged in the human experience through physical touch, verbal communication, and tangible sacramental miracles. If Jesus had walked on the earth in the 21st century, would we have just been friends on Facebook or followed his latest parable Tweets?

Of course, God ultimately communicates concretely, like a good father to his children.

A good father has an intimate connection with his children.

He participates in his child’s life and his child experiences and images his life and love.

So there is another opportunity in quiet moments, not to be lost on the phone.

Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation 1. Publication Title: Our Northland Diocese. 2.

Publication Number: 414-940 3. Filing Date: Oct. 1, 2016. 4. Issue Frequency: Bimonthly, except once in July and December. 5. No. Of Issues Published Annually: 22. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $16.34 in diocese; $17.88 outside of diocese. 7. Mailing Address of Office of Publication: P.O. Box 610, Crookston, MN 56716. 8. Mailing Address of the Headquarters of General Business Office: P.O. Box 610, Crookston, MN 56716. 9. Names and Addresses of Publisher and Editor: Northland Diocese Association, Most Reverend Michael J. Hoeppner, Publisher; Dr. Mark Krejci, Editor; Janelle C. Gergen, Managing Editor; 1200 Memorial Drive, P.O. Box 610, Crookston, MN 56716. 10. Owner: Northland Diocese Corporation, Most Reverend Michael J. Hoeppner, Msgr. Michael Foltz; P.O. Box 610 Crookston, MN 56716. 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding One Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None. 12. For Completion by Non-profit Organizations Authorized to Mail at Special Rates: The purpose, function and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during the preceding 12 months.

Avg. Copies Each Issue in Previous 12 Mos.

Copies of Issue Nearest Filing Date (Sept. 21, 2016)

13,128

13,100

1. Outside County Paid Subscription

11,740

11,767

2. Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions

1,402

1,333

Wednesday, October 12 by 12:00 p.m.

3. Paid Distribution Outside the Mail

0

0

E-mail: Janelle C. Gergen, Associate Editor jgergen@crookston.org

4. Paid Distribution Other Classes

6

6

C. Total Paid Distribution

13,134

13,106

D. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution

0

0

E. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution

0

0

F. Total Distribution

13,134

13,106

G. Copies Not Distributed

0

0

H. Total

13,134

13,106

I. Total Percent Paid and/ or Requested Circulation

100

100

A. Total Copies (Net Press Run) B. Paid Circulation

THESE STATEMENTS ARE CORRECT AND COMPLETE – MARK KREJCI, EDITOR, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

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:

6

October 5, 2016

LOCAL

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

21st annual Marriage Celebration Day held Blessings abound through honoring values,virtues of marriage, family

By Katrina Genereux Staff Writer, OND

The 21st annual Marriage Celebration Day was held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Oct. 2.

Around 300 people gathered for the Mass concelebrated by Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner; Msgr. Mike Foltz, Vicar General of the Diocese of Crookston; Father Xavier Ilango, Pastor of Sacred Heart, East Grand Forks; St. Francis, Fisher and Holy Trinity, Tabor, and Father Augie Gothman, Parochial Vicar of Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

During his homily, Bishop Hoeppner spoke about the renewed awareness of the importance of marriage and family called for by Pope Francis in his encyclical, “Amoris Laetitia.”

He gave two reasons why the pope’s message about marriage is especially important in this Year of Mercy.

“First, because it represents an invitation to Christian families to value the gifts of marriage and family and to persevere in a love strengthened by the virtues of generosity, commitment, fidelity and patience,” said Bishop Hoeppner. “And second, it’s timely, he notes, because it seeks to encourage everyone to be a sign of mercy and tenderness.”

Bishop Hoeppner spoke about the importance of marriage and family as building blocks for society.

“We do indeed value the gifts of marriage and family and we gather today to celebrate them and to thank almighty God for this great gift and for all who faithfully live out this vocation of marriage and family,” he said.

He also spoke about St. Teresa of Kolkata and her mission of mercy, and the ways families are called to turn outward and seek opportunities to share mercy with others.

“It is part of the vocation of married life that families look out not just for themselves, but for other families,” said Bishop Hoeppner. “We ask the Lord to help us sustain all marriages and families, and to help us celebrate the values and virtues and grow in them.”

Following the homily, Bishop’s Medals were presented to Leo and Dianne Wald, of St. Joseph’s, Moorhead. They have been married for almost 60

“We ask the Lord to help us sustain all marriages and families, and to help us celebrate the values and virtues and grow in them.”

– Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner

years, and were selected to be the senior honorary couple for this year’s celebration.

After Holy Communion, Bishop Hoeppner imparted blessings upon all married couples, widows and widowers present.

Dr. Mark Krejci, Director of the Office of Marriage, Family and Life selected the book “21 Undeniable Secrets of Marriage” by Dr. Allen Hunt as a gift for all in attendance. The books were blessed by Bishop Hoeppner during Mass.

“You are encouraged to read this, to learn from it, but also to pray with this. There are a number of prayers that are found in the book,” Krejci said. “Then, when you’re done and you have all those secrets firmly in your head, pass the book on to help someone else.”

Before the final blessing, Caleb and Michaella Wavra of Sacred Heart, East Grand Forks, were asked to stand to receive a special blessing from Bishop Hoeppner. The Wavras, who were married in August, were chosen to be the first newlywed couple honored at Marriage Celebration Day. Carey and Traci Alger from Sacred Heart, Frazee, attended the Marriage Celebration Day. They will celebrate their 20th anniversary in the coming year.

Traci said communication and faith are key to having a lasting marriage.

“You have to be willing to communicate with each other.

Even if it’s not what you want to hear, you have to listen to your spouse,” she said.

“It’s a give and take,” Carey added. “You’ve got to be flexible and believe there’s no problem you can’t take together.”

The Mass was followed by a reception and dinner held in Cathedral’s dining room.

Caleb and Michaella Wavra of Sacred Heart, East Grand Forks, receive a blessing as the first-ever newlywed honorary couple. The Wavras were married in August.

Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner blesses the books that were given to all in attendance at the 2016 Marriage Celebration Day.

LeRoy Pazdernik of St. Lawrence, Mentor, discusses the book “21 Undeniable Secrets of Marriage” with his wife, Mary, during the Marriage Celebration Day reception. The books were blessed during Mass and handed out as gifts to all in attendance on Oct. 2. (Photos credit: Janelle C. Gergen/OND)

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Casting a principled, informed vote this November Editor’s note: The seven Catholic bishops of Minnesota released the following message through the Minnesota Catholic Conference. This and other election resources can be found at www.mncatholic.org/election.

Faithful Citizenship means prayerful, active, and responsible participation in the political process. That includes knowledgeably exercising the right to vote with a well-formed conscience.

Voting is a privilege and an important duty. It is an opportunity for God’s faithful to love our neighbors by electing legislators who will hopefully enact

MCC ELECTION YEAR RESOURCES Visit www.mncatholic.org/statement to view a video of the Minnesota bishops sharing their statement.

For more election-related resources, go to: www.mncatholic.org/election.

policies that protect the weak, strengthen the family, promote the conditions for all to flourish, and ensure that citizens can practice their faith without fear of reprisal.

The responsibility of voting is especially important to Minne-

sotans this year; our entire state legislature is up for election. At a time when many Catholics feel politically homeless and not represented well by either party, this year’s elections provide a special opportunity to work for life and dignity where it matters

most – in our own backyard.

Minnesota Catholics should not let frustrations with the presidential race prevent them from participating in our many important local elections.

The choices we are to make on Election Day are not always obvious. We must rise above partisanship, self-interest, and emotions to elect candidates who are most likely to work for the common good and govern in a manner consistent with God’s providential care for all of creation. We should prepare ourselves by forming our consciences, studying the candi-

dates’ positions and character, and turning to God for guidance in prayer.

As you get ready to cast your vote, we encourage you to visit the Minnesota Catholic Conference’s election resources center, at www.mncatholic.org/election. Here, you’ll find a novena to help you prayerfully prepare for election day, resources to help you find out where the candidates stand on the issues, and materials for forming your conscience.

Thank you for bringing your faith into the public arena.

And don’t forget to vote!

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OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Christopher Stroh, Principal Organist for the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis, performs a dedicatory organ concert at Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes, for more than 300 parishioners and community members on Sept. 18. The organ and music space were dedicated during Mass prior to the concert. (Photos credit: Katrina Genereux/OND)

Parish gives thanks at conclusion of project

Dedication Mass and concert showcase new organ, music space

By Katrina Genereux Staff Writer, OND DETROIT LAKES, MINN. – On Sept. 18, Holy Rosary Parish in Detroit Lakes gathered in celebration to dedicate their new organ. Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner concelebrated Mass with Msgr. Timothy McGee, Pastor of Holy Rosary, and blessed and dedicated the organ and music space during the liturgy.

The Mass was followed by a parish potluck and a dedicatory concert at 2 p.m. performed by Christopher Stroh, the Principal Organist for the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.

“The whole project is a dream come true for the parish,” Msgr.

McGee said. “An instrument like this enhances our worship of God so much.”

Susan Champa is the choir director at Holy Rosary. “It’s just a phenomenal instrument,” she said. “What I like about it is … it has more of a surround sound than an ‘in-your-face’ sound.”

Choir members have commented to Champa that they are much more comfortable singing with the organ accompanying them. She is grateful they now have such a nice space with risers and a place for hand bells and instrumentalists.

“This music area has been a God send,” she said.

Scott Mehlhoff, the organist and director of music for Holy Rosary is very pleased with the new music space that includes the organ, risers for the choir and a new sound and video system. “It is a little overwhelming

for the choir [to be right next to the organ], but when you get out in the middle of the church, the sound is beautiful,” he said.

“We rejoice this day to be able to bless this organ,” Bishop Hoeppner said during the homily.

“We thank all who made this glorious organ possible and all who share their talent with us to help us sing well and pray well.”

After the homily, Bishop Hoeppner incensed and blessed the organ and music area.

“The purpose of music in the liturgy is above all to give glory to God and to lead us to praise God and that leads us to holiness of life,” he said. “The music of the organ wonderfully expresses the new song that Scripture tells us to sing to the Lord as we sing a new song. … To sing this new song is to live rightly, to follow God’s will eagerly and gladly, to put God first and last every day and by loving God and then loving one another, to carry out the new commandment that Jesus has given to us.”

Following the potluck, around 330 people gathered in the church for the dedicatory concert. Msgr. McGee shared a few remarks and a summary of the building project at the beginning.

Holy Rosary’s current church was completed in 1967. Since that time, a parish center, kitchen, meeting room, resource center, baptistery, offices and meeting rooms were added. The most recent project included the organ, risers for the choir, a sound and video system and

lighting for the music area.

Msgr. McGee said the planning for this project started more than four years ago, and was called Moving Forward in Faith. The project had a budget of more than $1.3 million.

Mehlhoff shared a few words following Msgr. McGee. “I want to express my thanks to all the members of our parish who have been so gracious with their time and their money to make this possible,” he said. “Organs have been around for hundreds of years. They have life to them because they have air. … A piano is beautiful but it doesn’t sing; it’s a percussive instrument that dissipates and dies away.

That’s what’s so different about an organ, and the fact that you value that and want to preserve it is very commendable.”

According to Mehlhoff, in the 1960s the organ was downsized a number of times to help trim the construction budget.

“We finally have an instrument that fits the space,” he said.

“I think this organ is something that is worthy of this space, the beautiful church that we have, and so our church is now more complete.”

During the concert, Stroh, who has been the Principal Organist at the basilica since 2006, played a variety of hymns and pieces from various composers from around the world covering a number of time periods.

The concert began and ended with hymns sung by the congregation.

“We gather here for praise and thanksgiving. Thank you so

The audience stands and sings while Stroh plays the opening hymn of the dedicatory concert for the new organ at Holy Rosary Parish.

much for lending your voice for that opening hymn,” Stroh said.

“That is truly the high point, the source and summit of this instrument’s life, to join and to support your voices in praise to the Creator.”

He told the crowd that playing a dedicatory program is a fairly daunting responsibility for an organist.

At the end of the concert, Mehlhoff thanked Stroh for showing off all the bells and whistles of the new organ.

The recently completed organ was built by Allen Moe of the Moe Pipe Organ Company of Wadena, Minn. He and members of his family attended the concert.

“It’s been a really long haul,” Moe said. “A lot of work has gone into this … it is good to see it come together and do what it is supposed to do.”

The concert program included facts about the new organ, including the following: It required 4,500 hours of la-

bor to construct and install. It has 3,843 pipes ranging from as long as 20 feet and weighing several hundred pounds, to pipes smaller than a drinking straw. Some of them were reused from the church’s former organ. Others were donated from another church’s organ and some came from the company’s supply of vintage pipes.

An American pipe maker supplied the new, custom-built pipes for the façades of the organ.

The console contains over 160 stops and more than 100 other controls. The organ incorporates Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) and can produce thousands of additional organ and orchestral sounds. The digital additions give the organ the ability to produce the sound of an organ with more than 6,000 pipes.

The estimated weight of the organ, including the casework, interior structures and pipes, is nearly 19 tons.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

LOCAL

Diocesan Knights of Columbus assist in record-setting year Submitted by Craig Larson

This year, Knights of Columbus throughout the world, have set new records in their charitable contributions with over $175 million dollars donated and over 73.5 million hours of volunteer service.

The more than 3,000 Knights of Columbus members in the Diocese of Crookston have done their part too. They donated thousands of hours of service and tens of thousands of dollars to benefit local charities.

They conducted blood drives, donated coats to kids in need, helped to fill food pantries, supported the Special Olympics, helped pay for the education of seminarians, provided for continuing education of the clergy and donated thousands of dollars to organizations that help people with intellectual disabilities. All of this was in addition to the many things that get done that nobody knows about.

Knights do things because, “someone needs help.”

The organization has members everywhere who are mowing at the parish or cemetery, giving people rides to Mass, volunteering at the food shelf or school and practicing the virtue of charity in countless other ways. Knights are altar servers,

cantors, lectors, ushers, religious education teachers, Eucharistic ministers and parish council members. Some Knights are bishops, priests, deacons, policemen, doctors, lawyers, farmers, firemen, teachers, bankers, construction and factory workers. The Knights are all a part of the largest Catholic Fraternal organization in the world.

There are more than 1.9 million members of the Knights of Columbus. There are close to 2 million members. Here in the Diocese of Crookston, the Knights of Columbus are looking for men to join in their charitable work. There are Knights of Columbus members in nearly all of the parishes in the Diocese.

If the Knights can accomplish all of these things that have benefitted so many people, just think if there were another 500 or 1,000 members to help with these projects. Being a Knight makes men better husbands, fathers, sons and better Catholics.

Wouldn’t it be great if the 2 millionth member came from the Diocese of Crookston?

There are many opportunities to join the Knights of Columbus. The next one in the Diocese of Crookston is Oct. 28, in Detroit Lakes. Members can also join the Fourth Degree on

Oct. 29. People from all across the state will join us in Detroit Lakes for the weekend.

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said during his annual report, “The prophetic flame of which Pope Francis speaks continues to burn bright in the hearts of our brother Knights around the world. That flame enkindles in them a true sense of Catholic charity, a charity that evangelizes and brings in a very concrete way, a light to the nations.”

“Yes, it is the hour of the laity,” he added “It is the hour of the Knights of Columbus.”

If you have ever considered becoming a Knight, now is the time. We need you to help us serve our neighbors and help our churches. If you can volunteer for an hour or two a year, we can use you to help to build the domestic Church here in northwestern Minnesota and make the Diocese of Crookston a better place for everyone.

Please ask a Knights of Columbus member about becoming a Knight. If you don’t know who to ask, please contact me and I will answer any questions and can help you become a part of the “strong right arm of the Catholic Church”. Call me at: 218-289-3872 or contact me via email: mnclars@gmail.com.

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2016 Faith For Tomorrow grant cycle announced The Faith for Tomorrow Grant Cycle for the fall of 2016 was announced on Oct. 1. Parishes and their representatives have until Nov. 5, to submit applications for education grants. For this cycle, 50,000 is being made available for grants.

The Faith for Tomorrow Endowment fund continues to assist parishes throughout the Diocese of Crookston in building up and sustaining their members. At the present time, the Diocese of Crookston Catholic Community Foundation conducts one grant cycle in the fall of each year. Those awarded grants will receive their payments in February or March of 2017.

The Foundation Board is also taking another $40,000 from the General Endowment and the Catholic Education Endowment. This will be divided among the eight schools in the Diocese. Each school will receive a grant of $5,000.

The Faith for Tomorrow Endowment was begun by

Bishop Emeritus Victor H. Balke with a capital campaign in the year 2000. Literature from the original campaign states, “For the sake of the future religious and moral quality of life in our area, we need to strengthen our lifelong religious education and formation programs and our Catholic Schools.”

The successful $4 million campaign has allowed these goals to be supported in parishes throughout the Diocese of Crookston. Individual parish accounts were created with 25 percent of the monies contributed by the parish.

These accounts are maintained within the foundation as an endowment for the benefit of the parish and checks for the interest earnings are sent to parishes every six months.

Information for the current grant cycle can be found at www.crookston.org/ccf.

If you have any questions, contact Joe Noel at 218-2806858 or jnoel@crookston.org.

TEC anniversary celebration Anyone who has participated in an Agassiz Valley TEC weekend is invited to join in celebrating the 40th anniversary of TEC in the Diocese of Crookston.

The anniversary celebration will be Jan. 15, 2017, at St. Michael’s Church in Mahnomen.

It will begin at 3 p.m. Mass

will be at 4 p.m., followed by supper at 5 p.m. After supper, there will be a program and time for praise and worship.

For more information about the anniversary celebration, or to add your name to the TEC database please contact Terry Steen by e-mailing sjchurchlady@yahoo.com.

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OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Archdiocese of Washington celebrates first anniversary of papal visit

By Mark Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON – Exactly one year earlier, Pope Francis celebrated an historic Mass in Washington outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

On Sept. 23, Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl and Msgr. Walter Rossi, rector of the national shrine, unveiled a memorial marker to commemorate the site on the basilica’s east portico where the pope celebrated a canonization Mass for St. Junipero Serra, the famous 18th-century Spanish Franciscan missionary of California.

Cardinal Wuerl noted that the 4-by-4-foot granite marker unveiled on the first anniversary of the papal Mass commemorated the first canonization on U.S. soil, by the first pope from the Americas, who canonized a saint who brought the Gospel to the New World.

Moments later, the cardinal said Mass in the basilica’s Crypt Church, in the same hour that the canonization Mass had been celebrated one year earlier, and he noted how the pope had encouraged today’s faithful to emulate St. Junipero Serra’s missionary spirit, reflected in the saint’s motto, “Always forward,” by sharing their faith in their everyday lives.

“When you looked out at the crowd of 25,000 (at the canon-

ization Mass), you saw people from every nation,” the cardinal said. “Our Holy Father reminded us we’re heirs to a great missionary spirit.” Washington’s archbishop noted the symbols of Pope Francis’ visit that remained one year later, including the papal Fiat parked outside the basilica that afternoon. The little black car that the pope rode in during his visit to the nation’s capital is now used to highlight the ministries and charitable works of the Archdiocese of Washington. The Fiat – whose appearances are highlighted in the #DrivewithFrancis social media campaign – has been filled with canned goods for a southern Maryland food warehouse, with breakfast bags for the homeless at a Catholic Charities shelter, and with baby items for a Capitol Hill crisis pregnancy center.

Cardinal Wuerl also noted how the altar from the papal Mass is now used as the national shrine’s main altar in its Upper Church, and the papal chair from the Mass is on display in the basilica’s Memorial Hall. But he said the greatest reminder of the papal visit was the Mass celebrated on its first anniversary.

“The very heart of his visit was the celebration of the Eucharist,” he said.

That anniversary commemoration had begun with the unveiling of a stone memorial marker, and that day’s Gospel

told the story of St. Peter’s profession of faith in Jesus. Cardinal Wuerl in his homily noted how Pope Francis as the successor of St. Peter, the first pope who was called “the rock,” continues to proclaim who Jesus is.

“The touchstone of our faith and what we believe is Peter,” the cardinal said. “Now our Pope Francis continues to be the living visible sign of that rock upon which our faith and our Church rests.”

At the end of Mass, papal honors including the Knighthood of St. Gregory the Great, the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross and the Benemerenti Medal, were presented to clergy and laypeople who played a key role in the papal visit to Washington. Pectoral crosses were presented to Washington’s auxiliary bishops, and papal jubilee medals also were bestowed. In Latin, Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice means “For the Church and the Papacy,” and Benemerenti means “good merit.”

After the honors were bestowed, Cardinal Wuerl said that the greatest honor for the people of the Archdiocese of Washington came from a compliment offered by Pope Francis as he was heading to the airport after his visit to the nation’s capital. The cardinal said Pope Francis told him, “I have the sense the church of Washington is alive in the vibrancy of the Holy Spirit.”

Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl, left, and Msgr. Walter R. Rossi, rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, pray after unveiling a memorial marker outside the shrine on the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ Sept. 23, 2015, canonization Mass for St. Junipero Serra. (Photo credit: CNS/Eddie Arrossi, Catholic Standard)

‘Moved by Mercy’ is theme of Respect Life Month, yearlong observance

By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON – All human life must be “cherished and protected,” said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

He made the comments in a Sept. 28 statement launching the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ yearlong Respect Life Program.

Each year, October is designated as Respect Life Month by the USCCB and this year’s theme is “Moved by Mercy.”

It draws on a quote from Pope Francis when he called for the Jubilee Year of Mercy: “We are called to show mercy because mercy has been shown to us.”

The first Sunday of October, which is Oct. 2 this year, is Respect Life Sunday, and kicks off what is a yearlong pro-life

program for the U.S. Catholic Church.

The USCCB’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities has prepared a packet for the 2016-2017 program containing materials and resources that can be downloaded in English and Spanish at www.usccb.org/respectlife.

Cardinal Dolan called for every person to be “treated with the dignity they deserve. No one should ever be treated callously or carelessly – everyone should be cherished and protected!”

Launched in 1972, the Respect Life Program was created to celebrate the value and dignity of human life in Catholic dioceses across the United States. Each year, as a part of the program, Respect Life Month is observed with liturgies and marked by special events that take place during the month of October and continue through the following September.

A social media toolkit also is available at the same website; the social media campaign is using the hashtag #MovedByMercy.

The yearlong observance aims “to help Catholics understand, value and become engaged with supporting the dignity of the human person, and therefore the gift of every person’s life.”

The 2016-17 materials feature six articles highlighting ways to put mercy into action. They address the tragedy of assisted suicide; navigating infertility; facilitating healing after abortion; end-of-life care; attentiveness to God’s creation; and supporting expectant mothers who are considering placing their baby for adoption.

This year’s program offers new prayers, toolkits for clergy and the media, as well as other resources for parish bulletins, religious education, the Rite of

Christian Initiation of Adults program, marriage prep and Catholic high schools. The ma-

terials also are suitable for individual use, according to the prolife secretariat.

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At all-school Mass, 12,000 pray for an ‘outpouring of the Holy Spirit’

By Jessica Trygstad Catholic News Service ST. PAUL, MINN. – An estimated 12,000 students, teachers and staff of Catholic schools filled a baseball park in downtown St. Paul Sept. 22 for the first allschool Mass of the Holy Spirit in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens and more than 60 priests concelebrated the Mass for fourth- through eighth-grade students from the archdiocese’s 79 Catholic grade schools after a performance from the local band Sonar.

In his homily, Archbishop Hebda told the crowd filling the stadium seats and spread across CHS Field – where the St. Paul Saints baseball team plays – that the Holy Spirit is what makes Catholic schools great. And, in turn, students must ask the Holy Spirit to help them reach greatness.

“I am so happy that we have that opportunity at the beginning of this school year to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit,” Archbishop Hebda said.

“Certainly, on all of you – our wonderful students, certainly on our teachers, certainly on those students who weren’t able to be here this morning, certainly on all those wonderful parishioners who support our Catholic schools.

Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis greets students from Highland Catholic School in St. Paul, Minn., after celebrating the Mass of the Holy Spirit Sept. 22 at a baseball park in downtown St. Paul. (Photo credit: CNS/Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit).

“But we understand that we need the Holy Spirit if we are going to be great,” he continued. “And all that we need to do is to ask for the Holy Spirit.

That’s how great is our God’s love, that all we have to do is to ask.”

Referencing the Gospel reading, Archbishop Hebda noted how the apostles were changed once they received the Holy Spirit.

“My hope, that of Bishop Cozzens, that of all of these priests and deacons, that of all of your parents, and parishioners, is that as we ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit

this day that we become men and women who are bold and brave in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ,” the archbishop said, “that we’re able to share the good news that we have a God who loves us without end, a God who forgives us when we sin, a God who gives us second chances, third chances, a God who calls us to greatness.”

Telling students they have the benefit of a good Catholic education, Archbishop Hebda said he hopes they’ll be great sons and daughters of God who’ll go on to be great parents, husbands and wives, doctors,

lawyers, teachers, even second basemen.

“We don’t know what it is that God has in store for you, but that you’re going to be able to do it with greatness because you know Jesus Christ, and you have received the Holy Spirit that he desires to place in our hearts.”

Students from different schools read the prayers of the faithful and assisted priests during Communion.

The Catholic Schools Center of Excellence, a Minneapolisbased nonprofit, sponsored the Mass.

The organization’s president, Gail Dorn, said the event took nine months of planning, 220 buses, and a lot of security and communication with the schools.

“We’re just so happy that we’re able to have this community of faith and be able to celebrate with one another,” said Dorn, adding that they’d like to make the Mass of the Holy Spirit an annual event.

“It was a holy day. And it was a healing for our students and for our schools,” she told The Catholic Spirit, the archdiocesan newspaper. “It’s very powerful to worship together.

I think it was very nourishing for our students to strengthen them in their faith and their belief, not just in our holy Eucharist and celebration of our faith, but also the community of our schools and our belief that they

should be stronger and better.”

Bishop Cozzens, who is archdiocesan vicar of education and a board member of Catholic Schools Center of Excellence, said after the Mass that it was a great opportunity to get all the students together to help them see that they’re part of something bigger.

Masses of the Holy Spirit date back to the Jesuits in the 16th century. Noting the church celebrates the start of important events, such as papal conclaves, with a Mass of the Holy Spirit, Bishop Cozzens said the day highlighted the “treasure” of a Catholic education.

Thankful the weather cooperated for the event, Bishop Cozzens said he most enjoyed seeing students’ joy and love for Jesus as they came forward to receive Communion.

The all-school Mass was a visible sign for teachers, too, that they’re part of something bigger.

Kathy McRae, a seventhgrade religion and English teacher at Nativity of Our Lord School in St. Paul, has taught for 29 years, called the Mass “an incredible experience.”

Nativity eighth-grader Chip Knap, who will be confirmed this year, said the archbishop’s message was meaningful.

“It was the best Mass I’ve ever been at,” he said. “I really liked the energy of it.”

CORRECTION: In the 2016 Fall Dinner Listing that was published on Sept. 7, OND incorrectly listed St. Peter the Apostle, Park Rapids’ event.

They are having lunch and a bake sale as a part of their bazaar. Lunch will be served from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Our Northland Diocese apologizes for the error.

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OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

When times are tough, rant at God, don’t run from trouble, pope says

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Don’t respond to grief or anguish with pills, alcohol or avoidance, Pope Francis said in a morning homily.

Figure out what is going on inside your heart, then turn to God and beg him for help, he said Sept. 27 during an early morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

Reflecting on the day’s readings, the pope looked at the “spiritual desolation” experience by Job and the responsorial psalm, “Let my prayer come before you, Lord.”

Job lost everything and felt utterly abandoned and unfairly tormented, the pope said. He unleashed his desperate cries to God, venting all of his feelings of hopeless despair and regret, and yet, he never blasphemed or cursed God in his ranting, he said.

Everyone has experienced some degree of despair that “makes us feel as if our soul were crushed,” unable to breathe and perhaps even eager for death, the pope said.

“We have to understand when our spirit is in this state of extended sadness, where there is almost no air. This happens to

all of us” to some degree, he said.

Some people might “take a sleeping pill,” avoid facing the situation or “have two, three, four shots” of something strong to drink; but that “doesn’t help,” he said.

So then what should people do when they go through “these dark moments because of a family tragedy, an illness, something that brings me down?” he asked.

In times of hopeless, spiritual despair, he said, the answer is to pray hard, just like Job, who cried out day and night for God to listen.

He said Psalm 88 and its response – “Let my prayer come before you, Lord” – “is a prayer of knocking at (God’s) door, but hard. ‘Lord my soul is surfeited with troubles and my life draws near to the nether world.

I am numbered with those who go down into the pit; I am a man without strength.’”

This is praying with genuine candor and honesty, he said, because it is the way a child pours out his emotions to his father.

And this is how “we must pray in the most terrible, darkest, most desolate, crushing moments.”

When someone is hurting

“We have to understand when our spirit is in this state of extended sadness, where there is almost no air. This happens to all of us” -Pope Francis and trapped in this spiritual despair, he said, the best thing to do is “talk as little as possible” because in these cases speeches “ultimately do not help and they can cause harm, too.”

A person can help with loving silence, “being close, a caress and prayers to the father.”

The pope asked that people pray for the grace to recognize and reflect upon the reasons for their despair, the grace to pray fervently to the Lord in times of trouble, and the grace to know how to best accompany those who are suffering, sad and despairing.

Pope Francis delivers his homily during Mass Sept. 27 in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican. Don’t respond to grief or anguish with pills, alcohol or avoidance, Pope Francis said. (Photo credit: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano handout via EPA)

Pope: Anyone who repents, desires God’s embrace can be saved

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – The church is not just for people who are good, who think they’re good or pretend to be good, it is for everyone, especially the bad because the church is mercy, Pope Francis said.

No one is excluded from God’s forgiveness, even the worst sinners, who only must draw near to Jesus with a repentant heart “and the desire to be embraced,” he said Sept. 28 at his weekly general audience.

In his continuing series of talks on mercy, the pope focused on St. Luke’s Gospel account of the crucifixion and its story of the “good thief.” Jesus was nailed to a cross between two criminals, was jeered at by the crowds, and still he begged God to forgive them because “they know not what they do.”

Not many understood how the Messiah could allow himself to be nailed to the cross and do nothing to try to save himself, the pope said. But “Jesus saved us by remaining on the cross.

And all of us know that it is not easy to remain on the cross, our little everyday crosses.”

But upon that great cross and with great suffering, Jesus “stayed there and there he saved us, there he showed us his great omnipotence and there he forgave us,” the pope said.

The fact that he – an innocent man – died between two criminals attests to the fact that “God’s salvation can reach anyone in any condition, even the most negative and painful, he said. “God’s salvation is for everyone, no one is excluded,” but his mercy and pardon are there “above all for the bad because the church is mercy.”

God is always there offering himself, the pope said.

Pope Francis urged those who are suffering, especially those confined to a hospital bed, locked in a prison or trapped by war to gaze at the cross, “let the power of the Gospel penetrate your hearts and console you, give you hope and the deepest assurance that no one is excluded.”

The “good thief,” who recog-

Pope Francis talks with prelates as he leads his weekly audience Sept. 28 in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (Photo credit: CNS/ Remo Casilli, Reuters)

nized who Jesus was, admitted his own guilt and saw his earthly punishment as just, is the perfect role model of repentance and an excellent example of a Christian who trusts in God, the pope said.

He showed a profound respect and reverence for God; he was aware of God’s omnipotence and his infinite goodness, the pope said, and “it is this confident respect that helps make room for God and trust

in his mercy even in the darkest night.”

That Jesus is there among the guilty, offering salvation, scandalizes the leaders, the pope said, but for the good thief, “it is the bedrock of his faith.”

Here “the unthinkable has happened – God loved me so much that he died on the cross for me.”

True, “he was a big thief, a sinner,” who stole from people his whole life, but in the end he was sorry and asked for forgiveness, which meant he also “succeeded in ‘stealing’ heaven. He was a very good thief,” the pope said with a smile.

The Lord’s passion finds its culmination in his words of pardon on the cross, the pope said, and reveals his mission – to save all sinners.

“On the cross, the final act confirms the realization of this saving plan” and underlines that from the very beginning Christ reveals himself as the “definitive and unique incarnation of the father’s love. Jesus is truly the face of the father’s mercy,” he said.

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Pope urges dialogue to end territorial stalemate

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service TBILISI, GEORGIA – Subtly acknowledging Georgia’s ongoing territorial dispute with Russia, Pope Francis urged greater efforts to sow peace throughout the Caucasus region.

Shortly after arriving in Tbilisi at the start of his 16th foreign trip, the pope met privately with Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili Sept. 30 and, with the president, he addressed a small gathering of civic leaders and members of the diplomatic corps outside the presidential palace.

In a nation where more than 230,000 people are still displaced by the ongoing Georgian-Russian dispute over control of South Ossetia, the pope said it was time to find a way for the displaced to return to their homes and for respect for the “sovereign rights” of each nation. Only Russia and a handful of other nations recognize the supposed independence of South Ossetia.

The theme the government and local church chose for the

Pope Francis shakes hands with Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili during a meeting with government authorities, members of civil society and the diplomatic corps in the courtyard of the presidential palace in Tbilisi, Georgia, Sept. 30. (Photo credit: CNS/Paul Haring)

pope’s visit Sept. 30-Oct. 1 was “pax vobis,” “peace be with you.”

Margvelashvili was more blunt than the pope. Georgia, he said, “is still victim of a military aggression on the part of another state: 20 percent of

our territory is occupied and 15 percent of the population is displaced. Their homes were taken only because they are ethnically Georgian!”

“Only 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) from here, there is barbed wire that prevents a

Doctrinal congregation convokes meeting on women’s role in Church

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Leaders of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith spent three days in late September listening to women theologians, canon lawyers, Scripture scholars and specialists in other academic fields talk about roles women have played in the Catholic Church and roles they could play in the future.

After the symposium Sept.

26-28 was over, the congregation issued a brief statement outlining the topics discussed and listing the women who made formal presentations.

The congregation said the papers will be published at a later date.

Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the doctrinal congregation, opened the meeting, which involved about 50 people, mostly women, and officials and consultants to the congregation, the statement said.

The theme of “the role of women in the church” was ex-

plored first by looking at “the definition of the feminine vocation in Catholic tradition,” and proceeded to a discussion about concrete roles women have played and can play within the church.

All of the main papers were presented by women, several of whom are or have been members of the Vatican-related International Theological Commission or the International Biblical Commission.

Others serve as consultants to Vatican offices or professors at Catholic universities.

The doctrinal congregation did not provide specifics about the content of the talks. It said, for example, that Barbara Hallensleben, a theologian teaching in Switzerland, looked at the “feminine vocation” starting from the idea of the priesthood of all the baptized and in the sacrament of marriage.

Margaret Harper McCarthy, a professor at The Catholic University of America in Washington, gave the formal response.

French biblicist Anne-Marie Pelletier and Mary Healy, a

professor of Scripture at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, spoke about the important contributions of women scholars to biblical studies, the statement said.

Other topics included the role of women in the education of priests; women as spiritual directors and retreat directors; canon law provisions regarding women’s roles in church decision-making bodies; and “sexual difference,” a theme treated by Spanish anthropologist Blanca Castilla Cortazar and Australian theologian Tracey Rowland, dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne.

The doctrinal congregation statement said that in addition to the formal presentations, participants “listened to interesting and moving testimonies” of the experiences of women in the church, in theology, working in the Roman Curia or for bishops’ conferences, in interreligious dialogue and ecumenism and in the field of Catholic charity.

peaceful population -- neighbors and relatives -- from having a relationship with each other,” the president said. “Only 40 kilometers from here, each day human beings witness violence, kidnappings, murders and offenses that deeply wound dignity.”

The return of displaced people is the government’s primary concern, he said. “Human beings should not have to suffer because of political situations and they have a right to return to their own homes.”

Pope Francis urged the people of the region to make concerted efforts to respect their cultural and ethnic differences, giving everyone a chance “to coexist peacefully in their homeland or freely to return to that land if, for some reason, they have been forced to leave it.”

“The peaceful coexistence among all peoples and states in the region is the indispensable and prior condition for such authentic and enduring progress,” the pope told the country’s leaders.

Georgia, which had been part of the Soviet Union, has been

working for 25 years to build democracy and promote development. Pope Francis said he hoped the process would continue, increasingly involving all sectors of society to ensure “stability, justice and respect for the rule of law.”

Both the pope and the president emphasized Georgia’s “European” identity, but also it’s geographical location and historic role as a meeting place of Asia and Europe. Over Russian objections, Georgia has been trying to join the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; it has belonged to the Council of Europe since 1999.

The formal meetings took place after a brief airport welcoming ceremony. The president and patriarch were at the airport to welcome the pope, as were a boy and girl, who offered him a basket of grapes.

Pope Francis and Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II, bowed by age and Parkinson’s disease, stood next to each other as the Vatican and Georgian national anthems were played.

World Communications Day focus: Sharing hope

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – In a world where so much bad news can anesthetize people or lead them to despair, the media cannot and should not ignore “good news” stories, stories which Christians see as a reflection of the greater news that God is a loving father, a Vatican office said.

For World Communications Day 2017, Pope Francis has chosen the theme: “’Fear not, for I am with you.’ Communicating hope and trust in our time.”

The Vatican announced the theme Sept. 26. Most dioceses will mark World Communications Day May 28, the Sunday before Pentecost. The full message was expected to be released, Jan. 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalists.

The words from the Book of Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with you,” are words believers hear whispered in the midst of the world’s tumult, said a statement from the Vatican Secretariat for

Communications explaining the theme.

The words encourage people to search for and identify the ways God is working in the world, the statement said.

Often, the statement said, media “professionals, opinion leaders and means of communication” are based in affluent areas, “distant from the places of poverty and need.” Their physical location too often translates into ignorance of the complexities of the lives of most women and men today.

“The anesthetization of conscience or letting despair get the better of us are two possible ‘diseases’ that our current communication system can cause,” the statement said.

The pope’s choice of a theme, the secretariat wrote, “is an invitation to tell the story of the world and the stories of men and women in accordance with the logic of the ‘good news’ that reminds us that God never ceases to be a father” to all people and in all situations. “Let us learn to communicate trust and hope for history.”

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COMMENTARY

WORD to LIFE October 9

TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 2 Kings 5:14-17 Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

Psalm 98:1-4

2 Timothy 2:8-13

By Jeff Hedglen Catholic News Service I am terrible at sending thank-you notes. If I don’t do it right away it usually doesn’t get done. It is not that I am not thankful; I am truly grateful for the service or gift I have received. I am just forgetful, especially when the next day is filled with more activity and soon the thought of thanking the individual slips from my radar.

My negligence in sending thanks in a note is much like my neglecting to give thanks in my prayer life.

When I teach about how to pray I use an acrostic for the word “pray”: Praise and thank God. Repent for your sins.

Ask for what you and those you love need.

Yield to God’s will in your life.

This can be used as a prayer formula or just as a guide to make sure you are, at least from time to time, including all the basic aspects of communication with God in your life of prayer.

I am pretty good at the asking part, and through music, Scripture and Mass I regularly praise God. The examination of conscience and sacrament of reconciliation help me repent of my sins, and I try to always end my petitions with the prayer: “God grant me all of these things, or in your wisdom give me something even better.” This is my way of yielding to the Lord’s right of way in my life.

What I too often miss is thanking God for all he has given me and for answered prayers. Things often play out as they do

October 5, 2016

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FOR FAITH-SHARING GROUPS

October 16

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Exodus 17:8-13 Gospel: Luke 18:1-8

Psalm 121:1-8

2 Timothy 3:14-4:2

By Sharon K. Perkins Catholic News Service

in this week’s Gospel.

I beg God for help and when he comes through for me, I am happy and go along my merry way glad to have my prayer answered. I tend to be like the nine lepers that do not return to thank God for the blessings that have been showered upon me.

It is not so much that God needs our thanks, but more that we need to thank God to complete the initial request. Just as it is the right thing to do to send a thank-you note to a friend, so it is right to send a thank-you prayer to God for the gifts he has given us.

Questions: What are you most thankful to God for?

How do you express your gratitude to God?

"HE FELL AT THE FEET OF JESUS AND THANKED HIM." – LUKE 17:16

There’s a saying that I hear fairly frequently these days, especially in response to someone who is asked to take on a ministry or mission for which he or she feels unprepared: “God doesn’t call the equipped; he equips the called.”

In other words, we can usually expect to feel inadequate and assume that when God invites, the “yes” comes before the preparation. For most people this is a scary proposition.

Today’s readings give some insight into how God alleviates those fears that come with saying “yes” -- and how he equips us to become fully engaged in the work he gives us to do -- much like Joshua unhesitatingly engaging Amalek and his armies in battle.

First, we must always recognize that we’re not alone, but that “our help is from the Lord,” the very creator of heaven and earth. Lifting our eyes to him when we’re in trouble, or even long before we sense trouble, is an exercise of trust that becomes habitual with practice.

A sure way of becoming “equipped for every good work” is through the consistent learning and application of sacred Scripture. A surprisingly small percentage of Catholic adults are familiar with the Bible, and yet we have so many excellent resources at our disposal to help us overcome our ignorance that there’s really no excuse for remaining uninformed.

Scripture is inspired by the very breath of God so that we can trust it to form us toward competency.

Finally, the readings today emphasize the importance of persistence in proclaiming the word “whether it is convenient or inconvenient.” Tenacity in the face of difficulty and discouragement, grounded in the confidence that God always desires to sustain us, is simply what faith in action looks like. It’s what kept Joshua fighting Amalek all the way to a victory, and it’s what kept the persistent widow petitioning the judge until he delivered a decision on her behalf.

God is asking us to be his partners in the work of salvation. Are you willing to become equipped for his work?

Questions: Have you ever been asked to do something for which you have felt unprepared, even while knowing it was the right thing to do?

How has knowledge of Scripture equipped you for being a disciple of Christ?

"ALL SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED BY GOD ... SO THAT ONE WHO BELONGS TO GOD MAY BE COMPETENT, EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK." – 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17

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