OND August A: Vol. 69, No. 14

VOL. 69, NO. 14

WWW.CROOKSTON.ORG

AUGUST 12, 2015

Answering the call to evangelize at all times

Left: Deacon Nick Revier and his wife, Jean, of St. WIlliam’s, Twin Valley, lead students in making rosaries at the Middle School Youth Rally held at Ada High School on April 25. (Photo credit: Katrina Genereux/ OND)

Opportunities to share faith come in many forms, some unexpected

Far Left: The late Lenora Ubel, a long time member of Sacred Heart, Baudette, displays crosses she made.

Her hobby turned into a means of evangelization, earning her the nickname “Cross Lady.”(Submitted photo)

By Katrina Genereux Staff Writer, OND

Editor’s note: Don Krause of Sacred Heart, Baudette, contributed to portions of this article.

In his apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), Pope Francis wrote, “Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love.”

Through Baptism, we are called to share Jesus Christ with every person we meet, and to evangelize with our daily lives. Each of us has been given different gifts and talents with which to do this.

The following three stories highlight evangelization efforts in the Diocese of Crookston. From the

Left: Greg Peppel opens the door of Blessed Sacrament, Greenbush, for his wife, Michelle, as they arrive at a benefit held for their family. (Photo credit: Katrina Genereux/OND)

EVANGELIZATION: Continued on Page 6

Young men attend Diocese of Crookston’s vocation camp

Esto Vir is opportunity to have fun, pray, ask questions, consider priesthood

By Katrina Genereux Staff Writer, OND FOSSTON, MINN. — On the August 4 Feast of John Vianney, patron saint of priests, Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner visited Esto Vir Vocation Camp for Mass and lunch.

This year, 14 young men

INSIDE

VOL. 69, NO. 14:

from around the Diocese of Crookston gathered with a few diocesan priests and seminarians at Sand Hill Lake Bible Camp near Fosston, from August 3-5. It was the fifth annual camp organized by the Diocese of Crookston’s Office of Vocations.

At the beginning of Mass,

Bishop Hoeppner thanked the men for attending, and encouraged them to be at peace and spend their time there listening for God’s voice and strengthening their friendship with him.

He also asked them to, “Think about what you and Jesus, … as you journey together, might do down the road.”

Pg. 7 - Fort St. Charles Chapel Needs Replacement Pg. 8 - St. Anne’s Celebrates Feast of St. Kateri Pg. 11 - World Meeting of Families Series

Esto Vir is latin for “be a man.” The goal of the vocations camp is to encourage young men to grow in their relationship with Christ and seek to be authentic Christian men.

The hope is that by pursing this, young men will be more open to a call to the priesthood.

Nate Brunn, a seminarian

for the Diocese of Crookston, helped organize this year’s camp. He said the point of Esto Vir is, “to allow young men who are open to the possibility of the priesthood to gather in community, to intentionally pray for their own voESTO VIR: Continued on Page 3

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August 12, 2015

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COMMENTARY

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

Voice from the Valley

BY BISHOP MICHAEL J. HOEPPNER

RESPECT AND CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT In this column, we continue our look at Pope Francis’s message in his encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Si”. At the beginning of his encyclical, Pope Francis reminds us of the fundamental interconnectedness of all living things. When we forget this interconnectedness, we misuse creation. We share a common home – planet earth – and we share a common responsibility to take care of one another and our home.

As he says, “The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any higher instance than ourselves, when we see nothing else but ourselves.”

In Chapter 1 of the encyclical, Pope Francis invites us to take a good look at what is happening to our common home.

For a number of troubling reasons, Pope Francis says, “The earth, our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth.” The reasons for this are many. Pollution produces health hazards, especially for the poor. It has caused, and continues to cause, millions of premature deaths.

This is linked, the Holy Father says, to a “throwaway culture” that uses the world’s goods, but does not renew or replace them. While the pope is not a scientist, he notes that there is a “very solid scientific consensus” indicating that the greenhouse gasses released by human activity are causing global warming, which in turn, is causing significant “environmental, social, economic, [and] political” problems and significant problems “for the distribution of goods.” Consequently, he says, there is an urgent need for practices and policies that will drastically reduce the emission of polluting gases, substituting the use of fossil fuels with the development of renewable energy.

“Our wasting and discarding has reached unprecedented levels,” he says. We are depleting our natural resources, the Holy Father notes, resources like fresh drinking water. In some areas of the world, fresh drinking water is scarce while in other places there is a growing tendency to privatize it. “Yet, access to safe, drinkable water is a basic and universal human

right, since it is essential to human survival, and as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights.” Lack of water can lead to a lack of food and an increase in the cost of food.

We are also depleting our forests and woodlands, losing species that may be important resources in the future. “Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species that we will never know, that our children will never see, because they have been lost forever,” says Pope Francis.

All things are connected and because of environmental deterioration, the Holy Father says, we are experiencing a decline in the quality of human life and a breakdown of society itself. “The social dimensions of global change include the effects of technological innovation on employment, social exclusion, an inequitable distribution and consumption of energy and other services, social breakdown, increased violence and a rise in new forms of social aggression, drug trafficking, growing drug use by young people and the loss of

identity.” We cannot adequately address environmental degradation unless we also attend to causes related to human and social degradation. All of these things, the Holy Father says, “… have caused Sister Earth, along with all the abandoned of the world, to cry out, pleading that we take another course.

Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years.

Yet we are called to be instruments of God our Father, so that our planet might be what he desired when he created it, and correspond with his plan for peace, beauty, and fullness.”

It is time we take what is happening to our common home seriously. “We need only take a frank look at the facts to see that our common home is falling into serious disrepair,” said Pope Francis. The solution is not to be found in blaming population growth instead of extreme and selective consumerism on the part of some. It is not to be found in insisting on

BISHOP’S CALENDAR August 16

9:00 a.m.

Mass, Jubilee Celebration for Sisters of St. Joseph, Cathedral, Crookston

August 18

7:45 a.m.

Mass, Cathedral, Crookston

August 20

12:00 p.m.

August 22

5:30 p.m.

August 23

10:00 a.m.

August 23

5:00 p.m.

Mass, St. Francis de Sales, Moorhead

August 25

7:45 a.m.

Mass, Cathedral, Crookston

August 27-28

Catholic Community Foundation, Chancery, Crookston Mass of Installation, Sacred Heart, Frazee Mass and Centennial Celebration, Sacred Heart, Wilton

Region VIII Provincial Meeting

A THROWAWAY CULTURE: ABORTION Pope Francis, while speaking to a gathering of Catholic FROM THE VALLEY: Continued on Page 5

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

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

Publisher:

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

Editor:

Rev. Robert Schreiner Office of the New Evangelization, Director

Associate Editor:

Mrs. Janelle C. Gergen jgergen@crookston.org

Editorial Assistant: Mrs. Katrina Genereux

kgenereux@crookston.org Proofreader:

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.

a reduction in the birth rate or in making economic assistance to those in need contingent on certain policies of “reproductive health.” In fact, a variety of good, worthwhile, different approaches and lines of thought have emerged regarding possible solutions. Pope Francis urges the people of the world, especially experts in these matters, to engage in honest debate and hard work to find comprehensive solutions to our problems. Pope Francis ends Chapter 1 with words of hope, saying, “Hope would have us recognize that there is always a way out, that we can always redirect our steps, that we can always do something to solve our problems.” We can do it, the Holy Father encourages, and we must.

Deacon Dan Hannig

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

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

DIOCESAN

August 12, 2015

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ESTO VIR: Continued from Page 1 cation and to ask questions and to explore the possibility of the priesthood.”

He said that whether or not any of the men at Esto Vir become priests, just seeing their openness to the possibility is energizing.

“We want to create the love of Christ in young men and set their hearts on fire for Jesus,” said Father Xavier Ilango, Associate Director of the Office of Vocations. “It’s important for parents to encourage men to consider the priesthood.”

Father Ilango said that each year, 15 to 20 young men have attended.

Mark Miller, of Sacred Heart, Roseau, has been at Esto Vir every year since it began.

He said he feels that seminary is an option for him and it is something he is seriously discerning. He said Esto Vir has been a great blessing for him, especially the chance to spend time with the seminarians, the fellowship with other campers and the opportunity to deepen his faith.

Not all of the young men feel as strongly called to the seminary as Miller.

“I am not necessarily discerning priesthood,” said Dan Revier of St. Lawrence, Mentor.

Revier said he is trying to figure out whether he is called to some form of religious life or to be married.

He said it is important for him, during this time of discernment, to “be around men and learn what it means to be

a man.” He added that it has been helpful to know that there are other guys asking the same questions.

Esto Vir involves a lot of activities like outdoor recreation, swimming and time spent at Itasca State Park. Each day, they also celebrate Mass, spend time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, hear testimonies from priests and seminarians and have time for discussion.

Father Ilango said at Masses during the camp, the homilies are geared toward encouraging vocational discernment.

During his homily at Esto Vir, Bishop Hoeppner spoke about the priesthood, saying, “The person of the priest … his essence is changed.”

Bishop Hoeppner said when a man receives the Sacrament of Holy Orders, he is changed.

He also spoke about the unique duties of priests. “Only a priest, acting in the person of Jesus present, can take bread and wine … and in the words that he says, the Holy Spirit is there and changes this bread and wine into Jesus himself,” said Bishop Hoeppner.

He encouraged the men to ask God if they are being called to the ministerial priesthood, saying, “Talk it over with God, what will you do with your life that makes a contribution to God’s plan for people in the world? … Is this the way Jesus would have you be the presence of him so that he can continue to save the world? Think about it.”

Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner visits with some of the young men at Esto Vir Vocation Camp during lunch on August 4. Bishop Hoeppner and Msgr. Michael Foltz visited the camp to celebrate Mass. They also spent time with the 14 campers discussing the priesthood and answering their questions.

Right: Father Xavier Ilango, Associate Vocations Director for the Diocese of Crookston, and a camper take a closer look at Bishop Hoeppner’s ring following Mass on August 4. (Photo credit: Katrina Genereux/OND)

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August 12, 2015

COMMENTARY

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

A pornographic culture: Part I It’s always interesting for me to have conversations with people in their 50s (and up) and then with people in their late 30s (and under) about the topic of pornography. Yes, the very word that makes everyone squirm, whether one engages its “industry” or not. The word is defined in the dictionary as: “Sexually explicit videos, photographs, writings, or the like, produced to elicit sexual arousal.”

People in their 50s (and up) typically witness that pornography wasn’t of concern when they were growing up. Meaning, it wasn’t around or as present as it is today. I have one particular memory of an individual once telling me that when he was in school, the only encounter he had with pornography was when he was at the home of a classmate who was the only child in his grade whose parents were divorced and his mother purchased a subscription to Playboy magazine for the child.

This is a devastating story and it reflects one of the many impacts of a broken household.

In my experience, people in their late 30s (and under) have a different story to tell. This generation, which is also my own generation, is known as the In-

CREDO A NEW EVANGELIZATION WITNESS

By Ms. Amanda Zurface, JCL

Coordinator of Justice, Marriage and Family Life Office of the New Evangelization

“Many people in the world today are struggling to be free of pornography and have been trying to be free for a long time. There is hope; Jesus Christ is merciful and wants to see us free from all bondage.” ternet generation. It includes all who have grown up with the Internet and online access in their home. Many in my generation have told me that they viewed pornography for the first time when they were very young, often times by accident!

According to statistics published by Covenant Eyes, an organization committed to Internet accountability and filtering: “More than half of boys and nearly a third of girls see their first pornographic images

before they turn 13. In a survey of hundreds of college students, 93 percent of boys and 62 percent of girls said they were exposed to pornography before they turned 18.”

Even though I have heard testimonies from people in different generations, it’s hard to find people of any generation who have been protected from pornography. We often think of pornography as being some form of graphic sexual content for adults that targets just men.

The reality is, it’s not, as you can see from the aforementioned statistics. The truth about pornography is that it really doesn’t target a certain group of people, or a particular age range.

All types of people look at pornography: males and females, young and old, those who are politically liberal or conservative, those who are happily married or struggling in marriage, those who have children at home, and those who do or do not attend church regularly.

What am I trying to get at here? We live in a pornographic culture that is affecting everyone and everything – and no, I am not being dramatic! We live in a culture that legitimizes and glorifies removing the sexual act from its original context, which at its essence is relational and marital. Our culture is upholding an unlimited supply of access for anyone and everyone to see the human person not depicted in God’s image, but as something to be purchased and sold.

Paragraph 2354 of The Catechism of the Catholic Church states this about Pornography: “Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third

parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense.

Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials.”

At the heart of the pornographic culture, the inherent dignity of the human person is being discarded. This in itself is evil. The human person has intrinsic worth and a deep goodness that cannot be ignored.

Many people in the world today are struggling to be free of pornography and have been trying to be free for a long time.

There is hope; Jesus Christ is merciful and wants to see us free from all bondage. There is a purpose to keep fighting the battle for purity! In the next edition of Our Northland Diocese, I will shed more light on the reality of the pornography industry. I will also look at how the pornographic culture is impacting us and what we can do to protect ourselves, our marriages and our families from its negative effects.

Cecil the Lion, ‘Black Lives Matter’ and Planned Parenthood A lion shot by a Minnesota man in Africa (and the hoopla in the press over the shooting) cannot stifle the truth revealed in the past weeks about Planned Parenthood.

The pro-choice contingent would rather talk about the horror of Cecil’s death than the dissection of 4,000 children in the womb each day in America.

Of course the shooting of Cecil deserves investigation, but why is it that the president has ordered an investigation for Cecil but not for what is happening at Planned Parenthood?

Not long ago, in a speech at a Planned Parenthood conference, the president said, “God bless Planned Parenthood.”

Now, silence … except for the resolve to bring justice to Cecil’s murderer.

“Black Lives Matter” has also been an effective catch phrase this summer for those seeking justice for the African-American community. Of course black lives matter as do those of every other shade but do

LIFE FIRST

By Father Don Braukmann

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

you know where most Planned Parenthood abortion clinics are located? You guessed it, in black neighborhoods.

When an African American is unjustly killed by a white police officer, civil rights activists from around the country sail into that community and demand justice. When was the last time those same civil rights activists stood outside a Planned Parenthood abortion mill to demand justice for the hundreds of African Americans unjustly killed inside that day at the hands of white abortionists?

Several years ago, social worker and civil rights leader Erma Clardy Craven said “When 17,000 aborted babies

were found in a dumpster outside a pathology laboratory in Los Angeles, up to 15,000 were observed to be black.”

In New York City, the Center for Disease Control confirmed that 78 percent of the abortions done in the city were performed on black or Hispanic babies.

The New York City Department of Health reported there were more black babies killed by abortion in 2012 (31,328) than were born (24,758) in New York alone.

Nationally 14 percent of the female population is African American. Over 30 percent of the abortions in the United States are performed on the same group. The civil rights ac-

tivists are quick to point out the disproportionate number of African Americans in jail and on death row. Why not the same concern for the disproportionate number of babies aborted in the same community?

Planned Parenthood laughs all the way to the bank as it slowly destroys the AfricanAmerican community. Now we also know Planned Parenthood dissects children of all colors and sells their body parts for profit.

Truth is, over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood claims it does as a service to “women’s health” can already be done in existing community clinics. The one thing Planned Parenthood provides, with our taxpayer money, is the unique ability to crush a child to death without damaging her vital organs. Those organs are then sold to the highest bidder.

Then, of course, another lie is spewed which tries to divert attention claiming the selling of the body parts is for the good

of scientific research and future cures. Really? We have to kill our children so science can progress? The next step is obvious; women will be paid to conceive children who will then be aborted for “parts”. Note that Pope Paul VI predicted all of this over 40 years ago.

The stench of Planned Parenthood is now out in the open air. The lies are exposed including the greatest lie of all: that Planned Parenthood is all about “women’s health.” They are about killing, dissecting, and making money in the process, period.

Cecil is dead and justice must be served. Black lives DO matter … as do white and brown and red and yellow. And Planned Parenthood, with its barbaric methods, which come straight from hell, needs to become a footnote in American history as the most devious, scheming, conniving, deceitful, wicked institution ever created by a people claiming to be civilized.

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

COMMENTARY

August 12, 2015

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Sexuality is more than a culture war In response to the recent Supreme Court decision on the legality of same-sex marriage, as well as its decisions on health care law, there are those in public positions who have advised that Christians change course and admit defeat. They say that the culture has leveled a resounding “body blow” to the Christian sexual ethic and thus Christianity should stay down for the count and give up future attempts at influencing broader society with its view of sexuality. Thus various voices in the secular public believe there is no more need for a culture war as the battle has been lost.

Among others, it would appear that Satan himself might applaud such a notion. After all, one of his major strategies has been to discourage and demoralize, eliminating hope through his propaganda campaign. The moment we give up and give in, we abdicate our role. To be clear, the ultimate victory has been Christ’s and he promised that the “gates of hell will not prevail against” the Church.

(Mt 16:18) Justice Kennedy cannot create or override the laws of the naturally created order as if they were based on mutual agreement or judicial prec-

INTEGRITY

HUMAN PERSON INSIGHTS

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

“The Church will continue to hear – and respond to – the voice of God and support the truth of the human person and human family, whether in good times or bad, because that is the role of Church in the family of God.”

edent. Judges can no sooner change the law of gravity than change the nature and purpose of sexuality. It vectors towards sacrificial giving, not toward the rights of an individual. Neither can Pope Francis for that matter. But there is a common misunderstanding of Church by the secular American culture.

The Church, as the people of God, has always been more than a human institution with governing by-laws or consti-

tutional amendments. The Church is not merely a charity or non-profit organization, though they don’t have to be at odds. In a similar way, marriage is not merely a contract, but also a covenant. A contract creates mutual obligations; a covenant creates family bonds.

The Church, in the universal sense, is the visible, physical communion of the human with the divine family of God. It is the people of God still be-

ing guided through the desert toward the promised land. By nature, the Church is geared toward the common good – protecting and serving all people – as this is the desire of God himself. God cares for all, the sexually and relationally broken included.

American individualism and materialism does not always square particularly well with a communal view of the family of God. Hierarchical Church appears to smack at the historical roots of our rebellion from a tyrannical monarchy.

In America, if we disagree, we simply create a new church with a new twist on creed. Thus, we tend to prefer individual relationships with God, private property and less structured organizations.

The Church is based on a family style of leadership, imaging God’s own design, just as a human family has a mother and a father to teach, guide and protect. As a Church, we are brought into God’s family through baptism as sons and daughters of God. We did not create this family; we merely participate in the natural order of it. We receive his gift of life and we are supported through his seven-fold sources of grace

and communion.

The Church is certainly recovering from the effects of the “sexual revolution.” So while the old mantra of the sexual revolution was “stay out of my bedroom,” the new slogan of the secular courts is becoming “stay out of my public square.”

The Church is not “obsessed with sex,” but focuses on supporting the covenanted family of God. I am reminded of Cardinal Francis George’s statement back in 2010. He was commenting on what the complete secularization of our culture (a society without reference to God) would look like.

He said: “I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.”

The Church will continue to hear – and respond to – the voice of God and support the truth of the human person and human family, whether in good times or bad, because that is the role of Church in the family of God.

FROM THE VALLEY: Continued from Page 2 gynecologists last September, reminded us that abortion is the product of a “widespread mentality of profit, the throwaway culture, which has today enslaved the hearts and minds of so many.” Recently, you may have seen or heard news stories about the procurement for sale of fetal organs, tissues, and body parts from Planned Parenthood clinics from the abortions performed there. Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion network. Over one-third of all abortions are done there and each year, our government gives over half a billion of our taxpayer dollars to help fund Planned Parenthood. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities said, “The most recent revelations about Planned Parenthood’s willingness to traffic in fetal tissue from abortions, and to

“May God help us continue working to gather people of goodwill to defend all life, to fix what is flawed and to build a society that respects the dignity of every human being.” alter abortion methods not for any reason related to women’s health but to obtain more ‘intact’ organs, is the latest demonstration of a callousness toward women and their unborn children that is shocking to many Americans.” We cannot keep quiet on public issues that deeply concern us. So, what are we to say? What are we to do?

First, we need to say something to God. We must keep praying for an end to abortion, imploring God’s help for what we need just as God has invited

us to do. Then, we need to say something to our children, to teach them right from wrong.

Just because a man-made law says abortion is legal, it does not mean abortion is right to do.

Man-made laws do not overrule the laws of nature nor God’s divine laws. We need, also, to say something to our neighbors and those we encounter in the public square, speaking clearly and with respect, to do what we can to help them understand that abortion and selling baby parts for profit is wrong.

We need to say something to our government leaders. If change is to happen, our government leaders will be the ones to implement that change. The role of the Church is not to replace the State, nor to endorse any particular political party.

The role of the Church is to provide guidance on the moral dimensions of public decisions that affect the true common good. Following that guidance, we need to let our legislators, court justices, governor and president know what we think about how they are serving and carrying out their responsibilities for the common good. “Issues matter. Character matters.

Acting on [sound moral] principles matter,” said Archbishop Charles Chaput in his book, Render Unto Caesar. We need to work hard to elect people of sound moral integrity, public servants who share our values and commitment to the life and dignity of every human be-

ing from conception to natural death.

In the document “Forming Consciences For Faithful Citizenship,” the USCCB states, “This is not the time for retreat or discouragement; rather, it is a time for renewed engagement.

Forming their consciences in accord with Catholic teaching, Catholic lay women and men can become actively involved: running for office; working within political parties; communicating their concerns and positions to elected officials; and joining diocesan social mission or advocacy networks, state Catholic conference initiatives, community organizations, and other efforts to apply authentic moral teaching in the public square.” May God help us continue working to gather people of goodwill to defend all life, to fix what is flawed and to build a society that respects the dignity of every human being.

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August 12, 2015

AROUND THE DIOCESE

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

EVANGELIZATION: Continued from Page 1 transformation of a parish supporting a sister parish in Africa, to a woman’s crafts conveying hope, to a family being held up by their community and sharing Christ through suffering, opportunities to evangelize abound.

MISSION ROSARIES Deacon Nick Revier and his wife, Jean, along with St. William’s Parish in Twin Valley, have been sharing the gift of prayer with people as close as the Diocese of Crookston and as far away as Ghana, Africa.

According to the Reviers, their rosary project started when their pastor encouraged the parish to develop a foreign mission. They connected with Father Clement Beeri, from Ghana, who was studying at the University of St. Thomas in the Twin Cities. This was the start of their relationship with St. Francis Xavier Parish in Wiaga, Ghana.

“We’re a small parish, 120 on Sunday is a good turnout,” said Deacon Revier. In the beginning, he questioned how much their parish would be able to do for the people in Ghana.

They started sending school supplies, but soon the cost of shipping made it impractical to continue, so they sought another way to serve the people of Wiaga.

“It’s a really hard thing,” said Jean. “You see this really big problem and you think, what can little Twin Valley do? St. William’s Parish is small, and for a long time I struggled with that.” The parish holds periodic fundraisers to help with various needs, but desired to send more than just money.

“We asked them, ‘What would you really like to get from us?’” said Deacon Revier. According to him, Father Beeri said the first thing they needed was prayer, then he said it would be nice to have something to hand out to visitors.

“That’s where the rosary thing came from,” said Deacon Nick.

Although St. William’s is small and the rosaries are too, Jean said, “We’re spreading prayer … what is greater than that?”

Jean added that she knows they could purchase plastic rosaries and send those, but it would not be the same.

“There’s something special about making them because you think about the person that is going to get it, you put thought and prayer into it while

The colorful mission rosaries made by parishioners at St. William’s, Twin Valley, are pictured here. Deacon Nick Revier estimates the parish has sent 700 rosaries to their sister parish in Wiaga, Ghana.

(Submitted photo)

“What does ‘evangelize’ mean? To give witness with joy and simplicity to what we are and what we believe in.”

– Pope Francis via Twitter, May 2014.

Our Northland Diocese invites you to share the ways you witness to what we believe or ways others have witnessed to you.

Share on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ournorthlanddiocese, or on Twitter using #DOCEvangelization.

you’re making it.”

The Reviers estimate St. William’s has made and sent 700 rosaries to their sister parish.

Father Beeri, the pastor at St. Francis Xavier, Wiaga, said, “Their donation of rosaries has enhanced my ministry. ... It has helped me to bond with my parishioners deeply in several ways.” Some of those ways include giving rosaries to parents and godparents at baptisms, or to brides and grooms on their wedding day.

He also hands them out at funerals and to people in difficult situations. “During times of sorrow, parishioners feel very supported when they receive a religious article, and particu-

larly a rosary from their priest,” he said.

He also added that several students have told him they attribute their good grades in school to praying with the rosary he gave them.

Making rosaries also impacts St. William’s and the Diocese of Crookston.

Deacon Revier said a lot of people who hesitate to get involved in parish committees or groups will help make rosaries.

“It’s a way to get people to participate, think about the prayer, maybe take one home,” he said.

He added that he hopes people who have rosaries at home and have not prayed with them in a while are inspired to pray it

more after helping make them for others.

The Reviers order beads and supplies in bulk and sort them into kits. A few times a year, they invite the parish to help string and tie them after Mass.

Some people also take kits home throughout the year and bring completed rosaries back.

The activity brings together a wide range of people. “We have little kids that can’t really make a rosary, but they sure try,” said Deacon Revier. He said there are also older people who help.

“You can tell with their arthritis, they’re struggling to put every bead on, but they still keep doing it.”

One of the great things coming out of this ministry is the conversations that people have while working together, said Deacon Revier. People often share stories about their faith lives and about what the rosary means to them.

Once 200 rosaries are made, they are blessed and sent to Ghana.

The impact has also been felt within the Diocese of Crookston. The Reviers have taken rosary kits to youth rallies and a few confirmation classes.

Jean said she grew up praying the rosary with her family every week, but many of the youth she meets are not as familiar with it. “When you’re teaching them where the rosary came from and they make it themselves … they get all enthused about it,” she said.

At the Middle School Youth Rally in Ada this spring, Jean was showing some of the students how to make rosaries and assumed everyone knew the structure of the rosary. She noticed one girl used too many beads, and apologized for not explaining it to her.

“She was very fascinated with learning about the rosary,” Jean said. “I don’t know if she was Catholic … but she wanted to know about it.”

The Reviers are thankful for the opportunities they have to serve the Church locally and abroad.

Jean said, “You just do what you do … I don’t go, ‘Oh, I’m going to go evangelize today.’ I just say, ‘Oh, let’s make some rosaries.’”

Krause.

Ubel passed away at the age of 91 on July 20 after a long illness.

Using yarn, needles and a threading tool, Krause estimates that his grandmother handed out thousands of the crosses.

He said her hobby earned her the nickname “Cross Lady.”

“People tell me that the crosses remind them that someone is always thinking about them,” Ubel told him. “I guess they kind of give them hope.”

The project started as Christmas decorations she made in the 1970s. Then, people began asking her for crosses to give family members receiving sacraments and as holiday gifts.

“I never dreamed that I would still be making them,” Ubel said.

According to Krause, Ubel’s faith was at the center of her life. He said she prayed the rosary daily and saw her cross making as a form of prayer.

“The more crosses that I can give to people, the more people see a symbol of Christ’s love, and that gives me hope,” she told Krause.

Krause said she gave bags of crosses to her grandchildren whenever they travelled.

He is a teacher at Lake of the Woods High School and sometimes takes students on trips overseas. He has distributed his grandmother’s crosses in Ephesus, Rome, Athens, England, France and Spain.

“In each place, we’ve found a person that needed a reminder that my grandma is constantly praying for them and all people,” Krause said.

While Father Don Braukmann was pastor at Sacred Heart, Baudette, Ubel frequently asked him if he knew anyone who needed a cross. After he moved to St. Philip’s, Bemidji, in 2011, she continued sending him crosses to share with those he visited in nursing homes and other places.

Ubel spent the last few months of her life in the hospital.

“Creating her crosses has become very hard for her,” said Krause a few days before she died.

Friends and family who came to visit started making crosses with her. According to Krause she had a pile of them next to her hospital bed.

“She is a beautiful witness to the suffering of Christ in the

THE ‘CROSS LADY’ During her lifetime, Lenora Ubel of Sacred Heart, Baudette, made it her mission to provide a cross to everyone who desired one, said her grandson Don EVANGELIZATION: Continued on Page 10

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Logs of Legacy campaign to replace historic fort’s chapel

By Brad Jacobs Fort St. Charles Board Member and Trustee

As you may or may not know, Fort St. Charles has been an ongoing responsibility of the 4th Degree Minnesota Knights of Columbus since 1950. Over the decades, there has been a tremendous amount of time, money and energy spent on restoring and maintaining this critical historic site.

According to the Fort St. Charles website, the fort is located at the top of the Northwest Angle in Angle Inlet of Lake of the Woods, Minnesota.

The website states: “Fort St. Charles was the longest occupied French post in Minnesota.”

The fort itself is a historic site where Jesuit Missionaries were attacked and ultimately beheaded by Native Americans in the area in 1736. The restored Fort St. Charles is in-

A fundraising campaign to replace the cement log chapel at Fort St. Charles is underway. (Photo credit: fortstcharles.com)

cluded on the National Register of Historic Places, and is considered one of the most important historical sites in Minnesota, according to the Fort St. Charles website.

Currently, the board members, as well as other KC volunteers, travel to the fort every spring and fall to care for and

maintain the three cabins and the fort building itself. The big project for spring 2015 was repairing and relocating a dock by Cabin One for ease of access by clergy and guests. Several dead trees were removed and cut up. Others worked on the usual cleanup of the cabins inside and out and light repairs.

This fall, the work crew will continue dock improvements and work on the planning process for chapel demolition and reconstruction, as well as some signage updates, additional tree removal, and other projects.

The cabins located at Fort St. Charles are maintained for the use of any Catholic clergy and their families throughout the summer free of charge. They are also used for lodging by the workers in the spring and fall.

We are currently soliciting funds for our Logs of Legacy campaign for the specific cause of replacing the fort chapel. It is the centerpiece of the fort, and it is in deplorable condition and in desperate need of replacement. It was built using concrete logs in the early 1950s.

According to the fort’s website, the logs are cracking and the foundation is sinking. The concrete logs are not repairable, which leaves replacement

as the only viable option. We relish the day we can once again safely use it for Mass.

We are asking all knights, councils, and assemblies in the state for any support they could give to this worthwhile effort.

The cost of replacement is going to be about $80,000.

Fort St. Charles is a registered 501(c)(3) entity and donations are fully tax deductible.

Donations can be sent to: Fort St. Charles Capital Campaign, Attn: Harry Dahlin, Treasurer, 33434 Country Loop, Wadena, MN 56482 For more information about the Logs of Legacy program and the history and significance of Fort St. Charles, visit: fortstcharles.com.

Editor’s note: This article, printed in the July issue of Knightly News, was reprinted with their permission.

Portions of the original article were augmented with information from the Fort St. Charles website.

Sisters of St. Joseph will Catholic Daughters participate in celebrate golden jubilees cancer walk, host salad luncheon

Sister Ruthann Scherer and Sister Barb Kaufmann will celebrate their Golden Jubilee of Vows as Sisters of St. Joseph on August 16 at the 9 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner will preside.

Sister Barb is from Minneapolis, Minn., and Sister Ruthann is from Centerville, Minn.

Both entered the Sisters of St. Joseph in Crookston in 1962, making their First Profession of Vows in 1965. Sister Ruthann has served in the health care ministry in Crookston and

for the Sisters of St. Joseph for more than 40 years. Sister Barb, who formerly taught at the Cathedral Grade School in Crookston, also worked with special need students in the St. Paul Public School System, and later served as chaplain at Cerenity Marian Care Center in St. Paul. She currently lives in Oakbrook, Ill. Following Mass, a reception and brunch will be held in the Cathedral Dining Room for all gathered to celebrate with the jubilarians.

Catholic Daughters of the Americas Holy Rosary Court #1916 walked at the Relay for Life event in Detroit Lakes, Minn. They formed a team and raised over $3,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Back row: Eileen Bolstad, Cynthia Wirth, Maureen Karsnia, Stephanie Tharaldson, Carol Tharaldson, and Linda Schons. Front row: Leatrice Wirtz, Jo Hinderks and Mary Buschette. (Submitted photo)

On June 5, the Holy Rosary Court # 1916 in Detroit Lakes held their annual spring salad luncheon.

Members made over 40 different salads. Nearly 300 people were served. Pat Toentjes, Mary Schaleben and Becky King helped serve. (Submitted photo)

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AROUND THE DIOCESE

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

St. Anne’s celebrates St. Kateri with Mass On July 19, five days after the feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Anne’s, Nay Tah Waush celebrated the saint at a special Mass. Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner and Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father John Cox, Pastor of St. Anne’s, concelebrated.

St. Kateri died in 1680 at a mission in Caughnawaga, Quebec. She became the first Native American saint when she was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

The Mass celebrating St. Kateri included elements of Native American Culture in the music and other ways. The congregation prayed the Prayer in the Four Directions before Mass began. During the Penitential Act, a traditional smudging, or cleansing rite was performed.

As part of the Prayers of the Faithful, members of the congregation came forward to offer their own intentions by

Merlon Londo plays a traditional Native American instrument as part of the celebration of St. Kateri Tekakwitha at St. Anne’s, Nay Tah Waush, on July 19. (Submitted photo)

placing tobacco in a basket.

The tobacco was burned following Mass, signifying the rising of the prayers to God.

Bishop Michael J. Hoeppner speaks to the congregation gathered at St. Anne’s, Nay Tah Waush, for Mass to celebrate the Feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha on July 19. Oblate of Mary Immaculate Father John Cox, Pastor of St. Anne’s also concelebrated. (Submitted photo)

Halstad group learns more about Processing with Christ Catholic faith throuh online class Over the course of five weeks, Father Joe DeCrans and four parishioners from Holy Family, Halstad, participated in an online class “Living Catholic” from My Catholic Faith Delivered. The classes were offered by the Diocese of Crookston’s School of the New Evangelization. Through internet-based classes, they participated in activities including prayer, reflection questions, readings, quizzes, and videos. Throughout the course, the group reflected upon the four pillars of the Catholic faith. These included creed, liturgy and sacrament, life in Christ and prayer.

This opportunity will be offered to other mission parishes Members of the class, Margaret Ueland, Kathy Shulstad, and Gary around the diocese in the fu- Shulstad, take a photo after their final session. Class members not pictured: Joan Harrington and Father Joe DeCrans. (Submitted photo) ture.

St. Peter the Apostle in Park Rapids held a Corpus Christi procession after Mass on June 7. They processed around the block of the parish and brought Jesus to the world with the assistance of the Knights of Columbus and Deacon John Zinniel. The procession was a great follow-up to the previous week’s Vacation Bible School which placed emphasis on Jesus in the Eucharist. (Submitted photo)

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Panel will discuss recent encyclical’s themes, application The Minnesota Catholic Conference and Catholic Rural Life will host a panel discusion of Pope Francis’ recent encyclical. The event, called “Natural and Human Ecology: A Panel Discussion on ‘Laudato Si,’” will take place Sept. 9, from 9 – 11:30 a.m., at the Anderson Student Center, Woulfe Alumni Hall, located on the campus of the University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul, Minn.

The encyclical “Laudato Si,” released earlier this summer, continues to be a hot topic of discussion This is the cover of the English edition of for Catholics and non- Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Catholics alike. Join “Laudato Si”. (CNS photo/courtesy U.S. the Catholic bishops Conference of Catholic Bishops) of Minnesota to delve into some of the encyclical’s themes and to consider ways in which Minnesota Catholics can put them into practice within our families, parishes, and broader communities. The event is free. Please RSVP at mcc-laudato-si.eventbrite.com. A response is requested for seating, but is not required to attend. Light refreshments will be available. Visit www.mncc.org/ and click on “Events,” or call 651-227-8777 for more information.

NOW HIRING: DIRECTOR OF LITURGY The Diocese of Crookston and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Crookston are seeking a full-time Director of Liturgy. Time will be split between the diocese and the parish. There are a number of celebrations that coincide with both entities.

We are seeking a candidate with a masters in liturgy and a few years of experience. We seek someone who appreciates the rich history and tradition of Catholic liturgies. The qualifying candidate needs to be a practicing Catholic who has the desire to assist the Christian faithful in full, active, conscious and fruitful participation in the sacred liturgy. Music and keyboard background preferred.

Send resume and references to: Jim Clauson, Diocese of Crookston, P.O. Box 610, Crookston, MN 56716 or email: jclauson@crookston.org.

Interviews begin September 1.

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Parishes send representatives to St. John Bosco conference

With the aid of funds from the Catholic Community Foundation’s Faith for Tomorrow grant, members of the Diocese of Crookston attended the St. John Bosco Conference from July 13-16. The annual conference held at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, provides formation for people involved with catechesis and the New Evangelization. Back row: Msgr. Tim McGee, Brady Borslein and Deacon Gary Hager of Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes. Middle row: Carol Foltz and Barbara Schmidt of Holy Rosary, Detroit Lakes and Becky Erdmann, Sacred Heart, Roseau.

Front row: Terry Steen, St. Joseph’s, Ada and Amanda McNamee and Theresa Zettel, both from St. Michael’s, Mahnomen. (Submitted photo)

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Consulate on Wheels to stop at St. Francis de Sales El Consulado Mexicano sobre ruedas va a estar dando servicios en la Parroquia de St. Francis de Sales (601 15th Ave. North, Moorhead, Minn.) el Sábado 29 de Agosto, de 8 am a 1 pm. Puedes venir y aplicar para pasaporte, matrícula consular y otros documentos.

Llama para hacer una cita al 1-877-639-4835. Si tienes preguntas llama al 701-212-2420.

The Mexican Consulate on wheels will be providing services in the parish of St. Francis de Sales, at 601 15th Ave. North, Moorhead, Minn., on August 29, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can apply for a passport, Mexican Identification or other documents.

Call 1-877-639-4835 for an appointment. If you have any questions, please call 701-2122420.

Catechist training to be offered in deaneries This fall, the Office of the New Evangelization is offering a training session for all K-12 catechists. The “Catechists’ Best Practices” training session will be repeated in each deanery to offer a variety of dates and locations allowing people to participate on a day convenient for them. These sessions are being offered in anticipation of the upcoming teaching year to affirm foundational ministry principles and encourage the remarkable work of catechists throughout the Diocese of Crookston.

These sessions will be held on the following five consecutive Wednesdays:

• August 26, 7-8:30 p.m., Sacred Heart, East Grand Forks • Sept. 2, 7-8:30 p.m., St. Clement’s, Grygla • Sept. 9, 6:30-8 p.m., St. Philip’s, Bemidji • Sept. 16, 6:30-8 p.m., St. Michael’s, Mahnomen • Sept. 23, 6:30-8 p.m., St. Joseph’s, Moorhead For more information, contact Mark Hollcraft, Associate Director of the Office of the New Evangelization and Coordinator of Catechesis and Youth Ministry, at 218-281-4533, ext. 435.

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EVANGELIZATION: Continued from Page 6 way she has united her life to his cross,” said Father Braukmann.

SHARING CHRIST IN UNEXPECTED WAYS The Peppel family is familiar with evangelization. Michelle Peppel has worked with youth for many years, most recently serving as Director of Religious Education at Blessed Sacrament, Greenbush. Her husband, Greg, frequently helps chaperone trips, and they, and their six children are very involved in ministries at the parish.

“Knowing their family, their love for the church … they draw people in,” said Becky Dostal, a fellow parishioner.

“They’re excited about the faith and they make other people excited about it.”

John Wilebski, now studying at Northland Community and Technical College, was one of Michelle’s students. “Since I met the family, they’ve helped me grow closer to the Church,” he said.

“They’re a great example … of the faith by the things they do, by how they act and how they raise their family,” Wilebski said. He added that he learned a lot about the Catholic faith and life in general from the Peppels. “To see a husband and wife show love for each other and show the love they have for the Church, seeing the two of them living the faith together is something special.”

The Peppels have recently been called to evangelize in new and often difficult ways. On April 15, Greg, Michelle and their son, Jack, were involved in a serious car accident that they are still recovering from. The three spent a number of days in the hospital and have been through multiple surgeries.

Greg has been able to return to work and Jack was approved to play some baseball, but Michelle still has a long road

Michelle Peppel, Director of Religious Education at Blessed Sacrament, Greenbush, receives a hug after entering the church during the benefit held for the Peppel family on July 15 to help with expenses following their car accident on April 15. (Photo credit: Katrina Genereux/OND)

ahead. Her wrist is healing, but her leg is not. She is confined to a wheel chair because she cannot bear weight on her foot and her wrist is not healed enough to use crutches.

A priest told Michelle that God gives the most struggles to the ones he loves the most.

“I guess I’m feeling very loved right now,” she said.

The last few months have brought new opportunities for them to share the faith and be humbled as they rely on others to serve them.

Greg said that after the accident, everyone wanted to know about what happened and how the family was doing. A lot of times answering those questions led to discussions about God. “The beauty of it was it was so easy to tell them the miracle it really was, you know, all of us surviving,” he said. “Anytime there’s an accident like that, it seems the conversation evolves to one’s eternal destiny. … It was especially easy to have those types of conversations

with people. It would come up in almost every conversation somehow.”

“I don’t think there was any change in our eternal perspective,” said Greg. He said the accident did not serve as a wakeup call for the family. “It was more like now we both have a cross to bear, and that’s what we try to get across to the kids as well. It’s just the challenges we’ve been given.”

“We probably have been blessed more through this than we’ve been harmed in a lot of respects,” he added.

After they came home from the hospital, Michelle spoke to all the religious education students at the parish. She told them, “I felt like God had his arms wrapped around us the whole time … because I felt so safe and OK and comforted.”

Sarah Novacek serves the youth at Blessed Sacrament, and was present when Michelle shared her testimony with the high school students. “She gave her testimony about the accident to all our teens. It was

great for them to hear about the power of wearing a seat belt and God’s grace. It brought many of them to tears.” Novacek helped plan the benefit held for the Peppel family.

The Peppels have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support in the form of prayer, food, and monetary donations.

“I don’t know how we deserve all of this,” said Michelle.

“That’s probably the hardest thing. ... We’re just so used to doing and serving others. The outpouring and doing and serving us has been so extreme … I’ve had little breakdowns around town – at the bank, at the church.”

“It’s more so a validation, in a lot of respects, for the children and for ourselves of the kindness of God working through others,” said Greg. “In the outpouring we have seen, as well as the kids seeing, that … other people are using their gifts … to give back to us.”

Greg said it is amazing how many times people tell them they are being prayed for. He was at the eye clinic in Thief River Falls, and was surprised someone there mentioned they were praying for the family. He also said that a woman from Roseau told him that she fasted for six days for them. He said he was stunned and impressed by her witness of sacrifice.

The Greenbush community hosted a benefit for the Peppel family on July 15 with a meal, silent auction, bake sale and kids’ games. It was planned by people from all three churches in Greenbush.

“Putting together this benefit with the support and outreach

from the community has been wonderful,” said Dostal. She and Novacek were part of the planning committee.

Dostal said that all of the support for the benefit – from donated auction items and baked goods, to volunteered time – shows how God works through people and how many people have been impacted by the Peppel family.

“I think anytime when you can give back to other people, it enlivens your faith,” said Tia Hietala, a co-coordinator of the benefit. She and her daughters, Tiana and Jaden Watson, ran the silent auction table during the benefit. “Supporting each other brings more out of faith,” said Hietala. “There is faith out there; our community has been known for supporting each other.”

“It’s what you do,” said Carol Novacek. “A small community is there to support each other … that’s why people choose to live in this type of community.”

Novacek worked at the bake sale during the benefit.

Sheila Forst knows the Peppel family well. She helped run the kids’ games at the benefit. “I’ve had health issues in the past,” she said. “This is a chance to pay it forward. We are blessed to live in this community where we all come together.” She said the Peppels have helped her a lot during her journey.

“Not only is the community coming together, but the Peppels are able to see how much they are appreciated,” said Wilebski. “They’re able to realize how much they bring to the community.”

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Kindergarten teacher’s vocation to single life bears much fruit through spiritual motherhood

By Sam Patet The Prairie Catholic

CATECHESIS ON THE FAMILY:

MARSHALL, MINN. – Paula Dud-

geon knows she made the right decision at age 29. After spending nine years with the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary of Waukesha, Wis., she discerned that God wasn’t calling her to spend her life as a religious sister. Instead, she thought he wanted her to get married and have a family.

Twenty-two years later, things haven’t panned out the way she thought.

“When I left the community, I didn’t expect that 20 years later I would still be single,” she said. “But I have to believe it was part of God’s plan.”

Dudgeon, 51, is a kindergarten teacher at Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Marshall, a position she’s held for 18 years.

She also teaches the Creighton Model Fertility Care System of natural family planning (NFP) to married couples.

Dudgeon admits that her life is different from her married friends and family members: Every day she has to cook her own meals, she can’t ask her husband to do the laundry if she doesn’t feel like it, and her apartment is empty when she arrives home after a long day at work.

But at its core, her life is exactly the same as theirs.

“We all become part of God’s family at Baptism,” she said.

“We are children of God, and what greater joy can there be than that?”

Indeed, Dudgeon’s life is full of joy, despite not having a husband and biological children.

“She’s always in a joyful, upbeat mood,” said Nicole Dudgeon, 20, one of Paula’s nine nieces and nephews. “She’s always just been wonderful to all of us nieces and nephews.”

“She never runs out,” said Connie Lanoue, Paula’s youngest sister. “I see her in a classroom of 25 kids, and she just never runs out.”

Dudgeon’s love isn’t sterile.

It’s fruitful, just like a mother’s love is fruitful through her children.

“A mother is recognized by her ability to give herself,” Dudgeon said, quoting St. John Paul II. “Having an individual who cares about someone – whether it’s listening to their woes or whether it’s being their friend in a difficult time or whether it’s

ALL LOVE BEARS FRUIT

By Sr. Candace Fier

Kindergarten teacher Paula Dudgeon poses for a photo in her classroom at Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Marshall. Despite not having a husband or biological children, she still considers herself a mother to lots of people – children and adults – with whom she interacts on a daily basis. (Photo credit: Sam Patet/The Prairie Catholic)

WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES SERIES: Our Northland Diocese is running a series of articles, in conjuction with publications from all Minnesota dioceses, highlighting the themes of the catechesis document: Love is our MIssion, and profiling families throughout the state.

To learn more, visit: www. worldmeeting2015.org/about-the-event/ catechesis/

helping an elderly person with some of their needs – I think those are important parts of mothering … and they come from a gift of self.”

And Dudgeon does just that in a variety of ways, from helping a 5-year-old student tie his shoe to babysitting a niece or nephew when daycare isn’t available.

“For everyone that she comes into contact with … it’s instinctive for her to want to guide and help,” Lanoue said. “It’s just who she is to be in that role, whether it’s as a sister or as an aunt or as a teacher.”

Dudgeon knows that her way of life isn’t the only way to love.

Priests, religious, husbands, and wives are all called to make a gift of themselves to others.

“According to my state in life, I am able to give myself to him [God].” Dudgeon pointed out that whether it’s in a marriage in an intimate, physical relationship or whether it’s as a priest

through the vows, everyone is called to give of themselves In fact, she continued, these different vocations complement one another. When she encounters a couple that’s been married for 50 years, she’s inspired to live out her vocation with continued devotion.

And when a couple she’s teaching is wondering whether they can remain abstinent while using NFP, all they have to do is look at her life for an answer.

“I think that creates a common bond there, that creates a similarity in the choices that we’re asked to make and in our selfgiving,” Dudgeon said.

Does Dudgeon secretly wish her very own St. Joseph would show up and sweep her off her feet? Yes. But in the end, it doesn’t matter to her. She knows God loves her and will continue to help her give herself to others as a single person.

Her love will continue to bear fruit.

God, in his plan of love and wisdom, created man and woman for communion. As human beings, we find our fulfillment in giving and receiving love.

Love is realized and shared in many forms throughout our stages of growth, from childhood to adulthood. All forms of love – childlike, marital, motherly, fatherly – are both unique and interdependent. An organic and healthy growth of love in one stage of life safeguards and perfects the future growth of love. Love is the fundamental and innate vocation of each of our lives.

Living out this message takes practical form through our vocation. Like Mary, we want to live our lives in active readiness while discerning God’s will for our vocations. Within our vocations, whether to the married life or the state of virginity, God unfolds the fullness of love through lives formed in the virtue of chastity.

The virtue of chastity is a means and expression of our holiness, our relationship to God and our desire to be totally one with God in pure and eternal faithfulness.

It is a fullness of good, a fullness that allows us to give ourselves – our total person – to God with joy.

Chastity unfolds and sustains the God-willed interrelatedness of love and life within us. Each of us, by our very nature, has the need and the capacity to nurture life, if not through giving birth to or raising children, then through other forms of self-giving service.

It is the interior offering of self to the Lord that is the common core and source of strength for a vocation.

The celibate vocation should be the sign and ransom for the faithfulness of married couples and vice versa.

The two vocations mutually enrich each other and both are needed to build up the family of God. Married couples contribute to this family of God by giving themselves to each other with a Christ-like love that joins them as one and makes their love fruitful in the bringing forth of new life. As parents they are to be witnesses to their children of Jesus’ love on the cross.

The contribution of the celibate vocation brought by priests, vowed religious and all those who are living chastely outside of marriage is the love of spiritual motherhood or fatherhood as expressed by mercy, generosity and service. It is characterized by a freedom for certain types of service, friendship and community.

They have gifts of time, prayer, and contemplation that parents often do not have. When a person loves chastely outside of marriage, the result is friendship.

Friendship is good for all, for it leads to spiritual communion. This is the special contribution of the celibate vocation to building up the family of God. Suggested Family Activity Pray together as a family that each child will hear the call to the vocation God has chosen for them.

Sister Candace Fier is the director of the Office of Family Life for the Diocese of New Ulm.

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COMMENTARY

WORD to LIFE August 16

TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Proverbs 9:1-6 Gospel: John 6:51-58

Psalm 34:2-7

Ephesians 5:15-20

By Catholic News Service A friend of mine once told me he didn’t believe that the bread and wine of holy Communion are really the body and blood of Jesus. He said the difficulty for him ultimately was that he could not get past how the bread and wine still taste like bread and wine after the prayers of consecration.

I didn’t know how to respond. Luckily, I was studying for my master’s degree in theology at the time, so I took this question to my professors.

What I learned is this: Everything that exists can be thought of in two ways.

First, there’s “substance” or that of which something is made. Second are the “accidents,” a philosophical term meaning the look, feel, taste and texture of something.

For example, the “substance” of a Hershey bar is sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, soy lecithin, vanilla and some artificial flavors. (I looked it up.) The “accidents” are smooth, creamy, sweet, chocolaty, wonderful and mouthwatering.

If the Eucharist were in the form of a Hershey bar, during the eucharistic prayer the substance of the bar would change from sugar, cocoa butter, etc., to the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. But the accidents (smooth, creamy, sweet, chocolaty …) would remain the same. So even though it still tastes like chocolate, it is actually Jesus. The same is true for the bread and wine.

We’re so used to a world in which “what you see is what you get” that it is often hard to come to terms with the mystery of the Eucharist. It was no dif-

OUR NORTHLAND DIOCESE

FOR FAITH-SHARING GROUPS

August 23

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b Ephesians 5:21-32 or Ephesians 5:2a, 25-32

Psalm: 34:2-3, 16-21 Gospel: John 6:60-69

By Catholic News Service

ferent in the time of Jesus, as we see in this week’s Gospel.

But Jesus makes a bold statement when he says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”

Then, in case anyone thought he was speaking metaphorically, he adds, “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”

Jesus loves us so much that he gave us his body, blood, soul and divinity so that we could connect with him on an intimate level and receive strength from this connection.

Thus, every time you receive the Eucharist, what you see is not what you get.

What you see is a little round wafer of bread and common wine. What you get is Jesus!

Questions: How has your belief in the Eucharist grown over time?

How would you explain the Eucharist to a non-Catholic?

“FOR MY FLESH IS TRUE FOOD, AND MY BLOOD IS TRUE DRINK.” — JOHN 6:55

St. Augustine, fifth-century bishop and writer of the “Confessions,” is often quoted as saying to God, “Our heart is restless until it rests in you.” St. Augustine knew himself – and the condition of the human heart – very well.

In spiritual life, as in most things, we often are attracted by novelty. Like the tribes of Israel who were drawn to the spiritual practices of their Canaanite neighbors, we get easily distracted and forget the great works that God has done for us.

Joshua understands this and brings the tribes at Shechem to a moment of clarity. Given the options of serving the gods of the Amorites, the former gods of their ancestors or the God who delivered them from Egypt, Joshua makes them choose – today – whom they will serve.

Jesus has given his followers a difficult choice as well – a “hard saying.” Having stated that he is the “living bread that came down from heaven,” Jesus knew that his disciples would be forced to either accept or reject him, and the results would be mixed. The moment of decision brought an end to the novelty that attracted them to Jesus in the first place.

In fact, the Gospel tells us that “many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.”

Similarly, St. Paul’s teaching to the Ephesians on marriage offers a challenging choice for our age. “Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.” This is hardly the counsel heard amid the cacophony of designer gown

boutiques, honeymoon resorts, glossy magazines and reality TV shows through which the wedding industry provides a steady stream of novelties designed to make marriage look exciting and new.

When the novelty of the wedding is gone, what happens to the marriage?

In our search for fulfillment, we are constantly met with an entire menu of options, and many of them satisfy – for a little while. St. Augustine knew this as well, having tasted all of the novelties and attractions that life had to offer him.

But the psalmist invites us to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

What many dismiss as old-fashioned, tedious or unexciting brings us to abundant life. Like St. Augustine, we experience the Lord as “beauty ever ancient, ever new!”

Questions: What novelties or distractions in your life have dulled your taste for the goodness of the Lord?

How can you choose to allow the Lord to fulfill the restlessness of your heart?

“DECIDE TODAY WHOM YOU WILL SERVE. … AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSEHOLD, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.” — JOSHUA 24:15

Fall Dinners are now listed online!

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Cardinal urges nation’s senators to back measure to defund Planned Parenthood

By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON – The head of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee Aug. 3 urged U.S. senators to take the federal money that goes to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and instead fund women’s health care providers that do not promote abortion.

“It has long been troubling to many Americans that the nation’s largest abortion network, performing over a third of all abortions, receives over half a billion taxpayer dollars a year,” said Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley.

“This concern has rightly grown in recent years,” he wrote in a letter to the senators.

The cardinal, who is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, urged senators to support S. 1881, a measure that would defund Planned Parenthood and its affiliates.

Later that day, the Senate voted 53-46 to stop efforts Republicans said Democrats were using to delay and ultimately kill S. 1881. According to an AP story, 60 votes were needed to enable the defunding measure to move forward.

The Senate action came just days before Congress was to begin its August recess. AP said the House is expected to vote on a similar measure when Congress returns.

Cardinal O’Malley’s letter followed the release in mid-July

Protesters carry signs and an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in Vista, Calif., Aug. 3. Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, head of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee, urged U.S. senators to take the federal money that goes to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and instead fund women’s health care providers that do not promote abortion. (Photo credit: CNS photo/ Mike Blake, Reuters)

of videos of the organization’s officials filmed undercover by a nonprofit California-based organization called the Center for Medical Progress.

“The most recent revelations about Planned Parenthood’s willingness to traffic in fetal tissue from abortions, and to alter abortion methods not for any reason related to women’s health but to obtain more ‘intact’ organs, is the latest demonstration of a callousness toward

women and their unborn children that is shocking to many Americans,” he said.

In two of the videos, top Planned Parenthood physicians describe how abortions are carried out to best salvage fetal tissue and organs for researchers and described a range of prices paid for different body parts.

A third video was of an interview with a technician talking about harvesting fetal body parts and included graphic footage.

A fourth video has now been released. A temporary restraining order issued by the Los Angeles Superior Court prohibits the Center for Medical Progress from releasing any video footage of interviews of officials from StemExpress, a Californiabased company that provides organs and tissue to researchers.

Planned Parenthood receives more than $500 million of its $1.3 billion annual budget from federal and state programs. According to 2013 data, the latest available, Planned Parenthood says abortions represent 3 percent of the total services its facilities provide, which include dispensing birth control and doing some women’s health screenings.

In addition to Republicans in the House and Senate pushing

for an end to federal funding of Planned Parenthood, several states have launched investigations into the organization.

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement that “allegations that Planned Parenthood profits in any way from tissue donation is not true.” She later apologized for “the tone” the physicians used in describing abortion procedures and also argued the videos had been heavily edited to distort the truth.

In his letter, Cardinal O’Malley added: “The Catholic Church comes to this issue from a perspective rooted in experience. Catholic charitable agencies and pregnancy help centers have helped countless pregnant women find life-affirming alternatives to abortion.”

Other Catholic leaders across the country have called for defunding Planned Parenthood.

In a July 31 statement, the Catholic bishops of Colorado set Aug. 28 aside as “a day of prayer and penance in response to Planned Parenthood’s horrific actions and all those involved in the procurement and use of aborted baby organs.”

“We call on all people of good will in Colorado and beyond to pray that those involved

in research and medicine will fix their sights on recognizing the sacredness of life and refrain from putting human life at the service of science,” they said.

“A society can only be considered socially just if it protects the most vulnerable among us.”

The bishops also noted that Colorado State University in Fort Collins was one of the entities that has used a procurement company to purchase fetal organs harvested during abortions.

Priests for Life announced Aug. 4 that a coalition of religious and pro-life groups plan to lead a “Week of Prayer to End the Evils of Planned Parenthood” Aug. 22-29. Several suggested prayers for the week have been posted at www.

PrayerCampaign.org.

Ohio state Rep. Bill Patmon is among local lawmakers calling for defunding of Planned Parenthood. At the Ohio Statehouse July 29, a crowd cheered as the Cleveland Democrat said he would introduce a measure to strip state funds from the organization.

As an African-American, he also had sharp criticism for the Black Lives Matter movement, organized to protest what its leaders say are racist police tactics that target black Americans.

He expressed his outrage at the number of unborn black babies killed by abortion, compared to other races and labeled Black Lives Matter as hypocritical, saying the group needs to hold protests in front of Planned Parenthood facilities.

“What business is it of yours, Mr. Patmon, that 56 million unborn [are aborted],” he asked rhetorically. “It is my business, especially when 17 million of them are black women. 17 million – more than any other population [group] – 17 million that look and act and talk and are similar to myself. But even more than that, they’re Americans and they’re human beings!”

He also was critical of the term “African-American.”

“I’m an American. I’m American. The Constitution applies to me. The Declaration applies to me. I don’t need any adjectives, just get out of my way. No need for any adjectives,” he said.

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Knights of Columbus convention opens; focus on ‘Life and Liberty’

By Lou Baldwin Catholic News Service PHILADELPHIA – Approximately 2,000 members of the Knights of Columbus from around the country and abroad gathered Aug. 4 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia to open the Catholic fraternal organization’s 133rd Supreme Convention.

The theme for the three-day convention was “Endowed by Their Creator with Life and Liberty,” paraphrasing the famous words penned by Thomas Jefferson in the same city 239 years ago.

The choice of words also played into a theme that was echoed over the course of the convention – a new initiative of the Knights to raise awareness and funds for persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

The convention opened with due pomp and circumstance, including a procession by more a hundred prelates – 11 cardinals, 98 archbishops and bishops – and another hundred or so priests. They concelebrated Mass with Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.

Because Philadelphia’s Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul was not large enough for the congregation, the Knights did the next best thing: put up a backdrop behind the altar in the convention hall that depicted the facade of the cathedral, incor-

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia celebrates Mass Aug. 4 at the Knights of Columbus 133rd Supreme Convention in Philadelphia. (Photo credit: CNS/Matthew Barrick, Knights of Columbus)

porating in its center an image of the Holy Family. That touch was appropriate because “family” could be called a secondary theme of the convention.

This was very clear in the homily given by Archbishop Chaput, who used the opportunity to promote the upcoming World Meeting of Families, that will be held in that same convention center Sept. 22-25, followed by the visit of Pope Francis Sept.

26-27.

“It’s a joy to welcome you here to Philadelphia for this first chapter in the World Meeting of Families,” he quipped.

The chosen readings for the Mass – from Chapter 12 of the Book of Numbers and from Chapter 14 of the Gospel of St. Matthew – both refer to the family, Archbishop Chaput explained.

The first, which speaks of the jealousy of Miriam and Aaron toward Moses, focuses on the failings of the human family.

The Gospel reading about how Peter’s doubt almost made him sink when he tried to walk on water toward Jesus, applies to the church as family.

“We are called to love and serve one another and to see the

gifts and talents of our family members as gifts from God that can enrich us all,” the archbishop commented on the first reading.

As for the Gospel, he compared the reading to the boat of Peter when Christ calmed the storm. “We can be confident and comforted that Jesus will not abandon his church,” the archbishop said.

After the Mass, Archbishop Chaput inaugurated this year’s Holy Family Prayer Program with the distribution of framed images of the Holy Family, which the Knights’ state deputies will take home to their ju-

risdictions to be used at prayer liturgies.

The program began in 1979, he explained, and since that time, 17 million people have participated in more than 147,000 prayer services.

The framed images, which were blessed by Pope Francis, depict the same image as the altar backdrop. They are copies of a 17th-century etching

by Giovanni Batista based on a 16th-century painting.

While most lay conventiongoers were clearly senior members of their local branches of the Knights, with many accompanied by their spouse, there were a number of younger members who gave credence to the Knights as a family organization.

Maj. Peter Thayer from Fort Bragg, North Carolina wore his Army paratooper dress uniform the Mass. He and his wife, Melinda, brought their six children, ages 10 to 18 months – Kathryn, Reese, Emily, Evelyn, Kyra and Kilian, the youngest – to the convention.

Thayer was invited to the convention to serve in an honor guard, he explained. When asked why he is a Knight of Columbus, he said “I initially joined for the insurance, but the fraternity really drew me in and I’ve been involved ever since.”

Baldwin writes for CatholicPhilly. com, the news website of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

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Divorced, remarried need encouragement, pope says

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY – Catholics who have divorced and are civilly remarried “are not, in fact, excommunicated – they are not excommunicated – and they absolutely must not be treated as if they were,” Pope Francis said.

Resuming his Wednesday general audiences Aug. 5 after a month’s break, Pope Francis returned to the series of talks he has been giving about the family. It was the 100th general audience of his papacy.

At his last audience, June 24, he talked about the damage caused especially to children when couples fight and hurt each other.

“Today,” he said, “I want to draw our attention to another reality: how to care for those who, after the irreversible failure of the matrimonial bond, have undertaken a new union.”

Without an annulment of the sacramental marriage, “such a situation contradicts the Christian sacrament,” which is meant

to be an indissoluble bond, the pope said.

According to church teaching, in most cases such couples are not permitted to receive Communion. But bishops at the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family last October and preparing for the general synod Oct. 4-25 have been studying and debating possibilities for allowing some couples in some situations to return to the sacraments.

The church, Pope Francis said at the audience, must have “the heart of a mother, a heart that, animated by the Holy Spirit, always seeks the good and the salvation of persons.”

The children of such couples suffer most and deserve particular care, the pope said.

“How can we tell these parents to do everything possible to raise their children in the Christian life, giving them the example of a convinced and lived faith, if we keep them at a distance from the life of the community as if they were excommunicated?”

Pope Francis greets a child as he arrives to lead his weekly general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Aug. 5. (Photo credit: CNS photo/Giampiero Sposito, Reuters)

the pope asked.

Particularly over the past few decades, he said, “the church has not been insensitive or lazy” when it comes to providing pastoral care to the divorced and civilly remarried.

In his apostolic exhortation, “Familiaris Consortio,” St. John Paul II saw an “obligation, ‘for

love of the truth,’ to exercise a ‘careful discernment of situations,’” noting for example “the difference between one who has endured a separation and one who provoked it,” Pope Francis said.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI also studied the question, he said, “calling for an attentive discernment and wise pastoral accompaniment, knowing that no ‘simple recipes’ exist.”

As the studies and discernment continue, Pope Francis said, it is essential that Catholic pastors “openly and coherently demonstrate the willingness of the community to welcome and

encourage” divorced and remarried couples and their families to participate in church life.

Prayer, listening to the word of God, attending Mass, educating their children in the faith, serving the poor and working for justice and peace should be part of their lives, he said.

Quoting his apostolic exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis told those gathered for the audience, “The church is called to be the house of the Father, with doors always wide open ... Everyone can share in some way in the life of the church; everyone can be part of the community.”

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