The Courier - February 2020

The

COURIER

Ash Wednesday February 26

Bishops in Rome February 2020

Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester, MN | dowr.org

Bishops Begin 'ad limina' visit with reflection on being 'rock' of faith

MN Bishops Pen Letter on Refugee Resettlement From mncatholic.org

The following statement from Minnesota’s Catholic and Lutheran bishops originally ran in the Star Tribune’s Opinion Exchange on December 23rd ahead of Immigration Sunday & National Migration Week which were marked at the start of January.

“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

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Pope Francis greets Bishop John M. Quinn in the library of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, Jan. 13, 2020.

By CINDY WOODEN Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY, Jan. 13, 2020 (CNS) -- St. Peter's transformation from an erring disciple to the "rock" on

which Jesus built his church was not the result of lessons gleaned from a "self-help" book, but from growing ever closer to the Lord, said Bishop John M. Quinn of Rome, cont'd on pg. 18

-Matthew 25

n this holy season, as we prepare to welcome friends and family into our homes, we are given new reason to reflect on our calling to welcome the stranger. Specifically, what is our calling to welcome immigrants and refugees?

The question has taken on new urgency this year as a result of Executive Order 13888, issued on September 26, 2019.

The order requires consent from state and local governments for federal resettlement of refugees in their area. Consent must be given within 90 days — by December 25. The new order seems to unnecessarily politicize what has been a humanitarian program rooted in our nation’s long history of resettling families fleeing from

Resettlement, cont'd on pg. 17

INSIDE this issue

Welcoming Those Living with Disabilities page 6

Equipping the Family...

What Is Ad Limina? page 8

page 12

Pope Francis Watch

Articles of Interest

...Share His Good Gifts with All______________4

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Welcoming Those Living with Disabilities____6

The Courier Insider

Companions on the Journey of Faith_________7 Equipping the Family...____________________8 Catholic Schools Updates_________________10 FOCUS Conference Coverage_______________11 What Is Ad Limina?________________________12

Credit: CNA

Pope Francis Denounces 'Barbaric Resurgence' of Anti-Semitism

By COURTNEY MARES

VATICAN CITY, Jan. 20, 2020 (CNA) - Pope Francis Monday condemned the “barbaric resurgence” of cases of anti-Semitism in the world, and urged the need to respect each person’s human dignity.

“It is troubling to see, in many parts of the world, an increase in selfishness and indifference, lack of concern for others and the attitude that says life is good as long as it is good for me, and when things go wrong, anger and malice are unleashed,” Pope Francis said Jan. 20.

“This creates a fertile ground for the forms of factionalism and populism we see around us, where hatred quickly springs up,” he said.

“Even recently, we have witnessed a barbaric resurgence of cases of anti-Semitism. Once more I firmly condemn every form of anti-Semitism.”

Pope Francis met with a delegation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish human rights organization, ahead of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The pope recalled his visit to the Nazi concentration camp in Poland in 2016: “I went there to reflect and to pray in silence.

In our world, with its whirlwind of activity, we find it hard to pause, to look within and to listen in silence to the plea of suffering humanity.”

“If we lose our memory, we destroy our future. May the anniversary of the unspeakable cruelty that humanity learned of 75 years ago serve as a summons to pause, to be still and to remember. We need to do this, lest we become indifferent,” Pope Francis said.

Between 1940 and 1945, the Nazi regime murdered 1.1 million people in Auschwitz concentration camp, many killed in the gas chambers

immediately upon arrival at the camp. Six million Jews died in the Holocaust.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, headquartered in Los Angeles, is dedicated to Holocaust research and education, as well as combatting contemporary anti-Semitism. It was founded by Rabbi Marvin Hier in 1977.

Named for Holocaust-survivor and famed Nazi-hunter, Simon Wiesenthal, the center operates musuems in California and Israel, and produces educational documentary films.

“Your center, active throughout the world, seeks to combat all forms of anti-Semitism, racism and hatred towards minorities. For decades, you have maintained contacts with the Holy See, in a shared desire to make the world a better place in respect for human dignity,” Pope Francis said.

“This dignity is due to every person in equal measure, regardless of his or her ethnic origin, religion or social status. It is essential to teach tolerance, mutual understanding and freedom of religion, and the promotion of peace within society,” he said.

Pope Francis pointed to the Second Vatican Council declaration Nostra Aetate, which affirms the great spiritual patrimony shared among Christian and Jewish believers.

“I feel that we, above all, are summoned, especially today, to such service: not to take the path of distance and exclusion, but that of proximity and inclusion; not to force solutions, but to initiate ways of drawing closer together,” the pope said, calling for cooperation among Catholics and Jews in defence of the most vulnerable.

The pope said that in order to combat the root causes of anti-Semitism today “we must commit ourselves also to tilling the soil in which hatred grows and sowing peace instead.”

Anti-Semitic violence and harassment has been on the rise in Europe, particularly in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.

Pope Francis has frequently spoken out against anti-Semitism. In March 2019, he said it is important to be “vigilant” against anti-Semitic attitudes, to prevent another event like the Holocaust.

“I stress that for a Christian any form of antiSemitism is a rejection of one’s own origins, a complete contradiction,” Pope Francis said.

The Courier is the official publication of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester 55 West Sanborn, P.O. Box 588, Winona, MN 55987 Vol 111 - 2

Most Reverend John M. Quinn, Publisher Matt Willkom, Editor Nick Reller, Associate Editor Telephone: 507-858-1257 Fax:507-454-8106 E-mail: nreller@dowr.org Publishing Schedule: Monthly - Deadline for advertising & articles is the 10th of the month prior.

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Of Monuments and Imperfect Men__________13 Volunteers Make Programs Possible_________14 Diocesan Headlines_______________________15 Diocesan Calendar________________________19

The Holy Father's Intention for

February 2020 Listen to the Migrant's Cries That the cries of our migrant brothers and sisters, victims of criminal trafficking, may be heard and considered.

Officials The Most Rev. John M. Quinn, Bishop of the Diocese of WinonaRochester, announces the following appointments: Pastor Rev. Msgr. Thomas Melvin: currently Vicar General of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Moderator of the Curia and Director of the Permanent Diaconate; in addition to his current assignments, appointed to the Office of Pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Rushford, St. Peter Parish in Hokah and St. Mary Parish in Houston for a sixyear term, effective December 20, 2019.

Child Abuse Policy Information

The Diocese of Winona-Rochester will provide a prompt, appropriate and compassionate response to reporters of sexual abuse of a child by any diocesan agent (employees, volunteers, vendors, religious or clergy). Anyone wishing to make a report of an allegation of sexual abuse should call the Victim Assistance Coordinator at 507454-2270, Extension 255. A caller will be asked to provide his or her name and telephone number. Individuals are also encouraged to take their reports directly to civil authorities. The Diocese of Winona-Rochester is committed to protecting children, young people and other vulnerable people in our schools, parishes and ministries. The diocesan policy is available on the diocesan web site at www.dow. org under the Safe Environment Program. If you have any questions about the Diocese of Winona-Rochester’s implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, please contact Mary Hamann at 507-858-1244, or mhamann@dowr.org.

Minnesota Catholic Conference Ms. Shanna Harris: appointed to the Minnesota Catholic Conference Social Concerns Committee for a three-year term, effective December 12, 2019.

Where to Find the Courier •

Hard copies of the Courier are available in the churches of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester at the first weekend Masses of each month.

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An online version may be viewed at www.dowr.org /offices/ courier/index.html

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To be added to the home delivery list, readers should send their names and addresses to:

Diocese of Winona-Rochester The Courier 55 W Sanborn St. Winona, MN 55987 or nreller@dowr.org

Support Catholic Schools!

Catholic Schools Week

Every year, starting on the last Sunday in January, the Catholic Church in the United States observes Catholic Schools Week.

This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the blessings of Catholic Schools and the work they do in assisting parents in passing on the Catholic faith to their children, and to honor the administrators, teachers, and staff who are the backbone of Catholic schools. Here in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, we are privileged to have 23 Catholic schools, with preschool and elementary schools throughout the 20 counties of southern Minnesota, along with four high schools, and St. Mary’s University in Winona.

The Catholic Church teaches that, “Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2223).

In order to exercise this responsibility, however, parents often look for assistance from others, including schools and

parishes. Catholic schools play a key and crucial role in this task, as they teach core subjects found in other schools, but provide an environment where the Catholic faith is practiced and taught, and woven into all classes and activities. Faith is not meant to be a compartmentalized part of our life, relegated to an hour on Sundays. Rather, living the Catholic faith orders our life towards the Triune God who made us, and should inform everything we do, from how we speak to how we spend our money to how we prioritize our time. Catholic schools provide a fertile environment for children to grow and thrive in their relationship with Christ and His Church, and are a tremendous asset to our diocese.

During Catholic Schools Week, our Catholic high schools and Catholic elementary schools sponsor special activities, to both celebrate the gift of Catholic schools, and to share with others the blessings that they provide to children, families, parishes, and the community.

Whether you have children enrolled in Catholic school or not, I encourage you to support your local Catholic School(s), so that they can continue to be places where the Catholic faith is celebrated and passed on to the next generation.

Catholic Ministries Appeal 2020

Rejoice in Hope Bishop John M. Quinn Bishop's Calendar

This year, our diocesan Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) will launch in parishes on the weekend of February 15/16. I am grateful for your generosity in past years, which has enabled the diocese to fund a wide variety of ministries. We are all part of the Body of Christ and it is only by working together that we can carry out the work of Christ here in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Please be assured that the funds raised are donor-restricted and will not be used to cover legal fees for the diocese.

February 2, Sunday 10:30 a.m. - Mass for Consecrated Life - St. Thomas More Chapel, St. Mary’s University, Winona February 3, Monday 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary University February 4, Tuesday 2 p.m. - IHM Seminary Finance Council Meeting - IHM Seminary, Winona 4 p.m. - IHM Advisory Board Meeting - IHM Seminary, Winona February 5, Wednesday 11 a.m. - Holy Hour & Priest Pension Plan Board Meeting - Winona February 6, Thursday 1 p.m. - Holy Hour & Bishop’s Cabinet Meeting

The CMA provides funds for many of our diocesan ministries, which would not be possible without your support.

Some of the many programs that benefit from the CMA include vocation discernment and formation, providing guidance to young men and women who are considering the priesthood or consecrated life; programs and resources to help build and strengthen marriages and defend human life from conception to natural death; and assisting those on the margins of society, by collaborating with Catholic Charities and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and educating Catholics on the importance of living out Jesus’ command to feed the hungry and clothe the naked.

The weekly TV Mass is also an extension of our duty to bring Christ to others, as it enables those who are homebound to still be connected to the wider Catholic community.

Thank you in advance for your support of the 2020 Catholic Ministries Appeal, so that together we can reach out to our brothers and sisters in need and provide for the many ministries of the Catholic Church in southern Minnesota!

Safe Haven Sunday

The use of pornography in our culture has reached epidemic proportions and affects men, women, children, and families, who either struggle with addictions, usage by a spouse or family member, or accidentally stumble upon pornographic images or websites while on the computer or cell phone. With modern technology, it is now easier than ever to view porn, and it has infiltrated people’s lives to an unprecedented degree. Tragically, viewing porn is highly addictive and is scientifically shown to rewire people’s brains. In a society where the beauty of human sexuality is degraded and viewed as a means to others’

February 8, Saturday 5:30 p.m. - 11th Annual Winona Area Catholic Schools Gala Event - Riverport Inn, Winona

February 9, Sunday 10:30 a.m. - Mass & Blessing of Stained Glass Window - St. Marys Hospital Chapel, Rochester February 10, Monday 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary University February 11, Tuesday 11 a.m. - Episcopal Ordination & Installation of the Most Rev. Robert J. McClory - Gary, IN February 13, Thursday 2 p.m. - Episcopal Ordination & Installation of the Most Rev. Donald E. DeGrood - Sioux Falls, SD

pleasure, it is not surprising that the use of pornography has grown by leaps and bounds.

However, even our secular culture is beginning to realize the harm of pornography, including its direct link to human trafficking, with women and children in particular being sold for sexual exploitation. As people of faith, it is our duty to uphold the sanctity and dignity of the God-given gift of sexuality, to help those who struggle with an addiction to pornography, and to do all we can to protect children and people of all ages from exposure to pornography.

This is why the Diocese of Winona-Rochester is joining all the dioceses of Minnesota, and several others from across the country, in holding its second annual Safe Haven Sunday, on February 23, 2020.

This weekend will provide an opportunity for parishes to speak out and provide resources on the scourge of pornography, to help equip parishioners with tools to successfully fight the battle against porn in their own homes. For more information on this initiative, and for more information on the harm of pornography in general, and what you can do to break free from an addiction or protect your family from it coming into your house, feel free to contact Peter Martin at 507-858-1273 or pmartin@dowr.org, or visit the Life, Marriage and Family page on our diocesan website, www.dowr.org. Know you are not alone in the fight against pornography, and that there are people and resources out there to help you.

World Day for Consecrated Life

The World Day for Consecrated Life was instituted by St. Pope John Paul II in 1997, to pray for all men and women in consecrated life. These men and women have freely chosen to give their lives to Christ, and include religious sisters, brothers, and priests;

February 14, Friday 9:30 a.m. - Holy Hour & College of Consultors Meeting - Winona February 16, Sunday 10 a.m. - Mass and Altar Dedication - Sacred Heart Church, Owatonna February 17, Monday 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary University February 18, Tuesday 11 a.m. - Holy Hour & Dean’s Meeting - St. Theodore Church, Albert Lea 3 p.m. - Clergy Personnel Board Meeting - St. Theodore Church, Albert Lea February 19-22, Wednesday - Saturday Seminarian Visits - St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, PA, & Sacred Heart Major Seminary, MI

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consecrated virgins; members of secular institutes; and diocesan hermits.

Here in the Diocese of WinonaRochester, we have been blessed by the presence and ministry of many consecrated men and women throughout the years, and it is a privilege to gather every year to acknowledge their contributions to the local Church, and to pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them, so that they may grow ever deeper in their relationship with our Triune God and continue to serve Him with ever greater faith, hope, and love. The day chosen for this world-wide celebration is February 2, the Feast of the Presentation, when we recall Mary and Joseph taking the Christ Child to the temple in Jerusalem and presenting Him to the Lord. This year, our diocesan celebration will be hosted by the De La Salle Christian Brothers at St. Mary’s University in Winona, with 10:30 am Mass at the St. Thomas More Chapel followed by a luncheon for all consecrated men and women in attendance. Please join me in praying for the consecrated men and women in our diocese and Church, and pray for an increase of young men and women who are able to hear and willing to say yes to the Lord’s call to give themselves completely to Him in the consecrated life. Blessed are you!

From the Bishop

�ear Friends in Christ,

Sincerely in Christ,

Most Rev. John M. Quinn Bishop of Winona-Rochester

February 23, Sunday 10 a.m. - Mass - Holy Spirit Church, Rochester February 24, Monday 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary University February 26, Ash Wednesday 10:31 - 10:42 a.m. - Guest on Real Presence Catholic Radio – 970 AM March 1, Sunday 3 p.m. - Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion - Queen of Angels Church, Austin

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Catholic Foundation

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Catholic Ministries Appeal 2020

Share His Good Gifts With All �

am very excited to announce that 6,272 donors pledged $2,026,921 to the 2019 Catholic Ministries Appeal!

We had 43parishes exceed their goals, and those additional funds raised have gone back to the parishes for their designated projects. Materials for the 2020 Catholic Ministries Appeal will be mailed to homes this month. The goal for the Appeal remains at $2.1 million. It will officially launch the weekend of February 15/16.

The theme for the CMA this year is Share His Good Gifts With All. As Catholics, we are blessed to be strengthened and united by Christ in the Eucharist and sent forth to bring the peace and joy of our Triune God to all those we encounter.

As individual members of the Body of Christ, we

all possess different gifts and talents for furthering the ministry of Christ and His Church.

We hope that the compelling testimonies we share throughout 2020 will instill confidence that our Church and its ministries continue to grow in Christ’s love.

Our Church needs you, each and every one of you, to continue to grow ever closer to Christ and become who you are destined to be – witnesses to the truth in love. So many of you have seen the good that has come from the many important ministries supported by the Catholic Ministries Appeal. These ministries reach God’s people of all ages and circumstances, and they depend on your sharing of the gifts He has given.

Several questions arise each year with the Catholic Ministries Appeal, and below are frequently asked questions and answers that I hope you will find helpful.

Monica Herman

Executive Director Catholic Foundation of Southern Minnesota mherman@catholicfsmn.org

1. Why do we need the CMA-funded ministries?

The Catholic Church serves the needs of thousands of people across southern Minnesota. To date, we have more than 34,000 households.

While some of our services are offered at the parish level, it is often more effective when many join together in ministry and service of the people of southern Minnesota. Each diocesan ministry exists to support and further the work of our local parishes.

Thank You!

At the conclusion of the 2019 Catholic Ministries Appeal, the following parishes had met their goals: All Saints New Richland

Queen of Angels Austin

St. Columba Iona

St. Mary Lake Wilson

Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka Winona

Resurrection Rochester

St. Columban Preston

St. Patrick Brownsville

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Winona

Sacred Heart Adams

St. Finbarr Grand Meadow

St. Patrick LeRoy

Christ the King Byron

Sacred Heart Heron Lake

St. Francis of Assisi Rochester

Co-Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Rochester

Sacred Heart Waseca

St. Ignatius Spring Valley

St. Patrick West Albany

Good Shepherd Jackson

Ss. Peter & Paul Blue Earth

St. Joachim Plainview

Holy Family Kasson

Ss. Peter & Paul Mazeppa

St. John Baptist de la Salle Dodge Center

Holy Family Lake Crystal

St. Agnes Kellogg

St. Joseph Lakefield

Holy Redeemer Eyota

St. Ann Janesville

St. Joseph Waldorf

Holy Spirit Rochester

St. Ann Slayton

St. Leo Pipestone

Immaculate Conception St. Clair

St. Anthony Westbrook

St. Luke Sherburn

Pax Christi Rochester

St. Casimir Winona

St. Mary Chatfield

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St. Peter Hokah St. Pius X Rochester St. Rose of Lima Lewiston

2. Are CMA funds used to pay legal fees or settlements from sexual abuse cases?

No. Appeal money has never been used for victim settlements or legal costs related to clergy sex abuse cases. Gifts to the 2020 Appeal will be used only for the benefit of designated ministries and programs identified. An independent board of directors stewards all funds and ensures they are distributed appropriately.

3. What can you tell me about the security of donations made to the CMA?

As noted on the Catholic Ministries Appeal pledge card, “All gifts will be used solely for the restricted purposes of the 2020 Catholic Ministries Appeal.

The Appeal supports specific ministries and programs of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. More information regarding the CMA is located on the Catholic Foundation of Southern Minnesota website, www. catholicfsmn.org.�

4. Who administers the Catholic Ministries Appeal?

The Catholic Ministries Appeal is one of the major efforts of the Catholic Foundation of Southern Minnesota in fulfilling its mission to financially support spiritual, educational and social needs of the Catholic community across southern Minnesota.

The Foundation is an independent Minnesota nonprofit corporation that is tax exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). An independent board of directors stewards all funds and ensures they are distributed appropriately.

5. How are parish goals determined?

The formula to calculate parish goals is based on two factors: church support and registered active parishioners. The formula takes into consideration the ability of the parish to raise money based on the number of registered families and the actual amount of money the parish generates from church support.

Gifts, bequests and special fundraising are not included in the calculation. However, 50% of gambling revenues are included as church support.

Church support from the most recently completed fiscal year is calculated for each parish. If a parish financially subsidizes a Catholic school, then the amount of church support is reduced by 50% of the amount of subsidy paid to the school in the most recently completed fiscal year. The net amount of church support for a parish is then divided by the total church support for all parishes in the diocese.

The result of this calculation is the church-support percentage.

The second factor is the number of registered active parishioners in the parish. This number is taken from the parish census report. The number of registered families in a given parish is divided by the total registered families in the diocese. The result of this calculation is the registered-families percentage.

The two percentages are then averaged, the average of the two factors is the percentage of the Appeal goal that the parish is targeted to achieve.

6. What happens if our parish exceeds our goal?

Again this year, 100% of every dollar exceeding the goal will be returned to the parish. Many parishes have identified a parish project that they want the "over goal" funds to support.

We are very grateful for your faithful and generous heart. As you prayerfully consider your financial gift to the 2019 Catholic Ministries Appeal, be assured that it will be used solely for ministries such as Catholic Schools; Vocations; Lay Formation; Life, Marriage and Family; and Evangelization.

As always, please let me know what questions and concerns you have. I can be reached at mherman@catholicfsmn.org, or call me at (507) 858-1276.

The Catholic Foundation of Southern Minnesota (EIN:41-11691198) is an independent Minnesota non-profit corporation that is tax exempt under the Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3).

Contributions are used only for the benefit of designated purposes identified in the statement of purpose and for no other purposes. To learn more about the Catholic Foundation of Southern Minnesota, visit www.catholicfsmn.org.

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Missionary Discipleship

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Welcoming Those Living with Disabilities 19 percent of people in the USA live with disabilities, and the vast majority

of people living with disabilities in the United States are unchurched. Does that shock you? It once shocked me.

But, for many years, I was engaged with the Institute on Theology and Disability, and participated in their conferences—a fascinating combination of theologians, priests, Protestant ministers, rabbis, disability activists, and other devout men and women living with different disabilities— blindness, deafness, physical impairment, intellectual disability, mental illness, and more. There I was in conversation with a Protestant minister and “church planter,” describing her latest assignment to start a faith community that was angled to spiritually support those developmentally disabled in her small city. Her description of worship made me smile—a room full of people that others may call “slow” (or worse) but the fastest to jump to their feet and praise God in song. I remarked how difficult it must have been to establish a community like that.

She shook her head. “Easiest church plant ever.

The need is so massive. We literally got a gym rented, put out flyers at disability support services that we would make this service disability-friendly and all were welcome—and we had 50 people the first Sunday. They told their friends and family and it easily tripled in a month. Most weren’t attending church at all because they didn’t know they would be welcome.”

That has always stuck with me - her experience that these people did not feel welcome, and practically ran to church the first time someone deliberately invited them. Their hunger for God in the face of our lack of invitation and hospitality is convicting.

What would it look like if our parishes actively, joyfully, publicly, confidently welcomed all people living with disabilities? If we went out and deliberately invited these folks, saying, "We have a home for you here. Come and see, taste and see…?"

Susan Windley-Daoust

Director of Missionary Discipleship swindley@dowr.org

Willing to share your story of sacramental reconciliation?

The Light is On Southern Minnesota is coming March 20-21!

Susan and Alex

But just because it is not as hard as it may sound doesn’t mean that it does not require intentionality and a “rethinking” of what we do.

When you are fully abled, it is very difficult to see the obstacles that prevent people living with disabilities from participation in Mass, formation, sacramental preparation and social events. Wheelchair ramps are obvious. Everything else, not so much.

Think about these basic possibilities:

Beyond Access: the Difference Between Welcome and Permission

1. Does your parish have a sign with hymn numbers easy to see? I know some say “people need to pay attention and listen to the cantor announce it” but did you know 15% of the U.S. population has hearing loss? They may miss it. A few large print missalettes are helpful for these folks as well.

Church buildings are usually accessible to wheelchairs to some degree, but, as critical as that is, it is only the tip of an iceberg. If we want to be missiondriven parishes, we need a fully relational ministry to those who live with special needs - children, adults, and elderly. And relationship is key: 90% of those parenting kids with special needs said “a welcoming attitude toward people with disabilities” was the most helpful church support to them.

Stephanie Hubach, author of Same Lake, Different Boat: Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability, puts it this way:

3. Where do the people in walkers and wheelchairs sit? Is it clear to a visitor? Is there room for family to sit with them? Do all hospitality greeters know how to direct people, anticipate needs? Does your confessional fit a wheelchair? If not, what do these people do?

A disability ministry isn’t so much programmatic as it is relational. ... It’s hitting the refresh button on the gospel button in church life. It’s all about the gospel, all about simply making it as accessible as possible so that the blind can see it, the deaf can hear it, the people with intellectual disabilities can understand it, and the people with physical disabilities can get into church to hear it.

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2. Likewise, announce the hymn number as well. The 3% of the U.S. population which is visually impaired thanks you. By the way, projecting those hymns on screens means people who are visually impaired can’t participate (a few printouts may help).

4. Some people have significant difficulty with sensory overload. If all your Masses are “blow out the organ pipes loud,” that makes their participation at Mass very difficult.

Is there a quieter Mass they could attend?

Offering noise cancellation or reduction headphones to check out can be a generous touch.

Our website and social media presence is a large part of this outreach. Do you have a story of how confession has changed your life? We'd love to hear it and, with your permission, publish it (anonymously or by name). Please see www.TheLightIsOnSouthernMn.org/reallifestories for examples, and email Susan at Swindley@dowr.org for more information.

5. Sacramental prep and religious education tends to presume developmentally typical kids. Would an interview with the parents help surface challenges before they begin?

6. Is the youth ministry meeting as inclusive as is helpful for all people of that age group?

7. In terms of evangelization: have you thought of hosting a Bible study for people with developmental disabilities, and inviting the whole town?

“Nothing About Us Without Us”

There is a simple way to know what is helpful and desired: ask and include people with disabilities in this discussion. Disability can be complex, and access and welcome will look different for each person. Reach out to the folks who you know live with disabilities and ask for their input and help to make the parish more disability welcoming. In truth, they are the experts in your midst. (Second runners up: family, and people working with this population.)

The disability rights movement made popular the phrase “nothing about us without us.” People living with disabilities are full members of your parish and larger community, and should lead as they are called.

They are not people to be catered to, but active disciples in the Body of Christ. The best thing those of us who are abled can do is begin a conversation and listen to them. And shout from the rooftops that we welcome all those living with disabilities to commit to life in Christ!

My son, the 19%, and I thank you! Contact my office for more information on how to assess your parish for hospitable welcome to those with disabilities.

Companions on the Todd Graff

Director of Lay Formation & RCIA tgraff@dowr.org

By CAMILLE WITHROW

� little over a month ago my family celebrated the

baptism of my baby boy. There was a lot to do to prepare for this special day, including baptismal prep classes, meeting with our pastor, and inviting our family to celebrate Cormac’s new life in Christ.

The most challenging and time-consuming task for my husband and me, though, was to pick out the godparents who would accompany and assist Cormac throughout his faith life. We are blessed with many faith-filled family and friends, but, given that a godparent has a profound impact on our child’s faith life, we both agreed we needed to put a great deal of prayer and thought into making this decision.

At this time of the year, many catechumens (unbaptized) and candidates (baptized) are preparing to enter the Church through the RCIA process and are going through the same decision making process.

While catechumens will choose godparents who will support them as they prepare for the Sacraments of Initiation (i.e., Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist) and beyond, candidates will also choose sponsors who will support and guide them for the remainder of their faith journey.

Deciding on a godparent/sponsor is not a decision that should be taken lightly, and maybe that is why this task seemed daunting to me. The person taking on this important role will hold it for life. With regard to the RCIA, godparents and sponsors are to assist the catechumens/candidates in their final preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation, and, after that, help them to persevere in their faith and live their live as Christians.

The person for this task should be chosen based on their good qualities, example, and friendship.

These characteristics are important as godparents and sponsors take on a number of responsibilities.

For godparents, these responsibilities include showing the catechumens “how to practice the Gospel in personal and social life, to sustain [them] in moments of hesitancy and anxiety, to bear witness, and to guide [their] progress in the baptismal life."

As I have discussed in a previous article, all of the baptized are responsible for the initiation of adults into the Church, and for praying for and supporting those participating in the RCIA process. Godparents and sponsors have a unique role to play in this way as they act as a link from the broader parish community to the catechumens and candidates. In this role, sponsors and godparents are able to hand on the values and traditions of the faith community to the persons they are sponsoring. Each parish has its own character and traditions, but godparents and

sponsors also hand on the tradition of the Church as a whole.

In the booklet, Guide for Sponsors (Liturgy Training Publications), Ron Lewinski describes the tradition of the Church as a living one: [I]t presumes that we are living the tradition that we hand on to others. It also means that what we pass on is integrated into the life of the inquirer, catechumen, or candidate.

Handing on this living tradition transforms values, attitudes, and relationships, and lives as a whole.

Just as godparents of infants have a public role at the baptism liturgy when they answer that they are ready to help the parents in their duty as Christian parents, godparents and sponsors also have a public role throughout a number of rites in the RCIA. It is possible that a sponsor has been present as early as the inquiry period (i.e., the first period in the RCIA), but the first public act of a sponsor occurs at the Rite of Acceptance when the inquirer formally enters the catechumenate period. For many catechumens, this takes place toward the beginning of Advent. During this rite, the sponsor affirms that the person they are sponsoring is “ready to find and follow Christ." Since the sponsors have developed a relationship with the inquirers and assisted them in beginning the RCIA process, they “stand as witnesses to [their] moral character, faith, and intention."

Godparents are recognized publicly at the Rite of Election (following the catechumenate period of the RCIA), which takes place on the first Sunday of Lent. During this rite, they “testify to the faith” of the catechumen. At the Rite of Election, godparents respond to the bishop’s questions regarding the worthiness of the catechumens to receive the Sacraments of Initiation, while sponsors of the candidates advise the bishop of their readiness to receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. The ability to answer these questions assumes that the godparents and sponsors have been walking alongside the catechumens and candidates and have developed a relationship with them.

As with the godparents for infant baptisms, those serving as godparents and sponsors in the RCIA are unique. When we chose Cormac’s godparents, they were different than the godparents of my other two children. The choice of godparents for my children took into account the differences between each child. Similarly, the diversity of experiences and perspectives offered by godparents and sponsors can provide the setting for an RCIA formation experience with depth and richness.

The attributes of effective godparents and sponsors are similar no matter the age of the person preparing to receive the sacraments, and there are many characteristics that make up a good godparent or sponsor.

An essential characteristic is prayer. I am deeply comforted in knowing that my children’s godparents pray for them daily. Through their prayers, they are demonstrating that they are helping me in my duty

Lay Formation & RCIA

Journey of Faith

7

as a Christian parent, as they vowed to do at my children’s baptism. For godparents and sponsors of adults, prayer can be even more critical as their catechumens/ candidates navigate through challenges that pertain specifically to adulthood.

In addition to praying for them, it is also important to pray with them, and through this act they can learn how to pray and develop a prayer life of their own.

A sponsor or godparent should also be an effective and respectful listener.

While it is important that catechumens and candidates know the godparents’ and sponsors’ witness and experiences, it is also important that the catechumens/candidates have a comfortable climate in which they can share their story and ask questions they may have. People going through RCIA come from a variety of backgrounds, and it is important that they feel safe in sharing their viewpoints and raising questions they may have about the faith.

Providing this type of environment shows the catechumens and candidates that we care for them and respect what they have to say.

Another attribute – which I find to be admirable in so many living out our Christian faith – is that a godparent/sponsor lives in hope. We are all called to be joyful witnesses, and it is this witness that can attract others to the faith as well as deepen their faith.

Ron Lewinski, in Guide for Sponsors, describes an effective sponsor as one who is in touch with both the good and bad in the world, but makes a choice to live in hope. ...hope arises from the conviction that no matter how dark and gloomy the forecast, Jesus is Lord and ultimately will triumph over it all as he triumphed over death. By living in hope, the sponsor fosters in the catechumen or candidate an essential virtue of Christian life.

My own children’s godparents are some of the most joy-filled people I know, and I am grateful that my children will have this witness to Christian hope and joy as they grow up.

After prayer and discernment, my husband and I decided on the ideal godparents for Cormac, and it was a blessing to have him enter into his new life as a child of God on the feast of Christ the King. Many of the catechumens will enter into this same new life at the Easter Vigil with their godparents by their side.

Candidates receiving the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist (often at Easter time) will also have their sponsors beside them as they continue to show their support and care. What a blessing godparents and sponsors are, as - through their example, guidance, and support - we are strengthened in our journey of faith!

Camille Withrow is the program associate for RCIA ministry in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.

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Life, Marriage & Family

8

Equipping the Family Having Critical Conversations �e all know it’s there and probably

have some idea of how we could access it. Pornography affects some of us more directly than others, but there’s no doubt that porn is a problem affecting all of us, and, regrettably, it’s not going away anytime soon. Porn has created a culture of its own, and this culture is influencing each one of us spiritually, physically, emotionally, and relationally to a greater or lesser extent depending on if we directly participate in the use of pornography. There are immense moral, social, and spiritual dangers for us and even for our children.

Many of the parents I have the privilege of knowing ask God to guide them in their role as the first and primary educators and protectors of their children to make their children the saints they’re called to be. They want to be good examples for their children and at the same time protect their children from negative influences, including the pornified culture that tries to shove itself into children’s faces at younger and younger ages. They desperately want to keep pornography from creeping into their children’s lives, but they’re just not sure how to do that.

If you’re a parent, does this sound like you?

If so, then I have good news! Through some survey findings and a bit of research, here are a few practical steps that any parent can take, regardless of your technical knowledge.

In 2016, a large US Catholic high school anony-

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mously surveyed the majority of their male students on pornography use. The results below, published here without naming the diocese, at its request, are the cumulative percentages for all grades. The survey was administered anonymously during Theology classes. There are several questions where percentages did not equal 100%, possibly due to incorrectly filled out scantrons and quick rounding of percentages.

Here is the data from the anonymous survey:

1. How often, typically, do you view pornography?

More than once a day (6%) Daily (15%)

Not daily but more than once a week (49%)

Once per week or less than once per week (20%) I do not view pornography (11%)

2. What device do you MOST use to view pornography?

Smartphone (57%) iPad/Tablet (24%)

Home Computer (7%)

I do not view pornographic websites (10%)

3. Where do you view pornographic materials?

In my bedroom (61%)

At my “study space” (6%)

Other locations in my house (21%) In my car (5%)

I do not view pornographic websites (11%)

Peter Martin

Director of Faith Formation and Life, Marriage & Family pmartin@dowr.org

4. Which of the following pornography is your preferred to view?

Pictures of people in suggestive poses but fully clothed (3%) Pictures of people in suggestive poses but scantily clothed (8%) Pictures of naked people (23%)

Video of people performing various sex acts (58%) I do not view pornographic websites (8%)

5. What feeling do you usually experience before viewing pornography?

Loneliness (20%) Anger (15%)

Anxiousness (14%) Frustration (3%) Boredom (48%)

Here’s what stands out about this survey: a high percentage of pornography consumption by high school students happens on smartphones (57%) in the bedroom (61%) when they’re bored (48%).

Thankfully, these are things parents can control.

In 2016, the Barna Group published its study The Porn Phenomenon: The Impact of Pornography in the Digital Age, wherein they state that 88% of teens (children ages 13-17) have a phone and 82% of teens sleep with their phone in their bedroom.

Further, the survey explains that 48% (nearly half) of preteens (children ages 9-12) have a phone, and of those, most (72%) sleep with their phone in their bedroom.

If you’re like the majority of parents, you’ve chosen to provide your children with a smartphone and internet access. Sometimes, this decision is made without fully understanding all of the ways in which our children can access pornography. But the following tips can help limit your child’s exposure to inappropriate content: 1. Lead by Example

Parents influence their children at every level. So why, then, wouldn’t parents' use of the internet and pornography affect their children, and most likely even their children’s friends? Parents need to be a model of accountability to help their children see the value of it.

As a first step, download Covenant Eyes to all devices you, as the parent, use on a regular basis.

Covenant Eyes is an accountability and filtering software that monitors websites visited, search terms used, and videos watched, listing them in an easyto-read report designed to start a conversation about healthy online habits. Find others to be your Accountability Partners as well. These might include your spouse, but they can also include any trusted friends or colleagues. These should be people you trust to receive regular Accountability Reports of online activity.

Why is this critical? Children and, especially, teens need to know they are not being targeted because they are kids. Accountability is valuable for everyone. This is ultimately something you hope they will continue to use into their adulthood. Show them how valuable it is by starting with you.

If you don’t feel equipped on this topic, a great resource to help you is the free Covenant Eyes book, Confident: Helping Parents Navigate Online Exposure, which will be distributed at Mass on Safe Haven Sunday, February 22-23, 2020.

2. Protect Your Family’s Devices

Use parental controls, and if a device doesn’t provide or allow parental controls to be downloaded, don’t buy it for them. Again, as another layer of protection, use Covenant Eyes Accountability on your family’s smartphones, tablets, and computers.

3. No Smartphones, Tablets, Computers, or TVs in the Bedroom Keep computers in an open room. Don’t allow devices in your children’s bedrooms that can access the internet or cable.

4. Talk to Your Children

Sit down with your children to explain why you have installed Covenant Eyes. Begin by talking about the problem you are trying to solve.

Unless you have reason to believe your children have done something wrong online, and unless you have spoken with each child privately about those misuses, do not presume your children are guilty of anything. The goal of this step is not to communicate that you are displeased about what they do online, but to tell them how easy it is to access harmful material on the internet.

Use the regular Accountability Reports from Covenant Eyes to strike up good conversations. The aim is to manage small issues before they become big problems. Parents have the biggest influence on their kids’ behaviors - more than their friends, school, or parish church. Put that influence to use.

Set aside times to talk to your kids about their Godgiven sexuality. Be prepared to talk to your child or teen on the fly when opportunities present themselves. Talking isn’t preaching. Be willing to listen, too.

5. Give Your Kids Responsibilities and Encourage Life-Giving Hobbies

It’s a more and more common occurrence that our young people aren’t given responsibilities at home or in the broader life of the community. God has given them many gifts to use and share, so we must give them the opportunity to do so! Both young and teenage children can really thrive when given responsibilities like folding clothes, drying the dishes, mowing the lawn, and meal planning or helping cook once a week.

Children are also bursting with energy and ways to be creative. Pay attention to what they enjoy and what comes naturally to them, and cultivate that in the child. Are they good at drawing? How about the guitar? Does your son enjoy wood working? Maybe your daughter likes taking photographs?

Encourage growth in these areas and other hobbies they have interest in. This will get them away from the TV and smartphone, which decreases their likelihood of exposure and ongoing use of pornography.

Men's Conference Speaker Announced �he Diocese of Winona-Rochester is proud

to announce the keynote speaker for the 5th annual Men’s Conference: Doug Barry.

Doug Barry is a devoted husband, father, and founder of RADIX - BATTLE READY, a Catholic apostolate that focuses on encouraging and strengthening men to be better prepared to fight the battles that we all face in the world

today, body, mind and soul. Since 1992, he has traveled both nationally and internationally, speaking to young and old alike through television, radio and live appearances.

The Man of God Conference will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2020, at the Church of the Resurrection in Rochester. Registration is now available at www.dowr.org. $25/person. You’re not going to want to miss this year’s conference!

In the digital age, it’s not a matter of if your child will see something inappropriate online; it’s only a matter of when.

Although no plan is 100% safe, I believe that following the steps above will significantly decrease the opportunities for our pornified culture to have undue influence on the hearts and minds of our precious children.

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Free Resources to Be Provided to All Individuals and Families on the Second Annual Safe Haven Sunday

To provide you with the additional tools you need to protect your marriages and families from pornography and to make your home a safe haven for children and adults, the Diocese of Winona-Rochester will celebrate its second annual Safe Haven Sunday on February 22-23. Within the context of Mass, parishes in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester will provide teaching and resources that will support and protect individuals, marriages, and families in making all homes a safe haven.

As you may remember from last year, this awareness day is inspired by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ formal statement Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography, where the bishops explain, “The use of pornography by anyone in the home deprives the home of its role as a safe haven and has negative effects throughout a family’s life and across generations.”

By celebrating this awareness day with the 2020 theme Equipping the Family: Having Critical Conversations, we as a community are once again saying that we want holy, healthy, and safe homes, free of pornography and other online threats that deprive the home of its role as a safe haven. To help marriages and families, each home will be given Covenant Eyes’ newest book, Confident: Helping Parents Navigate Online Exposure. This book includes a seven-day text-to-opt-in program, The Equipped 7-Day Email Challenge. This Challenge provides practical tips any caring adult can take to create safer digital environments for themselves and our young people.

It is my hope that the resources provided to you on Safe Haven Sunday will both encourage and teach parents and individuals how to effectively address pornography in the home and encourage the steps it takes to make our homes safe havens for all.

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Catholic Schools

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What a Year

at St. Mary School, Worthington!

Marsha Stenzel

Superintendent of Catholic Schools mstenzel@dowr.org

Students cheer on Paycheck, the racing turkey from Worthington.

Submitted by JACKIE PROBST

�

ollowing is an update on what has been happening at St. Mary’s School since last year.

We have been very busy, including all summer long! Many volunteers gave of their time as we painted two levels of the school. Four bright colors were chosen and used throughout the school. In addition, our Kindergarten, first- and second-grade classrooms were moved around in order to make room for Little Blessing Preschool. We now offer preschool classes for both three-year-old and four-year-old students.

During the summer, Mrs. Prieto, Kindergarten teacher and Ms. Probst, school principal, attended the Latino Institute at Notre Dame University along with educators from across the United States. The focus of

the program was to devise and incorporate solutions and strategies for welcoming Latino children into the school. The Latino population is the fastest growing population in our Catholic Church. Correspondingly, due in part to the improved outreach to our Latino families, we are very happy to announce that our K-6 enrollment rose from 68 to 79 students. That is a 17% increase over the previous school year.

We were also presented with an opportunity by the Schulze Family Foundation to raise funds via their Matching Grant program. St. Mary’s School was indeed very blessed in this venture: $34,415 was raised in new donations! This amount, coupled with the $25,000 grant match received from the Schulze Family Foundation, garnered the school a total of $59,415. The money is slated to be used to increase our academic excellence and enrollment. Plans are underway for

Loyola Inducts Members to Activities Hall of Fame

Submitted by ANGIE WINCH

�

hroughout the long history of Loyola Catholic School, many individuals have made significant and lasting impacts on advancing the success of Loyola’s fine arts and athletic programs. Five years ago, the Activities Hall of Fame was created to honor these successful artists, athletes, coaches, and advisors of Loyola Catholic School in Mankato.

On Saturday, January 11, the newest members of the Loyola Activities Hall of Fame were honored.

Inductees gathered with their families for an informal social hour prior to the Loyola boy’s varsity basketball game and were announced and celebrated during halftime of the game.

Congratulations to the newest members of the Loyola Activities Hall of Fame (headshots L to R, top row first): Athletics: Kim (Sheldon) Brunmeier ‘92, Sarah (Price) Boyle ‘05, Stephanie (Price) Reneau ‘08, Kevin Mettler ‘85, Dan Ward ‘91, Truc Ho ‘04 Fine Arts: Kim Rotchadl ‘75, Bridget Hermer ‘80 Coaches: Dale Compton ‘91, Chris Biehn

We are honored to recognize these athletes, coaches, and artists for outstanding achievement in fine arts and athletics at Loyola. Their stories are a testimony to the rich history and success of our activities and their dedication enhances the legacy of excellence at Loyola.

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Angie Winch is a marketing and communications associate for Loyola Catholic School in Mankato.

upgrading technology and building security, increasing enrollment, and professional development for our teachers.

Our annual Marathon and Barn Dance fundraisers both produced greater returns that previous years, and we expect the upcoming Catholic United School Raffle to do the same.

We thank you all for your continued prayers and financial support! It is by the grace of God and your help that we continue to be blessed each and every day.

Jackie Probst is the principal of St. Mary School in Worthington.

SMS Super Readers

FOCUS Is a Blessing!

Director of Vocations jkern@dowr.org

�his last month I was blessed to travel with both

of our campuses who have missionaries from the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) and attend their conference in Phoenix, AZ. The five-day conference spread over New Year's Day and was attended by around 8,000 college students who are seeking to become better leaders on their campus so that they might more effectively share with their peers the love of Jesus they have come to know. This was a conference for student leaders to gain skills, insights, and passion for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. It was a

Vocations Youth & Young Adults

Rev. Jason Kern

11

powerful and renewing week for all who attended.

We are so blessed to have FOCUS at both Winona State University and Minnesota State University, Mankato. Both campus ministries are strong because of the work of four to six post-college-aged missionaries on their campuses. The Newman Centers pay to have these missionaries on their campuses, and the missionaries themselves fundraise their own salary so they can serve full-time on our campuses.

My priesthood has been enriched through FOCUS’ mission and witness to discipleship by calling each person to a life of divine intimacy, authentic friendship with other disciples, and a clarity and conviction about forming others to become disciple makers. As the vocations director for the diocese, I am grateful for the commitment of these missionaries who work so closely with our college students and help them to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ and encourage them to a committed way of life.

FOCUS makes my job easier by connecting students who are discerning and asking God to show them

where He is leading. At this time in their 20-year history, FOCUS boasts that more than 900 young people have gone on to pursue a religious or priestly vocation after being involved in their ministry. That alone is some incredible fruit! Thanks be to God for their work on college campuses throughout our country.

These last few weeks have seen an uptick in interest from young men who are discerning God’s call to the priesthood. Please continue to pray for those who are discerning God’s call to have the courage to keep taking steps toward living out His will. If you know of young people who are discerning, please encourage them with your prayerful support. Encourage your priest to have a conversation with them or send them my way and I would be glad to speak with them.

various keynotes and beautiful liturgies as two key highlights of her experience!

In short, what these students and other individuals received from this conference was not only the encouragement necessary for sharing one’s faith with others, but, more importantly, the tools that can equip any disciple of Christ to be a faith-filled and joyful evangelizer at all times!

This conference, and others like it, are signs of real renewal and hope in the Church today.

Recognizing the universal call to be on mission for Christ by virtue of our baptism, those who attended

are now supplied with the confidence and resources to live out their lives of discipleship in a new and contagious way on their respective campuses and in their workplaces, thus allowing the Good News of the Gospel to resound in even the most remote corners of the world!

For more information on FOCUS, SLS20, etc., including recorded talks and liturgies, please visit www.sls20.org

Annual FOCUS Conference Draws Thousands to Phoenix Aaron Lofy

Director of Youth & Young Adults, alofy@dowr.org

By CHRIS TIBBETTS

�t the turn of a decade, the city of Phoenix,

AZ, witnessed one of the country’s largest and most vibrant Catholic conferences, the Student Leadership Summit 2020 (SLS20), put on by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS).

Students enrolled in universities around the country - including several from our own Diocese of Winona-Rochester - as well as adults of all ages seeking to grow in knowledge of their faith and how to better share it, collided for this thrilling, fiveday, faith-bolstering convention! Featuring talks by some of the most well-known and dynamic speakers in the Catholic sphere, countless booths giving witness to Catholic organizations, charities, and non-profits around the globe, and, of course, the celebration of the sacraments daily with all 9,000 in attendance, this experience was utterly unlike what many of these students had ever encountered before!

Jacquelyn Hoeft, a sophomore at WSU, reflecting on her “amazing experience” in Phoenix, recounted how incredible it was "to talk to the people [working the booths] and explore all the different opportunities to live out your faith!” She also placed the

Chris Tibbetts is a FOCUS missionary at Winona State University.

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Ask a Canon Lawyer

12

What Is

Ad Limina?

�n January, Bishop Quinn—along with the other bishops of our region, i.e. the eccle-

siastical province of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis—visited Rome for an ad limina visit. But what is an ad limina visit all about?

A Definition

In the 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 399 §1 tells us that:

Every five years a diocesan bishop is bound to make a report to the Supreme Pontiff on the state of the diocese entrusted to him, according to the form and time determined by the Apostolic See.

This report is called a quinquennial report, a word that literally means “every five years” (although, practically speaking, these days quinquennial reports are generally required only once every seven years). The quinquennial report includes statistics, or the number of things like parishes, schools, priests, religious, and Catholic faithful in the diocese; it also includes the bishop’s observations or concerns for his diocese.

Canon 400 then goes on to state that: …during the year in which he is bound to submit a report to the Supreme Pontiff, a diocesan bishop is to go to Rome to venerate the tombs of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and to present himself to the Roman Pontiff.

In a nutshell, this sums up the two-fold purpose of the ad limina visit.

This same canon specifies that: “A bishop is to satisfy the above-mentioned obligation personally unless he is legitimately impeded”—i.e., that unless the bishop has a serious reason not to go, he must actually travel to Rome himself.

This detail in the law is interesting, because it shows us that the ad limina visit is not just another routine administrative task involved in running a diocese, but it is instead part of the vocation of being a bishop.

“To the Thresholds…”

Ad limina is short for the Latin phrase “ad limina Apostolorum,” which translates into English as “to the threshold (or maybe “doorsteps”) of the Apostles.”

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This highlights especially the spiritual significance of the ad limina visit—that is, namely, a chance for today’s bishops, the successors of the Apostles, to visit the place where the great Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul were martyred and to pray at the places where these saints are buried.

As one document, the 1988 Directory for the “Ad Limina” Visit puts it:

Jenna Cooper

Tribunal Coordinator & Judge jcooper@dowr.org

So, What Actually Happens?

The veneration of the ‘trophies’ [i.e., the tombs or monuments] of the Apostles Peter and Paul and The specific details of an ad limina visit itinerary are pilgrimages to their tombs have been practiced naturally going to vary a bit from bishop to bishop and from earliest Christian times. These practices have region to region. But in general, the obligation to venerate the tombs of the Apostles St. Peter and Paul retained their deep spiritual meaning and their is fulfilled by visiting the churches where significance for ecclesial communion. It these saints are understood to have been is precisely for this reason that these Do buried. you practices were institutionalized a q h u To venerate St. Peter, bishops a e for the bishops. ve cano stio n n on their ad limina visit typically you abou law t celebrate a Mass in a crypt chaw t h ould Meeting the Pope at to s pel—that is, a chapel a level e e l i ke here under the main floor—of the ? Em answere The other part of the ad limina d jcoo a famous St. Peter’s Basilica. St. visit, the in-person meeting p e r @ il Peter’s Basilica is significant not w with the Pope, might seem to dow ith r . only because we know with a o r be more utilitarian. Of course, g ques " C o u r high degree of certainty based ier it is useful for bishops to be tion" on archeological evidence that the able to discuss their concerns subj i n St. Peter is indeed buried almost with the Holy Father. And it’s e ct line. directly under the high altar of this helpful for the Holy Father as well church, but also because it is only to hear directly about the state of steps away from the spot where St. various local diocesan churches, espePeter was martyred on the Vatican hill. cially those local churches in parts of the To venerate St. Paul, the bishops pray at a world which are geographically quite a ways basilica called St. Paul Outside the Walls. This basilica away from Rome. is so-named because it is located outside of the origiHowever, even this meeting has a deeply nal ancient city walls (and is still a bit of a trip outside spiritual aspect. As the 1988 Directory of the central city even today.) It is believed to be the says: location of St. Paul’s tomb, and is home to some other The meeting with the Successor of Peter, meaningful relics, such as the actual chains which the primary guardian of the deposit of bound St. Paul as a prisoner. truth handed down from the Apostles, The specific way the bishops’ in-person meeting serves to consolidate their unity in the with the Pope will be conducted depends on the prefsame faith, hope and charity. erences of the current Holy Father. In the past, Popes would speak one-on-one with individual bishops in And so this meeting is not simply a a very brief private meeting. Now, it seems that Pope mutual fact-sharing session, but is also Francis prefers a group meeting with all the bishops a sign of unity and communion for the from a particular province who are traveling together, entire Church. Our local bishop’s meetso that there is time for a more in-depth and substaning personally with the Holy Father tial discussion. shows us that even here in our quiet The bishops also have a chance to visit and talk corner of Minnesota, we’re still with officials from various Dicasteries of the Roman very much a part of the larger Curia, or “Vatican departments.” spiritual family which is All in all, as the 1988 Directory puts it: the universal Catholic ...the ‘ad limina’ visit is an action that each bishop Church. performs for the good of his own diocese and for the whole Church, in order to foster unity, charity and solidarity in the faith and in the apostolate.

Of Monuments and Jason Adkins

Executive Director Minnesota Catholic Conference

�hen the painting “Father Hennepin Discovering

the Falls of St. Anthony” (1905), along with another painting depicting the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, was removed from its central position in the Governor’s Reception Room of the Capitol to an out-of-the-way meeting space on the third floor, it was an attempt to recast Minnesota history as one born in white supremacy (with the coming of Christianity supposedly a part of that legacy) to tell instead a new story about the diverse state we are today.

The removal of the Fr. Hennepin painting was, on one level, a barometer of how far anti-Christian propaganda and historical ignorance have seeped into our culture.

Even so, the episode still provides important lessons about how to approach a complicated history and the issue of monuments more generally.

In short, we need to do a better job as a Church of telling our story—those of yesterday and of today—as well as reach out to those persons and communities who still struggle with the legacy of the sins and injustices of the past, whether Catholics committed them or not.

Identity Politics

Public art tells the story of a people; it honors heroes, identifies core values, and helps shape the narrative of public life. It answers the question: Who are we?

The commission in charge of reviewing Capitol art justified its recommendation to remove Fr. Hennepin on the grounds that the painting depicted a bare-breasted native woman, which, it claimed, was historically inaccurate and insensitive (though Fr. Hennepin himself described such scenes in his journals and there are bare breasts depicted in many places in the Capitol).

And though Fr. Hennepin is shown blessing the falls with a crucifix, some apparently thought the painting depicted domination of native populations, especially when paired with the other painting, which shows an unjust appropriation of land in southwest Minnesota from two bands of Dakota Indians. People looked at those paintings and said, “no, that’s not us.”

But what seems to have given the most offense to some was that, in displaying the painting so prominently, the state’s origins were identified with the land being named and claimed for the dominion of Jesus Christ, and that this was being

Faith in the Public Arena

Imperfect Men

13

"Father Hennepin Discovering the Falls of St. Anthony" (1905) by Douglas Volk.

communicated to the many visitors who came to the Governor’s Reception Room.

Removing the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux painting is justifiable; removing Fr. Hennepin blessing the falls along with it is less so and seems rather like an unfortunate bow to political correctness.

Reclaiming History

Ignorance surely plays a part in this drama. Far from being an agent of white supremacy, the Catholic Church is the most racially and ethnically diverse religious society in Minnesota, the United States, and around the world.

Historically speaking, it is true that the AngloProtestant colonization in the U.S. treated native populations like racially inferior Canaanites who could be driven from the land to make way for the new chosen people who had a “manifest destiny” to live in this new land of milk and honey.

French and Spanish imperialism, though not without their own abuses, were markedly different. The French actively intermarried with the native populations, evangelized them, traded with them, and sought to diplomatically incorporate their tribes into the French expansion of Christendom.

The Spanish meanwhile, especially after the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1535, built a tremendous mestizo (mixed race) empire in New Spain inspired by the Virgin, patroness of the Americas. There were great libraries and universities in South America before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth.

Other missionaries played important roles in preserving indigenous cultures and recording languages; like the example of Bishop Frederic

Baraga, who created the Ojibwe dictionary and translated the Bible into that tongue. As a result of such efforts, large percentages of Native Americans became Christian.

These men were not perfect, and neither are we. For all his daring and missionary endeavors, Fr. Hennepin made, by today’s standards, some cringe-inducing statements about natives. There was a process in which Europeans had to learn to love native peoples and their ways before effectively sharing the Gospel with them.

There is also history of abuses in Minnesota’s origin story that require a just response through atonement and repentance. One way we can do so is working with Native Americans, African Americans, and others to identify concrete ways in which the shameful legacies of genocide and slavery can be remediated today. Hearing the stories and perspectives of others in the “contextualization” of these paintings in their new location is another way that we can understand how others were and are affected by the stories told in them.

Still, we can also be confident in the missionary mandate, and proud of the Church’s role in bringing Christ to this land and forming new cultural syntheses—a story that should remain central to Minnesota’s identity and her monuments because, like the Church, a community built on Christian principles is one that has the most capacity to be inclusive and promote justice.

We can build on our history without trying to completely rewrite it.

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14

Volunteers Make Programs Possible

Catholic Charities

Jennifer Halberg

Director of Active Aging Programs Catholic Charities of Southern MN

Eitzen SAIL volunteers

�

rom La Crescent to St. James - and in 49 communities in between - a corps of local volunteers have stepped up to coordinate, facilitate and host health and wellness programs in their communities. Now, thanks to a generous grant from the Otto Bremer Trust, we can help you bring programs to your community, too.

We provide the materials, training and on-going support. You provide three or more like-minded community members who want to make it happen.

With a common goal and shared responsibilities, the programs flourish. Lives are changed.

Take Eitzen (population 252) for example. After learning about our Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL) program from one of our staff members, Grace, a life-long Eitzen resident, drove 11 miles to attend the exercise program in nearby Spring Grove (population 1,283). She experienced firsthand how the program, which has been proven to improve strength, flexibility, and endurance, had a positive influence on her health – and on that of others who attended. She observed the energetic volunteers who greeted and registered class participants, facilitated the program and prepared the materials. She noticed how, as a result of the biweekly sessions, they had become quite connected

February 2020 w The Courier w dowr.org

Volunteers who host the program with Kathi cite the positive effects it has on their own health, as well as their community members, as the most rewarding aspects of the program.

Meanwhile, in Mankato (population 42,610), Melissa struggled to manage chronic pain. After being discharged from an outpatient pain rehabilitation program, Melissa felt she needed more support to actively cope and manage her pain. She participated in our Living Well with Chronic Pain program and found that it offered practical strategies which helped her to manage her pain and with one another. That’s no coincidence. While maintain a better quality of life. Melissa went on Grace wasn’t aware of it, studies have proven that to complete our training to become a leader of the the SAIL program increases social connections and program and now volunteers her time co-facilitatdecreases isolation and depression among particiing the program in the Mankato area, pants. where she is passionate about helping “Why couldn’t this be available in "Why couldn't others manage their health conditions Eitzen, too?” she thought. It turned out this be available and live their best life! it could.

If, like Grace, Kathi or Melissa, you With the support of our Active in Eitzen, too?" have a passion for health and wellness Aging Program, Grace set out to make and would like to share it with your it happen. She soon rounded up five she thought. community - no matter the population people who shared her vision and vol- It turned out it we are here to help you make it happen. unteered to help bring the program to In addition to SAIL and the Living Eitzen. Many hands make light work, could.

Well with Chronic Pain programs, volunafter all. The program materials, equipteers also offer the Arthritis Foundation ment and training provided by Catholic Charities Exercise Program, Powerful Tools for Caregivers, were matched with a healthy dose of energy and Living Well with Chronic Conditions and the Aging passion by the volunteers. In December of 2019, Mastery for Caregivers programs. To find a program SAIL became available to the Eitzen community– near you, visit our website at https://www.ccsomn. just in time to gift the community with health and org/active-aging-programs/wellness-programs/. wellness over the holidays and far beyond!

If the program you are interested in is not avail221 miles to the west, Kathi volunteers her able nearby, please let us know. Together, we can time to help provide the SAIL program in Heron bring these valuable programs to your community.

Lake (population 656).

You can reach me directly by email at jhal“I think that the ladies and gentlemen are berg@ccsomn.org or by phone at (507) 454-2270 enjoying coming, and feel that the exercises do help extension 231. them with balance and strength. I know In addition to the generous financial support that it is helping me a lot with my hip and provided by the Otto Bremer Trust, the Active Aging also my balance. I have enjoyed doing Programs are made possible with support from the this with them and for some it's a reason Greater Mankato Area United Way, the Minnesota to get out this time of the year,” she comBoard on Aging, the Corporation for National & mented.

Community Service and many local donors.

Christian Brother Celebrated at Beatification Ceremony � e La Salle Christian Brother James Miller, described by friends and colleagues as simple, authentic and wholesome, is on his way to sainthood. Pope Francis officially recognized Brother James as a martyr in 2018, 36 years after he was shot and killed while working and serving in Guatemala. He was the first De La Salle Christian Brother from the United States to be beatified at a ceremony this past December.

To reach the final level of official sainthood, Brother James must have one miracle, such as a medical cure without scientific explanation, posthumously attrib-

In 2012, St. Mary's University renamed its "New Village" Residencia Santiago Miller in honor of Brother James.

Missionaries Sent Forth Submitted by EDEN FOORD

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His only Son into the world that we might live through Him.

�

1 John 4:9

nd to help spread this message of His infinite love, God is also sending SPIRITUS missionaries into the world, like ALI PREKKER from St. Catherine Parish, Luverne.

SPIRITUS is a team of young adults in their 20s that operates out of Menasha, WI. Its goal is to inspire Catholic youth through retreats and youth ministry while forming lifelong missionary disciples and leaders for the Church.

Ali is one of 15 missionaries from all over the country who joined SPIRITUS this year, the 11th year this ministry has been operating. These young adults are sent forth to spread the message of God’s love and serve the Catholic youth throughout the state of Wisconsin through a nine-month program that has the power to change lives dramatically: the lives of those whom these missionaries encounter as well as the lives of the missionaries themselves. Eden and Katherine Foord, the founders and directors of SPIRITUS, welcome a new team of missionaries each year and know what an impact SPIRITUS has on the youth.

They state, “Young missionaries are critical to inspiring youth to follow Jesus and encounter God's love."

Ali and the rest of the SPIRITUS missionaries change lives. Their loving and passionate discipleship resonates with our youth and awakens these youth to their Catholic faith while energizing them to do their part in renewing the life of the Church. The primary way that SPIRITUS missionaries achieve this is

through more than 150 retreats for more than 5,000 Catholic youth held each year. Ali has seen the impact that this missionary work is having firsthand.

"During a special prayer time with one of the youths, a girl opened up to me about her struggles at home, and, by the end, we were both crying because I have experienced many of the same things. Through the tears, I told her what helped me get through it: discovering God's unimaginable love. I shared that He felt the same love for her despite all the messiness.

There was laughter, happy tears, and a hug. It truly impacted her life."

The youth, however, aren’t the only lives impacted by the SPIRITUS program. Team members are formed as lifelong missionary disciples through routines of prayer, spiritual direction, service and weekly formation courses. During their nine months of service, Ali and the other missionaries will spend 534 hours in prayer, 152 hours in leadership formation, 132 hours in ministry training and 421 hours in direct ministry to our Catholic youth. This is all done within an exciting, loving, and joyful community.

Ali states, "Being a missionary entails so much more than I could have imagined. I have the opportunity to work and grow myself and gently challenge the youth to aspire to travel more in their own faith journeys; both of which have brought great joy to me and a deeper love for others."

Statistics also indicate the powerful work SPIRITUS does to form leaders for the Church. Since its inception in 2009, 19 alumni of the SPIRITUS teams have gone on to pursue religious life or priesthood and 59 are working in ministry.

The work isn’t always easy. Spending almost a year away from family and friends while working six days a week can take its toll. For this reason, the missionaries need all the support they can get from the Catholic community.

When asked how Catholics from Ali’s diocese can

shot and killed. No one was ever arrested for his murder. Many assume he was killed because he fought to keep his students from being forced into the military.

But, that’s not where Brother James’ story ends. In 1994, Guatemalan bishops began the canonization process, completing the first investigation. Twentyfour years later, Pope Francis cleared the way for beatification. In December, the ceremony took place near Brother James’ former school in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. While the school is no longer there, his memory remains in the form of the Brother James Miller Museum. On display is the shirt he was wearing the day he was killed along with the project he was working on.

More than 2,000 former students, fellow Brothers, priests and bishops gathered for the beatification ceremony, including several people from Saint Mary’s University. In attendance was Dr. Tim Gossen, vice president of the Office of Student Affairs and Student Life at Saint Mary’s. Gossen said being there among Brother James’ students, hearing their personal stories, was incredibly moving.

“It was amazing to be able to highlight and honor Brother James,” says Gossen. “Despite fears and civil unrest, he returned to Central America to fulfill his mission and do the work he believed God was calling him to do. He believed in education that much. And, he had that much faith.”

15

In the Diocese

By MAGGIE SONNEK

uted to him.

Raised on a farm in Stevens Point, WI, Brother James graduated from then-Saint Mary’s College in Winona before working at then-Cretin High School in St. Paul. There, he taught Spanish, coached football, and served as a maintenance supervisor.

“Students called him Brother Fix-it,” jokes friend and fellow Christian Brother Stephen Markham, FSC, the interim vice president for mission at Saint Mary’s University. The two lived together in college until professing their final vows. “He was a normal guy. Firm, but flexible. Quiet, but kind. And he loved to laugh.”

Saint Mary’s alumnus John Soucheray remembers that kindness and laughter. Brother James was Soucheray’s head resident during his junior year.

“The residents gathered for a dorm meeting after dinner, which for the students, was some kind of mystery meat. Brother James was smiling and telling us about a delicious steak-fry picnic he had just enjoyed with his fellow Brothers,” Soucheray explains. “We were whining and complaining. He just smiled and said, ‘If you want to have steak with us, then join the Brothers.’ That was him; humble and kind.”

In 1969, Brother James was sent to Nicaragua, where he taught and built schools. A decade later, his religious superiors ordered him to leave due to conflict and revolution. He returned to Cretin, where he taught for a short time, until moving to Huehuetenango, Guatemala. There, he taught English, religion, and Guatemalan art to secondary level students at Casa Indigena School.

“I asked Jim if it was wise for him to go back to Central America,” says Brother Stephen. “He responded without hesitation, ‘You can’t worry about that.

There is too much to be done.’ That’s where he wanted to be, serving his people with compassion.”

Just over a year after returning to Guatemala, at age 37, Brother James, a champion for the poor, was

Maggie Sonnek is a freelance writer in Wabasha. Her work can be found at millcitycreativempls.com

Ali Prekker (black shirt) is a SPIRITUS missionary from St. Catherine Parish in Luverne

help support the mission, Eden responded, “Please pray for Ali, the other missionaries and all the youth they will inspire this year.” Also, since SPIRITUS team members are not required to fundraise to pay for their living expenses while serving, “your financial support is very helpful.”

Eden also states, “Living the life of a missionary is extremely challenging, so your words of support will make a difference as well. You can send a message to Ali at aliprekker@spiritusministries.org.”

If you know of any young adults who want to inspire youth as a SPIRITUS missionary, please have them contact Rachel at rachelvanhandel@spiritusministries.org.

Eden Foord is a founder and director of SPIRITUS.

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Resettlement,

In the Diocese

16

cont'd from pg. 1

life-threatening dangers. We are also troubled by the decision to set a limit of 18,000 refugees in 2020, the lowest in 40 years.

We are saddened that as Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ — who himself experienced life as a refugee when his family fled to Egypt — our nation may be creating even more hardships for vulnerable refugee families.

We, the Lutheran and Catholic bishops of Minnesota, invite our members, our political leaders and all of goodwill to prayerfully consider the following reflections.

In our traditions, Advent is a time to prepare for the coming of Jesus both at Christmas and at the end of time. But it also challenges us to welcome him when he comes to us in other ways, particularly through the people we encounter every day. Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God and therefore imbued with a sacred dignity we must respect and protect. This is especially true when it comes to the poor and vul-

nerable.

We acknowledge that resettlement can bring new challenges for our communities.

That uneasiness is real.

Yet, the world is experiencing the largest displacement of persons in human history. Our nation’s refugee policy is one way to demonstrate our values by following a common moral exhortation in the Bible: to welcome the stranger in our midst.

We fear the executive order will create further hardship for refugees by delaying the resolution of their cases, dividing extended families and placing additional strains on the resettlement system. While

Obituaries

Sister Judith Chiodo (Sister Olivia) 79, a Franciscan Sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes, Rochester, died at Assisi Heights, December 23, 2019.

Judith Concetta Marie Chiodo, was born April 30, 1940, in Minneapolis to August William and Ann Stella (Scalise) Chiodo.

She entered the Sisters of St. Francis in 1960, and made perpetual vows in 1965. She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the College of St. Teresa, Winona, in 1965 and a master’s degree in marriage and family counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, WI, in 1988.

From 1964 to 1973, Sister Judy taught elementary students at schools in southern Minnesota: St. Francis School, Rochester; Sacred Heart School, Waseca; and Our Lady of Good Counsel, Wilmont. Following a year of clinical pastoral education with training in alcohol and drug counseling at Hazeldon Foundation, Sister Judy worked for eight years as an out-patient counselor in chemical dependency at Lutheran Social Services, Chicago, IL. She moved to Eau Claire, WI, where she was a clinical supervisor and counselor at Lutheran Social Services.

On completion of her master’s degree, she continued to work for another year at Lutheran Social Services in Eau Claire. Further ministries included: chemical dependency/marriage and family counseling at Lutheran Social Services in Hudson, WI, and serving in congregational leadership for the Sisters of St.

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we support local engagement, refugee resettlement agencies are already working closely with state and local officials as well as community stakeholders to facilitate this process, and we foresee a host of practical problems that would arise if states and municipalities were given a veto over refugee resettlement.

We would like to address a few specific groups directly regarding their duties related to this issue: To our refugee sisters and brothers: We stand with you as you start new lives in this country. You have escaped terrible situations of persecution and violence, leaving your homes and livelihoods to face an uncertain future. We know you are eager to live in safety with your families, find employment and become integral, contributing members of your local communities. We pledge our support, promise to be your advocates, and trust that we will be mutually enriched as we come to know each other’s culture and experiences. We ask you to be patient with those for whom your presence presents a challenge.

To our elected officials: We thank Governor Walz for expressing his support of resettlement, indicating that “the inn is not full in Minnesota,” and we ask our mayors and county elected officials to also publicly express support for refugee resettlement. The assistance we offer refugees is repaid through the talents they share and their economic participation in the life of our communities. Rather than posing a threat to our values or our way of life, most refugees seek to build a better life and contribute to the vibrancy of their new homeland. We ask that you become their advocates, too.

For those who support refugee resettlement, please don’t demonize those who are opposed. We need to build bridges of dialogue instead of walls of resentment.

To our congregations and those of goodwill: Pray for refugees and voice your support for them to our elected leaders. Reflect on ways you or your church congregation can assist them and other newcomers and how we can together address the fears and misconceptions that are all too common in these situations.

If you are challenged by the influx of refugees, we invite you to seek to encounter them, learn their stories and work to see them as God sees them — as sons and

Francis (1994-2000) while also serving as pastoral care consultant at Hazeldon. Following a sabbatical year, she was self-employed as a spiritual director/ counselor for 17 years before moving to Assisi Heights in 2018. Over the past year, Sister Judy was an active participant in Resounding Voices Chorus of Rochester.

Sister Judy is survived by her Franciscan Sisters, with whom she shared life for nearly 60 years, and her aunts Margaret Scalise and Doris Scalise. Also surviving are nieces and nephews: Kelli, Kari (Todd), Vicki, Gina (Corey), Penny (Steve), Ricky (Melissa), Wendy (Jim), Peter (Diana), John (Gwen), Glenn (Monica), LuAnn (Tom), and many loving cousins, grandnieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, and three siblings: Dick Chiodo, Jerry Chiodo and Patti McNamara.

The Funeral Mass was December 30 in the Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes at Assisi Heights, followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery, Rochester.

Memorials are suggested to the Sisters of St. Francis, Office of Mission Advancement, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th St. NW, Rochester, MN 55901.

Sister Martha Ann McGinnis (Sister Martel), 85, a Franciscan Sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes, Rochester, died at Assisi Heights, January 17, 2020.

Martha Ann was born January 28, 1934, in Caledonia to James and Martha Mary (Schmitt) McGinnis.

She entered the Sisters of St. Francis in 1951, and made perpetual vows in 1957. She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the College of St. Teresa, Winona, in 1963 and a master’s degree in Christian spiritu-

daughters.

In sum, the reduced cap on the number of refugees as well as the executive order lack the mercy, compassion and justice that are not only called for by the Gospel but that also should be expected from a strong and historically diverse nation. Although we feel Executive Order 13888 should be rescinded, the fact remains that the 90-day deadline stipulated in the executive order is December 25 — Christmas. Although the impact will not take effect until several months into 2020, it is urgent that our community and elected officials respond right away.

We can and must do better to create a welcoming society for those most in need.

Respectfully yours, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Reverend Thomas Aitken Bishop, Northeastern Minnesota Synod

The Reverend Jon V. Anderson Bishop, Southwestern Minnesota Synod The Reverend Regina M. Hassalany Bishop, Southeastern Minnesota Synod The Reverend Patricia Lull Bishop, Saint Paul Area Synod

The Reverend Ann Svennungsen, Bishop, Minneapolis Area Synod

The Reverend William T. Tesch, Bishop, Northwestern Minnesota Synod Roman Catholic Church

The Most Reverend Bernard A. Hebda Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis The Most Reverend Michael J. Hoeppner Bishop of Crookston The Most Reverend Donald J. Kettler Bishop of Saint Cloud The Most Reverend John M. LeVoir Bishop of New Ulm The Most Reverend John M. Quinn Bishop of Winona-Rochester

The Most Reverend Andrew H. Cozzens Auxiliary bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

ality from Creighton University, Omaha, NE, in 1982.

From 1954-73, Sister Martha Ann served as an elementary teacher at schools in southern Minnesota: St. Augustine, Austin; Sacred Heart, Adams; and at schools with the name St. Mary in Winona, Tracy, Caledonia and Owatonna. She also taught at St. Priscilla School, Chicago, IL. Following her years of teaching, she joined Movement for a Better World in Washington, D.C., where she presented Parish Renewal Retreats in various places around the country. She served in parish ministry at Immaculate Conception Parish in Watertown, SD (1982-83), and as pastoral administrator at St. Paul Parish in Walnut Grove (1983-88). She also served in congregational ministry on staff of the Christian Community Center, Mistress of Novices and as a member of the Leadership Team (1988-94). From 1996-97 Sister Martha Ann provided retreats/spiritual direction and group facilitation in the Tzaneen Diocese, Republic of South Africa.

Following her return to the United States, her ministry included retreats and spiritual direction.

Sister Martha Ann is survived by her Franciscan Sisters, with whom she shared life for 69 years; her brother Bill (Darlene) McGinnis of San Jose, CA; nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; five brothers: Dr. James McGinnis, Rev. Joseph McGinnis, John McGinnis, Alfred McGinnis and Robert McGinnis; and two sisters: Mary McGinnis and Rita McGinnis-Klug.

A Memorial Liturgy was held Thursday, January 23, in the Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes at Assisi Heights, Rochester. Sister Martha Ann made the gift of an anatomical bequest to Mayo Clinic. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery, Rochester, at a later date.

Memorials are suggested to the Sisters of St. Francis, Office of Mission Advancement, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th St. NW, Rochester, MN 55901.

SPOF Gives Thanks

By FR. TIMOTHY BIREN

�heI Lord be with you! want to thank everyone in the diocese

Fr. Timothy Biren is the director of the Society for the Propagation of Faith in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. For more information on the Society for the Propagation of Faith, visit www.dowr.org 2018/2019 Rev. Donald Grubisch Wabasha Margaret Herman Rochester Jean G. Kletzke La Crescent Msgr. Roy Literski Trust Winona Georgette Maas Medford Jerome Maloney Mankato Anna Pitzl & Fred Krost Rochester Leona Pogones Owatonna Msgr. Donald P. Schmitz Rochester Msgr. Roy Literski Winona Sr. Moira Tighe Rochester

Estate

-

$208,507 .55

Estate

-

$100,000 .00

Estate

-

$336 .63

Estate

-

$36,367 .32

Estate

-

$1,000 .00

Estate

-

$560,267 .64

Estate

-

$32,537 .66

Estate

-

$41,339 .02

SPOF Total : $980,355.82 NWEA

-

$492 .80

Masses

-

$1,000 .00

Masses

-

$1,000 .00

The Courier Crossword

By W.R. CHESTER Across

1. Eucharistic matter

5. Chair

7. __ how the bells...

8. Fairmont Area Catholic Radio

6. Turn the other __. 9. His feast includes a "full-throated" 10. Died defending blessing. her purity 11. Father of 12. Daughter of Nebuchadnezzar Eutychia 13. Presentation of 14. 40 days the Lord 15. To kindle 16. Patroness of human traffick17. Cathedral of St. ing survivors Paul Pieta 20. Med City eagles

17. Ash Wednesday imperative

A Potpourri of Practical Points

By JEANETTE FORTIER

�thetopquarterly in the parish office this week and ask to see packet from the DCCW winter meeting.

17

Every parish in the diocese is mailed one, and the mailing contains the reports from the CCW Commissions.

Eleanore Jones has an excellent article on speakers from last August’s National Convention. Valerie Ehlenfeldt writes about Catholic Schools and their history. Ellen Allens’ article is about Angels, and Linda McGuire gives you great information on the upcoming election and Respect Life issues. Rosanne Buehler always has good ideas for what you can collect, create, or recycle for the missions (Who thought the wand from your mascara could do so much good?), and Barb Hussongs’ theme is Kindness. I give a shout-out to St. Theodore Parish in Albert Lea for hosting our meeting in January. Keynote speakers were Bev McCarvel on parish leadership and Kathy Schuman on mental illness.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 25, when we’ll be meeting in Brewster, MN, for our spring meeting. The CCW of Sacred Heart is fantastic – you won’t want to miss this gathering! Bring an “Alleluia” with you; it will be the Easter season after all.

March 26 is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Good Counsel, patroness of NCCW. Can you arrange to have the Mass intention for that day (or within that week) be the Council of Catholic Women? June will bring the Province of St. Paul/Minneapolis Conference in St. Augusta, MN, and August is the National Convention in Arlington, VA, and the celebration of 100 years! You won’t want to miss it!

February points? Come join us (cost: $3), read about us (E-news is free) and be about the work of the Lord with us (it will be heavenly). You will be empowered!

In the Diocese

for their continued generosity to the Society of the Propagation of the Faith (SPOF). These monies are put together with gifts from all the dioceses of the world and make up the General Fund. Pope Francis works in consultation with the national directors of the SPOF from around the world to divide and share with over 1,000 dioceses that need assistance. Each diocese will receive about $40,000 to use for the spread of the Gospel through their missionary work!

In addition to the donations sent to the SPOF, $257,000 was sent to the various missionary groups who did appeals in our diocese the past two summers as part of the Missionary Cooperative Program! We are pleased that less than two (2) percent of monies collected go to expenses of administration of the diocesan SPOF! Isn’t it great to know that you, as the donor, are seeing the best return for your gift?

As a reminder, Bequests/Legacies for the Propagation of the Faith remain one of the main sources of income for the missionaries in the needy dioceses. Please continue to pray for the missions and to help the missions financially. I would especially ask you to to remember “The Society for the Propagation of the Faith” in your wills and in estate planning. There is certainly peace of mind and heart knowing that we can

leave a lasting legacy to support missionary activity throughout the world. Thank you for providing that blessing!

On behalf of all the missionaries serving around the world – Thank you!

Jeanette Fortier is the president of the Winona-Rochester Diocesan Council of Catholic Women.

18. A moral change

19. Cyrillic script 23. Raising mind and heart 24. ___ the Mass.

27. Medieval chapel of ease in Mwnt, Wales

28. Salvation is ___ but not cheap.

^^^ Last Month's Answers ^^^

21. False idea of the kingdom to come 22. Body

25. St. Paul does this in 1Cor. 9.

26. Assistance prompted by charity 29. WI shrine

30. Patriarch and tribe of Israel

31. Chant holding pride of place Down

2. Christ Cathedral home

3. God will take this in Ezekiel 17.

4. Most Catholics

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the Diocese

18

L to R: Pope Francis and the DOW-R's Bishop John Quinn, Msgr. Thomas Cook and Fr. Mark McNea.

Rome, cont'd from pg. 1

Winona-Rochester, Minnesota.

Standing before St. Peter's tomb Jan. 13, Bishop Quinn was the principal celebrant and homilist at a Mass with the bishops of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota as they began their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican to pray at the tombs of the apostles and report on the status of their dioceses.

In St. Peter's Basilica early in the morning, before meeting Pope Francis, the bishops of the 10 dioceses renewed their profession of faith and offered special prayers for the pope.

"Jesus always sees more in every person he encounters than that person sees in themselves," Bishop Quinn said in his homily. St. Peter is an obvious example: "Jesus knew he wasn't the rock when he called him, but Peter becomes the rock."

"Jesus sees in Peter the potential," the bishop said. Peter reached that potential not because he learned "some self-help tips, it's not because he read a few books on how to become a leader."

Rather, he said, "Peter encountered Jesus" and

allowed him to become the foundation of his life.

There were times, the bishop said, that Peter was not a rock. He denied Jesus three times and at times was much more like "shifting sand" than solid rock.

Becoming "the rock" was a process that involved a daily encounter with a real person, learning about and coming to love Jesus and allowing his heart to be converted, the bishop said.

"Today we have great challenges in our church," he said. "Maybe none of us feels like the rock."

But in faith, he said, the bishops know that Jesus will strengthen them as he strengthened Peter.

For that to happen, though, he said the bishops must devote time to getting to know Jesus, setting aside a "holy hour" each day, reading the Scriptures "so that Jesus becomes a person whom I want to follow and whose forgiveness and mercy in my life is a real encounter."

"Every one of us is shifting sand," Bishop Quinn said. "Every one of us needs Jesus Christ in our life. Don't be afraid to come to him. Peter did and it changed his life, Peter on whom the Lord built his church."

"Be the rock," he told his brother bishops, "but be the rock because Jesus has made you that solid."

Copyright Š2020 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews. com. All rights reserved. Used with permission of CNS.

A great blessing came to me last month, when the bishops of Minnesota and North and South Dakota traveled to Rome for their ad limina visit, which is required of every bishop at intervals set by the Holy See. According to Church law, every five years or so, the bishops of the world are to come to Rome to pray at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul and to meet with the Holy Father and the officials at the Curia. The visit is about maintaining the continuity of the apostolic faith, received by the Apostles from Jesus Christ and then handed on to their successors, the Bishops.

It was a special moment for me and my brother bishops, when we spent two hours with Pope Francis, asking him questions and receiving his wisdom in an open exchange on many topics. I was both humbled and lifted up by being with the successor of St. Peter, who carries the demands of bringing unity to a world-wide Church that is in the midst of much fragmentation and cultural change. Pope Francis radiates the joy of the gospel and invited us to be missionaries, who call others to know and love Jesus Christ, who can then go out on mission. Here in our diocese, we keep responding to the initiative and challenge of the Holy Father by keeping a clear focus on the mission of Jesus Christ and not on maintaining communities and structures that often lack the joy and the power of the Holy Spirit.

At each of the daily Masses at the stational churches of Rome and at other shrines, you were prayed for, especially the many special intentions given to me by people in our parishes before I left on pilgrimage to the Holy See. While in Rome, I saw Msgr. Thomas Cook, who assists in the Roman Curia and serves there at the request of the Holy See. Msgr. Cook prays for us each day and misses all of us.

The Catholic Church is universal and is found everywhere in the world. Most of all, the Church is the sign of salvation in Jesus Christ to all the nations. It is my privilege to be your bishop and to have given an account of the mission of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester to Pope Francis, the successor of St. Peter. Blessed are you!

Sincerely in Christ,

Fr. Tim Baltes, of the Diocese of St. Cloud, signs his name to the Mass log in the sacristy of a stational church as Bishop Quinn looks on.

February 2020 w The Courier w dowr.org

Bishop John Quinn of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester with Bishop Donald Kettler of the Diocese of St. Cloud

Most Rev. John M. Quinn Bishop of Winona-Rochester

SUBMISSION to the calendar Please note: submission deadline is the 10th of the month prior to the month of publication. All submissions must be sent electronically to nreller@dowr.org by the deadline to assure receipt and possible inclusion in the events calendar.

Thank you for understanding that, due to space limitations, not all events nor story submissions will fit; however, we strive to include as many as possible.

A current list of events is also available at www.dowr.org.

Regular Prayer

Other Events

Mass for Life & Marriage St. Mary Church, Winona, first Thursday each month at 5:15 p.m.

Holy Hour of Prayer for Life, Marriage & Religious Liberty First Saturday each month 8:30-9:30 a.m. in the Cathedral's Adoration Chapel, 360 Main Street, Winona.

Masses of Reparation for Sins in the Diocese Daily in parishes throughout the diocese. Info: cb@wabashaemail.com Cor Jesu Cathedral, Winona, 7-9 p.m., first Friday each month, Sept. - May. Adoration, confessions, music in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. For details, search Winona Cor Jesu on Facebook, visit cascwinona.org/prayer/corJesu, or call Kristopher Kaufman (859-7601619) or Steven Lehn (507-312-9041).

St. Charles Senior Center, St. Charles Jan. 19 - Feb. 23, Six Sundays Community 500 Card Parties 1:304 p.m. $5 per person (includes lunch & prizes). Sponsored by St. Charles Catholic Daughters #1791.

All welcome.

World Wide Web Feb 5, Wednesday Monthly Discipleship Quad online check-in from noon 12:45. Interested in sharing and troubleshooting your quad, starting a quad, or learning more?

Please contact Susan WindleyDaoust at swindley@dowr.org to get the online link information. All are welcome.

Traditional Latin Mass Mankato, Ss. Peter & Paul, Sundays 4:15 pm Wabasha, St. Felix, Saturdays 9 am

The Televised Mass Offered as a service for the homebound every Sunday morning on: KTTW, Channel 7 (Sioux Falls, SD) at 7; KPTH, Channel 44 (Sioux City, IA) at 8:30; KEYC, Channel 12 (Mankato) at 7:30; KEYC-DT2, Digital Channel 12.2 or Charter Channel 19 (Mankato) at 9:30; KAAL Channel 6 (Austin/Rochester) at 9; WKBT Channel 8 (La Crosse) at 7:30; or on our website, dowr. org (click "Weekly Mass").

Spanish Mass Schedule

Church of the Resurrection, Rochester February 7, Friday 7 p.m. CEO ‘Catholic Evangelization Outreach.’ A Valentine’s evening of music & sweet treats while two Rochester couples: Prince (former Baptist minister) & Rachel Singh and Santi & Carolyn Ocariz, share conversion stories. No cost. All welcome. Free childcare provided.

1600 11th Ave. SE in Rochester.

Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Rochester February 8, Saturday 7:30 p.m. organ recital by Jan Kraybill, who has been nominated for the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album, Best Classical Instrumental Solo, and Producer of the Year. Freewill offerings accepted. Open to the public. More information at https://sj.org/announcement/ jan-kraybill-concert/ St. Pius X Church, Rochester February 15, Saturday Diocesan Married Couples Retreat 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. in Founders Hall, followed by Mass and dinner catered by Victoria's (free-will offerings accepted). Cash bar for beer & wine. Retreat $25 per couple. Register at dowr.org/ event-details/631 St. Pius X Church, Rochester Lenten Sundays - Feb. 16 - Apr. 5 Life in the Spirit Seminar 2-4 p.m. in Founders Hall lower level. Join us!

Assisi Heights, Rochester February 21, Friday 6:30-8 p.m. presentation by Fr. Thomas Sweetser, SJ, author of Can Francis Change the Church? Fr. Sweetser will share his experience interviewing Catholics on the state of affairs in the church. $12 preregistered/prepaid.

The Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is seeking a

PT Director of Faith Formation (grades K-5) FT Director of Faith Formation (grades 6-12) View complete job descriptions at

https://sj.org/announcement/jobopenings/ Assisi Heights, Rochester February 22, Saturday Joy of Loving workshop 9 a.m.

- 2:30 p.m., led by Fr. Thomas Sweetser, SJ, author and founder of the Parish Evaluation Project. $40 preregistered/prepaid, includes lunch. For individuals, parish committees, or community groups to pray, reflect, and explore ideas for reaching out to others and renewing engagement in our faith & community.

Albert Lea, St. Theodore 11 a.m. Sundays

Pipestone, St. Leo 1 p.m. Sundays (bilingual) Rochester, St. Francis Austin, Queen of Angels Noon Sundays & 7 p.m. Thursdays 11 a.m. Sundays.; 5:15 p.m. Fridays St. Charles, St. Charles Lake City, St. Mary Borromeo 6:30 p.m. 3rd Saturdays 10 a.m. 4th Sundays (bilingual) Madelia, St. Mary St. James, St. James 12 p.m. Sundays 7 p.m. Saturdays Windom, St. Francis Xavier Mankato, Ss. Peter & Paul 11:30 a.m. Sundays 1 p.m. Sundays Worthington, St. Mary Owatonna, Sacred Heart 7 p.m. Saturdays.; 1 p.m. Sundays.; 11:45 a.m. Sundays 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays & Fridays

Hispanic Priests / Sacerdotes Hispanos Padre José Morales Capellán en la Mayo Clinic, Rochester Tel. 507-266-7275 Padre Luis Alfonso Vargas Vicario Parroquial de St. Francis of Assisi, Rochester frluisvargasdw@gmail.com Tel. 507-288-7313 Padre Javier Ibarra IVE Vicario Parroquial de SS. Peter and Paul, Mankato Tel. 507-388-2995 ext. 103

Padre Miguel Eduardo Proaños Vicario Parroquial de St. Mary, Worthington frmiguel2005@yahoo.com Tel. 507-375-3542 Padre Raul Silva Vicario de la Pastoral Hispana en la diócesis de Winona Y Párroco de Queen of Angels, Austin PadreRaulSilva@gmail.com Tel. 507-433-1888 February 2020 w The Courier w dowr.org

February 2020

• The Courier