The Courier - February 2019

The

COURIER

Chair of St. Peter February 22

February 2019

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

A Report from the

Hispanic Ministry Leaders Retreat

The Courageous Honesty of Peter Steinfels

By GEORGE WEIGEL

�

By FR. RAÚL SILVA

�

n January 4 and 5, a retreat with 34 Hispanic leaders from the different parishes of the diocese took place at Alverna Center in Winona. Almost every parish that has Hispanic Ministry throughout the diocese was represented at this retreat.

The purpose of the retreat was twofold: 1. To pray for the gift of communion so that we can work together and help one another become true Missionary Disciples of the Lord

2. To work on a Hispanic Ministry Pastoral Plan for our diocese following the guidance and recommendations of the V Encuentro Process.

Our two-day retreat was blessed with prayer, a Holy Hour of adoration with silent prayer, and the celebration of the Eucharist. During the day, there were presentations given by

Vicar for Hispanic Ministry Fr. Raúl Silva. These presentations introduced the different sessions, group discussions, reflections and sharing around specific pastoral challenges and questions regarding Hispanic ministry at our local parishes and diocese. The Lord truly blessed us with unity and excitement during the whole retreat.

Most of our discussions and reflections revolved around themes such as family, children, youth, evangelization or missionary discipleship, vocations and parish ministries. The main pastoral needs and challenges that surfaced during our sharing were: • •

•

Formation or training of religious education catechists, parish leaders and all those serving at other church ministries Helping our children and youth grow in their Catholic Faith Marriage programs and retreats in Spanish

Hispanic Ministry, cont'd on pg. 19

eter Steinfels’s long career in journalism included years of service as editor of Commonweal (from which perch he took me to the woodshed more than once), followed by a decade as senior religion correspondent of the New York Times. Steinfels has now done the Catholic Church in the United States — and American society as a whole — a tremendous service by telling some disturbing truths about the August 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report on clerical sexual abuse in six Keystone State dioceses. His lengthy article, “The Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report: Not What It Seems,” was first published on Commonweal’s website this past January 9 (https://wwwcommonwealmagazine. org/print/40415); it is required reading for those determined to grapple with the linked problems of sexual abuse and episcopal failure in the Church.

Like anyone with a grain of moral sensibility or human feeling, Steinfels, long a leader of U.S. Catholicism’s liberal wing, was revolted by the graphic stories of sexual predation contained in the grand jury report, which Pennsylvania attorney general Josh Shapiro presented

Steinfels, cont'd on pg. 12

INSIDE this issue

Renew Faith. Extend Mercy.

Inspire Hope. page 4

Following "In the Light of the Master" page 7

...Volunteer! page 16

Pope Francis Watch

Pope Appeals for Yemen's 2 Starving Children

By HANNAH BROCKHAUS

The Courier Insider

VATICAN CITY, Feb. 3, 2019 (CNA/EWTN News) - During the Angelus Sunday, Pope Francis urged people to think of and pray for the many people in Yemen, especially children, who are starving to death in the war.

Praying a ‘Hail Mary’ for the people of Yemen, the pope urged people Feb. 3 to “pray hard, because there are children who are hungry, who are thirsty, who have no medicine, and are in danger of death,” adding that “we take this thought home with us.”

Francis said he is following the humanitarian crisis in Yemen with great concern, noting that the people of the country are exhausted by the three-year conflict and the lack of access to food.

“The cry of these children and their parents rises before God,” he said. “I appeal to the interested parties and to the international community to urgently encourage compliance with the agreements reached, to ensure the distribution of food and to work for the good of the population.”

Yemen, located on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, has been in civil war since 2015. The war has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with about 22 million of the nearly 29 million people in the country in need of some humanitarian assistance.

How Would You Like Your Courier?

�

ears ago, the Courier was delivered in bulk to churches for parishioners to pick up after Masses, rather than individually to homes.

Today, as we continue to evaluate our stewardship of diocesan resources, Courier staff is exploring the benefits and drawbacks of bulk mailings as one option for Courier delivery.

If you prefer to receive the Courier at home, you still can! Let us know, and we'll keep sending it to you, regardless of other changes we may make to our delivery method.

If you'd rather pick up the Courier at church, we'd like to know that as well.

Please send your response along with your name, parish and reader ID (number directly above your name on the mailing label) to: Diocese of Winona-Rochester The Courier 55 W Sanborn St. Winona, MN 55987 OR nreller@dowr.org Thank you!

Courier Staff February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

Though it is difficult to get official counts because of conditions on the ground, it is estimated that between 13,500 and 80,000 people have been killed in Yemen’s conflict. More than 2 million people have been displaced from their homes and the number of people facing pre-famine conditions could reach 14 million, the U.N. estimated.

Pope Francis’ appeal came on the same day he leaves for a two-day trip to another part of the Arabian Peninsula, to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Before the Angelus, the pope reflected on the day’s Gospel, and the “logic” of the idea that since Jesus was performing miracles in the neighboring places, he should perform them also in Nazareth. But this “does not correspond to God’s plan: God wants faith,” he said.

Jesus knows, he continued, that to live the mission given to him by the Father, “he must face fatigue, rejection, persecution and defeat,” though this does not discourage him, and “he goes on his way, trusting in the love of the Father.”

Francis explained that the world needs the same kind of disciples today. People who are courageous in responding to the Christian vocation.

“People who follow the ‘push’ of the Holy Spirit, who sends them to proclaim hope and salvation to the poor and excluded ... people who are open to accepting in themselves the will of the Father and are committed to witnessing it faithfully to others.”

The pope concluded his address by asking the Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede for Catholics, that they “may grow and walk in the same apostolic zeal for the Kingdom of God that animated the mission of Jesus.”

The Holy Father's Intention for

February 2019 Human Trafficking For a generous welcome to the victims of human trafficking, of enforced prostitution, and of violence.

Articles of Interest

Renew Faith. Extend Mercy. Inspire Hope.____4 Spotlight on Cursillo...______________________6 Following "In the Light of the Master"______7 Spiritual Multiplication...___________________8 ...Encounter Something More________________9 Catholic Schools Updates___________________10 It's Time for Recertification Training!_______12 Celebrate Consecrated Life!________________13 ...Safe Haven Sunday____________________14 Consumed by Jesus______________________15 ...Volunteer!_____________________________16 ...At the Service of Peace__________________17 Diocesan Headlines________________________18 Diocesan Calendar_________________________20 Officials The Most Rev. John M. Quinn, Bishop of the Diocese of WinonaRochester, announces the following appointments: Pastor Rev. James Berning: currently Pastor of St. Mary Parish in Winona; transferred to the office of Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Rochester, effective February 1, 2019.

Parochial Administrator Very Rev. Thomas Loomis: appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Bernard Parish in Stewartville and St. Bridget Parish in Simpson, effective January 7, 2019.

Sacramental Ministry Rev. Kevin Connolly: appointed Sacramental Minister for St. Bernard Parish in Stewartville and St. Bridget Parish in Simpson, with residence at Holy Spirit rectory in Rochester, effective January 7, 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.

The Courier is the official publication of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester 55 West Sanborn, P.O. Box 588, Winona, MN 55987 Vol 110 - 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 Subscription Rates: $5 per year in the U.S. Parishioners in the diocese subscribe through their parish. Periodicals postage paid at Slayton, MN Postmaster.

Publishing Schedule: Monthly - Deadline for advertising & articles is the 10th of the month prior.

(ISSN 0744-5490)

Come, Holy Spirit!

Catholic Schools

During the week of January 27-February 2, Catholics in the U.S. celebrated Catholic Schools Week. This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the great importance of Catholic schools. Catholic schools provide an essential option for parents, allowing their kids to be taught in a faith-filled environment, and be formed as disciples of Jesus Christ. Our diocese is blessed with many Catholic elementary schools, four Catholic high schools, and one Catholic university, providing Catholic education at all levels right here in southern Minnesota. Thank you for your faithful and generous support of our Catholic schools!

Here in the state of Minnesota, the Minnesota Catholic Conference – the public policy voice of the Catholic bishops in Minnesota – has highlighted school choice as one of the top priorities for the new legislative session.

Unfortunately, choosing a non-

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

public school is not a feasible option for many parents. Thus, in our promotion of Catholic schools and school choice, it is important to also work for ways to help parents afford the choice of non-public schools, including vouchers and scholarship tax credits. These help to truly give all parents the choice of how to best educate their children, and fulfill their God-given duty to raise their children in the faith and choose the education that is best for their family.

DOW-R Seminarians

This year, we have 14 seminarians studying for the priesthood for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Six of these men are studying theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, seven are studying at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, and one is working in parishes during a Pastoral Year. The harvest is ready but the laborers are few, so please pray for our seminarians, and for an increase of young men who are willing to answer the Lord’s call to serve in the vineyard as priests of Jesus Christ. Don’t be afraid to encourage men to consider the priesthood, as many times young people simply need to know that they have support in pursuing a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life.

Giving one’s life to the Lord is counter-cultural and not always easy, but our Triune God continues to call people to follow Him as priests and religious. True joy is only found when one embraces the Lord’s call for one’s life, and, like Mary, says “yes” to His will.

Catholic Ministries Appeal

The 2019 Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) officially launches the weekend of February 16 / 17. Our goal this year is $2.1 million, and, with your generosity, this

February 1, Friday 10 a.m. - Mass - Winona Area Catholic Schools & Cotter - Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, Winona 7 p.m. - Cor Jesu - Cathedral of the Sacred Heart February 3, Sunday 10 a.m. - Mass - Resurrection Church, Rochester February 4, Monday 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary University February 9, Saturday 4:30 p.m. - Unite Mass - Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Rochester February 10, Sunday 10 a.m. - Mass - Ss. Peter & Paul Church, Mazeppa

money will help to fund the many ministries of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Please be assured that all donations for the CMA are restricted and managed by the Catholic Foundation of Southern Minnesota, and will not be used to pay for bankruptcy fees or legal settlements.

The annual Catholic Ministries Appeal provides the funds for many of the diocese’s ministries and programs, and without your monetary gifts these diocesan and parish offerings would not be possible.

A sampling of the many ministries made possible by the CMA include youth events such as Camp Summit and Totus Tuus; ongoing adult faith formation through the Institute of Lay Formation, or resources from the diocesan media center; outreach through the Courier newspaper and TV Mass for the sick and homebound; vocation programs to help those discerning and in formation for the priesthood and consecrated life; and diocesan events such as Ministry Days and ordinations.

With your help, we are able to more effectively spread the gospel throughout southern Minnesota. Please prayerfully consider what you can give to this year’s Catholic Ministries Appeal, and I thank you in advance for your support in furthering the mission of Jesus Christ in the Diocese of WinonaRochester.

Bankruptcy Update

Thank you for your continued prayers and understanding as the diocese continues to proceed with filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Last month representatives from the Diocese of Winona-Rochester met with the U.S. Trustee overseeing our case, in order to go through our financials, and we continue to seek a mediator for insurance litigation, who can

February 11, Monday 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary University 12 p.m. - Holy Hour and lunch with FOCUS Missionary Team in Winona 3 p.m. - Sacred Heart Major Seminary Board Meeting via conference call February 12, Tuesday 3 p.m. - Rochester Deanery Meeting - St. Francis of Assisi Church, Rochester February 17, Sunday 9:30 a.m. - Mass - St. Columban Church, Preston February 18, Monday 8 a.m. - Teach at St. Mary University 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. - MCC Board Meeting Chancery, St. Paul

be agreed upon by all involved parties.

You may have seen published notices in local and national news sources, regarding submitting claims against the diocese. These notifications are required by law, and allow anyone who has been abused to file a claim against the diocese. Details regarding this process can be found at www.dowr.org, under the “Reorganization” page.

There you will be able to find the link to the “Sexual Abuse Claim Filing Package.” All claims must be submitted by April 8, 2019.

As the bankruptcy process continues to unfold, please keep the victims of abuse in your prayers. It is my hope that through the diocese filing for bankruptcy, those who have suffered abuse may find support, hope, and healing, and that they may receive a just and equitable compensation for the suffering they have endured.

Bishops' Gatherings

When Pope Francis met with the leadership of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) this past fall, he proposed that the U.S. bishops gather for a time of prayer, in order to reflect on the situation currently facing the Church in the United States. Thus, at the beginning of January, the U.S. bishops gathered at Mundelein Seminary outside of Chicago, to spend a week on retreat.

The days of retreat consisted of multiple daily conferences

by Fr. Cantalamessa, preacher to the papal household; the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass; an evening Holy Hour; and time for silent prayer and reflection.

Thank you for your prayers for me and my fellow bishops during this time, as we discern the path forward for the Church in the U.S. Another important step in addressing the abuse crisis is the

February 19, Wednesday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Catholics at the Capitol

February 20, Tuesday 9:30 a.m. - Holy Hour and College of Consultors Meeting - Winona 4:45 p.m. - Vespers and Mass - IHM Seminary, Winona February 21, Thursday 10:31 a.m. - 10:42 - Guest on Real Presence Catholic Radio - Station 970 AM 1 p.m. - Holy Hour and Bishop’s Cabinet Meeting - Winona February 24, Sunday 10 a.m. - Mass and Installation of Pastor Fr. James Berning - St. Francis of Assisi, Rochester

3

meeting regarding protection of minors in Rome, February 21-24.

Pope Francis has convoked this meeting of all the presidents of the world’s bishops’ conferences, to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis at a global level.

Pope Francis realizes that addressing this topic is necessary and important for the Church, both for its credibility and in order for it to faithfully further the mission of Jesus Christ in the world.

Representing the U.S. bishops at the meeting will be Cardinal Daniel DiNardo and Archbishop José Gomez, President and Vice President, respectively, of the USCCB. In preparation, our Holy Father has asked all participating bishops to meet with victims of clergy sexual abuse, in order that they may more fully understanding their suffering and trials. Our last three popes have regularly met with victims of abuse, and here in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, my practice has always been to meet with those who have endured clergy sexual abuse, if they wish to do so. Please keep all those at the meeting in Rome in your prayers, as it will not be easy, both due to the topic at hand, and the bringing together of so many cultures, nationalities, and local practices. Come, Holy Spirit!

From the Bishop

�ear Friends in Christ,

Sincerely in Christ,

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

February 26, Tuesday 11 a.m. - Holy Hour and Dean’s Meeting - St. Theodore Church, Albert Lea 3 p.m. - Clergy Personnel Committee Meeting St. Theodore Church, Albert Lea March 4, Monday 8 a.m. - Teach at SMU - Midterm Exams March 5, Tuesday 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. - DOW-R Seminarian Evaluations - IHM Seminary, Winona March 6, Ash Wednesday 12:10 p.m. - Mass - Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Winona March 7, Thursday 1 p.m. - Holy Hour and Bishop’s Cabinet Meeting - Winona February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

Catholic Foundation

4

. y . . c h e r t i p e a o F M H d w e r n e i e n p t Re Ex Ins �

am very excited to announce that 6,941 donors pledged $2,198,246 to the 2018 Catholic Ministries Appeal!

We had 44 parishes exceed their goals, and the additional funds raised have gone back to the parishes for their designated projects. Materials for the 2019 Catholic Ministries Appeal will be mailed to homes this month. The goal for the Appeal has been set at $2.1 million. It will officially launch the weekend of February 16/17.

The continuing theme for the CMA this year is Renew Faith. Extend Mercy.

Inspire Hope. We hear Christ’s invitation for discipleship as he calls us to shape our lives in imitation of Him. We remember that it is through our actions that we demonstrate the faith, mercy and hope Christ has planted in our hearts.

Jesus Christ offers us infinite love and mercy that flows from His Most Sacred Heart. We are strengthened through Him to renew faith, extend

mercy and inspire hope as we come together as one Church. We hope that the compelling testimonies we share throughout 2019 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.

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 37,000 households.

Congratulations!

Monica Herman

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

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.

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 2019 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.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to all parishes who met their goals for the 2018 Catholic Ministries Appeal!

All Saints, New Richland

St. Adrian, Adrian

St. Joseph, Good Thunder

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Winona

St. Agnes, Kellogg

St. Joseph, Lakefield

Christ the King, Byron

St. Ann, Janesville

St. Joseph, Waldorf

Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Rochester

St. Ann, Slayton

St. Leo, Pipestone

Good Shepherd, Jackson Holy Family, Kasson Holy Redeemer, Eyota Holy Trinity, Rollingstone Immaculate Conception, Kellogg Immaculate Conception, St. Clair Resurrection, Rochester

St. Anthony, Westbrook St. Casimir, Winona St. Columba, Iona St. Columban, Preston St. Felix, Wabasha St. Finbarr, Grand Meadow St. Francis of Assisi, Rochester St. Ignatius, Spring Valley

St. Luke, Sherburn St. Mary, Chatfield St. Mary, Lake Wilson St. Mary, Winona St. Matthew, Vernon Center St. Patrick, LeRoy St. Patrick, West Albany

Sacred Heart, Adams

St. Joachim, Plainview

St. Pius X, Rochester

Sacred Heart, Heron Lake

St. John Baptist de la Salle, Dodge Center

St. Rose of Lima, Lewiston

Sacred Heart, Waseca

St. John Nepomucene, Winona

Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, Winona

Ss. Peter & Paul, Mazeppa

St. John the Baptist, Minnesota Lake

St. Theodore, Albert Lea

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

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 2019 Catholic Ministries Appeal.

The Appeal supports specific ministries and programs of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. The restricted purposes are identified specifically 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. Why does it cost so much to run the Catholic Ministries Appeal?

It doesn’t. Only 5% of the dollars collected, or five cents of every $1.00 raised from the Catholic Ministries Appeal, are used for its administration.

5% is at or below the standard cost (state-wide and nationally) of administering a like-size appeal in both religious and secular organizations.

6. 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.

7. 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.

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

Missionary Discipleship

6

Spotlight on Cursillo A Path to Intentional Discipleship This month, I invited SONYA FUJAN, a parishioner at St. John Vianney Church in Fairmont, to talk about her experience of Cursillo, and how the retreat and small groups that formed afterward served as a vehicle inviting the Holy Spirit to transform people’s lives. Currently, about 70 people in that parish have been through the Cursillo weekend retreat sponsored by Twin Cities Cursillo, each person encouraging and sponsoring another person to go, living out the movement’s motto, “Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.”

Sonya says St. John Vianney is a particularly joyful parish because of the influence of Cursillo in so many of its active parishioners. I’ll let her speak more specifically to her experience.

-Susan Windley-Daoust

� hat is Cursillo? It is a gift of the Holy Spirit, given to the Catholic Church in 1941. Today, it is worldwide, and has aided men and women in their lives and love of the Lord.

In March, it will be nine years since my husband and I experienced a Cursillo weekend. It had such an impact on our lives that we are still excited to share our experi-

Life in the Spirit Seminar 2019

Sundays 1:30-3:30 p.m. at the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, on the topics of: Feb. 24____________________________Introduction Mar. 3______________________________God's Love Mar. 10______________________________Salvation Mar. 17___________________________The New Life Mar. 24_____Receiving God's Gifts/Prayer for Healing Mar. 31__Baptism in the Holy Spirit w. Individual Prayer Apr. 7_________________________________Growth (feat. testimony by Dr. Susan Windley-Daoust) Apr. 14______Transformation in Christ and Testimonies Offered free of charge and sponsored by Lumen Christi Charismatic Prayer Group.

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

ences and invite others to a weekend as well.

Allow me to introduce the retreat with a reflection my husband, Mark, wrote shortly after experiencing a Cursillo weekend:

Well, for me this has been an incredible journey!

My initial impression when meeting all the Cursillo team members was, “This is a great group of guys; they are not super-human, but glowing with something special."

They appeared to be happy they were together… for me…a perfect stranger. They didn’t seem to be bothered they were going to be spending (wasting) Thursday night, Friday, Saturday and Sunday together. I thought, “These guys are really into their faith and must not be as busy as I am. It can’t be as big a sacrifice for them to give up a weekend as it was feeling it would be for me.”

Was I ever mistaken! These men were as busy as I am, and probably as anxious for a free weekend as I was. But these men were getting more out of giving of themselves than I could ever imagine.

The participants from our weekend slowly, yet surely, ended up welding ourselves into a cohesive group of Christians, bonded in faith. I believe we all were overwhelmed by the physical presence and grace of God that kept coming to us in waves. Speaker after speaker poured their hearts out for us to hear and see and to feel the presence of God in their lives.

I clearly felt the presence of God on multiple occasions unlike any other time in my life. Rather than thinking, “This has been three full days of prayer (gasp),” I was thinking, “I can’t wait to hear what the next speaker has to say.” I can truly say I never tired of anything. It was like we were in another place, with no concept of space and time. I actually felt somewhat let down when it ended.

Since then, it’s like I woke up a new person. I can hear God talking to me throughout my day, at work, in my car, and in my leisure time. I cannot stop sharing what a great weekend I had. I am on fire!

We all find ourselves far too busy to care for ourselves, our spouses, our families and neighbors. Being able to witness this outpouring of love and God’s grace is nothing short of amazing.

So what did I learn?

I can be a better disciple of God than I have in the past.

I can be a much better husband.

I can be a much better father.

I can be a much better boss.

I can be a much better Christian.

With God’s grace and guidance, I will!

Although each Cursillo weekend is different, and each person has their own unique experience in a weekend, we can almost certainly guarantee you will experience an encounter with Christ.

One of the beautiful differences between Cursillo and other retreats is that after your weekend you are not left to go home and wait for your next retreat.

Since that weekend, I have met once a week with a small group of ladies over my lunch hour. Before, our paths would have never crossed because we had very little in common. Now, they have become my closest friends. We accept each other just the way we are. We acknowledge each of our individual strengths and help each other discern our calls. We encourage each other to do better, to stay involved and support each other wherever needed. We pray for each other and with each other.

We lift each other up in our dark days. When one of us cannot see Christ, the others bring us right back where we can see Him in action. We are not there to judge any-

Susan Windley-Daoust

Director of Missionary Discipleship swindley@dowr.org

Sonya and Mark Fujan

one. We are not trying to be holier than the next person.

We just want to be authentic Christians, supporting each other.

We are there in good times and in bad. In the past few years, my groupies and I have shared graduations, engagements, weddings, the joys of parenting, grandparenting, the loss of family members, and family divorces. We also share very private and intimate joys and struggles, with complete trust in confidentiality. It is only natural that, if we stay focused on Christ, we can gracefully overcome the obstacles of each day. I have grown to discover that we are all on our journey together as Christians and that I need to have this support.

It can be quite a challenge to live as Christians in today’s world. Our public environments are suppressing Christian community. Cursillo helps us to be Christians in our individual environments of work, play and family, so the secular life may be given a Christian backbone.

Cursillo provides us with the tools and support we need to be a light to the people we encounter in our every day lives. Our hope is that we will live what we speak, and desire the gospel truths to embody our daily lives.

If you would like more information about Cursillo, you are welcome to email me at sonyafujan@gmail.com or check out www.tc-cursillo.org. The next retreats are the men's weekend (Feb. 21-24) and the women's (Feb. 28 - March 3). If a married couple wants to attend, we highly recommend they attend weekends back to back.

–Sonya Fujan

If any parish in the diocese is interested in exploring Cursillo as a path to intentional discipleship and/or parish renewal, please contact Susan Windley-Daoust (swindley@dowr.org) or Sonya for contacts in Fairmont.

Right now, this is run out of the Twin Cities, but, if there is significant interest and investment, that could change.

Thank you!

Following "In the Light of the Master" Todd Graff

The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card. So if anyone asks: "What must one do to be a good Christian?," the answer is clear. We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes, we find a portrait of the Master, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives.

�

-Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate, #63

n last month’s issue, I continued my study of Pope Francis’ recent Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate (“Rejoice and Be Glad”). This month, I will move on to the document's third chapter, “In the Light of the Master,” which offers an extended reflection on the Beatitudes as a way to find our path to holiness.

Pope Francis introduces the chapter by stating that there are a number of possible ways to consider what holiness is, but that none is more “enlightening than turning to Jesus’ words and seeing his way of teaching the truth” (#63). And, more specifically, he will look to those texts from Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels known as “The Beatitudes” (cf. Matthew 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-23).

Each of the beatitudes begins with the phrase, “Happy are…” or “Blessed are….” Pope Francis tells us that we could also consider these to indicate, “Holy are….” And, thus, we might read them as, “Holy are … the poor in spirit, the meek, the peacemakers,” etc. For those who seek holiness and are “faithful to God and his word, by their self-giving” – as reflected in the Beatitudes – will experience true happiness and blessedness.

While the language of the Beatitudes is poetic and beautiful, the practice of them is demanding and requires the power of the Holy Spirit to “free us from our weakness, our selfishness, our complacency and our pride” (#65). With this in mind, our Holy Father invites us to hear again with “love and respect” Jesus’ message in the Beatitudes, and to “allow his words to unsettle us, to challenge us and to demand a real change in the way we live” (#66).

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (#71-#74)

We live in a world sometimes marked by “the reign of pride and vanity, where each person thinks he or she has the right to dominate others…. Jesus proposed a different way of doing things: the way of meekness,” which is “yet another expression of the interior poverty of those who put their trust in God alone…. Reacting with meekness and humility: that is holiness.”

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (#75-#76)

“Much energy is expended on fleeing from situations of suffering in the belief that reality can be concealed….

A person who sees things as they truly are and sympathizes with pain and sorrow is capable of touching life’s depths and finding authentic happiness…. Such persons are unafraid to share in the sufferings of others; they do not flee from painful situations…. They feel compassion for others in such a way that distance vanishes….

Knowing how to mourn with others: that is holiness.”

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (#77-#79)

“Jesus offers a justice other than that of the world, so often marred by petty interests and manipulated in various ways…. True justice comes about in people’s lives when they themselves are just in their decisions; it is expressed in their pursuit of justice for the poor and the weak…. [I]t is shown especially in justice towards those who are most vulnerable…. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness: that is holiness.”

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. (#80-#82)

“Mercy has two aspects. It involves giving, helping and serving others, but it also includes forgiveness and understanding…. Giving and forgiving means reproducing in our lives some small measure of God’s perfection, which gives and forgives superabundantly…. We need to think of ourselves as an army of the forgiven. All of us have been looked upon with divine compassion…. Seeing and acting with mercy: that is holiness.”

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God. (#83-#86)

“This Beatitude speaks of those whose hearts are simple, pure and undefiled, for a heart capable of love admits nothing that might harm, weaken or endanger

that love…. Certainly there can be no love without works of love, but this Beatitude reminds us that the Lord expects a commitment to our brothers and sisters that comes from the heart…. A heart that loves God and neighbor (cf. Matthew 22:36-40), genuinely and not merely in words, is a pure heart; it can see God…. Keeping a heart free of all that tarnishes love: that is holiness.”

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (#87-#89)

“Peacemakers truly ‘make’ peace; they build peace and friendship in society…. It is not easy to ‘make’ this evangelical peace, which excludes no one…. It is hard work; it calls for great openness of mind and heart…. We need to be artisans of peace, for building peace is a craft that demands serenity, creativity, sensitivity and skill…. Sowing peace all around us: that is holiness.”

7 Lay Formation & RCIA

Director of Lay Formation & RCIA tgraff@dowr.org

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (#67-#70) “The Gospel invites us to peer into the depths of our heart, to see where we find our security in life…. [O]nce we think we are rich, we can become so self-satisfied that we leave no room for God’s word, for the love of our brothers and sisters, or for the enjoyment of the most important things in life…. Jesus calls blessed … those who have a poor heart, for there the Lord can enter with his perennial newness…. Being poor of heart: that is holiness.”

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (#90-94) “In living the Gospel, we cannot expect that everything will be easy, for the thirst for power and worldly interests often stands in our way…. Whatever weariness and pain we may experience in living the commandment of love and following the way of justice, the cross remains the source of our growth and sanctification….

Persecutions are not a reality of the past, for today too we experience them, whether by the shedding of blood, as is the case with so many contemporary martyrs, or by more subtle means, by slander and lies…. Accepting daily the path of the Gospel, even though it may cause us problems: that is holiness.”

To close the chapter, Pope Francis cites the judgment scene in Matthew’s Gospel (25:31-46) to remind us that holiness makes very concrete demands of us – to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner. As the pope states very directly: “Holiness, then, is not about swooning in mystic rapture…. In this call to recognize [Jesus] in the poor and the suffering, we see revealed the very heart of Christ … which every saint seeks to imitate.” (#96) We are called then, through the words and example of Jesus in the gospels, to a holiness which gives concrete witness to the Lord’s great love for the suffering and most vulnerable. This is not an easy path, especially in our busy and distracted world. But, as our Holy Father affirms: “Yet even amid this whirlwind of activity, the Gospel continues to resound, offering us the promise of a different life, a healthier and happier life” (#108).

Deo Gratias!

Given these uncompromising demands of Jesus, it is my duty to ask Christians to acknowledge and accept them in a spirit of genuine openness, "sine glossa.’" In other words, without any "ifs or buts" that could lessen their force. Our Lord made it very clear that holiness cannot be understood or lived apart from these demands, for mercy is "the beating heart of the Gospel."

-Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exsultate, #97

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

8

Spiritual Multiplication Reflections on the SEEK 2019 Conference

�bout a month ago, I had the great priv-

Vocations

important it is to reach out to their friends and others and invite them to grow in their faith. In ilege of joining the two campuses in our this way, the missionaries never stop inviting diocese that have FOCUS (Fellowship of more students into friendship with Jesus; they do Catholic University Students) missionit by forming the students with whom they have aries at their Newman Centers, down grown close, to do the outreach. These students to the semi-annual SEEK Conference in reach other students, who then reach the next Indianapolis. layer of students. This is the very model Jesus used FOCUS has a mission of outreach with his disciples, and the early Church used it in to college students through intentional its apostolic mission. friendship and invitation to spiritual Curtis Martin, the founder of FOCUS, wrote a growth and conversion, equipping stubook, entitled Making Missionary Disciples, that dents to become leaders who then I would recommend to any in ministry who are invite others to grow in their faith. looking to go deeper with parishioners or youth and who are looking for ways to reach a wider The missionaries themselves facilitate group. This is the slow and steady model that Bible studies on college campuses and emphasizes relationships rather than large group help students with outreach and Bible settings where people leave excited but not necesstudy leadership. sarily ready to live the material out on their own.

FOCUS has spread in 20 years to more than While down at the SEEK Conference, we heard 150 campuses across the country. We are blessed some dynamite Catholic speakers who inspired us, to have missionaries serving the we had beautiful liturgies and St. Thomas More Newman Center I have never lost and adoration. There were more than at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and the St. Thomas faith in Jesus and 17,000 attendees at the conference and more than 400 priests in attenAquinas Newman Center at Winona His desire to bring dance from all over the country and State University. internationally as well.

These post-college-aged misrenewal to His This five-day conference was so sionaries are peers who relate well deeply impactful that it was easy to the college students and chal- Church, and, at to see the deeper conviction and lenge them to live for more than excitement that so many felt upon just the college party or hook-up this conference, I leaving. Personally, I experienced an scene. They form authentic friendwas experiencing incredible renewal in hope during ships and relationships with the students and invite them to join time in the Church. I have never that very renewal. this Bible studies, to attend Mass or lost faith in Jesus and His desire to Newman Center events, or to return bring renewal to His Church, and, to Confession. They walk with the students indiat this conference, I was experiencing that very vidually and teach them how to pray and grow in renewal. Much still needs to be done, and we are friendship with Jesus by avoiding the typical sins not where we want to be in terms of reaching the that can plague young people and inhibit them world with the Gospel of Christ, but grace is truly from growing in their faith. at work in the hearts of many.

I am inspired by the model FOCUS uses, which There is a strong group of faithful people being doesn’t stop with helping the individual, but uses formed to live for Christ in a world that rejects what the organization calls “spiritual multipliHim and the Church. We do not have reason to be cation,” whereby they teach the students how dejected or to live out of our disappointments with

The full Diocese of Winona-Rochester delegation at the SEEK 2019 Conference in Indianapolis.

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

Rev. Jason Kern Director of Vocations jkern@dowr.org

so many failures. Jesus is the Savior and Redeemer, and He is calling for our unified response to say yes to His mission to proclaim and believe in His power over sin and death in this world.

FOCUS boasts more than 700 young people who have pursued vocations after being impacted by their ministry. We have at least three seminarians from our diocese who have been involved with FOCUS, and many others from our campuses have gone to discern or enter formation through our Newman Center ministries.

Since the SEEK Conference, three things have continued to echo in my heart: The first is my own need for continuing to invest in life-giving friendships with others who lead me to Christ.

The second is my need to live in gratitude and joy by giving thanks to God, even in trials, for His grace and presence in my life.

The third is the grace God is giving to me to overcome the indifference in my heart. Fr. Mike Schmitz identified this indifference not as not caring, but as not caring enough to take action. How easy it is to stand by and watch the Church struggle, and to cast doubt or suspicion. How easy it is to watch the evil actions of others and not reach out, not love them enough to speak to them about it, not live as a witness that leads others to the true good. I was in need of reclaiming my joy, found in relationship to Jesus, of living out of that relationship by being built up in friendship with others, and then gaining the conviction about my need to share what I have been given in Christ with others, bringing His love alive into the world and Church in desperate need of His love today.

May God inspire each of us to live with a renewed hope in our mission, knowing His grace is truly at work.

SEEK 2019:

Encounter Something More This month's column is written by Emily Bruns, who is a FOCUS team director at Winona State University.

-Aaron Lofy

�ore than 17,000 college students and young

adults gathered in Indianapolis, IN, in early January for the FOCUS National SEEK Conference.

In attendance were 50 students from Winona State University, 112 students from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a handful of other parishioners, priests and FOCUS missionaries from around the diocese. Attendees gathered for five days filled with talks, time for fellowship and entertainment, opportunities for daily Mass, adoration, and confession. Speakers inspired and equipped participants who sought answers to questions about life, love and true happiness.

Emily Bruns

Youth & Young Adults

Aaron Lofy

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

Participants were deeply affected by their time at SEEK with Jesus in adoration and through encountering him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Many of them were inspired to pray more each day, to re-center their friendships on Christ, and to go home and evangelize their families.

“The Lord spoke a lot of goodness, truth, and beauty into my heart at SEEK,” said Jacob Tschida, a student at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona. “The Lord broke down walls by showing me some of my woundedness but provided His healing love there and a desire to be loved by Him even more!”

Rachel Holm, a student at Winona State University, got involved at the Newman Center when she came to college, hoping to grow in her faith. At SEEK, she encountered Jesus in the Eucharist during adoration.

“During adoration at SEEK, I asked the Lord to help me sort out some restlessness in my heart," she said. "He said He was proud of me, and that He just wanted me to continue to grow in my faith. He wanted me to feel peace. I felt so peaceful in this moment.”

9

Taylor Mudgett, another student at Winona State University, said, “I love my family and want them to be able to experience the same happiness that I have been able to find through a personal relationship with Jesus. ... I wanted to help them, but was unsure of how I should go about it. I believe that our own families can sometimes be the hardest to talk about faith with. After hearing the talk on evangelization of the family at SEEK, I was equipped with practical and concrete steps to help me point my family toward a life of faith.”

Please keep the FOCUS missionaries serving at Winona State and Minnesota State, Mankato, and their students in your prayers as they enter into another semester, ready to fulfill the mission that the Lord has entrusted to their care.

Participants represent Minnesota State University, Mankato, at the SEEK 2019 Conference in Indianapolis.

Participants represent Winona State University at the SEEK 2019 Conference in Indianapolis.

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

at St. Felix School, Wabasha

Marsha Stenzel

Catholic Schools

10

Community, Family and Faith

Submitted by ERIC SONNEK

�s I walk through the halls of St. Felix

Catholic School on a cold January morning, I think back to the first time that Father Parrott walked me through the halls, 590 days early. At that time, I had just finished up graduate school for my administrative license. I could only imagine what it would be like to be principal, making the decision

Superintendent of Catholic Schools mstenzel@dowr.org

to run a successful school.

Now, actually being in that position as principal, I can say that I have been blessed over these past 590 days.

The families and parishioners of St. Felix and St. Agnes have truly been amazing in helping our school become a great school to be a part of and an instrument for God’s kids' work.

In each of the past two years, St. Felix

Sacred Heart School, Waseca, is proud to announce the winners of the Knights of Columbus Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest. Pictured (L to R, front row first) are: Sacred Heart Waseca Grand Knight Tom Metzdorff, James Haley (first place age 8-10), Aiden Walker (first place age 5-7), Patsy Sandoval Pliego (second place age 8-10), and Lucy Deml (second place age 5-7). Congratulations, artists!

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

Catholic School has reached and surpassed our goals for Fall Festival Fundraiser, School Marathon, and Golf Outing. Everyone is so willing to share the gifts and talents required to make these events so successful.

This past year, we were also able to build a new playground for our students and the community of Wabasha. It really does take a village to raise a child, and our community has shown their care and support for St. Felix Catholic School and our students.

I am also truly blessed by the sacrifices that our parents make to send their child(ren) to St. Felix Catholic School. The parents have choices, and by choosing St. Felix, they inspire our staff and me to bring our very best every day to make sure each child is working up to his or her potential.

As a staff, we are working hard to bring in some current educational programs like S.T.E.M. (Science Technology Engineering Math) through LEGO Education, SMART (Stimulating Maturity through Accelerated Readiness Training), and differentiating instruction techniques.

The best part about our community and families is our faith. Our staff and students work every day to strengthen our faith in God through prayer and service. We start our day as a whole school in prayer to turn to God and thank him but also to ask him for help in our daily lives and for those who are struggling. Each day we focus on making sure we help others in need, either in the class, out at recess or in the community.

Our students really showed great service this past Advent season with our Shine Your Light on Easton project, which was to raise money for my hometown parish Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Easton, to help them restore their church, which had been destroyed by a storm. Students raised $900 for the project.

Being principal has its ups and downs, but what have made the downs much easier to face are the blessings of community, family and faith here at St. Felix Catholic School.

Eric Sonnek is the principal of St. Felix School in Wabasha.

St. Mary School, Madelia, Is

Making Improvements, Continuing the Mission 11 Submitted by JEN SLATER

building that holds students, teachers, computers and workbooks.

St. Mary’s School in Madelia has seen many changes in the more than 120 years since its founding in 1893. At that time, the parish and the school were named Mater Dolorosa. Teachers held class in the church basement for the first six years.

In 1899, a school building was erected where students went to class through the 10th grade. Tuition was considerably less in those days. Nevertheless, tuition was not easy to pay, but many families found paying tuition to be a sacrifice they were happy to make.

The old school building was torn down, and a new one was built in 1969. This is the current school building, and part of it serves as a parish hall as well.

In the 1980’s, the school name was changed from Mater Dolorosa to St. Mary’s School.

Noah’s Ark Child Care Center was started inside St. Mary’s School building in 2001.

Today, St. Mary’s School building serves children 6 weeks old to sixth grade.

We are now working on a few major maintenance and remodeling projects on our building. Through the generous support of community members, parishioners, and families, we have been able to replace the windows in the classrooms, lunch room, social hall and the gymnasium area. We also

Catholic Schools

�hen we think of a school, we think of the

updated student bathrooms and will install a new roof over the entire building as soon as the snow melts. The doors to the school have also been replaced and the main entrance to the building has been updated for security toward the safety of all children and peace of mind for their families. We are continuing our improvements throughout the school with many other structural improvements.

We are grateful for the support given to St. Mary’s School on the part of so many generous benefactors. Without generous support-

ers, our building would not have been able to be updated. These updates help us to ensure that we continue to have the space to live out the mission started so many years ago. We pray that the space will continue to be a wonderful place for children and families to live, grow and love, just as Christ would want us to. If you have interest in joining our school family, please contact us at (507) 642-3324.

Jen Slater is the principal of St. Mary School in Madelia.

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

Safe Environment

12

It Is Time for

Recertification Training! �n February and March, our diocesan

Safe Environment Office will launch Keeping Our Promise Alive 3.0, a VIRTUS® online recertification training for anyone who completed the VIRTUS live training in or before 2014.

If you work or volunteer in one of our diocesan parishes or schools and are due for recertification, you will receive an email from VIRTUS Online with credentials to log in and complete the training, which takes 30-40 minutes and can be done at any time of the day.

Keeping Our Promise Alive 3.0 reviews what we can do as people of God to prevent child abuse and to respond to it

Steinfels, cont'd from pg. 1

with great fanfare last August 14. Yet unlike other journalists who bought Mr. Shapiro’s lurid presentation hook, line, and sinker, Steinfels actually read

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

appropriately if it does occur. The program reinforces the five steps in our plan to protect God’s children: 1. Know the warning signs.

2. Control access through screening.

3. Monitor all ministries and programs.

4. Beware of child and youth behavior.

5. Communicate your concerns.

If you were certified in 2014 or earlier and do not receive an email by the end of February, please contact your parish or school or the Office of Safe Environment. Remember that, without recertification, you will be unable to continue working or volunteering in our parishes and schools.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this training, please contact your par-

the entire report — and then took the trouble to sift through its hundreds of pages to see if the data supported the charge that “Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all.”

After what must have been weeks of painstaking research, Dr. Steinfels reached a harsh but, to my mind, persuasive conclusion: Attorney General Shapiro’s office had produced an “inaccurate, unfair, and fundamentally misleading report” whose “shortcomings should not be masked by its vehement style, its befuddling structure, or its sheer bulk.”

Steinfels rightly does not spare the Church.

The Pennsylvania report “documents decades of stomach-churning violations of the physical, psychological, and spiritual integrity of children and young people. It documents that many of these atrocities could have been prevented by promptly removing the credibly suspected perpetrators from all priestly roles and ministry. It documents that some, although far from all, of those failures were due to an overriding concern for protecting the reputation of the Church…”

But then he calls Attorney General Shapiro to account: “What does the report not document? It does not document the sensational charges contained in its introduction (i.e., the only part most reporters and editorialists read) — namely, that over seven decades, Catholic authorities, in virtual lockstep, supposedly brushed aside all victims and did absolutely nothing in the face of terrible crimes against boys and girls — except to conceal them.

This ugly, indiscriminate, and inflammatory charge, unsubstantiated by the report’s own evidence, to say nothing of the evidence the report ignores, is truly unworthy of a judicial body responsible for impartial justice.”

Might other states do better? Only, Steinfels suggests, if future grand jury or state-investigative reports “are written in a way that expresses necessary, justifiable repulsion toward crimes against children and young people without burying all efforts at analysis in a mudslide of outrage,” as the

Mary Hamann

Safe Environment Program Manager mhamann@dowr.org

ish or school office, or me at 507-858-1244 or mhamann@dowr.org Thank you for your continuing support and dedication to keeping a safe environment in our schools and parishes for our children and young people.

Pennsylvania grand jury report did.

The sexual abuse of the young is a plague throughout society. Since Abuse Crisis 1.0 in 2002, no institution in the United States has done more to acknowledge the plague, reach out to its victims, and devise means to prevent its further occurrence than the Catholic Church. There is deeper reform needed in the Church, and there are more churchmen to be held accountable for gross irresponsibility. But in the course of confronting this evil within our Church, U.S. Catholicism has learned some things that could benefit those willing to get to grips with the revolting reality of sexual abuse.

If, however, other state attorneys general follow the path pioneered by Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro and reinforce the false impression that a culture of child rape and institutional cover-up is festering in the Catholic Church right now, no one is going to look to American Catholicism for models of how to address the plague.

That is not only bad for the Church; it’s bad for all of American society. So let the Church, while cooperating fully with state investigative agencies, create and support a panel of distinguished, retired judges (preferably non-Catholics) to review the reports that issue from those investigations — and then publish an analysis of each report’s probity, fairness, and reliability, absent any editing of the panel’s conclusions by Church authorities.

George Weigel is a Distinguished Senior Fellow and the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Policy Center in Washington, D.C. His column is distributed by the Denver Catholic, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Denver.

Celebrate Consecrated Life! 13 Ask a Canon Lawyer

Jenna Cooper

Tribunal Coordinator & Judge jcooper@dowr.org

�n February 2, the Feast of the Presentation, the

Church also celebrates World Day of Consecrated Life. In 1997, Pope St. John Paul II set aside this feast as a special day of prayer for consecrated men and women and as a time to thank the Lord for the gift of consecrated life in His Church. But what is consecrated life, and why is it worth celebrating?

Canon 573 in the Code of Canon Law tells us that consecrated life is a permanent state in life embraced by some Catholics, which is ordered around a more radical following of Christ. This more radical discipleship takes shape through consecrated persons’ embracing what the Church calls the “evangelical counsels”—that is, the advice Jesus gives us in the Gospels for an especially close following of Him in His own way of life.

There have been many ways of describing the evangelical counsels over the course of the Church’s history. But a call to the evangelical counsels in consecrated life always involves “evangelical chasity,” or remaining unmarried and chaste; “evangelical poverty,” which is a detachment from material things and a simple lifestyle, often involving the renunciation of one’s right to personal property altogether; and “obedience,” which is seeking to do God’s will first and foremost above all.

Over the course of the Church’s almost twothousand-year history, consecrated life has taken a variety of concrete forms, including:

Consecrated virgins – In Apostolic times and during the Church’s first few centuries, some Christian women would chose to sacrifice the possibility of marriage and children so as to foster a deeper and more intimate relationship with Christ, and to free themselves for a greater commitment to prayer and service. The early Church Fathers called them “brides of Christ,” and the Church developed a liturgical ritual for the solemn consecration of these women to a life of virginity no later than the fourth century. Although consecrated virginity as a state in life gradually died out during the Middle Ages, the second Vatican Council restored this vocation to the life of the modern Church.

Hermits – After the early Roman persecution of Christians stopped, some Christian men and women still fervently desired to “die to the world” out of their love for God. Since they no longer had the opportunity for literal martyrdom, they retreated to the wilderness to live a life of constant prayer and penance in solitude. Although it is a rare vocation, even today some Catholics respond to a call to dedicate their lives to God in prayerful silence and solitude.

Religious life – Religious life is probably the most familiar form of consecrated life to most of us. Men and women religious typically make public vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; and live a shared life together in community as brothers and sisters according to the spirituality of their founder or foundress.

The Pyzick sisters of Wells entered consecrated life between 1911 and 1927. Pictured are Sr. Bernadette, Sr. Sylvia, Sr. Monica, Sr. Crescentia and Sr. Virginia with their parents, John and Connie Pyzick of St. Casimir Parish. This photo was submitted by their niece, Sylvia (Pyzick) Dziura of St. Theodore Parish in Albert Lea, and printed in our May 2016 issue in hopes of inspiring other young women to consider consecrated life.

Monastic or contemplative life is the oldest governing religious life were much more strict. version of religious life. St. Benedict, who lived Not professing “religious vows” properly so-called from about 480 –547 A.D., is usually considered allowed the societies of apostolic life to exist as a the founder of monasticism in the Roman Catholic form of consecrated life approved by the Church, but Church. In monastic life, monks and nuns remain one which allowed for the greater freedom needtotally dedicated to prayer, live together in comed to accomplish the apostolic missions of these munity according to a specific Rule of Life, and new communities. Some societies of apostolic life generally remain within the confines of a particular that you may have heard of include the Daughters monastery building and its grounds. Some of the of Charity (founded by St. Vincent de Paul), the more famous monastic orders within the Church Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, and the Priestly include the Benedictines, Cistercians and Trappists, Fraternity of St. Peter.

Carthusians, Franciscan Poor Clare nuns, and Secular institutes – Secular institutes are cloistered Carmelites. the newest form of consecrated life, and Do Apostolic religious life includes y were only formally recognized by the ou que the religious Brothers and Sisters hav s Church in 1947 when Pope Pius e t ion cano a we see actively serving in parn a XII issued the document Provida b you law out ishes, schools, and hospitals, t w h Mater Ecclesia. Secular institute o a to s among other places. Like ee u l d l i k e t members make private vows to her answ monks and cloistered nuns, e e observe the evangelical counred ? E jcoo apostolic religious build m sels, and the core of their vocap their life around prayer; but w i t h er@dow a i l tion is to be a “hidden leaven r. o r g unlike those in monastic life, "Co in the world.” Although secular q u ues they spend a good portion tion r i e r institute members rely on fel" in of their day outside of their the low members of their institute s ubje houses doing good works and c t for spiritual formation and supline serving the people of God in . port, they usually do not live under very practical ways. Apostolic relithe same roof. In general, secular gious life finds its roots in medieval institute members work in secular jobs mendicant orders like the Franciscans and engage the wider society from within and Dominicans. Some of the apostolic relias a more subtle Christian witness. But some secugious communities we have present here in the lar institutes do participate in more visible shared Diocese of Winona-Rochester include the Lasallian projects for evangelization or carrying out works of Christian Brothers, the Religious Sisters of Mercy, mercy. and the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Lourdes.

As Pope St. John Paul wrote in the document Vita Societies of apostolic life – Members of societies Consecrata: of apostolic life are similar to apostolic religious in that they live in community and dedicate themselves to a particular type of apostolic service. However, they are different from religious in so far as members of societies of apostolic life do not technically profess “vows.” Rather, they make some other kind of life commitment to the evangelical counsels, such as promises or oaths. Societies of apostolic life originated in the 1600s, at a time when the rules

How can we not recall with gratitude to the Spirit the many different forms of consecrated life which he has raised up throughout history and which still exist in the Church today? They can be compared to a plant with many branches which sinks its roots into the Gospel and brings forth abundant fruit in every season of the Church's life.

What an extraordinary richness!

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

Life, Marriage & Family

14

Free Resources Available on

Safe Haven Sunday

My column this month is dedicated to the following message from our very own Bishop John M. Quinn.

�

-Peter Martin

ornography is not a topic most adults are comfortable speaking about. This is especially the case when it comes to parents addressing it with their children.

Regrettably, though, it’s the topic that’s becoming more and more necessary to address in our digital age. Too many parents, grandparents, and guardians think that internet-based pornography is beyond the interest of their children. I want us to be informed on this matter. Statistics tell us another story.

First exposure to Internet pornography is often during the elementary school years. This often occurs by accident. Picture this: your child typed in the wrong word on social media, your nephew clicked on the wrong YouTube video, or your godchild’s friend showed him his first sexually explicit image on Instagram. When parents and guardians haven’t created an environment where it’s safe and welcome to talk about uncomfortable topics, children will often hide these experiences out of shame and embarrassment.

As your Bishop, I am passionate about the domestic church. I want all homes to be safe. I want to help you and your families overcome pornography! It is

my sacred duty to protect the children in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester from pornography, and it is my holy responsibility to guide and equip individuals and parents with forming children to live virtuous and holy lives online and offline. Pornography creates an impediment to obtaining deep and lasting relationships with Our Lord Jesus Christ, who is to be the center of our very lives, homes, and vocations. Pornography is a bondage and a fake. It is a mockery of true and holy intimacy that is celebrated through the sacramental life of the Church.

To provide you with the tools you need to overcome pornography, and to make your home a safe haven for children and adults—one free of pornography—the Diocese of Winona-Rochester will celebrate its first annual Safe Haven Sunday on March 2-3, 2019.

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.

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, in which my brother bishops and I 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 2019 theme Equipping the Family, Safeguarding Children, we, as a community, are saying we want holy, healthy,

Men's Conference Keynote Announced

Peter Martin

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

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’ book, Equipped: Smart Catholic Parenting in a Sexualized Culture. This book includes a unique seven-day text-to-opt-in program: The Equipped 7-Day E-mail Challenge. This challenge provides practical tips any caring adult can take to create safer digital environments for themselves and our young people.

We encourage you to take advantage of these resources and ask that you be intentional about taking the steps suggested to ensure safety and joy for you, your loved ones, and the greater community.

Pornography doesn’t need to be fought alone.

It is my hope that the resources provided to you on Safe Haven Sunday will both encourage and teach all individuals and families dealing with the effects of pornography that loving support is available. It’s worth battling pornography for wholeness and purity for you, your spouse, your children, and the future of everyone in our diocese.

Marching for Life

Mankato youth from Ss. Peter & Paul Parish and St. Jose Sanchez del Rio Minor Seminary attended the March for Life at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul on January 22 (photos 1 and 2). A group from St. Gabriel Parish in Fulda traveled to the national march in Washington, D.C. (photo 3).

�he

Diocese of Winona-Rochester is proud to announce the keynote speaker for the 4th annual Men’s Conference: FR. PAUL HOESING. A rural native of the Archdiocese of Omaha, Fr. Hoesing was ordained in 2002. After serving several years as an associate pastor with high school teaching and chaplaincy duties, he was appointed director of vocations in June of 2008 and elected president of the National Conference Fr. Paul Hoesing of Diocesan Vocation Directors in 2013.

In August 2015, Archbishop Lucas released Fr. Hoesing to be the dean of seminarians and director of human formation for Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, MO. He also serves as a faculty member for the Institute for Priestly Formation in Omaha, NE. The Man of God Conference will take place on Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Loyola Catholic High School in Mankato. $25/person. Registration is now available at www.dowr.org.

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

1

3

2

Consumed by Jesus Deacon Robert Yerhot

�ore than 50 years ago, the diaconate was re-estab-

lished as a stable and permanent order in the Latin Rite of the Church. No longer is it only a step toward priestly ordination. It can be said, without exaggeration, that the diaconate has flourished and grown beyond all expectations. The Holy Spirit is unmistakably working through the resurgence of diaconal ministry. In this country alone, there are over 18 thousand deacons faithfully serving the Church. In our diocese, we have over 20 active deacons and 11 more men in diaconate formation.

Indeed, we are blessed with such an outpouring of diaconal ministry!

There remains in the minds of many people, lay and ordained alike, questions about the diaconate. Who are they? What do they do? The latter question is usually the first one asked and can be easily answered: they preach God’s Word, baptize, marry, and bury fellow parishioners, teach the Faith, minister to outcasts in jails, prisons and nursing homes, advocate for the marginalized, establish and sustain St. Vincent de Paul societies, prepare couples for marriage, assist pastors with parish needs, and many other apostolates.

But the central and perhaps most important question is the first: Who are they? This is a question of identity. Usually, people try to answer it in the negative. For instance, they will say, “Deacons are not priests. They are not laity” both of which are certainly true, but deacons have received the Sacrament of Holy Orders like priests (deacons are ordained not to the ministerial priesthood of Jesus, but to servant ministry), and they live in the world like the laity. So negative answers give only a partial understanding. How does one affirm the identity of deacons?

St. John Paul II so eloquently did just this in 1987, in an address to deacons in Detroit, Michigan: By the standards of this world, servanthood is despised but in the wisdom and providence of God, it is the mystery through which Christ redeems the world. And you are ministers of that mystery, heralds of that Gospel.

He said on October 20, 1993:

Deacons serve the mysteries of Christ and the Church and must abstain from any vice, strive to please God, and be ‘ready for any good work’ for the salvation of men. Therefore…. they should exceed others in their liturgical lives, in devotion to prayer, in the divine ministry. In obedience, chastity, and charity….Deacons like priests and bishops, who are committed to following Christ in the way of service, share most especially in his redeeming sacrifice. This is according to the principle Jesus formulated when speaking to the Twelve about the Son of Man who came to ‘serve and give his life as a ransom for many.’ (Mk 10:45) Therefore, deacons are called to participate in the mystery of the Cross, to share in the Church’s sufferings, and to endure the hostility she encounters in union with Christ the Redeemer. This painful aspect of the deacon’s service makes it more fruitful.

Diaconate

Assistant Director of the Diaconate byerhot@dowr.org

What do we learn from St. John Paul II? First, that deacons are ministers of the mystery of service which he immediately associates with heralding the Gospel and the redemption of humankind. Secondly, deacons are men with a deep interior life of prayer through which they share in the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Thirdly, deacons participate in the mystery of the Cross and are called to suffer with and for God’s people.

Indeed, deacons are, by extension, called to a form of martyrdom for the sake of the Kingdom.

Deacons, then, are to be both immersed in God and immersed in the world which suffers.

The deacon’s first ministry is to God the Father and obedience to the Father’s will for him and the Church. Deacons, then, must be consumed by Jesus as Servant of the Father and sent into the world for the salvation of all. From this essential ministry, his other active ministries flow.

Heralding the Gospel, in which he will suffer as Jesus suffered, is the most fundamental ministry in which he engages. Look at St. Stephen, a deacon and proto-martyr. His preaching led to martyrdom.

Look at St. Philip, another deacon, who instructed and catechized the eunuch about the Mystery of Christ the Suffering Servant.

Deacons bear Christ in their beings by their Sacred Ordination and are obedient to the will of the Father.

They bring only one thing, and it is a pearl of great price; they bring Jesus to people. They were ordained not to do good things — for ordination is not needed for that — but to be the presence of Jesus the Deacon immersed in the Word of God, consumed by Jesus, and heralds of the Gospel which they must preach.

Did you know that the deacon in your parish devotes himself to a daily holy hour and praying the Liturgy of the Hours? Did you know that he assists at Mass several times a week, if not every day? Did you know that he is to preach homilies and give exhortations to the people?

Did you know that he has committed himself to the study of Scripture, to spiritual discipline, to frequent Confession, to the development of virtue, and to assisting the bishop in his apostolic ministry of charity within our diocese? Did you know that deacons do all of this with the grace of Holy Orders, which sets them apart and conforms them to Jesus the Servant for all eternity?

When you see your local deacon, thank him for this ministry. Recall that his interior life is centered on becoming more and more attentive to both the will of God and the needs of humanity. He is a man consumed

by Jesus!

15

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

Catholic Charities

16

Want to Improve Your Health in 2019?

Volunteer!

�ince

2004, Catholic Charities’ Common Good Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) has engaged more than 1,000 volunteers each year who serve thousands of people in southern Minnesota day-in and day-out.

Together, they are building better lives for their neighbors by addressing gaps in services related to affordable housing, independent living for seniors, intergenerational connections, affordable food and economic security. Now, new research demonstrates that the volunteers themselves are enjoying health benefits because of their service!

Common Good RSVP, a Senior Corps Program, is overseen by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a federal agency for service, volunteering and civic engagement. In 2015, CNCS launched two longitudinal studies to look at the health benefits of volunteering for older adults. Researchers found: •

•

Almost two-thirds of Senior Corps volunteers reported a decrease in feelings of isolation, and 67 percent of those who first reported they “often” lack companionship stated that they had improved social connections.

Seventy-five percent of volunteers who initially reported five or more symptoms of depression reported fewer symptoms at the end of the first year.

"These preliminary findings support a larger body of research that highlights the positive impact of volunteering, particularly for older adults, and are a valuable addition to the conversation on healthy aging," said CNCS spokesperson Samantha Jo Warfield. "Senior Corps volunteers are deeply dedicated to the communities they serve, committed to a single organization, often for several

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

years, developing intensive and ongoing relationships with those they serve."

Common Good RSVP has numerous stories about volunteers whose lives were improved by the program, including Nancy and Wayne Dunbar of Winona. The Dunbars volunteer at a Community Meal Site, the Winona Area Warming Center, and have worked with Habitat for Humanity as builders, among many other community volunteer positions.

Their volunteerism is driven by the satisfaction of helping others and the benefits others receive because of their efforts. Furthermore, volunteerism provides opportunities to meet new people, to learn and to help find answers. Nancy and Wayne are 84 and 86 years old, respectively, and both find that by volunteering and giving to others, they focus less on their own aches and pains.

Nancy said, “If you are looking outward, you will be happier than dwelling within.”

Catholic Charities’ Health and Wellness Programs provide even more opportunity for increased activity, engagement and social connections.

Peggy Milewski, of Faribault, is a workshop leader for Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC). Peggy attended a PTC class held by Catholic Charities, looking for support, while her husband had cancer.

She had a strong but small circle of support, but, like other caregivers, Peggy felt isolated and was exhausted providing around-the-clock care every day. She quickly learned through the class that she was not super human, that she needed help and support and that she needed to pace herself while caring for her husband’s needs.

She learned that accepting help is not a weakness.

Having experienced how helpful the workshop was,

Jennifer Halberg

Director of Active Aging Programs Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota

Peggy knew that she needed to be trained to lead the program and help others. Her energy and belief in the value of caregiver health radiates to the program participants. She is filled with gratitude because she is helping others and providing hope in situations that can seem overwhelming. She is expanding her volunteerism to lead yoga classes because she recognizes the value of her own health and well-being and believes that, through these opportunities, she will be healthier.

Sylvia Hewitt-Hoehn, of Mankato, has led a Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL) exercise class twice a week since 2013.

She first became involved with SAIL as a participant eight years after losing her husband. The social aspect of the class was a big boost for Sylvia, who made new friends, including the man she would eventually date and marry four years later.

Sylvia's chronic health issues, including fibromyalgia, often make it challenging to go and lead the class, but she always feels better, physically and mentally, when the class is finished. She also feels good to see other participants benefit. For example, a 90-year-old joined the class, with a doctor's encouragement, after having suffered a stroke, and Sylvia has seen dramatic improvements in this participants’ mobility and physical condition. She feels satisfaction and joy seeing people’s health improve, and receiving positive feedback from the participants “makes me feel so good,” she said.

Americans are living longer and achieving more than ever before. Choosing to take on new roles to contribute to the common good, even after decades of hard work, offers continued health benefits to be reaped.

Good Politics Is Jason Adkins

Executive Director Minnesota Catholic Conference

�

he annual papal message for the World Day of Peace (January 1, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God)—one of the best glimpses into the minds of the popes regarding social and political issues—offers specific counsel, rooted in the Gospel and Catholic Social Teaching, about how to work for peace in our time in light of current events.

This year’s message focused on a recurring theme of Pope Francis: that politics, rightly conceived, can be an “outstanding” form of charity.

“Man’s earthly activity, when inspired and sustained by charity, contributes to the building of the universal city of God, which is the goal of the history of the human family,” the Pope commented.

Everyone Is Responsible

According to Pope Francis, “Everyone can contribute his or her stone to help build the common home. Authentic political life, grounded in … frank and fair relations between individuals, experiences renewal whenever we are convinced that every woman, man, and generation

With the legislature in session, now is a great time to connect with your legislators!

Your state senator and house representative will still be coming back and forth to your district quite a bit; take this opportunity to contact one (or both) of them and invite them to meet for coffee on a Saturday. This is a simple and straightforward way to get to know the priorities of your legislators, as well as share your priorities as they consider what they will support this session. Use the information below to call your legislators and plan a coffee meeting today!

Call (651) 296-2146 and ask to be connected with your House Member, or call (651) 296-0504 to be connected with your Senate Member. You can also go online to www.

MNCatholic.org/ActionCenter and click on directory.

bring the promise of new relational, intellectual, cultural and spiritual energies.”

He added, “Politics is at the service of peace if it finds expression in the recognition of the gifts and abilities of each individual.”

That is why we should make special effort to include those on the margins of society—voices that are often forgotten or ignored, including the poor, the disabled, communities of color, the undocumented, and those who have been incarcerated and are trying to rebuild their lives.

It is also why we should give voice and consideration to the unborn, future generations, and even what G.K. Chesterton called “the democracy of the dead”—the traditional laws and social customs established by those who have gone before us.

In other words, the political life of our community requires that everyone participate.

Without each person’s active participation in the great conversation of politics, some gift or unique perspective is silenced or ignored, and we are hindered in our pursuit of the common good.

Everyone in our communities has something different and equally important to share.

Blessed Is the Politician?

Some people have the unique responsibility of holding public office. We can sometimes forget, though, that the authority of public office is not meant to be a position of power but of service.

The elected representative is just that: a representative, chosen to advocate for the rights, needs, and priorities of the people he or she serves, as well as the common good.

Pope Francis put it this way: “Political office constantly challenges those called to the service of their country to make every effort to protect those who live there and to create the conditions for a worthy and just future. If exercised with basic respect for the life, freedom and dignity of persons, political life can indeed become an outstanding form of charity.”

Pope Francis also recalled the “Beatitudes of the Politician” left to us by the saintly Vietnamese Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan,

who was incarcerated for many years in a Vietnamese prison. Cardinal Van Thuan knew about dysfunctional political orders, having witnessed the collapse of various regimes in Vietnam. He penned these beatitudes to describe the virtues of the politician who contributes to peace, human dignity, and the common good. Among them are: “Blessed be the politician with a lofty sense and deep understanding of his role,” “Blessed be the politician who works for unity,” and “Blessed be the politician who is capable of listening.”

Practicing Good Politics

Faith in the Public Arena

At the Service of Peace

17

Politics is rooted in right relationships—with God, with others, and with creation. Therefore, political life goes well—and peace can be achieved—when elected officials and the people they represent come together in a relationship of mutual service and respect.

But civility, as we know, is an ongoing challenge. It is, as Pope Francis says, “a challenge that demands to be taken up ever anew. It entails a conversion of heart and soul; it is both interior and communal.”

We can contribute to a politics of peace, then, by resolving to forge new relationships with fellow citizens and with our elected officials.

Start with praying for them. Prayer is, in fact, “the best that we can offer to those who govern,” according to Pope Francis.

Then, resolve to meet your elected officials and start a conversation with them, offering your unique gifts and perspective to ensure that our politicians will make the best decisions for our community.

Ca Ng rdina uy en l Fra Va nci nT sX hu avi an er

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

18

Obituaries

In the Diocese

Sister Johanna Orlett, OSF, 82, a Franciscan Sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes, Rochester, died at Assisi Heights on Saturday, January 5, 2019.

Barbara Johanna Orlett was born May 25, 1936, in Portsmouth, OH, to John and Olympia (Sainsbury) Orlett.

She entered the Sisters of St. Francis in 1954 from Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, West Portsmouth, OH. Sister Johanna made first vows in 1957 and perpetual vows in 1960. She received a bachelor’s degree in math from the College of St. Teresa, Winona, in 1961, a master’s degree in math from the University of Minnesota in 1965, and a Ph.D in education from the University of Minnesota in 1975.

Sister Johanna was an elementary and secondary teacher for three years. She served as a math professor at the College of St. Teresa in Winona for 11 years, interspersed with completing her master's degree and Ph.D. Following studies, she served as the director of institutional research at the College of St. Teresa from 1980-86, after which she served on the faculty at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC, until 2000. Following her years of teaching, Sister Johanna served as the director of faith formation in several parishes near Salisbury: Our Lady of the Mountain Mission, Highlands; Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, High Pointe; and St. James Church, Hamlet. Sister Johanna moved to Assisi Heights in 2008.

Sister Johanna is survived by her Franciscan Congregation, with whom she shared life for 64 years; a brother, John (Jacob) Orlett of Lucasville, OH; and a sister, Margaret Orlett of Stout, OH. The Funeral Mass was Thursday, January 10, in Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights, followed by burial in St. Patrick’s Cemetery, West Portsmouth, OH. Memorials are suggested to the Sisters of St. Francis, Office of Mission Advancement, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th St. NW, Suite 100, Rochester, MN 55901.

Father Jerome Verdick, 86, died on Sunday morning, January 13, 2019, at the Good Samaritan Society in Jackson.

Jerome Francis Verdick was born September 17, 1932, in Alpha, the third of four children born to Peter Camiel Verdick and Roselle Margaret Skalicky. He attended grade school in Alpha and high school in Jackson. After graduating from high school, he entered the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, where he completed his philosophical studies and graduated from St. Mary's College, followed by four more years February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

of theology at the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. He was ordained to the diocesan priesthood on May 31, 1958, by Bishop Edward Fitzgerald at St. John the Evangelist Church in Rochester.

He began his priestly career serving as associate pastor at St. Augustine, Austin (1958); St. Stanislaus Kostka, Winona (1961); Ss. Peter and Paul, Blue Earth, and Our Lady of Mercy, Guckeen (1962); and St. Theodore, Albert Lea, and St. James, Twin Lakes (1965). In 1967, he affiliated with the St. James the Apostle Society, Boston, to work for five years in Latin American missions. After serving in Peru, he returned to his diocese to serve at St. Francis, Rochester (1972); and as administrator of Assumption, Canton, and St. Olaf, Mabel (1974). He became administrator of Dundee in 1976 and pastor of St. Matthew, Vernon Center, and St. Joseph, Good Thunder, in 1981, as he continued to work with the Hispanic population. In 1984, he became the pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Wilmont. From 1988-1991, he worked in a special ministry position in the western deaneries until he was named administrator of Holy Family, East Chain, in 1991. In 1999, he received permission from the diocesan bishops to publicly celebrate the Tridentine Mass at the Oratory of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Alpha. The permission was extended to the Oratory of Ransom in Guckeen in 2003.

Father Verdick is survived by his brother, Leo Verdick of Los Angeles, CA; his sister Mary Kelly of Omaha, NE; his nieces and nephews; and other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Peter (1990) and Roselle (1996); his sister Elaine and her husband, Edward Shannon; his sister-in-law Barbara Verdick; his brother-in-law Dr. Gerald Kelly; and other relatives.

A Tridentine Requiem Mass for Father Verdick was celebrated Friday, January 18, at St. Joseph Church in Lakefield, followed by burial in Good Shepherd Cemetery, Jackson.

Sister Mary Beth Schraml, SSND, 67, professed in 1974 , died January 17, 2019, at Mayo Clinic Health System Hospital in Mankato. During the night, she had suffered a massive brain hemorrhage from which there was no chance of recovery. Family members and her local community were with her at the time of her death.

A native of Madison Lake, she attended All Saints School and Loyola High School in Mankato. She entered the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1970 and professed first vows in 1974. She served as a primary teacher and administrator in Catholic Schools in Minnesota and Iowa. In the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, she taught at St. Mary, Winona (1988-90), and All Saints, Madison Lake, where she was also principal for the last several years (1990-2005). At Loyola, she served first as a primary grade teacher, then as principal of the primary unit, and finally as the mission integration associate (2005-death).

Sister Mary Beth is survived by her sister, Mary Groebner (Jerry); her brother

Gary; her nieces and nephews and their families; her friends; Loyola colleagues and students; former students; and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame and SSND Associates. She was preceded in death by her parents, Francis and Lorraine (Fasnacht) Schraml; and her brother Gayle and his wife, Sandy.

The Funeral Mass was celebrated Thursday, January 24 at Good Counsel, with Fr. Joe Fogal, her cousin, as presider.

Father Joseph LaPlante, 90, died Sunday, January 20, 2019, at St. Elizabeth Nursing Home in Wabasha.

He was born on December 6, 1928, in Rochester to Walter and Hazel (Allen) LaPlante.

He grew up in rural Chatfield, attending country schools, and graduated from high school in 1946 at Crosier Seminary in Onamia. He received a BA from St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, MD, in 1950 and a theology degree from St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul, in 1954.

Father LaPlante was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Winona in 1954 at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Winona.

The next day, he celebrated his first Mass at St. Mary's Church in Chatfield. He served the Diocese of Winona, the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and the Winona State University Newman Center before serving in the US Air Force from 1964-1984.

After his time in the USAF, he served at St. Mary's, Winona; Ss. Peter & Paul, Mazeppa; St. Patrick, West Albany and Hammond.

After retiring in 1994, he served as a spiritual director at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary and celebrated Masses at Villa Maria and St. Elizabeth Hospital and Nursing Home.

He is survived by his brother Jerry (Maureen) LaPlante of Chatfield and sister Kay Gadient of Goodhue. He is preceded in death by his parents; brother Walter Jr. (Bud); sister Jane Rodgers; an infant sister; sister-in-law Verna LaPlante; and two brothers-in-law, Bill Gadient and Jack Rodgers.

Father LaPlante spent his last years in the loving care of the staff at St. Elizabeth.

His family thanks them for their care and concern throughout his stay.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Friday, January 25, at St. Mary Church in Chatfield. The Most Rev. John M. Quinn, Bishop of Winona-Rochester, celebrated the Mass, and St. Mary Pastor Fr. Edward McGrath concelebrated along with the other priests of the Diocese of WinonaRochester. Following the Mass, military burial was provided in Calvary Cemetery in Chatfield by the Chatfield American Legion and VFW.

Sister Cecilia Ramisch, OSC, 91, a Poor Clare Sister of Rochester (formerly of Bloomington) died at St. Mary’s Hospital, Rochester, on January 21, 2019.

D o l o r e s Eleanor Ramisch was born June 12, 1927, in St. Paul to Frank and Caroline (Marko) Ramisch.

She attended St. Agnes Grade School and Mechanic Arts High School, graduating in 1945. From 1945-47 Dolores was employed as a stenographer by Peilen and Peilen Insurance Company.

She entered the Poor Clare Sisters of Sauk Rapids in 1947 and professed simple vows in 1949 and solemn vows in 1952. In 1953, she volunteered to be one of the founders of St. Clare Monastery in Bloomington and later studied at St. Teresa’s College in Winona. Sister Cecilia spent seven happy years at Catholic Eldercare in Minneapolis before moving with her Community of Sisters to Assisi Heights in Rochester. Sister Cecilia is remembered by innumerable correspondents for her friendly, prayerful, and beautifully-penned letters.

Sister Cecilia is survived by her Poor Clare Sisters and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Marie; and her brother, Frank.

The Funeral Mass, was celebrated on Friday, February 1, at Assisi Heights, 1001 14th St. NW in Rochester, followed by burial at Resurrection Cemetery in St. Paul on Saturday, February 2.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

Sister M. Mercita Reinbold, SSND, 100, professed in 1939, died January 22, 2019, in Notre Dame Health Care, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Mankato.

A native of Hosmer, SD, she graduated from Good Counsel Academy.

She entered the SSND Candidature in 1936 and professed first vows in 1939.

She taught all grade levels from primary through high school in Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota. In the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, she taught at Good Counsel Academy; St. Anthony, Lismore; Ss. Peter & Paul, Blue Earth; and St. Isidore, Litomysl. She also served in pastoral ministry at Ss. Peter & Paul and St. Joseph the Worker in Mankato. She was well-known in the area for her artistry in rosemaling, a Scandinavian art form.

She is survived by her nieces and nephews and their families; her friends, colleagues and former students; and her sisters in community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame and SSND Associates. She was preceded in death by her parents, Adam and Kunegunda, known as Cora (Kraft) Reinbold; her sisters, Catherine Geffree, Philopena Weisbeck, Sister Rita Reinbold SSND, Anna Kunstmann, Helen Fuhrman, and Magdalene Fox; and her brothers, James, Anthony, Raymond, Eugene, Bernard, Pius, Leo, and Benedict.

Funeral Mass, with Fr. Eugene Stenzel as presider, was celebrated January 29 at Good Counsel, followed by burial in Good Counsel Cemetery.

Sister Iria Miller, OSF, 94, a Franciscan Sister of the Congregation of Our Lady of Lourdes, Rochester, died at Assisi Heights on Saturday, January 26, 2019.

Mary Catherine Miller was born June 1, 1924, in Waseca to Peter and Edith (Stangler) Miller.

She entered the Sisters of St. Francis in 1946 from Sacred Heart Parish in Waseca. Sister Iria made first vows in 1949 and perpetual vows in 1952. She received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the College of St. Teresa, Winona, in 1961, a master’s degree in elementary school administration from Mankato State University, Mankato, in

Father Gerald W. Conway passed away peacefully on January 29, 2019, after a brief illness. Fr. Jerry was born on September 26, 1931, the third of nine children of Amelia Rose Clemens and Patrick Henry Conway II. He was raised on the family farm in rural Byron.

Jerry attended Byron Schools through the eighth grade and graduated from Lourdes High School, Rochester, class of 1949. He attended Loras College for two years, then transferred to St. Mary’s College in Winona, graduating Cum Laude in 1953. He studied at North American College, Rome, and was ordained a priest on December 16, 1956.

Fr. Jerry earned a Master of Arts in secondary

education from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

In 1963, he was assigned to do graduate study at the Gregorian University in Rome, earning the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology in 1965.

In his 62 years in the priesthood, Fr. Jerry served at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Winona; Cotter High School, Winona; St. Anthony Parish, Altura; St. Aloysius Parish, Elba; Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, Winona; St. Mary College, Xavier, KS; the Catholic Seminary of Indianapolis, IN; St. Thomas More Newman Center, Mankato; St. Peter Parish, Rose Creek; Our Lady of Peace Parish, Lyle; Our Lady of Loretto Parish, Brownsdale; and St. Felix Parish, Wabasha.

In service to his family, he performed marriage ceremonies for six of his siblings and for 16 nieces and nephews, baptisms for numerous nieces and nephews, and funerals for his parents, brother, grandmother, aunts and uncles, and his niece, Kathy.

Fr. Jerry retired from active ministry in 1999, residing in Rochester, with winters spent in Scottsdale AZ. In 2004, he moved permanently to Arizona, assisting at parishes in Scottsdale, Glendale and Tolleson, and offering Mass each Sunday to fellow residents at his community.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Pat and Amelia; his oldest brother, Pat; his niece Kathleen Van Lierop and his nephew Mark Conway. Surviving are siblings - Dan (Joyce), Bernie (Judy), Marilyn Zahrt (John) and Elaine Selmier (Travis) in Arizona; John and David (Peggy) in California; and Terry (Barbara) in South Carolina - 22 nieces and nephews and more than 40 in the next generations.

On January 8, 2019, Fr. Jerry travelled to Rome for a reunion of the North American College where he fell ill and spent 9 days in hospitals in Rome. He returned directly to Mayo Hospital in Phoenix and passed away in hospice. His last non-hospital, non-airplane meal was fettuccine Alfredo at Alfredo’s in Rome.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, February 24, at 3 p.m. at Pueblo Norte in Scottsdale.

A funeral service will be held in the spring at the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Rochester, with burial at Calvary Cemetery, managed by Macken Funeral Home.

Hispanic Ministry, cont'd from pg. 1 • •

Improving the communication and advertisements of the activities and events in Spanish that are taking place throughout the diocese Education to improve relationship and communication between parishioners of different cultures.

There were many other topics, ideas, experiences, and insights shared at this retreat, such as bible studies and similar programs in Spanish, immigration, reaching out to Hispanics who don’t speak Spanish, use of social media, etc. They will be discussed more at length at future gatherings and retreats.

Retreat attendees gave thanks to the Lord for the gift of this retreat and in a special way to Bishop John Quinn and the diocese for their support to Hispanic ministry and for being always attentive to the pastoral needs of our Spanish speaking brothers and sisters in the Faith.

Fr. Raúl Silva is vicar for Hispanic ministry in the Diocese

of Winona-Rochester and the pastor of Queen of Angels Parish in Austin.

Retiro de Lideres Hispanos en Alverna Center Por P. RAÚL SILVA

�

l 4 y 5 de enero de 2019 se llevo a cabo un retiro con 34 Lideres Hispanos provenientes de las diferentes Parroquias de la Diócesis en el Centro Alverna en

The Courier Crossword

By W.R. CHESTER Across

Down

1. St. Josaphat's Byzantines 6. Steele away to Jesus

2. Apostolic encouragement

10. Getting "Rite" with God

3. Pater

5. Begging for Order

8. Of the last things 11. To lengthen

12. ____ verbum

13. A sacred place

16. Supernatural intuition

17. Public vows + communal life

Winona. Casi todas las parroquias que tienen Ministerio Hispano en la Diócesis estuvieron representadas en este retiro.

El propósito de este retiro tenia una doble finalidad: 1) Orar por el don de la comunión de modo que podamos trabajar juntos y ayudarnos unos a otros para llegar a ser verdaderos Discípulos Misioneros del Señor, 2) Trabajar en un plan Pastoral del Ministerio Hispano para nuestra Diócesis siguiendo la guía y recomendaciones del Proceso del V Encuentro.

Nuestro retiro de 2 días fue bendecido con oración, Hora Santa con oración silenciosa y la celebración de la Eucaristía. Durante el día hubo presentaciones dadas por el vicario del Ministerio Hispano, el Padre Raúl Silva. Estas presentaciones sirvieron de introducción a las diferentes sesiones, discusiones de grupo, reflexiones y también para poder compartir desafíos pastorales específicos y preguntas con respecto al Ministerio Hispano de nuestras parroquias locales y de toda la Diócesis. El Señor verdaderamente nos bendijo con unidad y entusiasmo durante todo el retiro.

La mayoría de nuestras discusiones y reflexiones giraron en torno a temas tales como la familia, los hijos, los jóvenes, evangelización o Discipulado Misionero, vocaciones, y ministerios parroquiales. Las necesidades pastorales principales y desafíos o retos que surgieron fueron: a) Formación o entrenamiento de Catequistas de la Educación Religiosa, de lideres parroquiales y de todos aquellos que sirven en otros ministerios de la Iglesia; b) Ayudar a nuestros hijos y jóvenes a crecer en su fe Católica; c) Programas y retiros para Matrimonios en español; d) Mejorar la comunicación y los anuncios de los eventos en español que se están realizando en toda la Diócesis; e) Educar a fin de mejorar las relacio-

4. Defunct jurisdiction

7. The Soul of the ________ 9. Contains 3 classes

14. Oblong pulpit with steps 15. Guardini

16. Consecrated odor of sanctity

˅˅˅ Last Month's Answers ˅˅˅

1968, and a master’s in pastoral studies from Loyola University, Chicago, in 1979.

Sister Iria taught in several Catholic elementary schools in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester: St. John and St. Francis, Rochester; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Easton; St. John, Johnsburg; and St. Columba, Iona.

She also taught at St. Priscilla’s, Chicago, and served as principal at St. Peter, North St. Paul, and Holy Redeemer, Portsmouth, OH. On completing studies in pastoral ministry, Sister Iria served as pastoral minister at St. Theodore Parish, Albert Lea; St. James Parish, Forest City, IA; Holy Redeemer Parish, Vanceburg, KY; and St. Pius X Parish, Glencoe. She also served as director of religious education at Holy Redeemer Church in Evansville, IN. From 1995-97, she worked as receptionist and senior coordinator at United Neighborhood Centers in Madison, WI. She also was a volunteer receptionist at Tau Center, Winona, and at Integrative Therapies, Assisi Heights.

Up to the time of her death, Sister Iria was actively involved in justice, peace and nonviolence work.

Sister Iria is survived by her Franciscan Congregation, with whom she shared life for 72 years, and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers Francis, Leo, Alvin, and Eugene Miller; and a sister, Irene Zimmerman.

The Funeral Mass was Wednesday, January 30, in Lourdes Chapel at Assisi Heights, followed by burial in Calvary Cemetery, Rochester.

Memorials are suggested to the Sisters of St. Francis, Office of Mission Advancement, Assisi Heights, 1001 14th St. NW, Suite 100, Rochester, MN 55901.

nes y comunicación entre parroquianos de diferentes culturas. Hubo muchos otros temas, ideas, experiencias y percepciones que se compartieron en este retiro tales como estudio bíblico y programas similares en español, inmigración, como llegar a los hispanos que no hablan español, el uso de las redes sociales, etc… Estos se discutirán mas profundamente en futuras reuniones o retiros.

Todos los que asistieron a este retiro le dieron gracias a Dios por el don de este retiro y en especial al Obispo John Quinn por su apoyo al ministerio hispano y por estar siempre atento a las necesidades pastorales de nuestros hermanos y hermanas en la fe y de habla española.

P. Raúl Silva es el vicario para el ministerio hispano en la Diócesis de Winona-Rochester y el pastor de la parroquia Queen of Angels en Austin.

February, 2019 w The Courier w dowr.org

SUBMISSION to the calendar

February 2019

• The Courier

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 Mass for Life & Marriage is held at St. Mary Church in Winona the first Thursday each month at 8:30 a.m.

Holy Hour of Prayer for Life, Marriage & Religious Liberty is held first Saturday each month 8:30-9:30 a.m. (after Mass for Life & Marriage) in the Cathedral's Adoration Chapel, 360 Main Street, Winona. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed and a rosary offered. All welcome.

Prayer Vigil & Public Witness Against Abortion is held 3-4 p.m. Tuesdays in front of Semcac Clinic (delegate of Planned Parenthood) at 76 W 3rd Street in Winona. Contact: Patty 507-429-4636 Masses of Reparation for Sins in the Diocese are held daily in parishes throughout the diocese. Info: cb@wabashaemail.com Cor Jesu is held at the Cathedral in Winona, 7-9 p.m. the first Friday each month, September through May. Cor Jesu is an evening of Eucharistic Adoration, Confessions, and music in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. All are welcome to attend! For more details, search for Winona Cor Jesu on Facebook, visit cascwinona.org/prayer/corJesu, or call Kristopher Kaufman (859-7601619) or Steven Lehn (507-312-9041).

Traditional Latin Mass Chatfield, St. Mary, 1st & 3rd Sun. 1 pm Mankato, Ss. Peter & Paul, Sundays 4:15 pm Wabasha, St. Felix, Saturdays 9 am

The Televised Mass

Other Events Alverna Center, Winona February 15-16, Friday-Saturday Practicing and Teaching Forgiveness retreat with Dr. Susan Windley-Daoust and Fr. Jeff Dobbs.

This short overnight retreat is meant to help a person learn why disciples of Christ are urged to forgive, how we prayerfully practice forgiveness with God's help, and how to share the gift of teaching others how to forgive. $30 for retreat; $85 for retreat with overnight stay. Contact Susan for more info: swindley@ dowr.org or 507-454-4643 x277.

St. Pius X Church, Rochester March 1-3, Friday-Sunday The last surviving North American Second Vatican Council father will present a mission to the Church of St. Pius X in Rochester after weekend Masses and at 7 p.m. on Sunday. Bishop Remi J. De Roo (Victoria, BC) is the last surviving bishop to have participated in all four sessions of the Council, which spanned 1962-1965. A "pilgrim" of the Council in the years since its closing, he has kept alive its goal of the renewal of the Church as it relates with the world. Bishop De Roo's reflections on the Council will help us to know its fruits with new eyes, ears and hearts.

Offered as a service for the homebound every Sunday on the following stations: KTTC, Channel 10 (Rochester) at 9 a.m.; KEYC, Channel 12 (Mankato) at 7:30 a.m; & KEYC-DT2, Digital Channel 12.2 or Charter Channel 19 (Mankato) at 9:30 a.m.

Donations for the continuation of this program may be sent to: Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Attn: TV Mass, PO Box 588, Winona MN 55987.

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 Párroco 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

Spanish Mass Schedule Albert Lea, St. Theodore Mankato, Ss. Peter & Paul St. Charles, St. Charles Borromeo 11 am Sun. 1 pm Sun. 7 pm Sat. Austin, Queen of Angels Owatonna, Sacred Heart St. James, St. James 11 am Sun.; 5:15 pm Fri. 11:45 am Sun. 12 pm Sun. Windom,St.FrancisXavier Lake City, St. Mary Pipestone, St. Leo 11:30 am Sun. 6:30 pm each 3rd Sat. 2:30 pm Sun. (bilingual) Worthington, St. Mary Madelia, St. Mary Rochester, St. Francis 7 pm Sat.; 11 am Sun.; 7 pm Sat. Noon Sun. & 7 pm Thurs. 6:30 pm Tues. & Fri.

St. Mary School, Caledonia March 8, Friday Annual Fish Fry 4-8 p.m. in St. Mary's gym (308 E South St. in Caledonia). 3 pieces of cod, Irish potatoes, coleslaw, bun, dessert, coffee or milk. $11. Several basket and cash raffles available, with a grand prize of $3,000 to be given away. Carry-outs available; call 507-725-5405.

Resurrection Church, Rochester March 9, Saturday Ian Callanan, one of Ireland's leading composers of liturgical music, will perform a concert at 2 p.m. Come join Ian in a concert setting where he will bring you on a musical journey of song and prayer. 1600 11th Ave S in Rochester. Free-will offerings accepted. Fellowship after the concert. Contact: Joy Viceroy (507-288-5528).

Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, Winona March 14, Thursday St. John Nepomucene Parish of Winona will hold its annual soup & sandwich supper in St. Stan's church hall (625 E 4th St. in Winona) from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Homemade chicken noodle soup, ham salad sandwiches, beverage and a variety of homemade desserts. All are welcome.

Handicap accessible. Tickets available at the door.

St. Mary Church, Geneva March 15, Friday Annual Fish Fry 4:30-7 p.m. Freewill donations accepted.

St. Charles Borromeo Church, St. Charles March 16, Saturday Gather, Eat & Be Irish starts at 6 p.m. Enjoy Irish Stew and the trimmings, plus music by The Henry Sisters. Raffle tickets available and winners announced.

Sponsored by Court St. Charles Catholic Daughters. Open to the public. Free-will donations accepted.

St. Charles Borromeo Church, St. Charles March 30, Saturday Lenten Retreat 9-11 a.m. with speaker Alicia Hauge. Come early for coffee and treats. No charge.

No pre-registration required.

Sponsored by Court St. Charles Catholic Daughters.

St. Stanislaus School, Winona April 6, Saturday St. Stan's Parish will hold its Spring Craft/Art/Gift Show from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the school gym.

Shop our many vendors. Lunch available.

Riverview Greens, Stewartville April 9, Tuesday St. Bernard Parish Men's Group presents Mama Tranchita's Spaghetti Dinner in the Riverview Greens Club House. Seating from 5-8:30 p.m. Featuring non-stop live entertainment from authentic "Italian" waiters, strolling musicians, and Mama's Boys & Girls. Grand prize drawing of $500 value (need not be present to win). Advance tickets $20. For

tickets, call the church (507-5338257). Also available at Airport View & Crossroads License Bureau and St. James Coffee House in Rochester. TIckets are limited.

Walk-ins welcome.

Loyola High School, Mankato April 27, Saturday Man of God fourth annual diocesan men's conference 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring keynote speaker Fr. Paul Hoesing. $25 per person. Contact Peter for more info: pmartin@dowr.org or 507454-4643 x273.

St. Patrick Church, Brownsville April 28, Sunday French toast breakfast following 8 a.m. Mass, served until noon in Breza Hall. French toast, southernstyle scrambled eggs, sausage, cheesy hash browns, fresh fruit, coffee, milk & orange juice. Big Ticket and basket raffles, bake sale, silent auction, kids' games. $7 adults. $3 ages 6-12. Free under 6. 604 Adams Street in Brownsville.

St. Joseph Church, Owatonna June 1, Saturday Mini-retreat for the Seven Sisters Apostolate, women who commit to praying one Holy Hour per week for their pastor or bishop.

Speaking to the group will be Bishop Quinn, Apostolate Foundress Janette Howe, and St. Joseph Pastor Fr. Jim Starasinich.

More speakers may be added.

More details coming soon!