Ministry Days 2025: June 10-11 at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota

By BRIAN KUSEK

At the conclusion of the Synod on the vocation and mission of the laity, Pope Saint John Paul II reflected on the parable of the vineyard from Matthew’s gospel. With a sense of urgency, John Paul the Great repeats often Christ’s words, “you go into the vineyard too” (Mt. 20:3-4). All of us, priests, deacons, religious, lay faithful, are called into the vineyard of our Lord to take an active and responsible part in the mission of the Church. The saintly pontiff is unambiguous: “If lack of commitment is always unacceptable, the present time renders it even more so. It is not permissible for anyone to remain idle” (Christifidelis laici, 3).

In the midst of the preparatory phase of the diocesan synod, Bishop Barron has repeatedly echoed Pope John Paul’s words, calling for each of us - whether lay, cleric, or religious - to serve as his evangelists and vocation directors. The reason should be obvious to anyone who’s been paying attention. Thirty-six years after the holy father’s exhortation, we have half as many priests in our local Church as we have parishes, and, according to Vatican statistics, there has been a steady decline of seminarians globally since 2012. This is likely in no small part thanks to a rapid decline in religiosity. A recent Pew Research study showed that for every 1 person joining the Catholic Church, 8.5 are leaving; Christianity broadly has declined 10% since 2012.

Yet, for the Christian, there is always hope. Pope Francis himself affirmed the accessibility of the mission for every Catholic: “Anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love” (Evangelii Gaudium, 120). We all have the capacity to contribute to the vision of our bishop to double the number of people in our pews, and to double the number of seminarians. All we have to do is proclaim the love that we have experienced ourselves. We can and should, however, accompany one another in this endeavor; we can and should properly form ourselves well to provide a reason for the hope within us (1 Peter 3:15).

From June 10-11 Catholic leaders from across our diocese will gather at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona for Ministry Days. This year’s focus will be on the third year of the Eucharistic Revival: The Year of Mission. Our keynote speaker Kristin Bird, of Burning Hearts Disciples, will help us reflect on the ways we can strengthen our identities as disciples both personally and corporately through accompaniment and organizational mission.

We will look at how each one of us has a role to play in sharing the Gospel, and we will grow together in prayer and community.

Having been involved in several Ministry Days throughout the past few years, I have personally found the event to be a great time of professional development and personal enrichment. It is a unique opportunity to meet “co-workers in the vineyard” from across our diocese, to learn from one another, and to continue to pray for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as we work to spread the Gospel in Southern Minnesota. The Diocese welcomes all to this year’s Ministry Days June 10-11 at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Register by May 30 at www.dowr.org.

Brian Kusek is the director of evangelization for the Diocese of Winona-Rochester.