Theology on Tap 9A • Pope in Assisi 10A • Evangelizing with music 20A October 10, 2013 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
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Independent task force will review archdiocese’s clergy sexual misconduct policies, practices Local Dominican priest appointed as new vicar for ministerial standards
“What I foresee the task force doing is taking a thorough look at what [the archdiocese] has on paper, what’s actually been done, and the extent to which it has not adhered to previously existing standards. And then to propose ways to put us at a point where we have the best practices in the country.”
The Catholic Spirit A newly formed Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force will conduct a full review of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ policies and practices and “any and all issues” related to clergy sexual misconduct. This includes examining how allegations of clergy sexual misconduct have been handled and what must be done to address any gaps in the process. The findings and recommendations of the independent lay group will be released publicly when its final report is complete, according to an Oct. 6 archdiocesan statement. The creation of the task force comes amid sexual misconduct allegations in the media concerning certain priests in the archdiocese and how their cases were handled by archdiocesan officials. “These allegations must be addressed urgently, transparently and with truly independent review,” Archbishop John Nienstedt said. “Addressing these serious allegations is the top priority for the archdiocese.”
New vicar The archbishop has appointed a new vicar for ministerial standards, Dominican Father Reginald Whitt, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. He will assume full responsibility for all issues related to clergy sexual misconduct, the archdiocese said. Father Whitt will appoint the members of the alllayperson task force, which is expected to convene this week. It will consist of at least six people from a variety of backgrounds — none of whom are employed by the archdiocese or any of its parishes. Four members of the task force had been secured as this edition of The Catholic Spirit went to press, and Father Whitt was considering final candidates who
Father Reginald Whitt
Archbishop: Pursuing truth, restoring trust is essential • page 3A expressed interest in serving and who have the experience and expertise in the areas needed to round out the task force. The names of the task force members were scheduled to be announced at an Oct. 9 press conference. (Visit TheCatholicSpirit.com for the latest updates regarding the task force.) The archbishop will not review the task force’s membership or make any decisions about the membership, the archdiocese said. The vicar will not attend its meetings unless invited by the chairperson. “What I foresee the task force doing is taking a thorough look at what [the archdiocese] has on paper, what’s actually been done, and the extent to which it has not adhered to previously existing stan-
dards,” Father Whitt said. “And then to propose ways to put us at a point where we have the best practices in the country.” Father Whitt will receive the task force’s report and ensure it is in compliance with both civil and Church law. He will publish the final findings and recommendations as well as implement the recommendations, which the archbishop has pledged to accept.
Getting what they need The Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force will operate independently of both the Please turn to TASK on page 5A
ALSO inside
A crown for Mary
Homecoming queen gives grieving mother a final gift — page 24A
World Mission Sunday Sharing the gift of faith around the globe — B section
Rediscover: strong marriages Program provides couple a marriage boost — Center section
Page Two
2A OVERHEARD
in PICTURES
“Having this familiar relationship with the Lord is like keeping the window of our life open so that he can make his voice heard.” — Pope Francis, speaking about the importance of prayer to youth and young adults in Assisi, Italy, Oct. 4
POPE WATCHING: A nun looks through binoculars as Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass outside the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, Oct. 4. Read more about the pope’s trip to Assisi on page 10A. CNS photo/Stefano Rellandini, Reuters
“Let us follow [Christ], imitate him in his dynamic of love of going to others, and let’s go out, open the doors, have the audacity to strike out new paths to proclaim the Gospel.” — Pope Francis, in a Sept. 27 talk to catechists from around the world in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall
“Any ministry that is pro-life must be pro-poor and if you are truly pro-poor, then you will be pro-life.” — Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, during the closing Mass Sept. 28 of the annual convention of the National Council of Catholic Women in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit IMMIGRATION REFORM: Women hold signs during a pilgrimage and immigration rally sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Louis Oct. 5. The rally was one of many held in major cities across the United States to pressure Congress to act on a comprehensive overhaul of the immigration system. CNS photo/Lisa Johnston, St. Louis Review
WHAT’S NEW on social media The Rediscover: center section of this issue focuses on strengthening marriages. A Catholic Spirit Facebook post this week asks: “What is one thing you do to keep your marriage strong?” Write your answer in the post’s comments section. 5,000 Catholics from around the archdiocese will gather Oct. 12 for the 2013 Rediscover: Catholic Celebration at the St.Paul RiverCentre. The Catholic Spirit will be tweeting from the event; follow us @CatholicSpirit #cathcelebrate. Watch a video clip of Lino Rulli, Sirius/XM Radio’s “The Catholic Guy,” talking about his new book, “Saint: Why I Should Be Canonized Right Away.” Visit www.YouTube. com/thecatholicspirit. Read blogger Kathy Schneeman’s story about a couple married 58 years and the beautiful witness they gave to those around them at CatholicHotdish.com.
Cathedral Organs ready for inaugural concert The Inaugural concert of the newly restored Cathedral pipe organs is set for 7:30 p.m., Oct. 24 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Internationally-acclaimed organist, Olivier Latry, head organist at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris, will be the featured musician. He will play both the historic E. M. Skinner and the Æolian-Skinner pipe organs during the one-hour program. The celebratory concert will be offered free to the community. Good will donations will be accepted to help establish an endowment for maintenance of the organs.
All Saints all-parish reunion All Saints Catholic Church in Lakeville will hold an all-parish reunion Oct. 27 to 30. Fourteen priests who have served the parish will be on hand for the event. The program begins at 6:30 p.m. each evening with a priest speaking on the faith followed by refreshments in the parish hall. Speaking will be: Oct. 27: Father Robert Pish on meaning and belonging. Oct. 28: Father Jeff Huard on belonging to the Catholic Church. Oct. 29: Father Don DeGrood on strength, freedom and peace. Oct. 30: Mass celebrated by Bishop Lee Piché and his reflections on prayer. For more information, visit allsaintschurch.com/reunion.
The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 18 — No. 22 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT, Publisher SARAH MEALEY, Associate publisher JOE TOWALSKI, Editor
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
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There is great concern and confusion about recent media reports alleging that the archdiocese has mishandled investigations into misconduct by priests. This situation is sad and frustrating, and I have heard from many of you that you are deeply pained as you watch and hear these reports in the news.
ago, I did not know what was in store, but I knew that I had been given a sacred trust.
These are very disturbing issues, and I want to reassure everyone in the archdiocese and the community at large that I am taking the events of the past two weeks very seriously. In fact, I do not believe there is anything more important than urgently addressing these allegations and restoring trust. My first priority is to create a process that guarantees the timely and unrestricted pursuit of the truth. To this end, I have taken the unprecedented step of appointing Father Reginald Whitt, a Dominican priest and a faculty member of the St. Thomas School of Law, as Episcopal Vicar. (See page 5 for greater detail on Father Whitt.)
These are difficult times. Yet, the Church has always faced and transcended the greatest of challenges to emerge stronger and more focused on what matters to God: love of Him and love of neighbor.
In this role he will have absolute authority, which I am handing over to him, to: 1. assume full responsibility for all issues related to clergy sexual misconduct;
THAT THEY MAY ALL BE ONE Archbishop John C. Nienstedt
2. appoint an independent lay task force (Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force) to review any and all issues related to clergy sexual misconduct and to make specific recommendations regarding actions to be taken and policies and procedures to be implemented. (See page 1 for greater detail on the task force.) I have asked Father Whitt to fulfill this important role because he has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of integrity and commitment to the promotion of justice.
Once he has finalized the appointment of the members of this new independent task force, he will step away to allow it to do its work fully and unimpeded. He will not serve as a member of the task force. It is my fervent hope that this new task force, with its unprecedented ability to review the full range of issues and questions associated with ensuring safe environments within our Church ministry, will begin a new era for us in this local Church. Truly, the steps I have authorized are new and the scope of this change is extraordinary. When I began my service as your archbishop a little over five years
OBITUARY
I know that we have experienced serious challenges as Catholics these past several years, and I have always tried to lead with a profound love for our Lord Jesus Christ and his Church. I have considered it a great privilege and blessing to be your archbishop, and I believe deeply in the good work that we are undertaking together.
These periods of sanctification are opportunities for us to re-ground ourselves in what binds us together as Christian disciples: the redeeming and saving love of Jesus Christ. This is the gift of mercy and compassion that we treasure and want so deeply for others to experience. This is our highest “What is most important calling. Finally, I must share something very important with you. As I reflect on the current situation, I have carefully reflected on what I could have done better related to these most troubling matters in the news. While I know we have made progress in so many areas these past many years, I am deeply troubled that we are still dealing with issues associated with clergy sexual abuse. It tells me that much more must be done. It tells me that we have serious gaps that must be addressed. And, as archbishop, I am your leader, and I am responsible for what happens in our Church. I accept that responsibility and all that this implies.
From the Archbishop
Pursuing the truth and restoring trust
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and pressing to me is that I do everything in my power to ensure safe environments where the Gospel of Jesus Christ can flourish. You have my full commitment that this is, and will remain, my most sacred trust.” Archbishop John Nienstedt
At present, I believe the best course is for the task force to complete its mission. I know they will conduct a thorough, just and independent review. We know something is wrong, but we will be well served by having the full record before us before we come to conclusions. What is most important and pressing to me is that I do everything in my power to ensure safe environments where the Gospel of Jesus Christ can flourish. You have my full commitment that this is, and will remain, my most sacred trust.
OFFICIAL
Carmelite remembered for gentleness, humility
His Excellency, the Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt, has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
Carmelite Father Joseph V. Vaccaro, 84, died on Sept. 28 at the Little Sisters of the Poor Holy Family Residence. He was ordained in 1958 for the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J. and served there for 32 years. He entered the Carmelite Hermitage in Lake Elmo in 1990 and made a profession of vows in 1993. He was buried in the cemetery at the Carmelite Hermitage. “Father Joseph was known for his gentleness and humility,” said Father John Burns, a fellow Carmelite priest. “He assisted many people with confession and spiritual direction. Although in much pain, he died as he had lived, peaceful and resigned to God.”
Effective October 1, 2013 • Deacon Terrence Beer appointed “ad nutum episcopi” to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Pax Christi in Eden Prairie. • Deacon James Pufahl appointed “ad nutum episcopi” to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville. • Deacon James Saumweber appointed “ad nutum episcopi” to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of the Assumption in Saint Paul. Effective October 3, 2013 • The Most Reverend Bishop Lee Piché appointed
Moderator of the Curia on an interim basis “ad nutum episcopi.” This is in addition to his appointment as Vicar General. Bishop Piché will assume responsibilities previously assigned to the Very Reverend Peter Laird. Effective October 5, 2013 • Reverend D. Reginald Whitt, O.P. appointed Episcopal Vicar for Ministerial Standards. Reverend Whitt has been granted authority over all issues related to clergy sexual misconduct, and to appoint an independent lay task force to review any and all issues related to clergy sexual misconduct. Effective October 15, 2013 • Deacon Michael Wurdock appointed “ad nutum episcopi” to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Saint Alphonsus in Brooklyn Center.
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
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Lawyer: Court cases could impact businesses, parishes By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit A native Minnesotan who has been in the trenches of the war for religious liberty is coming back to speak in the Twin Cities. Attorney Jordan Lorence, who serves as senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, will give a talk at the Minnesota Religious Freedom Forum Oct. 24 at the St. Paul RiverCentre (see box at right). ADF and the Minnesota Catholic Conference are sponsoring the forum, along with several other local organizations. The event provides an opportunity Jordan for those conLORENCE cerned about and affected by religious freedom issues to hear from legal experts like Lorence, who will talk about several highprofile cases he has worked on. One of those cases involves a husband-and-wife photography business in New Mexico called Elane Photography. With the recent passage of same-sex marriage in Min-
nesota, the case has particular relevance to local businesses and, possibly, local parishes. The couple was sued in 2006 by a same-sex couple interested in hiring them to photograph their commitment ceremony. Elaine and Jonathan Hugeunin, who declined because their Christian beliefs conflicted with the message communicated by the ceremony, lost the case and were ordered to pay $6,637.94 in attorneys’ fees to the women who filed the complaint. “What these kind of marriage-related cases are now trying to do, in my opinion, is to make a public example and punish people who believe that marriage is [between] one man and one woman, and intimidate others into not allowing that belief to enter any other area of their life,” said Lorence, who has helped with the case, which will be submitted for consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court in November. “The First Amendment has to protect the free exchange of ideas and not say to people, ‘Your viewpoints are illegitimate and need to be punished or suppressed in the public square,’” he said. Lorence fears Catholic parishes here and elsewhere could be vulnerable to lawsuits if they offer services like reception-hall rental to people
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Every step, every journey, we’re there for life. October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
Want to attend? The Minnesota Religious Freedom Forum will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 24, at the St. Paul RiverCentre. The forum is a one-day training that provides practical legal information for protecting religious freedom. Workshops will cover a broad range of religious liberty concerns and will be provided by prominent Minnesota attorneys and legal experts from the nationally recognized Alliance Defending Freedom. For more information and to register, visit mnreligiousfreedom.org. The event is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Catholic Conference. outside the parish who plan to marry. And, vendors in the wedding industry could find themselves facing a discrimination lawsuit if they refuse to do business with same-sex couples. “It’s inevitable that, sooner or later, one of these business owners or professionals is going to be asked to promote a message that he or she doesn’t agree with,” Lorence said. But, he believes they shouldn’t “be ordered to surrender their rights as a price to enter the marketplace.” Another area of concern about religious freedom comes from the Obama administration’s Health and Human Services mandate. While some religious employers are protected from paying for health insurance covering contraception and abortifacients, private employers are not given the same protection. The Hobby Lobby lawsuit, which Lorence also has worked on, is a case in point. The Christian owners of this arts and crafts chain have been fighting in court to avoid complying with the HHS mandate. On July 19, a federal judge in Oklahoma granted a temporary injunction to Hobby Lobby, and gave the government until Oct. 1 to consider an appeal. The owners of Hobby Lobby have argued that following the mandate violates their religious freedom. “On a more philosophical or con-
ceptual level . . . it’s [a matter of] whether business owners are allowed to have their religious beliefs influence their business practices,” Lorence said. “I think, in general, we want people to operate their businesses according to [their] moral standards. “If somebody says, ‘I want to have fair trade coffee, or ‘I’m switching to other materials that don’t harm the environment,’ we applaud that as enlightened and far sighted. “What I hear the other side sometimes say is that, ‘Well, I wouldn’t do what Hobby Lobby does when it comes to coverage of medical care. I wouldn’t do what Elane Photography is doing. Therefore, both Hobby Lobby and Elane Photography have no right of conscience protection....’ That’s really wrong.” The keynote address at the forum will draw attention to the Hobby Lobby case. It will be delivered by Michael McAfee, director of faith initiatives for Hobby Lobby. He is the son-in-law of Steve and Jackie Green, who own and operate Hobby Lobby. “I think that they [Hobby Lobby and Elane Photography cases] are a very big deal,” Lorence said. “If these cases lose [at the Supreme Court level], there will be no [religious liberty] protection for anybody at all.”
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5A The Catholic Spirit Father Charles Lachowitzer, recently named as the new vicar general and moderator of the curia in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said he is already beginning to transition into his new position. “My first priority is the a r c h b i s h o p ’s Father Charles first priority,” LACHOWITZER Father Lachowitzer said. “My work has already begun to ensure that the new task force has access to whatever it needs in order to complete its work. Making sure we are doing everything in our power to create safe environments is absolutely critical to the work of the Church.” (See page 1 for a story about the new Safe Environment and Minis-
terial Standards Task Force.) Father Lachowitzer, currently pastor of St. John Neumann in Eagan and a regional vicar, said the full transition to his new responsibilities will happen over the next month and a half. He expects to begin working full time at the chancery by Advent. As vicar general and moderator of the curia, he will assist the archbishop in the general care and administration of the archdiocese. He replaces Father Peter Laird, who resigned Oct. 3 from the position. Auxiliary Bishop Lee Piché will serve as vicar general and moderator of the curia on an interim basis until Father Lachowitzer is fully into his new role. Bishop Piché previously served in that position for the archdiocese from 2008 to 2009. Father Lachowitzer was ordained a priest of the archdiocese in 1990, following his graduation from St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. Prior to his appointment as pastor at St. John Neumann in 2002, he
“My first priority is the archbishop’s first priority. My work has already begun to ensure that the new task force has access to whatever it needs in order to complete its work. Making sure we are doing everything in our power to create safe environments is absolutely critical to the work of the Church.”
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New vicar general: Ensuring safe environments is top priority
Father Charles Lachowitzer was an associate priest at St. Michael in Stillwater and later served as pastor of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Father Laird served since November 2009 as vicar general and moderator of the curia. He will continue to serve in a variety of roles within the archdiocese, including as the temporary administrator at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood.
“I am hopeful my decision to step aside at this time, along with the formation of a new task force can help repair the trust of many, especially the victims of abuse,” he said in an archdiocesan statement announcing his resignation. “I know the leadership, the dedicated staff and my fellow priests in the archdiocese are sincerely committed to proactively addressing these difficult issues.”
Task force will have access to all resources it needs to do its work Continued from page 1A vicar for ministerial standards and the archbishop. It will have full authority and all the resources needed to complete its work, the archdiocese said. “They [task force members] are going to decide what they want to investigate within the parameters of the charge given to them,” Father Whitt said. “Whatever they recommend to me as reasonable for them to perform their it’s my business The people of God task, to see that they get it.” and the Catholic Archbishop Nienstedt said there is “no Church in room for misconduct among our clergy and Minnesota our standard must be zero tolerance for deserve the best, abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. We and we’re going hold a sacred trust. Our very vocation reto do what we quires the highest standard of conduct so can to provide that all may be drawn to the person of Jesus them with the Christ through our witness.” best.” Father Whitt said he Father Reginald Whitt is impressed by the archbishop’s decision to call for the formation of the independent group to address the issue. “He’s not ducking behind a door,” Father Whitt said. “Rather, he’s admitted things have gone terribly awry in our diocese. He wants it corrected, and he wants the basis for that correction to come from people who have expertise and have taken a critical look at what has gone on in the past to ensure the people of the archdiocese that that kind of thing will no longer occur.” “The people of God and the Catholic Church in Minnesota deserve the best, and we’re going to do what we can to provide them with the best,” Father Whitt said.
Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force SCOPE: • Review all documents of the archdiocese relating to its policies and procedures for preventing, investigating, and responding to sexual misconduct by clergy and all documents relating to the protection of children, youth, and vulnerable adults from such misconduct. It is responsible for providing recommendations that will ensure that the archdiocese has effective policies and procedures for preventing, investigating, and responding to sexual misconduct by clergy that are in compliance with norms of civil and canon law. • Interview staff members of the archdiocese, former staff members of the archdiocese, and others at its discretion, including victims of clergy sexual misconduct and clergy who have been accused of misconduct. • Review any and all issues related directly or indirectly to clergy sexual misconduct in the archdiocese, and prepare a report to the vicar for ministerial standards that will recommend actions to be taken by the archdiocese regarding these issues.
The archdiocese will cooperate fully with the task force. The archdiocese will provide the task force with access to records of the archdiocese related to clergy sexual misconduct, and policies and procedures of the archdiocese related to the handling of clergy sexual misconduct and the protection of children, youth and vulnerable adults from such misconduct. OUTCOME: The task force will issue a report, or multiple reports, if it deems appropriate, to the vicar of ministerial standards. As directed by the archbishop, the vicar will receive the report(s) of the task force, ensure that the product is in compliance with civil and canon law, publish the final findings and recommendations, and implement the final recommendations. While the archbishop retains his authority in the archdiocese, he has committed that he will not interfere in the work of the vicar or the task force. Source: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
Meet Father Whitt
What is a vicar?
Father Reginald Whitt returned to the faculty at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in the fall of 2007 after taking a leave to serve as president of the pontifical faculty at the Dominican House of Studies in 2003. He has taught on the law school faculties of Villanova University, University of Kentucky, Duke University and the University of Notre Dame. He is known for his research in African-American Catholic concerns. Father Whitt was a founding member of the St. Thomas School of Law faculty.
Within the canon law of the Catholic Church, an episcopal vicar, who must be a priest, may be appointed by the diocesan bishop. Once appointed, the vicar has the power to act with full authority in the area entrusted to him. In this capacity, the vicar may operate with the equivalent power of the archbishop. In this case, Father Whitt may enact new policies for the archdiocese and make any decisions he deems necessary that are related directly or indirectly to clergy sexual misconduct.
Source: University of St. Thomas School of Law
Source: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
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Rosary for peace Above, David Kirsch, front, a freshman at St. John Vianney College seminary in St. Paul, helps other SJV seminarians carry a statue of Mary during the annual Candlelight Rosary Procession, which took place Oct. 4, starting at the State Capitol and ending at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Father John Paul Erickson, director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship led the procession, in which participants offered the rosary as a prayer for several intentions, including peace throughout the world. Left, Houa Her of St. Vincent de Paul in St. Paul and his daughter Bethany carry a candle as they make their way to the Cathedral.
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7A By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Two years ago, Mary Rose of St. Michael Catholic Church in St. Michael saw an alarming statistic and decided it was time to take action. “We had heard that there were 158 abortions [a year] in Wright County,” she said. “And, we felt like one was too many.” Others in the parish felt the same way, and they banded together to create a pro-life center so that local women in unplanned pregnancies could choose life. On Sept. 29, a group of parishioners joined with representatives of the Knights of Columbus to dedicate Cornerstone Women’s Center, which is ideally located on Central Avenue, the main thoroughfare through town. It opened July 15. “This is what we’ve worked two years for,” Rose said. “It’s here, finally. So, there’s a lot of excitement. Yet, it was like, ‘Is this really real?’ We’re pinching ourselves.”
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New center helps Wright County women choose life
Working together After consulting with Will Coissart of TLC Options for Women (formerly called Total Life Care Centers), the group moved forward and bought a house on Central Avenue. It needed a lot of work — volunteers gutted it down to the studs — but the end result is a beautiful, homey place complete with a lobby, counseling rooms and an exam room where women can get pregnancy tests and, most important, ultrasounds. And, that’s where the Knights come in. A total of 11 councils raised funds to help pay for the ultrasound machine, which pro-lifers often say is the key to helping convince women to carry their babies to term. The Knights presented a check for $44,605 at the dedication. Father Ken O’Hotto, pastor of St. Mary in Waverly and state chaplain for
Mary Ottman, left, executive director of Cornerstone Women’s Center in St. Michael, and volunteer Mary Rose stand in an exam room at the center with the ultrasound machine that was purchased with the help of funds raised by 11 local Knights of Columbus councils. Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit the Knights, was on hand to pray a blessing. “We are the only center like this in Wright County with an ultrasound machine,” said Rose, who has volunteered up to 60 hours a week during the last two years and has no plans to stop. “It’s been an exciting journey and it’s really fun to see the spiritual things happen. That’s what keeps me coming back.” The center has been able to hire a part-time executive director, Mary Ottman, who comes in to staff the center, which is open Mondays and Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m. Only a handful of women have vis-
ited so far, but Ottman realizes it will take time — and lots of prayer — to bring more people through the door. “You have to start it with prayer, and you have to end it with prayer,” she said. “Those are the two bookends, and everything else is in the middle. If we’re in prayerful consideration every day, coming and going, then the rest is God’s work here. I am just working every day the best I can with the ability I have.” For more information, call (763) 478-7367 or visit www.cornerstonewomenscenter.org.
“You have to start it with prayer, and you have to end it with prayer. . . . If we’re in prayerful consideration every day, coming and going, then the rest is God’s work here. I am just working every day the best I can with the ability I have.” Mary Ottman, Cornerstone Women’s Center
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Sunday, Oct 27: All day fun Starting with Children’s games at 11 a.m. Pull tabs, Silent Auction, Turkey Dinner
Three itineraries to choose from, all culminating in Rome for the Canonizations on Sunday, April 27, 2014: Assisi & Rome: April 21-28, 2014 Venice to the Vatican: April 21-May 1, 2014 Pilgrimage to Southern Italy: April 21-May 2, 2014
For more information and directions:
www.staugustine-holytrinity.org October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
Local • What Works
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St. Joseph in Red Wing: Fewer meetings, more results For the past six years, the pastoral council at St. Joseph in Red Wing has used a meeting process that moves decision-making closer to those who do the work. The process mostly leaves the decision-making to six parish commissions — faith formation, worship, charity and justice, pastoral ministry, administration and finance or parish life — which are made up of people doing the ministry. “That’s an idea out of the Second Vatican Council – subsidiarity. You keep the decision-making closest to the people doing the ministry.” said Father Thomas Kommers, who as pastor of St. Joseph supervises their work. On the third Wednesday of each
“The beauty of the structure is that people are on commissions where they feel they can use God’s gifts to them in the best way possible.” Carol McNary
month, 35 to 40 parish leaders gather to share a meal. Those leaders all serve on one of the commissions. After dinner, Father Kommers reads the Gospel for the coming Sunday and the group spends about
What Works
Share your thoughts The Catholic Spirit is looking for story ideas for its “What Works” series. We want to hear from parishes and schools about an idea, plan, project or program that is currently showing successful results. Submitters should explain the purpose of the initiative and outline the steps that led to success. Our goal is to give parishes and schools an opportunity to share ideas for doing ministry more effectively and/or more efficiently. • E-mail your story idea to: WhatWorks@archspm.org • Or mail your idea to: “What Works,” c/o The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. Please include your name, parish and daytime telephone number.
20 minutes talking about the story, sharing faith and reflecting on what that story means to them. The group then divides into commissions that meet for 90 minutes. “The commissions are tasked with providing the forward-looking, dreaming, planning part,” said Father Kommers. “Then, it’s committees under the commissions that do the work.” The process is very efficient and cuts down on the number of meetings people have to attend. “We’ve got everybody in the building at one time,” he said. At 9 p.m., representatives from each of the commissions come together to form the pastoral council, along with three or four at-large members, and meet for one hour. “It’s all done in one night, it’s got hospitality, chatting and sharing a
meal with each other, it’s got Scripture, it’s got content to it,” Father Kommers said. And then, if there needs to be other short meetings during the month, they’re not driven by vision as much as they are by practical things, he added. “I felt it was an excellent way to break into smaller groups to address the many needs of a parish this size,” said Carol McNary, a former chair of the pastoral ministry commission. “More needs are addressed in a timely manner because there are more people to focus on and plan programs in specific areas that are then brought before the parish pastoral council for approval before implementation.” Parishioners are invited to join the commission they are interested in. “The beauty of the structure is that people are on commissions where they feel they can use God’s gifts to them in the best way possible,” McNary said. “Everybody has something to contribute to the development of an idea, a process, a direction, a path to take,” Father Kommers said. “The more we can open that up to the gift of the Spirit that everybody has, the richer it is. That’s what we discovered.”
THE ARCHBISHOP HARRY J. FLYNN CATECHETICAL INSTITUTE
LEARN & LIVE SERIES PRESENTS
Developing Friendship with Jesus Presented by Archbishop Emeritus Harry J. Flynn Tuesday, November 5, 2013 7-9 p.m. Church of St. Joseph in West St. Paul This event is free and open to the public. Bring a friend! To register: www.cistudent.com
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
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Local • Next Gen
The West Metro Young Adults hosted nearly 70 people at their first Theology on Tap gathering Oct. 1 at Mozza Mia Pizza Pie and Mozzarella Bar in Edina. Photo courtesy of West Metro Young Adults
Young adults build up friendships, faith in west metro By Jennifer Janikula For The Catholic Spirit The transition to adulthood leaves many young people feeling disconnected. The structures that supported them as children remain, but they look different. Their relationships with family, the community and the Church begin to change as they leap toward independence. Often, young adults renegotiate these relationships in isolation. After college, new jobs take them away from their childhood home to a quiet apartment in a new city with few friends. So how do these young Catholic adults make new connections and find their peers? Many look for groups like the West Metro Young Adults. Matt Molko, core team member of the group, said its goal is to build a sense of community for young adults on the west side of the Twin Cities. “Many of us enjoyed our youth groups in high school, but after we graduate, there is this abrupt stop at a time when we are in a transition period,” said Molko, a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in St. Louis Park. “College was our last bubble. Now we are disconnected from our roots — jobs take us out of our communities. We need to anchor on faith and make connections with new people.” Kelsie Christopherson, another core team member, agreed. “At this
time in life, we are so isolated,” she said. “There is strength in numbers. We need to be held accountable by Catholic friends.”
Coming together To begin building community, the West Metro Young Adults, with the help of Father Joseph Johnson, pastor of Holy Family, launched a Theology on Tap series Oct. 1 at Mozza Mia Pizza Pie and Mozzarella Bar in Edina. Theology on Tap, a concept developed in an Illinois parish in 1981, brings young Catholic adults together one night per week, usually at a local bar or restaurant, for a six-week speaker and discussion series. Father Johnson, who helped organize similar events at St. Olaf in Minneapolis and at the Cathedral in St. Paul, said the popular events bring young adults together in a “non-threatening environment to learn how to embrace their faith as adults and make their faith their own.” The first week of West Metro’s Theology on Tap required organizers to gather extra tables and chairs to accommodate nearly 70 people, from parishes across the Twin Cities, in the lower-level party room at Mozza Mia. The mood was festive and social as people enjoyed drinks, dinner and speaker Nic Davidson’s advice on “How to Date Right.” Using examples from Pope John Paul II and St. Thomas Aquinas,
Davidson spoke about dating, love and commitment. He encouraged the young adults to throw away their ideal-mate checklists and be open to knowing others as people. In the spirit of St. Thomas, Davidson said love is more than a feeling, it’s a choice: choosing to “will the good of another” consistently moment to moment. “Our ultimate good is to know who we are in God’s eyes,” said Davidson. “You are the middle man to reflect God’s love to others. Choose their good over your own always, so they know how much God loves them.” A convert to Catholicism who believes Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” saved his marriage, Davidson shared a minilesson from the pope’s writings on love, human sexuality and marriage. He told attendees they needed to know themselves before they could be a gift to someone else. Davidson also explained Pope John Paul II’s four characteristics of love: free, total, faithful and fruitful. And, he encouraged attendees to “understand what real love looks like. Don’t settle for less and don’t give less. Love and be loved. Demand and give love.” The “don’t settle” message resonated with many of the young Catholic adults. Maria Rode from Holy Family said, “I’m exhausted from dating. It’s hard to be a good Catholic girl these days.”
Hearing Tests Set for Senior Citizens Announcement — Free electronic hearing tests will be given all next week Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. The tests have been arranged for anyone who suspects they are not hearing clearly. People who generally feel they can hear, but cannot understand words clearly are encouraged to come in for the test, which uses the latest electronic equipment. Everyone, especially those over age 55 should have an electronic hearing test once
a year. Demonstrations of the latest devices to improve clarity of speech will be programmed using a computer to your particular needs — on the spot — after the tests. See (and HEAR) for yourself if newlydeveloped methods of correction will help you understand words better. Tests will be performed at one of 20 convenient Greater Twin Cities Avada Hearing Care locations.
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Want to go? The Theology on Tap series sponsored by the West Metro Young Adults group continues every Tuesday through Nov. 5. All meetings are at 7 p.m. at Mozza Mia Pizza Pie and Mozzarella Bar, 50th and France (3910 West 50th Street), Edina. Upcoming topics: • Oct. 15: “The Gospel According to Pope Francis,” Father John Paul Erickson. • Oct. 22: “Femininity: Men and Women in a Gender-Free Culture,” Leah Jacobson. • Oct. 29: “Get Out of the Boat! Discover the Meaning of Your Life!” Deacon Thomas Winninger. • Nov. 5: “Grill the Priest: Your Questions, Father’s Answers,” Father Joseph Johnson. For more information, visit West Metro Young Adults on Facebook or email westmetroya@gmail.com. After dating people that objected to her Catholic values, Rode began to question herself, but Davidson’s speech reassured her. “The event made me more confident to keep getting out there,” she said. “I know who I am. When I find someone who knows who he is, then we can move forward.” To learn more about West Metro Young Adults, visit West Metro Young Adults on Facebook or email westmetroya@gmail.com.
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Pope Francis blesses a disabled person during his visit at the Serafico Institute in Assisi, Italy, Oct. 4. The pontiff was making his first pilgrimage as pope to the birthplace of his papal namesake. CNS photo/Gian Matteo Crocchioni, pool via Reuters
Pope, in Assisi, calls on Church to renounce ‘spirit of the world’ By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service Making his first pilgrimage as pope to the birthplace of his papal namesake, Pope Francis called on the whole Church to imitate St. Francis of Assisi, embracing poverty and stripping itself of the “spirit of world.” “A Christian cannot coexist with the spirit of the world,” he said. Worldliness “leads us to “We are among the vanity, arrogance, wounds of Jesus. pride. And this is an idol, it is not of God.” Jesus is hidden in The pope spoke Oct. these kids, in these 4, the feast of St. Francis, in the “stripping children, in these room” of the Assisi archbishop’s residence, people. On the altar where the saint shed we adore the flesh of himself of his rich clothes and embraced a Jesus, in them we life of poverty. “This is a good occafind the wounds of sion for inviting the Jesus.” Church to strip itself,” the pope said, adding Pope Francis, visiting a group of that he directed his indisabled children and young people vitation not merely to and their caregivers in Assisi the hierarchy but all the Church’s members, and that he sought renunciation of spiritual complacency as well as material riches. “It is so sad to find a worldly Christian, who thinks he enjoys the security of the faith and of the world. One can’t have it both ways.” The pope was accompanied to Assisi by the
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
eight-member Council of Cardinals he has appointed to advise him on governance of the universal church and reform of the Vatican bureaucracy, and with whom he concluded an initial series of meetings Oct. 3 at the Vatican. Pope Francis’ talk in the archbishop’s residence, one of six addresses he was scheduled to deliver during his daylong visit to Assisi, was to a group of poor people receiving assistance from local Catholic charities, whom he later joined for lunch. “Many of you have been stripped by this savage world, which doesn’t provide work, which doesn’t help, to which it makes no difference that children die of hunger,” he said. The pope mourned the African immigrants killed in the previous day’s sinking of a boat near the southern Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, where in July he made his first trip as pope outside Rome. “It doesn’t matter [to the world] that people must flee slavery and hunger in search of liberty. With how much pain, so often, we see that they find death,” he said. “This is a day of weeping. The spirit of the world does these things.” As he often does, the pope set aside his prepared remarks and spoke entirely off the cuff. He did the same thing earlier in the morning, when he addressed a group of disabled children and young people and their caregivers at a church-run rehabilitation center, the first of a dozen stops on his tightly packed schedule. Pope Francis spent about 45 minutes prior to his talk personally greeting the young patients, many of whom were confined to wheelchairs. Throughout his visit, the room resounded with their cries and moans. “We are among the wounds of Jesus,” the pope
said. “Jesus is hidden in these kids, in these children, in these people. On the altar we adore the flesh of Jesus, in them we find the wounds of Jesus.” The pope noted that Jesus’ body after the resurrection was unblemished except for the five wounds he had received during his crucifixion. “He wanted to preserve only the wounds, and he took them with him into heaven,” the pope said. “We treat the wounds of Jesus here and he, in heaven, shows us his wounds and tells all of us, all of us: ‘I am waiting for you.’” In the pope’s undelivered remarks at the rehabilitation center he called for more “works of the culture of welcome, works animated above all by profound Christian love, love for Christ crucified, for the flesh of Christ.”
A deeper peace The pope’s morning in Assisi culminated in a Mass he celebrated in the square outside the Basilica of St. Francis. In his homily, Pope Francis paid tribute to his namesake as a “man of harmony and peace” and drew attention to those “who are suffering and who are dying because of violence, terrorism or war, in the Holy Land, so dear to St. Francis, in Syria, throughout the Middle East and everywhere in the world.” Later in the afternoon, addressing diocesan clergy, religious and laity in the city’s cathedral, Pope Francis charmed the crowd like a folksy parish priest, drawing frequent laughter and applause. Encouraging pastors to be close to their flocks, the pope recalled one who had told him that he knew the names of all the families — and the dogs — in his parish. “What could be more beautiful?” he asked.
11A VATICAN CITY
Praying for America as government shutdown enters second week
Two women hang a sign advertising “Praying the Rosary for America ...” outside the historic St. Francis Church in Taos, N.M., Oct. 5. Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives agreed to retroactively pay 800,000 furloughed federal employees once the government reopens, but there was no end in sight to the shutdown as it entered its second week. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, however, ordered some 350,000 civilian employees back to work Oct. 7, stating that they will be paid based on an interpretation of a law signed recently by President Obama that ensures U.S. troops and supporting staff are paid during the shutdown. CNS photo/Brian Snyder, Reuters
Pope to canonize Blesseds John XXIII, John Paul II April 27 Recognizing that Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II have widespread reputations for holiness and that years of studying their lives and actions have proven their exceptional virtue, Pope Francis announced he would declare his two predecessors saints at a single ceremony April 27. The pope made the announcement Sept. 30 at the end of an “ordinary public consistory,” a gathering of cardinals and promoters of the sainthood causes of the two late popes. Blessed John Paul II, known as a globetrotter who made 104 trips outside Italy, served as pope from 1978 to 2005 and was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on Divine Mercy Sunday, May 1, 2011. Blessed John XXIII, known particularly for convoking the Second Vatican Council, was pope from 1958 to 1963. The choice of April 27, which is Divine Mercy Sunday in 2014, was not a complete surprise. Divine Mercy Sunday is a celebration instituted worldwide by Pope John Paul II. Since the beginning of his pontificate in March, Pope Francis has emphasized God’s mercy and
“For me, giving is a faith-filled commitment rooted in my parents’ example.”
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
Catholic women urged to serve church, world as ‘a common voice’ Catholic women must “join together in a common voice” and be “an instrument for unified action” in service to the Catholic Church and the world, said the president of the National Council of Catholic Women. “There are 34 million Catholic women in the United States today,” said Rebecca Woodhull in an address to the NCCW annual convention in Fort Lauderdale. “We are one by virtue of our baptism.” “We must ‘Be the Voice of Catholic Women: Confidence, Hope and Joy’ — the theme for this convention — and fulfill our mission to ‘support, empower and educate women to better serve the Church and the world,’” she said. NCCW’s Fort Lauderdale convention Sept. 25-28 drew 470 women and 44 priests. Also in attendance were Bishop James Johnston of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., who is NCCW’s episcopal liaison, and Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who celebrated the closing Mass. — Catholic News Service
U.S. & World
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October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
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‘Graced & Gifted’ event aims to offer inspiration to Catholic women By Sharon Wilson For The Catholic Spirit Hundreds of women are expected to gather Oct. 26 for an event seeking to inform, refresh and nurture Catholic women across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The “Graced & Gifted Catholic Women’s Day” will be celebrated at St. Michael in Prior Lake. The brainchild of Monica Schneiderman and Brenda Schroll started because of a mutual interest. “We both were involved in Bible studies and women’s prayer groups, each in our perspective parishes,” Interested in going? Schneiderman said. The two women collaborated on a “Graced & Gifted: Courageous few programs and the idea grew. Faith & Contagious Joy — A Day “We saw a need for women to be for Catholic Women” is from 8:30 more involved in their faith, and the a.m. to 3 p.m., Oct. 26 at St. idea of bringing in a speaker Michael in Prior Lake. The cost to formed,” Schroll added. attend is $55. Starting with their connections in For more information and to neighboring parishes, the two set up register, visit http:// coffee dates with women lay leaders. gracedandgifted.squarespace. Five parishes joined the effort, and com. the idea became a reality. The first “Graced & Gifted” event was in 2008 and drew more than 250 women. The group organized four events over the course of 2008 and 2009 but took a hiatus after Schneiderman’s husband was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away in 2011, and Schroll decided it was time to get her friend involved once again in the effort. This year’s conference is entitled “Graced & Gifted: Courageous Faith & Contagious Joy — A Day for Catholic Women.” Kelly Wahlquist, whom the two knew from her work with Jeff Cavins’ Bible Timeline groups, had been traveling around the country speaking to Catholic women’s groups. The parish collaboration grew to include Wahlquist, and she will be one of the headliners at the event.
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The second headliner for the event will be Kitty Cleveland, a nationally known Catholic singer, songwriter and evangelist. Cleveland said her testimony and music “is to encourage people — whether through music, storytelling or teaching from the great Catholic spiritual writers and my own life experiences.” “My heart burns with a desire to share the riches of our Catholic faith, especially to lapsed or lukewarm Catholics,” she said. Schneiderman invites all women to attend the event. Those who attend should expect “a day set apart — to make a new friend, to cry, to be nurtured. It is a day for mothers, daughters, grandmas and girlfriends.” The event has the potential for growth. The women Kitty hope to bring this event to more women by expanding to CLEVELAND other parts of the archdiocese. Talks have already begun about having a similar event in spring 2014 in the northern suburbs. The day begins with Mass at 8:30 a.m. with Bishop Lee Piché and includes breakfast, lunch, speakers and entertainment. The event is co-sponsored by the archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life.
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13A others who are as lost as the saint was.
Who are the holy men and women Pope Francis looks up to? He revealed many of them in several recently published interviews. Here, in no particular order, are the saints Pope Francis has a particular fondness for or credits with playing an important role in his religious formation. The names are taken from an interview with the Italian daily, La Repubblica, Oct. 1; the Sept. 19 interview with the Jesuit journal, La Civilta Cattolica; and a 2010 book-length compilation of interviews titled “Pope Francis: Conversations with Jorge Bergoglio.”
• St. Francis of Assisi The pope took his name after this 13th-century Italian friar. “He’s great because he is everything. He is a man who wants to do things, wants to build, he founded an order and its rules, he is an itinerant and a missionary, a poet and a prophet, he is mystical. He found evil in himself and rooted it out. He loved nature, animals, the blade of grass on the lawn and the birds flying in the sky. But above all he loved people, children, old people, women. He is the most shining example of that agape,” that is, to love one another as Jesus loved, the pope told La Repubblica.
• St. Augustine • St. Paul the Apostle This fifth-century Church father “St. Paul is the one who laid and theologian is a favorite of down the cornerstones of our retired Pope Benedict XVI Augustine religion and our creed. You . t S and of his successor. In a cannot be a conscious talk on the saint’s feast Christian without St. day Aug. 28, Pope Paul. He translated the Francis said Christians teachings of Christ into must follow St. a doctrinal structure Augustine’s example that, even with the and refuse to become additions of a vast “anesthetized by success, number of thinkers, by things, by power,” but theologians and pastors, has let themselves be restless for resisted and still exists after two God. They also must never tire of thousand years,” he told La sharing the good news of God’s Repubblica. love and promise of salvation with
that repulses me most is pride.” In • St. Ignatius of Loyola an interview with Rubin and He is the 16th-century founder Ambrogetti, the future pope said of the order the pope comes from, whenever he has acted like a big the Society of Jesus. “Jesuits were shot “I have felt great and still are the leavening — not embarrassment, and I ask God for the only one but perhaps the most effective — of Catholicism: culture, forgiveness because nobody has the right to behave like this.” teaching, missionary work, Thomas Aquin . loyalty to the pope,” the t a • St. Joseph S pope said. Ignatius “was a The pope has a symbol reformer and a mystic,” of St. Joseph — the which is critical for the spikenard flower — on Church because “a his papal coat of arms. religion without mystics In his homily at his is a philosophy.” inaugural Mass March
s
By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service
• St. Benedict This sixth-century Italian monk is most famous for his rule for living, working and praying in community, which still guides the lives of Benedictine abbeys around the world. While Pope Francis has not spoken more in-depth about this saint, the Benedictine spirituality seeks a balanced way of living with prayer, work and rest that does not ignore the primacy of God. • St. Thomas Aquinas This 13th-century Dominican theologian and philosopher taught that pride is humanity’s greatest enemy because it leads a person to believe he or she is self-sufficient and hinders the person from having a relationship with God. Pope Francis, too, said, “The sin
Focus on Faith
Holy, holy, holy: Pope talks about his favorite saints
19, the feast of St. Joseph, Pope Francis said that in the Gospels, “St. Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak, but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love.” • St. Therese of Lisieux The pope used to keep a photo of this 19th-century French Carmelite nun on his library shelf when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires. He said, “When I have a problem I ask the saint, not to solve it, but to take it in her hands and help me accept it, and, as a sign, I almost always receive a white rose.”
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Father Michael Schmitz
Don’t fear that your prayers don’t make a difference Q. I am struggling with the
idea that prayer does anything. I mean, if God really cared about us, why would he need us to ask for anything before he gave it to us? I understand thanking God, but how do our prayers make any real difference?
A. First off, I need to tell you what a great question that is. It shows that you are really taking prayer seriously and not just going through the motions. If prayer is going to be significant, then it should “do something.” But if God is good, wouldn’t he already be planning on doing that thing in the first place? This question is so deep that it goes all the way to the very identity of God and the nature of the universe. We can sometimes fall into the mistaken notion that God is in control of everything. And I acknowledge that, in a general sense, that is kind of true. Everything that exists either comes directly or indirectly from God. We readily acknowledge that God is the “ground of Being”; without him nothing at all would exist. But that is not the same thing as saying that God is “in control” of everything or that everything that
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happens is a “part of his plan.” In choosing to create a universe that operates according to certain rules, God has willed to abdicate his power to a certain extent. In the Christian perspective, God is all-powerful, but God is also Reason. Reason is part of the very nature of who God is. Therefore, when God willed to create the universe, he was free to create it to operate somewhat “independently” of himself. God is certainly still the Primary Cause, but he has created a universe that has both “laws of nature” and is also filled with free beings. Because of the laws of nature, there are things like physics through which we can deduce that “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Unless there is a suspension of this law, it will happen every time, both when a baseball player hits the ball to deep center field as well as when a stray ball hits a child in the temple. God is not the “cause” of either occasion except for the fact that he created a world based on physical laws. God created chemistry, but he does not control a campfire or cause a wildfire; the fire burns because of the “secondary cause”
asking whether any of us would leave the house in a rainstorm without an umbrella under the idea that “If God doesn’t want me to get wet, he won’t let the rain fall where I am.” All Christians go through their day counting on God’s care while simultaneously making choices that make a difference. We are accustomed to being secondary causes! In the Bible, God has revealed that he wants prayer to operate in a similar way. There are many times when the Bible he calls teaches us that prayer makes a us to pray (and difference. In fact, it is one of the ways that prayer How prayer in which we works actually makes a cooperate with God’s will. In the When it comes difference), God same way your to prayer (and how choice to give to a makes us into prayer works), it person in need is might be helpful to something even one way you can consider this cooperate with reality. Christians more than God’s will to care believe that God for the poor, your children: He exists and that God decision to pray for cares and acts in allows us to be a person is another. this world. But we When you care also know that co-workers with for a sick person, are there are an him.” you changing God’s abundance of will? No. Are you secondary causes at Father Michael Schmitz making a real work. difference? Yes. For example, What you are doing none of us would is fulfilling God’s think it would be a sign of mental will. You are doing your part in health if a person said, “I don’t have to go to work in order to have God’s will to make this world more and more the way he wants it to money for food; if God wants me to have food, he will give it to me.” be. Along these same lines, when Absolutely not! you pray for another person, are We may be completely you changing God’s mind? No. But convinced that God loves us and your prayers make a difference still know we have to work for our daily bread. C.S. Lewis gives the example of Please turn to PRAYER on page 15A
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Focus on Faith • Seeking Answers
SEEKING ANSWERS
of reason or science (the laws of nature). And God has also created a universe with free beings. These beings are truly free, therefore they are free to act as “secondary causes.” Human beings are part of this kind of causality. This is why we have thieves, liars and kidnappers. But it is also why we can have doctors, nurses, judges and teachers. Human beings are free to choose to act or not to act. And in choosing, we “When become causes ourselves.
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October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
15A
Deacon Timothy Gapinski
Leper shows us best way to give thanks to Christ Ten lepers met Jesus at the edge of town. Ten people encountered God on that dusty path. Ten were healed, but only one returned. On the surface, this passage is about being thankful to God. But its full meaning goes deeper. The Samaritan leper who returned to Jesus was obviously thankful, but does anyone really believe that the other nine were less grateful? Does anyone suppose that when they went out to meet Jesus they were secretly hoping to remain lepers? Or that they were disappointed when they were actually healed? Of course not. After living for years with the many physical and social burdens of leprosy, they were surely grateful to be able to return to their normal lives. They would have been grateful to God, the only one capable of such an act of healing. How they showed their gratitude depends on how they viewed God. The “spiritual” ones who viewed
God as equally present everywhere would have simply returned to their homes, thinking, “It makes no difference where I worship; God is everywhere and knows all things. He already knows I am thankful.” The more religious ones who recognized that God manifests his presence to us more fully through particular people and places, would have gone to the priests and offered sacrifices. Perhaps they would have even gone to the Temple in Jerusalem, where the Lord was present in a way far surpassing his presence elsewhere. Yet, that one Samaritan returned to Jesus glorifying God. He was able to recognize through his healing that God was present in the person of Jesus in a way surpassing even that of the Temple. Indeed, in the Incarnation, the Godhead has come to dwell among us in a manner infinitely greater than any previous manifestation to his people.
DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Oct. 13 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2 Kings 5:14-17 2 Timothy 2:8-13 Luke 17:11-19 Monday, Oct. 14 St. Callistus I, pope and martyr Romans 1:1-7 Luke 11:29-32 Tuesday, Oct. 15 St. Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church Romans 1:16-25 Luke 11:37-41
Wednesday, Oct. 16 St. Hedwig, religious; St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, virgin Romans 2:1-11 Luke 11:42-46 Thursday, Oct. 17 St. Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr Romans 3:21-30 Luke 11:47-54 Friday, Oct. 18 St. Luke, evangelist 2 Timothy 4:10-17b Luke 10:1-9 Saturday, Oct. 19 Sts. John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, priests, and companions, martyrs
We often see examples of this today. People will say they do not need to go to Mass because God is
this side of heaven. The Samaritan man who returned to Jesus was able to shed his own small-minded understanding of God, and make that leap of faith in identifying Jesus as God. By doing so he also understood that if you want to truly give glory to God and thank him, you go where he is most truly present — you go to Jesus. Likewise, we should go to the
Readings • Sunday, Oct. 13 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time • 2 Kings 5:14-17 • 2 Timothy 2:8-13 • Luke 17:11-19
For reflection Do you participate in eucharistic adoration? If so, how does it help you grow closer to Christ? If not, set aside 15 minutes this week to pray at an adoration chapel.
present to them in nature or in the poor. Or, they will view all denominations as equals since God is present in the Scriptures. Like those nine lepers, these people are not wrong, but they are missing something. They are missing an even deeper encounter with Jesus himself in the Eucharist, where God becomes present to us in the most profound way possible
Deacon Gapinski is in formation for the priesthood at St. Paul Seminary for the Diocese of St. Cloud. His home parish is Sts. Peter and Paul in Gilman, and his teaching parish is Our Lady of Lourdes in Little Falls. Thursday, Oct. 24 St. Anthony Mark Claret, bishop Romans 6:19-23 Luke 12:49-53
Romans 4:13, 16-18 Luke 12:8-12 Sunday, Oct. 20 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Exodus 17:8-13 2 Timothy 3:14–4:2 Luke 18:1-8
Friday, Oct. 25 Romans 7:18-25a Luke 12:54-59
Monday, Oct. 21 Romans 4:20-25 Luke 12:13-21 Tuesday, Oct. 22 Romans 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21 Luke 12:35-38 Wednesday, Oct. 23 St. John of Capistrano, priest Romans 6:12-18 Luke 12:39-48
Eucharist where he is most truly present, that he may say to us what he said to that Samaritan, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”
Focus on Faith • Sunday Scriptures
SUNDAY SCRIPTURES
So while those others who did not return to Jesus may have still given thanks to God, their expressions of gratitude were missing something. Because of their preconceived notions about God and how he operates, they were not open to how God wanted to make himself more fully present in their lives.
Saturday, Oct. 26 Romans 8:1-11 Luke 13:1-9 Sunday, Oct. 27 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Luke 18:9-14
Praying draws us into deeper relationship with God Continued from page 14A because they are fulfilling what is needed for God’s will to be done. When you pray, you have become a “cause.” In fact, that is something that has been taught for a long time. Blaise Pascal once declared, “In calling us to pray for one another, God has extended to us the dignity of becoming causes.” This reveals a great deal about the nature of God. It reveals that God is the opposite of a tyrant. In Christianity, God is not a dictator, but a father who wants to work with us. Consider the parent who makes a child do chores at home and help out around the house.
At first glance, you might be tempted to think that this was because the mom or dad wanted to “lord it over” their children. But on further reflection, you realize that it would be a lot easier for mom to just clean the room herself or for dad to take out the trash himself than trying to teach the kids how to do it. But, good parents will bring their children in on the chores of the household because this is one way children become full-grown. A parent who never makes children contribute is more likely to see those children stunted in their development. That parent is “soft,” but a soft tyrant, because they have kept all of the strength for themselves. God shares his strength with us.
God shares his power with us. When he calls us to pray (and that prayer actually makes a difference), God makes us into something even more than children: He allows us to be co-workers with him. And when we pray, when we work with God, we are drawn into even more intimate relationship with him. And that kind of prayer and relationship definitely changes something else: It changes us. Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermike schmitz@gmail.com.
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
This Catholic Life
16A
In interviews, pope crafts new genre of papal language By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service When Pope Benedict XVI answered a journalist’s 2010 question about condom use by offering a nuanced reflection on the ethical complexities of a hypothetical case, his words led to a worldwide media sensation, a clarification by the Vatican spokesman, and a statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith that the pope had not changed Church teaching on contraception. Three years later, papal interviews are still making news. Pope Francis, who as “This is a genre archbishop of Buenos Aires was known for avoiding the to which we press, has given three wideranging interviews in two were not months, drawing headlines with frank statements on accustomed. sexual and medical ethics, Let’s take it for Christian dialogue with nonbelievers, and reform of what it is, the Vatican bureaucracy, among other topics. seeking to This time, however, the interpret it Vatican is letting the pope’s words speak for themselves. correctly.” “This is a genre to which we Jesuit Father Federico were not accustomed,” Jesuit Lombardi, Vatican Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told spokesman reporters Oct. 2, the day after Italian journalist Eugenio Scalfari published his account of a conversation with the pope. “Let’s take it for what it is, seeking to interpret it correctly.” Catholics have traditionally heard or read a pope’s words in certain authoritative forms: magisterial documents, such as encyclicals or apostolic exhortations, which carry the full weight of the papacy’s teaching authority; canonical decrees with the force of church law; and homilies delivered at major papal liturgies. In all such cases, Vatican officials ordinarily review the texts prior to delivery and provide official translations in major languages to reduce the possibility of ambiguity or confusion. Pope Francis’ addition to the magisterial, canonical and pastoral forms of papal
Pope Francis speaks last month during a general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. CNS photo/Paul Haring communication, Father Lombardi said, is a genre that might be termed “conversational,” comprising not only the pope’s interviews with journalists but also his off-the-cuff homilies at daily morning Masses, of which the Vatican publishes only summaries with verbatim excerpts. When the pope speaks spontaneously, his words should carry correspondingly less weight than in more traditional forms and contexts, Father Lombardi said. Yet lately the impact of the pope’s statements has been inversely proportional to their official status. Encyclicals are considered the highest form of papal teaching, but Pope Francis’ first encyclical, “Lumen Fidei,” drew only a fraction of the attention his interviews have commanded; and no words from any of his homilies have been quoted nearly as often as his July 28 remark to reporters on the subject of gay people: “Who am I to judge?”
Pros and cons This points to one of the new genre’s clear advantages. When the pope speaks in an untraditional way, the world takes heed, and the novel charm of an informal papal voice opens up possibilities for engaging audiences ordinarily unreceptive to Vatican pronouncements. Conversation with journalists is thus a prime vehicle for what Pope Francis has called the “culture of dialogue.” Yet, as the pope must know, this approach also poses serious risks. During informal conversation, a speaker is apt to think out loud, omit important qualifications to categorical
statements, take premises for granted, and overlook how a particular formulation might lend itself to misinterpretation, innocent or otherwise. When Pope Francis told Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro the “Church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed” with certain moral issues, including abortion, and that “it is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time,” he didn’t judge it necessary also to affirm the work of Catholics who promote and practice Church teaching on the sacredness of unborn human life. He did precisely that just one day after the interview’s publication, when he praised a group of Catholic gynecologists for “going against the tide, paying a personal price” to oppose the injustice of abortion. By the Vatican’s standards, the pope’s pro-life speech carried more weight than the interview, but it reached a far smaller audience. Pope Francis appears to recognize that distinctions between the magisterial and conversational are lost on most listeners and readers, who are unversed in theology and encounter his words in the fragmentary form of news reports. Hence the pope has laced his words to journalists with reminders that he is not making “ex cathedra” pronouncements but expressing personal opinions. For many Catholics, it will take time to get used to a pope speaking not only as priest, prophet and king, but also as a fellow member of the “people of God,” voicing personal priorities and views that do not have the status of church teaching.
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October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
17A
Sister Mary Ann Walsh
Peasant’s prayer for the modern age The following was first published on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Media Blog. Here’s a shout out for the rosary — that prayer you can pray when you’re discombobulated, waiting in the doctor’s office, driving to and from work, too distracted to meditate, lonely in a big city or sitting with the dying or even by oneself. I pray the rosary daily — so I can be honest when I tell people I’ll pray for them. I want something beyond, “and by the way, God, bless whoever I agreed to pray for today.” With many nieces and nephews and young colleagues, I pray daily for pregnant women and children. I live in the Washington, D.C. area, so I also pray to counter road rage. It’s better to go loud with “Holy Mary, Mother of God” than with some deprecation you might later need to confess.
Finding inspiration The mysteries of the rosary inspire me. The Joyful Mysteries — the Annunciation, Visitation, Nativity, Presentation of the Lord and Finding Jesus in the Temple — hold meaning. When I pray the Visitation, I go on a spiritual trip to another in
need, thinking, “Hang in there,” a kind of telepathy. For the fourth mystery, the Presentation of the Lord, I think of parents carrying tiny children in the Communion line at Mass. It’s more than their not having a place to leave the child. The parent walks proudly and appreciates the priest’s offering a blessing over the child. The Sorrowful Mysteries are a buck-up-suck-it-in prayer. They include the Agony in the Garden, Scourging at the Pillar, Crowning of Thorns, Carrying of the Cross and the Crucifixion and Death of the Lord. A friend once said meditating on the third sorrowful mystery could put a headache in its place. Carrying of the Cross resonates with anyone facing life’s challenges, from caring for an elderly parent or a chronically ill child, or handling a difficult work situation. It helps to unite one’s pain with that of Jesus. The Glorious Mysteries celebrate the “Wow!” moments of our faith — the Resurrection, the Ascension, the Descent of the Holy Spirit Upon the Apostles, the Assumption and the Crowning of Our Lady as Queen of Heaven and Earth. My favorite is the Descent of the Holy Spirit, as I try to wedge myself among the apostles to have the
on the WEB The Catholic Spirit recently asked a question on its Facebook page: Who is your favorite saint and why? Here are some answers people gave at TheCatholicSpirit@Facebook: St. Peregrine: He takes on the toughest of diseases, cancer. It must be hard for him to take on something so difficult. David Paul Meister ••• St. Francis of Assisi or St. Francis de Sales. Both showed tremendous humility in their efforts of evangelization. Both men brought others to Christ through word and action. Chris Lushis ••• St Anthony of Padua. He is [effective] in interceding for finding lost articles. Namse Musa Udosen
This Catholic Life • Commentary
GUEST COLUMN
“Legend says St. Dominic taught people to pray the rosary around 1200. Others say its roots go earlier and that the rosary helped uneducated peasants pray. We can read now, but we’ve traded the uncomplicated life of a peasant for a distracted, hectic existence where sometimes it is hard to even think. It’s one more argument that the rosary — a prayer that moves us past words, past thoughts and into the presence of God — still has a place.” Sister Mary Ann Walsh
Spirit descend upon me so I can make wise decisions. When I was younger, that meant choosing the right answer on a multiple choice test. Now . . .
Still needed Pope John Paul II threw me a curve in 2002 when he introduced the Luminous Mysteries. They celebrate the public life of Jesus: his Baptism, the Miracle at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God, the Transfiguration and the Institution of the Eucharist. I need a mnemonic device to help me remember them.
Legend says St. Dominic taught people to pray the rosary around 1200. Others say its roots go earlier and that the rosary helped uneducated peasants pray. We can read now, but we’ve traded the uncomplicated life of a peasant for a distracted, hectic existence where sometimes it is hard to even think. It’s one more argument that the rosary — a prayer that moves us past words, past thoughts and into the presence of God — still has a place. Sister Mary Ann, a Sister of Mercy, is director of Media Relations for the USCCB.
other VIEWS
We are called to godliness, even in the business world The following is an excerpt from a commentary written for Catholic News Service by Carolyn Woo, president of Catholic Relief Services. The new evangelization has focused on bringing Catholics back to the church so that the word of God and his sacraments can take hold of us and join us to him. At the same time, there is much work to be done for Catholics to bring God into the world. What does it say about our faith if God is only relevant in “God’s world” confined to church, families and communities where we play nice, act gracious, break bread and leave behind the “dirty” work of making a living? Is “God’s world” a retreat, a bubble, an escape from what is real? Did Christ not come into the real world to dwell among us with all our frailties, hurts, failings, needs, fears and pride? Did God not charge us to go into the world and proclaim his good news? How can we do that if we do not believe he is there? What good news would we have to proclaim? Did God not take the fruits of our work and convert these into his own body and blood? Why do we assume that this “real world” is impenetrable to God’s grace, his goodness, his wisdom, his power, his unbounded love and mercy? Doesn’t “Lumen Gentium” tell us that it is in the expanse of our daily life (including work) that we are to be the light of the world? “Now the laity are called in a special way to make the Church present and operative in those places and circumstances where only through them can it become the salt of the earth. Thus every layman, in virtue of the very gifts bestowed upon him, is at the same time a witness and a living instrument of the mission of the church itself according to the measure of Christ’s bestowal.”
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
This Catholic Life • Commentary
18A TWENTY SOMETHING Christina Capecchi
Something old, something new: the allure of vintage When we were married, my husband and I moved into a house that had never been lived in before. No nicks in the woodwork, no carpet stains, no glow-in-the-dark constellations stuck to the ceiling. A blank slate for a new marriage. We marveled over its pristine condition, breathing in that new-house smell and sprawling across the empty living room. Immediately, I started scheming about how to adorn the bare walls. Left to my own devices, I would’ve headed to the nearest Kohl’s and filled my cart with home décor of the live-love-laugh variety, but Ted urged me to wait. Though I felt a bit sheepish after several months of inviting visitors into such a sparse house, I came to see the wisdom in taking my time, especially when we eventually found décor that felt unique. We inherited a painting by my great-grandpa, a crock Ted’s grandma had used to store coleslaw and an ice chest his parents had accepted as one round of payment on the sale of their first home.
I bought a St. Andrew Daily Missal with a 1950 imprimatur at a church sale. And my latest find came through Craigslist: a 7-foot, centuryold church pew. The seller, who was moving, traced it to California and accepted $200 for it, as long as I was willing to haul it out of his laundry room. It’s made of pine, engraved with the doodles of restless children and smells like prayer. The most loving response to a beautiful new home, I have decided, is to fill it with beautiful old stuff. I’m tethering mine to history, to precomputer days and the values that seem embedded in the patina: patience, simplicity, togetherness. My friends have the same impulse, scouring eBay and Etsy and then saving their finds on Pinterest under headers like “shabby chic” and “rustic elegance.” Anything old can be reclaimed or recovered, turned upside down, imagined anew — a pastry blender as a towel rack or note holder, weathered trunks as coffee tables, washboards atop cupboards, mason jars holding skeleton keys.
FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA Jason Adkins
The public arena is a mission field Pope Francis has called us to understand the Church’s structures and institutions through “a missionary key.”
serve others, bringing people together in rational public discourse to foster a peaceful world guided by justice and charity.
He has stated (and tweeted!) that the Church exists for no other reason than to facilitate the encounter between the person and Jesus Christ. All of the Church’s activities — charitable, educational, social — must have the advancement of the Gospel and the kingdom of God as their primary end, because the saving truths of Jesus Christ are lifegiving.
When we fulfill this task in word and deed, we serve as witnesses and reflect, in some small way, the face of Christ to others. And, though our sins and failings often obscure the face of the Lord, the public arena is yet another mission field where people can encounter Him.
Not just ‘politics’ The Church’s activity in the public arena must be understood through this lens as well. It is not just the Church “doing politics,” but fulfilling the Gospel mandate to
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
The stories of non-Catholics who appreciatively encounter the Church and the teaching of Jesus Christ through Catholic social teaching are too numerous to count. Indeed, evangelization through the social teaching of the Church fosters an encounter with the Lord Jesus. That task, however, requires us to go out and meet people, listen to their concerns and cre-
Work pieces become whimsical: a dress form draped in costume pearls, peonies popping from a rusted watering can, a Remington typewriter perched on a dresser. My sister framed family photos in an old window frame, one picture per pane. My neighbor decorated her home office with her parents’ first mailbox and Rotary phone, a wacky delight for her iPad-using kids.
mate treasure trove, whispering to us with saints and stories, welcoming us with ancient rituals, waiting to be rediscovered. No other Christian faith has our depth and history. Other denominations are modern re-castings of ours, the original. We may not have rock bands and frappuccino makers, but we have the saving grace of sacraments, which you could classify as
We feel the tug of the old-fashioned, of things that were not designed like Apple products. Somewhere deep down, we understand that the old is the perfect antidote to the new, that it adds meaning and contrast, salt to sweet. In the same way, we are called to reclaim Catholicism, with all its artistry and riches, gilded and rusted many times over throughout the span of two millennia. It is the ulti-
vintage. The older I get and the faster our world moves, the more I appreciate an old, unvarnished hymn. Maybe life is to be performed in largo: slowly and broadly. And maybe, more than ever, we need the quiet power of Catholicism.
ate opportunities for dialogue and conversation.
opportunities inherent in the Church’s work in the public arena shape not only the substance of our advocacy, rooted in the Gospel, but also how we conduct ourselves in the public debate.
Reaching across aisles Unfortunately, one of the common complaints we receive at the Minnesota Catholic Conference about our policy advocacy is that we are willing to (and do) work with diverse groups, legislators and individuals to pass legislation. People are upset that we will, for example, support a pro-choice legislator’s bill on some topic other than abortion or say something positive about that legislator’s work, join together in informal coalitions with an organization to advance a piece of legislation when we may disagree with that group on other legislative matters, or testify in the same hearing with another person or group that they consider unsavory. This mentality betrays a common problem with public discourse and policy advocacy today — namely, the tendency to view debates in an ideological and partisan framework, rather than through one in which the main aim is the rational attempt to order our life together as a community. It also betrays our evangelical responsibilities.
Missionary politics The evangelical dimension and
Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights. She can be reached at www.ReadChristina.com.
The Church must work to elevate the public debate, pulling issues out of the partisan either/or, “us-versusthem” dynamic. It does so by starting with first principles on which common ground can be built, acknowledging the reasonable points made on both sides, and then building a rational case for why a particular policy serves the common good. Policy work can be a wonderful witness of the Church and of our Lord. But it takes courage to do it right. These days, unfortunately, true courage often means standing with those with whom you may disagree on some things to advance the common good of all. If we hope that our politicians act righteously in the public arena and build bridges instead of walls, we must first witness to that responsibility ourselves. Pope Francis, the supreme “pontiff” — that is, bridge builder — is doing just that. Let us follow his lead. Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.
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October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit 9/6/13 7:20 PM
Faith & Culture
20A
Catholic musician reaches listeners on ‘soul level’ By Barb Ernster For The Catholic Spirit Internationally acclaimed artist Amanda Vernon views her passion for music as a gift from the Holy Spirit to evangelize the culture. The 26-year-old married mother of two has been singing professionally for 10 years and is currently on a year-long U.S. tour to promote her latest CD, “Interior Gaze,” a pop/soul album inspired by Blessed John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body.” She will perform a concert at St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony Oct. 20 (see box at right). Vernon started singing at age 3 and was part of the children’s choir at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., where her father was a music liturgist. At age 15, the parish financially backed her first recording project, and that started her music career. Vernon has performed at two World Youth Days — in Madrid and Sydney — and at numerous youth conferences around the country. She will be at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis Nov. 21 to 23.
Winning song Vernon’s music is a mix of pop, jazz, R&B and folk. She recently won the international art competition ArtPrize in the pop category for her song, “Cleaning and Scrubbing,” beating some 75 other artists. The competition is held in downtown Grand Rapids and winners are chosen by voters from all over the world. Her manager and husband, David Shaheen, said “Interior Gaze,” which features the song, is reaching more secular audiences with lyrics that are not explicitly Catholic but point people to
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
Concert dates Amanda Vernon performs at 7 p.m., Oct. 20 at St. Charles Borromeo church, 2739 Stinson Blvd. in St. Anthony. A freewill donation will be taken at the door, and a reception will follow. Vernon also will perform at 7 p.m., Oct. 24 at St. James Coffee House in Rochester. For more information, visit www.amandavernon.com.
Amanda Vernon performs during the international ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, Mich. Last month, her song, “Cleaning and Scrubbing” from her new album won in the competition’s pop music category. Photo courtesy of Amanda Vernon beauty. Informed Catholics will pick up on the inspirations of Blessed John Paul II that others might miss. The CD has already sold out its first order. “The sound of her voice is very soulful, but the songs have a pop, catchy feel,” he said. “It’s opening doors because she not only can sing it in a church, but also in a coffee shop or a music festival.” Wisconsin Catholic John Bunks said he was “blown away” by Vernon’s performances at several large Catholic festivals held in Wisconsin over the summer. He invited her to sing at Xavier High School in Appleton, where theologian and author Scott Hahn was speaking in September. Vernon
performed before a crowd of 500 young people at the school and wove in her story of staying chaste until marriage to honor her father’s gift of a chastity ring when she was a young girl. “It was touching. You were hanging on the edge of your seat,” Bunk said. “Our children are just bombarded with the opposite message, mesmerized by the Kardashian culture, and you see so many stars who crash and burn. She’s got the glamour, the voice and the showmanship, and it’s incredibly helpful for our high school kids to look up to somebody who’s not going to jeopardize their moral compass.” Vernon said she loves meeting
an entire parish community because that’s how we thrive as a Church. Music is a way to help people understand the beauty of the Catholic faith, she said, and as she branches out into mainstream venues, she is finding that people want to know about her joy. “I’m hoping to share my music with as many people as possible, within the boundaries of maintaining a peaceful family life,” Vernon said. “As we travel the country on tour, it is evident that people are hungry for authentic art. The response to my music has been overwhelmingly positive; speaking to authentic beauty through song seems to resonate with people on a soul level.”
21A The Catholic Spirit The Catholic Church calls each and every one of us to answer the call to holiness and strive toward sainthood — even in light of our obvious weaknesses and everyday struggles with sin. It’s a daunting task for most, but Lino Rulli is up to the challenge. In fact, the St. Paul native and host of Sirius/XM Radio’s “The Catholic Guy” show would like to get there a little faster than others. In his new book “Saint,” he makes the tongue-in-cheek case for why the Church should canonize him today. (After all, he says, why trust your friends to push your sainthood cause after you die when you can do it yourself?) In all seriousness, however, the book has a deeper purpose: to encourage you to focus on your spiritual growth and help you “to realize that you might not be as big a sinner as you think, and that, with God’s help, you might just become a saint.” “Saint” is a follow-up to “Sinner,” Rulli’s first book of short, humorous and inspiring stories encouraging us to live out our faith despite our imperfections. In “Saint,” Rulli turns once again to short stories about his life — some funny, some painfully honest, and
many with a short nugget of reflection about lessons learned along the way. At the end of one story about resisting what can be described as a “temptation of the flesh,” Lino writes: “A saint isn’t someone who has never been tested; a saint is a person who has been tested and, with God’s help, has passed — or, with God’s help, has gotten up the next morning and tried again.”
going to lose your mind, it inspires me. They don’t have it all together, but they know it would be ten times worse if they didn’t try to go to church. . . . Those are the saints who inspire me: the guy who says I went out Saturday night but I’m still waking up and going to church Sunday morning. Or the single mom. Or even the older people who have their own problems and struggles. I really do look around and I go: We’re all called to be saints, but we’re all saints in the making.”
Saints you can relate to During a recent visit to St. Paul, Rulli talked about why he wrote a book to remind people about the call to sainthood. “I guess the reason people like [‘Sinner’] is because a lot of them could relate to it. But, the other side of that coin is the fact that we do need to be reminded that we’re not just a bunch of miserable losers because we fail,” he told The Catholic Spirit Sept. 27. “For whatever reason,” he said, “God loves us and we’re still called to holiness. It’s sort of a contradiction in our lives, but it’s the reality of our lives.” In fact, Rulli said he draws inspiration not only from famous saints, but also everyday Catholics he encounters on his own journey of faith.
Watch online Lino Rulli talks about who most inspires him to answer the call to holiness on The Catholic Spirit’s YouTube channel at www.youtube. com/thecatholicspirit. “I get inspired by the average person in church,” he said. “When I see the mom and dad in church Sunday morning with kids running around like maniacs and you’re
Faith & Culture
New book shows how we’re all saints in the making
Chances are future generations won’t be reading about St. Lino in the Church’s official catalog of saints. But he — and the rest of us — should always be striving to be counted eventually among those in heaven. “Saints” ends with this poignant reflection: “Sometimes you chase me, Lord. Sometimes I chase you. But the only time I’ll quit running, the only time I will finally feel at peace, will be when I’m at home with you: there in heaven. That’s when I’ll truly be called a saint.” Read more about Lino and his new book on his website at linorulli.com. You can also order the book from http://catalog.franciscanmedia.org.
Financial Advisor to Catholic Institutions The Catholic Spirit Publishing Company with the assistance Catholic Finance Corporation (CFC) is an official, self-governing Apostolate of the Catholic Church. Regularly assisting parishes, schools, religious institutes and other Catholic organizations within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis with temporal matters, CFC exists solely to further the mission and ministry of the Church. Services include: • Financial & Budget Modeling • Long Range Financial Planning • Financial & Operational Counseling • Taxable Financing & Refinancing • Tax-Exempt Financing & Refinancing • School Finance & Budget Analysis • Merger Collaboration & Transition Assistance • Informational & Training Seminars
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October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
Calendar
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Meetings Social justice forum at St. Patrick, Edina — October 16: 6 to 9 p.m. at 6820 St. Patrick’s Lane. Father Larry Snyder, CEO of Catholic Charities, USA will be the keynoter. Dinner, question and answer time and breakout sesssions follow speaker. Cost is $10. Register at www.stpatrick-edina.org. Minnesota Religious Freedom Forum at the RiverCentre, St.Paul — October 24: 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A one-day training providing practical legal information for protecting your religious freedom. Workshops covering a range of religious liberty concerns will be provided by attorneys and legal experts from the Alliance Defending Freedom. For more information and to register, visit mnreligiousfreedom.org. Cosponsored by the Minnesota Catholic Conference. ‘Homeless Youth and Our Community’ a speaker panel at St. Timothy, Blaine — October 27: 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 707 89th Ave. N.E.
available online at martyhaugen. brownpapertickets.com.
Prayer/ liturgy Candlelight vigil for victims and survivors of domestic abuse at St. Joseph the Worker, Maple Grove — October 10: 7 p.m. at 7180 Hemlock Lane N. One-hour service is open to the community and will include reflection, music, Scripture, stories from survivors and a message of hope. Healing Mass at St. Gabriel the Archangel, Hopkins — October 15: Rosary at 7 p.m. followed by Mass at 7 p.m. at the St. Joseph campus, 1310 Mainstreet. Father Jim Livingston will be the celebrant. Mass of God’s Children at Nativity of Our Lord, St. Paul — October 23: 7 p.m. at 1900 Stanford Ave. Those who have experienced the death of a baby before or after birth are invited to attend. Co-sponsored by Nativity parish and God’s Children, a ministry of the archdiocesan Office of Marriage, Family and Life. For information,
CALENDAR submissions
Aqinas, followed by a candlelight procession across the University of St. Thomas campus to St. Mary’s Chapel at the seminary. Concludes with Mass Sunday at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Chapel.
Don’t miss: More events online Additional parish and school events in the archdiocese can be found in the Calendar section of TheCatholicSpirit.com.
Retreats ‘Monastic Wisdom for a Troubled Age’ enrichment day at Benedictine Center, Maplewood — October 26: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2675 Benet Road. Rediscover the power of prayer and community. Cost is $40 and includes lunch. For information, visit www.stpaulsmonastery. org. Twin Cities Catholic Cursillo weekend retreats at St. Peter, Delano — Men’s retreat October 24 to 27, Women’s retreat November 7 to 10: For men’s retreat, submit applications by Oct. 17, women’s retreat by Oct. 31.The Cursillo is an encounter of self, Christ and others with an abbreviated course in prayer, study and fellowship. It seeks to prepare participants for living the Gospel in everyday life. For information, visit www. tc-cursillo.org.
Singles
DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, seven days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur. LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and institutions. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your press release. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar: • Time and date of event. • Full street address of event. • Description of event. • Contact information in case of questions. E-MAIL: spiritcalendar@archspm.org. (No attachments, please.)
Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. For information, call Judy at (763) 221-3040 or Al at (651) 482-0406. Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. For information, call (763) 425-0412.
Music
call (651) 291-4488.
50-plus Second Sunday supper at St. Joan of Arc, Minneapolis — October 20: 5 p.m. social hour, 6 p.m. picnic supper with brats and 7 p.m. entertainment (a magic show) at 4537 Third Ave. S. Cost is $10. For information call (952) 884-5165 or visit www. secondsundaymn.us.
David Haas, Marty Haugen and Father J. Michael Joncas in concert to benefit Southside Family Nurturing Center at Pax Christi, Eden Prairie — October 13: 7:15 p.m. at 12100 pioneer Trail. Tickets
9th annual Borromeo Weekend — 40 Hours of Adoration at St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul — November 1 to 3: Begins at 7 p.m. Friday with Mass celebrated by Bishop Lee Piché in the Chapel of St. Thomas
50-plus singles dinner at St. Joseph, New Hope — October 27: 5 p.m. social time, 6 p.m. meatloaf dinner at 8701 36th Ave. N. At 7 p.m. Marge Beard will speak on her 500 mile pilgrimage walk on “The Way”
FAX: (651) 291-4460. MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit • 244 Dayton Ave., • St. Paul, MN 55102.
n St. Joh urch nn Ch Neuma Knob Road, ilot 4030 P an 55122 Eag
Saint John Neumann and Saint Thomas Becket Just Marketplace Ministry Invites you to: A FAIR TRADE SALE Saturday, November 2 • 10:00 A.M – 5:00 P.M.
Products include handcrafts and food items made by economically disadvantaged artisans and farmers. The sale of these items provides a sustainable livelihood for these small-scale producers. The Fair Trade Sale is not a fundraiser. Over 90% of the purchase price goes directly back to support the artisans and farmers that produce the product.
in France and Spain. For more info, call Diane at (763) 439-5940.
School events
Preschool and Kindergarten open house at Blessed Trinity, Richfield — October 27: Noon to 2 p.m. at 7540 Penn Ave. S. RSVP by calling (612) 866-6906 or visit www. btcsmn.org. Open house at Transfiguration Catholic School, Oakdale — November 7: 5 to 7 p.m. at 6135 15th St. N.
Speakers ‘Does Domestic Violence Affect Me?’ presentation at St. Thomas More School, St. Paul — Oct. 8: 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 1065 Summit Ave. Mary Lou Klas, chair of Isaiah’s domestic violence task force, will speak. For information, call (651) 227-7669. Discussion on Palliative Care vs. Hospice Care at Cerenity Senior CareMarian of St. Paul, St. Paul — October 14: 1 to 2 p.m. at 200 Earl St. For more information, call (651) 793-2100. ‘Why the Youth are Leaving the Church’ at Good Shepherd, Golden Valley — October 30: 7 p.m. at 145 Jersey Ave. S. Father Erich Rutten, chaplain and director of campus ministry at the University of St. Thomas.
Other events Open house at Trinity Sober Homes St. Gabriel House, St. Paul — October 12: 1 to 4 p.m. at 1875 Carroll Ave. Features live music from The Daisy Dillman Band. Come and See open house and information gathering for the Secular Franciscan Order at St. Bonaventure, Bloomington — October 13: 12:30 p.m. at 901 E. 90th St. A light lunch will be served. For information, call (952) 457-2209. League of Catholic Women gala, ‘A Midnight in Paris’ at Interlachen Country Club, Edina — October 26: Features at Parisian-themed menu and décor, wine wall, silent and live auctions and more at 6200 Interlachen Blvd. For information, call 612332-2649.
If you have been abused or victimized by someone representing the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, we want to hear from you. We are here to offer you help and healing. We will also help you make a formal complaint of abuse to this Archdiocese or assist you in contacting another archdiocese/diocese/eparchy. 651.291.4497, or email me at sawyerg@archspm.org.
Cash or Checks preferred More Information, contact Jeanne Creegan 651-681-9575
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
TheCatholicSpirit.com
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Catholic community rallies around family after tragedy Continued from page 24A
this transplanted family — and helped Doreen rediscover her faith. “I want to tell you something. It took me moving to Montgomery to finally feel like I’m a member of my own Church,” Doreen said. “I don’t feel anything but love and appreciation for Montgomery.” The feeling is very mutual. Michelle Rynda, Mary’s homeroom teacher whose in-laws are scattered throughout the area, said Mary was beloved by her students, and she will be forever cherished by her classmates. “She was a very bubbly, wonderful girl,” Rynda said. “That light will be there in spirit, but she just won’t be there in body. “Before we leave for the day, instead of praying by our own desks, we all come together as a class and we pray by her desk with our hands on her desk. So, she is with us during the prayer. And, every time they come into the room, they touch her desk. She is with us.” Father George Grafsky, a police chaplain who was at the scene of the accident and once was the pas-
Doreen, who also has two sons, Will, a ninth-grader at Tri-City United, and Jack, a third-grader at Most Holy Redeemer. “The [parish] youth group came out, and there were so many people, they wouldn’t fit in the house. So, we put up a tent in the yard. It was raining. Everyone was coming through the kitchen, and Kayla gave it [crown] to me. I told her, [Mary] has always been her daddy’s little princess. And, it was just so sweet, so sweet.”
Rediscovering faith Doreen moved here with her husband in November 2010 from Phoenix to start a new life as farmers. The two participated in a Minnesotabased program called Farm Beginnings to introduce them to agricultural life, and they started making a go of it. But, more than the country air, it was the people of the parish and community that won the hearts of
tor of Most Holy Redeemer, wants Catholics to know what a significant show of faith and humanity was on display that sad Saturday afternoon, when a teenage girl brought a tiny ray of love and hope to a yard full of mourning people. “Many other [homecoming] queens maybe might have thought of doing it, but how many would have done it — give up their crown?” said Father Grafsky, who now is pastor of St. Anne in Le Sueur. “We hear a lot [of negative things] about kids, and we need to hear good news. “People say, ‘Where was God?’ Well, he was certainly there because he made sure the people that needed to be there were there. . . . When they [the cars] hit, one caught on fire. One of the policemen who came, who is also a member of this church, got there and the cars were [locked] together. One of the other officers said, ‘The car is catching the other car on fire.’ So, with his squad car, [this officer] came and pushed the other car away from the fire, so that’s why the one person survived.” Most Holy Redeemer principal
Mindy Reeder said cards and emails have been pouring in from other Catholic schools in the archdiocese. As someone with more than a decade of work in Catholic education, she knows what an impact Catholic schools can have, when children and teachers are inspired by faith. “I’ve been working in Catholic schools for a long time,” she said. “The biggest thing that I see and that’s expressed often within a Catholic school is we’re all part of a family in Christ. And, our actions really show that, especially in times of need.” Like so many others, Reeder marveled at the simple gesture performed by one of her former students. “I just think it’s a beautiful gift,” she said. “We call Mary our angel now. She’s crowned in heaven with Jesus, and we have that crown here to be symbolic of that.” Note: Money is being collected to help the family pay for funeral and other expenses. Those who wish to donate can visit mosthrs.org.
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October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
The Last Word
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A crown for Mary Homecoming queen gives sixth-grader’s grieving mother a final gift By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit A sixth-grade girl at Most Holy Redeemer in Montgomery had a simple dream — she wanted to be crowned homecoming queen someday. Her school volleyball coach, Kayla Trcka, got the honor this year at TriCity United. She was crowned on Sept. 24. The young girl, Mary Urtuzuastegui, 11, nicknamed Molly, couldn’t concentrate on volleyball two days later when Kayla came for practice. “All [during] volleyball she was asking me about my dress that I wore for homecoming [coronation],” Kayla said. “She was asking me to show her pictures.” Just two days later, Kayla handed the crown to Mary’s mother, Doreen Devoy-Hulgan. It was about noon on Saturday, the day after Tri-City’s big win over Sibley East, 47-6, in its homecoming game. Not long after the game, Mary had said hello to Kayla. She was waiting for her stepdad to come and pick her up. She never made it home. Mary and her stepdad, Condon “Sparky” Hulgan, were killed in a car accident Sept. 27 at about 10 p.m. on Highway 26 near Montgomery, about three miles from their home. The crash also claimed the lives of Travis Reak, 24, and Jeffrey Miller, 22, both of Le Center. Miller’s brother, Mark, 24, survived the accident.
Moved by faith A young girl full of life, energy and enthusiasm left behind a grieving mother who will forever cherish the crown and the simple act of kindness shown by a committed member of the parish youth group who showed the depth of her faith — and her deep connection with
Maintenance Custodian Location: St. Thomas Academy; Mendota Heights, MN Saint Thomas Academy is seeking a full-time maintenance custodian. Responsibilities: Perform general cleaning duties as well as minor maintenance and repairs; event preparation and building security. Requirements: Knowledge of modern cleaning methods and equipment; ability to interact with others; ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. Senior High Engineering Teacher Location: Benilde - St. Margaret’s School; St. Louis Park, MN A Catholic, college-preparatory school, grades 7-12. Engineering (level one) teacher, full-time, long term sub position starting immediately through the 2013-2014 school year, with the potential to become a permanent position.. Qualifications: Teaching license preferred, but not required. Ideal candidate has a background or license in Engineering, Math or Science, with a desire to be part of
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
Kayla Trcka stands in the classroom at Most Holy Redeemer School in Montgomery where sixth-grader Mary Urtuzuastegui, pictured on button, attended school before she died in a car accident. Trcka, a senior at Tri-City United High School who was named homecoming queen, gave her crown to Mary’s mother after the accident. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit one of her volleyball players. “[Mary] was full of energy and she was always smiling at volleyball,” Kayla recalled. After staying out late with friends after the game, Kayla was awakened by her mother Christine, who teaches at Most Holy Redeemer, and had Mary in her musical group, the Singing Angels. She had seen a posting on Facebook by Mary’s older brother Will, who is friends with Kayla. Though groggy, Kayla needed very little time to figure out what she wanted to do — needed to do. “Soon after I told her, she said, ‘I think I’m going to give her my crown.’” Christine said. “I said, ‘I think you should really think about that.’”
But, in Kayla’s mind, the matter was settled. She grabbed the crown and rode over to the Hulgan house with her mom at noon for the prayer service and rosary. And, once there, she summoned the courage to approach the grief-stricken mother. “We were all going through [a line] just giving them [family members] hugs,” Kayla said. “And, I gave [Doreen] the crown and I said that I think Mary would deserve this. And, she said, ‘Are you sure you don’t need this anymore?’ And, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m positive.’ And, she’s like, ‘Can you tell her dad when he comes that you’re giving this to me, because she was always his little princess. [Doreen] said that Mary,
Church / Ministry Jobs an internationally recognized engineering program that competes annually in the Robocup (search and rescue) competition. Campus Minister Location: Totino Grace High School; Fridley, MN The Primary Objective of this position is to foster the faith life of the Totino-Grace community by working collaboratively as a member of the Campus Ministry Team to nurture the faith formation of our students, particularly through liturgy, prayer, retreats and service. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Assist and co-facilitate the ongoing development of the Student Ministry Team and nurture their ministerial leadership capacity;
when she heard I was homecoming queen, was just saying, ‘Oh, I want to be that one day.’ It just made me really glad that I was giving that to her.” The room fell quiet for a brief moment, and all eyes went to Kayla when she presented the crown to Doreen. Most of the people at the house that day also were at the game, and had seen Kayla wearing her crown. One week later, the crown was positioned on top of a display of pictures of Mary at her wake. Doreen choked up when she recalled Kayla’s simple gesture. “It was so sweet of Kayla,” said Please turn to CATHOLIC on page 23A
together with the other Campus Ministers, create faith formation opportunities that meet the needs of the T-G community; help create a hospitable environment by maintaining positive and open communication with the faculty, staff and students . Qualifications: The ideal candidate will be an active, practicing Catholic committed to the role of faith in education, Christian service and leadership; have experience with secondary education and youth ministry; possess a BA in Theology, Religious Studies or Pastoral Ministry from a Catholic college or university; exhibit strong organizational, communication and leadership skills within a collaborative atmosphere; demonstrate experience with or an affinity for the Lasallian mission. For more information on these and other job openings, or to apply online, please visit www. archspm.org/careers. apply online, please visit www.archspm.org/careers.
Do good on earth INSIDE World Mission Sunday Page 1B
This year’s World Mission Sunday theme is “Do Good on Earth.” Look inside this special 8-page section for stories of people doing good, from a nun, above, saving children from trafficking in India to a deacon from Fairbanks, Alaska — the last mission diocese in the country — on the road thanking donors across the country. World Mission Sunday is celebrated this year on Oct. 20.
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
World Mission Sunday
2B WORLD MISSION SUNDAY Deacon Mickey Friesen
How are you being called to join in God’s mission? We recently had a visit from Deacon George Bowder, a representative from the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska. The territory of this diocese is larger than the state of Texas and offers many logistical challenges to reach people in villages scattered across this harsh tundra. And yet, people are hungry for the Gospel and the chance to celebrate the sacraments. Fairbanks is the only diocese in the United States still listed as mission territory and, thus, it receives direct support from us through our giving to the Pontifical Mission Societies on World Mission Sunday. Deacon George said there are two sides to sharing the gift of faith in mission. Some give to God’s mission by going to foreign lands and bringing the Gospel. And, there are
some who go to the missions by giving what they have to make it possible for others to go. Both are needed for mission.
Giving thanks On World Mission Sunday, Oct. 20, we celebrate the going and the giving of our faith. We can give thanks for those who have inspired us and led us to Christ by their words and deeds. It is a gift to be able to receive the peace, love and mercy of Christ in our hearts. The gift of faith sustains us and gives meaning to all we encounter each day. It is hard for me to calculate the witness of my family, my pastors and my spiritual friends who have encouraged me along the journey of faith. We can also give thanks for those who have answered the call to reach beyond the comforts of their homes, their culture or their
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language by going to bring Christ continuing mission by offering our to others. generous prayer, time and financial gifts. We become the other side of Consider the efforts of Sister the gift of faith that is shared. Clara and the Salesian Sisters in Chennai, India, who go out into Whether we are receiving the the streets to good news or rescue children sharing it with forced to live as others, it is a modern slaves of marvel to see how the sex trade and “Some give to God is working in harsh labor the world through God’s mission by practices. us who go and give The sisters make in faith. going to foreign real Christ’s Together we lands and bringing mission to “bring make the gift good news to the the Gospel. And, possible and do poor and liberty to good on earth. captives” (Luke there are some Consider how 4:18). They who go to the you are being provide a safe and to caring home, missions by giving called participate in education and opportunities to what they have to God’s mission — to go and to give heal from their make it possible — and be generous trauma, regain in your response. their dignity and for others to go.” build a better life. See in the Deacon Mickey Friesen These efforts are following stories supported by us how some are when we give on responding today. World Mission We are making it Sunday. possible for the Good News to reach the ends of the earth. Sharing in the mission And we must give thanks for those who make it possible for missionaries to go at all. We all have a share in God’s
Deacon Mickey Friesen is director of the archdiocesan Center for Mission.
3B By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service In a world that often seems dark and full of suffering and violence, Christians can offer hope by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Pope Francis wrote in a message for World Mission Sunday 2013. “It is necessary to proclaim courageously and in every situation the Gospel of Christ, a message of hope, reconciliation [and] communion, a proclamation of God’s closeness, his mercy, salvation and a proclamation that the power of God’s love is able to overcome the darkness of evil and guide us on the path of goodness,” the pope wrote. World Mission Sunday will be celebrated Oct. 20 at the Vatican and in most dioceses.
Sharing faith The message for his first Mission Sunday since becoming pope is filled with phrases and ideas that featured prominently in the speeches and homilies Pope Francis gave during the first four months of his pontificate, including at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro. Pope Francis’ message emphasized the obligation of all Christians to share the faith with
“Everyone should be able to experience the joy of being loved by God, the joy of salvation. It is a gift that one cannot keep to oneself, but it is to be shared.” Pope Francis
CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec
others and do so with respect. He also pointed to the stifling damage done to the Church by the failure to evangelize and the sacrifices made by many Christians around the world currently facing oppression or even persecution because of their faith. “Everyone should be able to experience the joy of being loved by God, the joy of salvation,” he said. “It is a gift that one cannot keep to oneself, but it is to be shared.” “If we want to keep it only to ourselves, we will become isolated,
sterile and sick Christians,” the pope wrote. Each Christian has a responsibility to share the gift of faith with others, he said, and the strength of one’s faith “can be measured by the ability to communicate it to others, to spread and live it in charity, to witness to it before those we meet and those who share the path of life with us.” Pope Francis said he knows some people today hesitate sharing the faith because they somehow think it will limit other
people’s freedom, when in reality faith empowers people and frees them from despair and from chasing pleasure or material possessions that cannot last and, therefore, cannot make them happy forever. A true Christian does not try to impose the faith on anyone, but proclaims the Good News through word and deed with respect, the pope wrote. “The church’s missionary spirit is not about proselytizing, but the testimony of a life that illuminates the path, which brings hope and love.” In his message, the pope offered thanks to and prayers for the many Christians in different parts of the world who “experience difficulty in openly professing their faith and in enjoying the legal right to practice it in a worthy manner.” They are “courageous witnesses” of the Gospel, he said. Pope Francis’ message also was filled with praise and thanksgiving for priests, religious and laypeople who have left their homelands to spread the Gospel. He urged all Catholics to take responsibility for the church’s missionary activity, including by giving financial support to the Pontifical Mission Societies.
World Mission Sunday
Missionary activity is service to hurting world, pope says
a Catholic, family, fraternal, service organization
Jesus Came to Serve Not be Served! Matthew 20:28
Are you interested in serving? Serving the Gospel? Serving those in need? Serving your parish?
Find a local council www.bit.ly/localcouncil Call 320.587.0747 Since March 29, 1882, the Knights of Columbus Is still true to its founding principles of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism. October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
World Mission Sunday
4B
Sharing the gift of faith
IN MISS
Raymond Hyslop of the Tanana Traditional Dance Group performs at a reception marking the 50th anniversary of the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, Aug. 12 in Fairbanks. CNS photo
Last U.S. mission diocese relies on its many donors to keep things going Trying to contact a deacon from the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, it’s odd to find him traveling in Iowa. But that’s where Deacon George Bowder was recently, on the road visiting donors and telling the stories of the Alaskan missions around the country. Deacon Bowder is thanking past donors and raising funds for the largest, geographically speaking, diocese in the country. The Diocese of Fairbanks is the only diocese in the U.S. that still receives funds from the Pontifical Mission Societies. From Iowa he went to Buckman, Minn. to visit one of many donors in the state, including more than 600 in the Twin Cities area. The diocese has more than 35,000 donors across the country. “Once they hear the stories about what the challenges are to bring the Gospel message to this location, people are fascinated with how we accomplish, in partnering with them, so much in these very unique, very challenging, remote, isolated conditions,” Deacon Bowder said. “Just phenomenal things that God does with their help; it’s just fantastic.” The diocese’s 18 priests serve 46 parishes, most of them mission parishes serving the Inupiat and Yupik Eskimos and the Athabaskan Indians. There are only four pastors with a single parish, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Immaculate Conception Historic parish in downtown
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
Fairbanks, Immaculate Conception in Bethel and St. Nicholas in North Pole. Most have a parish and then cover a mission that can be up to 100 miles away. Funds from the Pontifical Mission Societies are used to assist those villages that are most needy with supplies such as fuel oil and food for the winter, according to Deacon Bowder, former director of finance for the diocese. The most needy parishes right now are along the Yukon River in the interior of the diocese, he said. The diocese covers more than 1,000 miles east to west and 1,000 miles north to south, and because the area they cover is so vast, flying is a must. “We have one retired priest and a deacon who fly our only small 172 aircraft, otherwise our priests, deacons, brothers, sisters and lay pastoral administrators fly on small planes of local scheduled airlines,” Deacon Bowder said. The diocese is always looking for priests and deacons to assist in the diocese, he said, but they ask them to make a threeyear or more commitment in order to make a connection with the people. “It’s a challenge and an adventure,” he said. And there are challenges, he says. Because of the extreme weather conditions, especially in the western part of the state, travel plans often change. A trip can take several extra days because conditions are dangerous for flying. The northernmost parish, St. Patrick in Barrrow, has 24 hours of darkness from mid-November to mid-February. “It’s like going to another world,” Deacon Bowder said. Challenges aside, Deacon Bowder’s goal is to, “tell people about the stories of the missions and the diocese, the special blessings we have and how God is with us.”
Gospel flourishing in remote villages of Papua New Guinea Father Jose Jacob has seen one of the most primitive regions in the world. He served for seven years in the Diocese of Daru-Kiunga in Papua New Guinea, which he describes as “almost half a millennium behind [the U.S.] in progress.” But, thanks to support from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Gospel is flourishing in the diocese, which contains many remote villages. “Training prayer leaders and catechists to keep the church vibrant in remote areas is a priority for this mission diocese, which was started 55 years ago,” said Father Jacob, now in New York, who continues to serve the diocese as the U.S. representative. “Catholic faith has brought peace among warring tribes and clans, brought education and nearly doubled the life span of the people.” It has been a challenge getting the funding for important projects, which is why society dollars are so important. “It is relatively easy to obtain funds from international agencies to support our school education and medical services,” he said. “But, when it comes to religious activity or church-related programs such as formation or infrastructure, these agencies explicitly exclude such help.”
Students sit outside the Archbishop Flynn Secondary School in the Diocese of Gulu, Uganda. The school currently serves 352 students in four grade levels. Photo courtesy of John Desautels
Mission funds help Archbishop Flynn School meet needs of students in Uganda The words “Adunu Maleng Pa Yesu” mean “Sacred Heart of Jesus” in the native language of the Acholi, one of the many tribes in Uganda, who live in the northern part of the country bordering southern Sudan. The Adunu Maleng Pa Yesu Society, Inc. is a Minnesota non-profit that helps to raise funds for Sacred Heart Seminary and Archbishop Flynn Secondary School in the Diocese of Gulu, Uganda. Monsignor Matthew Odong, rector of the seminary, visited Minnesota in 1990 making an appeal for funds for the seminary, said John Desautels, President of Adunu Maleng Pa Yesu Society, Inc. He formed a relationship with donors here and the society grew out of that. On one visit he met and became friends with Archbishop Harry Flynn. “He became my spiritual mentor
Father Joseph Tabase baptizes one of the 51 babies he baptized September 28 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Diocese of NavrongoBolgatanga in Ghana. Photo courtesy of Father Peter Akudugu
Bishop Giles Cote of DaruKiunga, Papua New Guinea celebrates an outdoor Mass. Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Daru-Kiunga Areas of need for the mission diocese include formation of seminarians, catechists and prayer leaders, building village churches and buying dinghies with outboard motors to transport medicine, goods and people who are sick. “We need to turn to the good Catholics of this country [U.S.] to help us build up the church and make a difference,” said Father Jacob, who works with fundraising efforts in the U.S. “The two times we preached at the mission co-op, and the Mission Sunday collections, are used for our needs.”
and inspired me to love my priesthood,” he said in a letter to donors. “It had long been Monsignor Matthew’s dream to build a secondary school in northern Uganda,” Desautels said. “In 2003 it became apparent this dream could become a reality. He decided he would like to build this school as something memorable to his American friends in Minnesota and particularly to Archbishop Harry Flynn, who has been very supportive of his work for many years.” Archbishop Flynn Secondary School opened February 16, 2009 with a pioneer class of 34 students in one grade level. The current enrollment is 352 students in four grade levels. The planned capacity is 720 students in six grade levels, according to Desautels. The Adunu Maleng Pa Yesu Society receives funds from The Society for the Propagation of the Faith to support the formation of pastoral agents, seminarians, religious, catechists, support diocesan pastoral programs, fund the maintenance and ongoing operating subsidies of Sacred Heart Seminary and fund the construction and ongoing operating subsidies of Archbishop Flynn Secondary School. Funds have also been used to purchase motorcycles as transportation for newly ordained priests. “For more than 20 years the education of young people in Northern Uganda was badly affected by the war,” Desautels said. “Most children had no access to a quality education, and education is the best tool for fighting ignorance and poverty.” The society hopes to add levels 5 and 6 to the Archbishop Flynn Secondary School building and expand the girls dormitory. It asks for prayers and financial donations, and invites people to come visit the school and the seminary. “The people are poor and greatly affected by war, but they still wear smiling faces, are hospitable and friendly, supportive of each other at difficult moments like when one loses a member of the family,” said Desautels. “Faith in the living and caring God still exists.”
Ghana diocese uses funds for basic services in the communities it serves The connection between the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga in Ghana comes in the form of four priests who studied here and are now serving in their homeland. The four priests – Fathers Kevin Abakisi, Robert Abotezabire, Peter Akudugu and Albert Wugaa – were ordained Dec. 1, 2012. They completed their formation at the St. Paul Seminary and served at parishes in the archdiocese during that time. They built strong relationships here, which led some of their seminary classmates to travel to Ghana for their ordination. The new priests are excited about the chance to serve their diocese, and hope more young men will follow in their footsteps. “There are some remote parts of the diocese that are still waiting to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ,” said Father Akudugu, one of the four priests who studied here. “We need priests, and we need to sustain the few that we have. We are also a mosaic diocese, endowed with many cultural and linguistic varieties – a challenging and exciting experience of working and witnessing together as a family of God.” The diocese relies on funds from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which are used for evangelization, formation and training of pastoral care
5B
World Mission Sunday
SION
The mission programs featured here receive funds from The Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of the four pontifical missionary societies and the largest Catholic organization promoting missionary awareness and distributing funds for the missions. It serves 1,150 dioceses in Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, remote regions of Latin America and one in the U.S.
ministers and basic services in the communities like water, schools and health centers. “The needs of the diocese can be summarized into three main areas – faith formation of pastoral agents, health and education,” Father Akudugu said. “We also ask Catholics to sustain the efforts – with their material support – of those who labor day and night in the remote villages, sometimes under trying conditions.” In one instance, a priest on a motorbike brought pastoral care to a woman about to give birth. Two doctors were having a disgreement about whether or not the mother should undergo a Caesarean Section to deliver her baby. Father Joseph Tabase arrived on his motorbike and prayed with the woman while blessing her with holy water. She ended up having the C-Section and delivered a baby boy. “The mother believes strongly that the timely arrival of the priest with blessings from God saved the situation,” Father Akudugu said. “She was so touched by the fact that the priest was there when she needed him.” A sign of hope for the diocese is the number of youth in the Church. Father Akudugu said the 45 percent of the people in the pews are children. “They are a special gift of God to the Church at this time,” he said. “They are eager to learn about the faith and are looking for direction and light from the Church, which we are trying to provide with adequate programs. “The diocese has potential, and hope for the future is bright, given the vibrancy of the youth. When these are properly harnessed, we have a bright future as a faith commiunity.”
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
World Mission Sunday
6B
Edina jeweler used skills to help poor in Venezuela By Father Greg Schaffer For The Catholic Spirit
income to support their family.
Last August we mourned the loss of a great missionary from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who had a profound impact on the lives of many at our archdiocesan mission in Venezuela. Martin Weinans was an immigrant from Holland who came to Minnesota on his own as a 26-year-old in 1969. He eventually settled down with his wife Barbara and raised a family in Rogers, where they attended Mary Queen of Peace parish. Martin first came to visit the Venezuelan Mission with a motivated group from his parish. A jeweler by trade, he was excited to get to know the people of the parish and wanted to help in whatever way he could. While other members of his group where doing construction on houses, Martin worked with a group of parishioners teaching them how to make jewelry. Martin brought the tools and wire and incorporated some of the local semi-precious stones into the jewelry. With around 75 percent unemployment in the parish, many people are anxious to learn a new skill in order to start their own small business and create some
Though he didn’t speak Spanish, his patience and enthusiasm for what he was doing won over the people. One thing that Martin taught the people to make was rosaries. He was very pleased at how three parishioners became very proficient in what he taught. When Martin would come to visit on his own, he chose to live in the home of the Carpio family rather than stay at the Parish Center or rectory. Keyla Carpio, an unemployed metallurgist, was one of his best students, and he enjoyed giving the classes to his students in the Carpio home, which enabled him to get to know the family and their neighbors in a social setting in the evenings. Martin became very well known and very well liked by the people in the barrio even amongst the non-Catholics. Martin’s genuine interest in the people and their culture was profound. He was always a willing dance partner even when the Calypso music came on in the evening. His eagerness to try new foods — including a variety of hot sauces — and appreciate the local drinks while playing card games, won the
Martin Weinans is pictured here with one of the many friends he made while teaching his jeweler’s skills to parishioners at Jesucristo Resucitado, the archdiocesan mission in Venezuela. Photo courtesy of Father Greg Schaffer hearts of many people of the barrio. When Martin returned to Minnesota he would take some of the rosaries that his students had made and sell them in his jewelry store, Van Guilder’s Goldsmith in Edina. When the rosaries were sold he would send down the money and ask for more rosaries. Martin never really got proficient in Spanish, but that didn’t slow him down. His kindness, generosity and love for the people always shone through. More than sharing his skills and artistry as a jeweler, Martin shared his love and
that made all the difference. His students continue to make rosaries with pride and sell them in the archdiocese. The barrio where the Carpios live and where Martin had such an impact needs a chapel. As we continue to sell the rosaries and raise funds for the chapel, it has been decided by the parishioners that when it is finally built the chapel will be dedicated to St. Martin de Porres in remembrance of another great Martin who did so much to help the poor by his presence, kindness and generosity.
The entrance/placement testing is January 18, 2014 from 8:15 - 11:45 a.m. at your first choice school. Faribault
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St. Paul
BETHLEHEM ACADEMY (507) 334-3948 www.bacards.org October 15 at 5:30 p.m.
CRISTO REY JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL (612) 545-9700 www.cristoreytc.org Every first and third Tuesday, September through April at 7 p.m.
CRETIN-DERHAM HALL HIGH SCHOOL (651) 690-2443 www.c-dh.org November 7 at 6:30 p.m. January 9 at 6:30 p.m.
Fridley
Attend an open house at a Catholic high school . . . and find out how you can AIM HIGHER in your education and in life! www.aimhigher.org October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
TOTINO-GRACE HIGH SCHOOL (763) 571-9116 www.totinograce.org October 14 at 6:30 p.m. January 8 at 6:30 p.m.
Maplewood HILL-MURRAY SCHOOL (651) 777-1376 www.hill-murray.org November 4 at 6 p.m. January 6 at 6 p.m.
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SAINT THOMAS ACADEMY (651) 454-4570 www.cadets.com November 3 at 1 p.m. January 12 at 1 p.m. CONVENT OF THE VISITATION SCHOOL (651) 683-1700 www.vischool.org October 29 at 7 p.m. January 7 at 7 p.m.
DELASALLE HIGH SCHOOL (612) 676-7600 www.delasalle.com October 28 at 7 p.m. January 9 at 7 p.m.
Plymouth PROVIDENCE ACADEMY 763-258-2500 www.providenceacademy.org November 7 at 6:30 p.m. January 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Richfield ACADEMY OF HOLY ANGELS (612) 798-2600 www.academyofholyangels.org November 6 at 6 p.m. January 16 at 6 p.m. April 24 at 6 p.m.
St. Louis Park BENILDE-ST. MARGARET’S SCHOOL (952) 915-4345 www.bsmschool.org November 12 at 6 p.m. January 6 at 6 p.m. Check website for daytime open houses
SAINT AGNES SCHOOL (651) 925-8700 www.saintagnesschool.org November 14 at 6:30 p.m. January 15 at 6:30 p.m. March 2 at 1 p.m.
Victoria HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL (952) 443-4659 www.hfchs.org November 7 at 6:30 p.m. January 23 at 6:30 p.m.
7B The following is reprinted with permission from The Pontifical Mission Societies. It first appeared on their website, www.onefamilyinmission.org.
Having experienced severe heartbreak and numerous challenges in her short life already, Vandoosha does not take anything for granted, including her education. She is determined to study hard and one day become a police officer, so that she can give protection to street children and bring them to Marialaya.
This year for World Mission Sunday, we focus on the work of Sister Clara and the Salesian Sisters at Marialay Children’s Home in Chennai, India. These sisters help to rescue young girls from the sad reality of child trafficking and child labor that plagues so many mission countries. Every single day, all over India, hundreds of young girls are taken from their homes and families, forced into child labor or to be beggars on the street, or sold to be domestic help.
Meet Shorti
Meet Sister Clara Growing up in India, missionary Sister Clara always felt the strong presence of Jesus in her life. Gaining her strength through prayer and her deep relationship with Jesus, she is committed to follow her calling: to reach out in the name of Christ to those most vulnerable in our society, sharing his love by offering practical, emotional and spiritual care. Every day, Sister Clara works tirelessly throughout Chennai, India, to rescue young girls from being stolen and sold into child labor and prostitution. For her, faith and action go together. Not only do the sisters provide a loving home for these frightened girls at their Marialaya Children’s Home, they also offer education, medical care, vocational and leadership training, counseling and spiritual formation. Since Marialaya was started in 1990, the sisters have rescued more than 2,000 girls from child labor, prostitution and begging. Today Marialaya cares for more than 100 girls between the ages of 4 and 14. The sisters also operate a “help line” in collaboration with the local
Vandoosha, center, and her friend Shorti were rescued from child trafficking by Sister Clara and the Salesian Sisters at Marialay Children’s Home in Chennai, India. Photo courtesy of The Society for the Propagation of the Faith police. The local community, especially the taxi drivers, help to promote this service. Children throughout India know that if they are in danger, they can call that help line, and the sisters will come to them and rescue them. Sister Clara is extremely passionate about the spiritual formation of the girls. Every day she teaches them about our Catholic faith, telling them that they are all precious children of God and deeply loved by him. “Very often I pray, very often I speak to Jesus, like a friend,” Sister Clara says. “So I said I must do like Jesus, healing, helping, to be with the children, to help the children and to educate them. And very happily I am doing this.”
Meet Vandoosha Ten-year-old Vandoosha is one of the girls rescued by Sister Clara and the Sisters at Marialaya. Vandoosha was sold to a neighbor to work in the family’s home; that neighbor sold Vandoosha again “I had to work from 5 a.m. to midnight every day,” Vandoosha says. “I was doing all the washing, cooking and cleaning for the whole family, and looking after their two-year-old child.” Vandoosha was also beaten by the mother in the home and abused by another of the children. Today, five years after Vandoosha was rescued, th memories of her time as a domestic worker are still fresh in her mind. However, thanks to Marialaya, Vandoosha is happy and healthy and doing exceptionally well at school.
Shorti is Vandoosha’s best friend. She is another of the fortunate children rescued by Sister Clara and living at Marialaya. She was stolen from her parents and forced to beg at a train station. That’s when Sister Clara found her, recalling that she didn’t know how to speak, couldn’t say who her mother or father was. When Shorti was rescued, she was also extremely malnourished and had to go to the hospital to receive medications and treatment before starting her new life at Marialaya. Shorti is now in the fourth grade. Despite the effects of malaria she contracted as a young girl, her immune system is strong and she is set to have a bright future. Her dream is to become a doctor, so that she can help other sick children like she had been. Sister Clara admits that her work can be extremely challenging and difficult. However, seeing young girls like Vandoosha and Shorti, once so frightened and vulnerable, gain confidence through the care, love and support they receive at Marialaya is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling for her. It is through Jesus that Sister Clara gains her strength and conviction, as she says: “I will ask Jesus’ help. And in the evening I go and thank the Lord, asking him to give me courage to face the difficulties which come on my way.”
World Mission Sunday
Indian nun works to save children from trafficking
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Don’t need it? October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
World Mission Sunday
8B
What is the Center for Mission anyway? By Eric Simon For The Catholic Spirit As we approach World Mission Sunday on Oct. 20, this issue includes stories of our brothers and sisters in overseas missions, and the Center for Mission will appear many times. You might ask, “Why? What does the Center for Mission have to do with World Mission Sunday? Who are they anyway?” Twelve years ago, Deacon Mickey Friesen became director of what was known as the Society for the Propagation of the Faith office in the archdiocese. The primary purpose of that office was to facilitate all the appeals for the Pontifical Mission Societies, a pontifical office headquartered in New York. Mickey’s new vision for the office: to be a resource to help deepen and engage the archdiocese in a global mission conscience, animated through education and activities. Thus, the office became the Center for Mission.
Mission outreach The formal purpose of the office is to promote the missionary life of the Church and coordinate support for the mission outreach of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis by building bridges of faith, culture and resources to Catholic communities around the world. The emphasis of these bridges focuses on solidarity, mutual respect, and sharing our Catholic spirit to build the Kingdom of God. The office still represents the Pontifical Mission Societies: Society for the Propagation of the Faith, St Peter Apostle, Missionary Childhood Association, and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious. Appeals are generated from the Center for Mission for these societies throughout the year, which includes the upcoming World Mission Sunday. Contributions to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith through the Center for Mission have helped over 1,150 dioceses in over 120 countries. In addition, reflecting the office vision, we also offer the archdiocese much, much more. For example, several global solidarity and immersion trips organized by the Center for Mission are offered throughout the year. Many have heard of the successful Archdiocesan partnership with the Diocese of Kitui, Kenya. The 10th anniversary of this impactful relationship is next year as another delegation from here will visit Kenya and celebrate with the Diocese of Kitui. This partnership has truly offered life-changing experiences for individuals and parishes in both dioceses. Similar experiences have been realized on shorter immersion trips to countries like Guatemala, El
Delegates on a trip to Kitui Kenya — 2008. Photo courtesy of The Center for Mission
The Center for Mission has initiated projects in schools to teach students the value of resources we take for granted, like water and food. Eric Simon
Salvador, Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua and to our archdiocesan mission in Venezuela.
Mission formation Mission formation is also an important focus for the Center for Mission, including children, youth and parishes. The Center for Mission has initiated projects in schools to teach students the value of resources we take for granted, like water and food. These include H2O, Harvest of Hope, Living Water and most recently, the Holy Buckets program. Each month, Mission Intentions are forwarded to teachers that
include activities to satisfy Catholic education standards expected in Catholic Schools. The Center for Mission also helps parishes with mission formation by offering consultation to enhance sister parish relationships and through the Mission Cooperation Plan, where representatives from mission dioceses worldwide are assigned to every parish in our archdiocese to awaken a global perspective and request aid as appropriate. In addition to all these activities, the Center for Mission represents Catholic Relief Services and global solidarity appeals from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. There are many additional projects and activities that the Center for Mission offers for all to engage in mission formation. You might ask yourself after this litany of activities and projects, “How do you fund all this?” The Center for Mission is a not-for-profit Pontifical office that is solely self-funded. We rely on contributions from individuals to maintain a mission presence to serve our archdiocese. This is in the form of one time, monthly, and annual financial gifts that also includes contributions from estates, wills and trusts. For more information about The Center for Mission, contact Eric Simon, 651-291-4446 or Deacon Mickey Friesen, 651-291-4445. Visit our website at www.centerformission.org.
Fall 2014 Delegation Trip to Kitui, Kenya Join a delegation from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on a partnership trip to Kitui, Kenya, fall 2014. Others have witnessed and experienced the joy and exuberance of the Kamba people as they live out their Catholic faith amid drought and daily struggles. See it for yourself by joining the delegation September 30 – October 14, 2014. We will mark the 10-year anniversary of the beginning of the partnership and Archbishop Nienstedt is planning to join us in Kitui to celebrate. For information, contact Mike Haasl, Center for Mission at (651)291-4504, or haaslm@archspm.org. Register by Dec. 1, 2013.
October 10, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit
strong marriages Learning more about our faith The Catholic Spirit’s 4-page Rediscover: pullout section in each issue of 2013 highlights a new Rediscover: theme for you and discuss with others. Coming up Oct. 24: How can the Church help me deal with harmful addictions?
Go to the ‘Genius Bar’ to understand, celebrate marriage
T HEART OF THE MATTER Jeff CAVINS
he statistics are etched in our society’s collective psyche: One out of two marriages end up in divorce. Despite the odds, millions of couples, who are physically and emotionally attracted to each other, attempt to defy the odds, convinced that they are somehow different and that they have that special connection. While it’s true that many young couples have a special spark in their relationship, it is also true that a spark does not guarantee a fire for life. When the wedding gifts begin to wear out, children arrive and life becomes more complex, what will hold the couple together? Like the intricately crafted iPhone, marriage itself has a creator and a set of carefully communicated guidelines for optimum performance. If you have a problem with your iPhone, you go to the Genius Bar at the Apple store to solve the problem, not to a TV talk show host. Why go to the Genius Bar? Because Apple created the phone and knows everything about it. There, after you are asked a series of questions about how you have cared for or
The Catholic Spirit • October 10, 2013
neglected the iPhone, the young “genius” points out your problem, and you are more than happy to make the appropriate changes. If couples are going to thrive and trouble shoot their marriage when things don’t seem to be working, they need to know something of the origin of marriage. Where did marriage come from? Whose idea was it?
Finding the answers The Catholic Church has always understood and taught that “God himself is the author of marriage . . . . The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator. Marriage is not a purely human institution despite the many variations it may have undergone through the centuries in different cultures, social structures, and spiritual attitudes. These differences should not cause us to forget its common and permanent characteristics” (CCC 1603). Please turn to FOR on back page of section
Rediscover-faith.org
“Like the intricately crafted iPhone, marriage itself has a creator and a set of carefully communicated guidelines for optimum performance.” Jeff Cavins
Marriage and intimacy Couple says program gave th We cannot have a dynamic faith without intimacy with God; and we cannot have a dynamic marriage without intimacy with each other. But intimacy is one of the most misunderstood realties in modern times and, as a result, disturbingly absent. Sex is not intimacy. It can be a part of intimacy, no question. But sex doesn’t equal intimacy. It doesn’t come with a guarantee of intimacy. Sex isn’t absolutely necessary for intimacy. And, yet, almost every reference to intimacy in modern popular culture is a reference to sex. If we are ever to truly experience intimacy, we must first move beyond the pubescent notion that sex and intimacy are synonymous. Intimacy is the one thing that a person cannot live happily without. Think about it. Who are the happiest people you know, the people who are truly thriving? Do they just have sex, or do they have intimacy? They have intimacy, don’t they? They might have sex, too, but the foundation of their CELEBRATING lives is an authentic experience of intimacy. They have people can share their lives with. They have a genuine interest CATHOLICISM they in the people around them. They have great relationships. We can live happily without new cars and designer clothes; Matthew we can live and thrive without our dream homes; we can live KELLY without vacationing in all the right places — but we cannot live happily without intimacy. Intimacy is one of our legitimate needs and a prerequisite for happiness. You can survive without intimacy, but you cannot thrive without it. Human beings yearn above all else for intimacy. We desire happiness, and sometimes we confuse this desire for happiness with a desire for pleasure and possessions. But once we have experienced the pleasure or attained the possessions, we are still left wanting. Wanting what? Intimacy. Our desire for happiness is ultimately a desire “We can live happily for intimacy. If we have intimacy we can go without an awful lot and still be happy. Without without new cars and intimacy, all the riches of the world cannot satisfy designer clothes; we our hungry hearts. Until we experience intimacy, our hearts remain restless, irritable and can live and thrive discontented. Life is a self-revelation. It’s about revealing your without our dream true self. Every day, in a thousand ways, we reveal ourselves to the people around us and to the homes; we can live world. Everything we say and do reveals without vacationing in something about who we are. Even the things we say and the things we don’t do tell others all the right places — don’t something about us. Life is about sharing ourselves with humanity at this moment in but we cannot live history. happily without Relationships are also a process of selfrevelation. But far too often we spend our time intimacy.” and energy hiding our true selves from each other in relationships. This is where we encounter the Matthew Kelly great paradox that surrounds our struggle for intimacy. The entire human experience is a quest for harmony amid opposing forces, and our quest for intimacy is no different. We yearn for intimacy, but we avoid it. We want it badly, but we run from it. At some deep level, we sense that we have a profound need for intimacy, but we are also afraid to go there. Why? We avoid intimacy because having intimacy means exposing our secrets. Being intimate means sharing the secrets of our hearts, minds and souls with another fragile and imperfect human being.
Sharing our lives Intimacy requires that we allow another person to discover what moves us, what inspires us, what drives us, what eats at us, what we are running toward, what we are running from, what silent self destructive enemies lie within us, and what wild and wonderful dreams we hold in our hearts. To be truly intimate with another person is to share every aspect of your self with that person. We have to be willing to take off our masks and let down our guard, to set aside our pretenses and to share what is shaping us and directing our lives. This is the greatest gift we can give to another human being: to allow him or her to simply see us for who we are, with our strengths and weaknesses, faults, failings, flaws, defects, talents, abilities, achievements and potential. Intimacy requires that we allow another person into our heart, mind, body and soul. In its purest form, it is a complete and unrestrained sharing of self. Not all relationships are worthy of such a complete intimacy, but our marriage is. Kelly is an international best-selling author, speaker and founder of the Dynamic Catholic Institute.
The Catholic Spirit • October 10, 2013
By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Matt and Anita Vettel are on the verge of a major transition in their married life. After tying the knot on December 31, 2010, they will gain two biggies in the next three months — a new house and their first child. Are they nervous about these two life-changing events? Yes. Are they confident they can take on the double joys of home ownership and parenthood without overloading their relationship? Definitely. A major reason for their optimism is a two-year program they completed in May for young married couples put on by Community of Christ the Redeemer. CCR is a lay community in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis that offers the program regularly for couples. Although the Vettels are part of CCR, they said it is not necessary to be members in order to participate in the program, although couples are invited to check out community life. “It [the program] has strengthened it [the relationship] and brought us hope because there is a lot of bleakness out there,” said Anita, who teaches religion at Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights. “When you look at the statistics of people who have marriages that last, the statistics aren’t great. But, almost every week, or at least several times a month, we’re able to gather with people who are still committed to [their marriages] and still working on them.”
Coming together Here’s how it works: Couples come to an introductory session in which they meet other couples and are given information on the program. Then, they are put into small groups with several other couples. The entire group meets once a month for a talk, and the small groups gather twice a month. Those who are interested can then come to a CCR meeting once a month. Older mentor couples give the talks on topics like finances and parenting, and also lead small groups. The foundation of the program is God’s plan for marriage, outlined in Genesis 1 and 2, Matthew 19, Ephesians 5 and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Ed Gross, program director along with this wife Leslie, said the Vettels were one of 20 couples to go through the most recent program, which is now in its seventh year. Currently, he added, there are 21 couples in the program. During the small groups, the couples have a chance to talk about their own lives, ask questions of others and receive advice, encouragement and prayer. Also, the program includes times when the groups are divided by gender, so women can talk separately with other women and men can take with other men. “It has been encouraging,” Anita said. “It [marriage] is not going to be perfect. There are going to be difficulties. But, knowing that there are other people who are trying to do this intentionally has been helpful for us and brought me hope.” “The first couple years of marriage are tough,” said Matt, who works for NET Ministries as assistant development director. “You’re getting used to living with this person for the first time, and you’re doing all of life together. You see all the great things about the person, but you also see all the bad things about the person. And I think, when you do that alone, it’s just really difficult.”
Being countercultural An added burden can be the way people in American culture bad mouth their spouses. Often, that pops up in TV programs. But, because of their involvement in the program
More online Father Michael Van Sloun writes about how marriage is like a “three-ply cord’ with God at the center. Read his
Matt and Anita Vettel Dave Hrba
and CCR, Matt and Anita during the week, partially to On top of that, they have ment to build up and apprec during the time spent with o “Women’s attitudes towar cynical,” she said. “The wom positive. When she found o group leader just shared tha grace that you need to be th “Building up each other really awesome. And, also b our husbands and approach positively has been very refr
Same mission
Though the course ended aged to stay in touch with so other small groups in CCR. can serve as a mentor coupl ing their 28th birthdays, the opportunity to share what t One message they certain how meaningful the progra answer when asked to rate it “I think for us, it was cru great to have this program p all these people gathered t . . . that’s what’s so unique. I are wanting to enter into re be intentionally focused on ships. “It’s just such an obvious
For more information on the (651) 208-7296, or visit www
Sticking with it, in good times and bad
heir marriage a boost
acek/The Catholic Spirit
a decided to stop watching TV o minimize its negative effects. received support and encourageciate the other. For Anita, it came other women. rd their husbands can be kind of man who leads our group is very out that I was pregnant . . . our at, ‘God’s going to give you the he mom you’re supposed to be.’ as wives and mothers has been being encouraged to be there for hing our positions as wives very reshing.”
d in May, the Vettels have manome of the other couples through . And, they hope someday they le. With both of them approachey realize there will be plenty of they’ve learned with others. nly are qualified to deliver now is am has been. They had a quick ts importance. ucial,” Anita said. “I think it’s so put together for us. When you get together with the same mission It’s just this group of people who elationships with each other and n our marriages and our relationblessing.”
Five tips for building a strong marriage couples build a strong marriage: 1. Communication “I would say communication would be No. 1,” Matt said. “Always communicate. Better to overcommunicate than undercommunicate.” Said Anita: “I think communication is a huge part of our marriage and has made a huge difference in how we’ve made decisions and processed through things.” 2. Forgiveness “Apologize,” Anita said. “Say verbatim, ‘I’m sorry.’ And, the other person should say, ‘I forgive you’ after that. That seems really simple, but there’s been moments in our marriage where it can be one of the most powerful things that we can do for each other.” 3. Support “I think surrounding yourself with other people who are committed to your way of life is a big deal,” Matt said. 4. Friendship “Liking each other,” Anita said. “I legitimately like hanging out with Matt. We’ve gotten into watching ‘Duck Dynasty.’ The older couple on the show, the grandpa, at one point, looks at his wife and says, ‘You’re my best buddy.’ I just feel like that’s something that should be cultivated in your marriage.” 5. Prayer “We should pray together, and individually,” Matt said. “That’s one of the things we check in on all the time in small group: ‘How’s your prayer life?’” Said Anita: “We try to pray daily together, at least ending the day together, even if it’s a simple prayer.”
I just finished reading “The Magic Room,” the 2011 release by bestselling author Jeffrey Zaslow, a Wall Street Journal columnist best known for “The Last Lecture.” It is Zaslow’s latest book and his last; the 53-year-old father of three died in a car accident one month after its publication. “The Magic Room” tells the story of Becker’s Bridal, a long-established bridal shop owned by a Catholic family in small-town Fowler, Mich. Zaslow chronicles the journeys that brought various brides-to-be to that moment: searching for the perfect wedding gown, having found the perfect mate — both quests involving breathless references to “The One.” The book explores the ground between expectation and reality, manifest sharply in the bridal salon itself, where REFERENCE thousands of white gowns untouched by the struggles of POINTS actual marriage are sold by a weary divorced woman. I appreciated how the various plot lines expressed a Christina wedding’s meaning to a whole family, several of whom CAPECCHI had been upended by tragedy. The human-interest stories were peppered with Zaslow’s observations on the state of marriage. One study he relayed particularly fascinated me. It polled 645 couples who reported being unhappily married and then checked in with them five years later. Those who had stayed married ranked their happiness levels higher than those who had separated or divorced. Dramatic turnarounds were possible, the survey proved: Among those who had rated For their marriages as “very unhappy” but had reflection avoided divorce, nearly 80 percent described themselves as happily married five years later. What is one small act There’s something to be said for sticking with you can do today to it. demonstrate your love Pope Francis alluded to this in his recent for your spouse? interview with Jesuit publications, saying, “I often associate sanctity with patience: not only patience as hypomoné [the New Testament Greek word], taking charge of the events and circumstances of life, but also as a constancy in going forward, day by day.” It’s not just in the doing but the enduring, waiting for Sunday to become Monday, praying it through, riding it out. That’s when grace slips in, when something shifts. Pope Francis cited his grandmother, Rosa, as an example of this holy endurance. “She is a saint who has suffered so much, also spiritually, and yet always went forward with courage,” he said. When Rosa emigrated from Italy to Argentina, she carried money in her coat and faith in her heart. She taught her grandson Jorge, the future pontiff, how to pray, telling him stories about the saints. It was the presence of suffering in her life, the pope suggests, that gave way to her sanctity. She stuck it out. The Catholic Church aims to provide married couples with glue for sticking it out, offering counsel, sacraments and retreats. The U.S. bishops launched the National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage in 2004, dedicating new resources to build up marriage. Their work included a radio campaign, a dynamic website and a 60-page pastoral letter. “By the power of the Holy Spirit,” the bishops wrote, “spouses become willing to do the acts and courtesies of love toward each other, regardless of the feelings of the moment. They are formed by the self-giving love of Christ for his Church as his Bride and so they are enabled to perform acts of self-giving love to the benefit of themselves, their families and the whole Church.” What a relief, what a miracle, that the Holy Spirit can render us willing to move beyond “the feelings of the moment” to love like Jesus. When my grandparents were preparing to marry, a monsignor gave them a memorable piece of advice: Instead of going 50/50, go 60. Don’t stop at the half-way point when you’re trying to work something out with your spouse; push yourself a little past it. Take the high road. It has certainly worked for Grandma and Grandpa. This January they will celebrate their 60th anniversary. Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.
e program or CCR, call Ed Gross at w.ccredeemer.org.
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For marriage, Bible is the owner’s manual Like the iPhone, the delicate balance of hardware and the intricacies of the internal code of marriage are all created by God. There is a theology to the human body that opens up a deeper meaning to love and marriage and goes beyond anything the world can offer. Fortunately for us, God entrusted this knowledge to the Church and it has been given to us through apostolic succession. In a real way, the Catholic Church is the Genius Bar for marriage. It is the Catholic Church that will not waiver from the Creator’s purpose for marriage. The Church supports marriage by clearly telling us To understand, what marriage is. Marriage is a covenant, not a A contract involves the exchange of strengthen and celebrate contract. goods; a covenant involves the exchange of your marriage, come to persons. This complete offering of love and commitment to fidelity is a sign of something God’s Genius Bar, the greater, which is God’s love and commitment the Church, his bride. Catholic Church.You will toMarriage in the Church is a sacrament. “The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a back to the owner’s partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature manual, things will work ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this better. Leave Mars and covenant between baptized persons has been by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a Venus behind and realize raised sacrament” (CCC 1601). A sacrament is a gracethat men are from God filled encounter with Christ. Like the other six sacraments, the married couple celebrates and women are from Christ and participates in the life of the Trinity as they faithfully give themselves to each other. God. Married couples “The union of man and woman in marriage is a way of imitating in the flesh the Creator’s who follow God’s generosity and fecundity: ‘Therefore a man teaching on marriage will leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to wife, and they become one flesh’” (CCC experience a love that’s his 2335). The sacrament of marriage is not only a out of this world. covenant raised to the dignity of a sacrament, Jeff Cavins but it is also a demonstration, a stage on which God demonstrates his love for the Church. The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 5:31-32 that the relationship between a husband and wife is a demonstration of the mystical union between Christ, the bridegroom, and his Church, the bride. In fact, backing up and looking at the whole of salvation history, we see that the “plan of sheer goodness” that God reveals is bookended by marriage. “Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of “the wedding-feast of the lamb” (CCC 1602).
Back by popular demand! These talks drew 12,000 attendees in early 2013. If you missed the talks then, or just want to experience them all over again, make plans to attend — and bring a friend or family member with you.
New sites, including University of St. Thomas All talks begin at 7:00 p.m. Talks are free and no registration is required. Overcoming Life’s Challenges Through God’s Grace Presented by Father Andrew Cozzens Monday, October 21 – Holy Name of Jesus, Wayzata Tuesday, October 22 – Epiphany, Coon Rapids Wednesday, October 23 – Woulfe Hall, University of St. Thomas Thursday, October 24 – Pax Christi, Eden Prairie
the way
Keeping God at the Center of My Life Presented by Deacon Joseph Michalak Monday, November 4 – Holy Name of Jesus, Wayzata Tuesday, November 5 – Epiphany, Coon Rapids Wednesday, November 6 – Woulfe Hall, University of St. Thomas Thursday, November 7 – Pax Christi, Eden Prairie
For more information, please visit
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Love of the Trinity Finally, marriage is a participation in the love of the Trinity. “From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore in a Christian marriage the spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by a special sacrament” (CCC 1638). When a man and woman give mutual consent in a valid marriage, it is sealed by God, and their love is caught up into the divine love. Their marriage is a sign to the world of what we are called to, which is a sharing in God’s blessed life in heaven forever. It is the Catholic Church that faithfully proclaims the secret of a fruitful marriage: It takes three. Marriage is the sharing of life between a man and a woman, with God as the glue. If God is left out, that is typically when problems arise and we turn outside of the Church for answers. For marriage, the Bible is the owner’s manual, and that manual has been entrusted to the Catholic Church to be interpreted, taught and celebrated. To understand, strengthen and celebrate your marriage, come to God’s Genius Bar, the Catholic Church. You will find that when you go back to the owner’s manual, things will work better. Leave Mars and Venus behind and realize that men are from God and women are from God. Married couples who follow God’s teaching on marriage will experience a love that’s out of this world. Make your first appointment by reading paragraphs 1601 to 1690 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
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Cavins is founder of the Great Adventure Bible Study Series and director of the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute.
The Catholic Spirit • October 10, 2013
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