The Catholic Spirit - October 22, 2015

Interfaith dialogue after Vatican II 6 • Praying for the dead 15 • Social justice sister 23 October 22, 2015 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Beyond the

beltway

SPECIAL REPORT Exurban schools tout strong test scores and tight-knit communities, but some struggle with marketing and making ends meet —Page 8 Kindergarten teacher Becky McGillivray of St. Dominic School in Northfield walks students, including kindergartners Ben Jerdee, left, and Hailey Berg to their buses at the end of the school day Oct. 19. The school serves families in Northfield and the surrounding rural area. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

MAN-faith: Why parish-based, guys-only groups matter Pages 12-13 Also inside: Q&A with Matthew Christoff, Catholic Man Night co-founder Page 14

ALSO inside

New pregnancy center opens

Synod on family wrapping up

Facing death as a part of life

Abria Pregnancy Resources focuses on honoring clients’ dignity at a University Avenue location in St. Paul.

Following three weeks of working groups on marriage and family, bishops prepare to vote on summary document for Pope Francis.

Retired hospice physician Dr. Wayne Thalhuber says death shouldn’t be feared, and terminal patients should embrace hospice care sooner rather than later.

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PAGE TWO

2 • The Catholic Spirit in PICTURES

October 22, 2015

“I’ve loved St. Maria Goretti since I was a girl. She was kind and caring, and as poor as her family was, she thought of others first.”

Bridget Ney, who teared up when the casket carrying St. Maria Goretti’s relics was carried up the steps of a Chicago church by a police honor guard. The major relics, which are virtually all of the skeletal remains of the saint, known as the “patroness of purity,” are on a U.S. “pilgrimage of mercy” this fall that will go to nearly 20 states.

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

All Saints Day a Sunday; no extra Mass required Typically a holy day of obligation, All Saints Day, Nov. 1, falls on Sunday this year. Catholics are not obligated to attend an additional liturgy to observe the day, which commemorates the saints in heaven and asks for their intercession. Although not a holy day of obligation, many parishes also offer special liturgies Nov. 2 to observe All Souls Day, when the Church especially remembers and prays for the dead.

Spanish listening session Oct. 30, others Nov. 2-4

RIBBON CUTTING Archbishop Bernard Hebda, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, joins students at St. Agnes School in St. Paul Oct. 8 to cut the ribbon for the school’s new activities center. The formal dedication is Nov. 12. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Archbishop Bernard Hebda, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, will host a listening session for Spanish speakers from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 30 at Risen Christ Catholic School in Minneapolis. The final listening sessions will be 7-9 p.m. Nov. 2 at St. Peter in Forest Lake; Nov. 3 at Divine Mercy in Faribault; and Nov. 4 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Archbishop Hebda initiated the sessions to get feedback from Catholics throughout the archdiocese ahead of Pope Francis’ appointment of its next archbishop.

Discernment dinners scheduled for men, women Bishop Andrew Cozzens and the archdiocesan Office of Vocations will host the annual Operation Andrew Dinner for men ages 16-50 who are interested in the priesthood or religious life, and the annual Miryam Dinner for women ages 16-35 who are discerning consecrated life. The event for men is from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 3 at the archbishop’s residence, 230 Summit Ave., St. Paul. The event for women is from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 10, also at the archbishop’s residence. Participants are encouraged to attend with their pastor, a consecrated religious or a youth minister. For more information, contact the Office of Vocations at 651-962-6890 or patty. mcquillan@stthomas.edu, or visit www.10000vocations.org.

MILESTONES

ROSARY PILGRIMAGE Second-grader Jazmine Sombai, center, and kindergartner Lizzy Churchill from St. Jude of the Lake Catholic School in Mahtomedi pray during the Children’s Rosary Pilgrimage Oct. 7 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. Catholic school students and teachers from across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis gathered for the annual event. Praying alongside the girls is second-grade teacher Molly Balshaw. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

100 years — St. Bridget Church in Minneapolis. The story goes that in 1915 the first pastor, Father James Donahoe, carried boards from lumber yards across the Mississippi River for the first church. What’s purposefully called “The Parish Community of St. Bridget” as the result of the 2012 merger of St. Bridget and nearby St. Austin parish, has held centennial year events throughout 2015 and will close its celebration Nov. 21 with a 4:30 p.m. Mass followed by a dinner and dance. Father Anthony Criscitelli, a Third Order Franciscan, is the pastor and the one whom Deacon Rich Heineman credits with pulling parishioners of St. Bridget and St. Austin together. Deacon Heineman, who grew up in St. Bridget, said the inclusive approach of the priest folks call Father Anthony has helped in the process of uniting members of both parishes. To form a deeper sense of community with the people of the northside neighborhood, the parish hosts Bridget‘s Table, a once-a-month free meal for those who live in the area, and the annual “Heart of the Northside Festival.” Read a fuller story, “At 100, it’s a new ‘Parish Community of St. Bridget,’” at www.TheCatholicSpirit.com.

CORRECTIONS WHAT’S NEW on social media Did you know our “German shepherd” has a cat? See pictures of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s feline friend at www.facebook.com/TheCatholicSpirit.

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 20 — No. 20 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher United in Faith, Hope and Love

MARIA C. WIERING, Editor

• An Oct. 8 brief mistakenly reported that St. Catherine University in St. Paul is the nation’s largest baccalaureate college for women. It is the largest Catholic baccalaureate college for women.

• In “With pro-life passion, UST alums join NY religious order” (Oct. 8) the parish Paula Thelen attends was incorrect. Her home parish is St. Peter in North St. Paul.

The Catholic Spirit apologizes for the errors.

Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service.

All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper.

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FROM THE COMMUNITY

October 22, 2015

GUEST COMMENTARY Deb Lane

Catholic hospice care a way to live fully as death approaches Editor’s note: To highlight The Catholic Spirit’s special section on hospice care and funeral planning, and All Souls Day, which the Church will observe Nov. 2, archdiocesan leaders invited a representative of Our Lady of Peace Home to reflect on the role of hospice care.

I

t was Dec. 7, 1941. As the nation turned its eyes to Pearl Harbor and the attack that would spur the U.S. to enter World War II, five Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne were opening an end-of-life nursing facility in St. Paul.

Then called Our Lady of Good Counsel Home, it began as a place for terminal cancer patients who were unable to afford care in other nursing facilities or to continue care at home.

When most people think of hospice care, they think of an inpatient facility or hospital, but it’s broader than that.

Hospice care is a type of care — and philosophy of care — that focuses on the palliation of the pain and symptoms of a chronically ill, terminally ill or seriously

Cuidado de hospicio Católico un medio para vivir plenamente mientras se acerca la muerte

E

ra un 7 de diciembre de 1941.

Mientras que la nación volvía sus ojos a Pearl Harbor y al bombardeo que llevaría a los EE.UU. a unirse a la Segunda Guerra Mundial, cinco Hermanas Dominicas de Hawthorne estaban abriendo un centro de enfermería de cuidados terminales en St. Paul. En ese entonces llamada La Casa de Nuestra Señora del Buen Consejo (Our Lady of Good Counsel Home), que comenzó como un lugar para los pacientes con cáncer terminal que no podían pagar el cuidado en otros centros de atención médica o continuar su cuidado en casa.

Cuando la mayoría de la gente piensa en el cuidado de un hospicio, piensan en un centro médico u hospital, pero es más que eso. El cuidado de hospicio es un tipo de cuidado - y la filosofía de ese cuidado - que se centra en el tratamiento paliativo del dolor y los síntomas de un paciente crónicamente enfermo, enfermo terminal o gravemente enfermo.

También incluye la atención de las necesidades emocionales y espirituales del paciente. Un hospicio puede proporcionar la atención hospitalaria

ill patient. It also includes attending to a patient’s emotional and spiritual needs.

Hospice can provide inpatient care for those in nursing or other facilities, but it can also help those who wish to remain in their own homes. Many people want to stay in a familiar environment and remain as close as possible to loved ones.

With the approach of all All Souls Day, the Church in her wisdom turns our minds to the inevitability of death. While each hospice patient presents his or her own unique concerns, we must keep in mind that more than medical care, hospice is called to deliver God’s love and eternal promise. Hospice is not “giving up” life. Instead, Catholic hospice care encourages life to be lived fully, free from loneliness, pain and despair, while giving an individual the opportunity to complete important life work, such as forgiving and seeking forgiveness, sharing love, and putting closure to tasks and relationships.

Under this broader way of thinking about end-of-life care, the needs of

para aquellos que están en un asilo u otras instalaciones, pero también puede ayudar a aquellos que deseen permanecer en sus propios hogares. Muchas personas quieren permanecer en un ambiente familiar y lo más cerca posible a sus seres queridos.

Con la cercanía del 2 de noviembre, Día de los Muertos, la Iglesia, en su sabiduría, nos hace reflexionar en lo inevitable de la muerte. Si bien cada paciente en un hospicio presenta sus propias preocupaciones, hay que tener en cuenta que, más que la atención médica, un hospicio está llamado a ofrecer el amor de Dios y su promesa eterna. Decir hospicio no es “renunciar” a la vida. Sin lugar a duda, el cuidado en un hospicio Católico alienta a vivir la vida plenamente, libre de la soledad, el dolor y la desesperación, dando al individuo la oportunidad de completar el importante trabajo de su vida, como el perdón y la búsqueda del perdón, compartir el amor, y poner cierre a las tareas y relaciones.

Bajo esta forma más amplia de pensar acerca del cuidado terminal, las necesidades de la familia, amigos y cuidadores también deben ser tomadas en cuenta. Se reconoce que los seres queridos también están en un viaje difícil y pueden beneficiarse de la ayuda, asesoría de un experto y de los servicios que nosotros podemos ofrecer.

El cuidado en un hospicio puede ser proporcionado a los pacientes con una expectativa de vida de seis meses o menos. En lugar de buscar una cura, el cuidado en el hospicio tiene como objetivo hacer del tiempo que le quede de vida lo más cómodo y lo más significativo posible. Esto no solo significa el alivio del dolor y los

family, friends, and caregivers are also taken into account. It recognizes that loved ones are also on a difficult journey and may benefit from support, expert advice and services that we can provide.

Hospice care can be provided to patients with a life expectancy of six months or less. Rather than seeking a cure, hospice care aims to make their remaining time as comfortable and as meaningful as possible. This may mean pain relief and nursing care, but also includes emotional support and help with everyday tasks. In hospice, pain is managed properly, hydration and nutrition are maintained as the patient tolerates, the process of dying is respected, and the patient is allowed to experience natural rather than engineered death.

A multi-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, bereavement counselors and volunteers work together to address the physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs of each patient and family. Our Lady of Peace provides care to patients regardless of the patient’s age or ability to pay.

In Western society, the concept of hospice has been evolving in Europe since the 11th century. For centuries thereafter in Roman Catholic tradition, hospices were places of hospitality for the sick, wounded, or dying, as well as those for travelers and pilgrims.

The modern concept of hospice emerged in the 17th century, and includes palliative care for the incurably ill provided by hospitals and other institutions, but also provided care to

cuidados médicos, sino que también incluye apoyo emocional y ayuda con las tareas diarias. En el hospicio, el dolor del paciente se maneja adecuadamente, la hidratación y la nutrición se mantienen como sean toleradas por el paciente, se respeta el proceso de la muerte, y se permite que el paciente experimente una muerte natural en lugar de una muerte sostenida mecánicamente.

Un equipo multidisciplinario de médicos, enfermeras, auxiliares de cuidados paliativos, trabajadores sociales, consejeros de duelo y voluntarios, trabajan juntos para hacer frente a las necesidades físicas, sociales, emocionales y espirituales de cada paciente y de su familia. Nuestra Señora de la Paz (Our Lady of Peace) brinda atención a los pacientes, independientemente de su edad o capacidad de pago.

El Vaticano deja en claro el derecho a la vida no sólo para los Católicos sino para todas las creencias religiosas, y anima a cada uno a vivir esa vida al máximo como Dios ha determinado sin restricciones artificiales. La enseñanza de nuestro amadísimo Santo Papa Juan Pablo II en relación con la enfermedad y la muerte refleja que nuestro Señor tiene un apasionado interés por los enfermos, por los que sufren y por los moribundos.

Santo Papa Juan Pablo II elevó la voz de la Iglesia, exhortando a aquellos que sufren de enfermedades terminales a que reciban la atención que les corresponde de acuerdo a la Escritura, y que no sean víctimas del abuso en ese momento sagrado de la vida. El enfermo terminal merece la solidaridad y el afecto de aquellos que lo cuidan hasta que ocurra su muerte natural.

The Catholic Spirit • 3 those who choose to spend their last months and days of life in their own homes.

In the 1980s, Medicare authorized formal hospice care and Medicare hospice benefits became part of Medicare Part A. State-run insurances or Medicaid also offer hospice benefits, as do most private insurances.

In 2009, the Dominican sisters turned over operation of Our Lady of Good Counsel Home to Franciscan Health Community. In 2011, the name was changed to Our Lady of Peace Home. We have expanded our mission to provide free end-of-life care to adults with any terminal illness, not just those with cancer.

The Vatican makes clear the right to life not just for Catholics but for all faiths, and encourages each to live that life to the fullest as God has determined without man-made restrictions. The teaching of our most beloved St. Pope John Paul II regarding sickness and death reflects that our Lord has a passionate concern for the sick, the suffering and the dying.

St. Pope John Paul II raised the voice of the Church, urging that those experiencing terminal illness receive the care due to them according to Scripture, and are not preyed upon and offended at a sacred time of life. The terminally ill deserve the solidarity and affection from those providing care until natural death occurs.

Lane is the community liaison of Our Lady of Peace, a Catholic hospice in St. Paul.

OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Reverend Bernard Hebda, has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis: Effective November 1, 2015 • Reverend Robert Altier, appointed parochial vicar of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Goodhue, and the parish cluster of the Church of Saint Michael in Pine Island and the Church of Saint Paul in Zumbrota.

• Reverend Timothy Cloutier, appointed temporary parochial administrator of the Church of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin in Saint Paul. This is in addition to his current appointment as Judicial Vicar for the Metropolitan Tribunal. The previous pastor of the Church of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin, Reverend Kevin Magner, has taken a personal leave of absence.

4 • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

October 22, 2015

SLICEof LIFE

Pumpkin patch work

Lauren Hughes helps her grandmother, Fran Barten, at Barten Pumpkins. The family operation on Hwy. 19 near New Prague started more than 10 years ago when Fran and her late husband, Roman, sold pumpkins from their garden. Fran is now helped by her 11 children and 29 grandchildren on weekends. “We pray for our guests,” Barten said. “There’s a crucifix hanging in the trees where the pumpkins are in my yard. . . . That’s up there to remind us that all this comes from God.” Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Men in Christ. Men of the Church. Men for Others. www.vianney.net • 651.962.6825 • sjv@stthomas.edu

LOCAL

October 22, 2015

Donors give $500,000 for Catholic education at Aim Higher event

in BRIEF ST. PAUL

Archbishop Hebda removes former Maplewood pastor from ministry Father Mark Huberty, a former pastor of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood, was removed from ministry Oct. 20, according to a statement from Archbishop Bernard Hebda, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. In 2013, the priest was arrested and charged with two counts of sexual misconduct with an adult woman. A Ramsey County jury acquitted him of the charges in December 2014.

The archdiocese’s Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment investigated further, and the Ministerial Review Board “found that there was sufficient evidence to suggest [Father] Huberty may have committed a serious offense under canon law,” according to the statement. The board recommended the case “be resolved through a canonical process so that the truth of the matter may be determined and an appropriate penalty, if any, may be imposed.”

During the canonical process, Father Huberty is prohibited from priestly ministry or presenting himself publicly as a priest. “Removing a priest from ministry, even temporarily, is gravely serious to me and to the Church,” Archbishop Hebda said.

“Imposition of these precautionary measures reflects the seriousness of this matter, but should not be viewed as a presumption of guilt. [Father] Huberty is to be accorded the presumption of innocence during this time.”

Catholic Charities breaks ground on new Dorothy Day project Hundreds of business and community leaders including Gov. Mark Dayton and St. Paul Deputy Mayor Kristin Beckmann joined Catholic Charities Chief Executive Officer Tim Marx Oct. 8 to celebrate the groundbreaking of Catholic Charities’ new Dorothy Day Center, Higher Ground St. Paul.

Among the community leaders who overturned dirt with a golden shovel were Archbishop Bernard Hebda, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and Father Charles Lachowitzer, the archdiocese’s moderator of the curia and a member of Catholic Charities board of directors. Father Greg Skrypek, parochial vicar of Assumption, gave an invocation. The project includes two buildings: Higher Ground St. Paul, expected to be completed in 2016, and the Opportunity Center and Housing, which Catholic Charities plans to begin in 2017 with completion in 2018. Funding for the $100 million project involves a private campaign and public sources. More than $23.6 million of the $40 million goal for private funds has been raised, announced Doug Baker, Ecolab chairman and CEO and co-chairman of the new center’s capital campaign. The largest single contribution has been a $5 million gift from the Minneapolis-based Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation. About $25 million of the $60 million goal of public funding has been committed to the project from sources including Ramsey County and the State of Minnesota.

MENDOTA

Students For Life president shares ways to bolster pro-life movement Kristan Hawkins, president of Students For Life of America, told attendees of the St. John Paul II Champions for Life Awards banquet Oct. 8 that the pro-life movement is succeeding, even advancing over pro-abortion and “reproductive rights” rhetoric. Her work with Students For Life of America, now in its ninth year as a full-time ministry, seeks to engage and train high school and college-age students in the prolife movement, and to reach young people before the abortion industry does. Hawkins said there are three main ways people can propel the pro-life movement

The Catholic Spirit • 5

Archbishop Bernard Hebda, third from left, attends Catholic Charities’ Higher Ground St. Paul ceremonial groundbreaking Oct. 8. Digging dirt next to him are, from left, Mary Brainerd, HealthPartners president and CEO and capital campaign cochair; Tim Marx, Catholic Charities CEO, and Chris Tolbert, City of St. Paul council member. Phase I of the new Dorothy Day Center is expected to be completed in 2016. Maria Wiering/ The Catholic Spirit to help ensure that abortion is abolished during their lifetime: Tell your story and listen to others, responding with love and compassion; envision a nation without abortion; and seek social justice. The annual event, this year at the Church of St. Peter in Mendota, honors those who work to advance the pro-life cause and is sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Marriage, Family and Life.

Aim Higher Foundation’s Sept. 26 “Night of Light” celebration has netted $500,000 to date in donations in support of Catholic education, and gifts are still being accepted in an effort to achieve a matching grant, according to Scott Breimhorst, foundation executive director. “We are beyond excited with the results of the event,” Breimhorst noted in a thankyou letter to the nearly 500 attendees. Donations are also nearing the amount to receive a matching grant, Breimhorst added, with online gifts being accepted at www.aimhigherfoundation.org. All new and increased donations are being matched 2-1, so for every $1 contributed, the foundation will receive $3.

The Aim Higher Foundation is dedicated to the support of access and excellence in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, providing the option of Catholic education for families regardless of their ability to pay. Over the past four years, Aim Higher has provided $2.3 million in tuition grant support to students and families in 75 schools.

Local Maronite churches to be stops on tour of St. Sharbel relics Relics of St. Sharbel, a Lebanese hermit to whom miraculous healings have been attributed, will be made available for veneration in Maronite Rite churches in the Twin Cities in November. The relics, contained in a hand-carved wooden reliquary, will be hosted by St. Maron Maronite Rite Catholic Church, 602 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis, both Nov. 4 and Nov. 7. Holy Family Maronite Church, 1960 Lexington Ave. S., Mendota Heights, will host the relics Nov. 5-6.

WOODBURY

Archdiocese employees help pack meals for hungry kids During the four-day Woodbury Feed My Starving Children MobilePack event Oct. 8-11, some 60 employees of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis joined hundreds of volunteers to pack 4,066,200 meals — enough to feed 11,140 children for an entire year. Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Bishop Andrew Cozzens were among the chancery volunteers, and the archbishop blessed the food at the end of the opening-day packing session. The proteinfilled meals of rice, soy, vitamins, minerals and dehydrated vegetables are specially formulated for malnourished children. Feed My Starving Children is a non-profit Christian organization. Meals have fed the hungry in nearly 70 countries around the world to date.

MINNEAPOLIS

Catholic Eldercare breaks ground on transitional care unit A project aimed to address the need for transitional care in the metro area had its groundbreaking and dedication ceremony Oct. 20 at Catholic Eldercare’s main campus in northeast Minneapolis. The 40,000-square foot addition will include a 24-bed rehabilitation wing to provide transitional care for patients after surgery or an illness. “This will be the only TCU in Northeast, and it will draw patients from downtown Minneapolis and the surrounding suburbs as well,” said Dan Johnson, chief executive officer. “They can stay close to home and receive the care they need. Transitional care is important for reducing complications that can result in costly and inconvenient rehospitalizations.” The addition also will include a “better-configured” space for the adult day services program, Catholic Eldercare by Day. During construction, the program will be temporarily located at RiverVillage East, 2919 Randolph St. NE in Minneapolis. The senior housing and services provider expects to open its $9 million transitional care and adult day facility next fall.

DeLaSalle High School lauded for energy efficiency The City of Minneapolis has honored DeLaSalle High School for having one of the most energy efficient buildings in the city. The school earned a 2015 Building Energy Performance Award because it had an ENERGY STAR score of 80 in 2014, which put it as the most energy efficient building among arts, community and education buildings of 100,000 square feet or larger in the city. Mayor Betsy Hodges recognized the school during a City Hall ceremony Oct. 14. Over the past several years, DeLaSalle has increased its energy efficiency by replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent and LED lights, replacing a 1920s-era boiler with a newer model, and implementing occupancy sensors, skylights, a building automation system and kitchen renovations to further reduce waste and energy use. This school year DeLaSalle has expanded its composting program campuswide and moved to single-sort recycling.

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania

Archbishop Hebda addresses canon law convention Archbishop Bernard Hebda was one of the major presenters at the annual convention of the Canon Law Society of America Oct. 12-15 in Pittsburgh. The archbishop, who is apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, spoke about the global impact of the 1983 revision of the Church’s Code of Canon Law as norms responded to the vision of a Church presented by the Second Vatican Council, that the Church is at the same time local and universal. The 1983 Code of Canon Law attempted to balance the desire to maintain a common discipline that would preserve the unity of a global Church with the desire to allow for appropriate local adaptations that would enable the Church to thrive and evangelize in the diversity of cultures and contexts in which the Gospel has taken root, according to information provided by the society.

6 • The Catholic Spirit

LOCAL

New pro-life pregnancy center has message of strength and beauty

By Bridget Ryder For The Catholic Spirit Abria Pregnancy Resources opened its doors Oct. 12 with a message to young women that they are strong enough to face a challenge, even an unexpected pregnancy.

The new pro-life pregnancy center on University Avenue in St. Paul, across the street from a Planned Parenthood facility, is the work of a year of strategic planning that combined the Highland and University LifeCare Centers into one new center with expanded services, a more central location and a stronger philosophy of compassion.

“Our approach is to provide women with a safe, non-judgmental, welcoming place to make a really important decision in their life,” said Nancy Utoft, board president. “The other aspect that’s really important is that we’re not just there with the women at the moment of decision, we want to walk with them up to the first two years after giving birth.”

Abria’s leaders hope to overcome the discouragement and pressure to abort that women in unexpected pregnancies often encounter not only from a child’s father but also from their parents.

“What we’ve found is that women [with an unexpected pregnancy] don’t see themselves as strong and beautiful because they’ve been told ‘you can’t handle it,’” said Sarah Mealey, a board member.

Lisa Schmitz, Abria’s executive director, described its operating philosophy as a “non-directive, valuesbased approach to help them find the answers themselves.”

“The name means strong and beautiful,” Schmitz said of Abria. “We really see our clients that way.

They have the answers in them.”

Abria’s role is to provide the information and practical support to make a choice for life seem possible. Schmitz believes they will be successful because they thoroughly embrace that vision.

“We see [clients] holistically,” Schmitz said. “It’s not just about saving the baby. It’s about building trust and establishing relationships with them. We’re hoping they will come and see us as much as they need or want to.”

Besides ultrasounds and pregnancy and STD testing, Abria’s services include material assistance for baby items, professional counseling, life coaching, medical counseling, assistance navigating additional resources and benefits, and post-abortion counseling. It also has a physician medical director.

Clients earn points for participating in Abria’s personal support services, including classes on financial planning, childbirth and parenting. Clients can spend their points at Abria’s boutique that offers new and gently used baby items displayed like a retail store.

The expanded services, new name, new location, new branding, and media campaigns follow an indepth strategic planning process that received added

Sarah Swafford, a Catholic speaker and author of “Emotional Virtue: A Guide to Drama-Free Relationships,” describes on her website her book for teenagers this way: “If I could grab lunch with you, have a cup of coffee with you, or Sarah write a letter to you, this book is SWAFFORD what I would want you to know.”

The focus of “Emotional Virtue” (Totus Tuus Press, 2014) — the complexity of dating, the right place of passions and emotion, and the freedom found in building habits for excellence

UST symposium: 50 years after Vatican II, interfaith learning, relationship building still a work in progress

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit

A temporary sign marks recently opened Abria Pregnancy Resources on University Avenue in St. Paul Oct. 15.

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit urgency after the University Life Care Center lost its lease last spring when the building’s owner sold it to a developer. But the soul searching went deeper than just figuring out where to reopen.

“We took a step back, looked at the whole environment for medical services and contraception and the environment these women live in as far as social media and access to information,” Utoft said.

Mealey, a marketing and strategic planning consultant and former Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis communications director, conducted extensive research in preparation for Abria’s launch.

That included analysis of the last six years of fundraising and client use of services at the Highland Park and University LifeCare Centers, which merged in 2012, to understand what was and wasn’t working.

For a location, research pointed toward University Avenue as central to the clientele that the centers in Highland Park and Dinkytown had served. Eighty percent of clients come from lower income, predominantly African-American neighborhoods.

Eleven percent of clients are predominantly Caucasian college students, and 9 percent are recent immigrants whose second language is English.

The University location is easily accessible by public transportation and car, closer to more colleges and within five miles of the ZIP codes that, according to Mealey’s research, have the highest abortion rates in the state.

The board also seriously considered its particular role in the pro-life movement. “What business are you in?” is how Mealey posed the question.

“We landed that we’re in the business of earning trust and building relationships,” she said. “The approach needs to be the process and then the outcome will come. You can’t get so focused on the outcome that you forget about the person right in front of you.”

Youth Day speaker to promote ‘emotional virtue’ The Catholic Spirit

October 22, 2015

— will also be the topic of Swafford’s talk at Archdiocesan Youth Day Oct. 24.

Drawing on her experience as a former freshman residence hall director at her alma mater, Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, Swafford describes emotional virtue as “the right ordering of our thoughts, actions, and desires as they relate to our relationships.”

Archdiocesan Youth Day is for high school-age youth, and will be held at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium at the St. Paul RiverCentre, 1:30-9 p.m.

It will include other speakers, music from the TwinCities-based band Sonar and Mass with Bishop Andrew Cozzens. Dan Driver, retreat team coordinator with NET Ministries, will emcee the event.

If Christians and Muslims are ever to understand and respect one another’s religious beliefs, scholars say both learning and “unlearning” are necessary.

That analysis was offered during one of the sessions of a two-day symposium Oct. 12-13 that marked the 50th anniversary of “Nostra Aetate,” the Second Vatican Council’s declaration on interfaith relations.

“Christian Faith in a Multifaith World: Challenges and Opportunities for Our Time” was sponsored by the Jay Phillips Center for Interfaith Learning and held at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

Fifty years after Pope Paul VI promulgated the work of the council fathers that the Church reproved discrimination of others because of their race, color, condition of life, or religion, and implored the Christian faithful to “maintain good fellowship among the nations” and to live in peace with all, those tasks seem more and more difficult, particularly with regard to Christians and Muslims, experts said.

“We live in a world of sound bites that doesn’t allow for complexity and nuance,” said Sandra Keating, a theolgian at Providence College in Rhode Island.

“Religion doesn’t fit into a brief time frame well for Christian-Muslim dialogue,” Keating said. “People only get those little blurbs, and that doesn’t allow you deep and rich understanding of what people face.”

A member of the U.S. Bishops Catholic-Muslim dialogue group who serves as a consultor on the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims, she said that understanding takes human interaction.

“It’s not just reading a book about Christianity or Islam,” Keating said. “It has to be a personal encounter.”

Keating’s counterpart in the session, Muslim scholar Homayra Ziad, said, “It’s a question of ‘unlearning’ what you think you know.”

Ziad said she finds religious literacy “a problem across the board” in her work on the staff of the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore, Maryland.

Students she works with — including seminarians — often are “utterly ignorant of other traditions of Christianity, no less other faith traditions.”

Trend of ‘religious indifference’ One symposium attendee, Conventual Franciscan Father Steven McMichael, an assistant professor of theology at St. Thomas, said he feared the only people involved in interreligious dialogue were in the room with him. Registration for the event was 139.

There has been a return to the preconcilior mindset with regard to interfaith and ecumenical relations, Father McMichael said, with Catholics “entrenched” in their own enclave. He expressed current thought by many as “ ‘the only thing I need to know is my own tradition.’ Ecumenism and interfaith relations are not even on the radar.”

Father McMichael, guardian of St. Joseph Cupertino Friary in Prior Lake, picked up on Keating’s call for the need for personal encounters with people of other faiths and applied it to the local situation.

He said people do not seem interested in understanding the Muslim faith of the Somali immigrants who have found refuge in the Twin Cities area in recent years due to civil strife in their homeland.

“We have no idea who they are,” the priest said. “It’s like the Italians in New York City all being labeled Mafia. We don’t hear about [Muslims] unless it’s about a few joining ISIS.” Father McMichael defined the trend as “religious indifference — religious indifference in the sense that I don’t care about other people, except when they threaten me.”

The Minnesota Catholic Conference and the Jewish Community Relations Council are also commemorating the anniversary of “Nostra Aetate” Dec. 2 with a dinner at The Depot in Minneapolis.

LOCAL

October 22, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 7

Loving family, youth outreach paved missionary’s path to Bolivia Interview by Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit A month after being commissioned as a Salesian Lay Missioner in August, Katie Stolz, 23, left her job as a lab technologist to spend a year at an orphanage in Bolivia.

Before leaving, Stolz, a parishioner of St. Peter in Forest Lake, shared with The Catholic Spirit her motivations for joining a lay mission founded by St. John Bosco, the work she’ll do, and how she expects her Catholic faith will guide her.

Q. What inspired you to become a missionary, particularly with the Salesians?

A. I felt called to serve and give myself wholeheartedly to others. The fact that there are children that might feel unloved or unwanted makes me sad; I had a beautiful childhood, am blessed with a wonderful family and want others to experience that also. The Salesians are a joyful order dedicated to serving youth, so I knew they would be a perfect fit.

Q. In what other ways are you

active in the Church?

A. I helped out with Teens Encounter Christ retreats in college and was also involved in Extreme Faith Camp and Totus Tuus during the 2014 summer.

Totus Tuus helped lead me to the Salesian Lay Missioner program. Even after one week in a parish, I was sorry to leave the kids and parish families.

I also felt God was able to work

“I reflected on my own life and how the small, everyday actions of my parents growing up made me feel loved. Then I thought yes, I can do that, too.”

Katie Stolz

through myself and my Totus Tuus teammates to reach the kids, even though we only knew them for a week.

So, I can only imagine what it will like to be a missionary for a year.

Q. What will you do in Bolivia?

A. I will be a caretaker to the 45 girls

in Hogar Maria Auxiliadora, [a home in Itocta for orphaned, abandoned or abused girls ages 5-18]. A typical day will consist of waking them up in the morning, getting them ready for school, leading them in prayer and doing chores.

We then have a nice two-hour lunch with the [Daughters of the Divine Savior] sisters (they take meals very seriously!) and tutor the girls when they return from school. There is both a computer lab and library that my site partner and I will be in charge of. In addition, we will take the girls to their medical appointments.

Most important, we will let them know they are loved by God and ourselves.

the girls attend, along with other local children. We are outside the main city area of Cochabamba, more in the suburbs.

As Bolivia is the poorest country in South America, I imagine I will see a type of poverty I have never been exposed to.

Life will be much simpler compared to the United States. Every day I will be surrounded with joyous children and sisters, and I am sure I will love it. The Bolivian people also have a rich faith and culture.

What we are doing will not be terribly important, but how we do it will be the most important.

That was one thing I struggled with before accepting [to become a missioner]; I questioned what I would be doing.

What would the visible results be? It did not seem like I would be doing anything that would make a difference, like teaching. Then I reflected on my own life and how the small, everyday actions of my parents growing up made me feel loved. Then I thought yes, I can do that, too.

Q. How does your Catholic faith prepare you for your work?

Q. Describe the environment in which you’ll live and work.

A. Cochabamba is known as the “City of Eternal Spring,” which I was thrilled to discover. I will be living in a building right next to the orphanage and the convent where the Daughters of the Divine Savior stay.

The sisters teach at the school where

A. God calls all of us to be missioners, so one does not need to go to another country to live out this call. Spending time in silence and prayer is vital. In the words of St. John Paul II, “Do not be afraid.” If you feel God is calling you to be a missionary outside of your town and family, do not let your fears hold you back.

A. The only way I will be able to complete my missionary work will be through prayer and reliance on the sacraments, especially Jesus in the Eucharist. Even when I experience sufferings and setbacks, I know I can rely on Jesus and offer up the trials and joys to him.

Q. What advice do you have for others interested in becoming a missioner?

8 • The Catholic Spirit

SPECIAL REPORT

School snapshots: Non-metro schools share strengths, challenges and future hopes

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit

Y

ou won’t find your way to some Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis by looking at the side of the official Minnesota State Highway Map that shows just the metro area.

Some Catholic schools are so far from the downtowns of the Twin Cities they aren’t even within that map’s scope.

The adjective “rural” fits some of them.

Before this year’s harvest, soybeans up to your knees lined one side of Hwy. 13 and on the other, record-yielding corn grew over your head on the way to Most Holy Redeemer School in Montgomery, which enrolls 87 students more than 50 miles southwest of the State Capitol.

West of Minneapolis, a hand-painted sign promoting St. Joseph Catholic School in Waconia sits on the side of County 10 south of town. A farm and cornfield are the backdrop, but that’s misleading.

Waconia might better be described as an exurban Catholic school, one in a oncerural town becoming more suburban as development sprawls west down Hwy. 5.

Others are better described as being in small towns or outer-ring suburbs.

There are currently 79 Catholic elementary schools in the archdiocese. In the past 10 years, decreasing enrollment and financial issues have forced the mergers of some urban and suburban schools, but of the 11 schools that have closed since 2005, five have been in the outskirts of the archdiocese in the towns of Loretto, Cologne, Red Wing, New Trier and Hampton.

To take the temperature of Catholic education in the areas dozens of miles outside the I-494-694 loop as the 2015-16 school year got underway, The Catholic Spirit visited classrooms and interviewed principals, teachers and parents.

Many strengths What came to light were common positive attributes — faculties deeply committed to integrating the Catholic faith into all they teach, for one thing — and challenges, especially marketing and increasing enrollment.

Among the strengths observed at Catholic schools on the geographic edges of the archdiocese: • Robust emphasis on their faith-based foundation. Teachers and administrators know why their Catholic school exists, sacrifice to work there and value the opportunity to serve in a Catholic setting.

• Test scores of Catholic school students at schools in the outlying areas continue to match or exceed the scores of their public school peers.

• Creative principals are trying a variety of strategies to boost enrollment.

• Competitive educational tools and methods are the norm, not the exception.

STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curricula and variations that add religion and the arts are prevalent.

“Our schools are really competing in the STEM area,” noted Gary Wilmer, a veteran Catholic school administrator who is assistant director for governance and human resources for the Office for the Mission of Catholic Education. “As

October 22, 2015 FIRST IN A SEVEN-PART SERIES

Project focus, Latin integration helps Buffalo school stand out

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit

it’s very expensive,” explained Alissa Louwagie, principal of St. Francis Xavier School in Buffalo. At another school, computers were 20 to 25 years old; at still another, the computers that were there just didn’t work. One principal said many grants are aimed at urban schools, and poverty is often overlooked.

• Marketing and enrollment.

Competition from some public school districts is strong, and the cost of tuition can be a deterrent for families. Catholic parish schools typically spend relatively few dollars to market their schools, relying on word of mouth to attract parents of potential students.

The cost of Catholic education is a factor for most families, particularly when public schools are free, and principals at every school The Catholic Spirit visited are aware that many parents sacrifice for their children to have a Catholic education.

Several principals expressed gratitude to the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation for grants that have enabled them to offer scholarships to families in need and to pay for updated technology and other school needs.

Addressing the challenges Catholic schools across the archdiocese face is one of the core focuses of the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence, established this spring.

Gail Dorn, president of CSCOE, said the organization has already begun assisting

It was a busy Wednesday at the Catholic grade school on the outskirts of Buffalo, some 50 miles northwest of Minneapolis on Hwy. 55.

After Mass that started the day at St. Francis Xavier School, all 205 students in kindergartenthrough-eighth-grade made their way outside to the Mary Garden next to the school. That’s where the parish’s pastor, Father Nate Meyers, blessed new Stations of the Cross for student prayer.

Then it was back to class, where project-based learning, Principal Alisa Louwagie explained, “takes a real-life problem or scenario and asks students to problem solve, to find resources for, to answer questions and create a presentation.”

Heidi Griffith’s third-grade class worked on retelling the creation story. Griffith offered what she described as “gentle guidance,” but for this lesson, groups of students teamed up to share what they’d learned, deciding for themselves how to do that.

Two girls and two boys, for example, painted the backdrop for a play they planned to put on.

“It’s fun for them to have a choice in what they’ll do,” Griffith said.

“It’s interesting to see their take on things. It’s hands-on. They almost teach each other.”

Down another hallway, 26 new MacBook Airs were being readied for a technology class. Outside on another side of the building pumpkins and squash that students planted grew in the Seeds of Faith Garden’s raised beds.

The building of an outdoor classroom is underway, and students are learning how to cultivate grapes, thanks to the assistance of nearby Buffalo Rock Winery.

“It helps students connect with nature and understand where their food comes from,” Louwagie explained. Some of the produce has made its way to the school cafeteria for students’ lunches, she said, and the pumpkins and squash were to be used as decorations for Grandparents’ Day. Children in grades K-8 take Latin, a program Louwagie started for several reasons. “That’s the root of our Church,” she said. Children learn prayers such as the Our Father in Latin. “It helps in their English classes, and it really helps them to be thinkers,” Louwagie added.

In a town of nearly 16,000 with many who commute to the Twin Cities for work, calling St. Francis a

Please turn to SNAPSHOTS on page 22

Please turn to BUFFALO on page 22

Catholic schools in the outlying areas of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are a mixed bag of strengths and challenges. TOP Joe Macke and Addison Hynes are hard at work in teacher Jennifer Bolduc’s first and second grade class at Mary, Queen of Peace School in Rogers. LEFT St. Joseph School in Waconia. RIGHT Fourth-grader Maggie Kramer joins a class discussion at St. Michael School in St. Michael. Bob Zyskowski/The Catholic Spirit the price of technology goes down, it’s not cheap, but many of our schools are taking full advantage of foundation grants to upgrade their technology.”

• More and more, schools are upgrading their websites and using social media to push out information. St. Joseph in Waconia, in particular, has a superb video to explain its Catholic STEM program.

Opportunities for growth Challenges include finances. While some schools are on stable footing, others have faced the wolf at the door.

“The main issue here is that people weren’t sure the school was going to remain open,” said Mike Gerard, principal of Mary, Queen of Peace School in Rogers, noting that some parents hesitated to enroll their children.

Other challenges: • Recruiting and retaining good staff.

Salaries for principals and teachers in most public school districts are 25 percent higher than at their school, several Catholic school principals said, and others agreed that was probably true for their area as well.

• Turnover in leadership. One principal was the fifth the school has had in a 10-year span. Another said a big challenge was “the change-over of priests, especially [the assigning of] ones who are not as familiar with the rural setting and not familiar with Catholic schools.”

• Affording technology. “It’s always changing, it always needs updating, and

October 22, 2015

U.S. & WORLD

The Catholic Spirit • 9

Pope calls for ‘synodal’ Church where all listen, learn, share mission

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Marking the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis outlined his vision for a Church that is “synodal” at every level, with everyone listening to one another, learning from one another and taking responsibility for proclaiming the Gospel.

“The journey of synodality is the journey that God wants from his Church in the third millennium,” the pope said at the Vatican Oct. 17. “A synodal Church is a listening Church, aware that listening is more than hearing. It is a reciprocal listening in which each one has something to learn.”

Pope Francis, members of the Synod of Bishops on the family, theologians and other guests dedicated a morning to marking the anniversary of Blessed Paul VI’s institution in 1965 of the synod as a forum for sharing the faith and concerns of the world’s Catholics, reflecting together and offering counsel to the pope.

Referring to the Greek roots of the word “synod,” Pope Francis said, “walking together — laity, pastors, the bishop of Rome — is an easy concept to express in words, but is not so easy to put into practice.”

In fact, before Pope Francis spoke, five cardinals, an archbishop and the patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church spoke about the blessings and challenges of the synod process over the past 50 years. They agreed that while the synod’s methodology has improved over the past five decades, there still is work to do.

“We must continue on this path,” Pope Francis told them. “The world in which we live and which we are called to love and serve, even with its contradictions, requires from the Church the strengthening of synergies in all areas of its mission.”

Using the synod on the family as an example, the pope said it would have

been impossible for the 270 bishops and priests who are voting members of the assembly to speak to real needs and concerns without listening to and trying to learn from Catholic families.

“It was that conviction that led me when I asked that the people of God be consulted” before the synod, the pope said. “How would it have been possible to speak of the family without calling upon families, listening to their joys and their hopes, their pains and their suffering?”

The need for everyone in the Church — from the pope on down — to listen and to learn from others is based on the conviction, clearly explained by the Second Vatican Council, that through baptism and confirmation all members of the Church have been anointed by the Holy Spirit and that the entire Christian community is infallible when its members discern together and speak with one voice on matters of faith and morals, Pope Francis said.

“The ‘sensus fidei’ (sense of faith) makes it impossible to rigidly separate the ‘ecclesia docens’ (teaching Church) and the ‘ecclesia discens’ (learning Church) because even the flock has a ‘nose’ for discerning the new paths that the Lord is opening up to the Church,” the pope said.

‘An upside down pyramid’ But ensuring the synodality of the whole Church will be impossible, he said, if people misunderstand the Church’s hierarchy and see it as a structure in which some people are placed above others.

The Church’s structure, the pope said, “is like an upside down pyramid” with the top on the bottom, which is why the ordained are called “ministers” — they serve the others.

In a diocese, he said, the bishop is the “vicar of that Jesus who, at the Last Supper, knelt to wash the feet of the apostles,” and the pope is called to truly

be “the servant of the servants of God.” For the disciples of Jesus, he said, the only authority is the authority of service; the only power the power of the cross.

The world needs the Catholic Church to witness to that Christian vision of community, participation, solidarity and joint responsibility, he said. In too many countries power is in the hands of just a few people, the dignity of many is denied and authority is abused.

Pope Francis told the gathering that “the pope does not stand alone above the Church,” but he is “within it as a baptized person among the baptized and in the episcopal collage as a bishop among bishops, called at the same time — as the successor of the Apostle Peter — to guide the Church of Rome, which presides in love over all the churches.”

A synodal spirit must be at work in dioceses as well as in the universal Church, Pope Francis said. Priests’ councils, pastoral councils and other consultative bodies in a diocese must “remain connected to the base,” to the grassroots, if they are to help a bishop respond to the real needs and concerns of the Catholic people.

Looking specifically at the Synod of Bishops, the pope said the process for each synod must begin with listening to the faithful. The second stage is to have the pastors listen to each other. The role of bishops at a synod is to “act as authentic custodians, interpreters and witnesses of the faith of the whole Church, attentively distinguishing it from the often changing fluxes of public opinion.”

The third stage is to listen to the pope, the bishop of Rome, called to make pronouncements “not based on his personal convictions, but as the supreme witness of the faith of the entire Church,” he said. The fact that the synod is not a decision-making body and acts only “with and under” the pope, he said, “is not a limitation on its freedom, but a guarantee of unity.”

Synod basics The synod on the family, the second of two meetings of the Synod of Bishops addressing family and evangelization, is in its final stage in Vatican City. The synod fathers are expected to finalize the three-part synod document Oct. 20-25, voting on it paragraph by paragraph Oct. 24. Pope Francis may use it to write an exhortation on the themes.

What: A synod is a gathering of bishops from around the world that counsels the pope on significant questions. Since its establishment after the Second Vatican Council, the synod has convened for 17 ordinary and extraordinary general assemblies. An extraordinary synod on the family was held Oct. 5-19, 2014. The current synod’s theme is “the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world.”

Who: 270 synod fathers, 18 married couples, and delegates from religious orders and Vatican offices participate in conversations on various topics related to the family and create a working document.

Synod fathers vote on the final document.

Among them are eight American Roman Catholic prelates: Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia; Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago; Cardinal Daniel Di Nardo of Galveston-Houston; Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York; Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles; Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky; Bishop George Murry of Youngstown, Ohio; Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington.

Why: Prior to the 2014 extraordinary synod, Pope Francis wrote a letter to all families, asking for prayers that the synod reaches its goal of “adopt[ing] the necessary pastoral means to help families face their present challenges with the light and strength that comes from the Gospel.”

—The Catholic Spirit

Synod observers call for empathy, support for struggling families

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service Couples attending the Synod of Bishops called for empathy and support from the Church to families suffering difficult circumstances.

Several lay couples and a missionary sister addressed the synod Oct. 15-16, highlighting various issues facing families in their countries and abroad.

Anthony and Catherine Witczak, the international ecclesial team of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter, stressed the need for better programs for engaged and married couples in the Church. They also said couples should not be separated when taking part in parish ministry, “but rather let their sacrament shine by allowing them to work as a team.”

Anthony Witczak also called for a priestly formation that is geared to living a closer relationship with families in their parishes.

“If a Church is meant to be a family of families, then we should encourage our seminarians to be priests in love with their people, not merely priests in charge of a parish,” he said. “Our faith is based on relationship with God, but it is

learned and lived out in relationship with others.”

The president of Parents Centres New Zealand, Sharron Cole, said that while the Church’s teaching on conjugal love and responsible parenthood in “Humanae Vitae” has “great beauty and depth,” couples who struggle with either low-income, mental health problems or other difficulties find it hard to abide by those tenets.

“Many laypeople believe the Church does not understand the realities of their lives. Laypeople are not trusted to make good decisions in conscience, and they often feel subjected to exacting rules which take no account of context or of stages of spiritual development,” she said.

Cole called on the Church to listen “with deep empathy” to laypeople and to “re-examine its teaching on marriage and sexuality, and its understanding of responsible parenthood, in a dialogue of laity and bishops together.”

Moira McQueen, director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute, noted that elderly people are seldom mentioned in the synod’s working

U.S. couple Anthony Paul and Catherine Wally Witczak arrive for a session of the Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican Oct. 12.

CNS/Paul Haring document. “This perhaps reflects what the elderly report: They are not seen as important; society tends to ignore them; they do not seem to matter,” she said.

McQueen said that while the elderly deserve proper medical care, they also deserve spiritual programs that help them in the final states of life.

Dr. Anca-Maria Cernea, a Romanian and president of the Catholic Doctors Association of Bucharest, warned of a

“cultural Marxism” that imposes gay rights, gender ideology and attempts to redefine family, sexual identity and human nature.

“This ideology calls itself progressive.

But it is nothing else than the ancient serpent’s offer, for man to take control, to replace God, to arrange salvation here in this world,” she said.

The Church, she added, is called to protect the faithful from these dangers through evangelization and conversion.

“The Church’s mission is to save souls.

Evil, in this world, comes from sin,” she said, “not from income disparity or climate change.”

Sister Carmen Sammut, a member of the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa and president of the International Union of Superiors General, urged the Synod of Bishops to allow for more collaboration between the laity and the hierarchy.

“If the image of Church is the people of God, then we, the laity, would be expected to bring our knowledge to the discernment processes of the Church, in view of decision-making, always in union with the pope and our bishops,” she said.

U.S. & WORLD

10 • The Catholic Spirit VATICAN CITY

Vatican inaugurates new homeless shelter for men The Vatican opened the “Gift of Mercy,” a shelter for homeless men Oct. 7, just a few hundred yards away from St. Peter’s Square. Housed in a Jesuit-owned building, the shelter was created by and is run with funds from the papal almoner, who has taken a variety of initiatives to assist the homeless people in the area surrounding the Vatican. The shelter is run by the Missionaries of Charity, who briefly interview the guests before they are checked in. Because of limited space, the guests may stay for a maximum of 30 days.

St. Therese’s parents among saints canonized Pope Francis called on people to replace their thirst for power with the joy of quiet and humble service, as he proclaimed four new saints, including the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux, Louis Martin (1823-1894) and Marie Zelie Guerin Martin (1831-1877). The pope spoke at ceremonies Oct. 18 in St. Peter’s Square during the Synod of Bishops on the family. The pope said the new saints — a Spanish religious woman, an Italian priest and the first

married couple with children to be canonized together — “unfailingly served their brothers and sisters with outstanding humility and charity in imitation of the divine master.”

Pope Francis to visit Africa in late November The Vatican confirmed Pope Francis will travel to Africa Nov. 25-30, visiting Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic. Despite continued instability and outbreaks of violence in the Central African Republic, the pope will spend about 33 hours there Nov. 29-30.

He plans to visit a refugee camp, hold a meeting with evangelical Christians and visit a mosque in Bangui, the capital. The country has known little peace or development in its 55 years of independence.

October 22, 2015

completely debunk” a series of 11 videos released in recent weeks by the Center for Medical Progress showing physicians and others associated with Planned Parenthood describing the harvesting of fetal tissue and body parts during abortions at their clinics. Also discussed in the videos, which were filmed undercover, are what researchers are charged for the tissue and parts. The revelation has prompted investigations by state and federal officials into Planned Parenthood’s activities across the country and has led to calls to end state and federal funding for the organization. Planned Parenthood receives more than $500 million of its $1.3 billion annual budget from federal and state programs.

UNITED NATIONS

Extreme poverty down, but much work remains, says NEW YORK Planned Parenthood says it Vatican U.N. nuncio will no longer take Despite the good news that the percentage of people living in extreme payment for fetal tissue poverty is set to go below 10 percent for The president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America said Oct. 13 that the organization’s clinics will no longer accept reimbursement for fetal tissue procured in abortions and provided to researchers. Cecile Richards said the decision was made “to

the first time since such data has been collected, much work remains if the United Nations’ goal to wipe it out entirely by 2030 is to be met, according to Filipino Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the U.N. “The number of people still living

in extreme poverty continues to be unacceptably high. The more than 700 million extremely poor remind us of the magnitude of the challenge still ahead,” Archbishop Auza said in remarks delivered Oct. 13 at a U.N. committee session on poverty eradication and development issues.

According to World Bank figures issued Oct. 4, 2.2 billion people worldwide live on less than the equivalent of $2 a day.

“That is only a slight decline from 2.59 billion in 1981. It indicates that poverty resistance is stronger, as we progress higher in the economic ladder,” Archbishop Auza said.

KOLKATA, India

Mother Teresa’s order no longer offering adoptions in India The Missionaries of Charity will voluntarily close their adoption centers in India, citing new government regulations that would allow nontraditional families to adopt children.

Founded by Blessed Teresa of Kolkata, the congregation runs orphanages across India, with 18 of them being government-recognized centers that offer children for adoption. Under the new regulations, unmarried adults in samesex relationships, couples living together, and those divorced or separated could adopt children.

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The Catholic Spirit • 11

Greece’s Caritas aids refugees with food, clothing, human warmth

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Weary faces, fussy babies, little boys teasing little girls to the point of tears and repeated uses of the Arabic word, “inshallah” (God willing) reflect the uncertainty faced by refugees trying to reach northern Europe.

Thousands of people fleeing Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan pass through the makeshift transit center daily at Idomeni, a Greek village — population 120 — on the border with Macedonia.

The crossings began as a trickle in the summer and by late October were occasionally reaching 10,000 refugees passing through in a single 24-hour period.

“Uncertainty is the name of the game,” said Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Philippines, president of Caritas Internationalis.

The cardinal visited the camp Oct. 19 with members of Greece’s Caritas Hellas and helped them hand out bags of food to refugees arriving on buses from Athens, 380 miles to the south. With a bit of rest, some food, water and a toilet break, the refugees continue their journey north, most hoping to join family already in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden or Norway.

Long, expensive journey Amin and Sambra are a young Sudanese couple who were living and working in Syria when the war broke out; they were given refuge in Turkey, but not a work permit, so Amin could not provide for his growing family. He said he paid 2,500 euros ($2,850) for the whole family to get on a rubber boat to Greece. Sambra gave birth to their fourth child Oct. 13 on the island of Samos. Then they headed for Athens and on to Idomeni.

Those standing in line near the border — marked with rolls of barbed wire — outside the Idomeni camp share key parts of Amin’s story. Fleeing Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan, they traveled to Turkey. From there, they paid smugglers more than 1,000 euros each for a place in an overcrowded rubber boat bound for one of the Greek islands. Once in Greece, they paid to ride a ferry to Athens, and then they paid 80 euros for the bus ride to Idomeni. They will walk half a mile to cross the border, then pay 25 euros for a train ticket to Belgrade, Serbia, four hours away.

LEFT Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila gives a food bag to a refugee family as they arrive at a transit camp in Idomeni, Greece, on the border of Macedonia Oct. 19. RIGHT Refugees carry their belongings from a transit camp in Idomeni, Greece, to a train station to go to Belgrade, Serbia. Thousands of refugees are arriving into Greece from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries and then traveling farther into Europe. CNS Luca Guanziroli, a staffer of the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, said the train ticket cost only 5 euros in the summer, but the Macedonian government has raised the price due to the increased demand.

Just outside the Idomeni transit camp, some enterprising Greeks have parked food trucks. It seems, however, that their most popular offering is a connection to their generators; they will recharge cell phone batteries with the purchase of a beverage or sandwich.

The UNHCR still is trying to secure electricity to the camp for more than its current two or three hours a day.

‘Everything on their backs’ Patrick Nicholson, communications director for Caritas Internationalis, said the Syrian refugee crisis is unusual for the network of national Catholic charities because it involves “working with people for very short periods of time over such a long route. We have people helping them all the way from Turkey to Germany.”

Guanziroli said the refugees are at the Idomeni center for anywhere from 30 minutes to 10 hours, depending on how many trains Macedonia runs and how many refugees are arriving that day.

With only one paid staff member and dozens of volunteers, the Thessaloniki section of Caritas Hellas is providing what the refugees say they need in Idomeni.

“Basically,” Nicholson said, “they say they want a snack and things that they can carry. They have everything they own on their backs and many are carrying children as well.”

Cardinal Tagle, who visited with the refugees after handing out the food bags, said that although the refugees are assured at each stage that they are safe now, the uncertainty continues. They don’t know when the trains will arrive, which borders will be open to them and how they will be treated by police and border control agents.

“What crosses my mind is can the nations not make it easier?” the cardinal said. “Can we not work together and say these are human beings? They already have escaped horrible, horrible experiences.”

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12 • The Catholic Spirit

MAN-issues MAN-talk MAN-faith Across the archdiocese and the U.S., men are breaking from the ‘strong, silent’ mold to be men of prayer, willing to talk with one another about their spirituality, and outwardly practicing their Catholic faith

By Bob Zyskowski The Catholic Spirit Jeremy Gibbs, a 37-year-old construction manager, needed something more in his faith life than what he had been finding at the parishes he and his family had belonged to in the past.

Activities for men at those parishes tended to be limited to ushering or cooking for the pancake breakfast, and all the ushers and workers were in their 70s. Gibbs sought something that involved men of a variety of ages.

Now a parishioner of Divine Mercy in Faribault, Gibbs tried going to a Bible study group, but that really wasn’t what he was looking for.

“I needed something bigger,” he said.

Although he researched several spiritual programs aimed at men, he didn’t find one that fit what he had in mind.

Divine Mercy’s staff was on the same page and this summer helped to launch a new initiative: Men of Mercy.

“Our wish or desire was to have something for all men to come to any time and not feel like they missed the first three meetings,” Gibbs said.

He hoped to attract men of various ages who would feel comfortable dropping in whenever they could. They meet monthly at the Knights of Columbus Hall, a place where guys are used to going, Gibbs said.

“We’ll have brats and beans — simple man food — and we’ve been having priests or deacons as guest speakers talk about a man issue,” said Gibbs, a father of five.

Fatherhood and being a good husband are examples of “man issues,” Gibbs said, then corrected himself, adding that the evenings include “Christian issues in a man-delivery.”

“It’s masculine spirituality,” he explained.

Men of Mercy hopes to attract whom Gibbs described as the “ordinary guy” — someone who might not be interested in Bible study, a guy who maybe wants to hear something that will help him with whatever he’s dealing with in life. He might be the guy who wants to sit on the fringe of the group and not feel like he has to say anything, and everybody is OK with that.

The first few Men of Mercy evenings have drawn 35 to 40 men. “We’re getting new people and repeats, so that’s good,” Gibbs said. “We’ll just keep the doors open, and hopefully the word of mouth is good.”

The monthly gatherings last about two hours, and some have included question-and-answer time, but that’s not really programmed into the night, Gibbs said.

“We don’t even tell the speakers what topics to address,” Gibbs said. “We just ask them to speak on what’s on their heart.”

Nationwide interest Drawing men closer to Jesus Christ and to the Catholic Church is an effort that’s been recently garnering more and more attention in the U.S. Earlier this month in Arizona, Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted called for Catholic men to get off the sidelines and reclaim and live the virtue of Christian masculinity.

In a pastoral letter addressed to men titled “Into the Breach,” the bishop cited statistics about their decreasing involvement in parish life and participation in the sacraments.

Among the things he stressed was the importance of men finding a “band of brothers” to join in Christian fraternity.

That’s the aim of Men of Mercy, as well as several other groups in parishes across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

One of those homegrown programs, Catholic Man Night, is making national headway.

It started in 2009 when a group of 25 men discussed why so many men were not active in their Catholic faith. Its program of eucharistic adoration, prayer, a brief talk, an opportunity for confession and conversation calls men to move from being a “casual Catholic” to a “committed Catholic,” as explained on its website, www.catholicmannight.com.

(See the Q&A with Matthew Christoff, one of the co-founders of the movement, on page 14.)

The movement continues to spread to parishes throughout the archdiocese with several parishes now hosting Catholic Man Night events. Father Bill Baer gave the talk at a Catholic Man Night earlier this month at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul.

The pastor of Transfiguration in Oakdale, Father Baer challenged the 35-40 men attending to sacrifice five minutes a day to pray.

“As men, don’t be ashamed to say, ‘I love those five minutes, but I will give them over for Jesus Christ, because I love Jesus Christ,’” he said.

He called men to go to confession “to receive mercy and pardon” and go to Mass “and tell your children to go to Mass.”

“Tell them, ‘I go because I’m a man, a

5 Catholic man, and I’m going to give honor to God and in gratitude for all he’s done for me, whether I want to or not,’ ” Father Baer said.

Mike Pickett, a Nativity parishioner who works in marketing, called Catholic Man Night “pretty cool.”

He appreciated Father Baer’s message that “there is still a lot of opportunity to influence young men through our families and parishes.”

He added that the non-stop discussion in the final portion of the program showed men are concerned about the faith of men in today’s culture.

“There was no hesitation,” Pickett said. “They had to wait their turn to talk.”

Bill Dombrow, 55, who works in the corporate travel industry and was one of the organizers of Nativity’s program, found the first half of the

evening with adoration, as valuable as the second opened up to talk about He said he’s fond of co it offers, and the energy from the conversation at program “filled a spiritua “For all of us, deep dow share our faith, to talk ab life,” Dombrow said.

Catholic Man Night, h allows you, gives you pe

‘Uniquely for men’

At St. John the Baptist have been taking part in sessions of “That Man is program of videos and q

the talk and confession d half, when men their faith. onfession and the graces and enthusiasm he felt t Nativity showed the al void.” wn, there’s a need to bout the deep things in

he said, “is an event that ermission, to do that.”

t in Savage, 25-30 men n the most recent You!,” a packaged questions to be discussed

October 22, 2015 • 13

“I realized we need a ministry just for men.

As guys, we don’t share our faith.

We don’t talk 2

about what’s in our hearts.”

George Heim Heim said. “I realized we need a ministry just for men. As guys, we don’t share our faith. We don’t talk about what’s in our hearts.

“I wanted to create an atmosphere where they could not be judged or laughed at if they did that,” he said.

When Father Tix learned about That Man is You!, Heim said he immediately liked it for two reasons: “One, it was devoted to men, and two, it was Catholic oriented.”

1

3 1. Clockwise from top left: Rich Preston of St. Joseph in West St. Paul,

engages in small group discussion at a Regular Joes meeting at St. Joseph Oct. 13. The group, which includes parishioners, non-parishioners and non-Catholics, meets every Tuesday morning for prayer, spiritual content, discussion and fellowship. Photos by Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

2. Jeff Lentsch of St. Joseph leads small group discussion.

3. David Leung, a parishioner of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Winona, attends Regular Joes weekly. He and his fiancée, Michelle Pothen, plan to marry at St. Joseph Nov. 21.

4. Prayer is a focus of the Tuesday morning gathering.

5. From left, Hugh O’Kane of St. Joseph and Mark Josephs talk at the end 4

of the event. Josephs is a non-Catholic and regular attendee.

in small groups. St. Joseph in West St. Paul also offers the series as part of its men’s group, Regular Joes.

St. John’s pastor, Father Mike Tix, learned of the program from a couple whose wedding he officiated at a few years ago. The new husband, Brett Mieras, gave him some materials about it.

“He shared with me how it had been life changing for him,” Father Tix said. “He experienced the program in Nebraska, and had strong words of support for it about how it had led him to RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults), and what it meant to grow as a man of faith.

“It really was Brett’s experience that made me stop to think about this program as something uniquely for men in our parish,” Father Tix added.

He said he was impressed that That Man is You! not only offered support to live as a man of faith but also challenged men to grow in a love that is shared with wife and family.

“I think that we need more men to put faith into action in their lives, and that’s really why we started this program, with the hope that it might be a help to other men to live their faith and be good role models both at home and work,” Father Tix said.

That Man is You! seemed like the right fit when George Heim, a 52-year-old “computer guy,” gathered “six to eight guys” to start a men’s ministry at St. John. The need came to him years before, he recalled, when he took a class to become a certified Christian life counselor.

“I was the only guy in a class full of women,”

The first year concentrated on leadership — “not only in life but more specifically in family, in church, and ultimately in our nation,” Heim said. “It really opened my eyes.”

He appreciates that the video topics address real-world issues.

“Last night’s lesson was that we do things we know are wrong but we do them anyway,” Heim said. “A lot of people were on the edge of their chairs.”

Following the video, small group discussions tend to be “not so much debate, but where people open up,” Heim said. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback.”

Men as spiritual leaders Three years ago, Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood also started a guy-only event, Men’s Night Out. A core group of men have kept it going, including parishioners Rick Bidwell, a private building and remodeling contractor, and Mike Braun, who works in design engineering.

“The intent is to evangelize to the men in our parish,” Braun explained, “to strengthen the faith of the men in our parish, and to get men passionately involved in the Church again.”

The Men’s Night Out always includes confession and adoration in the church, and talks on spiritual growth by priests and lay people.

“We have also provided personal testimonies from men in our own parish,” Braun added.

Braun was among several men The Catholic Spirit interviewed who made reference to “what seems to be a feminization of religion,” as he put it.

“We are trying to bring men back to God, back as spiritual leaders,” Braun said. “We are trying to get men to realize that it is OK to pray.”

ANALYSIS

14 • The Catholic Spirit Interview by Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Matthew Christoff, 57, is a member of St. Anne in Hamel and co-founder of Catholic Man Night, a parish-based Catholic men’s evangelization effort focused on helping men meet and know Jesus Christ. He has studied extensively what he calls the “man crisis” in the Church, and launched The New Emangelization Project. A convert to the Catholic faith, he is married with four children.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Local Catholic addresses ‘man crisis’ in the Church

A. There’s a serious Catholic man crisis. Large numbers of Catholic men don’t know the faith and don’t practice the faith. And, one third of those men who were baptized Catholics have left the faith. So, we have a catechetical and evangelical crisis on our hands concerning men.

Q. Why are so many men casual or lukewarm in their faith, or not engaged at all?

Q. When you talk about engaging

And the bishops need to be actively leading these things, supported by a strong group of priests that has a heart for evangelization of men and the laymen who are attempting to evangelize men from a grassroots standpoint.

Q. Where does Catholic Man Night fit in?

Q. What has been happening with men and their Catholic faith in the last decade or two?

A. There’s a complex set of forces that are both outside the Church and within the Church. Outside the Church we see a general emasculation of men.

In addition to that, we see lots of distractions in the culture, largely through technology, but also with a set of decaying cultural norms regarding what manhood is.

So, men are turning to all kinds of things. For example, porn is an absolute epidemic among Christian and Catholic men. And, these things are all leading them away from the Church.

Inside the Church are a variety of things. At the core, the Church has not aggressively and consistently evangelized men. This is one of the reasons why men are leaving the Church. There’s really not anything that’s calling them directly. The Church is also not being clear about what it means to be a Catholic man. Men don’t know what it means to be a man, and men don’t know what it means to be Catholic. And so, there’s been a loss of the identity of Catholic manhood.

The fact is, men’s souls are in deep jeopardy, given the fact that they’re walking away from the faith, and those who remain in the faith are living, in many instances, in a pretty dismal state of sin. We know that 60 to 70 percent of Catholic men are looking at pornography on a monthly basis, on average. The number is much higher for younger men.

You combine that with the fact that only about one in 50 [Catholic] men are going to confession on a monthly basis. What that says is we have epidemic levels of sin and very low levels of confession.

We are losing many more young Catholics than we’re creating in this country, and that’s because the men are disengaged. So, if we care about the future of the Church and if we care about the faith life of our children, men have to be engaged, and they’re not right now.

October 22, 2015

Matthew Christoff, a co-leader of Catholic Man Night, speaks to a group of 40 men at Nativity of Our Lord church in St. Paul Oct. 1. Jim Bovin/For The Catholic Spirit.

“Catholic Man Night is about helping men draw closer and know, love and follow Jesus.”

Matthew Christoff

men in their faith, you use the phrase “emangelize.” What does that mean?

A. “New emangelization” is a play on words. It might be a little corny, but the point is this: We’ve been talking a lot about the new evangelization, and we’ve been doing it for 40 years now.

What we’re finding is that all the numbers are going the wrong way.

Since 2000, we’ve had dramatic drops in kids in Catholic schools, baptisms, adult conversion and confirmation, and sacramental marriages.

The numbers are disastrous. And, this is in the height of this new evangelization. Clearly, there is something wrong with what we’re doing in the United States, and I think broadly in the Western world, in terms of how we’re thinking about the new evangelization.

And the core insight is: If you’re really serious about the new evangelization, you’ve got to have a “new emangelization” because we’re not reaching the men. And, if we don’t get the men, there’s not going to be a new evangelization. There’s going to be more of the same. So, the idea is: Look, we’ve got to evangelize men.

Q.

How do you do that?

A. It’s not that we need to change anything, it’s that we need to start teaching it, and we need to be aggressive and systematic about going after specific groups like men.

As we’re thinking about the next decade, we need an encyclical on men.

We need men to understand what the Church calls them to be, especially in light of a very confused and distorted modern culture. Men need that clarity.

It needs to happen in each diocese.

The second thing is, we need to have within each archdiocese and diocese a comprehensive and simple strategy to begin to engage and evangelize men.

In the past decade, we’re starting to see more men’s conferences. This is a welcome sign, but totally insufficient.

The truth is, these conferences, although they build awareness about the need for men to get engaged in their faith, are usually one-time events.

They reach maybe half to one percent of an archdiocese. We need to have things that are happening on a routine basis to draw men into the faith and be drawn into fellowship and brotherhood. [See “Man-issues” on pages 12-13.]

A. Catholic Man Night has been done in 20, 25 parishes in the last five years within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. It has drawn thousands of men to eucharistic adoration and confession in parishes.

Catholic Man Night was started under the guidance of Bishop Lee Piché [a former auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis] with a group of priests and a group of men five years ago.

It started as trying to respond to this crisis of men. We thought that there was a crisis and Bishop [Piché] emphasized and re-emphasized that he thought there was one, too. And, he said, at the core of it, you’ve got to bring men to Jesus, and so that’s how Catholic Man Night started.

Catholic Man Night is about helping men draw closer and know, love and follow Jesus. It starts with an hour of adoration. A priest, deacon or bishop gives a short, 10-minute talk on that night’s topic of Jesus. Men go to eucharistic [adoration] or confession.

We typically have three, four or five priests hearing confessions.

At least 60 percent of the men at Catholic Man Night go to confession.

So, this is a powerful evangelization initiative because of that. There just aren’t that many opportunities for men to go to confession.

After eucharistic adoration for an hour, you go downstairs and you start the fellowship or brotherhood part — “fraternity” is probably the best word. The last 45 minutes is spent on an open-floor discussion about that night’s topic.

A lot of men who come to this are not secure in their faith. They may be ashamed for some of their behavior.

They may feel alienated from the Church because of things that they’ve done or something that has happened to them as a result of the Church.

And, they don’t want to talk. They don’t want to get personal. That’s not what men like to do when they first meet each other. So, we do it in an open-floor discussion. We focus on the topic. There’s never, ever a problem with getting a group of men to talk in that way, that open-floor discussion.

Q. What kind of response have these events been getting from men?

A. We’ve done about 80 of these events in the archdiocese, and they’re being done in other places around the country. The response is always the same: Good numbers of men show up, large numbers of men feel that bond of brotherhood, large numbers of men go to confession.

There’s no other thing happening in our archdiocese where you see more men going to confession than at these Catholic Man Nights. So, the response has been very good.

FAITH & CULTURE

October 22, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 15

Praying for the dead: Love and charity sustain ancient tradition

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit Erin Flood was only 8 years old when her uncle died in a car accident. But because her extended family has gathered for Mass on the anniversary of his death for the past 17 years, she has come to better understand the importance of praying for the dead.

Flood, 26, and a parishioner of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, said that as a child, she viewed the annual “Uncle Dan’s Mass” on Jan. 31 as a remembrance. She recalls her mom explaining how people can’t assume that they know the state of someone’s soul when they die, and because the deceased’s soul might be in purgatory and can’t receive Communion, loved ones do that for them.

“I think when you get older and you come to understand charity and doing things for others rather than yourself, it’s definitely a gesture of that in terms of praying for others, suffering for others, offering something for others,” Flood said. By praying for the dead, she added, her experience of receiving the Eucharist is enhanced. “I’ve come to realize how much that truly unites us. We’re still one family in faith.”

Ancient tradition As the Church prepares to commemorate All Souls Day Nov. 2, many Catholics feel compelled to join in the ancient tradition of praying for the dead — whether through the rosary, private prayer or at Mass.

Father John Gallas, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul in Loretto and St. Thomas the Apostle in Corcoran, said it’s common for people to believe that when people die, most go straight to heaven. But “people are obviously in different places when they leave this world,” so Catholics pray for all the dead at every Mass, he said.

“And this includes people like Pope John Paul II. After his death, many people presumed he was already a saint. Nevertheless, we said a Mass for him,” he said.

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Gallas said, adding that at his parishes, about 50 percent of all Masses are offered for the dead. “As the love in the heart of the Church increases, people become more aware of the suffering of the souls in purgatory.”

That’s one reason why Father Gallas believes it’s important for Catholics to visit cemeteries. “There are so many souls in purgatory, and they might not have any living relatives or anyone to pray for them,” he said.

Understanding purgatory Bigstock “Never presume a person is in heaven, unless [that person is] a baptized infant,” he continued. “We have no assurance for the unbaptized, but we can pray for them. And we can pray for the notorious. At their last moment, they might have turned to God.” Father Gallas highlighted that praying for the dead is a spiritual work of mercy, “especially if we want to be active in social justice. The social sphere is not limited to the physical world,” he said.

Praying for the dead is older than the Church; the Catechism of the Catholic Church points to Maccabeus, the Old Testament figure described as having “made atonement for the dead” in 2 Maccabees.

“From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God,” the Catechism states. “The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead.”

Praying for the dead isn’t limited to having Masses offered for them. People often pray for the dead at meals, when saying the rosary or by lighting a candle at church, Father Gallas explained.

But, “We can alleviate the sin of the souls in purgatory by having Masses said for them,” Father

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Father Gallas explained that Catholics who are well catechized are more likely to pray for the dead because they understand purgatory.

“We cannot enter heaven unless we are perfect,” Father Gallas said. “Christ told us we must be perfect. If we die in a state of sanctifying grace, mortal sins have been absolved sacramentally; [but] venial sins, these have to be addressed.”

The Church calls this period of purification “purgatory,” and teaches that the prayers and actions of living Christians can help those in the state of purgatory obtain heaven.

Essentially, Father Gallas said, the first vocation of every Christian upon baptism is to love.

“We love God, and we love our neighbor with God’s love,” he said. “And when you love with God’s love, you have to be near to those who are suffering. Since we are able to assist these souls [through prayer], we do it out of love.”

Flood said she often prays for others’ souls, too.

Another unexpected tragedy reiterated the practice’s importance. When she was 21, as she was driving, she witnessed someone jump off a bridge. She stopped and reported the suicide to police. She continues to pray for the man.

“Those prayers are always so powerful,” she said.

“That really helped me process that type of experience and the importance of praying for souls.”

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16 • The Catholic Spirit

HOSPICE & FUNERAL PLANNING

October 22, 2015

Hospice nurse puts faith at the forefront of comforting patients

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit Tom Cassidy says he has his mother to thank for his 27-year career with Our Lady of Peace in St. Paul.

Despite being on the accounting track for the two years he studied at then-College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, it was caring for his mother in her St. Anthony home while she was dying from cancer that led him to his long tenure of caring for people like her.

“I would try these different jobs, and nothing seemed to click,” recalled Cassidy, a parishioner of St. Joseph in Lino Lakes. “I think my mom had a hand in this somehow — helping people who Tom are dying.”

Cassidy, 56, started as a nursing CASSIDY assistant at Our Lady of Peace in 1988, four years after his mom died from ovarian cancer and when the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne still operated the facility that provides home hospice, home health care and free end-of-life care for children and adults. Although his starting wage was $4.50, he said initially, the sisters made the job worthwhile.

“Just getting to know the Dominican sisters, I kind of knew right then and there that this is where I wanted to be,” he said. “They had that sense of peace.

I have the best of both worlds here. I’m working my faith and my job — they’re both connected.”

Now a registered nurse, Cassidy sees hospice patients with a variety of terminal illnesses at Our Lady of Peace Home, a 21-bed nursing home that is in the process of being certified as a hospice residence.

“People come in here knowing they’re going to die,

Our Lady of Peace in St. Paul offers care for patients suffering from terminal illnesses. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit and they’re going to die here,” Cassidy said. “But I just do my best to try to comfort them spiritually, emotionally and physically so that they can have a peaceful death.”

By definition, a hospice patient is given a prognosis of six months or less to live. An average stay for a patient is two weeks. Cassidy said most people want to stay home as long as possible and come to the facility when the family can no longer care for them.

Cassidy, a husband and father of four, saw his mother suffer through the pain of her cancer.

“There was one night — her last night at home — [when] we were able to give her a Vicodin every four hours as needed, but I didn’t want her to wake up, because every time she woke up she was in so much

pain,” Cassidy said. “But being able to comfort her, just holding her hand and being next to her was important.”

All staff members at Our Lady of Peace try to add dignity to the end of each patient’s life, Cassidy said.

Sometimes that’s through a soak in the Whirlpool, a walk outside or helping them live out their last days as they wish. For one patient, that meant attending Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer’s wedding. This man in particular stands out in Cassidy’s mind.

Despite his grim prognosis, “he was a very outgoing and positive person,” Cassidy said. “He’d get up every day and do things and have visitors. He didn’t beleaguer the point of having a terminal illness. He lived life to the fullest.”

The man died a few days after attending Mauer’s wedding.

For the patients who haven’t accepted their state, Cassidy talks to them about their lives and experiences.

“One of the greatest difficulties is seeing people in pain and their families in emotional distress,” said Cassidy, adding that it’s especially difficult when the patient has young children. “A 38-year-old man recently died here. When you’re a parent, you expect your kids to outlive you. That’s the way it should be.”

A pastoral care minister also is on staff.

“I think when some people think about hospice facility, where patients come to die, it’s all sad and gloomy, but it’s not,” Cassidy said. “We have laughter with the patients and their families, [and] we have different activities. I’m just confident that when patients come here, we can give them the treatment they need. We treat not only the patient, but also their family.”

For more information about Our Lady of Peace Home, visit www.ourladyofpeacemn.org.

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October 22, 2015

HOSPICE & FUNERAL PLANNING

The Catholic Spirit • 17

Retired hospice doctor: It’s not unhealthy to think about death

By Maria Wiering The Catholic Spirit Americans’ skittishness about death is not lost on Dr. Wayne Thalhuber, a retired longtime hospice doctor.

It’s about goals, he said.

“If our goal is to pray, reverence and serve God in this world and the next, why are people so reticent about going there and being with him?” he asked.

“If your goals are wealth, prestige, fame, relationships — well, then you’re in trouble.”

A “wise doctor” told him in medical school that it’s not unhealthy to think about one’s own death. He recalls finding the advice morbid at the time, but said over the years it has helped to sharpen his focus on what’s important. And working in hospice care helped him further embrace it, he said.

A parishioner of Assumption in downtown St. Paul, Thalhuber, 77, spent 40 years practicing hospice care, although he said it was a specialty he “backed into.”

When he was a medical resident at the University of Minnesota, a colleague invited him to the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne-run Our Lady of Good Counsel, a St. Paul hospice home now known as Our Lady of Peace Home. A year later, in 1968, he began serving as its medical director, a position he held until 2009, eight years after retiring from his private practice.

“It was there that I learned about the dying patient,” he said. “What they taught me about my own mortality is to trust and be grateful. And trust trumps all. When patients trusted, and were grateful for what they had accomplished and who they were, and knew who they were, it was a very powerful experience.”

Hospice — in its contemporary form — emerged in the U.S. in the 1960s, and it felt like cutting-edge medicine to the young Dr. Thalhuber, because it defied what he had been taught was medicine’s goal: curing the sick. In 1983, Thalhuber also became the hospice medical director at Midway Hospital, a position he continued with HealthEast after Midway merged with other area health care facilities to create the health care system in the late 1980s.

“For the dying patient to tell their kids or their spouse, ‘I’m going to be OK’ — wow, dynamite,” he said.

Death a time for growth

Dr. Wayne Thalhuber, a retired physician and parishioner of Assumption in St. Paul, called four decades in hospice care a privilege. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit Hospice allows people the opportunity to offer what one of Thalhuber’s HealthEast colleagues termed the “four gifts”: The opportunity to say “I’m sorry,” “I love you,” “thank you” and “goodbye, I’ll be OK.” Based on the work of psychiatrist Elizabeth KublerRoss, known for identifying the five stages of grief, the “four gifts” are monumental for patients and families preparing for death, Thalhuber said.

The first aim of hospice is controlling a patient’s symptoms, he said, after which a person can focus on reaching acceptance through the “four gifts.”

The order is important, Thalhuber said, noting the final “I’ll be OK” is crucial.

Hospice “was hands down the most fulfilling aspect of my practice of medicine,” he said. “The best. I learned so much. I was so privileged.”

It taught him “how positive death can be,” he said.

“It sounds strange, but it’s as positive as being born, it’s as positive as being a teenager, it’s as positive as getting married — probably more so because you’re fulfilling your purpose in life.”

He encourages people to think about their own death, and for people with terminal illnesses, to consider hospice sooner rather than later.

Thalhuber is disturbed by the traction euthanasia has gained in the U.S. in recent years, not only because his Catholic faith forbids it.

“What they miss out on is growth at the end of life,” he said. “Every stage of life has growth that’s essential. . . . Dying is a part of life. There is an opportunity there for growth. How can you grow if you kill yourself?”

“The reason people do that is because they’re afraid and they want to be in control,” he added. “But if you accept what’s going on, there’s just so many examples of how people grow at the end of life.”

Married to his wife, Dot, for 50 years, a father of five and grandfather of 12, Thalhuber says his Catholic faith gave him good grounding for hospice work, especially his belief in life after death.

A few years before retiring, Thalhuber began praying with his patients, a practice he wishes he would have started earlier. He says it’s one of the best things he did.

“That had nothing to do with religion. The key was finding out where the patient was spiritually, what their values were spiritually. Almost all had a degree of spirituality, and if you could tap into that, and then just join them in praying along that vein, the floodgates opened up,” he said. “Praying with the patient was powerful.”

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HOSPICE & FUNERAL PLANNING

18 • The Catholic Spirit

6 tips for funeral planning

The Catholic Spirit

CNS

When it comes to planning a funeral, families and loved ones have decisions to make, but pre-planning one’s funeral service can ease the burden by determining many details ahead of time.

“Pre-planning is a loving thing to do for your family,” said John Cherek, director of Catholic Cemeteries in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“From a practical point of view, when a husband and wife decide to sit down and talk about what can be a difficult subject, it allows them to think about their wishes and express them to family members,” he said.

“It removes the burden of family members having to guess what their wishes might be.”

Today, he added, family members may not be as connected to the Church as are older generations. “Catholic funeral traditions may not be important to them,” Cherek said, making it more

important that parents express their wishes regarding funeral services.

The Catholic Cemeteries office offers some steps and questions to consider in pre-planning funerals.

1. Make an appointment with your

pastor, the pastoral minister, the liturgist or other staff person in charge of funeral planning. Find out what guidelines the parish follows. Some parishes have a helpful checklist of things to be considered.

2. Reflect on Scripture readings that are

special to you. What Gospel story speaks to you of your own life? Ask for a list of the optional readings for a funeral in your parish. Perhaps you can use that list as a means of meditation on your life and on what death means for Catholics.

3. What are the hymns and music that are used for funerals at your parish?

Which ones do you think are

October 22, 2015 appropriate for your own celebration of new life?

4. What members of your family and what friends do you want to have certain roles in the various services?

5. If you have not made arrangements with a cemetery, consider calling Catholic Cemeteries or your parish to review burial options.

6. If you have not made prior

arrangements with a specific funeral home, your parish may assist with recommendations.

Catholic Cemeteries recently updated its booklet “A Pre-Planning Guide for Catholics” that, when filled out, includes information that may be needed by loved ones charged with handling funeral and burial details.

To request a copy by mail, contact Catholic Cemeteries at 651-228-9991 or www.catholic-cemeteries.org.

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COMMENTARY

October 22, 2015

GUEST COMMENTARY Father Dan Griffith

Catholic social teaching includes consistent ethic of life On his recent apostolic journey to the United States, Pope Francis conveyed to the American people the importance of living a consistent ethic of life. For example, the Holy Father touched on this important dimension of Catholic social teaching in his address to Congress, where he reminded its members to “protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.”

The following day at the United Nations, Pope Francis called all member nations to a “respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered part of a statistic.”

The promotion of a consistent ethic of life is a powerful means by which the Catholic Church can evangelize the United States and help build a more just and humane society. Catholic social teaching has often been described as the Church’s “best kept secret” because its doctrine is either not known by average Catholics or is misunderstood. Principles of Catholic social teaching are derived from Scripture, including the teachings and witness of Christ, the tradition of the

Church, precepts of the natural law and experience.

The two meta-principles of Catholic social teaching are the dignity of the human person and the common good.

The dignity of the human person flows from the truth that every human life is created in the image and likeness of God and thus an inherent and inviolable sacredness attends all human life. The common good, as taught by the Second Vatican Council, is the sum total of conditions in society that bring about human flourishing — or as Pope Francis might say, conditions that allow for integral human development. The main goal of Catholic social teaching is to offer ethical and moral principles that further the common good and the attainment of what is just.

Catholic social teaching is, by its very nature, centered on the dignity of persons and the common good, and thus teaches and promotes a consistent ethic of life. This means that the Church is concerned with all those societal issues and circumstances that affect human beings and their quality of life.

A preeminent issue of life and justice in the United States is the protection of

WORD ON FIRE Bishop Robert Barron

Pope’s message on mercy not indifference to sin Having just returned from a week covering Pope Francis’ triumphant journey to the United States, I can confidently tell you that the news media are in love with the Vicar of Christ.

Time and again, commentators, pundits, anchorpersons and editorialists opined that Pope Francis is the bomb.

They approved, of course, of his gentle way with those suffering from disabilities and his proclivity to kiss babies. But their approbation was most often awakened by this pope’s “merciful” and “inclusive” approach, his willingness to reach out to those on the margins. More often than not, they characterized this tenderness as a welcome contrast to the more rigid and dogmatic style of Benedict XVI. Often, I heard words such as “revolutionary” and “game-changing” in regard to Pope Francis, and one commentator sighed that she couldn’t imagine going back to the Church as it was before the current pontiff.

Well, I love Pope Francis, too, and I certainly appreciate the novelty of his

approach and his deft manner of breathing life into the Church. In fact, a number of times on the air I commented that the pope’s arrival to our shores represented a new springtime after the long winter of the sex abuse scandals. But I balk at the suggestion that the new pope represents a revolution or that he is dramatically turning away from the example of his immediate predecessors.

And I strenuously deny that he is nothing but a soft-hearted powder-puff, indifferent to sin.

A good deal of the confusion stems from a misinterpretation of Francis’ stress on mercy. In order to clear things up, a little theologizing is in order. It is not correct to say that God’s essential attribute is mercy. Rather, God’s essential attribute is love, since love is what obtains among the three divine persons from all eternity. Mercy is what love looks like when it turns toward the sinner. To say that mercy belongs to the very nature of God, therefore, would be to imply that sin exists within God

those in the womb — the unborn. Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI taught clearly that advocacy for the rights and dignity of persons must first be founded on the right to life and protection of the unborn. Abortion is of preeminent concern because of the gravity of the act, the vulnerability of the victim, the scope of abortions, and the deleterious effects of abortion on individuals and society.

When addressing this issue, the Church must teach clearly about its grave nature but must also support troubled pregnancies and extend forgiveness and mercy to those who have experienced the pain of abortion. Here in the archdiocese, Abria Pregnancy Resources and Rachel’s Vineyard offer, respectively, support for life in the womb and healing from the pain of abortion.

The Catholic Church’s concern for the dignity of persons does not end with advocacy for children in the womb. It can be seen at all stages of life, especially where life is most vulnerable. Yes, abortion is a preeminent life issue. So too, poverty, homelessness, education, immigration, stem-cell research, the commodification of babies, the good of marriage and the family, religious liberty, human trafficking, the death penalty, racism, assisted suicide and the environment are also important life issues. These are issues that go to the very heart of the dignity of the human person, the common good and human flourishing.

Thus, the Church takes up its duty to advocate for respecting life at all points along its continuum. The perennial challenge for Catholics is to resist the temptation to fit the Church’s social teaching into our already held political positions. My hope is that all Catholics himself, which is absurd.

Now this is important, for many receive the message of divine mercy as tantamount to a denial of the reality of sin, as though sin no longer matters. But just the contrary is the case. To speak of mercy is to be intensely aware of sin and its peculiar form of destructiveness. Or to shift to one of the pope’s favorite metaphors, it is to be acutely conscious that one is wounded so severely that one requires, not minor treatment, but the emergency and radical attention provided in a hospital on the edge of a battlefield.

Recall that when Francis was asked, in a famous interview two years ago, to describe himself, he responded, “a sinner.” Then he added, “who has been looked upon by the face of mercy.” That’s getting the relationship right. Remember as well that the teenaged Jorge Mario Bergoglio came to a deep and lifechanging relationship to Christ precisely through a particularly intense experience in the confessional. As many have indicated, Papa Francesco speaks of the devil more frequently than any of his predecessors of recent memory, and he doesn’t reduce the dark power to a vague abstraction or a harmless symbol. He understands Satan to be a real and very dangerous person.

When Pope Francis speaks of those on the margins, he does indeed mean people who are economically and politically disadvantaged, but he also means people who are cut off from the divine life, spiritually poor. And just as he

The Catholic Spirit • 19

“The Catholic Church’s concern for the dignity of persons does not end with advocacy for children in the womb. It can be seen at all stages of life, especially where life is most vulnerable.”

Father Daniel Griffith

would be open to the challenge of Catholic social teaching to transform us and our beliefs so that we can authentically promote a consistent ethic of life and help evangelize our society.

Father Griffith, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, is pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, parochial administrator of St. Boniface, a faculty member of the University of St. Thomas School of Law, and a Fellow of the Terrance J. Murphy Institute for Catholic Thought, Law and Public Policy. reaches out to the materially marginalized in order to bring them to the center, so he reaches out to those on the existential periphery in order to bring them to a better place. In speaking of mercy and inclusivity, he is decidedly not declaring that “I’m OK and you’re OK.” He is calling people to conversion. As my mentor, Cardinal Francis George, said, “All are welcome in the Church, but on Christ’s terms and not their own.”

Nowhere has the confusion on this score been greater than in relation to the pope’s famous remark regarding a priest with a homosexual orientation, “Who am I to judge?” I would wager that 95 percent of those who took in those words understood them to mean that, as far as Pope Francis is concerned, homosexual activity is not really sinful. Nothing could be further from the truth. The pope was responding to a hypothetical involving a priest with same-sex attraction, who had fallen in the past and who is now endeavoring to live in accord with the moral law — a sinner, in a word, who has been looked upon by the face of mercy.

So as we quite legitimately exult in the beauty of Pope Francis’ unique style and theological emphasis, let us not turn him into an advocate of an “anything goes” liberalism. As St. Augustine long ago reminded us, misericordia (mercy) and miseria (misery) are two sides of the same coin.

Bishop Barron is an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.

FOCUS ON FAITH

20 • The Catholic Spirit

October 22, 2015

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES

Sunday, Oct. 25

Deacon Charles Friebohle

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings

Amid distractions, prayer helps lead us to Jesus Just imagine that you’re going up north on vacation, and on the way you see a blind beggar on the side of the road. You stop to help the man, and he tells you something about yourself that not even your family members can see.

This describes the Gospel passage for Oct. 25.

As Jesus was heading to Jerusalem from Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus calls out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” This statement is ironic in that throughout Mark’s Gospel, people don’t clearly see that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of David. But a blind beggar on the side of the road clearly sees Jesus’ true identity.

This is reinforced in the way Bartimaeus is healed. In other passages, we hear of

Jesus touching to heal, even using his spittle mixed with mud. But here, he only uses the words, “Go your way; your faith has saved you,” showing that what brought about this healing was the faith that Bartimaeus had in Jesus.

In a different way, we are all blind like Bartimaeus when it comes to seeing who Jesus is. We live in a world full of distractions that tempt us to turn away from God, in small ways that we might not notice and in ways that can totally change our lives. The world is like the crowd that tried to quiet Bartimaeus from calling out to Jesus. We have to be like Bartimaeus and call out to Jesus, to follow him even when there are obstacles in our way.

• Jeremiah 31:7-9 • Hebrews 5:1-6 • Mark 10:46-52

We might not be physically blind, but we are all somehow spiritually blind, and in Christ we can be healed of our blindness. In baptism we receive the faith of the Church to follow Jesus and his teachings. But we don’t always follow, so we need to be healed of our blindness in the sacrament of reconciliation.

Something else we can do to keep our sights on God is to take time to pray every day. This can take many forms — from praying the rosary to going to eucharistic adoration to simply talking to God about what is happening in our lives.

Each day we must be like Bartimaeus and renew our faith in Jesus. We must look past the crowd that is telling us to stop what we’re doing and call out to Jesus. I have found that an easy way to keep answering this call is to make a morning offering every day. When we wake up, all we have to do is say a prayer, giving everything to God. Deacon Friebohle is in formation for the priesthood at the St. Paul Seminary for the Diocese of Duluth. His teaching parish is St. Peter in Mendota. His home parish is All Saints in Baxter.

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Oct. 25 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jeremiah 31:7-9 Hebrews 5:1-6 Mark 10:46-52 Monday, Oct. 26 Romans 8:12-17 Luke 13:10-17

Tuesday, Oct. 27 Romans 8:18-25 Luke 13:18-21

Friday, Oct. 30 Romans 9:1-5 Luke 14:1-6

Wednesday, Oct. 28 Sts. Simon and Jude, apostles Ephesians 2:19-22 Luke 6:12-16

Saturday, Oct. 31 Romans 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29 Luke 14:1, 7-11

Thursday, Oct. 29 Romans 8:31b-39 Luke 13:31-35

Sunday, Nov. 1 Solemnity of All Saints Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 1 John 3:1-3 Matthew 5:1-12a

SEEKING ANSWERS Father Kenneth Doyle

Non-Catholic cantor; confession and dementia Q. I have attended a Catholic

church with my husband for 15 years. I am not a Catholic, but I am Christian. We have raised our children as Catholic, and we all attend Mass each week. When I go up in the Communion line with my family, I cross my arms and receive a blessing. Now I have been asked to be a cantor at Mass. Am I allowed to?

A. I wish that every Catholic were as helpful to the Church as you have been. I believe that you can be a cantor, and in our own parish I would welcome you as one.

The technical answer to your question involves the sort of pedantic parsing for which I have little patience.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, known as the GIRM, which is

the most authoritative “guidebook” on the liturgy, says in No. 107 that “liturgical functions that are not proper to the priest or deacon” may be entrusted to “suitable laypersons chosen by the pastor.”

So what are “laypersons”? Are they necessarily Catholics or simply any person who is not a member of the ordained clergy? I would opt for the latter.

Some might take the opposite view, based on a document put out in 1993 by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (“Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism”). It says in No. 133 that “the reading of Scripture during a eucharistic celebration in the Catholic Church is to be done by members of that church” or, by way of exception

Monday, Nov. 2 Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) Wisdom 3:1-9 Romans 5:5-11 John 6:37-40 Tuesday, Nov. 3 Romans 12:5-16ab Luke 14:15-24

Wednesday, Nov. 4 St. Charles Borromeo, bishop Romans 13:8-10 Luke 14:25-33 Thursday, Nov. 5 Romans 14:7-12 Luke 15:1-10 Friday, Nov. 6 Romans 15:14-21 Luke 16:1-8

and with the permission of a bishop, by a member of another church.

Since the cantor leads the psalm response, (which is taken from Scripture), they might argue, he or she must be a Catholic. But I would contend that the GIRM, issued in 2011, supersedes that 1993 document and is more authoritative; had the GIRM wanted to limit cantoring to Catholics, it easily could have said so plainly, and it did not.

The role of the cantor, according to the GIRM (No. 104), is “to direct and support the people’s singing.” If you can do that well, in my view you deserve to be a cantor.

Q. I am 87 years old, a Catholic all my life, and I have been diagnosed with dementia. My memory is terrible; my wife has to identify even relatives for me by name. How should I handle this problem in confession with a priest? Should I tell him my problem first? I have always used the commandments of God and the Church in examining my conscience, but now I wonder if I should be wasting a priest’s time by going to confession if I can’t even remember my sins. I’m looking forward to a response which will let me continue to be a good Catholic.

Saturday, Nov. 7 Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27 Luke 16:9-15 Sunday, Nov. 8 Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 Kings 17:10-16 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark 12:38-44

A. You certainly are a “good Catholic,” and your devotion to the sacraments is commendable. I would encourage you to continue to go to confession even though you can’t remember specific sins.

Tell the priest that you are 87 years old, have been diagnosed with dementia, that you can’t remember any specific sins but that, if there’s anything you have done to offend the Lord, you are sorry.

You surely have the sincere contrition that is required for the sacrament, and the priest will give you absolution for any and all sins. (And if you can’t remember what penance the priest has given you, don’t worry: just say an Our Father and a Hail Mary.)

The sacrament will bring you grace and blessings; each sacrament is an act of worship, because you are thanking God for his goodness. (Pope Francis has said that he goes to confession every couple of weeks and that it helps him to think about the great mercy of the Lord.)

Father Doyle writes for Catholic News Service. A priest of the Diocese of Albany, New York, he previously served as director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Questions may be sent to Father Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com and 40 Hopewell St., Albany, NY 12208.

CALENDAR

October 22, 2015 Dining out All-you-can-eat Polish dinner — Oct. 24: 3–6 p.m. at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 2114 Fifth St. NE, Minneapolis. Information: 612-781-9328.

The Catholic Spirit • 21 Conferences, seminars, workshops

CALENDAR submissions DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. Recurring or ongoing events must be submitted each time they occur.

Dad’s Belgian Waffle Breakfast — Oct. 25: 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 835 Second Ave. NW, New Brighton.

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.

Osseo/Maple Grove Women’s Source breakfast fundraiser — Oct. 25: 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul School gym, 9100 93rd Ave. N., Brooklyn Park.

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 ONLINE: www.thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102

St. John the Baptist Sausage Supper — Oct. 25: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at 110 Main St. W., Vermillion.

Information: www.stjohns-vermillion.com.

Parish events

A note to readers

Boutique and bake sale — Oct. 24: 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m. at Church of St. Paul, 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd. NE, Ham Lake. Information: www.churchofsaintpaul.com.

As of Jan. 1, 2016, The Catholic Spirit will no longer accept calendar submissions via email. Please submit events using the form at www.thecatholicspirit.com/ calendarsubmissions

Jewelry, linens and collectibles sale — Oct. 24-25: 12–6 p.m. Oct. 24, 8 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Oct. 25 at St. Odilia gym, 3495 N. Victoria St., Shoreview. Information: www.stodilia.org.

at 4030 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan. Information: 651-454-2079 or www.sjn.org/index.php/socialjustice-and-charity.

Holiday bingo — Oct. 25: 3 p.m. at St. John the Evangelist School gym, 2621 McMenemy St., Little Canada.

Church of the Epiphany Star Bazaar — Nov. 7-8: (Nov. 7) 9 a.m.–4 p.m., (Nov. 8) 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at 11001 Hanson Blvd., Coon Rapids. www.epiphanymn.org.

150th Anniversary Celebration – St. Mary’s Church — Oct. 25: 2–6 p.m. at 535 Lewis St., Shakopee. Information: 952-445-1319 or www.shakopeecatholic.org.

Prayer and worship

Crafts and Other Cool Stuff Show — Nov. 7: 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church and School, 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights.

Information: 763-788-9062 or www.ICCSonline.org.

Holiday craft sale — Nov. 7-8: (Nov. 7) 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m., (Nov. 8) 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. in the Mary Center and Fireside Room at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road, Burnsville. Information: 952-890-0045.

Bishop Robert Barron’s “Mystery of God: Who God Is and Why He Matters” — Tuesdays through Nov. 10: at Holy Spirit Church, 515 Albert St. S., St. Paul. Information: www.holy-spirit.org.

Study and faith sharing on Pope Francis’ “Joy of the Gospel” — Nov. 2 and Nov. 16: 6–8 p.m. at St. Olaf Church, 215 S. Eighth St., Minneapolis.

Information: 612-332-7471 or Joan Miltenberger, jmiltenberger@saintolaf.org.

Our Lady of the Lake Holiday Boutique — Nov. 6-8: 6 p.m. at 2385 Commerce Blvd., Mound.

Information: www.ourladyofthelake.com/church.

St. John Neumann/St. Thomas Becket ninth annual fair trade sale — Nov. 7: 10 a.m.– 5 p.m.

Healing Mass — Oct. 27: 6:30 p.m. rosary, 7 p.m.

Mass at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road, Burnsville, with celebrant Father Jim Livingston.

All City Catholic Charismatic Mass — Nov. 1: 1–4 p.m. at St. John the Baptist Church, 835 Second Ave. NW, New Brighton. www.ccro-msp.org.

Taize Prayer — Nov. 11: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood.

Retreats “How to be a Disciple of Jesus Christ” half-day retreat with Father Michael Becker — Oct. 31: 7:30 a.m.–12 p.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. Free.

Information: www.ICCSonline.org or 763-788-9062.

Women’s Weekend Retreat: “Come Away and Rest A While” — Nov. 6-8: at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Information: www.franciscanretreats.net/ womens_retreat.aspx.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend — Nov. 20-22: Franciscan Retreat and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. www.wwme.org.

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Join us for our Open House Tuesday November 10, 2015 6:30 p.m.

Student Led Tours!

Informative Teacher and Student Presentations!

Fresh Homemade Cookies!

Cretin-Derham Hall, 550 South Albert Street, St. Paul www.c-dh.org/admissions • 651-696-3301

Schools St. Helena School kindergarten round-up — Nov. 3: 6:30 p.m. at 3200 E. 44th St., Minneapolis.

Information: 612-729-9301 or school@ sainthelenaschool.us.

Speakers Jeff Cavins on evangelization — Oct. 26: 7 p.m. at Maternity of Mary Church, 1414 Dale St. N., St. Paul.

Information: www.kofc4021.org.

Father Nels Gjengdahl presents “Being Catholic in the 21st Century” — Nov. 7: 5:30 p.m. at St. Jerome Church, 380 E. Roselawn Ave., Maplewood.

Information: www.stjerome-church.org.

Who is Pope Francis? — Oct. 29: 7 p.m. in Guardian Angels’ Peter O’Neill Hall, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale.

Dementia Support Group — Nov. 10 and the second Tuesday of every month: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Information: www.stpaulsmonastery.org; or 651-777-7251 or benedictinecenter@stpaulsmonastery.org.

Parenting series — Wednesdays in October and November: 10–11:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus Church, 155 County Road 24, Medina.

Information: www.hnoj.org/ParentGroup, or Chris Kostelc at ckostelc@hnoj.org or 763-745-3489.

Workshop on Thomas Merton: “Christianity and the True Self” — Nov. 19: 7–9 p.m. at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. Cost is $25. Information: www.stpaulsmonastery.org; or 651-777-7251 or benedictinecenter@stpaulsmonastery.org.

Faithful Spouses support group — Third Tuesday of each month: 7–8:30 p.m. in Smith Hall of the Hayden Center, 328 Kellogg Blvd. W., St. Paul. Information: 651-291-4438 or faithfulspouses@archspm.org.

Other events Project Minnesota-Leon Fiesta Fundraiser — Oct. 24: 6:30–9 p.m. at St. Albert the Great, 2836 33rd Ave. S., Minneapolis. www.minnesota-leon.org.

Bizaa Founder’s Gala — Nov. 13: 5:30 p.m. at Minneapolis Marriott Northwest, 7025 Northland Dr., Brooklyn Park. Information: www.bizaa.org.

If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, your

The archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Program is also available to offer help compassionate assistance from an independent and professional local care

St. John Neumann & St. Thomas Becket Just Marketplace Ministry

9th ANNUAL FAIR TRADE SALE Saturday, November 7 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. St John Neumann Church 4030 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan 55122 Soup and Sandwiches available through Chef Jeff Catering 11:00 A.M.– 3:00 P.M Shop for:

• Needlework • Textiles • Crafts • Clothing Accessories • Jewelry • Unique Gifts • Spiritual Items • Games • Musical Instruments • Children’s Toys • Kitchen • Baskets • Fair Trade Coffee, Tea, Chocolate

22 • The Catholic Spirit

October 22, 2015

Buffalo principal: Word of mouth essential to making school known

Snapshots: Non-metro Catholic schools get help from CSCOE

Continued from page 8 rural school doesn’t seen right.

“We have some farm families,” Louwagie said, “but we’re a little too close to the city to be defined as rural.”

However, among the best things St. Francis Xavier School has going, she said, are characteristics often attributed to small towns. “The students, families and staff are a real community, truly a family,” Louwagie said, “and everybody’s united in the faith — that creates that bond.”

Another asset is the faculty. “I have tremendous teachers,” the principal said. “I’ll come in on weekends, and the teachers are here, too, and late at night, thinking of different ways to do things.”

Louwagie said recruiting teachers hasn’t been a problem in the four years she has been principal.

“We don’t get the number of applicants they might get at a public school district or a school closer in [to the Twin Cities],” she acknowledged, “but we get good, quality applicants who are really good teachers who want to have their faith be part of their day and who want to share that faith with students.”

St. Francis’ teachers echoed those words.

Griffith, who is in her eighth year of teaching, said, “For me, the religion program is key. I like being able to combine faith and learning.”

Nancy Marquardt agreed. She’s a 21-year veteran.

“I have students going through things in their lives, and only faith can answer their questions,” Marquardt said. “You can pray in the classroom. You can talk about faith in a complete way.”

St. Francis’ teachers say using project-based learning has put new life into their teaching. They point to academic achievements such as last year’s eighth

Continued from page 8 schools to obtain funding for some of their technology and marketing needs.

“Our focus is on building excellence and building enrollment,” Dorn explained. “We ask what their needs are, and we try to help them achieve their goals.”

Assessments of all Catholic schools in the archdiocese have shown that there is no one-size-fitsall solution to the needs schools have, and CSCOE takes a customized approach with each.

“For some the focus is on the pipeline [of students] — early childhood and pre-K as feeders to boost enrollment,” Dorn said.

In many cases CSCOE is sharing information, helping principals assess data and sharing best practices, Dorn said.

This year, CSCOE is undertaking a technology audit of all Catholic schools in the archdiocese, she added.

Mona Kramer has seen four of her children graduate from St. Michael School in St. Michael and still has a daughter, Maggie, in fourth grade. She said she and her husband are “beyond pleased” with the school. A faith-based education was important to them and the academic program “has made [our children] more than prepared for the next step” in high school, Kramer said.

She didn’t, however, approach the cost of Catholic education from the point of view of sacrifice.

“It’s not a sacrifice,” Kramer said. “We make choices. You change your philosophy of spending when you decide to send your children to Catholic school. You change your spending habits.”

Father Nate Meyers blesses the new Stations of the Cross at St. Francis Xavier School in Buffalo. Bob Zyskowski/ The Catholic Spirit graders’ presentation on how geology affects the Buffalo-area economy. “It elevates a lot of students,” Louwagie said. “When they realize they can do things like this, it’s empowering.”

While enrollment is stable and the 70 students in the parish preschool program indicate there’s potential for growth, marketing and recruitment is still a challenge, Louwagie admitted.

The school campus is an attractive facility built in 2006, but it is located at the city limits more than two miles north of the parish church, which is in the center of Buffalo. It will hopefully be a growth area, but right now somewhat out of sight, out of mind for people in town, Louwagie said.

“We count on word of mouth about the great things we’re doing and parents sharing that, the family atmosphere,” she said. “You can’t bottle that.”

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October 22, 2015

The Catholic Spirit • 23

Standing out to take a stand: Prof melds religious life with academia

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit From the time she wore an improvised nun’s habit while playing “school” as a child in Detroit, Sister Amata Miller has thought about religious life, teaching and social justice.

Throughout her 65-year career as a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and as a teacher in many capacities, she has integrated her passion for Catholic social teaching and social justice into her work.

“What I was taught to do as a young sister was, ‘Whatever you do, you’re trying to make a difference in the world, to make it more just,’” said Sister Amata, a longtime economics professor who is director of the Myser Initiative on Catholic Identity at St. Catherine University in St. Paul. The Myser Initiative integrates Catholic social teaching throughout the university’s curriculum.

In Sister Amata’s many roles, she has been both a teacher and integrator: from college professor teaching about the link between economics and theology, to shareholder activist and lobbyist, to program director fusing Catholic principles into professional disciplines.

Through it all, Sister Amata has been clear in her identity as a religious sister.

St. Catherine University President Sister Andrea Lee describes Sister Amata as a gifted teacher who has had a profound influence at St. Catherine and the other institutions where she has

taught. Sister Amata is “absolutely convinced about what she is doing, so passionate and thorough in listening to needs, exposing people to a larger world and context,” said Sister Andrea, also a sister of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who has known Sister Amata for almost 40 years and has lived in community with her. “I never have seen anyone top her.”

Faith inspires action The roots of Sister Amata’s passion for social justice formed as she and her three siblings saw their parents assist refugees and work for weapon disarmament and other causes. “Peace was always very, very important, and justice and global concerns,” Sister Amata said.

When she attended an IHM school growing up, that global sense Sister Amata became part of her education. Even MILLER then, Sister Amata said she thought about religious life.

“From the very beginning, I knew that I wanted to be a sister,” she said.

Her convictions about a religious vocation and social justice grew as she got to know IHM sisters who taught that love of neighbor and making the world a better place were part of her faith.

As an IHM novice studying for a math

degree at Marygrove College in Detroit in the early 1950s, Sister Amata’s courses about the world from a justice perspective complemented her novitiate formation in theology and philosophy.

During five years as an elementary school math teacher, she incorporated justice principles into her lessons until 1959 when her superiors asked her to study economics. The announcement was unexpected and the field unfamiliar.

“I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I was a sister and I was there to be an IHM and serve the community and the common good, so I went,” she said.

Sister Amata earned a master’s degree in economics from St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri, and later a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. In her doctoral class of 250 in the mid-1960s, she was one of 10 women and the only religious sister. Her focus on developmental economics — looking at economics from the standpoint of the disadvantaged — made her stand out even more.

“I went to economics with the questions that came from Catholic social teaching. I know that now,” she said.

Lifelong teacher She’s still not afraid to stand out. The stately woman whose white hair is held neatly in a bun no longer wears a traditional habit, but her standard outfit is a blue suit. She continued to wear a veil long after many sisters stopped wearing them.

“I believe it’s important that we’re recognizable in some way,” she said.

For decades Sister Amata has given talks to religious communities around the country on socially responsible investing and the need to plan fiscally for retirement.

Starting in 1988 in the leadership of NETWORK, a Washington, D.C.-based global justice and peace movement that educates, organizes and lobbies for economic and social transformation, Sister Amata promoted social justice principles through lobbying, lecturing, writing and testifying before Congress.

While serving on corporate boards, she worked for social justice causes.

“We were teaching in another way. We were giving press conferences to try to educate the public on injustices,” she said.

As director of the Myser Initiative for the past 10 years, she has worked to infuse Catholic intellectual tradition and social teaching into St. Catherine’s curriculum and co-curricular activities by sponsoring speakers, faculty education and other programs.

When her position as director ends in December, Sister Amata, who is in her 80s, isn’t sure what’s next, but she doesn’t think it’s retirement.

“I’ve tried to be a bridge throughout my life in many ways, because when you’re doing economics, you’re always getting into the political, so I’ve had to learn how to disagree without being disagreeable, [which] is the quintessence of Christian charity,” she said.

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Do you know someone who fits this description? Spread the word!

Located on the corner of Wacouta St. and Eighth St. Register with the Office of Vocations at 651.962.6890 or email: stpaulpriest@10000vocations.org

24 • The Catholic Spirit

THE LAST WORD

October 22, 2015

Ball carrier,

faith warrior

SJV seminarian serves God on the field while amassing hundreds of rushing yards

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Three years ago, Jordan Roberts was enjoying life as a star running back for the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.

Then, a double dose of heartache gut-punched him in October 2012.

First, his girlfriend of seven years broke up with him.

Then, less than 24 hours later, his best friend committed suicide.

His fragile faith seemed woefully insufficient for this double whammy, like a quarterback trying to escape an all-out blitz.

“Those two things combined was probably the greatest pain that I’ve ever experienced as a human being. I was just screaming, I broke a bunch of stuff. It was bad, it was really bad,” said Roberts, 22. “I really had nowhere to turn. I hit rock bottom, and I looked for answers.”

Before long, he decided to turn to God. That simple act eventually led him 300 miles to the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and St. John Vianney College Seminary, where he enrolled last spring.

He has become a standout running back for the Tommies, who are 6-0 this season, and he inspires the hopes of both players and coaches that he can help lead the team deep into the Division III playoffs next month and possibly its first national championship.

“The national championship is our goal, but we are completely focused on the process — the daily process — and doing all the little things right,” said Roberts, a junior studying philosophy and health promotion who grew up in Wyoming.

For Roberts, the “little things” include an active, daily prayer life, plus an intentional practice of the Catholic faith. He grew up attending a variety of nondenominational churches, then was introduced to Catholicism by his high school football coach in Wyoming, Don Julian.

But, he didn’t become interested in learning more until after the death of his childhood friend, Nicholas Bazemore.

“That’s where my faith conversion really exploded,” he said. “I got involved at a local Newman Center that was right by the dorm that I was living in. And, I got plugged into a FOCUS Bible study — Fellowship of Catholic University Students. And I met some great men there that were really key in my walk with God. They taught me a lot and they got me out of the hole that I was in.”

In January 2013, he went to a FOCUS conference in Orlando, Florida, which was the spark that set his heart on fire for the Catholic faith. He enrolled in classes for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and started taking them three to four times a week from a priest on campus. He joined the Church in October 2013, one year after his friend died.

Eventually, he started thinking about the priesthood and how to discern the call. He learned that men from Sioux Falls would go to St. John Vianney, so he planned a visit there last fall.

“St. Thomas was actually playing St. John’s

Jordan Roberts spends time praying the rosary and reading Scripture as a seminarian at St. John Vianney College Seminary, even as he works diligently on carrying the ball for the University of St. Thomas football team. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit [University in Collegeville] that weekend, so I got to watch that game and visit the seminary,” he said. “I absolutely fell in love with the place. . . . The brotherhood here, I could feel it instantly, and I was so attracted to it. I was so attracted to the seminary, the school, the football team. I thought, ‘That would be amazing if I could be here.’ I prayed the entire way back to South Dakota.”

He made quick work of the lengthy application — taking just three days to fill it out — and was quickly accepted. It did not take long for him to make a positive impression on Father Michael Becker, SJV’s rector.

“What you find with Jordan is a deep gratitude to God for the opportunity to be in seminary,” Father Becker said. He noted that having Jordan at SJV has created a bond between the football team and the seminarians, some of whom wear costumes to the games, calling themselves Caruso’s Crew, after head coach Glenn Caruso. They chant special cheers throughout the game, especially when Roberts bursts for a big gain or scores a touchdown.

But, there may be no bigger fan of the 6-foot, 220-pound running back than Caruso himself, who called seeing Roberts carry the ball “an absolute joy.”

“Holy buckets, I love watching him run,” he exclaimed.

To be sure, the eighth-year coach must be pleased with Roberts’ stats for this season — 730 rushing yards in six games for an average of 121 per game, plus 14 touchdowns, including four against archrival St. John’s in a 35-14 win Sept. 26.

But when he takes time to describe Roberts and what he means to the football team, he spends more time talking about his faith and character than about his numbers.

“He’s the type of kid that if someday your daughter came to the doorstep with a guy like Jordan Roberts, you’d be the happiest parents in the world,” Caruso said.

“He balances all of those things that are most important in life, and he doesn’t spend much time worrying about those things that are not very important. And, in a day and an age all the more devoted to style over substance,

I find that entirely refreshing.”

That’s precisely why the coach easily agreed to give Roberts Sundays off to spend time with the men at SJV, even though it’s a busy day of football preparation that involves watching film of the previous game and preparing for the next opponent.

It’s also why he made a special trip to a gift shop in Rome when the team visited over the summer, after taking his star running back to the top of St. Peter’s Basilica for a view of the city.

“He was on my mind that day,” Caruso said. “We took a walk up to the cupola, which was pretty astounding. You can see all of Rome.”

On the way back down, they went into a gift shop, where Caruso bought Roberts a Pope Francis medal. On the back, he wrote an acronym — MYPABW — and told Roberts to go figure out what it stood for.

He couldn’t, so the coach explained it to him the next day — May Your Path Always Be Worthy.

“That little acronym has changed my life completely,” Roberts said. “Every single day, with every single decision, you’re at a crossroads. You can choose the easiest path or the harder, more worthy path.”

For Roberts, the worthy path involves taking his faith onto the field. He prays before and during every game, and recalled a sense of peace he felt when his team played St. John’s. He is bold about sharing his faith with teammates, and said they all have shown nothing but respect for him.

At the moment, Roberts is pondering and trying to discern two distinct possibilities — life as a priest and life as a player in the NFL. The latter dream stretches back to the fifth grade, while the other is a recent development.

“There’s very few people that I respect more than priests, and I love the vocation of the priesthood,” he said. “Right now, I’m discerning if that’s for me. It’s a process. I don’t really have an answer right now, but hopefully I will at some point.”

In the meantime, he aims to carry the pigskin for the Lord and, hopefully, continue to give Caruso’s Crew plenty of reasons to cheer.