The Catholic Spirit - February 22, 2024

LENTEN invitation

Debbie Luna, who calls herself “Miss Lent” because of her purple attire from head to toe, hands a plate with meatless enchiladas to Adam Mendez during a Lenten meal featuring enchiladas at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul Feb. 16. The annual event takes place every Friday during Lent except Good Friday. Luna, a longtime parishioner, said she has been involved in the enchilada Lenten meals since the parish started doing them about 20 years ago. Around 200 parishioners like Luna and Mendez volunteer every year, Luna said. “It’s pretty fun,” she said, noting that the Arellano family did the Lenten meals for 10 years before it became a parish event. “Everybody that does it is here because they’re having fun.”

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Spanish-speaking theology major with journalism experience joins The Catholic Spirit

The Catholic Spirit

Anna Wilgenbusch, a St. Paul native and 2022 graduate of the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, with a major in theology and a Spanish concentration joined The Catholic Spirit staff Feb. 12 as a reporter.

Wilgenbusch will be familiar to readers of the newspaper from her recent work as a freelance reporter covering topics such as Church opposition to physician-assisted suicide and the impact of Churchbacked Minnesota driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants.

LEGACY GIFT With a newly installed crucifix icon behind him, Father Joseph Whalen speaks at the 10:30 a.m. Mass Feb. 11 at St. Timothy in Blaine. The handbell and church choir also are behind the pastor. The icon was created by Stillwater-based iconographer Judy Symalla and is a legacy gift from the late Jan Trustheim, longtime parishioner and part-time weekend receptionist at the parish. Trustheim was active in many ministries over the years and was a regular lector at the 5 p.m. Saturday Mass. She approached parish leadership in May 2023 and expressed interest in a legacy gift that she could enjoy while she was at the parish. She died in June 2023. Her funeral Mass was packed. The pastoral council is discerning what to do with the crucifix that had been in the sanctuary.

PRACTICING Catholic

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Feb. 16 “Practicing Catholic” show includes a discussion with Leah Libresco Sargeant about how to build a supportive community while Colin Miller shares what’s coming up at the Center for Catholic Social Thought. Plus, Father Jonathan Kelly, rector of St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul, discusses the upcoming Vianney Visit with current seminarian Nick Deutsch, who shares some of his discernment story. Also on the show, Sydney March, a leader of the Anointing Corps and ER nurse, speaks about the ongoing effort to provide anointing of the sick to those with COVID-19. Father John Paul Erickson joins her to discuss the importance of the sacrament. Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingcatholicShow com or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for

ANNA WILGENBUSCH

A summer intern at Catholic News Agency in 2020, Wilgenbusch also has written for Catholic news service OSV News and The Global Sisters Report. Her travels have included Spanish-immersion and missionary work in Mexico, Spain and Peru. She was a Totus Tuus missionary in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in 2019.

Wilgenbusch, 24, a member of St. Mark in St. Paul, will graduate with a master’s degree in Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul in May.

“Anna’s reporting and writing skills, her knowledge of the Catholic Church and her experiences at home and abroad will help The Catholic Spirit fulfill its mission of spreading Christ’s love and reaching all people in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis,” said Joe Ruff, editor-inchief of the newspaper. “We are pleased to have her on board.”

Wilgenbusch can be reached at 651-251-7708 or wilgenbuscha@archspm org

NEWS notes

On Feb. 11, St. Agnes in St. Paul celebrated the annual anniversary of the church’s dedication with a sung Latin Mass. The church, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was founded by Archbishop John Ireland to serve Germanspeaking immigrants in 1887. The current building was constructed from 1909 to 1912, according to the church’s website.

As part of the Vatican Synod’s initiative to listen to the faithful in preparation for the fall 2024 gathering in Rome, Archbishop Bernard Hebda has invited those interested to attend two virtual listening sessions: Sunday, Feb. 25 from 2-3:30 p.m. or Tuesday, Feb. 27 from 6:30-8 p.m. Go to archSPm org/vaticanSynod to register and receive the participant link.

Students at Good Shepherd Catholic School in Golden Valley were surprised on Feb. 1 when a kindergarten teacher at the school, Catie Zwier, wanted to share her wedding with the students and appeared in her wedding gown during a school Mass to marry her now-husband Kevin Zwier. Local TV news stations KSTP and WCCO picked up the story and aired a clip of the wedding Mass during their broadcasts.

Minnesotan Bill Betthauser from Shoreview received the 2023 Virginia Outstanding Economic Educator of the Year award to recognize his teaching performance at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virgina, where he has taught for 11 years. Before moving to the East Coast, Betthauser, who received his bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and a master’s degree from Bethel University in St. Paul, was a parishioner at St. Odilia in Shoreview. His story was published in the Arlington Catholic Herald, where he remarked, “It’s great to ignite (the students’) curiosity and see them ask questions that have global implications.”

Mary Jo Copeland, founder of Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis, will be honored April 10 with the Hendrickson Institute Medal for Ethical Leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota at the school’s annual Hendrickson Forum. Copeland founded her organization in 1985. It now provides food and clothing to hundreds of people in need each day, and emergency shelter and transitional housing for homeless families with children. The afternoon event at the university’s campus in Minneapolis will include keynote speaker Jon Clifton, CEO of the Gallup Organization, a global analytics and advisory firm, who will talk about his 2022 book, “The Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness,” about the need for leaders to pay close attention to citizens’ wellbeing as well as more traditional markers such as GDP and unemployment.

SERRA CELEBRATION From left, Debbie Koop, District 7 governor of Serra International, stands with Cathy Ahern, North Central regional director, after presenting her with The Face of Serra Award Feb. 13 at St. William in Fridley during a gathering to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Serra Club of North Minneapolis. The event featured a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Bernard Hebda and concelebrated by Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun, pastor of St. Maron in Minneapolis, and seven other priests, some of whom have served as chaplains of this Serra club.

COURTESY RHONDA MISKA

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FROMTHEVICARGENERAL

ONLY JESUS | FATHER MICHAEL TIX

Building a Church of living stones

Besides serving as vicar general, I am parochial administrator of a thriving parish cluster that includes St. Mathias in Hampton, St. Mary in New Trier and St. John the Baptist in Vermillion.

The churches in these parishes were built in 1900, 1909 and 1913 respectively. Each of the three are unique in their architectural style, and similar in their terracotta color. As we’ve addressed some maintenance projects to preserve these historic buildings, something that frequently comes to mind for me is the faith of each parish’s founding families. They set out on a seemingly impossible task — given parish size and average income for a farm community of that time — to build what continues to be enjoyed today. Each of these communities built churches in a spirit of thanksgiving for the many ways they were blessed by a loving God.

A church building stands as an icon in a community. In days gone by, people would recognize this fact by women making the sign of the cross, or men tipping their hats when passing a church as a gesture of respect. While this may not occur today, church buildings remain a constant reminder of the presence of God for all who pass by their way, and places of encounter whether in the people gathered, the living word of God proclaimed, or the sacraments celebrated within their walls. We take great pride in our church buildings as places that hold memories of major life moments, from the baptism of a child to the marriage of friends to the funeral of a family member.

As we continue our Lenten journey toward Easter, this is a time of renewal for us. In the first letter of St. Peter, we read about our being living stones built into a spiritual house that offers a sacrifice of praise to God. Just as a church building is an icon, all of us who are baptized into the mystery of God’s love and sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit in confirmation are called to be icons. Nourished by the body and blood of Christ, we are people sent out as icons and missionary disciples to bring the gift of

Construyendo una Iglesia de piedras vivas

Además de servir como vicario general, soy administrador parroquial de un próspero grupo parroquial que incluye St. Mathias en Hampton, St. Mary en New Trier y St. John the Baptist en Vermillion.

Las iglesias de estas parroquias fueron construidas en 1900, 1909 y 1913 respectivamente. Cada uno de los tres es único en su estilo arquitectónico y similar en su color terracota. Mientras abordamos algunos proyectos de mantenimiento para preservar estos edificios históricos, algo que me viene a la mente con frecuencia es la fe de las familias fundadoras de cada parroquia. Se propusieron una tarea aparentemente imposible (dado el tamaño de la parroquia y el ingreso promedio de una comunidad agrícola de esa época) para construir lo que se sigue disfrutando hoy. Cada una de estas comunidades construyó iglesias con un espíritu de acción de gracias por las muchas maneras en que fueron bendecidas por un Dios amoroso.

El edificio de una iglesia se erige como un ícono en una comunidad. En tiempos pasados, la gente reconocía este hecho cuando las mujeres hacen la señal de la cruz o los hombres inclinan sus sombreros al pasar por una iglesia como gesto de respeto. Si bien esto puede no ocurrir hoy, los edificios de las iglesias siguen siendo un recordatorio constante de la presencia de Dios para todos los que pasan por su

God’s love to our world. Lent is our call to be renewed as people of faith.

In our world today, we see many things that challenge our faith and belief in a loving God.

It seems that daily we hear stories of war on the other side of the world, violence in our cities and heartbreak in families. We hear about sickness or accidents where friends and neighbors die far too young and leave us asking ourselves understandable questions ranging from “why?” to the meaning of life itself. In these times, among other reasons, we can struggle with our faith.

In 1973, then-Coadjutor Archbishop Leo Byrne wrote a pastoral letter that was released during Holy Week titled, “Christ the Victor.” In his letter, Archbishop Byrne wrote that we can never forget that Christ has conquered death and risen to new life. He underscores that our faith is in Christ the victor. As we continue our Lenten journey that calls us to be renewed as a Church, we look to Christ the victor

camino, y lugares de encuentro, ya sea en las personas reunidas, en la proclamación de la palabra viva de Dios o en los sacramentos celebrados dentro de sus muros. Estamos muy orgullosos de los edificios de nuestra iglesia como lugares que guardan recuerdos de momentos importantes de la vida, desde el bautismo de un niño hasta el matrimonio de amigos y el funeral de un miembro de la familia.

Mientras continuamos nuestro viaje de Cuaresma hacia la Pascua, este es un tiempo de renovación para nosotros. En la primera carta de San Pedro leemos que somos piedras vivas construidas para una casa espiritual que ofrece un sacrificio de alabanza a Dios. Así como el edificio de una iglesia es un ícono, cada uno de nosotros quienes son bautizados en el misterio del amor de Dios y sellados con los dones del Espíritu Santo en confirmación son llamados a ser íconos. Alimentados por el cuerpo y la sangre de Cristo, somos personas enviadas como íconos y discípulos misioneros para llevar el don del amor de Dios a nuestro mundo. La Cuaresma es nuestro llamado a ser renovados como personas de fe.

En nuestro mundo actual, vemos muchas cosas que desafían nuestra fe y creencia en un Dios amoroso. Parece que a diario escuchamos historias de guerra en el otro lado del mundo, violencia en nuestras ciudades y desamor en las familias. Oímos hablar de enfermedades o accidentes en los que amigos y vecinos mueren demasiado jóvenes y nos hacen hacernos preguntas comprensibles que van desde el por qué hasta el significado de la vida misma. En estos tiempos, entre otras razones, podemos luchar con nuestra fe.

It was this kind of faith in Christ the victor that led generations before us to build churches. We may not build churches as architectural structures like those of previous generations, but we are called to be living stones built into something greater than ourselves to share the light of God’s love for our times.

to find meaning for life. In Christ the victor we are reminded that death is not the end. We believe in life. We experience Christ the victor in the compassion of family, the caring of friends and hope for justice in a world made new. People will experience the presence of Christ the victor in new ways this Lent as they participate in small faith-sharing groups arising out of our recent Archdiocesan Synod. Examples of Christ the victor surround us.

It was this kind of faith in Christ the victor that led generations before us to build churches. We may not build churches as architectural structures like those of previous generations, but we are called to be living stones built into something greater than ourselves to share the light of God’s love for our times. We are called to be icons for our world who, in the vision of Pope Francis, meet others living on the periphery of society, engage them as we find them and accompany them to an encounter of God’s love that is present, alive and among us still today.

En 1973, el entonces arzobispo coadjutor Leo Byrne escribió una carta pastoral que se publicó durante la Semana Santa titulada “Cristo Vencedor”. En su carta, el arzobispo Byrne escribió que nunca podemos olvidar que Cristo venció la muerte y resucitó a una nueva vida. Subraya que nuestra fe está en Cristo vencedor. Mientras continuamos nuestro viaje de Cuaresma que nos llama a ser renovados como Iglesia, miramos a Cristo vencedor para encontrar sentido a la vida. En Cristo vencedor se nos recuerda que la muerte no es el fin. Creemos en la vida. Experimentamos a Cristo victorioso en la compasión de la familia, el cuidado de los amigos y la esperanza de justicia en un mundo hecho nuevo. La gente experimentará la presencia de Cristo vencedor de nuevas maneras en esta Cuaresma al participar en pequeños grupos para de compartir la fe que surgieron de nuestro reciente Sínodo Arquidiocesano. Nos rodean ejemplos de Cristo vencedor.

Fue este tipo de fe en Cristo vencedor lo que llevó a generaciones anteriores a nosotros a construir iglesias. Puede que no construyamos iglesias como estructuras arquitectónicas como las de generaciones anteriores, pero estamos llamados a ser piedras vivas construidas en algo más grande que nosotros mismos para compartir la luz del amor de Dios por nuestros tiempos. Estamos llamados a ser íconos de nuestro mundo que, en la visión del Papa Francisco, nos encontramos con otros que viven en la periferia de la sociedad, los involucramos a medida que los encontramos y los acompañamos a un encuentro del amor de Dios que está presente, vivo y entre nosotros todavía hoy.

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SLICEof LIFE

rue love

Kennedy Hurrle, a kindergartner at Transfiguration Catholic School in Oakdale, receives ashes from her principal, Sue Berthiaume, during Ash Wednesday Mass for students and parishioners Feb. 14 at Transfiguration church. Father John Paul Erickson, pastor of Transfiguration, linked the beginning of Lent to the Feb. 14 celebration of Valentine’s Day during his homily. “What connects Valentine’s Day to Ash Wednesday is love,” he said. “But love does not always involve butterflies in the stomach. Eventually, the butterflies fly away, and then we must simply choose. We must decide to love God and neighbor, especially when it is hard. In fact, it is precisely when it is difficult that our love is most like God’s love.”

You’ve worked hard to save for your retirement. And maybe, you don’t need the income from your IRA required minimum distribution (RMD) just yet. Ever considered using a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) strategy?

With a QCD, you direct your RMD to your parish or favorite charity. If your parish has a permanent endowment, your QCD can easily become a legacy gift.

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MOMS group’s motion to intervene in abortion case denied

By Rebecca Omastiak

The Catholic Spirit

Feb. 12, the Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s denial of a request from a Minnesotawide group of mothers to intervene in a case that struck down a 48-hour parental notification requirement before a minor has an abortion.

The lead counsel for Mothers Offering Maternal Support, or MOMS, argued that the group should be allowed to intervene and appeal the Ramsey County District Court judge’s decision.

The group of roughly 60 mothers who have minor-age daughters argued that parents have a right and a responsibility to be aware of major medical procedures that their minor children might have.

In its opinion, the appeals court affirmed the trial court’s decision to deny intervention, arguing that the intervention application was untimely.

The appeals court stated that the underlying case began in May 2019 and judgment was entered on July 13, 2022. The court stated MOMS filed its intervention notice on Sept. 12, 2022, “during the final hours of the last day to appeal the judgment.”

The appeals court argued that “allowing intervention after MOMS delayed seeking intervention until the very last day of the appeal period would substantially prejudice the existing parties.”

that the motion to intervene was filed to seek protection of statutory and constitutional rights.

“We expect the courts to allow parents to intervene when state officials like the attorney general have stepped aside and refused to protect the rights of parents of minor daughters, especially in matters relating to life-altering health care and medical decisions,” Chastek said.

Teresa Collett, who has served as lead counsel for MOMS, said the group is prepared to take the appeal to the state’s highest court.

“We are confident the Minnesota Supreme Court will understand the importance of MOMS’ right to protect their daughters from sexual exploitation and be involved in life-changing medical decisions,” said Collett, who is a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis and director of the university’s Prolife Center.

MOMS argued that the plaintiffs in the case had filed an amended complaint only one month prior to the court striking down the parental notice law. The group also alleged that it only became clear when the judgment was entered in July 2022 that Attorney General Keith Ellison, who declined to appeal the ruling and who opposed MOMS’ effort to intervene, had not adequately defended state law.

The appeals court said it was not persuaded that, under the circumstances of the case, the group could only have become aware that its interests weren’t properly protected until the judgment was entered.

“This factor suggests an untimely intervention application,” the opinion stated.

After learning of the court’s decision, Jessica Chastek, a MOMS representative, said in a statement

“The court of appeals has upheld a dangerous precedent allowing a partisan attorney general to fail to defend state law, then fight allowing parents the ability to protect their unique interest. Put simply, this decision bars the courthouse door to citizens to intervene when the Attorney General fails in his duty to defend state law. We are optimistic that the court of final review will allow these Minnesota mothers to protect their constitutional rights under the law.”

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Teresa Collett, center, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis, talks during a news conference at the Minnesota State Capitol Sept. 13, 2022, with Mothers Offering Maternal Support, or MOMS.

Sean M. Schniederjan Attorney at Law

Rome pilgrimage gives seminarians chance to ‘try on the global Church’

By Dave Hrbacek

The Catholic Spirit

With ordination to the priesthood just a few months away, the 13 members of this year’s ordination class (Theology IV) at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul spent three weeks together in Rome to start 2024. Two of the men were already there as students at the North American College; the other 11 arrived on Dec. 31.

The meat of the trip was a class focusing on the missionary nature of the Church and delving into documents written by St. John Paul II during his papacy. There were side trips to the various churches in Rome, plus a chance to hear from an art historian, Elizabeth Lev, who gave the men tours.

“It’s certainly a great gift for three weeks to be able to pilgrimage to Rome,” said Deacon Brent Bowman. Visits to different churches, dicasteries (papal offices), lay communities and apostolates, as well as meeting other seminarians and lay leaders in Rome, were opportunities to “quite literally, try on the global Church,” he said.

These men were joined by the seminarians a year behind them in studies (Theology III) for a total of 30 men. Called the Rome Seminar, the pilgrimage is part of the seminary’s overall priestly formation program. The aim is for the men to become immersed in the history and life of the universal Church. They also learn about the Church’s engagement in mission and evangelization.

One highlight for the 11 men coming from the Twin Cities and preparing for their May 25 ordination was serving as deacons for Pope Francis at the Jan. 6 Mass celebrating the feast of the Epiphany.

“That was incredible,” Deacon Nick Vance said. “I didn’t realize that we would actually be assisting in the Mass. I thought we would just vest and then sit for all of it. But, halfway through, it comes time for the Eucharistic prayer, and one of the emcees comes over to our group of deacons and a bunch of the other clergy over there. And he’s like, ‘All right, everyone (get) up. Here we go.’ All of a sudden, they hand me a ciborium and I end up distributing Communion — just this super unexpected surprise. And I walked right past the Holy Father.”

This, and many other experiences, affirmed his calling to the priesthood, which began in Rome seven years ago while he was there for a semester as an undergraduate student at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Deacon Vance said. During that semester, he started thinking about the priesthood, which ultimately led him to The St. Paul Seminary.

“I was able to go back to the place where I really felt the grace to apply (to the seminary),” he said.

The leader on this pilgrimage was Father Scott Carl,

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We’ve been in these classes together, learning these things together, exploring the history of the Church, the present reality of the Church. And so, to go and do this (pilgrimage to Rome) together is really significant.”

Deacon Ryan Sustacek

vice rector of the seminary. He provided classroom instruction, then joined the men for trips to papal offices and tours of churches. One of the men, Deacon Ryan Sustacek, said the church tours were a highlight, especially with the information Lev gave and the way she went beyond history to bring in the spiritual.

“Her expertise in art history is not just the subject

itself, but she also has a deep spiritual life,” he said. “She’s also very (well) read in Scripture, and so I felt like it was a really spiritual experience to see how some of these beautiful churches were actually made to make you feel like you’re entering another world — heaven.”

The pilgrimage also provided an opportunity for the men to experience fraternity with one another and continue building relationships that will last far beyond their ordination.

“It was really special to be there with them (classmates),” Deacon Sustacek said. “Our class is very unique in both the (large) numbers and also the age ranges that we span. I think our oldest guys are in their mid-40s, and I’m the youngest at 26. But it’s this beautiful thing where the common call unites us.”

Deacon Bowman had a slightly different description of the trip. “It was an adventure,” he said. “It was a great deal of fun. It was a gift for people to have that kind of time to share it with other brothers, especially those who you are (with) full time in seminary.”

COURTESY DEACON LUISITO CABRERA

Art historian Elizabeth Lev shares her knowledge during a tour of St. Pater’s Basilica in Rome on Jan. 11 with men from The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul.

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former Benedictine in Nebraska, Father Beckman was a priest for 50 years in the archdiocese

By Joe Ruff

The Catholic Spirit

After serving 17 years as a Benedictine at Mount Michael Abbey in Nebraska, Father Martin Beckman came to Minnesota and was a priest for 50 years in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He died at a hospital in St. Louis Park Jan. 1 at the age of 93.

Father Michael Erlander, a retired priest of the archdiocese who knew Father Beckman for more than 30 years, said his friend was friendly and strong in his opinions.

FATHER MARTIN BECKMAN

They were part of a group of about five priests who met once a month to share vespers, conversation and dinner.

“He and I were the last two (who) survived over time,” said Father Erlander, 82, remarking that other members of the group had died. “We started with 10 people. There were five us who hung in there (together).”

Father Erlander was the homilist at Father Beckman’s funeral Mass Jan. 18 at St. Therese in Deephaven, where Father Beckman served for six years as pastor in the 1980s.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda presided at the funeral. Burial was at Resurrection Cemetery in Shorewood, a site maintained and directed by St. John the Baptist in Excelsior.

Pat Strandberg, a member of St. Therese who was there when Father Beckman was pastor, said he was kind and gentle. Strandberg said Father Beckman was parochial administrator when her family attended St. Joseph in Hopkins. Later, as pastor of St. Therese, he blessed her family’s home when they moved to Minnetonka and joined the Deephaven parish.

“To this day when I see the certificate he left us with the blessing, I feel that our home was indeed protected and watched over by God and his angels,” she said.

Strandberg also was impressed with Father Beckman’s homilies. “He could relate so much to so many things,” she said.

Entering the abbey in 1956 and ordained to the priesthood in 1958, Father Beckman was incardinated to the archdiocese in 1978. He was associate pastor of St. Mary of the Lake in Plymouth from 1973 to 1975 and associate pastor and then parochial administrator of St. Joseph in Hopkins from 1975 to 1980.

Father Beckman was pastor of St. Therese from 1980 to 1986, pastor of All Saints in Lakeville from 1986 to 1992 and St. John Vianney in South St. Paul from 1992 until his retirement from active ministry in 2000.

Father Sochacki served 8 parishes in Twin Cities area

By Joe Ruff

The Catholic Spirit

A priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis for 56 years, Father Walter Sochacki died Feb. 8 at St. Therese Care Center in New Hope. He was 81.

Father Sochacki grew up as a member of Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale, where he also attended the parish school. After one year at then-Benilde High School in St. Louis Park, he entered Nazareth Hall Seminary in St. Paul. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. His ministry at eight parishes in the Twin Cities area included 13 years as pastor of Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights, from 1981 to 1994, and 11 years as pastor of St. Rose of Lima in

Roseville, from 1994 to 2005. He was pastor one year at Visitation in Minneapolis before he retired from active ministry in 2006.

FATHER WALTER SOCHACKI

Father Sochacki’s ministry also included being an assistant priest at Good Shepherd in Golden Valley in 1968, assistant priest at Annunciation in Minneapolis (19681971) and assistant priest at Holy Trinity in South St. Paul (1971-1976). He was associate pastor and parochial administrator of St. John the Baptist in New Brighton (1976-1978) and co-pastor of St. Mary of the Lake in Plymouth from 1978 to 1981.

In retirement, Father Sochacki

provided liturgical support to the pastoral care teams at St. Therese Senior Communities in New Hope and Brooklyn Park. He enjoyed gardening and working out in the fitness center. For many years, he spent winters in Lake Havasu, Arizona.

Father Sochacki was known for making guests feel welcome in the parishes he served and for keeping his homilies positive, short but sweet, according to his obituary posted on the website of GeartyDelmore Funeral Chapels. His funeral Mass was Feb. 12 at Sacred Heart in Robbinsdale, with a private burial. Archbishop Bernard Hebda presided and Father James Burns, president of St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona, was the homilist.

Required Minimum Distributions: The Basics

You spend years working hard and planning carefully for retirement. You know pre-tax retirement accounts, like IRAs, allow you to save money and grow it tax deferred.

Unfortunately, you can’t avoid those taxes indefinitely. The year you turn 73, the tax law mandates you take a required minimum distribution (RMD) – whether you need the money or not.

The ABCs of RMDs

R The tax code requires that you begin taking income from your IRA the year you turn 73. Skipping it results in a hefty penalty payable to the IRS.

M The minimum amount you must take each year is calculated based on the balance of your IRA accounts, your age, and the age of your spouse.

D This distribution of money must go to the IRA owner, designated beneficiary, or a qualifying charity.

The Impact

1. When you take an RMD for yourself, you need to pay taxes on the distribution.

2. Because your RMD adds to your adjusted gross income (AGI), it could push you to a higher tax bracket.

3. If the RMD pushes your AGI above $103,000 (single) or $206,000 (married filed jointly), you’ll have to pay the high-income surcharge on your Medicare premiums.

4. Your increased AGI could also mean more of your Social Security is taxable.

An Alternative to RMDs: QCDs

If you don’t need all of your RMD, there is a way to avoid some of these tax consequences: donate your RMD to charity.

To make the donation a non-taxable qualified charitable distribution (QCD), your IRA custodian must send the money directly to your parish or nonprofit of choice. Or, if you want to establish a perpetual charitable legacy during your lifetime, you can use QCDs to build a permanent endowment that will support your parish or favorite charity forever.

Not yet 73? You can begin making qualified charitable deductions from your IRA the year you turn 70½.

Talk to Your Professional Advisor

Your IRA is a powerful tool to leverage in your tax plan. But, there are some important nuances to consider. Be sure to talk to your financial advisor when making plans.

The information provided above by the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF) is general and educational in nature. CCF and its staff do not provide individualized legal or tax advice. We recommend you consult with your attorney or tax professional regarding your unique personal situation.

Deep spirituality, concern for others mark Father Schwartz’s 57 years of priestly ministry

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit

Mary Lynn Staley remembers Father Robert Schwartz’s homilies, his founding a high school in Ghana, Africa, more than 10 years ago while he was pastor of her parish, Our Lady of Grace in Edina, and his concern for people’s faith lives.

She also knows the health struggles he had in recent years, including partial paralysis after back surgery about seven years ago that required his use of a mechanized wheelchair, as well as recent hospitalizations. Father Schwartz, 82, died in a St. Paul hospital Feb. 18.

“He was such a gift and a blessing in our lives,” Mary Lynn said about herself and her husband, Warren. “Spiritually as well as by connecting us to the Ghana mission and the initiatives going on there.”

Recalling his homilies, Mary Lynn said they were deeply meaningful.

“You could tell he wanted us to live in ways that deepen our faith; a faith that contained not just projects and process but one which led to more spiritual lives. He gave examples of what that would look like in our everyday world.”

Father Kevin Finnegan, pastor of Our Lady of Grace and successor there in 2014 to Father Schwartz, said the struggle his brother priest had with adapting to partial paralysis deepened his faith and understanding.

“I think on a very profound level, spiritually and psychologically,” Father Schwartz asked the Lord about his mission going forward, Father Finnegan said. “He grappled with that and became a beautiful man of spiritual depth. We all suffer, but those who embrace the cross will really experience the resurrection, and help others experience the resurrection, as well,” Father Finnegan said.

Father Schwartz’s death on the 57th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis was met with an outpouring of support and prayers. About 150 people gathered

the afternoon of his death at Carondelet Village senior living community in St. Paul, where he most recently lived, in an honors procession that is a tradition for marking the deaths of residents.

Funeral arrangements at Our Lady of Grace included a 6-8 p.m. prayer vigil Feb. 22, with Liturgy of the Hours at 7:30 p.m. Visitation was to begin at 9 a.m. Feb. 23 at the church, followed by 10 a.m. Mass. Interment was set for 12:45 p.m. Feb. 23 at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights. Archbishop Bernard Hebda was to preside at the funeral, and Father John Malone was to deliver the homily.

Father Schwartz is survived by three brothers and a sister. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother.

A native of Minneapolis, Father Schwartz’s ministry included serving 12 years as pastor of Our Lady of Grace before retiring in 2014. He was pastor for 11 years at St. John Neumann in Eagan (1991-2002), when he also

Bishop Muhich of Rapid City, S.D., dies from cancer after

By Gina Christian OSV News

The Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota, announced “with sorrow” that its shepherd, Bishop Peter Muhich, died Feb. 17.

“Bishop Peter, 62, was in hospice care after suffering from esophageal cancer.

Please continue to pray for the soul of our shepherd,” the diocese said in a statement. “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may your perpetual light shine upon him.”

A funeral Mass was scheduled for Feb. 26 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rapid City.

Two days earlier, a message from the diocese called for a novena for their bishop Feb. 15-22, the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. “In our prayers for Bishop Peter leading up to this feast, we are also giving thanks for his leadership and imploring the Lord that we may enjoy this leadership for more years to come,” it said.

On Feb. 14, Bishop Muhich announced he was moving into hospice treatment, and planned to offer his suffering from cancer to increase devotion to the Eucharist.

“I have reached another step along my journey with cancer. Despite the best efforts of my health care team, all

treatment options have been exhausted and there is no more that can be done without causing greater harm to my system,” Bishop Muhich said in an announcement released by the diocese. “Therefore, I have accepted the recommendation of my doctors and will move to hospice as soon as a space is prepared for me.”

A native of Eveleth, Bishop Muhich attended St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul and completed his formation for the priesthood in Belgium. He was ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Duluth in 1989.

The Diocese of Rapid City is part of U.S. Region VIII, which includes the dioceses in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said in a statement that it was with great sadness that he learned of the passing of Bishop Muhich.

“My heart goes out to his parents and family, and to the clergy and faithful of Rapid City and Duluth, the two dioceses that he had served with such generosity,” the archbishop said. “An alumnus of Saint John Vianney Seminary, Bishop Peter will be missed by many of the priests of this Archdiocese as well.”

Archbishop Hebda said he ordained Bishop Muhich as he was installed in Rapid City in 2020, and he benefited from the bishop’s insights and witness the past four years.

“I will always be grateful for his wise counsel and excellent example,” the archbishop said. “He was a shepherd

served starting in 1998 as a chaplain with the Eagan Police Department. He was an instructor, spiritual director and dean of formation at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul (1985-1991).

Father Schwartz was director of the chancery’s Center for Growth in Priestly Ministry (1976-1985) and parochial administrator of St. Mary of the Lake in Plymouth in 1978. He was associate pastor of Christ the King in Minneapolis (1974-1976) and assistant pastor of St. Peter in North St. Paul (1967-1972). He also studied in Rome at Gregorian University and wrote a book, “Servant Leaders of the People of God,” while receiving a doctorate in sacred theology.

In retirement, Father Schwartz presided at Mass in many parishes, ministered and celebrated Mass as part of the community in Carondelet Village and volunteered with Catholic Charities Twin Cities.

The Staleys reconnected with Our Lady of Grace in 1987, when they moved back to the Twin Cities after stints in England and then Argentina with Warren’s work at a Minneapolis-based agribusiness.

Father Schwartz welcomed parishioners from Most Holy Trinity as the two parishes merged in 2012. The merger included the St. Louis Park parish’s close relationship with St. Joseph parish in Mamponteng, Ghana. That relationship led to Father Schwartz, the Staleys and others helping found Our Lady of Grace Senior High School in Mamponteng in 2012.

The high school was fruit borne from Father Schwartz asking what most troubled a visiting priest from Ghana about his ministry back home, Mary Lynn said. The priest replied that education for people in his region generally stopped at junior high because there was no senior high school.

“Father Bob took that to heart,” Mary Lynn said. He turned to the Staley family and others for help setting up the school, she said.

Carrying on that legacy continues to be an integral part of the mission of Our Lady of Grace, Mary Lynn said.

who truly loved his flock. I consider it a blessing to have been able to speak to him as he prepared to enter hospice late last week. In spite of his battle with cancer of the esophagus, he was a joyful laborer in the Lord’s vineyard until the end. May God reward him with rest after a life of faithful service.”

Father Joseph Taphorn, rector of The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, recalled in a statement that Bishop Muhich entrusted his diocese’s seminarians to the major seminary and quickly became

“a great friend of our community and was a true example of a joyful, Catholic leader.” Last February, Bishop Muhich celebrated the installation of nine seminarians as lectors at the seminary.

Now, Father Taphorn said, “We pray for the repose of his soul and for all those he leaves behind on this earth, especially his family, seminarians and Catholics in the Diocese of Rapid City.”

— Joe Ruff of The Catholic Spirit contributed to this report.

BISHOP PETER MUHICH

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

In this photo from 2002, Father Robert Schwartz blesses animals at Our Lady of Grace in Edina Oct. 4 to celebrate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.

Families can benefit from Minnesota’s nation-leading child

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

s Vincent Ruiz-Ponce and his wife, Danielle, prepare for the birth of their sixth child this spring, he said they expect the unexpected — family expenses they don’t always see coming.

“This past year we had to buy a new van, or this upcoming year there’s going to be dental (work), braces and things like that,” he said. Adding to these expenses are grocery bills growing with their children, ages 2 to 9, and math and reading tutoring for two of their children.

The Ruiz-Ponces and 300,000 other families across the state with children 18 and under can now get help for their expenses by claiming Minnesota’s new child tax credit as they file their 2023 tax return. Depending on income, families can qualify for a credit of up to $1,750 per child with no limit on the number of children claimed.

“What I appreciate about (the child tax credit) is just that parents know best, and families know best how to utilize the funds that they have,” said Vincent RuizPonce, whose family attends St. Mary in St. Paul’s Lowertown neighborhood. “I just appreciate that this one allows a lot of flexibility.”

In creating the tax credit last year, the Legislature allocated $400 million annually. It provides the highest child tax credit per child compared with the other 14 states that offer them. The credit can be claimed only by filing an income tax return, even when taxes are not owed. State officials in Minnesota hope this effort will help reduce child poverty.

The Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), which represents the public policy priorities of the state’s bishops, was among the advocates for the child tax credit.

“We know that families are facing, among other pressures, cultural pressures, economic pressures as well, and so especially after the (COVID-19) pandemic when there was rising inflation, rising costs challenges on a number of fronts, family economic security really came into focus as a strategic charity for the bishops,” said Jason Adkins, executive director and general counsel for the St. Paul-based conference.

The child tax credit most benefits families in lower income brackets: individual parents making $29,500 or less, or couples who file jointly making $35,000 or less. While the credit amount depends on income threshold qualifications, families who were full- or part-time state residents last year can claim the credit for all their children 18 or younger.

The credit is fully refundable, meaning a family can receive the full credit amount even if they don’t owe taxes. But to receive the credit they must file a tax return, said Paul Marquart, Minnesota revenue commissioner. Marquart, with Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, has been promoting the credit around the state. In the first two weeks of filing, 89,000 children and their families are already benefiting from the credit, said Marquart, whose department implements the credit.

The child tax credit is expected to benefit about 515,000 children — 40 percent of the children age 18 and younger in the state, Marquart said, adding that the credit will be available each year, as the Legislature doesn’t have to reauthorize it.

A study by Columbia University on the 2021 expanded federal child tax credit showed the potential to cut child poverty by a third, Marquart said, emphasizing the importance of reducing poverty that children experience and reducing income inequities statewide.

“You get higher educational attainment, a stronger workforce, better economy, better health care outcomes, better social justice outcomes,” Marquart said. “Child poverty costs our state and nation a lot of dollars, lost work and productivity, increased health care costs and so forth. Not only are you transforming families’ lives but you’re really making a transformational change for the entire state overall and into the future.”

The MCC first proposed a child tax credit in an

opinions article at the start of the 2022 budget year, as the state was considering a $17.6 billion budget surplus, Adkins said. It was one way to unite Republicans who controlled the Senate and Democrats who controlled the House over family economic security.

Republicans supported the tax credit in principle last year, but Democrats controlled the legislative and executive branches and advanced the legislation, he said.

The state’s surplus and the fact that the 2021 federal child tax credit had expired provided impetus for passing Minnesota’s child tax credit, Adkins said. The U.S. Congress is currently considering a bipartisan tax bill to overhaul the federal child tax credit.

To promote Minnesota’s child tax credit, the MCC brought together a coalition of the Minnesota Budget Project, an initiative of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Minnesota Legal Aid, which provides legal access to the most vulnerable; and Children’s Defense Fund, which advocates for child-related policies.

“It was a way in which the Catholic conference, by rooting our advocacy in solid principles of Catholic social teaching, (could) transcend the partisan divides in a way that promotes the common good,” Adkins said.

MCC’s multi-year legislative priority of promoting economic security, called the Families First Project, included about 15 policy proposals — one of which was the child tax credit. The Families First Project “roots all budget and tax negotiations in the principle that the family is the number one unit of society that needs to be supported because they’re doing that important work of raising the next generation,” Adkins said.

For this tax season, the conference has sent information about the child tax credit to parishes and Catholic schools in the state. The Families First Project website, at familiesfirstproject com, offers information on the child tax credit and a working family credit that families can also claim. The MCC also has a child tax credit promotional toolkit with posters, social media graphics, videos and handouts in English and Spanish, along with other literature. Last month, the MCC hosted a webinar to show parish leaders how to

help parishioners understand and claim the tax credit.

“We’re getting the word out that people need to take advantage of it,” Adkins said.

After attending the webinar, Father Tony VanderLoop, pastor of Guardian Angels in Chaska, placed 50 copies of a child tax credit information sheet at the back of his church and noted that they went fast.

“It was important to note that many people qualify in terms of the income guidelines so I knew that many people would be interested,” he said. “I used it as a plug to join the MCC’s CAN (Catholic Advocacy Network) well.” Through emailed biweekly newsletters and occasional action alerts, the CAN gives members information on issues and tools to take action.

Heidi Flanagan, who has seven children ages 5 to 18, said she learned about the proposed child tax credit last year from an MCC email and from a Twin Cities Catholic homeschool email that invited her and other parents to support it. A member of St. Joseph in West St. Paul, Flanagan said she testified at a Minnesota House hearing last February on how the tax credit could relieve “some of the pinch of just the cost of living” for families.

“As much as we work really hard and we do our best to save and put money aside, sometimes life just throws you a curveball,” Flanagan said, citing surgeries one of her sons has needed that aren’t covered by insurance.

That all children in a family can qualify for the child tax credit could encourage younger couples to have larger families, said Vincent Ruiz-Ponce, who also testified at the House hearing last February.

There is a better chance of extending the tax credit further into the middle class if more Republicans support it, Adkins said.

“There are lots of … barriers to family formation, but we know economics plays a role, so we have to speak to the economic concerns of family,” Adkins said. “Certainly, we want to help all families, but we definitely hope our Catholic families take advantage (the child tax credit), especially since there’s no cap on the number of children who are eligible for the credit. That’s really important now.”

Johnny Flanagan, 8, celebrates victory in a card game Feb. 18 in the family’s home. Families like the Flanagans, members of St. Joseph in West St. Paul, could benefit from the new child tax credit law.

child tax credit

ANNA WILGENBUSCH | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

TAX CREDIT DETAILS

uYou must file an individual earned income tax return to claim the child tax credit, even if you’re not required to file a return.

uYou can file using your social security number (SSN) or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), a tax filing number for eligible individuals without an SSN.

CLAIM YOUR TAX CREDIT

uPersons with children 18 years old or younger.

uPersons who have lived in Minnesota for all or part of the previous tax year (certain exceptions exist for military members).

uJoint filers making less than $35,000 are eligible for the full amount.

uAll other filers making less than $29,500 are eligible for the full credit.

uAll other families exceeding the above income thresholds may still qualify but will see a reduced amount.

uThe child tax credit will be applied first to any taxes you owe and then any surplus will be given to you as a tax refund, based on your filing status (single or married filing jointly), your income, and your number of dependents.

Information from Minnesota Catholic Conference’s Families First Project and the Star Tribune.

Child tax credit increase passed by U.S. House seen as a modest step forward to aid families

By Kimberley Heatherington OSV News

Even in a politically divided country, the reduction of child poverty in America — reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2022 as 16.3% nationally, or more than 11 million children living in persistent want of adequate food, clothing, shelter and utilities — can typically be embraced as a bipartisan, pro-family and pro-life goal.

And for the most part, it is. A longtime favored poverty-fighting tool for both Republicans and Democrats has been the child tax credit, created in 1997 to support American families. As a partially-refundable tax credit for parents with dependents under the age of 17, the child tax credit in its present iteration reduces tax liability dollar-for-dollar of the value of the credit. Republicans doubled the child tax credit in 2017, while Democrats temporarily increased it — and suspended work requirements — in their 2021 COVID-19 “American Rescue Plan” package.

As the CATO Institute — a libertarian-leaning, Washington-based think tank — declared in a July 2023 report, “Republicans and Democrats agree that the CTC should be larger, the only disagreement is on how much the credit should be enhanced.”

That question was answered — possibly for at least the next three tax years — with the Jan. 16 announcement of a congressional framework to enhance the existing child tax credit and its subsequent passage Jan. 31 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The 357 to 70 vote in the House saw 188 Democrats and 169 Republicans join in favor of expanding the child tax credit while 23 Democrats and 47 Republicans opposed it. The $78 billion bipartisan tax package — which also includes business tax breaks allowing businesses to deduct more expenses — goes next to the Senate, where passage is in doubt.

The proposed child tax credit provides a tax break for qualifying households with children, and it can be claimed even by families who do not normally file a return. Currently, the child tax credit is $2,000 per child but the maximum refundable amount of that credit is $1,600. Under the new legislation, the refundable amount increases to $1,800 for tax year 2023, $1,900 in tax year 2024 and $2,000 in tax year 2025, with the maximum limit increasing with inflation.

The legislation allows households who owe no income taxes to receive the full refundable value of the child tax credit so long as they earn at least $2,500.

According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, families would see an average of a $680 tax cut, with most of the impact felt by families making under $40,500.

The framework — crafted by Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senate Finance Committee chair — will, if it passes the Senate, also increase the low-income housing tax credit.

“This is targeted at families who are working and making below the median income; most families won’t notice a difference in their day-to-day pocketbooks,” Patrick T. Brown, a fellow at Washington’s Ethics & Public Policy Center, told OSV News. “And the bigger question of what will happen when the expanded amount expires in 2025 remains to be solved.”

In his Jan. 19 newsletter, Brown reflected, “The biggest takeaway, contra some of the more excitable headlines and posts that are out there, is that this is a modest deal in which — as politics is supposed to work — neither side quite gets all they want. ... If it were to pass, the biggest change would be that the refundable part of the CTC (the part that gets paid out as a check if your CTC amount is greater than your federal income tax liability) would now phase in on a per-child basis, rather than per household.”

Brown explained to OSV News his qualified position.

“Even if they were eligible for the full $2,000 — a lot of families in poverty, there’s a lot of things going on — $2,000 in and of itself isn’t going to change their lives dramatically,” he said. “That’s where we start talking about a more comprehensive pro-life agenda;

talking about things like childcare, job training, community programs, crisis pregnancy centers — all those kinds of things that can help get people out of poverty,” Brown said.

Julie Bodnar — policy adviser in the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — told OSV News that restructuring of the child tax credit could lead to increased effectiveness.

“In 2021, the credit was expanded — and there was all sorts of data that came out showing how the credit can become even more effective in the fight against child poverty if we make it more refundable — so it reaches more children whose parents have low incomes,” said Bodnar. “Because right now, it’s structured in a way that the children whose families have the lowest income, too many of them are excluded from the full value of the credit.”

In a Jan. 9 letter to Congress, four committees of the USCCB — in partnership with Catholic Charities USA — strongly urged Congress to restructure the child tax credit.

“The most economically vulnerable children ought to receive the full value of the Child Tax Credit,” the letter stated. “Congress should address this problem and pass a strengthened Child Tax Credit that prioritizes the poorest children.”

Bodnar also emphasized that the child tax credit has a dual role.

“We always say that the child tax credit is a great tool to fight poverty and support families,” Bodnar said. “But we shouldn’t just see it as an anti-poverty tool, and we shouldn’t just see it as a pro-family tool. We want it to be both of those things at once.”

Kevin Corinth, senior fellow and deputy director at the American Enterprise Institute’s Center on Opportunity and Social Mobility in Washington, told OSV News he feels the anticipated child tax credit changes are not without disadvantages.

“I’m very concerned about the speed at which this new proposed policy is being considered,” said Corinth. “It was first released in its sort of final framework; in its final form. And now some lawmakers want to consider enacting that into law in the next few weeks. I think there’s wide-ranging consequences for employment, family well-being and outcomes for children that need to be considered first — and fully studied.”

Citing Bruce Meyer, a public policy professor at the University of Chicago, Corinth said, “Some of the child poverty reduction estimates are overstated, at least according to some other research.”

Nonetheless, “I absolutely believe we should have a safety net — and we have a moral need to have that, and we should spend resources on a safety net,” Corinth added. “It really is about the form that we provide the assistance — we need a holistic vision of the things that we care about.”

Kathleen Bonnette, an adjunct lecturer of theology at Georgetown University, who is also on staff at the university’s Center on Faith and Justice, qualified her comments to OSV News with the fact that she is a theologian rather than an economist.

That said, “the data shows that it doesn’t create people who just are dependent. We know that there is the poverty trap in this country, where you can be working three jobs and still not have enough to make ends meet,” Bonnette observed. “We have the data that shows that the money that was received actually went to essentials — it was spent on food and education and these essential things for kids. And that it did not decrease the work that was being done, either.”

Bonnette urged a broad view considering the common good. The cost of the child tax credit is a “drop in the bucket” compared to other items, such as the military.

“We know in our (Catholic) tradition that spending always has a moral feature; what we spend matters,” she said. “And I think, for me, I want to live in a country that spends its money to lift up its kids — to make sure those kids have enough to eat.”

Hill-Murray boys hockey: 600 wins, 45 years and one grateful coach

By Christina Capecchi

For The Catholic Spirit

Hill-Murray School’s head coach for boys hockey, Bill Lechner, earned his 600th victory last month, placing him in an elite category of only four other coaches in the state. He has been at the Maplewood school for 45 years, first as an assistant hockey coach, then head coach starting in 1997. At 70, the grandpa of seven is on the rink at every practice. “I can still tie my skates and go out there and chase them around — in slow motion,” said Lechner, a cradle Catholic. He and his wife, Sue, live on Bald Eagle Lake in White Bear Lake.

Q You grew up in South Highland in a different era — before the professionalization of youth sports.

A If you go down Cleveland Avenue, right where it meets Mississippi River Boulevard and Norfolk, I lived right on the corner, a couple houses in — overlooking Fort Snelling.

I was an altar boy at St. Therese parish (before it merged with two other parishes to form Lumen Christi in St. Paul), where a lot of the Minnesota Twins players got married. Father Gibbs was great. He would play catch with us, and he knew a few of us loved baseball, so he would ask us to be altar boys for the Twins’ weddings. It was pretty cool.

In the winter, we would come home from school for a snack and then walk to Homecroft Park on Edgecumbe Road — you put your skates over your stick and your stick over your shoulder. I had to be home by 5:30 for supper, and then, if my homework was done, I went back ‘til 8:30. The rink guy would flick the lights at 8:30. It was an innocent era. The parents didn’t know what we were up to, but they trusted us, and it was safe. I wish it could be more that way.

Q As the youngest of four, your big brothers appointed you goalie.

A They needed somebody to shoot at.

Q What is it about Minnesota’s state hockey tournament (March 15-17 this year) that’s so special?

A There’s nothing else like it in the United States.

Once you get out of high school

and that community — your buddies hanging out on a Saturday night — the innocence goes away because it becomes a business. High school is the last time you can just be with your buddies and there’s no money involved, just the pride of playing and your teammates’ accomplishments and as simple an environment as it can be for the world we’re in.

Q How has the tournament changed since you started coaching 45 years ago?

A It was even more innocent then. Now, with all the social media and websites and publicity, it’s gotten crazier. There’s a lot of pressure on the kids. That’s changed. But we do our darndest to try to keep it innocent and family oriented. If we talk about 10 things at practice, five or six are hockey things and the others are about life. I try to put it back to the innocence of what I enjoyed (as a teen).

Q And hockey is a great way to skate off adolescent stresses.

A We always say: “Whatever is happening — good or bad — I’ll hang around and talk to you afterwards. But when we’re on the rink, let’s just let go of this world. Let’s just escape for a few hours.”

Q You make the most of that time.

A I’m in charge of 12 forwards (coaching players in a position to score). I’ll drive home from practice and go: “Did we (cheat) that kid today? Did I say hi to every kid? Did I talk to the goalie? Did I say good job?”

Q You hold the guys to a high standard at the state tournament.

A We hope that, at the end of those three days, they say, “That was really cool!” And for the right reasons.

I think it’s very important that, when you are representing your school, yourself, your jersey — on buses and in restaurants and in hotels and at the rinks — we are gentlemen. We say please and thank you. We pick up after ourselves. We watch our language.

All the guys who are playing pro hockey who played for us — once they’re 35, they’re done. Well, if you live another 50 years, you better be a good person. And we coaches have to be good role models. It’s not “do as we say.” We have to live it. I don’t hang around bars. I don’t swear. We have to live the right way.

Q You receive texts from former players almost every day and go to many weddings.

A It’s busy! A lot of them know I’m 70 and not as good of a golfer, so they’ll call and invite me to go golf because they want my $20. It’s an easy $20. It’s the relationships, at the end of the day. When we get together at alumni events, they don’t talk about the winning goal I got, they talk about the stupid stuff — remember on the bus, Coach, when you turned around and we were singing, when you stepped on the puck and you flipped and then your stick went flying. They understood the fun of it all. They don’t talk about the trophy case.

Q And you’re humble about your role in the Hill-Murray hockey dynasty.

A I didn’t start this. I’m just one of the chapters. It takes a village. We have excellent coaches, great players, the entire Hill-Murray community and support staff.

Q You pray every night.

A I start with an unselfish request, praying for three or four friends or neighbors who are hurting. And then the selfish one: I’m not asking personally for anything, it’s just: “Give me the strength to help the kids.” That’s kind of it.

Q You unwind every day on Bald Eagle Lake.

A It’s the peace of cooking up some burgers, going out, floating around and forgetting about the world.

We spoiled ourselves. We got a new pontoon and a lift — you just hit a button and it drops the pontoon in. Within four minutes, you’re out on the lake.

In June and July, I get off the hockey rink at 1, and the grandkids are asking, “Can we go to Papa and Mimi’s on Friday?” On Sunday, I call my kids and say: “Hey, love ya! But are you coming to get your children?”

Q What do you know for sure?

A The older I get, the more I know to appreciate the day. We rush through life. And all of a sudden, days and weeks and years go by. It’s important to make an impact as positive as possible in the day that you’re living. Don’t waste it.

Author raises hope of reconciliation from a painful history of the Church and slavery

Joann Stevens OSV News

Raising public awareness about the role of slavery in building the U.S. Catholic Church and sparking hopes for racial justice and reconciliation were themes that emerged in a recent discussion at The Catholic University of America in Washington.

The discussion featured former New York Times journalist Rachel L. Swarns, author of the bestseller “The 272 – The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church,” and Laura E. Masur, an assistant professor in the department of anthropology at The Catholic University of America.

Masur has led archaeological field work at Sacred Heart cemetery in Bowie,

Maryland, that has unearthed what are believed to be hundreds of unmarked graves of enslaved people who worked at area Jesuit plantations during colonial times and before emancipation.

In welcome and introductory remarks, Thomas W. Smith, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Catholic University, told of being “stopped cold in my tracks” after reading Swarns’ article in The New York Times.

“I was never told this history,” said Smith, a graduate of Georgetown University. Learning it has provoked deep reflection about his alma mater and the Church that “I thought I knew and that I love,” he added.

Praising Swarns’ work, he said, “It is deeply humanizing scholarship and history about people who were hidden

away and have now been brought into the light.”

The Feb. 1 forum at Catholic University’s Heritage Hall drew a diverse audience of more than 200 participants, including high school and college students; department heads and faculty members; clergy; and Washington-area residents and Maryland and Louisiana descendants of the 272 enslaved men, women and children who were sold in 1838 by the Maryland Jesuits to Louisiana plantation owners.

Raised Catholic and still practicing the faith, Swarns said, “I felt inspired and still do by these families.”

The sale helped ensure the financial survival of Georgetown College, which later became Georgetown University. Institutions such as Harvard, Loyola

and Catholic University, as well as Catholic high schools, are examining their histories with slavery. The Jesuits have apologized for their betrayal of the 272 families and pledged to raise $100 million for restorative justice programs.

Georgetown University has established The Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Foundation to support racial healing efforts and educational advancement for descendants of the 272 families.

After her talk, in an interview with the Catholic Standard, the Washington archdiocesan news outlet, Swarns said, “We have to wrestle with this (history) as a country. It’s urgent that we do so now,” adding that the history and lessons learned about the 272 are as central to current events as the story is to its place in American history.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Catholic social teaching already has a lot to say about AI, experts say

By Kevin J. Jones OSV News

The viral internet commercial sounded real: the voice of Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, archbishop of Mexico City, endorsing a miracle drug that had cured him of diabetes.

But the commercial — like the cure itself — was fake. As Desde La Fe, the archdiocese’s newspaper reported in January, fraudsters had made a “deepfake” to simulate the cardinal’s voice, using advanced software loosely categorized as artificial intelligence, or AI.

The criminal use of AI-generated content is among the most disturbing advances in digital technology. In June 2023, the FBI issued a warning about AI “deepfakes” that transform a real victim’s benign images into explicit “true-to-life” content to target him or her for harassment and sexual extortion.

Sometimes the victims are minors. Other times the victims are non-consenting adults, including popular figures such as the singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

Experts note that technological developments with AI can bring profound changes for the good — but they emphasize the urgent need for applied Catholic ethics and social thought. The Vatican itself has made the topic a priority, with the Vatican’s Dicastery of Culture and Education and its Center for Digital Culture playing a lead role in bringing together business leaders, philosophers and Catholic thinkers to discuss the ethics of AI.

Catherine Moon, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, told OSV News the technologies are double-edged.

“The analogy to fire is probably a good one,” she said. “It can bring light and warmth, or it can bring destruction and darkness.”

Moon is a member of the AI Research Group, a North American group of theologians, philosophers and ethicists collaborating at the invitation of the Vatican’s Center for Digital Culture. She noted technological advances “already pervade every aspect and sphere of (our) life.” Data analytics and natural language processing are already integrated into machine learning and algorithms, the technical names for the computer programs that shape 21st-century life.

“It shapes the news we see on our phone, the media we are recommended to watch, the goods we ‘ought’ to buy, the people we ‘ought’ to date, whether we are considered at risk for illness, eligible for a loan or even a future threat to society,” Moon said.

AI’s accelerated revolution

Natural language processing technology helps people with certain disabilities communicate and it can translate difficult or rarely studied human languages. Researchers at the University of Southern California have launched a project called Greek Room to automate labor-intensive aspects of Bible translation, like checking for spelling and consistency, for languages that lack resources.

Self-driving cars with no human backup could make taxi driving and truck driving obsolete. Even computer programmers’ work is being simplified by new AI systems. In many industries,

AI means fewer workers are needed and more people laid off as a result.

“It’s about making human labor more efficient,” said Brian Patrick Green, director of technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University in California. “The direct impact on people’s lives is going to appear in the form of their jobs changing.”

“AI is making science go a lot faster,” he told OSV News. “It’s giving people the ability to find patterns where there were not patterns noticed before. It allows modeling much more complex behavior.

It allows analyzing much larger data sets.”

AlphaFold, an AI project by Alphabet subsidiary DeepMind, has made highly accurate predictive models of the threedimensional protein structures of the human body, and of almost all cataloged proteins known to science.

The project rapidly accelerates more than five decades of expensive and time-consuming research that aims to inform new drugs and therapies, with repercussions for sustainability, food insecurity, drug development and disease treatment.

While AI now means algorithms or machine learning systems that are designed for specific tasks, some researchers hope to develop a hypothetical artificial general intelligence, a system that replicates human ability to think in a general way.

“Basically, everything that human intelligence can do that can be automated probably will be,” Green said. “It’s a matter of how long it’s going to take.”

“We shouldn’t assume that everything can be automated,” he added. While some philosophers have reckoned that human distinctiveness rests in the ability to think and reason logically, Green posited that theological traditions help people realize “what makes us distinctively human is our ability to love.”

Existing groundwork for AI ethics

Any response to AI can find a foundation in Catholic social teaching, famously emphasized in Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical on capital and labor “Rerum Novarum.”

“The tradition of Catholic social teaching started as a kind of a response

to the industrial revolution,” said Green, who like Moon is a member of the Vatican’s AI Research Group. “It’s not just Catholic teaching on society. It’s a Catholic teaching on society as a response to technology.”

Green said Catholics can understand Catholic social teaching as “teaching in response to technology and as technology continues to change.”

Moon agreed.

“The Catholic tradition and Catholic social teaching (have) rich, relevant and necessary resources for engaging both the contemporary discourse surrounding AI and new technology,” she said, particularly with reference to achieving “the common good and human flourishing.”

But she made clear serious concerns are at play. AI could worsen the concentration of wealth. A biased AI could marginalize vulnerable people who seek social services, health care or banking services. The technology itself can be resource-intensive with damaging environmental effects. There could be a “moral de-skilling” in which people excessively defer to the authority of algorithms and refuse to make their own judgments and choices. Vital human relationships could be mediated through AI and optimized purely for the acquisition of wealth or personal pleasure.

Others working on the Catholic response to AI include Pope Francis himself. His Jan. 1, 2024, message for the 57th World Day of Peace praised human intelligence as a gift of God and welcomed achievements in science and technology.

But he warned algorithms and AI technology are not morally neutral but have their own assumptions. They can reproduce the “injustices and prejudices” of their societies. AI-guided autonomous weapons, he warned, are never “morally responsible subjects.” AI systems can be used to surveil or categorize individuals into vast social credit schemes, while they also can set outcomes for mortgage and job applications and applications for asylum.

The pope also praised AI-driven innovations in agriculture, education and culture that could mean “an improved level of life for entire nations and peoples, and the growth of human fraternity and social friendship.”

Pope Francis stressed the importance

of developing international organizations and new treaties to regulate AI technologies and establish best practices. He welcomed responsible action and respect for “such fundamental human values as ‘inclusion, transparency, security, equity, privacy, and reliability.’”

Emerging questions and guidelines

Those values were a focus of shared agreement in the 2020 Rome Call for AI Ethics, signed by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life alongside world leaders like the presidents of IBM and Microsoft.

Bishop Paul Tighe, the Vatican’s secretary for the Dicastery for Culture and Education’s culture section and a major figure in Catholic engagement with the new technology, helped bring together the members of the Center for Digital Culture’s AI Research Group, which began meeting in 2020.

The group has produced the book “Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations,” which is the first in a planned series of publications about the challenges of AI and the preservation of human values.

Bishop Tighe, writing in the book’s foreword, said several Vatican curial departments have given their attention to AI and there is a clear consensus about “the need for a rigorous theological and philosophical consideration of the likely social, economic and cultural impact of the technology.” He listed some of the questions existing discussions converge on: “How will we ensure that technologies are truly promoting human progress? What is it that distinguishes humans from machines? What are the values and practices that promote social and human flourishing?”

Jordan J. Wales, one of the book’s editors and a theology professor at Hillsdale College in Michigan, called the book “a rich analysis and application of the Catholic tradition to these problems.” One of its running themes, he told OSV News, is a favorite of Pope Francis: the culture of encounter between persons.

Wales said the Catholic Church can “point out some possibilities and perils” and work to cultivate theological engagement with developing topics, so that “we won’t be caught unawares when their effects become more apparent.”

“If that process is not undertaken with sensitivity and insight and a strong effort to both collaborate with people involved with technology and to understand deeply how the technology works, then we won’t be able to respond to the situation as it is,” he said.

Wales said a slow approach from the Church could be best to “develop a deep sense of what that situation is.”

He advised patience, cautioning against “the illusion of hype” and claims that a new technology has fundamentally altered the world. A slower response can aid “accuracy and insight” into how the Church applies its long-held truths, while avoiding impulsiveness.

“Our engagement with the world can be drastically altered,” Wales said. “But the stakes of what is necessary for a good human life actually have not changed.”

OSV NEWS | DADO RUVIC, REUTERS

The words “Artificial intelligence AI” are pictured with a miniature of a robot arm and a toy hand in this Dec. 14, 2023, illustration.

FOCUSONFAITH

Turned toward the cross

When Frodo Baggins learns that the ring he has inherited is the One Ring of Power, which needs to be destroyed to rid the world of a great evil, he naturally has questions.

He realizes that he needs to at least start bringing this ring toward its final doom, but one of his first questions is, “I have never even considered the direction. For where am I to go? And by what shall I steer? What is to be my quest?”

At this point of our Lenten journey, we may be asking ourselves similar questions. With all the things I’ve started doing, where am I really going? By what am I steering? What is, really, my Lenten quest?

Our readings for the Second Sunday of Lent help give us a direction. The full story of the binding of Isaac foreshadows the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross in many ways: Isaac is the beloved son of Abraham, as Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father; Isaac carries the wood for the sacrifice himself, as Jesus carries the wood of the cross himself (Jn 19:17); Isaac willingly cooperates with the will of his father Abraham to offer himself in sacrifice, as Jesus cooperates with the will of the Father to enter into his Passion (Mk 14:36); a ram with its head surrounded by thorns, provided by God, is ultimately sacrificed, as Jesus, crowned with thorns, is given to us as the Lamb of God.

ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ

What should I do for Lent?

Editor’s note: This column originally ran in the February 2016 issue of The Northern Cross, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Duluth.

Q Lent is right around the corner, and I never seem to know what to do for the season. I’ve tried giving things up, but it always seems a bit hollow. What should I do?

A I think we all face this challenge. We can find ourselves walking the tightrope between something so impossible that we end up abandoning it in a week and something so minimal that it is essentially worthless.

In addition, it can be hard to be honest about our motives. Are we giving up something out of love of God or because we would like to lose some weight? Are we doing this thing just to see if we can make it?

What is Lent for? What is the point of the whole thing, anyway?

Broadly speaking, Lent was originally the last step for people who were preparing for baptism at the Easter Vigil Mass. After roughly three years of preparation, the final weeks leading up to Easter were called a time of “Purification and Enlightenment.”

Those future Christians would examine their lives more thoroughly for areas where they needed to be purified from things that interfered with God’s will in their lives. And they would strive to learn more about who God is and the life of Christian discipleship.

So, the original purpose of Lent was to become more conformed to God’s will. What in my life needs to go? What needs to get stronger? How can I live like Christ?

What is the goal?

Author Stephen Covey reminded his readers to “begin with the end in mind.” What is your end? What is the goal? The goal is to become more like God, to become a saint. This needs to be your goal. Knowing yourself and knowing where you need to grow, which Lenten disciplines will help you become the saint God is calling you to be.

The transfiguration, too, foreshadows the cross of Jesus. They go up a high mountain, looking ahead to Mount Calvary; Jesus appears in glory, and Jesus understands his Passion as his glory (see Jn 12:23-28). A cloud comes over the scene, like it will when Jesus is crucified (Mk 15:33). The voice of the Father speaks to his beloved Son, as the voice of the Son will give himself into the hands of the Father from the cross (Lk 23:46). As they descend the mountain, Jesus speaks of rising from the dead, placing the whole event the disciples just witnessed into context.

How do these passages give us direction for Lent? They point us to the cross of Jesus Christ. The whole focus of our Lenten journey is toward the cross. As a liturgical season, Lent is a time of preparation for the great celebrations of the paschal mystery on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This time, too, is the time of final preparation for those getting ready to receive the sacraments of initiation at Easter, as they are brought into the new life of Christ through his paschal mystery. All the faithful are turned toward the cross and resurrection of Christ in these holy days.

The question becomes: Am I turned toward the cross of Christ?

All the practices that I’ve taken on during Lent — fasting, prayer, almsgiving — are they leading me toward the cross of Christ?

To dive more deeply into the paschal mystery of Christ this Triduum is our quest. If our practices this Lent don’t seem to be steering us toward the cross, it’s OK to shift course a bit, to adjust our practices so that they point us toward Jesus crucified. We turn toward the cross of Jesus Christ now, so that we journey well in this time, preparing to celebrate and enter more deeply into his great paschal mystery.

Father Aamodt is associate pastor of All Saints in Lakeville.

Let’s make this as simple as possible. Jesus talks about three areas that are indispensable regarding the Christian life: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. For Lent, do one thing in each of these three areas.

Prayer: What is one way that you can pray every day throughout Lent that will strengthen your relationship with Christ? Again, this is not merely about “challenging yourself.” This is about asking, “What will help me get to know the Lord better?”

You know yourself. You know what will help you grow. For the last couple of years, in addition to my normal prayer time, I have spent an extra 15 minutes slowly reading and reflecting on the Gospels at night. It isn’t huge, but it really helps.

Fasting: While we are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, your fast can be almost anything. If you have a difficult relationship with food, feel free to choose a penance that is unrelated to nourishment.

A penance can be any time we say “no” to a good and natural desire out of love for God. For example, someone might decide to only check their email (or social media, or their smartphone) at certain times during the day. This would be an act of discipline and sacrifice oriented toward purifying their heart. Your penance could be not sweetening your coffee. Another penance could be getting out of bed the moment the alarm goes off and not hitting the snooze button.

Almsgiving: While both prayer and fasting could be seen as being all about you, almsgiving is oriented toward the good of others. Who could you help this Lent? While this could be giving money, it could also be giving time. I know of people who have decided to write one letter per day throughout Lent. They decided that these letters would be positive notes of encouragement and gratitude.

Of course, almsgiving could also be supporting the material needs of others. There are groups everywhere that need the support of Christians.

One note: If you participate in Operation Rice Bowl sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, do it like Jesus. In other words, do it on purpose. Make the decision to place money in that little cardboard box — not just the change you don’t want, but even the money that you do want. If you crack it open at the end, you should only see silver and green.

One more thing: Please don’t get all hung up on “I can’t tell anyone what I’m doing for Lent because I’ll become prideful.”

PLEASE TURN TO ASK FATHER MIKE ON PAGE 19

DAILY Scriptures

Sunday, Feb. 25

Second Sunday of Lent

Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

Rom 8:31b-34

Mk 9:2-10

Monday, Feb. 26

Dn 9:4b-10

Lk 6:36-38

Tuesday, Feb. 27

Is 1:10, 16-20

Mt 23:1-12

Wednesday, Feb. 28

Jer 18:18-20

Mt 20:17-28

Thursday, Feb. 29

Jer 17:5-10

Lk 16:19-31

Friday, March 1

Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a

Mt 21:33-43, 45-46

Saturday, March 2

Mi 7:14-15, 18-20

Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

Sunday, March 3

Third Sunday of Lent

Ex 20:1-17

1 Cor 1:22-25

Jn 2:13-25

Monday, March 4

2 Kgs 5:1-15ab

Lk 4:24-30

Tuesday, March 5

Dn 3:25, 34-43

Mt 18:21-35

Wednesday, March 6

Dt 4:1, 5-9

Mt 5:17-19

Thursday, March 7

Jer 7:23-28

Lk 11:14-23

Friday, March 8

Hos 14:2-10

Mk 12:28-34

Saturday, March 9

Hos 6:1-6

Lk 18:9-14

Sunday, March 10

Fourth Sunday of Lent

2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23

Eph 2:4-10

Jn 3:14-21

KNOW the SAINTS

ST. POLYCARP (69-155) This disciple of St. John the Apostle was appointed bishop of Smyrna (now Izmir, Turkey), perhaps by John. Representing the Asia Minor churches, he attended the Council of Rome of 155 to discuss when to celebrate Easter. The result was that the Eastern and Western churches continued to calculate the date as before. Shortly after his return, St. Polycarp was arrested and urged to renounce God. He refused and was sentenced to be burned alive. When the flames did not harm him, he was killed by a sword, as recounted in an early Christian document. His feast day is Feb. 23.

The mercy of Jesus knelt before her

Our parish was hosting a Lenten “day of mercy,” and confessions were available from noon to 9 p.m. All day long, multiple visiting priests would tend to those in need of forgiveness. On that day, Eucharistic adoration was moved into the main sanctuary and so I held my Holy Hour there, praying amid the souls visiting the stations for confession scattered throughout the church. It was a lovely grace to be in the presence of so many seeking the merciful face of God.

But this was my favorite moment:

A young family came in — several children, mom and dad. They filed neatly into a pew and all knelt. Among them was a girl of about 10. She was clearly a bit distressed. Her mother and father leaned over her reassuringly, but she would not be comforted. At one point, the mother got up, left, and returned a few moments later with our parish priest, a lovely, thoughtful young man.

Smiling, and ever so gently, he knelt in front of this little girl, his cassock spilling onto the ground. I was seated in such a way that, with the young girl’s back to me, I could see our good shepherd make himself low so that he could look up into this precious child’s face. Her shoulders were slouched and quivering. She was clearly frightened to go to

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN | DEACON GORDON BIRD

The small group difference

One of my favorite lines of Jesus in the popular series “The Chosen” is when he looks at his puzzled disciples and says, “Get used to different.” He has dinner with sinners, asks a tax collector to follow him, and speaks with foreigners disdained by his disciples due to ancestral feuds. Not only are they told to love their enemies, Jesus tells them to go to extremes in showing forgiveness: “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times” (Mt 18:22). In other words, forgive them — truly and perfectly.

What Jesus was teaching and demonstrating to his small group of disciples was a new experience. When confronted by a leper, our Lord stays put and heals the man’s sickness. Jesus is different not only in pity, mercy and healing powers, but he also takes a practical approach in dealing with sickness. He follows the procedures of the law to make sure this man is reunited to the greater community through the judgment of a priest. Our Lord wills that this man be healed — at the request of the leper himself — and tells him to gain approval, giving him the opportunity to flourish once again in society. So, this supernatural act of healing helps the man naturally and legally get back into society.

Yes, the leper needs physical healing. But our Lord knows he needs more than a cure for his affliction. He needs to be made whole — physically, spiritually and practically — so he can get back into his community and thrive. Back to his family, back to his friends, back to his place of worship, back to his work — his community. And not remain an outcast. Naturally the

Lord, make aright my fear, that I may tremble at the thought of offending you who gives me life eternal and rejoice in the light of your mercy. Do not hide your face, O Lord, from those who seek you with an earnest heart. May I always be counted among them. Amen.

confession. But this beautiful young priest smiled up at her with such authentic reassurance, even I was moved by the gesture half a church away.

They spoke for a moment, all the while our priest looking up at her, so kind and attentive. And then, after a moment of her own quiet prayer, she sheepishly approached a station, sat humbly faceto-face before a priest, and confessed her 10-year-old sins. Walking back to her pew to rejoin her family, the relief was palpable. She knelt and prayed once more with the kind of sweet earnestness only the forgiven possess.

The justice of the Almighty is indeed a fearsome thing, but his mercy kneels before us with tenderness and kindness everlasting — “his mercy endures forever” (Dn 3:89). “With fear and trembling” we work out our salvation, (Phil 2:12); and yet, “‘Come,’” my heart says, “‘seek his face!’”

first small group community he needs is made up of those closest to him — his family and friends.

Jesus was part of the holiest of families — his first small group. Fast forward through the hidden years and it was time for Jesus to form other small groups. After being baptized by John and tempted in the desert, he selected his own small group of disciples and went on a three-year mission. He taught with his remarkable knowledge, shared parables and lessons while healing people physically and spiritually — and pressed on with his salvific message of faith, hope and love to the world.

It started with a small group, a community of disciples who no doubt wondered why they were chosen. They were ordinary men, not scribes or scholars of the law. They were commoners in a small group who were chosen to make a difference in the lives of others by living and passing on that same salvific message.

The Apostles were called to make a difference in a fallen world by being different. Their teacher would show them how to respond perfectly in various situations to help and heal others in need physically and spiritually. Most importantly, they were chosen to pass on the message of salvation, to build God’s kingdom. The message is timeless.

Catholic Watchmen know this by their discipline of building fellowship and evangelizing men in monthly parish gatherings that often break off into small groups of six to eight men that meet weekly. These small group activities are simply being obedient — in lockstep with Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s direction to cultivate small group ministries in every parish as a top priority this year. Why? Because through his own experiences and evaluating numerous listening sessions connected to the Archdiocesan Synod, he believes small groups can transform and grow our parishes. Small group parish communities may very well be something different for many in his flock. Yet small groups can truly make a difference in helping this flock flourish as disciples for Jesus — parish by parish.

Through reading the Scriptures, listening to our shepherds and embracing parish-led small-group

“Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide your face from me” (Ps 27:7-9). I thank the Lord for that priest, for his posture before that child, that she would seek the face of the Lord in the priest who heard her confession and offered her absolution. It might change the course of her life, and all that she will contribute to the Church and the world will be colored by it. Bless you, Father.

Lord, make aright my fear, that I may tremble at the thought of offending you who gives me life eternal and rejoice in the light of your mercy. Do not hide your face, O Lord, from those who seek you with an earnest heart. May I always be counted among them. Amen.

Stanchina is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books. Visit her website at LizK.org or follow her on Instagram at lizktoday

Through reading the Scriptures, by listening to our shepherds and embracing parish-led small-group apostolates, Jesus continues to tell us, ‘Come, and you will see.’ All of us are called to respond to this invitation to make a difference as disciples. Entering a greater community of believers through developing and enhancing small group communities can help create that difference.

apostolates, Jesus continues to tell us, “Come, and you will see.” All of us are called to respond to this invitation to make a difference as disciples. Entering a greater community of believers through developing and enhancing small group communities can help create that difference.

In joining, we do not have to knock on household doors. After a while we may find friends or family members to reach out to. Bringing others to Jesus may not seem so different over time. We can start by joining a small group. For those already in one — great! We can invite someone in and ask the Holy Spirit to go to work for and within us. That is how small group communities gain more disciples for Jesus!

Deacon Bird ministers to St. Joseph in Rosemount and All Saints in Lakeville and assists with the archdiocesan Catholic Watchmen movement. See heroicmen com for existing tools supported by the archdiocese to enrich parish apostolates for ministry to men. For Watchmen start-up materials or any other questions regarding ministry to men, contact him at gordonbird@rocketmail com

iSTOCK PHOTO | THAI NOIPHO

JAYMIE STUART WOLFE

Let God choose your Lent

“What are you giving up for Lent?”

For many Catholics, the question appears almost automatically — and even before the last box of Christmas decorations has been packed up and stowed away. As someone who spent most of my life in that category and with that crowd, I think it’s because Lent can feel a lot like a competition, a 40-day spiritual marathon with winners and losers.

Every Ash Wednesday, it seemed to me, the Church threw personal holiness down like a gauntlet. The point, I thought, was to accept the challenge and do everything in my power to excel in achieving it. My naturally competitive nature means that I have always been more than willing to take up just about any challenge. Living the faith was no exception.

That’s one reason why I figured that the more demanding and strenuous Lent was, the better. It was a matter of simple logic. If fasting on Fridays demonstrated my love for God, then fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays would do so even more. If praying one novena was good, two or three had to be even more beneficial. Whenever I heard about someone else’s sacrifice, I’d up the ante for myself. If someone was giving up coffee, I’d commit to

drinking only water. When someone I knew gave up chocolate (and there was always someone who did), I’d attempt to give up sweets of any kind. There were years I even put pebbles or toothpicks in the soles of my shoes for the season. Nothing was too much for me.

And that was the problem. In doing all those things, I failed to grasp the point of Lenten penitential practices and disciplines. I didn’t realize that because nothing was too much, nothing would ever be enough. Rather than accepting my weaknesses, I tried to live my spiritual life beyond my means and the measure of my strength. And those efforts never produced the

CATHOLIC OR NOTHING | COLIN MILLER

Personalism and the common good

As we continue this month to introduce the ideas of the Catholic Worker Movement, I want to pick up once again the theme of personalism from the December column.

As I wrote there, personalism is the emphasis that humans should act on their own initiative to form community, care for others, and solve their problems, rather than demanding that institutions do it for them. Here I want to underline the way that personalism is the beating heart of any healthy community.

The social bonds of any community must exist within that community. If they do not — if the basis of its togetherness comes from somewhere else — then that somewhere else is their true community.

For example, in a workplace, often groups of friends develop. The members are not an independent community but are held together by a commitment to a common employer, rather than directly to each other. The company is the real community. So, when someone takes a different job, it is likely that person will leave the friend group. If they don’t, it’s because the group has found something besides the company to unite them — say, love of music or local beer.

Whatever it is, for the group to hold together, there must be something of personal interest, resulting in intentional and active participation. In

fruit of repentance in my life. Instead, they left me exhausted and puffed up. I finally recognized that intensifying penitential practices in preparation for Easter isn’t about spiritual bootstrapping or one-upmanship. As a result, I decided to give up giving up things for Lent.

So, for more than a decade now, I’ve been letting God choose what I give up for Lent. And he has chosen some real doozies. The things God has invited me to sacrifice have challenged me at a much deeper level because they call for more faith than I can muster on my own. This approach has made a real difference in what I gain from Lenten practices because God knows what I

Catholic language, this is called the common good. It’s the centripetal force — the social bond — of any community. Like a sports team or a brigade of soldiers, common goods mean that everyone in the community has an interest in everyone else, because they all have an active, personal interest in the same objectives. Common goods are the glue of healthy communities.

Moreover, to come to know a community’s true common good, one must be intimately involved with its people. Every place and its people are almost infinitely complex. To personally get to know it is the only way to know it at all. You cannot engage the common good from a distance, or by pushing buttons, or by a few abstract categories. You must live in it. This means that true solutions to social problems will have to come from within, and not without — from the people themselves. They will have to engage each other in the flesh, in the complexity of local life. This is personalism, and it is deep in the heart of the Catholic social tradition.

This suggests another reason Peter Maurin and Dorothy Day had deep reservations about our culture’s widespread institutionalization (mentioned in the December article). For we tend to assume that if we want to revitalize a neighborhood or engage a homeless encampment, the first thing to do is look to the professionals — to involve more social workers, lobbyists, doctors, mental health workers, or housing experts. We immediately think of getting people connected, as we say, to the right services.

Yet, what the personalism of Catholic social teaching helps us see is that, with the best of intentions, these services can unwittingly lead communities further from their own personalist pursuit of the common good and toward a growing dependence on external systems. Institutionalized services can pluck us out of our natural communities

need better than I do. He is happy to show me all the things I have allowed to take his place. And he is more than willing to reveal the pantheon of idols in my heart, especially when I am convinced that I have none.

The truth is that the crosses I used to choose — even the most difficult ones — were still within my control, simply because I was the one who chose them. Sometimes they required significant discipline on my part, but they also fueled my pride. In contrast, moving across the country, facing a health scare or losing financial security pulls the ground out from under me. And that’s the only way I can truly know what I’ve been standing on all along.

God understands precisely what it will take to make each one of us rely on him, to accept his grace and to trust him more completely.

As St. Francis de Sales wrote, “The everlasting God has in his wisdom foreseen from eternity the cross that he now presents to you as a gift of his inmost heart. This cross he now sends you he has considered with his all-knowing eyes, understood with his divine mind, tested with his wise justice, warmed with loving arms, and weighed with his own hands to see that it is not one inch too large nor one ounce too heavy for you. He has blessed it with his holy name, anointed it with his grace, perfumed it with his consolation, taken one last glance at you and your courage, and then sent it to you from heaven, a special greeting from God to you, an alms of the allmerciful love of God.”

Stuart Wolfe is a Catholic convert, freelance writer and editor, musician, speaker, pet-aholic, wife and mom of eight grown children, loving life in New Orleans.

Like a sports team or a brigade of soldiers, common goods mean that everyone in the community has an interest in everyone else, because they all have an active, personal interest in the same objectives. Common goods are the glue of healthy communities.

and graft our lives onto impersonal agencies and systems that manage large parts of our lives for us.

This is often detrimental to communities, because we exist more as members of those external systems than of the places where we live. The result is that we might still live near one another, but we have little in common with our neighbors, for we do not have to seek the common good with them. So, we lose our centripetal force, our glue. Too often, then, communities grow weak as systems grow strong.

At worst, we are left with a society of deeply isolated individuals, connected only indirectly by the agencies that do our living for us. The result is a massive dead space, a hole where living together used to be. It’s a hole we are largely filling by staring at screens. And screens are no substitute for the personalist pursuit of the common good.

Yet there is plenty of hope to be had. For the Church is God’s plan for bringing true community out of this brokenness. This is what Day and Maurin saw so clearly, and what we’ll continue to explore in future columns.

Miller is director of pastoral care and outreach at Assumption in St. Paul.

OSV NEWS | BOB ROLLER

Understanding Minnesota’s legislative session and precinct caucuses

Each legislative session runs for two years. In oddnumbered years, the sessions begin on the first Tuesday in January. Legislators primarily focus on crafting the state’s two-year budget.

The second half of each biennium, which occurs in even-numbered years, like 2024, is sometimes shorter in duration. The primary objective during this period is to pass a bonding bill to support the building of various infrastructure projects across the state, along with enacting any key policy matters that were carried over from the previous year’s session.

Between now and May 20, the scheduled final day of session, the Legislature — which is split into 29 House committees and 20 Senate committees on various topics — will take up bills, hear public testimony and

imperative that we not only know who represents us (the people), but also the policies being proposed and the legislative process. We call those the three “p’s” of advocacy.

The legislative session: A quick guide

For many Minnesotans, the intricacies of the state legislative process can seem complex and daunting. Grasping the basics of how the session operates can empower citizens to better understand and engage with their government.

For a policy bill to pass, in most cases it must be heard and passed by committees in both the House and Senate by March 22. Finance bills must meet an April 19

In such a compact session with a lot of bills on the agenda, MCC will be busy weighing in on key issues and helping Catholics in the pews make their voices heard.

By staying informed and engaged, Catholics can play a more active role in shaping Minnesota’s future. Subscribe to our Catholic Advocacy Network by visiting mncatholic.org/join so that that you can stay up-todate on opportunities to share your position with your legislators and learn what MCC is doing at the Capitol.

Precinct caucuses

Are you tired of feeling politically adrift? Do you believe that neither party adequately represents your

The Minnesota Catholic Conference is here to support people who want to attend the precinct caucuses. Seasoned caucusgoers and people new to the process can learn more and print off sample resolutions for Democrat and Republican caucuses by visiting mncatholic org/caucus

values? You’re not alone. Many Catholics share this sentiment of "political homelessness." But here's the good news: You have the power to be part of the solution.

On Feb. 27, Minnesota will host Precinct Caucus Night. Precinct caucuses are not just meetings; they are opportunities to actively shape the direction of a political party and our state.

At these caucuses, both the Democrat and Republican parties will develop their platforms — a set of principles the party plans to follow. You have the chance to submit resolutions outlining your priorities, which will be voted on by your peers. Your resolutions can advance to influence state party platforms and shape the agenda for the coming years.

A united Catholic voice at the caucus level can be particularly impactful. By participating, you can urge political parties to adopt positions that promote human flourishing from conception to natural death. Mark your calendars for Feb. 27 and plan to attend your local precinct caucus.

Bishop Barron’s YouTube channel reaches 1 million subscribers

The Catholic Spirit

Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester announced Feb. 19 that his YouTube channel had reached a new milestone.

In a post to social media, Bishop Barron said he is “thrilled and humbled to announce that my YouTube channel recently reached one million subscribers!”

Word on Fire, a media apostolate Bishop Barron founded and leads,

reported that since Bishop Barron posted his first video in 2007 — a movie review of Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” — he has gone on to post more than 1,300 videos that touch on topics of faith, current events and popular culture.

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON

“I could not have imagined the evangelical reach and impact that

I could not have imagined the evangelical reach and impact that these videos would have.

these videos would have,” Bishop Barron said in his social media post. “This milestone would not have been possible without your prayers or the

support of our donors.”

In a video announcing the milestone, Bishop Barron said, “Let’s keep going. That a Catholic bishop can get a million subscribers on YouTube — pretty good, but there’s a whole wider world out there and many, many more that we can get to subscribe.”

Bishop Barron finished the announcement video with a word of thanks: “My heart’s filled with gratitude, it’s filled with joy about this.”

fter looking at Jesus face to face in adoration today and thinking about why I am Catholic, I thought to myself, how could I not be? I grew up in the Catholic Church, but during my freshman year of college, some questions started to arise in my mind. People approached me with questions about Jesus and the Catholic Church, and I didn’t know the answers.

As I began to look at Church history and learned that Jesus started a Church that is indeed the Catholic Church, I knew that not only did I want to be Catholic, but Jesus wanted it for me, too. How could I not want to worship the Lord in the way he wants to be worshipped? The Lord wants communion with us during our life and for eternity in heaven, and he gave us his Church and a glimpse of heaven on earth. I also had heard of the importance of prayer and having a relationship with Jesus, but how?

Sitting in the Newman Center chapel at South Dakota State University during my first year of college, I gazed at the tabernacle day after day and my life began to change. I didn’t immediately know the impact of a simple question asked by a FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionary: “What is your prayer life like?” He went on to invite me to stop by the chapel for 10 to 15 minutes every day to be with Jesus. As I sat there each day, looking at Jesus in the tabernacle, for the first time in my life I began to have a peace, and a joy, and a

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Why I am Catholic

By Jake Wieneke

purpose that I couldn’t explain.

It has been 10 years since my first year in college. In the last couple years, I have been so convicted every time I read Revelation 2:4. Jesus is talking to the angel of the Church in Ephesus, and I have felt as though Jesus is talking directly to me. Jesus said the angel had shown endurance and suffered for his name and not grown weary, but in verse four Jesus says, “but I have this against you: you have lost the love you had at first.”

I realized that as my daily prayer life had decreased, my love had decreased. And as my prayer life increased, my love increased. In 1 John 4:19, we hear that we love because he first loved us. We can only give with what we receive from the Lord, and I am grateful for all the amazing people the Lord has put in my life to point me toward Jesus. My wife’s daily model of persisting in prayer by waking up early before the kids encourages me to do the same.

Wieneke, 29, and his wife, Brenda, have three children and spend half of the year in Canada, where Jake plays football in the Canadian Football League, and the other half of the year home in Minnesota. This offseason, Jake is working at his home parish, St. Thomas the Apostle in Corcoran, where he is the faith and young adult minister. He loves building relationships and watching the Lord work in this exciting time in a growing community at St. Thomas the Apostle.

“Why I am Catholic” is an ongoing series in The Catholic Spirit. Want to share why you are Catholic?

Submit your story in 300500 words to CatholiCSpirit@ arChSpm org with subject line “Why I am Catholic.”

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

PARISH EVENTS

Eucharistic Miracles of the World: Vatican International Exhibition — Feb. 24, 25: 10 a.m.6 p.m. Feb. 24; 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 25 at St. Maron, 602 University Ave. NE. View 126 historically documented photographic Eucharistic miracles from various countries since the Last Supper. For more information, call

612-379-2758 or visit Stmaron Com

Maternity of Mary 75th Anniversary Dinner — Feb. 24: 4:30 p.m. at Maternity of Mary, 1414 Dale St. N., St. Paul. A celebratory Mass and dinner. For tickets, call 651-489-8825.

maternityofmaryChurCh org

Holy Cross 40 Hours Devotion — March 1-3: Holy Cross, 1621 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis. Grow closer to Christ by attending the bilingual (Polish and English) opening Mass on Friday at 7 p.m., make time for a Holy Hour of adoration over the weekend, or join for the closing service and reception Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

bit ly/hC40hrS2024

Vatican International Exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles of the World — March 1-3: St. Dominic, 104 Linden St. N., Northfield. St. Dominic hosts the exhibition March 1 (6-8 p.m.), March 2 (9 a.m.-8 p.m.) and March 3 (9 a.m.-3 p.m.). ChurChofStdominiC org

Meeting God in His Love: A Lenten Morning Retreat — March 2: 8 a.m.-noon at Presentation of Mary, 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood. Led by speaker and musician Donna Stoering, the retreat is open to men and women of all ages. Includes Mass, breakfast, talks, confession and adoration with music, and a rosary. Freewill offering. RSVP to mail@preSentationofmary org

preSentationofmary org/lenten-retreat

A Wee Bit Early St. Patrick’s Day Dinner — March 2: 6-8 p.m. at St. Peter, 1405 Sibley Memorial Highway, Mendota. Guinness Irish stew, colcannon (mashed potatoes with cabbage), soda bread, Irish coffee, dessert, non-alcoholic beverages. Freewill offering bar. Music by the Jameson Twins. Cost: Individual, $15. Family of four, $40. Each additional child (under 18), $5. StpeterSmendota org

WORSHIP+RETREATS

Centering Prayer Retreat — Feb. 23-25: The Benedictine Center of St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. During this silent retreat, experience a time of profound silence and pray with the Scriptures. benediCtineCenter org

Women’s Weekend Silent Retreat: Do This in Memory of Me — Feb. 23-25: Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. The focus of the retreat will be on the Last Supper. kingShouSe Com

Women’s Weekend Retreat — Feb. 23-25: Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 Saint Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Set the tone for the new year in a place filled with hope, inspiration and spiritual growth. tinyurl Com/mwn7yf28

Encounter the Holy Spirit Retreat — Feb. 24: 8 a.m.-

noon at St. Michael, 11300 Frankfort Parkway NE, St. Michael. Holy Spirit Academy is hosting this Lenten retreat reflecting on unity. Event includes talks from the Dominican Sisters from Stillwater, confession and adoration. Register online. holySpiritaCademy org/lenten-retreat Lenten Day of Prayer for Men and Women — Feb. 28: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. Reflect on select Scriptures of Christ’s journey leading up to Holy Week. Register online.

kingShouSe Com

Lenten Day of Prayer — Feb. 28, March 6, 13: 9 a.m.2:30 p.m. at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 Saint Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Enhance your Lenten faith journey with the Lenten Days of Prayer series. Talks, opportunities for confession and spiritual direction, open prayer time and Mass. Hot lunch provided.

tinyurl Com/mr44vwh9

Special Mass for People with Memory Loss — March

7: 1:30-3 p.m. at St. Odilia, 3495 Victoria St. N., Shoreview. All are welcome, especially anyone experiencing memory loss and their caregivers. Hospitality after Mass with community resource information available. For information, call 651-484-6681. Stodilia org

40 Hours of Prayer and Adoration — March 8-10: St. Ignatius, 35 Birch St. E., Annandale. A procession of the Blessed Sacrament from St. Ignatius to St. Timothy in Maple Lake includes two presentations by the Pro Ecclesia Sancta Sisters. StignatiuSmn Com

Ignatian Men’s Silent Retreat — Thursday-Sunday most weeks at Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House, 8243 Demontreville Trail N., Lake Elmo. Let God meet you at a beautiful retreat location in Lake Elmo. Freewill donation. demontrevilleretreat Com

SPEAKERS+SEMINARS

Communicating Faithfully in the Digital Age — Feb. 23: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Emmaus Hall, St. John’s University, 2966 Saint John’s Road, Collegeville. Examine what it means to remain rooted in the word and the call to lend a faithful presence in our communication practices in digital spaces. Free. Registration is required. tinyurl Com/Sjz3dyk4

Shining a Light on Sex Trafficking: Join the Conversation — Feb. 28: 11 a.m.-noon at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. Speaker: Director DeBrea Chambers of Brittany’s Place. tinyurl Com/24835bny

Rebuilding Catholic Community: Spring Speaker Series — Feb. 29 and March 7: 7 p.m. at Assumption, 51 Seventh St. W., St. Paul. The Center for Catholic Social Thought spring speaker series features, among others, Bishop Joseph Williams and writer/speaker Leah Libresco. Register at CatholiCSoCialthought org/2024-Spring-Speaker-SerieS

Elliptical Theology: Revelation, Theology and Human Experience — March 1: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Emmaus Hall, St. John’s University, 2966 Saint John’s Road, Collegeville. Explore elliptical theology while drawing from the reality

of the Incarnation, the word of God, work of the Spirit, and the role of human experience. Free event. Registration is required. CSbSju edu/Sot/Sem/alumni-and-friendS/attend-eventS/ theology-day

Harboring Hope: Our Role in the Journey of Migrants and Refugees — March 3: 3-5 p.m. at St. Frances Cabrini, 1500 SE Franklin Ave., Minneapolis. Sarah Brenes, executive director of Binger Center for New Americans at the University of Minnesota Law School, will present. Donations appreciated. Cabrinimn org/tegeder-talkS

SCHOOLS

Parents Night Out with Dr. James Schroeder — Feb. 29: 6-8 p.m., 235 S. Second St., Delano. Listen to guest speaker Dr. James Schroeder, author, pediatric psychologist, husband and father to eight children as he presents “Parenting with Purpose: Helping our Kids Thrive in their Pursuit of Happiness and Heaven.” This is a free event and open to the public.

StmaxkolbeSChool org/thrive-to-middle-SChool

OTHER EVENTS

The Wonders of Wax: Candle Dipping with Beeswax — Feb. 29: 10 a.m.-noon at 2105 Lexington Ave., S., Mendota Heights. The Catholic Cemeteries is proud to host bee hives at our cemeteries. Learn from our Alveole beekeepers about candle making with beeswax at Resurrection Cemetery. Register: CatholiC-CemeterieS org/beeS Cor Jesu — March 1: 8 p.m. at The Saint Paul Seminary’s St. Mary’s Chapel, 2260 Summit Ave., St. Paul. Join Bishop Michael Izen for Eucharistic adoration, confession, praise and worship music and fellowship with young adults who are college-age and older. 10000voCationS org/Cor-jeSu html

Slow Dating Sign-Up — by March 1: Sign up by March 1 for the event at 6:45 p.m. April 6 at St. Joseph, 8701 36th Ave. N., New Hope. Like speed dating, but more intentional with time to go deeper than the fast facts. formS gle/gtlnvugiajrgrfvla

ONGOING GROUPS

Restorative Support for Victims-Survivors — Monthly: 6:30-8 p.m. via Zoom. Open to all victims-survivors. Victim-survivor support group for those abused by clergy as adults — first Mondays. Support group for relatives or friends of victims of clergy sexual abuse — second Mondays. Victim-survivor support group — third Mondays. Survivor Peace Circle — third Tuesdays. Support group for men who have been sexually abused by clergy/religious — fourth Wednesdays. Support group for present and former employees of faith-based institutions who have experienced abuse in any of its many forms — second Thursdays. Visit arChSpm org/healing or contact Paula Kaempffer, outreach coordinator for restorative justice and abuse prevention, at kaempfferp@arChSpm org or 651-291-4429.

CALENDAR submissions

DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the issue date.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and organizations. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission. Included in our listings are local events submitted by public sources that could be of interest to the larger Catholic community.

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE:

uTime and date of event

uFull street address of event

uDescription of event

uContact information in case of questions

uThe Catholic Spirit prints calendar details as submitted.

TheCatholiCSpirit Com/CalendarSubmiSSionS

ASK FATHER MIKE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

First, answering someone’s question isn’t the same thing as “wanting to appear to others to be fasting”; you are just answering a question. Second, the things you are doing for Lent are probably pretty unimpressive. I mean, you might be the hardcore Catholic on your block, but if you remember that St. Francis of Assisi (and others) spent one Lent eating literally nothing, people knowing that you have given up beer isn’t likely to give you a big head. It is probably more humbling to have to admit the smallness of what you have been called to. Ultimately, the question is, “God, what can I decide to do during this season that will make me more like you?”

Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

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Cemetery: Mausoleum Bldg #2; Tandem Crypt (2); Market Value: $50,000+; Price: $35,000. 612-518-7130

Resurrection Cemetery: One Non-Monument Plot in Section 61; $1800. Contact Pat: 612-849-0762.

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HEALTH COACHING

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PAINTING

For painting & all related services. View our website: PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM or call (651) 699-6140.

Michaels Painting. Texture and Repair. MichaelsPaintingllc coM. (763) 757-3187

PRAYERS

NOTICE: Prayers must be submitted in advance. Payment of $8 per line must be received before publication.

RELIGIOUS ITEMS FOR SALE

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ROOFING/SIDING

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THELASTWORD

From art auction to Cathedral

Collectors donate Shroud of Turin painting to church where they were married

Story and photos by Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

Scott and Terry Jurek were at an art auction early in 2023. The two, parishioners of St. John Neumann in Eagan, are “serious art collectors,” Scott said.

They viewed an acrylic painting of the Shroud of Turin, created by 22-yearold Las Vegas artist Autumn de Forest during the auction when it came up for bids. The artist was a recipient of the Giuseppe Sciacca International Vatican Award in Painting and Art in 2015 at age 14 and accompanied the presentation of her painting “Resurrection” to Pope Francis. At the auction, her rendition of the face of Jesus on burial cloth grabbed the Jureks at first sight.

“This is a must, without question,” Scott recalled thinking.

“When we see something and we want it, we jump in,” Terry said, “and most of the time, we get it.”

They did this time. But, it was never meant to be hung inside their Eagan home, where “every speck of it is filled with art,” Terry said.

No, they had a much larger spot in mind for this 20-by-24-inch framed piece: the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. From the moment they decided to bid on this painting, they knew they wanted to donate it to the church where they were married in 1983.

“This was my home parish” said Terry, who grew up in St. Paul and attended St. Bernard’s church and school in her childhood before joining the Cathedral as an adult. “I worked at Region’s Hospital (in St. Paul as a cardiac nurse), so on Saturday nights or Sundays, I was always quick to come here after work and go to church (for Mass).”

Shortly after making their winning bid on the painting, they informed Father John Ubel, the Cathedral rector, of their intention to offer it as a gift. He was thrilled.

“I’ve seen the transformation take

“I love the Stations of the Cross — always have,” Father Ubel said. “I love our Stations here. ... When people are done (looking at all the Stations placed throughout the Cathedral), they simply turn the corner (after the 14th Station), boom, it’s right there — an image of Jesus in the shroud. Everyone knows how popular the Shroud of Turin is.”

Two days after the installation, the Jureks came to see it. They were asked to describe what strikes them about this piece, and what made them want to buy it at the auction.

place when people come in and are just overcome by beauty, by music, by art” inside the Cathedral, Father Ubel said. “So, to have a piece like this, I think, is a real boon to the Cathedral. I’m so honored to be able to receive it.”

He had the piece in his office for several weeks as he prayed and pondered where to mount it. After walking around the Cathedral multiple times over several days, he settled on a pillar where the last of the 14 Stations of the Cross is located.

“What kept coming back to me was the Stations, almost like a 15th Station, in a sense,” he said. “And then, after that, I felt it would make the most sense for it to be placed (on the pillar) right before the beginning of Lent.”

The painting was permanently mounted Feb. 5. It is a few feet above eye level and on the same pillar as the 14th Station.

“Probably the eyes,” Terry said. “They were just captivating.”

Scott agreed. “The eyes almost follow you as you move around,” he said. As the couple talked about buying the piece and bringing it to the Cathedral as a gift, Scott’s tears flowed freely while he described the experience.

It stems from his battling both serious heart issues and cancer, beginning in 2006 when a test at Regions revealed blockage in four arteries coming from his heart. He had quadruple bypass surgery soon after, then had another heart problem in 2014 that required additional surgery to remove a benign tumor inside his heart.

He was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 when a tumor was found between his left ear and jawbone. Then, two more tumors were found in 2019 and 2020. One was surgically removed, while chemotherapy has kept the other two

from growing. But, he still can feel the remaining tumors.

What he also feels, he said, is the “divine intervention” that led to an early diagnosis of his heart condition and effective treatments for both his heart issues and the cancer. He is well aware of the fact that if the artery blockage discovered in 2006 had gone undetected, he could have suffered a fatal heart attack.

“I’m lucky to be here,” he said. Today, he describes himself as “healthy.”

The Jureks have donated other pieces of art, including a heliogravure print (done between 1897 and 1905) of Rembrandt’s “Descent from the Cross” that they gave to St. John Neumann right before Easter in 2022. They have more donations planned in the future, including 23 framed prints they will be donating to Regions Hospital.

For Scott, faith, art collecting and medicine are intertwined, especially considering his wife’s 45 years working at Regions Hospital. He wrote a short reflection that mentions all three. It is called “Wings of Hope,” which is also the title of a painting by artist Michael Godard, which will be donated to Regions Hospital Cancer Center.

The first line of the reflection reads:

“When there are feelings of despair, helplessness, loneliness, fear, anger, tears, frightfulness, depression, pain, and when everything appears to be lost — there is hope.”

ABOVE From left, Father John Ubel, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, and Scott and Terry Jurek of St. John Neumann in Eagan stand in front of a painting of the Shroud of Turin that the Jureks donated to the Cathedral.

LEFT Shroud of Turin painting by artist Autumn de Forest.