The Catholic Spirit - January 25, 2024

January 25, 2024 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Catholic schools shine

Catholic Schools Week Jan. 28 to Feb. 3 Annual report on the status of schools, Office for the Mission of Catholic Education — page 2A Catholic school happenings — page 4A

2A • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

CATHOLICSCHOOLSWEEK

JANUARY 25, 2024

Enrollment, mission remain strong in archdiocesan Catholic schools

By Maura Keller For The Catholic Spirit Catholic Schools Week — marking Catholic education’s contributions to student, parish and community development — will be celebrated Jan. 28 to Feb. 3 this year. The Catholic Spirit enters the spirit of the week with this report on the status of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis (pages 2A and 3A) and a report on some activities celebrating Catholic schools on page 4A.

O

ne thing’s for sure: Interest in Catholic education is growing in the archdiocese.

According to the 2023-2024 Annual Report on Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, for the 2023-2024 academic year, archdiocesan schools saw another K-12 systemwide enrollment increase. According to the report, 42% of the 79 elementary and 16 high schools are serving more students than the year before while achieving a 90% average retention rate.

Four years ago, in the 2019-2020 school year, 25,010 students were enrolled in Catholic schools.

Currently, there are 27,304, an increase of 9.2%, school officials said.

Catholic schools not only give students the academic, technical and social skills needed to be successful, but they also help students see that their lives are endowed with unfathomable importance, said Emily Dahdah, director educational quality and excellence in the archdiocese’s Office for the Mission of Catholic Education.

“The more children who come to know their identity in God, extraordinary worth, and value of their life, the more we can look toward a world grounded in truth and goodness,” Dahdah said.

“Our Catholic schools exist to help students and their families come to know and experience the transformational love of Jesus Christ. Against the isolation, alienation and loss of identity so prevalent in our communities, our Catholic schools are places where children and families discover the meaning of their lives and are inspired to reach their fullest potential. More and more families are desiring this for their children, and they are finding it in Catholic schools.”

The archdiocese has been blessed to experience growth in K-12 enrollment over the last four years, Dahdah said. As more families sought out Catholic schools, perhaps initially for in-person learning during the pandemic, they experienced excellent

Tricia Lyngen leads her sixth-grade students in prayer before Spanish class at St. Raphael Catholic School in Crystal.

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academics and faithful communities, she said.

“The majority of these families have stayed in our schools, and they’re sharing the great news of Catholic education with their friends and family,” Dahdah said. “At the heart of this growth is more people coming to know Jesus Christ and his Church through their Catholic school. They benefit from the transformational witnesses to the faith who inspire them to embrace God’s love for them.”

In addition to increased enrollment, the report shows that Catholic schools in the archdiocese are out-performing other schools in the state. For example, in 2023 the average composite ACT score was 25 with 82% of 11th grade students taking the ACT exam in archdiocesan schools.

According to the Minnesota Department of Education, 60% of the 2023 graduating class took the ACT last year. “Compared to a state average ACT score of 20, these results point to how our schools’ rigorous academics are helping to prepare students to be college- and career-ready. What’s more, our students also respond generously to God’s call to serve him in a particular vocation that builds up the Body of Christ and contributes to the good of society,” Dahdah said.

Catholic schools in the archdiocese continue to be strengthened under a single vision for Catholic education through the 2019 Roadmap for Excellence in Catholic Education, the Archdiocesan Synod and other initiatives, Dahdah said.

It’s bearing fruit, including at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in New Brighton and St. Raphael Catholic School in Crystal.

“We have grown almost 70% in five years, from 238 to 403 (students) in K-8. We have also grown 60% in preschool in five years, from 53 to 85 (students),” Father Paul Shovelain, pastor of St. John the Baptist, said of the parish school.

Father Shovelain said the increasingly secular culture is pushing families to look for options that align with their values.

“Our excellent and faith-filled school is drawing families in. We have a great staff and dedicated teachers that help our students grow into the saints that God is calling them to become,” Father Shovelain said. “Our church also organizes several family events each year that bring families in and PLEASE TURN TO OMCE ANNUAL REPORT ON PAGE 3A

TheCatholicSpirit.com

CATHOLICSCHOOLSWEEK

JANUARY 25, 2024

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3A

FULL SPEED AHEAD The Office for the Mission of Catholic Education (OMCE) in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is working to build up the Catholic school experience through the Lumen Accreditation process offered through The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. This partnership propels a common vision of quality and excellence across all the Catholic schools.

Third grader Derrick Gotobah listens during class at St. Raphael Catholic School in Crystal.

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OMCE ANNUAL REPORT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2A

help them to be introduced to our community.”

These events include an annual Easter Egg Hunt, All Saints Party and Journey to the Inn with a live Nativity.

“We are able to both evangelize our current school families through the events and draw more families in,” Father Shovelain said. Seven school parents came into full communion with the Church last year and six school parents and a teacher are preparing to do the same at this year’s Easter Vigil, he said. There are also multiple small groups with school parents and those have served as a leaven that strengthens the Catholic culture within the school, he said.

“There is goodness and hope that is fully found in the Catholic Church that people are searching for,” Father Shovelain said. “Catholic schools lift up each and every child as a gift and they’ll encounter the love of a God that fulfills their deepest longings. We need to form more Catholic school educators and provide resources that help the Catholic faith to be seen in its full beauty.”

Over a two-year period, St. Raphael Catholic School has experienced a more than 50% increase in enrollment, officials there said. In May 2022, the school had 105 students registered for the 2022 school year. Currently, it has 179 students enrolled.

“We expect to be over 200 students next school year,” said Jason Finne, the principal. “We already

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have over 17 students interested in kindergarten for next school year and more and more inquiries are coming in for preschool every day.”

Finne said a major source of the growth comes from parents seeking an alternative to policies in public schools.

“I have had many parents enrolling that are dissatisfied with public schooling. They are clamoring to find the better option, something that’s stable and teaches truth,” Finne said.

Catholic schools are simply different, Finne said. They focus on the formation of virtue in each child. They provide family-centered attention, the curriculum is classically formed and the teaching is faithfully Catholic.

“Plus, St. Raphael is a place of great happiness,” Finne said. “We are building joy while we build character. Once families join our community, they do find a sense of belonging and we have experienced a growth in school-age students receiving baptism and even conversion to the Catholic faith. In a three-year period, we have had over 30 school-age students become baptized into the faith. We are expecting that to reach 50 in the near future.”

When Finne was hired as principal, he and Father Nick Hagen, the pastor of St. Raphael, decided they needed to have a growth mindset approach to enrollment. They hired a director of mission, Joan Wieland, to market to the community, usher new families through the front door, offer assistance through the enrollment process and make each

“Because Catholic schools have a distinctive and essential mission, it’s important that we have an accreditation process that’s aligned with our mission,” said Emily Dahdah, OMCE’s director of educational quality and excellence. “We want to be excellent Catholic schools in every sense of the word.”

Looking ahead, Catholic school enrollment in the archdiocese remains strong thanks to the coordinated efforts of a local Catholic community that is committed to seeing Catholic education continue to flourish.

“While we are proud of four consecutive years of enrollment growth in our K-12 Catholic schools, we know enrollment alone doesn’t reflect the success of schools,” Dahdah said.

“However, positive enrollment trends do indicate the presence of steadfast leaders, zealous educators and the continued desire of families to provide their children with the best education possible.”

Dahdah stressed that Catholic schools teach children that life is more than just asking, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” or taking a strengths-finder survey. These things can be helpful, but it’s not the full picture.

“In a Catholic school, our students are inspired to seek and find the will of God. We are preparing to send them out to the world to do something that God has asked them to do and which no one else can do,” Dahdah said. “In responding to this call, our students are following in a long tradition of apostles, martyrs and saints who chose to embark on life’s most interesting, adventurous and fulfilling work, the only work actually worth doing.”

The archdiocese will continue to invest in faculty and staff, market their Catholic schools and work with Catholic education partners to help Catholic education continue to thrive, Dahdah said.

– Maura Keller student and family feel welcomed.

“My advice to all Catholic parishes with schools is they have to invest in marketing. You have to take a 21st century approach to grabbing attention from families, and that’s an investment,” Finne said. “Advertising on Google, Facebook, Instagram and keeping a clean website are essential to speak to modern parents. The potential of sharing the community is impossible unless prospective families hear about us first.”

4A • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS NEWS More than 7,000 students, teachers and staff from 76 Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis will gather Jan. 29 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for a Mass of the Holy Spirit organized by Minneapolis-based Catholic Schools Center of Excellence (CSCOE). Held during Catholic Schools Week, the Mass will include Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Michael Izen and nearly 50 archdiocesan priests and deacons. A student representative from each school will carry a banner as part of the procession into the 11 a.m. Mass. The gathering will start at about 10 a.m. as buses of students arrive to the performances of a school choir and Twin Cities Christian rock band Sonar. CSCOE held its first Mass of the Holy Spirit in 2016 with plans to hold them every two years. The Mass was celebrated in 2018 but was suspended until this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applications are open for families to apply for a needbased, $1,000 scholarship for their child to attend a Catholic elementary school through St. Paul-based Aim Higher Foundation. The window closes Feb. 23 for the 2024-2025 school year. The foundation is supporting 2,330 students this school year, more than 12% of all kindergarten through eighth grade students in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Aim Higher scholars are attending 100% of the 81 Catholic elementary schools in the archdiocese. The foundation is hosting a $2,000 giveaway during Catholic Schools Week. A $1,000 scholarship will go to two lucky winners.

A visual arts exhibition for seventh through 12th grade Catholic school students, hosted by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office for the Mission of Catholic Education (OMCE), will take place this spring. The deadline for student artwork submissions will be in April. Finalists will then be selected to participate in the exhibition and reception with archdiocesan leaders in May. Awards will be presented at that time and artwork may also be selected for display at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul. The exhibition’s theme is connected to the Eucharist, as National Eucharistic Revival efforts are underway, according to OMCE. “With Jesus Christ at the center of our Catholic schools, we thought promoting a Eucharistic theme for our first arts exhibition would be fitting and inspiring,” said Jason Slattery, director of Catholic education and superintendent of Catholic schools for the archdiocese. “We’re excited to host this event to encourage and showcase the artistic talents of our upperlevel Catholic school students.” Additional information will be shared online at spmcatholicschools.org.

— The Catholic Spirit

Our sincere thanks to all the principals, priests, teachers, and staff members of Catholic schools.

We’re grateful for the amazing work you do.

CATHOLICSCHOOLSWEEK

JANUARY 25, 2024

Conversation and prayer on the way to school

By Silvio Cuéllar OSV News

lives and for them to feel how supported and treasured they are by their family.

Editor’s note: This column was written in August, but it pertains to each day

With that in mind, here are a few practical tips to get everyone feeling that supported: uEstablish a daily routine including wake-up times, study times, meals, art activities, sports, free time and family prayer time. It may help to have a calendar of activities posted in a visible place.

Part of that routine can include leaving everything organized in the evenings, such as uniforms, school supplies and snacks, to avoid worrying and running around in the mornings. uMaintain active communication: Talk to your children about their expectations and concerns. Sit down with them daily and ask them how school went. Listen to them carefully, so they can feel understood and supported. uMaintain a healthy diet: In our home, several of our children had hereditary autoimmune diseases.

Eliminating sodas, foods high in chemicals, preservatives, and limiting sweets has significantly improved our children’s health. uHave a quiet place to study free of noise and distractions. Help your children identify and participate in at least one extracurricular activity that interests them, such as art, theater or sports, to complement their education and develop their talents. At our home, most of our children have learned an instrument and many have played soccer. uLimit electronic devices and television to no more than two hours a day, and ensure they do not interfere with school responsibilities. A good practice is to put the phone in another room and turn off notifications during homework and family dinner time. uPray as a family, and as individuals. In our home, many of us have the practice of visiting the chapel and spending time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. My daughter Emily (now Sister Juan Maria) spent 15 minutes in front of the Blessed Sacrament every day before school and it helped strengthen her faith, especially during the challenging teenage years.

I

n today’s world, we are surrounded by constant noise and distractions. At home, we are always connected to media such as smartphones, computers, television and tablets. In the car, we are also saturated by noise and radio programs with commentary often inappropriate for our children’s ears.

How do we bring some peace into our lives and share more time with our children?

I want to share some of the routines that can help us.

When my seven children were younger, I took them to school, which was 20 minutes from home.

Those rides became a very special time for us.

Usually, when I was alone in the car, I would have the radio on or listen to some audiobook, religious music, or the news. But when I was with my children, I would turn the radio off and we would enjoy a bit of conversation. I would begin by asking what they were doing at school, and to share one thing they had learned that week, or what projects they had.

When we were halfway through, we would offer morning prayer, and each day we would take turns leading the prayer.

Beginning with the sign of the cross, each of us would thank God for something or someone in our lives. Then, each would offer an intention, asking for something or praying for someone. Finally, we concluded with the Lord’s Prayer and three Hail Marys, ending with the Glory Be. Through their prayers, I could see what was in my children’s hearts and minds. It gave me great joy to see how sensitive they were, how they cared for their little classmates and often included them alongside their parents and siblings in their prayers.

I was also happy to see they were very grateful and humble, with hearts willing to help others.

It is important for us as parents to have those conversations, to know what is going on in their

Silvio Cuéllar is a writer, liturgical music composer and journalist.

January 25, 2024 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

From St. Paul to Washington, D.C., Catholics are witnesses for life

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

L

eaving the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul after the Jan. 22 Prayer Service for Life with her 6-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son in a stroller, Kaleisha Adamson said she attended because she wanted others to realize the blessing and privilege of having children.

“I actually have found that my life truly began after I’ve had children and it’s been such a blessing,” said Adamson, who with her husband, Matt, and three of their children, participated in the service led by Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams. More than 2,000 people were in the congregation.

Afterward, the parishioners of St. Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park joined others taking part in the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) March for Life at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Sharing that she’d had an abortion about 10 years ago, Kaleisha Adamson said she’s since had a change of heart.

“I believed a lot of the lies that are out there about abortion and especially Planned Parenthood,” she said.

But now, she said, she believes that everyone deserves a chance to live.

“I believe that life begins at conception, and I believe that allowing a baby to live is a right, and I believe that abortion is wrong.”

Matt Adamson said he wanted his family to be seen as pro-life, as he took several signs from his car to carry on the march. “I want to be a part; I want to be counted among this number,” he said.

God’s chosen people have been distinguished as believers going back to the Old Testament, by the fact that God forbade them from killing their own children, Bishop Williams said during the prayer service, at which the St. John Paul II Champions for Life were recognized (see page 11B).

“You don’t throw away the life that God himself has knitted together in the womb,” Bishop Williams said. “So it was for the Christians” from the earliest centuries, he said, encouraging attendees to witness to the truth about the value of life with their own lives.

“The antidote to the culture of death in this country is many of you who are living this in your daily and weekly lives,” he said.

Jan. 22 marked the 51st anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade

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Sophomore Faustina Adkins, front, of St. Agnes School in St. Paul walks with fellow students to the Minnesota State Capitol from the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul following the Prayer Service for Life. ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

The high court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturned the 1973 decision, returning abortion issues to the states, which have enacted varying laws governing it.

As they emerged from the Cathedral, a larger-than-usual number of marchers waited about 15 minutes to proceed on crowded sidewalks toward the Capitol.

Temperatures in the 30s made the wait more bearable than in some past years.

When they reached the Capitol, marchers listened to a program that included prayer, music, presentations by MCCL’s president and co-directors, and the testimony of a young woman born with birth defects for which many babies are aborted.

Before the march, participants could pick up one of 12,000 fetal models

provided by MCCL and representing different stages of development. The models were designed to mark the more than 12,000 babies that were aborted in Minnesota in 2022. Marchers placed the models on a row of tables on the Capitol steps for the rally. Afterward, the models were carried into the Capitol in red cloths laid out inside the Capitol rotunda.

“For Minnesota, 12,000 lives is a lot of lives lost,” said Cathy Blaeser, MCCL co-director. However, she said, it’s likely because of legislation passed last year removing many restrictions on abortion, that the 2023 numbers are significantly higher, as indicated by one group’s early reports.

“They have seen over 17,000 babies aborted in our state,” Blaeser said. “If this is true, and it likely is, we will have

returned to the highest number of abortions in Minnesota since 1980.”

Teacher Hannah Wegner of Providence Academy in Plymouth said her middle school students are learning about the abortion laws the Minnesota Legislature passed last year. They recognize they can make a difference in the state, said Wegner, who helped lead a group of 31 Providence Academy high school and eight middle school students to the prayer service and the march.

“I think a lot of them see (attending the march) as an opportunity to make a difference and to get their voices heard and let legislators know that young people do care about this,” she said. “It’s very exciting for me.”

CATHOLIC SERVICES APPEAL 6B-7B | DEACON-PRINCIPAL 10B | CHAMPIONS FOR LIFE 11B THE BURN OF SACRIFICE 13B | FAMILIES FIRST PROJECT 14B | WHY I AM CATHOLIC 16B

PLEASE TURN TO PRO-LIFE MARCH ON PAGE 5B

2B • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

JANUARY 25, 2024

PAGETWO OVERHEARD Always remember that the first proclamation is made through the witness of life. What use are long prayers and so many beautiful hymns, if then I do not know how to be patient with my neighbor, if I do not know how to be close to my mother who is alone?

Pope Francis, Jan. 20 as he thanked members of the Catholic charismatic renewal for helping people learn to pray. He asked the charismatic communities to keep their attention on evangelization but to remember that the most effective way to share the Gospel is through one’s example, especially an example of charity.

NEWS notes

COURTESY JULIE ESBOLDT

CRIBBAGE LESSON George Merth, a parishioner of Holy Childhood in St. Paul, plays cribbage with fifth grader Tsion Demssew at Maternity of Mary-St. Andrew School in St. Paul. Merth visits the school on Monday mornings with eight other parishioners, and they play cribbage with the eight fifth graders. The gatherings began Sept.

18. They are the brainstorm of fifth grade teacher Julie Esboldt, and the fruit of a parish and school gathering in July that attracted 250 people thinking about ways to better integrate parishioners and school families. Esboldt said the students are gaining critical thinking and math skills even as they establish friendships with the adults.

The program was slated to end Nov. 6, but parishioners wanted it to continue, and some have attended school activities such as school Masses planned by the fifth grade class, the Advent prayer service and the Christmas program. “In my nearly 20 years in education,” Esboldt said, “this has been one of the most endearing and heartwarming activities I have ever done. All of these beautiful connections because of a simple but beloved card game, cribbage. This is no longer my work. I truly believe that we have been abundantly blessed by the Holy Spirit.”

– OSV News

Catholic Charities Twin Cities extended its shelter hours, handed out warm hats and gloves and added extra sleeping mats at sites in Minneapolis and St. Paul as wind chills plunged to double-digits below zero during a weeklong cold spell that began Jan. 12. Elizabeth Lyden, the nonprofit organization’s director of communications, said the extra assistance is critical in dangerous cold. It also comes as COVID-19 pandemic protections, such as a moratorium on evictions, have phased out, increasing the number of homeless overall. Last year, Catholic Charities saw a 34% increase from 2022 in the number of individuals served at its Dorothy Day Place campus in St. Paul and a 28% increase in the number of people served across all Catholic Charities programs, Lyden said. “We’re seeing increased need across the board, but during cold snaps we’re doing whatever we can to expand hours, provide supplies and make sure that we’re caring for our neighbors,” she said.

St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville in the Diocese of St. Cloud elected a new abbot Jan. 9. Benedictine Abbot Douglas Mullin will serve as the 11th abbot on the campus of St. John’s University. A public Mass of Blessing and Thanksgiving will be celebrated at the abbey at 4 p.m. Jan. 28. The abbey, with 98 Benedictine monks, sponsors the university. Abbot Douglas succeeds Abbot John Klassen, who completed his more than 23-year tenure at midnight Jan. 7. Abbot Douglas, 69, took vows as a monk in 1979 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2007.

A group of private donors in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis signed a $6.25 million purchase agreement Jan. 17 for a resort in northwestern Wisconsin that will be outfitted as a Catholic summer camp for middle schoolers and for conferences, retreats and faith and science camps in fall, winter and spring. “It’s a resort-like camp. It will be great for our youth, but also for the adults,” said Tim Healy, president of the nonprofit Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership (MCYP), which bought the 700-acre Heartwood Resort near Trego, Wisconsin. The camp is about a two-hour drive from the Twin Cities. The camp will be home base for Extreme Faith Camp, a ministry for Catholic youth that works with parishes and was founded more than 20 years ago by John O’Sullivan, longtime youth director at St. Michael in St. Michael. Now, MCYP has hired O’Sullivan as parish liaison, Healy said.

CNS | VATICAN MEDIA

SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD Pope Francis prays as he celebrates Mass for Sunday of the Word of God in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Jan. 21. In his homily, the pope said God’s word cuts through the sea of chatter spoken aloud and uttered online to touch the hearts of Christians and inspire them to share the Gospel.

“While society and social media reflect the violence of words, let us draw closer to and cultivate the quiet word that brings salvation, that is meek, that doesn’t make noise, that enters into the heart,” the pope said. Although Christians today are “barraged by words about the Church,” he encouraged them to “rediscover the word of life that resounds in the Church.” If they don’t, “we end up talking more about ourselves” than about Jesus, “and concentrate on our own thoughts and problems rather than on Christ and his word,” the pope told the approximately 5,000 people gathered for Mass in the basilica.

LENTEN MEAL guide With Lent approaching Feb. 14, watch for The Catholic Spirit Lenten Fish Fry and Meal Guide in the Feb. 8 edition and online at TheCatholicSpirit.com.

ON THE COVER From left, kindergarten students Vivian Zhao, Bailey Tarley and Harmon Christensen share a light moment during class at St. Raphael Catholic School in Crystal. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 29 — No. 2 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher JOE RUFF, Editor-in-Chief REBECCA OMASTIAK, News Editor

Hot chocolate, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and prayer are carried every Monday by Missionaries of Charity religious sisters in Minneapolis to a homeless encampment near their convent. Sister M. Jesusla said Jan. 19 that the ministry began in November as the weather turned cold. About 35 people joined the sisters at the site until early this month when city officials cleared out the encampment for public safety and health reasons. Some people in the encampment moved to another site nearby, where 25 people joined the sisters on their Monday morning visits, which continued during a cold spell that saw double-digit below-zero wind chills. “Monday (Jan. 15) it was so cold,” Sister M. Jesusla said. The sisters reach out because “this is Jesus for us,” she said. “This is a blessing as much for us as them.”

PRACTICING Catholic The Jan. 19 “Practicing Catholic” radio show takes a different tack: Rather than three topics, the show is devoted to one and set up in segments as parishioners of St. Rita in Cottage Grove and the pastor, Father Mark Joppa, describe publishing a book of faith moments experienced by people at the parish. The book “Cairn: God Moment Stories” holds 142 stories written by parishioners and edited by a team of parishioners, with the project inspired and overseen by Father Joppa. Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.

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JANUARY 25, 2024

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3B

FROMTHEBISHOP ONLY JESUS | BISHOP MICHAEL IZEN

March for Life

I

was blessed recently to be on a pilgrimage with about 40 young Catholics and chaperones from the archdiocese. The destination was the March for Life in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade about a year and a half ago, but our youth understand that the fight to protect life, especially in Minnesota, is far from over.

The bus from the archdiocese left Minnesota Jan. 16. I kind of cheated and flew in Jan. 17, then enjoyed my first full day with the group Jan. 18. That day included visits to the Holocaust Museum, the Lincoln Memorial and the Martin Luther King Memorial. I was looking forward to all these visits, but it wasn’t until later that I realized they were intentionally chosen because of the consistent call to respect life. Each of these sites, along with the march on Jan. 19, focuses on the danger of treating any life as something less than human.

During the march and the events surrounding it, the focus was certainly on the unborn. Our day began with holy Mass at St. Mary, Mother of God in Washington. I was blessed to be the presider, and we probably had about nine other groups from around the country join us. The Gospel was Mark 3:13-19, the calling of the Apostles.

That seemed providential. As I told the young people, in a similar way, Jesus has called all of them to be disciples.

The readings from Mass tell us that Jesus “appointed twelve … that they might be with him and he might send them forth.” Notice that Jesus doesn’t just send us, he wants us to first spend time with him. Similarly, we first spent time with the Lord that day in holy Mass, then we went forth to bring Jesus to others.

In encouraging our young people to go out and be witnesses, I borrowed some ideas from the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen. In his book, “The Mystical Body of Christ,” Archbishop Sheen talks about how others

have been against our Church for 2,000 years. In the early years, they used violence to try to defeat the Church.

They crucified Jesus and killed the martyrs. But Jesus showed that violence doesn’t work against the Church, because just as he rose and lives forever, the Church will live forever. There was then a phase with a focus on ideas. There were plenty who disagreed with our creed, whether it was Jesus’ divinity or humanity, or the Trinity, or the Eucharist. Faced with the distorted ideas of her opponents, the Church showed the immortality of her ideas. Archbishop Sheen then said, quite prophetically, that today the world attacks us with its passion — a misguided passion that distorts morality and elevates personal choice to an ultimate value. When we are up against someone’s passion, the truths of the faith and natural law will only go so far. Sheen says our response must be love. The force of passion cannot withstand the counterattack of divine love. In short, I told our young people that as we defend the faith and defend life, yes, we have to speak the truth, but we must always do so with love, because the only thing that will satisfy is divine love.

Marcha por la Vida

tiempo con él. De manera similar, ese día primero pasamos tiempo con el Señor en la santa Misa, luego salimos a llevar a Jesús a los demás.

R

ecientemente tuve la suerte de estar en una peregrinación con unos 40 jóvenes católicos y acompañantes de la arquidiócesis. El destino fue la Marcha por la Vida en Washington, D.C. La Corte Suprema de los Estados Unidos anuló Roe v. Wade hace aproximadamente un año y medio, pero nuestros jóvenes entienden que la lucha para proteger la vida, especialmente en Minnesota, está lejos de terminar.

El autobús de la arquidiócesis salió de Minnesota el 16 de enero. Hice trampa y volé en el 17 de enero, luego disfruté de mi primer día completo con el grupo el 18 de enero. Ese día incluyó visitas al Museo del Holocausto, el Monumento a Lincoln y el Martin Luther King Monumento . Esperaba con ansias todas estas visitas, pero no fue hasta más tarde que me di cuenta de que fueron elegidas intencionalmente debido al llamado constante a respetar la vida. Cada uno de estos sitios, junto con la marcha del 19 de enero, se centra en el peligro de tratar cualquier vida como algo menos que humano.

Durante la marcha y los acontecimientos que la rodearon, la atención se centró ciertamente en los no nacidos. Nuestro día comenzó con la santa Misa en Santa María, Madre de Dios en Washington. Tuve la suerte de ser el presidente y probablemente se nos unieron otros nueve grupos de todo el país. El Evangelio fue Marcos 3:13-19, el llamado de los Apóstoles. Eso parecía providencial. Como les dije a los jóvenes, de manera similar, Jesús los ha llamado a todos a ser discípulos. Las lecturas de la Misa nos dicen que Jesús “designó doce… para que estuvieran con él y los enviara”. Note que Jesús no solo nos envía, sino que primero quiere que pasemos

In their desire to promote life, many of our young people made signs. Several included a famous quote from St. Teresa of Kolkata: “It is a poverty that a child must die, so that you may live as you wish.” Mother Teresa spoke that line in reference to the riches of our country, pointing out that we really aren’t all that rich if someone else must die for us to be happy.

Another one of St. Teresa’s famous references comes from the Gospel where Jesus tells us, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.”

St. Teresa asks the question, “Who is the least?” Is it the poor and the marginalized right here in this archdiocese?

Do we have to go to a third world country to really find the least? Or is it true that no one is “more” least than the unborn child, a child who depends on someone else 100% of the time for 100% of their needs? The young people from our archdiocese who made the trip last week

Al animar a nuestros jóvenes a salir y ser testigos, tomé prestadas algunas ideas del difunto arzobispo Fulton Sheen. En su libro, “El Cuerpo Místico de Cristo”, el Arzobispo Sheen habla de cómo otros han estado en contra de nuestra Iglesia durante 2000 años. En los primeros años, utilizaron la violencia para intentar derrotar a la Iglesia. Crucificaron a Jesús y mataron a los mártires. Pero Jesús demostró que la violencia no actúa contra la Iglesia, porque así como él resucitó y vive para siempre, la Iglesia vivirá para siempre. Luego hubo una fase en la que la atención se centró en las ideas. Hubo muchos que no estuvieron de acuerdo con nuestro credo, ya sea la divinidad o la humanidad de Jesús, o la Trinidad o la Eucaristía. Frente a las ideas distorsionadas de sus oponentes, la Iglesia mostró la inmortalidad de sus ideas. Fulton Sheen dijo luego, de manera bastante profética, que hoy el mundo nos ataca con su pasión, una pasión equivocada que distorsiona la moralidad y eleva la elección personal a un valor supremo. Cuando nos enfrentamos a la pasión de alguien, las verdades de la fe y la ley natural sólo llegarán hasta cierto punto. Sheen dice que nuestra respuesta debe ser amor. La fuerza de la pasión no puede resistir el contraataque del amor divino. En definitiva, les dije a nuestros jóvenes que como defendemos la fe y defendemos la vida, sí, tenemos que decir la verdad, pero debemos hacerlo siempre con amor, porque lo único que nos saciará es el amor divino.

En su deseo de promover la vida, muchos de nuestros jóvenes hicieron carteles. Varios incluían una cita famosa de Santa Teresa de Calcuta: ““Es una pobreza que un niño muera para que puedas vivir como quieras”. La Madre Teresa pronunció esa frase en referencia a las riquezas de nuestro país, señalando que en realidad

COURTESY BISHOP MICHAEL IZEN

Elizabeth Johnson, left, a sophomore homeschooled at MidMetro Academy in Roseville, and Marie Dill, a sophomore homeschooled at Culture of Life Homeschool Academy in St. Paul, carry handmade signs during the Jan. 19 National March for Life in Washington, D.C. know who the least are, and they know that how we treat them matters.

no somos tan ricos si alguien más debe morir para que seamos felices.

Otra de las famosas referencias de Santa Teresa proviene del Evangelio donde Jesús nos dice: “Todo lo que hagáis al más pequeño de mis hermanos y hermanas, a mí me lo hacéis”. Santa Teresa hace la pregunta: “¿Quién es el menor?” ¿Son los pobres y los marginados aquí mismo en esta arquidiócesis? ¿Tenemos que ir a un país del tercer mundo para realmente encontrar lo menor? ¿O es cierto que nadie es “más” menos que el feto, un niño que depende de otra persona el 100% del tiempo para el 100% de sus necesidades? Los jóvenes de nuestra arquidiócesis que hicieron el viaje la semana pasada saben quiénes son los menos importantes y saben que la forma en que los tratamos es importante.

OFFICIALS Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:

Effective January 5, 2024 Deacon Michael Daly, assigned to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon for the Parish of Saints Joachim and Anne in Shakopee. This is a transfer from his current assignment as permanent deacon for the Church of Our Lady of the Prairie in Belle Plaine.

Reverend Bruno Nwachukwu, assigned as chaplain to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society of the Twin Cities. This is in addition to his current assignment as pastor of the Church of Saint Charles in Bayport and as chaplain to Chesterton Academy of the Saint Croix Valley.

4B • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

JANUARY 25, 2024

LOCAL

Game on

SLICEof LIFE DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

From left, Mark Peterson of St. Albert in Albertville and his sons, Will and Sam, fill their plates with wild game dishes during an event at the parish Jan. 18 called the Men’s Group Wild Game Feed. Formerly held at nearby St. Michael in St. Michael, the event switched to St. Albert last year and is now led by the pastor of St. Albert, Father Joe Zabinski, an avid outdoorsman. He wanted to create an opportunity for men in the parish — and their sons — to have “good, manly fellowship in Christ.” The dishes were judged by the participants, and Peterson’s offering, venison meatballs in marinara sauce, took first place. Peterson noted that Sam supplied the venison with an 8-point buck he shot near Detroit Lakes on the 2023 firearms deer opener Nov. 4.

Sam, an altar server at the parish and an eighth grader at St. Michael Catholic School, attended the event for the first time. He made a pledge for next year: “I’ll supply a bigger one (deer),” he said. The 12 attendees ended the event by praying the rosary.

JANUARY 25, 2024

LOCAL

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5B

Three archdiocesan priests temporarily assigned to Crookston diocese

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit

Auxiliary Bishop Michael Izen, above left, stands with Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the national NCAA football champion Michigan Wolverines at the National Rally before the March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19. At right, Eli Amireault, a junior homeschooler from Andover, carries the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis flag while Stephen Flanagan, a junior homeschooler from West St. Paul, carries the Vatican flag during the 51st annual March for Life in Washington.

PHOTOS COURTESY ARCHDIOCESE OF ST. PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS

PRO-LIFE MARCH

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B .

The week before Bishop Williams encouraged Minnesota pro-lifers to work for a culture of life and encounter, 28 Minnesota high school students and 10 adult leaders attended the 51st national March for Life in Washington, D.C. They also discussed restoring the culture of life to their lives, homes and families, said Bill Dill, youth discipleship director in the archdiocese’s Office of Marriage, Family and Youth and leader of the Jan. 16-21 trip. Auxiliary Bishop Michael Izen also

spent time with the pilgrims.

“We talked about the culture of life, (that) we’re not just pro-life, we’re not just anti-abortion,” said Dill, who has led 12 archdiocesan high school groups to the march in Washington in the past 15 years. “We really want to promote a real culture of life that helps us be who God wants us to be.”

The group — consisting of students from Unity Catholic High School in Burnsville, Epiphany in Coon Rapids and some who are homeschooled — was impressed by the many thousands of marchers, Dill said. “They feel like wow, this is not just me, this is not just a small thing, this is huge.”

Three priests of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who are members of the priestly fraternity Companions of Christ are being assigned for three years to the Diocese of Crookston to meet pastoral needs there, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said in a Jan. 23 letter to priests.

Thirty-three active priests in Crookston serve 66 parishes in an area nearly three times the size of the archdiocese, Archbishop Hebda said.

Nearly half the active priests will reach retirement age in the next 10 years.

The Crookston diocese has a number of seminarians, but the next ordination is four years away, the archbishop said.

The archdiocese has been blessed with excellent priestly vocations, the archbishop said. “This year alone, we are anticipating the ordination of 13 new priests. We also have a considerable number of brothers who generously serve well past the age of retirement,” he wrote.

Members of the Companions heading north for July 1 assignments: • Father David Blume, director of the archdiocesan Office of Vocations, to be pastor of St. Philip in Bemidji and St. Charles in Pennington and superintendent of St. Philip Catholic School.

• Father Thomas Niehaus, pastor of Most Holy Redeemer in Montgomery, St. Patrick in Shieldsville and St. Canice in Kilkenny, will be parochial vicar of St. Philip and St. Charles and chaplain for the Newman Ministry at Bemidji State University.

• Father Josh Salonek, parochial vicar of St. John Neumann in Eagan, will be parochial vicar of St. Philip and St. Charles.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, a founding member of the Companions in 1992 and a former auxiliary bishop in the archdiocese, wrote to Archbishop Hebda last fall seeking assistance, the archbishop

said. Knowing the archdiocese’s need for priests, he told Bishop Cozzens that while such a move would be improbable, he would pray about the request. In addition, the archbishop said in the letter, he consulted with the archdiocese’s Comprehensive Assignment Board (CAB), which expressed an initial willingness to consider the proposal, and he asked Father Peter Williams, pastor of St. Ambrose in Woodbury and the moderator of the Companions, to test the idea with his leadership team and among the Companions.

“After much discussion and prayer, and after a number of Companions volunteered for a missionary experience of this sort,” he and Bishop Cozzens agreed on the three-year assignments, the archbishop wrote.

In addition to recognizing the need in Crookston and the strong priestly vocations in the archdiocese, the archbishop said, he considered the generosity of other bishops to the archdiocese when it has sought priests, such as those qualified to help fill faculty positions in the seminaries.

“Finally, it seems particularly fitting to support the missionary aspirations of the Companions,” the archbishop wrote. “Approximately half of the Archdiocesan members of the Companions have moved here from other parts of the country precisely to be a part of this clerical association of the faithful. In many ways, these men have already been missionaries to our local Church. Our members have been augmented in excess of the three priests that we will now be sending to Crookston.”

The archbishop wrote that he hopes and prays the temporary assignments will bear fruit for the faithful of Crookston and in the longer run, the archdiocese and the priests involved.

“We all benefit from the powerful witness of brothers selflessly committed to following the Lord Jesus, the one who had no place to lay his head,” the archbishop wrote.

Congratulations to our colleague and friend, Tom Cassidy recipient of the

St. John Paul II Champions for Life Award!

As a hospice nurse within the Our Lady of Peace Hospice Residence, Tom places high value on the lives of his patients, providing quality end-of-life care with kindness, dignity and respect. In the final weeks, or sometimes days of a person’s time with Tom in hospice, he celebrates the uniqueness of each individual end-of-life journey and strives to grant their wishes.

Compassion, dignity, presence, excellence, stewardship, and peace.

651-789-5031 | ourladyofpeacemn.org

We are the keepers of the time before goodbye.

6B • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

LOCAL

JANUARY 25, 2024

Catholic Services Appeal: ‘Giving is Faith in Action’ Parish kickoff is Feb. 3-4

By Joe Ruff The Catholic Spirit Want to help hospital ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis? How about campus ministry or prison ministry? Or meet needs in the Latino and Native American communities while making Cathlic education more affordable for needy families, assisting the archdiocese in meeting the costs of forming seminarians and lending a hand to those facing unexpected pregnancies?

People can do all of the above and more, all at the same time, by donating to the archdiocese’s Catholic Services Appeal, which kicks off Feb. 3-4 at parish Masses and continues through 2024. The theme is “Giving is Faith in Action.” The appeal supports 19 key ministries in the archdiocese.

“I think it’s a great way to be one Church,” said Loma Ince, director of finance and operations at All Saints in Lakeville, after a Jan. 17 meeting of parish administrators and pastors with Archbishop Bernard Hebda. With one common annual appeal, the archdiocese can support people with differing needs, she said.

This year’s goal is $8.5 million. Last year, people donated nearly $8.3 million, leaving room for growth.

In a video to be shown in parishes, Archbishop

CSA MINISTRIES American Indian Ministry; Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women; Campus Ministry Newman Center; Campus Ministry St. Paul’s Outreach; Catholic Charities; Deaf Ministry; Elementary School Funding; Elementary School Scholarships; Elevate Life Pregnancy Resources; High School Scholarships; Hospital Chaplains; Latino Ministry; Mission for Catholic Education; Office of Marriage, Family and Youth; Prison Ministry; Seminarian Tuition, Room and Board; Society of St. Vincent de Paul: Twin Cities; Venezuelan Mission; Youth Ministry.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Archbishop Bernard Hebda talks to people gathered for a Jan. 17 meeting of parish administrators and pastors at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul.

Hebda emphasizes the people served and the generous giving that makes it possible. In his talk at the ACC, the archbishop recalled his experiences in campus ministry, working with seminarians and being ministered to in a hospital.

None of that work could happen in the archdiocese without the appeal, he said.

“It made it real to me, that we really need the Church to be present as people face some difficult decisions in their own lives,” the archbishop said. “But even as so often they might be isolated from their families and friends, it’s important for the Church to be there. That

work of supporting our chaplains in our hospitals is only possible with the Catholic Services Appeal.”

In an interview after the presentation, Jean Houghton, director of the archdiocesan Office of Mission Advancement, said the appeal is critical to serving needs in the archdiocese, and she was thrilled with the turnout of pastors and parish leaders. Their support “was palpable,” she said. “I could feel it in the room.”

“We know that many of these ministries would not be able to complete their mission without the appeal,” she said.

CSAF dissolves, leaves legacy to live on in the new archdiocese’s appeal Rebecca Omastiak The Catholic Spirit Interim President Yen Fasano said she was inspired and deeply grateful whether she was processing a five-figure or a $5 monetary gift for the St. Paulbased Catholic Services Appeal Foundation (CSAF) as it wound down this year to make way for the new Catholic Services Appeal of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

“There are no words to capture the depth of my gratitude,” Fasano said, with tears gathering in her eyes. “It’s very humbling because with each gift, it’s (donors) saying ‘Amen. I believe. I believe in your mission. I believe in your vision.’”

Amid her thanks, Fasano, a member of All Saints in Lakeville, said, “I don’t forget the names (of donors) and they are in my prayers. It gives me great hope — it’s Christ’s body and the Church working at its best.”

Karen Rauenhorst, CSAF board chair who has been a member of the board for about three years, said CSAF’s efforts are about “doing the work of our local Church and it’s across all aspects of the archdiocese.”

The appeal started in 1959 in the archdiocese as Opus Santi Petri, with volunteers going door to door soliciting funds for the local seminaries’ building and operation costs. The mission of the organization expanded in 1969 to support education, urban affairs, priest, youth and senior ministries through the Archbishop’s Annual Catholic Appeal. In 2009, the name changed again to the Catholic Services Appeal (CSA), to emphasize the fact that funds raised through the appeal were used for the collective archdiocese’s designated ministries. In 2013, an independent foundation was created for the appeal to act as a separate entity.

“The amount of funding that’s been raised over the

last decade is impressive in and of itself,” said Fasano, who, prior to her role as interim president, filled various roles on the CSAF board during her nearly 10 years with the foundation. “The generosity of the donors and the priests that champion us and the parishes that strive to meet (their) goal or exceed their goal — everyone is playing some type of role in order for us to be able to support all these ministries and their missions.”

This past year, CSAF designated 19 Catholic ministries in the archdiocese to receive its support.

This included support for Catholic education, hospital chaplains, Latino ministry, marriage and family programming, prison ministry, seminarian education and care for the poor and marginalized, among other ministries.

Fasano said that as the CSAF board prayerfully discerned the foundation’s next steps, conversation centered on “the archbishop’s vision,” including the Archdiocesan Synod implementation priorities he has outlined in his pastoral letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent From the Upper Room.”

In August last year, the CSAF board announced it had voted to dissolve the independent foundation.

Subsequently, the archdiocese decided to handle the appeal in-house through its Office of Mission Advancement.

“We (the CSAF board) decided by dissolving completely, it would give way to a renewal of an archbishop’s annual appeal that allows him to be the voice,” Fasano said. “I think it just creates better alignment that supports a very strong vision and mission that has been set forth by (Archbishop Hebda), our very holy shepherd.”

The appeal is now officially operated by the archdiocese. It’s led by Jean Houghton, director of the archdiocesan Office of Mission Advancement, who

previously served as president of the St. Paul-based Aim Higher Foundation.

“I really think it’s an exciting time,” said Rauenhorst, a member of Holy Name of Jesus in Medina. The appeal’s return to the archdiocese unifies and helps “enhance the work of the archdiocese,” she said.

“I think it’s an excellent opportunity to move forward and join forces,” Rauenhorst said.

As Fasano and Rauenhorst reflected on CSAF’s legacy, Fasano said she hopes “what people ultimately see is a foundation that lived out its core values with fidelity, and with Christ being the center of it all, and rooted in gratitude.”

Rauenhorst said CSAF’s legacy is “built on the previous work of the CSA when it was at the archdiocese.” She sees this work of “serving the people that need it in our local Church” continuing.

“Now we just get to invite people along toward that mission and that participation,” Fasano said.

According to CSAF, the final 2023 campaign status after all gifts were processed was calculated to be over $8,290,200.

Fasano said that landing within 96.4% of reaching the $8.6 million 2023 goal means there’s “a huge opportunity” for donors in 2024: “We rally, and we come together, and we grow it. The only way to go is up.”

“Every gift is meaningful and impactful,” Fasano said. “And there’s no gift too small or too large.”

A 2024 appeal announcement is planned for Masses the weekend of Feb. 3-4. Meanwhile, donation information and resources will become available toward the end of January and leading up to the announcement weekend in February.

CSAF LEGACY CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

LOCAL

JANUARY 25, 2024

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7B

FURTHER REFLECTIONS FROM THE BOARD CSAF LEGACY CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Father Leonard Andrie

Board member for two years Pastor of St. Therese in Deephaven “God has blessed CSAF board members with a passion for supporting ministries and areas in our local Church that need extra support bringing people to Christ who could not do so otherwise. Whether it is those struggling financially, students needing financial assistance to receive an excellent Catholic education, or supporting our hospital chaplains and seminarians, the CSAF has done so much good for the glory of God and for so many. The CSAF helped bring stability during a trying time in the history of our local Church. It continued the longstanding tradition of helping multiple ministries bring the light of Christ to God’s children in need. The CSAF puts into action our Lord’s call to serve the ‘least of his brothers and sisters’ (Mt 25:40). In serving those in need, we serve Christ himself.” Having the archdiocese operate the Catholic Services Appeal will help better coordinate resources and reduce expenses to increase the benefit for those ministries that need extra support, Father Andrie said.

Steve Carter

Secretary, board member for eight years Member of Holy Trinity in South St. Paul Carter said he has seen CSAF’s impact “personally, being able to visit some of our ministries to see firsthand the impact that these ministries have had on the lives of so many, whether in our schools or in our communities.” He sees the foundation’s legacy as “maintaining a consistent presence in the community over the past 10 years that has helped the Church fulfill its mission.” He hopes to see this work continue, “to encourage everyone to embrace the call to support our ministries to do the Lord’s work. It is especially important to reach younger members of our Church to join us; it is important to be aware

of the need to replace those who have gone before us in sacrificing to help others.”

Lisa Gott Ministries committee chair, board member for 10 years Member of St. Michael in Stillwater “During our 10 years as a separate foundation from the archdiocese, we have always tried our best to listen to our donors and to be good stewards of their generous donations.

Our donors wanted more support for Catholic education, so we were proud to tell them that through their generosity, all diocesan Catholic elementary schools, through block grants or student scholarships, and all diocesan Catholic high schools through student scholarships, have received financial support from CSAF. “Although several CSAF-supported ministries support prolife programs, CSAF donors wanted an exclusively pro-life organization added. Therefore, Abria Pregnancy Resources was added as a supported ministry. However, to better meet community needs, CSAF decided to transfer support to Elevate Life in order to reach over 30 pregnancy resource centers rather than just one. Abria is one of their 30 centers.

“Perhaps a highlight for me happened in 2021. Due to the generosity of CSAF donors during the 2020 campaign, after all planned payments were made to CSAF supported ministries, we were able to provide one-time grants to 24 schools and ministries in our archdiocese totaling almost $600,000. To name just a few, these grants provided security systems, a new adoration chapel, library materials, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd programs, new plumbing in an elementary school so that a boys’ bathroom could be reopened, and a forklift desperately needed for St. Vincent de Paul. This extra help made an incredible difference to so many people in our community.

“I hope that our legacy is that CSAF listened to our donors and were good stewards of their donations. This ongoing financial

INVESTING SMART WITH A CATHOLIC HEART

support for the past 10 years has helped the ministries and schools continue to provide their valuable services and education for our archdiocese and community. I’m hopeful that CSA will continue to increase in fundraising so that even more support can be given to the many needs in our archdiocese.”

Vicky Iacarella

Member of the executive and marketing committees, board member for a little over four years Member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Minneapolis “I believe the legacy of CSAF is bringing help and hope to those in need and making a difference in thousands of lives every day while persevering during some trying times over the past few years. But the legacy doesn’t belong to CSAF as much as it belongs to the donors who through their faithful and generous giving have made it easy for CSAF to live up to the mission of making Jesus known and loved in our archdiocese. It has been a privilege to serve on a board where everyone has been so dedicated to living their faith out in service to the Church.”

Harold Parsons

Treasurer, board member for three years Member of Holy Trinity in South St. Paul A personal experience for Parsons highlighted the foundation’s importance: “My mother passed away two summers ago at Regions Hospital and thanks to the hospital chaplain, Father Cassian (DiRocco), she was able to receive last rites, which is funded by the CSAF. For me, this personalized what we do; we help bring Jesus to his Church.” He sees the foundation’s legacy as “the continuity between the campaigns that had been run by the archdiocese in the past and will run into the future. I see the CSAF as a bridge.” The purpose of the new appeal, Parsons said, “is so the campaign can be both more effective in generating gifts and more efficient. ... the big changes will probably be behind the scenes with systems, technology and processes to run a better and more efficient campaign.”

Aim Higher 2x6

IN V E ST MENT CONF E R E N C E TUITION-ASSISTANCE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28 | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM St. Catherine University — in person or via livestream

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ccf-mn.org/ic Parking and breakfast provided.

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SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE For children in grades K-8 to attend a Catholic school

Apply by Feb. 23 aimhigherfoundation.org info@aimhigher foundation.org

612 . 819 . 6 711

MOVIE REVIEWS • TheCatholicSpirit.com

8B • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

JANUARY 25, 2024

NATION+WORLD HEADLINES u Eucharistic congresses “like Catholic family

reunion,” are galvanizing Catholics in love for Jesus’ real presence. With the National Eucharistic Revival underway, many U.S. dioceses have launched or revived local Eucharistic congresses, single- or multi-day events organized around Eucharistic devotion and catechesis. They typically include Mass, Eucharistic processions, speakers, music and adoration. These diocesan Eucharistic congresses give a foretaste — albeit on a smaller scale — of what U.S. Catholics can expect in July, when Indianapolis hosts the National Eucharistic Congress, the first national congress in 83 years. The July 17-21 event is the pinnacle of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative the U.S. bishops launched in June 2022 to strengthen Catholics’ love for Jesus in the Eucharist. Organizers are expecting tens of thousands of attendees to “encounter the living Jesus Christ, experience renewal, and be sent out ‘for the life of the world,’’’ according to the congress’ website, eucharisticcongress.org. Kris Frank, the National Eucharistic Congress’ vice president of growth and marketing, said the revival’s organizers have observed an increase during the revival in both diocesan Eucharistic congresses and other Eucharist-focused events.

powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed it targeted a spy base for Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, close to the U.S. consulate in Iraq on Jan. 15, a charge refuted by both the region’s prime minister and the United States. The strikes killed four, including Kurdish real estate tycoon Peshraw Dizayi and Christian businessman Karam Mikhail, owner of Al-Rayyan Iraq Group, who attended a social gathering at Dizayi’s home. Pope Francis wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Jan. 17: “I express my closeness and solidarity with the victims, all civilians, of the missile attack that hit Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan. I urge everyone to avoid any steps that might escalate tension in the Middle East and other war-torn areas.” On Jan. 17, Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani canceled a meeting with Iran’s foreign minister at the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland in protest over Iranian missile strikes on the Iraqi Kurdish city of Irbil, Reuters reoported. Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Yousif Thomas Mirkis of Kirkuk and Sulaimaniya compared the Middle East to “a volcano” where anything could happen. u Two U.S. prelates call for an “immediate

u As Iran hits northern Iraq, prelate says Middle

East is “like a volcano,” Christians are targeted. The Iraqi Catholic community feels unsettled after Iran launched ballistic missiles, striking upscale neighborhoods of Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, signaling the latest spate of violence targeting northern Iraq. Iran’s

and total” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Two U.S. prelates are urging an “immediate and total” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which has experienced more than 100 days of war, while condemning Hamas and urging the release of Israeli hostages taken by the group. In a Jan. 17 joint statement, Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego and Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico, said the “tens of thousands” of deaths resulting

wine: Catholic Women’s Conference

from the Israel-Hamas war and the risk of wider escalation “calls us as Americans to press for a national policy which is focused unswervingly” on ending the conflict. Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, taking 253 hostages, and sexually assaulting numerous women and girls, most of whom were brutally killed. Israel declared war the next day, and Palestinian authorities report more than 24,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza. The casualties, the ensuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the risk of a wider escalation demand that the conflict be ended immediately and all hostages returned, said Cardinal McElroy and Archbishop Wester. u New US bishops’ report identifies five top

areas of religious liberty concerns. The first U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual report, “State of Religious Liberty in the United States,” published Jan. 16, said potential threats to religious liberty in the United States largely come in the form of federal regulations or cultural trends. Five top areas of concern, the 48-page report said, include attacks against houses of worship, especially in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas conflict; the Section 1557 regulation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which the report said “will likely impose a mandate on doctors to perform gender transition procedures and possibly abortions”; threats to religious charities serving migrants and refugees, “which will likely increase as the issue of immigration gains prominence in the election”; suppression of religious speech “on marriage and sexual difference”; and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations, which the report said “aim to require religious employers to be complicit in abortion in an unprecedented way.” The report’s introduction said that due to a divided federal government, “most introduced bills that threatened religious liberty languished,” resulting in threats in the form of “proposed regulations by federal agencies,” or cultural trends like growing partisanship over migration.

u Carpenters hail the end of Notre Dame roof

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reconstruction. In a historic year for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which the French capital and the whole world will see reopen Dec. 8, milestones will be reported on regularly, but this one made Parisians drop a tear or two — the reconstruction of the roof structure is now completed. On Jan. 12, a traditional bouquet of flowers was placed on top of the wooden structure of the cathedral apse. Notre Dame Cathedral was ravaged by a devastating fire in 2019 that sent its spire crumbling down, and restoration works continue. Julien Mulvet was in charge of the rooftop project at the cathedral. He placed the yellow mimosas bouquet at the top, along with his young apprentice, 19-year-old Leonard Laforest. “This is how it is traditionally done in the carpenters’ profession,” Mulvet explained to OSV News.

“It is a symbol of passing on knowledge to the youngest generations.”

u Speakers see a need to introduce Vatican II

to a new generation. To understand how the Catholic Church interacts with the contemporary world, young people must learn the significance and historical context of the Second Vatican Council, the head of the Vatican office for new evangelization said. Overlooking Vatican II would mean failing to communicate to future generations “something that was truly an event that changed the face of the Church,” Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization’s section for

new evangelization, said while opening a conference on Vatican II and millennials at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University Jan. 12. Instead, millennials and other young people need to understand the council’s coherence with the Church’s history and take up its teachings to develop them within the magisterium, he said. For young people who feel disconnected from God, the documents of the Second Vatican Council articulate Christ’s centrality in the Church and his close relationship with each person, explained Msgr.

Andrea Lonardo, director of pastoral outreach to university students for the Vicariate of Rome. Oratorian Father Maurizio Botta said that millennials, raised in a world saturated by technological advancement, can often be disoriented by the acritical acceptance of progress in society, but they can find refuge in the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (“Gaudium et Spes”). u Rare Blessed Carlo Acutis stained-glass

window installed in Minnesota adoration chapel. During the parish year of the National Eucharistic Revival, one of the oldest adoration chapels in the Diocese of St. Cloud is getting a very special facelift. Several stained-glass windows are being installed in St. Anne’s Chapel at St. Louis Parish in Foreston, including a depiction of Blessed Carlo Acutis, one of the patrons of the revival. Terhaar Stained Glass Studio in Cold Spring created the windows, including the Blessed Carlo window — the first known window of the possible future saint in the diocese and possibly the first in the country. The window is one of seven created for the 24-hour adoration chapel. The other windows are of traditional saints, so it was a challenge to create a realistic depiction of Blessed Carlo that also would fit in with the rest of the design of the chapel. “This window is going to have a little bit of a different feel from the rest of them because my reference was a photograph, not a painting,” said stained-glass artist Christi Becker, who designed it. In the reference photographs, Blessed Carlo wears modern clothes, not like other saints. He also carries a backpack and uses a computer. It feels really good to be a part of creating this special window, Becker said. “I love being a part of sharing his light.”

u Canopy over the main altar of St. Peter’s

Basilica to undergo restoration. The nearly 400-year-old sculpted canopy towering over the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica will be surrounded by scaffolding for most of 2024 as it is washed, repaired and restored. Standing over 30 feet tall, the baldachin, designed by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini, has stood over the tomb of St. Peter since 1634.

And for all that time it has gathered dust, cracks and rust despite regular cleanings. As a result, “we can’t not intervene” to restore the structure, said Alberto Capitanucci, the head engineer of the Fabbrica di San Pietro — the office responsible for upkeep of the basilica. Speaking at a news conference announcing the Vatican’s restoration plans Jan. 11, Capitanucci said the procedure will follow that of the baldachin’s last recorded restoration in 1758, only using an independent scaffolding structure that was not previously possible to build. The restoration process will begin after Feb. 12 and the scaffolding, which will allow for direct restoration work, will be installed around the baldachin before Holy Week, Capitanucci said. The entire restoration process is expected to last about 10 months and papal liturgical ceremonies will continue to take place at the altar.

— CNS and OSV News

JANUARY 25, 2024

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9B

THANK YOU !

Thank you to all the clergy, principals, teachers, staff members, students, and families who make Catholic schools so great! We appreciate your hard work and the sacrifices you make to bring excellence and the presence of Jesus Christ to your schools.

Because CSCOE has had such a positive impact, it is hard to put all of our gratitude into words. The success that our school, the other Catholic schools [in Minnesota], and myself have achieved can be directly linked to the blessings that CSCOE has so graciously shared with all of us. You are making an incredible difference in our amazing Catholic schools and in the lives of our students.

— Carrie Hackman, Principal — St. Jude of the Lake — Catholic School, Mahtomedi

Another year with the support of CSCOE has meant another year of hope, growth, and success for Nativity and the other [Catholic] schools . . . . Every experience offered by CSCOE is embraced because we know it will reflect best practices and will make a positive difference for our schools.

— Kate Wollan, Principal — Nativity of Our Lord School, St. Paul

Since 2015, the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence (CSCOE) has raised and distributed millions of dollars to preschool-8th grade Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and started working with every preschool-8th grade Catholic school in Minnesota in 2022.

CSCOE invests in professional development for principals and teachers, literacy, math, STEM and arts programming for students, technology, preschools, teacher compensation, and marketing and development activities in the schools, among other important initiatives.

We love supporting Catholic elementary CSCOE has brought confidence, camaraderie, and professional excellence to [Catholic] schools in a way that I have never seen in nearly 30 years of education. Their desire and ability to support growth and excellence is very greatly appreciated. There is new life that has been breathed into our schools, and I can’t help but believe it is the breath of the Holy Spirit working through CSCOE and their supporters, which is then passed directly into the lifeblood of each and every Catholic school in [Minnesota]. CSCOE is synonymous with joy and that joy comes from a genuine love of children, education, and our Catholic faith.

— Deacon Bruce Richards, Principal — St. Joseph Catholic School, Waconia

Our Mission Is to Enhance Excellence and Increase Enrollment in Minnesota’s 155 Preschool-8th Grade Catholic Schools

schools! We invite you to join us in helping the schools to survive and thrive for generations to come — through your prayers, volunteer efforts, and financial support. To donate, visit cscoe-mn.org/donate or use the enclosed envelope.

6600 France Ave S, Suite 520 Minneapolis, MN 55435 612.425.1105 cscoe-mn.org findcatholicschools.org

10B • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

JANUARY 25, 2024

FAITH+CULTURE Deacon-principal sets the tone and manages dreams

By Christina Capecchi For The Catholic Spirit Bruce Richards, 55, is one of two Catholic school principals in the archdiocese who is now a deacon. He directs St. Joseph Catholic School in Waconia, while Deacon Mike McGinty — who was in Deacon Richards’ diaconate class and was also ordained last month — heads up Our Lady of Grace School in Edina.

St. Joseph students are still adjusting to the fact that their principal now wears clerics and goes by “Deacon Bruce” rather than “Mr. Richards.”

He and his wife, Pat, live in Victoria and are parents of three 20-somethings.

Q Tell me about your childhood, growing up outside Moorhead.

A We had cows, chickens, pigs, horses

and we raised our own crops of corn. We learned how to work hard and how to work together and how to be a family.

Mass was always, always on our schedule.

We belonged to a small parish, where we all served. With a family of nine, we took up more than a pew. It was great.

My mom created a Bored Basket. She said, “If you’re ever bored, come on in and grab a slip of paper out of this Bored Basket.” Well, it only took once to grab a slip and realize: You just chose a chore that’s going to take you three hours.

Boredom wasn’t an option. There was always a lot to do. It taught me to be creative and come up with my own things to do.

Q You’ve been the St. Joseph principal for 11 years. What makes a good leader?

A I keep saying I want to change the title on my door from principal to Dream Manager because a leader needs to have an eye out for the future and then have ways to get others to believe in the dream and then set up things to make it happen and then get out of the way and let the people do the good work.

Every morning at the end of our announcements, I say, “Take a step closer to heaven and don’t go alone.” That’s my way of living, and it’s become our school motto now. I can start the statement, and the kids finish it.

We really have to protect our culture and how we talk amongst ourselves because this is a holy place. It’s natural as humans to have frustrations. But if you just have to vent, take it to somebody that’s not at school. We have to maintain a positive culture and be as holy as we can, and that’s where prayer comes in.

We can’t give to others what we don’t have.

We’re currently doing a Dynamic Catholic program using “Holy Moments”

by Matthew Kelly. There’s a lot in there about hope. How do you create holy moments and make yourself available to God, setting aside self-interest you may have? Even if you do just a moment a day — oh my gosh, it has a powerful impact!

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DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Q What do you love about Catholic schools?

A It’s the children and the families.

When I hear the children sing at Mass — oh my gosh! It’s just angelic. Everyone who chooses to be here wants something good and holy. They want excellence and they’re willing to support it, and that’s beautiful. I appreciate the ability to pray together openly and grow together.

Q And praying can help kids keep anxiety at bay.

A Absolutely. It brings peace of mind.

If a kid comes in for a behavioral issue, I remind them right away: “This is a teaching moment. We’re going to process what happened and try to figure out why it happened. What are some of the triggers?” I want them to learn from those moments and remind them that we’re all human, we all make mistakes.

Q St. Joseph was one of the first three schools in the archdiocese to get a STEM certification from St. Catherine University in St. Paul in 2015.

A All our teachers got a graduate certificate through St. Kate’s. We did a lot of work. During the school year, we spent one night a week going to school. They came here. It was awesome because we were all learning together. We completed it in the summer. It took about 12 months total.

We’re also one of only two schools in the northern U.S. to get certified through the National Institute for STEM Education. Now we’ve been at it long enough that it’s who we are and how we do business. STEM is fun, it’s handson. It’s collaborative and creative. We do value-added projects. For example, the first graders study ornithology in art class, science, reading and language arts.

We’re pulling all these learning categories together in an interesting way, and they make bird masks and do reports. We also try to bring in experts in the field.

I’ve got this picture in my office of Joseph the carpenter, and Jesus is playing with his tools on the floor, and it’s like: “OK! Jesus is being creative, and Joseph has his watchful eye above him. He’s making things.” I’ve always been driven to be creative. If I’m bogged down by administrative duties, I get a little grumpy.

Q What’s it like being a deacon?

A I feel like I’m walking in a bubble

of grace, almost like a blanket. It’s a

totally different emotional impact. It’s been amazing. I’m able to take things as they come: breathing it in, letting it go through your lungs and saying, “OK, this is life, let’s go.” It’s an attitude of peace.

Q You’d felt called to be a deacon for more than 20 years. What made you finally act on it?

A When I was first feeling this call, my kids were 1, 3 and 5. Then I started working in the Catholic schools again, and that was a huge surge to go deeper in my faith. And then it was a retreat experience. Afterwards, I thought: Now what? What’s the next right answer? I looked into the diaconate again and it was all systems forward since then.

Q How is preaching different from teaching?

A There’s not a huge distinction. I had three chances to preach in my first month. It’s still new. The difference is prep. We were taught (in diaconate formation) to sit and pray through the readings well in advance. It’s not, “What do I want to say about this, but rather, what message can I share to help the people here?” That takes more work.

Q Are you a better principal because you’re a deacon — and vice versa?

A I hope it’s both, absolutely. I’m trying to be a holy leader. Those who have been given more, there’s more expected. I feel like I’ve been given more so there are higher expectations. But through the grace of God, it’s beautiful.

Q How do you keep a child-like faith?

A Imaginative prayer. It’s Ignatian.

Putting yourself as a person in the scriptural story.

Q What do you do for fun?

A We’re RVers. We’ve been coast to coast

— to almost 40 states. We have an Itasca Sun Cruiser that we call Nelson for when the Twins had Nelson Cruz. All I have to do is sit in that chair and it’s like, “Ahh!” There’s a sense of leaving the stressors of daily life behind. I can even be sitting in the driveway.

Q Do you ever go in it just to sit?

A Oh for sure!

Q What do you know for sure?

A Heaven is for real. God loves us. He

wants a beautiful relationship with us, and he’s waiting, a father with open arms.

FAITH+CULTURE

JANUARY 25, 2024

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 11B

Champions for Life serve the vulnerable at all stages

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

W

inners of this year’s St. John Paul II Champions for Life awards demonstrate the full spectrum of protecting the dignity of the human person, from advocating for children in the womb all the way to those taking their final breaths.

Honorees in four categories were recognized during the annual Prayer Service for Life Jan. 22 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. It preceded the March for Life at the Minnesota State Capitol sponsored by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.

This year’s winners included an individual, a couple, a pro-life youth group and a healthcare professional.

Some have given decades of service to the cause, while others are in the early stages.

Involved in supporting life for more than 30 years was Bob Loch of St. Agnes in St. Paul, the winner in the adult individual category. Right after his oldest son was born in 1987, he decided to start praying in front of abortion facilities both to help women in crisis pregnancies choose life for their unborn children and help bring about an end to abortion. He and his wife, Patty, have five sons, all of whom have joined him over the years.

“My youngest son still comes out there almost every Saturday with me,” said Loch, 64, who retired early so he would have more time to volunteer. “If he’s out there, he leads one of the rosaries. All my boys did (at various times).”

Denny and Margee Adrian of

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Bob Loch receives his Champions for Life award from Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams.

St. Francis de Sales in St. Paul, honored in the adult couple category, have participated in pro-life efforts over the years starting shortly after the Roe v.

Wade decision in 1973 that legalized abortion across the U.S. Things stepped up considerably about 15 years ago when they volunteered to give a crib to a needy family. A pregnancy resource center where they served had a crib the staff was going to throw away.

The Adrians took the crib, did some minor repairs on it, and delivered it to a family in need.

That was the beginning of a ministry that continues today. They have handed out more than 3,400 cribs, 3,700 car seats and many other baby items to more than 5,000 families since they started.

Sometimes, the need goes beyond those items, and the Adrians will try to procure other needed items for families.

“Pro-life is our passion. It has always been,” Margee said. “We’ve always felt like that is the most important issue because, without life, what else matters?”

At the younger end of the pro-life cause is the St. Charles Borromeo Youth

Pro-Life Group from the parish in St. Anthony. They are led by the parish youth minister, Katie Walker, who nominated them for the award.

“Every single Saturday, without fail, these particular students show up to Planned Parenthood (in St. Paul) to pray for the end of abortion,” Walker wrote in her nomination form. “They invite other young students to join them, coordinate rides for them and lead them in quiet and respectful prayer.”

“I’ve seen these students grow by leaps and bounds in their leadership skills, communication skills, humility and level-headedness through their prayer ministry at PP,” Walker wrote. “They lead by example, calmly ignoring proabortion protesters who heckle them, and instead, praying quietly for the end of abortion, for expectant mothers and the conversion of pro-abortion advocates.”

The winner of the pro-life professional category helps to support life at the end stage. Tom Cassidy, 65, and a member of St. Joseph of the Lakes in Lino Lakes, has worked as a hospice nurse at Our Lady of Peace Residential Home in St. Paul for 35 years.

He spends his workdays caring for patients with terminal illnesses in their final days. What fuels his passion is the opportunity to spend time with patients as they go through the dying process.

“It’s a very intimate relationship between the patient and the caregiver,” he said. “It’s something that I feel I’m called to do.”

Congratulations Denny & Margee Adrian 2023 St. John Paul II Champions for Life Award Recipients

Thank you for your dedicated service in promoting the Culture of Life.

May God continue to bless your work.

From your Parish Family.

N O T I C E

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12B • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

FOCUSONFAITH

JANUARY 25, 2024

FOCUSONFAITH SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER DANIEL HAUGAN

Teaching with authority Many facets mark this week’s Gospel, which might be titled “A Day in the Life of Jesus.”

It is the Shabbat, the day Jews dedicate to the Lord, coming to the synagogue to learn about God, and worship him in awe and wonder. Jesus, who never exempts himself from the Jewish law, is found in the synagogue that day. It is not said if Jesus is a regular there or an invited guest. All we know is he starts teaching as if he had authority. His words pique everyone’s attention.

Jesus speaks with authority. This word is from the Latin “auctoritas,” meaning influence over others — legally and in effect. However, in the person of Jesus there is something different: He is God incarnate. He is the true author of all good things. He is revealing himself through his word and teaching in a new way — they were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, what is this? A new teaching — with authority!

Out of nowhere, the cry of a demon interrupts Jesus’ instruction. We hear many references to demons in the Gospels.

They seem like a holdover from ancient times. I can assure you, having spent my post-Christmas vacation this year with the exorcist of a neighboring diocese, demons are real and active in the lives of a great many people today. The presence of demons in the Gospels is not without meaning to us in the modern era.

The demon that Jesus orders out of the man in the synagogue is a demon of ignorance, foolishness and moral turpitude. But it knows who Jesus is.

Before leaving the possessed man, the demon reveals who Jesus is. He is not an ordinary teacher but “the Holy One of God” (Mk 1:24). To appreciate what this phrase means, we should turn to this week’s first reading. According to Deuteronomy, God has

ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ

Why we struggle to pause and reflect

Q With the start of every new thing (new year, new season, new stage in life), I find it difficult to stop and consider the previous year, earlier season or earlier stage in life.

I find myself doing the same things over and over. There seems to be no end in sight.

What do I do?

A I am grateful for your insight into your own behavior patterns (and your evaluation that you need to change).

I think that you described something that is more common to most people than nearly any other reality. It is not just you but our culture that breeds reflectionless lives. We are so caught up in the need to go, go, go and to move on to the next thing that we have lost the ability to pause. Not only that, but we are so distracted by the thoughts in our own heads and the latest news cycle vying for our attention that we do not realize what we’ve lost.

I ought not to lay all of this at the feet of our culture. This is a perennial problem. It is truly as old as the fall of humanity.

Now, our culture doesn’t help, but it is not the cause. The cause is our broken intellect and our broken hearts. Let me explain.

If you go back to the Old Testament, one of the things you might be struck by is the number of times the Bible reminds God’s chosen people to remember. Again and again, the Lord (or one of his prophets) insists that the people remember what the Lord God has done. Not only that, but the Scriptures tell the people to tell other people what God has done. Parents are told to tell their children. Grandparents are told to tell their grandchildren. The people are to tell each other. Because it is of vital importance to remember.

promised Israel a prophet who will speak for him. He will have God’s own words in his mouth. The “Holy One of God,” Jesus, is the prophet promised to Moses many centuries earlier. But Jesus is far more than just a prophet; he is the word of God incarnate, God in the flesh.

Jesus admonishes the evil spirit to be quiet when they call him “the Holy One of God.” This characteristic, known as the Messianic secret, refers to Jesus not wanting others to know of his divine sonship. This sounds odd, but there is a reason behind the secrecy. Jesus wants people to see how he must suffer for us to fulfill his divine mission. Only then will the people be able to fully understand that divine sonship requires sacrificial suffering for others.

The words of Jesus burn in the hearts of the people. They resonate with the hard truth that catches our attention. But Jesus also at times speaks plainly without lengthy explanations and multiple citations. Like the people in the Capernaum synagogue, we have to say that he speaks with his own authority.

Today, the same can be said of the Church. The Church teaches with authority because it interprets what Jesus says in the Gospel. In many cases, the Catholic Church speaks against worldly trends. We all know what the Church teaches about many moral and social doctrines, many of them unpopular in our world today. Pope Francis has been particularly assertive with social doctrine. He says in the very title of his encyclical letter, “Fratelli Tutti,” we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We are all called to know, love and serve God by knowing, loving and serving one another. Having been authoritatively taught by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ just how much God loves us, we can begin to understand how to truly love one another.

Our lives might not be as eventful as Christ’s, and we may not have his charismatic authority, but we can follow Jesus by being more faithful to our Catholic faith, customs, teachings and laws.

More importantly, we can be influenced by Christ’s authority to sacrifice our own comfort more lovingly for the good of others, and in a small way share in his divine sonship.

DAILY Scriptures

Father Haugan is pastor of Lumen Christi Catholic Community in St. Paul.

Sunday, Feb. 4 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Jb 7:1-4, 6-7 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23 Mk 1:29-39

Why? The reason is simple. We are told to remember because we tend to forget.

If we were pure intellect (and our intellect was faultless), we wouldn’t need to be told to remember. Not only are our intellects faulty, our emotions also tend to make us forget what we know to be true. How many times have we been in a place where it was clear that God was present and that he was active in caring for us? These are moments of grace when the reality of God and his goodness are revealed, and we learn we can trust him.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, we can just as easily forget this. The moment we become afraid, or we enter a season of difficulty, suffering or dryness, we can forget what we previously knew was true. We tend to forget in the darkness what we knew was true in the light.

I think this is one of the reasons God told his people to remember, not only in their own minds, but to tell others of the things that God has done for them. The more we openly bear witness to what God has done, the more firmly what he has done becomes ingrained in our memories and in our stories.

Not only are we less likely to forget what God has done for us in the past, but we are more likely to recognize what he is doing in our present.

God not only commands his people to tell others, but he commands us to stop and to celebrate or commemorate these events. Consider the number of feasts and festivals God gives his people (not to mention the command to stop and worship each Sabbath). What is the point of that? Not only because God is worth worshipping, but also because the action of stopping and commemorating means that remembering is built into our daily, weekly and yearly lives.

Of course, we are still tempted to rush through these seasons and feasts and move on to the next one, but we don’t have to.

We can take advantage of these opportunities to stop, reflect and remember. But we will be in for a fight. We will be fighting the tendency to rush on and on, and to distract ourselves from ourselves. But by entering in we will be more human, and we will be more Christian. Because we will remember him.

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.

Sunday, Jan. 28 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Dt 18:15-20 1 Cor 7:32-35 Mk 1:21-28 Monday, Jan. 29 2 Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13 Mk 5:1-20 Tuesday, Jan. 30 2 Sm 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30–19:3 Mk 5:21-43 Wednesday, Jan. 31 Memorial of St. John Bosco, priest 2 Sm 24:2, 9-17 Mk 6:1-6 Thursday, Feb. 1 1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12 Mk 6:7-13 Friday, Feb. 2 Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Mal 3:1-4 Heb 2:14-18 Lk 2:22-40 Saturday, Feb. 3 1 Kgs 3:4-13 Mk 6:30-34

Monday, Feb. 5 Memorial of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr 1 Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13 Mk 6:53-56 Tuesday, Feb. 6 Memorial of St. Paul Miki and companions, martyrs 1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30 Mk 7:1-13 Wednesday, Feb. 7 1 Kgs 10:1-10 Mk 7:14-23 Thursday, Feb. 8 1 Kgs 11:4-13 Mk 7:24-30 Friday, Feb. 9 1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19 Mk 7:31-37 Saturday, Feb. 10 Memorial of St. Scholastica, virgin 1 Kgs 12:26-32; 13:33-34 Mk 8:1-10 Sunday, Feb. 11 Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time Lv 13:1-2, 44-46 1 Cor 10:31—11:1 Mk 1:40-45

JANUARY 25, 2024

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13B

COMMENTARY YOUR HEART, HIS HOME | LIZ KELLY STANCHINA

The beautiful burn of sacrifice

If you read my column regularly, you know last month I reflected on the life and writing of Father Alfred Delp (1907-1945), a German Jesuit executed by the Nazis during World War II. He was part of the resistance movement, and after an attempted coup failed on July 20, 1944 — a bomb meant to take Hitler’s life left him uninjured — thousands were arrested and tried for treason. Delp was among those arrested in that vengeful frenzy.

From prison, he wrote to his congregation and friends, sneaking his work out on scraps of paper that were smuggled in and out with his laundry. He wrote with his hands bound. It was a directive straight from Hitler, that those suspected of collaborating in the attempt on his life would be held in solitary confinement and shackled “as a sign they were awaiting execution.” (“Alfred Delp, Priest and Martyr, Advent of the Heart: Seasonal Sermons and Prison Writings,” Ignatius Press, 2006, p. 17).

Still, even in these conditions, Father Delp remained a pastor and priest to his last breath. Not long before his execution he managed to get a message to friends,

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN DEACON GORDON BIRD

Rising daily in discipleship Perhaps every morning when you get up, you can hear Jesus say, “Follow me,” and you are ready to go about your lot in life as his disciple.

I strive for that, but the truth is it can be hit or miss some days. Nonetheless, it’s always good to reflect on the vocation of discipleship, to better understand what Jesus meant in responding to his first disciples, “Come and you will see” (Jn 1:39) and beginning on the path they were to follow. They did accompany Jesus, most likely not realizing how answering such a divine call would develop over time into a mission of making more disciples for

Oh, Lord, may we burn for you, here in the time and place we have been given. That our lives would be witness to the Light of the World, and to serve you through brilliant lifegiving sacrifice. Amen. iSTOCK PHOTO | COFFEEKAI

encouraging them with this remarkable idea: His life would not be destroyed, but sacrificed.

Four years earlier, while still a free priest serving in Munich, Father Delp offered a sermon on the feast of the Presentation, meditating on the meaning of the sacramental candle. It burns down, yes; while giving its light it is at the same time being consumed. But it is being consumed for the purpose for which it was created; “it is sacrificed, not destroyed.” Indeed, what vocation does not bear this same, exquisite trait?

Father Delp went on to say, “It is the time of sowing, not harvesting. God is sowing; one day He will harvest again ... I will try at least to be a fruitful and healthy seed, falling into the soil. And into the Lord God’s hands.” (Delp, p. 19) You may find yourself in a darkened season,

Christ — for the sake of mankind.

Two thousand years later, we Christians are to keep pressing on in this mission. The Gospel of Matthew closes out with Jesus, just prior to his ascension, commanding the Apostles to make “disciples of all nations” (cf. Mt 28:19). We, too, are being sent to share Christ with the world by telling others what Jesus has taught through his divine wisdom.

“Men of Christ: Rising Daily in Discipleship” is the title and theme of the 2024 Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Catholic Men's Conference hosted by Catholic Watchmen. The annual conference will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 23 at St. Joseph in Rosemount. More information and registration can be found at archspm.org/mens-conference.

Presenters at the conference will include nationally-known speakers Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers and Jeff Cavins, a scholar and author who teaches at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul.

Doors will open at 8 a.m. for registration and to visit vendors, find fellowship and quiet time before 9 a.m.

surrounded by evil forces, shackled even — by illness or economic defeat, by loneliness or abandonment, or perhaps by sin. But if the Lord has some work for you, some way he needs you to be a light in the darkness, there are no shackles that can stay his hand or render his word ineffective. His plans cannot be thwarted — neither by evil regimes, sin, fear, nor by the most devastating limitations. We need only fall into his mighty, everlasting hands and allow ourselves to burn.

The words of Isaiah resound: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven/and do not return there until they have watered the earth/making it bring forth and sprout/giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater/so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth/it shall not return to me empty/but it shall accomplish that which I purpose/and succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Is 55:10-11, NRSV-CE).

May our New Year be successful in this one thing: that we fall into the Lord God’s hands and that we be faithful witnesses to a God who creates, not for destruction, but for glorious, burning sacrifice.

Oh, Lord, may we burn for you, here in the time and place we have been given — that our lives would be witness to the Light of the World, and to serve you through brilliant lifegiving sacrifice. Amen.

Stanchina is the author of more than a dozen books.

Visit her website at Lizk.org or follow her on Instagram at LizKToday.

Editor’s Note: Laura Kelly Fanucci’s “Faith at Home” column is on hiatus until further notice.

The Gospel of Matthew closes out with Jesus, just prior to his ascension, commanding the Apostles to make ‘disciples of all nations’ (cf. Mt 28:19). We, too, are being sent to share Christ with the world by telling others what Jesus has taught through his divine wisdom.

Mass with Archbishop Bernard Hebda.

Confessions will be offered through the morning and snacks and box lunches will be available. Auxiliary Bishops Joseph Williams and Michael Izen, and the director of the Office of Synod Evangelization, Deacon Joseph Michalak, will participate through presentations, fellowship and prayer.

The conference will sound the daily challenge of Catholic Watchmen, urging men to be disciples of Christ steeped in prayer, worship, word and deed for the love of God and love of neighbor.

In friendship and by his witness of that same inseparable love, a Catholic Watchman goes forth in relationship — making disciples of others who will be on fire to do the same. This starts with his

own family, extends to his local parish and radiates through his community of work, play, prayer and fellowship. It is a call to evangelize and transform the culture in his own little corner of the world — rising daily in discipleship as a man of Christ to continue what the first disciples were commanded to do by Jesus — out of a pure act of love.

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.

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14B • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

COMMENTARY

JANUARY 25, 2024

CATHOLIC OR NOTHING | COLIN MILLER

Upcoming speaker series on rebuilding Catholic community Many of us have experienced firsthand the growing trends of loneliness, isolation, anxiety and depression in our society and in the Church.

Whatever your own favorite way to characterize it, it is undeniable that many sense that something in our lives is a little (or a lot) off. We long to feel normal, but often can’t quite seem to get there.

We go to church in part, or maybe even subconsciously, because we hope we might find something there to help with this feeling. We go because we intuit that a life of virtual connections, online friends, constant busyness, and sometimes superficial relationships is not cutting it for us. We may even go because we have a secret hope for a whole alternative way of life, with a depth that corresponds to the seriousness with which, at our best moments, we take our faith.

What is it that we’re longing for? Not just faith, not just the spiritual life, not even just a personal relationship with God. More than these, or rather, as a necessary part of all of these is community: real, inthe-flesh, face-to-face, in-the-same-room community.

Scripture and tradition are clear that all those other things only make sense as part of a life shared closely with other Christians. And while most of us would affirm that there’s no such thing as just-me-and-God Catholicism, there is no doubt the Church in America is characterized primarily by a strong current of individualistic piety.

And this, of course, has everything to do with our feeling that something is not right. There may be more to our depression and anxiety than lack of community, but it is certainly one big part of it.

INSIDE THE CAPITOL | MCC

Putting families first at the State Capitol Cycles of abuse, addiction, poor health outcomes, academic underachievement and crime seem impossible to end. All too often, at the heart of these issues is the breakdown of the family. While there is no single cause nor solution, we know that these outcomes exacerbate the breakdown of the family, and when families are economically stable many of these issues can begin to heal.

The Families First Project, an initiative of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, serves to advocate for removing barriers to family stability and economic security so that Minnesotans can get married, stay married and raise a family.

The first fruits of the Families First Project will be seen by many of Minnesota’s families when they file their taxes this year. Through legislation spearheaded by our Families First Project and supported by

What is it that we’re longing for? Not just faith, not just the spiritual life, not even just a personal relationship with God. More than these, or rather, as a necessary part of all of these is community: real, in-the-flesh, face-to-face, in-the-same-room community. Scripture and tradition are clear that all those other things only make sense as part of a life shared closely with other Christians. iSTOCK PHOTO | FREEDOM007

I think it’s the greatest challenge confronting the Church in our age.

And so, in February and March, the Center for Catholic Social Thought will offer an extended time to reflect on these matters, with a speaker series entitled “Rebuilding Catholic Community,” held at Assumption in St. Paul. The talks will be on Thursdays at 7 p.m. from Feb. 15 to March 7.

In the first session on Feb. 15, Father Byron Hagan and I will set the stage. We’ll consider why, theologically, community is necessary in the first place and look at some examples of what it looks like when done well. We’ll then consider ways our contemporary culture of consumerism and technology actively fragment our lives.

In the second talk, we’ll welcome two Catholic Workers from Chicago — disciples of Dorothy Day — who work daily in society’s underbelly. They’ll tell us why they see renewed community, rather than just increased government services, as the key to a more inclusive society, and why the Church must be a community not only for, but of the poor.

On Feb. 29, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams will

the testimony of families like yours, Minnesota’s Legislature passed a nation-leading, permanent statelevel child tax credit.

So, what does this mean for eligible families? The Child Tax Credit is a reduction in the amount owed on state taxes for a given year. For those who do not owe taxes, the credit is refunded through their tax return. But to receive the credit, it is imperative to file an individual income tax return, regardless of earned income. This credit and other tax benefits like the Working Family Credit, education tax credit, and education subtraction for children's schooling expenses help put more money back into the pockets of our most important producers — parents.

Navigating tax laws can be challenging, so the Minnesota Catholic Conference has curated a list of resources on the Families First Project website at FamiliesFirstProject.com/CTC. The Minnesota Child Tax Credit is just the first of the policies we hope to enact through our Families First Project with your help. Because we all come from families, we are all subject-matter experts on the needs of families. No matter your family dynamic nor your current state in life, you have unique expertise that legislators need to hear so they can propose legislation that supports the health, stability and growth of families across Minnesota.

One such proposal is the Baby Items Sales Tax Exemption Expansion. First-time parents encounter substantial upfront expenses on essential items such as car seats, cribs, strollers, bassinets, mattresses

speak about community in the local parish. He’ll relate his own experience revitalizing parishes in Minneapolis, and what we can learn from it. We’ll also consider if the parish can still be the center of Catholic life in our age, and its relation to other sites of fellowship such as small groups or intentional communities.

Finally, we’ll be joined by Leah Libresco, author of the popular book “Building the Benedict Option.”

Libresco will share with us some very simple things that we can do right now to start living Catholic community, and how she’s done it in her own life. She’ll underline one of the main points of the speaker series, which is that getting to a place where we have Catholic community is important, and a primary way to do that is to start living it in small ways right now.

That’s something that’s within the reach of all of us.

We hope you’ll join us and learn more about how. (To register, go to catholicsocialthought.org.)

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

Join us in championing the cause of family economic stability.

Ask your legislator to pass the Baby Items Sales Tax Exemption in 2024 by visiting mncatholic.org/action. Together, let’s build a state where families flourish! and more that can easily total up to nearly $2,000.

To alleviate this burden, we are advocating for the elimination of state sales tax on these big-ticket items, providing parents with nearly $130 in savings. While that may not seem like much in comparison to the full amount spent, we can all appreciate the need to make a dollar stretch further these days.

Another of the Families First Project proposals seeks to create a lifetime exemption on state income tax for women who give birth to four or more children.

Recognizing the invaluable contribution of mothers in shaping the future, this initiative aims to provide tangible support for larger families, acknowledging the unique financial challenges they face.

“Inside the Capitol” is a legislative update from Minnesota Catholic Conference staff.

JANUARY 25, 2024 THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15B

CALENDAR PARISH EVENTS Pro-Life Memorial Mass — Jan. 26: 6 p.m. at St. Charles Borromeo, 2739 Stinson Blvd., St. Anthony. Join Prolife Across America for a memorial Mass, celebrated by Father Marcus Milless. A social hour with refreshments will follow Mass.

Parish Anniversary Concert — Jan. 27: 6:30-8:30 p.m. at St. Katharine Drexel, 7101 143rd Ave. NW, Suite G, Ramsey. Celebrate 19 years of the parish with an evening of guitar “From Bach to Beatles” with Randall Ferguson playing a variety of guitars (dating back to 1785).

Family event with hors d’oeuvres, gift card raffle and wine raffle. Freewill offering.

Breakfast Buffet — Jan. 28: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. Featuring biscuits and sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, pancakes, French toast, potato crowns, sausage and ham, breakfast pastries. Ages 13 and older: $13. Ages 6-12: $8. Ages 5 and under: free. guardian-angels.org/event/22886729-2024-01-28-mens-clubbreakfast-buffet Black and Gold Mardi Gras Gala — Feb. 3: 5-10 p.m. at Transfiguration, 6133 15th St. N., Oakdale. This celebration of 70 years of Catholic education includes dinner and a silent auction. Early bird tickets: $50. transfigurationmn.org/ events/p65pemocp4bjs0mw15box7o5erpiqc Walking the Footsteps — Feb. 4: 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at St. Patrick, 3535 72nd St. E., Inver Grove Heights. Social justice event that provides interaction/information concerning hunger, homelessness and health care. Free pasta meal will be offered. Scavenger hunt for young families to learn about justice. churchofstpatrick.com Life’s a Gamble at the Pearly Gates — Feb. 9-11: Feb. 9, 10; 2 p.m. Feb. 11, 7 p.m. at St. Joseph of the Lakes, 171 Elm St., Lino Lakes. This is an original musical written and performed by the music ministry of St. Joseph of the Lakes. mystjoes.me Mid-Winter Blues Bash — Feb. 10: 6-8:30 p.m. at St. John Vianney, 840 19th Ave. N., South St. Paul.

Following 5 p.m. Mass, there will be chili, hot dogs, popcorn and desserts plus bingo. sjvssp.org St. Valentine’s Formal Dinner and Dance — Feb. 10: 5:30-9:30 p.m. at St. Raphael, 7301 Bass Lake Road, Crystal. Enjoy a formal, catered buffet dinner while being serenaded by live romantic music, followed by ballroom dancing to the Jerry O’Hagan Combo. More information including prices and tickets at fb.me/e/ aNz915oMwite or email catholicmarriagedance@gmail.com.

Razzle Dazzle Dinner and Dance — Feb. 10:

6 p.m.-midnight at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. Ticket includes appetizers, salad, desserts and choice of beverage and a main course choice of handcarved steak, salmon filet or champagne chicken. Cocktails available. Tickets: $50. guardian-angels.org/event/228963102024-02-10-razzle-dazzle-dinner-dance Guardian Angels Beef and Sausage Family-Style Dinner — Feb. 11: 10:45 a.m.-1 p.m. at 217 Second St. W., Chaska. Family-style dinner, with beef and homemade sausage plus all the trimmings. Tickets at the door. Adults: $15. Takeout: $8.

WORSHIP+RETREATS Healing Mass — Jan. 26: 7-9 p.m. at St. Paul, 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd., NE, Ham Lake. Father Jim Livingston will celebrate a Mass to help people find healing in whatever areas they may require it, including physical, emotional or spiritual situations. churchofsaintpaul.com/ healing-mass Loneliness on the Spiritual Journey — Jan. 26-27: at The Benedictine Center of St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, St. Paul. Participants have the option to stay overnight at the monastery or commute. Facilitated by experts with steady practice in spiritual loneliness. benedictinecenter.secure.retreat.guru/program/2024-01-25loneliness-on-the-spiritual-journey/ Ave Verum Corpus — Feb. 9: 7-8:30 p.m. at St. Nicholas, 51 Church St., Elko New Market. Evening will include adoration, classical sacred music, chant, the sacrament of penance, vespers and Benediction. stncc.net Married Couples Retreat — Feb. 9-11: Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 Saint Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Set the tone for your marriage for the new year in a place filled with hope, inspiration and spiritual growth. franciscanretreats.net/married-couples-catholic-retreatfebruary-9-11-2024 Known By God: A Retreat for Mothers Grieving the Loss of an Unborn Baby — Feb. 10: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. All mothers grieving the loss of an unborn baby through miscarriage or stillbirth are invited. The retreat includes small group sharing, discussion and large group talks on spiritual growth in grief. cathedralsaintpaul.org/events-news

SPEAKERS+SEMINARS Sister Joan Mitchell Explores the Gospel of Mark — six Tuesdays, Jan. 9-Feb. 13: 7-8:30 p.m., St. Frances Cabrini, 1500 Franklin Ave. SE, Minneapolis.

Sister Joan will highlight key messages from Mark’s Gospel. Lecture, small group discussion. Donations accepted. Contact: llffchair@cabrinimn.org.

The Most Persuasive Pro-Life Argument with Emily Geiger — Jan. 25: 6 p.m. in St. Joe’s Hall at St. Joseph the Worker, 7180 Hemlock Lane N., Maple Grove. Emily Geiger is a pro-life speaker affiliated with the Equal Rights Institute. Pre-register at sjtw.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/288/ responses/new. More information: facebook.com/events/824300899449078 Communicating Faithfully in the Digital Age — Jan. 26: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Emmaus Hall, St. John’s University, 2966 Saint John’s Road, Collegeville. Reflect with Daniella Zsupan-Jerome as she examines 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 event.

Registration is required. csbsju.edu/sot/sem/alumni-andfriends/attend-events/theology-day Stewarding the Gift of Life at the End of Life — Jan. 30: 6:30-8 p.m. at Nativity of Mary, 9900 Lyndale Ave. S., Bloomington. Jason Adkins from the Minnesota Catholic Conference will speak about end-of-life concerns, including how to make a healthcare directive consistent with Catholic values, and how the public can help stop proposals at the Minnesota State Capitol to legalize assisted suicide. nativitybloomington.org/Resources/News/ articleType/ArticleView/articleId/16103/Jason-Adkins-SpeakerEvent-Stewarding-the-Gift-of-the-Life-at-the-End-of-Lifee-at-theEnd-of-Life Roundtable on Human Trafficking — Jan. 30: 7-8:30 p.m. at All Saints, 19795 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville.

This event will host a speaker from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. There will be time for questions and discussion about an action plan.

Date Night for Married and Engaged Couples with Edward Sri — Feb. 2: 6-8:30 p.m. at Good Shepherd, 145 Jersey Ave. S., Golden Valley. An evening of fellowship, dinner and a presentation by Sri on the book “The Good, the Messy, and the Beautiful.” goodshepherdgv.org/datenight

OTHER EVENTS Healing the Wounds of Abuse Retreat: Grief to Grace MN — Jan. 30-Feb. 4: Five days of professional, traumainformed care with attention to each one’s experience of isolation, abandonment and suffering — a true therapy for the soul in a safe and secure environment. For more information, email info@grieftogracemn.org or call Diane at 612-440-7247. grieftogracemn.org

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 u The Catholic Spirit prints calendar details as submitted.

TheCatholicSpirit.com/calendarsubmissions

Agape Dinner for Widows and Widowers — Feb. 10: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at St. Peter, 1250 South Shore Drive, Forest Lake. Mass, talk and dinner. Talk by Father Gregory Abbott. Cost: $16. RSVP by Feb. 1 to 651-982-2200. stpeterfl.org Mary Lou Williams Concert — Feb. 11: 2-3 p.m. at St. Thomas More, 1079 Summit Ave., St. Paul. This concert celebrating the life, music and faith of Mary Lou Williams will feature the musical work of Williams, compositions inspired by her life and work, and biographical talks sharing her story. morecommunity.org/mary-lou-williams

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.

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16B • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

I

JANUARY 25, 2024

Why I am Catholic

By Jeanette Mika

have always felt a strong desire to be close to God and help others. I landed on teaching; I love working with kids and getting them excited about learning.

For more than 20 years, I struggled with my teaching career, having experienced some negative things. I questioned if God really wanted me to be a teacher. I begged him to help me find my path. I felt lost.

I decided that I could not teach anymore. I got rid of all my teaching supplies and walked away. I figured God did not want me teaching but I was unsure about what to do next. I decided to return to college to try something else.

While I was struggling with my career, I was also struggling with my faith community. I grew up Lutheran and simply went that route. I found a church I thought would be good to bring my kids up in. Unfortunately, for years, I did not feel a part of it, or even welcomed sometimes. But I stuck with it because I wanted to be in a community of God and a community where I could bring my kids up in Christianity. I fully participated in church activities, but always felt like an outsider. However, I always felt a pull from God. I wanted to draw closer to God. My son also wanted to feel closer to God. Since he was a little boy, we would spend a lot of time talking about God — questioning and trying to come up with answers. I was so proud of him, that he showed such an interest in God and wanted to learn more. The turning point for me was when my son was in college and he began questioning his faith a lot, trying to figure out what felt right for him.

Just like we did when he was younger, and throughout his life really, we spent a lot of time discussing it. He began a historical religious study class in college about Jesus’ life and the context of the Bible. He began to look at the Greek translation of words and came to realize there was a deeper meaning to the text than we had initially thought.

He would come home and tell me everything he was learning, and we would be blown away with excitement, how cool the Scripture was. It inspired me to take a similar class and start to dig more deeply myself.

One day my son said to me, “I’m going to the Catholic church on Sunday.” I thought that was great. He invited me to come, so I spent a few weeks going to the Catholic church and began listening to “The Catechism in a Year” podcast. What I heard in the catechism lined up with what I had been learning in my class about Jesus’ life, as well as what I already knew from many years of reading the Bible and going to church.

Then, people in the Catholic church suggested I read “The Lamb’s Supper” by Scott Hahn and invited me to be a part of the “The Rescue Project,” led by Catholic apostolate ACTS XXIX founded by Father John Riccardo and based in Detroit. What I learned from those two events pushed me over the edge and there was no turning back. I realized how deep the “rabbit hole” went; how spiritual and amazing God’s plan is. I was ALL IN. I decided I wanted to be Catholic. My son

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

and I were confirmed together Oct. 28, 2023, at St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano. How amazing is that? Going through this transformation with my son has been so special to me. I don’t even have the words to describe how blessed I feel. Being Catholic has given me a closeness to God that I had been seeking. I still yearn for more.

While my life was changing from Lutheran to Catholic, I was invited to teach at a Catholic school. I had cut off the idea of teaching again, but a door opened, and I believe when that happens, you must at least peek. With a little hesitation, I did. I was hired to teach fourth and fifth grade. I love my job. I have the best students. I love to plan fun lessons for them. I love being where I can teach about God and bring him into every aspect of our day. I am filled with joy.

My life went from feeling like an outsider just about everywhere — church, career, difficulties in my life (that is a whole other story) — to becoming Catholic, which has changed my life. I have found a Church that is deeply reverent to God, a community that is loving and welcoming and a career that is rooted in God. I am surrounded by wonderful people — students, colleagues and parents. I found what I was looking for almost my whole life — closeness with God. I thank God for surrounding me with these people and drawing me closer to him. I am grateful and blessed.

Mika teaches at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic School in Delano. She and her husband, John, have two children. She loves adventure, traveling to explore God’s beautiful world and building things, including making cabinets and installing floors. Mika enjoys reading, animals and hiking with her dog. Most important to her is spending time with her family.

“Why I am Catholic” is an ongoing series in The Catholic Spirit. Want to share why you are Catholic? Submit your story in 300-500 words to CatholicSpirit@archspm.org with subject line “Why I am Catholic.”

Rebuilding Catholic Community Spring Speaker Series Center for Catholic Social Thought

Featuring Author Leah Libresco Sargeant and Bishop Joseph Williams Thursdays, 7pm, Feb 15-March 7, 2024 Free and Open to the Public Feb 15 – Colin Miller and Fr. Byron Hagan “Why Church Community?”

Feb 29 – Bishop Williams “Community and Parish Life”

Feb 22 – Renee Darline Roden and James Murphy Chicago Catholic Workers, “Dorothy Day and Community”

March 7 – Leah Libresco Sargeant, author of Building the Benedict Option “How to Build Thick Community”

For more information, and to register: catholicsocialthought.org

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