The Catholic Spirit - March 21, 2018

March 22, 2018 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis TCS

Chrism Mass The annual Chrism Mass, which includes the blessing of the oils used for sacraments in local parishes, will be 7 p.m. March 22 at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul.

Prayers for peace Local Catholic schools participated in the National School Walkout with prayer to honor students and staff killed in Parkland, Florida, and a call for an end to gun violence.

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Fight the New Drug Science shows pornography use changes the brain, but there’s hope for the addicted, said a speaker at the Archdiocesan Men’s Conference.

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Praising Hawking Though an atheist, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking worked to advance the dialogue between faith and reason.

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Confronting confession Pastors explore why some Catholics avoid the sacrament and how they can change their hearts.

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Embryos are people In the wake of two fertility clinic malfunctions that resulted in the deaths of frozen embryos, a case for recognizing the humanity of what — who — was lost.

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We’re taking an Easter break.

Look for the next edition of The Catholic Spirit April 12.

What wondrous love is this A depiction of the 11th Station of the Cross — Jesus is nailed to the cross — at St. Thomas More in St. Paul. Painted on copper panels, the set of Stations was imported from Belgium by Rambusch Company of New York and installed around the time the church building was finished in 1926.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

u Bishop Cozzens: Don’t miss the triduum • Page 3 u Darkness, fire and light: Why the Easter Vigil is called ‘the mother of all vigils’ • Pages 10-11 u Living Stations’ 20 year-run draws on committed cast • Page 13 u Eucharist’s biblical basis • Page 16 u For catechumen family, a search for faith leads to the Catholic Church • Page 20

2 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MARCH 22, 2018

PAGETWO

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We were known for closing on Good Friday throughout the world — it was something different about Ireland, and now that’s gone. Slowly, all the Irish traditions are being stripped.

Dermot Muldoon, a pub owner in County Meath, Ireland, who plans to close his pub Good Friday despite a new law allowing pubs to remain open. The ban on serving alcohol on Good Friday had been in place since 1927, when lawmakers decided that the penitential nature of the day of fast and abstinence merited a public observance.

President Michael Higgins signed the law change into effect this year after overwhelming support for the move in parliament. In recent years, pub owners have claimed that the prohibition was having a detrimental effect on tourists visiting Ireland for Easter. However, owners in at least two towns say they will keep their doors shut March 30.

NEWS notes

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NEW SAINTS A man carries an image of Blessed Oscar Romero during a March 18 procession in San Salvador, El Salvador, to commemorate the 38th anniversary of his murder. Pope Francis has cleared the way for the canonization of Blessed Romero, who was shot and killed March 24, 1980, as he celebrated Mass. Pope Francis also signed a decree March 6 authorizing the canonization of Blessed Pope Paul VI, who is expected to be declared a saint in late October at the end of the Synod of Bishops on youth and discernment.

The average GPA of the top 15 players on the Academy of Holy Angels boys hockey team.

The Richfield school’s team recently won the Class 2A boys hockey team academic championship, awarded by the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association. The association chooses the top teams based on the top 15 GPAs of players from each squad in both Class A and 2A. Holy Angels topped all teams in both classes for GPA in addition to winning Class 2A. The school last had a state academic champion in 2005 with the girls hockey team, which also won the Class A state tournament that year.

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St. Thomas Academy science teacher Mark Westlake was recognized for his dedication to space science and technology education at the 61st annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner March 16 in Washington, D.C., when he received the 2018 National Space Educator of the Year award from the National Space Club. The award goes to a secondary school teacher who excels at engaging students in space science and technology. He also directs the Mendota Heights school’s innovation center and helps lead the experimental vehicle team.

880

The number of new saints Pope Francis has declared in just five years as leader of the universal Church. The number includes the martyrdom of an estimated 800 Italian laymen killed by Ottoman soldiers in the 15th century.

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HELP FOR CHRISTIANS A child sleeps in a suitcase in Beit Sawa, Syria, March 15. Christians in the Middle East, particularly those who have been forced from their homes by violence and persecution, need the support of the Catholic Church, said Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches. According to Christian activists, the conflict in Syria has recently escalated, and Islamic extremists allied with Turkey have been killing religious minorities, including Christians and Yezidis, in northwestern Syria. Among the victims are dozens of children. In a March 12 letter, Cardinal Sandri urged Catholics around the world to give to the annual collection for the Holy Land on Good Friday. The collection was established in 1618 by Pope Paul V to support Eastern-rite Catholic churches and maintenance of holy sites under Catholic care in the Holy Land. The collection also funds charity and pastoral care to the region’s Christians.

ONLINE exclusives Leaders of Elevate Life, formerly known as TLC Options for Women, reflect on the organization’s rebranding and enhanced offerings for the 37 pregnancy help centers it supports in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

Don’t take everything you see in the new movie “Paul, Apostle of Christ” as, well, gospel, says a New Testament scholar about the film slated for release in theaters March 23. However, “Even if it’s not biblically or historically accurate, it gives people an opportunity to think about Paul, to know about Paul.” And that, she thinks, is a good thing.

Read the stories at TheCatholicSpirit.com.

The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 23 — No. 6 MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher United in Faith, Hope and Love

TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher MARIA C. WIERING, Editor

The year Catholic Eldercare opened its first senior living facility. Dan Johnson, Catholic Eldercare president and CEO, received the Kal Michels Outstanding Leadership Award from LeadingAge Minnesota Feb. 13. Under Johnson’s leadership, Catholic Eldercare has expanded its therapy services, remodeled its main campus and added adult day services and a transitional care unit. A new independent living facility is also planned. Johnson also launched Northeast Neighborhood Socials to bring at-risk older adults together.

MILESTONE St. Therese, a Catholic senior housing and health care nonprofit, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Born out of concern for senior citizens, archdiocesan priest Father Gordon Mycue, Elizabeth Hidding, Benedictine Sister Marcelline Jung and Jerry Choromanski created the vision for St. Therese in 1964. After securing funding, and staffing commitments from St. Paul’s Priory in Maplewood and St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, St. Therese Home in New Hope opened in 1968. Its first resident moved in Jan. 9 of that year. Over the years, the organization has expanded to include assisted living, senior apartments, dementia, palliative and hospice care, and home- and community-based services. It has locations in New Hope, Brooklyn Park, Shoreview, Robbinsdale and Woodbury. For more information, visit sttheresemn.org.

CORRECTION In the March 8 issue, the story about Archbishop John Ireland incorrectly stated that the Cathedral of St. Paul’s exhibition includes a death mask on loan from the Minnesota Historical Society. The mask is from the archives of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

The Catholic Spirit apologizes for the error.

Materials credited to CNS copy­righted by Catholic News Service.

All other materials copyrighted by The Cath­olic Spirit Newspaper.

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MARCH 22, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 3

FROMTHEBISHOP ONLY JESUS | BISHOP ANDREW COZZENS

The holiest time of year

T

he celebrations of Holy Week are so important that we spend 40 days preparing for them with fasting, prayer and almsgiving.

Lent is a time of preparation to allow us to fully enter into the most important time of the year: the sacred triduum, from Holy Thursday until the Easter Vigil. It is meant to be a kind of three-day retreat for the whole Church where we meditate on the profound outpouring of love that comes through the mysteries of Christ. It’s where we allow ourselves to live these three days again with Christ to experience anew the depth of love contained in each of these mysteries.

Holy Thursday It begins with Holy Thursday, always celebrated in the evening, where we commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus with his apostles when he gave us the incredible gift of the Eucharist, as well as the priesthood that makes it possible.

The washing of the feet reminds us of how the Eucharist calls us to pour out our lives in service and how Christ humbled himself to become one of us in order to wash away our sins.

It ends with the solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose, where we are invited to keep watch silently with Christ even into the night, just as he requested his apostles to stay awake and pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane. You will notice that the liturgy does not have a formal dismissal, but simply ends with all of us praying silently before the altar of repose.

Our retreat has begun, and we are invited to make these three days different from the rest of the year, even keeping a more prayerful silence in our homes as the whole Church also fasts in preparation for the Easter feast.

La época más santa del año

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as celebraciones de Semana Santa son tan importantes que pasamos 40 días preparándonos para ellas con ayuno, oración y limosna. La Cuaresma es un tiempo de preparación para permitirnos entrar plenamente en la época más importante del año: el triduo sagrado, desde el Jueves Santo hasta la Vigilia Pascual. Está destinado a ser una especie de retiro de tres días para toda la Iglesia donde meditamos sobre el derramamiento profundo de amor que surge a través de los misterios de Cristo. Es donde nos permitimos vivir estos tres días nuevamente con Cristo para experimentar nuevamente la profundidad del amor contenido en cada uno de estos misterios.

Comienza con el Jueves Santo, siempre se celebra por la tarde, donde conmemoramos la Última Cena de Jesús con sus apóstoles cuando nos dio el increíble don de la Eucaristía y el Sacerdocio que lo hace posible. El lavado de los pies nos recuerda cómo la Eucaristía nos llama a derramar nuestras vidas en el servicio y cómo Cristo se humilló a sí mismo para convertirse en uno de nosotros con el fin de lavar nuestros pecados. Termina con la solemne procesión del Santísimo Sacramento al Altar del Reposo donde se nos invita a vigilar en silencio con Cristo hasta la

Good Friday We gather again on Good Friday, which also begins in silence with the prostration of the priest before the stripped altar and sanctuary. Notice there is no introduction and greeting, but simply the invocation “let us pray,” since, in a certain way, we are only continuing what we began the night before. This liturgy includes the reading of the entire Passion from St. John’s Gospel, often chanted with different parts. It also has the veneration of the cross. I still remember as a child how much of an impression it made on me to go up and kiss the cross.

This is followed by the universal petitions, often prayed while kneeling for each one. On this most solemn day when Christ gave his life for us, we beg him for grace for ourselves and for the whole world. We end this celebration by receiving holy Communion, but it is the only day of the Church year where there is no celebration of holy Mass.

Again the liturgy ends with a blessing but no dismissal. The rubric says “all depart in silence,” and we continue our retreat. This would be a great opportunity to continue prayer at home as a family as we keep a somber attitude in remembering Christ’s death.

Holy Saturday The three-day retreat culminates with the celebration of the Lord’s victory over death in the Easter Vigil. The rubrics remind us that this “mother of all vigils” is the “greatest and most noble of all solemnities, and it is to be unique in every single Church.” The Roman Missal states, “On this holy night, the Church stays up into the night keeping watch, celebrating the resurrection of Christ in the sacraments and awaiting his return in glory.” After all, we know that Christ will return in glory some night, and it makes sense it might happen on the anniversary of his resurrection.

The Vigil is not allowed to begin before nightfall — 8 p.m. this year — so that the lighting of the holy fire for the Easter candle reveals the light of Christ’s

noche, así como él pidió a sus apóstoles que permanecieran despiertos y oraran con él en el Jardín de Getsemaní. Notarán que la liturgia no tiene un despido formal, sino que simplemente termina con todos nosotros orando en silencio ante el Altar de Reposo. Nuestro retiro ha comenzado y la Iglesia nos invita a hacer estos tres días diferentes del resto del año, incluso manteniendo un silencio más lleno de oración en nuestros hogares ya que toda la Iglesia también ayuna en preparación para la Fiesta de Pascua.

Luego nos reunimos nuevamente el Viernes Santo, que también comienza en silencio con la postración del sacerdote ante el altar y el santuario despojados.

Tenga en cuenta que no hay presentación y saludo, sino simplemente la invocación “Vamos a orar”, ya que de cierta manera solo continuamos lo que comenzamos la noche anterior. Esta liturgia incluye la lectura de toda la pasión de San Juan, a menudo cantada con diferentes partes.

También tiene la veneración de la cruz.

Aún recuerdo de niño cuánto me impresionó subir y besar la Cruz. Esto es seguido por las peticiones universales, a menudo arrodillado para cada uno; en este día tan solemne cuando Cristo dio su vida por nosotros, le suplicamos gracia para nosotros y para el mundo entero.

Terminamos esta celebración al recibir la Sagrada Comunión, pero es el único día del año de la Iglesia en el que no hay celebración de la Santa Misa. Una vez más, la celebración termina con una bendición pero sin despido. La rúbrica dice: “todos se van en silencio” y

resurrection dispelling the darkness of our world. The light spreads to each of us, and we stand in the dark with our lighted candles and sing the “Exultet.” In this profound text, we proclaim the salvation won for us in Christ’s resurrection: “O love, O charity beyond all telling, to ransom a slave you gave away your Son! O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the death of Christ! O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!”

After this, we have up to seven readings that recount the whole history of salvation from creation until now.

How important it is to spend this time once a year remembering what God has done for us. I suggest you spend some time during these days meditating on these profound readings, which can be found on page 16 and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website, usccb.org. These readings end with a great “alleluia” — which we have not said for all of Lent — and the proclamation of the Gospel with the homily.

Then, we have the Easter sacraments. Through baptism, confirmation and first Communion, we see the gift of eternal life, which Christ won for us, implanted in the hearts of our new brothers and sisters for the first time. These new Catholics join us now in sharing the gift of eternal life through Christ’s death and resurrection. Then we celebrate in full glory the Liturgy of the Eucharist, from which we have fasted since Thursday evening.

Part of the beauty of Easter is that the solemn celebration lasts eight days, until the following Sunday, and then continues for 50 days of rejoicing.

These three days of the triduum provide an incredible gift for us to enter more deeply into the love of Christ. I hope and pray you will be able to take full advantage of this annual retreat that the Church offers us. Through the celebration of these mysteries, we experience more deeply how much Christ loves us and how much salvation means for us, and we have the chance to grow more into living his life and love every day. Don’t miss the Easter triduum!

continuamos nuestro retiro. Esta sería una gran oportunidad para continuar la oración en el hogar como familia, ya que mantenemos una actitud sombría en el hogar al recordar la muerte de Cristo.

El retiro de tres días culmina con la celebración de la victoria de la muerte del Señor en la Vigilia Pascual. Las rúbricas nos recuerdan que esta “madre de todas las vigilias” es “la mayor y más noble de todas las solemnidades y debe ser única en cada Iglesia”. En esta noche santa, la Iglesia permanece en la noche vigilando, celebrando la resurrección de Cristo en los sacramentos y esperando su regreso en gloria. ¡Después de todo, sabemos que Cristo regresará en gloria una noche, y tiene sentido que pueda suceder en el aniversario de la primera vez que se levantó! La Vigilia no puede comenzar antes del anochecer, este año eso significa 8 p.m., para que la iluminación del Fuego Sagrado y la Vela de Pascua revelen la luz de la resurrección de Cristo disipando la oscuridad de nuestro mundo. La luz se extiende a cada uno de nosotros y nos quedamos en la oscuridad con nuestras velas encendidas y cantamos el Exultet.

En este texto profundo, proclamamos la salvación para nosotros en la resurrección de Cristo: “¡Oh amor, oh caridad más allá de todo lo dicho, para rescatar a un esclavo que diste a tu Hijo! ¡Oh pecado verdaderamente necesario de Adán, destruido completamente por la Muerte de Cristo! ¡Oh, culpa feliz que mereció un Redentor tan grande y glorioso! “Después de esto tenemos hasta siete lecturas que relatan toda la historia de la salvación

desde la creación hasta ahora. Qué importante es pasar este tiempo una vez al año recordando lo que Dios ha hecho por nosotros. Le sugiero que dedique algo de tiempo estos días a meditar en estas lecturas profundas, que se pueden encontrar en el sitio web de la USCCB. Estas lecturas terminan con gran Aleluya, que no hemos dicho para toda la Cuaresma y la proclamación del Evangelio con la homilía. Luego, tenemos los Sacramentos de Pascua, a través del bautismo, la confirmación y la primera Comunión vemos el don de la vida eterna que Cristo ganó para nosotros implantado en los corazones de nuestros nuevos hermanos y hermanas por primera vez.

Estos nuevos católicos se unen a nosotros ahora para compartir el don de la vida eterna a través de la muerte y la resurrección de Cristo. Luego celebramos la Eucaristía con toda la gloria, que hemos ayunado desde la noche del jueves. Parte de la belleza de la Pascua es que la solemne celebración dura 8 días, hasta el domingo siguiente y luego continúa en 50 días de regocijo.

Estos tres días del triduo proporcionan un regalo increíble para que entremos más profundamente en el amor de Cristo.

Espero y rezo para que pueda aprovechar al máximo este retiro anual que la Iglesia nos ofrece. A través de la celebración de estos misterios, experimentamos más profundamente cuánto nos ama Cristo y cuánto significa la salvación para nosotros, y tenemos la oportunidad de cultivar más para vivir su vida y amar cada día. ¡No te pierdas el triduo de Pascua!

4 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MARCH 22, 2018

LOCAL

Planting the seed

SLICEof LIFE DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Danielle Sioui, center, a junior at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, admires the bell pepper seed she planted during “Seeds of Joy,” an event at St. Kate’s that brought together students, faculty and staff, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and community members. Junior Natalie Nation organized the March 13 event, which gave participants an opportunity to plant seeds to grow in their own gardens or in a garden first planted last spring at St. Kate’s. Last year’s harvest produced 40 pounds of vegetables, which was given to students in need. “Our motto is ‘students feeding students,’” said Nation, president of the Food Justice Coalition on campus. “And, we love the idea of educating students about food justice, while actively connecting them to a solution to food insecurity that benefits their peers.” At left is junior Marie Olson, and at right is St. Joseph Sister Kathy Ryan. The event coincided with National Catholic Sisters Week.

LOCAL

MARCH 22, 2018

Capitol 101 offers intro to civic engagement

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit As of March 16, more than 4,000 bills had been introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

The count was around 3,700 for the Senate.

There’s no way state legislators can study all of those bills, which is why they depend on their constituents to draw their attention to what’s most important, Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, told a group of Catholics gathered at the State Capitol.

“Legislators need you as friends, and they need you as a resource,” he said in a March 16 presentation. “Any given legislative session, there are thousands of bills introduced every year. Legislators can’t keep track of all those bills. No one really can.”

Adkins spoke to 14 participants in the second of three Capitol 101 events the MCC is hosting for the first time this year. The morning event included presentations from three legislators, training on speaking with lawmakers and a basic instruction to key legislation of concern to Minnesota’s Catholic bishops. MCC is the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota.

The information left an impression on the event’s participants. “I was surprised to learn how many bills are involved in each session,” said Michael Gross, 46, a parishioner of St. Joseph in West St. Paul. “It drove home the importance of meeting with our senator and representatives to develop a relationship and to draw their attention to certain concerns that we have.”

Fellow participant Matt Gulseth said he hasn’t been “involved politically,” but the 52-year-old parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis believes he gained tools to help him find “the best ways to engage or interact, to lobby ... as a citizen.”

Sen. Michelle Benson from Ham Lake, Rep. Kelly Fenton from Woodbury and Rep. Matt Dean of Dellwood, all Catholic, presented.

Benson offered tips on engaging legislators and emphasized the need to lean on logic in dialogue, especially with legislators who don’t agree with them on the issue. She said using the faith as the basis for policy positions won’t reach many legislators.

“The most important thing that you can do is help a legislator understand your story or why the issue impacts your life or matters to you,” Benson said. “You have to think a little about why they should care.”

Benson also said providing educational materials can help citizens inform their lawmakers on issues. She said mailing it increases the odds of it being seen.

Father Robert Valit will turn 90 on Easter Sunday, April 1. After 57 years of ministry, he has one wish yet to be fulfilled.

“I always say, my greatest ambition is to die in my sleep while I’m still active [in ministry],” he said.

Although he officially retired in 2001, Father Valit has been serving at St. Michael in Stillwater for 17 years, hearing confessions and celebrating Mass, both on weekends and weekdays. The way he talks about his vocation, it’s hard to believe he would ever want to stop.

“These last years have been the happiest of my life,” he said, “because I love the people, and I have a wonderful relationship with the people. I’m celebrating Eucharist regularly, doing what I love doing.”

He was born in Maryland, and his family later moved to the Twin Cities. He graduated from St. Louis Park High School in 1946, and then he spent a few years figuring out

Archdiocese: Objection to Crosier plan aims to secure compensation for abuse claimants The Catholic Spirit

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Steve Seidl, right, of St. Paul in Ham Lake, greets Sen. Michelle Benson March 16 at the Capitol 101 event organized by the Minnesota Catholic Conference at the State Capitol.

She noted that politeness and keeping to lawmakers’ schedules go a long way, and that communication should be clear and concise.

Fenton said personal, handwritten letters can also make an impact. “That’s going to go to the top of my list” for correspondence, she said. “It means something [to legislators] to hear from your heart.”

Fenton said constituents don’t have to meet legislators in their St. Paul offices; they can also meet in their respective districts when the Legislature isn’t in session. Regardless of the setting, she emphasized that people should call in advance to set up a meeting.

All of the March 16 legislator-speakers were Republican, but Adkins said that was a fluke of the calendar; Democrats were unavailable to present due to their legislative schedules. The event is not partisan, he emphasized. It also included presentations on how a bill becomes law and how to engage effectively with legislators on difficult issues. MCC staff covered two policy areas of concern: gestational surrogacy regulation and the link between sex trafficking and pornography.

MCC encouraged attendees to participate in its Catholic Advocacy Network, which offers issue resources and bill tracking. The event concluded with a rosary in the Capitol rotunda.

MCC hosted its first Capitol 101 session Feb. 26. The series’ final event will take place 9 a.m. to noon April 17. It is free, but an RSVP is required. For more information, visit mncatholic.org.

Father Valit to celebrate 90th birthday Easter Sunday

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 5

what to do with his life. He landed at St. John’s University in Collegeville and spent two years there. After feeling called to a FATHER religious ROBERT VALIT vocation, he left St. John’s and joined the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, aka the Trappists. That brought him to New Melleray Abbey near Dubuque, Iowa, where he was ordained a priest in 1961.

Later, he left the Trappists to minister in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and he was incardinated, or made a priest of the archdiocese, in 1978. In the archdiocese, Father Valit has served as a hospital chaplain and at nine parishes, including St. John the Baptist, Dayton (1983-89); St. Peter, Forest Lake (1989-93); and Our Lady of Grace, Edina (1993-2001).

“I never could have imagined I would have such a rich, full and

beautiful life,” Father Valit said.

He wants friends to join him April 2, when he will celebrate a 5:30 p.m. Mass at St. Michael, followed by a gathering with appetizers, cake and ice cream. He said he looks forward to the celebration, but his ministry, not his age, is his focus. In addition to celebrating Mass, he has a particular love for offering the sacrament of reconciliation.

“I understand that the priesthood is always in the service of God and his people — always,” he said. “A priest was never ordained for himself. ... That’s taught me to be available to people.”

There are nine priests in the archdiocese older than Father Valit, five of whom have priestly faculties, or permission from the archbishop to offer the sacraments. As for turning 90 himself, “I don’t feel old at all,” he said.

“I thoroughly love being a priest, and I wouldn’t want to be anything else,” he added. “Once I knew that I wanted to be a priest, my life had meaning.”

Leaders of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said its legal objection filed against the Crosier Fathers and Brothers’ plan for reorganization aims to help victims/survivors of clergy sex abuse, not stymie the Crosiers’ reorganization process.

“The archdiocese is committed to maximizing its resources available to compensate victims and to reach a prompt consensual result in its bankruptcy case through the mediation ordered by Judge [Robert] Kressel. The availability and value of its insurance is at the heart of these resources,” said Thomas Abood, chairman of the archdiocese’s reorganization task force, in a March 15 statement.

“The archdiocese filed its objection in the related Crosier matter to ensure the preservation of insurance rights for the benefit of the victim creditors in its case. The archdiocese fully expects that its filing, as well as the similar filing by the Crosiers in the archdiocese case, will be resolved in a way that does not delay confirmation of a plan in either case.”

Attorneys for the archdiocese filed the objection with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court March 14 in order to have the plan amended in a way that would preserve the compensation obligations of insurers affected by both the Crosiers’ and archdiocese’s reorganization efforts. The Crosiers and the archdiocese are among Catholic entities in Minnesota that separately filed for reorganization following the 2013 lifting of a statute of limitations by the Minnesota State Legislature, which ushered in a wave of historic sexual abuse claims.

According to news reports, 67 people filed sexual abuse claims against the Crosiers. More than 400 people filed claims against the archdiocese. Some of the claims overlap, as claimants alleged abuse by Crosiers serving in the archdiocese at the time. The Crosiers’ plan offers a $25.5 million settlement, which includes insurance settlements. The plan was slated for confirmation in March.

In a March 15 press conference, Mike Finnegan, an attorney at Jeff Anderson and Associates in St. Paul who represents abuse claimants, accused the archdiocese of trying to “block” the Crosiers’ settlement, calling the action “outrageous” and “hypocritical.”

Abood contested the accusation, saying that “the mechanical and procedural nature of this objection is well known” to the victims’ legal counsel.

“Anyone who has studied other diocesan bankruptcies should know that a failure to file an objection of this sort can sadly result in the loss to creditors [sexual abuse claimants] of the benefits of diocesan insurance coverage,” Abood said in the statement. “It doesn’t help the archdiocese; it only helps its creditors. Rather than being a self-serving hardball legal tactic, yesterday’s filing is completely consistent with the archdiocese’s sincere commitment to putting survivors first.”

He added: “The archdiocese will continue to focus its efforts on the active mediation and reaching a consensual plan that benefits victims as soon as possible.”

According to court filings, the archdiocese and attorneys representing abuse claimants have returned to mediation as the archdiocese aims to reach its own plan for reorganization, after Judge Kressel denied in December two competing plans for reorganization — one created by the archdiocese, the other created by a committee representing abuse claimants.

LOCAL

6 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MARCH 22, 2018

Highland Catholic School among those observing national walkout day

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit Highland Catholic School kindergarten teacher Molly Stucker found a student’s comment surprising but telling as she drew blinds on the east-facing windows of her classroom March 8.

“He blurted it out in front of the class, ‘Are we having a lockdown?’ like he was nervous about that situation,” Stucker recalled. “It made me think, ‘Oh, times have changed.’”

School shootings have been on the minds of students since Feb. 14, when 17 people — 14 students and three teachers — were shot to death at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. A national walkout took place at schools around the U.S. March 14, the one-month anniversary of the shooting.

Less than a week later, two students were injured March 20 when another opened fire at Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, according to news reports. The 17-year-old shooter was confirmed dead after being taken to a hospital.

Some Catholic schools, such as Highland Catholic in St. Paul, participated in prayer or times of silence in lieu of the 17-minute 10 a.m. protests of U.S. gun laws. More than 100 Highland Catholic middle school students, teachers and parents gathered on the school’s front steps for 17 minutes of silence and prayer. They lit 17 blue candles in memory of the people who died, and students held signs pasted on orange paper in honor of each deceased individual.

Seventh-graders Maddie Haider and Lily Anderson organized the prayer service. Students also wrote petitions, which were prayed in the gym following the time of silence outside.

“We’ve been learning about Catholic social teaching and the life and the dignity of the human person,” Anderson said. “After that shooting, we just felt that [gun violence in schools] needed to be fixed and thought that we’d do something about it.”

Other Catholic schools around the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis held similar observances at 10 a.m.: Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Bethlehem Academy in Faribault, Holy Family Catholic High School in Victoria and Convent of the Visitation School in Mendota Heights.

Visitation senior Gillian Yarano organized the prayer service at her school, where an estimated 400 students walked outside the school in silence after hearing the victims’ names and ages read. Afterward, students

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

From left, Angie Haigh and her son, Louie, join middle school students Billy Canter, Abigail Johnson, Lili Rojas and Luke Patwell during 17 minutes of silence March 14 at Highland Catholic School in St. Paul. The school joined others across the nation in standing against gun violence in schools. received ribbons and prayer cards with a name and picture of one of the victims.

“It was important for me to remind people that the people that we lost are people,” Yarano said.

She added that she wanted it to be a reminder “that there is something that you can do every single day to prevent things like this from happening. Whether it’s just reaching out to somebody that you know is struggling or saying ‘hi’ to someone you don’t usually.”

St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights incorporated prayer during its 10 a.m. morning formation when the students assemble. Providence Academy in Plymouth offered a symposium after school for juniors and seniors to discuss gun violence. St. Agnes School in St. Paul had already scheduled its school Mass at that time.

In St. Louis Park, Benilde-St. Margaret’s School students walked out, although the activity was not an official school event. Students distributed information about lawmakers and voter registration for seniors.

Students from Cretin-Derham Hall High School in

St. Paul also walked out. On March 7, they had participated in a walkout from nearby Central High School to the State Capitol in St. Paul. Both walkouts were not sanctioned by the CDH administration.

The March 14 national walkout, a movement that occurred at 10 a.m. in all time zones in the U.S., was organized primarily by youths working with EMPOWER, the youth branch of the Women’s March, which organized marches for women’s rights in Washington and many other cities after President Donald Trump took office.

Another nationwide school walkout is scheduled for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the school shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. A related event is the “March for Our Lives” youth-led demonstration March 24 in Washington, where 500,000 are expected to attend. Other demonstrations will take place in several U.S. cities to protest current gun laws.

— Catholic News Service contributed to this story.

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MARCH 22, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 7

CCF forum explores ways to help mothers, children out of poverty

By Matthew Davis The Catholic Spirit A single parent, Maria Sinchi, 26, didn’t know how much support the Church offers single mothers and children through various nonprofits.

“It’s really nice and empowering and just encouraging to us to know that these resources are available,” said Sinchi, a parishioner of St. Stephen in Minneapolis. “It’s really cool what these women are doing.”

Sinchi and more than 70 others heard from five female panelists March 12 about how their nonprofits help mothers and children out of poverty. The forum, hosted by the Catholic Community Foundation, was the third event in its Giving Insights series exploring different ministries and organizations that Catholic philanthropy can impact.

“Every one of these women up on the panel ... help their clients every day gain a sense of confidence, a sense of worthiness and sense of value,” said Anne Cullen Miller, CCF president.

The event was held at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, from where Sinchi graduated four years ago. She said her parents supported her when she became a single mother at age 15, and she went on to complete a degree and work in corporate customer service.

The panelists’ respective nonprofits offer support to single mothers when support from family or friends doesn’t suffice. The organizations’ work ranges from supporting pregnant women to

helping them obtain work and housing.

Attendees interacted with the panelists by answering poll questions via text.

St. Catherine University President ReBecca Roloff, who moderated the panel, presented the answers to the questions.

“The numbers are quite stunning. One in seven children [is] born in this country into poverty,” Roloff said, citing Children International, a Kansas City-based humanitarian nonprofit. Another statistic shows that 54 percent of children of parents who don’t have a high school degree live in poverty, according to the National Center for Children in Poverty, a New York-based research organization.

Those statistics don’t factor in the number of mothers having abortions annually, an issue panelist Nancy Utoft addresses in her work. The executive director of Abria Pregnancy Resources in St. Paul, Utoft and her staff help women in unexpected pregnancies both during and after their pregnancies.

“When a woman chooses to parent her child, we surround her with the resources she needs to be the best mom she can be and be the best woman she can be,” Utoft said.

Panelists also included Julie Kelley of Haven Housing, Gloria Perez of the Jeremiah Program, Lucy Zanders of Theresa Living Center and Joan Demeules of St. Catherine University.

Haven Housing, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit, offers shelter and long-term housing for women and children facing poverty. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet founded it as Ascension Place

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Maria Sinchi of St. Stephen in Minneapolis listens to a panel discussion March 12 at a Giving Insights forum at St. Catherine University in St. Paul organized by the Catholic Community Foundation. in 1981. The program has expanded to offer emergency shelter and permanent housing. Women often come to Haven Housing from emergency situations such as drug addiction or sex trafficking.

“Trauma awareness is now the most important aspect of the work that we do,” said Kelley, Haven Housing executive director. “We developed our trauma awareness program so that we can have the biggest and longest lasting effect on them.”

Theresa Living Center in St. Paul offers housing services to women and children

transitioning from homelessness. An independent nonprofit originally founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1987, the center gives women and children a temporary place to stay while helping them find affordable housing.

Zanders, the center’s executive director, helps clients move from case management to home ownership through incremental steps.

“What I try to do is have them [the clients] establish goals that are really obtainable and would give them [a] sense of self-accomplishment,” Zanders said.

The Jeremiah Program, a Minneapolisbased nonprofit, helps mothers get an education, work and housing to build a stable family. Michael O’Connell, a parishioner of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis and a former priest, founded the program in 1993.

“I think what we began with as an organization is really high expectations with supports,” said Perez, president and CEO of the Jeremiah Program.

St. Catherine’s Access and Success program, run by Demeules, its director, offers a bridge to help mothers pursue a college education with support systems and outreach.

“We don’t say, ‘Come to St. Kate’s,’” Demeules said. “The message that we give is, ‘You really need to get some training or education, and it’s really hard and yet, it’s really worth it.’”

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GOOD FRIDAY OF THE LORD’S PASSION • MARCH 30 • Sung Morning Prayer (Lauds) at 7:30 a.m.

• Confessions from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.

• Stations of the Cross at 12:00 p.m.

• Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 3:00 p.m. (Solemn) • Celebration of the Lord’s Passion at 7:00 p.m. (Simple) HOLY SATURDAY • MARCH 31 • Sung Morning Prayer (Lauds) at 8:00 a.m.

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THE EASTER VIGIL IN THE HOLY NIGHT at 8:00 p.m. • MARCH 31 EASTER SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD • APRIL 1 • Masses at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. (Solemn) Noon, & 5:00 p.m.

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8 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MARCH 22, 2018

NATION+WORLD Pope asks youths to help rejuvenate Church Young people ask Church to listen

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service The Catholic Church needs the enthusiasm, daring and hope of young people so that it can preach the Gospel energetically and respond to the questions men and women raise today, Pope Francis told some 300 young adults.

“We need to rediscover in the Lord the strength to get up after failure, to move forward, to strengthen hope for the future,” the pope said March 19, opening a weeklong meeting in preparation for October’s Synod of Bishops.

Most of the young people gathered with the pope at the Legionaries of Christ’s International Pontifical College Maria Mater Ecclesiae in Rome were chosen as delegates by their national bishops’ conferences.

Others represented a variety of Catholic movements or ministries, including religious life. But the Vatican also invited delegates from other Christian churches, other religions, including Islam, and young people who describe themselves as nonbelievers.

Pope Francis told the young people that they are the ones who can help the Church fight “the logic of ‘it’s always been done this way,’” which he described as “a poison, a sweet poison that tranquilizes the heart and leaves you anesthetized so you can’t walk.”

The Church and its members must continue to go out, continue asking what God is calling them to and continue finding new ways to respond, the pope said.

Of course, he said, everyone

CNS | PAUL HARING

must “keep an eye on the roots” of the Church and preserve its essential teachings, but they also must find creative ways to share those teachings and reflect on how the Gospel responds to people’s questions today.

Spending the morning with the delegates, Pope Francis heard directly from 10 of them, who represented every region of the world. Some lamented the amount of time their peers spend on social media, while others spoke of how technology helps connect young people and rally them in support of good causes.

Some talked of a need for better catechesis and support in fighting the “culture of relativism,” while others asked for an open and honest discussion of the Church’s teaching on sexuality and on the role of women in the Church.

And one, a seminarian from Ukraine, asked about tattoos.

Yulian Vendzilovych, a seminarian at Holy Spirit Seminary in Lviv, asked the pope how a young priest is to judge which parts of modern culture are good and which are not. He cited tattoos, which many young people believe “express true beauty,” he said.

“Don’t be afraid of tattoos,” the pope responded, noting that

Pope Francis greets Australian delegate Angela Markas during a pre-synod gathering of youth delegates at the International Pontifical College Maria Mater Ecclesiae in Rome March 19.

for centuries Eritrean Christians and others have gotten tattoos of the cross.

“Of course, there can be exaggerations,” the pope said. But a tattoo “is a sign of belonging,” and asking young people about their tattoos can be a great way to dialogue about priorities, values and belonging, “and then you can approach the culture of the young.”

A young man from France, Maxime Rassion, told the pope he hasn’t been baptized, but has questions about the meaning of life, his relationship to the world and to God, if God exists. He said he is not sure if he wants to approach the Catholic Church for help because it is so big and he doesn’t want to give up his freedom. But he asked the pope where he should start.

“You have already begun,” the pope told him. “The danger is not allowing the question to come up.”

Young people must have “the courage to tell themselves the naked truth” about their hopes and weaknesses, the pope said, and then they must find a wise person — someone patient, “who won’t be frightened by anything” — with whom they can talk through their questions.

Vatican releases full text of contested letter

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Five days after releasing only a portion of a letter from retired Pope Benedict XVI regarding a collection of books about the theology of Pope Francis, the Vatican Secretariat for Communication released the complete text of the letter.

In a portion of the letter never read at the presentation of the books nor shown in a blurred photograph of it distributed by the secretariat, Pope Benedict expressed his surprise at the choice of one of the theologians tapped to author a volume, Father Peter Hunermann, a retired professor of dogmatic theology at Tubingen University in Germany.

In the letter, released March 17, Pope Benedict said that “during my pontificate” Father Hunermann “led anti-papal initiatives” and that, after St. John Paul II published “Veritatis Splendor” in 1993, Father Hunermann was a major participant in a declaration by theologians attacking “in a virulent way the magisterial authority of the pope, especially on questions of moral theology.”

Pope Benedict’s letter was addressed to Msgr. Dario Vigano, prefect of the Secretariat for Communication, who had read selected paragraphs from the letter

March 12 at the presentation of the volumes, “The Theology of Pope Francis.”

The books contradict “the foolish prejudice of those who see Pope Francis as someone who lacks a particular theological and philosophical formation, while I would have been considered solely a theorist of theology with little understanding of the concrete lives of today’s Christian,” the retired pontiff wrote in the section of the letter read by Msgr. Vigano and shown clearly in the photograph.

The communications prefect also read the lines that were blurred in the photograph explaining that 91-year-old Pope Benedict could not write a theological commentary on the volumes since he had not read them and would be unable to do so.

In a statement released with the entire letter March 17, the Secretariat for Communication said the earlier excerpting of the letter and blurring of lines on the photo of the first page was not meant to deceive.

“From the private letter, that which seemed opportune and relative to the initiative was read, particularly what the emeritus pope affirmed about the philosophical and theological formation of the current pontiff and about the interior union between the two pontificates, omitting some notes relative to the contributors of the series,” the statement said.

in BRIEF In wake of bombings, Texas bishops offer prayer for protection AUSTIN, Texas — Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio and Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin said in a March 20 statement that their “thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families and friends of all those affected by the package explosions.” A string of recent bombings in the Austin area have included exploding packages and a bomb detonated by trip wire.

The most recent bombing at the time of their letter occurred at a FedEx facility near San Antonio March 20.

The bombings have killed two people and injured four.

“The randomness of these attacks and their increasing frequency are perhaps meant by their perpetrator to spread fear and cause division in our communities,” the bishops said. “However, as we have seen time and time again, tragedies such as these strengthen our bonds.”

Children’s well-being sacrificed to adults’ sexual whims, new book says CATONSVILLE, Md. — The U.S. government, which once made guarding the well-being of children a top priority, has now abandoned children’s interests in favor of the sexual wishes of their parents, according to a new book by law professor Helen Alvare. “Putting Children’s Interests First in U.S. Family Law and Policy: With Power Comes Responsibility” was published earlier this year by Cambridge University Press. Alvare, who teaches family law and property law in the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia, traces the government’s declining concern for children to the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision removing most state restrictions on abortion, and says it culminated in the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

Guam archbishop apologizes for predecessor’s harm VATICAN CITY — Publicly apologizing on behalf of the whole archdiocese for the “grave harm” caused by former Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Agana, Archbishop Michael Byrnes said a new chapter of humility, repentance and healing has opened for the Catholic Church in Guam following a Vatican verdict against his predecessor. “I called and still call upon all Catholics on Guam to intensify their prayers and with great humility offer sacrifice for the grave harm and sins which we have experienced or have enabled in our Church,” Archbishop Byrnes said during a news conference in Guam March 18. “We hang our heads in shame for the grave evil one member inflicted upon others,” he said in remarks later released in a written statement. “Our prayers for the victims of child abuse

by Bishop Apuron and all victims of abuse here and worldwide continue; so shall our efforts to bring healing and restoration to all victims of clergy sexual abuse and to ensure this never happens again,” he said.

Argentina’s bishops release baptism records of war’s missing children VATICAN CITY — Argentina’s bishops announced they would release 127 baptism certificates archived in a chapel at a naval facility that was used as a place of torture during the country’s military dictatorship. Some human rights groups believe these documents might be instrumental in discovering what happened to the children who were baptized in the chapel and subsequently kidnapped. The baptized were primarily the children of political prisoners, and during Argentina’s “dirty war,” it was commonplace for these children to be illegally adopted by military families. “We firmly believe that the Church should do all that it can to contribute to the path of memory, truth and justice in all fields, especially due to the gravity of the crimes against humanity perpetrated during the years of state terrorism from 1976 to 1983,” the Argentine bishops’ conference said in a statement March 6.

— Catholic News Service

NATION+WORLD

MARCH 22, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 9

Bishop calls prototypes for border wall ‘grotesque’

By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service On the day that marked the fifth anniversary of the election of a pope who has called on others to “build bridges, not walls,” the president of the United States toured Southern California to look at prototypes for a wall he promised to build on the border with Mexico.

“The state of California is begging us to build walls in certain areas.

They won’t tell you that,” President Donald Trump said March 13 while on tour to visit possible models of the wall in San Diego.

The president said he was looking for a wall that authorities can see through and that would deter would-be crossers from climbing it.

The wall was a major campaign promise for the Republican president, who said that Mexico would pay for the structure expected to cost billions. The government of Mexico has scoffed at the idea of paying for it, so the president instead has been asking Congress to approve $18 billion in taxpayer money to fund the initial phase, saying it is a security issue.

“If you don’t have a wall system, we’re not going to have a country,” Trump said during the visit.

Supporters of the structure and of the president chanted near the site of the visit, but protesters also

made their views known. Many gathered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in San Ysidro near the border, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Others, such as Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, issued a statement saying the wall is a symbol of division. He had different words for the structure that the president called “beautiful.”

“It is a sad day for our country when we trade the majestic, hopefilled symbolism of the Statue of Liberty for an ineffective and grotesque wall, which both displays and inflames the ethnic and cultural divisions that have long been the underside of our national history,” Bishop McElroy said after the president’s tour of the prototypes.

“Our faith is in the God who is the Father of us all, and who urges us to see Jesus himself in the immigrants and refugees who seek safety and freedom,” the bishop said.

Many Catholic leaders, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Pope Francis, have opposed the wall.

Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Migration, said in January 2017 that the action “will put immigrant lives needlessly in harm’s way. Construction of such a

HEADLINES

wall will only make migrants, especially vulnerable women and children, more susceptible to traffickers and smugglers.”

“The wall is a campaign promise, but not a realistic solution to the challenge of irregular migration,” said Kevin Appleby, senior director of international migration policy for New York-based Center for Migration Studies. “It is a proposal looking for a problem, as border crossings are down considerably and should continue to fall into the future.”

In January, a group of Latino bishops from the U.S. visited Israel’s separation wall, which divides East and West Jerusalem, as well as Palestinian, Jewish and Muslim communities.

Trump has said he has based his idea for the Mexico border wall on the one in Israel. Some of the prototypes, with a high cement barrier, resemble the separation wall, which, on the West Jerusalem side, has a mural satirizing Trump saying, “I’m going to build you a brother,” referring to the proposed wall with Mexico.

Days before the president’s visit to California, Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, spoke on Capitol Hill opposing funding for the wall and said politicians need to stop causing divisions between communities that live on the border.

uPregame prayer, solid

teamwork clinched win for Loyola, says nunchaplain. A religious sister who is the longtime chaplain of the Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball team celebrated the Ramblers’ last-second 64-62 win over CNS the University of Miami March 15. Apple Valley native Carson Shanks, who plays for the team, said Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, 98, is their spiritual leader and is “almost like another coach for us.”

uU.K. cardinal to Catholic school teachers: Don’t embrace

gender ideology. Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster suggested that children would find their “greatest joy” by accepting their biological sex rather than selecting a gender of their choice.

uSister Pimentel, immigrant advocate, to get Notre Dame’s

Laetare Medal. The executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley since 2008, Sister Pimentel was instrumental in organizing local response to the 2014 surge of Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States, which included helping to establish a center to provide newly arrived immigrants with food, clothing, water and a place to rest.

uPope: Crucifix is a sign of God’s love, not just a piece of

jewelry. Through the image of Christ crucified, the mystery of Jesus’ death “as a supreme act of love, source of life and salvation for humanity in every age is revealed,” the pope said March 18 in St. Peter’s Square.

Read the stories at TheCatholicSpirit.com.

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10 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

‘The mother of all vigils’

By Carol Zimmermann • Catholic News Service

Why the Easter Vigil is the greatest observance of the Church year

T

he Catholic Church pulls out all the stops for the Easter Vigil, the Mass celebrated on Holy Saturday.

The Roman Missal, which spells out specifics of how the vigil is to be celebrated, describes it as the “mother of all vigils” and says it is the “greatest and most noble of all solemnities, and it is to be unique in every single church.”

That quote, “mother of all vigils,” comes from St. Augustine’s Sermon 209, which is old, since the saint died in the year 430.

In other words, the tradition of the Easter Vigil and support for it traces far back in the Church. But there was a falling out over this tradition for a long time, and only in the 20th century did the Church recover what “got lost in the Middle Ages,” said Jesuit Father Bruce Morrill, the Edward A. Malloy professor of Catholic studies at Vanderbilt University Divinity School in Nashville, Tennessee.

The priest said the vigil’s origins were in the early fourth century, but by the late Middle Ages, the celebration moved from a nighttime vigil to a Saturday morning Mass. Also around this time, the Church placed more emphasis on infant baptism than adult baptism. It became the norm until the liturgical and sacramental renewal of the Second Vatican Council led to a revival of the ancient catechumenate with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.

But even before Vatican II, the move to revive the Easter Vigil began with Pope Pius XII in the 1950s restoring the celebration to the Saturday night before Easter and making additional changes.

Father Morrill said documentation of the ancient Church celebrating the Easter Vigil in Syria and North Africa notes that the sacraments of initiation — baptism, confirmation and first Communion — took place in a separate area while the congregation listened to words from Scripture, and then the newly baptized were brought out to the congregation.

“It was very elaborate,” Father Morrill said. “If you wanted to see the risen Christ, you saw him in the newly baptized.” And that symbolism

continued after Easter. For the next eight days, the newly baptized were required to wear their white baptismal gowns to daily Mass, where the bishop would give instructions about the meaning of baptism.

And even though the newly initiated no longer wear their baptismal gowns for a week, baptisms remain a key part of the Easter Vigil.

“In fact, a vigil where no one is going to be initiated kind of falls flat,” the priest told Catholic News Service in 2017, noting that all the readings lead up to it.

Fire in the dark The Easter Vigil is loaded with symbolism. It must take place after dark and begins with the lighting of the fire outside and the inside lighting of the Paschal candle, whose light is passed on to individual candles. There are seven Old Testament readings telling the salvation history, sung responses between readings and a sung proclamation called an Exsultet.

The Mass also includes the baptism, confirmation and first Communion of catechumens who are joining the Church, having prepared for this moment through the RCIA. Candidates, who are already baptized, receive confirmation and first Communion at the vigil to enter full communion with the Church.

Paulist Father Larry Rice, director of the University Catholic Center at the University of Texas at Austin, said the idea of the Easter Vigil, by its nature, means “staying up through the night waiting and watching for the Lord’s resurrection.”

He said the first part of the vigil, gathering around the outdoor fire, is reminiscent of being around a campfire telling stories, which in this case are the stories of salvation history.

The congregation is “not waiting, shivering cold in dark” but is reminded by the fire that “God has always come to our aid.” And then during the Mass, the readings continue this story, from creation to the Israelites’ flight from Egypt and the message of a messiah from the Old Testament prophets.

When Father Rice hears people say the Easter Vigil is just too long, he says it doesn’t matter if it’s two or three hours, because it is so rich.

Part of the reason so many people love the vigil, he said, is that it “hits us on a primal level.” Today, people rarely keep watch through the night, nor do

they tell stories. He also said the vigil is a sensory experience with the smell and the crackling of the fire, the music between readings and the stark images of darkness and light.

Father Morrill said the congregation at the Easter Vigil tends not to be “dressed in Easter finery” and is not the same as the packed church on Easter Sunday. Father Rice had a similar view, noting the Mass “doesn’t draw an enormous crowd,” but he said once people have experienced it, they usually want to come back because Easter Mass in comparison can “feel like the after party, not the actual party.”

Power of light A vigil Mass that stands out for Father Morrill is one he celebrated in Santa Susanna in Rome, an ancient church with no windows or emergency exit signs that light up in the dark.

Mass began, he said, in complete darkness, but the light of the single flame was “enough to illuminate the entire Church.”

“That spoke to me so powerfully of the power of light to drive out darkness,” he said, in a way that he hadn’t experienced before or since.

But Father Morrill’s most profound Easter Vigil experience came from a student.

When he was teaching at Boston College, the priest assigned his students to attend and write about two Sunday Masses or one Easter Vigil. One student wrote a 10-page paper about his experience at the vigil, where he felt his broken life was renewed and he was given new hope.

The student was moved right from the start with the symbolism of the fire lighting the darkness. Then he felt the readings were not just about what God had done, but what he was still doing today.

Father Morrill saved the paper and has kept in touch with the student. He said if no one else got anything from the experience, he would still “thank God for the privilege” of leading one person there that night.

Catholics who attend the Easter Vigil “with an open mind and with a basic understanding” of what’s going on will get it, he said, because the “deep symbolic meaning and the ritual come together.”

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared at TheCatholicSpirit.com April 12, 2017.

On

MARCH 22, 2018 • 11

A priest and worshippers take part in the Easter Vigil in the village of Ragotna, near Minsk, Belarus, April 4, 2015. The Roman Missal, which spells out specifics of how the vigil is to be celebrated, describes it as the “mother of all vigils.”

CNS

n this holy night, the Church keeps watch, celebrating the resurrection of Christ in the sacraments and awaiting his return in glory.

Roman Missal

12 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MARCH 22, 2018

FAITH+CULTURE

The problem of pornography Local Church recognizes harm, seeks solution

“

It’s more violent, abusive, degrading and distorted than when it was [just in] a magazine.

Editor’s note: This is the first story in a two-part series on pornography.

By Bridget Ryder For The Catholic Spirit

P

ornography use has exploded in the decades since the advent of the internet. The harmful effects of new generation, widespread pornography are clear, and the local Church is responding.

“The use of pornography is a growing crisis in our society,” said Shawn Peterson, associate director for public policy at the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

“Pornography has become normalized and is seen less and less as something that should be avoided, and increasingly as a form of harmless entertainment.”

In 2014, the Barna Group, a Christian research organization, found that among American men, 63 percent of 18- to 30-year-olds view porn at least several times a month, followed by 38 percent of 31- to 49-year-olds and 25 percent of 50- to 68-yearolds. Researchers also found that half of women under 25 seek out pornography. The rate is one-third for women over 25. A survey released in 2016 also discovered casual attitudes about pornography among youths. Eighty-nine percent of teenagers and 95 percent of young adults talk about pornography in “a neutral, accepting or encouraging way,” Barna found.

In light of these facts, Catholic entities in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are bringing pornography’s harm to the forefront. The Minnesota Catholic Conference has made pornography a legislative priority this session, and the archdiocesan Office of Evangelization’s annual Men’s Conference March 10 included a breakout session on the problems with pornography.

Toxic to mind and heart At the men’s conference, hundreds of attendees learned how pornography can rewire the brain and damage the heart.

“It puts a strait jacket on your mind,” Parker Hymas told the men during presentation at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights.

Hymas is with Fight the New Drug, a nationally recognized anti-pornography group. In addition to its website, social media campaigns, swag and online addiction recovery program, its leaders’ main focus is giving presentations across the country to youths and adults. The organization recently gave its first presentation to a Major League Baseball team, the Kansas City Royals. Speakers look at the harm of pornography through brain science, social science and psychology to expose how pornography negatively impacts individuals, interpersonal relationships and society as a whole.

Hymas pointed to research showing how frequent pornography users have brain patterns similar to drug addicts. In both cases, the reward receptors of the brain are smaller than normal. Just as cocaine gives the user a more intense jolt of pleasure than normal pleasures offer, pornography provides a “supra normal” sexual stimulus. This causes an overload of dopamine that shuts off the neuro connectors, shrinking the reward system.

“It’s almost as if the brain is saying, ‘I like pleasure, but this is too much.’ You’re killing it,” he explained.

The brain then requires more stimulus to get the same arousal. This means seeking not only more porn, but more insidious porn. This phenomenon has intensified as pornography has changed from magazines purchased in a store to free online videos that make pornography use more “affordable, accessible and anonymous than

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Parker Hymas of Fight the New Drug, an anti-pornography organization, talks about the damage pornography inflicts on its viewers to attendees of the Archdiocesan Men’s Conference March 10 at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights. ever before,” Hymas noted. As more people view porn and continue to seek increasingly intense images, pornographers are compelled to produce more graphic scenes to keep audiences coming back.

“It’s more violent, abusive, degrading and distorted than when it was [just in] a magazine,” Hymas said.

Pornography also affects the heart.

“Our concepts of what it means to love, to fall in love, are not biological,” he said. “Our sexual tastes are molded by experience and culture.”

He shared research that shows how viewing porn changes “how we love, who we love, how we think about the people we love and how we express love.”

Pornography viewers become more critical of their spouses and less satisfied with their romantic partners.

Essentially, the viewers start to prefer pornography to the real-life love of their spouse. It also causes objectification of spouses.

“You no longer think about what makes them unique or why you love them, but you think of them as a collection of body parts,” he said.

However, Hymas also emphasized that healing is possible. Science is learning that the brain is more malleable than once thought, making it possible to recover from the effects of viewing pornography.

Fight the New Drug connects recovering pornography addicts with Fortify, a web-based platform that offers video lessons, an online community and coaching options to help users “find freedom” from the addiction.

Hymas’ talk resonated with conference attendees.

Eric Russek, 46, a parishioner of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Delano, attended with his three sons, Weston, 15; Walker, 19; and Wyatt, 22.

The director of faith formation at his parish, Russek has used material from Fight the New Drug to talk about pornography with youths.

“I can always go at it from a faith perspective, but

going at it from science — the combination is really powerful,” he said.

Weston agreed.

“All you hear about it is the religion standpoint. [But] when you bring the facts and the science into it, it makes it easier to not do it,” he said of viewing pornography.

Policy approach Just two days before the men’s conference, the MCC won a significant victory in its fight against pornography in the public square. Bills sponsored by the MCC that would require the collection of information on the link between pornography and sex trafficking passed in their respective House and Senate committees of the Minnesota State Legislature.

During the committee hearings, both law enforcement personnel and victims of sex trafficking drew the link between pornography and sex trafficking.

Minneapolis Police Sgt. Grant Snyder shared what he has learned in the last four years of running Operation Guardian Angel, which has led to almost 1,000 sextrafficking-related convictions during that time.

“One of the big things we have seen through this data is the high level of pornography use among these guys, not only as sort of an introduction to the idea of sexual exploitation, but also as a rehearsal,” he testified.

Terri Forliti, executive director of Breaking Free, a survivor-led organization that helps victims of sex trafficking, added that the pornography industry fuels the demand for paid sex by creating sexual addictions, normalizing sexual violence, grooming young girls into prostitution and blackmailing women who try to leave the industry.

Peterson said the bills still need support from several legislators before becoming law. He encourages Catholics to contact their legislators to support the bills.

For more information, visit mncatholic.org.

MARCH 22, 2018

FAITH+CULTURE

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 13

For 20 years, faith and family drive Living Stations

Living Stations of the Cross Servants of the Cross will reenact Christ’s Passion at four locations on Good Friday, March 30: • 9:30 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament, 2119 Stillwater Ave. E., St. Paul • Noon at St. Jude of the Lake, 700 Mahtomedi Ave., Mahtomedi • 3 p.m. at St. Rita, 8694 80th St. S., Cottage Grove • 7 p.m. at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood

By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit

E

ntering the church’s sanctuary with Gregorian chant, four soldiers take a cross down from the altar and stand beside Jesus as Mary bears a candle, representing the light of Christ. Jesus then instructs the congregation, “Take up your cross and follow me.” The soldiers guide Jesus through each Station of the Cross, followed by a reflection and part of a hymn. During the 14th Station, Jesus is taken down from the cross, with the group recessing out with his body.

For 20 years, youths from across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis have brought Christ’s Passion to parishes by reenacting the Stations of the Cross.

Servants of the Cross, a family apostolate, began in 1998 with nine youths, and now approximately 50 young people between the ages of 6 and 23 take part.

“It’s not a performance for us; it’s a prayer,” said Patti Knecht, a parishioner of St. Peter in North St. Paul who has directed the Living Stations since the group’s inception. “This is not a show. This is our offering to the Lord to commemorate his suffering and death for us.

And if we can bring it in a new way, this prayer, we’re doing his work.”

Responding to parish requests, Servants of the Cross will perform four reenactments on Good Friday, March 30. (See box for times and locations.)

The day is like a retreat for participants, said Knecht, whose five children have been in the program. She’s

For more information, visit servantsofthecrossmn.com.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Jesus, played by Matt Karel of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Isanti, is greeted by his mother, Mary, played by Elizabeth Quinn of St. Peter in North St. Paul, during a dress rehearsal of the Living Stations at St. Rita in Cottage Grove March 18. The Stations are presented by Servants of the Cross, a family apostolate. anticipating the day when her 5-year-old grandson will be able to participate. The reenactments are a large group effort, she noted, with youths and their families spending hours to practice each Sunday. “We start early and end late,” Knecht said. “[The group] solidifies these kids as friends and as peers and the body of Christ.”

Joe Hoffman found a supportive faith community in Servants of the Cross in 2002 as a high school freshman.

Now 29, Hoffman is co-directing Living Stations with Knecht. Over the years, he’s portrayed a variety of roles, including Jesus. When he was deployed to Iraq in 2008,

he missed Living Stations for the first time since joining the group.

“Missing that aspect really hit home for me the importance of the group and what it brought to my life,” said Hoffman, a parishioner of St. Peter with his wife, Stephanie. So, he returned the next year and told Knecht he had a passion to lead the group for the next generation, which includes his own children, ages 5, 3 and 5 months. Hoffman, who’s in the Marine Corps, said Servants of the Cross has aided in his formation as a husband and father.

In addition to the Living Stations, group members do service projects, Bible studies and go on retreats together. A core group of people have been involved since the beginning, but anyone is welcome to join at any time, Knecht said.

“Living the Catholic faith is a lifestyle. It’s not just on Sundays; it’s every day,” she said. “And it’s with people you walk with on that journey. And we’re called to do that. That’s why God gave us friends and the faith.”

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14 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

FAITH+CULTURE

MARCH 22, 2018

Church leaders praise Hawking for contribution to science, dialogue

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

T

heoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who said he did not believe in God, was still an esteemed member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and fostered a fruitful dialogue between science and faith. The British-born theoretical physicist, cosmologist and popular author died March 14 at age 76.

The academy, which Pope Pius IX established in 1847, tweeted, “We are deeply saddened about the passing of our remarkable Academician Stephen #Hawking who was so faithful to our Academy.

“He told the 4 Popes he met that he wanted to advance the relationship between Faith and Scientific Reason. We pray the Lord to welcome him in his Glory,” @CasinaPioIV, the academy, tweeted March 14.

The Vatican observatory also expressed its condolences to Hawking’s family in a tweet.

“We value the enormous scientific contribution he has made to quantum cosmology and the courage he had in facing illness,” it stated in Italian.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster tweeted, “We thank Stephen Hawking for his outstanding contribution to science. As a member of the Pontifical Academy of Science[s], he will be missed and mourned there, too.”

Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury tweeted, “Professor Stephen Hawking’s contribution to science was as limitless as the universe he devoted his life to understanding. His was a life lived with bravery and passion. As we pray for all those who mourn him, may he rest in peace.”

St. John Paul II named Hawking a member of the papal academy in 1986. The academy’s members are chosen on the basis of their academic credentials and professional expertise, not religious beliefs.

Blessed Paul VI, the first of four popes to meet Hawking, gave the then 33-year-old scientist the prestigious Pius XI gold medal in 1975 after a unanimous vote by the academy in recognition of his great work, exceptional promise and “important

CNS

contribution of his research to scientific progress.”

Pictures from the academy’s archives show the pope kneeling before Hawking, who was seated in a motorized wheelchair, to present him with the medal and touch his head.

Hawking had most recently met Pope Francis when he delivered his presentation on “The Origin of the Universe” at the academy’s plenary session on science and sustainability in 2016.

In interviews and his writings, Hawking asserted that God had no role in creating the universe. Yet, his avowed atheism did not keep him from engaging in dialogue and debate with the Church, as his work and contribution to the papal academy showed.

He also debated on CNN’s “Larry King Live” in 2010

Pope Francis greets Stephen Hawking during an audience with participants attending a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican in 2016.

Hawking, the British-born theoretical physicist, cosmologist and popular author, died March 14 at age 76.

with Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer — a philosopher and educator — over the scientific underpinnings of the beginning of the universe and the theological arguments for the existence of God. Vatican astronomer Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, who has studied both physics and philosophy, told Catholic News Service in 2010 that “the ‘god’ that Stephen Hawking doesn’t believe in is one I don’t believe in, either.”

“God is not just another force in the universe alongside gravity or electricity,” he added. “God is the reason why existence itself exists. God is the reason why space and time and the laws of nature can be present for the forces to operate that Stephen Hawking is talking about.”

Come celebrate the Triduum with us at

St. Casimir

Jessamine at Forest, St. Paul • 651-774-0365

Holy Thursday, March 29, Mass at 7 p.m.

Good Friday, March 30, Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, at 3 p.m.

Holy Saturday, March 31, Blessing of Food Baskets at 2 p.m. and Mass at 7 p.m.

Easter Sunday, April 1, Mass at 9 a.m.

FAITH+CULTURE

MARCH 22, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 15

Forgive me, Father Confession offers path to healing and grace

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

M

any Americans say they fear public speaking more than almost anything, but some Catholics also have anxiety about speaking privately with a priest about their sins in confession.

“Our sins only cause fear, confusion, division and harm,” said Father Mark Moriarty, pastor of St. Agnes in St. Paul.

“God doesn’t want us to stay in that kind of terrible and harmful state. He is waiting and planning and nudging and encouraging us to receive his mercy.”

God offers peace, healing and joy to those who can overcome that fear and receive forgiveness for their sins in the sacrament of reconciliation, he added.

The season of Lent and especially Holy Week offer good opportunities to meet the Church’s requirement that Catholics confess serious sins at least once a year because the Church is commemorating Christ’s death and resurrection, Father Moriarty said.

“Lent is a beautiful time to acknowledge how much we need Christ and to personally participate in the saving effects of his meritorious death,” he said.

Is forgiveness a given?

Catholics might avoid confession because they fear God can’t forgive them, or they might be unable to forgive themselves, said Father Donald DeGrood, pastor of St. John the Baptist in Savage.

But people can overcome this obstacle when they understand God’s love and mercy, which could assuage fears of having a bad experience in the confessional.

“The whole key is, how does God see it? He sees it as he gives the beautiful gift of mercy, and he wants us to receive it fully,” Father DeGrood said.

Father Moriarty noted that some Catholics stay away from the confessional because they’ve become spiritually “deaf.”

“They cannot hear God’s call with how busy life is and the general cacophony that surrounds us at all times,” he said.

Others might think their sins are common and not that bad, so they don’t feel compelled to repent.

Some Catholics don’t understand the difference between mortal — or grave — sins, which separate us from God, and lesser offenses called venial sins, Father Moriarty said. Mortal sins must be confessed to a priest, but venial sins can be forgiven during the penitential rite at Mass.

Regardless of Catholics’ misgivings about the sacrament, priests seek to be an instrument of God’s grace and warmly welcome them, Father Moriarty said.

“You really make our day when you come to us and it’s been a while” since one’s last confession, he said. “We’re not going to embarrass you; we’re actually very happy for you.”

All sins are forgivable except what’s technically called a “sin against the Holy Spirit,” which consists of confidently believing God will not forgive our sin, Father Moriarty said.

“By logic, God can’t forgive a sin that we don’t want him to forgive,” he said.

As soon as penitents ask forgiveness of this or any sin, it becomes forgivable, and God wants to forgive it, he said.

What are my lines?

When Father James Perkl, pastor of Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville, encounters penitents who don’t know where to begin, he asks them who they love. They tell him they love their family, God and others, and he asks them how they’ve hurt those they love.

“That’s when they begin talking about what they’ve not talked about for years,” he said. “That’s when that confession happens. They feel the burden that they’ve carried for so long relieved. It’s beautiful to witness the healing of the Lord.”

Priests, like doctors, are trained to understand injuries and find their sources, Father Perkl said, adding that they discover the origins and depths of sin and show God’s love for his creation through it all.

Catholics shouldn’t worry if they don’t know specific prayers and procedures for confession, Father Moriarty said.

“The penitent doesn’t have to know the entire formula as presented by Hollywood,” he said. “The most

important thing is to have a sense of self-awareness for what are the more serious or mortal sins and some of the habits they need to change.”

When Catholics are unclear about confessing their sins, Father DeGrood said he hopes they will experience the priest as welcoming, encouraging and wanting to help.

The priests interviewed recommended reading the Gospels to understand how Christ encountered and healed sinners.

They also suggested bringing fears and apprehension to prayer.

Father DeGrood advises penitents to make a list of their sins ahead of time if they fear forgetting them in the confessional, as well as using a good examination of conscience, which can be found on Catholic websites such as bustedhalo.com and rediscover.archspm.org.

Grace and mercy Although Catholics can confess their sins in prayer, the sacrament of reconciliation is necessary because it includes absolution, in which penitents’ sins are not only forgiven, but they are also wiped away completely, thus restoring their relationship with God and receiving the grace to fight future temptations.

“The role of the priest is to stand in the person of Christ in that sacrament,” Father DeGrood said. “It’s the power of the Holy Spirit that brings that beautiful gift of forgiveness.”

Pope Francis recently said that a good confessor is a good listener who must never forget he is not the source of mercy or grace, but that he is always an “indispensable instrument.” He noted that when priest and penitent both prayerfully listen to God’s will, confession can become an occasion for discovering God’s plan for the individual.

Although it’s common for Catholics to encounter obstacles when approaching confession, Father DeGrood said the key is to “be not afraid” and trust in the sacrament’s integrity and power.

In receiving the sacrament, Catholics gain a greater sense of gratitude to God, Father Moriarty said. And when they go regularly, they better understand the need for his grace and mercy.

— CNS contributed to this story.

St. Peter’s Catholic Church 1250 South Shore Drive, Forest Lake, MN • 651-982-2200 www.stpeterfl.org Holy Thursday, March 29 7 p.m. ? Mass of Our Lord’s Supper (with incense) 8 p.m. ? Midnight Adoration

Good Friday, March 30 Noon ? Church opens for private prayer 3 p.m. ? Solemn Service Veneration of the Cross 7 p.m. ? Stations of the Cross

Easter Vigil, March 31 8:30 p.m. ? Vigil and First Mass of Easter (with incense)

Celebrate the Sacred Paschal Triduum

Saint Katharine Drexel Catholic Church Ramsey

Holy Thursday: Mass of the Lord’s Supper – 7 p.m.

Good Friday: Stations – 3 p.m. • Passion Service – 7 p.m.

Holy Saturday: Food Blessing – Noon • Vigil – 8 p.m.

Easter Sunday: Mass 10 a.m. www.stkdcc.org • 763-323-4424

Easter Sunday, April 1 8 a.m. ? Mass 9:30 a.m. ? Mass (with incense) 11 a.m. ? Mass No 5:30 p.m. Mass

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16 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

FOCUSONFAITH SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER ROBERT SCHWARTZ

Christ crucified: More than a Good Friday event

A man wanted to challenge his bright 8-yearold. He took a map of the world down from the wall and tore it into many pieces. He called his son into the kitchen and showed the boy the tattered map. He said, “My boy, if you can put this map back together so that the world is one once again, I will give you $20.” The boy disappeared with the torn-up map and returned to his father 20 minutes later. He had very carefully reassembled the map so that it was clearly a map of the world. The father was surprised that his son had come back so quickly. In fact, the father thought that he had given his son an impossible task. The boy said, “I worked with the torn pieces of the world for a long time. I got nothing done because I couldn’t even remember what the world looks like. Then I noticed that on the back of the mangled pieces was a large picture of a man. I know what a man looks like, so I turned the pieces over. When I put the man back together, I discovered that I had also put the world back together.”

Jesus crucified and risen is the picture and the map that guides us in rebuilding and perfecting our human family.

We live in a world torn apart by selfishness, self-centeredness, greed and violence. The spirit of Jesus invites us to sit at the foot of the cross with prayerful minds and open hearts to the powerful message of Christ crucified.

On Calvary, Jesus stretched out his arms to embrace and bathe every human person, good or bad, rich or poor, friend or enemy, in the powerful love God has for us. God’s love for us makes us all brothers and sisters and members of the worldwide body of Christ. All we have to do is to let ourselves be loved and washed clean by the blood of Jesus.

Gazing in awe and thanksgiving at the image of Christ crucified painted on our hearts in baptism and deepened by our

FAITH FUNDAMENTALS | FATHER MICHAEL VAN SLOUN

The biblical foundations of the Eucharist

Jesus instituted the Eucharist on Holy Thursday at the Last Supper, and the three Gospel accounts of the institution narrative (Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:14-20), as well as St. Paul’s explanation of the tradition of the institution of the Eucharist (1 Cor 11:23-25), serve as the biblical basis for the sacrament of the Eucharist.

There are a number of events in the Old Testament that anticipate the Eucharist. Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice (Gn 4:4), and Jesus offered an acceptable sacrifice. Melchizedek, the priest of Salem, offered bread and wine (Gn 14:18), and Jesus offered bread and wine. Abraham offered a ram as a holocaust (Gn 22:13), and Jesus offered his body on the cross.

Before the Israelites departed from Egypt at the time of the Passover, they “took their dough before it was leavened” (Ex 12:34), and “they baked into unleavened loaves” (Ex 12:39) bread that was compact enough to be carried in their packs as food for their journey to the Promised Land. The Eucharist is unleavened bread for every believer’s spiritual journey through his or her human life on earth to the Promised Land of heaven.

When the Israelites were on their exodus in the desert, each morning the Lord rained down bread from heaven, manna, to fill them with bread to eat (Ex 16:4, 8, 12). Moses explained, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat” (Ex 16:15). The Eucharist is the bread that the Lord Jesus has given us to eat.

The prophet Elisha performed a great feeding miracle when he needed to feed 100 hungry men with only 20 barley loaves.

God told Elisha, “Give it to the people to eat” (2 Kgs 4:43), and by the grace of God, “When they had eaten, they had some left over, according to the word of the Lord” (2 Kgs 4:44).

participation in the Eucharist, we are empowered to be the miracle of the cross healing and transforming our world today.

The cross of Jesus is a grace-filled force that we must put into action in our lives. God’s saints show us the way to put Calvary into action today.

More than 60 million people died in World War II — a great tragedy that happened in my lifetime. Seventeen million people died in Nazi death camps. St. Maximilian Kolbe was imprisoned because he was a Christian and an active priest. When the Nazis decided to starve a dozen prisoners to death to teach them a lesson, Kolbe was not one of them. But when a prisoner begged for mercy, Kolbe asked to take his place. Kolbe died so that another man could live. We meditate on the crucified Jesus during Holy Week so that we can live the message of the cross right here, right now. Jesus empowers us to lay down our lives for one another.

I recently discovered St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). She discovered the power of the cross in the Catholic Church and asked for baptism and membership in the Church.

After years of prayer focused on Christ crucified, Edith Stein became a cloistered Carmelite nun. She spent much of her life contemplating and teaching Christ crucified as the core message of the Gospel. She was arrested and executed in a Nazi concentration camp in 1942 — the year after my birth — because she was a Jew. She had lived as a Catholic witness to the crucified Jesus being the way, the truth and the life for us.

Archbishop Oscar Romero tried to protect the poor in San Salvador from murder, injustice and threats. Consequently, he was murdered while celebrating Mass in 1980. Soon, Pope Francis will declare him a saint for not only preaching Christ crucified, but also for dying with Christ for the people he served.

Learning to live the passion and death of Jesus for the world today is an important focus for Holy Week. “Living the cross” means saying with Jesus to the people around us, “This is my body given up for you.”

Christ crucified immerses us in God’s love and empowers us to walk the way of the cross in our daily lives. The crucifixion of Jesus is more than a Good Friday event; Jesus crucified and risen is the way, the truth and the life for us and for the whole world.

Father Schwartz was ordained for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1967. He has served at St. Peter in North St. Paul, Christ the King in Minneapolis, St. John Neumann in Eagan, Our Lady of Grace in Edina, and St. John Vianney College Seminary and the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity. He retired in 2016.

Miraculously, God multiplied the loaves to feed them all.

The miraculous feeding of Elisha prefigures the miraculous feedings of Jesus, which prefigure the miracle of the Eucharist.

All four Gospels recount how Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 (Mt 14:13-21; Mk 6:34-44; Lk 9:10-17; Jn 6:1-13). There were 12 baskets of leftovers, which symbolize how the bread that Jesus gives is more than enough to feed the 12 tribes of Israel, as well as a superabundant and inexhaustible source of grace for all.

Jesus employed four eucharistic actions when he fed the crowd: He took the bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it, all specific actions that he would repeat at the Last Supper.

Jesus also fed a crowd of 4,000 with seven loaves and a few fish, and when they were finished, there were seven baskets of leftovers (Mt 15:32-39 and Mk 8:1-9). Seven represents completeness because the bread that Jesus gives feeds everyone, not only the chosen people, Israel, but all people everywhere.

Jesus told the crowd that the Eucharist is “food that endures for eternal life” (Jn 6:27). Jesus himself is the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35, 48), the bread that came down from heaven (Jn 6:41,51).

Jesus further explained, “My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (Jn 6:55), and that “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life (Jn 6:54).

After the resurrection, Jesus shared two eucharistic encounters with his disciples. On Easter Sunday night in Emmaus, when Jesus was at the table with Cleopas and another disciple, Jesus “took bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them” (Lk 24:30). When Jesus appeared to his disciples at the Sea of Galilee, he was on the shore near “a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread” (Jn 21:9), and he “came over and took the bread and gave it to them” (Jn 21:13).

Jesus asked his disciples to reenact the Eucharist when he instructed them, “Do this in memory of me” (Lk 22:19; see also 1 Cor 11:24, 25), and the early Church followed his instructions when they devoted themselves “to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42; see also 2:46 and 20:7, 11).

Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. This is the second column in a series on the Eucharist. Read the rest of the series at TheCatholicSpirit.com and more of Father Van Sloun’s writing at CatholicHotdish.com.

MARCH 22, 2018

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, March 25 Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Mk 11:1-10 Is 50:4-7 Phil 2:6-11 Mk 14:1–15:47 Monday, March 26 Is 42:1-7 Jn 12:1-11 Tuesday, March 27 Is 49:1-6 Jn 13:21-33, 36-38 Wednesday, March 28 Is 50:4-9a Mt 26:14-25 Thursday, March 29 Holy Thursday – Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper Ex 12:1-8, 11-14 1 Cor 11:23-26 Jn 13:1-15 Friday, March 30 Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion Is 52:13–53:12 Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9 Jn 18:1–19:42 Saturday, March 31 The Resurrection of the Lord – At the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter Gn 1:1–2:2 or 1:1, 26-31a Gn 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 Ex 14:15–15:1 Is 54:5-14 Is 55:1-11 Bar 3:9-15, 32–4:4 Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28 Rom 6:3-11 Mk 16:1-7 Sunday, April 1 Easter Sunday – The Resurrection of the Lord Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Col 3:1-4 Jn 20:1-9 Monday, April 2 Acts 2:14, 22-33 Mt 28:8-15 Tuesday, April 3 Acts 2:36-41 Jn 20:11-18 Wednesday, April 4 Acts 3:1-10 Lk 24:13-35 Thursday, April 5 Acts 3:11-26 Lk 24:35-48 Friday, April 6 Acts 4:1-12 Jn 21:1-14 Saturday, April 7 Acts 4:13-21 Mk 16:9-15 Sunday, April 8 Divine Mercy Sunday Acts 4:32-35 1 Jn 5:1-6 Jn 20:19-31 • Find the daily readings for April 9-14 at usccb.org/bible/readings.

MARCH 22, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 17

COMMENTARY FAITH IN THE PUBLIC ARENA | JASON ADKINS

Overcoming gun absolutism

Five years ago, just after the Sandy Hook massacre, I wrote a highly criticized column on gun control.

The causes of gun violence, I noted in that column, run deeper than easy access to guns and include a media culture filled with violence and consumer choices supporting it.

But I denied that we are powerless as a matter of public policy to decrease gun violence. I also reiterated long-held positions of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, namely, support for improved background check systems and bans on certain semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Multiple mass killings have transpired since Sandy Hook, most recently in Parkland, Florida, and the wisdom of the bishops’ consistent stance remains clear.

It is past time to put aside gun ideology and come together to protect the right to life.

The limits of gun regulation Most gun regulations proposed in the wake of these tragedies will not significantly decrease gun deaths overall — most of which are suicides, followed secondly by homicides in urban areas.

Similarly, mass shootings are not primarily about guns. These tragic events, shaped by our violent culture, are often born out of despair. Hurt people hurt people.

If we limit access to guns, in some instances those same people will find other ways to kill. The needed policy changes and moral renewal are more comprehensive than simply changing gun laws.

Yet, gun policy matters. Commonsense regulations to prevent the most egregious acts of gun violence come with little cost and might save hundreds of lives per year.

Getting beyond ideology To move forward, the ideologies of gun absolutism need to be abandoned.

Gun opponents need to recognize that outright gun abolition is unlikely any time soon. The use of effective force in self-defense is a natural right, and the U.S.

YOUR HEART, HIS HOME | LIZ KELLY

A grace ovation

As a gift to my brother on the occasion of his ordination years ago, I told him that I would offer up all of my speaking engagements in thanksgiving for his vocation to the priesthood. This seemed an especially fitting and easy gift because I love speaking for groups, and talking about our faith always brings me great joy.

At times, of course, my joy in this is strained. One evening stands out as an example.

I was scheduled to speak for an evening event, and I did not go on until 8:15 p.m. I was tired, and it was winter: dark, cold and windy with one of those dreadful mixes of snow and sleet. I sat at my desk grumbling that I should be so put out as I printed out the text of my speech — the topic was, no less, praying through suffering. So, after a full day’s work, I bundled my body and braced myself for winter’s assault on the way to my car grumbling all the way.

But as I was driving to the gig, clutching the steering wheel, slumped over with brow furrowed, the Lord reminded me very clearly of my promise — to offer up in thanksgiving my speaking engagements on behalf of my brother, for the protection and

Constitution protects the use of a gun to do so.

If the policy goal is protection of human life, then the policy strategy should aim to build common ground and enact, incrementally, sensible laws. A policy strategy motivated instead by an ideological hatred of guns rather than the defense of people is a political dead end.

Similarly, gun-rights advocates must recognize that they can either be part of the solution or remain part of the problem.

Much like abortion proponents, the rhetoric of gunrights advocates often implies that any sensible and humane regulation is an illicit imposition on one’s choice — in this case, choice of weapon.

Hunters and farmers might prefer the use of AR-15s with bump stocks for recreation or defending livestock.

But one must weigh a desire for a faster tool to shoot prairie dogs against the protection of the common good and others’ right to life.

Others claim military-style weapons are necessary to protect against a tyrannical government, the true meaning of the Second Amendment. The likelihood of a “well-regulated” Minnesota citizen-militia being called up to fight the federal government is essentially zero, and the likelihood that an unsanctioned and unregulated militia effectively doing so is even smaller.

These arguments against background checks and banning bump stocks are a distraction from real, commonsense reform.

Becoming people of peace Gun-rights absolutism often stems from fear and false worldly wisdom that counsels protection while nurturing a culture of death.

According to the Center for Injury Research and Prevention, there are approximately 350 million guns in circulation in the United States; 113 guns for every 100 persons. Almost 2 million children live with unlocked, loaded guns in their home, and one out of three homes with children has a gun. In 2014, 2,549 children (birth to 19 years) died by gunshots, and an additional 13,576 were injured.

At what cost does our obsession with guns achieve the “protection” we demand? There is a reason our Lord said that those who live by the sword die by the sword.

Though pacifism is a legitimate and noble strain of our Christian tradition, Catholic social teaching is not opposed to gun ownership for hunting or self-defense.

In our society, it is a right and should be exercised responsibly.

But as Christians, we must ask ourselves whether an absolutist position in support of gun rights — borne flourishing of his priesthood. I immediately saw him the day of his ordination: He glowed like a perfect, brilliant sunrise. Another image flashed in my mind: little children running up to him after Mass, their earnest little arms extended to him with complete trust and affection. I thought of so many people who have been blessed to call my brother “Father,” including me.

I immediately adjusted my attitude and went laughing into my talk, sensing God’s free rush of grace to give me stamina and sincere affection for the needs of my audience. The talk came off well and at the end, I was given a standing ovation. I wish I could claim that I am frequently the recipient of standing o’s, but I have to confess this was rather unusual. I laughed all the way home, even as I crept over the icy streets, making my way through the bitter winter’s darkness.

I take two things from this little episode.

One, the Heavenly Father must be so very pleased with my brother’s priesthood. (I realize that I am probably a smidge biased on this point, but I still think my assessment is judicious.)

Two, and more importantly, I am reminded that God’s grace can never be exhausted. He never tires of extending himself to me. Never. He only asks the tiniest effort on my part, the slightest leaning in his direction, the most minuscule effort to resist evil. He will rush in and joyfully do the rest. He will take my measly offering and magnify it unto his glory. The generosity of this reality fills me with awe.

Your grumblings might be big or small, exaggerated

Take a stand to support commonsense gun laws that uphold the common good and right to life Call your legislators and ask them to support the following legislation: HF 1605 (Pinto)/SF 1262 (Latz) — Gun violence protective orders authorized for persons posing a danger to others. This bill allows law enforcement and family members to petition a court to prohibit people from possessing firearms if they pose a significant danger to themselves or others.

HF 1669 (Pinto)/SF 1261 (Latz) — Closing loopholes in current background check requirements related to the transfer of firearms. The bill requires all private party firearms transfers to be processed through a federal firearms license-holder and for a private party to pass a National Instant Criminal Background Check System background check before a firearm may be transferred between private parties.

To find contact information for your state senator and state representative, call 651-296-8338 or visit mncatholic.org/actioncenter and click “Directory.”

more out of fear than faith — is what we want to convey to others. Are we promoting a culture of life and of peace? Are we working to turn swords into plowshares? Are we offering a credible witness to our faith as people of peace?

As disciples of the Prince of Peace, we must renounce the trafficking, sale or stockpiling of weapons that have no serious civilian uses, and we must promote policies ensuring gun ownership promotes public safety and defends life, instead of hastening its destruction.

Adkins is executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

“

You need only offer what you can, Jesus will do the rest, and the communion of angels and saints will offer a veiled but glorious ovation in thanksgiving and in joy. or real indeed. You might be in the throes of resisting great or petty evil, but the principle holds true: You need only offer what you can; Jesus will do the rest, and the communion of angels and saints will offer a veiled but glorious ovation in thanksgiving and joy.

Father, never let me forget that your inexhaustible grace sustains me in every moment and that it is your joy to ever offer it. Thank you for my brother and the gift of his priesthood. Bless you, my brother — and Father.

Kelly is the author of six books, including “Jesus Approaches” (Loyola Press, 2017) and the “Jesus Approaches Study Supplement.” A parishioner of St. Michael in Stillwater, she speaks and leads retreats throughout the United States.

18 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

COMMENTARY

MARCH 22, 2018

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN | VINCENZO RANDAZZO

Breaking the curvature

At the Archdiocesan Men’s Conference March 10, I knew our keynote speaker, Msgr. Thomas Richter, would be good.

The new rector of the St. Paul Seminary has a no-nonsense style and a contagious zeal for Christ. But I was so grateful for the relevance and practicality of his talk. I want to share two ways in which Msgr. Richter challenged me. First, if we “curve in” on ourselves, we are dying as Christians; and second, if we fail to sacrifice, we are dying as fathers.

No matter what curve balls are thrown to us and no matter how bad we want to be above the curve, we can bet that we are dead if we are curved in on ourselves, aka “incurvatus in se,” as St. Augustine writes.

Msgr. Richter said we are “incurvatus in se” in small ways, when we want others to honor us for our generosity or kindness. But to do good because God is good, and not for the reward, is to break the curvature of the spine — symbolic of our orientation to self or others — outward and away from ourselves.

Msgr. Richter shared a personal story to illustrate this.

On a flight, a woman once offered him a seat in first class because she saw that he was a priest. Instead of taking the seat, he asked the woman to offer it to someone more needy than himself. Kind, right? But Msgr. Richter then told us that his immediate thought after refusing the seat was, “I hope people saw me refuse so that I can make a good name for myself and for priests.”

He admitted to us that in that moment, he was

GUEST COMMENTARY | RICHARD DOERFLINGER

On freezing embryos and consciences

Days apart, clinics offering in vitro fertilization in Cleveland and San Francisco had malfunctions in their storage tanks, endangering thousands of frozen eggs and embryos.

Women’s Health magazine called it a “fertility clinic nightmare” that might deprive hundreds of women of their chance for a child. We can all sympathize with their plight, and pray they will find a way through their crisis.

The president of the San Francisco clinic told The Washington Post that resulting discussions with families have been emotional. “Anger is a big part of the phone call,” he said. “We need to think: If this tissue doesn’t work, what are the next steps, and have you not feel defeated.”

The clinic told news media there is still some “viable tissue” in its tank. The clinic in Cleveland says it is investigating which “specimens” were affected.

I don’t think these families were angry about losing “tissue” or “specimens.” Some of the embryos were frozen in the 1980s, and families kept paying hundreds of dollars a year for storage after their reproductive years had likely passed.

When embryonic stem cell research was first debated nationwide almost two decades ago, Americans found that hundreds of thousands of embryos were in frozen storage. Scientists and politicians said families should be encouraged to donate these embryos for stem cell research, which would destroy them.

They forgot to ask: Why were so many preserved this way in the first place? The answer is that many parents cannot bring themselves to end their lives, or even stop paying the storage fee. They see the embryos as their newly conceived children, not “tissue.”

“

It was not Christ’s miracles that saved us, but rather it was his sacrifice.

iSTOCK | ROMOLOTAVANI

“incurvatus in se” — he was concerned with himself as opposed to others. It was small and hidden, but he received a grace from God showing him the curvature of his spine. That reality about himself hurt him, he said, but he exhorted that it is precisely where he must grow and where we all must grow.

Our selfishness can be so subtle, yet so prevalent. If only we took the time to pray and examine our consciences, we would see how self-absorbed we often are, how it is often hidden within good actions and how God desires to help us break out from this self-absorption.

Msgr. Richter made a point that I can use as a tool in my prayer life to know what God is doing in me. He told us to imagine we had a magic wand that could make a certain trouble go away. As we survey the troubles in our lives, what is the one trouble where we wish we could wave a wand and it would just disappear?

Well, he said, that’s precisely where we are turned in on ourselves, precisely where it will hurt to break out and away from ourselves, and precisely where God wants to love us and enter into our suffering.

This brings me to perhaps the most important point he made for the men gathered: It was not Christ’s miracles that saved us, but rather it was his sacrifice.

Msgr. Richter highlighted miracle after miracle that Christ performed: healing the blind, multiplying the loaves, healing the paralytic and so on. These were not That insight also drove one stem cell researcher to a discovery that might help millions. When Dr. Shinya Yamanaka of Japan was considering embryonic stem cell research, this father of two girls viewed an embryo under a microscope at a fertility clinic.

“When I saw the embryo, I suddenly realized there was such a small difference between it and my daughters,” he later told The New York Times. “I thought, we can’t keep destroying embryos for our research. There must be another way.”

He discovered how to alter ordinary adult cells to act like very versatile embryonic cells — a discovery that revolutionized medical research, winning him a Nobel Prize in 2012. And we no longer see such fierce campaigns to destroy embryos for their stem cells.

Why are in vitro fertilization clinic personnel blind to such insights? Because if they saw embryos as children, they could not do their jobs. They use eggs and sperm to produce embryos in the inhospitable environment of a petri dish, selecting the “best” embryos for trying to start a pregnancy.

Usually they transfer two, three or more embryos to a woman’s body, hoping that one survives. Usually none of them does. Occasionally, more than one do survive, and many clinics offer “selective reduction” to families that want one child at a time. Over 80 percent of the embryos die, and freezing poses additional risks — even without a malfunction.

The Catholic Church warned against this approach decades before it brought any child to birth. Pope Pius XII saw that if you depersonalize procreation — if you divorce it from the union of embodied love between husband and wife — you undermine respect for the resulting new life.

In vitro fertilization children are as fully human and as worthy of respect as any of us — and that is why we need better ways than in vitro fertilization to help families with fertility problems. The clinics’ cavalier references to “tissue” and “specimens” invite us to reflect on the wisdom the Church has offered all along.

Doerflinger worked for 36 years in the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He writes from Washington state.

what saved us. These signs where just that — signs.

They pointed, like any true sign, to the true salvation: doing the will of the father even unto death, unto sacrifice. This is precisely what it means to be a man.

St. Ignatius of Loyola uses an analogy in his spiritual exercises. He charges us to understand God as a good king who is going to war to free his people from the enslavement of a tyrant. God goes to war and asks us men to come with him and promises us we will share in the victory. But there is a condition: If we go with God, our king, we must eat what he eats, sleep where he sleeps and suffer as he suffers, and dutifully without complaint.

Msgr. Richter’s insight showed that while God is a God of miracles, we do not worship a god of magic, who waves a wand to relieve us of our suffering. Rather, as Msgr. Richter put it, we worship a God who knows that it is good for us to offer him our suffering if we desire to glory in his victory.

Randazzo is an evangelization manager in the Office of Evangelization of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and director of development at St. Stephen in Minneapolis. Learn about the archdiocese’s Catholic Watchmen initiative at rediscover.archspm.org/the-catholicwatchmen or facebook.com/thecatholicwatchmen.

LETTER Unsustainable way of life In response to last edition’s letter to the editor (“Raising larger families,” March 8), America has more than done its duty to “be fruitful, multiply, replenish and have dominion over the earth” in its “short course of 350 years.” (Its population would be even more than its nearly 330 million if we hadn’t decimated the native population early on.)

The letter writer feels the “immigrant solution” threatens the “American way of life” as we know it. Nothing new here. I’m sure Native Americans felt the same about the early Protestants, who felt the same about the Papists (that would be us Catholics), all of whom, if you watch conservative news outlets, feel the same about Muslims. They are coming to America for the same reasons all the rest of us did. Why wouldn’t it be a solution to have a reasonable path to citizenship for them as well?

What is unsustainable is the carbon footprint of America’s way of life.

Elizabeth Rosenwinkel St. Albert the Great, Minneapolis Share your perspective by emailing CatholicSpirit@ Please limit your letter to the editor to 150 words and include your parish and phone number. The Commentary page does not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit. Letters may be edited for length or clarity. archspm.org.

Blogs and commentary CatholicHotdish.com

MARCH 22, 2018

THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT • 19

CALENDAR March 25 and 7 p.m. March 30 at St. Ambrose, 4125 Woodbury Drive, Woodbury. saintambroseofwoodbury.org.

FEATURED EVENTS

Knights of Columbus ham bingo — March 24: 6–9 p.m. at Transfiguration Catholic School, 6133 15th St. N., Oakdale. transfigurationmn.org.

Pro-Life Action Ministries Good Friday solemn prayer vigil — March 30: 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m. outside Planned Parenthood, 671 Vandalia St., St. Paul. plam.org/call-to-action/good-friday-prayer-vigil.

St. Mary’s New Trier Italian night and silent auction — March 25: 3–6 p.m. at 8433 239th St. E., New Trier. stmarysnewtrier.com.

Priests vs. Seminarians Basketball Tournament — April 6: 5–9 p.m. at St. Agnes School, 530 Lafond Ave., St. Paul. The evening begins with a barbecue, followed by a game between seminarians from St. John Vianney College Seminary and the St. Paul Seminary. The winner will face priests from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in the championship round.

Seven Last Words of Christ presented by Art Zannoni — March 26: 6–8 p.m. at St. Richard, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield.

612-869-2426 or strichards.com/LENT.

Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations — April 7-8: For a list of celebrations in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, visit TheCatholicSpirit.com/divinemercy.

Dining out Knights of Columbus 17th annual Spaghetti Bingo — March 24: 5:45–9 p.m. at St. Michael, 22120 Denmark Ave., Farmington. stmichael-farmington.org.

Music Bob Hindel’s “The King of Love” musical Passion play performed by Cantabile Chamber Ensemble — March 25 and 28: 3 p.m. March 25 at Sacred Heart, 840 E. Sixth St., St. Paul and 7 p.m. March 28 at Holy Cross, 1621 University Ave. NE, Minneapolis. ourholycross.org/events.

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 next issue date.

A Guided Tour through the Triduum — March 29-31 at The Benedictine Center at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. benedictinecenter.org.

Holy Week blood drive — March 28: 1–7 p.m. at St. Richard, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield. Pre-register at redcrossblood.org using sponsor code StRich or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Servants of the Cross 20th annual Living Stations of the Cross — March 30 at the following times and locations: 9:30 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament, 2119 Stillwater Ave. E., St. Paul; noon at St. Jude of the Lake, 700 Mahtomedi Ave., Mahtomedi; 3 p.m. at St. Rita, 8694 80th St. S., Cottage Grove; and 7 p.m. at Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood. servantsofthecrossmn.com.

Hermitage retreat — April 6-8 at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. benedictinecenter.org.

• Full street address of event • Description of event

Conferences/workshops

• C ontact information in case of questions ONLINE: thecatholicspirit.com/calendarsubmissions

Order Franciscans Secular (OFS) — Third Sunday of each month: 1 p.m. at Catholic Charities, 1200 Second Ave. S., Minneapolis. 952-922-5523.

St. Helena’s spring high tea — April 8: 2–4 p.m. at Rowan Hall, 3204 E. 43rd. St., Minneapolis. sainthelena.us.

Pro-Life Across America Culture of Life Banquet with guest speaker Father Rocky of Relevant Radio — April 5: 5:45–9 p.m. at St. John the Baptist, 835 Second Ave. NW, New Brighton. prolifeacrossamerica.org.

Chrism Mass — March 22: 7 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul.

• Time and date of event

Women’s midweek retreat — April 10-12 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. franciscanretreats.net/womens_retreat.aspx.

Finding Words to Describe Spiritual Insights led by Vic Klimoski — March 26 and April 2: 7–9 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. benedictinecenter.org.

Prayer/worship

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication:

Spirituality of gardening — April 9: 9 a.m.–3 p.m. at St. Paul’s Monastery, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood. benedictinecenter.org.

Twin Cities Prison Ministry Workshop — April 7: 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road, Burnsville. stjosephcommunity.org/prison_ministry.aspx.

Evening with authors of “Running the Cobblestones,” Cecelia MacDonald and Kathryn Schneeman — April 9: 6:30–8:30 p.m. at St. Pascal Baylon, 1757 Conway St., St. Paul. stpascals.org.

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.

Married couple’s retreat — April 4-8 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. franciscanretreats.net/married_couples.aspx.

Depression and suicide prevention workshop — April 10: 6:30–8:30 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale.

RSVP to 651-738-2223. guardian-angels.org/event.

Schools St. John the Baptist Catholic School annual Bingo Fun Day — April 8: 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. in the Community Room, 111 Main St., Vermillion. sjb-school.org.

Parish events

Solemn Vespers and Lenten supper for Passion Sunday — March 25: 5 p.m. at St. Mary, 261 Eighth St. E., St. Paul. stmarystpaul.org.

St. Agnes 2018 Lenten Lectures — Fridays during Lent: 7–9 p.m. at 535 Thomas Ave. W., St. Paul. churchofsaintagnes.org/events/2018lentenlectures.

Taize prayer — First Friday of each month: 7:30 p.m. at St. Richard, 7540 Penn Ave. S., Richfield. strichards.com/first-fridays.

Bible study: Finding Christ in the Old Testament — Tuesdays during Lent: 7–8:30 p.m. at St. Mark, Carolyn Hall, 2001 Dayton Ave., St. Paul. saintmark-mn.org.

Retreats

Catholic journalist Marta Zaknoun discusses the challenges Christians face today in the Middle East — March 24: 5:30 p.m. at St. Peter, 2600 N. Margaret St., North St. Paul. churchofstpeternsp.org.

Women’s Palm Sunday silent weekend retreat — March 23-25 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. franciscanretreats.net.

Sister Carol Keehan: The Future of Health Care: Catholic Contributions to the National Debate — April 5: 7–9 p.m. at Woulfe Alumni Hall, Anderson Student Center, University of

Living Stations of the Cross — March 23, 25 and 30: 7 p.m. March 23 (following 6:30 p.m. soup supper), 1:30 p.m.

CALENDAR submissions

Men’s holy weekend — March 29-31 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 St. Francis Lane, Prior Lake. franciscanretreats.net.

Presentation of Mary ham bingo — March 26: 7–10 p.m. at 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood. 651-777-8116 or presentationofmary.org.

Knights Mass in honor of members and Knights of Columbus founder Father Michael McGivney with Archbishop Bernard Hebda — April 7: 4:30 p.m. at St. Bridget Catholic Church’s St. Austin Campus, 4050 Upton Ave. N., Minneapolis. Knights of Columbus members of all degrees and parishes are especially invited to attend.

Men and women’s Holy Week retreat presented by Father Daniel Renaud — March 28-31 at Christ the King Retreat Center, 621 First Ave. S., Buffalo. kingshouse.com.

Speakers

MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit 777 Forest St., St. Paul, MN 55106

St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Ave., St. Paul. stthomas.edu/icc/events/ upcomingpublicevents.

Vicki Thorn: Biology of the Theology of the Body: What They Didn’t Teach You in Sex Ed — April 7: 9–11 a.m. at Risen Savior, 1501 County Road 42, Burnsville. risensavior.org.

Young adults Friday Night at the Friary — Third Friday of each month: 7–9 p.m. at Franciscan Brothers of Peace, 1289 Lafond Ave., St. Paul. Men ages 18-35 are invited for prayer and fellowship. facebook.com/queenofpeacefriary.

Other events Council of Catholic Women craft/bake sale — March 24 and 25: 2–6 p.m. March 24 and 9 a.m.–1 p.m. March 25 at St. Peter, 2600 N. Margaret St., North St Paul. churchofstpeternsp.org.

Knights of Columbus 52nd annual Sisters’ Appreciation Day — March 25: Noon at Immaculate Conception, 4030 Jackson St. NE, Columbia Heights. RSVP 651-636-2382.

Knights of Columbus bingo — Wednesdays: 6–9 p.m. at Solanus Casey Council Hall, 1920 S. Greeley St., Stillwater.

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CATHOLIC COACHING/TRAINING Live with passion and purpose: in your work, ministry, marriage, and all of life.

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CEILING TEXTURE Michaels Painting. Popcorn Removal & Knock Down Texture: TextureCeilings.com (763) 757-3187.

CEMETERY LOTS FOR SALE St. Mary’s Cemetery: Graves 3 and 4, choice monument lots; reduced price.

Ray (952) 431-5521.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Flexible Part-time Assembly in St. Paul: Duties include counting LEGO bricks, packaging, inventory. Requires strong attention to detail, ability to work alone and a heart for the New Evangelization.

Learn more at domesticchurchsupply.com.

Household Manager: The Stillwater Catholic Worker Community is seeking an energetic, compassionate woman to manage and live at Our Lady Queen of Peace House, a home for women and their children in transition. Room and board included with this volunteer position.

Details available at STMICHAEL STILLWATER.ORG or by calling Kim (651) 270-1981.

Part Time RN Wanted for Pregnancy Center 1 day per week, Center in Forest Lake If you have a heart for moms and babies Contact Jill at Lakes Life Care Center for more information (651) 464-0262 or jillmarwagner@gmail.com

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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20 • THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

MARCH 22, 2018

THELASTWORD

COMPLETING THE JOURNEY

Archbishop Bernard Hebda greets Dusty, back left, Addison, Brooklyn and Julie Clements during the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion at the Cathedral of St. Paul Feb. 18. At far right is Dalton Renteria, Julie’s son and Dusty’s stepson. All five are catechumens from Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

A family’s search for faith brings them to the Catholic Church

By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit

W

hen Dalton Renteria visited the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul for the first time Feb. 18, he was struck by the large crucifix behind the altar.

“We went around the back; I just looked at the backside of it, and it was very, very cool to look at,” said the 18-year-old, who asked his family to go with him for a closer look.

“The light was hitting it perfectly because it wasn’t shining over the cross, but it was just perfectly behind,” he said.

“So it looked like the cross was in the middle of the light, and it was very symbolic.”

Dalton didn’t grow up with a crucifix in his home; a catechumen in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, he is joining the Church with his mother, stepfather and twin sisters during the Easter Vigil, March 31.

The Cathedral experience had a powerful impact on him, and it deepened his joy and excitement for the completion of his journey into the Church. His Feb. 18 visit was for the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion, part of the RCIA process, during which the family was presented to

Archbishop Bernard Hebda.

Dalton had to fly in for the rite; he lives with his father in Washington state.

His mother and stepfather, Julie and Dusty Clements, moved with his twin sisters Addison and Brooklyn from Idaho to St. Paul last summer. Dalton, who had lived with them, decided to stay out west with his dad.

The family’s move to Minnesota played a providential role in the family’s decision to become Catholic. Dusty, 41, did not regularly attend church growing up, while Julie, 40, was raised Mormon, but quit practicing the faith by the time she was in college in the late 1990s.

However, while living in Idaho, where Dusty was working at Boise State University, the couple had decided to try to find a church.

“We didn’t know what direction we were going; we just knew we wanted to have that [church] in our lives,” Julie said. “We both felt like it was good — good for the kids, good for our family.”

They were still looking when Dusty took a job in fundraising for the University of Minnesota.

Before the move, he told a Minnesota acquaintance he was looking for a school for his first-grade girls and a church community to join. That acquaintance recommended Nativity for both. That prompted Julie to call Nativity of Our Lord Catholic School Principal Kate Wollan just a few weeks before the start of the school year.

“She spent about an hour with me on the phone,” said Julie, who works in sales. “After I got off the phone with her,

I called Dusty, and I’m like, ‘I want [the girls] to go to school at Nativity.’ She was so impressive. I could not wait.”

After the move, the school served as a natural conduit to bring the faith into their home.

“The kids have been like sponges with everything, like learning about the faith and Jesus,” Julie said. “Addison would start reciting the Lord’s Prayer. They don’t say that in the Mormon church.

Growing up, we never said the Lord’s Prayer. That’s a pretty big prayer for a 6-year-old to come home and recite.”

Curious about what Mass would be like, Julie took her daughters to a Saturday evening liturgy at Nativity in early September. It was her first Mass.

“I loved it,” Julie said. “I walked into Nativity, and I was just in awe.”

Her daughters, likewise, were captivated by the experience, and Julie and Dusty decided their family would pursue RCIA. Shortly after that, they called Dalton and talked to him about joining the Church with them. He quickly agreed, as he had been attending Mass with his Catholic girlfriend before moving from Idaho to Washington.

Nativity RCIA Director Randy Mueller has shared in the anticipation of the family coming into the Church. He has had a few families join the Church together, but this one is the largest.

“It’s beautiful to see because they’re excited to find a church community that they can come to as a family,” he said.

“They really feel like it’s making a difference in their life. It’s really bringing them together as a family.”

Dalton has flown to Minnesota twice to participate in RCIA milestones. On one visit, four days before Christmas, he and his mother went for the first time to Nativity’s eucharistic adoration chapel.

“We walked in, just sat down, [and] didn’t say a word,” Julie recalled. “We both walked out, and I think we both melted a little bit. ... We just stopped and stared at each other like, ‘Oh my gosh, did you feel that?’”

Those experiences have heightened their anticipation for the Easter Vigil Mass at Nativity.

“I am excited,” Julie said, noting that the other family members are, too. “It’s a big step for all of us.”

The only thing missing will be first Communion for the girls. Dusty and Julie decided Addison and Brooklyn would wait until next year, second grade, when children typically receive first Communion, so that they can receive the sacrament with their classmates.

That hasn’t dulled the twins’ enthusiasm. “[I’m] really excited because we get to be in God’s family,” Brooklyn said.

Addison added: “I’m so excited I could blow up.”

As Dusty studies the faith and prepares for the Easter Vigil, he’s already noticing a difference in his life.

“It’s been a huge help to us,” he said.

“For me, [in] moments at work or otherwise, you can reflect on things you’re learning through the faith. That helps carry you through. ... I think it’s better prepared us for what’s ahead.”

Nominate a deserving candidate today for the 2018 Leading With Faith Awards.

NOMINATIONS DUE: May 4, 2018 www.TheCatholicSpirit.com/LeadingWithFaith or call 651-251-7709 for more information.