The
COURIER
St. Vincent de Paul September 27
September 2024
Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester, MN | dowr.org
Dedicating our
New Chancery Chapel By BISHOP ROBERT BARRON
� ne of the most satisfying moments in my two years as Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester
was the dedication and consecration of the gorgeous chapel in our new chancery office. In describing what happened that day, I am, of course, drawing attention to our particular chapel, but I also want to shed light on the nature of any Catholic church building. The festivities commenced with a procession from the Lourdes High School chapel across the street. A large group of us walked solemnly to our destination, singing psalms and hymns. In so doing, we were consciously imitating our distant forebears in the faith who made their way in a similar manner up to Jerusalem and the sacred Temple. In point of fact, we were chanting some of the very same psalms that those long-ago pilgrims would have sung. The purpose of the procession was to highlight that even our comparatively small chapel in Rochester, Minnesota, is intended to be a reiteration of the Jerusalem Temple, which is to say, a privileged place of encounter between God and his people. I might even press the point and say that the ancient Temple was seen as the very dwelling place of God on earth - and this is indeed the Catholic understanding of a church in which the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. Once inside our chapel, we commenced to celebrate the Mass for the dedication of a church, which is one of the most complex and solemn liturgies in the Roman Rite. Permit me to focus simply on
Camp Summit 10 Years of Graces By MATTHEW EDENS
Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. - 1 Timothy 4:12.
�ay back in 2012, a man had a vision to creAs Deacon John Hust looks on, Bishop Robert Barron smears Chrism over the chancery chapel's altar.
the consecration of the altar. According to liturgical symbolism, the altar in a Catholic church represents Christ himself, and therefore it is fitting that we baptize it, just as the Lord was baptized by John. So, I sprinkled our new altar liberally with holy water. And since Jesus was anointed before his burial, it is appropriate that we anoint the altar on which the sacrifice of the cross is re-presented. Thus, I daubed with sacred Chrism the four corners and the center of the altar, and then, after carefully rolling up the sleeve of my alb, I smeared the oil all over the surface.
ate an event that would give the middle school youth of our diocese an opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ through the truth, beauty, and goodness of our Church. He recruited the help of various priests and laypeople, and, after a year of prayer, discussion, and planning, Ben Frost was able to offer Camp Summit to the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. In 2013, Year 1 started with just over 50 people - 12 (a fitting number) high school leaders, around 30 campers, and a handful of adult volunteers. It was a small beginning, but seeds were planted.
New Chancery Chapel, cont'd on pg. 3
Camp Summit, cont'd on pg. 7
INSIDE this issue
Witnessing to a Politics of Love of Neighbor page 4
Seeing Christ in Refugee Resettlement page 5
Jesus, Truth, and the Eucharist
page 9