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Joy of the Gospel 11 • Praying for priests 13 • Tips for confession 16 December 5, 2013 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

thecatholicspirit.com

Archdiocese discloses information regarding accused clerics Release is part of comprehensive approach to address issues associated with clergy sexual misconduct The Catholic Spirit As part of its ongoing efforts to address issues related to clergy sexual misconduct, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is releasing information related to priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the archdiocese. The information can be found in this issue of The Catholic Spirit and on a special page titled “Disclosures Regarding Clergy Sexual Abuse of Minors” on the archdiocese’s website, www.archspm.org. Disclosure In his column this week in The Catholic Spirit (at right), Archof names, bishop John Nienstedt said the disclosure is part of the archdiocese’s safe environment efforts, which he hopes “will contribute to the see pages, healing process for victims and others who have been harmed, and 4-6 serve to protect God’s children and foster trust in the Church.”

Questions & answers about the disclosure, see page 7

The disclosure includes the following information: • the cleric’s name; • his year of birth and age; • year of ordination; • if deceased, the year he died; • the cleric’s prior assignments; • the date of his removal from ministry and current status; and • the city and state where he presently resides.

The information being released is mostly related to reported incidents that occurred between the mid-1950s and 1980s, the archdiocese said in a Dec. 2 statement. Most of the men identified have been previously identified in media reports. All of them have been permanently removed from ministry or are deceased. The disclosures are not intended to be final, Archbishop Nienstedt said in his column. “We are currently engaged in a comprehensisve review of clergy files and the list will be updated as additional announcements are made,” he said.

Following up on pledge The current action follows a pledge last month by Archbishop Nienstedt to release the names of priests with substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse against them after getting court permission. The archdiocese sought and received that approval from a Ramsey County judge at a Dec. 2 hearing.

Disclosure moves us forward on a path toward healing Over the last several decades, some clergy members of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis unfortunately have violated the sacred trust placed in them by children, youth and their families by committing acts of sexual abuse. This is a tragedy that has caused insufferable harm to victims, their families, parishioners and the Church. I must say once again to all victims of this abuse: I am so sorry for the pain you have endured. You have been on my mind and in my heart as I offer my daily prayers for you. My staff and I are completely committed to combating the problem of sexual abuse and doing all we can to ensure that these horrors are never repeated in the Church. To that end, as I have been communicating THAT THEY to you over the last two months, we are evaluating and improving our policies and MAY ALL BE ONE practices in our concerted effort to protect Archbishop children and prevent sexual abuse. John C. Nienstedt Today, I am announcing the details of our new disclosure practices. These disclosures being made now, and the changes in our disclosure practices generally, are part of a comprehensive and cohesive set of actions we have been taking here in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis this fall to address the issues associated with clergy sexual misconduct. These decisions reflect not only a great deal of my own prayer and reflection, but also wise counsel provided by my staff and other advisers. I also have considered the practices of a number of other dioceses. As we progress with our disclosure, our practices may continue to evolve, including recommendations that may be made by the independent task force or through the review of our clergy files by an outside firm. Please be assured that I will let you know of

Please turn to DISCLOSURE on page 22

Please turn to OUR on page 3

ALSO inside

NET aims to fire up faith of more youth in U.S. Ministry launches Igniting Faith initiative — page 8

Carving a crosier Woodcarver’s faith, talent go into making Bishopelect Andrew Cozzens’ crosier — page 24

Meeting Jesus through the Jesse Tree Stories keep families rooted in faith during Advent season — Rediscover section

Page Two

2 OVERHEARD

in PICTURES

“A human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development. Once this conviction disappears, so do solid and lasting foundations for the defense of human rights, which would always be subject to the passing whims of the powers that be.” — Pope Francis, explaining the Church’s opposition to abortion in his apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), released by the Vatican Nov. 26 A NEW HOME Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan wait to disembark from a Philippine navy ship upon arrival at the north harbor in Manila Nov. 29. Haiyan, the most powerful storm to make landfall this year, struck the central Philippines Nov. 8, killing thousands and displacing more than 4 million people. Catholic Relief Services is still taking donations online at http://crs.org. Donations also can be sent to CRS, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, Md., 21297-0303 or via phone by calling (877) 435-7277. CNS photo / Romeo Ranoco, Reuters

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

Catholic Spirit hires assistant editor Jessica Trygstad joined the staff of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Office of Communications Nov. 20 and is serving as the assistant editor of The Catholic Spirit. She graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., with majors in English and journalism. After college, she served as night editor at the Daily Globe in Worthington. She spent the last five years Jessica writing, editing and managing web content for The TRYGSTAD Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, a national not-for-profit provider of senior care and services. “I am happy to be back in Minnesota and working with the Church,” she said. “There are wonderful stories to be told about our faith, and I’m privileged to share them.” Jessica and her husband Eric are both from southeast Minnesota and have two children: Tessa, 5, and, Alexa, 5 months. They are members of St. Charles Borromeo in St. Anthony.

BHS names Chapin new president and CEO FASTING FOR REFORM Franciscan Brother Juan Turios of Action Network prays Nov. 30 with immigration reform advocates taking part in “Fast for Families” in a tent on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The fast is aimed at pressuring the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on comprehensive immigration reform legislation. CNS photo / Jim West

WHAT’S NEW on social media A Catholic Spirit Facebook post this week asks, “What’s the most meaningful ornament on your Christmas tree?” Catholic Spirit editor Joe Towalski will be tweeting live from the ordination Mass and reception for Bishop-elect Andrew Cozzens at 2 p.m., Dec. 9 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Keep updated by following The Catholic Spirit on Twitter @CatholicSpirit. Watch for videos of Archbishop John Nienstedt talking about his current column in The Catholic Spirit at www.YouTube.com/TheCatholicSpirit. “An Advent Reflection on Joy to go with Your Morning Coffee” is a daily Advent reflection using Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel.” Visit www.catholichotdish.com for the link to a daily reflection.

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 18 — No. 26 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT, Publisher SARAH MEALEY, Associate publisher JOE TOWALSKI, Editor

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

The Benedictine Health System board of directors has named Rocklon “Rocky” Chapin as president and CEO effective Jan. 1. He replaces Dale Thompson, who announced his retirement in March. The Benedictine Health System is the parent organization of Benedictine Health Center at Innsbruck. “We have every confidence that Rocky will carry forward and grow the precious legacy of leadership being left by Dale Thompson,” said Sister Lois Eckes, prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery. “Rocky Chapin is a man of incredible integrity, goodness, and compassion, fully committed to the Catholic health care ministry of the Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery and the mission and core values of the Benedictine Health System. It is with deep gratitude and joy that we welcome Rocky as the new CEO of BHS.” Chapin joined the Benedictine Health System in January and currently serves as senior vice president in business development and strategic planning. He has been a leader in the management and health care industry for more than 35 years.

CORRECTIONS On page 5 of the Nov. 21 issue of The Catholic Spirit, seminarian Joseph Zabinski was misidentified as being from St. Michael, St. Cloud. His home parish is St. Charles Borromeo, St. Anthony. On page 6 of the Nov. 21 issue of The Catholic Spirit, Sears parking lot was incorrectly listed as an option for parking for the Dec. 9 ordination Mass of Bishop-elect Andrew Cozzens. There will be no parking available in that lot. Materials credited to CNS copyrighted by Catholic News Service. All other materials copyrighted by The Catholic Spirit Newspaper. Subscriptions: $29.95 per year: Senior 1-year: $24.95: To subscribe: (651) 291-4444: Display Advertising: (651) 291-4444; Classified Advertising: (651) 290-1631. Published bi-weekly by the Office of Communications, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102 • (651) 291-4444, FAX (651) 291-4460. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and additional post offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. TheCatholicSpirit.com • email: catholicspirit@archspm.org • USPS #093-580

3 Continued from page 1 any changes to the practices that may develop in the future. It is the practice of the archdiocese to report promptly to law enforcement all allegations of clergy sexual abuse of minors. Any clergy member facing a credible claim of sexual abuse of minors will be removed from ministry pending an investigation of the claim. Now, if the claim is credible and can be substantiated, our new disclosure practices will Watch online require that claim Go to www.archspm. to be disclosed on org or TheCatholic our website. Spirit.com to view a Starting today, in video of Archbishop John addition to the Nienstedt sharing the listing you will message of his column. find in this edition of The Catholic Spirit, any member of the public will be able to find this disclosure on our website at www. archspm.org. At the top of our home page, you’ll see an icon that says “Advocacy and Victim Assistance,” a section of our website that we have had for many years. In this section of our website, we have added access to a new page called “Disclosures Regarding Clergy Sexual Abuse of Minors.” This new page of our website compiles a list of ordained ministers of the Catholic Church who previously had assignments in the archdiocese, and who have had credible accusations and substantiated claims against them of sexually abusing a minor in our archdiocese. For each clergy member whose name is listed, the website will provide the following information, if known: • The cleric’s year of birth and year of ordination; • Whether the cleric is alive or deceased; • If deceased, the year of the cleric’s death; • The cleric’s prior assignments in our archdiocese; • The date of the cleric’s removal from ministry; and • For clerics who are alive, their present status with the Church (permanently removed from ministry, laicized, deceased, etc.) and the city and state in which they presently reside. Further, whenever the archdiocese learns

of additional credible claims of abuse of a minor by a member of the clergy, we will share that information with the public by issuing and posting a press release. Then, if a credible claim is determined to be substantiated, whether from the review of clergy files by outside experts or otherwise, we will provide that information on the disclosure section of our website. As I considered and prayed about this change in our disclosure practice, I thought about many things. My leadership team and I discussed the importance of ensuring all that we do is grounded in the goals that I have articulated over the last month or so. Again, these goals are to protect the young and vulnerable, care for victims of abuse, and restore trust among the laity, as well as our clergy who are serving honorably. Based on these goals, I considered the following to be particularly important: • Those who have been victimized by these horrible crimes have been deeply hurt. Disclosure of the names of those with substantiated claims of abuse can assist victims in their healing process. • The Church must be open and transparent about clergy members’ sexual abuse of children in order to foster the process of healing and restoration of trust. • Offending clergy members, even if they have been dismissed from the clerical state (laicized) and are no longer under the authority of the archdiocese, could pose an ongoing risk to children. Therefore, a comprehensive disclosure of their names, status and location may assist in reducing that risk. • Not only must the archdiocese honor its commitment to protect children, we must also be mindful of the due process concerns of those whose innocence or guilt has not been established. There must be justice and due consideration of the rights and dignity of every human person as we seek the truth. This is not only the bedrock of our beliefs as Catholics, but also of the justice system of our country. The disclosures made today are not intended to be final. We are currently engaged in a comprehensive review of clergy files, and the list will be updated as additional announcements are made. Our first priority remains creating and maintaining safe environments where the Gospel of Jesus Christ can flourish because we cannot bring others to the light of Christ

From the Archbishop

Our priority remains creating, maintaining safe environments

unless we first live out his love through our witness. Keeping our environments safe also requires measures aimed at prevention. Importantly, this must start with implementing productive steps to promote a healthy clergy. In addition, we continue to train thousands of clergy, volunteers, staff and children and their parents to report suspected abuse. As has been our policy and practice for many years, we encourage anyone who suspects abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult within Church ministry — or any setting including the home or school — to first contact law enforcement. And, of course, we will prevent further harm by ensuring that any clergy member who has sexually abused a child is permanently removed from any ministry. All clergy feel the shame of the acts of some of their brother priests. We deeply regret “Together, and in light of the the pain caused by sexual abuse many new actions we are by members of taking with sincerity and in the clergy, and we remain pursuit of the truth, we can committed to protecting move forward on a path toward children and promoting healing. It is my most sincere healing for hope that this may be true victims. I sincerely pray especially for victims, for whom that these efforts will contribute I again offer my heartfelt to the healing process for apology and daily prayers.” victims and Archbishop John Nienstedt others who have been harmed, and serve to protect God’s children and foster trust in the Church. I also humbly ask that you pray for the many noble clergy of our archdiocese who serve honorably and deserve our respect. I am grateful for your prayers and support. Together, and in light of the many new actions we are taking with sincerity and in pursuit of the truth, we can move forward on a path toward healing. It is my most sincere hope that this may be true especially for victims, for whom I again offer my heartfelt apology and daily prayers. May God bless you as we begin this Advent season together in anticipation of the coming of Emanuel, God with us.

With ‘ministry of presence,’ friars offer holiday shoppers hospitality Catholic News Service Some retail outlets began playing Christmas music this year the day after Halloween to remind customers that the shopping days before Christmas were dwindling. One store, however, is taking a different approach this Advent season. The Franciscan Friars of the St. John the Baptist Province now occupy a store in the same corridor as Macy’s at Cincinnati’s Northgate Mall — and they don’t want your money. Calling it a “ministry of pres-

ence,” the friars are available in the evenings on weekdays and all day on weekends to staff what they hope will be a quiet refuge in the Christmas shopping storm. “This was proposed as sort of an experiment in new evangelization” said Toni Cashnelli, communications director for the friars. “It is sort of a way to share the Gospel just by providing a Franciscan presence. It would be warm and welcoming in the marketplace at a time when we know that people’s lives are frantic and they’re really, really tired from shopping.”

After discussing it with his order’s leadership and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Father Jeff Scheeler, provincial minister of the St. John the Baptist Province, found support for the idea. Prepared to pay rent, he approached Northgate Mall management and they offered a space essentially rent-free. Father Scheeler envisions the environment to be much like the post-Mass atmosphere at a parish where the priest visits with parishioners on their way out. The difference here will be that there’s no rush to leave and there should be

two friars available at most times. Confession would also be available to those seeking it whenever a priest is present. The friars’ location in the Macy’s corridor is a former shoe store. It opened the day after Thanksgiving, a day known as Black Friday and the biggest shopping day of the year. The decor included posters of Franciscan ministries on the wall, scenes of the Nativity, a Christmas tree, a statue of St. Francis, reading material, some chairs for sitting, and a place to write and leave prayer intentions.

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

4 Priests with credible claims against them of sexual abuse of a minor Thomas Adamson Date of birth: 7/12/1933 (Age 80) Date of ordination: 1958 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Diocese of Winona, 1958-1975; • St. Leo the Great, St. Paul, 1975-1976; • St. Boniface, St. Bonifacius, 1976; • St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Paul Park, 1976-1979; • Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights, 1979-1980; • Risen Savior, Apple Valley, 1981-1985; • Returned to Diocese of Winona, 1985 Diocese or religious order: Diocese of Winona Date removed from ministry: 1985 Current location: Rochester, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry from our archdiocese John Brown Birthdate: 7/2/1920 (Age: 93) Date of ordination: 1948 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Timothy, Maple Lake, 1948-1949; • Associate priest, Sacred Heart, Robbinsdale, 1949-1950; • Associate priest, St. John, St. Paul, 19501951; • Associate priest, Hopkins, 1951-1956; • Chaplain, U.S. Army, 1956-1958; • Associate priest, St. Mary, LeCenter, 19581960; • Temporary administrator, St. Mary, LeCenter, 1960; • Administrator, St. Mary, Waverly, 1960-1963; • Pastor, St. Mary, Waverly, 1963-1964; • Pastor, St. Anthony of Padua, Minneapolis, 1964-1966; • Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Marysburg, 1966-1970; • Pastor, Sacred Heart, Faribault, 1970-1978; • Pastor, St. Peter Claver, St. Paul, 1978-1981; • Pastor, Annunciation, Hazelwood, 1981-1990 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002 Current location: Maplewood, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry Cosmas Dahlheimer Date of birth: 11/20/1908, deceased Date of ordination: 1936 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • St. John’s Abbey, 1936-1969; • Associate priest, St. Augustine, St. Cloud, 1969-1973; • Associate priest, St. Bernard, St. Paul, 19731978; • Returned to St. John’s Abbey, 1978 Diocese or religious order: Order of St. Benedict, St. John’s Abbey Date permanently removed from ministry: Unknown (died 2004) Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 2004 Gilbert DeSutter Date of birth: 4/28/1928 (Age: 85) Date of ordination: 1964 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Mark, St. Paul, 19541956; • Associate priest, St. Mary, St. Paul, 1956; • Associate priest, Annunciation, Minneapolis, 1956-1964; • Associate priest, St. Peter, Richfield, 19641968; • Spiritual director, St. John Vianney Seminary, St. Paul, 1968-1973; • Pastor, Immaculate Conception, Faribault, 1973 -1976; • Pastor, St. William, Fridley, 1976-1983;

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Notes regarding disclosure Included in this disclosure are clergy members from other dioceses or religious orders who at one time worked in the archdiocese and were accused of engaging in sexual abuse of minors in our archdiocese, to the extent we have reliable and sufficient information to determine whether the claim was credible and could be substantiated. These disclosures will indicate that the individuals are non-diocesan clergy. We may not be able to report on the present status of such clergy members because the archdiocese does not always have access to such information since they are under the authority of their respective diocese or religious order. We do not have sufficient information to make a disclosure regarding priests from outside our archdiocese who may have served here at some point in time but committed child sexual abuse elsewhere. Also, please note: Despite our best efforts to provide accurate information, our listings at this time may include some errors or omissions. The archdiocese requests that anyone with additional information or corrections regarding clergy members that are or should be subject to disclosure, to contact Greta Sawyer, the archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Coordinator at 651-291-4497. • Pastor, St. Michael, Prior Lake, 1983-1993; • Resigned with limited ministry, 1993-2003 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2003 Current location: Mesa, Ariz. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry Gilbert Gustafson Date of birth: 4/18/1951 (Age 62) Date of ordination: 1977 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Mary of the Lake, White Bear Lake, 1977-1982; • Administrator, St. Mary of the Lake, White Bear Lake, 1978; • Associate director, Continuing Education and Spiritual Growth for Priests, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, 1982; • Student, Catholic University of America, Washington D.C., 1982-1983; • Associate priest, St. Matthew, St. Paul, 1983-1988; • In residence, St. Peter, Mendota 1988-2002 (unassigned); • Resigned, 2002 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002 Current location: St. Paul, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry Louis Heitzer Date of birth: 7/15/1914, deceased Date of ordination: 1942 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, Most Holy Trinity, Winsted (New Ulm) 1942-1944; • Associate priest, St. Andrew, Fairfax (New Ulm), 1944; • Associate pastor, Assumption, St. Paul, 1944-1945; • Associate priest, Holy Redeemer, Marshall (New Ulm), 1945; • Associate priest, St. Mary, Sleepy Eye (New Ulm), 1945-1948; • Associate priest, St. Joseph, Waconia, 1948; • Associate priest, St. Aloysius, Olivia (New Ulm), 1948-1950; • Administrator, Sacred Heart, Franklin (New Ulm), 1950-1954; • Pastor, St. Joseph, Rosen, 1954-1955; • Pastor, St. Michael, Gaylord (New Ulm), 1955-1956; • Pastor, St. Luke, Clearwater, 1956-1958; • Pastor, St. Scholastica, Heidelberg, 19581966; • Associate priest, St. Richard, Richfield, 1966-1967 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St.

Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 1969 Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 1969 Rudolph Henrich Date of birth: 4/3/1906, deceased Date of ordination: 1933 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. James, St. Paul, 19331937; • Associate priest, Most Holy Trinity, Winsted, 1937-1938; • Associate priest, St. Mark, Shakopee, 1938; • Chaplain, State Training School for Boys, Red Wing, 1938-1942; • Chaplain, U.S. Navy, 1942-1946; • Chaplain, State Training School for Boys, Red Wing, 1946-1952; • Chaplain, U.S. Forces, 1952-1954; • Pastor, St. Boniface, Stewart (New Ulm), 1954-1957; • Pastor, St. Margaret Mary, Minneapolis, 1957-1976 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 1976 Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 1992 Francis Hoefgen Date of birth: 8/1/1950 (Age 63) Date of ordination: 1979 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • St. Boniface, Cold Spring, 1980-1984; • Associate priest, St. Boniface, Hastings, 1985-1992; • Confessor, Villa Maria Center, Frontenac, 1985-1994 Diocese or religious order: Order of St. Benedict, St. John’s Abbey Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002 Current location: Columbia Heights, Minn. Current status: Left order and laicized in 2012 Richard Jeub Date of birth: 2/21/1940 (Age: 73) Date of ordination: 1966 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Joseph, Hopkins, 19661967; • Associate priest, Our Lady of Grace, Edina, 1967-1970 • Associate priest, St. Mark, St. Paul, 19701976; • Associate priest, Christ the King, Minneapolis, 1976-1978; • Chaplain, Methodist Hospital, St. Louis Park, 1978-1982; • Chaplain, Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina, 1978-1982;

• Pastor, St. Kevin, Minneapolis, 1981-1990; • Associate priest, Sacred Heart, Robbinsdale, 1996-1997; • Associate priest, Sacred Heart/St. Lawrence, Faribault, 1997-2000; • Associate priest, St. Rose of Lima, Roseville, 2000-2002; • Retired, 2002 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002 Current location: Crosby, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry Dennis Kampa Date of birth: 5/31/1932 (Age 81) Date of ordination: 1968 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, Immaculate Conception, Faribault, 1968-1969; • Associate priest, St. Mark, St. Paul, 19691972; • Associate priest, St. Joseph, West St. Paul, 1972-1974; • Associate priest, Holy Family, St. Louis Park, 1974-1976; • Associate priest, Holy Trinity, South St. Paul, 1976-1980; • Pastor, St. Vincent de Paul, Osseo, 1980-1989; • Administrator, St. Michael, Pine Island, 1989-1990; • Administrator, St. Michael, Kenyon, 19891990; • Pastor, St. Michael, Pine Island, 1990-2002; • Retired, 2002 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2003 Current location: Victoria, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry Robert Kapoun Date of birth: 12/1/1938 (Age 75) Date of ordination: 1964 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, Holy Redeemer, Montgomery, 1964-1967; • Associate priest, St. Kevin, Minneapolis, 1967-1971; • Associate priest, St. Raphael, Crystal, 19711974; • Chaplain, Home of the Good Shepherd, St. Paul, 1974-1976; • Medical leave, 1976-1977; • Pastor, St. Patrick, Cedar Lake, 1977-1984; • Administrator, St. Catherine, Spring Lake, 1977-1984; • Pastor, St. Scholastica, Heidelberg, 19841996; • Administrator, St. Joseph, Lexington, 19841996; • Pastor, St. Thomas, St. Thomas, 1991-1996; • Resigned, 1996; • Retired, 1998 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002 Current location: Cold Spring, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry Jerome Kern Date of birth: 3/20/1941 (Age 72) Date of ordination: 1966 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Mark, St. Paul, 1967-70; • Associate priest, Our Lady of Grace, Edina, 1970-1975; • Administrator, Our Lady of Grace, Edina, 1975-1976;

Lee Krautkremer Date of birth: 8/28/1940 (Age 73) Date of ordination: 1966 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, Immaculate Conception, Faribault, 1966; • Associate priest, St. Peter, North St. Paul, 1966-1967; • Associate priest, St. Margaret Mary, Golden Valley, 1967-1968; • Associate priest, St. Michael, St. Michael, 1968-1970; • Associate priest, St. Michael, West St. Paul, 1970-1975; • Associate priest, St. Peter, Forest Lake, 1975-1978; • Pastor, St. Joseph, Lino Lakes, 1978-1984; • Pastor, St. Michael, St. Michael, 1984-1987; • Pastor, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Minneapolis, 1987-1989; • Chaplain, North Memorial Hospital, Robbinsdale, 1987-2002 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002 Current location: Minneapolis, Minn. Current status: Laicized in 2006 Ronan Charles Liles Date of birth: 9/6/1942

Date of ordination: 1969 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • St. Albert the Great, Minneapolis, 1969-1978; • Dominican Fathers provincial office, Chicago, 1978-1979; • Dominican Fathers and Brothers, Southern Dominican Province, New Orleans, 19791982; • Leave of absence Diocese or religious order: Order of Preachers (Dominicans) Date permanently removed from ministry: Dismissed from order and dispensed from vows in 1985 Current location: Believed to have died sometime before 2006 Current status: Believed to have died sometime before 2006 Alfred Longley Date of birth: 9/17/1913, deceased Date of ordination: 1939 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, Immaculate Conception, Faribault, 1939-1942; • Military chaplain, U.S. Army, 1942-1952; • Pastor, St. Richard, Richfield, 1952-1961; • Chaplain, Riverside Medical Center, Minneapolis, 1962-1964; • Pastor, St. Jude of the Lake, Mahtomedi, 1964 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 1968 Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 1974 Brennan Maiers Date of birth: 4/27/1936 (Age 77) Date of ordination: 1963 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Pastor, St. Bernard, St. Paul, 1983-1990 Diocese or religious order: Order of St. Benedict, St. John’s Abbey Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002

Clergy included on John Jay Commission list with unsubstantiated claims We have disclosed elsewhere on these pages the names of 29 of the 33 priests on the list provided to the John Jay Commission in 2004 by the archdiocese. We have been able to determine that those 29 priests had substantiated claims asserted against them of sexually abusing a minor. We have not determined that the other four priests had substantiated claims against them of sexually abusing a minor. In fact, we were unable to verify any claim in two of the four cases. Nevertheless, in deference to a recent order from the Ramsey County District Court, we are listing these four priests separately at right with further explanation on each.

Current location: Collegeville, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry

1995 Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 1995

Timothy McCarthy Date of birth: 6/26/1946 (Age 67) Date of ordination: 1973 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Leo, St. Paul, 1973-1974; • Associate priest, All Saints, Lakeville, 19741977; • Administrator, St. Andrew, Elysian, 1977-1982; • Associate priest, St. Peter Claver, St. Paul, 1982-1984; • On special assignment, 1982-1984; • Associate priest, Guardian Angels, Lake Elmo, 1984; • Associate priest, St. Joseph, Lino Lakes, 1984-1986; • Pastor, Holy Redeemer, Maplewood, 19861991; • Resigned, 1991 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 1991 Current location: Believed to be residing in Oakdale, Minn., or St. Paul, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry

Paul Palmitessa Date of birth: 1/18/1931 (Age 82) Date of ordination: 1956 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, Cathedral of St. Paul, 1956-1968; • Pastor, Holy Redeemer, St. Paul, 1968-1979; • Pastor, St. Paul, Zumbrota, 1979-1982; • Administrator, St. Mary, Bellechester, 19791982; • Diocese of San Diego, 1982-1988; • Excardinated, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis; incardinated, Diocese of San Diego, 1988 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Diocese of San Diego Date permanently removed from ministry: Retired in 1998, limited ministry until 2012 Current location: Santee, Calif. Current status: No longer in ministry, (determined by the Diocese of San Diego)

John McGrath Date of birth: 4/13/1931, deceased Date of ordination: 1957 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, Nativity, St. Paul, 1957-1965; • Associate priest, St. Helena, Minneapolis, 1965-1969; • Associate priest, St. Andrew, St. Paul, 19691970; • Faculty, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, 1970-1976; • Pastor, Sacred Heart, Robbinsdale, 1976-1995 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry:

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• Co-pastor, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Minnetonka, 1976-1994; • Sabbatical, 1994-1995 (in residence at St. Paul Seminary); • Temporary administrator, St. Dominic, Northfield, 1995; • Associate priest, St. Peter, Forest Lake, 1995-2002 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002 Current location: Edina, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry

Joseph Pinkosh Date of birth: 10/27/1943 (Age 70) Date of ordination: 1969 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Joseph, Hopkins, 19691972; • Associate priest, St. Wenceslaus, New Prague, 1972-1974; • Associate priest, Holy Cross, Minneapolis, 1974-1981; • Pastor, St. Patrick, Shieldsville, 1981-1992 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 1992 Current location: Columbia Heights, Minn. Current status: Left ministry in 1992 Continued on next page

Eugene Corica Date of birth: 7/31/1933 (Age 80) Date of ordination: 1960 Parish assignments: • Associate priest, St. Patrick, Inver Grove Heights, 1974-1979; • Pastor, St. Bridget, Minneapolis, 1979-1983; • Associate pastor, St. Raphael, Crystal, 1983-1985; • Temporary administrator, Holy Childhood, St. Paul, 1985; • Administrator, Holy Family, St. Louis Park, 1985-1987; • Pastor, Holy Family, St. Louis Park, 1987-1995 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date no longer in ministry: 1995 Current location: Minneapolis, Minn. Current status: Left ministry in 1995

Patrick Ryan Date of birth: 12/2/1892, deceased Date of ordination: 1919 Parish assignments: • Associate priest, St. Mary, St. Paul, 1919; • Associate priest, St. Clement, Minneapolis, 1919-1921; • Associate priest, St. Stephen, Minneapolis, 1921-1922; • Associate priest, Immaculate Conception, Faribault, 1922-1933; • Pastor, St. John, Ortonville (New Ulm), 1933-1943; • Pastor, Guardian Angels, Hastings, 1943-1965 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date no longer in ministry: 1965 Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 1965

Eugene Corica was accused of having sexual relationships with adult women. No claim of sexual abuse of a minor was made or substantiated against Corica. We have not been able to determine why he was included in the list provided to the John Jay Commission.

Patrick Ryan was accused posthumously in 2002 of sexually abusing a minor in 1961, and was consequently included in the list provided to the John Jay Commission. The Archdiocese subsequently met with the complainant and hired a private investigative firm. The firm investigated the matter through more than two dozen conversations and face-to-face meetings with the complainant as well as interviews with more than a dozen persons thought to have information relevant to the claim against Ryan. The private investigative firm reported that “this investigation found no credible, corroborating or supporting information which would validate [the] claim of sexual abuse.” The claim of sexually abusing a minor was never substantiated.

Robert Loftus Date of birth: 12/22/1930 (Age 82) Date of ordination: 1963 Parish assignments: • Assistant pastor, St. Stephen, Anoka, 1963-1966; • Assistant pastor, Christ the King, Minneapolis, 1966-1967; • Assistant pastor, St. Mary’s Basilica, 1967-1971; • Pastor, St. Frances Cabrini, Minneapolis, 1971-1977 • Leave of absence, 1977 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date no longer in ministry: 1977 Current location: Coon Rapids, Minn. Current status: Laicized in 1977 Robert Loftus was credibly accused of sexual misconduct with a “young woman” in the early 1970’s. We do not have knowledge of the complainant’s age at the time of the misconduct. An independent investigator was hired to review the file and advise on whether Loftus should be disclosed as a “substantiated claim.” To date, the investigator has not determined whether a claim of sexual abuse of a minor was or can be substantiated. The investigation is continuing, and our disclosures will be updated when the investigation is completed.

Roger Vaughn Date of birth: 6/16/1948 (Age 65) Date of ordination: 1977 Parish assignments: • Crosier Monastery and Seminary, Onamia, 1977-1980. Never assigned to ministry or residence in the archdiocese Diocese or religious order: Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross (Crosiers) Date no longer in ministry: 2000 Current location: Yonkers, N.Y. Current status: Left the Crosier order in 2001 We have not been able to determine why Roger Vaughn was included in the list provided to the John Jay Commission. There is no record of Vaughn being assigned to ministry or residence in this Archdiocese. He was a priest of the Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross (Crosiers) until he left the order in 2001. We do not have knowledge of any claims that Vaughn sexually abused a minor in this archdiocese.

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

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6 What is the ‘Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People’? In his Nov. 7 column in The Catholic Spirit, Archbishop John Nienstedt identified fulfillment of the charter as a top priority of the archdiocese. Below are answers to some common questions regarding the charter’s scope and provisions.

What is the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People”?

A. The charter is a comprehensive set of

procedures established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in June 2002 for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The charter includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of further acts of abuse. It directs action in all the following matters: • Creating a safe environment for children and young people; • Healing and reconciliation of victims and survivors; Continued from previous page Francis Reynolds Date of birth: 9/5/1922, deceased Date of ordination: 1955 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, Maternity of Mary, St. Paul, 1955-1957; • Associate priest, St. Patrick, St. Paul, 1957-1964; • Associate priest, Visitation, Minneapolis, 1964-1966; • Associate priest, St. Margaret Mary, Golden Valley, 1966-1968; • Pastor, St. Francis Xavier, Buffalo, 1968-1985; • Pastor, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Minneapolis, 1985-1986; Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 1987 Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 1988 Richard Skluzacek Date of birth: 8/10/1932, deceased Date of ordination: 1957 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Stanislaus, St. Paul, 1957-1964; • Administrator, St. Stanislaus, St. Paul, 1964-1966; • Associate priest, St. Stephen, Anoka, 1966-1967; • Associate priest, Most Holy Redeemer, Montgomery, 1967-1968; • Administrator, Most Holy Trinity, Veseli, 1968-1973; • Administrator, St. Nicholas, New Market, 19701974; • Pastor, Most Holy Trinity, Veseli, 1974; • Pastor, Corpus Christi, Roseville, 1974-1978; • Pastor, St. Joseph, Hopkins, 1978-1990; • Chaplain, Veterans Medical Center, Minneapolis, 1990-1998; Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2005 Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 2012 Michael Stevens Date of birth: 12/24/1954 (Age 58) Date of ordination: 1980 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Michael, Prior Lake, 1980-1982; • Associate priest, Epiphany, Coon Rapids, 1982-1988; • In residence, St. Mark, St. Paul, 1988; • In residence, St. Adalbert, St. Paul, 1988-2003 • Resigned, 2002 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002 Current location: Believed to be residing in St. Paul,

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

• Making prompt and effective responses to allegations; • Cooperating with civil authorities; • Disciplining offenders; and • Providing for means of accountability for the future to ensure the problem continues to be effectively dealt with through the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and the National Review Board.

Where can I read it?

A. The charter is available for download from

habitually lacks the use of reason and therefore is considered equivalent to a minor.

What if the abuse occurred prior to the enactment of the charter?

A. Any act of sexual abuse of a minor which

occurred prior to the charter being implemented but is brought forward now, will be considered relevant and subject to the charter. The charter pertains to acts of abuse in the past, present and future.

the USCCB Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection website (www.usccb.org/ocyp).

A. In June 2003, the Office (now Secretariat)

How does the charter define a “minor”?

In both civil and canon law, a minor is anyone under the age of 18. Until 1994, under canon law, a minor was considered any person under the age of 16. In 1994, canon law was changed for dioceses of the USCCB so that anyone under the age of 18 was considered to be a minor. In 2001, it changed for the universal Church. Also covered under the charter is anyone over the age of 18 who

Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry Thomas Stitts Date of birth: 5/5/1935, deceased Date of ordination: 1962 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Matthew, St. Paul, 1962-1965; • Associate priest, Our Lady of Grace, Edina, 19651966; • Associate priest, Guardian Angels, Hastings, 1966-1970; • Associate priest, Blessed Sacrament, St. Paul, 1970; • Administrator, St. Leo, St. Paul, 1970-1973; • Pastor, St. George, Long Lake, 1973-1980; • Pastor, St. John the Baptist, New Brighton, 19801985 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 1985 Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 1985 Robert Thurner Date of birth: 11/25/1925 (Age 88) Date of ordination: 1951 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, Most Holy Trinity, St. Louis Park, 1951-1963; • Administrator, Most Holy Trinity, St. Louis Park, 1959; • Associate priest, St. Luke, St. Paul, 1963-1967; • Pastor, St. Michael, Prior Lake, 1967-1970; • Pastor, St. John the Evangelist, Hopkins, 1970-1983; • Associate priest, St. Joseph, West St. Paul, 19831986; • Temporary administrator, St. Edward, Bloomington, 1986; • Pastor, St. Therese, St. Paul, 1986-1991 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002 Current location: Maplewood, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry Clarence Vavra Date of birth: 3/13/1939 (Age 74) Date of ordination: 1965 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Rose of Lima, Roseville, 19651969; • Associate priest, St. Philip, Minneapolis, 1969-1970; • Associate priest, St. Peter, North St. Paul, 19701971; • Associate priest, Guardian Angels, Hastings, 1971-1972;

How is compliance with the charter monitored? of Child and Youth Protection began an audit process of all dioceses throughout the United States. The audit is used to determine if the diocese is implementing the practices required by the charter. An “Annual Report on the Implementation of the Charter” is prepared by the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection. Source: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

• Absent, 1972-1973; • Associate priest, St. Matthew, St. Paul, 1973-1975; • Diocese of Rapid City, 1975-1976; • Associate priest, Holy Spirit, St. Paul, 1976-1977; • Pastor, Sacred Heart Rush City, 1977-1978; • Administrator, St. Gregory, North Branch, 19771978; • Associate priest, St. Wenceslaus, New Prague, 1979; • Associate priest, St. Jerome, Maplewood, 19791981; • Pastor, Holy Redeemer, Maplewood, 1981-1986; • Unassigned, 1986-1987; • Temporary administrator, St. Genevieve, Centerville, 1987; • Pastor, St. Nicholas, New Market, 1987-1992; • Temporary administrator, St. Philip, Minneapolis, 1992-1993; • Pastor, St. Philip, Minneapolis, 1993-1996; • Sabbatical, 1996-1997; • Associate priest, Nativity of Mary, Cleveland, 1997; • Associate priest, Most Holy Redeemer, Montgomery, 1997-2003; • Associate priest, St. Patrick, Shieldsville, 19972003; • Retired, 2003 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2003 Current location: New Prague, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry Joseph Wajda Date of birth: 2/9/1947 (Age 66) Date of ordination: 1973 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate priest, St. Raphael, Crystal, 1973-1977; • Associate priest, Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights, 1977-1981; • Administrator, Immaculate Conception, Columbia Heights, 1980-1981; • Associate priest, St. Rose of Lima, Roseville, 19821986; • Temporary administrator, St. Joseph, Waconia, 1986; • Temporary administrator, Sts. Peter and Paul, Loretto, 1986; • Pastor, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Minneapolis, 1986-1987; • Pastor, St. Andrew, St. Paul, 1987-1989; • Associate priest, Blessed Sacrament, St. Paul, 1990-1991; • Student, Catholic University of America, 1992-1994; • Judicial Vicar, Metropolitan Tribunal, St. Paul, 1996-2002 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Date permanently removed from ministry: 2003 Current location: Minneapolis, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry Raymond Walter Date of birth: 7/28/1915, deceased Date of ordination: 1941 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • St. Alphonsus, Brooklyn Center, 1964-1978, 19811989 Diocese or religious order: Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) Date permanently removed from ministry: 2003 Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 2003 Curtis Wehmeyer Date of birth: 9/28/1964 (Age 49) Date of ordination: 2001 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Associate pastor, St. Joseph, West St. Paul, 20012006; • Parochial administrator, Blessed Sacrament, St. Paul, 2006-2009; • Pastor, St. Thomas the Apostle, St. Paul, 2009-2011; • Pastor, Blessed Sacrament, St. Paul, 2009-2012 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Date permanently removed from ministry: 2012 Current location: Minnesota Correctional Facility – St. Cloud, Minn. Current status: Permanently removed from ministry. Incarcerated Robert Zasacki Date of birth: 5/13/1940, deceased Date of ordination: 1967 Cleric’s prior assignments in archdiocese: • Entered archdiocese from Archdiocese of Newark, 1979; • St. Bridget, Lindstrom, 1982-1983; • St. Joseph, Lino Lakes, 1983-1984: • Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul, 1984-1985; • Administrator, St. Peter, Forest Lake, 1985-1987; • Incardinated, 1987; • Pastor, St. Peter, Forest Lake, 1987-1989; • Pastor, St. Peter, Delano, 1989-1995; • Pastor, St. Joseph, Delano, 1989-1995; • Pastor, Sacred Heart, Robbinsdale, 1995-2001; • Pastor, St. Joseph, Hopkins, 2001-2002 Diocese or religious order: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Archdiocese of Newark, N.J. Date permanently removed from ministry: 2002 Current location: Deceased Current status: Died in 2008

Questions and answers were provided by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Q. Why are you choosing to disclose the names of offending priests now? A. Appropriate disclosure is critically important if we are to do all that we can to keep children safe, help victims of abuse heal, and regain the trust and confidence of our communities. We believe this is an essential step in regaining trust and confidence. This decision on disclosure will take us to a new level of accountability and — most importantly — we believe these actions will further serve our primary goal of protecting minors. Q. Will the names be posted

online? If so, where?

A. Yes. Information about clergy members who have credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor that have been substantiated will be posted on our website at www.archspm.org. Right at the top of our home page, you’ll see an icon that says “Advocacy and Victim Assistance,” a page on our website that we have had for many years. In this section of our website, we have added access to a new page called “Disclosures Regarding Clergy Sexual Abuse of Minors.” Q. You initially said you would only disclose the names of living priests currently residing in the archdiocese. Why did you decide to expand your disclosure by including the names of the deceased priests as well as priests living outside the archdiocese? A. Consistent with the paramount goal of protecting children, the archdiocese is including the names of clergy members from other dioceses or religious orders who at one time worked in the archdiocese and were accused of engaging in sexual abuse of minors in our archdiocese, to the extent we have reliable and sufficient information to determine whether the claim is credible and has been substantiated. The archdiocese is disclosing information about priests of our archdiocese who are living outside of the archdiocese for the same reason. We believe it may aid in protecting children in other dioceses where these priests live. We also believe that it is appropriate to disclose information regarding the deceased priests because doing so may help the healing process for some victims. Q. Why was permission required from the court to release the names? A. There has been a protective order in place in Ramsey County District Court since 2009 related to a list of 33 priests provided by the archdiocese to the John Jay Commission in 2004. That list was used to compile a nationwide summary of “credible” claims of clergy abuse of minors. The court order to seal this list applied to all parties, including the archdiocese. Out of respect and deference to the court, we

wanted to ensure that our initiative now to release the names and related information was not in violation of that order. In addition, we were concerned about the release of the entire list because we were able to determine that only 29 of the priests listed in 2004 had credible claims asserted against them of sexually abusing a minor that could be substantiated. We have not determined that the other four priests had substantiated claims against them of sexually abusing a minor. In fact, we were unable to verify any claim in two of the four cases.

Q. What is the difference

between a “credible” claim and one that is “substantiated?”

A. As soon as the archdiocese is

made aware of an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, appropriate archdiocesan staff promptly takes two steps. First, the allegation is reported to the police or other authorities, as appropriate, so that they can make whatever evaluation or investigation they deem appropriate. Second, the archdiocese initiates its own internal evaluation of the allegation. The first step in this internal evaluation is to determine whether the claim is “credible.” A “credible claim” is one that is “not manifestly false or frivolous.” If the archdiocese determines that a credible claim exists, the archdiocese opens an investigation to determine whether a claim is “substantiated.” A “substantiated claim” is one for which sufficient evidence exists to establish reasonable grounds to believe that the alleged abuse occurred. Neither a credible accusation nor a substantiated claim is a conclusion or presumption of guilt. Rather, if a credible claim is substantiated, this finding initiates a canonical process in order to resolve the claim. All credible claims are thoroughly investigated by the archdiocese and all allegations of sexual abuse of a minor are reported to civil authorities in accordance with applicable law, prior to the determination of the applicable canonical process.

Q. Is this the extent of the disclosure of names? Is it possible more names could be added after the review of clergy files? A. These disclosures are intended to be ongoing. We are currently engaged in a comprehensive review of clergy files and the list will be updated as additional announcements are made. These disclosure practices may evolve in the future as we progress, including recommendations that may be made by the independent task force or through the review of our clergy files by an outside firm. If the archdiocese learns of additional credible claims that are subst antiated, whether from the review of the clergy files from outside experts or otherwise, the disclosures will be updated on our website. Q. How often will additional names be disclosed? A. Whenever the archdiocese learns of additional credible claims of

abuse of a minor by a member of the clergy, the archdiocese will share that information with the public by issuing and posting a press release. If a credible claim is determined to be substantiated, whether from the review of clergy files by outside experts or otherwise, we will provide that information on the disclosure section of our website.

Q. Are these priests being supported financially or in other ways by the archdiocese? Where does this money come from? A. All priests are legally entitled to receive pension benefits that have been accrued. Financial support varies depending on the individual circumstance. The archdiocese has an obligation in Church law to ensure that no priest is left destitute. All of the living priests who have not been laicized are receiving their pension and retirement healthcare. Two of the men are receiving a salary and housing allowance. Pension and retirement health care payments are paid from the pension trust, and salary and housing allowances are paid from the archdiocese operating account. Q. Have any of these men been permanently removed from the priesthood (laicized)? A. A few of these men have been laicized. None of these men is allowed to exercise ministry. When the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” was promulgated in 2002, the decision was made to impose severe restrictions and monitor these offending priests rather than seek laicization — removal from the priesthood altogether — based on a desire by the archdiocese to oversee these men versus placing them outside of the Church and unsupervised as lay citizens who would have no restrictions. This was an earnest effort to be responsible. For some of the men, the decision to sequester them by removing them from all ministry, monitoring their behavior and ensuring they are living lives of prayer and penance was approved by the Holy See as an appropriate response to their abusive behavior. Q. How are the men who have

been removed from ministry, but who are still priests, being monitored?

A. The archdiocese currently has a program by which priests who have committed sexual misconduct are monitored by a professional who works for the archdiocese. The Promoter of Ministerial Standards (POMS) creates and oversees an individual monitoring plan for each priest and meets regularly with these priests to help ensure accountability and health. Each year, a new plan is developed with the goal of maintaining and ensuring appropriate behavior and boundaries, a healthy lifestyle and spiritual life, and accountability. Among other things, priests on the monitoring plan may be required to do the following: attend counseling sessions, meet regularly with a spiritual director, attend priest

support groups, and, where appropriate, attend accountability groups regarding particular addictions and/or issues. The archdiocesan monitoring program was created and has been implemented to contribute toward the creation of safer environments. Appropriate accountability and monitoring of priests who have a history of sexual misconduct helps ensure present and future health toward the goal of preventing future sexual misconduct and safer environments.

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Q&A On the disclosure of names

Q. What is the threshold for removing a priest from active ministry? A. If the archdiocese receives a credible claim of sexual abuse of a minor, a priest will be removed from active ministry. These restrictions stay in place until an investigation determines whether or not the claim is substantiated. If a claim is determined to be substantiated, he will remain restricted until any criminal or canonical proceedings are concluded. Q. What should a person do if he or she recognizes a name on the list and has concerns about further risks the man may pose? A. Any concerns should be conveyed to the proper civil authorities, such as the local police. In addition, he or she is encouraged to notify Greta Sawyer, the archdiocese’s Victim Assistance Coordinator at (651) 291-4497. Q. Can priests with substantiated claims of sexual abuse of a minor against them ever be put back into active ministry? A. No priest who has sexually abused a minor can ever return to active ministry. The determination by the review board that the claim is substantiated is a very serious matter. Ultimately though, a final determination is made through a criminal or canonical process. If not enough evidence is presented to support an accusation, the priest may return to active ministry. Q. How much has the archdiocese paid to victims to settle civil claims related to clergy sexual abuse of minors? How have those settlements been funded? A. Since July 1, 2002, the archdiocese has paid out approximately $680,000 to victims. Additional amounts were paid to these victims by our insurance carriers. We will disclose these amounts once we obtain such information from the carriers. Q. How many individuals have civil suits pending against the archdiocese regarding sexual abuse of a minor? A. Currently, there are 14 lawsuits involving 23 claimants alleging that they were sexually abused as a minor by a member of the clergy who, at one time, had an assignment within our archdiocese. December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

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NET aims to fire up faith in more teens across the country By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit After 30 years, 26,000 retreats and helping more than 1.6 million Catholic teens embrace their faith, NET Ministries is adding teams and opening two regional offices as part of its Igniting Faith initiative. The West St. Paul-based Catholic youth retreat ministry organization plans to add a team each year for the next five years, bringing the total to 16. Annually, the teams of young adults reach 60,000 junior high and high school students across the country. By 2017, NET’s goal is 90,000.

Staying connected “The young Catholic population is disengaging from the Church,” said Jim Hastings, NET’s director of development and communications. “We want to provide an opportunity for them to hear the Gospel in ways they can understand and identify with,” he said. “After NET experiences, 80 percent [of participants] stay connected [to the Church] somehow. We want to make that difference in 30,000 more lives during formative high school years.” Since its beginning, NET has heard it should be doing more from bishops and other supporters who have witnessed the teams engaging adolescents through retreats and being present in Catholic churches and schools. Adding teams will allow NET to reach more people like Sylvie, who, after more than 20 years, thanked NET for her retreat experience in a recent letter: “On Saturday evening of the

According to Berchem, the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis could benefit from the national expansion — there is a better chance that parishes and schools could receive a team (right now there is a waiting list), and have their special requests for NET events granted. Where the teams are added will be based on interest and whether it’s a good match. “It’s a delicate balance in parishes with existing youth ministries,” Berchem said. “We want to make sure they want to work as a team.”

NET’s outreach in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis • Since 1981, NET has conducted 2,052 retreats for 157,000 Catholic teens • In 2013-2014, NET will conduct 100 more retreats for another 5,500 Catholic youths • Another 9,000 youths will attend one of the eight Lifeline Masses at the NET Center on the first Saturday of months October through May • 410 NET team member alumni live in the archdiocese • 15 members of 2013-14 NET teams are from the archdiocese

Teams assigned locally: St. Peter in Forest Lake — 2013 All Saints in Lakeville — 2010-2013

Something bigger

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings — 2009-2012

In a video produced for the Igniting Faith initiative, Archbishop John Nienstedt, president of NET’s board of directors, said the genius behind NET Ministries is that peers are leading their peers. “You have young people who are excited and fired up about their faith, who go in and enliven the faith and even give the faith for the first time,” he said. To finalize its plans, NET still needs to raise $600,000 of its $3 million goal. “Most of the people who support NET understand that we have a national, if not international problem, of people [leaving] the Church at a considerable rate,” Berchem said. “People like being involved in something that’s bigger than themselves. That’s why they partner with us.”

Divine Mercy in Faribault — 2005-2008

Full-time teams in schools: Providence Academy in Plymouth Cathedral High School in New Ulm (Diocese of New Ulm)

retreat, I heard a testimony of one of the Netters. I recall sitting in the pew of the church, and all of a sudden, like a light turning on, God became real to me. . . . God had changed these young men and women’s lives so much that they poured out their hearts to us, sharing such personal experiences, and gave up 10 months of their life to share it with thousands of

others.” The two regional offices — one in Cincinnati, Ohio, and one in California — will ensure permanent teams in those areas. “By starting regional NET centers, there is more ministry, but we also see greater sources of fundraising and recruiting,” said NET founder and executive director Mark Berchem.

For more information about NET and its Igniting Faith initiative, visit www.netusa.org/ignitingfaith.

What’s on the Archbishop’s mind? Find out what he’s thinking in every issue of The Catholic Spirit

Hearing Tests Set for Senior Citizens

TheCatholicSpirit.com

Announcement — Free electronic hearing tests will be given all next week Monday thru Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. The tests have been arranged for anyone who suspects they are not hearing clearly. People who generally feel they can hear, but cannot understand words clearly are encouraged to come in for the test, which uses the latest electronic equipment. Everyone, especially those over age 55 should have an electronic hearing test once

a year. Demonstrations of the latest devices to improve clarity of speech will be programmed using a computer to your particular needs — on the spot — after the tests. See (and HEAR) for yourself if newlydeveloped methods of correction will help you understand words better. Tests will be performed at one of 20 convenient Greater Twin Cities Avada Hearing Care locations.

Call 1-877-328-9161 December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

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Lay people hope to help raise awareness of need for Retirement Fund for Religious collection By Dianne Towalski The Catholic Spirit As a young nursing student at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Meg Carolan witnessed something that will stay with her forever. Assigned to watch over a man who had just had heart surgery, she watched as his doctor came in with a religious sister. They were silent for a few minutes until the doctor turned to the sister and asked, “OK?” She answered “yes” and they left. Carolan later learned that the world-renowned cardiac surgeon had once said he had the mind of a surgeon and the hands of a surgeon, but he needed the heart of that sister, and he also needed her prayers. The sister worked by the doctor’s side for her entire career. “What I saw was the power of the sister’s prayers,” Carolan said. Because of the impact that sister and many others have had on her life, Carolan, a member of Assumption in Minneapolis, is one of a handful of lay people who will be speaking at parishes around the archdiocese in support of the Retirement Fund for Religious collection Dec. 7 and 8. “What I want is for people to remember back in their own lives,” Carolan said about their experiences with religious order sisters, priests and brothers.

Time to give back In the past, religious sisters and brothers worked for no pay. “We did what we were called to do, and that was teach for most of us,” said Sister Midge Breiter, coordinator of the Office of Retirement Fund for Religious in the archdiocese. In the late 1970s, they began receiving salaries equivalent to what lay people were paid for the jobs

“In recent years I have focused on how much [the sisters] gave to us, and the importance of us giving back now as they are in their retirement with so few resources.” JoAnne Driscoll

they were doing, such as teaching or nursing. But up to then, nothing had been saved for retirement, Sister Midge said. “Sister Midge reminded me of the wonderful sisters who were my teachers at St. Mark’s and Our Lady of Peace High School. I knew them as teachers, but didn’t give much thought to their lives outside the convent,” said JoAnne Driscoll, also a member of Assumption. “In recent years I have focused on how much they gave to us, and the importance of us giving back now as they are in their retirement with so few resources.” Carolan and Driscoll got to know Sister Midge as members of a Scripture study group at Assumption and wanted to help. There are also sisters who will be visiting parishes to talk about the collection and its importance, but as they get older, some aren’t able to drive in the dark or for long distances, and they have a harder time getting around in general, Sister Midge said. “That’s why it’s so important to bring in lay people,” she said. The Retirement Fund for Religious collection was launched in 1988 by the Catholic bishops of the United States to address the significant lack of retirement

funding for Catholic sisters, brothers and priests in religious orders. Proceeds from the collection go to religious communities to help underwrite retirement and healthcare expenses for their members. According to the National Religious Retirement Office 2012 annual report, the collection taken in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis raised $427,018. As a result of the nationwide collection in 2012, 440 religious communitites around the country received a total of $23 million in direct care assistance. “I don’t know that people understand that it isn’t the same for people who took a vow of poverty, who worked for nothing,” said Susan Wyble, a member of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul, who is also helping with the collection. “They went without to serve us. I think people just don’t realize it.” Nearly 95 percent of donations to the collection directly support senior religious and their communities. Parishes can have the collection any time between Dec. 7 and the beginning of February and funds are sent to the national office in mid-March, Sister Midge said. To learn more about the Retirement Fund for Religious, visit www. retiredreligious.org.

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4.4%

5.1%

70/75

4.8%

5.8%

75/80

5.3%

6.8%

80/85

6.1%

7.8%

85/90

7.3%

9.0%

90/95+

8.8%

*Rates effective November 1, 2013. Rates in effect at the time

*Rates effective November 1, 2013. Rates in effect at the time your annuity agreement is signed will apply to your contract. Minimum gift $10,000 for single CGAs/$20,000 for joint contracts.

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

GROW: Parishes seeing positive results from planning process By Dianne Towalski The Catholic Spirit

the parish school in Jordan. “We will have opportunities to grow our faith, build the parish and spread Christ’s message.”

An archdiocesan pastoral planning initiative, GROW, has been in place for a year, and participating parishes are seeing positive results. As a result of the GROW process, “we are moving forward with several initiatives that are in direct response to the wants and needs of the people at St. John the Baptist,” said Bonnie Jungels, principal of

The initiative — which has been updated and is now called GROW 2.0 — builds on the parish visitation process and flows from the archdiocese’s 2010 strategic plan, which sets criteria for long-term parish viability and calls for more efficient use of resources within and among par-

ishes and schools. The program is offered by the archdiocese through the Office of Parish Services in conjunction with Catholic Finance Corporation and TeamWorks International — a company of consultants and coaches who work with mission-focused organizations to build capacity for long-term success.

Getting on board GROW 2.0 emphasizes the importance of evangelization. “We realize that parishes may have different emphases, charisms, and ministries, so there are legiti-

Hospitality workshops provide resources for parishes

Farmington, St. Mary in Stillwater and St. Vincent de Paul in Brooklyn Park.

One of the seeds for growth identified by the GROW pastoral planning process is hospitality. Representatives from 41 parishes attended Hospitality 2.0 workshops held in early November. They expanded on similar workshops held last May to help parishes assess how they are doing in several areas related to hospitality and learn how hospitality can be an effective means of reaching out to lessengaged Catholics. The workshops were held at St. Michael in

“He emphasized that we need to accept others for what they are fundamentally, a child of God, and not based on what they can or cannot do for us,” said Father Brian Lynch, parochial vicar of St. Mary and St. Michael parishes in Stillwater. “He linked this to the original message of Christianity; the message that made Christianity attractive to so many who were on the margins of society.”

The facilitator of two of the workshops, Paul Bernabei, talked about both principles and practices that can help Catholics be more welcoming people.

Each participating parish was given a Hospitality 360 Toolkit that includes resources that are designed

THE CHALLENGE:

75%

of young people drift away from and abandon their Catholic faith after high school

NET’S RESPONSE:

IGNITING FAITH In response to the Church’s call to bolster faith in Catholic young people, NET Ministries has launched a 5-year plan to increase the number of youth we proclaim the Gospel to by 50% - growing the number of youth reached annually from 60,000 to nearly 100,000. To achieve this ambitious goal, we are expanding the number of NET teams from 11 to 16 and establishing regional NET offices in the East and West.

BE A VITAL PARTNER:

Your financial gift is vitally important to increasing the number of youth who remain engaged in their Catholic faith. Please join us as a partner in Igniting Faith in tens of thousands more Catholic young people. December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

mate differences and diversity among parishes,” said Mark Dittman, director of the parish services office. “But ultimately, the goal of every parish and the goal of pastoral planning in every parish should be evangelization.” Parishes that are members of the southern Region 2 vicariate gathered last November for the first meeting in the process. St. John the Baptist in Jordan was among them. Like the other participating parishes, St. John the Baptist formed a committee of key people involved in the parish. Please turn to UPDATED on page 17

to be customized by each parish to meet its particular needs. Resources include articles on hospitality, “Quick Cards” with simple ideas to enhance hospitality right away, question cards to help parishioners get to know each other and more. Every parish in the archdiocese will get a hard copy toolkit, even if it did not participate in the workshops. All of the resources included are available online at www.archspm.org. There are tools included for both parishioners and parish leadership. Parishes can mix and match resources to help parishioners develop a more hospitable community. — Dianne Towalski

NET’S ANNUAL IMPACT IN THIS ARCHDIOCESE:

· Over18,000 Catholic youth

attend a NET retreat or event each year

· 1,000-1,500 attend our Lifeline youth Mass and event each month

· Over100 youth ministers receive training at NET monthly

· Continual fostering of vocations,

with 6 alumni priests serving in and 9 alumni seminarians studying for this Archdiocese

WAYS TO DONATE:

· Call 651.450.6833 · Online at www.netusa.org/donate · Mail your check to NET Ministries 110 Crusader Avenue West West St. Paul, MN 55118

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON IGNITING FAITH:

· Visit www.netusa.org/IgnitingFaith

U.S. & World Pope Francis leads a meeting with the poor in early October at the archbishop’s residence in Assisi, Italy. In his first extensive piece of writing as pope, Pope Francis lays out a vision of the Catholic Church dedicated to evangelization, with a focus on society’s poorest and most vulnerable, including the aged and unborn. CNS photo/Paul Haring

Pope lays out his vision for an evangelistic Church By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service In his first extensive piece of writing as pope, Pope Francis lays out a vision of the Catholic Church dedicated to evangelization in a positive key, with a focus on society’s poorest and most vulnerable, including the aged and unborn. “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), released by the Vatican Nov. 26, is an apostolic exhortation, one of the most authoritative categories of papal document. (Pope Francis’ first encyclical, “Lumen Fidei,” published in July, was mostly the work of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.) The pope wrote the new document in response to the October 2012 Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization, but declined to work from a draft provided by synod officials. Pope Francis’ voice is unmistakable in the 50,000-word document’s relatively relaxed style — he writes that an “evangelizer must never look like someone who has just come back from a funeral!” — and its emphasis on some of his signature themes, including the dangers of economic globalization and “spiritual worldliness.” The Church’s message “has to concentrate on the essentials, on what is most beautiful, most grand, most appealing and at the same time most necessary,” he writes. “In this basic core, what shines forth is the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ who died and rose from the dead.”

Church for the poor Inspired by Jesus’ poverty and concern for the dispossessed during his earthly ministry, Pope Francis calls for a “Church which is poor and for the poor.” The poor “have much to teach us,” he writes. “We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voices to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them.” Charity is more than mere handouts, “it means working to eliminate the structural causes of poverty and to promote the integral development of the poor,” the pope writes. “This means education, access to health care, and above all employment, for it is through free creative, participatory and mutually supportive labor that human beings express and enhance the dignity of their lives.” Yet, he adds that the “worst discrimination which the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care. . . . They need God and we must not fail to offer them his friendship, his blessing, his word, the celebration of the sacraments and a journey of growth and maturity in the faith.” Pope Francis reiterates his earlier criticisms of “ideologies that defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation,” which he blames for the current financial crisis and attributes to an “idolatry of money.” He emphasizes that the Church’s concern for the vulnerable extends to “unborn children, the most de-

fenseless and innocent among us,” whose defense is “closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right.” “A human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development,” the pope writes, in his strongest statement to date on the subject of abortion. “Once this conviction disappears, so do solid and lasting foundations for the defense of human rights, which would always be subject to the passing whims of the powers that be.” The pope writes that evangelization entails peacemaking, among other ways through ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. Pope Francis characteristically directs some of his strongest criticism at his fellow clergy, among other reasons, for what he describes as largely inadequate preaching. The pope devotes several pages to suggestions for better homilies, based on careful study of the Scriptures and respect for the principle of brevity.

Role of women Pope Francis reaffirms Church teaching that only men can be priests, but notes that their “sacramental power” must not be “too closely identified with power in general,” nor “understood as domination”; and he allows for the “possible role of women in decisionmaking in different areas of the Church’s life.” As he has done in a number of his homilies and public statements, the pope stresses the importance of mercy, particularly with regard to

the Church’s moral teaching. While lamenting “moral relativism” that paints the church’s teaching on sexuality as unjustly discriminatory, he also warns against overemphasizing certain teachings out of the context of more essential “We are called Christian truths. In words very close to those he used in an oftquoted interview with a Jesuit journalist in August, Pope Francis writes that “pastoral ministry in a missionary style is not obsessed with the disjointed transmission of a multitude of doctrines to be insistently imposed,” lest they distract from the Gospel’s primary invitation to “respond to the God of love who saves us.”

to find Christ in them, to lend our voices to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them.”

The pope Pope Francis, speaking ends on a hopeabout the poor ful note true to his well-attested devotion to Mary, whom he invokes as the mother of evangelization and “wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones.”

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & World

WASHINGTON

United in faith

High court to hear two cases on HHS mandate; declines employer case The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Nov. 26 to take up two cases that challenge provisions of the Affordable Care Act requiring employers to provide contraceptive coverage on behalf of for-profit companies whose owners object to the mandate for religious reasons. On Dec. 2, the court announced it had declined to hear the appeal of Liberty University of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that the Christian university must adhere to the health care law’s employer mandate. When the Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of parts of the health care law in 2012, it didn’t address the employer mandate to provide coverage. Probably in March, the court will take up the cases of Hobby Lobby, an Oklahoma-based, family-run arts-and-crafts chain, and Conestoga Wood Specialties, a Pennsylvania family-run company that makes cabinets. The cases will be combined for the arguments. A decision is likely by late June. At issue in both cases will be First Amendment arguments that a federal requirement that the owners of the companies provide insurance coverage they morally

tee for Religious Liberty, was pleased with the court’s decision to take up the private employer cases. His statement said the review “highlights the importance of this conflict between the federal government and people seeking to practice their faith in daily life.”

WASHINGTON

National Catholic Rural Life Conference shortens name

Maggie McAuliffe holds hands with other pilgrims from St. John the Evangelist Church in Spencerport, N.Y., while saying the Our Father during the closing Mass of the National Catholic Youth Conference Nov. 23 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. More than 23,000 youths from across the country took part in the conference. The Nov. 21-23 event featured Mass, workshops, musical performances, eucharistic adoration, and a theme park inside the Indiana Convention Center filled with fun activities and service opportunities. CNS photo/Sam Oldenburg, Catholic Courier oppose violates the owners’ Free Exercise rights, as well as their rights under a 1993 law, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In the Liberty University case, which the court without comment declined to consider, the institution argued the mandate for employers

to provide government-defined health insurance violates the school’s rights, and the individual rights of employees. In a Nov. 26 statement, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Ad Hoc Commit-

The National Catholic Rural Life Conference hasn’t trimmed any of its mission or functions, but it has shortened its name to Catholic Rural Life. The organization’s board of directors met in early November. When the name change came up for a vote, “it was unanimous. That tells you something,” said Jim Ennis, Catholic Rural Life’s executive director. “There was no discussion.” Ennis, who’s been executive director for the last five-and-a-half years, said that in his travels to rural communities, “they stumble over the five words, and I just found it very challenging in our day in this age of communicating quickly and succinctly that Catholic Rural Life was much easier for people to understand. We are Catholic, we serve rural communities, and we address rural concerns.” — Catholic News Service

Church / Ministry Jobs School Secretary: Location — St. Odilia; Shoreview, MN The school secretary handles the day to day operations of the school office as they pertain to school administration, parent, student and teacher needs. This position reports to the principal and will work in collaboration with the administrative assistants in various functions as the job dictates. Qualifications include but are not limited to: A commitment to the mission of St. Odilia School; ability to communicate positively with students, parents, staff, administration and the parish community; ability to work collaboratively with others; familiarity with Microsoft Office; strong verbal, written and interpersonal skills; BA preferred, minimum of post-secondary, AA degree, vocational degree or equivalent Principal: Location — Our Lady of Peace Catholic School; Minneapolis, MN Maintain student academic, personal and spiritual growth towards excellence. Manage and develop the school staff. Promote and nurture Our Lady of Peace’s identity. Build a strong team within the school. Build and nurture a collaborative relationship between the school ministry and all of the parish’s ministries. Maintain Administrative and Operational efficiencies. Qualifications: State of Minnesota Administrative License, appropriate educational experience, practicing Catholic President: Location — Totino Grace High School; Fridley, MN The President oversees all aspects of school operation. He/she will preserve and advance the school’s exceptional educational program; guide its dedicated faculty and staff; value and articulate the school’s special qualities of a diverse and caring community to the broader community; maintain and model its Catholic ethos, mission, and Lasallian tradition; and lead the school in the development of its key strategic priorities. Qualifications: Minimum of Master’s degree; demonstrated in-depth understanding of Catholic faith and theology, with additional specific understanding of Lasallian schools; minimum of ten years of experience in high school education, culminating in a significant role in Catholic educational leadership; passion for academic excellence and proven experience in enhancing strong academic and faith formation programs, promoting strong institutional advancement program, developing and implementing strategic plans providing oversight of financial and facilities matters and building productive and sustained relationships with stakeholders; demonstrated strong written and oral communication skills and ability to speak and write convincingly; exceptional interpersonal skills

Lessons and Carols for Advent 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013

Please join The Saint Paul Seminary for carols and hymns of the season, with music by Britten, Willocks, Handel, Victoria, and Nansi Carroll. St. Mary’s Chapel 2260 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN Free and open to the public. Reception following. Information: www.saintpaulseminary.org or (651) 962-5050

For more information on these and other job openings, or to apply online, please visit www.archspm.org/careers. SOD064914

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

13 By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit Almost three years ago Janette Howe felt a simple prompting to pray more for her pastor, Father Joseph Johnson, then-rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul. By the summer of 2010, she was offering a weekly Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament for him. The prompting didn’t end there. Howe was inspired to form an apostolate called the Seven Sisters in which hundreds of women in the Twin Cities and around the country now pray a Holy Hour on a particular day of the week exclusively for their pastor, priest or bishop. The prayer adds up to one dedicated Holy Hour offered every day of the year for each of about 100 clergy members — from Archbishop John Nienstedt to newly ordained priests. With the central focus on the Eucharist, which Father Johnson called the heart of priestly life, each Seven Sisters group of seven women pray on different days of the week for their priest’s intentions and also that he have a deepening devotion to the Blessed Mother. This prayer, which benefits not just priests, but parishes, is inspiring as the local Church goes through a difficult period, said Father Johnson, Seven Sisters adviser and now pastor at Holy Family in St. Louis Park. “We have only to look at current events to see that our Church very much needs a renewal in the life of the priests,” he said. “That’s something that, of course, we priests have to take the lead in ourselves. But it’s also something that the faithful can join in prayer for their priests, and a beautiful way of contributing to the rebuilding of the archdiocese at a very sad time in our history.” Howe started the apostolate in 2011 in seven local parishes. Now more than 80 groups of Seven Sisters pray in the archdiocese. Some parishes have as many as four groups — not only for the pastor, but also for associates, retired priests and chaplains.

Each member of a Seven Sisters group prays a Holy Hour on a different day each week. Pictured above are members of the original seven parishes that started the apostolate in 2011: Jean Koslowski, St. John the Baptist, New Brighton; Terry Gaffney, St. Michael, Stillwater; Cathy Moore, St. Joseph, West St. Paul; Barb York, St. Pius X, White Bear Lake; Nancy Roberts, All Saints, Lakeville and Kathy Chlan, St. Nicholas, New Market. Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit Along with the group for Archbishop Nienstedt, there is one for Bishop Lee Piché, and others are forming for Bishop-elect Andrew Cozzens and St. Cloud Bishop Donald Kettler. Howe added that the apostolate also is growing throughout the country. “It’s just been exponential.” The apostolate consists of women, though men can serve as substitutes. Each core group of adorers is limited to seven, but anyone can join in offering a Holy Hour for their pastor or priest, Howe said. Prayer supporting a priest in his ministry also benefits the laity, Father Johnson said.

Graces flow as the women pray, said Terri Gaffney, who has prayed for her pastor, Father Michael Miller of St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater, since the apostolate began. “The Seven Sisters apostolate unites a core group of women, who in solidarity in prayer for pastors and associate pastors uniquely draw upon the graces, which flow from the very heart of the Blessed Sacrament itself to transform not only the pastor and associate but, through our priests, to transform the parishioners as well.” A Seven Sisters group prayed for Father Joe Bambenek when he became pastor of St. Pius X in White

Bear Lake this July. “I was deeply touched and also deeply humbled,” he said. “It’s a wonderful, amazing thing.” Father Bambenek said the prayer has helped sustain him in learning his new position. “I guess you just trust that through people’s faithfulness God works. . . . It’s certainly encouraging to a person to know that people are praying for them.” During her hour, Howe considers what is happening in the parish and the senses she receives in prayer about the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of her pastor, now current Cathedral rector Father John Ubel. She doesn’t consult with him because the apostolate is designed for quiet service. “Without disturbing the priest in contacting him, there’s much that you can pray about,” she said. Above all, the sisters seek Mary’s intercession for their priests, Howe said. “There’s a beautiful tie-in of relying on the Holy Spirit,” she said. “This is the spouse of Mary. This prayer for the priest to deepen his relationship with Mary is going to happen as each woman relies on the Holy Spirit.” Sometimes apostolate members face distractions, especially the needs of family and friends, Gaffney said. “Sometimes it is difficult. Your mind wanders to another thing or person,” she said, adding that she’s received assurance that God takes care of her other intentions so she can focus on her pastor. Praying as a Seven Sister for a priest often helps women see the big picture at their parish, Gaffney said. “Not that we ignore [an issue], but we look at it in a different way, look at it a little more, ‘I wonder how God is working here, how we can better pray.’ ” Seven Sisters uniquely supports priests through consistent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, she said. “Our prayer as Seven Sisters is to assist in holding up the arms of the priest as he carries out his vocation in the life of a parish, always recollecting the phrases: ‘To Jesus through Mary’ and ‘Do whatever he tells you.’”

Focus on Faith

Seven Sisters apostolate offers prayers for priests

If you have been abused or victimized by someone representing the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, we want to hear from you.

We are here to offer you help and healing. We will also help you make a formal complaint of abuse to this Archdiocese or assist you in contacting another archdiocese/diocese/eparchy. Please call me, Greta Sawyer on my confidential phone line, 651.291.4497, or email me at sawyerg@archspm.org.

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Focus on Faith • Advent

14 Second Sunday of Advent — Dec. 8

Road map for living an authentic life To help readers deepen their experience of the Advent season, The Catholic Spirit is reprinting a series of reflections from Matthew Kelly’s book “Rediscover Advent,” published by Franciscan Media, www. franciscanmedia.org. The following reflections are for the second and third Sundays of Advent. Watch the Dec. 19 issue for a reflection for the last Sunday of Advent.

Scripture • Isaiah 11:1–10 • Romans 15:4–9 • Matthew 3:1–12 “What sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish.” 2 Peter 3:11–14

Reflection Catholicism is a dynamic way of life that encourages and empowers each individual to become the best version of himself or herself. Quite different from the pop psychology and secular philosophies of our time, this is not something we do to and for ourselves (self-help), but rather something that takes place in and through Jesus Christ. We may be able to help ourselves to a certain extent, but it is precisely because we cannot help ourselves

to the extent that we need and desire that we need a savior. The Catholic lifestyle, when it is authentically presented and embraced, promotes the integration of every aspect of our daily lives and every aspect of the human person. And, as you journey toward your destiny, God intertwines your talents with the needs of others to allow you the privilege of touching them, serving them and inspiring them as they make their own journey. Catholicism is a way of life in which the giving and receiving happen in equal measure. It nurtures the individual, the local community, and the whole human family. It affects every area of our lives and is a guiding light in all of our decisions. Catholicism is a call to live an authentic life. When embraced as a lifestyle it causes the elevation of every human activity. Catholicism provides the map and the tools for bringing each person into harmony with self, God and others. — Matthew Kelly

Meditation Do I see Catholicism as a once a

week practice, or as an integral part of my life? What steps do I need to take to embrace Catholicism as my lifestyle?

Prayer The prayer for this week is based on Isaiah 40:1–2, 10–11: “Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. / Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her / that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, / that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. / See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; / his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. / He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, / and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.” The theme is peace — not the peace of humankind but that which can only come from God. “God of peace, you watch over me with a tender love that is deep and true. This Advent, as I struggle with my human faults and failings, let me seek comfort in you and be reconciled in your peace. My soul rests in your goodness and mercy.”

Third Sunday of Advent — Dec. 15

A deep place of prayer Scripture

more and more frequently.

• Isaiah 35:1–6a, 10 • James 5:7–10 • Matthew 11:2–11

Meditation Do I make time for prayer each day? What are some ways I can focus more on God and deepen my prayer?

“John said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,” as the prophet Isaiah said. I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.’” John 1:23, 26–27

Prayer

Reflection Did you ever see Pope John Paul II pray? Each morning, he celebrated Mass in his private chapel with about 20 guests. Perhaps you were fortunate enough to attend. If not, perhaps you saw television footage of these Masses. When this man knelt down to pray after Communion, he would close his eyes and go to a place deep within himself. Once he was there, nothing and no one could distract him. He would go to that place deep within himself, and from that place he brought forth the fruit of his life: wisdom, compassion, generosity, understanding, patience, courage, insight, forgiveness, humility and a love so apparent you could almost touch it. The amazing thing is, if you put this same man in a football stadium with a hundred thousand people and a million more distractions, he still knelt down after

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

— Matthew Kelly

Communion, closed his eyes, and went to that place deep within him where he connected with God. He allowed nothing to distract him from his prayer. It was from that place that he lived his life. Find that place within you. If you do nothing else in your life, find that place and start to live your life from there. I pray I can visit that place within me and go there

The prayer for this week is based on 1 Thessalonians 5:16–22: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.” Clearly, the theme is joy, and as we await the celebration of the birth of Jesus, our hearts are filled with hope and expectation for the coming of the Word made flesh. “God of joy, during these sometimes busy days of Advent, I keep your presence before my eyes. My heart is filled with joy for all you have done. You know the very depths of my soul, yet you love me with a tenderness that is beyond compare.” “Rediscover Advent” features reflections and meditations for every day of the Advent season and can be used by individuals as well as groups. To order the book, visit www.franciscanmedia.org, click on “online catalog” and type “Rediscover Advent” in the search box.

Focus on Faith • Scripture Readings

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES Deacon Blake Rozier

Awake each morning and prepare the way of the Lord Every morning when you awake, if someone were to ask you, “What is your purpose today?” I wonder what your response would be. I can imagine responses like, “I need to work to support my family.” Or, “I need to go to school to enhance my resumé.” Or, “I will help clean the house so our guests are able to enjoy a nice visit.” In the Gospel passage for the Second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist is the central figure. He was an intriguing individual. This is true not only because he ate locusts and wild honey, but because “at that time, Jerusalem, all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him.” It would seem that a person would need a pretty good reason to go into the desert. The desert is no tropical paradise. Why were they drawn to the Baptist?

Living for Jesus

the desert, he said to them: “You brood of vipers!” John the Baptist probably would not understand the Minnesota-nice concept. He desired for everyone to live for God — to live for Jesus Christ. We should strive to enter the mindset of the Baptist as he journeyed into the desert to set Christ’s saving plan in motion. He knew he was the person referenced in Isaiah’s prophecy: “A voice crying out in the desert, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” The Baptist must have been excited to set this plan in motion because he knew the blessing the Lord desired to bestow upon his people. It should not be forgotten that the Baptist was jumping for joy in his mother’s womb at the very presence of Jesus (Luke 1:4142). Now that Jesus was about to save his people, it is understandable that he was quite intense in the saving work that he was helping to carry out. His intensity is a reflection of his great desire to help bring all people into God’s everlasting embrace.

He knew his purpose, and he also knew everyone else’s — including our purpose. They were attentive to his ways because they made sense. John Readings the Baptist made it Answering clear that we are Sunday, Dec. 8 the call primarily called to Second Sunday of Advent give glory to God Our calling as • Isaiah 11:1-10 and strive for his Catholics is the • Romans 15:4-9 kingdom in same as John the • Matthew 3:1-12 everything we do. Baptist’s. When we He was awake each Reflection definitely not morning, we lacking in zeal to should allow John How can you be more like make this reality the Baptist to John the Baptist during this known. He told inspire us to love Advent season? the people, every person we “Repent, the encounter and kingdom of lead them into heaven is at hand!” In seeing the deeper union with Jesus and his Pharisees and Sadducees arrive in Church in order that they may

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Dec. 8 Second Sunday of Advent Isaiah 11:1-10 Romans 15:4-9 Matthew 3:1-12 Monday, Dec. 9 Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Genesis 3:9-15, 20 Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12 Luke 1:26-38

Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist at the Jordan River is depicted in a stained-glass window at St. Therese of Lisieux Church in Montauk, N.Y. CNS photo / Gregory A. Shemitz, Long Island Catholic experience the joys of the Lord’s everlasting kingdom. Family, friends, co-workers, the stranger on the street — each and every person you encounter, you should be like John the Baptist for him or her: helping each person to lead a holy life, helping each person to understand the Church’s teachings. This approach to life will entail being straightforward at times, as in John’s encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees, but the blessing promised is worth the struggle.

Tuesday, Dec. 10 Isaiah 40:1-11 Matthew 18:12-14

Isaiah 48:17-19 Matthew 11:16-19

Wednesday, Dec. 11 St. Damasus I, pope Isaiah 40:25-31 Matthew 11:28-30

Saturday, Dec. 14 St. John of the Cross, priest, doctor of the Church Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11 Matthew 17:9a, 10-13

Thursday, Dec. 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe Zechariah 2:14-17 Luke 1:26-38 Friday, Dec. 13 St. Lucy, virgin, martyr

Sunday, Dec. 15 Third Sunday of Advent Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11

The purposes I mentioned at the start of this reflection are good and true, but if these purposes are not informed by the purpose that the Baptist revealed, they are void. Therefore, awake each morning and prepare the way of the Lord! Deacon Rozier is in formation for the priesthood at St. Paul Seminary for the Diocese of Duluth. His home parish is Holy Spirit in Virginia, Minn., and his teaching parish is Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood.

Monday, Dec. 16 Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a Matthew 21: 23-27

Friday, Dec. 20 Isaiah 7:10-14 Luke 1:26-38

Tuesday, Dec. 17 Genesis 49:2, 8-10 Matthew 1:1-17

Saturday, Dec. 21 St. Peter Canisius, priest, doctor of the Church Song of Songs 2:8-14 Luke 1:39-45

Wednesday, Dec. 18 Jeremiah 23:5-8 Matthew 1:18-25 Thursday, Dec. 19 Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a Luke 1:5-25

Sunday, Dec. 22 Fourth Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7:10-14 Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-24

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Focus on Faith • Seeking Answers

16 SEEKING ANSWERS Father Michael Schmitz

Tips to help you go to confession Q. This Advent, I think that I need to go to confession, but it has been a really long time for me. I’m afraid I’ll get in there and do something wrong. How do I start?

Retirement Fund for Religious

A. First, praise God for moving in your heart in this way. One thing you can be absolutely certain of: Whenever you have the invitation or impulse to go to confession, this is God himself inviting you. And God is inviting you to the sacrament of reconciliation for one reason: because he loves you and wants you to know real joy and the fullness of his love. I understand being nervous though. Here are a few tips to get you started. Get a good examination of conscience: Sometimes I find that adults don’t know what to say in reconciliation because the last time they went was when “I sassed back to my parents” was the biggest thing they had to confess. Because they haven’t actually examined their conscience as an adult, they are often completely oblivious to the “grown up” sins in their life. A good examination of conscience can be a helpful tool to prepare for a good confession. It’s OK to bring in a list: After you’ve made an examination of conscience, it can sometimes help people if they write down all of the sins they want to confess. There are even great apps on smartphones that help with this. People have told me that they have had priests tell them not to bring in a list to assist them in making a good confession. The reasoning is, apparently, “You wouldn’t bring in a list if you were talking with your mother, would you?” I get that. But we make lists when it is important that we remember things. We make a list when going to the grocery store because it is important that we get everything for supper. The same is true for confession. If it helps you to bring in a list, go ahead and bring in a list. If the priest tells you to stop reading from your list, you can tell him that you will once he stops reading his homilies from the “God is inviting you pulpit (or the announcements, whichever to the sacrament of applies). Just be warned, if you do that, you may have to confess being snarky (but that’s a venial sin at worst). reconciliation for one reason: because No need to rush It’s OK to interrupt the priest: I’ve had he loves you and many people tell me that they weren’t done with their confession when the wants you to know priest started talking and gave them absolution, or that they remembered real joy and the something after they had already started fullness of his love.” making their act of contrition.

The question races through one’s mind: “Can I interrupt him? I’m not Father Michael Schmitz done!” Be assured, it is no problem. The priest is there to be a vehicle of God’s love for you, and if he mistakenly thought that you were done, it is OK to let him know that there is more you need to say. He would much rather you be at peace and say everything you have to say than to be able to offer his own advice. Just say, “Father, I’m sorry, but I forgot to mention. . . .” Boom. Simple. And it’s done. You don’t have to tell “the story of the sin.” At the same time, keep in mind that we are only required to confess each mortal sin in number and kind. That means I simply have to “name the sin” and any relevant details. For example, there is a difference between saying, “I took something home from work that wasn’t mine” and “I’ve been stealing things from work most every week for the past six months.” There are things that affect the weight of the sin, as well. I Please turn to PRIEST on page 23

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Like thousands of senior religious, Sister of Divine Providence John Margaret Walsh, 76, has spent her life serving others. Today, she and some 34,000 elder Catholic sisters, brothers, and religious order priests benefit from the Retirement Fund for Religious. Your gift provides funding for prescription medications, nursing care, and more.

Please give to those who have given a lifetime. To donate: National Religious Retirement Office/MSP 3211 Fourth Street NE Washington DC 20017-1194 Make your check payable to Retirement Fund for Religious.

Or give at your local parish December 7–8.

www.retiredreligious.org

Updated planning process stresses evangelization Continued from page 10 “We met several times to get a thorough understanding of what the process would entail,” Jungels said. GROW includes three meetings — two evenings and one full day. Before the first meeting, TeamWorks and Catholic Finance gather demographic and financial information from the parish and prepare a report for the meeting. Participants — which include pastors, trustees, parish business administrators and other parish and parish school staff members — receive a detailed GROW toolkit outlining the process. Before the second meeting, which is held three months after the first, an online parish survey is completed. “We helped create a survey that was then given to parishioners, school families and staff,” Jungels said. “Next, we spent a great deal of time exploring and analyzing the report TeamWorks created for us with the detailed data and information pulled from survey answers.” Committees set targets for a parish pastoral plan after reviewing the survey results at the second meeting. The GROW process — especially now with more emphasis on evangelization — is meant to complement the Rediscover: initiative coordinated by the archdiocese. Both come out of the archdiocese’s strategic plan. The process identifies four seeds for growth, intended to be a bridge between GROW and Rediscover: — hospitality, prayer, study and generosity. The intended outcome of incorporating these into parish ministries is evangelization, Dittman said. “Rediscover: is intended to reawaken the faith in the passively en gaged or disengaged,” he said.1 CathSpHolidayShows-Dec5-2013_Layout “And GROW is ultimately about

preparing parishes to proactively engage people.” “We haven’t been through [a planning process], said Cindy Reckinger, parish administrator at St. Patrick in Inver Grove Heights. “That’s why we thought this would be a good opportunity.” The survey results were very positive, Reckinger said. Those who responded feel that St. Patrick is a very welcoming parish, very hospitable, and has a great liturgy program, she said. The formal pastoral plan is finalized at the third meeting. The St. Patrick committee set several goals based on the GROW process, including improving Mass attendance and increasing the number of people who volunteer at the parish, as well as improving the church building’s wifi and sound systems. “We’ve seen the survey data influence the final parish plan,” Dittman said. “And open the eyes of parish leaders.” “One of the main things we hope to achieve is engaging more parishioners in the life of the parish — those disengaged and/or disenfranchised,” said Father Bob Hart, pastor of St. Patrick. “We are looking at several options, including in-home dinners or developing neighborhoods (of registered members) within the parish.” “The process was definitely worth it; it gave us a view of the demographics of our area as to what we have out there and what we can work with,” Reckinger said. “It’s also given us the vision of what we need to do spiritually,” Committee members from St. John the Baptist created a priority list of things that stood out from the information they received from the GROW process. “We then created ‘action cards’ under 1categories such as communi11/27/13 cation, stewardship and evangeliza-

Visits give insight into parish needs The Catholic Spirit One requirement to participate in the GROW process is to have had a parish visit or to at least have one scheduled. Canon law requires a bishop, as part of his pastoral duties, to visit his parishes every five years, said Father Michael Skluzacek, pastor at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton. “Because of his role as chief shepherd of the diocese, he is to visit the clergy and the faithful of the parish to see how things are going, to give encouragement, guidance and direction,” he said. In an archdiocese the size of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the archbishop simply doesn’t have time to get to every parish, so he appoints vicars to visit in his name. Father Skluzacek is one of three regional vicars (Region 1). The others are Father Robert Hart, pastor of St. Patrick parish in Inver Grove Heights, vicar for Region 2 and Father Stephen Ulrick, pastor of Holy Name of Jesus, Wayzata, vicar for Region 3. Father Kevin Kenney, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul, serves as vicar for Latino ministry and joins the regional vicar on visits to parishes with active Latino ministry. “We are really representing the archbishop when we go out on these visits,” Father Skluzacek said. Parish visits began in September 2012, and 16 of the 78 parishes in Region 1 are done, according to Father Skluzacek. He said it’s an ongoing process that will take four to five years, “But then the idea is that you start over,” he said.

Getting ready Before each visit, someone from the archdiocesan parish services team goes to the parish, visits with the pastor and lets him know what preparations need to be done before the visit. Preparations include a self-study to gather data in the various areas of parish life and then a report that is given to the regional vicar, Father Skluzacek said. There are three parts to the visit, with the first one being a meeting with the pastor and any other clergy at the parish. “I think that’s really one of the best pieces of the visit,” Father Skluzacek said. “It helps the archbishop to know how his priests are doing and what their needs are.” The second and third parts are meetings with first the pastor, business administrator and head of maintenance, then with trustees, chairpersons of major committees, school principal and director of worship. After the on-site visitation, the vicar puts together a report to be sent to the archbishop. “That’s where the hard part comes for me,” Father Skluzacek said. “I really enjoy the on-site visitation, but then the work comes, I have to write a report.” tion,” said Jungels. “These ‘action cards’ have mission-driven goals that address parishioner needs —

including growing our faith, building the parish and spreading our faith.”

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TheCatholicSpirit.com December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

This Catholic Life • Commentary

18 EDITORIAL Joe Towalski

It’s time to start looking into the faces of the poor Just about every day on my way to work, I encounter the face of the poor. It’s usually a different face each time at the top of the interstate exit ramp or on a corner along one of the streets on my “short cut” route back home. A man or woman stands there holding a sign asking for money — sometimes for food, sometimes in exchange for work. I’m ashamed to admit it, but all too often, I look away. I wonder for a few seconds while the traffic light is red if I should open my wallet and offer a few dollars. Sometimes, I judge their appearance and wonder if they’ll really use the money for food. Then the light turns green and I continue on my way to my warm house and a full plate of dinner. It’s not what I should be doing as a Catholic, as a member of a church that promotes a preferential option for the poor. And, it’s certainly not

what Pope Francis wants me — or anyone else who has been in my position — to do. In his recent apostolic exhortation, “The Joy of the Gospel,” the pope said we must be “a church which is poor and for the poor.” “We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voices to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them,” he wrote. A few days later, I read an Associated Press story about the Vatican almoner — basically the pope’s chief almsgiver. A few times a week, Archbishop Konrad Krajewski hits the streets, offering money for essential needs, food from the Vatican mess halls and a listening ear. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio did something similar, according to the story, going out to eat

A panhandler sits at the entrance of the an abandoned convent Nov. 4 in Brussels. Pope Francis will help launch a global campaign of prayer and action against world hunger. CNS photo/Francois Lenoir, Reuters and talk with the homeless. “My job is to be an extension of the pope’s arm toward the poor, the needy, those who suffer,” Archbishop Krajewski was quoted as saying. “He cannot go out of the Vatican, so he has chosen a person who goes out to hug the people who suffer.” Pope Francis offers an important reminder that caring for the poor involves more than writing a check to charity or donating canned goods to a food shelf. While those are important and essential, they don’t replace reaching out to people in need with a

hand of friendship, a listening ear and a commitment to work together with them to make changes in society — in government policies and institutional structures —that will help to alleviate both material and spiritual poverty. We need to look more directly and more deeply into the faces of the poor that we encounter every day, avoiding every temptation to look away. Pope Francis and Christ himself would demand no less of us. Even if we are sitting in traffic on a busy street corner.

A modern heir to St. Nicholas Priest launches institute providing professional Santa Claus training By Jerry Costello Father Joseph Marquis, not surprisingly, knows all about Christmas. But — and this is the part that might surprise you — he knows all about Santa Claus, too. At a time when many in the Church downplay the role of Santa and the gifting tradition as symbols of all that’s gone wrong with Christmas, Father Marquis is something else. Not only does he embrace the concept of Santa Claus, but he also makes use of the idea as a true teaching moment — about the real message of Christmas. Here’s how it all came about. As a 5-year-old growing up in Michigan, Joseph Marquis had a disappointing experience with a department store Santa. When his mother told him that it wasn’t the real Santa he’d seen but only one of his helpers, young Joseph had a ready answer: “Someday I will be Santa’s helper, too.” And that’s just what happened. He became a department store Santa himself, and went at it in a big way — he appeared in parades, wrote and illustrated a book about Santa, collected awards for the way he played the role, and finally made the Santa Claus Hall of Fame.

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

But there was something else. He became a hospital chaplain and grew ever more interested in the Church. At first he served as deacon, then entered the seminary, and today, at 63, he’s a priest — the pastor of Sacred Heart Byzantine Catholic Church in Livonia, Mich. Through it all he never lost interest in Santa or in his real-life counterpart, St. Nicholas of Myra. Last year, in the spirit of St. Nicholas, he launched an institute that provided professional Santa Claus training. As he told Maryann Gogniat Eidemiller, who wrote his story in Our Sunday Visitor, he did so because St. Nicholas embodies the love and grace with joy envisioned in the call of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI for a Year of Faith, the ultimate inspiration for the course. “Many of the 17 men who came to the symposium will probably never portray the historical figure,” Father Marquis said. “But for the first time in their lives they realized what they were entrusted with.” He noted that St. Nicholas, a bishop known for giving gifts and who is the patron saint of children, served as the exemplar for the core values of the institute. Thought of as “the real Santa Claus,” St. Nicholas showed true compassion for the

A man portraying St. Nicholas arrives in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in this 2008 photo. St. Nicholas’ feast day is Dec. 6. istockphoto.com poor and forgotten, Father Marquis added. Thus the participants in the course (as Eidemiller wrote) should “treat children with the same integrity, sensitivity and unconditional love that characterizes jolly old St. Nicholas.” Father Marquis said he hoped that all the professional Santas who came to the symposium would remain prayerfully open to the real spirit of Christmas. At its conclusion he blessed the participants and gave each one a replica of a bishop’s ring. “In the prayer, I said that each was entrusted with the legacy of St. Nicholas, and that while they are not shepherding a huge flock, they

are shepherding small children, and that’s a very serious obligation,” he said. “They all got choked up. It’s funny how St. Nicholas can read into the hearts of people.” For a free copy of the Christopher News Note, “Making Christmas Happy and Holy,” write: The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@ christophers.org. Jerry Costello writes for The Christophers, a New York-based mission organization that reaches out to people of all faiths, encouraging them to combat darkness with light.

Christina Capecchi

Waiting for a baby: on Advent and adoption For years folks told Mike and Maria Slavik that their blue colonialstyle house looked like a Christmas card. Maria would be out mowing the lawn in the middle of July and someone would stop to say he loved the way it was decorated for the holidays. So they decided to make it into a card, editing a picture to resemble a painting, blurring the lights into longer strokes, darkening the red poinsettias in the window boxes and the red bows on the wreaths. Their romance was kindled on Wednesday nights at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Hastings, where Maria led youth-group gatherings and Mike attended choir practice. They’d linger until it was time to lock up the church, and then they’d take the conversation to Tamales Mexican restaurant down the road, nursing margaritas and munching on chips. There were never enough hours. Mike was drawn to Maria’s deep faith, compassionate nature and beautiful brown eyes. Maria admired Mike’s willingness to help anyone in need, manifest in his bright smile and the friendly tilt of his eyebrows. They married four years ago and settled into an 85-year-old house with hardwood

floors, cast-iron radiators and builtins, plus a fenced-in backyard where Maria planted two vegetable gardens. Decorating for Christmas became one of their favorite things to do together. They begin the weekend after Thanksgiving. The first ornaments they hang on the tree are their matching “Baby’s First Christmas” satin balls, a kitten and a Teddy bear on clear plastic framing the year 1978. The rest of the ornaments, along with the wrapped gifts below, are all silver and gold, like icicles dipped in honey. But there is something missing from the happy scene: a baby of their own. Over the past three years, Maria has miscarried four times. She is one of 6.7 million American women — nearly 11 percent — who struggles to either conceive or carry a baby to term. The decision she and Mike made to pursue adoption through Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis gave her a new sense of purpose. “One of the things that was so difficult for me, spiritually, with the pregnancy loss was this feeling of losing hope,” she said. “Our Catholic faith is such a hope-based faith — it’s an Easter faith. The dark Fri-

INTELLECT & VIRTUE John Garvey

The fog and the mystics It was foggy this morning. I found it cozy. I always have. I love the fog. When I was a boy, we lived near a small lake in Pennsylvania. I liked to get up early to see the fog sitting on the bay. When the sun rose, it would roll out toward the deep water and scatter. As newlyweds, my wife and I lived in San Francisco and liked to go camping. I remember pitching a tent one weekend afternoon on Mount Tamalpais. We sat up high in the sunshine and watched the fog creep in over San Francisco Bay, the way Carl Sandburg once described. It enveloped everything but the tips of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Transamerica building.

I like the feeling of watching the fog from above, and I also like being inside it. Noises are muffled and scattered. Like sounds underwater, they seem to come from some indistinct place. And, of course, you can’t see very far. It’s dangerous to drive in it. If you are on foot, you can stop within your range of vision. Animals have a hard time seeing and hearing inside the fog, too. As you walk along in the fog, scared rabbits will scamper in the grass and frightened pheasants will flush near at hand. This is the part I love best — the sense of enclosure in a small and quiet world. A psychologist might have a field day ascertaining why it appeals to me. Perhaps some genetic memory, common to prey ani-

Maria and Mike Slavik are members of St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Paul Park. Photo courtesy of the Slaviks day eventually turns into Easter morning. When we moved into adoption, it was like, ‘There’s going to be some sun again.’” Maria poured herself into creating a profile for prospective birth parents, curling up with her laptop in the three-season porch every evening for two weeks. She wrote about what kind of parents she and Mike intend to be and sprinkled in photos. With some editing from Mike, she went through several drafts. “The whole thing felt like a prayer,” she said. Their profile is part of a personal website they built, MikeAndMariaAdopt.com, and it went live on Catholic Charities’ website two weeks before Thanksgiving. It is one of 10 in a book that birth parents who visit the agency can review. In this open-adoption era, some

adoptive couples launch ambitious marketing campaigns, securing newspaper ads, Craigslist notices, even billboards to reach women who consider placing their babies. But Mike and Maria trust that their simpler approach will speak to the right woman. Ultimately, it’s difficult to convey the three things that remain from their protracted quest to become parents: faith, hope and love. For now, Mike and Maria are embracing Advent, a season of anticipation, of waiting and praying for a baby that changes everything. Each Sunday they light their Advent wreath, trusting that light will one day conquer the darkness.

mals, tells me it’s easier to hide. I wonder, though, if there might not be a different reason for my fascination. In the upper church at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, there is a famous cycle of 28 paintings depicting the life of St. Francis. Each painting shows a single event in his life. The series follows the life of St. Francis as written by St. Bonaventure. The 12th in the cycle is the “Ecstasy of St. Francis.” Here is how St. Bonaventure describes the scene: Francis “was lost in ecstasy and had no idea what was going on around him. . . . He was occasionally seen raised up from the ground and surrounded with a shining cloud.” In Giotto’s painting, Francis is immersed in a cloud, looking up toward heaven. Jesus reaches down toward him in an attitude of blessing. Four of Francis’ companions look on from the left, mightily impressed.

tion. Peter, James and John went up the mountain with Jesus and witnessed the event. Peter was so stunned that he started babbling about building tabernacles. While he was still talking, “a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’” Why is it that saints and mystics are shrouded in fog when they approach God? Is it because the experience so surpasses our poor ability to see and describe that it is, as we say, ineffable? An anonymous 14thcentury English mystic called it “the cloud of unknowing.” My prayer life is too mundane to contribute anything about this from my own experience. I feel like one of the companions at the periphery of paintings depicting St. Francis’ life — the one leaning back open-mouthed, as if to say, “Holy cow!” But I think that’s why I love the fog. I like to go into it with a prayer to St. Francis on my lips.

Ineffable experience Both Giotto and Bonaventure might have had in mind St. Matthew’s account of the Transfigura-

This Catholic Life • Commentary

TWENTY SOMETHING

Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights. She can be reached at www.ReadChristina.com.

Garvey is president of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Faith & Culture

20 ‘Simple Wisdom’ two-book series offers Pope Francis’ homespun messages Catholic News Service The Communications Department of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has released two brief books on the “Simple Wisdom of Pope Francis.” They are the first books of the pontiff’s words since his election in March, and the brief messages “make for easy, daily reading,” says a release announcing the books’ publication. The slim volumes — subtitled “Hold on to Hope” and “The Joy of Evangelization” — include papal remarks that have garnered worldwide media attention, such as: • “Let us remember that whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor, from the hungry!” • “To pray for those with whom we are angry is a beautiful step toward that law of love.” • “Never gossip about others, never! So much damage to the church comes from division among Christians, from biases, from narrow interests.”

• “Behave like Jesus. Always answer with love and with the power of truth.” The series of two books is available for $11.95 plus shipping, in individual and bulk copies. More information can be found at www. SimpleWisdomSeries.com. The books are published in English in conjunction with the Vatican publishing house, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. The “Hope” volume is 66 pages long and “Evangelization,” 73 pages. In conjunction with their publication, the books will be used as a giveaway for Catholics who participate in a USCCB Facebook effort to have Catholics share how they observe Advent and prepare for Christmas. At www.facebook.com/usccb Catholics are being asked, “How do you prepare for Christmas?” and they are encouraged to share photos. A copy of the two-book series will be given away daily to a winner chosen at random. On Christmas Day, the USCCB will give a $200 gift card for use in its online bookstore. To enter the contest, users should visit www.USCCB.org/ Advent. The site also features the USCCB interactive Advent calendar packed with daily tips and videos to help people prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ. Visitors are urged to stop by each day to “open” the next door to find another thoughtful way to experience Advent with friends and family.

A view shows the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome Nov. 19. The catacomb, used for Christian burials from the late second century through the fourth century, reopened to the public after years of restoration. Users of Google Maps now can see virtually through the underground corridors of the catacombs. CNS photo/Max Rossi

Vatican, Google team up to bring ancient Christian catacombs to light Catholic News Service Early Christian burial sites are now easier to see, both in person and via the Internet, thanks to 21stcentury technology and collaboration between Google and the Vatican. “This is perhaps the sign of the joining of two extremes, remote antiquity and modernity,” said Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi Nov. 19, at a news conference at the Catacombs of Priscilla in northeast Rome. The cardinal, president of both the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology, lauded recent restoration work by the archaeological commission inside the complex of early Christian tombs. Using advanced laser techniques,

restorers have uncovered vivid late fourth-century frescoes depicting Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and Sts. Peter and Paul accompanying Christians into the afterlife. Jesus’ face resembles portraits of the Emperor Constantine, who legalized Christian worship in 313. Cardinal Ravasi also heralded the Nov. 19 debut of the catacombs on Google’s Street View feature. Users of Google Maps can now click the “see-inside” option for the catacombs, which allows them to move virtually through the narrow corridors tunneled out of soft tufa stone, and to see high-resolution images of the interiors from practically every angle. The brilliantly lit views are in startling contrast to the shadowy reality of an in-person visit.

Theology Day. Find out. More than Computers: Human Identity in a Digital World Thursday, December 19, Basilica of Saint Mary, Minneapolis 6 p.m.: check-in & cookies and refreshments, 6:30-9 p.m.: presentation

Computer scientists and philosophers have recently suggested that the mind, and hence the self, is essentially nothing more than a computer and could be reproduced digitally. This view separates mind from body and ignores the spirit. As a better concept, our creation in the image of God intertwines mind, action, and relationship as each essential for human identity. We are neither just a mind nor just a body, but a mind that is both part and product of our human body, a body that exists within a larger environment and human culture. Computers may extend our minds, our ability to act, and our relationships, but they always do this in a limited and partial manner. Noreen Herzfeld is the Nicholas and Bernice Reuter Professor of Religion and Science at Saint John’s University. She is a 1994 alum of the School of Theology·Seminary and earned her doctorate at The Graduate Theological Union.

FREE but registration is required: www.csbsju.edu/sot or 320-363-3570

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SHARING AND CARING HANDS in all copies of this issue. December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

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Christ Child Luncheon at St. Ignatius, Annandale — December 6: 10:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at 35 Birch St. Cookies and candy will be available in Santa’s Sweet Shop. Proceeds benefit Birthline of St. Cloud, Birthright of Monticello, Dakota Woodlands and MCCL. Tickets available at the door.

Christmas boutique and bake sale at St. Odilia, Shoreview — December 7 and 8: Noon to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday at 3495 N. Victoria St.

Annual Christmas Village at St. Raphael, Crystal — December 7: 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 7301 Bass Lake Road. Features entertainment by children from the parish school and a visit from Santa.

Christmas craft and bake sale at St. Timothy, Maple Lake — December 7 and 8: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday at 8 Oak Ave. N.

8th Annual Holiday Boutique and bake sale at Pax Christi Catholic Community, Eden Prairie — December 7: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 12100 Pioneer Trail. More thanb 50 talented vendors, unique handmade holiday gifts and youth bake sale. La Guadalupana, the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Basilica of St. Mary, Minneapolis — December 7: 1:30 p.m. at 88 N. 17th St. Features In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre. Christmas Boutique at St. Cyril, Minneapolis — December 7: Noon to 6 p.m. at 1315 Second St. N. E. Features cabbage rolls (Holubky), hot dogs, bake sale, poppy seed bread (Kolach), crafts, gift items, raffles, Oplatki and more. Handicap Accessible. Christmas Fair at St. Hedwig, Minneapolis — December 7 and 8: Saturday 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and after the 4 p.m. Mass until 6 p.m. Sunday 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at 129 29th Ave. N.E. Bake sale, silent auction, kids room, crafts and misc. items for sale. Free hot chocolate, coffee & cookies. Free parking at 29th & Marshall in the lot. For more information call (612) 789-4830. Christmas bazaar at Holy Cross, Minneapolis — December 7 and 8: 1 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at 17th and Fourth Streets N.E. Features baked goods, jewelry boutique and more.

Don’t miss: More events online Additional parish and school events in the archdiocese can be found in the Calendar section of TheCatholicSpirit.com.

Sugar Plum Days with St. Louis IX Bakery at Holy Family, St. Louis Park — December 7 and 8: Noon to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at 5900 W. Lake St. Features “Cookies by the Pound” and the St. Louis IX Bakery with a French flare. Food will be available, including a salad bar, chili and hot dogs. Christmas bazaar at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park – Dec. 7 and 8: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to pm. Sunday at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Features more than 70 crafters, bakery, large raffle, live music, soup and sandwich lunch on Saturday, and sweet treats on Sunday. Olde Tyme Christmas Bazaar at St. Lawrence Catholic Church and Newman Center, Minneapolis — December 7 and 8: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at 1203 Fifth St. S.E. Features a Holiday bake sale, pictures with Santa and more. Christmas boutique and bake sale at Guardian Angels, Oakdale — December 7 and 8: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at 8260 Fourth St. N. Features more than 70 vendors with jewelry, ornaments, wood crafts and more. Santa shop for kids to get affordable gifts for family and friends. Christmas wreaths also for sale.

Christmas Boutique and Bake Sale at Annunciation, Minneapolis — December 7 and 8: 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Sunday at 509 W. 54th St. Features Christmas items, crafts, a variety of baked goods, silent auction and more.

Parishioners art exhibit at Pax Christi, Eden Prairie — December 8: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 12100 Pioneer Trail. Parishioners share their artistic gifts in this diverse multi-media exhibit. Exhibit runs through December 22.

St. Bridget Unique Boutique at the St. Austin campus, Minneapolis — December 7 and 8: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at 41st and Thomas Avenues N. Features handcrafted towels, doll clothes, holiday items and more.

Yule Groove/ The George Maurer Group featuring Rachel Holder in concert at St. Joan of Arc, Minneapolis — December 8: 7 p.m. at 4537 3rd Ave. S. Tickets are general admission and are $20. They are available at the door, online at www.stjoan.com, or by calling (612) 823-8305.

Bake and boutique sale at Incarnation, Minneapolis — December 7 and 8: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday with soup lunch and 8:30 a.m. to noon Sunday with pancake breakfast at 3801

Live Nativity at St Joseph, Miesville — December 15: Programs at 4, 4:30 and 5 p.m. A light supper will be served after the programs.

Music ‘A Celebration of Carols’ cantata at St. Rose of Lima, Roseville — December 8: 2 p.m. at 2090 Hamline Ave. N. Features one hour of carols, seasonal songs and scripture followed by a reception.

Messiah Sing-a-Long at St. Olaf, Minneapolis — December 15: 6:30 p.m. at 215 S Eighth Street. Features Minnesota Chorale organist Lynn Trapp. Freewill offering.

Prayer/ liturgy Advent Taizé prayer at St. Richard, Richfield — December 6: 7:30 p.m. at 7540 Penn Ave. S. All are welcome. For information, visit www.strichards.com. Advent Evensong with the Sisters of St. Joseph and Consociates at Our Lady of the Presentation Chapel, St. Paul — December 8: 4:30 p.m. at 1880 Randolph Ave. Ecumenical Taizé prayer service at Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville — December 10: 6:30 p.m. at 3333 Cliff Road.

Richfield — December 6: 8:30 to 10 a.m. at 7540 Penn Ave. S. Features the story of St. Nicholas, activities, games and prizes. For information, visit www.btcsmn.org. St. Nicholas Fun Day event at St. Thomas More School, St. Paul — December 6: 9 to 10:30 a.m. at 1065 Summit Ave. A morning of stories, crafts and games for children ages 2 to 6.

Calendar

Parish events

‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ at CretinDerham Hall High School, St. Paul — December 11 to 15: Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:00 p.m., with matinee performances at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at 550 S. Albert St. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors and $7 for adults. Advance purchase tickets are available in the main office of the school or at the door prior to the performances.

Other events Men’s Club annual Christmas tree and wreaths sale at Guardian Angels, Oakdale — December 7, 8, 14 & 15: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. while supplies last at 8260 4th St N. Choose from a selection of Balsam, White Pine and Frazer Firs and 25” and 36” wreaths with red bows.

CALENDAR submissions

Advent Vespers at St. Hedwig, Minneapolis — December 15: 3 p.m. at 129 29th Ave. N.E.

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

Singles

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events of interest to a wide audience and hosted by Catholic institutions.

Catholic Singles Adults Club of the Twin Cities annual Christmas Holiday Dinner/ Dance at David Fong’s Restaurant, Bloomington — January 4: Cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m. and dancing from 8 p.m. to midnight at 9329 Lyndale Ave S. Cost for dinner and dance is $20, dance only is $10. Reservations for dinner must be received by Monday, Dec. 23. Mail your check (made out to: CSAC) to Carl Bergstrom, 382 N. Pierce St., Apt. 7, St. Paul, MN 55104. If you have questions call (651) 603-1412.

School events A Simple Christmas Art Fair at CretinDerham Hall High School, St.Paul — December 5: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 550 S. Albert St. The event, which will be held in the Commons area of the school, will feature unique gifts made by those in the CDH community and people from countries all around the world. Please use the Albert St. entrance to the school. St. Nicholas party for preschool and kindergarten students at Blessed Trinity,

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication in the calendar: Time and date of event, full street address of event, description of event, and contact information in case of questions. E-MAIL: spiritcalendar@archspm.org. (No attachments, please.) OR MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

Open Window Theatre second annual Christmas Soiree at the theatre, Minneapolis — December 10: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at 1313 Chestnut Ave. #102. The festive evening will include live entertainment with Michael Pearce Donley, a great silent auction, holiday treats and drinks, “guest appearance” by C.S. Lewis, raffle prize (newest iPad Air!), and more. Tickets are $15 and all proceeds benefit the work of this inspiring local professional theater company. Please sign up at openwindowtheatre.org or call (612) 615-1515. Book signing with Alyssa Bormes, author of “The Catechism of Hockey” at Leaflet Missal, St. Paul — December 14: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 976 W. Minnehaha Ave.

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Pope to help launch worldwide ‘wave of prayer’ against hunger By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Pope Francis will help launch a global campaign of prayer and action against world hunger. Organized by Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican-based federation of Catholic charities, the global “wave of prayer” will begin at noon Dec. 10 on the South Pacific island of Samoa and head west across the world’s time zones. Pope Francis will offer his blessing and support for the “One Human Family, Food For All” campaign in a five-minute video message being released on the eve of the global launch. Caritas Internationalis invited its 164 member organizations and local churches to pray for an end to hunger and malnutrition as well as to act on a local, national or global level against food waste and promote food access and security worldwide. Nearly 1 billion people — or about one in eight people — experienced chronic hunger or undernourishment during 2010-2012, according to the Caritas website. “One of the worst sounds a parent can hear is their child crying at night tormented by hunger. Many

People wait in line for an early Thanksgiving meal served to the homeless and others at the Los Angeles Mission in Los Angeles Nov. 27. Pope Francis will help launch a global campaign of prayer and action against world hunger. CNS photo/Jonathan Alcorn, Reuters parents living in poverty hear this cry and yet they have no food to give them,” Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, president of Caritas Internationalis, said in a video message.

Vatican official urges steps to address ‘ethical challenge’ of climate change By Jonathan Luxmoore Catholic News Service Climate change represents an “ethical challenge to civilization,” said the Vatican’s lead representative to an international conference in Warsaw, Poland, discussing the worldwide impact of climate change. Archbishop Celestino Migliore told attendees at a church-run conference that the Vatican would help “form consciences and ethical perspectives” on climate change in line with Catholic social teaching, and encourage “fairness, impartiality and mutual responsibility” when it came to action to address the environmental threat. The church-run conference met Nov. 18-19, coinciding with the intergovernmental Conference of Parties of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change that also convened in the Polish capital. The conference, hosted by Caritas Poland and Warsaw’s Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, included Catholic leaders, politicians, climate scientists and civil society groups, who called on governments to reduce their reliance on coal, oil and other fossil resources. The Warsaw Conference of Parties, meeting Nov. 11-22, was called to review progress since the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It was the 19th such gathering to review the Kyoto accord, which was extended in December 2012 in Doha, Qatar, with a new commitment to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 18 percent by 2020. “The crisis situation humanity currently faces has an economic, consumerist,

December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

environmental and social character, but is also fundamentally moral,” Archbishop Migliore told the ecumenical conference, which included representatives of Misereor, the German bishops’ organization for development; CAFOD, the British bishops’ agency for international development; and the Washington-based Center of Concern.

Raise awareness At the conference’s conclusion, Catholic aid organizations urged church leaders to help publicize the hardships and sufferings caused by climate change. “Governments are listening — they’re open to their constituencies and ready to hear a spiritual message about faith and morality,” said Markus Drake, spokesman for CIDSE, a Brussels-based alliance of 17 Catholic aid groups. “All faith-based organizations should be stepping in to provide this message and give stronger arguments to those ready to act, as well as connections with people around the world who are personally witnessing the effects of global warming.” Drake told Catholic News Service Nov. 20 that he hoped Catholics “still unconvinced about climate change” would be persuaded by recent findings, including a September assessment report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that human activity was its “dominant cause.” He added that many Catholic parishes worldwide were taking initiatives to help those affected and said he hoped aid agency warnings would now also be “picked up by church structures and institutions.”

“There is enough food to feed the planet. We believe that with your help and the help of governments and the U.N. we can end hunger by 2025,” he said. Caritas is urging Catholics to take

a few moments at noon Dec. 10 to join the world in praying against hunger as well as engage in longterm action through raising awareness, advocacy, charitable work or other efforts supporting food security. The right to food is part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the “Food For All” launch date of Dec. 10 marks the U.N.’s Human Rights Day. The Caritas campaign is calling on the United Nations to hold a session on the right to food at its 2015 General Assembly and is asking governments to guarantee the right to food in national legislation to help alleviate their own citizens’ hunger. The campaign will continue with a “global week of action” in October 2014 with events aimed at pressuring national governments to support laws for the right to food. In Rome in May 2015, Caritas Internationalis also will host a general assembly of its members’ leaders to focus specifically on eradicating hunger. People can contact their local Caritas organization for more information or the campaign’s main site at www.food.caritas.org.

Disclosure seeks to assist healing Continued from page 1 The order by Judge John Van de North to release the information modifies a protective order preventing the disclosure that had been in place since 2009 as part of a lawsuit filed in Ramsey County District Court. During the hearing, archdiocesan attorney Tom Wieser said the archdiocese was prepared to release the names of the 30 clerics who had assignments in the archdiocese and substantiated claims against them of sexually abusing a minor — those for which there is reasonable grounds to believe that the reported abuse occurred. The 30 include 29 clerics on the original list of 33 names sealed by the 2009 court order plus Curtis Wehmeyer, a cleric who was criminally convicted of sexual abuse of a minor earlier this year. Van de North, however, said the archdiocese must file information about all 33 priests with the court by Dec. 17. If the archdiocese would choose not to provide some of the names, it would need to file a detailed explanation to explain why, he said. The archdiocese has chosen to publish the information for the additional four clerics — along with explanations about why it did not propose them for disclosure — in the interest of transparency and to comply with the order. The list of 33 was originally compiled by the archdiocese in 2003 to fulfill a request by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, which published a national study of clergy sexual abuse between 1950 and 2002. The study was commissioned by

the U.S. bishops’ National Review Board, which collaborates with the bishops in preventing the sexual abuse of minors by persons who serve the Church.

Comprehensive approach The disclosure of names is part of a comprehensive set of actions the archdiocese is taking to address issues associated with clergy sexual misconduct in our archdiocese. The archdiocese has retained Kinsale Management Consulting — founded by Kathleen McChesney, a former high-level official at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and former head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Child and Youth Protection — to conduct a third-party review of its clergy files. Additionally, an independent Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force, announced in October, is conducting a full review of the archdiocese’s policies and practices related to clergy sexual misconduct. “Our goals are to protect the young and vulnerable, care for victims of abuse, and restore trust among the laity, as well as our clergy who are serving honorably,” the archdiocese said in a statement Dec. 3. During the court hearing, archdiocesan attorney Tom Wieser said Archbishop John Nienstedt “wants the healing to begin.” “Those who have been victimized by these horrible crimes have been deeply hurt,” the archdiocesan statement said. “It is our hope that disclosure of these names can assist victims in their healing process.”

Priest there to help during confession

Carver likes working for priests Continued from page 24

Continued from page 16 have a priest friend from Kenya who likes to say, “Don’t say, ‘Father, I stole a rope,’ and neglect to mention that there was a cow attached to the rope!” It might feel like you are rushing if you simply name the sin. I understand that, and you don’t need to rush. But there is something beautifully humble about simply confessing the sin without “dressing it up” with a story. You don’t have to confess anyone else’s sins: While few people come to confession in order to talk about someone else’s sins, it happens. In most cases, this is because there is some hurt involved, a spouse is cruel or one’s children have been hurtful. In those cases, I understand needing to give Jesus the pain you have experienced during confession. But the main purpose of confession is to reveal one’s own sins, not someone else’s. If a priest tells you that something isn’t a sin (that you know is a sin), confess it anyway: It is very frustrating and confusing when you know that something is a sin (it was on the reliable examination of conscience, for crying out loud!), and the priest tells you that, in his opinion, that isn’t a sin. You don’t need to panic or give in to confusion, and you don’t need to argue with the priest. Just know that you confessed it the best as you could and let Jesus take care of it.

God’s invitation Don’t worry if you “forget your lines”: “I can’t go to confession! I don’t know how to start! I don’t

If you blank on how to go to confession, just let the priest know. He is there as a representative of God’s love and patience. Father Michael Schmitz know my act of contrition!” If you blank on how to go to confession, just let the priest know. He is there as a representative of God’s love and patience. Plus, he went to school for this. Even if you don’t know how it’s supposed to go, he can walk you through it. You can tell the priest how many people are behind you in line: That’s just a nice thing to do if you think of it. He might be going slowly because he isn’t aware that there are 20 more people in line and only 15 minutes to go. All of this is simply meant to help with some of the human issues that many people have with confession. I know that there are more that I haven’t mentioned. Just remember, the fact that you are even thinking about going to confession this Advent is a sign that God is inviting you there, and who would want to turn down a personal invitation from God? Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Reach him at fathermikeschmitz@gmail.com.

“God wants me working with priests,” he said. “[My uncles] are so supportive in my artistic field. Through them and their commissioned projects, it has been my channel in which to be introduced to the rest of the archdiocese.” Sirba has brought his work to home and garden shows, but said it’s a different atmosphere. He prefers to work on religious artifacts and considers it a blessing. “Working with the Church, the people are more understanding and have the same values,” he said.

Bishop-elect Andrew COZZENS

Ordination Mass

Along with the faithful, Sirba plans to attend Bishop-elect Cozzens’ ordination Mass at 2 p.m. on Monday Dec. 9 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Seating and parking at the Cathedral are limited. There are two off-site parking options: • The St. Paul College parking ramp – $5 • The Minnesota History Center parking lot – $5 The event will be live streamed on archspm.org and carried live on local Metro Cable Channel 6. The ceremony also will be broadcast live with commentary by Paul Sadek on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and via online streaming at Relevant Radio, keyword “bishop.”

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December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

The Last Word

Woodcarver’s faith, talents go into Cozzens’ crosier By Jessica Trygstad The Catholic Spirit When professional woodcarver Paul Sirba received a request from Bishop-elect Andrew Cozzens to make a crosier, he learned that a bishop’s influence — and word of mouth — reaches beyond a diocese. In 2009, Sirba, 26, of St. Paul, carved a crosier — or pastoral staff — for his uncle, Bishop Paul Sirba of Duluth, whom Bishop-elect Cozzens knows from seminary. The crosier symbolizes a bishop’s responsibility to lead his flock to Christ. “It’s such an honor to supply bishops with what they need,” Sirba said. “I’m so [grateful] to God to use my talent for the good of the Church.” In the three weeks Sirba has worked on the commissioned piece, he has used Paul SIRBA about 150 tools and put in 80 hours of his time in order to complete it before Bishop-elect Cozzens’ ordination Dec. 9. “Every time I stop to do something else, it draws me back,” he said. “Deadlines can be taxing, but it’s a joy to do this work. In prayer I’ve asked St. Joseph and our Lord for guidance and inspiration.” Sirba begins the creation process with sketches and getting dimensions. The size of the crosier is based on the person’s height, usually as tall as the individual. Sirba researches symbolism and the Church’s guidelines for the specific piece. Then, once the design is sketched, he transfers it onto carving paper and begins sawing. The final steps include sanding, applying a spray finish and letting the crosier set and cure.

Paul Sirba carves leaves on what will be the base of the crosier. Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit Bishop-elect Cozzens’ crosier, made of white oak, includes symbolic design elements in the coat of arms — among them, mountains and rivers signifying his Colorado roots; the Sacred Heart; and the motto he chose, “Praebe nobis cor tuum” (Lend us your heart). At age 15, Sirba’s mom, who does cabinetry, introduced him to woodcarving. What started as making swords and battleships for his brothers turned into creating architectural pieces and religious artifacts under the guidance of his teacher, a classic Greek woodcarver in Minneapolis. “I was fascinated by it,” Sirba said. “So I pleaded for a set of professional tools and classes.” After carving for three years, Sirba served as an apprentice for three and a half years. He has been in the profession for five years and now works full time with his teacher. He has completed benches and crosses

Christmas

Paul Sirba holds the almost-finished crook of the crosier he is carving for Bishopelect Andrew Cozzens. The crosier will be used during his ordination Mass Dec. 9 at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit for St. Maron in Minneapolis. During a pilgrimage to Italy, he was captivated by the architecture and seeks inspiration from it. In creating religious objects, Sirba has gained a greater understanding of his Catholic faith and appreciation of priests’ work. “Having two uncles as priests [his other uncle is Father Joseph Sirba] introduces you into a circle of friends that you normally wouldn’t

Please turn to CARVER on page 23

poster contest

The Catholic Spirit invites young artists across the archdiocese to participate in its annual Christmas poster contest. To enter, complete and then illustrate this sentence: “I unwrap the real gift of Christmas when . . .”

The completed sentence must appear on the front of an 8-and-a-half-by-11-inch poster. Artists may use any media. Entries will be judged on originality and artistic ability, interpretation of the theme and newspaper reproduction quality. A first-place prize of $50 will be awarded for one poster in each category: grades three and under, grades four through six, grades seven through nine, and grades 10 through 12. December 5, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

have,” Sirba said. At dinners his grandmother would host for his uncles and their fellow priests, Sirba saw their “real” side. He said this has helped him approach priests for guidance about life issues. He also has learned about their needs and how they function when celebrating Mass, so he is able to better create the pieces they’ll use.

All winning entries will be published in The Catholic Spirit’s Christmas edition, Dec. 19. The artist’s name, address, telephone number, grade and parish (include city), must be included on the back of the entry. Mail to: The Catholic Spirit Christmas Contest, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. Deadline: Dec.11

Advent Learning more about our faith The Catholic Spirit’s 4-page Rediscover: pullout section in each issue of 2013 highlights a new Rediscover: theme for you to reflect on and discuss with others. Coming up Dec. 19: What’s the real meaning of Christmas?

How are you preparing for the Lord’s arrival?

A HEART OF THE MATTER Jeff CAVINS

nticipation is a wonderful thing. From the time we are children, all the way through adulthood, we daydream about wonderful things to come. A birthday party, graduation, getting married or our first job: They all point to brighter days ahead. During Jesus’ day, everyone was in eager anticipation of the coming Messiah. Life was difficult under Roman occupation, and there was much buzz about what the Messiah would do to liberate God’s people when he arrived. One of the road signs that pointed to the coming Messiah was the arrival of Elijah the prophet, the one who would usher in the anointed one. Elijah was one of Israel’s great prophets who challenged the prophets of Baal and did many other great works. While Elijah was a great prophet, it was the prophet who came after Elijah, Elisha, who received a double anointing and went on to do even greater works. Elisha raised the dead and multiplied loaves to feed a multitude.

The Catholic Spirit • December 5, 2013

Preparing the way John the Baptist arrived on the scene just before Jesus to prepare the way for the muchawaited king of Israel. Jesus identifies John as Elijah who was to come and prepare the way for a new era in Israel’s history. John made his debut at the Jordan River, in the wilderness just north of the Dead Sea, the very place where Elijah was taken up in a chariot centuries before. John prepared God’s people for the Messiah with a baptism of repentance. In order to prepare for this new era, John proclaimed that there must be a change of heart followed by deeds appropriate to the kingdom of God. As Elisha did greater works than Elijah, so would Jesus go on to do greater works than John the Baptist. In Matthew 11:2-11, messengers from John the Baptist ask, “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” Jesus answered, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, Please turn to ALLOW on back page of section

Rediscover-faith.org

“Something much greater than material gifts awaits us this Christmas. Jesus wants to heal us and restore broken lives, but it requires a change on our part. Through repentance and humility, the road is made straight for Jesus to come into our lives this Christmas season.” Jeff Cavins

Are you ready for Christmas? Are you ready for Christmas? And what does that mean anyway? When do you consider yourself to be ready for Christmas? How do you measure that? When you have bought all the gifts? When you have put up the lights and Christmas tree? When you have made your travel arrangements? You wouldn’t show up to play in a football game and expect to win if you had not been training. You wouldn’t show up unprepared to give a big presentation at work and expect to get the project. We don’t expect to excel in exams if we have not studied. Consider the preparation that goes into hosting a BBQ, a dinner party or a wedding. We prepare for everything that we consider important in life. In every case, preparation makes a wonderful experience possible. When was the last time you really prepared spiritually for Christmas? CELEBRATING Preparation is necessary for a high-level experience. It is CATHOLICISM unreasonable to walk through the church doors as the music is beginning on Christmas Eve and expect to have a powerful Matthew and personal spiritual experience without some preparation beforehand. KELLY Did Advent change your life last year? If not, why not? I must admit I didn’t have a great Advent last year. I was distracted by too many things. But I am determined not to let that happen again this year. This year is going to be an Advent to remember. I hope you will join me. Looking back on my life, I have spent an inordinate amount of time and energy preparing for so many things. I studied for hundreds of hours for exams. I trained endlessly for soccer, golf, cricket and tennis matches. I prepared to get married. I prepare for trips. Sometimes, if I am going to a big concert, I will listen to that artist’s CD during the week leading up to the concert. In a way, I am preparing for that concert. We spend so much time preparing for things. And, many of these things, within a matter of months, mean so little. How are you going to prepare for Christmas this year? You see, Advent is a period of “We prepare for preparation to receive the Lord. From what part of your life have you shut out everything that we God this year? Are you ready to welcome him consider important in back into that aspect of your life? Our lives change when our habits change. life. . . . When was the What new habit is God inviting you to this Advent? last time you really I would like to make two suggestions. prepared spiritually 1. If you want to have the most incredible Christmas of your life, go to Mass every day this for Christmas?” Advent. I know, it’s not easy, but it can be done. It may involve sacrifice, but a little sacrifice is Matthew Kelly good for our comfortable lives. 2. Pray at the same time every day for 10 minutes this Advent. If you don’t know how to pray, I offer you “The Prayer Process.” I have been amazed by how powerful this has been in my life and the lives of so many people who write to me. It is a simple, seven-step process designed to help get the conversation of prayer started.

‘The Prayer Process’ 1. Gratitude: Begin by thanking God in a personal dialogue for whatever you are most grateful for today. 2. Awareness: Revisit the times in the past 24 hours when you were and were not the best version of yourself. Talk to God about these situations and what you learned from them. 3. Significant moments: Identify something you experienced today and explore what God might be trying to say to you through that event (or person). 4. Peace: Ask God to forgive you for any wrong you have committed (against yourself, another person, or him) and to fill you with a deep and abiding peace. 5. Freedom: Speak with God about how he is inviting you to change your life, so that you can experience the freedom to be the best version of yourself. 6. Others: Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today, asking God to bless and guide them. 7. Finish by praying the Our Father. To be ready for Christmas means something very different and much more than our secular culture would have you believe. Decide right now to have a lifechanging Advent. May God bless you and all those you love as we prepare for the coming of Jesus this Christmas. Kelly is an international best-selling author, speaker and founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute.

The Catholic Spirit • December 5, 2013

Jesse Tree stories keep families ro By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Advent is a season of waiting. But, it is much more than that for Anne Neuberger of St. Cecilia in St. Paul. “Advent is just wonderful,” said Neuberger, 60, who raised four children with her husband Paul Marincel, two of whom are adopted. “That’s my very, very favorite liturgical season, definitely. I love the sense of mystery. It feels like a holy mystery in the house at that time with the candles and the statues.” She recalls how her family celebrated the season during her childhood, with her mom turning out the lights and her dad leading short prayers. At the end of the five-minute sessions, she and her brother would fight over who got to blow out the candles. Those memories stayed fresh when it came time to raise her own children, starting with her oldest, Nicholas, 31 years ago. She researched ways to enter into the season and came across a concept called the Jesse Tree, which refers to a Scripture verse in the Old Testament that foretells the birth of the Messiah. It is found in Isaiah 11:1, which reads, “There shall come forth a shoot from the root of Jesse.” Jesse was King David’s father.

A way to meet Jesus Neuberger turned the idea into a book she published in the late 1990s. Just a few Please turn to BOOK on back page of section

Book chapters tell stories of Jesus’ ancestors The following are chapters in “Meeting Jesus Through the Jesse Tree” by Anne Neuberger: 1. The story of Creation, Genesis 1:1 – 2:4. 2. The story of Adam and Eve, Genesis 3. 3. The story of Noah, Genesis 6:5 – 9:17. 4. The story of Abraham, Genesis 12:1-7; 15:1-6. 5. The story of Sarah, Genesis 18:1-15; 21:1-7. Abraham’s wife Sarah was long past childbearing years, but she miraculously conceived and bore a son, whom they named Isaac. 6. The story of Jacob, Genesis 25:19-28; 27:1-29; 28:10-22. Jacob tricked his father Isaac into giving him the blessing intended for his twin brother Esau. God later gave Jacob the name Israel and made a promise that he and his descendents would inherit the land where he slept while fleeing from Esau. 7. The story of Leah and Rachel, Genesis 29; 30:1-24; 35:16-20. After fleeing from Esau, Jacob went to the home of his uncle Laban, who had two daughters, Rachel and Leah. Jacob ended up marrying both and had a total of 12 sons, one of whom was Joseph. 8. The story of Joseph, Genesis 37-46. 9. The story of Moses and Miriam, Exodus 2:1-10; 14:15-16; 15:20-21;

16:1-3; 31:18. After Moses was born, his mother hid him so that he would not perish under Pharoah’s decree that all Hebrew babies would be slaughtered. Miriam, the daughter of Moses’ mother, watched Pharoah’s daughter pull in the basket from the river containing Moses and told her that she knew of someone who could care for the baby – Moses’ mother. 10. The story of Ruth, Book of Ruth. Ruth was the daughter-in-law of Naomi whose husband and two sons died, leavin both her and Ruth widowed. When Naom decided to go back to her homeland of Bethlehem, Ruth lobbied intensely to join her, offering a plea that is one of the mos famous lines in this book: “Wherever you go, I shall go. Wherever you live, I shall live. Your people shall be my people, and your God shall be my God.” 11. The story of Samuel, 1 Samuel 1:1-1 3:1-20. Samuel was the one who anointed Davi king of Israel. His mother Hannah was barren and begged God to allow her to have a child. When she bore Samuel, she handed him over to Eli, a priest of the temple, so that Samuel could serve God h entire life. 12. The story of David, 1 Samuel 16; 17:1-50; Psalm 23. 13. The story of Solomon, I Kings 3:4-28 5:9; 6; 7; 10:1-13. 14. The story of Elijah, I Kings 17:1-24; 18:20-46; 2 Kings 2:1-13.

How Kate reclaimed Advent

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Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

Elijah was a prophet who stood up to the prophets of a false god, Baal, and eventually slaughtered them. He also saved the life of a widow and her son, and later was taken to heaven by a chariot and horses made of fire. 15. The story of Isaiah, Isaiah 6:1-13; 9:1, 5-6. Isaiah was a prophet who foretold the birth and death of Jesus. He also prophesied the destruction of his own country, and was persecuted by his own people. 16. The story of Nehemiah, Nehemiah 1; 2; 3; 4; 7:1; 12:27-43. After the city of Jerusalam was destroyed, Nehemiah came back to the city from exile in Babylon, along with many other Jews. He asked God for help, then led an effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. 17. The story of Jonah, Book of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet asked by God to call the people of Nineva to repent. He refused initially and fled, then was eventually swallowed by a whale. He later was spit out by the whale and went to Nineva, where the people heard him and repented. 18. The story of Esther, Book of Esther. Esther became queen of Persia after being chosen by King Ahasuerus to be his wife. When her people were threatened by a corrupt official named Haman, she went to the king, revealed that she was Jewish, and pleaded for her fellow Israelites to be spared. The king granted her request, and then had Haman executed.

19. The story of Tobias, Book of Tobit. Tobias was the son of Tobit, who became blind in his later years. Tobit wanted Tobias to marry a Jewish girl, and Tobias met a traveler named Raphael who instructed him to marry Sarah, a woman who had married seven times, with each husband dying shortly after marrying her. Raphael, who later was revealed to be the angel Raphael, helped Tobias expel the demon that had caused the death of Sarah’s first seven husbands, and also helped cure Tobit’s blindness. 20. The story of Daniel, Daniel 5-6. The prophet Daniel bravely disobeyed the decree of King Darius and was sentenced to be thrown into a den of lions. God spared him, and Daniel found favor with the king. 21. The story of Elizabeth and Zechariah, Luke 1:5-14. Elizabeth and Zechariah were the parents of John the Baptist. Zechariah was told while in the temple that his aging wife would conceive and bear a son, who was to be named John. After expressing doubt, Zechariah was made mute, but later regained his speech after the child was born. 22. The story of Mary, Luke 1:26-38.

Shuttling three children to and from three different schools requires “all kinds of gymnastics” of my friend Kate Basi, 39, a curly-haired freelance writer from Columbia, Mo. Her 6-year-old daughter is dropped off by the special-ed bus at the exact time Kate is supposed to pick up her 8-year-old son. Blocked out, Kate’s Tuesday schedule involves seven “in transit” windows, putting her on the road for more than 2 hours — all before 5 pm. “I’ve spent the last several weeks in the car crisscrossing town, behind a computer screen, cleaning and cooking and doing all those necessary things that suck the spirit dry, like undergoing a long and futile search for a lost library book,” she blogged last Monday. “I could feel it coming up behind me, REFERENCE that sense of being overwhelmed, stretched too thin, POINTS my nerves drawn so tight they vibrated with every late-afternoon bicker and witching-hour whine: Christina burnout.” CAPECCHI Kate has not outgrown her farm-girl durability, but the frenzy of family life occasionally has her seeing cross-eyed, making two different plans for the same time, usually recognizing the dilemma 24 hours before go-time. Her 2-year-old son has a penchant for sticking DVDs into the VCR, and her 4-year-old boy is such a wild bed jumper that he vomited on her bed last Saturday – shortly after she had stripped it to wash the sheets. The chaos kicks into overdrive during the dash from Black Friday In addition to making time for to Christmas Eve, filling Kate with a prayer, what is one activity for deep desire to reclaim Advent — a yourself or your family that you liturgical season carved out for can do this Advent to make the quiet, for emptiness, for that season more meaningful? quaint, pre-iPad state of wanting and not having. She began to search for middle ground, a way to let in some Santa-related festivities while honoring the spirit of Advent. She sought an approach that was meaningful and manageable. Her solution: use an Advent calendar to organize the busyness of the season, assigning one activity to each day — some religious, some fun, some service-oriented and some busy work, like making cookies, which became less of a chore when it was the focus of anticipation. To round out the season, Kate wrote Jesse Tree reflections aimed at young children and created a “good-deeds manger.” It was a system, a method to the madness, and it worked. It worked so well, in fact, that Kate felt compelled to share it with others, writing an 80-page book that Liguori published in 2010 under the title “Joy to the World: Advent Activities For Your Family.” “At first I thought to write a book it had to be 200 pages long,” Kate told me. “But as I started outlining, I realized that the people I’m trying to target don’t need lots of esoteric, pie-in-the-sky concepts spun out at great length. They need somebody to lay it out practically and give them the basis to organize their own lives, and the shorter the better!” Readers appreciate the approach. One reviewer on Amazon described the book as “the perfect marriage between the secular and spiritual aspects of the season.” That’s the core of the book, Kate says, the insight she finds herself applying in every season of the Church. “I learned that ‘fun’ and ‘religious’ and ‘service’ are not mutually exclusive,” she said. “They overlap a lot. That has really far-flung implications for the rest of faith life, too. It’s not supposed to be compartmentalized — there’s that faith stuff and then there’s real life, where we have fun. If you integrate your faith into your life, you find that life itself is richer and more fun.” And Christmas, she adds, is more rewarding. “Christmas feels different after a fruitful Advent. It feels like we’ve actually done something other than fight traffic and long lines. It feels like I’m closer to God. . . . Thomas Merton talked about [how] the search for God must turn inward, to find him in the deepest, hidden places of the soul.” Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.

23. The story of Joseph, Matthew 1: 18-25. 24. The story of Jesus, Luke 2:1-20.

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Allow Christ to bless you with his peace and vast provisions this year lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” Each of these miracles mentioned by Jesus recall Isaiah’s prophecies (Isaiah 26:19; 29:18; 35:4-6; 61:1-2) about a servant figure who would heal God’s people. In the liturgical calendar we now begin the season of Advent, the period of anticipation for the Lord’s arrival. Are you ready for a new era with Christ? Are you in need of healing and restoration in your relationships and personal conduct? What would be more exciting this Christmas, three or four new CDs, new clothes, or for your family relationships to be healed or the anxiety you are experiencing to subside?

months ago, she released a new version, which is designed to help children experience the four weeks before Christmas in a deeper way. It’s called “Meeting Jesus Through the Jesse Tree” and it is a series of stories describing some of the major events and people of the Old Testament and a few from the New Testament. It begins with the creation story and ends with the birth of Jesus. There are 24 stories total, with both long and short versions. In addition, there are hands-on activities for kids, plus reflections for parents, prayers to recite after the story and discussion questions. The target audience is children from 3 to 12. Neuberger said families can take as few as five minutes to complete each story. “Realistically, I’d say if they can get in 15 to 20 minutes, that would be great,” she said. “I think the idea that you are discovering or familiarizing yourself with Jesus’ ancestors, the people who came before him, is really so much of what Advent is all about.” At the start of Advent, parents help their kids create a Jesse Tree, which can be as simple as a cardboard cutout painted green, or as elaborate as a threedimensional tree with branches. Then, after reading each story, the kids make a symbol from the story to place on the tree. The back of the book contains drawings that can be colored and cut out. Neuberger knows of some families

Something much greater than material gifts awaits us this Christmas. Jesus wants to heal us and restore broken lives, but it requires a change on our part. Through repentance and humility, the road is made straight for Jesus to come into our lives this Christmas season.

Things to do • Knowing that Jesus is the answer to your problems, what needs to change in the major areas of your life for him to enter into those areas? What major roadblocks can you remove before Christmas? • What good works can you do this Advent season that would translate into a great blessing for someone else? Perhaps you could volunteer to help at Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis or visit the elderly who may not have any family with whom to share the holidays. • For more ideas and resources for Advent, visit usccb. org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-resources/advent

Aiming high Anticipating the Christmas season is a wonderful thing, but so often we aim so low and settle for a few material gifts. Allow Christ to bless you with his peace and vast provisions this year. If you’re like me, every Christmas I buy presents for my loved ones, but I have a hard time waiting, because I want to give my gifts to them early. As much as we desire all that God has for us, he desires even more to give us a gift. In the words of St. Augustine, “God thirsts that we would thirst for him.”

Cavins is founder of the Great Adventure Bible Study Series and director of the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute.

“I try to connect with other families. I just feel like the more you can do with Advent, even if you try to keep it very simple, the more children are going to be prepared spiritually for Christmas. If you’ve spent the weeks before [Christmas] doing things like the Jesse Tree, I think kids are more open to the . . . stories on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day of why we celebrate Christmas.” Anne Neuberger

An angel’s promise

who use their Christmas tree as their Jesse Tree, putting only the story symbols on it until Christmas Eve, when they add other, traditional ornaments and lights. The beauty of using her book is that families can trim the list of stories to just a handful they want to read — or have time to read. With the busyness of the season combined with school, sports and other extracurricular activities, she recognizes that doing it every day may not be realistic for some families. “There are 24 stories; a lot of people aren’t going to be able to do that,” she said. “But, you can pick and choose. Just do it in chronological order.”

One of the most interesting ones to write, she said, was the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Based on Luke 1, it tells how Zechariah was told by an angel that he and his aging wife Elizabeth would conceive a child after being childless, and that the angel turned him mute after he expressed disbelief in the angel’s promise. “That’s one of my favorite stories in the Bible,” Neuberger said. “When I wrote the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah, I felt the emotions of Zechariah being told that they were going to have this longed-for child and he can’t tell Elizabeth because speech is taken from him. “I started thinking, ‘How would that

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have come down when he came home and he can’t talk and she doesn’t know why and he has to try and tell her what happened?’ It occurred to me that someone like Elizabeth would probably not have been able to read because women at that time were probably not taught to read. So, he would have to try and draw her pictures to explain this incredible miracle that seemed totally absurd, that this older couple would finally have a baby, and that an angel had told him, and an angel had taken away his voice. “All those pieces of it seemed absurd, and how could he convince her of it? That ended up being a really fun one to write.” These days, there are no children in Neuberger’s home to read the stories to. But, she has managed to find kids to work with. “I try to connect with other families,” she said. “I just feel like the more you can do with Advent, even if you try to keep it very simple, the more children are going to be prepared spiritually for Christmas. “If you’ve spent the weeks before [Christmas] doing things like the Jesse Tree, I think kids are more open to the . . . stories on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day of why we celebrate Christmas.” The book is available at St. Patrick’s Guild in St. Paul, or online at www. anneneuberger.com/books-and-articles/ advent-stories-and-activities.

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The Catholic Spirit • December 5, 2013

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