The Catholic Spirit - November 21, 2013 by The Catholic Spirit Publishing Co.

Archbishop’s column 3 • Helping typhoon victims 11 • Senior Services 21-27 November 21, 2013 Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

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Getting ready for Advent

Advent begins December 1 Author Matthew Kelly reflects on the first Sunday of Advent — Page 15 Cardinal Dolan writes about ‘The Three Comings of Christ’ — Pages 16-17 ALSO inside

‘The Catholic Guy’comes to the St. Paul Seminary Minnesota native Lino Rulli takes his show on the road and learns about seminary life. — Page 5

Remembering JFK On the 50th anniversary of his death, The Catholic Spirit looks back at his visit to the Cathedral of St. Paul. — Page 18

Best-selling writer coming to archdiocese Father Jacques Philippe is a featured author of the Rediscover: Book Club. — Page 28

Page Two

2 in PICTURES

OVERHEARD “I want to recommend some medicine for all of you. It’s a spiritual medicine. Don’t forget to take it. It’s good for your heart, for your soul, for your whole life.” Pope Francis, encouraging people to pray the rosary, at the end of his Nov. 17 Sunday Angelus address

“A central moral measure of any budget proposal is how it affects ‘the least of these’ (Mt.25). The needs of those who are hungry and homeless, without work or in poverty should come first.” Bishop Stephen Blaire of Stockton Calif., chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, chair of the Committee on International Justice and Peace, in a Nov. 12 letter to U.S. Senate and House leaders working on a budget package

NEWS notes • The Catholic Spirit

Catholic Community Foundation announces new board members, Legacy of Faith winner

A NEW BISHOP: After ceremoniously knocking on the door of St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud, Bishop Donald Kettler entered the church to be welcomed Nov. 6 during a vespers service the evening before his installation as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud. Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit

WHAT’S NEW on social media With Thanksgiving just around the corner, a Catholic Spirit Facebook post this week asks, “What’s a favorite Thanksgiving tradition in your family?” Follow the latest news about the local and universal Church by following The Catholic Spirit on Twitter @CatholicSpirit.

Watch videos of the main presenters from the 2013 Rediscover: Catholic Celebration at www.YouTube.com/rediscoverfaith. Watch talks by Matthew Kelly, Father Robert Barron, George Weigel and more. Watch the video, “Why does this FBI agent run with his daughter with Down syndrome?.” Visit CatholicHotdish.com.

The Catholic Spirit is published bi-weekly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 18 — No. 25 MOST REVEREND JOHN C. NIENSTEDT, Publisher SARAH MEALEY, Associate publisher JOE TOWALSKI, Editor

November 21 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

The Catholic Community Foundation has named three new board members. Julie Gerend, Marjorie Mathison Hance and Marie Pillai will begin three-year terms effective Nov. 18. The board of directors provides strategic direction to the Catholic Community Foundation, which was established in 1992 with the mission to financially support the spiritual, educational and social needs of the Catholic community. Gerend is senior vice president of institutional and insurance advisory accounts with St. Paul-based Advantus Capital Management; Mathison Hance is an alumna of St. Catherine University and recently retired as the school’s vice president of external relations where she oversaw development, marketing, communications and alumnae relations, and Pillai is vice president and chief investment officer at General Mills. The Catholic Community Foundation also announced that it honored founding chief executive Jim Mullin with the Legacy of Faith Award during a ceremony Oct. 10 at The Minneapolis Club. The award is presented annually in recognition of philanthropic leadership that supports the spiritual, educational and social needs of the Catholic community. Mullin worked with the late Archbishop John Roach to develop the concept for the Catholic Community Foundation, then served for 13 years as its chief executive. During that time, he demonstrated his talents for strategic thinking and organizational development, as well as a gift for relationship building.

Archdiocesan Pilgrimage Choir will sing for pope The Archdiocesan Pilgrimage Choir will travel to Rome in February to sing at a papal liturgy with Pope Francis. The trip was scheduled so the choir would be in Rome for the Feast of the Chair of Peter on Feb. 22. Pope Francis will celebrate Mass that day in Saint Peter’s Basilica and also will be presiding at the liturgy creating new Cardinals. The Holy Father has not yet named the new Cardinals, but the choir will be present for the liturgy when they receive their rings and red birettas, signs of their ecclesiastical office. There are a limited number of spaces for singers and non-singers who wish to participate. The dates are Feb. 20 to 27, 2014 and information is available from Petersway.com or by calling (800) 225-7662.

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

In just another week, we will join with millions of families around the country to celebrate Thanksgiving, a time that has traditionally been set aside to reflect humbly on our many blessings, all of which we prayerfully acknowledge come from our loving and generous God. I have been reflecting quite a bit lately on God’s blessings to me and the things for which I am personally grateful. I have thought and prayed about this because, particularly now, in the midst of all of the painful strife within our local Church these past many weeks, I am reminded of the great hope we have in Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. I am reminded that, as our patron St. Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” This empowerment and strength must always be directed only for the pursuit and telling of the truth in service to God and our neighbor. This strength, which we find in the source and summit of the Holy Eucharist, reminds us that God gives us all that we need to live in his love and in his truth. It is only for us to recognize and accept his gifts. And, it is these gifts from God, those of strength and truth, of faith, hope and love, and grace and light, and so much more, for which we give thanks. Like you, I am also thankful for the gifts of my family and friends. And, I am grateful for all of you, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. There is much sadness and frustration among us still. I feel that, too. And, yet, I also feel so powerfully your prayers as well as your hope for a path forward. I give thanks for these, too. They have been in my prayers as well. The strength of your prayers has been felt by my entire leadership team, which is working tirelessly to do the right thing in the midst of this crisis. Together, we have learned and grown much THAT THEY these past many weeks. And, we have made decisions to take actions that we sincerely beMAY ALL BE ONE lieve set us on that path forward, a path that Archbishop embraces the truth, for the sake of justice. These actions, as I shared with you in my John C. Nienstedt column two weeks ago, are anchored by a set of goals that I have set for myself and for all leadership within the Church as we address the very serious concerns before us. Our first goal, and of greatest importance, is keeping our focus on creating and maintaining safe environments and protecting the young and the vulnerable. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Our protection of children and young people must be our top priority, and it must be what animates our every action and decision. Our second goal is to care for those who have been harmed by members of the Church. Our hearts ache for the victims of sexual abuse, and they deserve our care and support as, together, we work toward a process of hope and healing. It is among the most important things we can and should do, for the sake of the dignity of each person who now struggles to move forward with his or her life. We are called to love, with great compassion, those who are hurting most among us. This is doubly important when a victim’s pain has been caused by a member of our clergy. Our third goal is to facilitate the beginning of a healing process for our local Church. We must restore trust with the Catholic faithful, who I know are counting on the clergy and leadership of the Church, most

From the Archbishop

Reflecting on God’s blessings and working to do the right thing

especially me as archbishop, to make virtuous decisions for the good of the body of Christ. I take this responsibility very seriously. I also know I cannot do this alone. My entire staff and I are united in our commitment to work together in pursuit of the truth and restoration of trust. Finally, our fourth goal is to restore trust with our many clergy who do Watch online live out their vocations nobly and Go to www.archspm. with great dedication to their sacred org or TheCatholic trust. These good men deserve our Spirit.com to view a confidence and respect. We must video of Archbishop John avoid impugning them as we seek jusNienstedt sharing the tice for the few who have violated this message of his column. trust and hurt others. These four goals — protecting the young and the vulnerable, caring for victims, and restoring trust with both the laity and the clergy — are anchoring me and my leadership team in all we do. Nearly two months ago now, as we began to understand the breadth and depth of the concerns before us by ascertaining the facts, we focused on what actions should be taken. On Sept. 27, in a letter to clergy, parish and school leadership, and other leaders of our local Catholic organizations, I called for the first of our major actions: the formation of an independent task force to investigate any and all issues associated with clergy sexual misconduct. We need the help of outside experts to assess our many past and current efforts to create and maintain safe environments and how we have been handling allegations and cases of clergy sexual abuse. We want the truth and the best thinking on these matters. So, to make sure this group would be able to “The strength of your operate unimpeded, I took an unprecedented but necessary step to appoint a vicar for minisprayers has been felt by terial standards to — separately and without my involvement — appoint a task force and enmy entire leadership sure they have what they need to help us understand what we can do better and how. In our team, which is working quest for the truth and the best path forward, I am counting on this group to provide us with tirelessly to do the right the truth. I am eager to hear what they have to say and have pledged to implement their recthing in the midst of this ommendations. I am confident they will focus on best practices for the benefit of our commucrisis.” nity. Archbishop John Nienstedt My second major action, and one that complements the work of the task force, was the decision to hire an outside firm to do a thorough review of our clergy files. I announced this decision in my column in The Catholic Spirit on Oct. 24. As I said then, we need to ascertain the facts, and this will lead us to prudent and ongoing disclosure. Our approach is straightforward: find the facts, communicate our actions, and then do what we say we are going to do. This happened with the formation of the task force within a month of the start of this crisis. And last week, we fulfilled my commitment to hire an outside firm with national experience to review objectively our clergy files. Over the past month, my staff thoroughly researched and interviewed several national firms who have the expertise and experience to review these files and ascertain if anything has been missed or any prior actions or decisions should be revisited. Plese turn to WE on page 30

OFFICIAL His Excellency, the Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt, has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Effective November 19, 2013 • The Most Reverend Lee Piché to serve “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial administrator of the Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Maplewood, succeeding the Reverend Peter Laird. Effective November 20, 2013 • The Reverend Charles Lachowitzer appointed Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, succeeding the Most Reverend Lee Piché.

Reverend Lachowitzer will continue in his appointment as pastor of the Church of Saint John Neumann until November 30. Effective November 25, 2013 • Deacon Thomas Michaud appointed “ad nutum episcopi” to exercise the ministry of a permanent deacon at the Church of Divine Mercy in Faribault. Effective November 28, 2013 • Accepted the resignation of the Reverend William Martin as pastor of the Church of Saint Richard in Richfield, and granted the status of a retired priest. Effective December 2, 2013 • The Reverend Michael Kueber appointed to serve “ad nutum

episcopi” as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint Olaf. Reverend Kueber will no longer have ministerial responsibilities at the Church of Saint Stephen in Minneapolis. • The Reverend David McCauley appointed to serve “ad nutum episcopi” as parochial administrator of the Church of Saint John Neumann. Effective December 9, 2013 • Accepted the resignation of the Reverend Mark Pavlik as pastor of the Church of Saint Olaf in Minneapolis (effective December 2), and appointed pastor of the Church of Saint Richard in Richfield. This appointment will extend until June 30, 2020.

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

Archdiocese hires outside firm for clergy file review The Catholic Spirit The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has retained Kinsale Management Consulting to conduct a third-party review of its clergy files. The move is part of the archdiocese’s plan to ensure a comprehensive approach to address the issue of clergy sexual misconduct and fulfills Archbishop John Nienstedt’s stated intention to have an outside firm review the files, the archdiocese said in a statement Nov. 14. “We are confident in the credentials and relevant expertise of Kinsale Management Consulting to conduct a thorough review of our clergy files,” said Dominican Father Reginald Whitt, the vicar of ministerial standards. “Our number one goal was to find someone with extensive experience and expertise nationally in this area, and Kinsale certainly has those qualities.” Kinsale was founded by Kathleen McChesney, the former No. 3 official at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Kathleen Bishops’ Office of Child McCHESNEY and Youth Protection, where she developed and oversaw a national program to ensure that all Catholic dioceses complied with civil laws and internal policies relative to the prevention, reporting and response to the sexual abuse of minors. Kinsale’s review will add another level of accountability, the archdiocese said, and further serve the primary goal of protecting minors. The file review process is slated to begin in early December and will start with a review of all clergy in active ministry. Once the Kinsale team does an initial assessment, it will be able to provide an estimated timeframe required to complete the work. Kinsale’s examination of approximately 400 clergy files will include

checking for any “complaints, potential offenses, anything that should be flagged as abnormal, unethical or illegal,” said Joseph Kueppers, the archdiocese’s chancellor for civil affairs. “We believe that, for 98 percent of the files, there should be nothing of concern,” he said. “But we want an outside firm to review our files to see if we’ve missed anything in the past or if we should be doing something with an individual priest that we’re not currently doing.” He expects that when Kinsale’s work is finished, it will prepare a report to release to the public. McChesney said periodic reviews of clergy files are important for several reasons: • They allow a diocese to identify any victims of abuse who have not received appropriate pastoral outreach support so that it can be offered to them. • They can determine if there have been any allegations of abuse that were not appropriately reported to law enforcement authorities or child protection officials so that such notifications can be made. • They can assist a diocese in identifying clergy who are in need of special care and support. • While conducting a review doesn’t guarantee that a member of the clergy will never harm a child or vulnerable adult, “a review helps to identify individuals whose past behaviors or conduct indicate that they may pose a risk of offending or committing a boundary violation in the future and enable the diocese or religious community to take steps to reduce that risk,” McChesney said.

Extensive experience The archdiocese interviewed about a half-dozen firms before narrowing it down to two and conducting in-person interviews with their representatives, he said. What stood out about Kinsale was its “extensive background in

“Our number one goal was to find someone with extensive experience and expertise nationally in this area, and Kinsale certainly has those qualities.” Dominican Father Reginald Whitt Vicar of ministerial standards

doing file reviews for not only numerous dioceses around the country, but also secular organizations. Their experience is wide-ranging and relevant,” Kueppers said. The firm also has a lot of “bench strength” — team members with credentials that make them highly qualified for this specialized work, including backgrounds in church law, civil law and psychology, he said. McChesney has 30 years of law enforcement experience. She created the FBI’s Office of Law Enforcement Coordination to establish more productive relationships between the FBI and the nation’s 18,000 police agencies, and the National Intel Share project to promote information sharing among the nation’s 680,000 law enforcement officers. She managed the FBI’s international operations in 44 foreign countries and spearheaded the FBI’s efforts to add 11 additional offices through interactions with the U.S. Department of State and Congress. Kinsale most recently completed a review for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice regarding the incidence of sexual abuse of youth incarcerated in its facilities. The review resulted in a public report and recommendations for protecting youth.

The hiring of Kinsale follows the announcement last month of a Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task Force, which is conducting a full review of the archdiocese’s policies and practices related to clergy sexual misconduct. The archdiocese also recently confirmed its decision to disclose the names, locations and status of all living priests of the archdiocese who have substantiated claims against them of sexual abuse of a minor, regardless of where they are currently residing. All of these men have been removed from ministry, Archbishop Nienstedt said in an open letter Nov. 11. The archdiocese will be requesting a modification of a court order, in place since 2009, that prevents disclosure of the names. The archdiocese is also conducting a review of its monitoring program. As outlined in Archbishop Nienstedt’s Nov. 7 column in The Catholic Spirit, the archdiocese has pledged to accomplish four goals: creating safe environments for children; caring for those who have been harmed by a member of the Church; facilitating a healing process for the local Church in order to restore trust with the Catholic faithful; and restoring trust with clergy who are serving with honor. “With the hiring of Kinsale, the archdiocese continues to fulfill its promise to take action to address the questions and concerns raised by our communities,” the archdiocese said. “Kinsale’s work will assist us in meeting these goals.” “As archbishop, I am responsible for addressing these issues and I take this matter very seriously,” Archbishop Nienstedt said. “Along with the work of the independent task force, our commitment to disclosure and the critical review of our monitoring program, Kinsale’s thorough file review will assist us in creating a new day for this archdiocese in our work to create safe environments where the Gospel of Jesus Christ can flourish. Nothing is more important.”

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November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

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Taking the show on the road Lino Rulli, a St. Paul native and host of Sirius/XM Radio’s “The Catholic Guy,” broadcast the program Nov. 11-14 from the St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. The following are excerpts from Catholic Spirit reporter Dianne Towalski’s interview with Rulli.

Q. Why are you taking your show on the road?

A. Why not? To me, it’s one thing to do a radio show from New York or something, but it’s another thing to actually go out and experience the Catholic Church where it exists. I would never want a seminarian on the show as some 20-minute interview by phone . . . that would be pretty boring. But to live and experience and hang out with seminarians isn’t boring at all; it’s actually a lot of fun. It’s really a way for me to go out and tell crazy stories and interesting stories through my eyes on the radio.

Q. Where else are you going? A. Everywhere. Q. Was this the first stop? A. No. I was in Arizona last week.

I was with Mark Hart, who is called “The Bible Geek,” and Father Leo Patalinghug, who is known as “The Cooking Priest” and who beat Bobby Flay [in a “Throwdown!” cooking competition.] This week, I’m living in the seminary. Next week, I’m going to Haiti to see how the Church is rebuilding there. The following week, I’ll be in Indianapolis for the National Catholic Youth Conference with 2,000 kids. The following week, I’ll be in San Diego. Then, Denver. The whole point is I’m going and finding, hopefully, funny, normal healthy Catholics and hanging out with them. Over the last seven years, I think, my audience has come to like me and trust me. This is a way to say I’ve built up a pretty big audience and now I can show my audience a lot more than just me. [I can] show them a lot of the people that make me excited to be Catholic, the normal and funny and the good people that are already in the church.

Q. Is this a new thing, you just

Above, Lino Rulli hangs out with Deacon Paul Shovelain during a broadcast of his Sirius/XM Radio show, “The Catholic Guy” from St. Paul Seminary Nov. 13. At right, Rulli visits with Joseph Zabinski of St. Michael parish, St. Cloud, during lunch time at the seminary Nov. 14. Dianne Towalski / The Catholic Spirit keep traveling?

A. Yeah. This is an open-ended

thing. I’ve been based in New York for seven years, and New York is a great city, but even I get bored. I get way too restless. I just love to travel, and the things that really excite me about Catholicism oftentimes are the people in the Church. And I don’t get to experience and touch that in a way if I’m sitting in a studio in New York City. Even if it’s really fun and I get to have all sorts of celebrities on my show, and that kind of thing. But that’s not really the whole picture of the Catholic Church. I’ll try this for a year or two years and let’s see what happens.

Q. What have your days been like here?

A. Long. I don’t know if we all

realize how hard these seminarians work. The best way I could sum it up is these guys put in maybe 16hour days. One day I woke up 6 a.m. for the Holy Hour, 7 a.m. morning prayer, then we had breakfast. There was an 8 a.m. class for 90 minutes, 15-minute break, another 90-minute class, 15-minute break. Then it was Mass, then it was lunch, then it was another class. I don’t know if us lay people realize how hard these guys work. I was also really surprised how honest a lot of their classes were. They pick apart each other’s homilies. They’re extremely honest about what people want in a homily. They’re extremely honest

about sex. They’re extremely honest about chastity, and problems in the Church. Every class I’ve sat in has had real conversations. I didn’t even know they were allowed to have such honest conversations. I’ve been really impressed not just with the length of the days themselves, but also just in how much real-world stuff was going into this. It’s not just all prayer and Bible, but it’s really learning a lot about how this is practically going to work out for the average person in the pews. I think for us, the average people in the pews, it’s pretty affirming to see that.

Q. You’ve been visiting with seminarians on your show?

A. Yeah, we hang out. I don’t do

interviews. I want to hear stories. Every vocation story is different; every guy is different. Most lay people, myself included, just sort of see the priest as just a fully formed guy once he shows up. Maybe he tells us his story, maybe not. When I was growing up, my priest never said, “Here’s my story of how I became a priest.” They’ve each got different personalities. Some were in the big cities and some were in small cities and some are musicians, some can’t sing at all, and some love learning about theology, and

others just really can’t wait to be more on the practical level. It’s a wide variety of guys, but their normalcy strikes me as interesting, and their stories all strike me as interesting.

Q. Do you have a story that a

seminarian told that really sticks in your mind?

A. There’s a story of a guy

[Deacon Marc Paveglio] who was in church and during Communion, he believes he heard God’s voice calling him by name, like his actual name. He said, ‘Marc.’ First of all, we all just go, ‘What on earth was that about?’ That’s a wild story. But then in that same segment there’s a guy [Thinh Tran] who was planning to become a medical doctor. He has this chemistry degree and was planning to go to med school. It’s just as interesting to me that without any voice at all, he’s taking such an enormous risk. He’s obviously a very smart guy and could be going to med school. The fact that he said, “I’m going to take a shot here. I’ll find out if God is calling me to be a priest.” To me, that’s even gutsier. It’s wild that God calls people by name, their first name, and it’s just as wild that a guy who never heard God call him by name and said, “Yep. I’m joining the seminary, too.”

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

Bishop-elect’s friends, family to play role at ordination The Catholic Spirit Friends and family members of Bishop-elect Andrew Cozzens will make important contributions to his episcopal ordination, both during the ceremony and in the lead up to the day. The ordination Mass for the new

Tell us your story Do you have a good story about Bishopelect Andrew Cozzens? Has he made an important difference in your faith life and participation in the Church? If so, we would like to hear from you as we prepare additional coverage of his episcopal ordination. Send your story via email to: catholicspirit@archspm.org. Or mail it to: The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102. Please include your name, address, parish affiliation and a daytime telephone number at which you can be reached if we have questions.

Symbols of a bishop

auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis is set for 2 p.m. Dec. 9 — which this year is observed as the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary — at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

2014 Official Minnesota Catholic Directory

Archbishop John Nienstedt will be the principal celebrant, and Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn and Bishop Paul Sirba of Duluth will serve as co-consecrators. “I chose Archbishop Flynn because he ordained me to the priesthood and has been a great friend and example to me, and also Bishop Sirba because he and I worked together at the seminary; he’s also been a great friend to me,” said Bishop-elect Cozzens who has served for the last seven and a half years as an instructor at the St. Paul Seminary. Two priest friends — Father Thomas Margevicius, a fellow instructor at the seminary, and Father Jon Vander Ploeg, pastor of St. Lawrence and the Newman Center in Minneapolis — will assist Bishopelect Cozzens as chaplains during the Mass. His oldest niece will proclaim one of the readings.

During the ordination rite, Bishop-elect Cozzens will receive three objects that symbolize his role as a bishop: a ring, crosier and miter. His family is donating the ring. It will feature the image that is on the back of the Miraculous Medal, which “contains a little catechism about the Christian life,” Bishop-

elect Cozzens said. It includes an ception afterward at the Crowne altar and cross, signifying the sig- Plaza Hotel in downtown St. Paul. nificance of the Mass; an “M” for Seating and parking at the CatheMary, “who teaches us how to sur- dral are limited. There are several render our lives in the off-site parking options, Mass;” the hearts of Jesus including the St. Paul and Mary; and 12 stars College parking ramp representing the Twelve (cost $5), Minnesota HisApostles. tory Center parking lot The crosier, or pastoral (cost $5) and Sears parkstaff, symbolizes a bishing lot (free). op’s responsibility to lead Chartered shuttle bushis flock to Christ. Bishes will run from the op-elect Cozzens’ crosier above lots to the Catheis a gift from both friends dral at 1 p.m. Buses from Bishop-elect and family and is being the Cathedral to the offcarved by a nephew of Andrew site parking lots and the Bishop Sirba who is a proCrowne Plaza will begin COZZENS fessional wood carver. running immediately folThe new bishop’s coat of lowing the ordination. arms will be carved in the crosier’s Buses will make return trips to the crook. off-site parking lots from the hotel The miter will be a gift from some throughout the afternoon. of Bishop-elect Cozzens’ former stuThe ordination will be livedents who are now priests. streamed on www.archspm.org and He also will receive two pectoral carried live on local Metro Cable crosses as episcopal ordination gifts Channel 6 for those living in the — one from classmates and another greater Twin Cities metro area. from the Companions of Christ, the (Check your local cable TV listings fraternity of priests to which he be- for details.) longs. Archbishop Nienstedt also The ceremony also will be broadgave a pectoral cross to Bishop-elect cast live with commentary by Paul Cozzens after his appointment by Sadek on Relevant Radio 1330 AM Pope Francis was announced Oct. 11. and via online streaming at www. The faithful are invited to attend relevantradio.com, keyword “bishthe ordination Mass as well as a re- op.”

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November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

7 By Jennifer Janikula For The Catholic Spirit Liz Podominick spends every day getting stronger, faster, more agile and more graceful. She hopes her efforts will help her launch a 2.2 pound, saladplate-sized disc far enough to land her in Rio De Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics. With more than 10 years of experience, Podominick, who attended All Saints School in Lakeville, can’t even guess how many times she has thrown the discus. In addition to several hours of weight training, speed work and agility drills, Podominick spends two to three hours a day throwing. She breaks down each step of the throw, refining rhythm, balance and feeling. The repetition is a key factor in her success. “Throwing is very technical.” Podominick said. “In competition, when I enter the circle, I try to clear my mind and trust my body to take over. The practice and repetition pays off just like praying in your spiritual life.”

God Moments Mac Wilkens, 1976 Olympic discus champion and Podominick’s coach, understands the frequent frustration, and rare but brilliant blessings of repetition. “He reminds me that I will feel like I am banging my head against the wall for days, weeks or even months,” Podominick explained.

Aspiring Olympian Liz Podominick, second from right, visits with Carly Wohlers, Grace Maloney, Maddie Bares and Madison Keppel during a recent visit to her alma mater, All Saints School in Lakeville. Photo submitted “Then there will be what he calls a ‘God moment’, where everything just clicks. Those aha moments — God moments — are very addicting and keep you going.” After several months of training, Wilkens and Podominick shared a God moment. “He always tells me about the rhythm and the feeling of a throw,” Podominick recalled. “I didn’t really understand until one day it just happened. I felt it. They were just flying. He could see it and it brought tears to his eyes.” Then Podominick laughed and said, “Of course it goes away

though, and you have to wait for it to come back.” Podominick’s spiritual life provides a foundation for her discipline and perseverance. She believes throwing discus is part of God’s plan for her, but admits this path was unexpected. “God has an ultimate plan you can’t always understand or predict,” she said. “Regardless of what you do, you can honor God.”

She’s ready In August, Podominick made her international debut as a member of Team USA at the 2013 World

Championships in Moscow, Russia. She wasn’t nervous when she walked into the stadium — she felt a sense of peace. “I felt ready to compete at this level,” she said. “God wouldn’t have put me there if that wasn’t where he wanted me to be.” Her 10th place finish in her qualifying group wasn’t enough to advance to the finals at World’s, but Podominick values the international experience. “I didn’t perform as well as I wanted, but I learned lessons that will serve me well in the future. I learned about the logistics — how to check in, when to start my warmup, and what kind of distractions are present.” Her experience at World’s also helped Podominick secure a spot at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California. The benefits of residency at the Olympic Training Center include housing and meals as well as access to world class facilities and experts in nutrition and sports medicine. For the first time in her career, Podominick will be able to focus on training full-time. “I never know how it’s going to work out, but God seems to provide,” she said. “I take it year by year — if I stay focused on the process, the results will come.”

Local • Next Gen

Olympic hopeful Liz Podominick remains ‘God-focused’

Supporters can monitor Podominick’s road to the Olympics by following her on Twitter at @ LizPodminator or by visiting USA Track and Field’s website at usatf.org.

Just for kicks: Girl enjoys playing on Bethlehem Academy football squad By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit A girl with long blonde hair in a ponytail and painted fingernails emerges from a side door at Bethlehem Academy in Faribault on a sunny afternoon last week. She walks straight west 10 yards and passes underneath a set of goalposts positioned parallel to the outside wall of the school. About 10 yards beyond the goalposts, she turns to face them. She carefully walks backward and sideways several steps, then stares down at a football held by sophomore Kollin Hanson. She pauses, then takes a run at the ball and drills it through the uprights. This process is repeated about 15 or 20 times in a span of several minutes. How many kicks did she make? “All of them,” she said, matter-of-factly. This girl, who likes to wear designer jeans and Ugg boots, is the kicker for the boys varsity squad at the Catholic school. Her main job is to kick extra points for a team that qualified for the state tournament two years in a row. In fact, she kicked four in the Section 1A finals against Blooming Prairie, a 28-20 win. “We tied it up 20-20 with about three minutes to go in the game and she put us ahead 21-20,” said head coach Scott Hanson, Kollin’s father, who also is the school’s dean of students. “Then, we ended up scoring one more touchdown because we intercepted a pass and then scored. So, we won by eight, 28-20. Theoretically, it could have came down [to her kick]. That’s how important kickers are.” And, that’s precisely why Hanson never hesitated when junior Lexi Temple approached him at church the summer after her ninth-grade year to ask if she

Lexi Temple, a junior at Bethlehem Academy in Faribault enjoys her role as kicker for the boys’ varsity football team. Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit could try out for the job. They both attend First Lutheran in Faribault. The seed was planted when her father, Troy, had several conversations with Hanson before that. Did Hanson have any reservations about having a girl on his squad? “Absolutely not. We embraced it,” Hanson said. “I said, ‘Here, take some footballs and try it. Make sure it’s something you want to do.’ We never just threw her out to the wolves. We really progressed her slow. We made her feel real comfortable when she came. We always kept encouraging her.” The team ended up advancing to the state semifinals, where its season ended with a 19-0 loss to defending state champion Mahnomen Nov. 16. No matter. She will have one more chance next year

when she’s a senior. The job is hers, based on strong character and refined kicking skills. She made 39 of 43 extra-point attempts this season. Not bad for someone who was anything but comfortable when she walked onto the practice field for the first time at the start of her sophomore year. “I was really nervous when I first came out just because it’s a ton of guys,” said Temple, who also plays on the girls varsity soccer team at B.A. “But, it all ended up working so good. They’re all like my brothers and I love them all and I love being at practice.” There was a brief adjustment phase at the beginning, with some teammates feeling a little awkward at first. But, her bright personality – and accurate kicks – won them over. “At first, I was shocked,” said senior Garrett Mayer, a team captain who plays center on offense and linebacker on defense. “But, she came out and proved herself, that she’s better than our kickers that are guys. So, she can kick. She can definitely play. She’s playing now and she’s doing really well. Everyone’s really supportive of her. We all have to block for her, and she makes [her kicks] all the time. So, it’s working well up there.” In addition to crossing gender lines, Temple is also crossing denominational lines. Though Lutheran, she has warmed to the Catholic faith to the point of getting involved in the Youth Evangelization Team at Divine Mercy in Faribault. Not only has she helped Catholic kids grow in their faith, she has come to a deeper appreciation of the Church. “I think the Catholic faith is beautiful and I’ve really enjoyed getting to learn more about it,” she said. “I’ve really learned. . . how big of a community we have as Christians.”

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Local

CCHD collection helps local workers recover unpaid wages By Jennifer Janikula For The Catholic Spirit Despite volumes of labor laws written to protect employees, some companies still find ways to exploit their workers. Wage theft is the primary problem; the schemes vary and companies intimidate those who complain. A local organization called Centre de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (The Center for Workers United in Struggle) provides tools workers need to organize themselves to defend their rights and reclaim unpaid wages. Brain Payne, a CTUL organizer, said CTUL has helped low-wage workers recover more than $1.2 million in unpaid wages in the last six years. Most of CTUL’s members work in the retail cleaning, restaurant and manufacturing industries. Payne described several common wage theft scenarios: • Manufacturing employees arrive for their shift and discover the machines needed to do their jobs are not working. Their boss makes them stay at work, but won’t let them punch in until the machines are fixed hours later. This may happen multiple times per week. • A dishwasher gets a job at a restaurant. The manager offers to pay him a $250 weekly salary and expects the dishwasher to work 60 hours per week. Before taxes, the dishwasher makes about $4 per hour. • An overnight cleaning crew

Retail cleaning workers reflect after a day of protest last June and discuss what their rights are when they go back to work. Photo courtesy of CTUL works 11 hours per day, seven days per week. The employees get paid hourly. When the janitors reach 40 hours, their boss makes them punch in with a “ghost employee” timecard. The employees get paid for every hour they work, but do not receive required overtime pay.

Quitting not an option So, why don’t these exploited workers quit and find a new job? “People are afraid to quit for many reasons,” Payne said. “In most cases they are barely scraping by. They have to feed their kids and buy diapers for their baby. They can’t afford to miss a paycheck while they look for a new job.” Exploited workers are afraid to complain about unpaid wages. Managers might punish them for their complaints by firing them,

giving them undesirable schedules or by moving their work location across town. In some cases, managers have physically assaulted exploited workers. “Exploitation doesn’t have a color, a race or an age,” Payne said. “These companies find different ways to scare each person.”

The collection CTUL receives a large part of its annual funding from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the U.S. bishops’ domestic anti-poverty agency. The annual nationwide collection supports anti-poverty efforts across the country. Twenty-five percent of collected funds stay in each diocese. The USCCB distributes the

rest of the money in the form of grants to community groups working to address the root causes of poverty. Like CTUL, organizations that receive CCHD funds must mobilize and activate those in need to improve their own communities. The programs encourage solidarity in the fight for justice for the poor and vulnerable. This year’s CCHD collection will take place at most parishes on Nov. 23 and 24. The theme of this year’s annual collection is: “Defend Human Dignity. Take Poverty Off the Map.” For more information about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, visit usccb.org/cchd. To learn more about CTUL visit ctul.net or follow @CTUL_TC on Twitter.

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CCM1634 CCAd_7.625x6_rd1.indd November 21, 2013 • The1 Catholic Spirit

10/3/13 1:31 PM

Call The Catholic Spirit 651.291.4444

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

mors. Riva said they constantly itch and he often wakes in the morning with his shirt soaked with blood from scratching. “The first signs [of the disease] appeared after I was 15. They said I would be dead by 30. Instead, here I am,” he said.

For someone who has frequently been shunned and humiliated because of a disease that has severely disfigured his entire body, receiving the pope’s loving embrace was like being in paradise. Vinicio Riva, who is afflicted with neurofibromatosis, said his brief encounter with Pope Francis Nov. 6 at a general audience in St. Peter’s Square “seemed like forever.” Images of the pope kissing and embracing the Italian man made headlines, but his identity and background weren’t known until two Italian news outlets found and interviewed him. “My heart was bursting,” he told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera Nov. 18. When the pope hugged him tight, “I felt like I was in paradise.” Riva, 53, lives in a small village near Vicenza in northern Italy with his younger sister Morena Riva, who has the same genetic disorder, and their aunt, Caterina Lotto, who cares for them. The siblings’ late mother also suffered from the disease, which is typically hereditary.

Shunned by others

No hesitation Riva told the Italian magazine Panorama Nov. 18 that the thing that struck him most was that the pope didn’t hesitate at all. “I’m not contagious, but (the pope) didn’t know that. But he did it, period. He caressed my whole face and while he was doing it, I felt only love,” he said.

U.S. & World

Pope’s embrace was heavenly, says man with disfiguring disease

Pope Francis embraces Vinicio Riva, 53, during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Nov. 6. CNS photo/Claudio Peri, EPA “I tried to speak, to say something, but I wasn’t able to. I was too choked up. It lasted just a little more than a minute, but, for me, it

seemed like forever,” he told Panorama. Neurofibromatosis results in numerous, often painful benign tu-

He frequently has been shunned by people who don’t know him, he said. The worst episode, he said, occurred one day as he sat in the front of a bus and a passenger told him to go sit in the back, saying, “ ‘You horrify me and I don’t want to look at you.’ No one, not even the driver, came to my defense. In fact, many passengers agreed with the man. That really hurt.” Lotto, his aunt, told Panorama that when she and Riva would be sitting in hospital waiting rooms when he was young, she would hold him close and hug him tight whenever people cringed or moved away in fear. She embraced him “to make them both [Riva and the others] understand” there was nothing repulsive or scary about him, she said. Riva works as a volunteer in a retirement home, where his father lives. However, when they see each other, their father can’t bring himself to hug his son, said Morena Riva, the sister. Their father “is embarrassed by his disease. He only says, ‘Do you want a coffee?’” But Riva disagreed with his sister and said their father has his own way of showing his love.

Hearing Tests Set for Senior Citizens 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

Sat., Nov 30 | 1 pm: St Michael’s Church, St Michael, MN Topic: Prayer & Personal Relationship with God Sat., Nov 30 | 5 pm: St Hubert’s Church, Chanhassen, MN Concelebrate Mass Address at 7 pm: Topic: Inner Peace

Sun., Dec 1 | 10:30 am: St John Baptist, New Brighton, MN Concelebrate Mass 10:30 a.m. Address at 12:15 pm: True Freedom in Christ

NOTICE Look for The Catholic Spirit advertising insert from

CATHOLIC CHARITIES in all copies of this issue.

Sun., Dec 1 | 6:45 pm: Nativity of Our Lord, St Paul, MN Topic: Inner Peace

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Mon., Dec 2 | 9 am: Providence Academy, Plymouth, MN Topic: Beatitudes (Spiritual Poverty) Limited seating Mon., Dec 2 | 7 pm: Church of St Joseph, West St Paul, MN Topic: Prayer & Personal Relationship with God Tues., Dec 3 | 2 pm -4pm: St George Catholic Bookstore, Blaine, MN Meet & Greet/Book-signing Topic: Growth Through Suffering Tues., Dec 3 | 7 pm: Church of St Pau, Ham Lake, MN Topic: Receptiveness To The Holy Spirit Talks all approx. 1 hour followed by short Q/A Free admission Look for changes/updates on www.stgeorgebooks.com

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

U.S. & World

New USCCB president says he’s rooted in simple values By Patricia Zapor Catholic News Service The newly elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been a bishop for nearly 14 years, but it’s as priest, family member and social worker that he describes himself. By way of introduction to American Catholics, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., talked about his upbringing in the coal regions of northeastern Pennsylvania, of spending most of his priesthood as a social worker, and of caring for his older brother, George, who had Down syndrome, for 12 years after their mother died. George Kurtz died in 2002. He takes obvious pride in his identity as both a coal-town native and a transplanted southerner, after serving as bishop of Knoxville, Tenn., from 1999 to 2007, when he became archbishop of Louisville. Archbishop Kurtz, 67, was elected by his fellow bishops to serve a three-year term as president of the conference, succeeding New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan in the post. He has been vice president of the USCCB for the past three years and was elected from a slate of 10 bishops with a 125-vote win on the first ballot Nov. 12.

Moving into high gear In an interview with Catholic News Service, Archbishop Kurtz spoke of seeing the example of Pope Francis as a model for outreach, listening and collegiality. “He’s asking us to go beyond what we’ve been doing,” he said. “If it was a car, I guess we’re moving into high gear.” He demurred about specific issues he might like to take up as president. “It’s too early for me to comment too much about that,” he said. But he suggested there might be a thread to consider in his intervention in October 2012 at the world Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization. There, he used his allotted five minutes to focus on parish observances, particularly the Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb. The ceremony is a “pastoral moment of first evangelization of the child and new evangelization of the family,” Archbishop Kurtz told the synod. He told CNS Nov. 12 that he sees the rite as a way of “reaching out to people on the margins, especially a woman who is pregnant, especially if they’re distant from Christ, distant from the Church.” That rite of blessing has resonated with people in the Archdiocese of Louisville, he said, as became apparent in recent listening sessions held there. He said the rite tangibly helps affirm the central role of children in society, “not as property, not as a possession, but as a true gift of creation.”

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Bishops send ‘special message’ reiterating objection to HHS mandate Catholic News Service

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., is elected the new president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Nov. 12 in Baltimore. Archbishop Kurtz, the current vice president, succeeds New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, right. CNS photo / Nancy Phelan Wiechec

Highlights of U.S. bishops’ meeting Catholic News Service During the Nov. 11-12 public sessions of the annual fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore, the bishops: • Elected Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., to succeed New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and elected Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston as vice president. • Approved the development of a pastoral statement on the dangers pornography poses to family life that would serve as a teaching tool for church leaders. The Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth will develop the statement, providing a draft to the bishops in 2015. • Nearly unanimously approved several steps toward adapting the Mexican Misal Romano for use in the U.S. The Mexican translation of the missal will have Mass propers for the U.S. calendar included, with publication possible as soon as fall of 2015. • Approved adaptations for the Order of Celebrating Marriage and OK’d a new translation of the Order of Confirmation for use in U.S. dioceses. • Heard a report on the USCCB’s efforts to promote and defend traditional marriage, which stressed that recent laws have placed the legal defense of marriage “at a critical point in this country.” • Heard a report on the work of Catholic Relief Services, which highlighted what the agency is doing for survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan. The agency has already committed $20 million in emergency aid, with the funds expected to come from a second collection CRS asked U.S. bishops to take in their dioceses before the end of the year. • Approved a budget for 2014 and approved a 3 percent increase in diocesan assessments starting in 2015. • Heard a report on “important progress” being made in bishops’ priorities for 2013-16 in their efforts to protect the life and dignity of the human person, to strengthen marriage and family life, to promote religious liberty, and to improve faith formation and sacramental practice. • Approved adding a new staff person to the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities to work on a national level with the post-abortion ministry Project Rachel funded by a Knights of Columbus grant. • Approved the advancement of the sainthood cause of Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, who founded the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate, an order focused on contemplation and door-to-door, personal ministry.

In a “special message” released Nov. 13, the U.S. bishops reiterated their objections to the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that employee insurance include contraceptive coverage, and said they remain “united in our resolve to resist this heavy burden and protect our religious freedom.” The message was released one day after the conclusion of the Nov. 11-12 public portion of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fall general assembly in Baltimore. The bishops met in executive session Nov. 13. The Constitution and the law protect the church’s freedom to answer that call to serve through various apostolates, the statement said. “Yet with its coercive HHS mandate, the government is refusing to uphold its obligation to respect the rights of religious believers.” The mandate was issued by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the health care law. It requires most religious and other employers to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacient drugs and devices even if the employer is morally opposed to such services. It includes an exemption for some religious employers that fit its criteria. The mandate does not include a conscience clause for employers who object to such coverage on moral grounds.

Three objections The special message outlined three objections the bishops still have, including that it establishes what they called “a false architecture of religious liberty that excludes our ministries and so reduces freedom of religion to freedom of worship.” It “compels our ministries” to provide coverage that “violates our deeply held beliefs,” and the bishops said they also object to “our faithful people in business” being required “to act against our teachings, failing to provide them any exemption at all.” There are multiple lawsuits working their way through the courts that have been filed on behalf of Church entities, religious colleges and faith-based institutions as well as for-profit companies.

11 The Catholic Spirit The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is inviting parishes to participate in a nationwide collection on the weekend of Nov. 30Dec. 1 to aid victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan. The storm’s destructive winds and 15-foot high storm surge devastated communities and left thousands dead throughout the central Philippines Nov. 8. It also damaged homes and property in Vietnam. “The local government offices, humanitarian relief agencies, and churches are overwhelmed and cannot possibly respond adequately to the widespread destruction,” Bishop Lee Piché said in a Nov. 12 letter to pastors and parish administrators. “Our brothers and sisters in the Philippines and Vietnam need our help.” Catholic Relief Services committed $20 million in emergency aid for typhoon survivors. “Our goal is to serve 100,000 families, about a half million people,” CRS president Carolyn Woo, told the U.S. bishops Nov. 11, the first day of their annual fall general assembly in Baltimore. CRS, the bishops’ international relief and development agency, was assembling assessment teams to head into the disaster zone. Woo

plies. The agency planned to institute cash for work programs to provide income for people as they remove debris, Woo said. Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., chairman of the CRS board, expects that some of the funds will be set aside for the reconstruction of Catholic churches, schools and agencies, but that the immediate need for relief services will take precedence in the short term.

U.S. & World

Second collection will aid typhoon survivors

Local Filipino effort

A resident places laundry on an umbrella to dry in the typhoon-battered city of Tacloban, Philippines, Nov. 13. Hundreds of thousands of people in Leyte province have been displaced by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the worst storms to hit land. CNS photo/Romeo Ranoco, Reuters said the teams must be completely self-sufficient because little remains in the worst hit communities. In addition to the collection in parishes, donations are being taken 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) 4357277. CRS staff members in the Philippines were rushing to restock emergency supplies in the wake of the

storm, Woo said. The agency’s normally well-stocked warehouses were depleted of materials because of a widespread distribution of supplies after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook the central Philippines Oct. 15. The typhoon struck some of the same areas affected by the earthquake. CRS teams were hoping to gather 18,000 tarps for shelters, hygiene kits and water and sanitation sup-

In Minnesota, the Cultural Society of Filipino Americans and Guardian Angels in Oakdale plan to host a memorial service and fundraising benefit for Haiyan victims at the church Nov. 24, and a variety of Filipino associations met there Nov. 12 to start planning joint fund raising efforts. Minnesota Filipino leaders say they hope to raise anywhere from $200,000 to $1 million for Haiyan victims, according to Jocelyn Ancheta, a board member of the Philippine Center of Minnesota and treasurer of the Minnesota chapter of the Filipino American Women’s Network. The Catholic Spirit contributed to this report.

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Focus on Fatih

Teens encouraged to view their sexuality as a gift By Angela Deeney For The Catholic Spirit Teens and parents munched on bagels around fall-festive tables at St. Peter in Forest Lake Nov. 9 while presenters prepared to share encouragement and practical counsel from their own experiences facing the challenge of chastity in today’s society. They were gathered to participate in a program called All in God’s Plan. It’s a three-part, faith-based program for families on human sexuality. The session on Nov. 2 was Part 2: Daughters and Sons for Life. It covered dating, parenting teens, family purity and God’s plan for sexuality for 13- to 16-year-olds and their parents. “It gives me the tools that I can use at home with my children,” said Jolynn Schumacher of St. Peter. Kathleen Steffes, also of St. Peter, agreed, “I think we need encouragement and affirmation for what we already know is right,” she said.

The big lie Throughout the morning, the boys and girls broke off into separate sessions to discuss the lies they face regarding their sexuality.

“God gave us a beautiful gift in ourselves, that we are manifestations of his Holy Spirit and one of the beautiful ways we do that is through understanding the gift of our sexuality; and when we do that, we change the world.” Dr. April Lind

“The world presents to us a bunch of lies about what sexuality really is, and what it’s like to go through this time in their life,” said Andrew Stolpestad, a philosophy graduate

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Bigstockphoto.com of the University of St. Thomas. Jen Messing, founder of the nonprofit Into the Deep, warned the girls about the distorted perception of beauty present in the media. “Our bodies speak a language,” she told the girls, “and that’s a beautiful and good thing.” However, our desire for love can be twisted to the point where we no longer respect our dignity and ourselves. Kristin Schindler, who teaches natural family planning classes in St. Paul, also told the girls that in our relationships we have to choose love, which means making decisions that will lead us and others to heaven. For the boys, the challenge is similar. Among all of the temptations, there are roads we can choose that either lead to life or death. Dr. David Dries from HealthPartners in St. Paul told the boys they can choose life by the relationships they pick with one another if they recognize that love is not about one’s own gratification, but death to self. With the boys and girls back together, Dr. April Lind, a physician in Maple Grove, broke down the myths of “safe sex.” According to Dr. Lind, the problem of the contra-

ceptive culture is it tries to separate sex from life. “God gave us a beautiful gift in ourselves, that we are manifestations of his Holy Spirit,” she said, “and one of the beautiful ways we do that is through understanding the gift of our sexuality; and when we do that, we change the world.”

in my conversations with my children.” Other speakers at the event included Sue Lewis from Epiphany in Coon Rapids, and Father Benjamin Little, parochial vicar of St. Peter. Both also spoke about the gift of the Christian family and the goodness of God’s ways.

Gift of the Christian family

Living virtuously

Crystal Crocker, leader of the Argument Club for Women, gave parents practical insights into how they can help their teens face sexual temptations by practicing the virtues within their family. Crocker urged parents to never give up on their faith, and to pray, go to church and communicate with their teens, even on awkward topics. John Crudele, founder of Partnership for Youth and author of “Making Sense of Adolescence: How to Parent from the Heart,” observed that 95 percent of teens want sex education from their parents. Furthermore, he urged parents to live their lives openly as an example to their children. The presentation, said Schumacher, “makes me more confident

As the program wrapped up, Stolpestad remarked how the challenge to live out chastity doesn’t stop here. “After all these talks are said and done, they can walk away with what the true meaning of love is, and that being the total self-giving of yourself to another out of the good for that person, because that’s behind the whole gift of sexuality that God gave to us,” he said. All in God’s Plan sessions are held at parishes throughout the Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis. The next event will be held on Jan. 11 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings. For more information about the All in God’s Plan program, contact the Office of Marriage, Family and Life at (651) 291-4488.

Deacon Timothy Lange

The call of the King A popular Easter hymn proclaims: “The strife is over, the battle done, now is the victor’s triumph won. O let the song of praise be sung, alleluia!” When we hear this lyric, we might be tempted to think that the author was delusional: “Doesn’t he see all the sin and evil in the world? Doesn’t he see what is in his own heart? How can the battle be done?” On this the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we proclaim Christ as King of the Universe. We proclaim that the battle is done, that Christ through his Passover has triumphed over the devil by

destroying the power of sin and death and opening heaven again to mankind, and that Jesus is worthy of praise. Today we also proclaim that Christ the King “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” Yet while we celebrate “already” Christ’s victory in time and anticipate his triumph at the end of time, we recognize the “not yet” — that Christ has yet to reign in our time, in our hearts. The battle for individual souls rages on. This is the point in today’s first reading: God had already picked David (through Samuel) to be Israel’s

abundantly more: “You will be with me in Paradise.” The thief opened his heart a little, and Christ gave him more than he could imagine. The second challenge today is to actively invite Christ to be king of these strongholds in our lives where he does not yet rule. This is a lifelong process, a spiral staircase that descends ever deeper in our minds and hearts. If we don’t make the active choice daily to invite Jesus Christ to be our King, we end up with other things or people as our king, just like those who sneer at Jesus in the Gospel. So we pray, “Come Lord Jesus, be king of my heart. You lead me, and remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Deacon Lange is in formation for the priesthood at St. Paul Seminary for the Diocese of Duluth. His teaching parishes are St. Thomas the Apostle in Corcoran and Sts. Peter and Paul in Loretto.

Focus on Faith • Scripture Readings

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES

king, and David had already won several battles. But God also wanted him to be chosen by all the 12 tribes of Israel — he wanted them to choose David as their king, and so all the elders of Israel “anointed David king of Israel.” As David foreshadows Jesus, the first challenge from today’s readings is this: Where in my life is Christ not yet king? Is it my speech, that I haven’t given Christ control of my tongue? Is it in my hands or my knees, that I haven’t given Christ full kingship over my actions? What about my wallet, my time, my shopping preferences, the way I use technology? Or is it my mind and heart, where I realize that I exclude God from certain decisions, preferring my own plans and, perhaps, sinful habits? This can be overwhelming if we forget today’s Gospel, if we forget that Jesus is a patient, forgiving King. To the “good thief” who asks merely that he be “remembered,” Christ in his beneficent, magnificent mercy promises

Readings Sunday, Nov. 24 Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe • 2 Samuel 5:1-3 • Colossians 1:12-20 • Luke 23:35-43

Reflection Where in my life is Christ not yet king? What will I do this week to invite Christ to be king of those places in my life where he does not yet rule?

CNS photo

DAILY Scriptures Sunday, Nov. 24 Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Colossians 1:12-20 Luke 23:35-43 Monday, Nov. 25 St. Catherine of Alexandria, virgin, martyr Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20 Luke 21:1-4

Tuesday, Nov. 26 Daniel 2:31-45 Luke 21:5-11 Wednesday, Nov. 27 Daniel 5:1-6,13-14,16-17, 23-28 Luke 21:12-19 Thursday, Nov. 28 Daniel 6:12-28 Luke 21:20-28 Friday, Nov. 29 Daniel 7:2-4 Luke 21:29-33

Saturday, Nov. 30 St. Andrew, Apostle Romans 10:9-18 Matthew 4:18-22

Tuesday, Dec. 3 St. Francis Xavier, priest Isaiah 11:1-10 Luke 10:21-24

Friday, Dec. 6 St. Nicholas, bishop Isaiah 29:17-24 Matthew 9:27-31

Sunday, Dec. 1 First Sunday of Advent Isaiah 2:1-5 Romans 13:11-14 Matthew 24:37-44

Wednesday, Dec. 4 St. John Damascene, priest, doctor of the Church Isaiah 25:6-10a Matthew 15:29-37

Monday, Dec. 2 Isaiah 4:2-6 Matthew 8:5-11

Thursday, Dec. 5 Isaiah 26:1-6 Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Saturday, Dec. 7 St. Ambrose, bishop, doctor of the Church Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 Matthew 9:35 — 10:1, 5a, 6-8 Sunday, Dec. 8 Second Sunday of Advent Isaiah 11:1-10 Romans 15:4-9 Matthew 3 :1-12

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Focus on Faith • Seeking Answers

14 SEEKING ANSWERS Father Kenneth Doyle

How many times a day can a person receive Communion?

What are the Church’s guidelines for someone receiving Communion more than once a day? Some examples are: attending Mass on a Saturday morning, a Saturday evening vigil Mass and Mass again on Sunday morning; also, attending a weekday Mass in the morning and then a healing Mass that same evening.

Retirement Fund for Religious

A. Succinctly put, a Catholic can receive Communion twice a

day, within the context of a Mass. Canon No. 917 of the church’s Code of Canon Law states: “A person who has received the most holy Eucharist may receive it again on the same day only during the celebration of the Eucharist in which the person participates.” The canon goes on to explain that a person who is in danger of death may receive the Eucharist as viaticum no matter how many times he or she has already received it on that same day. The rationale behind the rule is that holy Communion is an integral part of the Mass, uniting the recipient to the sacrifice made by Jesus. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (No. 1388) puts it this way, referencing the words of the Second Vatican Council: “That more perfect form of participation in the Mass whereby the faithful, after the priest’s Communion, receive the Lord’s body from the same sacrifice is warmly recommended.” In each of the examples your question offers, you may certainly receive Communion at the second Mass. Some other frequent situations that allow the same are: a weekday Mass in the morning, with a funeral Mass or CNS file photo wedding Mass later in that day; or a Saturday morning wedding or funeral with a vigil Mass for Sunday celebrated on Saturday afternoon.

Special gift I know of a man who takes a bus to several churches on the same day and adjusts his schedule to arrive in time to “pop in” and take holy Communion at each of those Masses. I believe that this man is doing what he thinks is helpful and admirable, but objectively he is violating the Church’s guideline on two counts: first, by receiving Communion more than twice a day; and secondly, by simply “grabbing” the Eucharist on his “fly-by” and not participating in the Mass at which he receives. Actually, the Vatican had envisioned this fellow some years ago: A number of bishops had written to the Holy See and asked whether the word “again” in canon No. 917 meant that the Eucharist could be received only twice a day (except in danger of death) or whether someone could take Communion even more often, so long as he or she participated in the Mass. The Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts wrote back in 1984, with the approval of Pope John Paul II, and said essentially that twice is the limit. The council recognized what a special gift the Eucharist is and wanted people to maintain the proper respect for its uniqueness. Father Doyle writes for Catholic News Service. A priest of the Diocese of Albany, N.Y., he previously served as director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

November 21, 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

Christ is the way 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 reflection is for the first Sunday of Advent, Dec. 1. Watch the Dec. 5 issue for reflections for the remaining Sundays of Advent.

Scripture • Isaiah 2:1-5 • Romans 13:11-14 • Matthew 24:37-44

Reflection I believe God wants us to be happy. I believe God gave us this yearning for happiness that constantly preoccupies our hearts. It seems he has placed this yearning within each human heart as a spiritual navigational instrument designed to lead us to our destiny. God himself is the author of our desire for happiness.

Advent

First Sunday of Advent — Dec. 1

The modern search for happiness is governed by individualism, hedonism, minimalism and their fruits: greed, lust, laziness, gluttony, selfishness, exploitation and deception. And, yet, as these philosophies become more and more the focus of modern lifestyles, people seem to be filled with a greater discontent and unhappiness with every passing day. As a father who takes a sincere and active interest in the lives of his children, God sent his only son to respond to humanity’s yearning for happiness, and to teach us how to satisfy that yearning. God sent his son into the world to reconcile us with himself, certainly, but he also sent Jesus to show us how to live. Where do I look for happiness in The philosophy of Christ is the my life? How much of my search is ultimate philosophy of human directed toward what God has to happiness. It isn’t just a way of life; it is give, and how much is directed the way of life. At the same time, the toward what the world has to give? philosophy of Christ is one of selfDoes the balance need to shift? donation. This is the great paradox of

Meditation

“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind — just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you — so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Corinthians 1:4-7

Prayer The prayer for this week is based on Matthew 24:4244: “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. . . . You must be ready, for this Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” Although it contains a warning to “keep awake,” to

God’s teaching. In our misguided adventures, we may catch glimpses of happiness as we live outside of the philosophy of Christ. You may even taste happiness for a moment living a life contrary to the philosophy of Christ, but these are stolen moments. They are just shadows of something infinitely greater. — Matthew Kelly

remain alert, it offers hope and expectation in the coming of Christ at the end of time. “God of hope, I look to you with an open heart and yearning spirit. During this Advent season, I will keep alert and awake, listening for your word and keeping to your precepts. My hope is in you, as I wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus.”

“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.

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www.aimhigher.org November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Advent

The three comings of C

The following is an excerpt of “The Three Comings of Christ” from the book “Advent Reflections: Come, Lord Jesus!” by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan © Our Sunday Visitor Publishing. Used by permission.

Advent means “coming” and, simply put, Advent is the season when we prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. You learn an awful lot about our faith when you teach religion to children. I recall two incidents that happened to me when I was a parish priest where kids taught me something about Advent. The first incident happened when I was visiting a class of fourth-graders during the season of Advent. I asked them, “Can any of you help me understand Advent better?” A little girl named Judy raised her hand and said, “Well, Father, sure. At this time of the year, in the weeks before Christmas, I always see my mom and dad cleaning and decorating the house, cooking and baking good stuff, all to get ready for the company that’s going to come visit us at Christmastime.”

Christ comes in history Advent is an excellent time to prepare, to renew our faith that the baby whose birth we hail at Christmas is indeed the Savior of the World, the long-awaited Messiah. CNS photo/Mike Crupi, Catholic Courier

“So Advent,” Judy went on, “is the time when we get our hearts ready for the greatest Christmas gift of all — namely, Jesus.” Now, I don’t think that’s a bad definition at all of Advent, do you? The second incident happened when I was teaching grade school at the parishes where I was assigned at the time. One day, I was telling them — sixth-graders this time — about Advent as the time that we prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas. “But, Father Tim,” a young fellow said, “Jesus already came that first Christmas, in Bethlehem, in the stable. So how can we get ready for his coming now? He already came!” You know, that’s not a bad question. I’d like to

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

try my best to answer that question in this meditation by talking to you about the three comings of Christ at Christmas — the triple “Advents” of our Lord. He has come already at Bethlehem on that first Christmas. This is the first coming of Our Lord, the one we’re most familiar with and celebrate every Christmas. He also comes to us now, every day, in such mysterious ways, as in prayer, grace, word and sacrament. The word for the celebration of the Lord’s birth, “Christmas” — literally, “Christ’s Mass” — hints at that coming as well. Then there is yet another coming. Christ will come at the end of time, as judge of the living and the dead. If you don’t mind me saying it in a more poetic way, our Lord comes to us in history, mystery and majesty.

His coming in history Our Lord Jesus Christ came in history. This is, of course, the coming that drove the dreams of the faithful people of Israel, who had waited so eagerly and so long for the coming of the Messiah. What we try to do as the Church in Advent, in a small way, is to consolidate those centuries of waiting into four short weeks. And we’re reminded — guess what? — that God takes his sweet old time in fulfilling his promises. God may have promised a Savior in the Garden of Eden. You bet he did. But he was slow in following through on that sacred promise. So that’s why we hear words such as “yearning,” “waiting,” “hoping,” “watching,” “longing,” “looking” and “preparing” throughout this holy season. These words all become part of our Advent vocabulary at the sacred liturgy. But all that yearning, waiting, hoping, watching, longing, looking and preparing — was it ever worth it when He finally did come, for as St. John the Evangelist records: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). There is his coming in history. Now, granted, there’s really not all that much we can do to prepare for that first coming of Christ — his coming in history — because it has already taken place. But we can, during this season of Advent, assume the posture of the expectant people of Israel and admit that we have a very real need for a Savior. Did you get that? We sure do need a Savior! Advent is an excellent time to prepare, to renew our faith that the baby whose birth we hail at Christmas is indeed the Savior of the World, the long-awaited Messiah — the One who can save us! Now, it might sound easy to make the admission that we need a Savior, but in reality it’s tough because most of us are sort of proud and feel rather self-sufficient, independent — in other words, we feel we’re able to take care of ourselves. We’re not beholden to anybody. We hardly need a Savior. Yet if we are really honest with ourselves, we admit that there are certain things in our life that we just can’t fix. I need help. I happen to need a Savior — and there is good news! We happen to have the best Savior ever, who was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in history, on that first Christmas Day. What we actually mean by Christ coming in history is that at a specific time and place, God became Man and entered the human drama. This is called the Incarnation — that is, Our Lord’s coming in history. Advent can be a great time to recollect our utter dependence and need for God made man, who has broken into the history of the world, to save us.

His coming in majesty I used to bring holy Communion to a

Plan to celebrate the sacrament of penance and r and to live with your eyes focused on when Christ re CNS photo/Nancy Phelan Wiechec wonderful woman in the parish who was housebound because of frail health and advanced age. Her name was Rosemary. On one Friday when I gave her holy Communion, she made her thanksgiving afterward, and for a short while we chatted, as I like to do when making my Communion calls. “Father,” she said, “some pests came to the door earlier this week, thumping their Bibles, and they said to me: ‘Listen, ma’am, you better be ready because Christ is going to return soon! Christ is going to come back as judge. You’d better be ready and you better be saved.’ ” I asked Rosemary, “Well, what did you say to those fellows at the door?” “I just shushed them away,” she replied. “I said, ‘I’m a Catholic. I don’t believe any of that stuff.’ ” Uh-oh! It was time for a little catechism lesson for my friend Rosemary. I said, “Rosemary, of course we believe that the Lord is going to come again at the end of time.” . . . I did have to admit to Rosemary that, unlike some other Christian believers, we Catholics quit, a long time ago, trying to calculate just when Christ will come again — but we sure do believe that he will. Christ will come again in glory — that is an essential part of our faith. That’s his coming in majesty. And you know what? Advent is a great time to reflect on that, to remember it and to prepare for it. Everything here in life, as beautiful and as wonderful as it is, is only a hint of what awaits us when Christ comes in majesty at the end of time. Nothing is permanent here, and we look forward to the day when Christ will come and usher in his everlasting reign. “Sub specie aeternitatis!” I don’t know if you ever heard that. It’s an old classical Latin phrase to say that we view everything “under the aspect of eternity.” It is a way of looking at what I’m doing right now and asking: • Is this going to help me get to heaven, or is this going to hurt my chances? • Is this going to assist my salvation, or is this going to hurt it? • How will this appear on the day when Christ returns in majesty to be the judge of the living and the dead? Then we make our choices based on what is going to have the best “eternal” consequence for us.

hrist comes in majesty

reconciliation with a firm commitment to reform your life eturns to be the judge of the living and the dead.

Beginning to look at our lives “sub specie aeternitatis” during Advent, as a way of preparing for the Final Coming of Christ, is an excellent practice for the spiritual life — one that, hopefully, we’ll continue the rest of the year.

His coming in mystery Let me share with you an incident from my life that maybe will help us appreciate this coming of Christ in mystery. I really love — I confess — getting Christmas cards. I enjoy sending them. During the season of Advent, I spend a lot of time doing it. It just provides what I think is a providential opportunity to keep in touch with cherished friends. Well, a couple of years ago I got a Christmas card with a letter inside that really moved me. I’ve kept it to this day, and I usually reread it every Advent. It was from a young fellow that I had really gotten to know well in one of the parishes where I had been assigned. He was at that time in his early years of college, and he used to often come by to visit me in the rectory. I was so impressed with his thirst for religion, with his hunger for the faith, with his desire to just find the Lord and discover what the Lord was asking him to do. He was a man on a real religious odyssey. I left the parish, was reassigned to another place and lost contact with him. So some years later, was I ever happy when I got this Christmas card from him, because it allowed me to rekindle our friendship. In the letter inside his Christmas card to me he wrote: Dear Fr. Tim, I know it’s been years since I’ve caught up with you, but let me tell you what’s happened. You knew me well and you knew how I was always on this religious quest. Not too long after you left the parish I went out to California. I heard there was a Carthusian monastery there, one of the strictest orders of monks, and I thought, “I’m going to go there because that is really going to quench my thirst for religion, faith, and for God.” Well, I spent a couple of months there and it didn’t work. They were sure helpful, but it didn’t work. The Carthusians recommended that maybe I ought to go with the Jesuits and make a 30-day retreat. So I did that. That helped, but it really didn’t quench my

thirst. I didn’t think so, anyway. Then I got into intense spiritual direction; it helped a little but I was still restless. Then I started to dabble in Eastern mystical religions; I thought this was the be all and end all, and that this was going to satisfy my religious hunger. I got so involved that I ended up actually going to Tibet and spending some time at a shrine, with other people who were into Eastern mystical religions, as an attempt to find and discover God’s will. But after a while that didn’t seem to help either. So then what I did was, I went back to California. Father, I’m kind of embarrassed to admit that then I really got into promiscuity, drugs, and alcohol. It was just all a mess. So finally I came to my senses and I hitchhiked home. Was I ever so scared when I walked up the sidewalk, wondering, you know, I hadn’t seen Mom and Dad for years. I hadn’t written them. They didn’t know where I was. I knocked on the door. Dad comes to the door. He looks at me. He says my name. He starts crying. He gives me a big hug. Mom runs out from the kitchen. She sees me. She starts crying. She gives me a big hug. My sister — I didn’t even know she was married — she’s there with my little nephew that I didn’t even know I had. I’m so happy to be home. We go sit at the table. Mom has made a great meal, probably the best I’ve eaten in two or three years. We’re sitting there talking, conversing. I’m at home. I’m feeling at peace. After supper I walked down the block to the parish church where I used to meet you — remember, Father? I kneel down in church and I’m starting to pray and I look up and I see the sanctuary lamp and I know that Our Lord is present in the tabernacle. I hear the door open in the back and I look and it’s Monsignor, the pastor that I grew up with. He greets me. I say to him, “Monsignor, would you mind hearing my confession?” I go to confession, I make a thanksgiving, and then it dawns on me while I’m saying my prayers there in the parish church: “Lord, I’ve been searching all over the world for You, and You’ve been here the whole time. I’ve been looking for You in every exotic, faraway place in the whole world, and here You are, right at home. You’ve been here all the time, Lord, coming to me, and I didn’t recognize You.”

us daily. Jesus is reborn in our lives every single day in a myriad of ways if we but recognize him with the eyes of faith. Christ comes to us in a very soft, gentle, unassuming and everyday kind of way. He comes in a prayer whispered or a smile exchanged. He comes in bread and wine changed into his very body and blood at Mass. He comes in his word in the Scripture. He comes in the cry of a baby and the countless other helpless individuals who cry out for help. He comes in the meal shared or in a tear dried. He comes in worn rosary beads and in those sacred words of absolution. He comes in forgiveness exchanged and a second chance given. He comes in water poured in baptism or vows exchanged in marriage. He comes in an imperfect Church in a struggling world. Advent is an opportunity to re-sensitize our faith so that we’re able to sense his coming in the very plain, ordinary ways of life and in the mysteries of our faith.

Advent

Christ

Christ’s threefold coming During this first week of the Advent season, think about the three comings of Christ. • Is your faith such that you feel you need to renew the Lord’s historical coming, to be renewed in the reality of his incarnation and what that means to you? Then spend this season preparing for the coming of Christ in history, thinking about the reality that you need a Savior and that God has answered his sacred promise. • Perhaps you have not been living your life “sub specie aeternitatis,” “under the aspect of eternity,” with a focus on how your actions will have repercussions for all eternity, and that you need to prepare for the coming of Christ in majesty. Plan to celebrate the sacrament of penance and reconciliation with a firm commitment to reform your life and to live “under the aspect of eternity,” with your eyes focused on the coming of Christ in majesty. • Have you stopped finding Christ in the present? Seek him out. Spend time in eucharistic

Christ comes in mystery Find Christ in the present by spending time in eucharistic adoration, attending daily Mass and doing acts of charity. CNS photo/Scott M. Bort

Now, what I propose to you is that — for this young man, my friend — that was the coming of Christ in mystery. That day — back home in his home parish, kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament after confessing his sins to the pastor — was Christmas Day for him! Christ was reborn in his heart. You know that we believe that Christ comes to

adoration, attending daily Mass, doing acts of charity, and expect to experience his coming in mystery. For the entire book by Cardinal Dolan, additional Advent resources, and other material published by Our Sunday Visitor, please visit its website at www.osv. com or call (800) 348-2440.

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

This Catholic Life

18 Cathedral visit among stops on first presidential visit to Minnesota The Catholic Spirit Eleven-year-old Winifred Purinton and her sister Mary, 15, stood outside the Cathedral of St. Paul for several hours in a chilly drizzle on the morning of Oct. 7, 1962. They were joined by about 2,000 others who lined Dayton Avenue to catch a glimpse of the first, and thus far only, Catholic U.S. president, who was coming to worship at the 11 a.m. Mass that Sunday. “My socks are wet and my feet are freezing, but it’s worth it,” Winifred, of White Bear Lake, told the Minneapolis Morning Tribune. “We’d wait all year if we had to.” President John F. Kennedy was in the Twin Cities as part of a weekend political tour of the Midwest. The visit, his first to Minnesota as president, came a little more than a week before the start of the Cuban missile crisis and a year before he was assassinated in Dallas. The nation will mark the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s death on Nov. 22. Accounts of his visit to the Cathedral in both the Tribune and the Catholic Bulletin — the predecessor of The Catholic Spirit — indicate the extent to which some Minnesotans went to see him.

Long wait Inside the church, an estimated 3,000 people crowded into the pews and aisles, many of them sitting through Masses at 8, 9 and 10 a.m. waiting for him. Kennedy was greeted at the door and escorted to his pew by Bishop Gerald O’Keefe, auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Archbishop Leo Binz had already left for the opening session of the Second Vatican Council slated to begin on Oct. 11. Among those seated with the president were Sen. Eugene McCarthy and his wife Abigail; Fred Gates, an aide to Sen. Hubert Humphrey;

REMEMBERING

President Kennedy 50 YEARS LATER

Cortland J. Silver, a St. Paul businessman; and two secretaries. Two Secret Service agents stood by Kennedy’s pew and several more sat nearby. In her memoir “Private Faces, Public Places” published in 1972, Abigail McCarthy recalled that Kennedy wasn’t well-versed in the rubrics of the Mass. “Once in the pew, the President started when the congregation broke out into a strong-voiced ‘Missa recitata’ and said, ‘God, nobody briefed me on this,’” she wrote. “Out of deference to the President who did not know the responses, Gene also stood mute through the service.” While in the Cathedral, Kennedy President John F. was never far from Kennedy reaches contact with offito shake hands cials in Washington. with Bishop Gerald A special White O’Keefe outside the House phone was Cathedral of St. installed just inside Paul, Oct. 7, 1962. a nearby side door. Photo courtesy of Several times durthe Cathedral of ing the Mass, “chilSt. Paul archives dren stood on tiptoes or sneaked down an aisle, trying to catch a glimpse of Mr. Kennedy,” the Tribune noted. During his homily, Bishop O’Keefe assured the president of the parish’s prayers and talked about the council, saying the Church must renew itself to be better equipped to fight the crisis of secularism. After Mass, the Father Blaine Barr, as assistant at the Cathedral, accompanied the president as he left. According to the Catholic Bulletin, the president remarked that the choir, which sang during the Mass, “sounded especially good.” At 12:39, Kennedy’s plane took off from the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport for the flight home to Washington. A plaque now marks the pew where Kennedy sat.

Vincentian pastor administered last rites after president’s assassination By Jay Nies Catholic News Service The late Vincentian Father Oscar Huber, a native of Perryville, Mo., in the St. Louis Archdiocese, was a hard-working, dedicated pastor who made many friends throughout his years of faithful ministry. The priest, who died in 1975, is still remembered for all that. And for one other thing. A Dallas pastor at the time, he administered last rites to President John F. Kennedy, after an assassin’s bullet Nov. 22, 1963, brought down the nation’s 35th president and he lay mortally Father Oscar wounded at Parkland Hospital. HUBER Father Huber also prayed with and comforted first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, but the priest never said much about that time in the years that followed, according to his nephew Father Oscar Lukefahr, also a Vincentian, who was inspired by his uncle’s priesthood to join the same order. “He was not the kind of person who enjoyed being

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

in the limelight,” Father Lukefahr once told The Catholic Missourian, newspaper of the Jefferson City Diocese. As the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, Father Huber’s name may not be as familiar as many others who have become part of the public memory of those dark days, but a January 2007 issue of the Southwestern Historical Quarterly recounted how Father Huber, then pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Dallas, walked several blocks from his church to see the president’s motorcade. Believing that the nation’s first Catholic president, who was traveling in an open-topped limousine, had spotted his Roman collar and waved to him, Father Huber returned to his rectory to tell his friends what had happened. “It was a thrilling moment for me,” he was quoted as saying. A while later, Vincentian Father James Thompson, associate pastor, told Father Huber that the president had been shot. Both immediately left for the hospital, which was three miles away and located within the parish boundaries. According to an article in the Dec. 1, 1963, issue of The Catholic Missourian, Father Huber was admitted

to the emergency room. He administered the rites of absolution and extreme unction (now known as anointing of the sick) conditionally, “except Communion, which the president could not receive.” The priest said the rites were “conditional” because he didn’t know for sure whether the president was alive at the time, but that he did not appear to be breathing. News stories from 1963 said others in the emergency room, including Mrs. Kennedy, joined the priest as he prayed the Our Father and the Hail Mary. “She graciously thanked me and asked me to pray for the president. She appeared shocked,” Father Huber said. Father Lukefahr said his uncle later told him how impressed he was with the first lady’s strength and courage. A seminarian in 1963, Father Lukefahr said that “whenever it came up in conversation — and I respected his desire for privacy by never interrogating him about it — he mostly talked about how he prayed with Jackie, and what a wonderful person she was — very dignified and strong.” Following his death, Father left his nephew the chalice he had taken to Parkland Hospital.

This Catholic Life • Commentary

GUEST COLUMN Father Ron Rolheiser

Dying into safe hands It’s hard to say something consoling in the face of death, even when the person who died lived a full life and died in the best of circumstances. It’s especially hard when the one who’s died is a young person, still in need of nurturing and care in this life, and when that young person dies in less-than-ideal circumstances. As a priest, I have, a number of times, had to preside at the funeral of someone who died young, either as the result of illness, accident, or suicide. Such a funeral is always doubly sad. I remember one such funeral in particular: A high-school student had died in a car accident. The church was over-packed with his grieving family, friends, and classmates. His mother, still a young woman herself, was in the front pew, heavy with grief about her loss, but clearly weighed-down, too, with anxiety for her child. After all, he was still just a boy, partly still in need of someone to take care of him, still needing a mother. She sensed how, dying so young, in effect, orphaned him.

Born into mother’s arms There aren’t many words that are helpful in a situation like this, but the few that we have say what needs to be said — even if on that day, when death is still so raw, they don’t yet bring much emotional consolation. What’s to be said in the face of a death like this? Simply that this young boy is now in more-loving, more-tender, gentler, and safer hands than ours, that there’s a mother on the other side to receive him and give him the nurturing he

still needs, just as there was one on this side when he was born. No one is born, except into a mother’s arms. That’s an image we need to keep before us in order to more healthily imagine death. What, more precisely, is the image? Few images are as primal, and as tender, as that of a mother holding and cradling her newborn baby. Indeed the words of the most-renowned Christmas carol of all time, Silent Night, were inspired by precisely this image. Joseph Mohr, a young priest in Germany, had gone out to a cottage in the woods on the afternoon of Christmas Eve to baptize a newborn baby. As he left the cottage, the baby was asleep in its mother’s lap. He was so taken with that image, with the depth and peace it incarnated, that, immediately upon returning to his rectory, he penned the famous lines of Silent Night. His choir director, Franz Gruber, put some guitar chords to those words and froze them in our minds forever. The ultimate archetypal image of peace, safety, and security is that of a newborn sleeping in its mother’s arms. Moreover, when a baby is born, it’s not just the mother who’s eager to hold and cradle it. Most everyone else is too. Perhaps no image then is as apt, as powerful, as consoling, and as accurate in terms of picturing what happens to us when we die and awake to eternal life as is the image of a mother holding and cradling her newborn child. When we die, we die into the arms of God and surely we’re received with as much love, gentleness, and tenderness as we were received in the arms of our mothers at birth. Moreover, surely we are even safer there than we were when

from our READERS In the Nov. 7 issue of The Catholic Spirit, we asked readers if they celebrate their “name day” in a special way, and to tell us how. Below are two responses: It warmed my heart to see the article regarding the Name Day of the Cecelia MacDonald family in the last issue of The Catholic Spirit. It brought back memories of many years ago that I remember as a youngster (and that was a long time ago) celebrating our family Name Day. I was at that time a member of the Eastern Orthodox

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we were born here on earth. I suspect, too, that more than a few of the saints will be hovering around, wanting their chance to cuddle the new baby. And so it’s okay if we die before we’re ready, still in need of nurturing, still needing someone to help take care of us, still needing a mother. We’re in safe, nurturing, gentle hands. That can be deeply consoling because death renders every one of us an orphan and, daily, there are people dying young, unexpectedly, less-than-fully-ready, still in need of care themselves. All of us die, still needing a mother. But we have the assurance of our faith that we will be born into safer and more nurturing hands than our own. However, consoling as that may be, it doesn’t take away the sting of losing a loved one to death. Nothing takes that away because nothing is meant to.

Church (Serbian). (I converted to Catholicism before I was married in 1959.) It was customary at that time that each family select a saint’s day for their Name Day. Our family’s was St. Luke’s, which falls on Oct. 18 on the Catholic calendar. Name Day was a “huge” celebration for us — like a holiday. It meant spending the day together as a family, perhaps signifying our unity and spirituality. We celebrated with a wonderful dinner and knew we would be together for that day. Granted, we individually had our own birthdays; however this was a family day celebration for St. Luke’s Day. It was neat that we didn’t have to plan anything special or go anywhere, it was just us, our family

Death is meant to indelibly scar our hearts because love is meant to wound us in that way. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it: “Nothing can make up for the absence of someone we love. . . . It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; God doesn’t fill it, but on the contrary, God keeps it empty and so helps us keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain. . . . The dearer and richer our memories, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude changes the pangs of memory into a tranquil joy. The beauties of the past are borne, not as a thorn in the flesh, but as a precious gift in themselves.” Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher, and award-winning author, is president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He can be contacted through his website www.ronrolheiser.com.

. . . our St. Luke Name day, doing whatever unfolded for pleasure. How pleasing to see that this is a part of some of the tradition of others. Thank you for bringing back good memories. Veda Sirek I have met some people who were named after the saint on whose feast day they were born. Josephine for her birthday on St. Joseph’s Day, March 19 and Michael for Michaelmas Day on Sept. 29. I am a Michaelene born on March 19 so have honored St. Joseph and St. Michael. I have done a lot with St. Joseph.

Your endearing story about Cecelia made me think more of my namesake day. One year I drove to Des Moines to attend Mass on Sept. 29 with my dad, Michael. Last year I attended Mass on Sept. 29 at St. Michael’s in Duluth. This year on that day I was in Traverse City, Mich. I could not find anything Michael-y so was disappointed. It turned out I sat next to a man formerly from Duluth whose home parish had been St. Michael’s. We talked for an hour after Mass. I have sought out Michael places like Mont St. Michel in France and St. Michael, Minn., but have not visited on Sept. 29. Michaelene Zawistowski St. Thomas More, St. Paul

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

This Catholic Life • Commentary

20 SOCIAL CONCERNS Kathy Tomlin

Not just feeding the hungry, but feeding the spirit Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and many of us are planning time with friends and family, getting caught up in lists, gift buying and decorating. We look forward to the meal and camaraderie. Amidst all of this, it’s easy to forget those for whom a meal is a basic need, those who struggle to put food on the table every day of the year. Sitting down and enjoying a meal together is a simple privilege that is easily overlooked. It nourishes mind, body and spirit. No one knows this more than Eugene, a formerly homeless Marine veteran who was able to get back on his feet by working in the kitchen at Dorothy Day Center. The kitchen is where he finds peace and is able to express himself. Eugene has worked in many restaurants over his lifetime, but now is only interested in feeding those who need it most: homeless men and women — the community he was part of for many years. In 2013, Catholic Charities served more than 1 million meals in the Twin Cities metro region. Since 2008, food shelf usage in the Twin

Cities suburbs has risen by 90 percent. One in five families with children struggle to put food on the table. This has become a large issue in our community, but we can change that and you can help. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), is the largest food assistance program in the country. In 2012, it served 47 million low-income Americans. SNAP is facing major cuts — some are proposed for the next fiscal year, and some that automatically took effect in October and November of this year. Currently, one in 10 Minnesota households receive SNAP benefits, including 556,692 parents, children, seniors, people with disabilities and others.

Ways to make a difference We can help create awareness of the cuts proposed to SNAP and take action by asking our U.S. senators and representatives to oppose these cuts. Defeating proposed cuts will prevent 4 to 6 million Americans from losing crucial food support and allow these families to focus on

INTELLECT & VIRTUE John Garvey

Jean Valjean and immigration reform “Les Miserables,” the musical based on Victor Hugo’s novel, has been running in London since 1985. Last Christmas, it was released as a movie that won three Academy Awards. By the time of the DVD release, the film had grossed more than $440 million worldwide. The music and the all-star cast (including Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman) had a lot to do with the movie’s success, but the story is the real attraction. Jean Valjean, the protagonist, spends 19 years in prison for stealing bread to feed his sister and her seven children. Upon his release, he is issued a yellow “feuille de route,” a kind of domestic passport that identifies him as a former convict, making travel and employment dif-

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

ficult. Inevitably, he violates his parole. For this, Inspector Javert, the righteous embodiment of the law, pursues him throughout the novel. Living under an assumed name, Valjean becomes a successful entrepreneur and the mayor of his town. He adopts the orphaned child (Cosette) of one of his factory workers. But then Javert finds him again. The rest of the novel is an account of the effort to bring Valjean to justice. Hugo meant for the reader to sympathize with Valjean. His petty crime, committed out of desperate need and generosity rather than cruelty or selfishness, cost him 19 years of his life, plus other years on the run from Javert. In the meantime, Valjean lived an exemplary life, did much good for his town

other areas of need. Food stability and nutrition for children is extremely important as it allows for better learning outcomes, which translates to brighter futures. This may seem like a small piece of the puzzle, but it is an important one that can help create a strong community where there is opportunity for everyone.

Churches and other organizations serve Thanksgiving meals and, more often than not, more people volunteer on this day than are needed. But the need continues beyond the current holiday season. Consider volunteering in the middle of February or March as well. Just another small, yet tangible way to help work toward an end to this

“Food stability and nutrition for children is extremely important as it allows for better learning outcomes, which translates to brighter futures.” Kathy Tomlin

Catholic Charities participates each year in the Walk to End Hunger, which was formed as part of the Twin Cities Hunger Initiative, a collaboration of hunger relief partner agencies that have developed a definitive plan to eliminate hunger in the Twin Cities. It’s a way to give thanks and give back to the community before you sit down and enjoy your Thanksgiving meal. Consider joining our team this year.

growing problem.

and his employees, and took in Cosette. In the end, (spoiler alert) even Javert is overcome by Valjean’s goodness. My mind returns to this story when the issue of illegal immigration arises. The main argument against providing some form of relief for undocumented immigrants — such as a path to citizenship — is the problem of “rewarding” people who broke the law by entering the U.S. without permission or who stayed without permission. I’m not enough of a romantic to believe that every undocumented immigrant has the soul of Jean Valjean, but the crime they have committed (crossing the border without going through customs) is often motivated by a desire to feed a family. I don’t mean to minimize or excuse breaking the law. It’s wrong to jump the immigration queue, especially when so many must wait years for U.S. residency. It’s also wrong for undocumented immigrants to presume on another nation’s hospitality. But we must be careful of adopting a resolute, unforgiving, upholdthe-law-at-all-costs approach, like the one taken by Javert. He spent his last days hell-bent on ruining a model citizen who posed a threat to

no one and in fact made his world a better place. As long as we’re going strictly by the book, it’s worth mentioning that federal law treats the act of illegal entry into the U.S. as a mere “administrative offense,” less serious than theft.

By pulling together as a society, we can raise our voices for people like Eugene — who view food not just as a basic human right, but as a way to feed and nourish the spirit. Tomlin is vice president for social justice advocacy for Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Visit its website at www.cctwincities.org.

Sensible measures It makes perfect sense to say that those who sneaked in should have to get in line behind legal applicants. Make them pay a fine and back taxes for the period of their illegal stay. And just to make sure they are the kind of people we want to allow to reside here permanently, make them wait 10 years for permanent residency, then three more years before they can apply for citizenship — nearly as long as Javert spent pursuing Valjean. These are the terms proposed in the bill the Senate passed in June. I don’t think anyone could fairly accuse us of coddling criminals if we adopted that kind of settlement. At the end of the day, we have to stop hounding people for something they did long ago, often for generous reasons. Garvey is president of The Catholic University of America in Washington.

21 Basilica Threshold Singers offer gift of song to the seriously ill and dying

charge for them, Gaylord said. â€œWe come with gentle blessing to open hearts, quiet fears and bring light to all who are present, including family members.â€?

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit Several months ago, 15 members of the Basilica of St. Mary choir filled Mary Sue Dobbinâ€™s St. Paul living room with the sound of Christian songs and hymns. It wasnâ€™t a social gathering or prayer service but rather a visit meant to encourage healing and peace through song. Representing the Basilicaâ€™s Threshold Singers ministry, Basilica choir members volunteer to sing hymns and songs to parishioners and their loved ones and friends who are dying or living with serious illness. â€œThere was a holiness about it that was very uplifting,â€? said Dobbin, a parishioner of St. Cecilia in St. Paul who is blind. â€œThey were good singers and the music was lovely and the people were so delightful. They were all very friendly, and it was a glorious experience.â€?

Sacred moments Recognizing the power of music to connect and move souls, groups of two or more Basilica Threshold Singers visit the sick and dying in their homes, hospitals, hospices or nursing homes and sing for up to 30 minutes in unison, solo or harmony. One of many threshold singing groups nationwide, the Basilicaâ€™s ministry is unique because it focuses primarily on sacred music and hymns, according to Teri Larson, choral music director. The Basilica Threshold Singers is a new ministry that very few

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As of 2012, there were roughly 100 U.S. and Canadian chapters of the Threshold Choir, a network of primarily womenâ€™s a cappella choirs who â€œsing for and with those at the thresholds of life.â€? Threshold Choir, established in 1990, is not sectarian.

Senior Services

How can they keep from singing?

The Basilica Threshold Singers, on the other hand, focus on Christian music, such as simple hymns, and refrains by the Taize Community and liturgical composer John Bell, Larson said. From left, Amanda Laugerman, Shelly Brandl, Ruth Gaylord and Janet Grove of the Threshold Singers practice at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis Nov. 13. Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit communities are able to offer, said Cathy Edwards, caring ministries coordinator. â€œWe, like many communities, already have in place the ability to pray with people who are unable to be here on our premises,â€? she said. â€œWe have Communion ministers, ordained ministers who visit, [and] listeners who visit and are happy to pray with people, so that already exists. This is an incredible new option for offering a different ministry to people who are dying.â€? The idea for the ministry developed as parishioner and choir member Ruth Gaylord spoke with Larson last year. Gaylord experienced threshold singing when she suffered from ovarian cancer 13 years ago and also with a dying friend. â€œIt made me just much more in tune with the dying process, with hospice, those processes,â€? she said.

â€œSince then Iâ€™ve been retired so Iâ€™m more in contact with people who are in those kinds of situations.â€? Larson and Gaylord decided that the ministry should involve the Basilicaâ€™s 90-member choir. Half the choir members have expressed a desire to participate. â€œItâ€™s kind of been thought of as an outshoot of the Basilica choir because weâ€™re already there rehearsing this body of people that knows some repertoire, and so weâ€™re trying to start with that,â€? Larson said. The Basilica Threshold Singers have sung three or four times in private homes and the recipients of their ministry have been touched by it, Gaylord said. â€œSong is moving,â€? she said. â€œI think in all the circumstances people were very moved emotionally and spiritually hopefully.â€? However, the singersâ€™ visits are not performances and they donâ€™t

Comforting hearts The time when someone is gravely ill or near death is sacred, Larson said, and friends and loved ones often donâ€™t know what to say. Music can bring something to those moments, Larson said. Edwards added, â€œThere is a quietness and a gentleness and just a deep presence of the Spirit being there as this amazing thing is happening, that comes through song.â€? With their gift of song, the Basilica Threshold Singers hope to comfort and connect hearts, Gaylord said. â€œWhen someone is in the dying process they may want music in harmony or they may want a soft refrain of blessing like â€˜Calm Me Lord, As You Calmed the Stormâ€™ or â€˜Be Still My Soulâ€™ or perhaps simply, â€˜May the Lord Bless You and Keep You.â€™ Just a simple refrain like that with everyone laying hands on the sick person is just it â€” everything.â€?

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November 21, 2013 â€˘ The Catholic Spirit

Senior Services

“Where neighbors are friends, and people real

To our readers The descriptions of senior housing and other services in this section were provided by the facilities and service agencies, which are responsible for the accuracy of the content. — The Catholic Spirit

Meals on Wheels By choosing Meals on Wheels, you get the nutritious and delicious food you want with a little something extra on the side. You also enjoy friendly interaction with caring volunteers who deliver your meal each day. Meals on Wheels helps individuals who have difficulties preparing their own meals stay connected to their communities and live independently in their homes. Meals are delivered weekdays around lunchtime, and extra meals can be delivered for use during the weekends. Meals can be delivered hot or frozen, and a variety of diets (lowsodium/diabetic, kosher, and culturally specific) may be provided. Learn more about Meals on Wheels at www.meals-on-wheels.com, or call (612) 623-3363.

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Epiphany Senior Housing

Epiphany Senior Housing is a nurturing and caring senior housing community located in Coon Rapids, just minutes north of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro Epiphany Pines Epiphany Assisted L area. to meet an individual’s needs and Housing Memory Care Our communities are Independent linked to the Senior are delivered with a loving spirit and 1800 111th Ave NW. 10955 Hanson Blvd. Church of the Epiphany by an a smile. Epiphany Assisted Living indoor walkway. We offer Coon Rapids has created a distinctiveCoon Rapids memory independent senior living at care neighborhood for those with Indoor walkway to the Church of the Epiphan Epiphany Pines while Epiphany memory loss and dementia. We Assisted Living and Memory Care would love the opportunity to speak have apartments available for those you and learn more about your Call for awith tour! 763.772.1066 individuals needing extra care with personal needs and share our many EpiphanySeniorHousing.org their activities of daily living. engaging features and services. Call Come soon to visit and sense the to schedule a tour. comfort of community again. Just For more information, call like your old neighborhood, you 763-772-1066, or visit www. can’t describe it; you have to feel it. Our health care services are tailored EpiphanySeniorHousing.org.

The Catholic Cemeteries We are baptized into a sacred place and community in the Catholic Church. When our loved ones die, life is changed and forever altered, but it is not the end. We take them home to a Catholic cemetery for burial while they await the promise of eternal life. The Catholic Cemeteries are sacred places offering a resting place until the resurrection. The Catholic Cemeteries is here to help you make a thoughtful and meaningful decision that can be built into your budget, which will truly reflect your wishes.

Cerenity Care Center and Residence – Marian of Saint Paul is a continuum of care campus that provides every level of care for you or your loved one. > Independent Living > Board and Care

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Please call 651-793-2100 today to schedule a tour.

Episcopal Homes has a variety of senior housing available in St. Paul. The following is a brief description of senior living residences. For more information on any home, visit www. episcopalhomes.org.

Cerenity Senior www.CerenitySeniorCare.org Care — Marian of Saint Paul

• Episcopal Church Home Nursing and short-term rehab care in a faithbased, not-for-profit. Medicare/Medicaid certified. Our mission is to support each individual’s physical, social and spiritual needs. Weekly Catholic Communion and rosary, plus monthly Catholic Mass. Call (651) 646-4061 for a tour. • Iris Park Commons “A Community of Heart” with 59 one/two bedroom and studio apartments and a flexible menu of assisted living services for age 62-plus. Catholic Communion every Sunday, plus weekly Communion. Call (651) 646-1026 for a tour. • Cornelia House Gracious living for independent adults age 62plus. We offer 47 one- or two-bedroom apartments, community spaces and a lively resident council that organizes social events. Call (651) 288-3931 for a tour.

Senior Services

Episcopal Homes

Formerly HealthEast Senior Care, Cerenity Senior Care is a faith-based partnership between HealthEast, Benedictine Health System, and Clement Manor.

• Seabury Affordable independent living, age 62-plus. Recognized as one of the finest HUD-subsidized senior housing facilities in the nation. Forty-nine one-bedroom apartments with central air conditioning. Call (651) 379-5102 for a tour. • Carty Heights Affordable independent living for age 62-plus at University and Lexington. Forty-nine one-bedroom air conditioned apartments. Call (651) 288-1142 for a tour. • Kings Crossing Affordable independent living for age 62-plus. They’re located above the shops of Frogtown Square at University and Dale. Residents enjoy the same priority access to our programs and services as residents of our home campus. Forty-nine onebedroom air-conditioned apartments. Call (651) 493-4606 for a tour.

Do you enjoy living at home, but want help with meal s? Call us or visit our website today!

Cerenity Senior Care — Marian of Saint Paul is a Catholic continuum of care community in the east metro offering all levels of senior care and housing. Cerenity Marian offers independent and assisted living, transitional care, therapy services, adult day services, skilled nursing, memory care assisted living and enhanced assisted living. Mass is held six days a week in our beautiful Chapel of St. Mary. Rosary also is available. Our full-time chaplain assists residents and their families as spiritual needs arise. Cerenity Marian is across the street from Mounds Park in St. Paul. For tours or more information, please call (651) 793-2100 or visit www.cerenityseniorcare.org.

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November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Senior Services

24 St. Therese Southwest and The Glenn by St. Therese Southwest Offering the best in senior living in the Southwest Metro area. Whether it’s 14 acres of breathtaking scenery in Hopkins or the quaint small town feel of Glenn Lake, you’re sure to find your ideal retirement lifestyle. Our senior communities provide a spiritual environment in which people of all faiths are welcome. Mass, interfaith service, rosary, Bible study and beautifully designed chapels for quiet reflection and prayer are a few of the amenities supporting your spiritual journey. Gracious retirement

living at its best is there for you with scheduled bus outings and numerous recreational activities, such as book club, baking group, craft class, card clubs and exercise class to name a few! For more information or to schedule your personal tour please call: St. Therese Southwest, (952) 933-3333, www.StThereseSouthwest.com. Or, The Glenn by St. Therese Southwest, (952) 352-1000, www. TheGlennSeniorHousing.com.

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Our Lady of Peace

Walk to daily Mass when you live at 1440 Randolph Ave., in St. Paul’s Highland Park. View our newly remodeled and value-priced apartments, perfect for today’s independent senior 55plus. Adjacent to Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1440 provides a quiet, simple, yet elegant living atmosphere for independent seniors of 55 and better who wish to “stay in the neighborhood” or live in close proximity to a Catholic church and the sacraments.

At Our Lady of Peace, we believe it is our sacred duty to provide care, comfort and compassion to those in need — especially at the end of life — regardless of their social, religious or economic status.

Other features include: modernized elevator, underground heated parking and outside garages, state-of-the-art monitored smoke and carbon monoxide detection, new appliances, a friendly on-site management team, mini health clinic, fitness center and resident lounge with wireless access and cable TV — great for anyone on a budget for good value! For more information or to schedule a showing, please call MJ Properties of Saint Paul at (651) 690-4961.

We offer a wide range of services — including free end-of-life cancer care, home hospice and home health care — to lighten the burden of daily caregiving for our patients and their loved ones. Our staff embraces a comprehensive approach — coordinating services across all spectrums to provide optimal care results, as well as emotional and spiritual support. Providing personalized care is our passion. Protecting human dignity is our cause. We will work with you and your family every step of the way to ensure your time with us is as comfortable and peaceful as possible For more information, please call (651) 789-5031.

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November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

You choose how you live…You want the security and peace of mind that comes with being a part of a caring community with many services and amenities. Crest View Senior Communities offers all the services you’re ever likely to need. From senior housing to skilled care services, you’ll find that Crest View offers choices and options to fit your individual needs. • Senior Housing • Memory Care • Skilled Nursing Care • Assisted Living • Short-term Rehab • Home Care • Crest View Senior Community at Blaine (under development and taking reservations) 4444 Reservoir Blvd NE • Columbia Heights, MN 763-782-1601 • www.crestviewcares.org

Senior Services

Whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall… Every season we are here to serve you!

St. Benedict’s Senior Community — Monticello St. Benedict’s Senior Community’s mission is: “Our actions are guided by the belief that ‘All Shall Be Treated as Christ.’” With foundational values and beliefs rooted in the tradition of the Catholic faith, St. Benedict’s Senior Community welcomes people of all faiths. Our campus features: retirement, assisted living and memory care apartments. Amenities include a chapel, theater, general store, fitness center, club room and enclosed outdoor courtyard. Call (763) 295-4051 for a tour.

Saint Therese of Woodbury Saint Therese of Woodbury will offer a complete continuum of care in a community setting. Well-appointed independent living, assisted living and memory care apartment homes will be available in addition to private care suites offering specialized short- and long-term skilled nursing care. The Town Center will feature a bistro and fine dining options, a clubroom for socializing and a theater for new releases and classic favorites, as well as a spacious chapel offering daily services. The wellness center will offer state-of-the-art, strength-building equipment and a swimming pool for fitness and water aerobics programs. With a blend of ingenious design, inspirational service and a name that has been trusted for generations, Saint Therese is a No. 1 choice for senior living. Now accepting reservations for senior apartment homes. Call or visit Angela Regan or Holly Minners for more information. Saint Therese of Woodbury Welcome Center, 2165 Woodlane Drive, Suite 101, Woodbury, MN 55125.

The Catholic Spirit Heaven knows there’s nothing like it. November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Senior Services

Sholom Sholom is a nonprofit organization providing a continuum of residential, social service and health care services, primarily for older adults. Sholom’s two campuses — Shaller Family Sholom East Campus in St. Paul and Ackerberg Family Sholom West Campus in St. Louis Park — offer housing and a host of services for seniors including senior apartment homes, assisted living, enhanced assisted living and memory care. For more information on the Shaller Sholom East Campus, call (651) 328-2000; for the Ackerberg Sholom West Campus, call (952) 935-6311.

Regina Medical Center The Wellington Senior Living and The Alton Memory Care

Located in scenic Hastings, Regina Medical Center offers a truly unique care experience. Along with an on-site hospital and clinics, it offers a modern assisted living facility, memory care communities, care suites, nursing home, transitional care and an adult day program, all on one campus. To learn more about Regina Senior Living, give us a call at (651) 480-4333.

The Wellington Senior Living and The Alton Memory Care are located in the Shepard Park neighborhood of Highland Park, just blocks from the Mississippi River. The Wellington has been a part of this St. Paul community since 1985. The Highland Park area offers nearby retail shopping, various community centers, places of worship and beautifully landscaped park areas. A free, scheduled transportation shuttle is provided during the week to locations in the area.

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The Wellington Senior Living offers independent living, assisted living and 24-hour care suites. Our team is dedicated to providing an environment of comfort and dignity. We offer a variety of services from restaurant-style dining, housekeeping and a full array of social activities. Health care professionals, including licensed nursing staff and certified home health aides, are trained, dedicated and available to meet the needs of older adults. The Alton Memory Care is committed to providing the “person-directed” care that meets the specific needs of each individual while helping families spend quality time with their loved one and the peace of mind knowing they are well cared for in all aspects of their lives. When a loved one encounters memory issues, unique challenges arise for the person affected and their family members. At The Alton we understand the emotions they experience and the importance that human kindness plays in helping. We also believe that assuring personal dignity is the cornerstone of providing care.

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For more information or a tour, please call The Wellington at (651) 699-2664 or The Alton at (651) 699-2480, or visit us online at www.ShepardParkSeniorCampus.com. (Photo: Follow The Alton Memory Care’s traveling volleyball team on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ShepardPark.)

All faiths welcome. Equal Housing Opportunity.

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r Seniors Since 196 o f g n i r Ca Assisted Living, Memory Care, Care Suites, Adult Day Program, 5

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Nursing Home & Transitional Care

WashburnMcReavy Funeral Chapels Washburn-McReavy Funeral Chapels is the oldest family-owned funeral business in Minnesota. Established in 1857, before Minnesota became a state, WashburnMcReavy is a fourth-generation business. Quality, personal service, and funeral and cremation services are available at all of our chapels. Call (612) 377-2203 for a brochure, or visit www.washburn-mcreavy.com.

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

• 24-hr. nursing care services • Senior Therapy Center • Many On-site Services, including Full Dental Care • Chapel with daily Mass and weekly ecumenical services • Daily activities/social events • Beauty/Barber Shop • Media Center • Country Store • Paul’s Pub • Community Center • Beautiful gardens

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Senior Services

Saint Therese Saint Therese is a nonprofit Catholic organization that has focused on the well-being of individuals since it opened in 1968. We provide secure, stress-free living and the very best in senior care and housing with a commitment to each individual. Saint Therese offers a full continuum of programs and services that are available in your own home or in one of our community settings. Saint Therese serves the Twin Cities metro area with campuses located in New Hope, Brooklyn Park, Shoreview and coming soon to Woodbury. To learn more visit sttheresemn.org. (Photo: Saint Therese at Oxbow Lake in Brooklyn Park.)

John E. Trojack Law Office, P.A. Crest View Senior Communities Crest View Senior Communities is a faith-based not-for-profit that has been providing services to older adults since 1952. Crest View Senior Community in Columbia Heights offers a continuum of care and service, including senior housing, assisted living, home care, memory care, rehab care and skilled nursing care. Crest View is developing a new campus of service for older adults in the city of Blaine. To receive information, please call (763) 782-1601, or visit us at www.crestviewcares.org.

A three-step strategy is used with each client. First, we emphasize counseling, taking time to understand each person’s needs. Second, we assist in keeping the plan current. Third, we show our clients how they can pass along their wisdom as well as their wealth. John and Joseph Trojack will work hard to help you give “what you own, to whom you want, when you want, and the way you want.” To ensure an “estate plan that works,” they maintain a formal updating program. And, the office assures you of fully-disclosed and controlled costs. For information: (651) 451-9696.

TheCatholicSpirit.com November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Faith & Culture

Best-selling author of ‘Time for God’ to visit area parishes The Catholic Spirit

Father Jacques Philippe, author of one of the featured books of the Rediscover: Book Club, will visit several archdiocesan parishes later this month and in early December for a series of talks and book signings. Father Philippe, author of the international best-seller “Time for God,” is a retreat leader and member of the Community of the Beatitudes founded in France in 1973. “Many people today are thirsty for God and feel a desire for [an] intense, personal prayer life; they would like to be able to spend time praying as a regular thing,” Father Philippe writes in the book’s introduction. “But they encounter obstacles that prevent Father Jacques them from following the path PHILIPPE seriously, and especially from persevering on it.” “My aim in this book,” he said, “is to provide advice and orientation and do that as simply and specifically as possible.” To purchase the book or download its study guide, go to rediscover-faith.org.

(Click on “Book Club,” then “Time for God.”) Father Philippe’s schedule is as follows: • Nov. 30, 1 to 3 p.m., St. Michael in St. Michael. Topic: Prayer and personal relationship with God. • Nov. 30, 5 p.m. Mass concelebrant and 7 p.m. presentation, St. Hubert in Chanhassen. Topic: Inner peace. • Dec. 1, 10:30 a.m. Mass concelebrant and noon presentation, St. John the Baptist in New Brighton. Topic: True freedom in Christ. • Dec. 1, 6:45 p.m., Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul. Topic: Inner peace. • Dec. 2, 9:30 a.m., Providence Academy in Plymouth. Topic: Beatitudes (spiritual poverty). • Dec. 2, 7 p.m., St. Joseph in West St. Paul. Topic: Prayer and deep personal relationship with God. • Dec. 3, 2 p.m., St. George Catholic Books and Gifts in Blaine. Topic: Suffering, followed by book signing (limited space). • Dec. 3, 7 p.m., St. Paul in Ham Lake. Topic: Receptiveness to the Holy Spirit. The visits are sponsored by St. George Catholic Book and Gifts in Blaine. For more information call (763) 754-9777, or visit www.stgeorgebooks.com.

Pope Francis’ first apostolic exhortation to be published Nov. 26 The Vatican will publish Pope Francis’ first apostolic exhortation Nov. 26, two days after he formally delivers it to the Church at a Mass concluding the 2012-13 Year of Faith. The Vatican announced Nov. 18 that “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”) will be presented at a news conference. Apostolic exhortations, one of the most authoritative forms of papal writing, are often based on deliberations of synods of bishops. “Evangelii Gaudium” is expected to take into account the October 2012 synod on the new evangelization, held at the beginning of the Year of Faith.

Vatican to display St. Peter’s relics For the first time, bones traditionally believed to be relics of St. Peter the Apostle will be displayed for public veneration in St. Peter’s Square Nov. 24, at a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis to conclude the Year of Faith. The bones, which were discovered during excavations of the necropolis under St. Peter’s Basilica in the 1940s, have been displayed in the pope’s private chapel but never in public. Archbishop Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, said an urn containing the bones would be carried into the square in a procession, but said he did not know the details of the veneration ceremony, including the role of Pope Francis. No pope has ever declared the bones to be authentic. However, after scientific tests were conducted on the bones in the 1950s and ‘60s, Pope Paul VI said in 1968 that the “relics” of St. Peter had been “identified in a way which we can hold to be convincing.” — Catholic News Service

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29 Holiday boutique at St. George, Long Lake — November 23: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 133 N. Brown Road. Features vendors, homemade pies, a lefse-making demonstration and a table for children to make Christmas cards. Holiday Bazaar at St. Margaret Mary, Golden Valley — November 23 and 24: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at Golden Valley Road and Theodore Wirth Parkway. Features crafts, floral designs, homemade treats and raffle prizes. Bishop Lee Piché will speak at a Men’s Breakfast at St. Helena, Minneapolis — November 23: Mass at 8 a.m. with breakfast to follow at 3204 E. 43rd St. Cost is $5 for breakfast. Call (612) 7297321 for reservations by noon on Nov. 22. Complimentary tickets are available for those having difficulty paying. Christkindl Market at St. Therese, Deephaven — November 23 and 24: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to noon Sunday at 18323 Minnetonka Blvd. Bake sale, country store, silent auction and more. Christmas Faire at St. Leonard of Port Maurice, Minneapolis — November 24: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 3955 Clinton Ave. S. Features brunch, silent auction and more. ‘Gifts for all Seasons’ craft and bake sale at Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Paul — November 23 and 24: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at 401 Concord St. Retirement celebration for Father Bill Martin at St. Richard, Richfield: November 24: Mass at 11 a.m. with reception to follow at 7540 Penn Ave. S. 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 29th & Marshall in our lot. For more information call (612) 789-4830. 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. Christmas Bazaar at St. Lawrence 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. Pictures with Santa (Sat. 10-noon and Sun 11-noon), homemade soups and sandwiches, handmade crafts, country store, holiday bake sale and Grannie’s Attic. For information, visit http://www.umncatholic.org.

Prayer/ liturgy Archdiocesan Mass in Celebration of Adoption at Divine Mercy, Faribault — November 23: 4 p.m. at 139 Mercy Drive. Anyone with a connection to adoption is invited. A reception will follow the Mass. For information, call (651) 291-4506. Archdiocesan Mass in Celebration of

Adoption at St. John Neumann, Eagan — November 23: 4 p.m. at 4030 Pilot Knob Road. Anyone with a connection to adoption is invited. A reception will follow the Mass. For information, call (651) 291-4506.

Don’t miss: More events online

‘Greet Advent as Women of Faith’ morning retreat at St. Additional parish and Peter, Mendota — school events in the archdiocese can be found December 7: Begins at in the Calendar section of 8:30 a.m. and ends after a TheCatholicSpirit.com. noon Mass at 1405 Sibley Memorial Hwy. Features Archdiocesan Mass the founders of FaithWalk in Celebration of Retreats, Janae Bower Adoption at St. Peter and Aimeé Petra. Cost is Claver, St. Paul — $15. To register, visit November 23: 4 p.m. at https://giving.archspm. 375 Oxford St. N. Anyone org/accwadvent2013. with a connection to Presented by the St. Paul adoption is invited. A and Minneapolis reception will follow the Mass. For Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women. information, call (651) 291-4506. Eighth annual Interfaith Celebration at Pax Christi, Eden Prairie — November 24: 7 p.m. at 12100 Pioneer Trail. In song, readings, and other forms of prayer, we celebrate our unity as one human family. We have a call to worship from the Native American community, we have hand bell choirs, singers, ministers, rabbis and priests, who come together to celebrate our unity as people of God. International Cities for Life Day— Cities Against the Death Penalty hosted by the Community of Sant’Egidio at Saint Richard, Richfield — November 30: 6:30 p.m. in the chapel at 7540 Penn Ave. S. This annual prayer service affirms that there is no justice without life and that our community stands against the death penalty, in accordance with Catholic Social Teaching. Learn more about Sant’Egidio and the Cities for Life movement at http://www.santegidio. org/en. Advent Evensong with the Sisters of St. Joseph and Consociates at Our Lady of the Presentation Chapel, St. Paul — December 1: 4:30 p.m. at 1880 Randolph Ave. Festive Advent Vespers at St. Mary, St. Paul — December 1: 5 p.m. at 261 Eighth St. E. Soup supper to follow. Advent Vespers at Holy Cross, Minneapolis — December 1: 3 p.m. at 1621 University Ave. N.E. Lessons and Carols for Advent at St. Mary’s Chapel, St. Paul Seminary, St. Paul — December 4: 4 p.m. at 2260 Summit Ave. Presented by Dr. David Jenkins and the St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity Chorale. Reception to follow. 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. Advent Vespers at St. Maron, Minneapolis — December 8: 3 p.m. at 602 University Ave. N.E.

Retreats Advent Centering Day of Prayer at Christ the King Retreat Center, Buffalo — December 4: Theme is Blessed are the Peacemakers, presented by King’s House preaching team. Suggested offering is $35/ person. Visit http://www.kingshouse.com to

Meetings St. Paul Deanery of Catholic Women meeting at Holy Family Maronite Church, Mendota Heights — November 21: 8:15 a.m. at 1960 Lexington Ave. S. A presentation and tour of the church will be given by the pastor, Reverend Rodrigue Constatin followed by Mass and lunch. Cost is $12. For reservations call (651) 261-2534.

Singles Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles — ongoing Sundays: For Catholic singles to meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. For information, call Judy at (763) 221-3040 or Al at (651) 482-0406. Singles group at St. Vincent de Paul, Brooklyn Park — ongoing second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at 9100 93rd Ave. N. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. For information, call (763) 425-0412.

School events

Other events ACT on Alzheimer’s community forum action plan development session at Carondelet Village, St. Paul — November 21: 2:30 to 5 p.m. at 525 Fairview Ave. S. For information, visit http://www. actonalz.org/st-paul-neighborhood. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s International Survivors of Suicide Day at Mary, Mother of the Church, Burnsville — November 23: 9 a.m. to noon at 3333 Cliff Road. program features a panel that includes individuals who have lost a loved one to suicide and mental health experts. The day allows those who have are bereaved after a suicide loss to connect in their local community and online in a supportive and healing environment. The program is also available online at http:// www.afsp.org and will be archived for two years.

Calendar

Parish events

Christmas boutique at Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Paul — November 23 and 24: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 330 Exchange St. S. Glassware, winery, Santa visits, French Market bean soup, bake sale and a recitation of “A Cup of Christmas Tea” Men’s Club annual Christmas trees and wreaths sale at Guardian Angels, Oakdale — Nov 29 & 30, Dec 1, 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. 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.

The Golden Habit Mixer reunion for alumni and friends of Twin Cities’ Catholic schools at CretinDerham Hall High School, St. CALENDAR submissions Paul — November 29: 6 p.m. at 550 S. Albert St. Enjoy an evening of live DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, music, food, games and drawings. For seven days before the information, visit www.goldenhabitmixer.org. anticipated Thursday date of A Simple Christmas Art Fair at Cretinpublication. Recurring or Derham Hall High School, St.Paul — ongoing events must be December 5: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 550 S. submitted each time they Albert St. The event, which will be held in the occur. Commons area of the school, will feature unique gifts made by those in the CDH LISTINGS: Accepted are brief community and people from countries all notices of upcoming events of interest to a wide audience and around the world. Please use the Albert St. hosted by Catholic institutions. entrance to the school. ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ at Cretinpublication in the calendar: Time and date of event, full street Derham Hall High School, St. Paul — address of event, description of event, and contact information December 11 to 15: Performances are in case of questions. Wednesday through Saturday at 7:00 p.m., with matinee performances at 2:00 p.m. on E-MAIL: spiritcalendar@archspm.org. (No attachments, Saturday and Sunday at 550 S. Albert St. please.) Tickets are $5 for students and seniors and $7 for adults. Advance purchase tickets are OR MAIL: “Calendar,” The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., available in the Main Office of the school or St. Paul, MN 55102. at the door prior to the performances.

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

We are committed to backing up our words with actions Continued from page 3 As we announced last week, Dr. Kathleen McChesney and her team at Kinsale Management Consulting were chosen for this important work because of Kinsale’s significant and relevant experience performing file reviews with both religious and secular organizations across the country. I was personally most impressed with Dr. McChesney’s commitment to ensuring that the review is thorough and complete. I am confident she and her team will approach this work with the highest level of integrity. Finally, on Monday, Nov. 11, I announced my decision to take two more critically important actions: first, to disclose the names, locations and status of any living member of the clergy of our archdiocese who has a substantiated claim — that is, where there exists sufficient evidence and reasonable grounds regarding the abuse of a minor; and second, to do a thorough review and analysis of the monitoring program we use for those men who have been so assigned by our Clergy Review Board. The review of our program thus far suggests changes are needed, but in order to make the right changes, I have asked that we first seek the

“As I stated in my column on Oct. 24, you have my commitment that I will do what I have promised, for the good of this local Church and our extended communities. May our actions redound upon the good of all souls and the good of the body of Christ. May our actions deliver the promise of our words, in the pursuit of the truth.” Archbishop John Nienstedt

recommendations of outside experts so that our program reflects best practices. One of the reasons we selected Dr. McChesney and her team at Kinsale is that they have the expertise to guide us well with this evaluation as well.

of this disclosure in November, and we are working diligently with the proper authorities to allow us to do so. This takes time, but like all things of this importance, we must do this accurately for the sake of everyone affected.

Our commitment to prudent and ongoing disclosure is unwavering. This makes sense in light of the goals I referred to earlier. We cannot meet our goals if we are not sincere in our commitments to our actions, including and especially disclosure.

While we are starting here, our intent is, in conjunction with the review of clergy files, to disclose names of all living priests of our archdiocese who have substantiated claims of sexual abuse against a minor. This is regardless of where they are currently residing.

Our first concern is for potential victims, so our initial round of disclosure will be focused on priests residing in the archdiocese where we have definitive information. We set a goal to provide the first round

Chur ch / Ministry Jobs 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 Part-Time Bookkeeper/Office Assistant — Location: Minnesota Catholic Conference; St. Paul, MN The Minnesota Catholic Conference seeks a part-time bookkeeper/office assistant to coordinate and perform the day-to-day business activities related to payroll, bookkeeping, and accounts payable/receivable. Duties also include coordinating the submission of lobbyist reports, assisting in the development of MCC’s budget, and working with accountants to submit the relevant information to the IRS. May require duties including serving as a receptionist, responding to basic public inquiries about MCC’s work and activities, assisting on MCC projects and initiatives, and performing general administrative tasks as needed. 20-25 hours per week. Qualifications include but are not limited to: practicing Catholic in communion with the Church, enthusiastic fidelity to and support of the Church’s Magisterium, an entrepreneurial spirit, bookkeeping, payroll, and accounting experience, competency using common business software applications such as Excel, Adobe, and Quickbooks, excellent time management skills, strong people skills. Preferred qualifications include: office management experience, human resources experience, a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in accounting or business administration from an accredited college or university.

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

November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

All of these actions — the work of the task force in examining our policies and procedures; the thorough review of our files by Kinsale; the disclosure of the names of offend-

ing priests; and the examination of and changes to our monitoring program — all are part of a broad and cohesive approach to addressing clergy sexual abuse and our handling of these situations. All of this will be done in a spirit of honesty and sincerity — in pursuit and telling of the truth. As our Lord Jesus says in the Gospel of John 8:32: “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” As I stated in my column on Oct. 24, you have my commitment that I will do what I have promised, for the good of this local Church and our extended communities. May our actions redound upon the good of all souls and the good of the body of Christ. May our actions deliver the promise of our words, in the pursuit of the truth. As you celebrate Thanksgiving with your family, I offer my heartfelt prayers for you and your loved ones. I offer you all that I have as shepherd of this local Church, and in service to Christ who is: the Way, the Truth and the Life. May God abundantly bless you and your family, and may we all be thankful not only today, but throughout the year, for his many gifts.

Archdiocesan Lenten Women’s Retreat Saturday March 8, 2014 9:00 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.

Check in and continental breakfast at 8:00 a.m.

Join in the spirit of Lent as we explore “The Lost Art of Femininity: Discovering Your Inner Power to Change the World” by Fr. Rocky

St. Peter Catholic Church • North Saint Paul $15 Registration Fee • www.archspm.org For additional information contact: 651.291.4489

Christmas film, message of faith fill gap left by Hollywood By David DiCerto Catholic News Service

cast that includes Hans Matheson (“Clash of the Titans”); Samantha Barks (“Les Miserables”); and, making her acting debut, “America’s Got Talent” sensation Susan Boyle, whose song for the film also will be featured on her upcoming Christmas album. While that may be music to believers’ ears, Santorum feels the period drama has broad appeal. “It’s a beautiful movie,” Santorum told Catholic News Service. “It’s the ultimate Christmas message, that is: God is with us.”

Rick Santorum has turned his sights from the Beltway to the big screen. Santorum, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and 2012 presidential candidate, recently described the current state of movies as “a very, very dark world.” But instead of simply complaining, he wants to do something about it and shed some light into that darkness. This past June, Santorum became CEO of the Dallas faith-based film production company EchoLight Studios. Among the studio’s current projects is, “The Christmas Candle,” expected to open in 400 to 500 theaters across the country Nov. 22. The Victorian era-set movie, based on the novel by best-selling Christian author Max Lucado, tells the family-friendly story of a small English town, where, legend holds, an angel visits every 25 years and touches a single candle that grants whoever lights it a miracle on Christmas Eve. Hoping to give faith audiences an early Christmas present, EchoLight secured a name-brand

Wide appeal In another interview, he called it “a beautiful story” about “faith in a season when that is what the focus is.” This is “the first time in a long time that there was a film that brings together Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans and the evangelical tradition as the body of Christ together at Christmas,” he told CatholicPhilly.com, the news website of the Philadelphia Archdiocese. The film’s “ultimate message” is one he feels has long been ignored by Hollywood’s secularizing trend of editing Christ out of Christmas.

Sylvester McCoy and Lesley Manville star in a scene from the EchoLight Studios production “The Christmas Candle.” This past June, Rick Santorum, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania and 2012 presidential candidate, became CEO of the Dallasbased production studio whose mission is to develop faith-based films. CNS photo/EchoLight Studios This desacralizing of the holiday on screen is just one example of what he perceives as a wider assault on Christian sensibilities in popular culture. Given motion pictures’ popularity as entertainment,

Santorum considers movies a critical front in the ongoing culture war — a major reason why he got involved with making them. As Catholic novelist Flannery O’Connor wrote, “Push back against the age, as hard as it pushes against you.” Santorum, who cites “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Field of Dreams” among his favorite films, also understands movies’ more subtle influence as, to borrow a phrase from Blessed John Paul II, communicators of culture and values. This undeniable effect of the multiplex on Main Street America made the opportunity to join EchoLight impossible to pass up for Santorum, himself a Catholic, who sees it as a chance to make a positive difference in elevating the cinema landscape. “I recognize that popular culture has an impact on the direction of the country,” he told CNS. His long-term vision is to help foster a robust “Christian cinema,” pointing to the success of the Christian music industry, which up until a decade ago had been a niche market, but now has mass cross-over appeal.

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November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

The Last Word

Year of two popes leaves indelible mark on Year of Faith By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

The goal of the Year of Faith, which concludes Nov. 24, has been to educate Catholics about basic Church teachings, strengthen their faith and inspire them to share it with others. If it has succeeded, as organizers say it has, the credit ultimately lies less with its special projects and events than with the historic papal transition that occurred in its course. “The election of Pope Francis has given new visibility to the core teachings of Jesus Christ, which ultimately is what the Year of Faith sought to achieve,” Msgr. Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, told Catholic News Service. Both Pope Benedict XVI, who opened the celebration in October 2012, and Pope Francis dedicated their Year of Faith talks to the creed, looking at modern cultural challenges to faith, recognizing faith as a gift, and urging Catholics to proclaim God’s love and share the Gospel. But a different pope means a different personality and a different style, even when teaching or preaching on the same themes. In addition, a new pope tends to draw more visitors to the Vatican because many Catholics are eager to meet their new shepherd. Eight months after Pope Francis’ March 13 election, the number of visitors to the Vatican continues to be higher than usual, which most observers attribute to his easy rapport with a crowd and his touching focus on children and the sick. By Nov. 13, more than 8 million Catholics had come to Rome and officially registered as Year of Faith pilgrims at a visitors’ center just down the street from St. Peter’s Basilica. But Father Francesco Spinelli, an official at Pope Francis greets the crowd after celebrating a the Pontifical CounYear of Faith Mass honoring life in St. Peter’s cil for Promoting Square at the Vatican in this June 17 file photo. New Evangelization, CNS photo/Paul Haring said the real number

Pope Benedict XVI, top, arrives to celebrates a Mass opening the Year of Faith in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in this Oct. 11, 2012, file photo. Pope Benedict and his successor, Pope Francis, have both used the Year of Faith to explain basic church teachings and encourage people to practice their faith more seriously. CNS photo/Paul Haring of participants in Year of Faith events at the Vatican is far higher, “because most come without registering at all.” Pope Francis will close the Year of Faith with Mass Nov. 24, the feast of Christ the King. The evening before, he will preside over the Rite of Acceptance, a ceremony in which adults who had been inquiring about the Catholic faith officially become catechumens preparing for baptism. The pope also plans to publish an apostolic exhortation on the new evangelization, promoting what he calls a “culture of encounter” between Christ and humanity and among believers themselves. The document and the ceremony with future Catholics will underline a key point of Pope Francis’ teaching: Christ not only knocks on hearts to get inside, he knocks on the doors of churches asking to be let out into the world. At his general audience Oct. 16, the pope asked the crowd: “Are we missionaries by our words, and especially by our Christian life, by our witness? Or are we Christians closed in our hearts and in our churches: ‘sacristy Christians’?” Archbishop Jose Octavio Ruiz Arenas, secretary of the new evangelization council, told Catholic News Service that Pope Benedict pro-

Christmas

posed the Year of Faith “to give a strong push to the new evangelization” and to help Catholics “recognize the joy that comes from the great gift of faith” and from knowing that God loves them so much that he sent his son to save them. Pope Francis’ election during the Year of Faith can be seen as “providential,” the archbishop said. “The personality of Pope Francis, his closeness, his use of language that is simple and profound, his desire to go out and meet people, has captivated people’s hearts. “The Holy Spirit knew what he was doing,” Archbishop Ruiz said. “He wanted to be sure that in the Year of Faith many people who had been far from the Church would hear an invitation to respond to the Lord,” and, from what bishops and pastors around the world are reporting, it seems to have worked, he said.

Taking faith into the world Both popes have insisted that being an authentic Christian isn’t simply about one’s private prayer life; it must be evident in the way a person interacts with others and with the world. A month before he stepped down, Pope Benedict said believing in God “makes us harbingers of values that often do not coincide with the fashion and opinion of the moment. It requires us to adopt criteria and assume forms of conduct that are not part of the common mindset.” “Christians must not be afraid to go ‘against the current’ in order to live their faith, resisting the temptation to conform,” he said. Pope Francis, in a Year of Faith talk in April, said, “Being Christian is not just about obeying orders, but means being in Christ, thinking like him, acting like him, loving like him; it means letting him take possession of our life and change it, transform it and free it from the darkness of evil and sin.” Msgr. Tighe said, “One of the particular achievements of Pope Benedict was showing — with strong philosophical and theological arguments — the legitimate claim of faith to having a place in the public square and in public debate.” “In a simpler, more directly pastoral way, Pope Francis is almost literally bringing faith to the public square, particularly in and through the media,” he said. “We see especially in social media a huge desire on the part of people to share his words and deeds.”

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.

All winning entries will be published in The Catholic Spirit’s Christmas edition, Dec. 19.

Entries will be judged on originality and artistic ability, interpretation of the theme and newspaper reproduction quality.

The artist’s name, address, telephone number, grade and parish (include city), must be included on the back of the entry.

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. November 21, 2013 • The Catholic Spirit

Mail to: The Catholic Spirit Christmas Contest, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.

healthy communications Human dignity, real connections essential to communication 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 and discuss with others. Coming up Dec. 5: What is Advent?

HEART OF THE MATTER Father Nels GJENGDAHL

Social media are no longer a new thing. While many Catholics are “immigrants” to this new world, with each passing year we have more Catholics who are “natives” to the realm of social media. It has been and — for the foreseeable future — will be a part of younger Catholics’ experience. Because social media have a growingly significant impact on the lives of human beings, the Church is truly interested in these digital connections. So what does the Church have to say? The beauty of the Church is that the principles of her teaching remain unchanged throughout the centuries, but they are applied to the new experiences of each successive generation. This also applies to social media.

Human dignity is key Two principles that are of great importance when engaging with social media are the dignity of all human beings and the true social nature of humans. Every human being has dignity. One

The Catholic Spirit • November 21, 2013

incredible power of social media is the ability to bring the experience of every human directly into our lives in an intimate way. We all have had the experience of scrolling through our Facebook feed and having a picture of a person in need or the plight of a community cause us to stop and be so moved that we desire to help. We may respond by saying a prayer for people experiencing a natural disaster. Other times, we might respond to a request to aid an organization financially. Regardless, social media allows us to communicate the dignity of people to all with whom we are connected. However, we must keep this dignity before our eyes in other moments as well. We carry the power of social media in our pockets with cameras built into them that would rival those of spy planes from just a few decades ago. As a result, if we are not solid in our recognition of the dignity of all people, we can succumb to the temptations that would be destructive to that dignity. Please turn to SOCIAL on back page of section

Rediscover-faith.org

“If we are not solid in our recognition of the dignity of all people, we can succumb to the temptations that would be destructive to that dignity.” Father Nels Gjengdahl

What makes a successful parent? I propose this question not to further our modern day obsession with success, but in the hope that the question itself might help us to better understand parenting and success. When it comes to parenting, we are usually subjective in the attitudes we take. There are those who think they are not good parents, most of whom really are wonderful parents. There are some who think they are great parents, and often turn out to be inattentive and self-absorbed. Then, there are others who have a healthy sense that they are not perfect, but they are genuinely making their best effort on a daily basis. The reality is, as human beings, we often find it very difficult to see ourselves as we really are, and this extends to our parenting. Small talk at work and church and in the mall consists of the question, “How are the kids?” More often than not the answer is a rosy litany of achievements and adventures. Rarely, if ever, is the answer, “Michael’s caught up in drugs. Susan is sleeping with every second guy she meets, and Jason failed every course in the ninth grade!” This is fine for the small talk. But, when we lay our heads on our pillow at night, how do we measure how our children really are? And, do we grade ourselves as parents? CELEBRATING how My first observation is that when we judge someone’s success as a CATHOLICISM parent — our own or somebody else’s — we immediately look to the children. We then tend to take a snapshot of where that child is in his or Matthew her journey, assess their successes and failures, and judge based upon a personal and subjective set of criteria. We completely overlook the fact KELLY that this child, this person, is a work in progress. We usually exaggerate the negative or the positive depending on our prejudices — all of which are extremely subjective. But is there some yardstick by which we could objectively look at ourselves and others and access their progress? There is. Virtue. Keep in mind that life is about relationships. Relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, friends and colleagues, nation with other nations — and relationship with God. At the heart of relationship we find one immutable and universal truth: Two virtuous people will always have a better relationship than two who lack virtue. Consider it practically. Two patient people will always have a better relationship than two impatient people. Kind and generous people will always have a better relationship than selfish people. Two thoughtful people will always have a better relationship than two thoughtless people. At the core of dynamic and lasting relationships you find the bedrock of virtue. Certainly, there are many cases where we see cowardice (and other vices) dressed up and pretending to be any number of virtues. I am not talking about this, but rather “What we do has genuine virtue. If life is about relationships, and parenting is about preparing children for life, in its very best form successful parenting is a school of virtue. The quality we should be looking for in our children is virtue. Are they kind, patient, anything we say or any honest, just, temperate, courageous, loving, humble, thoughtful, gentle, compassionate, persevering? But, perhaps we obsess too much over the qualities we are looking for in our children. Let’s face it, you have virtually no direct control over what your children do. Any parent Matthew Kelly who has had a particularly obstinate or disobedient child will tell you that. We may think we have control over what our children do, but in reality it would only take the turning of their will to prove that we don’t. On the other hand, we have almost complete control over what we do ourselves. This is where we should place our focus. What we do has more influence upon our children than anything we say or any use of parental authority. And virtue is the pinnacle of human action and achievement. Successful parenting can be measured one day at time by asking, “Today, was I kind, patient, honest, just, temperate, courageous, loving, humble, thoughtful, gentle, compassionate, persevering?”

Making good choices If we are striving to live and model virtue for our children, we then have to foster a certain detachment from the outcome. Having attended a school of virtue, they must then go out into the world and make their own choices and decisions. In every moment they will be required, just as you and I are, to choose between virtue and vice — to choose between the best version of themselves and some second-rate version. I meet wonderful people all the time whose children have made horrible decisions. Are they bad parents? For the most part, I don’t think so. There comes a point in our lives when we must choose what life we want to live and who we are going to become. This is a child’s choice, not a parent’s. All we can do as parents is point our children along the path we think is best. Kelly is an international best-selling author, speaker and founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute.

The Catholic Spirit • November 21, 2013

Advice to parents: ‘B By Dave Hrbacek The Catholic Spirit Should Catholic parents be wary of the media? Some would say absolutely, that the electronic world is a predatory beast that is constantly trying to grab our children and hold them in its grip. Perhaps, they might use a Scripture verse like 1 Peter 5:8, which says, “The devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour.” To people with such apprehensions, Gordy DeMarais offers both encouragement and hope. DeMarais, the executive director of St. Paul’s Outreach, gives talks at Catholic parishes throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to parents concerned about the effects of media on their children, helping them figure out what to do about this often scary and intimidating topic. He’s also a parent himself and has had to deal with the issue within the walls of his own house. He and his wife Teresa have six children ranging in age from 12 to 26. When their oldest, Peter, was a teenager, the culture was starting to explode with the Internet and social media like Facebook.

Setting limits DeMarais does not like to think of himself as an expert, yet he and Teresa have taken some important steps when it comes to media, and they have seen positive results with their oldest four, all of whom have graduated from high school and left the nest. “Media is a subset of the whole bigger question of the formation of our children,” Gordy said. “And, I would say our whole family approach, our whole [family] culture, is producing extraordinary fruit in our kids so far. All four of my adult children love God, are striving to take daily prayer, are trying to live moral lives. At one point in June, all four of them were in some kind of fulltime mission work.” His point about building family culture is the key to successfully navigating the media minefield. It starts with having regular family time, and pushing computers and cell phones to the periphery, rather than letting them dominate children’s lives. For example, Gordy and Teresa do not let their children have cell phones until they reach senior year of high school. They have one TV set in the house and it’s not in a central location, although it is in a common space so that no one can watch in isolation. They also carefully manage the time their children spend in front of a TV or computer screen. Limits are set for the kids, and even timers are used to enforce them. Beyond that, they even have times where the whole family will “fast” from media use. They like to do this during the seasons of Lent and Advent. “In our Catholic tradition there’s the concept of fasting,” Gordy said. “Normally, we think about food in [terms

Dave Hrbacek/The Catholic Spirit

of] fasting. But, thinking about me fasting can be really helpful. Mayb have a fast day from media once a think using the seasons of Advent Lent is a way to jump start someth this area. “So, pick one of those Church se and say, ‘For the next four weeks, w going to try to do this little thing i family. We’re not going to watch T during the week, or movies. We’re going to play computer games duri week.’”

Time for family

When it does come time for gett front of a screen, like on Sundays, recommends not doing it in isolati fact, one of the most fruitful ways DeMarais family handles media is t watch a movie together, then discu afterward. “Part of our role as parents isn’t t protect them from media, but actu help them to relate to media in a g

Campaigning for Facebook ‘likes’

Be not afraid’ of media

Gordy DeMarais

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and positive way,” he said. “I think it begins more broadly than just what you do with media. It has to do with the whole culture that you’re creating in your family. It means that you have family life together.” If family life is working well, media pitfalls will be kept to a minimum. One of the problems to avoid is letting children have TVs in their rooms. This both isolates them and keeps parents from knowing what they’re viewing. This is one of Gordy’s main tips for how parents can manage media use in their households. Another is more of an attitude than a practice. It can be summed up in the words Jesus said to his disciples after he rose from the dead: Be not afraid. “You don’t want your response to be fear. That gets you nowhere,” he said. “If we think that we can protect our children from the negative influences of the media, as we’re raising them, by simply building big, tall walls to try to keep media out, we’ve lost the battle already because it’s pervasive. Not only is it pervasive, our

children actually live in a media-saturated world.” For parents who are intimidated by the media and fearful, DeMarais recommends building awareness of media content. It starts with understanding what is going on in the culture, which, in turn, is communicated by the media. He uses a term that was coined by Pope John Paul II — “culture of death.” “People tend to think about that mainly in terms of the abortion issue or the life issues, but in fact, what he’s talking about when he’s talking about the culture of death is an ideology that’s rooted in a radical selfishness,” Gordy said. “That’s the culture that we live in. There’s no sense of common good or living for others or living for God.” Thus, building a culture of life is what’s needed to help navigate the modern electronic world. And, the good news is that it’s happening in small corners of the culture, like St. Paul’s Outreach. “Just as media can communicate the culture of death, media can be used for the proclamation of the Gospel,” Gordy said. “We’ve got an SPO missionary Facebook page. It’s very inspiring to go onto this Facebook page and see what these missionaries are posting about what’s going on in their work.” In this case, the Good News is only one mouse click away.

I just finished an informal photo shoot for the neighbors’ Christmas card, where three kids outfitted in vests and boots took turns misbehaving. It is an occasion fraught with irony. The familial harmony you hope to portray stands at direct odds with the three-ring circus that ensues: tempers seething with the curling iron, spills on frills, tumbles and tears, rebellions and bribes. Moms become ventriloquists, issuing threats through clenched smiles. To end up with one usable shot where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera, eyes open, feels like a Christmas miracle of its own. Then it’s time to post it on Facebook alongside filtered Instagram snapshots and continue the façade that you live in a Pottery Barn catalogue where the REFERENCE granite counters are unsullied by homework and POINTS leftover Halloween candy, where the kids gobble up vegetables and play only with two handcrafted Christina artisan toys, where your husband wears moccasins and trims the Christmas tree with those big vintage CAPECCHI lights. The real challenge of the Internet — beyond the disturbing results of the most innocuous Google search — is the way it hoists private lives into public consumption, prodding us to be both protagonist and producer, the one who can crop, caption and delete, whose friends turn into fans and followers. Impressing them can feel like a full-time job. Elise Jamison, a 16-year-old from Canfield, Ohio, recently blogged about her What are some ways you can tune addiction to social media on The out social media for a day, or a Huffington Post. “I need to know, week, and tune more deeply into right now, the thoughts of all the your relationship with God? people I don’t know, don’t like or don’t care about,” she wrote. “What’s more is I need these people to need to know about me, too. I need random people at my school to like my Instagram picture of me dressed as a cat, or else I am a loser with no friends. . . . Why do I need [Facebook] likes to feel like I exist?” It’s not just a matter of connections, that oft-cited benefit of social networking. It’s the contests, campaigns and comparisons. Classmates are pitted against each other in a quest to be skinnier, prettier, wittier. What makes it feel irrefutable is how quantifiable it all is: a quick scan reveals who has more friends and followers, likes and comments. The insidious website Klout takes it a step further, crunching socialmedia analytics to rank users according to their social influence on a scale of 1 to 100. (Pope Francis has a Klout score of 91, placing him between Justin Bieber, at 92, and Kim Kardashian, 90.) The Catholic Church, in its ancient, unvarnished wisdom, yawns at these metrics, encouraging us to commune with God in private. “When you pray,” St. Matthew tells us, just before introducing the Our Father, “do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” We are called to develop an inner life, a place that is quiet and set apart, unaware of and unaffected by what gets favorited on Twitter. It’s where we drop the boxing gloves and rest with our soul. It’s how we reflect and recharge. It’s when we hear God speak. Earlier this month, Archbishop Emeritus Harry Flynn spoke about growing in friendship with Jesus at St. Joe’s in West St. Paul, an event sponsored by the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute. He shared a story about being at the airport with a group of people glued to their smartphones, essentially ignoring each other. “Something is very, very wrong,” Archbishop Flynn said. “If we can’t take the time to commune with each other, then how are we going to learn to listen to God?” Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights.

DeMarais is giving a talk about parenthood and media at Maternity of Mary in St. Paul at 7 p.m. on Dec. 4.

Rediscover-faith.org

Social media can foster community, but caution is required For example, we may be tempted to immediately recount an embarrassing moment that our friend just had on Twitter, or to take a Snapchat of a friend who is in a compromising situation. This reaction is impulsive for many. We are so quick to share this information at the expense of our friend that we do not ponder the question: â€œIs this respectful to share?â€? With social media, we do not have the â€œtime bufferâ€? we once did to reflect on the wisdom of informing others about the mishaps of our friends or acquaintances. This requires us, as Catholics, to form our minds in a way that views other people with respect and dignity. We must be so rooted in this truth that it supersedes our impulses to degrade others using social media.

Pros and cons A second principle to bring to social media is the principle that human beings are essentially social beings. Being made in the image of God, humans have been designed for a connection with God and with others. Without these connections, we fail to be

â€œIf we root ourselves in Christ and his teachings and pray to the Holy Spirit to form our lives, we will be able to sanctify this world â€” actual and digital â€” for our Lord Jesus.â€? Father Nels Gjengdahl fully human. Social media have an incredible ability to connect people around the world to the point where they can almost be with the other. This past summer I had the experience through Facetime of seeing my parents while they were eating breakfast during a trip to Illinois, and I was in a square in Florence, Italy. We saw each other, talked, and I showed them the city of Florence, which they had never seen. This gave us a shared experience that fostered our community as a

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family. Social media have that power. However, social media can also be used as a screen to the type of social connectivity that is essential to us. While we may be interacting, it is important that we recognize that, when we interact digitally, it is simply that, a digital connection. As I update Twitter, people see what I wrote, but they do not hear or see me in person. They are encountering a grouping of ones and zeros that have been sent through electronic circuits to illuminate small lights to resemble an image of me. This can give the false impression of connections. If these connections through Facebook, Google+ and Vine are the extent of our connections, then we are drinking saltwater to satiate the thirst we have. These two simple principles are of immense importance for us as we continue to press forward in the realm of social media. If we root ourselves in Christ and his teachings and pray to the Holy Spirit to form our lives, we will be able to sanctify this world â€” actual and digital â€” for our Lord Jesus. Father Gjengdahl teaches at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights.

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