The Catholic Spirit - November 20, 2025

Lifting up the liturgy

From left, Diane Gromek, Dee Chaudhary and Mary Krawczynski, all liturgical ministers at Immaculate Conception in Columbia Heights, react during a presentation Nov. 15 by Father Tom Margevicius, director of the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, at the Ars Celebrandi Workshop. The event is part of a series that brings together lay liturgical ministers to explore the “art” in ars celebrandi, which is the manner in which the Mass is celebrated. The Office of Worship offered the Ars Celebrandi workshop to help liturgical ministers foster active participation in the Mass, as outlined by Archbishop Bernard Hebda in his pastoral letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent From the Upper Room.” In a recent Weekly Word newsletter to the faithful, Archbishop Hebda wrote, “Our liturgical ministers are so integral to that experience, each playing a role in helping us enter more deeply into the mysteries of our faith.”

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

PAGETWO

Archbishop Bernard Hebda celebrated Mass Nov. 6 for about 150 people at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Minneapolis in honor of Veterans Day. Father Jerome Fehn a retired priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and retired chaplain in the Army National Guard concelebrated the Mass and Army veteran Julian Hynnek of Our Lady of Peace in Minneapolis served at the altar. Retired Father Steve Ulrich also concelebrated the Mass. After the Mass, the archbishop blessed Veterans Home resident David Soine and his wife, Gerrie, as they celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. Knights of Columbus Council 3827 which has been active at the Veterans Home for 30 years organized the Mass, which is one of two Masses the Knights hold at the home every week. The council also hosts a weekly rosary, distributes Communion to all Catholics at the home after the Tuesday Mass and offers Eucharistic adoration after each Thursday Mass.

On Nov.13, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced sweeping changes that would cut federal homelessness funding for thousands of Minnesotans, including vulnerable people who live in Catholic Charities Twin Cities’ permanent supportive housing. In response, housing advocates are organizing a 12-hour Losing Sleep, Losing Homes Vigil starting Nov. 25 at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. People are invited to the vigil in person or virtually by signing up for one or more 60-minute shifts to stay awake, contact members of Congress and hold vigil. More information can be found at tinyurl.com/losing-sleep

HOLY ART Declan, a kindergartner at Highland Catholic School in St. Paul, holds a drawing of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul that he made as part of a school project. In addition to making drawings, students were scheduled to take a field trip to the Cathedral with their grandparents or other special person(s). The kindergartners also designed their own rose windows on CDs. “It’s a sweet tradition we look forward to every year,” said Molly Stucker, a kindergarten teacher at the school. Declan’s family asked that his last name not be used.

Practicing CATHOLIC

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Nov. 14 “Practicing Catholic” radio show included Bishop Michael Izen who talked about trusting God with the simplicity, honesty and openness of a child. The program also included Paul Iovino and Randy Gray, leading members of the Security Managers Information Group (SMIG), who discussed the inaugural SMIG Conference. Iovino is director of the archdiocese’s Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment and Gray is facilities manager and head of security for the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul. Listen to interviews after they have aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.

To better understand the experience of children in mission territories whose families often don’t have the means to give them toys during Christmas, students in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Catholic Homeschooling Network are invited to participate in a toy design challenge. Hosted by the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA) and the Center for Mission within the archdiocese, the A Toy Is What You Make It Advent Toy Design Challenge 2025 invites those in first through eighth grades to “imagine, design and make by hand a toy using only recycled materials.” Participants can work alone or as a group of up to three classmates; participating schools can submit three winning entries, per school, for a final selection process that also includes entries from homeschooled students. The three winning designs from that final selection process will be displayed at the Archdiocesan Catholic Center (ACC) in St. Paul and a $250 donation will be made to children in mission territories on behalf of the first-place winner. Each entry must include the following information: students’ names and grades; as applicable, the name of the participating school and phone number; as applicable, the participating teacher’s name; and a description identifying the toy (and any instructions for operation, if applicable). Design work can take place Nov. 24 until Dec. 12. Participants can drop off their toys, not to exceed dimensions of 24-by-24 inches, to the Center for Mission office at the ACC by 5 p.m. Dec. 12. Winners will be announced Dec. 17. For more information, contact the Center for Mission at 651-291-4453.

A group from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is going to Indianapolis for the National Catholic Youth Conference Nov. 20-22. Amy Schroeder, director of youth formation at Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville, is leading a group of 54 youth and adults from five parishes: Risen Savior in Burnsville, St. Joseph in New Hope, St. Michael in Prior Lake, Incarnation in Minneapolis and Mary, Mother of the Church. According to Schroeder, seven of the youth in her group will be serving in liturgical roles at the conference. She said a total of more than 15,000 Catholic young people overall will be attending. The event will include a digital encounter with Pope Leo XIV. Schroeder noted that Archbishop Bernard Hebda will join her group for the conference. “This will be an amazing encounter with the greater Church, with more that 15,000 Catholic young people gathered together,” Schroeder said.

As of Nov. 18, more than 9,100 contributions have resulted in $3.9 million in gifts to the Annunciation Hope and Healing Fund. Created by the St. Paul-based Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota to help the Annunciation church and school community heal from a fatal Aug. 27 shooting during an all-school Mass at the Minneapolis church, the fund can be found on the foundation’s website at tinyurl.com/4fzyz5n7. In a video on the website, Annunciation’s pastor, Father Dennis Zehren, thanked the community for its support, saying in part: “On behalf of all of us here at Annunciation parish and school, all of our teachers, our principal and deacon, all of our staff members, all of our families, all of our neighbors, we just want to thank you for the great outpouring of love that you’ve been sending our way through these difficult times.”

Advent Begins Nov. 30

FROMTHEBISHOP

ONLY JESUS | BISHOP KEVIN KENNEY

Preparing for Advent

From fifth grade through eighth grade, I had an evening paper route, which included delivery on Sunday mornings.

This time of year, we would be gearing up for Thanksgiving Day paper delivery. I cannot remember if we delivered it on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning, but I remember it was the thickest paper of the year. Included in this paper were all the inserted ads for your Christmas shopping pleasure. Distributed at the same time by mail carriers was the Christmas version of the Sears catalogue and many other mailed advertisements enticing you to begin to make your Christmas gift list; the excitement was building.

In the Kenney family household, we knew that Thanksgiving Day was the transition into the Advent and Christmas season. After Thanksgiving dinner, which Dad prepared, Mom would find the Advent calendar that would hang in the dining room, and the Advent wreath was placed in the middle of the dining room table. When evening came, we piled into the station wagon and drove to downtown Minneapolis, where on this night, and only this night, you could drive along Nicollet Mall and look at the recently revealed Dayton’s window Christmas display. It was awesome.

Back in those days, no one — neither businesses nor households — dared to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, to honor and give thanks to God. As the commercialization of Christmas takes hold, stores and individuals now begin “holiday” decorating earlier and advertisements are already popping everywhere. It can become overwhelming. Again, in the Kenney household, Advent was Advent and Christmas was Christmas. We kept Advent austere as we focused on preparing ourselves for the celebration of Christ’s birth and his return in glory. Advent was a special time.

The season of Advent is a twofold celebration. For us Christians, we prepare for the celebration surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ, his first coming, as we also focus on and direct our hearts and lives toward Jesus Christ as we await his second coming at the end of time. This in-between time allows the Church to recognize the great gift of the incarnation and that, Emmanuel, God with us,

Preparándonos para el Adviento

Desde quinto hasta octavo grado, repartía periódicos por las tardes, incluyendo los domingos por la mañana.

En esta época del año, nos preparábamos para la entrega de periódicos del Día de Acción de Gracias. No recuerdo si lo entregábamos el miércoles por la noche o el jueves por la mañana, pero sí recuerdo que era el periódico más grueso del año. En él venían todos los anuncios insertados para que disfrutaras de tus compras navideñas. Al mismo tiempo, los carteros distribuían la versión navideña del catálogo de Sears y muchos otros anuncios por correo que te animaban a empezar a hacer tu lista de regalos de Navidad; la emoción iba en aumento.

En casa de los Kenney, sabíamos que el Día de Acción de Gracias marcaba el inicio del Adviento y la Navidad. Después de la cena de Acción de Gracias, que preparaba papá, mamá buscaba el calendario de Adviento que colgaba en el comedor, y la corona de Adviento se colocaba en el centro de la mesa. Al anochecer,

Ask yourself, ‘What will help my heart and life best to be ready for the return of Jesus Christ?’

came into the world as one like us, and through his life, teachings, death and resurrection, we recognize that the fullness of life will come when Jesus returns. We wait with anticipation and hope, as we journey these four weeks with Mary and Joseph, participating in their wonder, disbelief, travels, and trust in God’s grace. Jesus’ birth is the fulfillment of God’s promise, as we wait for the promise of Jesus’ return in glory.

How do we live in this overshadowed season? One can deliberately make time to be in prayer, do works of mercy, or try to keep simple these weeks with the stress and frustrations of what our culture has placed upon the Christmas celebration. Just think if we were to focus more on Advent in our personal lives and leave card sending and gift giving to the Christmas season from Dec. 24 through Jan. 11. It can be a challenge.

Growing up, we chose “Advent Angels” at home and the name you drew, you had to do something nice for that person every day. Sometimes you would leave a note under their pillow, say a prayer for them, do their chores for them secretly, or simply try not to bug them as much. In grade

nos subíamos a la camioneta y conducíamos hasta el centro de Minneapolis, donde, solo esa noche, se podía recorrer Nicollet Mall y admirar el recién inaugurado escaparate navideño de Dayton. Era impresionante. En aquellos tiempos, nadie —ni empresas ni hogares— se atrevía a decorar para Navidad hasta después del Día de Acción de Gracias, para honrar y dar gracias a Dios. Con la creciente comercialización de la Navidad, las tiendas y las personas comienzan a decorar para las fiestas mucho antes, y la publicidad ya está por todas partes. Puede resultar abrumador. En la casa de los Kenney, el Adviento era Adviento y la Navidad era Navidad. Mantuvimos un Adviento austero mientras nos preparábamos para la celebración del nacimiento de Cristo y su regreso glorioso. El Adviento era un tiempo especial.

El Adviento es una doble celebración. Para nosotros, los cristianos, nos preparamos para la celebración del nacimiento de Jesucristo, su primera venida, al tiempo que centramos nuestra atención y dirigimos nuestros corazones y vidas hacia Jesucristo, esperando su segunda venida al final de los tiempos. Este tiempo intermedio permite a la Iglesia reconocer el gran don de la encarnación y que Emmanuel, Dios con nosotros, vino al

school, we would do the

in the

As

ended, we revealed who our angel was with a small gift. A delightful tradition.

Today we are bombarded with many emails offering us “aids on our Advent journey.” Prayer books, podcasts and calendars are all excellent ways to keep us focused during this season. My recommendation is to choose one or two things to focus on. Ask yourself, “What will help my heart and life best to be ready for the return of Jesus Christ?” Attending an additional Mass during the week, going to confession, praying the rosary, and reading the daily readings are good for self-reflection. Pray for someone special, a godchild, a family member, a neighbor, a stranger who you see every day, an immigrant, someone suffering. Donate to a food shelf, clothing distribution center, or simply smile or greet someone on the corner. God’s blessings are bestowed upon us. Take some time to thank God this Thanksgiving, prepare and live into Advent with an open and joy-filled heart. Walk with the saints we celebrate during Advent and reflect on the journey many are making trying to find a welcome, a home.

mundo como uno de nosotros, y a través de su vida, enseñanzas, muerte y resurrección, reconocemos que la plenitud de la vida llegará con el regreso de Jesús. Esperamos con expectación y esperanza, mientras recorremos estas cuatro semanas con María y José, participando de su asombro, incredulidad, viajes y confianza en la gracia de Dios. El nacimiento de Jesús es el cumplimiento de la promesa de Dios, mientras esperamos la promesa de su regreso glorioso.

¿Cómo vivir esta época tan eclipsada por la Navidad? Podemos dedicar tiempo a la oración, a realizar obras de misericordia o a simplificar estas semanas, aliviando el estrés y las frustraciones que nuestra cultura ha impuesto a la celebración navideña. Imaginemos si, en nuestra vida personal, nos centráramos más en el Adviento y dejáramos el envío de tarjetas y regalos antes de la Navidad del 24 de diciembre al 11 de enero. Puede ser todo un reto.

De pequeños, en casa elegíamos “Ángeles de Adviento” y, según el nombre que te tocaba, tenías que hacer algo bonito por esa persona cada día. A veces le dejábamos una notita bajo la almohada, rezábamos por ella, le hacíamos las tareas en secreto o, simplemente, intentábamos no molestarla tanto. En primaria, hacíamos lo mismo en clase. Al

terminar el Adviento, revelábamos quién era nuestro ángel con un pequeño regalo; una tradición preciosa. Hoy nos vemos inundados de correos electrónicos que nos ofrecen “ayudas para nuestro camino de Adviento”. Libros de oraciones, podcasts y calendarios son excelentes maneras de mantenernos enfocados durante esta época. Mi recomendación es elegir una o dos cosas en las que concentrarse. Pregúntate: “¿Qué me ayudará a preparar mejor mi corazón y mi vida para el regreso de Jesucristo?”. Asistir a una misa adicional durante la semana, confesarse, rezar el rosario y leer las lecturas diarias son buenas prácticas para la reflexión personal. Reza por alguien especial: un ahijado, un familiar, un vecino, un desconocido que ves a diario, un inmigrante, alguien que sufre. Dona a un banco de alimentos, a un centro de distribución de ropa, o simplemente sonríe o saluda a alguien en la esquina.

Las bendiciones de Dios se nos conceden. Tómate un tiempo para agradecer a Dios este Día de Acción de Gracias, prepárate y vive el Adviento con el corazón abierto y lleno de alegría. Acompaña a los santos que celebramos durante el Adviento y reflexiona sobre el camino que muchos emprenden buscando un lugar de acogida, un hogar.

In

Spectacular display

The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) light up the sky above St. Mary of the Purification Cemetery in Shakopee Nov. 11. Amanda Grommesch, an employee in Communications at the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who lives in Shakopee, heard reports of the appearance of the lights and went out of the city with two of her sons to the parish cemetery of Sts. Joachim and Anne in Shakopee, where her husband, Mark, is buried. He died on April 5, 2021, after battling cancer and Amanda thought his gravesite would be a fitting place to view the Northern Lights, which, according to news reports, were visible in many states across the country and as far south as Florida. “I know my husband was right there beside us smiling at how giddy I was and yet crying at such a silly thing,” said Grommesch, a project manager for the archdiocese. “But I really felt like God was with all of us that night and giving me such a special gift to see his colors shine at night.”

COURTESY AMANDA GROMMESCH

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Bishop Izen on pilgrimage to Lebanon, hopes to meet Pope Leo XIV during visit

By Josh McGovern The Catholic Spirit

Though Bishop Michael Izen’s father is Lebanese, his parents haven’t had the chance to visit Lebanon. His grandfather — who like Bishop Izen’s parents was born in the United States — might have returned to Lebanon for some time shortly after his birth in the 1890s but would’ve been too young to remember it.

In a first for the Izen family since then, the auxiliary bishop plans to visit the country soon, the place of his heritage and one deeply connected to the Christian faith. Bishop Izen’s great-grandparents were the first of his family to come to the U.S.

“The Church in Lebanon has carried some enormous burdens — including those of war and economic collapse,” Bishop Izen said before a planned Nov. 25 to Dec. 5 pilgrimage to Lebanon. “I hope that my time in the region will give me a renewed pastoral heart for struggling people, and that personally, it will be an opportunity for me to grow in humility and gratitude.”

Bishop Izen was invited on the pilgrimage to Lebanon by Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun, pastor of St. Maron in Minneapolis — a parish that celebrates the Maronite Rite commonly practiced in Lebanon’s Catholic Church.

“I experienced some initial attraction and excitement to the idea and prayed about it, but being gone for Thanksgiving made it hard to say yes,” Bishop Izen said. “The fact that I am so close to my brothers and sisters also made saying yes difficult — I had always imagined that if I took a trip to Lebanon, it would include some of my siblings, as well as some good Lebanese friends who are here in Minnesota.”

But once he said yes to the trip, Bishop Izen’s friends and family have been supportive. They thought it was a great opportunity, “especially since Pope Leo (XIV) will be there,” Bishop Izen said. “The parishioners at St. Maron’s in Minneapolis are excited. And at the recent USCCB (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) meetings, those bishops who have some Lebanese heritage expressed their joy for my trip as well. Some of them are going also.”

Pope Leo XIV will be visiting Lebanon and Turkey from Nov. 27 to Dec. 2, according to OSV News. The trip is to reaffirm hopes for peace in the Middle East and to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and its creed, OSV News reported.

During the pilgrimage, which will include St. Maron

parishioners, Bishop Izen is scheduled to visit the tombs of several saints, the Phoenician Wall in Batroun, monasteries and museums, and attend an event with Pope Leo XIV the morning of Dec. 1.

Bishop Izen also hopes to meet with the pope. A Lebanese bishop at recent USCCB meetings in Baltimore told Bishop Izen that it will be crazy during Pope Leo’s time there, and that “Lebanon won’t sleep.”

If given the opportunity to talk with Pope Leo, Bishop Izen said he hopes to tell the pope about his own affiliation with Chicago sports teams.

“The whole world has learned that he is a White Sox fan,” Bishop Izen said. “Being a big sports fan myself, I’m more concerned about his position on the Bulls and the Bears. I was a Bulls fan in the ‘90s when Michael Jordan was dominating.”

But more seriously, Bishop Izen said, “I will need to put some thought into coming up with some more significant questions.”

Among those thoughts are prayers for his friends, family and those in need of prayers, when visiting the burial places of Lebanese saints, including the hometown of St. Sharbel. Bishop Izen will bring prayers for the whole archdiocese, he

said. He hopes the trip will give him a deeper reverence for the saints and martyrs of the region, and that it will enable him “to gain some important perspective on how the Gospel takes root across cultures,” the bishop said.

“I hope that my trip gives me (and the others who are part of the pilgrimage) a stronger feeling of continuity to the early Church,” Bishop Izen said. Then more broadly about the importance of different rites in the Catholic Church, “We know that Jesus desires us to be one,” Bishop Izen said. “So, when we have some of the rites that are so close to us, it’s good to be able to share in something as exciting as this pilgrimage.”

“Many people don’t realize that the Catholic Church is a communion of (24) distinct Churches (such as Latin, Maronite, Melkite, and Syro-Malabar) that all share the same faith and sacraments and are in communion with Pope Leo, as Bishop of Rome,” Bishop Izen said. “The Holy Father’s trip to the region will be a sign of a unity that transcends language, ethnicity and even history. In an important way, I believe our time in Lebanon will reveal the catholicity (universality) of the Church.”

India bishop’s Minnesota visit deepens bonds of friendship

By Susan Klemond For The Catholic Spirit

When Rosa Fernandez, 10, learned that Bishop Sebastian Thekethecheril of the Diocese of Vijayapuram in India was coming to her school — Holy Family Academy in St. Louis Park — the fifth grader helped her class prepare by teaching them to say, “Praised be Jesus Christ” in Malayalam, the language spoken by the majority in the southeastern region of Kerala.

The bishop, who celebrated Mass and visited with students Nov. 5, said he was pleased by the greeting that Fernandez had learned from her father, Lionel Fernandez, who is originally from Kerala.

And as Bishop Thekethecheril told the school’s roughly 200 students about his diocese — one of the poorest in India — he also thanked them for raising more than $1,000 during Lent for a family in India that is being helped through We Share, a nonprofit founded in 1999 by Holy Family parishioners David and Kathy Rennie to assist the diocese.

Fernandez said she contributed to the almsgiving project from her own allowance “because some people don’t really have enough money to get some basic things like food and medicine, so they need help.”

During his visit to the Twin Cities, Bishop Thekethecheril also met with some of the

COURTESY MARIA BROUNSTEIN, HOLY FAMILY

Bishop Sebastian Thekethecheril of the Diocese of Vijayapuram in India, answers questions from students at Holy Family Academy in St. Louis Park during his Nov. 5 visit to classrooms.

approximately 100 We Share sponsors who have provided significant, ongoing support to his diocese. He provided updates on progress and ongoing needs in the diocese.

The Rennies have shared a long friendship

with Bishop Thekethecheril. Sponsors of We Share in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and beyond have helped the Indian diocese’s social service society assist more than 600 families, including building at least 273 family homes. Sixty-five more homes are under construction, according to a video produced by the Indian diocese.

For the past 10 years, Holy Family Academy has focused its Lenten almsgiving on helping families through We Share, said Kevin McCaffrey, the school’s headmaster. The students were happy to visit with Bishop Thekethecheril and asked him questions about being a bishop, he said.

Some residents in the Vijayapuram diocese experience extreme poverty, McCaffrey said. “That means that even when our students just give (from) their spare change, they’re able to make a huge impact,” he said. “When they give of themselves the little money that they have, they can help to build a whole house (in India).”

In addition to needing financial assistance for homes and land to build them on, Bishop Thekethecheril said in an interview, many of the diocese’s 84 parishes are not selfsufficient. Funds are also needed to care for priests and educate youth.

Dick and Margorie Clough and Roger and Susan Taney, parishioners at St. John the Baptist in Savage, said they learned about We Share through the Rennies and

have sponsored six families through the program. They also visited with Bishop Thekethecheril while he was in Minnesota.

“Just learning more about (the Vijayapuram diocese), you just knew what they needed,” said Margorie Clough. “We heard what their lives are like and just so different, so just something to help them.”

In 2016, Margorie Clough and Susan Taney traveled to the Vijayapuram diocese and met families they’ve helped through We Share. She fell in love with the people during their pilgrimage, Susan Taney said.

“Kathy (Rennie) has shown us pictures of what they were living in,” she said. “And every year when the monsoons come, they lose their home, and it’s usually like three generations or two generations living together, and they have absolutely nothing.”

Kathy Rennie said that while working with Bishop Thekethecheril she has seen improvements in housing and in people’s lives. The Rennies, meanwhile, have passed on management of We Share to an Arizona couple.

U.S. Catholics can help the Vijayapuram diocese financially, but in turn, they can learn about divine providence from the people of that diocese, Kathy Rennie said.

“I have seen so many things that have happened providentially to them, and their prayer life is very, very strong, very intense,” she said.

Faithful brave cold to support immigrants in prayer at Cathedral of St. Paul

By Joe Ruff

The Catholic Spirit

Bundled up to stay warm against a stiff wind and temperatures in the 20s, more than 100 people prayed a rosary on the steps of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul on Nov. 9 in solidarity with the struggles of immigrants, migrants and refugees.

“The Gospel calls us to help the most vulnerable people in our midst,” began a reflection on child migrants that was read before the first decade of the rosary. Other reflections followed, addressing the plight of refugees, victims of human trafficking, migrant families and asylum seekers.

The prayers came in the context of President Donald Trump’s national effort to expand immigration enforcement and deportation.

“My faith calls me to be here, to stand up for those who are being mistreated, whose rights are being denied,” said Angela Dimler of St. Thomas More in St. Paul.

The rosary was organized by Laudato Si’ Movement Minnesota in response to a national call for Catholic public witness on behalf of immigrants. The national One Church, One Family effort to uphold the dignity of migrants grew out

Anne Attea, program minister for the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice at St. Catherine University in St. Paul and a member of Ascension in Minneapolis, helps lead a Nov. 9 rosary for immigrants, migrants and refugees at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.

of an Oct. 12 binational Mass held at the U.S.-Mexico border in San Luis, Arizona, organizers said.

The first such gatherings were held around the country Oct. 22. The second wave coincides with the Nov. 13 feast day of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the patron saint of migrants.

The rosary at the Cathedral in St. Paul began before the 5 p.m. Mass. People from Monticello to St. Paul attended; one participant hailed from Mexico.

“Social justice is one of our most important values as Catholics. We want to expose our kids to it as well,” said Rory

Hendrickson of Corpus Christi in Roseville, as he prayed alongside his wife, Danielle, and their four children, ages 4 to 11.

Members of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Richard Krisch held a large sign reading, “Who would Jesus deport?” while his wife, Donna, held a sign that said, “Jesus was a refugee.”

Bishop Kevin Kenney, vicar for Latino Ministry in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and pastor of St. Olaf in Minneapolis, joined the group in prayer and led a decade of the rosary. Accompanying the bishop at the event was Mary Kennedy, St. Olaf’s parish administrator.

“We thought we would gather and pray a rosary as we walk with immigrants in this difficult time,” Bishop Kenney said in an interview before the rosary. “People can’t live freely who have contributed to our society, to our culture. The difficulty of our immigration system is coming back to haunt them.”

Kennedy recalled that one side of her family hails from Ireland, the other side from Finland. “If my family couldn’t come here, I wouldn’t be here,” she said. “I think we need to gather in prayer.”

Food insecurity challenges: Catholic ministries, parishes and schools are helping

By Joe Ruff

The Catholic Spirit

High food prices, a record 43-day federal government shutdown that led to temporarily suspending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for needy families, and other costs have heightened food insecurity in Minnesota, representatives of Catholic Charities Twin Cities (CCTC), food shelves and state and local governments said.

It’s a national challenge, with grocery store prices increasing by more than 25% from 2020 to 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. About 42 million Americans rely on SNAP, and days before the program lapsed Nov. 1, Catholic Charities USA announced a national fundraising effort to provide an emergency supply of food to Catholic Charities agencies around the country.

“More and more people are looking for ways to make it on a day-to-day basis” with “surging costs in food prices and other economic issues” including high costs for housing, said Jamie Verbrugge, Catholic Charities Twin Cities president and CEO.

Even before the SNAP funding crisis, Catholic Charities’ St. Paul Opportunity Center in St. Paul had begun seeing 100 more people each day as it served more than 300 meals, three times daily, Verbrugge said.

CCTC serves about 1 million meals annually across its system of homeless shelters, temporary and permanent affordable housing and services for the aging, disabled, children and families, Verbrugge said.

Government tariffs and supply chain disruptions have contributed to the increased cost of food, particularly meat and other high protein items, he said.

An important way people can help Catholic Charities is through monetary donations at its website, cctwincities.org, because the nonprofit organization strategically purchases the food it needs while buying in bulk, Verbrugge said. Catholic Charities also relies on volunteers and food donations, he said.

Not only Catholic Charities, but food shelves are also serving more people in the

Twin Cities, including at Incarnation in Minneapolis, which in recent months has seen foot traffic increase by 25%, from 200 families to 250 families each day, said Dan de St. Aubin, the parish’s development director. Many of them are new faces to the food shelf, he said.

Incarnation offers a shopping experience as patrons roam the shelves to choose what they need, he said. With food prices and demand rising, some area food shelves have limited their visitors to appointment-only, prompting more people to come and go from Incarnation, he said.

At the same time, “it’s harder getting protein items,” de St. Aubin said. Retail partners with Incarnation have helped, particularly during the government shutdown that began Oct. 1 and ended Nov. 12, often donating food with expiration dates 10 days out rather than the usual week, he said.

More ways to help

Responding to the government shutdown and SNAP crisis, Minnesota officials said in a news release Oct. 27 that 440,000 Minnesotans faced the loss of SNAP and Minnesota Family Investment Program grocery benefits temporarily, so the state provided $4 million in emergency funding for food shelves across the state. Ramsey County officials gave one-time funding of $385,000 to area food shelves and reserved $70,000 for any needed purchases of infant formula.

Many Catholic entities in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are helping families in need. St. Paul-based Catholic Community Foundation (CCF) of Minnesota — which stewards the financial resources of Catholic individuals, families, parishes and institutions — cited the SNAP crisis as it announced Oct. 31 it was giving $1,000 to each of the 10 Catholic Drexel Mission Schools that are served through the archdiocese’s Office for the Mission of Catholic Education. The money helped

the schools — which educate students in the highest-need communities in the archdiocese — purchase food and grocery store gift cards for the families they serve.

On its website at ccf-mn.org, the foundation suggested additional sites for giving and said each had been screened for alignment with Catholic social teaching. In addition to Drexel Mission Schools, the suggestions include the food shelves at Franciscan Brothers of Peace and Keystone Community Services and food distributor Second Harvest Heartland, all in St. Paul; Open Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf in Oakdale; and Source MN in Minneapolis.

Peyton Schick, the local manager of a City Connects program that connects families with services and provides other support in Drexel Mission Schools, said she and her coordinators at each school appreciated CCF’s assistance. In addition, for the first time, the archdiocese’s annual Catholic Services Appeal gave $60,000 this year to each Drexel Mission School to pay for a City Connects counselor to be on staff.

City Connects comprehensively identifies strengths and challenges each student has academically, behaviorally, emotionally and financially and finds ways to help them, Schick said. In the last several months, that help has included a particular focus on food insecurity, she said.

One opportunity includes six of the Drexel Mission Schools participating in Every Meal, which provides ready-to-eat items — often packed by City Connects counselors — for weekend meals, Schick said. Mission schools are also running food drives and helping parents find food shelves, she said. As teachers speak with parents during school conferences, they offer food items for the parents to take home, she said.

Among Catholic high schools, CretinDerham Hall in St. Paul is running a food drive that will end before Thanksgiving to donate nonperishable items to Keystone Community Services, said Joe Miley, a learning specialist at the high school. Additionally, about 60 students through the course of each year serve breakfast twice a month at CCTC’s St. Paul Opportunity Center in St. Paul, said Miley, who has

supervised the school’s volunteer effort for 12 years.

“It’s one of the highlights of my time at Cretin-Derham,” Miley said. “Our students and our school have been committed to this project for nearly four decades. Our students want to help the less fortunate.”

Miley noted that volunteering also opens doors for students to experience a conversion or a deepening of their faith. “Seeing something they are not accustomed to changes their minds and hearts,” he said. “They want to help, and they enjoy the interaction with the guests.”

In addition to Catholic schools helping, many people in parishes volunteer at Catholic Charities sites in the Twin Cities.

Paula Raarup, a member of St. Peter in Mendota, helps her parish team provide the food, cook and serve meals six times a year at the Opportunity Center.

An unexpected challenge in the last month was the parish’s food supplier for the meals going out of business — perhaps another sign of the high cost of food, Raarup said. Thankfully, the supervisor of Catholic Charities’ food services, Michael DeJong, helped St. Peter officials find another supplier, she said.

“With our next meal in January, we will be back on track,” Raarup said.

Verbrugge said Catholic Charities is grateful for the help it receives as it assists individuals and families in need. Even as the organization has supported people during the government shutdown, the suspension and then reinstatement of SNAP benefits, it is gearing up for an increase in demand it experiences each year during the Thanksgiving holiday and Advent and Christmas seasons, he said.

“The role of individual giving — family giving — right now is really important,” Verbrugge said. Even donors to Catholic Charities who often give $50 or $100 because they want to help and it’s what they can afford are feeling economic pressure and pain, he said.

“I’d say ... the best thing people can do is think about what their capacity for giving is and choose now as the time when they’re going to donate,” Verbrugge said. “Because right now is when we really need it.”

Vatican Unveiled collection to inspire ‘love of our Church,’ says priest curator

By Josh McGovern

The Catholic Spirit

Father Richard Kunst, a priest from Duluth and curator of Vatican Unveiled, the largest collection of papal artifacts outside of Rome, is encouraging people to visit the exhibit when it comes to the Twin Cities Jan. 10 to Feb. 1.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda extended an invitation to the exhibit, a “very special celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis,” in a video announcement Oct. 13. The archdiocese is hosting the exhibit.

The 19,000-square-foot exhibit on the second floor of Mall of America in Bloomington will feature more than 300 items from popes, saints and others. Many of the items, Father Kunst said, people wouldn’t be able to see anywhere else.

“If you went to the Vatican, you wouldn’t see them, because if you went to the Vatican Museum ... they deal with more art and historically big, big things,” Father Kunst said. “They don’t deal with the things that the popes used and the things that the popes wore day-today. That is what’s in this collection. I don’t personally know of a museum that does quite like what we do with Vatican Unveiled. It is safe to say that you will not see these things anywhere else.”

Starting Thanksgiving weekend, parishioners can purchase tickets for the Vatican Unveiled exhibit online at archspm.org/vaticanunveiled. Tickets will also be available at a first-floor kiosk in Mall of America from Dec. 1, 2025, to

If you went to the Vatican, you wouldn’t see them, because if you went to the Vatican Museum ... they deal with more art and historically big, big things. They don’t deal with the things that the popes used and the things that the popes wore day-to-day. That is what’s in this collection.

Father Richard Kunst

Jan. 30, 2026, and via a QR code on Mall of America’s second floor “coming soon” exhibit wall. General ticket sales open Dec. 1.

Father Kunst grew up collecting items like celebrity and presidential signatures. A few years before his ordination, he began collecting papal artifacts. He encouraged the faithful, the borderline

faithful and all others to see the exhibit.

“If you want to be inspired, in regards to the love of our Church and our Holy Fathers and even our saints ... all these things, they will be there. If you want to see these tangible things that are associated with our faith, these heroes of our faith, I would certainly encourage it,” Father Kunst said.

Please give to those who have given a lifetime.

Groups of 10 or more and as large as 150 people will receive a 20% discount on tickets. Tickets are $25, then $30 starting when the exhibit opens Jan. 10. The exhibit is expected to take one to two hours to view entirely. It is recommended that visitors be of high school age or older due to the delicate and irreplaceable nature of exhibit items.

Our senior sisters, brothers, and religious order priests need your help. Decades of caring for others with little or no pay have left many communities without sufficient retirement savings. Over 20,500 elderly religious depend on the Retirement Fund for Religious for health care, medication, and daily living expenses. Your gift helps ensure they receive the care they deserve. Please give back to those who have given a lifetime.

Please donate at your local parish, December 13–14, or by mail at: Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

Attn: Retirement Fund for Religious 777 Forest Street

NATION+WORLD

Bishops issue pastoral message on immigration, elect USCCB secretary

By OSV News

Immigration took center stage at the U.S. bishops’ fall plenary assembly in Baltimore.

On Nov. 12, during the half day that was the second public session of the gathering, the prelates approved a “special pastoral message on immigration,” voicing “our concern here for immigrants.”

ARCHBISHOP PAUL COAKLEY

The statement came as a growing number of bishops have acknowledged that some of the Trump administration’s immigration policies risk presenting the Church with both practical challenges in administering pastoral support and charitable endeavors, as well as religious liberty challenges.

It also came on the heels of a Nov. 11 letter to Pope Leo XIV, assuring the pope that the U.S. bishops “will continue to stand with migrants and defend everyone’s right to worship free from intimidation.”

In other action, Archbishop Paul Coakley, 70, of Oklahoma City and Bishop Daniel Flores, 64, of Brownsville, Texas, were elected Nov. 11 to three-year terms as president and vice president, respectively, of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), effective at the conclusion of the Nov. 12-13 assembly. The 2025 elections were notable because they marked the first leadership change at the conference since Pope Leo XIV, the U.S.-born pontiff, began his pontificate in May. The two bishops succeed, respectively, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services and Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore. The bishops filled additional leadership positions, including Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, as the new secretary of the conference.

The bishops overwhelmingly approved an updated version of their guiding document on Catholic health care, with substantial revisions that include explicit prohibitions against so-called “gender-affirming” care. They also gave the green light to hold the 11th National Eucharistic Congress in the

summer of 2029.

Regarding the special statement on immigration, Archbishop Richard Henning of Boston told OSV News in an interview that the feeling “we have to say something” on the subject of showing solidarity with immigrants has been “kind of bubbling up from the bishops.”

“We’re pastors,” he said. “We care about the people we serve, and what we’re hearing from them is fear and suffering. So it’s hard not to want to respond to that.”

In releasing the text of the statement late in the afternoon, a USCCB press release said it was “the first time” in 12 years the bishops’ conference “invoked this particularly urgent way of speaking as a body of bishops. The last one issued in 2013 was in response to the federal government’s contraceptive mandate.”

“As pastors, we the bishops of the United States are bound to our people by ties of communion and compassion in Our Lord Jesus Christ,” said the statement, which was approved by the vast majority of voting bishops and was met with a standing ovation.

The bishops also released a video with several bishops reading the pastoral statement, including Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. “Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation. We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity,” the archbishop read as one part of the statement.

During the afternoon public session, the bishops’ approval of holding the 11th National Eucharistic Congress in the summer of 2029 came after a presentation by Bishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, chairman of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc., which will organize the event.

The location for the congress has not yet been made public. However, the possible cities have been narrowed down to three, according to Bishop Cozzens. The 2029 congress follows the successful 10th National Eucharistic Congress that took place in July 2024 in Indianapolis,

as part of the larger three-year National Eucharistic Revival.

The bishops’ vote to approve updates to the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services,” or ERDs, came a day after a preliminary presentation on the changes by Auxiliary Bishop James Massa of Brooklyn, New York, chair of the USCCB Committee on Doctrine.

The ERDs — developed in consultation with medical professionals and theologians, and regularly reviewed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — articulate ethical standards for health care in light of Church teaching, and provide authoritative guidance on moral issues encountered by Catholic health care.

Now, the seventh edition of the ERDs — endorsed by 206 bishops, with eight abstaining and seven opposing — incorporates guidance issued in 2023 by the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, which prohibited surgical or chemical interventions seeking to exchange or simulate the sex characteristics of a patient’s body for those of the opposite sex.

The bishops also learned that a new English version of the Bible will be available in 2027. It will be called The Catholic American Bible, and it aims to unify American Catholics’ reading of Scripture from the Bible they use in the home to the readings they pray with in the liturgy.

The faithful can expect a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office, by Easter 2027, according to Bishop Steven Lopes, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship, who made the announcement Nov. 11, during the bishops’ fall meeting.

Bishop Lopes, head of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, expressed his gratitude to the body of bishops for their patience and their work over “what has been a 13-year process” from when the bishops first agreed to begin work on revising the Liturgy of the Hours in November 2012 with the aim of retranslation to “more accurately reflect the original Latin texts.”

Joe Ruff of The Catholic Spirit contributed to this report.

SPECIAL PASTORAL MESSAGE

The full text of the bishops’ pastoral message on immigration: As pastors, we the bishops of the United States are bound to our people by ties of communion and compassion in Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement. We are saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about the conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care. We lament that some immigrants in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status. We are troubled by threats against the sanctity of houses of worship and the special nature of hospitals and schools. We are grieved when we meet parents who fear being detained when taking their children to school and when we try to console family members who have already been separated from their loved ones.

Despite obstacles and prejudices, generations of immigrants have made enormous contributions to the well-being of our nation. We as Catholic bishops love our country and pray for its peace and prosperity. For this very reason, we feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity. Catholic teaching exhorts nations to recognize the fundamental dignity of all persons, including immigrants. We bishops advocate for a meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not in conflict. Both are possible if people of goodwill work together.

We recognize that nations have a responsibility to regulate their borders and establish a just and orderly immigration system for the sake of the common good. Without such processes, immigrants face the risk of trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Safe and legal pathways serve as an antidote to such risks.

The Church’s teaching rests on the foundational concern for the human person, as created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). As pastors, we look to Sacred Scripture and the example of the Lord Himself, where we find the wisdom of God’s compassion. The priority of the Lord, as the Prophets remind us, is for those who are most vulnerable: the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger (Zechariah 7:10). In the Lord Jesus, we see the One who became poor for our sake (2 Corinthians 8:9), we see the Good Samaritan who lifts us from the dust (Luke 10:30–37), and we see the One who is found in the least of these (Matthew 25). The Church’s concern for neighbor and our concern here for immigrants is a response to the Lord’s command to love as He has loved us (John 13:34).

To our immigrant brothers and sisters, we stand with you in your suffering, since, when one member suffers, all suffer (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:26). You are not alone! We note with gratitude that so many of our clergy, consecrated religious and lay faithful already accompany and assist immigrants in meeting their basic human needs. We urge all people of good will to continue and expand such efforts. We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement. We pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials. In this dialogue, we will continue to advocate for meaningful immigration reform. As disciples of the Lord, we remain men and women of hope, and hope does not disappoint! (cf. Romans 5:5)

May the mantle of Our Lady of Guadalupe enfold us all in her maternal and loving care and draw us ever closer to the heart of Christ.

HEADLINES

The Catholics of Dublin have a dedicated cathedral for the first time in 500 years. Pope Leo XIV decided on Nov. 14 to designate St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral as the Irish capital’s official Catholic cathedral. The elevation of St. Mary’s to formal cathedral status was announced by Archbishop Dermot Farrell of Dublin at a Mass to mark the bicentenary of the church’s dedication in 1825, the feast of the city’s patron, St. Laurence O’Toole. It was approved by papal decree following a request by Archbishop Farrell and consultation with the faithful in the archdiocese. Tucked away down a secondary street in Dublin’s north inner city, St. Mary’s shift from pro cathedral to cathedral status corrects circumstances rooted in Ireland’s tumultuous religio-politico history, notably the repressive Penal Laws enforced under British rule, which banned the public practice of the Catholic faith and persecuted Catholic priests and people. Though it served as Dublin’s principal Catholic church, St. Mary’s was designated a pro cathedral because Christ Church Cathedral has for hundreds of years been viewed as the official cathedral in Dublin. It was designated as such by Pope Alexander III after he met St. Laurence O’Toole in Rome in 1179 while attending the Third Lateran Council. However, in 1539, following King Henry VIII’s break with Rome, all Irish monasteries and churches, which were loyal to the pope including Christ Church Cathedral were dissolved and handed over to the newly established Protestant church. Christ Church Cathedral today is the seat of the Church of Ireland (Anglican) Archbishop of Dublin and Glendalough.

Polish, German bishops remember the “great act of forgiveness” that happened 20 years after WWII. Polish and German bishops gathered in Wroclaw on Nov. 18 to mark the 60th anniversary of one of Europe’s landmark gestures of reconciliation the Polish bishops’ 1965 letter to their German counterparts, offering the words, “We grant and ask forgiveness.” Poland’s Primate, Archbishop Wojciech Polak, told OSV News the anniversary comes at a moment when war has renewed tensions across Europe. He said the original letter, sent at the close of the Second Vatican Council, shows how forgiveness can reshape relationships, even when it’s “arduous” and easily distorted by politics. The 1965 exchange, signed by figures including St. John Paul II before he was pope, sparked a fierce backlash from Poland’s communist regime, which accused Church leaders of betraying national suffering under German Nazi occupation. Yet historians say the bishops’ move helped reopen dialogue across the Iron Curtain. The weekend’s commemoration was to include Mass, wreath-laying, and a new joint declaration from both bishops’ conferences. In a Nov. 5 website statement, the German bishops said the Poles’ “courageous gesture” stood as “an outstanding testament” to the “willingness of nations” to reconcile and had “contributed significantly to changing the political dynamics in divided Europe.”

Terrorists kill civilians at a church-run hospital in the Congolese village of North Kivu. Missionaries in eastern Congo are condemning what they call the “shameful silence” of the international community after a brutal Nov. 14 terrorist attack that left 20 people dead in the North Kivu village of Byambwe. According to Vatican News, fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces a group aligned with the Islamic State stormed a clinic run by the Presentation Sisters, killing 15 people, including women in the maternity ward, before burning the facility to the ground. Five more villagers were killed in nearby homes. Pope Leo XIV offered prayers for the region during his Nov. 16 Angelus, urging an end to violence and solidarity among believers. Italian missionary Father Giovanni Piumatti, who has served in the area for five decades, told Vatican News the attack followed a grim pattern of ADF brutality, including beheadings, kidnappings and weekly assaults that often go unreported. After the massacre of patients, the ADF set the hospital ablaze, killing several women in the maternity ward, burning several houses in the village. The priest said the ADF fighters “attack indiscriminately on the roads, in villages,

in the fields while people work. In addition to killing, they kidnap children and young people for training. They often act under the influence of drugs, and they drug the captives they abduct.”



Global poverty, religious restrictions, discrimination against women remain high, report says. More than a quarter of the global population still lacks access to seven basic needs identified as fundamental by the late Pope Francis with close to 60% living in nations with severe restrictions to religious freedom, and more than half of the world’s women living in countries with severe sex-based discrimination, according to a new report from Fordham University. In addition, a majority of those represented by the statistics live on the African continent, as well as in some Asian nations. The data was made public in the university’s “Pope Francis Global Poverty Report,” released Nov. 14 ahead of World Day of the Poor. The annual observance, instituted in 2016 by Pope Francis, fell this year on Nov. 16. The Fordham report, prepared by that school’s Graduate Program in International Political Economy and Development, assesses the Global Poverty Gap, defined as the world average of the relevant population without adequate water, food, housing, employment, education, gender equality and religious freedom. Those seven basic human needs were highlighted by Pope Francis in his 2015 address to the United Nations General Assembly. The report drew on data from organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank.

Synod study groups release “interim” reports as most continue working. The study groups Pope Francis had established to provide an in-depth reflection on controversial, complex or “emerging” questions that were raised during the Synod of Bishops on synodality have published interim reports. The groups were asked to look at questions including the formation of priests, the selection of bishops, women’s leadership in the Church and ministry to LGBTQ Catholics. The late pope had asked the groups to complete their work by June 2025, but Pope Leo XIV extended the deadlines to the end of the year. However, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, said Nov. 17 that the work of some groups “given the richness and complexity of most of the topics entrusted to them has required more time than originally anticipated.” The interim reports published Nov. 17 vary in their depth and detail, with some groups listing their members and providing concrete proposals and with others giving only a vague description of the methodology they were using.

Pope Leo XIV prays for Christians experiencing discrimination and persecution. The Gospel readings at Mass in November call Catholics “to reflect on the travails of history and the end times,” not to frighten them but to remind them of Jesus’ promise that “evil cannot destroy the hope of those who trust in him,” Pope Leo XIV said. “Today, in various parts of the world, Christians are subjected to discrimination and persecution,” he told an estimated 40,000 people who gathered in St. Peter’s Square Nov. 16 for the recitation of the Angelus prayer. “I am thinking in particular of Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, Sudan and other countries from which news often arrives of attacks on communities and places of worship,” the pope said. Although other factors also are at play, most of the attacks have been carried out by Muslim extremists. But, Pope Leo said, “God is a merciful father and desires peace among all his children!”

Pope Leo XIV hails the “courageous commitment” of Blessed Eliswa, India’s first Indigenous nun. Pope Leo XIV offered words of joy to Catholics in India’s Kerala state after the Nov. 8 beatification of Mother Eliswa Vakayil, founder of the Teresian Carmelite congregation. Speaking at his Nov. 12 general audience, the pope praised the 19th-century nun as “a source of inspiration” who championed the dignity of women and the education of poor girls. Mother Eliswa, born in 1831 and widowed at 20, became Kerala’s first Indigenous nun in 1866, establishing what is now the Congregation

of Teresian Carmelites and was then Third Order of the Discalced Carmelites with her sister and daughter. Today the community includes more than 1,500 sisters in over 200 convents worldwide. Over 20,000 faithful filled the Basilica of Our Lady of Ransom in Kochi for the beatification Mass celebrated by Cardinal Sebastian Francis, the pope’s delegate. Church leaders hailed Blessed Eliswa as a pioneer of women’s empowerment in a deeply patriarchal era. Her congregation is now praying for a second miracle “to pave the way for the canonization of our founder,” said Sister Sucy Kinattingal, who has been vice postulator for Mother Eliswa’s cause since 2012.

Bishops will consecrate the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the 250th anniversary of its founding. As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary next year, the U.S. bishops will consecrate the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The decision was taken during a Nov. 11 session amid the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fall plenary assembly in Baltimore. Ahead of the vote, Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chair of the USCCB’s Committee for Religious Liberty, said the consecration would take place at the USCCB’s spring assembly in June 2026, which concludes on the solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Citing several papal encyclicals, the bishop pointed to the tradition behind, and aim of, such a consecration. “To entrust our nation to the love and care of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as we celebrate its 250th anniversary is an opportunity to promote the beautiful devotion to the Sacred Heart among our people and also to remind everyone of our task to serve our nation by perfecting the temporal order with the spirit of the Gospel, as taught by the Second Vatican Council,” said Bishop Rhoades.

New Barna data shows Gen Z leads in weekly in-person church attendance. New data from the Barna Group a leading marketing research firm focused on the intersection between faith and culture indicate Gen Z now leads a surge in church attendance across Christian churches, outpacing older generations in regular weekend worship. Gen Z attends church, on average, about 1.9 times per month or close to 23 services per year. Millennials (born 1981-1996) are right behind them, attending on average close to 22 services annually (1.8 times per month). Barna noted that these younger

generations “have moved from an average of just over one weekend per month in 2020 to nearly two in 2025.” In part, this is due to the fact that Gen Z, when they were minor children, would have mirrored their own adult parents’ religious activities and now they are adults. Gen X (born 1965-1980) is slightly less active, attending church 1.6 times per month, averaging 19 church services a year effectively the same position they were in 2000. But Boomers (1946-1964) and even older adults were attending church “well below the frequency of attendance they practiced in the past,” attending church on average less than 17 times out of the year. Amie Duke, a 27-year-old social media manager at Ascension Press, home to Father Mike Schmitz’s wildly popular “Bible In a Year” podcast, said she thinks the narrative around Gen Z may be changing, showing her generation is “looking for truth, and purpose, and community and finding that in the Church.” U.S. House approves funding package to end the government shutdown; President Trump signs the measure into law. After the U.S. House of Representatives voted late Nov. 12 to approve a Senate-passed funding deal to reopen the federal government, President Donald Trump signed the measure into law, ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. A Catholic medical group was among those who expressed concern that the deal leaves the matter of health insurance subsidies to a future vote with an uncertain outcome, just as premiums are increasing. The House voted 222-209 to approve the package to end the shutdown, which reached its 43rd day Nov. 12. The deal includes three full-year appropriations bills to fund certain departments through the end of the fiscal year, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which manages the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. A continuing resolution would then fund the rest of the government at status-quo spending levels through Jan. 30. Catholic leaders and ministries have expressed concern about other aspects of the government shutdown that affect the vulnerable, notably the lapse in SNAP federal food assistance, which 1 in 8 Americans rely on. Catholic Charities USA announced a national fundraising effort to provide an emergency supply of food to Catholic Charities agencies around the country.

CNS and OSV News

Catholic cousins develop co-living duplex in St. Paul

By Rebecca Omastiak

The Catholic Spirit

Even before its early September opening, potential tenants were showing interest in a co-living building in St. Paul inspired by Catholic social teaching principles.

The duplex in St. Paul’s West Seventh neighborhood, just a couple blocks away from Shepard Road and the Mississippi River, is called the Little Mod. It includes 12 bedroom and bathroom suites (six per duplex unit) plus common areas, such as a shared kitchen, breakout spaces and outdoor space.

The company behind the project is GRO Development, founded in 2022 by cousins Alex Zikmund, 32, and a parishioner of Holy Cross in Northeast Minneapolis, and Jacob Zikmund, 36, and a parishioner of St. Joseph in West St. Paul. Together, the two lead and oversee design, construction, leasing and property management through the private, for-profit company.

“We wanted to build our own projects,” Alex said. “Basically, we wanted to be the owner and the client and design and build and manage them.” To them, the company represents “community, affordability and sustainable quality,” Alex said.

The Little Mod is the first project in GRO Development’s portfolio. “We have designed, owned and operated residential properties before, but this is the first project that we have selfdeveloped to then design, build, own and operate,” Alex said.

“What we’re trying to do is different because we’re intentionally building co-living from the ground up ... intentionally building these spaces to handle the people that are actually sharing them, and doing that from the beginning,” Alex said.

A sustainable design

Construction on the Little Mod began in the summer of 2024. Alex said more than 100 people and roughly 50 suppliers and contractors, most of them locally based, were involved in the Little Mod project.

The duplex is on a 40-by-150-foot plot of land that has 20 feet of grade change in two directions, Jacob explained.

“We had to get a (building permit) variance because it was deemed an unbuildable lot because it was in the Mississippi River Corridor district,” a protected area along the Mississippi River, Jacob said. They had to design a building with minimal environmental impact. As an example, for proper drainage to avoid potential erosion from unintended water runoff, they designed an integrated gutter that collects water, then sheds it into two rain gardens on site.

Jacob’s Finnish background helped to inspire the building’s Nordic aesthetics — prioritizing simplicity, utility and natural materials. Large windows were installed for expansive views; the exterior features wood siding and corrugated metal and the interior features wood floors and accents; a neutral color palette is used throughout.

Only a few interior and exterior materials were used, Jacob said, which “actually helps us, too, with our budget.”

The duplex is also an exercise in sustainability; its southfacing orientation allows natural light to filter in and creates passive solar heating. Solar panels have also been installed on the roof. Seeking a Zero Energy certification, Jacob said decisions were made to construct a building that produces more energy annually than it consumes.

“This building will make more energy than it uses,” Jacob said. “It’s all electric, there’s no gas. We’re really trying to make a living, breathing thing that will last for a very long time and provide value to the community.”

The tenants of each duplex unit have unique code access via a keypad to their front door. Each tenant has unique access via a keypad to their individual suite.

Each suite consists of a partially furnished bedroom, bathroom and walk-in closet. That individual space is 200 square feet, Alex said. Then, there is roughly 1,000 square feet of partially furnished common space in each duplex unit. Currently, rent is $850 per month; this is the flat cost regardless of occupancy rates, Alex said. “So, you’re now getting (roughly) 1,300 square feet for $850,” Alex said. For comparison, Alex said, “an average studio around here (in St. Paul) is like 430 square feet, and that’s anywhere from $1,300 to $1,800.”

A lease term is 12 months. Leases are available for those making a maximum of $55,620 per year. A fixed $75 utility charge for each tenant covers electricity, heat, air conditioning, water, sewer, garbage, recycling and internet

centering on affordability,

costs as well as a shared Netflix subscription for the shared TV in each duplex unit’s living room. A shared washer and dryer set is in each duplex unit.

Five exterior cameras are on site for additional security and there are parking spots for two HOURCAR vehicles, which tenants and neighbors can rent, Alex said.

Living in community

“Who we envisioned” as a tenant for the Little Mod, Alex said, “was a 22- to 32-year-old. These are single people. There’s one person (who) would be on the lease. … (Y)ou’re looking for maybe your own spot, but you’re used to coming from a high social environment, whether that’s school, or at home, or living in community.”

As people began requesting tours, Alex said there was interest from “people (who) aren’t from that demographic but want it (a co-living environment) for the same reasons.”

“(W)hat we’re finding (is) a lot of people aren’t wanting to live in isolation and want to share that (space) with other people,” Alex said.

By mid-October, seven of the 12 suites were being rented. The broad age range of tenants, Alex said, was between 20 and 40 years old. Tenants come from “a variety of educational backgrounds, a variety of work backgrounds,” Alex said, “and that’s been fun to see.”

“Our very first resident (who) moved in was a gentleman, and he had the place to himself,” Alex recalled. “His comment to me as he was moving in was, ‘I feel like a millionaire.’”

In terms of whether the duplex units would be co-ed, Alex said, “with (the) Fair Housing (Act), we can’t discriminate based on gender” — “there’s nothing stopping a man or a woman living in whatever side (of the duplex they) pick.”

Alex said, “Our intention, and hope, is to have, with it being a duplex, the men’s side and the women’s side.” Currently, “that’s matched the intention of the residents as well,” Alex said, with four women living in one side of the duplex and

three men living in the other.

“We also run a robust background check on all applicants and have a high screening bar given the shared spaces,” Alex said.

Alex and Jacob are also conscious of conflict resolution.

“I think a big part of it is … how do you set people up for success?” Alex said. “That’s designing for an immediate space … for privacy when you want it.

“We also have community guidelines … tenets of ‘be respectful, clean up after yourself,’ just basic expectations that everyone can have going in,” he went on to say.

As the Little Mod nears full occupancy, Alex said the intention will be to gather residents for a meeting that the community manager will facilitate. That meeting will consist of addressing any concerns and ensuring guidelines are being followed, with the potential for meetings to continue, “just to get that community going,” Alex said.

A local investment

Undergirding Alex’s and Jacob’s work are elements of Catholic social teaching, Alex said, including the concepts of subsidiarity, distributism or localism, and care for the environment.

“An overarching goal of GRO is to leave our residents better off than when they came,” Alex said.

A main way to accomplish this, Alex suggested, “is through affordable rents — allowing residents to save up for a down payment, pay off student loans, or maybe just build up a financial cushion.”

Alex and Jacob want to focus on “both beautiful and highly functional” living spaces that “the residents can be proud of,” Alex said.

“This quality not only allows for better living, but for a resilient, long-lasting building … a building that will outlast us and provide a great home for generations,” he said.

Alex and Jacob both live in St. Paul with their families and

affordability, sustainability

want to build within their immediate community.

“Jake and I both live in St. Paul, we develop in St. Paul, we’re building in St. Paul,” Alex said. “We want to be involved in every part of the project and maintain the project once it’s complete.”

“I think it matters,” Jacob said about living near the Little Mod site and potential future projects. “Working here, getting to know everyone within (the) West Seventh (neighborhood), seeing the same people, it’s important.”

Having neighbor support is also important to their process. For example, Jacob mentioned the Little Mod’s neighbors have lived in their homes for most of their lives, having purchased the homes from their parents. “Respecting that and working with them on this project has been a really important piece to our success and I hope that kind of carries all of our projects,” Jacob said.

“Our intent is to build one project per year,” Alex said. The reason for this, he said, is rooted in Catholic social teaching principles — “providing a reasonable rate of return to our investors, which is providing a local investment opportunity and a so-called flywheel effect by a local investment producing a local return that hopefully will result in further local investments.”

In terms of what’s ahead, both have their sights set on their next project in the West Seventh neighborhood, a co-living concept containing 36 suites roughly a third of a mile from the Little Mod.

“I’m really excited for the challenge,” Jacob said.

To Alex, it presents an opportunity to “further our goals of affordability, community and sustainability, and continue to bring density to the neighborhood that allows for a more walkable, vibrant, social community at large.”

Alex said there is a hope that ultimately, there will be some shared amenities among GRO Development’s projects and thus, an increase in interactions among members of the different communities.

“I would love to see those layers,” Alex said.

LITTLE MOD DEVELOPMENT

Cousins Alex Zikmund and Jacob Zikmund started planning the Little Mod in 2022; the concept went through two years of development. Alex and Jacob said they received support from both St. Paul and Ramsey County officials after sharing their vision for GRO Development and the Little Mod project. The Ramsey County Community and Economic Development office, “and in particular their housing team ... has been really good to work with,” Alex said. Seeking to address a need for affordable housing and to help bolster a housing supply, Ramsey County launched its Emerging and Diverse Developers (EDD) program in 2023.

Though the county has since updated its definition of an emerging developer, in the program’s inaugural year, an emerging developer was defined as “an individual or entity that has owned and/or developed no more than five housing properties, including mixeduse (housing with commercial space) in Minnesota in the last 10 years as a sole proprietor or under other business entities.”

Alex said the EDD program is “encouraging;” that “not only does it open the door to new projects, new ways of thinking, new developments, but new developers themselves.”

Alex and Jacob applied to the program and were among 10 developers awarded funding for their projects. The funding the Little Mod project received through Ramsey County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) levy funding and State Affordable Housing Aid totaled roughly $433,600.

Then in 2024, the Little Mod was awarded $480,000 in funding through Ramsey County’s 2024 Housing Development Solicitation.

“Ramsey County has been a great partner, they’ve really gotten behind both us and the concept of co-living,” Alex said.

Having units available at a certain percentage of the average median income (AMI) as well as maintaining rental affordability for a certain number of years are among the primary requirements the Little Mod follows as part of this funding. For example, all 12 Little Mod duplex units are to be affordable to those making below 60% AMI; two are to be affordable to those making below 30% AMI.

“We do target three times (the cost of) rent for (a tenant’s monthly) income,” Alex explained, adding that “most rental assistance programs will be accepted” at the Little Mod.

More information about the Little Mod can be found online at grodevelop.com/projects/little-mod.

Those who are interested in the application process can find information online at tinyurl.com/3vznm2xm.

Rebecca Omastiak

ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

An entrepreneurial spirit was instilled in cousins Alex Zikmund and Jacob Zikmund as they grew up in North Dakota as part of what Jacob called “a big Catholic family” with agricultural backgrounds.

Jacob recalled helping his mother a second-generation American after her father came to the United States from Finland with the nursery greenhouse on the family’s farmland in Minto. His passion for design grew and he attended North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, ultimately obtaining a master’s degree in architecture. He moved around, to Colorado and back to the Midwest before meeting his now-wife in Duluth; the two settled in St. Paul.

Alex, meanwhile, grew up in Fargo before his family moved to Aberdeen, South Dakota. He returned to attend NDSU; he obtained a civil engineering degree and a master’s degree in business. “(A)fter I graduated with my MBA, I kind of transitioned from civil engineering to more of a real estate field, (and) worked for a family office in La Crosse, Wisconsin, managing a real estate portfolio.” Alex’s wife is a doctor, which meant the couple initially moved around for her residency program. One location was Miami, where Alex said they lived in a co-living building.

When the residency program drew the couple to Minneapolis, Alex and Jacob began talking about their plans for an architecture firm. In 2019, they founded BLOK Studio (formerly Double Jack Design) with a third founder. Three years later, Alex and Jacob co-founded GRO Development.

“I’ve always wanted to work for an architecture company that just didn’t settle for good enough,” Jacob said. “I wanted to do something that could embody just constantly pushing the boundaries to be better.”

Rebecca Omastiak

FAITH+CULTURE

All roads lead to Rome: A Catholic love story

By Christina Capecchi

For The Catholic Spirit

Loretta Hall had never crossed paths with Aaron Wolfe, a fellow student at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, until they were both studying abroad in Rome the same semester. At the time he was a serious seminarian. Fast forward 11 years, they’re now the parents of three boys ages 7, 4 and 2 and happily settled in West St. Paul near their home parish, St. Joseph.

“I am literally living my dream right now,” said Loretta Wolfe, 33, a stay-at-home mom.

Q Let’s start with the juicy part. It’s like a Catholic Nicholas Sparks story: You and Aaron had been on the same college campus for years but you had to cross the ocean to meet.

A Aaron and I quickly became friends in Rome. I developed feelings for him, but he was in seminary and had no intention of discerning out, so I knew I couldn’t do anything about it. We returned to St. Paul in January and continued to hang out as a group. I was trying to give him space so he wouldn’t be distracted, but it became apparent that I liked him even though I was trying really hard not to. I kept asking: Why can’t I get over this guy? He’s doing God’s will! I felt like such a cliché.

That May, he discerned out of the seminary. A mutual friend accidentally mentioned it to me. I was like: “What! What do I do?!” It was very dramatic for my 22-year-old self.

Q You’re part of a special club of Catholic

couples whose love stories started in Rome.

A It’s so special there! ... (Y)ou’re living life so closely together and building relationships and experiencing this daily friendship with the whole group away from your normal life. You’re growing together in this beautiful, holy place.

Q Tell me about your home.

A I feel really blessed by our home. I prayed a lot for St. Joseph’s intercession. We had been ... living in a one-bedroom apartment for the first four years we were married. We had one baby and one on the way; we were outgrowing it. We wanted the right house in the right space. I knew it would be a gift to live next door to friends and raise our kids in that environment. But the housing market was insane, and we didn’t have much income. I was a missionary, my husband was going back to school. We prayed a lot, and the Lord, as he does, opened doors. We’re in West St. Paul. We found a 1950s rambler in a little pocket just south of Thompson Park. One of my best friends from college is next door; we got the house off-market because they were next door. The timing was crazy and it worked out. Since then, we had another friend buy a house down the street and another friend move in down the way. The house adjacent to us is my husband’s best friend. My best friend from elementary (school) is nearby. We have three houses that share a backyard with some of our friends. And we’re within a block of other friends. And then my brother and his wife bought a house five houses down.

Q How does it play out? Shared snacks, borrowed sugar?

A Yeah! It’s a gift. The kids run free from yard to yard and down the street to the neighbors when they get home from school. Oh, we’re out back having popcorn if anyone wants to pop in. We try to be intentional: “We’re grilling out this Saturday, come by, bring something to share!” Sometimes it’s completely hilarious, often crazy. In our backyard, there’s no fences, and we’ll cut through one neighbor’s yard to get to the yard that belongs to my childhood best friend — she’s across the street on the other side.

Q It sounds like a throwback to a bygone era.

A That’s how I imagine it, and several of us are stay-at-home moms, so those of us who are home full-time end up saying: “Are they at your house?” It feels like we’re in the ’50s.

Q That’s the kind of community God intended for us — and that’s so needed amid the current loneliness epidemic.

and at their own pace. We homeschool, and a lot of their school is just being outside. Rather than just reading about a tree, they’re climbing a tree.

It’s a gift I’m really grateful for. I have a tendency to be more of a doer, go-go-go. My temptation is to rush my kids. This is what we need to do. It’s so helpful for me to take a deep breath and give them that space.

Q Do you tie that outdoor time to faith?

A We spend a lot of time talking about the wonders of creation, that it comes from God and that we’re grateful for it and we’re stewards of it. Creation is all God! It’s not our work. It’s an easy place to be amazed and wonder and be drawn back to God.

Q How do you try to be a good steward of your home? Do you have little rituals that ground you?

A Totally. Community is essential. My husband and I have been really intentional about seeking community. We wanted this. We can’t do it alone. I need support and friendship, and I want this for my kids. I feel really blessed, the way the Lord has provided it and allowed it to blossom. We have chickens in our backyard, but they’re on the boundary line with our backyard neighbors, and we share them, rotating who does chores and collects eggs each day.

Q What does it do for the kids to be outside?

A If they’re not outside, they’re kind of untethered. But when they’re outside, they’re so free, and there are ways for them to release that energy. They can sit in this one spot, scooping — it’s not play to them, they’re working. When they’re digging in the dirt, it helps with alignment. It helps them be integrated. They feel free, more integrated with themselves. It impacts their connections with each other and with me.

Q Your kids must know that street so well. They could probably map it out in great detail.

A I hope it helps them with their long-term identity, to be so rooted and so known. I love that they are learning so much and growing

A I try to have a daily routine to keep us on track. As (for) ritual, I love a cup of tea. That doesn’t really help me tidy the house, but it makes space for me to feel like myself and just be human — I’m gonna sit with a cup of tea and read a few pages of a book and then I’m gonna be better equipped to vacuum the floor and make dinner and wash the dishes and fold the laundry. A piece of stewarding, to me, is recognizing that I’m not a machine. I need to be a human. How do I give myself permission and grace to be a human in what can feel like a never-ending cycle? My job is 24/7.

I start my day with a cup of tea and prayer time before the boys get up. Usually, I’m in my armchair in our living room. I call the boys in and we read a story together and drink tea and have a snack. We do a lot of chapter books now. A favorite is “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” My husband is reading “Farmer Boy” at dinner right now, and I’m doing “The Jungle Book” at teatime.

Q What do those read-alouds do for you?

A I love it! There’s a lot of science that backs it up for being important for development. It’s similar to the outdoors. If we’re getting outside, that’s huge. If we’re reading a lot, that’s huge. Then sitting down and sharing a meal and having a conversation. Those are things we see as a priority. We have a real woodburning fireplace in our living room

‘One mightier than I is coming’: Advent with St. John the Baptist

Search the Scriptures, and except for the Holy Family, no person is more favored by God than St. John the Baptist. All four Gospels acclaim this holy man and set him apart from others. From before his birth, he was chosen by God to announce, baptize and identify Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah.

Looking at the totality of his brief life, you see the hand of God at every turn. John’s unique role in salvation history was immortalized by Jesus who said, “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John” (Lk 7:28).

While we celebrate both John’s birth (on June 24) and death (Aug. 29), it is during Advent that the liturgy amplifies John’s role as the precursor of Christ. It is John who, as God’s instrument, tells the world to get ready, the Messiah is coming; it is John who will then single out the Messiah living in the midst of man.

The Church teaches that not only does Christ come at Christmas, but he will come again at the end of time. In both cases, we are prompted to prepare our hearts and souls for these events. John tells us how to prepare, to reform our lives; the Church offers us the means during this holy season through penance, confession and sincere conversion.

John is the child of Zechariah and Elizabeth, an elderly, childless, holy couple living in the hill country of Judea. His birth was revealed by an angel, who told Zechariah that he and Elizabeth would have a son. The angel was Gabriel, who later announced to a teenage Hebrew girl that she would become the Mother of God.

Gabriel told Zechariah the child’s name would be John, and “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah … to prepare a people, fit for the Lord” (Lk 1: 15-17). Zechariah, believing that he and Elizabeth were too old to have a child, refused to trust the angel’s message and, as a result, was struck mute. He remained so until John was born.

The Visitation is one of the most stirring, most remembered Scripture passages: the story of Mary, pregnant with Jesus, either walking or riding on some uncomfortable conveyance, making the dayslong journey from Nazareth to the Judea hill country to visit with Elizabeth.

Mary had been told by the Angel Gabriel that Elizabeth, her elder relative, was six months pregnant with John. St. Luke’s

Gospel (1:39-45) describes Mary’s arrival. Elizabeth is humbled that the Mother of God would come to care for her and her unborn child.

When Mary entered the house, John leaped in his mother’s womb, and Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit.” About this scene, St. John Chrysostom wrote: “(John in the womb) has not yet seen the light, but he points out the sun; he has not yet been born, and he is keen to act as precursor.”

Because Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit,” John was baptized in the womb and thus born without sin. John, like the Virgin Mary, was especially picked by God; in John’s case, his role is to introduce the Savior to the world.

While Jesus was growing up quietly in Nazareth, John, six months older than Jesus, was living obscurely in the wilderness of Judea. John’s youth is summed up in Luke 1:80: “The child (John) grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.”

Surviving off the land, he was not tainted by worldly sins but received even more of God’s grace through constant prayer and self-denial.

Thirty years old when he began his public ministry, John’s message was, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt 3:2), meaning the Messiah’s arrival was imminent and mankind should prepare. Inspired by God, John knew Christ was coming, but at that point, he did not know his identity.

People flocked to hear John largely because it had been 400 years since anyone publicly advocated the coming of the Messiah. They hungered for such a message. John encouraged them to confess their sinful ways, change their hearts and, as a public sign of sincerity, be baptized. Every year at Advent, we hear his clarion call for inner conversion.

He began baptizing people in the Jordan River, and some thought John to be the anticipated Messiah; others thought he was Elijah returned to Earth. John told them he was neither, that he was baptizing them with water, “but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Lk 3:16).

Jesus came to the Jordan presenting himself for baptism. Sinless, not in need of baptism, he wanted to relate himself with sinful man. John demurs, arguing that Jesus should baptize John, not vice versa. Our Savior humbles himself, insisting on the baptism of repentance, and John acquiesces. When Jesus came out of the water, God sent a dove representing the Holy Spirit and announced, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). The divinity of Jesus is confirmed.

After being baptized, Jesus withdrew into the desert where he spent 40 days praying, fasting and preparing for his public ministry. At the end of that time, he returned to the Jordan, where John singles him out to the world using the sacred words

spoken during every Mass: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29).

Here, among those congregating along the Jordan River, was the Messiah. The wait was over. Jesus now goes out into the world, spreading his message of salvation, while John fades into his savior’s shadow, saying: “He must increase; I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). These words still challenge every Christian.

As John continued to preach, he confronted Herod Antipas, the provincial governor of Galilee. John publicly condemned Herod Antipas for living in incest with the wife of his brother. Herod threw John in prison but soon developed a special affinity for the Baptist.

The woman involved, Herodias, had no such affinity and looked for an opportunity to have John killed. It is a well-known story (Mk 6:21-28) of how the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod, and when the dance was complete, Herod offered the girl anything she wanted. Herodias encouraged the girl to ask for John’s head on a platter, and that’s what happened. John was martyred as the price of a dance.

The impact of his short life marks John for special veneration; next to the Blessed Mother, he is our greatest saint. His message that we should prepare for the coming of Christ by renouncing our sins resonates during every Advent.

Emmons writes from Pennsylvania. This column was originally published by OSV News.

FOCUSONFAITH

SUNDAY SCRIPTURES | FATHER STAN MADER

A king who saves

We conclude the Sundays of the Church year by proclaiming Christ as king of the universe. The daily readings this week will have an end-of-time feel to them which will splash over to the first Sunday of Advent because in Advent, we prepare not only for the birth of Jesus, but also for his second coming. We might be fascinated by royalty around the world, but for Americans, the birth of our country embedded in us a mistrust of monarchs. George III was, to put it politely, not the favorite of our founding fathers. Yet Christ has always been honored as king: The Magi recognized him as the King of the Jews, which was written on the sign that hung over his head on the cross. In his ascension, Jesus takes his place on the throne in heaven.

Christ’s kingdom has appeal since it is a total reversal of the roles usually assigned to royalty. Jesus, when tempted in the desert, refused to be “master of the world.” He is opposed to striking back, much less spilling blood. He is the king who washes feet, who dies for others, who finds equality with God something not to be grasped at. He is ridiculed by three groups in this Sunday’s Gospel: the leaders of the people, the soldiers and one of the criminals crucified with him. In each case, we detect a derisive sneer in the words that mention being saved. You’re a savior? Then save yourself. Aren’t you a king?

When we become intimate with the originator of the universe, we are most open to receiving mercy. That surrender, that handing everything over to God, that obedience, is what we must do as well. It really is the way to freedom.

Then save yourself. Are you not the Messiah? Then save yourself and us.

But Jesus saves us instead. Jesus just doesn’t look like a king and doesn’t act as an earthly one. Unlike other kings, Jesus was unguarded. He didn’t call down an army of angels. He told his disciples to put away their swords. He is a king disinterested in the trappings of the world. He empties himself of power, yet is the image of the unseen God, and through him all things were created whether on Earth or in heaven.

And Jesus is a king who is knowable. I’m a little excited when a former baseball player recognizes me. I should be astonished, giddy, blown away that the King of the Universe knows me and wants to be known by me. The good thief gets that. He speaks to Jesus intimately by using only his first name. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Everyone else uses: Teacher. Lord. Master. Son of David. Messiah.

When we become intimate with the originator

COMMUNION AND MISSION | FATHER JOHN PAUL ERICKSON

A pilgrimage to home

I recently returned home after several weeks away on a pilgrimage. Accompanied by close to 50 pilgrims from across the Twin Cities — along with the mighty Father Marcus Milless, Deacon Tim Hennessy, and the unconquerable John Sondag — I had the good fortune to visit Rome, Assisi and several other sites of religious note within Italy. Celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope, we crossed the Holy Doors, witnessed the Holy Father pass in front of us at a Wednesday audience (joined by 10,000 to 15,000 of his closest friends…), and prayed at the tomb of the Franciscan founders St. Francis and St. Clare. And so much more.

We also walked. A lot. And walked. And walked more.

While many memories linger with me in the afterglow of these present days of reflection and gratitude, perhaps my most cherished memory will be the little family that was created by our common experience of pilgrimage. The pilgrims represented many different backgrounds, ages and life experiences. We all had different reasons for tagging along. But whatever the circumstance that secured our individual participation, we were united in what we saw and where we prayed, and in the support that we offered to each other, whether physical or

KNOWtheSAINTS

spiritual. It really was a blessing.

Going through a common experience, like college, or being part of a sports team, or even a tragedy, to take a less pleasant example, are the kinds of things that bind people together. A pilgrimage is such a thing too, at least when the participants are open to what the Lord might be trying to do, and they allow themselves to go with the flow.

Our life of faith is a pilgrimage. We are not home yet, and the physical journey of pilgrimage, along with its discomfort, fatigue and unexpected moments of profound grace, can serve as a poignant analogy for our lives.

Like a pilgrimage to Rome; or Jerusalem; or LaCrosse, Wisconsin; or even the little church on the hill known as the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul; this journey is made even more meaningful when it is shared.

Of course, our common experience as Christians is much more significant than entering any church building, as beautiful and overwhelming as they might be. All buildings, even the wonder of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, will one day fade away, only to be known in history books. Our common experience as Christians is the ever ancient and ever new truth of the resurrection of Jesus, experienced tangibly, though mysteriously, in the sacraments. These great mysteries of faith remind us of who we are, and where we are going, and Who it is that has loved us into being. Together. And

of the universe, we are most open to receiving mercy. That surrender, that handing everything over to God, that obedience, is what we must do as well. It really is the way to freedom.

We think of freedom as being able to make a choice. Well, our choice here is who, and what, is our king. We all have something that rules us — anger, a desire to control, money, someone else’s opinion. And we need to recognize that we need a king. We really can’t do it ourselves.

Eventually everything we do, or at least do with some passion, is personal. At what point do we determine we need a king? What do we look for in that king? What do we ask of him? How do we bring ourselves to surrender to a king who hangs on a cross, knowing he can give us paradise?

We receive mercy when we realize it is something we need — when we realize we are sinners.

I need Jesus to be my king.

Father Mader is pastor of St. Joseph in Waconia.

Sunday after Sunday, we are reminded of that first Sunday, when the Master spoke words that would change the world forever — “Peace be with you.” And we remember. And we celebrate. And we believe. And in that believing, we become one.

What a beautiful thing it is to witness authentic Christian community, lived joyfully and fully. Men and women bound by the common encounter with the Risen One, helping each other through prayer, encouragement, humor, and that physical assistance that all of us will need one day. I got a taste of that heavenly reality for 10 days in Italy. It was, I think, something of the kingdom of God that Jesus spoke so much about.

But the glorious truth is that you don’t need to fly across the globe to taste this promise. It is found at the Mass, and in baptism, and confession, and in confirmation, and in all the other sacraments of the Church. In truth, it is not so much we who make the pilgrimage, but rather Jesus who comes to us — lowly, dependent, tired, on his knees, full of hope for the ones he has come to save. It is Jesus who is the first pilgrim, and he longs to enter the holy door of our own hearts. And this is the cause for hope.

Father Erickson is parochial vicar of Nativity of Our Lord in St. Paul and interim chairman of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission.

ST. ANDREW (d. approx 60) In the synoptic Gospels, St. Andrew is a Galilean fisherman grouped with his brother, St. Peter, and with St. James and St. John in the inner circle of Apostles; in the Gospel of John, he is the disciple of St. John the Baptist who is the first to follow Jesus and who brings his brother to the Lord. Many traditions about St. Andrew come from the apocryphal secondcentury Acts of Andrew, which depicts him as a zealous missionary in the Black Sea region who is crucified tied to an x-shaped cross by the Roman governor. Some early Church historians also said he evangelized in Greece and Asia Minor. He is the patron saint of Scotland, Russia, Greece and those who fish for a living. His feast day is Nov. 30.

DAILY Scriptures

Sunday, Nov. 23

Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

2 Sm 5:1-3

Col 1:12-20 Lk 23:35-43

Monday, Nov. 24

St. Andrew Dŭng-Lac, priest, and companions, martyrs Dan 1:1-6, 8-20 Lk 21:1-4

Tuesday, Nov. 25 Dan 2:31-45 Lk 21:5-11

Wednesday, Nov. 26

Dan 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 Lk 21:12-19

Thursday, Nov. 27

Thanksgiving Day Sir 50:22-24 1 Cor 1:3-9 Lk 17:11-19

Friday, Nov. 28

Dan 7:2-14 Lk 21:29-33

Saturday, Nov. 29

Dan 7:15-27 Lk 21:34-36

Sunday, Nov. 30

First Sunday of Advent Is 2:1-5

Rom 13:11-14

Mt 24:37-44

Monday, Dec. 1 Is 4:2-6 Mt 8:5-11

Tuesday, Dec. 2 Is 11:1-10 Lk 10:21-24

Wednesday, Dec. 3 St. Francis Xavier, priest Is 25:6-10a Mt 15:29-37

Thursday, Dec. 4 Is 26:1-6 Mt 7:21, 24-27

Friday, Dec. 5 Is 29:17-24 Mt 9:27-31

Saturday, Dec. 6 Is 30:19-21, 23-26 Mt 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8

Sunday, Dec. 7 Second Sunday of Advent Is 11:1-10 Rom 15:4-9 Mt 3:1-12

COMMENTARY

POURED

OUT | JOSH MCGOVERN

Teach me to dance

In Alcoholics Anonymous, I’ve heard stories of people feeling the desire to dance when giving themselves — and their addictions — to God. They described a peace so profound that their bodies reacted to the music inside them.

Over the summer, I was with my wife on our way to a friend’s wedding reception. In that short trip from Stillwater to the NET Center in West St. Paul, I told my wife for the first time that I’d lost the confidence to dance because the only time I’d had the courage to dance was when I was drinking. I felt chained down by the idea of it.

That night I spent a few minutes on the dance floor with my wife because it gives her joy. The discomfort I felt in my awkward joints was a small penance for loving her well. But making my way off the dance floor, one of my former roommates — a brother who had seen me journey through my engagement and sobriety and difficult times — stepped in front of me and danced. I felt an invitation to join him, and as I did, something stirred inside me. Those awkward joints loosened and began to move. My feet kicked, my arms swung. A miracle happened, one I attributed to my honesty in the car: I started dancing. An even greater miracle: I enjoyed it.

My wife said that when I danced back to her from across the dance floor, she saw a different man in me, one who seemed so free for the first time in a long time. On our way home, I told her that there were burdens on my heart that I hadn’t known about. God

But making my way off the dance floor, one of my former roommates a brother who had seen me journey through my engagement and sobriety and difficult times stepped in front of me and danced. I felt an invitation to join him, and as I did, something stirred inside me. Those awkward joints loosened and began to move.

revealed them to me, a painful epiphany, only so that he could free me from them, to give me peace, to fill me with so much joy that I couldn’t help but dance to the music he was singing inside my soul. I realized that I hadn’t lost my confidence to dance. Truthfully, I never really had it.

Alcohol numbed me to my insecurities, that feeling of everyone watching me while dancing. But it didn’t give me life. It didn’t give me anything. It took things away, not just my fear, but also my freedom. It stole from me any opportunity to grow in confidence. I missed out on true freedom because I leaned on my own understanding rather than God.

Who’s missing from our tables?

The two women who taught me the most about hospitality know how to make more space at the table. My mother and my mother-in-law both have a gift for making a warm, welcoming home where there is always room for one more.

When I remember Thanksgivings past, my favorite memories come from the years when my older siblings were in college and brought friends home for the holidays, filling our house with laughter and energy. Looking back now as a mother of many myself, I’m floored to think how easily my mom could change her holiday plans with a moment’s notice, adding another chair (or four) to the table. She never made anyone feel like they were a burden: You belonged with us. When I learned how my in-laws celebrated holidays, I was struck by two facts: My mother-in-law often insisted that everyone should sit at one long table (so no one felt left out) and she always invited folks outside the family to join us for holidays. Over the years I sat next to seminarians from Nigeria, neighbors from Egypt, families from Colombia, and friends from nearby who simply needed a place to spend a day when no one should be alone.

Taken together, these two matriarchs taught me everything about hosting holidays. Cast a wide net, like Christ did. Trust there will always be enough — food, space, patience and laughter. Notice who’s not there and make space for them.

As the holidays approach, it’s time to think about those who will join us for our feasts but also those who won’t

“Whenever we take our eyes off ourselves and focus more on the Lord, that freedom is going to happen,” Father Joseph Bambenek, associate director of the archdiocesan Office for the Renewal of Structures, said. “The Second Vatican Council has a line in it: ‘man ... cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.’ (Gaudium et Spes 24.)”

I was physically free from alcohol for three years, but a part of my heart was still chained to it. When I gave it to God, he moved a friend in front of me to help me see clearly the grace he’d given. But grace is meant to be shared, so I danced with others. They gave

be at the table. In November we pray for our beloved dead, so naturally our thoughts turn to those who are no longer with us physically. But in our communities, there are also countless folks whose circumstances have been dramatically ruptured in the past year — by divorce, diagnosis, economic crisis or political divisions. Can we make space in our prayers or a place at our table for those who are suffering deeply in this season?

In the Gospels, Jesus calls us to expand our circles of concern and compassion, not limiting our definition of neighbor to family and friends but always urging us to include others. Feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned: these are the terms by which we will be judged (Mt 25:31-46). Our children and grandchildren will also be formed and shaped by our own practices of Christian care and hospitality, both for those we love and those we barely know. How might Christ be nudging you to welcome someone for the holidays or to pray for those who are struggling?

Once we notice who’s missing from our tables, we can do one of two things. We can widen our welcome, or we can keep in mind those who aren’t there.

First, we can pull another chair up to the table to make more space. Is there a neighbor who doesn’t have family nearby? Are there new immigrants in your parish or co-workers in your office who might not have a place to celebrate the holidays? Take a Christ-like leap and reach out with an invitation. What a powerful example to set for the kids in your life — to show them that your family is always ready to welcome even the stranger (who might be Christ in disguise).

Second, we can make time and space within our holiday

me life, and I like to think I gave them some, too.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:17-18).

I’ll never forget that night. During days when I struggle, I remember it as proof that miracles happen when we open ourselves to God’s love. He’ll always invite us to dance, even when we don’t think we can.

McGovern is a reporter for The Catholic Spirit. He can be reached at mcgovernj@archspm.org

gatherings to remember those who are absent. A candle at the table for each loved one who has died. A phone call to a family member deployed overseas. A time during your mealtime grace to pray by name for all those who are missed or mourned at this joyful time.

Above all else, let us welcome strangers in our prayers as we start the season — and we remember the Holy Family, who were turned away in their hour of need. God, help us to see who’s missing and help us to make more space for all those you call us to love.

Fanucci, a member of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove, is an author, speaker and founder of Mothering Spirit, an online gathering place on parenting and spirituality.

PIVOTAL PECS

“We care about each other’s spiritual growth, and they are a joy to be with!”

Sandra Larsen, 53, St. Peter, Mendota

Archbishop Bernard Hebda is encouraging the faithful to experience the small-group model Parish Evangelization Cells System (PECS) in their parishes. Designed to strengthen parish life through small groups and encourage parishioners to share their faith and hope in Jesus Christ with each other and then the broader community, it is having an impact. At last count, there are nearly 1,800 groups and more than 16,000 participants in 138 parishes across the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. See the opportunities to join a small group at archspm.groupvitals.com/groupFinder

COMMENTARY

CATHOLIC OR NOTHING | COLIN MILLER

The Jesus movement

The social relevance of the Church today, as we’ve been exploring in recent columns, has its roots in Jesus’ announcement that the kingdom of God was breaking in, and that this kingdom was a kind of alternative community, loyal to Jesus’ way of doing things. Jesus was not just talking about the kingdom, he was starting it, by founding small communities for the kingdom right then and there — and for us, here and now.

Last time I suggested that, if you were the average Yoseph in Galilee, the first thing that would have struck you about this whole Jesus hubbub would have been that, wherever you went, there were people together talking about him: in families, in pockets of villages, maybe in a whole town here and there. It was not just a message for individuals; it was a movement of people doing life together in a new way.

These were not just collections of admirers; they were cells of disciples. They had begun to practice a new way of being Israelites, which included a new way of living in community.

Unsurprisingly, such a movement, as is plain from a glance at the Gospels, was controversial, not least because this Jesusparty included all the wrong sorts of people. It marshaled the poor, oppressed, tenant farmers and fishermen, much like many violent revolutionaries had before Jesus.

This worried the keepers of the status quo. But the Jesus movement also included the rich, and tax collectors, who were notorious collaborators with Rome. This would have put him out of favor with the oppressed. He also welcomed prostitutes, other disreputable sinners, and even Gentiles — all people who lived outside the bounds of the Jewish law as it was traditionally understood. And finally, it even included at least some Pharisees — probably the largest “party” known for their strict devotion to purity and the Torah. It’s unsurprising, then, that everyone found something to dislike in the movement, for it seemed to include everyone’s enemy.

Yet, this must have been what was intriguing to so many: This was not just one more community, along the lines of one of the parties that already existed, nor was it just a new combination of the platforms of those parties, some sort of middle ground, or a lowest common denominator between them. This itinerant rabbi was offering something substantially new. As we’ll explore in more detail below, his communities stood in opposition of some kind to the Temple, to its leaders, to the official teachers of the day (the priests and the scribes, who were rooted in the Temple) and to the unofficial but in some ways more popular teachers of the day (the Pharisees). Jesus’ communities kept the Torah differently; constituted a sort of alternative economic system; and, for all its similarity to other revolutionary groups, was opposed to violence of any kind.

These are some of the outlines of the

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN | DEACON GORDON BIRD

Yet, this must have been what was intriguing to so many: This was not just one more community, along the lines of one of the parties that already existed, nor was it just a new combination of the platforms of those parties, some sort of middle ground, or a lowest common denominator between them. This itinerant rabbi was offering something substantially new.

new social movement that Jesus called the kingdom. On the one hand, it included people from just about every corner of Jewish society. Jesus would take you wherever you found yourself. On the other hand, paradoxically, it stood in opposition to just about every corner of life as well. Finally, it’s important to emphasize that Jesus was not just founding an optional community, much less making the general point that “community is a good thing.” You don’t get crucified for those things. What will get you in trouble is the implication that your communities are the new locus of God’s way of being in the world. This was the implication, for instance, of his calling of the 12 Apostles, which symbolized the

Enduring spiritual winters with Thanksgiving

Prepare to endure another Minnesota winter. By now we’ve likely blown and raked the leaves, trimmed the errant tree branches and hedges, stored the deck furniture, emptied the lawn mower fuel tank and winterized all those other smallengine summer toys and power tools.

Then I prep the snowblower, readying it for the winter months. Upkeep is endless with a home, a yard (and a ravine).

Our earthly life needs regular upkeep — both in body and spirit — for unpredictable spiritual winters. Thankfully, our benevolent God gives us the wherewithal through the Holy Spirit to endure and prevail with sanctifying grace — in faith, hope and love.

This month should be a reminder that we are not just in a physical environment, but in the spiritual realm of God’s goodness, beauty and truth. While we prepare for a vigorous, robust winter that we may very likely experience in the northland, I’m thinking this time of the year is more than about hunkering down and adjusting to unpredictable cold weather patterns.

After all, through November, we have been honoring the saints who intercede for us; visiting cemeteries to pray for the holy souls in purgatory; recognizing veterans who defend our country — and soon we

will celebrate Thanksgiving and the abundance the good Lord provides.

During this secular holiday we need to try to be Christ-like in our relationships. Especially the broken ones that need mending — and that can take physical and spiritual resourcefulness and endurance. Yet God provides all that is good, all that is beautiful, all that is true. Our Lord can help us endure relational spiritual winters. This is true especially in the tough situations that can come up in family, job and social life — hard-to-endure conflicts that divide and seem to never go away, whether in small or large matters, and with people close to home, visitors from afar, co-workers or even parishioners. We hope and pray by the grace of God that he will provide the virtues — especially patient endurance — to see things through.

reconstitution of the 12 tribes of Israel — the fullness of God’s people. The controversial thing was that, of course, they weren’t the 12 tribes. They were just 12 guys from Galilee. And yet the unmistakable claim that the symbol of the 12 staked was if you wanted to get on board with what Yahweh was doing now, here was the new movement to join, here was the new way to live.

Jesus was presenting everyone with a choice.

Miller is the director of the Center for Catholic Social Thought at Assumption in St. Paul. He is the author of “We Are Only Saved Together: Living the Revolutionary Vision of Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement.”

What helps us endure these spiritual winters? God’s work starts when we are on our knees. As Catholic Watchmen, regular devotion to the Eucharist at Mass and adoration strengthens us in holiness, helping us be prepared year after year in body and spirit. The timeless meaning of Advent is right in front of us. We can pray, discover, rediscover and celebrate: one, the coming of Christ God with us; two, the anticipation and joy of his birth; and three, his glorious second coming at the end of time.

on our knees. As Catholic Watchmen, regular devotion to the Eucharist at Mass and adoration strengthens us in holiness, helping us be prepared year after year in body and spirit. The timeless meaning of Advent is right in front of us. We can pray, discover, rediscover and celebrate: one, the coming of Christ — God with us; two, the anticipation and joy of his birth; and three, his glorious second coming at the end of time.

What helps us endure these spiritual winters? God’s work starts when we are

We can also focus on the here and now — how he lives in our hearts in the present moment and all year through. Then we’re

on the path to eternal life — patiently enduring spiritual winters — and we can say in the words of the Apostle Paul: “I have competed well, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7-8).

Deacon Bird ministers to St. Joseph in Rosemount and All Saints in Lakeville and assists with the archdiocesan Catholic Watchmen movement. See heroicmen.com for existing tools supported by the archdiocese to enrich parish apostolates for ministry to men. For Watchmen start-up materials or any other questions regarding ministry to men, contact him at gordonbird@rocketmail.com.

New studies reveal why Minnesota should not decriminalize sports gambling

A recent Pew Research Center poll shows that 47% of men under the age of 30 believe online sports betting has harmful effects on society, a sharp increase from 34% in 2022. This shift is telling. Young men are the primary drivers of online sports gambling and are seeing the consequences firsthand.

Over the past decade, we’ve learned that tech companies excel at capturing attention online, often through addictive algorithms that prioritize profit over well-being. Gambling platforms are no different. They thrive on targeting repeat bettors, even when it puts the poor and vulnerable at significant risk. But the more a person bets, the more they lose.

Online sports betting platforms are consumer-fraud schemes and should not be allowed to operate in our state. We need to continue to stand against their legalization.

Pope Leo XIV recently addressed the dangers of online sports gambling in a statement at the National Conference on Addictions. He warned that “the growing use of the internet, computers, and smartphones is associated not only with clear benefits, but also an excessive use that often leads to addictions with negative consequences

WOLFE Q&A CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

and a gas fireplace in the basement and a firepit outside. I love fires! My husband is a lumberjack in disguise and is always cutting trees.

Q There’s something about gathering by a fire! It’s primal, isn’t it?

A Yes! Even if you can light a candle, it’s so comforting.

Q What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

A I would have wanted to reaffirm myself: It is going to happen! Those dreams will be fulfilled! I am literally living my dream right now, which is amazing, and I didn’t think I would. You just don’t know if it’s all going to happen because it doesn’t always happen.

I would’ve said: The Lord is going to take care of you in those ways. He does have plans for you, there’s a reason you desire marriage and motherhood.

It is going to challenge you in ways that I never could’ve imagined. It’s a vocation — this is how the Lord is calling me to get to heaven, and that means it is going to have to stretch me. My vocation is meant to rub off the rough edges. So, you can gloss it over in your mind: Once we’re there, once we’ve made it to our vocation, we’re set. Being purified is not always fun. But it’s so worth it, and it’s so sweet. It’s better than I could’ve imagined.

Q How do you lean into Advent?

A It’s something I need to continually, actively work toward. The default is there’s a million things scheduled and consumerism is in our face. And every year, I have to be intentional about it again.

I try to do most of my Christmas shopping and prep before Advent starts, and then try to avoid stores and being on my phone during the season of Advent. I want to make more silence in my life so I have more space for reflection. I want to be intentional about entering into the season.

Q What do you know for sure?

A I know I am loved by the Father. I think that’s at the heart of it. I want that to take deeper root in my heart. I want everything to flow from that.

for health such as compulsive gambling and betting, pornography, and an almost constant presence on digital platforms.”

The late Pope Francis also condemned sports betting, saying, “It makes me sad to see soccer games and sports stars promoting gambling platforms. That’s not gambling. It is an addiction. It’s putting your hand in the pocket of the people, especially the workers and the poor.”

Imagine a Minnesota where everyone carries a casino in their pocket. The temptation for a quick financial fix grows when unemployment rises, inflation squeezes families, and young people search for financial stability. It is during these vulnerable moments when gambling industries prey on individuals who are not in a financial state to wager bets in seconds. They promise instant wins but deliver lasting harm.

To prove this, new research shows that gambling companies earn more than half their profits from just 5% of their most addicted users. The ripple effects are real: increased poverty, family fragmentation, addiction, substance abuse, and even domestic violence are all symptoms. These harms would spread through our communities and would further implicate pastoral action when our priests are already experiencing high levels of burnout.

Online sports gambling is not entertainment; it is an industry designed to extract wealth. One study revealed that fewer than 5% of online sports gamblers come out ahead. The math is simple: the more people gamble, the more companies profit. That is why platforms like FanDuel and Caesars lure users with offers like “$200 in bonus bets after your first $5 wager.” These incentives are not generosity; they are bait.

Proponents tout tax revenue as a benefit, but the numbers tell another story. At a 22% tax rate, projected revenue is about $80 million while industry profits approach $500 million. That means their total revenue is in the billions. Most of that money leaves Minnesota for out-of-state corporations. This is a massive, unproductive wealth transfer.

In 2025, the Minnesota Catholic Conference and its legislative allies stopped bills HF1842 and SF757 from advancing. These bills would have legalized online sports betting in Minnesota. But we will likely see another push during the 2026 session. Contact your state legislators now and urge them to oppose any future attempts to legalize online sports gambling.

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

Live Generously. Give Conveniently.

Catholics in our community live generously. You eagerly support your parish operations, capital campaigns, scholarship funds, ministries, and many nonprofit organizations both Catholic and secular. Sharing your treasure is one way you express your faith.

Easy & Efficient Giving

Your giving could become easier, more efficient, and more impactful with a donor advised fund.

A donor advised fund is a charitable account held at a 501(c)(3) organization. You make gifts into your fund, which is invested to grow your giving capacity. Then you make grants out of your fund to the many causes you support — of any amount at any time. Think of it as a charitable checking account.

Flexible Giving

Donor advised funds provide flexibility. You can gift a variety of assets to your fund — such as cash, appreciated stock, real estate, and personal property

— and receive immediate tax benefits. And many families are leveraging their donor advised funds to teach their children and grandchildren the value of generosity.

Faith-Aligned Giving

When you partner with the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF) for your donor advised fund, you can rest assured your giving aligns with your faith. CCF stewards the gifts of hundreds of Catholics in our community using Catholic values investing. And, CCF screens grant recipients — the beneficiaries of your generosity — to ensure their practices do not conflict with Catholic teaching.

To learn how a donor advised fund might work for you or your family, contact the philanthropic advisors at CCF today.

Why I Am Catholic

As someone who was raised in the Mormon faith, this is not a question I ever imagined I would be answering. From a young age, I was taught to have a personal relationship with God. I remember my mom telling me to pray as if I were talking to my best friend, and that is how I have approached prayer ever since. But as I grew older and explored the doctrine more deeply, I encountered inconsistencies I could not reconcile. Eventually, those unresolved questions led me to leave the Mormon faith. Even after stepping away, my desire to know God never left me.

For quite some time afterward, I continued to believe in God, but I was unsure what that meant for my life. I attended a few evangelical services, but they did not resonate with me, so I continued praying privately and assumed that was enough. Through the grace of God, I met my husband, a deeply faithful Catholic man who has patiently walked with me through the past six years of my faith journey. Throughout our relationship, I held firm to the belief that I would not convert to Catholicism simply for him. If I ever chose to become Catholic, it would be because I believed it was true and because that was where God was calling me.

Although I attended Mass with my husband every Sunday, I never studied Catholic doctrine or inquired about what made it distinct from other Christian denominations. That eventually changed. I found myself working in an environment that was negatively affecting my spiritual well-being, surrounded by profanity and hostility toward Christian beliefs. I began earnestly praying that God would open a door to something new. The door he opened was an administrative position at NET

Ministries in West St. Paul. Although I was not Catholic at the time, they still hired me. I was instantly immersed among some of the most joy-filled, passionately Catholic people I had ever met.

A year into the job, they invited me to attend a NET retreat on the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I knew that Catholics believe the Eucharist is the actual body of Christ, but I had never considered the significance of that belief. One of the missionaries shared, “Christ wants to be one with you so badly that he humbles himself to become a piece of bread.” This line resonated with me and continued to echo in my heart.

It is more than a symbol. It is the almighty God inviting me into communion with him. Once I came to believe that, I knew I had to become Catholic because I knew I couldn’t find that gift anywhere else. Today, I am Catholic because God drew me into the fullness of truth and invited me into a relationship with him that is both intimate and sacramental. Every time I receive the Eucharist, I am reminded that the God who created the universe desires to be united with me, and there is no greater gift than that.

Dudley, 24, is a member of St. Joseph in West St. Paul with her husband, John. She enjoys hiking, baking and knitting.

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

CALENDAR

PARISH EVENTS

CCW Annual Holiday Boutique and Pie Sale Nov. 22: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at St. George, 133 N. Brown Road, Long Lake. Join us to holiday shop from our vendors, St. Nick’s Stationery Room and our general store. Homemade pies, cookies and baked goods for sale. Lunch available. Try your luck at our money and tree raffles and our bottle wall. Proceeds go to charitable causes. stgeorgelonglake.org

Holiday Sale to Support Quilters for a Cause Nov. 22: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at St. Jerome, 380 Roselawn Ave. E., Maplewood. Items for sale include kitchen items, table runners, baby items and much more. Blankets made by Quilters for a Cause are donated to charities in the Maplewood area. Proceeds of the sale will be used to further the charitable work of the quilters. facebook.com/QuiltersForACause

Turkey Bingo Nov. 22: 6-10 p.m. at Presentation of Mary, 1725 Kennard St., Maplewood. Bingo from 7-10 p.m. Cash prizes and turkey door prizes. Food starts at 6 p.m. For further information, call the parish office at 651-777-8116. presentationofmary.org

CCW Bake Sale, Boutique and Garage Sale Nov. 22-23: noon-6 p.m. Nov. 22, and 9 a.m.-noon Nov. 23 at St. Peter, 2600 N. Margaret St., North St. Paul. Enter Fellowship Hall at either Door W14 on Margaret Street or Door E1 next to the O’Reilly Hall parking lot. Please join our CCW for delicious home baked treats, handcrafted gifts and high quality secondhand items! Credit cards, cash and checks accepted.

St. Mary’s Annual Sausage Supper Nov. 23: 12-6 p.m. at St. Mary, 8433 239th St. E., Hampton. Dine-in and drive-through are offered again this year. Serving pork sausage, German potato salad, sauerkraut, cold potato salad, glazed carrots, buns and dessert. Also featuring crafts, raffles and more. Adults ages 90 and over: free, kids and adults ages 10 and over: $17, kids ages 9 and under: $5. stmarys-newtrier.com

Knights of Columbus Pancake and Sausage Breakfast Nov. 23: 10-11 a.m. at St. George, 133 N. Brown Road, Long Lake. Pancakes, sausages, fruit, pastries and beverages. Last chance to buy boutique cash raffle and music ministry tree raffle tickets. Drawing at 10:45 a.m., need not be present to win. Shop holiday general store at discounted prices. stgeorgelonglake.org

“A Night of Stars”: Together We Shine Nov. 21: 5:30-8:30 p.m. at St. John Vianney, 840 19th Ave. N., South St. Paul. Annual fundraising

dinner where we wine, dine and shine! Dinner buffet, music, auctions, raffles, games and music. sjvssp.org

Turkey Bingo Nov. 23: 12-3 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle, 20000 County Road 10, Corcoran. Come for a chance to win bingo for one of 20 turkeys, or at two additional drawings for larger turkeys. churchofstthomas.org/events-1/turkeybingo25

Community Thanksgiving Meal Nov. 27: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at St. Michael, 16400 Duluth Ave. SE, Prior Lake. Community Thanksgiving meal for those who are in need or would like to experience fellowship and community. Great food and great conversations! Meal is served in the lower level of the church, park in the lower church parking lot. stmichael-pl.org/

Holy Cross Christmas Bazaar and Village Display Dec. 5-7: Dec. 5 from 6-8 p.m., Dec. 6 from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Dec. 7 from 8 a.m.-noon, at Holy Cross Kolbe Center, 1630 Fourth Street NE, Minneapolis. Please use the Fourth Street Entrance, elevator entrance in the alley. The Holy Cross Catholic Church Rosary CCW is hosting its annual Christmas Bazaar and Village Display with crafts, snacks, raffles and baked goods. Dec. 5 events include a “Sip and Shop” event featuring a musical performance by Sam Backman (Holy Cross director of sacred music), with appetizers, desserts, beer and wine served, free admission, donations welcome. Dec. 6 events include free cookie decorating, crafts and games for children from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Dec. 7 events include coffee and rolls. Christmas Village Display, shopping for handmade crafts, and raffles available all three days. ourholycross.org/ccw

WORSHIP + RETREATS

Advent Day of Prayer Dec. 3, 10, 17: 9 a.m.2:30 p.m. at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 Saint Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Give yourself the gift of reflective time during Advent. Social/gathering time is followed by a presentation on the topic of the day, an opportunity for confession, a guided prayer experience, a provided lunch, Stations of the Cross and Mass. franciscanretreats.net/advent-days-of-prayer

Serenity Retreat Dec. 5-7: 5 p.m. Dec. 5-12:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at Franciscan Retreats and Spirituality Center, 16385 Saint Francis Lane, Prior Lake. Rooted in the principles of the 12 Steps, in a safe, sacred space, we’ll celebrate the gift of recovery, find hope in shared experiences, and reconnect with the serenity that comes from walking closely with our Higher Power one day at a time. FranciscanRetreats.net/Serenity-Retreats

Marriage Weekend Workshop Dec. 5-7: at Comfort Inn Hotel, 3450 Washington Dr., Eagan.

Retrouvaille marriage help: Thinking about separation or divorce? Feel helpless? Retrouvaille is a lifeline for troubled marriages. Couples learn the tools to rediscover each other and heal their marriage. 100% confidential. tcr-mn.org/ SPEAKERS + SEMINARS

Men’s Morning with Speaker Matthew Christoff Nov. 29: 8-10:15 a.m. at St. Timothy, 8 Oak Ave. N., Maple Lake. The Church of St. Timothy invites you to our 6th Annual Men’s Morning, beginning with Mass followed by a continental breakfast, and then keynote speaker Matthew Christoff. Open to men and boys of all ages. No registration required. churchofsttimothy.org/mensmorning Life is Good Speaker Event on Holy Death Dec. 2-3: 6 p.m. Dec. 2, 8:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at St. John the Baptist, 680 Mill St., Excelsior. Have you faced death or is a loved one close to the end? Are you ready? Deacon Michael Nevin regularly witnesses this sacred transition into eternity and he has learned what makes for a holy death. Two sessions available. stjohns-excelsior.org/news-events/bulletins/

SCHOOLS

Christmas Choir Concert Dec. 9: 7-9 p.m. at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 2501 MN-100, St. Louis Park. Join us for an evening performance by the BSM choir as they present a Christmas Choir Concert for all to enjoy. bsmschool.org/student-life/activities/choir

Christmas Band/Orchestra Concert Dec. 10: 7-9 p.m. at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 2501 MN-100, St. Louis Park. Join us for an evening performance by the BSM band and orchestra as they present a Christmas Band/Orchestra Concert for all to enjoy.

OTHER EVENTS

Quarterly Dinner of the St. Joseph Business Guild: “Working with the Hands of St. Joseph” Nov. 20: 5-8:45 p.m. at St. John the Baptist, 835 Second Ave. NW, New Brighton. For members and the general public. Get excited about the work being done by the faithful and to support the church in our archdiocese! Evening includes networking, dinner, prayer, a presentation on St. Joseph as the model worker and more! tinyurl.com/2zarnse6

Thankful Together: Songs of Gratitude and Thanksgiving Nov. 28: 3-4:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. Two great musicians and old friends will perform together for the first time, fittingly at a concert expressing gratitude inside the historic Cathedral. Featuring Steven C. Anderson and Billy McLaughlin. tinyurl.com/2xuj8h92

CEMETERY LOTS FOR SALE

CALENDAR submissions

DEADLINE: Noon Thursday, 14 days before the anticipated Thursday date of publication. We cannot guarantee a submitted event will appear in the calendar. Priority is given to events occurring before the issue date.

LISTINGS: Accepted are brief notices of upcoming events hosted by Catholic parishes and organizations. If the Catholic connection is not clear, please emphasize it in your submission. Included in our listings are local events submitted by public sources that could be of interest to the larger Catholic community.

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SINGLES

Singles Group Ongoing Second Saturday Each Month: 6:15 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul, 9100 93rd Ave. N., Brooklyn Park. Gather for a potluck supper, conversation and games. 763-425-0412.

YOUNG ADULTS

Young Adult Evening Prayer Sept. 23, Oct. 28, Nov. 25, Dec. 16: On Zoom. Young adults ages 18-plus are invited to evening prayer with the School Sisters of Notre Dame. There will be time for faith sharing with young adults and sisters from across the U.S. and Canada. Register in advance for the Zoom link. ssnd.org/events

ONGOING GROUPS

Natural Family Planning (NFP): Classes teach couples Church approved methods on how to achieve or postpone pregnancy while embracing the beauty of God’s gift of sexuality. For a complete list of classes offered throughout the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, visit archspm.org/family or call 651-291-4489.

To advertise call Chris at 651-251-7714

Resurrection Cemetery: 2 lots. Value: $2365 per lot. Price: $4730/pair. 763-784-1693

Resurrection Cemetery: Companion Side-by-Side, Niches 4-5, in sought-after Building 2 location. Current price $17+K. Asking $16K. Includes transfer and inscription fees. Contact Harry (612) 749-2154.

CHIROPRACTOR

Mind & Body Chiropractic * Dr. Kuznia $80/mo. Indiv. * $120/mo. Family * SJBG mindbodychiropractic.com/ 651-600-3521

FINANCIAL PLANNERS

Win-A-Key to Unlock Your Retirement Income http://www.yourretirementkeys.com/ Susan Wieneke financial advisor SJBG

FOR SALE

Projection Tv with Screen & Mounting Bracket, New. - $2,500 (Mendota Hts) condition: new. Projection TV System Ai-Pro #15000 with Wall Mounting Bracket & Projection Screen. All Brand New, still in orig packaging. List $6,000+. Asking $2,500 cash https://aiprousa.com/ products/ai-pro-projectores 612-720-3313

HARDWOOD FLOORS

MintHardwoodFlooring.com

Installation, Refinishing, Repairs Mark Schroeder: 612-987-5175

HEALTH CARE

THE FAMILY CLINIC, LLC

Direct Primary Care • Functional Medicine 651-400-1554 • info@mnfamilyclinic.com

MORTGAGE LOANS

Home Loans with Honesty & Integrity Matko Lending LLC; NMLS# 2656175 matkolending.com/952-484-1613 (call/text) Residential Mortgage Lending in MN & WI Conventional, FHA and VA NMLS #422758 Christopher.Burr@rcu.org 651-202-1367 PAINTING

For painting & all related services. View our website: PAINTINGBYJERRYWIND.COM or call (651) 699-6140.

Michaels Painting. Texture and Repair. MichaelsPaintingLLC.com. (763) 757-3187

PRAYERS

NOTICE: Prayers must be

THELASTWORD

Parish, archdiocesan staff reflect on building community in divided times

By Joe Ruff

The Catholic Spirit

A crucial turning point, a moment of decision, an opportunity for change and an invitation to find healing as members of the body of Christ — all can describe the crux of any crisis, said Daniel McClure, a licensed psychologist, as he addressed men and women gathered for an Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Parish Staff Formation Day Nov. 5.

In the wake of a fatal shooting Aug. 27 during an all-school Mass at Annunciation’s church in Minneapolis, it is important to note as well that the tragedy is an example of crisis, but it is not the only example in today’s culture, which is polarized and in the throes of a mental health crisis, McClure said.

“We have an ideological polarization — it seems we can’t even talk to each other anymore,” McClure said.

In addition, one in five adults in the United States experience a mental illness each year; suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 24; and 51% of families will experience a severe mental health crisis, McClure said.

“Trauma means wound,” McClure said. “A psychological wound, unwilled and unwanted, with a sense of aloneness in the face of overwhelming emotional distress.”

Wading into trauma is the Church, which in the late Pope Francis’ words is a field hospital for the wounded, McClure said. The wounded can include people doing the ministry, and it is important to bring all that to Christ and support each other in community, he said.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda told those gathered at NET Ministries in West St. Paul that initially the formation day was going to focus on the archdiocese’s pastoral priority for this year — reclaiming Sundays for the Lord. Then two students were killed and 18 were wounded, as well as three adults, at Annunciation; police said the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The need for healing and hope at Annunciation and throughout the archdiocese has been evident, the archbishop said.

The day’s new focus became The Church Never Sleeps: Healing on the Front Lines of Ministry. It began with Mass, with Bishop Michael Izen presiding and Archbishop Hebda and Bishop Kevin Kenney concelebrating. It included small group discussions, adoration of the Eucharist, and opportunities for confession and to pray with designated prayer teams.

Nadine Friederichs, director of mission at All Saints in Lakeville, said 13 staff members at her parish attended the gathering, more than any prior formation day. They held a similar retreat in August, before the tragedy at Annunciation, because there had been 20 deaths or serious illnesses within their families.

“This was a great way for us to continue to heal,” with many on her team saying it was the best formation day they had experienced, Friederichs said. It also helped to be with all three bishops and staff members from other parishes, recognizing that challenges wrought by trauma are not unique to All Saints, she said.

In his homily, Bishop Izen reflected on the Gospel of Luke as it describes Jesus urging people to be his disciples with all their hearts, to the point of hating “mother and father, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life.”

As the people of Annunciation and the archdiocese seek healing, reverence and peace, “I’m not sure the Gospel helps us today,” Bishop Izen said to laughter. “But I think (Jesus means) never put anything or anybody ahead of God. Not only ahead,” but even at times keeping us away from God, he said. “We are called to hate the sin but love the sinner.”

As he joined a task force assisting Annunciation parishioners, teachers and students, Bishop Izen said, it became clear that “they have chosen not to hate, even the shooter. They hate the action,” but not the perpetrator, he said.

One might ask where God was as children and adults were shot while praying at Mass, Bishop Izen said. But the Lord, who took up his cross and was crucified, suffers with his people, the bishop said. “When we suffer, the Lord is suffering with us, and he can transform that suffering.”

McClure practices at Novare Counseling Center in St. Paul, which offers therapeutic care informed and guided by Catholicism. Informed by his experience and training as a psychologist, McClure noted that the body keeps score when it comes to emotional wounds. Physical symptoms

can include headaches, neck pain, digestive issues, chronic fatigue, trouble sleeping, concentration issues, and sexual dysfunction.

People assisting those who are traumatized can experience indirect trauma that can change one’s view of the world and introduce boundary challenges that can range from a dismissive attitude to a savior complex, McClure said.

For those in ministry roles, the slow depletion of mental and physical resources, role ambiguity, lack of control and not feeling supported can be signs of burnout, he said.

Working through the trauma brings several invitations: To bring needs to Christ in prayer; stay tuned to what the body needs; undertake one task at a time; allow unscheduled time to welcome interruptions; punctuate work with fruitful pauses; reclaim the Sabbath; and accompany one another with authentic vulnerability, empathy and deep listening, McClure said.

Maintaining professional boundaries while helping others through trauma includes honoring the truth of a relationship and treating one another with

reverence, he said.

“You are my colleague, not my spouse,” is one way to reflect on the truth of a work relationship, McClure said.

Andrea Krautkramer, small groups coordinator at St. Hubert in Chanhassen, said it was helpful to share and to reflect on the emotional challenges of ministry, particularly after the tragedy at Annunciation.

“We had a huge breakthrough on our team,” Krautkramer said of the experience of St. Hubert ministry leaders during the formation day. Still absorbing recent staff turnover, they took time to learn more about each other and acknowledge gifts they see in one another, she said. Hopefully, a weekly team huddle at the parish can begin to include moments like those, Krautkramer said.

The invitation to find assistance in community and not take on challenges alone comes with every crisis, McClure said, encouraging attendees to take that invitation.

“Be a family, be a community, created in the image of a God who is relationship,” he said.