The Catholic Spirit - December 22, 2022

PRACTICING Catholic

On the Dec. 16 “Practicing Catholic” radio show, host Patrick Conley interviews Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis about the upcoming one-year anniversary of Bishop Joseph Williams’ ordination and the role of an auxiliary bishop. Also featured are Father Tim Tran, parochial vicar of St. Stephen in Anoka, who provides an update on the National Eucharistic Revival, as he serves as the revival’s “point person” for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and Michelle Boris and Nick Brady, who describe an upcoming young adult pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal. Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingcatholicShow com or anchor fm/Practicing-catholic-Show with links to streaming platforms.

The Catholic Spirit is published semi-monthly for The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vol. 27 — No. 24

The loving embrace of the “Madonna and Child” evokes the mystery of Christmas expressed so insightfully by St. Augustine: Jesus “was created of a mother whom he created; he was carried by hands that he formed.” We recognize that those maternal hands, strong but delicate, are the hands of a witness who desires nothing more than to share her son with others no matter how humble or how exalted.

As we come before the crib to adore the Christ Child this Christmas, let us be grateful that we too have been called and sent to be his witnesses. With the simplicity of the shepherds and the perseverance of the Magi, let us go forth proclaiming in word and deed that God so loves the world that he has given us his only begotten son. Gloria in excelsis Deo!

With every prayerful best wish for a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

NEWS notes

Parishioners and visitors at St. Thomas More in St. Paul enjoyed an exterior illumination display this Advent season. Great Britain-based Luxmuralis — which previously hosted its lights and sound show in 2020 and 2021 at the Cathedral of St. Paul, but is on hiatus there this year — illuminated the St. Paul church’s façade the two weeks before Christmas. Jesuit Father R. J. Fichtinger, St. Thomas More’s pastor, invited neighbors of the church and the surrounding community to participate in the “warm glow” of the season via the display.

A new chief executive officer is set to lead Our Lady of Peace Hospice and Home Health Care starting Dec. 30. Jeff Thorne comes to the St. Paul-based organization with over 30 years of experience, most recently serving as regional vice president of health care for Virginia-based Volunteers of America — a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide affordable housing and assistance to those with low incomes — and vice president of operations for St. Therese Hospitals and Health Care — which provides senior living and care options at several Twin Cities metro locations. Thorne said he thinks Our Lady of Peace’s 81-year legacy of care “is just incredible” and that he is “absolutely committed” to continuing that legacy. “I come into this (role) very humbly and I’m thrilled to join OLP,” said Thorne, who will take over leadership from Joe Stanislav, who is retiring after 32 years with OLP.

University of St. Thomas student organization Shelter Crew made the St. Paul-based school one of 14 universities worldwide to win the Uniservitate Award 2022. Students from the group traveled to Rome to accept the award and met Pope Francis while they were there. Shelter Crew, which advocates for justice, equity and dignity in housing, was nominated for the award by St. Thomas’ Center for the Common Good. The Uniservitate Award recognizes quality service-learning projects of Catholic higher education institutions. Shelter Crew students volunteer with Catholic Charities and Habitat for Humanity to help them better understand systemic issues that

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MOST REVEREND BERNARD A. HEBDA, Publisher

TOM HALDEN, Associate Publisher

JOE RUFF, Editor-in-Chief

CNS | DEBBIE HILL

CANDLES OF HOPE Alexander Hubenko from Ukraine holds his 15-month-old daughter, Amalia, as he lights a candle in the grotto of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, Dec. 15. The church is built on what is believed to be the site where Jesus was born.

impede access to housing.

COURTESY SARAH HANSEN, ST. ODILIA

ST. NICHOLAS AT ST. ODILIA Dressed as St. Nicholas and telling the saint’s story, Deacon Jim Saumweber visits kindergarten students Dec. 6 at St. Odilia School in Shoreview. Deacon Saumweber also visited students in pre-kindergarten, ages 2 to 4, and he left candy canes and a St. Nicholas prayer card in students’ boots.

Credit for a Dec. 8 photo showing Princess Maria-Anna Galitzine, granddaughter of Blessed Karl of Austria, at St. Agnes in St. Paul should have gone to David A. Turner.

ON THE COVER: This painting, “Madonna and Child,” inspired by 17th-century artist Giovanni Battista Salvi of Sassoferrato, Italy, resides at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

THECURIA

JESUS | FATHER CHARLES LACHOWITZER

‘You ruined Christmas’

Even though the television was only in black and white, the advertised attaché case was the only Christmas gift that I wanted that year.

I already suspected that my parents were not going to let me enter the seminary after eighth grade, and my fallback occupation was to be a secret agent.

According to the commercial, inside the black plastic attaché was a compass, secret code booklet, a special periscope that could peer around corners, a gun that fired white plastic bullets out of a small hole in the briefcase and two large missiles.

I did get the spy case for Christmas, and I was overjoyed. My sisters, meanwhile, got a large plastic tea set and new dolls. They proceeded to have a big tea party for all their dolls and even their stuffed animals.

Case in hand and a spring-loaded

‘Arruinaste la Navidad’

Aunque la televisión era solo en blanco y negro, el maletín anunciado era el único regalo de Navidad que quería ese año. Ya sospechaba que mis padres no me iban a dejar entrar al seminario después del octavo grado, y mi ocupación alternativa era ser agente secreto.

Según el comercial, dentro del maletín de plástico negro había una brújula, un folleto de códigos secretos, un periscopio especial que podía mirar alrededor de las esquinas, un arma que disparaba balas de plástico blanco por un pequeño agujero en el maletín y dos misiles grandes.

Recibí el caso de espionaje para Navidad, y me llenó de alegría. Mientras tanto, mis hermanas recibieron un gran juego de té de plástico y muñecas nuevas. Procedieron a tener una gran fiesta de té para todas sus muñecas e incluso sus animales de peluche.

Maletín en mano y un misil con resorte en el exterior del maletín, miré

missile on the outside of the case, I peered through the periscope around the corner and down the hallway where an open bedroom door revealed the tea party.

I pressed the red button on the side of the case and the missile launched and hit the teapot filled with water. It shattered and covered my sisters with fake tea. The missile ricocheted off the destroyed teapot and punctured the window shade, dangling with damning evidence.

My sisters screamed with such terror that I think the neighbors went into their basements believing it was a civil defense air-raid siren. My parents went into authoritative action. My case was confiscated, never to be seen again. I was banished to the attic and as I climbed the wooden stairs, my mother hollered, “I hope you’re happy! You ruined Christmas!”

Ruined Christmas? You can’t. Oh, I may have ruined the holiday, but it is impossible to ruin Christmas. The greater the tragedy the more Christmas has its deeper meaning. The darker the Advent,

the brighter the Christmas. We do the holidays. God does Christmas for those who know they need it.

For those of us who love this time of the year with all the dazzling light displays, festive music and fine feasts of seasonal sweets, we can miss what God is doing anew when transfixed by what we have done. For those who find the holidays difficult and seek out in decorated malls some semblance of the joy of the season, look no further amid the merriment of mere mortals. For all of us, it is a time to go to Mass or spend time in an adoration chapel. Or find another quiet place inside or outside to read the Scriptures, pray the rosary or pray our familiar prayers. Whatever opens our hearts and minds to the will of God so that we let Christmas come to us. When God does Christmas, we receive what we least expect and what we most need.

God did not become human in Jesus Christ to make life perfect. Sin, sickness, suffering and death know not our seasons nor care if they bring the woes of darkness

on our artificially lighted ho-ho-ho parade. Jesus did not even take away his own suffering and death. Rather, in the mystery of the Incarnation is the way, the truth and the life through all the darkness of a mortally flawed world.

The gift of light. The gift of hope. The gift of love. With faith renewed by grace and enkindled by the Holy Spirit, we know a true peace that nothing else in the world can give or ruin. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we bring the light of Christ to those we accompany through the darkness or through the very shadows of death.

Christmas is the birth of Easter, and Pentecost is the birth of the Church. Through the Scriptures, the sacraments and a parish community of the faithful, we receive all the gifts we need to live a joy-filled life in every season.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who lived in a land of gloom, a light has shone” (Is 9:1).

a través del periscopio a la vuelta de la esquina y por el pasillo donde una puerta abierta del dormitorio revelaba la fiesta del té.

Presioné el botón rojo en el costado de la caja y el misil se lanzó y golpeó la tetera llena de agua. Se hizo añicos y cubrió a mis hermanas con té falso. El misil rebotó en la tetera destruida y perforó la persiana de la ventana, colgando con pruebas condenatorias.

Mis hermanas gritaron con tal terror que creo que los vecinos se metieron en sus sótanos creyendo que era una sirena antiaérea de defensa civil. Mis padres entraron en acción autoritaria. Mi caso fue confiscado, para nunca más ser visto. Me desterraron al ático y mientras subía las escaleras de madera, mi madre gritó: “¡Espero que seas feliz! ¡Arruinaste la Navidad!

¿Navidad arruinada? no puedes Oh, puede que haya arruinado las vacaciones, pero es imposible arruinar la Navidad. Cuanto mayor es la tragedia, más la Navidad tiene su significado más profundo. Cuanto más oscuro es el Adviento, más brillante es la Navidad. Hacemos las vacaciones. Dios hace la

Navidad para aquellos que saben que la necesitan.

Para aquellos de nosotros que amamos esta época del año con todas las luces deslumbrantes, la música festiva y los festines finos de dulces de temporada, podemos perdernos lo que Dios está haciendo de nuevo cuando estamos paralizados por lo que hemos hecho. Para aquellos que encuentran difíciles las fiestas y buscan en los centros comerciales decorados un atisbo de la alegría de la temporada, no busquen más en medio de la alegría de los simples mortales. Para todos nosotros, es un tiempo para ir a Misa o pasar tiempo en una capilla de adoración. O encuentre otro lugar tranquilo adentro o afuera para leer las Escrituras o rezar el rosario o rezar nuestras oraciones familiares. Lo que sea que abra nuestro corazón y nuestra mente a la voluntad de Dios para que dejemos que la Navidad llegue a nosotros. Cuando Dios hace la Navidad, recibimos lo que menos esperamos y lo que más necesitamos.

Dios no se hizo humano en Jesucristo para hacer la vida perfecta. El pecado, la enfermedad, el sufrimiento y la muerte

no conocen nuestras estaciones ni les importa si traen los males de la oscuridad a nuestro desfile ho-ho-ho iluminado artificialmente. Jesús ni siquiera quitó su propio sufrimiento y muerte. Más bien, en el misterio de la Encarnación está el camino, la verdad y la vida a través de todas las tinieblas de un mundo mortalmente defectuoso.

El regalo de la luz. El don de la esperanza. El regalo del amor. Con la fe renovada por la gracia y encendida por el Espíritu Santo, conocemos una verdadera paz que nada más en el mundo puede dar o arruinar. Como discípulos de Jesucristo, llevamos la luz de Cristo a aquellos a quienes acompañamos en la oscuridad o en las sombras mismas de la muerte.

La Navidad es el nacimiento de la Pascua, y Pentecostés es el nacimiento de la Iglesia. A través de las Escrituras, los sacramentos y una comunidad parroquial de fieles, recibimos todos los dones que necesitamos para vivir una vida llena de alegría en cada estación.

“El pueblo que andaba en tinieblas ha visto una gran luz; sobre los que vivían en tierra de tinieblas, una luz resplandeció” (Is 9,1).

Papal message for World Peace Day: War, hunger, turmoil are connected

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

The interconnected “moral, social, political and economic crises” facing the world cannot be solved if individuals and nations continue to focus only on their own, immediate interests, Pope Francis said in his message for World Peace Day 2023.

“The time has come for all of us to endeavor to heal our society and our planet, to lay the foundations for a more just and peaceful world, and to commit ourselves seriously to pursuing a good that is truly common,” the pope wrote in the message, which was released at the Vatican Dec. 16.

The Catholic Church celebrates World

Peace Day Jan. 1 and distributes the pope’s message to heads of state and government around the world. Pope Francis personally gives signed copies of it to visiting leaders throughout the year.

The theme for the pope’s 2023 message was “No one can be saved alone,” and the text urged people to learn from the experience of the global effort to combat COVID-19 and to recognize the poverty and inequalities the pandemic laid bare, especially as regards to access to food, medicine, health care, education and technology.

“We also need to develop suitable policies for welcoming and integrating migrants and those whom our societies discard,” the pope wrote. “Only by responding generously to these situations,

with an altruism inspired by God’s infinite and merciful love, will we be able to build a new world and contribute to the extension of his kingdom, which is a kingdom of love, justice and peace.”

Pope Francis asked people to reflect on a series of questions: “What did we learn from the pandemic? What new paths should we follow to cast off the shackles of our old habits, to be better prepared, to dare new things? What signs of life and hope can we see, to help us move forward and try to make our world a better place?”

As soon as it seemed the pandemic was nearly over, the pope wrote, “a terrible new disaster befell humanity. We witnessed the onslaught of another scourge: another war.”

Russia’s war on Ukraine, he said, “is

reaping innocent victims and spreading insecurity, not only among those directly affected, but in a widespread and indiscriminate way for everyone, also for those who, even thousands of kilometers away, suffer its collateral effects,” including rising fuel prices and shortages of grain.

“This war, together with all the other conflicts around the globe, represents a setback for the whole of humanity and not merely for the parties directly involved,” the pope said.

Massive cooperative efforts led to vaccines for COVID-19, he said, but “suitable solutions have not yet been found for the war,” which comes not from outside, but within “the human heart corrupted by sin.”

ONLY

SLICEof

Thumbs up for St. Nick

Katie Werner, right, and her daughter, Isla, pose with St. Nicholas, played by Ray Lucking of Hastings, at St. Mathias in Hampton Dec. 6 during a celebration of the saint’s feast day. About 300 parishioners of St. Mathias, St. Mary in New Trier and St. John the Baptist in Vermillion gathered to sing Christmas carols, light an evergreen tree planted earlier this year, and welcome St. Nicholas, who arrived in a fire truck. After his arrival, he and those gathered went to the church basement to enjoy food, fellowship and an opportunity for photos with St. Nicholas. “It was kind of a magical experience,” said Werner, who is the business administrator for all three parishes of this triparish community, and belongs to St. John the Baptist. “The fire truck was just a cool twist.” The idea for this first-ever feast day celebration at St. Mathias, including the fire truck, came from the pastor of the three parishes, Father Michael Tix.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Oregon pastor to succeed Bishop Kettler of St. Cloud

Catholic News Service

While accepting the resignation of Bishop Donald Kettler of St. Cloud, Pope Francis also named as his successor Holy Cross Father Patrick Neary, pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in Portland, Oregon.

Bishop Kettler, who has headed the St. Cloud diocese since 2013, turned 78 Nov. 26. Canon law requires bishops to submit their resignation to the pope at age 75.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis congratulated Bishop-designate Neary, saying in a Dec. 15 statement that he looked forward to serving with him. The archbishop’s comments came the same day Bishop-designate Neary’s appointment was announced in Washington by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the Vatican nuncio to the United States. The bishop-designate’s episcopal ordination and installation as bishop of St. Cloud was set for Feb. 14. Vespers will take place Feb. 13.

“I very much look forward to collaborating with him as he joins the bishops of our state in providing pastoral leadership after the heart of Jesus,” Archbishop Hebda said. Bishop-designate Neary’s experience in consecrated life, seminary formation, missionary outreach, and parish leadership makes him “a fitting successor to Bishop Donald Kettler, who will long be remembered as a humble and generous shepherd,” the archbishop said.

Bishop-designate Neary, 59, has been Holy Redeemer’s pastor since 2018. He was district supervisor of East Africa for his religious order, Congregation of Holy Cross, from 2011 to 2018 and before that was director of the McCauley Formation house in Nairobi, Kenya, for a year.

“No one is more surprised than I am to be asked to serve as bishop of the Diocese of St. Cloud,” Bishopdesignate Neary said in a statement. “Yet I have always trusted that Christ has guided me through every stage of my life as a priest. I so look forward to meeting everyone who is a part of this diocese, my new family.”

“I especially ask God to help me build on the legacy of Bishop Kettler and all the clergy and personnel who

University of St. Thomas

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit

The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul named its 16th president Dec. 19: Rob Vischer, dean of UST’s law school and interim president of the university. Vischer, 52, will assume his new role at Minnesota’s largest private university Jan. 1, following a nationwide search. Named interim president earlier this year, Vischer will be the second layperson to serve as the Catholic university’s president. He succeeds Julie Sullivan, who served as president from 2013-2022.

Vischer started at St. Thomas as an associate professor of law in 2005. He

law

serve in the diocese with zeal and devotion,” he added. “Please pray for me that I can be a faithful and loving servant to all of you.”

Bishop Kettler said his newly named successor “is tremendously qualified with his experiences as a pastor, seminary rector, formation director and missioner. I am very appreciative that he said yes to the call to serve the people of this diocese as their bishop, and I welcome him warmly to central Minnesota.”

The retiring bishop, a native of Minneapolis, had headed the Diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, for 11 years when Pope Francis named him to succeed Bishop John Kinney of St. Cloud, who retired at age 76.

At a news conference at St. Cloud’s Pastoral Center attended by Bishop Kettler and diocesan staff, Bishopdesignate Neary said: “I was moved by reading the

News veteran joins The Catholic Spirit

The Catholic Spirit

Rebecca Omastiak, most recently senior content editor on the combined assignment desk and digital team at KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, joined The Catholic Spirit Dec. 12 as news editor.

Omastiak, 32, brings experience at several Twin Cities news outlets, including MPLS. TV, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. She began her stint at KSTP-TV in 2015, as a digital news producer.

A parishioner at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis and a volunteer ministering to the homeless through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Twin Cities, Omastiak also helps serve meals with Loaves and Fishes. A native of Wisconsin, she is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul with a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to have Rebecca with us,” said Joe Ruff, editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit. “Her professional experience and concern for the Catholic Church will be invaluable.”

Omastiak takes a position held by Ruff from November 2018 until Oct. 10, when Maria Wiering, who had led The Catholic Spirit since 2015, joined Our Sunday Visitor newspaper and publishing company as senior writer for OSV News, a Catholic news service launching Jan. 1 to fill the void created by the Dec. 31 closure of Catholic News Service’s domestic news operations.

“Being able to combine my enthusiasm for journalism with my love of faith is truly fulfilling,” Omastiak said. “I am excited to join The Catholic Spirit staff and look forward to connecting with the community in new ways.”

Omastiak can be reached at 651-251-7706 or omastiakr@archspm.org

school dean named university’s 16th president

served as dean of the university’s law school from 2013-2022.

Pat Ryan, chairman of the university’s board of trustees, and Amy Goldman, vice chair and chair of the search committee, released a letter to the St. Thomas community saying Vischer is an “effective relational leader with a longstanding dedication to the mission of the university and to the students we serve. Rob is someone who puts students at the center of

every decision and action and cares passionately about the well-being of the students, staff and faculty in our community.”

Goldman and Ryan said that as dean, Vischer helped as the law school “dramatically improved employment outcomes” for graduates, built “a global student body” through partnerships with law schools in more than a dozen countries, increased its commitment to “whole-person professional formation, maintained its top 25 ranking for scholarly impact, and made racial justice core to its mission.”

Vischer said in a statement that he is “humbled to build on the mission-

Eucharistic

Miracles

of the World

Vatican International Exhibition

The dates of the exhibit are:

January 5, 6, 7 • 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. January 8 • 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

centered stewardship of our past presidents who stayed true to our mission and focused relentlessly on doing right by our students.”

He said St. Thomas’ mission has “a remarkable capacity to inspire because it calls us to a reality that is bigger than ourselves. I am excited about what we can do together to transform lives and advance the common good.”

While founded 137 years ago, in many ways, the university’s “current journey” started 30 years ago with opening its Minneapolis campus, Vischer said in a

PLEASE TURN TO UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS PRESIDENT ON PAGE 7

• 126 historically documented, photographic Eucharistic Miracles from various countries since the last supper

• Visible proof of Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist

• 40 hours of Eucharistic Adoration during exhibit

• All faiths welcome

• Free admission

• A 1st Class Relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis will be available for veneration

PLEASE TURN TO BISHOP ELECT ON PAGE 7

CNS | DIANNE TOWALSKI, THE CENTRAL MINNESOTA CATHOLIC Bishop-designate Patrick Neary speaks at a news conference Dec. 15 at the Pastoral Center of the Diocese of St. Cloud in St. Cloud.

Uniting our local Church need-to-knowthroughnews and stories of faith.

REBECCA OMASTIAK

ROB VISCHER

St. Walburga oratory in Rogers honors past and present

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit

Father Mark Pavlik has been pastor of Mary, Queen of Peace, in Rogers since July 1, 2020. But the parish’s history extends back to the 1850s.

On Dec. 30, 2002, the former St. Martin of Tours parish merged with nearby St. Walburga to form Mary, Queen of Peace, keeping both a St. Martin campus and a St. Walburga campus. The two churches are about 1.5 miles apart. In 2019, the parish built a center at St. Martin that provided extra space, with folding chairs and a projector, enabling more people to attend Mass. The parish school also is at St. Martin.

But Masses were held at both sites — St. Walburga on Saturday evening, Sunday morning at St. Martin, weekday Masses were split, which caused some confusion for new parishioners, Father Pavlik said. Materials such as bulletins and faith formation packets were taken to two sites, not extremely time consuming, but time that could be spent for other needs in the growing parish, he said.

“We came to the realization that the splitting between campuses was probably not the best sustainable, long-term plan …,” Father Pavlik said. “When COVID restrictions were lessened, we decided to make a plan for what the future was going to be for our two campuses.”

A long-range planning group, including parish leadership, trustees and “people with a strong history in both campuses,” began meeting in fall 2021 to consider opportunities and challenges for the future. It held open forums and asked for input, Father Pavlik said. Considerations included demographic data projected for the future of the growing community of Rogers, parish finances “and looking forward to the opportunities for our school and parish,” he said.

In the end, the parish council voted unanimously to change St. Walburga’s status from a parish church to an oratory, which is like a church but with more limited or specific use. It was a way to “honor the history and the legacy of St. Walburga and keep it as part of our parish, as active and useful, just not on a weekly basis where the liturgies are split,” Father Pavlik said.

When Archbishop Bernard Hebda signed the decree in August conveying the status of oratory to St. Walburga, he noted its designation as a sacred space set aside for divine worship that retains its canonical title and patron. When he approved Father Pavlik’s request, he wrote, “As the term ‘Oratory’ conveys, St. Walburga must remain as a place of prayer. There are no restrictions on the type of sacred celebrations that may be held at Saint Walburga. … Your plan to celebrate the Feast of St. Walburga, as well as funerals, weddings and other liturgical celebrations during the year, is appropriate and seems to be a fitting solution.”

Barb and Jeff Nadeau, parishioners of St. Walburga since 1975, saw their four children receive sacraments and attend CCD classes there. Barb was part of the planning group.

“I think in the end, the committee thought that (an oratory) was a good way of preserving (St. Walburga) ...,” Barb said, as preservation takes place amid development and fear the property could be sold.

ST. WALBURGA HISTORY

Following his ordination May 25, 2013, Father Andrew Stueve celebrated his first Mass at St. Walburga, the same white clapboard church where he made his first Communion, was confirmed and was an altar server for 10 years. Now parochial vicar at St. Charles in Bayport — and a history buff — Father Stueve said the beginnings of St. Walburga go back to 1857, when the first Mass was celebrated in the home of John and Walburga Fehn.

A number of people connected with the early parish had the name Walburga, and some local families have ancestors going back to the early days of the church, Father Stueve said. Many settlers came from Bavaria, Father Stueve said, and he believes St. Walburga “must have been popular among them.”

At some point, Father Stueve believes the Fehns sold about 10 acres adjacent to their farm to the church, where a small log chapel was built in 1858. That chapel stood on the site until 1883, when the current church was completed. “It’s been beautifully kept up,” he said, with the interior painted and new carpeting installed about 15 years ago, but with the original altar, pews, Communion railing, stained glass windows and statuary.

Its namesake, St. Walburga, was born in Devonshire, England, in 710, became a nun and in 748 was sent to Germany to help St. Boniface in his missionary work. She later became abbess of two monasteries and died in 779.

Barb recalled other churches closing, “and the heartbreak that people go through, and we’ve been fortunate enough to find a way … to develop it into this oratory.”

“There are people who have been going to the church a long time, and that’s why we wanted to … honor the legacy, to say, ‘You know what? It’s still part of our parish,’” Father Pavlik said. “It’s a building we use. We have a cemetery there. We’ve always been part of Mary, Queen of Peace. We’re never going to abandon it.”

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Father Mark Pavlik stands inside St. Walburga church, which now has the status of an oratory, offering limited or specific use.

Vatican laicizes Priests for Life leader

By Julie Asher Catholic News Service

In a live morning broadcast on Twitter Dec. 18, Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said he was not told directly by the Vatican that he had been laicized. “I haven’t received any communication from the Vatican, I haven’t seen anything,” he said. “I’m not even being told about this myself.”

Pavone said he learned about it from Catholic News Agency in an email asking him for comment about the Vatican returning him to the lay state.

Late Dec. 17, CNA broke the story that “Father Pavone has been dismissed from the clerical state for ‘blasphemous communications on social media’ and ‘persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.’”

Shortly after the CNA story, The Associated Press, The New York Times and several other media outlets reported the news. In an updated news story midday Dec. 18, AP published the full text of a letter first obtained by CNA to U.S. bishops from Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Vatican nuncio to the United States.

It said the head of Priests for Life “was dismissed from the clerical state by the Holy See” Nov. 9. “This action was taken after Father Pavone was found guilty in canonical proceedings of blasphemous communications on social media, and of persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.”

The letter also said the priest “was given ample opportunity to defend himself in the canonical proceedings, and he was also given multiple opportunities to submit himself to the authority of his diocesan bishop. It was determined that Father Pavone had no reasonable justification for his actions.” There is “no possibility of appeal” for “Mr. Pavone,” it said.

Pavone and his ministry have been controversial over the years. Some of the biggest headlines and scrutiny his actions have drawn came in 2016 when he placed the body of an aborted fetus on an altar and broadcast it on Facebook Live on the eve of the presidential election to get people to vote for Republican Donald Trump. Shortly after the broadcast, the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, where he was incardinated as a diocesan priest in 2005, announced it was investigating the incident. “We believe that no one who is pro-life can exploit a human body for any reason, especially the body of a fetus,” Amarillo Bishop Patrick Zurek said in a statement issued after the controversial broadcast. The use of an aborted

motto of the Diocese of St. Cloud: ‘Heart of Mercy, Voice of Hope, Hands of Justice.’”

“We priests of Holy Cross were placed under the patronage of the Sacred Heart by our Blessed founder Basil Moreau, and so that idea of the heart of mercy really resonates with me,” he said.

He thanked Bishop Kettler for his welcome. He expressed sorrow at leaving his parish in Portland, but joy at being appointed to serve as St. Cloud’s 10th bishop. He raised several key issues, including the Diocese of St. Cloud’s clergy abuse response, stating he would follow in Bishop Kettler’s footsteps to “remain committed to assist in the healing of all those who have been hurt (by the Church).”

Bishop-designate Neary was born March 6, 1963, in La Porte, Indiana, to Jacob and Marybelle Neary. He is the firstborn of six children and has five sisters. His family belongs to St. Joseph Parish in La Porte, where the Neary siblings attended St. Joseph’s Grade School.

He graduated from La Porte High

fetus for political purposes by one of the diocese’s priests violated “the dignity of human life,” he added.

During Trump’s run for reelection in 2020, thenFather Pavone campaigned for him and told CNA at the time that canon law’s prohibitions against political involvement by clergy did not apply to him because he was campaigning against abortion and for the pro-life cause. He did eventually end his role as a co-chair of Trump’s 2020 pro-life coalition and as an advisory board member of Catholics for Trump, telling CNA he stepped down “at the request of ‘the competent ecclesiastical authority.’”

In his live broadcast on Twitter Dec. 18, Pavone said he will not apologize for actively supporting Trump, “who got us to this point where we are now.” He was referring to Trump’s appointees to the U.S. Supreme Court joining in the majority vote June 24 that overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that made abortion legal nationwide. Father Pavone took issue with being accused of “blasphemous communications” on social media. He admitted getting angry with a “rabid (Joe) Biden supporter” during a conversation the two were having on Twitter and he tweeted the “GD” word: “You and these (expletive) baby-killing politicians.”

Originally ordained for the Archdiocese of New York by Cardinal John J. O’Connor in 1988, then-Father Pavone took over the helm of Priests for Life a couple of years after its 1991 founding.

School in 1981 and entered the undergraduate seminary with the Congregation of Holy Cross at the University of Notre Dame. While at Notre Dame, he spent a semester at Anahuac University in Mexico City, where he learned Spanish. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in history.

After completing his novitiate year in Cascade, Colorado, Bishop-designate Neary began his studies for a master of divinity in 1986 at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. In 1988, he spent the entire year at the congregation’s seminary in Santiago, Chile, where he practiced his Spanish.

He professed perpetual vows with Congregation of Holy Cross Sept. 1, 1990, and was ordained a priest at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame April 1, 1991, by the late Auxiliary Bishop Paul Waldschmidt of Portland, himself a Holy Cross priest.

In 1994, Bishop-designate Neary was assigned to the University of Notre Dame and worked in the Office of Campus Ministry, primarily ministering to Latino students at Notre Dame and serving as ROTC chaplain. In 2000, he

Pope prepared resignation letter in case of impairment

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

Pope Francis said he wrote a resignation letter in 2013, his first year in office, to be used in case he became physically or mentally impaired and unable to fulfill the duties of the papacy.

In an interview published Dec. 18, the day after his 86th birthday, Pope Francis said that during the time that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was Vatican secretary of state, a position he left in October 2013, he gave a resignation letter to the cardinal.

“I signed it and said, ‘If I should become impaired for medical reasons or whatever, here is my renunciation. Here you have it,’” the pope told the Spanish newspaper ABC.

The pope also said he was certain Cardinal Bertone gave the letter to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who succeeded him as secretary of state.

Oregon governor commutes death penalty sentences

By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has commuted the sentences of the state’s 17 inmates on death row, changing their sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Effective Dec. 14, the decision was announced the previous day by the Democratic governor, who said she was using her executive clemency powers in this decision, stressing that she has “long believed that justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in the business of executing people — even if a terrible crime placed them in prison.”

Pleased with the announcement, Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland said his “prayer is that a recognition of the true value of human life will take deep root in the minds and hearts of all Oregonians.”

In her statement, the governor, whose term ends in January, noted that since taking office in 2015, she has continued the state’s moratorium on executions “because the death penalty is both dysfunctional and immoral.”

was appointed assistant rector at Moreau Seminary at Notre Dame and in 2004 was named rector of Moreau Seminary for a six-year term.

He served on the Provincial Council of his religious congregation’s U.S. Province of Priests and Brothers from 2003 to 2010, and on the Vocation and Formation Commission of the General Administration for the Congregation of Holy Cross in Rome from 2002 to 2010.

When he finished his term as rector, Bishop-designate Neary was asked to run the congregation’s seminary in Nairobi for two years to train a new team of formation personnel and build up the seminary program.

He began his service in Nairobi in June 2010. The following year, he was elected district superior of Holy Cross in East Africa and moved to the district headquarters in Uganda. There he served two three-year terms as district superior and finished his time of service in East Africa in January 2018.

Archbishop Hebda asked the faithful to join him “in praying for Bishop-elect Neary, for Bishop Kettler, and for the faithful of the Diocese of Saint Cloud at this time of transition.”

UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

PRESIDENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

video posted on the St. Thomas website. “Since then, we have been on a journey from being a small, Catholic, liberal arts college to being a larger, comprehensive Catholic university of national visibility and global impact.”

The university is nearly midway through a five-year “St. Thomas 2025” plan to move the school “toward a new level of impact,” university officials said as Vischer’s appointment was announced. The plan is described as “a guide to help us reach higher in serving our students, our community and the world,” with ways to promote strengths and leverage opportunities, “gain stature and continue to thrive in an increasingly challenging and competitive landscape for higher education.”

In his video message, Vischer said he is optimistic about St. Thomas’ future because of its people — students, faculty and staff. “Whatever the discipline, whatever the era, one thing that I found that unites them is a desire to be part of a story that’s bigger than themselves,” he said.

CNS | TYLER ORSBURN

Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, speaks in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington Oct. 1, 2019.

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Loss of print media poses challenges to U.S. Church communications

oldest Catholic newspaper in the country. It has since been replaced by a magazine of the same name.

By Christina Lee Knauss Catholic News Service

Readers of The Tablet, newspaper of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, now see something on the paper’s website that previously was only familiar to consumers of media like NPR.

A “Support Us” tab takes viewers to a site where they are asked to sign up for a tiered subscription program that allows them to directly support the paper’s operation, with additional perks available for each level of financial support.

This approach to funding a well-known Catholic newspaper like The Tablet, which has been published since 1908 and serves a population of about 1.3 million, is just one indicator of the drastic changes taking place for Catholic media in the United States.

Catholic media, like their secular counterpart, are facing a day of reckoning caused by the rapid switch from print to digital media, financial challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors. In both sectors, the work of professional journalists with years of experience is often being cast aside in favor of rapid-fire content created for digital consumption, often heavy on opinion without the backing of fact-based news.

“The state of Catholic journalism right now has to be put into context with the state of journalism in general — it’s fragile,” said Helen Osman, a veteran Catholic journalist whom Pope Francis appointed in September as a consultor to the Vatican for the Dicastery for Communication.

Osman, who is president of Signis, the World Catholic Association for Communication, is a former diocesan editor and former communications secretary for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. She is currently a communications consultant for the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops in Austin.

“There are solid, reputable journalists and journalism agencies both in the secular and Catholic worlds, but right now both are struggling with the idea that somehow just because you see it on a screen, that’s news or journalism,” she said. “We know that is not the case.”

Change has burned through the Catholic media landscape in a fierce way, especially since the onset of the pandemic, when revenues at many dioceses dried up as Catholics stopped attending Mass. In 2020, there were abrupt closures of diocesan newspapers in Pittsburgh and Arizona, among others. In 2021, the casualties included The Catholic Miscellany of the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, at the time the

This year, the closures have come even faster, including the loss of the Catholic Sentinel, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, and Catholic New York, the biweekly paper of the Archdiocese of New York, which published its last issue Nov. 17.

One of the biggest and most far-reaching blows came with the May announcement from the USCCB that the domestic offices of Catholic News Service would close, leaving only the Rome bureau. The CNS bureau in New York closed May 29 and operations in Washington will cease Dec. 31.

Many dioceses are taking new approaches to getting the news reported. The Archdiocese of New York, for instance, has switched to a digital newsroom that will incorporate video, audio and articles. Called The Good Newsroom, the new digital news outlet launched Nov. 28.

Our Sunday Visitor, a Catholic publisher of a weekly newspaper, books and other resources based in Huntington, Indiana, announced July 6 that it would launch a new Catholic news service Jan. 1 to fill the void created by the closure of the domestic operations of CNS. OSV reached an agreement with the USCCB to acquire rights to the platform that CNS uses to produce and distribute its content, which will be on the same domain: catholicnews com

The loss of traditional print media and layoffs of Catholic journalists present a variety of concerning communication problems for the Church, according to Catholic media veterans.

One of the biggest fears is that the loss of professional journalists covering Catholic issues puts the Church in peril of news being reported from a skewed or incorrect

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Running a news agency amid bombs, power outages and disinformation

Note: Lilia Kovalyk, who interned with Catholic News Service in Washington in 1998, is editor in chief of Religious Information Service of Ukraine, based in Lviv. She filed this first-person account of the news agency’s work since the February invasion.

By Lilia Kovalyk Catholic News Service

The war has turned Ukrainian journalists into inventors.

We all understood Russia would attack, but no one wanted to believe this. Before the war began, in the editorial office of Religious Information Service of Ukraine, we never discussed how we would work in wartime. Now we have adapted to the new realities of war: explosions, destruction of infrastructure by Russian missiles and, as a result, power outages. Initially, several vital questions arose:

How to keep working to provide religious information daily in full, despite the lack of electricity and the internet; how to avoid emotional burnout, maintain self-control and cope with stress and emotions after the rumble of rockets overhead and ground-shaking explosions.

The war with Russia presented us, Ukrainian journalists, with new challenges, particularly concerning journalistic standards. During the last months, the editors of RISU had to decide how to publish photos of the bodies of the dead and whether to publish them at all, how to write about Russian atrocities, war crimes and genocide, taking into account religious correctness.

In the conditions of a full-scale offensive, Ukrainian readers and viewers

have increased demands for media. They want the media to be informative and speak frankly and truthfully, even when the truth is bitter and scary.

All this imposes a lot of responsibility. This is the crucible in which new Ukrainian journalism is being forged, particularly religious journalism.

Currently, RISU, like many other Ukrainian media, is in a crisis caused by financial problems on the one hand and the restrictions of martial law on the other. So, with the beginning of the full-scale war, the rules of work in our editorial office changed.

Today we have to work in particular conditions. There is a real problem with access to information when it is difficult to get answers to requests because people are fighting at the front or because of rocket attacks. People are left without

the internet. Now, in our line of work, we don’t pay attention to things like working hours, days off or time. We work 24/7, trying to seize the opportunity to use the internet and electricity and find correspondents, many of whom work on the front line or in regions previously occupied by Russia.

Today, in war conditions, one of the professional challenges is finding an expert, a human rights defender, who will help to systematize information and summarize it.

Journalistic standards stipulate:

“During a conflict, a journalist’s main duty is to check information from independent sources thoroughly. A journalist must stay out of the conflict, no matter how difficult it may be. Even if

CNS | TYLER ORSBURN

The mastheads of numerous Catholic newspapers.

Editors’

made his mark at two Washingtonarea Catholic schools he attended for middle school and high school. Before graduating from Gonzaga College High School in Washington in 2021, Williams attended St. Pius X Regional School in Bowie, Maryland, a D.C. suburb. “We love Caleb!” a group of purple-clad Gonzaga students chanted during a Heisman Trophy watch party at the Jesuit boys’ high school.

uLike 5th Circuit, 8th Circuit strikes down Biden’s transgender mandate. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis Dec. 9 permanently blocked a transgender mandate the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services implemented as a revision to the Affordable Care Act. The mandate forces doctors and hospitals to perform gendertransition procedures on their patients even if this violates their conscience and best medical judgment. The 8th Circuit concluded the mandate violates a key federal law protecting religious liberty — the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The 8th Circuit’s ruling echoes a unanimous ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which struck down the mandate in a late August ruling in Franciscan Alliance v. Becerra. The Biden administration had until Nov. 25 to appeal the 5th Circuit’s decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, but no appeal was filed.

uCatholic parish sues over its right to hire staff who uphold Church tenets. A Catholic parish in the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan, filed a lawsuit Dec. 5 in U.S. District Court to protect its right to hire parish employees and staff for its grade school who uphold the tenets of the Catholic faith. The filing follows a July 28 ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court that reinterpreted a state civil rights statute’s definition of sex to include gender identity and sexual orientation without any exemption for religious organizations. Becket, a Washingtonbased religious liberty law firm, is representing the plaintiff, St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Johns, Michigan. Founded in 1857, it is the only Catholic parish in town. Its elementary school opened in 1924. The state Supreme Court’s “new understanding” of the civil rights statute “would make it illegal for St. Joseph to operate in accordance with the 2,000-year-old teachings of the Catholic Church on marriage and sexuality,” Becket said in a statement.

CATHOLIC MEDIA CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

perspective. Another concern is how much can be accomplished simply through digital means.

“Social media is not journalism,” said Vito Formica, executive director of news content and development for DeSales Media, the Brooklyn-based Catholic news agency whose products include The Tablet.

“It does not offer fact-checking in most cases, as well as the

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there is a war in your country.”

I must admit the standards of Ukrainian journalism changed during the war, and religious journalism did, too. Before, when writing news about the work of the clergy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Ukraine in Russia, headed by Patriarch Kirill, we had to contact the accused person and take their comment to clarify their position. Now we state the fact of collaboration based on information from official state sources.

Before, I did not have the right, according to the standards of journalism, to give my assessment of the actions of the collaborators. Now I allow myself to give a condescending evaluation of the traitors of Ukraine in cassocks. Some “proper journalists and editors” might scold me for this, but I will say frankly that in the conditions of war, journalistic rules and standards regarding compliance with the balance of thoughts are no longer applicable. Not when my people are suffering and dying, when turncoats in

perspectives that reporters can bring to coverage. A two-line social media post is not going to do the work of a professional journalist,” he told CNS. “A newspaper also not only reports the news as it’s happening, but it compiles history and a forum for ideas.”

Ed Langlois, former editor of the Catholic Sentinel, said many Catholic papers not only helped readers learn more about their faith, but also made them feel connected to the Church as a whole.

robes help the enemy’s rockets find their target. I am done with all that. The war made me like this. And it wouldn’t even occur to me to call others and ask: “Why did you do that?”

We show “white and black” in this war.

Of course, we also write a lot about the life of Catholics, about the invaluable help that the Catholic Church — in particular, the Catholics of America — provide for Ukraine. We covered Cardinal Konrad Krajewski’s visits to Ukraine; prayers of Archbishop Gintaras Grušas, president of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, and Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop Borys Gudziak of Philadelphia.

Cardinal Krajewski, the papal almoner, has traveled frequently to Ukraine to bring help to the people and show the pope’s closeness to all there. Nine months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Pope Francis wrote a letter in which he expressed his sorrow and closeness to “the noble and martyred” Ukrainian people. The pope’s help for Ukraine is limitless. Ukrainians appreciate it — and we wrote about it. We share

“Judging from hundreds of letters from mourning readers, I decided our newspaper had been the connective tissue of the archdiocese,” Langlois said. “It allowed parishes to borrow ideas and feel inspired. It helped Catholics in remote towns feel like part of the diocesan Catholic family. We still had letters to the editor, so we gave regular folks a voice.

“Without all that linkage, I fear the evangelizing frame of the Church could fall apart,” Langlois said.

information about Russian crimes. We continue to show the graves with bodies in Bucha, Borodyanka and Irpin. We call on religious leaders to see these atrocities. And it works. The world was horrified, and politicians and religious leaders of the world condemned the brutality of the Russian occupiers. This is to the credit of RISU, among others.

If there is no information from Ukrainian sources, people will read Russian ones. This happened during the times of the Soviet Union when religious life in Ukraine was presented to the foreign reader through Moscow’s prism. At the time, no one in the world knew about the religious persecution of the Eastern and Latin Catholics and Protestants by the Soviet Union. Only when Ukraine became independent did the truth about the repressions come to light: The Greek-Catholic priests and Protestant pastors were tortured in Siberian prisons. Such is the “truth” of Russians. They keep feeding the world such untruths.

Yes, RISU keeps its finger on the pulse of the religious life of Ukraine. Now, this life is military, and the word is our weapon.

— Catholic News Service

Year in review:

Bishop Williams’ ordination, war in and an Archdiocesan Synod Assembly

Stories by Joe Ruff • Photos

Ordination of a bishop

Bishop-elect Joseph Williams was appointed an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Dec. 10, and ordained a bishop Jan. 25. He was born, raised and served as a pastor in the archdiocese. Despite wind chills below zero, the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul was filled with family, friends and the faithful of the archdiocese. With a ministry that has included serving predominantly Latino communities, Bishop Williams’ ordination included a procession with Latina women and girls carrying flowers and wearing Latin American cultural dress, as well as Knights of Columbus and other ministries. At the close of Mass, Bishop Williams said he was hoping for what Archbishop Bernard Hebda talked about in his homily — the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. “All of us have one mission: to go out and proclaim the good news,” Bishop Williams said. “What is the good news? It’s Jesus Christ.”

Roe overturned

Adraft of a U.S. Supreme Court decision leaked and published in Politico May 2 indicated the court was poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion across the country. In a 5-4 decision June 24, the high court did just that, overturning its nearly 50-year-old decision by finding in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that a right to abortion is not found in the U.S. Constitution. Praise and protests followed, with many in the pro-life movement acknowledging the long-sought victory while vowing to continue to fight for life as the issue returns to federal and state lawmakers. Minnesota is among states where abortion remains legal.

Archdiocesan Synod

More than 500 laity, clergy and Archdiocese of St. Paul and June 3-5 to pray, discuss and moving the archdiocese in the direction service of evangelization, 2) Forming Jesus’ love and respond to his call and adults in and for a Church that is always Hebda announced the three focus areas movement during three years of information archdiocese, as well as small group discussions Church teaching on challenging topics. through the lens of prayer, discussion archbishop, were to help him write a November that would chart a course the archdiocese.

Invasion of Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces into separatist regions of eastern Ukraine in late February, beginning a war that continues as Russia hints at nuclear weapons even as its forces are pushed to the farther corners of Ukraine. Bombing of critical infrastructure throughout Ukraine threatens a cold and dangerous winter that could bring a new wave of emigrants. Praying, raising money to assist and helping in other ways they can, many parishioners of St. Constantine Ukrainian Catholic Church in Minneapolis and elsewhere around the archdiocese worry about loved ones who remain in Ukraine. St. Constantine held a rally and prayer service Feb. 24. Twin Cities church leaders, including Archbishop Bernard Hebda, St. Constantine pastor Father Ivan Shkumbatyuk, Maronite Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun, pastor of St. Maron in Minneapolis, and the Rev. Patricia Lull, bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, held a March 6 ecumenical prayer service for peace at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.

Indian boarding school legacy

Archbishop Bernard Hebda acknowledged with sadness and an apology on behalf of the Church the results of a May 11 federal report that found for 150 years, hundreds of governmentsupported boarding schools — some run by the Catholic Church, including in Minnesota — sought to forcefully assimilate Native American and Indigenous children into white society. The U.S. Department of the Interior identified 408 schools in 37 states or U.S. territories that tens of thousands of children were forced to attend from 1819 to 1969. At least 53 marked or unmarked burial sites were associated with the schools, and about 19 of the schools accounted for more than 500 child deaths, the report said. The Indian boarding school era largely coincided with the forced removal of many tribes from ancestral lands. Pope Francis met in April with Indigenous leaders from Canada to discuss their own experience of boarding schools, and the pope traveled to Canada July 24-29 to make an in-person apology for Indigenous residential schools in that country, many run by Catholic religious orders and entities.

Consumer

alert

for T

win Cities pro-life leaders decried issued by Minnesota Attorney the state’s crisis pregnancy centers, disingenuous and harmful.” The alert Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) may clinics despite not providing comprehensive consumers,” and that some don’t provide all. Jason Adkins, executive director Minnesota Catholic Conference, said was to besmirch the good work of pregnancy people on notice he has a target on nor do they claim to have, medical on a nonjudgmental environment and housing, clothing and other support.

COURTESY JANICE ANDERSEN, BASILICA OF ST. MARY

review: 2022

Photos by Dave Hrbacek

Catholic school enrollment grows

Synod Assembly

and religious from across the Minneapolis gathered in St. Paul and vote on 40 propositions for direction of 1) Forming parishes at the Forming missionary disciples who know and 3) Forming youth and young always young. Archbishop Bernard areas after discerning the Holy Spirit’s information gathering across the discussions in parishes and sharing topics. Results of the voting, viewed discussion and discernment by the a pastoral letter for release in for the next three to five years in

Unity Catholic High School

three-year process culminated Sept. 5 as Unity High School in Burnsville was officially recognized as a Catholic school, becoming Unity Catholic High School and joining 15 other Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Founded in 2018 by Tom Bengston, who helped launch Chesterton Academy in 2008, and former Minnesota Viking Matt Birk, it was organized around four pillars: academics, virtue, leadership and service. The curriculum relates academics to life experiences and needs, including weekly “real world Wednesdays” with hands-on cooking, car maintenance, managing personal budgets and other tasks. The goal is forming graduates in Catholic theology, spirituality and virtue while preparing them to pursue any number of options such as higher education, the military, or immediately entering the workforce.

For a third straight year, Catholic school enrollment grew in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. More than 31,000 students attended Catholic preschool through 12th grade in the archdiocese this school year, a nearly 9 percent increase from 28,618 students in 2019-2020, Catholic school officials announced in November. Jason Slattery, the archdiocese’s director of Catholic Education, said the response of Catholic schools to the COVID-19 pandemic, with assistance to students and families through faith and practical measures for safety, demonstrated the relevance, vitality and essential nature of Catholic education. School officials around the archdiocese said enrollment grew in part through successfully overcoming the idea that Catholic education is inaccessible, and by making sound decisions with resources and marketing, and families sharing the good news of Catholic schools.

Franciscan Brothers of Peace celebrate 40 years

The first religious group of men founded and organized in the archdiocese as a Catholic entity celebrated 40 years of ministry in 2022. The Franciscan Brothers of Peace have defended the right to life, served the poor and vulnerable by operating an AIDS ministry and a weekly food shelf in St. Paul, while serving the Karen community in St. Paul and providing housing for victims of torture from other countries.

Archbishop Hebda releases pastoral letter

pregnancy centers

decried an Aug. 23 consumer alert Attorney General Keith Ellison criticizing centers, with one calling it “horribly alert stated that “many so-called may pose as reproductive healthcare comprehensive reproductive healthcare to provide any health care services at and general counsel for the said the impact of Ellison’s statement pregnancy resource centers and put their back. Many PRCs don’t have, staff, Adkins said, instead focusing and connecting women with support.

Mary Jo Copeland

woman dubbed “Minnesota’s Mother Teresa,” Mary Jo Copeland turned 80 Oct. 23, grappling with the constraints of an aging body but undeterred, pouring even more time and prayer into her ministry. A graduate of the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Copeland is founder and director of Sharing and Caring Hands, a large facility near Target Field in Minneapolis that provides food and clothing to 300 to 500 poor and marginalized people daily. Next door, she operates Mary’s Place, transitional apartments for 600 people. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic some shelters closed, but Sharing and Caring Hands remained open, serving triple the crowd. “She is not of this world,” said longtime volunteer Maureen McNeary, a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Hastings. “She’s taught me so many great lessons in surrendering and trusting God.”

Archbishop Bernard Hebda released his post-synodal pastoral letter Nov. 19-20, as the Church celebrated the feast of Christ the King. Titled “You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent from the Upper Room,” the nearly 60-page letter grew out of a threeyear Archdiocesan Synod effort and serves as a springboard for evangelization and renewal in the local Church. In the letter, Archbishop Hebda invites all the faithful in prayer to visit the Upper Room — and then go forth together as witnesses to Christ, with the faith, courage and humility of the Apostles. Through forming parish Synod Evangelization Teams and other means, pastors and the faithful are encouraged to gather in small groups that might help serve families, reach out to the poor and marginalized, serve as a vehicle for teaching about the beauty, form and meaning of the Mass, and evangelize friends and neighbors. After forming small groups in the first year of implementation (July 2023-June 2024), special attention will be given to the meaning of the Mass, particularly the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, and enhancing liturgies. A primary goal of the third year will be forming and inspiring parents to be the first teachers of their children in ways of the faith. A one-day synodal gathering June 7, 2025, will address the question of priorities for years four and five.

in Ukraine, Roe v. Wade overturned Assembly mark an eventful year.

The art and science of homiletics: preaching from the heart

By Christina Capecchi For The Catholic Spirit

Father Michael Monshau is the only priest in the world with a doctorate in homiletics — the study of preaching. The 71-year-old Dominican priest teaches at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul and serves as prior of St. Albert the Great Priory in Minneapolis. As he celebrates Christmas, he’s honoring old traditions while offering new insights at the pulpit. “We remember the birth of that baby in order to prepare ourselves and our world for his second coming,” Father Monshau said. “Christmas is hard, hard work for Christians.”

Q What first drew you to priesthood?

A I was drawn to Church life, consecrated life. I didn’t define it. When I was in first grade, it was winter and the end of the school day, and Sister had spent quite a bit of time getting us lined up in our coats and galoshes waiting to go home. Our young assistant pastor came in, and from way in the back of the room, I looked at this nun and this priest, dressed as they did in the ‘50s, and in that moment, something inside me said: “Those are your own. You’re one of them.” And I said, “OK.” From then on, I knew that I had a vocation to consecrated life.

Q Was the Dominican passion for teaching central to that call?

A What I love about being Dominican is this: They’re the most monastic order that I could find that still had no question about the active ministry of teaching and preaching. We’re in the middle, half and half. St. Thomas Aquinas called that the most excellent form of religious life because it’s a blend of the contemplative and the apostolic.

Q St. Thomas Aquinas is a famous Dominican you’ve written about.

A Yes, and his teacher was St. Albert the Great. He taught us to think of our students first. Albert was brilliant. He was one of the first to put together

Catholic theology and science. But instead of promoting his own work, he pointed to his student, Thomas Aquinas. Albert has always been my model as a professor. For instance, I have an assignment where I try to get my students published.

Q You live with six other Dominicans ranging from their 30s to their 80s. Do the 30-somethings keep you young at heart?

A Yes and no. We keep each other ageless. Because these very young brothers live with me and the elders, they live with the tradition. A 30-yearold brother takes much more than his 30 years’ experience to ministry because of his shared life with his elders. And us elders are aware of so much that’s new and developing because we’re living with it.

Q Your time together must be so rich.

A As superior, my job is about once a month to plan an evening of recreation for us. I can’t remember any task that was harder than trying to please a group with that age range. The thing that connected us all was ax throwing. It was the most delightful recreation I can remember! It somehow brought us together where we were most alike, at our most common denominator.

The second most successful activity has been watching “The Chosen” as a community. It’s the intergenerational dynamic that I’m finding so interesting.

Q Is there any Christmas tradition from childhood that you still continue?

A My grandma was Swedish, and she’s the symbol for all the wonderful things of my childhood Christmas. So I get our Swedish Christmas horse out — a dala — and a candle I’d given her. She died on Dec. 13, which is when Swedes begin their celebration, the feast of St. Lucy.

I hand painted and calligraphed 40 Christmas cards for the other houses in our order. Calligraphy is contemplative. I’m open with each card. I listen. I turn to the Scriptures. I grab it from

somewhere — it didn’t come from me, I receive it. To bring beauty into the world is to cooperate with God’s plan.

Q What’s the key to a great homily?

A The best homily I’ve ever heard was when I was a novice, and my novice master took us to a migrant camp. It was an emergency — they didn’t have a priest. He apologized for not being able to preach to them. He said, “Espanol está en mi corazon, pero no en mi boca.” Spanish is in my heart but not in my mouth.

That was the whole thing. And it was enough. You could see how they related to him after Mass. They felt so received, so recognized, even in his inability to preach.

Q That simplifies the equation. It’s about heart, sincerity.

A And it’s a relationality.

Q Do you encourage storytelling in homilies?

A Yes. Some theologians say storytelling — which we call narrative preaching — is the most perfect form for preaching. It’s the native genre for preaching because most of what we know about the Father through Christ came through his storytelling. It roots the Gospel and the Gospel message

Pre-planning is a gift of love.

Why choose to make your funeral arrangements today? It’s so when you’re gone, your family will know everything has been planned to the last detail. In a time of loss, it’s a gift of love that lets everyone focus on what matters most. Let Washburn-McReavy show you how.

within our own lives, our own context. You know where I do some of my best learning? A lot of the profound insights I gather come from the practice homilies of my students.

Q Do you urge the seminarians to be brief?

A I don’t believe brevity is a virtue but wasting one second is a big deal. The world is falling apart. People’s marriages are falling apart because they don’t have enough time for each other. People produce monsters instead of adjusted adults because they don’t have enough time for their kids. In a world that is falling apart because people don’t have enough time, I better not betray them — I dare not waste one moment of it.

Q How do you teach the art of the homily?

A Every homily should have a focus and a function. A focus is one sentence that summarizes a homily. Can you ask people leaving the church to describe what Father just said in one sentence? The function is: What are you supposed to do as a result of hearing this homily? It might be activism, working for the poor. But it might be something internal — deepening your trust in the Blessed Mother. A homily has to lead us to some response.

Q Listening well is crucial to speaking well.

A You have to listen. That’s what life is: listening. You learn from people you disagree with. I have always been 100 percent — without any caveats — in support of Church teaching on abortion. But I’ve learned a lot about human nature and the depths of the suffering that life can mean for some people by listening to pro-abortionists. Now, their arguments don’t sway my opinions at all. I’m unmovable. But there’s something to learn about humanity anywhere, even when encountering serious sin.

We’re in the middle of culture wars. We’ve forgotten how to listen to each other and to be respectful to each other. It’s a breakdown in communication, which really makes this an age for the preacher — we have to take the responsibility for healing this, in large part.

The best workplace to develop a homily is on the floor in front of the tabernacle in the church. Listening to the word, contemplating in the presence of the Lord — because he’s counting on us to be speakers of his word.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

FATHER JOSEPH BAMBENEK

Christmas Mass at Dawn

One of the highlights of a pilgrimage I took to the Holy Land with grandparents from our archdiocese three years ago was to celebrate Sunday Mass in one of the caves outside of Bethlehem where the shepherds were watching their sheep on Christmas night. Being in the Holy Land, in the places where the events of the Bible really occurred, makes our faith come alive. I encourage all Christians to go on such a pilgrimage. In this case, having been there makes even more meaningful the event depicted in the Gospel of Luke of an angel announcing to the shepherds “good news of great joy” (Lk 2:10). The angel also instructed them not to fear, a common Biblical exhortation when people are about to receive their vocational call. I would suggest the shepherds’ call was to serve as a model for all Catholic Christians. A model later echoed in St. Mary

How can I overcome a problem with pride?

Q I have a problem with pride. It seems to me that it is one of my more serious faults. What do I do?

A This is a fantastic question. In fact, one of the first requirements for attacking pride is acknowledging its existence.

Pride is one of those sneaky vices. It’s the kind of vice that we can see in other people but rarely notice in ourselves. The fact that you not only notice it in your own life but acknowledge that it is a problem is a great sign.

In order to deal with and root out pride, it would be helpful to have a definition. There are two definitions of pride that I find both compelling and helpful. The classic Catholic definition of pride is “the excessive love of one’s own excellence.” Hopefully, in this definition, you see that there is nothing wrong with the ordinate or appropriate love of one’s own excellence. Remember the two great commandments (essentially: love God with everything and love your neighbor as yourself).

DAILY Scriptures

Sunday, Dec. 25

The Nativity of the Lord

Is 52:7-10

Heb 1:1-6

Jn 1:1-18

Monday, Dec. 26

St. Stephen, first martyr

Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59

Mt 10:17-22

Tuesday, Dec. 27

St. John, Apostle and evangelist

1 Jn 1:1-4 Jn 20:1a and 2-8

Magdalene, “the Apostle to the Apostles,” when she was the first to encounter the risen Christ on Easter morning (Jn 20:1-18).

In the Gospel passage the Church designates for Christmas Mass at Dawn we hear what the shepherds did on that first Christmas morning. They: 1) responded to the angel’s invitation, 2) shared what they experienced during their encounter with Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and 3) returned to their lives praising and glorifying God (Lk 2:15-20).

We are called to do the same as Catholics. We are invited, in fact instructed, on Christmas and on every Sunday (in addition to the invitation to come even more frequently: at daily Mass and/or eucharistic adoration) to encounter Jesus, present to us in the Eucharist. Vatican II tells us that when we gather for liturgy, Jesus is also present to us in the word of God proclaimed and preached, in our brothers and sisters in Christ, and in the priest (Vatican II Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium 7). While during the Mass itself we may not have the opportunity to share how God is working in our lives, the shepherds remind us of the value in sharing our experiences of God with our brothers and sisters in Christ when we gather. Perhaps, we can share at coffee and donuts after Mass; perhaps, as we are walking to and from our car; perhaps, even as we join a small group, a feature of Christian life that will soon become more common in our archdiocese. Furthermore, like the shepherds, our

That second commandment about loving our neighbor as ourselves implies that we actually have some degree of love for self.

As difficult as it might be, we are actually called to love ourselves. This kind of love should be “ordered” or “appropriate.” This kind of love for self would be similar to the love that we have for others. Which reminds us that we need a good definition of love. The best definition of love I’ve come across describes love as “willing the good of the other.” Therefore, when applied to our own lives, love of self means willing one’s own good. That kind of self-love is praiseworthy and necessary in the life of the Christian.

Pride, on the other hand, is the excessive love of one’s own excellence. This goes beyond merely “being proud of oneself” and leads to the second definition of pride. St. Thomas Aquinas noted that pride is “that frame of mind in which a man, through the love of his own worth, aims to withdraw himself from subjection to Almighty God.”

You can see how the “excessive” part of the definition does not lead a person to merely appreciate their own gifts but to see themselves as independent of God.

For this reason, pride has been called the “queen of all vices” and is often the source of so many other sins. I hope that this makes sense to you: If we do not need God, then we do not need to submit our lives to his law or to his grace. This might be one of the reasons why Satan, filled with pride, rebelled against the source of everything good in himself.

So how do we defeat pride? The brief answer is by growing in humility. This is accurate. The problem is,

sharing about God is not to end when we leave church; we are to take what we experienced and glorify God in our daily lives. By doing so, we can serve his proverbial angels, his messengers to others who may not know about Jesus, cognizant that Jesus came to save all people.

This dynamic has been true throughout history, but it takes on even more importance in our time, which some describe as a New Apostolic Age — a time when some, if not many, of the people we encounter in life do not know Jesus.

Last month, our shepherd, Archbishop Hebda, gave us a pre-Christmas gift: his post-synodal pastoral letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses” in which he invites us to be people of hope as we equip ourselves as individuals, and as parishes, to essentially, more effectively follow the example of the Bethlehem shepherds in our time. While not all of us can make it to the Holy Land this Christmas season, all of us can read his words that make living the Catholic life in our time come alive, so that someday we can enjoy together the glory that exceeds Christmas: the glory of eternity in heaven.

Merry Christmas!

Note: The pastoral letter can be read at archspm org/synodletter

Father Bambenek is the assistant director of the archdiocesan Office of Synod Evangelization. He can be reached at bambenekj@archspm org

for many people it is not very helpful. Have you ever tried to be humble? What does that look like? Does it mean just “thinking humble thoughts”? If so, what is a “humble thought”? Or is there something else a person could do to grow in humility?

There is. And that “something else” is gratitude.

One thing absent from the truly prideful person’s life is gratitude. If I have an excessive love of my own excellence, I have no one to thank. If I do not see myself as subject to God, I am not grateful for any of his gifts. And I am not grateful for God’s gifts because I don’t recognize any of his gifts. On the contrary, the truly humble person is constantly thankful. The truly humble person constantly recognizes the gifts that come to him or her at every moment of the day.

If you would like to destroy pride, become humble. If you would like to become humble, be grateful. Practice gratitude. I would invite you to take five minutes every morning and five minutes every night. Set that time apart to recognize which gifts came to you that day. What good things are in your life? What blessings has God given you that, in your most honest moments, you know that you didn’t deserve? And then thank God for those gifts. It would also not hurt if you thank the people around you for their acts of generosity, patience and love that they do for you each day as well. In fact, that might go quite a long way.

Wednesday, Dec. 28

Holy Innocents, martyrs 1 Jn 1:5—2:2 Mt 2:13-18

Thursday, Dec. 29

1 Jn 2:3-11

Lk 2:22-35

Friday, Dec. 30

Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 Mt 2:13-15, 19-23

Saturday, Dec. 31 1 Jn 2:18-21 Jn 1:1-18

Sunday, Jan. 1 Octave Day of Christmas Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God Nm 6:22-27 Gal 4:4-7 Lk 2:16-21

Monday, Jan. 2 Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors of the Church 1 Jn 2:22-28 Jn 1:19-28

Tuesday, Jan. 3 1 Jn 2:29—3:6 Jn 1:29-34

Wednesday, Jan. 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious 1 Jn 3:7-10 Jn 1:35-42

Thursday, Jan. 5 St. John Neumann, bishop 1 Jn 3:11-21 Jn 1:43-51

Friday, Jan. 6 1 Jn 5:5-13 Mk 1:7-11

Saturday, Jan. 7 1 Jn 5:14-21 Jn 2:1-11

Sunday, Jan. 8 Epiphany of the Lord Is 60:1-6 Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6 Mt 2:1-12

Monday, Jan. 9 Baptism of the Lord Is 42: 1-4, 6-7 Mt 3:13-17

Tuesday, Jan. 10 Heb 2:5-12 Mk 1:21-28

Wednesday, Jan. 11 Heb 2:14-18 Mk 1:29-39

Thursday, Jan. 12 Heb 3:7-14 Mk 1:40-45

Friday, Jan. 13 Heb 4:1-5, 11 Mk 2:1-12

Saturday, Jan. 14 Heb 4:12-16 Mk 2:13-17

Sunday, Jan. 15 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Is 49:3, 5-6 1 Cor 1:1-3 Jn 1:29-34

Father Schmitz is director of youth and young adult ministry for the Diocese of Duluth and chaplain of the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

ASK FATHER MIKE | FATHER MICHAEL SCHMITZ

YOUR HEART, HIS HOME LIZ KELLY STANCHINA

What shall I give the Christ child?

You know you’ve reached a new level of fatigue when you’ve been standing in the running shower for a good three minutes before, as your eyes fog up, you realize you’re still wearing your glasses.

My Advent plans this year are small: rest, prayer, adoration and as much stillness as I can possibly get. Next spring, I will travel to give retreats and speak nearly every weekend for months on end. This is work I love and am called to do, work I’m honored to do, work I trust has been given to me by my Father — and it’s work for which I need to prepare well. So, Advent, rest it is.

I know this is a season for giving, for serving the poor and needy, for goodwill toward our fellow man, for making a decided effort to share our material wealth, food, clothing and gifts with those who cannot provide such things for themselves. And to

the degree that I can do those things, I will. But, I must also rest in the Lord and let him restock my spiritual pond.

Maybe you do, too.

There might be any number of reasons why you may need to scale back in this season. Maybe illness has taken over your home and your living room looks like a triage unit. Maybe you are overwhelmed with doctor appointments and trips to the hospital. Maybe it’s all you can do to keep food in the fridge and the heating bill paid. Or perhaps inflation, unemployment or family tensions have you stretched to the point of breaking. You may have true cause to approach the Christ child this Christmas empty-handed and exhausted. He will not turn you away.

Whether you are in a season of plentiful energy or none, a season of abundance or want, let’s remember that the greatest gift we can bring to Jesus is ourselves, our open hearts willing to be molded by the touch of his innocent infant hand, to kneel before him in awe, and to love and serve in the modest, hidden ways that we can. Let’s never be tempted by the lie that tells us Jesus measures us only by good works and gifts given. Those can be real goods when given in love and generosity, and if you have resources, share them and be blessed. But, the Lord equally delights when we give him the gift of ourselves, even when we are broken, exhausted, spent and needy.

What gift shall I offer the Christ child this Christmas?

Lord of the Universe, Christ-child-

FAITH AT HOME | LAURA KELLY FANUCCI

Jesus was a teenager, too

If I asked you to imagine Jesus’ childhood, you’d likely picture him as a baby in the manger. But have you ever considered that Christ was once a teenager, too?

In this season that sings of “the little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes,” we can forget that the incarnation means Jesus became a teen, too. With hormones and growth spurts, with a changing body and a deepening voice, with all the questions and appetite and energy that young people bring.

Teens often get a terrible rap, but the roller coaster of adolescence is essential to our growth — and young people bring enormous gifts to the human family. Their enthusiasm, prophetic voices and optimism are sources of deep hope and renewal.

Still, rare is the adult who would repeat middle or high school. So, what does it matter for us — young or old — that Jesus was once 13, 15 or 18 years old?

Jesus’ adolescence affirms the overlooked and underappreciated chapters in our own lives. The one story we have from Jesus’ childhood beyond his birth narratives — the time he was lost and found in the Temple — speaks to our growing callings, our desire for independence and our need for strong role models in faith.

Jesus knew what it was to see the world as a child and then grow taller, stronger and older, to change physically, emotionally and spiritually. He experienced the transformations that teens live daily:

King,

I fall before

the same struggles that adults can be quick to forget when we’re frustrated or flummoxed by the young people in our lives.

What a gift that Jesus blessed our most trying, tumultuous years by living them himself.

There is good news in this truth for all of us, even those with adolescence in the rearview mirror.

In Jesus’ time, life expectancy was typically 30-35 years — a shockingly short life span by our modern standards. But this fact means he lived through what his time would have considered to be young adulthood and even mature adulthood.

While he did not get to grow to be an elderly man, he lived through huge swaths of the human experience during the decades he walked among us.

As a son and cousin, Jesus understood the joys and conflicts of families. He journeyed through friendship with women and men from different walks of life. He labored for decades as a carpenter and then spent three years in public ministry as a teacher, preacher and healer, which means he understood work in many forms.

He knew physical, mental and spiritual suffering — all the ordinary and extraordinary emotions and experiences of human life.

Jesus’ adolescence reminds us that most of the Messiah’s life was not dramatic moments recorded for posterity, but everyday encounters much like our own: hidden or forgotten, but still meaningful.

Ultimately the details of age matter less than the deeper truth that God became one of us, among us, for us. Advent, Christmas and Epiphany celebrate Christ as Emmanuel: with us in each stage of life.

If you look closely in this sacred season, you might just catch a glimpse of Christ in a child’s eyes — or a teen’s smile. Whether you meet a new baby in your family, sit near a cranky toddler at church or try to make small talk with a tween at your holiday table, remember that Jesus was once their age, too.

Jesus, who knew what it was to be young, taught

us to welcome the least. May his wisdom soften our hearts to heed his words and hear his echo in every baby’s cry, every child’s shout and every teenager’s voice.

Fanucci is a writer, speaker and author of several books, including “Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting.” She is a parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker in Maple Grove. Her work can be found on her website laurakellyfanucci com

LETTERS

Questioning a column

Perusing the Nov. 24 Catholic Spirit, I happened upon “Your Heart, His Home” by Liz Kelly Stanchina and was brought up short by its title: “The ‘red wave’ we really need is not on a map.” I was dismayed to see that she began with the supposition that the “red” political party was to be preferred by Catholics, presumably closer to Catholic values.

Whatever happened to the idea that Church organizations not be identified with political parties or candidates? This is Kelly Stanchina’s personal opinion, but she is here published in the official “voice of our Archdiocese,” The Catholic Spirit. Sure, she didn’t directly identify any party or candidates, but the “red wave” is sufficient. We are given to understand that a “good Catholic” would be voting that way.

Perhaps I do not agree, since the “red” party may call itself pro-life, but then does not support universal health care, parental leave, childcare assistance, or gun control to keep those babies safe. Not exactly “pro-Catholic social thought,” if you ask me!

Karen Karn

Holy Name of Jesus, Wayzata

Prince of Peace, and Mighty God,

you with nothing to offer but my heart. I pray you will receive my fatigue as myrrh, my prayers as frankincense, my trust in your mercy as gold. Amen.

Kelly Stanchina is the award-winning author of 11 books, including “Love Like A Saint: Cultivating Virtue with Holy Women” and “A Place Called Golgotha: Meditations on the Last Words of Christ” (January 2023). Visit her website at lizk org

Lord of the Universe, Christ-child-King, Prince of Peace, and Mighty God, I fall before you with nothing to offer but my heart. I pray you will receive my fatigue as myrrh, my prayers as frankincense, my trust in your mercy as gold. Amen.

iSTOCK PHOTO | TUDIO-ANNIKA

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN | DEACON GORDON BIRD LETTERS CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS

Sanctifying power of small group fellowship

Reading and discerning through Archbishop Hebda’s post-synodal pastoral letter to the faithful and how it necessitates “walking together” (synodos) via small group fellowship truly goes in lockstep with our Catholic Watchmen movement. I’m sure that many Christocentric ministries, apostolates, guilds and gatherings — formal or informal — would agree and find that regular small group engagement has the power to sanctify, strengthen and solidify members or participants.

Furthermore, supporting one another through prayer, shared experiences, witness and service activities in small groups help the faithful get things right at home — because walking together has to start and grow there. The Catholic Watchmen are men challenging men, “as iron sharpens iron” (Pr. 27:17). Small group fellowship helps men live up to their duty and raise the bar as protectors, providers and leaders in their family and parish. Lifting the “cross” bar, so to speak, in words and actions that help demonstrate the sacrificial love of Jesus as Lord and Savior — and are supported by the powerful intercessory prayers of the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, the most powerful and holiest small group.

Archbishop Hebda notes that he “was not surprised that parishes with strong small group ministry have consistently shown that small groups continue to be an excellent vehicle for the provision of Christ-centered care, with heart speaking to heart.” And he homes in on where it all starts — literally the home front. Our chief shepherd elaborates, “This radical love is not only needed in the parish church, but also in the

domestic Church: the family. After all, the primary small group is the family.” Small group fellowship has the example of the Holy Family to follow — the first domestic Church.

Small group accountability is honest, fruitful and it strengthens one in holiness. Connecting frequently with a circle of trust, Bible study group, lectio divina companions, or however one identifies with small group gatherings, provides consistency and regularity “with heart speaking to heart.”

I’m part of a group that members call Keystones — a brotherhood that erupted out of the CW movement. Our weekly Friday morning gatherings challenge me to raise the bar of self-gift, spiritually and actively as a better husband, father, grandfather and friend. I can tell this small group things I wouldn’t share in public because they understand me. And quite frankly, this intimate, honest type of sharing cuts all ways within our group, and it stays within the group. Virtue overcomes vice and we all have to consistently work at it.

Mass is the highest prayer we can partake in, and it helps keep each other accountable, helping us “work at it” in leading an efficacious sacramental life. Even if we worship at different Mass times, the Keystones can walk together in spiritual communion, reconnecting weekly. “Hey, what did you think of the homily at Mass this week?” “What about the readings?” And charitable works of mercy — spiritual and corporal — are often generated out of small group discussions. Then there is the healing aspect of the sacraments. “Only one good confession away….” I heard this the other night at a parish CW gathering. Naturally, we can fill in the blanks with whatever it means to us. The men did that night. To those who go to confession regularly (i.e., monthly) it meant regularly exercising their spiritual life. For someone who has fallen away for a while and desires to get it right with our Lord, confession might mean something else. The sacrament of confession heals many types of wounds, transforms lives, fights evil, saves souls.

Walking together by way of small group fellowship is imperative. We do this with and for our families, our parish life and our greater community. By walking together in

Living in a free nation

As a citizen of our Democratic nation, I was encouraged by the passing of the Respect for Marriage Act as it is squarely in line with the rights afforded by our Constitution. The dichotomy being it is not in line with our Catholic teaching is duly noted. It’s high time however, that we as Catholics realize that living in our free nation guided by this incredible document can and does result in affording freedoms to others despite these very freedoms not being in tandem with our Catholic dogma.

Jerry Capecchi

Assumption, St. Paul

Living the new evangelization

The article in the “Spirit” Nov. 24 on Jim and Donna May was especially well done. They clearly demonstrate the fulfillment of the Second Vatican Council. They as baptized Christians use the means at their disposal to spread the Gospel in the new evangelization.

Jim Schluender St. Agnes, St. Paul

Share your perspective by emailing TheCaTholiCSpiriT@arChSpm org Please limit your letter to the editor to 150 words and include your parish and phone number. The Commentary pages do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Catholic Spirit.

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PLEASE TURN TO CATHOLIC WATCHMEN ON PAGE

Sean M. Schniederjan

God does work in mysterious ways, doesn’t he?

My mother grew up Catholic, my father Lutheran. My brother and I were raised in the Episcopalian faith; a compromise between my folks, I guess. Growing up, we would occasionally attend my maternal grandfather’s Catholic Church, at Easter or Christmas time. The good, the true and the beautiful were on full display in that old church, the stained glass, the pews, the confessionals. My first exposure to the Catholic Church; God’s fingerprints were on those moments.

God’s next move? My ninth-grade Episcopalian confirmation teacher recently recounted to me that, during one of our confirmation classes, when asked what religion we thought we would practice in adulthood, I predicted I would eventually be Roman Catholic. I was dumbfounded upon hearing this. In ninth grade, I had no understanding of Catholicism, nor an interest in any faith at that point; you know how adolescence goes. Looking back, it had to be the Holy Spirit working in me.

Throughout my childhood and early adulthood, I enjoyed playing music, saxophone to be specific. When I got to college, I knew I wanted to keep playing. I came across a musical group at the Newman Catholic Student Center, and I joined. Why there? I likely would have come across a different, secular music group if I had looked harder. But it seems now, God sent me there. On purpose.

During my later college years, I met and fell in love with a young man who was Catholic. I was already attending a Catholic church (Newman Center) and was going to marry a Catholic: Why not convert? I went through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and was confirmed as a Catholic. The conversion was only a conversion on paper, though; my heart wasn’t in it.

After (barely) “going through the motions” as cafeteria Catholics for most of our early married life, our twin boys began their first

Communion preparation (a year late, third grade), when we joined a new parish after moving in 2016. As part of sacramental preparation, we brought them to their first reconciliation. I was intrigued with the experience because it seemed quite casual and not the intimidating experience I envisioned in my mind. Parents were invited to make a confession as well, but it had been 18 years since my RCIA experience, and I hadn’t done it since! I didn’t participate, but for some reason, my curiosity piqued, and I began researching how to make a confession. It took a year to build up the courage to go. That was the big moment, the one God had been preparing me for since my childhood. The peace I experienced after that confession was something I had never felt before. My heart was his.

Four years later, I’m still relearning the faith but finally living the faith that my heart was not ready for back then. Why am I Catholic? Because being Catholic is what God led me to be.

Durch, 44, is a parishioner of St. Charles in Bayport. She co-chairs the parish finance committee and leads the outreach committee, which coordinates events within the parish to help build a sense of community, and contributes to the broader Bayport and St. Croix Valley communities through charitable donations and volunteering. She and her husband, Matt, married 21 years, have three children: Maggie, 17, a high school senior, and twins Joe and Jon, 13, who are in eighth grade. Durch, who lives in Hudson, Wisconsin, enjoys reading and doing puzzles in her spare time and is working through the “Bible in a Year” podcast.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

“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.”

RETREATS+WORSHIP

Known By God: A Retreat for Mothers Grieving the Loss of a Stillborn or Miscarried Child — Jan. 7: 9 a.m.–2 p.m. at St. Charles Borromeo, 2739 Stinson Blvd. NE, Minneapolis. Annual retreat. StChb org/family

Help for Struggling Couples — Feb. 2-5: at Best Western Dakota Ridge Hotel, 3450 Washington Drive, Eagan. Thinking about separation or divorce? Hurt? Angry? Retrouvaille is a lifeline for troubled marriages, helping couples heal and rediscover each other. 100% confidential. Additional dates: March 31-April 2; June 2-4; Aug. 4-6; Oct. 6-8. helpourmarriage org

Ignatian men’s silent retreat — Thursday-Sunday most weeks: at Demontreville Jesuit Retreat House, 8243 Demontreville Trail N., Lake Elmo. Freewill donation. demontrevilleretreat Com

CONFERENCES+WORKSHOPS

WINE: Catholic Women’s Conference — Feb. 18: 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at St. Bartholomew, 630 Wayzata Blvd. E., Wayzata. A Spiritual Spa: “Come to the Living Waters” includes Mass with Archbishop Bernard Hebda, inspirational talks, confession, adoration, shopping, prayer teams, laughter and joy. An optional evening “Gathering in the Vineyard” Feb. 17 is open to all. More information, pricing and tickets at wineConferenCe org/ConferenCe-info-Copy

Women with Spirit Bible Study — Tuesdays through April 11: 9:30–11:30 a.m. at Pax Christi, 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. One-hour weekly lectures by university-based speakers on the Gospel of John and books of Job and Genesis, followed by small group discussions. Tuition $100.

paxChriSti Com/eventregiStration heimie2004@hotmail Com

MUSIC

Be Delighted Annual Holiday Worldwide Singalong — Dec. 23: 7:30 p.m. at The Social Exchange Company, 230 1st Ave. E., Shakopee. Featuring award winning singer featured on ABC, CBS, NBC, Iheart Radio, Andrea Lynn Cianflone. Accompanied by Emmy award winning composer and pianist “Aldo.” Inspiring, interactive presentation with music, Sing4Wellness, and surprises. More information and ticket prices at bedelightedtoday Com; andrea-lynn Com

SCHOOLS

Enrollment Open House — Jan. 5: 6–8 p.m. at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, 2501 Highway 100 S., St. Louis Park. Ready to welcome students in grades 7-12 for the 2023-24 school year.

bSmSChoolorg finalSite Com/admiSSionS/january-5-openhouSe

OTHER EVENTS

Lifeline — Jan. 7, March 4, April 1: 6–9:30 p.m. at NET Center, 110 Crusader Ave. W., West St. Paul. NET Ministries is partnering with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to reestablish Lifeline — an opportunity for young people to encounter Christ. Engaging speakers, improved programming and elevated atmosphere. netuSa org/lifeline

Human Trafficking: From Darkness into the Light — Jan. 10: 7–8:30 p.m. at All Saints, 19795 Holyoke Ave., Lakeville. Learn about human trafficking and how to combat it from a Lakeville Police Department detective and a human trafficking survivor. Freewill offerings and/ or donations of personal care items. Mature and difficult content. allSaintSChurCh Com

ONGOING GROUPS

Bridge Club — Last Saturdays: 7–8:30 p.m. yearround at St. Joseph, 13015 Rockford Rd., Plymouth. Tables, treats and tallies provided. Contact Mike or Janet Malinowski 952-525-8708.

StjoSephpariSh Com/book-and-Card-ClubS

Order Franciscans Secular (OFS) Third Sundays: 2–4 p.m. at St. Leonard of Port Maurice, 3949 Clinton Ave. S., Minneapolis. Lay Catholic men and women striving to observe the example of St. Francis, who made Christ the center of his life. 651-724-1348

Calix Society — First and third Sundays: 9–10:30 a.m. First Sunday via Zoom, third Sunday in person, hosted by the Cathedral of St. Paul, 239 Selby Ave., St. Paul. In Assembly Hall, lower level. It also is a potluck breakfast. Calix is a group of men, women, family or friends supporting the spiritual needs of Catholics recovering from alcohol or other addictions. Zoom meeting link, call Jim at 612-383-8232 or Steve at 612-327-4370.

Career Transition Group — Third Thursdays: 7:30–8:30 a.m. at Holy Name of Jesus, 155 County Road 24, Wayzata. Speakers on topics to help find a job, change careers, enhance job skills. Networking and resume reviews. hnoj org/Career-tranSition-group

Caregivers Support Group — Third Thursdays: 6:30 p.m. at Guardian Angels, 8260 Fourth St. N., Oakdale. Discover blessings in caring for another. guardian-angelS org/event/1392201-2019-09-19-CaregiverSSupport-group

Healing Hope grief support — Second and Fourth Thursdays: 6 p.m. at St. Timothy, 707-89th Ave. NE, Blaine. Facilitated by Bob Bartlett, licensed therapist. No fees or required registration. ChurChofSttimothy Com

Job transitions and networking group — Tuesdays: 7–8:30 a.m. at St. Joseph the Worker, 7180 Hemlock Lane, Maple Grove. Network, share ideas and learn about the job search process. Faith-based meetings. Questions? Email Bob at bob Sjtw@gmail Com Sjtw net/ job-tranSition-networking-group

Natural Family Planning (NFP) — Classes teach couples Church approved methods to achieve or postpone pregnancy while embracing the beauty of God’s gift of sexuality. Classes offered throughout the archdiocese, visit arChSpm org/family or call 651-291-4489.

Restorative Support for Victim/Survivors — Monthly: 6:30–8 p.m. via Zoom. For those abused by clergy as adults — First Mondays; relatives or friends of victims of clergy sexual abuse — Second Mondays; victim/survivor support group —Third Mondays; survivor peace circle —Third Tuesdays; for men who have been sexually abused by clergy/religious — Fourth Wednesdays. More information and details for attending the virtual meetings at arChSpm org/healing Questions? Contact Paula Kaempffer, Outreach Coordinator for Restorative Justice and Abuse Prevention, 651-291-4429.

SINGLES

Sunday Spirits walking group for 50-plus Catholic singles. Meet and make friends. The group usually meets in St. Paul on Sunday afternoons. Kay at 651-426-3103 or Al at 651-439-1203.

Singles group — second Saturday each month: 6:15 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul, 9100 93rd Ave. N., Brooklyn Park. Potluck supper, conversation and games. 763-425-0412

VIRTUAL EVENTS

The Spiritual Exercises: Retreat in Daily Life — through May: offered at St. Thomas More, 1079 Summit Ave., St. Paul. This “daily life” retreat with St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises includes a spiritual director. In-person options, as well. moreCommunity org/Spiritual-exerC SeS-retreat

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 next 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.

ITEMS MUST INCLUDE the following to be considered for publication:

uTime and date of event

uFull street address of event

uDescription of event

uContact information in case of questions

TheCatholiCSpirit Com/CalendarSubmiSSionS

CATHOLIC WATCHMEN

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

spontaneous or planned prayer, studying Scripture, common worship, works of service, comforting one another, keeping each other accountable — all of these Christcentered practices, methods and disciplines in small group fellowship — can develop, grow and “sharpen iron” in helping us “Christify” the world.

Deacon Bird ministers at St. Joseph in Rosemount and All Saints in Lakeville and assists with the archdiocese’s Catholic Watchmen movement. For Watchmen start-up materials contact him at gordonbird

FLOORS

refurbished hardwood floors. 15% off refinishing. Sweeney (651) 485-8187

PAINTING

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

Merriam Park Painting. Professional Int./ Ext. Painting. WP Hanging. Moderate Prices, Free Estimates. Call Ed (651) 224-3660.

Michaels Painting. Texture and Repair. MichaelsPaintingllc coM. (763) 757-3187

PILGRIMAGE TRAVEL

Join other Minnesota Catholics on the pilgrimage of a lifetime to the Holy Land - May 17-25, 2023. To learn more, go to: WWW. SAINTGABRIELPILGRIM.ORG, or send an email to: SAINTGABRIELTOURS@GMAIL.COM.

Thank you St. Jude, St. Anthony, and Our Lord for prayers answered. MA

NOTICE: Prayers must be submitted in advance. Payment of $8 per line must be received before publication

RELIGIOUS ITEMS FOR SALE www.Holyart.com

Over 50k Religious Items & Church Goods.

PRAYERS

ARCHDIOCESAN CHANCERY CORPORATION ANNUAL FINANCIAL

FINANCIAL OFFICER REPORT

By Thomas Mertens Chief Financial Officer, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

INTRODUCTION

Fiscal year 2022 for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis began July 1, 2021, and ended June 30, 2022. Our discipline around spending, combined with an increase in contribution revenue allowed us to generate a small surplus from operations after supporting The Saint Paul Seminary and Saint John Vianney Seminary through a $1 million pledge during the year to their campaign as well as increased spending of $200,000 for the important work of the Archdiocesan Synod.

The Synod expenditures during FY 2022 were primarily for expenses related to the Synod Assembly, which included nearly 500 men and women from across the Archdiocese, along with dozens of volunteers and others.

decrease is primarily due to the decrease in Investment Income noted above, partially offset by an $870,000 increase in contributions relating to estate gifts.

Parish Assessments, our primary source of revenue, increased slightly by approximately $50,000 from 2021. Parish Assessments are generated from the 185 parishes within the Archdiocese and are calculated and billed on a two-year lag, which means the parish financial results for the years ending June 30, 2020, and 2019 formed the basis for the parish assessment revenue we received for the years ended June 30, 2022, and 2021, respectively. Overall parish plate and envelope giving in 2020, the first fiscal year impacted by the pandemic, was down 0.3% from 2019.

Our Operating Expense in 2022 totaled $21.1 million and increased $2.05 million as compared to 2021. We saw expense increases in General and Administrative due to the $1 million contribution to the Joyful Catholic Leaders campaign, Synod initiatives, hiring of a Chief Operating Officer, and Catholic Education of $600,000 as we expanded school leadership support and engaged consultants to assist with our Catholic schools branding and fundraising efforts. Decrease in Clergy Services resulted from significant decreases in the number of priests needing support while taking paid leave.

Profound gratitude

You have probably heard the old saying: “If you want to know a person’s priorities, just look at his or her calendar and checkbook.” An end of the year financial review always provides a natural way to look back over the previous 12 months and to reflect on the many ways God — and you, the faithful of this Archdiocese — have been so generous. As I now look back at 2022 and review the Annual Financial Report on these pages, I find that my heart is filled with profound gratitude.

THOMAS MERTENS

The three-day assembly was held the first weekend of June at Cretin-Derham Hall high school, Holy Spirit Church and the Cathedral of Saint Paul.

In June, as a result of the estate gift from the James and Florence Trainor Trust, and with the approval of the Archdiocesan Finance Council and Corporate Board, Archbishop Hebda approved the purchase of the Archdiocesan Catholic Center (ACC) in St. Paul that we had been renting since 2017. For more about James and Florence Trainor and how their generosity has helped the Archdiocese and other Catholic entities, please see “Archdiocese purchases the St. Paul office building it’s been renting since 2017” in the June 30, 2022, edition of The Catholic Spirit.

In addition to the stability our presence brings to the Dayton’s Bluff community and the positive financial impact on surrounding businesses, there are financial benefits from the purchase of the building. Moving from renting to owning allows the Archdiocese to redirect its annual $600,000 rent payment toward funding our evangelical and charitable mission into the future.

ACC leadership and staff continue to keep a close eye on costs. Directors closely monitor and manage expenses and look for opportunities to collaborate and save costs across departments, which allows the ACC to quickly adjust to financial challenges.

The Archdiocese made two significant additions to staff within the past year. In October 2021, Bill Lentsch was hired as the Archdiocese’s first Chief Operating Officer. Bill is a proven leader and spent most of his career in executive roles at Northwest, then Delta Air Lines. He has already made positive impacts on improving our operations and the service our ACC staff provides to parishes and schools.

The other significant addition to the leadership team was made in September 2022 (FY 2023) when Jean Houghton — former President of Aim Higher Foundation — was hired as Director of Mission Advancement. Jean is well known in the Catholic community and brings proven leadership and experience with large fundraising and stewardship development efforts to the Archdiocese. She will lead relationship-building efforts and connect the faithful with supporting Catholic initiatives across the Archdiocese.

We realize the faithful of the Archdiocese, and the many who count on parishes and schools for both temporal and spiritual support, interact at the local level and not with the ACC. It is our ministry to serve our parish partners, so that they in turn can best minister to those who need it most.

I am profoundly grateful for the support of the women and men of this local Church, and I promise that we will continue to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us.

OPERATING RESULTS

For the year ending June 30, 2022, we generated a surplus from operations of $62,000 as compared to $3 million in 2021. The current year decrease primarily resulted from investment losses of slightly over $1 million as compared to investment gains in the prior year of $0.8 million and increased operating expenses due mainly to a $1 million pledge to the Joyful Catholic Leaders capital campaign benefiting The Saint Paul Seminary and Saint John Vianney College Seminary. The pledge was made during the year ending June 30, 2022, and was recorded as contribution expense under General and Administrative. The pledge will be satisfied through five equal payments over the next five years starting in fiscal year 2023, with each annual contribution reducing the Pledge Payable on our balance sheet. The decrease in Investment Income is due to unfavorable market conditions experienced by the broader market in the second half of the fiscal year.

Total Operating Revenue in fiscal year 2022 was $21.2 million, down from $22.1 million in fiscal year 2021. The current year's

NON-OPERATING ACTIVITY: PRIEST BENEFITS

The Archdiocese coordinates a self-insured health and dental benefit fund for priests, seminarians and certain religious order sisters within the Archdiocese with stop-loss coverage. The Archdiocese invoices parishes, Catholic schools and other Catholic entities based on clergy assignments and pays benefit providers directly for any claims. Priest Benefits generated a loss of $491,000 in fiscal year 2022 and $97,000 in 2021. Losses in these years were the result of higher claims due to procedures being delayed or otherwise due to COVID-19. The results of the Priest Benefits program fluctuate annually based on claims amounts and is designed to be a breakeven program and has been over time. The Priest Benefits program was transferred to a separate entity effective July 1, 2022, and, as a result, our future fiscal years will not include any activity from this program.

FINANCIAL POSITION

Net Assets of the Archdiocese were approximately $24.1 million as of June 30, 2022, as compared to $24.8 million on June 30, 2021. The $685,000 decrease was due to the $747,000 deficit generated from non-operating activity (which consisted mainly of the $491,000 loss from Priest Benefits and a $256,000 loss on the write-off of leasehold improvements on the ACC building), offset by the $62,000 surplus from operations.

The total cash balance as of June 30, 2022, was $6.6 million, a decrease of $11 million from June 30, 2021. The decrease mainly resulted from a combination of $6.5 million having been used to purchase the ACC building, and another $6.4 million having been invested with the Catholic Community Foundation, offset by cash provided by operations of approximately $1.7 million.

Our cash balance at June 30, 2022, consisted of $3.6 million of Cash Without Donor Restrictions, $2.2 million of Board Designated Cash, and Cash With Donor Restrictions of $777,000. The Board Designated Cash represents funds set aside for capital projects of $1.2 million and the Joyful Catholic Leaders capital campaign Pledge Payable of $1 million.

The other significant change to the balance sheet as of June 30, 2022, includes a decrease in Deferred Rent resulting from the termination of our lease agreement for the ACC building upon our purchase of that property and the expiration of a phone system lease.

As of June 30, 2022, we were contingently liable as guarantor for approximately $16.7 million on four loans with three Catholic entities within the Archdiocese. Subsequent to year-end, the aggregate amount of our guarantees decreased to $3.8 million. This compares very favorably to the high point of our loan guarantees, which were as high as $148 million in the early 2000’s. Our balance sheet continues to remain strong as a result of cash received from Estate Gifts and pay-off of the bankruptcy debt in 2020, as well as our continued focus on being good stewards of the assets entrusted in us.

CONCLUSION

The Synod has been instrumental in beginning to shape the future of this Archdiocese and identifying the needs of Catholics in our 185 parishes so that we can better serve the faithful and our broader community. I am hopeful that our financial position and our ability to be resourceful will continue to lend us the opportunity to grow and enhance our mission of making the name of Jesus Christ known and loved.

Some of that gratitude surely stems from the powerful Synod Assembly held last June. I consider the costs associated with the Synod to have been an investment in our future. I continue to be buoyed by my memories of how you, the faithful of this local Church, responded so generously to my requests over the past three years to share your thoughts with me, and with our brothers and sisters throughout the Archdiocese. You prayed together, listened attentively to each other, and generously and honestly shared your experiences — both good and not so good — with me. It was that experience that shaped my Pastoral Letter, “You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent from the Upper Room,” published on the Solemnity of Christ the King.

I hope you will give the letter and the Year One Implementation Plan a prayerful reading and look for opportunities to discuss the thrust of the documents with family and friends. I also hope you will support and engage in the educational, spiritual and service opportunities that will be offered as the letter is implemented.

With your participation and continued guidance from the Holy Spirit, I am confident that we can together become the missionary disciples that Christ commissioned us to be and that our world so desperately needs. Your parish contributions are truly funding the lion’s share of our operations, which in turn support your parish and our 91 Catholic schools. May the Lord bless you this Christmas for your generosity.

SUPPORTING THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH

The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis serves Catholics and the greater 12 county Twin Cities community. The following narrative briefly explains the function of each department and the funding level for FY 2022. Total department expense below includes allocations of depreciation, occupancy and archbishop expenses.

Catholic Education — $1,728,631

The Office for the Mission of Catholic Education (OMCE) provides vision, support and direction to Catholic schools and parish catechetical programs so that they can achieve their mission to proclaim Christ and form authentic disciples of Jesus Christ through an integrated Catholic education developing the spirit, mind and body. OMCE is divided into a Department of Parish Catechesis, Department of Educational Quality and Excellence, and Department of Catholic Schools. Major responsibilities for Catholic schools and parishes are aligned with the Roadmap for Excellence in Catholic Education and include strategically assisting pastors, principals and parish catechetical leaders; implementing a comprehensive talent management framework; encouraging and acknowledging quality and excellence in Catholic education; serving as a resource for those involved in the essential work of parish catechesis;

Archdiocese’s fiscal year 2022 Financial Statements along with the Independent Auditor’s Report will be posted at archspm org at the Finance and Accounting page Dec. 22.

ARCHBISHOP BERNARD HEBDA

The

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS

Chancery Corporation • Statements of Activities (Audited) Years Ended June 30, 2022 and 2021

2022 2021

OPERATING REVENUE

Contributions

$3,424,586 $2,557,305

Parish Assessments 15,882,686 15,835,019

Fees and Program Revenues 2,793,649 2,750,217 Investment Income (Loss), Net (1,033,023) 808,525 Other Income 103,000 105,249

Operating Revenue 21,170,898 22,056,315

OPERATING EXPENSE

Program Services: Catholic Education

1,728,631 1,104,053 Central Services 5,399,026 5,264,330

Clergy Services 4,662,285 5,262,238

Communications 2,157,271 2,044,528

Community Services 299,216 460,382

Evangelization 223 29,162 Marriage, Family and Life 719,710 665,085 Parish Services and Outreach 1,420,605 1,262,555 Latino Ministries 354,301 362,289

Total Program Services 16,741,268 16,454,622

Support Services: General and Administrative 4,265,914 2,389,059 Development and Stewardship 101,709 194,359

Total Support Services 4,367,623 2,583,418

Total Operating Expense 21,108,891 19,038,040

Change in Net Assets from Operations 62,007 3,018,275

NON-OPERATING ACTIVITY

Gain (Loss) on Disposition of Assets (256,093) 6,000

Paycheck Protection Program Revenue - 1,980,300

Priest Benefits Revenue 3,267,646 3,164,277 Priest Benefits Expense (3,758,262) (3,260,822)

Change in Net Assets from Non-Operating Activities (746,709) 1,889,755

CHANGES IN NET ASSETS $(684,702) $4,908,030

Net Assets - Beginning of Year 24,789,476 19,881,446

NET ASSETS - END OF YEAR $24,104,774 $24,789,476

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

maintaining policies that support the work of Catholic education; representing the interests of Catholic education to a diverse set of stakeholders; and working with community partners to ensure the sustainability of programs, including the Drexel Mission Schools, which serve those in most need.

Central Services — $5,399,026

The Department of Central Services provides support and services to the Archdiocesan staff and the parishes. The department includes the offices of the chancellors for civil and canonical affairs, information technology services, the metropolitan tribunal, human resources and benefits, records and archives, the office of financial standards and parish accounting. Also covered in this category are the payment of assessments to the Minnesota Catholic Conference and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Clergy Services —

$4,662,285

The role of this office is to provide support and formation for priests and deacons in all aspects of ministry and pastoral care. Services provided by this office include the following:

Seminary Formation: There are currently 51 men in formation for the priesthood for service of our Archdiocese. While the number changes throughout the discernment process, our Archdiocese has one of the largest enrollments of seminarians of any diocese in the country. The Archdiocese funds the medical and dental insurance coverage of the seminarians at The Saint Paul Seminary, as well as tuition, room and board not covered through donations from the Catholic Services Appeal Foundation. The Archdiocese also covers the cost of tuition, room and board of those attending the North American College in Rome.

Center for Clergy Formation: Institute of Ongoing Formation for Clergy and the Institute of Diaconate Formation comprise the Center for Clergy Formation. Each entity of the center provides an integrated approach to priestly and diaconate formation, including gatherings and support for newly ordained priests and deacons, programs to assist new pastors in their role and ongoing formation opportunities for priests and deacons throughout the Archdiocese.

Continuing Education: This includes continuing education opportunities, a sabbatical program, international enculturation, and the biennial presbyteral assembly.

Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment: The mission of the Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment is to work with our community to prevent the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults through a number of initiatives including

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAINT PAUL AND MINNEAPOLIS Chancery Corporation • Statements of Financial Position (Audited)

As of June 30, 2022 and 2021

ASSETS

Cash - Board Designated and Without Donor Restriction $5,803,925 $16,752,463

Cash - With Donor Restriction 776,728 858,940

Contributions Receivable 316,685 325,114

Estates Receivable 151,734 140,000

Accounts Receivables, Net of Allowances 2,381,145 2,327,218

Loans Receivable 657,066 663,066

Investments Without Donor Restrictions 5,826,438 -

Investments With Donor Restrictions 1,148,113 1,325,870

Beneficial Interest in Perpetual Trusts 1,506,511 1,831,976

Prepaid Expenses and Other Assets 215,920 144,840

Land, Property and Equipment, Net 9,035,056 3,117,905

Total Assets $27,819,321 $27,487,392

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

LIABILITIES

Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities

1,864,344 1,701,595

Amounts Held for Others Under Agency Transactions 361,750 331,726

Deferred Revenue 337,255 382,664

Reserve for Priest Benefit Claims 151,198 101,287

Lease Payable - 16,686

Deferred Rent - 163,958

Pledge Payable 1,000,000 -

Total Liabilities 3,714,547 2,697,916

NET ASSETS

Without Donor Restrictions - Undesignated 18,127,569 13,416,739

Without Donor Restrictions - Board Designated 2,184,396 6,957,415

With Donor Restrictions

Restricted by Time and/or Purpose 2,049,148 2,346,196 Restricted in Perpetuity 1,743,661 2,069,126

Total Net Assets 24,104,774 24,789,476

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS $27,819,321 $27,487,392

implementing abuse prevention programs, immediately reporting allegations of abuse to law enforcement or child/adult protection officials and cooperating fully with their investigations, and helping those affected by abuse in their healing journey.

Priest Support: This includes support for priests who are not in ministry due to personal health issues or leave of absence, and those who have been permanently removed from ministry who do not have other means of support.

Chaplaincies: There are several priests in full-time or part-time ministry at hospitals and correctional facilities throughout the Archdiocese who are supported by the Archdiocese. There are many other priests throughout the Archdiocese who provide pastoral care at health care, correctional facilities or schools, either as a ministry of their parish or through their outreach work. They offer the sacraments and spiritual support during some of the most difficult times in people’s lives. Last year, a large number of people throughout our community experiencing COVID-19 were served by chaplains.

Specialized Ministries: This includes the Office of Vocations, support for international clergy, and retired clergy, which includes the operation of the Leo C. Byrne Residence for retired priests.

Communications — $2,157,271

The Office of Communications helps convey the teachings of the Church and fosters communications between the Archdiocese and the faithful, parish and school leaders and staff, and others in our community. It does this through The Catholic Spirit, multiple websites, social media, e-newsletters, printing services, and other communications. The office also conducts media consultation and training for clergy, parishes and other representatives of the Archdiocese, and works with secular TV and radio stations, as well as print and online publications.

Community Services — $299,216

The Archdiocese helps men, women and children most in need within our local community, including the poor, hungry and homeless.

Evangelization — $223

The Office of Evangelization seeks to bring each person into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, equip them as a missionary disciple and help them more fully participate in the mission of the Church, to “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” The office is dedicated to assisting and serving the evangelization efforts of the parish, with a particular focus on young adults while also reaching those who do not yet know the love of Jesus. It also provides ministries for men, women, grandparents and young adults. The Office of Evangelization and its future operational plans

are currently being assessed based on feedback as part of the Archdiocesan Synod.

Marriage, Family and Life

— $719,710

The Office of Marriage, Family and Life assists the laity and parishes through programs supporting marriage preparation, family education programming, respect life, pro-life groups, biomedical ethics, and outreach for people with disabilities.

The office also sponsors the annual Archdiocesan Youth Day that brings together hundreds of local high school aged teens to praise God, grow in the faith and find fellowship. In addition, this office helps coordinate local representatives attending World Youth Day, the National Catholic Youth Conference, the March for Life and other youth events.

Parish Services and Outreach — $1,420,605

The Office of Parish Services provides consultation, planning and leadership development opportunities to parishes throughout the Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese supports outreach ministry to various groups and members of the Archdiocesan community, including American Indian ministry, Delegate for Consecrated Life, the Venezuelan mission, the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women, and other groups and coalitions.

Latino

Ministries — $354,301

The Office of Latino Ministry develops and offers formation and evangelization programs for youth, young adults, family and parish leaders. These programs serve the growing Latino community in the 25 parishes that offer Masses, sacramental preparation and pastoral care in Spanish.

SUPPORT SERVICES

General and Administrative — $4,265,914

The offices of the retired archbishops, auxiliary bishop, vicar general, accounting, finance, and general administration are included in the General and Administrative category. Over half of this category of expense supports salaries and benefits of staff.

Development and Stewardship — $101,709

This office works with parishes and Catholic schools to help grow a culture of stewardship in local communities and to support parish and school development efforts. The office also engages in outreach to benefactors who wish to support specific ministries or programs of the Archdiocesan Catholic Center. This office was significantly downsized prior to the Archdiocese bankruptcy filing and is currently being re-evaluated to determine the best structure as we move into the future.

Guitarist has been secretly rocking families’ worlds at Christmas

By Barb Umberger The Catholic Spirit

With her immediate family in Mexico, Rosana Hernandez works full time and sometimes overtime at a warehouse to support herself and her two young sons. That includes sending them to the Catholic grade school about two blocks from their home on St. Paul’s east side: St. Pascal Regional Catholic School.

Besides the Catholic education, Hernandez appreciates that the school offers “extended day” (care) before and after school, which eliminates job-related worries about how to get her secondand fifth-grade boys to school and back home. Her 10-year-old son started at St. Pascal the middle of first grade and her 7-year-old started in preschool.

Money is tight, especially at Christmas. But two years ago, St. Pascal’s principal, Inna Collier Paske, surprised Hernandez with gift cards from a generous benefactor who, for the past five years, had asked Collier Paske to give sets of gift cards to families in need. The Hernandez family was a recipient in 2020 and 2021 of a $200 gift card to Cub for groceries and a $100 gift card for each child to Target (changing to Walmart this year). The benefactor also gives a $50 gift card for each adult.

Hernandez, 42, recalled the moment that first year when she realized she could buy presents for her sons. “I was crying because I felt so blessed, because my kids were so happy,” she said. “We went to Target and they chose a toy, and then they grabbed some pajamas.” Without the help, she said she couldn’t have purchased Christmas presents for her boys.

Last year, the gift cards enabled the family to buy an artificial Christmas tree and ornaments that they could set up year after year. Before that, her boys told her that Christmas without a decorated

Rosana Hernandez

tree didn’t seem like “a real Christmas.” She had told them she couldn’t afford a tree but could purchase something less expensive, like a window decoration.

Hernandez used the Cub gift card to buy groceries, including the makings of “a really nice Christmas dinner” with Mexican food, she said.

When she told her boys about the gift cards, her older son was moved to draw a thank you card and picture for the donor.

The donor requested anonymity for his years of donations, but during a recent interview with The Catholic Spirit, agreed to be named. Kevin Todd, 66, said his three children went to St. Pascal. But before the children were old enough to start school, he and his wife, both working low-wage jobs, struggled financially. Catholic Charities helped the family, he said. And he recalled nuns coming to the family’s door with baskets of food. To this day, he’s not certain where the nuns were based or who “tipped them off” about their situation. “We were very grateful,” he said.

But, no single event started the ball rolling for his contributions the past five years, said Todd, who lives in North St. Paul. His own childhood Christmases were happy. “My parents had a wonderful Christmas,” he said, recalling how his father, who died just weeks ago, made presents for his children, including a play stove and refrigerator for his sister that saw a lot of use.

“He would refurbish things for the kids — tricycles, bicycles, toys. We didn’t care,” Todd said. “He’d pick up a tricycle and sand it, paint it, decal it, make it brand new again... . We were happy.”

Todd, who grew up in South St. Paul, said “Santa always came. We had very fun Christmases. And spiritual, also.”

Poor kids are sometimes picked on, he said, including at the holidays. When children are asked “What did you get for Christmas?” some reply, “Santa didn’t come” or “we didn’t have Christmas,” he said.

Todd is a member of a rock ‘n’ roll tribute band, Arch Allies, that plays classic rock songs by such artists as Bon Jovi, Boston, Def Leppard, Journey, Queen, REO Speedwagon and Styx. He plays lead guitar and sings backup vocals.

Todd plans to continue helping three families each year. “I just want these families to have a good Christmas,” he said, recalling that one family helped this year has six children.

“I want to help people who can’t afford to have a Christmas,” Todd said. It’s not about giving back, he said, but rather, “giving forward.”

“I just want to say thank you” to the donor (Todd), Hernandez said. “I feel so blessed. They don’t know who I am, and they have a good heart to think of other people. I wish one day I can do that for another person.

“We feel so special because we didn’t expect to receive anything,” Hernandez said. “And as a single mom, it’s very hard for me to afford things.”

Hernandez said the biggest gift she received from Todd was “to see my kids happy.” And providing a lesson for her boys, who “one day have the possibility to help other people,” she said. “They can do that.”

Todd delivered another set of gift cards to St. Pascal Dec. 6.

COURTESY ST. PASCAL REGIONAL CATHOLIC SCHOOL Todd, right, pays a visit Dec. 6 to St. Pascal Regional School and Principal Inna Collier Paske, left, as he drops off gift cards for three school families this Christmas.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

Kevin Todd, who plays in a rock ‘n’ roll band called Arch Allies, gives gift cards to families in need at St. Pascal Regional Catholic School in St. Paul.

DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT

From left, students Sebastian and Leo Santoyo-Hernandez of St. Pascal Baylon Regional Catholic School in St. Paul are among the recipients of gift cards given by Todd, who has given gift cards to families in need over the last five years.

I feel so blessed. They don’t know who I am, and they have a good heart to think of other people.