2006 FLOOD: Neche diking debates; Water wasn't rising on Easter

The parish priest caught a ride through water to say Mass on Easter morning in Sts. Nereus and Achilleus Catholic Church in Neche, N.D., and a Lutheran church in town canceled worship services because of the flood.

"It did remind me of the story to going through the Red Sea, which is often talked about on Easter," said the Rev. Thomas Krupich, who lives in Walhalla, N.D., where he serves a sister parish, too. "The current was so strong. I got a ride in the biggest pickup I've ever seen." Grand Forks Herald

Site O' the Day: The Great Adventure Bible Study, Jeff Cavins

Minnesotan, EWTN's "Life on the Rock" Former Host, has an
Easy Way to Read and Understand the Bible

If you want an answer, why not go straight to the top?

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, thought to be an austere intellectual, has turned out to be a master of communication with his flock. He loves to answer your questions. On informal occasions he arrives and greets those present, but doesn’t speak from a prepared text. He simply fields questions. And he responds to each of them, spontaneously. Here are some examples:
[snip]

1. ON HOW TO READ THE BIBLE

First of all, it must be said that Holy Scripture cannot be read like just any historical book, as we read, for example, Homer, Ovid, or Horace. We must read it as truly the Word of God, placing ourselves in conversation with God. We must pray first, and talk to the Lord: “Open the door for me.” St. Augustine says this frequently in his homilies: “I knocked at the door of the Word in order to find at last what the Lord wanted to say to me.” [...]
[snip]
2. ON THE FOUNDATION OF MARRIAGE

For me it is a beautiful thing to note that already in the first pages of Sacred Scripture, immediately after the story of the creation of man, we find the definition of love and marriage. The sacred author tells us: “The man will leave his father and mother and follow after his woman, and the two shall be one flesh, a single existence.” We are at the beginning, and already we are given a prophecy of what marriage is; and this definition remains the same in the New Testament as well. [...] The medieval theologians, interpreting this assertion found at the beginning of Sacred Scripture, said that marriage was the first of the seven sacraments instituted by God, having been instituted at the moment of creation, in paradise, at the beginning of history, and before any human history. [...] Thus the sacrament of marriage is not an invention of the Church; it was really created together with man as such. [snip]
3. ON THE “UNLIVABLE” WORLD WITHOUT GOD

We all ask ourselves what the Lord expects from us. It seems to me that the great challenge of our time – as the bishops on their “ad limina” visits, for example those of Africa, also tell me – is secularism: a way of living and presenting the world “quasi Deus non daretur,” as if God did not exist. The intention is to reduce God to the private sphere, to a feeling, as if he were not an objective reality, so that everyone creates his own life plans [...] and at the end, everyone is in conflict with each other. It is clear that this situation is decidedly unlivable. We must make God present in our societies once again. This seems to me the first necessity: that God be present again in our lives, that we not live as though we were autonomous, with the authorization to make up what freedom and life are. We must realize that we are creatures, realize that there is a God who has created us and that remaining in his will is not dependence, but a gift of love that makes us live. [...]
[snip]
4. ON THE VOCATION OF THE YOUNG RATZINGER

I grew up in a world very different from the present one, but in the end the situations are similar. On the one hand, there was still the situation of “Christendom,” in which it was normal to go to church, accept the faith as a revelation from God, and try to live according to this revelation. On the other hand, there was the Nazi regime, which asserted in a loud voice: “In the new Germany, there will be no more priests, no more consecrated life, we have no more need for these people; seek out some other profession.” But precisely in hearing these loud voices, in facing the brutality of that system with its inhuman face, I understood that there was, on the contrary, a great need for priests. This contrast, seeing that antihuman culture, confirmed my conviction that the Lord, the Gospel, the faith show us the right way and that we must strive for the preservation of this path. In this situation, the vocation to the priesthood and I myself grew up almost naturally together, and without any great moments of conversion.
[snip]
5. ON THE INTELLIGENT DESIGN OF THE UNIVERSE

The great Galileo said that God wrote the book of nature in the form of mathematical language. He was convinced that God gave us two books: that of Sacred Scripture, and that of nature. And the language of nature – this was his conviction – is mathematics, which is therefore a language of God, of the Creator.
[snip]
Sandro Magister's "www.Chiesa" (Chiesa means "church")

Sandro Magister, a professor at an Italian university and a columnist for a weekly magazine in Milan, has a column in English which he offers by free subscription. This is a must read if you are interested in "All things Papal"; he is your man. Subscription information is available on the right sidebar on the link referenced above.

Break Your Lentan Fast!

Thursday, April 20:
Spring salad lunch at St. Francis: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Francis Xavier, 9 N.W. Third St., Buffalo. Cost is $6. Sponsored by the Council of Catholic Women.

Saturday, April 22:

‘April in Paris’ auction at Maternity of Mary-St. Andrews School: 5 p.m. at Maternity of Mary-St. Andrew School, 592 W. Arlington Ave., St. Paul. Event includes a sit-down dinner, cash bar, raffles and live and silent auctions. (651) 489-1459.

Salad lunch and white elephant auction at Transfiguration: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Transfiguration Mount Tabor Hall, Fifteenth Street and Century Avenue, Oakdale. Sponsored by Transfiguration ACCL and Holy Family Adoption Agency. (651) 298-0133.

The Academy of Holy Angels presents ‘The Will Rogers Follies: A Life in Review’: 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Holy Angels, 6600 Nicollet Ave. S., Richfield. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors and $10 for adults. Performances also April 28 and May 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m. and April 23, 30 and May 7 at 4 p.m. (612) 798-2651.

‘Wines to Wishes’ fundraiser at St. John the Baptist: 7 to 11:30 p.m. at St. John the Baptist, 835 Second Ave N.W., New Brighton. Event includes wines available for sampling, cheeses, light appetizers and desserts. Also features a live and silent auction and entertainment by Wild Honey and the Locusts. (651) 490-9779.

‘Taste of St. Charles’ in Bayport: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at St. Charles, 409 N. Third St., Bayport. Fifty cents for each selection. Event also features a bake sale and quilt raffle. Sponsored by the St. Charles Council of Catholic Women. (612) 439-4511.

Upscale garage sale at Benilde-St. Margaret: Early-bird entry at 8:30 a.m. for $2, free admission from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Benilde-St. Margaret, 2501 Highway 100 S., St. Louis Park. Event showcases new and gently used clothing, toys, furniture, household items and more.

BeFriender Ministry seminar: 8:30 a.m. to noon at Buetow Music Auditorium at Concordia University, 300 Hamline Ave. N., St. Paul. Tickets for the seminar, entitled “Befriending Someone You Don’t Like” are $20. Sponsored by BeFriender Ministry, a center of the University of St. Thomas. For information, call (651) 962-5775.

Rigatoni dinner at St. Peter: 5:30 to 7 p.m. at St. Peter, 1250 S. Shore Drive, Forest Lake. Sponsored by the parish religious vocations committee. (651) 464-3438.

Sunday, April 23:

Rosary at St. John: 2 to 3 p.m. at St. John, 977 E. Fifth St., St. Paul. Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

Pancake breakfast at St. Thomas the Apostle: 8 a.m. to noon at St. Thomas the Apostle, 2119 Stillwater Ave., St. Paul. Sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

Pancake breakfast at Mary, Mother of the Church: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road, Burnsville. Sponsored by Community Life and served by the Knights of Columbus.

‘Life in the Spirit’ seminars: 7:15 to 9:30 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church, 3333 Cliff Road, Burnsville. Seminars designed to invite us to a deepened openness to the life of the Spirit received in the sacraments of initiation. Meets Sundays, April 23 and 30, May 7 and 21, June 4 and Wednesdays, May 10 and 24. For information, call (952) 890-0045.

Growing Through Loss grief support series: 1:45 to 4 p.m. at New Life! Lutheran Church, 18975 N.W. Lake George Blvd., Oak Grove. Six-week series sponsored by the North Metro Grief Support Coalition. For information, call (763) 413-2985

‘Taste of St. Mary’s’ in St. Paul: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Mary, 261 Eighth St. E., St. Paul. Sample food from more than 10 different countries. Event also includes a craft sale, bake sale, silent auction and more.

Man sues Crosiers religious order, alleging sexual abuse 20+ years ago

A former Minnesotan filed suit Monday against a Roman Catholic religious order and a former member who he says sexually molested him more than 20 years ago.Robert Skjonsby, 40, of Port Orchard, Wash., said that it was only last year that he was able to admit to himself and his wife that he was abused from 1980 to 1983 while he was a parishioner at Sacred Heart Church in Wahkon, Minn. StarTribune
PioneerPress KARE11

Pilgrimage Site O' the Day: New Melleray Abbey, Dubuque

Near Dubuque, Iowa

Photographs of some Holy Week Services at St Agnes in St Paul

Father John Zuhlsdorf, currently based in Rome, considers St Agnes in St Paul to be his U.S. home. He has posted some nice photos of Holy Week Services on his blog.

EMPOWERING PARENTS TO PROTECT CHILDREN

It seems in this whole discussion of creating “safe environments” for children, the leaders of our dioceses have overlooked or ignored one very important tactic: empowering parents to take up their rightful role as primary educators of their children. Primary Educators League

Bible Wins in Canadian Lawsuit - Not "Hate Literature"

One of the most concerning court decisions against religious freedom in Canada has been reversed. The highest court in the province of Saskatchewan has reversed a 2002 decision by the Court of Queen's Bench which ruled that a man who placed references to Bible verses on homosexuality into a newspaper ad was guilty of inciting hatred.

The December 11, 2002 decision was in response to an appeal of a 2001 Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (HRC) ruling which ordered both the Saskatoon StarPhoenix newspaper and Hugh Owens of Regina to pay $1,500 to three homosexual activists for publishing an ad in the Saskatoon newspaper quoting bible verses regarding homosexuality. Lifesite

"Defenders of Church", now renamed "docsociety.org", Issue First Draft of White Paper on StP-M Archdiocese

This first edition of this white paper is meant to record the insights and stories of clergy and laity in our local Church. Pope Benedict XVI often argues that truth in love leads to decision - and decision is necessary for conversion. This first draft is a series of vignettes and a structured timeline to help tell the truth. We hope many witnesses will help us complete a more coherent narrative by Pentecost. The use of the Web and electronic communication puts us in touch with many more witnesses than older reporting methods. The reliability of reports, however, becomes even more critical. We ask all our readers to correct us if we state even small items incorrectly, and certainly we hope for vigorous corrections if we seem to misinterpret personalities and cultures.

The 22,000 word, 56 page document, addressed to the priests, deacons and seminarians of the archdiocese, can be downloaded from here.

Early in Lent, this local organization, formerly known as the "Dan O'Connell Society" held a press conference to deplore what they maintained was a "gay culture" within the ranks of the priests of the archdiocese. This paper is the initial distribution of a report that was promised by the end of Lent. It appears that if corrections need to be made to the report, they will be made and released by Pentecost which is June 4 this year.

It now appears that "Defenders of Church" has been dropped as commonly used name; the web page is headed with "docsociety.org."

Warning #1: We link to this story because of its local importance within the Archdiocese. This does not necessarily mean that we endorse the Society or the contents of this report.

Warning #2: Be aware that the information in this document, especially the appendices, is sexually explicit.

Bp. Pates to be a Guest on Relevant Radio's "Morning Air" Tomorrow

Auxiliary Bishop Richard Pates will discuss the Evangelization Initiative of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m.(CDT). 1330AM in the Twin Cities area. This initiative represents Archbishop Harry Flynn's personal response to the call by the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II to find our true identity in evangelization. The Archbishop’s desire to encourage renewed passion for Jesus Christ. For, in his words, “Once we’ve caught fire with the love of Jesus Christ in our bellies, then we’ll be able to go out and transform our society.

Site O' the Day: Courage

Tridentine Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday

The Tridentine Easter Vigil Mass at St Augustine's in South St Paul, started at 11:00 p.m. after the Novus Ordo Mass in English was finished about 10:00. Remind me never to attend again -- without bringing a missal, particularly for the 90 minutes of the readings in Latin, interspersed with the occasionally recognizable "Per omnia saecula saeculorums."

I figured it had been 46 years since my last appearance and it was about time. Family commitments generally have kept me from any service on Holy Saturday during that time.

Due to the late hour, Mass didn't start til 12:30 a.m., the crowd was sparse, maybe 75 people, many of whom also did not have missals. And elderly woman in a front pew seemed quite knowledgeable as to what the congregation should be doing, so after a bit, I just watched her as to when to stand, sit or kneel.

The service began in total blackness and appararently there was a problem lighting the fire as the celebrant introduced the very short homily by apologizing for the delay and promising "wood chips next year." I was near the front so I didn't see what happened. Baptisms had occurred at the Novus Ordo ceremony. There was a very nice choir of about 15 people and to my amateur ear, all seemed fluent in pronouncing, if not understanding the Latin. All went well although the celebrant could have used a knowledgeable Master of Ceremonies to keep the ten altar boys directed. That would have allowed him to slow down his movements and concentrate on the celebration at hand.

I'm glad I went. I'm not a believer that a universal indult will radically increase the number of fans of the Tridentine Mass. And I wouldn't go every Sunday. But on a special occasion such as Holy Saturday, if I can find a missal, I will go again.

'OUR CHURCH IS THE PEOPLE' Iowa City Parishioners Find Comfort in each Other

In many ways, St. Patrick's Catholic Church celebrated Easter Mass on Sunday similar to how they would any year: as a parish.

Little girls wore Sunday's best dresses and bonnets and boys dressed in spring outfits. However, while worshippers remembered the resurrection of Jesus, they too were resurrecting from the tornado that nearly destroyed their church just three days before. Press-Citizen Daily Iowan DesMoines Register

Faith and straight talk help Wisconsin parish to heal

The Rev. Mike Hayden is a down-to-earth guy who tells you what he thinks, not to mention just what St. Mary's of the Seven Dolors needs to recover from its troubles.

"What you see is what you get," Hayden likes to tell St. Mary's parish members, a reference to his predecessor, the Rev. Ryan Erickson, who portrayed himself as a zealot for Christian values, then committed suicide the week before Christmas 2004, hanging himself from a fire escape outside the rectory. StarTribune

Superior churches tackle 'Da Vinci Code' claims

In the front of Cathedral of Christ the King Catholic church Friday, an imposing statue of Jesus Christ nailed to a cross faced the pews. Hundreds of parishioners stood in line at the Good Friday service in Superior to bow before it -- expressing their belief that Jesus was God and he sacrificed himself for humanity's sins.

That belief, held by Christians for centuries, is contradicted in the novel "The Da Vinci Code," by Dan Brown. With the May 19 release of the film version, church leaders are preparing to discuss it with congregations.
Duluth NewsTribune

Confirmations Coming Up - Volunteers Needed!

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Corpus Christi Catechism Fund needs volunteers

Corpus Christi Catechism Fund, the small lay apostolate that
distributes copies of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to all
the young adults who will receive the Easter sacrament of
Confirmation in the Archdiocese, needs volunteers to hand out
the catechisms at the following Masses:

Cathedral of St. Paul
(All times are 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
April 18, 20, 27
May 1, 2, 4, 6 (10:00 a.m.), 11, 15, 16, 22
June 3 (10:00 a.m.)

Basilica of St. Mary
(All times are 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted)
April 22 (10:00 a.m.), 24
May 1, 2, 6 (10:00 a.m.), 8, 9, 15, 16, 22

The commitment is about an hour and half for whatever date
or dates you choose, and you can stay for the complete Mass
if you'd like. They also need backup volunteers.

For more information and to sign up, contact Maureen
Morrill at mem301@aol.com or (612) 760-0865 (please
leave a message with your name and phone number).

For more on the Corpus Christi Catechism Fund, visit
www.catechisms.org or for volunteering, http://www.catechisms.org/volunteer.html

Benedictine Nun Sees Easter's Message in the Lives of Prison Inmates

Prison inmates remain out of sight and out of mind for many people, but not for Sister Timothy Kirby. Twice a week, the 87-year-old sister passes through the gates of the Federal Prison Camp in Duluth to tend to the spiritual needs of inmates.

The gentle silver-haired sister plans to be there today -- on Easter -- to give the homily at a family service. For her, the Easter message of resurrection and redemption is reflected in the inmates for whom she cares so much.
Duluth NewsTribune

An interview with Dubuque Abp. Jerome Hanus

When the Most Rev. Jerome Hanus became archbishop of Dubuque about 12 years ago, he assumed spiritual leadership of 220,000 Catholics in Northeast Iowa. There were nearly 220 parishes. Today, he leads 213,000 faithful. Thirty-seven parishes closed or consolidated along with a number of schools. Archdiocesan Catholic school enrollment has declined by 20 percent, or 3,000 students.

The numbers follow the general population trends this area has experienced since the recession in the 1980s, particularly the loss of population in rural areas. Less than 50 percent of Catholics within the archdiocese regularly attend church. But that's a good showing compared to less than 30 percent of Catholics nationwide.
Additionally, the Catholic Church in Northeast Iowa is beset by some of the same social issues as the rest of the country. WCF Courier

Keeping the Faith on Campus

Kathryn Beckwith has been fasting for 40 days, and it wasn’t to lose weight.

A devout Catholic, the 20-year-old Beckwith has been fasting as a tribute to Jesus for Lent, the 40 days before Easter Sunday. For some Christians, Lent is an opportunity to pray, reflect and sacrifice something personal in honor of the suffering of Jesus, before his resurrection from the grave celebrated today.

So, beyond three small meals a day, the Minnesota State University junior decided to entirely avoid snacks, desserts and any kind of munchies. “Every time I felt hungry, I thought about how much Jesus suffered for me,” she said. “It’s just so minor compared to what he did for me.” She’s been saying the rosary and praying more often, too. Mankato Free Press