Blessed Sacrament Church

In the month of August alone, how many crises have there been? In addition to the natural disaster striking the Gulf of Mexico, on the human side of the equation we have faced a renewed threat of nuclear war, an appalling resurgence of racial bigotry, a despicable act of domestic terrorism, shocking riots that reflect a growing embrace of political violence as a means of resolving disputes or enforcing ideology.

Those are just some of the lowlights of a culture given over to sins that cry out to heaven for justice and seemingly descending into factions full of mutual loathing, with pundits openly discussing the relatively likelihood of a second civil war.

If dark clouds have been forming on the horizon for years, it seems now the storm has arrived.

In these difficulties, we turn to God. As we pray to him in the Psalms, “In the shadow of your wings I take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.”

But in the midst of all this, we are also called to be peacemakers.

Fortunately, one of the tools God has given us both for taking refuge in the shadow of his wings and for working for peace comes readily to hand — the rosary. Over the years, some of the intentions most closely associated with the rosary are prayers for peace, for the conversion of sinners, and for our families. These are certainly very fitting intentions right now.

Some of these intentions appear prominently in the message of the Fatima apparitions, the 100th anniversary of which the church is honoring even now. In them, the Blessed Virgin Mary asked people to pray the rosary daily. Another effort has many Catholics currently in the midst of a 54-day rosary novena for our nation.

This all comes with a special poignance in our diocese, where Our Lady of the Rosary is our patroness. If you haven’t already, please prayerfully consider making the rosary a regular, even daily part of your prayer life.

Pray for peace. Pray for the conversion of sinners. Pray for families.

Daniel Oberreuter was working for a church in Vancouver, Washington, when he realized there was a need for two parts of his life.

“I realized I could put music together with my faith,” said Oberreuter, frontman for the Portland, Oregon-based The Thirsting, which will headline the Built Upon a Rock Fest Sept. 17 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth.

And not just Duluth — the band has toured nationally and even played the main stage at World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland. Oberreuter also does solo acoustic parish mission concerts.

In an interview with The Northern Cross, Oberreuter said he was a cradle Catholic but didn’t take his faith too seriously until a first confession at age 16 where his penance was to pray a daily rosary. “I began to do that,” he said.

He ended up going to the University of Portland for a degree in theology and even considered the priesthood.

He had played guitar in high school, and music was a part of his life, he said. So with “more zeal than brains,” he says, he started The Thirsting in 2006. The band has now released two albums, “Companion of the Lamb” and “Universal Youth,” with work on a third wrapping up, but probably not in time for their visit to Duluth.

“I just really felt called to promote the rosary and the Eucharist, those two things,” he said.

If you’re looking for a list of Catholic bands that influenced him, you might be surprised. “I grew up with REM, U2, and Green Day,” Oberreuter said. He adds that if you combined those three and made them Catholic, “that’s The Thirsting.”

And as that suggests, the band is enjoyed not only by youth but also by people who “are like 30, 40, 50,” Oberreuter said.

He said touring has brought perspective, seeing both the good things happening in the church and problems, especially on what he considers “mission creep” in the church, with different groups — good in themselves — ending up creating division. The main focus, he said, should be “getting our town or our country to heaven” through an authentically Catholic life.

And by “authentic” he means being rooted in the Eucharist, which he calls a “nuclear bomb inside every tabernacle.”

“My rock band isn’t going to fix these issues,” he said. “But I’m trying to offer help.”

During the outdoor concert in Duluth, set for the grounds of Holy Rosary School, there will be Eucharistic Adoration happening in the Cathedral, and Oberreuter says he often will tell people if they need to go see Jesus rather than hearing part of the concert, they should go.

But that doesn’t mean it won’t be entertaining. The Thirsting is known for its live shows with “lots of energy.”

“My goal as an entertainer is I want to make each person in that audience connect with me,” Oberreuter said. “… My whole goal is that each person that goes to that walks away feeling like ‘I was a part of that event.’”

If you go

For those who want to be part of the event, good news: It’s free! Gates open at 5 p.m., and a local act, the Aly Aleigha Band, will open things from 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Thirsting will play from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. In addition to Eucharistic Adoration during the concert, confession will be available in the Cathedral afterwards. To check out the bands, see www.aly-aleigha.com and www.thethirstingcatholic.com. You can also text the word “Catholic” to 31996 to get a free album by The Thirsting. For more information on the Built Upon a Rock Fest, visit www.builtuponarockfest.com.

— By Kyle Eller / The Northern Cross

The president and vice president along with chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have issued a statement denouncing the Administration’s termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program after six months.

The following statement from USCCB President Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, along with USCCB Vice President Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angles, Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, chairman, Committee on Migration, and Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, chairman of the Subcommittee on Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees, and Travelers, says the “cancellation of the DACA program is reprehensible.”

Over 780,000 youth received protection from the DACA program since its inception by the Department of Homeland Security in 2012. DACA provided no legal status or government benefits but did provide recipients with temporary employment authorization to work in the United States and reprieve from deportation.

Full statement follows:

The cancellation of the DACA program is reprehensible. It causes unnecessary fear for DACA youth and their families. These youth entered the U.S. as minors and often know America as their only home. The Catholic Church has long watched with pride and admiration as DACA youth live out their daily lives with hope and a determination to flourish and contribute to society: continuing to work and provide for their families, continuing to serve in the military, and continuing to receive an education. Now, after months of anxiety and fear about their futures, these brave young people face deportation. This decision is unacceptable and does not reflect who we are as Americans.

The Church has recognized and proclaimed the need to welcome young people: ‘Whoever welcomes one of these children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me' (Mark 9:37). Today, our nation has done the opposite of how Scripture calls us to respond. It is a step back from the progress that we need to make as a country. Today’s actions represent a heartbreaking moment in our history that shows the absence of mercy and good will, and a short-sighted vision for the future. DACA youth are woven into the fabric of our country and of our Church, and are, by every social and human measure, American youth.

We strongly urge Congress to act and immediately resume work toward a legislative solution. We pledge our support to work on finding an expeditious means of protection for DACA youth.

As people of faith, we say to DACA youth – regardless of your immigration status, you are children of God and welcome in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church supports you and will advocate for you.

Source: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

“Excessive inequality” threatens cooperation among all people in society “and the social pact it supports,” said Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, in the U.S. bishops’ annual Labor Day statement.

In the message, Bishop Dewane cited the words of Pope Francis, who told factory workers in Genoa, Italy, “The entire social pact is built around work. This is the core of the problem. Because when you do not work, or you work badly, you work little or you work too much, it is democracy that enters into crisis, and the entire social pact.”

Women work in the sewing area in 2014 at UTC Aerospace Systems in Phoenix. Labor Day, honoring U.S. workers, is observed Sept. 4 this year. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)

Dated Sept. 4, the federal Labor Day holiday, the statement was released Aug. 30.

Bishop Dewane, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, pointed to a “twisted understanding of labor and laborers” that fosters deepening inequality.

In Genoa, the pope “acknowledges that ‘merit’ is ‘a beautiful word,’” Bishop Dewane said, “but the modern world can often use it ‘ideologically,’ which makes it ‘distorted and perverted’ when it is used for ‘ethically legitimizing inequality.’”

“Wages remain stagnant or are decreasing for the vast majority of people, while a smaller percentage collect the new wealth being generated. Economic stresses contribute to a decline in marriage rates, increases in births outside of two-parent households, and child poverty,” Bishop Dewane added. “Economic instability also hurts the faith community, as Americans who have recently experienced unemployment are less likely to go to church, even though such communities can be a source of great support in difficult times.”

He said, “When a parent — working full time, or even working multiple jobs beyond standard working hours — cannot bring his or her family out of poverty, something is terribly wrong with how we value the work of a person.”

“Pope Francis has said it is ‘inhuman’ that parents must spend so much time working that they cannot play with their children. Surely many wish for more time, but their working conditions do not allow it.”

He quoted St. John Paul II’s encyclical “Centesimus Annus”: “Profit is a regulator of the life of a business, but it is not the only one; other human and moral factors must also be considered which, in the long term, are at least equally important for the life of a business.”

“A culture that obsesses less over endless activity and consumption may, over time, become a culture that values rest for the sake of God and family,” Bishop Dewane said.

He added, “Our Lord’s ‘gaze of love’ embraces men and women who work long hours without rest to provide for their loved ones; families who move across towns, states, and nations, facing the highest risks and often suffering great tragedy in order to find better opportunities; workers who endure unsafe working conditions; low pay and health crises; women who suffer wage disparities and exploitation; and those who suffer the effects of racism in any setting, including the workplace.”

Bishop Dewane suggested several approaches to right the imbalance brought by inequality.

“Worker-owned businesses can be a force for strengthening solidarity, as the Second Vatican Council encouraged businesses to consider ‘the active sharing of all in the administration and profits of these enterprises in ways to be properly determined,’” he said. “The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has helped in the formation of many employee-owned companies which provide jobs in communities where work opportunities may be scarce.”

Workers’ legal rights to “a just wage in exchange for work, to protection against wage theft, to workplace safety and just compensation for workplace injuries, to health care and other benefits, and to organize and engage in negotiations, should be promoted,” he added.

“Workers must be aided to come to know and exercise their legal rights. As an example, CCHD has supported the Don Bosco Workers in Westchester, New York, which has launched a successful campaign to combat wage theft. Persons returning from prison also need support to understand their legal rights as they seek new employment. CCHD has helped the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Cincinnati and elsewhere as they work with returning citizens to find stable and meaningful jobs.”

Labor unions play an important role in this effort, according to Bishop Dewane, as he quoted from Pope Francis’ remarks in June in an audience with delegates from the Confederation of Trade Unions: “There is no good society without a good union, and there is no good union that is not reborn every day in the peripheries, that does not transform the discarded stones of the economy into its cornerstones.”

“Unions must retain and recover their prophetic voice, which ‘regards the very nature itself of the union, its truest vocation. The union is an expression of the prophetic profile of society,’” he said, quoting further from Pope Francis, who added, “The union movement has its great seasons when it is prophecy.” Bishop Dewane added that unions should “resist the temptation of becoming too similar to the institutions and powers that it should instead criticize.”

Bishop Dewane said, “Unions are especially valuable when they speak on behalf of the poor, the immigrant, and the person returning from prison.”

— By Mark Pattison / Catholic News Service

Several organizations have established emergency relief operations for the thousands of people affected by Hurricane Harvey and the floods in Texas and Louisiana.

Contributions can be made to:

• Catholic Charities USA: online at https://catholiccharitiesusa.org; telephone at 800-919-9338; mail to P.O. Box 17066, Baltimore, Maryland, 21297-1066 and write "Hurricane Harvey" in the memo line of the check.
• Texas Catholics Conference is coordinating emergency services. A listing by diocese of where to give has been posted online at https://txcatholic.org/harvey/.
• Local dioceses are expected to initiate special collections during weekend Masses Sept. 2-3 or Sept. 9-10. Funds will benefit Catholic Charities USA's disaster relief efforts as well as pastoral and rebuilding support through the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

— Catholic News Service

On any list of reasons people struggle with faith in our time, a perceived conflict with science would have to be high on it.

Organizers of this year’s annual Diocesan Assembly on Oct. 14 are bringing in a speaker to tackle that misconception directly and show that not only is there is no conflict between the Catholic faith on legitimate science, the two are in harmony with each other.

Joseph Miller

“We see a barrier to people being won for Christ as seeing a perceived incompatibility between faith and reason, or faith and science, that if people don’t think that faith and science are compatible, they tend to hold back in opening up to the possibility of a relationship with God,” said Liz Hoefferle, who directs the office of catechesis for the Diocese of Duluth. “It puts a barrier in place.”

She said that while this misconception most obviously affects those who reject faith based on it, but it also affects people who are trying to live their faith.

“I actually saw a survey result that showed over half of Christians think there is a conflict between faith and reason,” she said. And in the backand- forth of competing ideas, people bounce back and force and become “hesitant to commit.”

“They want to believe in God, but something gets presented to them in science that makes them doubt,” she said.

This becomes a clear obstacle to becoming an “intentional disciple” — someone who says a wholehearted “yes” to God.

But this is unnecessary.

“The beauty of the Catholic faith is we show the compatibility of the two, that what God has created and how he created it is not in conflict with what he’s revealed,” Hoefferle said. “Sometimes we have to learn more about creation and we have to learn more about what he revealed, but they will be compatible, because he did both.”

Indeed, many Catholics have had influential roles in promoting and advancing science, she said.

The right background

Hoefferle said Joseph Miller, who is the featured speaker at the assembly, is in an ideal position to address this topic. His background is in technology, and he was working in Silicon Valley, where he spent two decades working with successful tech start-ups, when he went through a conversion experience that led him back to school to study theology and philosophy. He has worked with FOCUS, an organization dedicated to evangelizing on college campuses.

So “he really brings that background of science and technology, theology, philosophy, and evangelization all together.” she said.

Hoefferle said Miller aims to show how faith and science fit together. “He focuses on the transcendence, that there is something beyond matter and space and time, that there’s scientific evidence for this by the creation of the universe, the order of creation, and even down to the complexity of cell structure,” she said.

She said Miller also draws on internal evidences — experiences common to humanity — to make the point.

“His overarching premise is that there is proof for the transcendent, that there is proof for something beyond the physical world, beyond physical matter,” Hoefferle said.

This year’s Diocesan Assembly is set for Oct. 14 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will again be held at Marshall School in Duluth. The event will include talks, prayer time, Mass, and time for fellowship and community. For registration, see the diocesan website at www.dioceseduluth. org or call the Pastoral Center at (218) 724-9111.

— Kyle Eller / The Northern Cross

Miller to speak at White Mass

In addition to his presentation at the Diocesan Assembly, Joseph Miller will also be giving a talk on “The Four Levels of Happiness” at the White Mass Brunch Oct. 15. The White Mass is an annual liturgy honoring the work of physicians and other health care workers. The brunch and Mass are open to all. For registration information, visit www.duluthcathmed.org.

Statement from Bishop Paul Sirba, of the Diocese of Duluth, issued Aug. 17:

“I join with Catholic bishops across the country in expressing my horror at the political violence and the use of racist and anti-Semitic symbols and slogans that have occurred in recent days. These things are obviously contrary to our country’s best ideals, and they are completely incompatible with the Christian faith. Our faith presents for us a vision of peace and the common good in which the inherent dignity of every person, each of whom God intentionally made in his own image and loves with an infinite love, is revered and welcomed into our communities. We stand alongside all people of good will who work peacefully for that vision and pray for reconciliation and for all who are victims of this violence.”

Saying there is an “urgent need” to address “the sin of racism” in the country and find solutions to it, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has established a new Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism and named one of the country’s African-American Catholic bishops to chair it.

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, USCCB president, initiated the committee Aug. 23 “to focus on addressing the sin of racism in our society, and even in our church, and the urgent need to come together as a society to find solutions.”

Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, responds to a question from a Catholic News Service reporter Aug. 23 outside the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington. Bishop Murry was responding to questions after being named chair of the U.S. bishops’ new Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

He appointed Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Catholic Education, to chair the new ad hoc committee.

“Recent events have exposed the extent to which the sin of racism continues to afflict our nation,” Cardinal DiNardo said in a statement. “The establishment of this new ad hoc committee will be wholly dedicated to engaging the church and our society to work together in unity to challenge the sin of racism, to listen to persons who are suffering under this sin, and to come together in the love of Christ to know one another as brothers and sisters.”

The naming of members to serve on the new body will be finalized in coming days, the USCCB said in an announcement. It added that the committee’s mandate “will be confirmed at the first meeting, expected very shortly.”

“I look forward to working with my brother bishops as well as communities across the United States to listen to the needs of individuals who have suffered under the sin of racism and together find solutions to this epidemic of hate that has plagued our nation for far too long,” Bishop Murry said in a statement.

“Through Jesus’ example of love and mercy, we are called to be a better people than what we have witnessed over the past weeks and months as a nation. Through listening, prayer and meaningful collaboration, I’m hopeful we can find lasting solutions and common ground where racism will no longer find a place in our hearts or in our society.”

The new ad hoc committee also will “welcome and support” implementation of the U.S. bishops’ new pastoral letter on racism, expected to be released in 2018. In 1979, the bishops issued a pastoral in racism titled “Brothers and Sisters to Us,” in which they addressed many themes, but the overall message then as today was “racism is a sin.”

Creation of a new formal body that is part of the USCCB — formed on the USCCB Executive Committee’s “unanimous recommendation” — speaks to how serious the U.S. Catholic Church leaders take the problem of racism in America today.

It is the first ad hoc committee the bishops have established since instituting the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty in 2011 to address growing concerns over the erosion of freedom of religion in America. The federal governments mandate that all employers, including religious employers provide health care coverage of artificial contraceptives and abortifacients was one of the key issues that prompted formation of the committee.

Chaired by Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, that body was elevated to full USCCB committee status during the bishops’ spring assembly in Indianapolis this past June.

In addition to the Executive Committee’s recommendation, the USCCB said, the decision to initiate the new Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism also was made in consultation with members of the USCCB’s Committee on Priorities and Plans.

The formation of the ad hoc committee also follows the conclusion of the work of the Peace in Our Communities Task Force. The task force was formed in July 2016 by then-Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, who was then USCCB president. He initiated it in response to racially related shootings in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as well as in Minneapolis and Dallas.

To head it he named Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta, one of the nation’s African-American prelates who was the first black Catholic bishop to be president of the USCCB (2001-2004).

The task force’s mandate was to explore ways of promoting peace and healing around the country. Archbishop Kurtz also wanted the bishops to look for ways they could help the suffering communities, as well as police affected by the incidents.

On Nov. 14, 2016, during the USCCB’s fall general assembly, Archbishop Gregory told the bishops to issue, sooner rather than later, a document on racism.

“A statement from the full body of bishops on racism is increasingly important at this time,” said the archbishop in reporting on the work of the task force.

He said the president of the bishops’ conference and relevant committees need to “identify opportunities for a shorter-term statement on these issues, particularly in the context of the postelection uncertainty and disaffection.”

He also urged prayer, ecumenical and interfaith collaboration, dialogue, parish-based and diocesan conversations and training, as well as opportunities for encounter.

The bishops’ 1979 pastoral, now in its 19th printing, declared: “Racism is a sin: a sin that divides the human family, blots out the image of God among specific members of that family, and violates the fundamental human dignity of those called to be children of the same Father.”

— Catholic News Service

August 12, 2017

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, of Galveston-Houston, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued the following statement in response to the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia that has left one person dead and at least 19 injured.

Cardinal DiNardo’s full statement follows:

“On behalf of the bishops of the United States, I join leaders from around the nation in condemning the violence and hatred that have now led to one death and multiple injuries in Charlottesville, Virginia. We offer our prayers for the family and loved ones of the person who was killed and for all those who have been injured.  We join our voices to all those calling for calm.

“The abhorrent acts of hatred on display in Charlottesville are an attack on the unity of our nation and therefore summon us all to fervent prayer and peaceful action.  The bishops stand with all who are oppressed by evil ideology and entrust all who suffer to the prayers of St. Peter Claver as we approach his feast day.  We also stand ready to work with all people of goodwill for an end to racial violence and for the building of peace in our communities.

“Last year a Task Force of our Bishops Conference under Archbishop Wilton Gregory proposed prayers and resources to work for unity and harmony in our country and in our Church.  I am encouraging the bishops to continue that work especially as the Feast of St. Peter Claver approaches.”