Blessed Sacrament Church

St. Scholastica Monastery is hitting a major milestone this year — 125 years of prayerful presence and service in the Diocese of Duluth. And they are marking it with a major celebration Sept. 16.

“We joyfully anticipate the celebration of our 125th anniversary as an independent Benedictine Monastery,” said the monastery’s prioress, Benedictine Sister Beverly Raway, in a statement shared with The Northern Cross. “One hundred twenty-five years gives us the opportunity to look back in gratitude and forward in hope to what lies ahead. We are not the same community we were 125 years ago, and yet we are. The 32 women who founded our community promised through a vow of stability to remain faithful to seeking God together, and to work together to fulfill the dream of providing for the needs of the people they were called to serve, especially in health care and education. We have inherited their legacy and celebrate their mission, successfully fulfilled, but like those pioneering women we, who are fewer than we have been, are equally committed and continue to seek God together day by day. And like them, we move forward into an uncharted future with the certainty that God is with us.”

The Benedictine sisters are celebrating at the monastery with special events, including an open house which will take place Sept. 16 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the monastery’s Rockhurst dining room. The sisters will be providing tours, refreshments, conversation, and gratitude.

Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP to monastery@duluthosb.org by Aug. 25.

— The Northern Cross

“We give thanks to God whose power is revealed in nature and whose providence is revealed in history”
— Liturgy of Hours, Sunday Week III, Evening Prayer II

Summer, in the 10 counties that make up the Diocese of Duluth, reveals the power and beauty of God. Even before God reveals himself to man in words of truth, God reveals “himself to him through the universal language of creation, the work of his Word, of his wisdom: the order and harmony of the cosmos — which both the child and the scientist discover” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2500).

Bishop Paul Sirba Fiat Voluntas Tua

God, of course, is more beautiful than the sun, the constellation of stars, and the fragrant rose. His majesty and power is greater than the wind, the waves on the lake, or the thunderstorm.

Beauty speaks its own language. A question was recently posed to me by a dear friend, “Where is beauty in your life?” It is a question I pose to you this summer: Where do you find beauty? I think our reflection on beauty could be fruitful meditation in our prayer. God’s beauty brings healing. It was attributed to St. Teresa of Avila, the Carmelite mystic, that she gave advice to a sister who was feeling the blues, to “go take a walk where the sky is big.” Not only can we be enriched by the beauty of the master artist, but because we have been created in the image of God, we can participate in its expression. Maybe we have little artistic ability, but what we have we can give back to God. We can also support the work of artists. “Man also expresses the truth of his relationship with God the Creator by the beauty of his artistic works” (CCC 2501).

Sacred art, in particular, satisfies our longing for beauty. We can be extravagant with beauty in our church buildings and the celebration of the Divine Liturgy because it gives praise and glory to God, who is worthy of the best we have to offer.

The Magnificat monthly magazine is an example of easy accessible beauty. Not only does the Magnificat make the daily scriptures available to us, but also it is filled with writings from the saints, poetry, and beautiful artwork. I find the descriptions of the great works of art and lesser known ones a welcome read. It has become a place where I find beauty at my fingertips. My gratitude to the inspiration of Dominican Father Peter John Cameron and the staff for this publication.

Nature’s beauty is arresting. How blest we are to be able to live where we do! Do take a few minutes to savor the beauty of God’s creation, to respond to the challenge of Pope Francis to be good stewards of our environment, and to praise God for the gift of the beauty of creation.

Bishop Paul Sirba is the ninth bishop of Duluth.

A new event is coming to the Diocese of Duluth, and everyone is hoping it will rock — the Built Upon a Rock Fest, a free concert featuring two well-known Catholic rock bands, one national and one local, will be held on the grounds of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary Sept. 17.

Led by a team of four lay people — Marie Mullen, Kevin Pilon, David Walsh, and Ben Foster — and with sponsors including parishes across the diocese, the show will feature as its national headliner The Thirsting, a live touring band based out of Portland and known for high energy shows with a powerful Catholic message.

The Aly Aleigha Band

“They have put out two full albums, and last year, they performed on the main stage of World Youth Day in Poland,” said Foster, who is doing marketing for the event. “They have a great rock sound coupled with authentic Catholic lyrics. They sing songs about the Eucharist, Mary, the sacraments, and other truths proclaimed by the church. This is a refreshing contrast to mainstream Christian music and is encouraging and inspiring to hear as Catholics.”

Foster said that Mullen hearing The Thirsting last year is what inspired her to begin the project to bring them to Duluth.

Kicking off the show will be a local artist, The Aly Aleigha Band. She released a full album in September 2016 and received the 2016 “Emerging Artist Award” from Relevant Radio and Abbeyfest in Paoli, Pennsylvania. She works at the University of Minnesota Duluth Newman Center and at the Cathedral in Duluth.

“The Aly Aleigha Band is our opening act, and they are a local band from here in Duluth,” Foster said. “Their music has an Indie-Americana sound that is unique and beautiful. Aly’s lyrics are deep and rooted in Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

Foster said the event’s name is a triple pun, playing off the promise of Jesus to build his church on the “rock” of Peter, the rocky hillside on which the event will take place, and the rock music.

The event’s logo also prominently features imagery representing the Eucharist, and throughout the concert, there will be Eucharistic Adoration taking place, open to anyone who wants to drop in.

“We have enlisted volunteers to be adoring and praying throughout the event for the musicians, volunteers, and all those in attendance at the concert,” Foster said. “We believe this to be powerful and necessary.”

There will also be confession available in the Cathedral after the concert.

Foster said it’s been “a bit of work” to raise the needed funds but that the support from parishes, businesses and other organizations and the enthusiasm generated has been “truly a reflection of the unity and solidarity within the church.”

They estimate an attendance of 1,000 but are hoping for more.

“I would love to see folks from all over the diocese at Built Upon A Rock Fest.”

Foster said the organizers are also hoping Built Upon a Rock will not be just a one-time thing, but they will let God lead.

“Our hope is that Built Upon A Rock Fest can be an annual event that has the potential to grow into a larger festival, if that what God’s will is,” he said.

Get more information at www.builtuponarockfest.com.

— By Kyle Eller / The Northern Cross

Question: My son and his wife have been married nine years and have four children. His wife homeschools their children and wants three more kids, but my son is exhausted when he gets home, and his wife expects him to “take over” while she “takes a break.” She says that the church demands that they have more children. I would support my son if this was all too much and he asked for a divorce.

Answer: Thank you for reaching out and asking this question. There are many factors at play here, and clearly there is a lot here that I am unaware of. Since I do not know your son or his wife, I am only able to make a couple of assumptions. What I will offer you is based off of these assumptions, so please keep that in mind when you read these words.

Father Michael Schmitz Ask Father Mike

First — and this is very important — you need to stay out of this. I understand that you are still his mom and that you care about your son. If there was a helpful step you could take, it would be to direct your son and daughter-in-law to their local priest or to a trusted counselor who could help them resolve this issue. If they were both asking you for help, that could be an occasion where you might be able to help, but in your full letter (not printed here), it is clear that you are on your son’s side.

In this case, the only “side” you get to be on is on the side of their marriage.

Second, you mention that your son’s wife is claiming that the church demands that they have more children. This is incorrect. The church does note that a couple must be open to life within their marriage. Further, the church wisely teaches that every sexual act must be open to life. But the church continues to teach that the husband and wife are called to be responsible parents. If they discern that they are not able to raise more children at this point, then they must come to that conclusion together.

I reiterate: They have demonstrated an openness to life in their marriage already. They are still absolutely forbidden from using contraception. But natural family planning is incredibly effective at observing the church’s teaching while being responsible parents. Note that couples who practice NFP have a dramatically lower divorce rate, reportedly less that 4 percent, compared with the national average, which hovers around 50 percent.

Third, your son is tired. Your daughter- in-law desires more children. They both have good points. Understand that no one is wrong here. If they (the couple, not his mom) decide they want more children together, then that is a good decision. If they (the couple, not his mom) decide that for both of their sakes, they need to avoid pregnancy at the moment, then that can be their decision as well.

But this is between them. If they are at a stalemate, then they should speak with their parish priest or with a counselor or with someone who could help them come to a mutual decision and agreement.

Hopefully your son is a man who does not need his mom to step in and solve things when he and his wife have an issue. That would mean that his parents failed to raise a man who knows how to be a good husband. For you to jump to the conclusion that you would support him if he decides to abandon his wife and children seems quite extreme.

As you know, marriage and family is difficult. Raising children is difficult. When he comes home from work, he should be expected to get to work and care for the children. That is just normal. I believe it is called “being a dad.” At the same time, if he does not believe that he can handle any more children, then he and his wife should be able to talk about this and come to a mutual decision. If his wife has found that, after a day of homeschooling (which is quite difficult) she has no energy, then they could consider a different option for their children’s schooling. If their children went to a Catholic school, it might help with her own tiredness so that she and her husband can work together to take care of the kids when he comes home.

This is where their appealing to a counselor or a local priest could be very helpful. This issue is simply one more big question in life and marriage. If they are going to move forward with this, then they should really seek counseling before he just picks up and abandons his family.

As I noted, I had to make some assumptions in this response. The takeaway that I would like to emphasize has more to do with you than with your son’s marriage. It is a good thing that you continue to love your son. But your role in his life is to help him remain faithful to his marriage vows and to his responsibility to his family — and nothing more. I know that I have said some hard words here. But it is very important that you remember that he belongs to her more than he belongs to you now. Cut the strings.

Father Michael 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.

How do Christians respond to persecution? I refer you to an excellent report prepared in partnership with the University of Notre Dame’s Center for Ethics and Culture, the Religious Freedom Institute, and Georgetown University’s Religious Freedom Research Project. Aid to the Church in Need closely collaborated as well.

“Under Caesar’s Sword: Christian Response to Persecution” is a project that began in 2014 involving world class scholars and first-hand research on Christian responses to persecution in 25 countries. There is a great video documentary accessible on the project’s website, ucs.nd.edu.

Bishop Paul Sirba Fiat Voluntas Tua

Information was distributed at our last bishop’s meeting in June and corresponds well to our ongoing work on religious liberty here and abroad. The statistics are sobering. While not alone, Christians are the most widely targeted religious community, suffering persecution around the globe.

Our brothers and sisters respond with strategies of survival, association, and confrontation. Christian responses to persecution are almost always nonviolent and, with very few exceptions, do not involve acts of terrorism.

In addition to our prayers, becoming educated, and welcoming the immigrant, there is much we can do to help those in need. Recommendations for action are provided for persecuted communities, churches, governments, media, academics, and businesses in the report. Our Fortnight for Freedom and ongoing fight for religious liberty this year can continue with your prayers at the Mass on the Fourth of July and becoming informed through the findings of the Under Caesar’s Sword project on global Christian communities.

Please pray for God’s blessings upon the Totus Tuus teams and our summer youth camps. Hundreds of youths will be accompanied by young missionaries on fire, prayer teams, youth ministers, diocesan leaders, and priests. We are so blest to be able to support parents in their beautiful responsibility to form their sons and daughters in Christ. On behalf of our Office for Indian Ministry, and the parish of St. Charles in Cass Lake, I invite you to a Mass in honor of St. Kateri on her feast day of July 14. Mass is scheduled at 6 p.m., followed by a picnic. I also ask your prayers for the annual Tekakwitha Conference in Rapid City, South Dakota, this July and the delegation from Duluth under the kindly wing of Sister Rose Messingschlager, CDP.

I hope all of you are able to enjoy the natural beauties of our beloved diocese this July. Family time, the lake, a little rest and relaxation are food for the soul. Our Lord went fishing with his disciples, and we are so blest to do what Jesus did here in Minnesota. Truth, goodness, and beauty are a recipe for a great summer. Peace!

Bishop Paul Sirba is the ninth bishop of Duluth.

Some people consider philosophical arguments about God’s existence a dry, pointless exercise unlikely to convince anyone.

I’m not one of those people — I have no right to be, given that God used those kinds of debates in my own faith journey quite dramatically.

Kyle Eller Mere Catholicism

Reason, far from being an opponent of faith, is a powerful supporter of it, and far from being something dry and abstract, the reasoned evidences for God’s existence often provide real spiritual fruit when we meditate on them in the light of faith.

To show what I mean, consider one of my favorite arguments for God’s existence, known as the “Argument from Desire.” This has been advanced by people like St. Thomas Aquinas, C.S. Lewis, and others, and it’s found in St. Augustine and even the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The person I have heard make it most powerfully is Peter Kreeft, from whom I am, no doubt, liberally borrowing here.

The argument goes something like this: For every natural, innate, universal human desire, there is a fulfillment somewhere. This doesn’t mean all our desires in fact get fulfilled; sometimes they don’t. It just means fulfillment exists in principle. We get hungry; food exists. We get tired; there’s such a thing as sleep. Go down the list and see for yourself. For our basic itches, something exists that scratches it.

Yet there’s an apparent exception to that rule — a big one. It’s a desire that we might struggle even to name, but it’s something like deep, abiding, unshakable happiness, joy, and contentment. We could almost say it’s the point of all those other desires, and yet satisfying those other desires never fills it.

In fact, as Kreeft points out, we notice this unfulfilled longing most of all not when our other desires are unfulfilled but precisely at the moments when they are most fulfilled, at our “peak moments,” when something terrific has happened. That’s when we sense most clearly that “something” that is still missing.

It’s as if someone is whispering in our ears, “Nope, that wasn’t it either.”

Across times and cultures, poets and philosophers, there is ample testimony that nothing on earth fills this deepest longing. So we can only conclude that what fulfills it is something transcending this earth, and that, of course, is ultimately God and beatitude with him in heaven.

It’s what the Catechism of the Catholic Church is alluding to when it mentions the human person’s “longing for the infinite and for happiness” (32) as evidences right within ourselves for God’s existence. Surely there is an element of it in St. Augustine’s cry that God has made us for himself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in him.

This is obviously not like a mathematical proof. It’s inductive reasoning, meaning that it is an argument that supplies strong evidence, not an absolute proof.

But it’s a powerful and compelling argument. As Kreeft points out in one of his lectures, it’s pretty easy to see just using our imaginations. Suppose heaven really were the way some people talk about it, just sort of an endless procession of getting all the earthly stuff we want, forever. How long would it take to get bored of that? A week? A month?

Pope Benedict XVI made a similar point in his under-appreciated encyclical “Spe Salvi,” when he noted that heaven is not just an “unending succession of days in the calendar, but something more like the supreme moment of satisfaction, in which totality embraces us and we embrace totality.” He goes on to describe it as “like plunging into the ocean of infinite love, a moment in which time — the before and after — no longer exists. We can only attempt to grasp the idea that such a moment is life in the full sense, a plunging ever anew into the vastness of being, in which we are simply overwhelmed with joy.”

That’s what we are longing for. And it is not here, at least not fully, not yet.

It seems to me there is great spiritual power in coming to appreciate the truth of this argument. For one, it could be an aid in temptation. There’s a famous quote (wrongly attributed to G.K. Chesterton; it’s really from an author named Bruce Marshall) that goes, “… The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God.” But of course the brothel doesn’t work — no more than money, fame, power, or all the rest work to fill that God-shaped hole. The world is full of empty promises, and it’s helpful to remember that.

But more powerfully, it is a real cause for hope. I like to think of this infinite desire as a kind of homing beacon, built into us by our maker to help bring us home to him. God put this desire there because he wants to satisfy it. If we cooperate with him, by his grace, someday he really will.

In fact, he begins even now. This life is often a “vale of tears,” and not “life in the full sense,” but when we rest in God, in prayer and in the sacraments and in meeting Christ in the poor, we really do get a foretaste of what is promised to us.

Kyle Eller is editor of The Northern Cross. Reach him at keller@dioceseduluth.org.

The events honoring the 100th anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima will continue Thursday with two events in Duluth.

At the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, 2801 E. Fourth St., there will be a led rosary before the 7 a.m. Mass and a led rosary at 5:30 p.m.

At St. Benedict’s Church, 1419 Arrowhead Road, Mass begins at 5:30 p.m., and at the conclusion there will be exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. Led by Father Joel Hastings, there will be a reading of the story of the July 13 apparition, followed by time for silent prayer, and then the rosary will be prayed at 7 p.m., followed by Benediction at around 7:30 p.m.

There are a couple of key job openings in the Diocese of Duluth that you may want to know about or share with friends and family. Full details, along with other job opportunities, are available on the jobs page of the diocesan website.

First, Stella Maris Academy, the new unified Catholic school on multiple campuses in Duluth, is hiring a business manager responsible for maintaining accounting and human resources processes for the school. The school is looking for a candidate with a bachelor's degree in accounting or business administration, an understanding of Excel, Word, and other Microsoft programs, and 5-10 years of relevant experience. For a full job description, contact Cynthia Zook. Application available on the jobs page. Email all resumes and applications to czook@dioceseduluth.org.

Second, the Diocese of Duluth is searching for a director of stewardship responsible for fostering intentional giving of time, talent, and treasure in support of the apostolic ministry of the church. This position will be based out of Duluth at the Pastoral Center and is full-time. Preferred education and experience: baccalaureate degree and/or experience with development or marketing, sales, volunteers, and nonprofit organizations. Must have demonstrated excellence in organization and communication skills. Please see the jobs page for the application and contact Mary Rasch in Human Resources for a full job description.

Fathers Jeremy Bock, Beau Braun, and Steven Langenbrunner were ordained before an overflow congregation at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary June 9. Bishop Paul Sirba, in his homily, noted that Father Bock said he had initially resisted God’s call in the diocesan vocations prayer. “The Hound of Heaven won, thank God,” he said.

He noted that Father Braun — whose brother, Father Drew Braun, is a diocesan priest — joined other sets of brothers in the Diocese of Duluth presbyterate, including the bishop himself, who joked that his brother, Father Joseph Sirba, “insists he’s the only one who’s persevered in his vocation.”

From left, Father Drew Braun, Duluth Bishop Paul Sirba, Father Jeremy Bock, and Father Steven Langenbrunner pose after the bishop ordained the three men to the priesthood June 9 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary. (Kyle Eller / The Northern Cross)

And the bishop highlighted Father Langenbrunner’s association with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist during their service in the diocese.

“All three of you reflect the fruit of good and holy marriages in our diocese,” he told the three men.

He reminded them to trust in Jesus to bring his work in them to fulfillment, and echoing Pope Francis, he urged them to be good examples, not encumber the faithful with unbearable burdens, and “be joyful, never sad.”

Bishop Sirba said that the secular world says we can create a happy world by ourselves, but that is false. “The truth is there will be no happiness in our hearts or in our world without Jesus Christ,” he said. “… Between Christ and despair, there is no middle ground.”

Father Bock, whose father, Deacon Gerald Bock, proclaimed the Gospel at the ordination, joins several diocesan priests who are the sons of permanent deacons. He is assigned as parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Mary Star of the Sea in Duluth, effective July 12.

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Father Braun, whose brother assisted in vesting him, will serve as parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament in Hibbing.

Father Langenbrunner, who served several years as a permanent deacon for Queen of Peace Church in Cloquet before discerning his call to the priesthood, will serve as parochial vicar at St. James in Duluth for his first assignment.

— By Kyle Eller / The Northern Cross

Bishop Paul D. Sirba has announced the following clergy assignments, effective July 12, 2017.

Father Seamus Walsh: pastor of St. John, Grand Marais, and Holy Rosary, Grand Portage, to retirement.

Father William Fider: pastor of St. Lawrence, St. Joseph, and Holy Family, Duluth, to retirement.

Father Ryan Moravitz: pastor of Immaculate Heart, Crosslake, and St. Emily, Emily, to pastor of St. Lawrence, St. Joseph, and Holy Family, Duluth.

Father Blake Rozier: parochial vicar of St. James, Duluth, to pastor of Immaculate Heart, Crosslake, and St. Emily, Emily.

Father Drew Braun: pastor of St. Mary, Cook; St. Martin, Tower; and Holy Cross, Orr, to pastor of St. John, Grand Marais, and Holy Rosary, Grand Portage.

Father Nicholas Nelson: parochial vicar of Blessed Sacrament, Hibbing, to pastor of St. Mary, Cook; St. Martin, Tower; and Holy Cross, Orr.

Father Francis Kabiru: pastor of St. Agnes, Walker, and Sacred Heart, Hackensack, to administrator of St. Michael, Duluth.

Father Timothy Lange: parochial vicar of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Mary Star of the Sea, Duluth, to pastor of St. Agnes, Walker, and Sacred Heart, Hackensack.

Father Jeremy Bock: seminarian to ordained priest and parochial vicar at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Mary Star of the Sea, Duluth.

Father Beau Braun: seminarian to ordained priest and parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament, Hibbing.

Father Steven Langenbrunner: seminarian to ordained priest and parochial vicar at St. James, Duluth.