Blessed Sacrament Church

Catholics who would like to help save the lives of unborn children and to protect their mothers from the devastation of abortion can make a real difference on Sunday, Jan. 22. The annual MCCL March for Life will begin at 2 p.m. on the State Capitol grounds. The Diocese of Duluth is again planning to take a bus to participate in the event.

The 2017 March for Life, sponsored by Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, commemorates the 44th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton U.S. Supreme Court decisions that legalized abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. These devastating rulings have resulted in the deaths of more than 59 million unborn children, including more than 625,000 in Minnesota.

“Abortion is the greatest human rights issue of our time,” said MCCL Executive Director Scott Fischbach. “We encourage Catholics throughout Minnesota to speak up for the sanctity of human life by participating in the MCCL March for Life.”

Each year on Jan. 22, citizens march and call on lawmakers to enact protective legislation. The 2017 legislative session begins Jan. 2. Citizens can encourage their lawmakers to attend the MCCL March for Life. Prominent pro-life state and national officials are expected to attend the March.

The Diocese of Duluth Office of Marriage and Family Life will again be sponsoring buses bound for the annual march in the Twin Cities. The day will begin with 9:15 a.m. Mass at St. Mary Star of the Sea in Duluth celebrated by Bishop Paul Sirba. The group will board the bus after Mass and arrive at the state Capitol to join in on the March for Life. The cost to attend this event is $5 per person. Diocesan officials anticipate arriving back in Duluth by 6:30 p.m. Children are encouraged to participate. For more information or to reserve a place on the bus go at www.dioceseduluth.org or call the Pastoral Center at (218) 724-9111.

Every pro-life voice is needed to demonstrate that the pro-life movement is as strong as ever, MCCL officials say. They ask Catholics to help make this the largest, most effective MCCL March for Life by attending this one-hour event with your family and friends. Marchers will be provided with pro-life signs on the Capitol Mall. In case of severe weather, check the MCCL website (www.mccl.org) and Twin Cities news outlets or contact MCCL at mccl@mccl.org or (612) 825-6831.

The 2 p.m. start time is later than usual because it is a Sunday. Buses are expected to come from across Minnesota. For more information, visit www.mccl.org, e-mail mccl@mccl.org or call (612) 825-6831.

— The Northern Cross

As we begin the New Year 2017, we pray the Lord gives us the courage to welcome every stranger as Christ in our midst. January begins with the great Church feast days celebrating life, family and the stranger.

Bishop Paul Sirba Fiat Voluntas Tua

We began the year with the Feast of Mary the Mother of God. I am moved by the words of a spiritual writer by the name of Thomas Merton, who once wrote, “The Annunciation was not so much a vision as an earthquake in which God moved the universe and unsettled the spheres, and the beginning and end of all things came before her in her deepest heart.” The life in the womb was none other than the Word made flesh, and “God awoke in the heart of the girl of Nazareth and moved within her like a giant” (”The Ascent of Truth,” p. 317).

On Jan. 22, we will board the bus to the State Capital again to witness to all human life in the womb. Please consider joining us. In addition to all the wonderful prolife work going on in the diocese, we will also affirm and support lives born and pray to end abortion.

The human right to life — which is the foundation of every other right — implies, among other things, the right to emigrate. It is not an absolute right, but a dignified existence that preserves life requires food, shelter, clothing and opportunity for work. Sadly, so much of our world faces war, violence against the human person, religious persecution and a lack of basic necessities for life. People strive for a better life for their families. Can you blame them?

Since 2009, the Catholic bishops of Minnesota have designated the Feast of Our Lord’s Epiphany, this year Jan. 8, as “Immigration Sunday.” It coincides with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ National Migration Week 2017. We can never forget that the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph left Bethlehem out of fear for the life of the Christ Child. They fled to Egypt, a foreign country and a place of refuge. Can we forget the needs of our brothers and sisters in similar circumstances today? “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).

Pope Francis is the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina. Spanish is his first language. While his conviction about immigration is personal, it has also been formed in continuity with Popes Leo XIII, St. John XXIII, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and the Church’s social teaching. He knows that forced displacement of people is at the highest level since World War II, with more than 65 million people displaced around the world.

In his letter for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (Jan. 15), he felt compelled to draw attention to the reality of child migrants, especially the ones who are alone. Children are increasingly at risk to human trafficking, forced labor and separation from their families.

When Pope Francis visited the Italian island of Lampedusa, he reminded the world that we have become a “society that has forgotten the experience of weeping,” of “suffering with” displaced persons seeking a better life for their families. He called on the Lord to “wipe out [whatever attitude] of Herod that remains in our hearts” and to ask for the grace to “weep over our indifference, to weep over the cruelty in the world, in ourselves, and even in those who anonymously make socioeconomic decisions that open [the] way to tragedies” that erect barriers to authentic human development for our migrant brothers and sisters.

The Church has a responsibility, based on the teachings and example of Jesus, to treat everyone as a brother and sister. Jesus demanded that we love even our enemies. The U.S. bishops don’t condone illegal immigration or unlawful entry that bypasses our nation’s immigration laws. The USCCB supports our nation’s duty to regulate its borders for the common good, ensuring the safety of our people. But we also argue that our immigration system is out of touch with many present realities and needs to be reformed. I’m told close family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents face interminable separations, sometimes of 20 years or longer, due to backlogs of available visas. Our economy makes use of foreign labor but doesn’t provide sufficient means for the workers to do so legally. Millions of people live within our borders in an unauthorized capacity, and we haven’t figured out what to do about that. We need to find a way forward.

I am grateful for the work of the Minnesota Catholic Conference and encourage you to check out the materials they have prepared for this year’s Immigration Sunday. You can learn much about the issue by visiting the online resources on the Minnesota Catholic Conference Advocacy Area pages: Migration (www.mncatholic.org/advocacy-areas/ migration) or Immigration Sunday MN (www.mncatholic.org/immigrationsunday)

There is so much to do and reflect upon. We are also asked to pray and live mercifully, that when we encounter the other, we see in him or her the face of Jesus Christ.

Bishop Paul D. Sirba is the ninth bishop of Duluth.

Here’s an item of interest to area Catholics that came in too late to make it into the January Northern Cross: The Argument of the Month Club is coming to Duluth via livestream.

The “Argument Of The Month” brings men together for the purpose of teaching and defending the Catholic faith through debate and discussion on current issues of faith, politics and culture while enjoying great food in the fellowship of other men.

This program that was only available at St. Augustine Church in St Paul is now available in Duluth. On Tuesday, Jan. 10, beginning at 6:30 p.m., for the first time the event will be live streamed in Duluth at Dubh Linn’s Irish Pub, 109 W. Superior St. Cost is $20, which includes a meal and the debate. You can RSVP to Deacon Carl Provost, (218) 624-4400, by Jan. 8 to reserve your spot.

Here is the link to the St. Paul group site to see more of what it’s about http://www.aotmclub.com.

We recently had a funeral for a family member. I was a bit annoyed by how much the priest talked about Jesus and how little he talked about the person who died. Isn’t the funeral supposed to be more of a celebration of the person’s life?

You bring up a phenomenal point. Most funerals are exactly what you were expecting. They are either crafted to be a “celebration of life” or as a way to “formalize” one’s goodbye. But this isn’t what a funeral is primarily about.

Father Michael Schmitz Ask Father Mike

Don’t get me wrong. A family that wants to celebrate the life of its deceased relative is doing something right in wanting to remember the one they love and to say their goodbyes. Those are good and significant things to do in the midst of pain, loss and sorrow.

But they are not the only things. In fact, they are not even the most important reasons we celebrate Catholic funeral Masses. One might say that there are four principle reasons for a funeral Mass.

Father Paul Scalia, at the funeral Mass for his father, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, stood up to give the homily, and after a few words of introduction and thanks, began by stating, “We are gathered here because of one man. A man known personally to many of us, known only by reputation to even more. A man loved by many, scorned by others. A man known for great controversy, and for great compassion. That man, of course, is Jesus of Nazareth.”

Obviously, everyone in the church had originally thought that Father Scalia was talking about his own father. But Father Scalia knew who the real focus of the funeral Mass is: God. The first reason for a funeral Mass is the worship and praise of God.

The funeral Mass is not where the priest or deacon gets to “canonize” the deceased, although the temptation is very strong to offer that kind of false consolation. All of us are tempted to say things like, “So-and-so is in heaven now ....” But we can’t possibly know that! There might be a lot of good things to say about someone, but we are most often in the dark regarding the state of their soul. So, while we may reference the deceased, it is always in relation to Jesus.

The funeral Mass, like everything we do as Catholics, is all about Jesus. I think that we might have a bit more clarity if we realized that this is the case for every celebration in the church. Baptism isn’t about the person getting baptized, it’s about how Jesus is making that person a new creation. First Holy Communion is not about the young people coming forward, it’s about how Jesus is nourishing them with his very self. Confirmation is not about the person “taking a step,” it’s about how Jesus is commissioning them and filling them with the Holy Spirit.

The second purpose of the Catholic funeral Mass is to thank God for his endless mercy. Before he died, Justice Scalia wrote these words, “Even when the deceased was an admirable person, indeed especially when the deceased was an admirable person, praise for his virtues can cause us to forget that we are praying for and giving thanks for God’s inexplicable mercy to a sinner.” Consider that the next time you are invited to attend a funeral: You are there to thank God for the inexplicable mercy he has given to the sinner whose body is in the casket.

Third, we are called to proclaim and renew our own faith in Jesus Christ. Whenever we celebrate the eucharistic sacrifice, we “proclaim his death and resurrection until he comes again.” This is eminently true when it comes to the funeral liturgy. We profess that Jesus Christ has conquered death by his own death and resurrection, and we renew our own participation in that great mystery.

Last, and above all, the primary reason we celebrate the Eucharist for the deceased at a funeral is to pray for them. The Mass is the most powerful and life-giving prayer God has ever given to us. When someone has died, unless they have chosen hell, they are most likely in need of purification before entering heaven. This purification can be difficult and painful. The Mass aids the person for whom we are praying.

There is great grief and sorrow when it comes to death, especially when the one who has died is someone we love. Have you ever been in that situation where you just wish that they would come back so that you might be able to help them in some way or do something to demonstrate your love for them? You can.

We offer Masses for our deceased loved ones because we believe that this actually does something. It makes a difference for them. When we pray for someone who has died, we are assisting them in their process of purification en route to Heaven. In what way could you possibly love them more?

The funeral Mass is a chance to say goodbye and to celebrate the life of the person you’ve loved. But it is also far more. It is the chance to worship God and to thank him for his inexplicable mercy, to proclaim and renew our faith in Jesus Christ, and to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that will immensely bless the person who has died.

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.

Apologetics as a form of teaching and defending the Catholic faith is very ancient. In fact, many Scripture scholars believe the Gospel of Luke was originally written as an apologetic teaching. In the earliest Christian period, apologetics was a way of responding to pagan accusations, so the earliest apologists were defending the church from pagan persecution.

Father Richard Kunst Apologetics

But that is not the way apologetics is viewed or practiced in the modern world. Though some may say we live in a pagan world, or at least in a world of pagan values, the fact is that there are very few people in our neck of the woods who are worshiping many gods. Today, when we think of apologetics as a form of teaching, we tend to understand it as a form of justifying particularly Catholic beliefs and practices. So instead of defining ourselves in contrast to pagan belief, Catholic apologetics most often is defending particularly Catholic teaching in response to non-Catholic Christian faith and practices.

Having written these apologetics columns for more than 11 years now, I have certainly covered all the classic apologetic subjects and then some. Most of the big differences between Catholics and non-Catholic Christian religions are things like Eucharistic theology, the veneration of Mary and the saints, the dogma of purgatory, the sacraments (especially confession). Other big differences are apostolic succession and the role of the pope, the “brothers of the Lord,” the “extra” books in Catholic Bibles, the rosary and other sacramentals, sola scriptura and biblical interpretation, the Sign of the Cross, and a handful of others.

All of these have been covered in this column over the years. Each of these topics has a logical and historical explanation. Every single Catholic Church teaching and practice is logical. Apologetics is the way we connect the dots to make things clear.

All that being said, there is one, solitary response from the Catholic perspective that would cover all these subjects. If and when you ever come across a friend, family member or coworker who is questioning your Catholic faith, you need remember only one response. And it is all about history.

The Protestant Reformation began in the early 16th century, and since then it has led to a mesmerizing splintering of Christianity, to the point that there are some 35,000 different denominations today. That is crazy, and I can assure you it is not what Jesus intended when he established his church. There is plenty of blame to go around for this, but what is important is the time of the Reformation: the 16th century.

Catholic belief on all the classic apologetic subjects listed above is of ancient origin. With very little evolution over 20 centuries, what we believe and practice as Catholics has remained the same. One example among countless examples is the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. That church was built in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary 1,000 years before Martin Luther was around. Veneration of Mary has been a part of Christian spirituality since the first generation after her Assumption. The Catholic Church has not changed — what we do and believe has remained constant.

So here is the point: When a non-Catholic Christian challenges you about any classic apologetics subject, you really need only one response: We have always held the same belief. For 1,500 years before the Reformation we were united in faith. So why, after 15 centuries, did Protestants stop believing? Catholics did not change; Protestants did. So the burden of proof lies on them, not on Catholics.

So when someone asks you, “Why do Catholic believe in Purgatory?” — or fill in the blank — the response should be, “Why did you stop believing? Why, after 1,500 years of all of us believing the same thing, did you stop? What evidence came forward that made you decide to stop believing in the Immaculate Conception or other Catholic beliefs?”

Because we as Catholics have always held the same belief for 2,000 years, our belief is not the one that needs defending. The persons who have changed the constant faith are the ones who are to defend. And that truly is the “catch-all” response for those who question the Catholic creed.

Father Richard Kunst is pastor of St. John the Evangelist in Duluth and St. Joseph in Gnesen. Reach him at rbkunst@q.com.

On Election Day, I made a Holy Hour at my parish, sitting with Jesus for a while. I didn’t pray for any specific outcome in the elections, but rather, I held up to him all the rancor, all the division, all the evil talk, all the scandal, all the weaponized ideology, all the difficult problems facing us, all the hardheartedness, all the barely suppressed contempt and hatred, and asked his mercy on us.

Kyle Eller Mere Catholicism

God makes paths through the tangled wilderness of life that we simply can’t see. I have experienced this many times, placing murky situations in his hands and trusting him to make a way. So it is here.

One of the things that came to my heart most powerfully during that hour of prayer was the need to be peacemakers after the election. That’s, of course, one of the beatitudes, and one of the definitive marks of the Christian life, and we all know this. But it’s hard to do right now.

A few days ago, I read a column in the Minneapolis Star Tribune by a guy who had decided to cut from his life every person who voted for the candidate he opposed. He had disinvited someone from Thanksgiving dinner and had, via text message, told a relative, “We are done.” He knew the exact number of people in his precinct who voted for, in his view, the wrong person, and seemed disgusted to have to share a neighborhood, a city, a universe with Them.

That is just a dramatic case study for what is happening on a broad scale across political lines, and in fact has been happening for years. Yes, many people are seeing it in their city streets now. But it’s been happening in people’s Facebook friends lists for a long time. We seem to be coming apart, segregating ourselves, unable to reconcile our differences. Apart from a few odd ducks like me, we’re a 50-50 country, each half wanting little to do with the other.

I suspected before the election that the disturbing candidates we had chosen were a reflection of the problem, not the cause, and that the final tally would not solve anything. That has proven true, unfortunately. I have outspoken, often thoughtful friends on social media with a wide variety of points of view, and it’s as much a war zone today as it was Nov. 5. My liberal friends and my conservative friends seem to be living in entirely different realities.

So here are some preliminary thoughts on how we can be peacemakers in the midst of it.

Know what peace is: Peace, in the Christian sense of the term, is not just going with the flow and trying to avoid conflict. It’s the tranquility that comes from a just order. So we cannot make peace by abandoning our convictions, abandoning the search for justice, but we can express and act on our convictions in peaceful ways.

Remember human dignity and solidarity: That notion that it’s intolerable having to breath the same air as someone who votes or thinks the wrong way? It’s from the devil. (Seriously.) Everyone we encounter is a masterpiece of God’s creation, someone he wills and loves from all eternity with a purity we cannot comprehend. We get nothing right if we get that wrong. One of the ways we “go to the margins” is meeting people where they are. We, as Catholics, often feel politically homeless, but we should make other people feel at home. We might even take St. Therese of Lisieux as a model, deliberately seeking out those who bother us as people to love.

Speak less, listen more: One of the greatest gifts we can give a person is really listening. Many people on both sides feel afraid or isolated or lost. Many feel misunderstood. Listening can really help. It can even calm anger. Listen more and our fewer words will be wiser, better ones.

Show mercy: Ever since that Holy Hour, I find myself drawn to a devotion I had let slip, the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Others have mentioned this to me as well. The Year of Mercy has passed, but mercy is still our path. Amid the rancor, we can forgive. We can bear wrongs patiently. We can console and encourage and ease people’s doubts. We can offer hope and meaning. We can genuinely pray for people, especially the ones we might struggle to like.

Humbly, meekly trust God: Sometimes it feels like we have to win at all costs, whether it’s an election or an argument or a cause or even someone’s respect, but that’s not true. We have to be faithful, self-sacrificing, loving and diligent in doing our best. But winning is, finally, God’s job, and nothing that happens is a surprise to him or beyond his ability to handle. Jesus is our peace, and if we stay close to him, peace is what we will have.

Have joy: When we measure the events of this world by the Paschal Mystery — by the cross and resurrection of Jesus — we discover there is no need for fear and gloom. We can approach even our difficulties with joy. If we are “sour-faced saints,” it suggests we are not really living in God’s will, after all.

Obviously, all of this is easier said than done. (I certainly have my failures.) But I believe if we do our best, God will meet us in our efforts, despite our halting steps and stumbles.

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

By Kyle Eller
The Northern Cross

Bishop Paul Sirba ordained three men, Gerald Bock, Michael Eisenbraun and John Specht, permanent deacons in a Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary Nov. 20, urging them to help form intentional disciples, rebuild marriage and perform works of service, love and mercy in the church and in the world.

From left, Deacons Gerald Bock, John Specht and Michael Eisenbraun pose with Bishop Paul Sirba following their ordination Mass Nov. 20. (Buzzy Winter / For The Northern Cross)

“As deacons you bridge two worlds,” he said in his ordination homily. “You will serve as Christ the servant in your duties at the altar and as deacons in the workplace, raising families. We need you! As your bishop, I need you. Canon law enumerates the duties of the bishop. Without the Lord, priests and deacons and other collaborators they are impossible to fulfill. I am so grateful to my deacons and their wives to help me shoulder the load.”

After citing the many liturgical and ministry roles of deacons, he added some priorities. “I especially ask your help in rebuilding marriage and family life in our diocese,” he said. He said the fight for religious liberty requires us to witness to God in the public square.

And he echoed Sherry Weddell’s recent call to the diocese in evangelization. “The Kingdom of God demands discipleship. You will become instrumental in helping form men and women from our parishes to become intentional disciples. In our increasingly post-Christian society, we cannot become complacent in our spiritual lives. We are called to dedicate ourselves to prayer, building up our families and our parish communities to bring healing to our broken world.”

Deacon Bock, who serves at St. Andrew in Brainerd, is a native of Brainerd who earlier in life considered a possible call to the priesthood during his time in the Army. That time, serving in Maryland near where St. Elizabeth Ann Seton started her ministry and near the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, was key. “I spent a lot of time at the Grotto during my years in the military,” he said. “My faith life really took off during these years.”

He married his wife Cindy a year after leaving the Army, and they have three sons and one daughter. One son, Jeremy, is to be ordained to the priesthood next year in the diocese and served as the vesting clergy for his father at the ordination. He says his call to the permanent diaconate came with the assistance of another deacon, Mike Koechleler.

Deacon Bock says he is drawn to ministering in nursing homes and bringing Communion to people’s homes, being with people who are grieving, and helping people learn to “pray better so they come to have a relationship with Jesus and to know him.”

Deacon Eisenbraun and his wife Laura are both from South Dakota, where they met at Catholic school in Sioux Falls, O’Gorman High School. They have been married 39 years and have four adult children and a solid foundation as Catholics, he said, with involvement in Marriage Encounter and Cursillo.

The new deacon, from St. James in Aitkin, says his call to the diaconate came from an actual phone call. “I never really thought about becoming a deacon,” he said. “I was very content with my life as it was. However God had other plans. I guess you could say that I was ‘called’ (literally) when an acquaintance that I had worked with on a retreat called me out of the blue and invited me to an informational meeting about the diaconate formation program.”

That began a journey that involved learning a lot more about his faith. He said as “cradle Catholics” they thought they knew their faith, “but boy were we wrong. … The Catholic Church is rich with Traditions and Scripture that have withstood the test of time, some of which we had forgotten or simply did not understand.” And he had not been in school in three decades, and he spent his first three years in formation looking for a sign “that God was no longer interested in me serving in this capacity.” He says his fears and uncertainties were taken away and replaced with confidence in his call last November, when he served at the ordination Mass for the previous class of deacons.

“I look forward serving God in whatever capacity he asks of me,” Deacon Eisenbraun said. “I feel called to minister to the home-centered and elderly, and I hope to share the love that I have for the Lord with all those that I encounter. I want to be ‘the light that shines in dark places.’”

An Eveleth native, Deacon Specht joins a list of recent deacons from St. Benedict in Duluth. He and his wife Debbie have two sons. He comes from a devout family and especially credits his mother and grandmother, “who showed me a great love of the Lord.”

“My journey to the diaconate started while learning the Latin Mass, when Deacon Scott Peters asked me if I had ever considered the diaconate,” he said. “And the rest is history.”

He says formation was a “rewarding and educational time” and that he often did not feel worthy of the calling. “But through the grace of God all the road blocks that I had put up or encountered God has removed for me,” he said.

He continues to be drawn to the liturgy and to prayer groups he has begun in the parish. “I hope to expand on my prayer groups and bring the love of the liturgy to more young people,” he said. “I hope the intercessory group will flourish, as it is a much needed entity for a parish life.”

He said he also expects to be open to whatever God asks in his ministry. And he hopes to continue to assist his pastor, Father Joel Hastings, in his efforts to foster the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Benedict.

The pillar of cloud was both light and darkness, a cloud to lead the Chosen People during the day and a pillar of fire by night. It was a manifestation of God’s presence among His people. The pillar of cloud was said to have rested over the tabernacle of the covenant during encampment, rose as a signal that camp was to be broken, preceded the people during the day’s march and stopped where they were to pitch their tents.

Bishop Paul Sirba Fiat Voluntas Tua

At the crossing of the Red Sea, as recorded in the book of Exodus, “the column of cloud, moving from in front of them, took up its place behind them, so that it came between the Egyptian army and that of Israel. And when it became dark, the cloud illumined the night” (Exodus 14: 19).

St. Paul considered the cloud a type of baptism when he said, “I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (1 Corinthians 10: 1-2).

Our Advent journey is one of both light and darkness. We experience darkness in our world in the shortened days of winter. We also experience darkness in our human poverty and pain and in all the world’s problems, rooted in our sins. But we are people of hope. For us, the light always shines in the darkness. Our light is Jesus Christ! Christ is the light of the world. With our Advent wreathes we mark the passage of years when the Chosen People waited for the coming of the Messiah. When we light each candle, we remember this. Advent helps us to prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the light of the world — God from God, light from light. Our prayers and good deeds, our sacrifices and offerings offer the brightness of love to our brothers and sisters in their need.

It was pointed out to me by a priest friend that in the daylight, on a clear day, you can see for miles, but at night you can see light years. How is it that the sun, which provides light during the day, causes you to go blind if you look directly at it? The more powerful the light, the less equipped our eyes are to handle it.

So, too, in the spiritual life. What has been described by mystics as the dark night of the senses/soul is a progression or deepening of the spiritual life. St. Teresa of Calcutta experienced the dark night of faith yet radiated the love of Jesus to all around her. The closer we get to God as He is in Himself, light is shrouded in darkness. We must walk by faith and not by sight.

Soon, very soon, we will be celebrating Christmas. At a time we least expect it, we will encounter the Lord of glory at His second coming. When the angels announced His birth, the glory of the Lord shone round about them. When He comes again, He will ride on the clouds of heaven and His Kingdom will have no end.

As the pillar of cloud accompanied God’s Chosen People into the Promised Land, Jesus Christ the light of the world accompanies us, saves us, and has mercy upon us on our journey to the Kingdom. Maranatha, come Lord Jesus! Emmanuel, God is with us!

Bishop Paul D. Sirba is the ninth bishop of Duluth.

At the beginning of the month of November we have much for which to be thankful! In spite of the difficulties and challenges of our times, God calls us to be grateful.

National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW) is an annual week-long celebration of thanks for vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, religious life and good and holy marriages in our diocese and across our nation. From Nov. 6-12, 2016, we try to raise awareness and encourage young people to ask the question: “To what vocation in life is God calling me?”

Bishop Paul Sirba Fiat Voluntas Tua

Pope Francis has said: “Responding to God’s call means allowing Him to help us leave ourselves and our false security behind, and to strike out on the path which leads to Jesus Christ, the origin and destiny of our life and our happiness” (April 26, 2015, World Prayer for Vocations).

Again and again, studies have shown the role positive encouragement plays in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Parishes and schools across the nation are invited to include prayer and special activities for vocation awareness.

Our vocations prayer which is said so faithfully across the diocese has continued to bear great fruit. Thank you! Our vocations office has put together posters, a daily prayer calendar perfect for the refrigerator and a prayer card. Last year’s picture had me standing with the seminarians and Father Ryan Moravitz by the Aerial Lift Bridge with a big boat called “American Courage” going by. This year we are all inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary with smiles on our faces, ready to be of service to the Lord and to you.

In addition to our diocesan resources, more information and resources for National Vocations Awareness Week, including a prayer card, suggested prayers of the faithful and bulletin-ready quotes are available online at www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/national-vocation-awareness-week.cfm.

On Nov. 13, the Diocese of Duluth will conclude the Jubilee Year of Mercy with Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary at 10:30 a.m. Our Holy Father Pope Francis will conclude the Year the following Sunday at St. Peter’s in Rome on Nov. 20. Again, we have so much to take away from the celebration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. I pray God’s mercy will sanctify us and ever more deeply inform our spiritual lives.

Three men will be ordained to the permanent diaconate on Nov. 20. Gerald Bock, Michael Eisenbraun and John Specht will be ordained to the Order of Deacon and begin service in the Diocese of Duluth.

I invite all of you to hold my staff, and the legal team that is representing us in the bankruptcy process, in prayer during the second full week of November. We begin our next effort at mediation in the hopes of bringing justice and healing for victims and a positive way forward for our diocese.

Great news! The Mall of America will be closed on Thanksgiving Day so that employees, their families and all would-be shoppers can spend the day in gratitude to God and service to one another. Hopefully, other malls and shops will follow suit. We can take the opportunity to go to Mass, take up a collection for the local food shelf and spend time building good relationships with our family and friends and, of course, savor a delicious turkey dinner and maybe watch a little football.

Advent begins on the last Sunday of November. A new year of grace!

Bishop Paul D. Sirba is the ninth bishop of Duluth.