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Father Nicholas Nelson: Virginity, the more excellent state

The other week while I was on retreat, I came across a collection of letters written either to St. Therese of Lisieux or by her. One in particular really struck me. It was written by Therese when she was already at Carmel to her sister, Celine, who was discerning what vocation she was called to. Therese was encouraging Celine to join her at Carmel. This letter struck me by its appreciation for virginity and a life given totally to God. 

Father Nick Nelson
Handing on the Faith

St. Therese wrote, “Celine, let us make of our heart a little garden of delights where Jesus may come to rest, let us plant only lilies in our garden, yes, lilies, and let us allow no other flowers, for other flowers can be cultivated by other souls, but it is virgins alone who can give lilies to Jesus. Virginity is a profound silence from all cares of this earth. Not only from useless cares but from all cares. Since Jesus was born by his will of a Lily, He loves to find Himself in virgin hearts.” 

Marriage is a beautiful vocation. The church needs it. But without diminishing it, I wish to express the church’s appreciation for virginity. Normally the church uses the terms “virgin” regarding women and “celibacy” regarding men. I will use “virginity” and “chaste celibacy” interchangeably to mean a non-married life consecrated to God. 

Jesus speaks of virginity as a great good to be received, if one is called to it. “The disciples said to him, ‘If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.’ But he said to them, ‘Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it’” (Matthew 19:10-12). 

St. Paul praises chaste celibacy. He says, “So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better” (1 Corinthians 7:38). 

In the 4th century, St. Ambrose spoke so beautifully and highly of virginity that mothers and fathers wouldn’t let their daughters go to hear him preach, because he would undoubtedly convince them to pass on marriage and enter the role of virgins. 

St. Thomas Aquinas held that virginity was preferable to marriage. He wrote, “By the example of Christ, Who both chose a virgin for His mother and remained Himself a virgin, and by the teaching of the Apostle who counsels virginity as the greater good” (II.II.q.52a.4). 

The most authoritative pronouncement comes from the Council of Trent, “If anyone says that the married state excels the state of virginity or celibacy, and that it is better and happier to be united in matrimony than to remain in virginity or celibacy, let him be anathema” (Trent 24.10). 

In 1954, and realizing that chaste celibacy was being more and more forgotten and underappreciated, Pope Pius XII wrote an encyclical specifically on consecrated virginity. He said, “Virginity is preferable to marriage then, as We have said, above all else because it has a higher aim: that is to say, it is a very efficacious means for devoting oneself wholly to the service of God, while the heart of married persons will remain more or less ‘divided’” (Sacra Virginitas). 

While it has been consistently the mind of the Church that virginity is objectively a preferable, higher, more excellent, more perfect state, it doesn’t mean that the individuals living in that state are necessarily better or holier. 

My point in writing this is to say that we only get one life. We only get one opportunity to glorify God in the greatest way. We only get one opportunity to merit the greatest beatitude in heaven, and therefore it’s worth living the Gospel in the most radical way. It makes sense to conform your life as completely as possible to that of Christ’s life, and that includes chaste celibacy. This is on condition that one is being called to this vocation. Because it is Christ himself who said, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given.” 

In promoting vocations, we can focus on doing priestly work or doing the work of religious sisters as a motivation. But it’s primarily the call to chaste celibacy that distinguishes these vocations from the married vocation. The longer I am a priest, the more I appreciate having received this calling of chaste celibacy. Marriage and children are so beautiful, and our sexual nature is such an important part of us, that to sacrifice its immediate fulfillment and reorder it towards spiritual fruitfulness is truly special. There is something ennobling and fulfilling knowing that I am totally consecrated to the Lord. 

Let us all appreciate whatever vocation we have been called to, but at the same time encourage our young men and women to consider the priesthood, or religious life, or consecrated virginity. Let us help them realize it is a more excellent state, that it is a more radical way to live, modeled after the life of Christ. It is a vocation that brings a great amount of fulfillment knowing that one belongs entirely to God! 

Father Nick Nelson is pastor of Queen of Peace and Holy Family parishes in Cloquet and vocations director for the Diocese of Duluth. He studied at The Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family in Rome. Reach him at fr.nicholas.nelson@duluthcatholic.org

Deacon Kyle Eller: Serenity Prayer offers needed wisdom in how we spend our energies

One of the first prayers I remember encountering outside of going to church or praying before bedtime was the short version of the Serenity Prayer. Attributed to the Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, it came into widespread use through Alcoholics Anonymous, especially the first few lines. The version I learned went like this: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” 

Deacon Kyle Eller
Mere Catholicism

It has come to my mind a lot lately, in my own life and those of people around me, observing how we spend our efforts. There is a surprising depth to its three petitions, which seem so simple on the surface. 

It’s helpful to begin with the last, which asks of God the “wisdom to know the difference” between what I can change and what I can’t. This does require wisdom — and the cardinal virtue of prudence — because it’s not always obvious. In fact, most of the time, things in our lives seem to be a mix of both. 

I’ll give a personal example. I’ve worked as a journalist most of my adult life and loved journalism longer than that, since childhood. I care about journalism. I believe in its value for society and advocate for it, especially when it’s a thankless task: when it reports uncomfortable truths and when it includes voices we find hard to hear. 

But on a daily basis now, I’m watching that kind of journalism die, being deliberately dismantled, often by people whose job is supposed to be practicing it, its sense of ethics and fairness and civility and balance ignored or even explicitly rejected. On a whole host of social issues, many news outlets no longer even pretend to care about treating the multiple perspectives within their communities fairly. Whole segments of our communities are, routinely, falsely accused of bigotry and hatred and ignorance and cast as villains, denied a chance to rebut those accusations and characterizations, denied even the most basic justice of seeing what they actually think, say, and do reported accurately. 

This breaks my heart and makes me fear for our society, where amid our polarization, journalism should be playing an urgently needed service of allowing people to encounter the best version of opposing views. It grieves me that this is lost. The injustice of it angers me. Things shouldn’t be this way. 

People who hold the view of matters like abortion and human sexuality outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church have exactly the same right to be heard and treated with fairness and respect as anyone else. That shouldn’t be a controversial statement. When it doesn’t happen, it’s wrong. 

After a particularly egregious newspaper article recently, I posted a blistering, detailed critique of it for my Facebook friends. But then I found myself recalling the Serenity Prayer and asking myself: “Is this something I can really change?” (Gulp.) 

Well, maybe I can, a tiny bit. I have the knowledge to identify and articulate what’s wrong and why in a way most people can’t, which can help others experiencing these injustices and at least let them know they’re not alone and not imagining things. I can pray. 

But the difference I can make, while perhaps needed, is so tiny that even to speak of it in those terms feels like rationalizing, justifying how upset I let myself get about it. It would be absurd hubris to imagine some criticism of mine changing things significantly even in my own small city. Reporters behaving this way generally do it deliberately. 

I see similar things so often. Probably egged on by some media outlet profiting on our perpetual outrage, we get mad at some public figure doing or saying something wrong. We can add our small voices to the din. Maybe we should. But then? Do we let it go or keep fueling that anger, as if it’s accomplishing something? 

It’s true closer to home too. We can let our hearts get overwhelmed with how some circumstance or some other person’s behavior ought to be different, but often our ability to change those things is minimal at best. Sometimes we even get overwhelmed focusing on things of the past, wasting our hearts on grudges or shame instead receiving and extending mercy to ourselves and to others. 

Discerning what we can change and what we can’t helps us refocus our energies and keep custody of our hearts. Where there is little we can do, we do the little we can. A quote often attributed to St. Thomas More is a good way to think of it: “What you cannot turn to good, you must at least make as little bad as you can.” But then we let it go, with trust in God’s providence. This is where we can find the serenity to authentically “accept the things we cannot change.” 

That frees us for the things we can change, and it’s wise to ask for courage for them, because that’s often what we’re tempted to avoid. They can be difficult and painful. 

After all, what I have the most power to change is myself: my reactions, my choices, my deeds, my words, my thoughts. I may be called to do something difficult, like repenting, forgiving, reconciling, making amends, trusting, loving, hoping, letting go of something, committing to something, persevering in hardship, beginning again, healing. 

Praying for that courage is another way of asking the grace we need from God to do these good things, because the truth is that often they are not things we can do entirely on our own. 

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” 

Deacon Kyle Eller is editor of The Northern Cross. Reach him at dcn.kyle.eller@duluthcatholic.org

Bishop Daniel Felton: This Lent, surrender to the deep healing Jesus desires for you

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

These are exciting times! At this time, the whole diocese is in a process of discerning and identifying “mission fields” as the first step to implementing my Pastoral Letter, which you can find in both written and audio form at the diocesan website, www.dioceseduluth.org

Bishop Daniel Felton
Bishop Daniel Felton
Believe in the Good News

A mission field is a designated geographical area for which we are accountable as missionary disciples for helping ALL the people within that mission field to discover, follow, worship, and share Jesus Christ. Presently, every parish pastor is consulting with those around him to determine: What will be our mission field? A mission field might be the boundaries of a parish or cluster of parishes or a region of parishes. 

Once the mission field has been determined, we must spend time getting to know something about ALL the people who live inside our mission field — not just Catholics but all the people. The laws and guidelines of the Catholic Church emphasize that every pastor, parish team, and parishioner is responsible for the salvation of ALL the souls of their mission field. This also applies to me as the bishop/pastor of the Diocese of Duluth and its ten counties. I am responsible for the souls of 452,293 people who live in our diocese, including the 41,493 of whom are Catholic. 

Identifying our mission field is not just about the numbers and boundaries, it is all about relationships. As we share life together in a mission field, what are our hurts and dreams, our challenges and fulfilments, our tribulations and joys as individuals, families, parishes, and the communities in which we dwell? Furthermore, as missionary disciples, how can we bring each other into a relationship with the healing, hope, and joy of Jesus, who we believe is the answer to the hurt, challenges, and tribulations of all who live in our mission field? Simple and straightforward, that is our purpose and mission as disciples of the Lord! 

As St. Augustine wrote, nemo dat quod non habet — you cannot give what you do not have. Moving forward, if we are to be missionary disciples to all the people in our mission fields, then we ourselves must first embrace and embody the healing, hope, and joy of Jesus. With that in mind, we are given the sacred seasons of Lent and Easter to do so. 

During these 40 days of Lent, I invite you to surrender to the deep healing that Jesus desires for you. Lent is not so much about what we are going to do for Jesus but what Jesus wants to do for us. What are the hurts that are weighing you down? What are the challenges that are filling you with despair, keeping you awake at night? What are the tribulations that seem insurmountable to the point of just giving up? The deepest desire of Jesus in this Lenten season is to bring healing into your heart, mind, body, and soul. For this healing of Jesus to take place in our families, parishes, and communities, Bob Schuchts, in his book “Be Healed,” poses three important questions for our healing. 

Firstly, what is your deepest hunger, thirst, or longing? We often know the symptoms of our hurt, but what is the deeper hunger, thirst, or longing of the hurt? Secondly, do you want to be healed? We might respond, “Of course I want to be healed.” But often we have a fear of the unknown. What would life look like without this hurt? Sometimes, we feel that we are too broken to be healed. Other times, we may resist being healed because we do not want to detach from that which causes me pain but also brings me pleasure. Thirdly, do you believe that Jesus can heal you? Again, we might quickly respond, “Yes, I believe that Jesus can heal me!” But deep down, it might be more like, “I hope he can heal me,” “maybe he can heal me,” or “maybe he doesn’t want to heal me.” 

Let us use the season of Lent to ponder and pray with the three questions raised above. Let this be a holy time for the healing of Jesus to permeate our individual life, the life of our family, and parish life. This part of the healing process is necessary, if we are to bring the healing, hope, and joy of Jesus to ALL the people who live in our mission field. Remember, nemo dat quod non habet

Finally, during this season of Lent, let us not just mouth these words, but truly believe that “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” 

Bishop Daniel Felton is the tenth bishop of Duluth. 

Ask Father Mike: How do I grieve as a Christian?

Someone I love recently died. I know that we believe in life after death, but I am still struggling. Am I wrong to be sad? Is it OK that I wish they were still here?  

Father Michael Schmitz
Ask Father Mike

Thank you so much for your question. And please know of my prayers for you and for all those who love and now miss your loved one. Death is one of those things that can just shake us in the most secret and hidden depths of our souls. Death often reveals parts of our hearts and areas of ourselves that were hitherto unknown. Sometimes we find a new strength to be there for the people who are left. Sometimes we discover a new compassion and patience for others who are hurting. And sometimes we find new wounds; we can experience loss and loneliness, grief and sadness at a depth we hadn’t known was possible. 

All of these emotions get to be a part of your grief. 

There are no “correct” emotions. I apologize if this is obvious, but there is no emotion that you “ought” to feel, and no emotion that you “ought not” to feel. Emotions are like scents in the air; some might be more pleasant than others, but there is no “right” smell. As long as you can get enough oxygen to your system, you’ll survive. 

At the same time (to really stretch the analogy), some smells will give us an indication of what is going on around us. If you smell gasoline, there might be some kind of leak or a spill. If you smell fresh baked bread, it might be almost time for supper. If you smell coffee being brewed, it might be time to wake up. In this case, certain scents can be cues for us; they indicate something about our environment. 

Similarly, our emotions can give us an indication of what is going on within us and outside of us. A friend of mine once said, “Our emotions do not reveal the truth about reality, but they do reveal the truth about the state of our hearts.” So we would be wise to pay attention to our emotions. 

Because of this, you do not need to worry whether or not your emotions are “Christian enough.” You have human emotions. That’s all. To experience fear or anger or sadness in the face of death is neither right nor wrong. It just is. In fact, the Bible is filled with holy people who experienced normal and powerful sadness when confronted by death. Abraham and Sarah were married for well over half a century. When Sarah died, Genesis 23 states that Abraham “went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.” Jacob mourned for years over the apparent death of his son Joseph. When David’s son, Absalom, died (while trying to kill his own father), David went up to the gate over the city and could be heard weeping and crying aloud, “My son, my son, Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you! My son, Absalom!” 

Even our Lord Jesus Christ was moved to tears by the death of his friend Lazarus. We know the story of how the brother of Mary and Martha had been sick for a time, only to die four days before Jesus arrived on the scene. When Jesus came to the tomb of his friend, Jesus wept. Even though Jesus knew what he was about, even though Jesus knew that he would raise Lazarus from the dead in a few short moments, when confronted with death (and with the grief of those who mourned Lazarus), God wept. 

Later, when St. Paul was leaving his friends and fellow disciples from Ephesus, they threw their arms around him and wept because they would never see him again in this life. 

All of this is to say that Christians grieve. Christians feel the sting of loss like everyone else. Christians know that death is a real parting. It is a real loss. 

Christians can wish that we did not have to say goodbye to those we love. After all, we will never see those people in this life. We do not know when we will see them again. It is only natural that goodbyes would cut a part of us to pieces. 

And yet, for the Christian who dies, we believe that “life is changed, not ended.” We believe that those whom we love who die in Christ are alive in Christ. We believe that the souls of the just are in the hands of God, and that no further torment can touch them. We believe that because of Jesus, death no longer has the final word. We believe that, while death can steal our loved ones from this world, nothing can take them from the Father’s hands. We believe that God is good and that he does not abandon us in death. We believe that, because of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, death has lost, death has been defeated, death has lost its ultimate sting. 

Of course, there is still the sting we feel here and now. There is still the fact that our loved ones can no longer love us in the way they did while they walked this earth. They can no longer speak to us or hold us. They can no longer give us a word of encouragement or a reminder that they love us. They can no longer drop by and spend time with us. 

But they do still love us. They can still pray for us. Those who are in heaven actually love us more perfectly than they ever could whilst they were on earth, because their love has now been purified, because they now see God as he is, and they can see us as we are. Because of this, they can love us in the exact way that we need. And yet, it is different. As we say, “changed, not ended.” 

So, there are going to be times when the ache in our hearts wishes that they were still here. That isn’t a flaw; it’s just how love works. We can have absolute confidence in God’s triumph over death and still miss the people we love. We can fully believe that they are finally where they are more joyful than any of us could imagine and still feel our own sorrow. We can rejoice that they get to see God and still grieve the fact that we don’t get to see them. 

We grieve because we love. But, as Saint Paul wrote, “We do not grieve as those who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We get to have moments of boldness and levity in the face of death because we know that they have the One whose heart they were made for. And we can be sad because we do not have them with us. 

I invite you: let the waves of grief come and go. Every time there are tears, let them remind you of the fact that there was someone in your life who loved you and whom you loved, even if imperfectly. And every time you smile at the thought of what they might be doing in heaven with the Lord, thank God for the gift of Jesus Christ who has declared that death no longer has the last word. The last word is life. The last word is love. The last word is Jesus. 

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. 

Bishop Felton celebrates Rite of Election

By Deacon Kyle Eller 
The Northern Cross 

On Feb. 27, the first Sunday of Lent, Bishop Daniel Felton celebrated a liturgy at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary welcoming those seeking the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil. 

Called the Rite of Election of Catechumens and the Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates, it begins the final preparation for those going through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). Those include catechumens, who are adults seeking baptism in the Catholic faith, and candidates, adults who have already been baptized, often in another Christian tradition, who are seeking, along with the catechumens, the sacraments of confirmation and the Holy Eucharist. 

Nearly 70 catechumens and candidates from 16 parishes across the diocese plus the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth participated in the liturgy, 15 of whom were catechumens. They were joined by godparents, sponsors, and clergy.

Catechumens and their godparents sign the Book of the Elect during the Rite of Election Feb. 27 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth. (Deacon Kyle Eller / The Northern Cross)

Bishop Felton used a song from his childhood — beginning “if the devil doesn’t like it he can sit on a tack” — to frame his homily on the Sunday readings, as well as the Lenten season and the day’s ritual, noting that the pattern of temptation the devil uses remains the same, from the temptation of Adam and Eve in the first reading to Jesus in the desert in the Gospel reading to the present day. 

Drawing from his own experience, he said he never goes to McDonald’s, but the devil uses it to work on him in Lent. 

“That’s why I’m always amazed that on Ash Wednesday, from the time that I get up in the morning until the time I go to bed at night, I can’t think of anything but having a Big Mac with fries,” he said. “A Big Mac with fries! I mean, I never even go through the drive-through, much less into McDonald’s. And so I find myself saying, ‘Why is that? Why is it on Ash Wednesday, all I can think about is a Big Mac with the best fries in the world?’” 

He listed the various temptations, that he hasn’t had one in a long time, that he’s hungry, “what’s the big deal?” and so on. 

He noted the similarities with how the devil, in the form of a serpent, tempted Adam and Eve and how he tempted Jesus during his 40 day fast in the desert. 

“Jesus came into this world, and he did not sin,” the bishop said. “But he did not come into this world and not be tempted. He was tempted in a very real kind of way, just like you and me. And not only is he Son of God, he’s Son of Man, and so he knows what it’s like in a very human [way] to be tempted.” 

The bishop said that the devil would also tempt the catechumens and candidates entering their “final period of preparation” to receive the sacraments at Easter. 

“As we go into this final moment in time, the devil is going to use the strategy that the devil knows best,” he said. He noted that one option would be to spend that time focusing on the devil and resisting the temptation, but he said there is another way. 

“… [D]uring this last period of preparation and purification and conversion, we can put all of our time growing closer to Jesus Christ, keeping our eyes on Jesus Christ, embracing him more deeply, embodying him more fully, to stand as close as we can to Jesus Christ in this final time of preparation before we are baptized and received into the church,” he said. “The choice is ours. Either we can spend our time with the devil or we can spend our time with Jesus.” 

Urging those gathered to continue their path of conversion over the remaining days of preparation, he said soon they would all stand together in communion. 

“You know, the day is coming — how exciting is this? — that we will stand with one another, in this church or in a church, before the altar, and all of us are going to receive Communion together,” he said. “And when you and I receive Communion together, Jesus Christ and his power to overcome Satan, Jesus Christ and his power over Satan, will no longer be out there somewhere where I’ve got to find it. … It’s going to be right here within you and within me.” 

As part of the liturgy, each candidate and catechumen attending was presented to the bishop by name and affirmed by godparents and sponsors. The catechumens formally requested “to enter fully into the life of the church through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist” and signed their names in the Book of the Elect. 

Seminarian interview: Peter Specht

What seminary are you attending and where are you in the formation process? 

I am currently attending Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul. I am in theology 1 or as the new terminology that Rome has just asked us to begin using, I am in configuration stage 1. 

When is your birthday? 

My birthday is Oct. 18. I just turned 25 years old.

Peter Specht

What’s your home parish? 

My home parish is St. Benedict’s in Duluth, though now that it is clustered with St. John’s, as well, I can also be found helping there when I am home. 

Tell me a little about your family. 

My father is a deacon at my home parish. He just retired from his job and is more active in his ministry now. My mother is a convert to the faith when I was very young. She now works as a paraprofessional with the Duluth School District at Myers-Wilkins Elementary school. I have one younger brother who just graduated from Lake Superior Community College and is also working as a paraprofessional with the Duluth School District at Ordean Middle School. He is also an active member of the UMD Newman community and can often be seen in the photos of that community. 

Is there an email address where people can write to you? 

An email address people can write me at if they truly want to is peter.specht@duluthcatholic.org

If people wanted to ask the intercession of a particular saint for you, what saint would you choose? 

I have devotions to many saints, but my top three are St. Patrick, St. Joseph, and St. Michael the Archangel, but there are many others, so more then praying to one of these three I would say pray to their personal favorite saint, because they’re probably on my long list of favorites as it is. 

What are some of the things you like to do in your spare time? 

In my spare time, one of the things I love to do is paint. I paint landscapes, mostly, but the painting I am prouder of is my statue restoration. I have done many for my family and the seminary community and soon the stations of the cross that I have done will go up in the new Stella Maris High School chapel. You can even talk to Bishop Felton about my work, as I have restored a piece for him, as well. 

What is your favorite devotion (and why)? 

My favorite devotion is simply the rosary. It is a devotion I have been able to do since I was young and has had monumental change in my life. As Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus on “The Chosen,” just said at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., “I don’t need to sell it, just pray it and find out.” 

What’s the best thing about your home town? 

The best thing about my home town of Duluth is that although it is a “big city,” you’re never far from being able to connect with nature, whether that is Lake Superior or any of the woodland patches scattered throughout town. 

What person has been the biggest help to you so far as you discern a call to the priesthood? 

The person that has been the biggest help in my discernment is hard to nail down. There are so many people who have helped me in my discernment, from my friends, family, formators, vocation directors, bishops, and spiritual directors, they have all played their own part in my discernment, but (and this may be a bit of a cop out answer) the biggest help has of course has come from Jesus, who called me on this journey to begin with. 

If someone asked you how to grow as a disciple of Jesus, what’s your best advice? 

If someone asked how to grow in discipleship with Jesus, I would simply say to pray, especially with Scripture. That is God’s words, and he is uniquely speaking to each of us through it. 

What does the priesthood mean in the life of the church? 

What the priesthood means in the life of the church is as a sign of Jesus in this world. When a priest is in a good spiritual relationship with Jesus, it reflects in his care over his flock and makes Jesus present in the world. There is so much more then that but that is the tip of the iceberg for me. 

Pope Francis names local pastor next St. Paul and Minneapolis auxiliary bishop

By Joe Ruff 
OSV News 

Pope Francis named Father Michael John Izen, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who has ministered in parishes and as a pastor in his nearly 18 years of priesthood, as the next auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese. 

Bishop-elect Izen, 55, will serve with Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Williams to lead the church in a 12-county metropolitan area that encompasses the Twin Cities and is home to about 725,000 Catholics.

Pope Francis names Father Michael John Izen, a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who has ministered in parishes and as a pastor in his nearly 18 years of priesthood, as the next auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese. Bishop-elect Izen, 55, is pictured in a Jan. 5, 2022, photo. (OSV News photo/Dave Hrbacek, Catholic Spirit)

His ordination is scheduled for April 11 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. 

“I was surprised, humbled, and a little terrified when I received the call from the Apostolic Nuncio [Archbishop Christophe Pierre], informing me that Pope Francis had appointed me as an auxiliary bishop,” Bishop-elect Izen said. “Archbishop Hebda has been very supportive and reassuring since I first received the news — very fatherly. I look forward to being an extension of him to our archdiocese and serving and being present to the people of God.” 

Archbishop Hebda said he welcomes the news, announced Jan. 5, with “deep gratitude to Pope Francis and Christmas joy.” 

“The priests and the faithful of the archdiocese should be honored that once again the Holy Father has chosen a priest of this local Church to serve as a successor of the apostles,” the archbishop said in a statement. “I have come to know Bishop-elect Izen as a generous and capable pastor with a great love for Christ and for his sheep. I have particularly admired his ability to collaborate effectively with brother priests, religious sisters, and lay leadership in advancing the work of the Church.” 

A native of Fairmont in southern Minnesota, Bishop-elect Izen has been pastor the last seven years of the churches of St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater. He also is the parochial administrator of St. Charles in Bayport and the canonical administrator of St. Croix Catholic School in Stillwater. 

Ordained a priest May 28, 2005, by Archbishop Harry Flynn, Bishop-elect Izen ministered at Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Faribault until 2007, when he was named pastor of the Church of St. Timothy in Maple Lake. He served there until February 2012, when he was appointed pastor of the Church of St. Raphael in Crystal, where he ministered until moving to Stillwater in 2015. 

Before his ordination, Bishop-elect Izen earned an undergraduate degree in mathematics and computer science from St. John’s University in Collegeville and went to work for 3M as a systems analyst. He said during his nine years there it became clearer than ever before that God was calling him to discern a possible vocation to the priesthood. 

He enrolled at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul and earned a Master of Divinity. Fourteen men were ordained to the priesthood with Bishop-elect Izen in 2005, one of the archdiocese’s largest ordination classes in decades. 

Bishop-elect Izen was born Jan. 12, 1967, to the late John and JoAnna Izen. The youngest of their six children, he grew up in Fairmont, in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, and attended St. John Vianney elementary school. He graduated from Fairmont High School in 1985. 

Archbishop Hebda said Bishop-elect Izen’s impressive natural gifts suggest that the Lord Jesus Christ has long been preparing him to serve as a bishop. 

“I am confident that the archdiocese will benefit greatly from his leadership and experience, and I personally look forward to working with him more closely as he begins this new ministry,” the archbishop said. “Please join me in both congratulating Bishop-elect Izen and offering him our prayers as he prepares for his upcoming ordination.” 

Joe Ruff is editor-in-chief of The Catholic Spirit, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. 

Families First Project gives you the tools to advocate for pro-family policies 

Inside the Capitol 

The State Legislature is not the only thing that’s off and running in the early weeks of 2023. This year also marks the start of the Minnesota Catholic Conference’s Families First Project (FFP). This multiyear initiative seeks to activate the Church’s public voice in a way that will transform Minnesota into a state where the economic well-being of families is elevated to be the top priority for elected officials. 

One of the Families First Project’s foundational goals is to create an appropriate policy ecosystem that supports the creation of stable families and helps them flourish by making it easier to: 1) get married, 2) stay married, 3) have kids, 4) raise kids in economically stable environments, and 5) care for extended family. 

The cornerstone of the project is to enact a permanent child tax credit. Other legislative priorities include promoting technical and vocational career paths; creating reading programs for incarcerated parents and their children; creating pathways to homeownership and business ownership; helping new moms purchase a car seat; and helping growing families upgrade to a larger vehicle. 

Our lawmakers need to make family economic security the top priority, because families are doing the most important work of raising the next generation amid immense economic pressures. In the Church’s Catholic Social Teaching, the family, not the individual, is the cornerstone of society, and, therefore, sound fiscal policies ensure that the family has what it needs to flourish because of the way it serves the common good. 

Minnesota needs more families. The Great Recession and the 2020 Pandemic caused two massive “baby busts.” With deaths set to outpace births in Minnesota by 2040, a nation-leading fiscal commitment to families could encourage new families to be formed or move into our state. 

An innovative pro-family policy agenda would help address our state’s long-term workforce and population concerns. It would ratify the role families play in Minnesota’s economic and cultural fabric and send a message to families that they are valued. A robust workforce, vibrant communities, and a sustainable tax base are all produced by economically secure families. 

Policy proposals that support parents with young children, policies that support families who may be battling various forms of addiction, and policies that create avenues for home and business ownership are all topics that you can discuss boldly with your legislators. We all come from families, and therefore, we are all subject matter experts. 

It is hard to pass even the simplest piece of legislation, but with your help we can create a groundswell of bipartisan support to get pro-family bills enacted into law. The policy ideas, information, and tools you need to start a conversation with your legislators about pro-family policies is available at www.familiesfirstproject.com. Together, we can truly make Minnesota the best place to raise a family. 

Action Alert: 

Join us at the Capitol for these great advocacy opportunities! 

United for Life: Feb. 28 — Join pro-lifers from across Minnesota for this pro-life day at the Capitol. Great speakers, a rally in the Capitol rotunda, and time to meet with your legislators. Register today at unitedforlifemn.org

Capitol Thursdays: The second and fourth Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. You’ll learn to advocate for policies that pursue a consistent ethic of life, have a Capitol tour, and meet with your legislators. 

Adoration: First Fridays January to May any time from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Capitol in the Governor’s Dining Room. In April, Adoration will take place on the 14th due to Good Friday. Pray for our legislators and state to promote the common good. 

Head to MNCatholic.org/events for details on each of these events. 

Editorial: Have you read the pastoral letter yet?

Bishop Daniel Felton’s pastoral letter, “The Dawn from on High Shall Break Upon Us,” has been out for a bit over a month as this issue of The Northern Cross goes to press. It was promulgated on Christmas day last year and is addressed both to the faithful of the Diocese of Duluth and to every person living in its boundaries, proposing the beautiful truth that in Jesus we find the healing, hope, and joy that we long for. 

The letter is the beginning of the fruit of all those listening sessions held throughout the diocese, as we were called to listen to each other and, most importantly, to the Holy Spirit, as our local church discerned the next step in living out our mission to bring Jesus Christ to our families and communities. 

The first emphasis in carrying it out is healing. As the bishop noted in the letter, there has been a great deal of darkness for the church and for our part of the world generally in recent years, and it is in Jesus, the divine physician, that we can truly find the healing we desire so deeply. 

This is so evident in our communities too, where we see so many struggles with depair, with mental illness, with addiction, with hopelessness. Do we dare to lift up our eyes and find healing in Jesus? Do we dare invite others to seek in Jesus the healing they need? 

The pastoral letter is not a long document — just 17 pages with photos and graphics — and you can find it on the diocesan website. It’s also available in audio form. If you haven’t already, please consider giving it a read and taking its contents to prayer. 

Then please pay attention as our faith communities begin to discern how to take the first steps in putting it into action, and discern how you, yourself, may be called to participate, first finding the healing you may need yourself and then bringing that healing to others in our beautiful northeastern Minnesota. 

Marquette Catholic School announces purchase of new facility in Virginia

By The Northern Cross 

Marquette Catholic School in Virginia will soon have a new home with space to grow. The school announced Jan. 28 that it has reached an agreement with a global real estate investment trust to purchase the 60,000 square foot facility at 1301 Chestnut Street in Virginia currently being leased by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. Total cost for the property and necessary renovations is estimated at $4.9 million.

School officials say the new facility, located on 15 acres of land, will address challenges Marquette is facing at its current location, 311 Third Street South in Virginia, including a lack of adequate space for enrolled students and the need for costly updates and repairs. 

The new facility is expected to approximately double available classroom space, from 11 classrooms to 22, allowing for more growth and new possibilities for Catholic education. The facility is also more accessible for those with physical limitations. 

“I’m incredibly grateful that a door has been opened to us to continue the mission of Catholic education on the Iron Range,” said Father Brandon Moravitz, the school’s pastor. “This new facility will allow us to continue to grow and dream up many more possibilities. I’m forever grateful to God for truly dropping this opportunity upon us from the ‘heavens.’” 

“We certainly honor the legacy of our current facility and the 105 years of generations of students served in our community,” said Lisa Kvas, principal of Marquette. “It has been such a gift even though we have outgrown and outlived it! We could not be more excited about the new school, the blessing that it is, and the opportunities it will provide our students and families now and, hopefully, for the next hundred years.” 

Marquette School was established in 1917, when the mining industry was established and a surge of immigrants settled on the Iron Range. The goal then, as it continues to be now, was to provide a strong Catholic education for families and children across the Iron Range. Marquette currently serves more than 200 students in Pre-K through eighth grade from communities all over the area.