CABRINI COMMUNICATOR a Newsletter by and for the St
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No. 4 THE October 2016 CABRINI COMMUNICATOR A newsletter by and for the St. Frances Cabrini community We the people of St. Frances Cabrini are a searching community of wounded healers. From the Pastor… We are called by God to live the Dear Friends, non-violent love of Christ in our I arrived at St. Frances Cabrini April 24, four weeks after Mike community action and personal lives. Tegeder had begun a medical leave to deal with the complications We exercise active leadership in the life of his cancer treatments. I considered it a sacred privilege to be of our community. with you during that time. We cared, we worried, we prayed, we We express and understand ourselves in hoped. It is difficult, even painful, to live in the unknowing of the Eucharist, worship, religious formation, wellness of someone we love and cannot see. and social consciousness and action. The announcement of Mike’s entering hospice care on June – The St. Frances Cabrini Mission Statement 25 pierced our hope. The weight of your pain was visible and felt at Masses that weekend. The heaviness drained your energy to somber prayer. That weekend we entered a period of vigil. The news of Mike’s death two weeks later on July 9 seemed, in some sense, a relief, a lifting of our pain, knowing Mike’s suffering had come to an end. We knew Mike was embraced by the Ever- Musings Living, Ever-Loving, Ever-Enfolding God. The entire journey has been a sacred privilege for all of us in on our Mission communion, the Cabrini family of believers. Years ago a friend said to me, “Grieving is the privilege that comes from having loved someone.” Your grieving is understood. e… are a SEARCHING Community… Parishioners have mentioned, “You have big shoes to fill.” I respond that I can’t fill Mike’s shoes nor can anyone fill the shoes WIf you or I had been asked (presuming of another. I follow Mike as the next pastor of Cabrini. We all have that we were alive then—and Catholic) back different gifts. I understand the comment to be an expression of in 1955 to define the Church, I bet that we your love and respect for Mike and the uncertainty of what the would have reached for answer #111 in the parish will be without him. Baltimore Catechism and quickly responded: Now and then someone will say, “Mike used to…, I remember “The Catholic Church is the society of all the when Mike would say…, I always liked the way Mike…, Mike faithful who profess the faith of Christ, partake would probably…,” etc. of the same sacraments, and are governed by Don’t hesitate to express any such sentiment in my presence. their lawful pastors under one visible head.” I understand every spoken memory is another step in letting go. Back then that was our common understanding Such memories today may be bedded in sadness or loss. As these of Church, with no mention of community in memories are repeated they will gradually become memories of the definition. gratitude, and then seamlessly blessed with joy. Healing is a time of becoming, a time of grace. The Holy Spirit Then in the early 1960s the Second Vatican will guide us in becoming who God is calling us to be as we grow Council exploded in our Church and world forward. Continued on page 3 – Paul Moudry What a Difference a Year Makes ince starting my employment at would be desirable in a new archbishop I also wondered how our situation Cabrini in October 2013, I had for our archdiocese, as well as names might be different had the dedicated Salways found Fr. Mike’s Pastor’s of local priests that might possess members of CCCR and CoB not had Comments to be a source of comfort these traits. After Hebda became our the conversations that eventually led and inspiration, especially during apostolic administrator, representatives them to act on their instincts to ask our the troubled times our archdiocese from CCCR and CoB asked to then temporary leader to conduct these has experienced the last three years, meet with him. In that meeting they listening sessions. culminating in criminal charges being encouraged him to conduct listening These things all take courage. They filed against the Archdiocese of Saint sessions to hear what the people of take wisdom. They take honesty. Paul & Minneapolis for failing to the archdiocese wanted from a new, If these words sound familiar, it’s protect children. Those charges have permanent archbishop. Hebda indeed probably because you had been praying since been dismissed, but shortly before conducted ten such sessions across the from Fr. Mike’s prayer card before he Mike’s death I was looking back at archdiocese with an estimated 2000 died, because courage, wisdom and some of his columns, I suppose, once people attending. The Vatican even honesty are all hallmarks of Mike again, for comfort and inspiration. The sent a representative to be present at Tegeder—qualities which Mike had following is an excerpt from his June three of them. The listening sessions for demonstrated and taught us through 28, 2015 Pastor’s Comments, written this purpose were unprecedented; the daily example. This was simply the way less than two weeks after former Vatican sending someone to be there, the Spirit worked through Fr. Mike. archbishop John Nienstedt “resigned” almost unthinkable. Today we indeed have a new his position—saying he was leaving In these sessions the people were shepherd in our archdiocese, one who with a clear conscience—and Bernard asked to talk amongst their tables and seems to be a good listener, one who Hebda was named temporary and then share a few words they felt would has been said to embody the vision of part-time apostolic administrator for describe a good archbishop. One table Pope Francis, and, yes, one that was the archdiocese—temporary because said they had narrowed it down to one supposed to be somewhere else. he was supposed to be assuming word: Hebda. Now, in 2016, we have a What a difference a year makes. Or the position of archbishop for the new archbishop and his name, indeed, so the saying goes. But let’s not forget Archdiocese of Newark in July 2016, is Hebda. what a difference the inspiration of and part-time because he was splitting What struck me about Mike’s one person and the dedication and his duties between here and Newark. comments when I reread them in late persistence of a few can also make. Here’s what Fr. Mike had to say at June was his insight regarding the – Mary Lou Sweet, that time about the possibility of a people needing to have a voice and Parish Administrator permanent replacement for the position ownership when it comes to important of “archbishop.” matters of our archdiocese and his Fr. Mike’s Pastor’s Comments can be “Do not expect a white knight belief that a true leader will be most found at www.cabrinimn.org/pastors- replacement. We have to have a voice effective when chosen by all. In an comments in and ownership of our beloved April 9 email to me, Mike had actually Archdiocese of Lake Wobegon. I will said, “If I have any legacy at Cabrini I constructively work with others on this hope it is that I tried to encourage adult Summer Endings essential effort to have a new beginning conversation about vital things,” so it’s A wistfulness in green leaves reflecting the wise words of Pope Leo clear how important the matter of open the Great in the fifth century: ‘Whoever discussion was to him. before they start to fall is to lead all, must be chosen by all.’” After pondering all of this, I began A heightened listening to the You may recall that prior to that to wonder how our situation here in breeze as if to hear her call time the Catholic Coalition for Saint Paul and Minneapolis might be As taking back her gifts of life, Church Reform and the Council of the very different today if Mike Tegeder God grants leaves in return Baptized—which Mike supported— had not been a supporter and a source Sweet consciousness of coming had implemented a program to get the of encouragement for CCCR and home to love beyond concern. people’s input on characteristics that CoB since their formation in 2008. – Benton Randolph 2 Musings, continued from page 1 and suddenly, in the deliberations and or confirming the community, always documents of the Council, we had over challenging the listeners to live the 100 images and descriptions for our Word in all the communities they Singing to the Echoes Church, ranging from Pius XII’s term belong to. Singing to the echoes in closing “Mystical Body” to “House of God” 5. Church as Servant: This model journey to “Bride of Christ” and on and on. In of Church understands the Church pictures memories in tenor hums. 1974, within ten years of the end of as coming into existence only when As vibrations form in distant the Council, Avery Dulles, S.J., wrote the community sees the wounded and tympanies a masterful synthesis of the Council injured of the world and gets down into as muffled mallets of turning wheels treatment of ecclesiology which he the ditch to attend to them, deciding begin the roll down endless runway. titled MODELS OF THE CHURCH. with the wounded if the proper Follows clicks and bounces to rising I have it in front of me as I type this.