“Do Not Neglect to Show Hospitality to Strangers, for Thereby Some Have Entertained Angels Unawares.”Hebrews 13:2 OLIVIA – on Saturday, Sept
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Minnesota’s Most Rural Diocese Diocese of New Ulm Vol. 34 No. 2 October/November 2019 (Photo by Christine Clancy) “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”Hebrews 13:2 OLIVIA – On Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, at the St. Aloysius Jubilee Center in Olivia, Bishop John LeVoir was joined by parish and school staff and volunteers for “Entertaining Angels Hospitality Training,” a diocesan sponsored Discipleship Day presented by St. Paul Evangelization Institute. From transforming the environment of the parish office to using the right words when interacting with guests and parishioners, participants learned tips on how to evangelize and make the parish a welcoming environment. Pictured, Denise Hirl, one of the two keynote speakers, talks about learning to imitate Christ’s service by focusing on the gifts of joy, service, and peace. (Read more about the Discipleship Day on page 3.) Canby School Spirit! - Luke Abrahamson, Tyson Wilson, Drake Chappuis, Damien Schrunk, and Andols Hacker of St. Peter’s School in Canby took part in the Minnesota Marathon for Nonpublic Schools held this year in 11 Catholic schools in the diocese. This annual marathon not only draws public awareness of nonpublic education but also raises funds to support Catholic schools throughout Minnesota. Minnesota’s Most Rural Diocese Diocese of New Ulm Vol. 34 No. 2 October/November 2019 (See special marathon coverage, pages 6-7.) Raising awareness of the evils of domestic violence and human trafficking by Katie Roiger violence such as the scenarios Prairie Catholic correspondent presented by Wojtowicz; or previous sexual assault, especially Child exploitation. Domestic by a family member. Struggling to violence. Human trafficking. gain control, they are exposed to Sexual abuse. Rape. Some topics harmful influences and may end are just hard to think about, let up feeling that their own bodies alone discuss. These evils can are all they have left as collateral. grow and spread unchecked simply because no one wants to “Young teens and tweens will discuss them. often go online out of curiosity, looking for connection,” Byrne While society in general often said. “They may well respond to seems content to sweep the requests for pornographic images problems of sex slavery and of themselves, eliciting even domestic violence under the more of the desired attention. rug, the Breaking Free 2019 Pornography becomes the only Diocesan Ethics Conference, This year’s Diocese of New Ulm’s Ethics Conference put a spotlight on domestic violence and human thing they believe they have held on Saturday, Oct.12 at trafficking. Session speakers were from left, Sr. Candace Fier, ISSM; Sr. Lois Byrne, PBVM; Suzann Brown; of worth.” From responding to Schoenstatt on the Lake Retreat Sr. Teresa Wolf, OSB; and Brittany Wojtowicz. (Photo by Christine Clancy) pornographic requests, it is an Center in Sleepy Eye, Minn., easy step to agreeing to even more confronted these issues head-on. all community members to work abuse and violence to occur in business is often far more degrading sexual slavery. The conference was convened for together to end injustice and their own backyards. lucrative than selling illegal the express purpose of calling out oppression. All five speakers substances, since a prostituted “Wherever there is a vulnerable these atrocities and encouraging agreed that the first step is raising “What we know about men individual does not need to be youth, there is opportunity for the awareness that this problem does particularly who use violence “restocked.” The same person can vulnerable youth to be exploited. exist. is they often present very well, be sold multiple times a day, seven That leads to this horrific problem and so a lot of times these folks days a week. that we have,” said Brown. Once “No state, no community is are upstanding members of the a pimp has introduced the prey safe,” said Sr. Teresa Wolf, a community,” she said, adding that Although prostitution is often to the trafficked life, whether INSIDE Benedictine Sister from Mother this makes it much more difficult busiest in large cities, the by asking for a favor or through Page 3 of God Monastery in Watertown, for the abused partner to seek help trafficking itself takes place outright rape, the psychological SD, and the director of the and may put them in more danger. outside the metropolis. Pimps aftereffects are often enough to Entertaining Angels Watertown Initiative to Prevent most commonly prey upon at-risk keep that person ensnared. Hospitality Training Sex Trafficking. “When we began Suzanne Brown, past board young girls and women. These talking about trafficking, people chair of the Minneapolis-based procurers endear themselves “They truly believe that they are Page 5 took me aside and scolded me. Breaking Free, an initiative that to their targets by befriending in this place because of something End-of-Life They said, ‘Why do you talk helps sex trafficking victims them and acting as the caring, they did,” said Brown. “Many of about this? You’re just kind of escape their past lives and receive trustworthy lover or father figure Options Act the women that we work with at embarrassing everybody because the tools they need for healing, they lack. Breaking Free will tell you that it’s not happening here.’ We had to shared the sobering truth regarding their stories started in their youth, Page 13 educate people and give examples, the ever-growing sex slavery Many factors can contribute being raped by a family member, Influx of women and say yes, it is happening here.” industry. to making a person at-risk to or running away from a domestic seeking religious orders trafficking. Sr. Lois Byrne, violence situation and within 48 to Brittany Wojtowicz, assistant “They’ve exited selling drugs PBVM, an outreach counselor for 72 hours of being homeless, they director of the Mankato-based to trafficking human beings,” the Diocese of New Ulm Catholic are picked up [by a trafficker].” Visit us online! Committee Against Domestic she said, speaking of some of Charities, identified some of Abuse (CADA), agreed that today’s biggest criminals. Brown these factors as broken families; www.dnu.org smaller communities never expect explained that the trafficking neglect; drugs; truancy; domestic (Continued on page 12) The Prairie Catholic l Page 1 l October/November 2019 Be Not Afraid A genuine human ecology and just.” We should be rightly Furthermore, as a Church For example, if we view the Pope Benedict said in a talk to the concerned about such things. document states, “. the human human body without regard to its Brazilian Bishops in February of body cannot be considered as fullest meaning as God’s gift to us, 2011: “It is also important to say The last three popes have written a mere complex [collection] of the door is opened for a misguided that without clearly defending about an “ecology” in this sense. tissues, organs and functions, nor gender ideology to enter into human life, from conception until However, they have expanded can it be evaluated in the same practice. Gender ideology refers to natural death; without defending the definition of ecology to way as the body of animals; attitudes regarding the appropriate the family, based on marriage include human beings and our rather it is a constitutive part of roles, rights, and responsibilities between a man and a woman; relationship to ourselves, others, the person who manifests and of men and women in society. without truly defending those who and our environment. Thus, the expresses himself through it” A misguided gender ideology are excluded and marginalized term “human ecology.” As Pope (Congregation for the Doctrine contradicts the way in which God from society, without forgetting St. John Paul II wrote: “Not only of the Faith, Introduction to has created us as male and female in this context those that have has God given the earth to man, Instruction on Respect for Human (Gen 1:27) by cancelling out our lost everything, victims of natural who must use it with respect for Life, no. 3, 1987). sexual difference. disasters, we could never speak by Bishop John M. LeVoir the original good purpose for of an authentic defense of the which it was given to him, but Since the human body is a Again, quoting Pope Francis: environment.” Pope St. John Paul II, Pope man too is God’s gift to man. He fundamental dimension of the “Valuing one’s own body in Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis must therefore respect the natural human person, created in the its femininity or masculinity is In conclusion, as Pope Francis have all used the term “human and moral structure with which he image of God, Pope Francis necessary if I am going to be teaches in Laudato si’: “The ecology” in their teaching. has been endowed” (Centesimus writes: “Learning to accept our able to recognize myself in an acceptance of our bodies as God’s What is meant by “ecology?” Annus, no. 38). So, not only is body, to care for it, and to respect encounter with someone who gift is vital for welcoming and Ecology is the branch of biology nature to be cared for as God’s its fullest meaning is an essential is different. In this way we can accepting the entire world as that deals with the relations of gift to us, but also all men and element of any genuine human joyfully accept the specific gifts a gift from the Father and our organisms to one another and women are precious gifts to us ecology” (LS, no. 155). Why of another man or woman, the common home, whereas thinking to their physical surroundings.