June 2021 St. Joseph, Bertha St. Hubert, Bluegrass St. John the Baptist, Bluffton Assumption of Our Lady, Menahga St. Michael, Motley Sacred Heart, Staples St. Frederick, Verndale St. Ann, Wadena expectation of a military-like figurehead visiting the lower ranks? If the bishops are spiritual fathers of their dio- The cese, and the seminarians are spiritual sons, why not act like it? So, the seminarians of MN, ND, and SD, got together and decided to “ad limina” have our bishops over to our student kitchen for dinner. We would cook, they could arrive casual, and the time was meant for family- like communion, rather than an inspection of personnel. The dinner Visit was a huge success and the talk of the seminary for several weeks: “You made dinner for them? They stayed for several hours to talk and hang out?” Yes. And, it was one of my fondest memories of those days, because it was human, not business. It was intended to Every five years (or so), each Catholic relax tension and help us know one another as persons, not offices. bishop in the world travels to Rome to ‘check in’ with the Holy Father and the various offices of the Roman Curia at the Vati- There is something about sharing a meal that reveals relationships. can. The ad limina visit keeps the Church universal and pro- We choose how to interact with one another, whether for good or vides an opportunity for our local bishops, by region, to bond ill. We usually posture ourselves to set an impression in order that with one another, learn what is going on in other parts of the people will like us, only to find out later that most people didn’t real- world, and to gain assistance from the leadership of the Holy ly notice all of those things we were worried they might judge. We See regarding local issues. In December of 2004, the bishops of push through the awkward silences, extend invitations to newcom- Region VIII (Minnesota, North and South Dakotas—ten bishops) ers, open small talk with those caught between conversations, speak had their turn to visit with Pope John Paul II one last time be- up for the hard of hearing, rest our voices in reverence for the inspir- fore his death in April 2005. It was then that I got to know on a ing, and laugh together to the point of tears when the story telling more personal level Bishop John F. Kinney, our bishop at the hits home. time, while I was studying at the seminary in Rome. The pandemic has affected our social relationships in a way that we The seminary had been hosting the North American bishops all will need to work hard to overcome. Friendship is born of risk-gone- year, and our region was the last of the fifteen regions to pass right. I am grateful for memories of meals with friends and family, through. The seminarians of each region found ways to meet and I know that more memories are in the making. with their bishops in formal ways at meetings, or at notable restaurants, and to make sure the bishops felt welcome. But I Jesus had many meals in the gospel, and great memories are built noticed a repeated theme to the parties and gatherings: they around them. Let’s look for opportunities to bring Christ to meals seemed overly formal and lacking the familial rapport one this next year as things open up and life gets a little more ‘normal.’ might expect. Why all the posturing to be formal, and why the Seminarians with Bishop Kinney What do you do when you feel isolated, being a Catholic in today’s world? I listen to Catholic Radio. Usually Relevant Ra- dio, unless I am too far west to get it on my car radio, then I tune into Real Presence Radio out of Far- go ND. (Real Presence Radio is 1280 AM and is affiliated with EWTN programming.) Relevant Radio for the St. Cloud Diocese is 1180 AM and in the Twin Cities it is 1330 AM. When you are in Perham the Relevant Radio station is 100.3 FM. I can get these stations on my car radio, but they do not come into my home radio. Luckily Relevant Radio has an app that you can download and use on your phone or iPad/tablet. If you have Alexa, Google Assistant, or Amazon Echo just ask them to tune in to Relevant Radio. Or on your computer you can go to their website at https:// Need relevantradio.com and listen. Their website gives ac- cess to podcasts of previous programs and prayers. Something They broadcast the Holy Mass at noon each day, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is at 3:00 pm, and the Family Rosary each evening at 7:00 pm. Many of the programs Positive? on Relevant Radio allow listeners to call in with questions. The programs vary from looking at the daily Mass readings with Father Simon, to apologetics with Patrick Madrid, to ana- lyzing current events through the eyes of our Catholic faith with Drew Mariani, plus many more offerings. Our Bishop has record- ed messages on the St Cloud Diocese stations and school chil- dren from our Catholic Schools have recorded prayers. Rele- vant Radio has stations from Maui to Maine with people listening (and calling in) on the app from all over the world. So, if you want to know what Catho- Bringing Christ lics believe, or want to pray with other Catholics, try listening to the world through to Catholic Radio. the media. Submitted by: Tricia Kraemer Let us take a look at the word In fact, St. Maximilian’s whole life was St. Charles Borromeo was born on Oc- “courage”. Courage is motivation from a sacrifice for others. He had the cour- tober 2, 1538 In Italy. He was ordained the heart to do something brave. Due age to trust in the gospel, the word of as a priest in 1563, and became a con- to our perverse culture, we do not hear God. secrated bishop of Milan the same the word courage as often as we used We have a patron saint for teachers year. He helped found the Confraterni- to. named St. John Baptist de la Salle. He ty of Christian Doctrine (CCD) for the When it comes to our families, in the reminds us of our special mission to religious instruction and helped estab- pursuit to know more of the word cour- teach, not only our subject matter, but lish seminaries for the education of the age, both parents and teachers must above all else, our faith. Saint John Bap- clergy. work together to know precisely what tist de la Salle refers to us as Like many other saints of the church, their identity and purpose are. We all "ambassadors of Christ." His life was his energy came from the gospel and have been baptized to live the newness one of courage to do the will of God his personal prayer. His health was put of the life of the church. and Jesus. He believed that by our ac- aside in order to help others. tions, we touch the hearts of our stu- To focus more on this issue, we should enhance the spirit of partnership of parents and their children towards faith formation, with the religious edu- cation coordinators, directors, and cat- echists to work together gaining addi- tional courage, to strengthen the bond between home, school and church. Parents are Special Ambassadors of the Word of God to their children. Parents may want to turn to the Saints of the Church in order to have the “courage” to raise a family - today. The media and our materialistic culture add a challenge that did not have to be faced in the past. St. Charles Borromeo did what was dents. In his quest for love of truth, There were many courageous Saints right because he trusted in the truth of Saint John Baptist de la Salle shows us that did the work of God on Earth. One the gospel which gave him courage. He the way to reach our students and how in particular that comes to mind is died in Milan on November 4, 1854, to walk with them, in Christ. This is a Maximilian Kolbe. He gave up his life, and was canonized in 1610. for a man, who was a husband and fa- very good role model for parents who ther, so he could live and take care of are the primary teachers of their chil- In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul says, his family. dren, while they teach themselves to “with all prayer and supplication, pray have courage to serve the Lord. at every opportunity in the spirit, to that end,“ be watchful with all perse- In my native country, the Philip- verance and supplication for all the ho- pines, on the island of Negros ly ones and also for me, so that speech Occidental, is a small city called may be given to open my mouth and to San Carlos. The city was What is make known with boldness the mystery named after a patron, Saint of the gospel for which I am ambassa- Charles Borromeo, another dor in chains so that I may have the Courage heroic person. He had the courage to speak the truth as I must. courage to put aside personal wealth in order to serve oth- Adapted from Ephesians 6:18-20 About? ers. I am very proud and fortu- nate to have lived in the city of San Carlos where he became an in- spiration of great courage to all of us.
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