The Abbey of the Hills (Photo by Wade Kaiser) The former Blue Cloud Abbey, a Benedictine monastery located about 20 minutes west of Ortonville off U.S. Hwy. 12, has been purchased by a group of six Catholic couples from the Dioceses of New Ulm and Sioux Falls, S.D. Together they have transformed it into The Abbey of the Hills Inn and Retreat Center. Minnesota’s Most Rural Diocese Diocese of New Ulm Vol. 29 No. 9 May 2015 (Read more on page 6.) Proposed Minnesota physician-assisted suicide bill fatally fl awed by Sam Patet It wasn’t her cancer, however, that Archdiocese of Portland on Oct. The Prairie Catholic ultimately took her life. It was a 26, 2014. While not addressed to pill. Maynard specifi cally, the bishop’s NEW ULM – No one wants to be pastoral statement on physician- told they have six months to live. Months earlier, Maynard and her assisted suicide clearly was written husband had moved to Oregon, to address the situation. Yet for California-native Brittany one of four states where physician- Maynard, that conversation assisted suicide is legal. The “Don’t give up hope! We are with became reality a year ago when pill she took was secobarbital, a you. As friends, families, and her doctor told her she had drug commonly used to carry out neighbors, we pledge to surround glioblastoma multiforme, an physician-assisted suicide. you with our love and compassion aggressive form of brain cancer. until the sacred moment when God In the weeks leading up to her calls you home,” he said in the She was 29 years old. death, proponents of physician- statement. assisted suicide used Maynard’s “That was a major shock to my story to advance their agenda. The Catholic Church is gearing up to combat a new affront against In a second video, Maynard system and the system of my Maynard’s video interview human life, this time at its end. Physician-assisted suicide, recently expressed her desire to see family,” Maynard said in a 2014 (produced by Compassion & popularized by the 2014 death of Californian Brittany Maynard, is physician-assisted suicide become video interview. “My parents spent Choices, the country’s largest being debated in state legislatures across the country, including legal throughout the United States. a couple of months – they just physician-assisted suicide Minnesota. (Shutterstock photo) wanted to search for a miracle.” advocacy group) went v iral, and Battle at home she even appeared on the cover of Church – compassionately voiced “We stand in solidarity with Minnesota is now one of 23 states But no miracle came. On Nov. 1, People magazine. their objections. Suicide, they all those who are suffering poised to legalize physician- 2014, Maynard passed away at her argued, is never the answer to and dying,” wrote Archbishop home. But others – including the Catholic terminal illness. Alexander K. Sample of the (Continued on page 8) DCCW Convention presenter: God gives us all a mission INSIDE by Sam Patet articles for leading Catholic The Prairie Catholic publications, such as St. Anthony Page 3 Messenger, Columbia Magazine, NEW ULM – Author, speaker, and Catholic Parent. Bishop announces radio host, mother of four, and She shares her zeal for the faith priest assignments enthusiastic convert, Elizabeth with audiences nationwide at Ficocelli has a natural ability to various conferences, parishes, connect with audiences of all schools, missions, retreats, and Page 7 sizes and ages on a broad range organizational meetings. She Meeker County of topics relevant to living – and has been featured on EWTN prison ministry loving – the Catholic faith. She television, including, “The was the keynote presenter at the Abundant Life,” “Sunday 56th annual Diocesan Council Night Live,” and “The Journey Page 11 of Catholic Women Convention Home.” She has also appeared White Mass April 25 at the Church of St. on Catholic TV and can be heard Aloysius in Olivia. celebrated frequently on Catholic radio as well. Ficocelli is a best-selling, award- Elizabeth Ficocelli visits with Kris Anderson, DC CW treasurer and Visit us online! winning author of 15 books for parishioner at St. Michael’s in Morgan, after her presentation at the In addition to her speaking and adults and young people and DCCW Convention April 25. A total of 226 women attended the www.dnu.org has written numerous magazine annual day-long event. (Photo by Sam Patet) (Continued on page 10) The Prairie Catholic Page 1 May 2015 Be Not Afraid Jubilee Year of Mercy: ‘Merciful like the Father’ the constitutive power of his who is the object of mercy of marriage and the family. Seeing Adam’s loneliness, from mission” (“Rich in Mercy,” no. does not feel humiliated, but For example, he has spoken the rib of the sleeping Adam, God 6). So mercy is not something rather found again and ‘restored beautifully about children and creates woman. As Pope Francis that is tangential to the mission to value.’ The father fi rst and grandparents. says: “When, after presenting all of Christ and his disciples; it is foremost expresses to him his joy the other creatures, God fi nally fundamental. that he has been ‘found again’ On Wednesday, April 22, 2015, presents woman to Adam, the and that he has ‘returned to life’” the Holy Father gave a short man joyfully recognizes that In his encyclical on mercy, (“Rich in Mercy,” no. 6). commentary on the second creature, and only her, to be part Pope John Paul II comments chapter of the Book of Genesis. of him: ‘bone of my bones and masterfully on the parable of Pope Francis sees that the world In this chapter, Adam is created at fl esh of my fl esh.’ the prodigal son. He shows how desperately needs the mercy the culmination of creation, but as the father of the son restores the of God. The pope is calling us a solitary being. God had created “Finally, there is refl ection, value of his son, which had been to be merciful like the Father. a beautiful garden in which this reciprocity. The woman is not lost through dissolute living. He knows that there are so solitary human being could live. a replica of man; she comes By forgiving his son, the father many who are wounded by sin, All the animals and plants were directly from God’s gesture of by Bishop John M. LeVoir promotes and draws good from suffering, sickness, terrorism, his. Pope Francis comments: creation. Indeed, the image of the evil. From the evil of his son’s and persecution. These people “The Holy Spirit, who inspires all ‘rib’ does not imply inferiority On March 13, 2015, Pope Francis sin, the father draws the good of need mercy in order to be “found the Bible, suggests for a moment or subordination, but on the announced that there would be forgiveness and restoration. The again,” “restored to value,” and the image of man alone, without contrary, that man and woman an extraordinary holy year. It will father has mercy on his son. “returned to life.” woman.” are of the same substance and are be a jubilee year of mercy. The complementary. And the fact that, jubilee year of mercy will begin The father of the prodigal That is why in his interview with Going further, Pope Francis again in the parable, God forms on Dec. 8, 2015, and conclude represents God the Father, who Antonio Spadaro, SJ, editor in states: “And it suggests the woman while man is sleeping, on Nov. 20, 2016. The motto for is rich in mercy. When we live c hief of La Civiltà Cattolica, thought of God, almost the underlines that she is in no way a the holy year is “Merciful like the dissolutely – that is, when we Pope Francis said: “I see clearly sentiments of God as he watches creation of man, but of God.” Father” (“Misericordiae Vultus,” sin – God the Father has mercy that the thing the Church needs him, as he observes Adam alone no. 14). on us. Sin makes us prodigals in most today is the ability to heal in the garden: He is free, he is the It is for a refl ection such as this the spiritual sense. But when we wounds and to warm the hearts of master, but … he is alone. And that I read what Pope Francis The fi rst time that I discovered repent and return to God, as the the faithful.” It is precisely mercy God sees that this is not good; it says directly from the Vatican the importance of mercy in the prodigal repented and returned to that heals wounds and warms the is a lack of communion, a lack of Web site (www.vatican.va). The Christian life was when I read St. his father, God’s mercy manifests hearts of the faithful. fullness. ‘It is not good that the popular media usually pass over John Paul II’s encyclical “Rich in itself in forgiveness. From man should be alone; I will make many of Francis’ most beautiful Mercy,” which he issued on Nov. the evil of our sin, God draws Man and woman: him a helper fi t for him.’” refl ections. If we depend only 30, 1980. the good of forgiveness and complementary and of the on the popular media, we will restoration. same substance So even though Adam has all miss the fullness of Pope Francis’ In that encyclical, the saintly Almost every Wednesday, Pope of the animals and plants to profound teaching. pontiff writes: “Mercy is “This (merciful) love is able to Francis has a general audience please himself, there is no other manifested in its true and proper reach down to every prodigal in which he addresses issues of creature like himself.