By Fr. Michael Miller

While I was walkingaround the farm with mydad, he told me how he hadbeen working near the silowhen he heard a cat meow-ing desperately. He finallytracked it down to the silo.Since the silo was no longerin use, he had put the bot-tom two doors in place tokeep out animals. The cat,

no doubt, saw these as mere obstacles to thepossible delight inside. Despite having thewhole farm on which to hunt in addition to thefood already supplied, the cat climbed thedoors and jumped in the silo. Once inside, thecat realized that it could not get out; the opendoor was too high and the walls too smooth.The only thing left to do was cry for help andhope that it would come. Fortunately, my dadheard its cry and opened the bottom door. Thecat jumped out of its would-be tomb andscampered off alive and free.

It is a good image of the drama of the spir-itual life. Adam and Eve had the whole gardenfrom which to eat and, unlike the cat, under-stood the obstacle put before the tree of theknowledge of good and evil, which “symboli-cally evokes the insurmountable limits thatman, being a creature, must freely recognizeand respect with trust.” (Catechism of theCatholic Church, n. 396) The obstacle was a

commandment, which required the responseof obedience. But as we know, “Man, temptedby the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in

his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyedGod’s command…. He chose himself over andagainst God, against the requirements of hiscreaturely status and therefore against his owngood.” (CCC, nn. 397, 398) This left manhelpless and unable to get out of the situation:“Closed in the darkness, it was necessary tobring us the light; captives, we awaited aSavior; prisoners, help; slaves a liberator.” (St.Gregory of Nyssa, CCC, n. 457) There wasnothing he could do but cry for help and hopethat it would come.

Each Sunday we profess the joyful truththat this hope was fulfilled: “For us men andfor our salvation He came down from Heaven;by the power of the Holy Spirit He was bornof the Virgin Mary and became man.” Everyperson participates in this great drama of sal-vation. We all have been created by the sameGod for the same purpose: to know and to loveHim, Who first loved us. We all face the samebasic challenges: do we believe in Him, anddo we trust Him? Do we trust Him enough tobelieve that His commandments are not limitson our freedom, but are rather the only way inwhich we can truly be free? Do we understandourselves well enough to know that becausewe still carry the wounds of original sin, wesometimes desire things that will harm usrather than make us happy?

“Ignorance of the fact that man has awounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to

NO

N-P

RO

FI

T

OR

GA

NI

ZA

TI

ON

U.S

. P

OS

TA

GE

PA

ID

PE

RM

ITN

O.

34

52

MP

LS

. M

N

The

Cat

holic

Ser

vant

P.O

. Box

241

42

Min

neap

olis

, MN

554

24

20102010Fund-Raising

goal: $50,000

Thomas Monaghan:A man of faith in action

The Catholic Servant Fund-Raising Goal for 2010: $50,000 Please help support “The Catholic Servant” through gifts and fundraisers

The Catholic Servant Fund-Raising Goal for 2010: $50,000 Please help support “The Catholic Servant” through gifts and fundraisers

Cat in the Silo continued page 4

By John Sondag

[Editor’s note: “The CatholicServant” recently interviewedThomas Monaghan when he visit-ed the Twin Cities. He is thefounder and former owner ofDomino’s Pizza, and in recentyears, he has devoted his life tomany enterprises of spreadingand teaching the Catholic Faith.He is currently the Chancellor ofAve Maria University inFlorida.]

“The Catholic Servant”: Weprint about 45,000 copies of ourpaper each month. That’sabout number of people whofill a football stadium. If youhad five minutes, as a seasonedCatholic who has promoted theFaith, to give a message to afootball stadium of people,what would it be?

By John SondagYou’ve probably heard that say-

ing of life being a huge tapestry, andeach of us is one of a variety ofthreads that is interconnected withmany other threads. Only at the endof the world will we be able to seethe magnificent tapestry in its fullcolor.

If I were going to make a predic-tion, I think I could safely bet one ofthe boldly colored threads thatwould be woven throughout a largeportion of that fabric would be thelife of Ralph McInerny, Ph.D., of theUniversity of Notre Dame.

He just died from cancer onJanuary 29 at the age of 80. He hadrecently retired from a 54-year

career of teaching philosophy at NotreDame. He grew up in South Minneapolis in St. Helena Parish, whereI have worked for the past 28 years.

Even though I may have had only about ten conversations withRalph, I can say I knew him because I know his brother Dr. DennisMcInerny quite well, and Dennis had many “Ralph” stories. Ofcourse, there were others who knew Ralph well, like Bob McDonald

Thomas Monaghan McInerny continued page 10

Dr. Ralph McInerny:May his soul rest in peace

The cat and the silo: an image of God’s merciful message

Vol. XVI, No. II, February 2010 A Tool for Evangelization, Catechesis and ApologeticsI did not come to be served, but to serve. Matthew 20:28

Pho

to b

y D

r.R

aym

ond

Bon

nabe

au

Monaghan continued page 9

“Lord, have mercy!”we cry out during Lent. This

picture of the Twelfth Station ofthe Cross is taken from Nativity

Church in St. Paul.

Fr. Miller

Dr. Ralph McInerny

Pho

to c

ourt

esy

of N

otre

Dam

e C

ente

r fo

r E

thic

s an

d C

ultu

re

P a g e 2 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0

The C a t h o l i c

“The Catholic Servant” is atool for evangelization, cat-

echesis and apologetics.Published monthly, it is dis-

tributed free throughparishes and through

paid subscriptions ($15 per year).

Board of Directors:Don FierFr. Joseph JohnsonDaniel J. KellyPatrick ShannonJohn Sondag

Publisher/Editor:John Sondag

Editorial Readers:Patrick ShannonGreg SmisekDon Fier

Bookkeeper:Timothy Fritz

Circulation:Thea Melillo

AdvertisingMelissa LenzmeierPhone: 612-916-5258

mlknight@stthomas.eduGraphic Design

Jodi Sandellj.sandell@worldnet.att.net

Our mailing address is:The Catholic ServantP.O. Box 24142Minneapolis, MN 55424

By Dia Boyle

Spring isin the air? Itis still Feb-ruary andM i n n e s o t ais hardly“ m u d - l u s -cious andp u d d l e -wonderful.”I c e - b o u n d ,

frigid, and miserable, rather.Yet just around the corner is along and beautiful springtime.“Ha!” you will object. InMinnesota we barely havespring at all: snow is commonin April, tender plants can’t beput in the earth until the end ofMay. By late June themosquitoes are out in force,and what little spring we had isgone.

I beg to differ. If spring isdefined by tulips and greengrass, warm sunny days, andleafy trees then, yes, our springis late and very short. But todefine spring in such a way isto miss it almost altogether.Spring is the death of winterand the preparation for the lushabundance of summer. Assuch, it begins in March whenthere is as much daylight asdarkness, and the sun is strongenough to melt the snow. Whatdoes it matter that snow maystill be falling in abundance?

Because it is not long-lived, itis no longer winter snow, butspring snow! Early spring inMinnesota is marked by slush,damp raw wind, and the soundof water running in the gutters.Although by early April wemay ache for flowers and greengrass, we make do instead withgreen buds on shrubs and bush-es, and little yellow-green tipsof crocuses and daffodils, pok-ing up around dirty ice pilesand through soggy piles of lastfall’s leaves. As April givesway to May we dream of warmsunshine, but know that thepuddles and umbrellas areessential to a successful sum-mer late on.

Slow but sure, however,progress is made. Tulips even-tually dare to bloom. Afterdropping every imaginablepollen-producing and drain-clogging item into our yards,the trees do finally leaf out.The lawns green up, and the

garden’s plants can, at last, beput into the earth. By June thedays, though still often chillyenough to keep us from banish-ing our sweaters to the backs ofour closets, are long and filledwith light. If we have thepatience to enjoy it, and theeyes to recognize its signs, wewill see that springtime inMinnesota is not short andfleeting, but long and rich andfull of beautiful promises.

The patience that we learnfrom Minnesota seasons willserve us well as we raise ourchildren. Like sloppy slush andApril blizzards, the difficultphases and stages of childhoodmust not be seen as evils, butas promises of progresstowards the goal: maturity! Ababy’s clinginess is a sign thathe can now distinguish hismother from the masses. A tod-dler’s tantrums are an expres-sion of her free will and yearn-ing for independence. A child’s

painful playground battlesresult from the desire to reachout to those outside of his ownfamily. A teenager’s intoler-ance of our rules betrays anincreasing ability to think forhimself. These stages are diffi-cult for parents and must befaced with wisdom andpatience and prayer, but theyare also evidence that our chil-dren are doing what they arecreated to do: become matureand fruitful sons and daughtersof God.

Pray for patience, and thinkspring!

Dia Boyle is a wife, free-lance speaker, and writer fromSt. Paul, Minnesota.

This article was funded by theSt. Joseph the Worker Chair ofWriting sponsored by an anony-mous patron.

Boyle

Bringing the Faith into the home A Minnesota Spring can teach parents much about raising their children

By Dale Ahlquist

Purgatoryis making ac o m e b a c k .Not that itever wentaway. But forthe past fewd e c a d e s ,even for thepast few cen-t u r i e s ,

Christians have not thought asmuch about Purgatory as theydid before—and they havetalked about it even less. I willnot take this opportunity to dis-cuss the history of whyPurgatory was forgotten, butrather the news that it is beingremembered.

Two new books from TANBooks and St. Benedict Pressnot only confirm the surginginterest in Purgatory, but fill animportant need in explaining itto Catholics and non-Catholicswho have never been educatedabout this essential doctrine ofthe Faith.

The first is The BiblicalBasis for Purgatory by JohnSalza and the second is HungrySouls by Gerard J.M. van denAardweg. I may as well men-tion another book from TANBooks, a reprint called Charityfor the Suffering Souls, writtenover a hundred years ago, by aMinnesota priest named FatherJohn Nageleisen. It is a text-

book explanation of Purgatory,and well worth reading, butlet’s talk about these two newerbooks.

G.K. Chesterton once saidthat he never realized howmuch sense Christianity madeuntil the anti-Christian writerspointed it out to him. Along thesame lines, I never realizedhow Biblical was Catholicismuntil I examined the claims ofthe anti-Catholics who hadassured me that the CatholicChurch contradicted the Bible.What a shock that the Bibleshould turn out to be such athoroughly Catholic document.And once we understand thereason and reality of Purgatory,it is amazing how many refer-ences to it suddenly appearthroughout the Scriptures.Besides the ones that should be(painfully) obvious, like Matt.12:32; Luke 12: 47-48, I Cor.10:3-17, II Cor. 5:10 (lookthem up), there are lots of otherverses that I have alwaysknown but never really thoughtabout before (and some that Idid not know—I guess theyslipped by me somehow). Forinstance:

“In this you rejoice, thoughnow for a little while you mayhave to suffer various trials, sothat the genuineness of yourfaith, more precious than goldwhich though perishable istested by fire, may redound topraise and glory and honor at

the revelation of Jesus Christ.”(I Peter 1:6-7)

“Beloved, do not be sur-prised at the fiery ordeal whichcomes upon you to reproveyou, as though somethingstrange were happening to you.But rejoice in so far as youshare Christ’s sufferings, thatyou may also rejoice and beglad when His glory isrevealed.” (I Peter 4:12-13)

“Those whom I love, Ireprove and chasten; so bezealous and repent.” (Rev.3:19)

Purgatory is a temporarystate. It is not an eternal alter-native for those who were toogood for Hell, but not goodenough for Heaven. It is thelast stop before Paradise forthose whose souls are indeedsaved. Because Purgatory isnot a destination, Salza’s bookmakes the very good point thatwe are not trying to get intoPurgatory. We should be settingour sights and all our hopes onHeaven, on perfect communionwith God. We’re not supposedto aim low.

As for the second book,Hungry Souls, the subtitle is ana t t e n t i o n - g r a b b e r :Supernatural Visits, Messages,and Warnings from Purgatory.The cover blurb is rather sensa-tional, even spine-tingling:“After a week of hearing ghost-ly noises, a man is visited in hishome by the spirit of his moth-

er, dead for three decades. Shereproaches him for his disso-lute life and begs him to haveMasses said in her name. Thenshe lays her hand on his sleeve,leaving an indelible burn mark,and departs…” And yet, thebook, written by a Catholicpsychologist from Denmark, isa no-nonsense account of well-documented cases of visita-tions from dead souls. We learnabout St. Thomas Aquinasbeing visited from Purgatoryby his dead sister, the visions ofPurgatory afforded to St.Catherine of Genoa andBlessed Catherine Emmerich,and the encounters that St.Padre Pio had with souls fromPurgatory. He once told thepriest who was his caretakerthat in spite of the hundreds ofpilgrims who made their wayeach day to the monastery atSan Giovanni Rotondo “therewere more souls of the deadwho come up that road thansouls of the living.”

The book also includesdescriptions and photographsof items from the “Museum ofPurgatory” in the Church of theSacred Heart of Suffrage inRome: missals and holy textswith burnt handprints and fin-gerprints, the sleeve with theburnt handprint mentionedabove, and similar things.These relics have been authen-ticated, and in every case, thephysical effects they displayhave not been reproducible by

natural means.The point is clear that these

souls in Purgatory are suffer-ing; they are being purified ofthe sins that still separate themfrom God. But paradoxically,they are also rejoicing. Theyare experiencing both God’sjustice and His mercy at thesame time. “The greatest suf-fering,” says St. Faustina, whowas also visited by souls fromPurgatory, “comes from long-ing for God.” In spite of “thepain of loss,” there is a joy thatcomes from experiencingGod’s love as it draws eachsoul closer to Himself. Van denAardweg writes: “God appearsas the loving Father Who can-not but cleanse His impurechild precisely because Hewants to make it unimaginablyhappy.”

And then there is thestrange and surprising role thatwe play on this side of the veil.Besides looking after our ownsouls right now, we are calledon to pray for the souls inPurgatory. This is an act ofcharity. And praying for thedead has the salubrious effectof making our own souls betterprepared for death, and foreternal life.

St. Paul tells us to weepwith those who weep andrejoice with those who rejoice.We usually take this to meanexpressing different kinds ofsympathy according to the dif-ferent kinds of emotions andexperiences of our friends andneighbors. But we actually doboth things at once when wepray for the souls in Purgatory.We suffer with them andrejoice with them as they expe-rience what Chesterton calls“the fiery love of God.”

Dale Ahlquist is Presidentof the American ChestertonSociety and host of the EWTNseries “G.K. Chesterton: TheApostle of Common Sense.”

This article was funded by theSt. Benedicta of the Cross (EdithStein) Chair of Writing sponsoredby Dr. and Mrs. Raymond andMary Bonnabeau.

Ahlquist

Do Catholics have a new interest in the neglected doctrine of PurgatoryF e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t P a g e 3

serious errors in the areas ofeducation, politics, socialaction, and morals.” (CCC, n.407) Do we understand that wecannot get to Heaven on ourown, and that when we jumpinto the silo of sin we cannot

get out by ourselves? Do wehave the sense to say with thepsalmist: “Out of the depths Icall to You, LORD; Lord hearmy cry! May Your ears beattentive to my cry for mercy.”(Ps. 130:1-2)? And do we havethe confidence in God’s lovefor us, that He will open thedoor of that spiritual tomb that

we may emerge alive and free?

Fr. Michael Miller is pastorof St. Michael's Church and St.Mary's Church in Stillwater,Minnesota.

This article was funded by theSt. Thomas Aquinas Chair ofWriting sponspored by an anony-mous patron.

Cat in the Silocontinued from page 1

By Fr. Paul A. La Fontaine

Question: Myf r i e n d w a s aL u t h e r a n a n dbecame Catholic,and he had to bere-confirmed. Howcome? I thought hehad already beenconfirmed in theLutheran church.

Answer: Everysacrament has a min-

ister—someone to administer thatsacrament to someone else. The varioussacraments differ as to who can admin-ister them.

Deacons, priests, and bishops areordinary ministers of Baptism.However, when the person to be bap-tized is in danger of death, anyone canbaptize, even a non-believer, as long ashe or she intends to do whatever theChurch does by Baptism. A laypersoncan also be designated by the Bishop tobaptize in certain other cases, of neces-sity, such as the unavailability of a dea-con, priest, or bishop for a long time.This situation is often found in remotemission territories.

Bishops are the ordinary ministers of

Confirmation in the Latin (Western)Rite. However, in danger of death orwith the bishop’s delegation, a priestmay be an extraordinary minister ofConfirmation.

Deacons, priests, and bishops areordinary ministers of HolyCommunion. However, in case ofnecessity, laypeople can be appointed asextraordinary ministers of Communion.The only minister of the Holy Eucharist(who is the one who consecrates thebread and wine) is a priest or bishop.There are no extraordinary ministers ofthe Holy Eucharist.

Priests and bishops are the only min-isters of the sacrament of Penance andthe Anointing of the Sick, and bishopsare the ordinary ministers of HolyOrders.

Only baptized Christian laypeoplecan be ministers of Matrimony. As brideand groom, they administer the sacra-ment to each other. No one in HolyOrders can administer or receive thesacrament of Matrimony validly.

It is evident from this list that mostof the sacraments require the minister tobe a person who has validly receivedthe sacrament of Holy Orders.

Confirmation is one of those sacra-ments.

Since Lutherans do not have validlyordained priests or bishops, the onlysacraments they can validly administerare Baptism and Matrimony.

In order for a man to be validlyordained, he must be ordained by avalidly ordained bishop who wasordained by a validly ordained bishopand so on all the way back to theApostles. This is called apostolic suc-cession. With divine authority, theCatholic Church has determined thatLutherans and other Protestants brokefrom apostolic succession at the time ofthe Reformation. Even if they were nowto use the approved rites of ordinationand had the right intentions when doingso, their ordinations would still beinvalid because the chain of apostolicsuccession remains broken amongthem. That is why Protestant clergy whowish to continue the ministry of Wordand Sacrament are re-ordained, or,rather, receive the sacrament of HolyOrders validly for the first time, afterthey are admitted to full communionwith the Catholic Church, and it is alsowhy Lutheran and other Protestantlaypeople are re-confirmed, or, rather,receive the sacrament of Confirmationvalidly for the first time, after they areadmitted to full communion with the

Catholic Church.Sacraments are necessary for salva-

tion. People have a right to receive validsacraments. This is why the Churchtakes matters like validity and Churchunity so seriously. It is dangerous tostray from the “One Flock and the OneShepherd.”

That being said, there is at least par-tial communion among Catholics andProtestants, and for that we are grateful.They do have some of the means of sal-vation. As St. Augustine said, Godnever refuses His grace to those who dothe best they can in the circumstances inwhich they find themselves. With goodwill and the help of the Holy Spirit, wecontinue to work with each other tospread the Gospel and to overcome thehurtful things that have kept us apart inthe past.

Fr. Paul La Fontaine, M.A., is pastorof St. Charles Borromeo Church,Minneapolis, Minn.

This article was funded by the St. Teresaof Avila Chair of Writing sponspored by ananonymous patron.

P a g e 4 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0

Quest ion and Answer

Fr. PaulLa Fontaine

Why are Lutherans “re-confirmed” when received into the Catholic Church?

Have questions aboutyour vocation?Call Fr. Peter Williams,Vocations DirectorArchdiocese of St. Paul andMinneapolis651-962-6892stpaulpriest@10000vocations.org

Advertisement sponsored by the Serra Club of Midway St. Paul

By Mary Ann Kuharski

Who wouldever dreamthat a simplebillboard orradio messagecould changes o m e o n e ’ sheart on theissue of abor-tion? Andwho would

believe it would actually save ababy’s life? Well, that is exact-ly what PROLIFE AcrossAMERICA and its MediaMission is all about, and thanksto the prayers and support ofmany, the organization recentlycelebrated its 20th Anniversary.

In commemoration of theJanuary 22, 1973, Roe v. WadeSupreme Court abortion deci-sion and in honor of PROLIFEAcross AMERICA’s 20 yearsof existence, Auxiliary BishopLee Piché recently offered aspecial Mass at St. CharlesBorromeo Church in northeastMinneapolis. Bishop Pichéconcelebrated the Mass withFather Paul LaFontaine, Pastorof St. Charles Borromeo in St.Anthony; Father JosephJohnson, Rector of theCathedral of St. Paul; FatherJames Reidy, retired collegeEnglish Professor andAdvisory Board Member; andFather Mark Dosh, Pastor of St.John the Baptist Church inExcelsior and Chairman of theBoard of PROLIFE AcrossAMERICA.

It is fitting to look back and

to rejoice at how God can useeven a simple billboard orradio message to penetratehearts and save lives!

The organization began in1989 as PROLIFE MINNESO-TA, a statewide group that wasinspired during a dinner tableconversation between Mikeand Dorothy Fleming and myhusband John and me.

When I initially approachedFather Mark Dosh about “apro-life organization whichwould focus entirely on massmedia education,” he was sup-portive and enthusiastic. “Weneed all kinds of pro-lifegroups that will reach the pub-lic. The more the better!” hesaid.

Since then, I’ve come tobelieve that pro-lifers mustspecialize, much like physi-cians, lawyers, and educators.We need groups that concen-trate on informing public offi-cials, groups to lobby for life,groups to give aid to the preg-nant mother and child, groupsto help those in need of post-abortion assistance, groups towork in the political and legalfield, groups to go into theschools to reach young people,and groups to offer alternativesand assistance through massmedia education.

It was a “kitchen table”effort, launched after the birthof my youngest son Joseph, atthe home of Mrs. MikkiGottwalt who graciously host-ed a Christmas Tea for approx-imately 50 pro-life friends.

Thanks to our supporters

and a small and committedstaff comprised of Mary andDave Standing, Mary Madison,Pat Archambault, and theFlemings, who worked tireless-ly for seven years before mov-ing on to pursue other avenues,PROLIFE MINNESOTAlaunched its first BillboardCampaign in 1990 with 42 bill-boards in Minnesota.

Two weeks after the first adappeared, we received a callfrom a pro-life clinic directorin St. Paul: “Your billboardsaved a baby’s life. A womanwho was scheduled for anabortion came in for help andconfided she couldn’t drive bythat billboard every day on herway home from work and gothrough with the abortion.”

The Holy Spirit can use anymeans to touch a heart!

What began 20 years ago asPROLIFE MINNESOTA with42 billboards in Minnesotagrew and expanded, and itsname was changed to PRO-LIFE Across AMERICA in1997. Last year alone, thisgrowing billboard outreachsponsored 6,500 billboards in atotal of 41 states, in addition toairing thousands of radio ads.

All this was made possiblebecause of the prayers and gen-erosity of supporters.

PROLIFE AcrossAMERICA’s focus remains thesame—education through themedia—reaching people whomay not be reached in anyother way with life-savingmessages. Every ad features an800 Hotline for Help number,

connecting callers seekingpregnancy services, adoptioninformation, or post-abortionassistance.

So often, the PROLIFEAcross AMERICA billboardsmay be the only visible sign ofhope and support to someoneon the brink of an abortiondecision.

Recently a young collegewoman made an adoption planfor her baby with the guidanceand assistance she receivedfrom PROLIFE Across AMER-ICA.

A father recently called andsaid, “We were convinced thatour daughter should have anabortion, but seeing those bill-boards just tore at our heart-strings. We couldn’t let her gothrough with it.” (The parentsand daughter were on their wayto the abortion clinic.)

Pope John Paul II, in hisencyclical letter EvangeliumVitae (“The Gospel of Life”),urges us to create an atmo-sphere of life and a culture oflove.

The following letter recent-ly sent to PROLIFE AcrossAMERICA says it best (thewriter’s identity remains confi-dential):

Initially, I found my preg-nancy to be devastating. Notonly did I consider abortion; Ihad appointments made.

But every time I drove pastone of your signs, I’d think,“What if …? What if I abort thebaby and spend the rest of mylife regretting it? … Will pass-ing your billboard constantlyremind me of the baby I didn’thave?”

Ultimately, I found I could-n’t ignore the billboards thatseemed to be everywhere. Mybaby is six months old now, andbrings us the greatest joy. Idon’t know exactly how much itcosts to continue your cam-paign, but whatever the cost,it’s worth it.

You really do save childrenevery day, even if you are never

told. And I want to say, from thebottom of my heart, “thankyou” for saving mine.

Eternally grateful,CH, MinnesotaNot long ago, while attend-

ing a pro-life rally, a womanhanded me a crumpled up pieceof paper and asked me to read itlater. I stuffed it into my pock-et until late that evening when Ireturned home.

When I unfolded theunsigned note I found this mes-sage, which really was notmeant for me alone, but forevery person who ever prayedor supported this MediaMission, as we like to call it.She wrote:

Every billboard statementfor life pulls me a little furtherout of a dark pit and into thelight. I had two abortions(years ago) and your workrestores my confidence thatsomeone cared about mybabies and someone caresabout me. Thank you and Godbless you!

As people of faith, webelieve in the power of God’slove and mercy. It is humblingindeed, to see how He can useeven the most reluctant andunlikely of servants, such as amother of thirteen who hasabsolutely no artistic advertis-ing experience or expertise—and the zeal and commitmentof many—to offer kindnessand help to those in need.

PROLIFE Across AMERI-CA is a 501(c)(3) organiza-tion—totally educational, non-profit, and non-political.

Mary Ann Kuharski, is ahomemaker and mother of 13(ages 20-40), six of whom cameby adoption and are of mixedraces, some with special needs.She is author of RaisingCatholic Children andParenting With Prayer (OSVPress), and Building a Legacyof Love (Faith Publishing).

F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t P a g e 5

Kuharski

Family LifeProlife Across America's Media Mission—a national Billboard Campaign!

TRIDENTINE MASS SCHEDULE FOR SOUTH ST. PAUL

Holy Trinity Church:749 Sixth Ave South, South St. Paul. PH: 651-455-1302

Monday & Wednesday, 5:15 pm;Friday, (except First Fridays)12:00 noon

St. Augustine Church:408 Third Street North, South St. Paul. PH: 651-451-1212

Tuesday & Thursday, 8:00 am; Sunday, 11:30 amFirst Friday & Holy Days, 7:30 am

P a g e 6 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0

Parents, godparents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends, parishioners, teachers, coaches, neighbors, Knights of Columbus and Serrans...

It takes courage to follow Jesus.Do you know a young man who’s got what it takes?

Please invite him and his friends to accompany you.

TEAM VIANNEY EVENTS March 4th, April 8th, May 6th

Catholic high school to college-age men ( 9th grade and up)meet for pizza, hear a short,dynamic talk on our Catholic faith, attend Benediction and participate in an energetic Mass withcollege seminarians and university students

DEDICATION. LEADERSHIP. VOCATION.

Where: St. John Vianney Seminary, University of St. Thomas (St. Paul campus)

For more information, contact SJV at 651-962-6825 or sjv@stthomas.edu

Help him join the Team. Christ’s Team.

ATTN:

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Rowan HallThe Church of St. Helena,

3204 East 43rd St.,Minneapolis, MN 55406

6:00 P.M. - Social7:00 P.M. - Catered Dinner8:00 P.M. - Entertainment and

talk by Bishop Finn

“AN EVENING AFFIRMING “AN EVENING AFFIRMING HUMAN LIFE AND HUMAN LIFE AND THE FTHE FAMILAMILY”Y”

with

Most Rev. Robert Finn, D.D.,Bishop of Kansas City - St. Joseph Diocese

Bishop Robert Finn

Tickets are $25.00 per person and must be purchased by12:00 Noon by Friday, March 12th.

Complimentary tickets are available for those who have difficultypayinby calling 612-729-7321.

F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t P a g e 7

Our doctors are:• Dr. Paul Spencer, D.O., Family Practice/OB• Dr. Mary Paquette, M.D., Family Practice/OB• Dr. Matthew Paquette, M.D., Internist• Cheryl McKee, P.A.-C, Physicians Assistant• Dr. Kathleen Kobbermann, M.D., Family Practice/OB

As a physician, I enjoy taking care of families and providing a wide range of care at everystage of life. I have special interests in preventive care for women and children, obstetrics,infertility and abnormal cycle management.

Dr. Kobbermann joined AALFA Family Clinic in December of 2008

The hospitals we are affiliated with are: • St. John's Hospital • St. Joseph's Hospital• United Hospital • Children's Hospital, St. Paul

Clinic Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through FridayUrgent Care: We offer same day appointments during clinic hours.

After Hours: Our doctors are on-call through our answering service.

AALFA Family Clinic4465 White Bear ParkwayWhite Bear Lake, MN 55110phone: 651-653-0062fax: 651-653-0288www.aalfafamily.com

The Easter Season is a perfect time tomake a pilgrimage to the Shrine of OurLady of Guadalupe in nearby LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

In just a short time, you will be trans-ported to a place of beauty, grace andpeace.

Enjoy over one hundred unspoiledacres dedicated to your spiritual needs.There are devotional areas, an inspiringStations of the Cross, outdoor RosaryWalk, Our Mother of Good CounselVotive Candle Chapel and stunningMemorial to the Unborn.

Atop our majestic bluff, you will findthe Shrine Church, the “Heart of theShrine.”

Be one of the first to discover thistreasure near the Mississippi River inLa Crosse.

For information on individual pilgrimagesor pilgrimage for organized groups,please call 608 782 5440.

Visit us online at guadalupeshrine.org

Promise Yourself A Visit To The Shrine Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe

Special Events For Lent And Easter

Ash Wednesday: February 17 4:00 pm: Procession from Pilgrim Center to Stationsof the Cross; 5:30 pm: Holy Mass with distributionof ashes; 6:30 pm: Culina Mariana Soup Supper(Soup supper registration required $5.00)

Day of Recollection: Saturday March 27 9:30 am to 3:00 pm Enjoy a spiritual day of recollection with FatherLouis Maximilian, F. I. (Registration Required)

Palm Sunday: March 28 Regular Mass Schedule 2:00 pm Palm Sunday Reenactment and Processionfrom Shrine Church to Stations of the Cross withlive donkey. (A Children’s Favorite)

Easter Sunday: April 4 Regular Mass Schedule Special Sunday Brunch 9:00 am – 2:00 pm at Culina Mariana (ShrineRestaurant) Reservations Recommended.

Coming Saturday, June 26 All Day Conference Msgr. Eduardo Chávez SánchezPostulator for the Cause of theCanonization of St. Juan Diego. Details and Registration Form on ourwebsite.

Open 9am to 4pm - Holy Mass at 11 am Monday through Saturday and 1:00 pm on Sunday - Traditional Latin Mass Sunday at 9:30 am.Culina Mariana restaurant with Sunday Brunch ( 9am - 2pm reservations recommended) and Flores Mariae gift shop are on the premises

5250 Justin Road, La Crosse, WI 54601. The Shrine is approximately 6 miles south of downtown La Crosse. From the Twin Cities area stay on I-90 to Exit 3A (Downtown Exit) and drive south. The road name changes,but keep driving south and watch for signs for Hwys 14/61. 14/61 turns left (East). Justin Road is the third road on the right. Take Justin road south until you see the Shrine sign on the right.

Lenten Morning of ReflectionSaturday, February 20th 2010

9:00am-Noon“Sursum Corda—Praying the Mass with

the Heart of Jesus Christ”

Rev. Father John Paul EricksonDirector of the Archdiocesan Office of Worship

Mass at 9:00 a.m. followed by Conferences Confessions available

Complimentary Lunch provided

St. Olaf Catholic Church215 South 8th Street, Minneapolis, MN.

All are welcome!

By Deacon Stephen Najarian, M.D.

[Editor’sNote: This isa transcriptof a homilygiven at theChurch of St.C h a r l e sBorromeo onJanuary 17,2010, theS e c o n dSunday inO r d i n a r y

Time.]On December 7, 1941, a

day President Franklin D.Roosevelt said would “live ininfamy,” the Japanese empireattacked our forces at PearlHarbor, and more than 3,000brave service men and womenlost their lives. I am still nearlybrought to tears when I see pic-tures or the movies made ofthose horrible events—sea-soned sailors and the finestflower of our youth cut down;scenes of the battleshipArizona sinking with morethan a thousand men trapped intheir watery tomb.

This coming Friday marksthe 37th anniversary of anotherday that will surely live ininfamy, January 22, 1973, theday that the highest court ofour beloved country, the landof the free and the home of thebrave, declared the legal rightto murder human beings notyet born, declared that personsdeveloping in their mothers’wombs were, in fact, not per-sons, but the private propertyof their mothers, who have thesole right to choose the fate oftheir children not yet born.Since that fateful day, morethan 50 million innocent chil-dren, at various stages of devel-opment before birth, have beenkilled in ways that could onlybe described as inhumane, sav-age, and barbaric.Organizations such as PlannedParenthood, the NationalAbortion Rights ActionLeague, the NationalOrganization of Women, or

most sickening, Catholics for aFree Choice, have changed thelanguage of this grisly businessto make it acceptable, usingwords like “choice” or “repro-ductive freedom.” But the real-ity remains the same, the grue-some truth is unchanged.Babies are being scalded todeath with concentrated saltsolutions, torn apart limb bylimb, their little skulls crushed.If we are sickened by this, sowe should be. The GuardianAngels of these little ones mustsurely plead in horror beforeour Heavenly Father.

The townspeople living bythe Nazi concentration campsof World War II claimed theydid not know what went on.They dismissed the smokecoming out of the chimneysfrom the ovens; they ignoredthe stench from the mounds ofcorpses. At the end of the war,when it came to light that sixmillion innocent men, women,and children had been killed,the world declared that a holo-caust of the innocents mustnever happen again. Sad to say,the lessons of history havebeen too quickly forgotten. Butwe, unlike those Germantownspeople, will never be ableto claim honestly that we didnot know what was going onwith abortion. Yet most of usremain comfortable and com-placent, with consciences thatare little disturbed.

How did it come to this? Letme suggest that one of thedevil’s most brilliant tricks wasto come up with the greatestevil of our age: contraception.Why so evil? Because it hasseduced us by its appearance ofreasonableness, and because itis the parent of an incrediblearray of evils, including ourpresent curse of abortion.

Why is contraception, infact, such a grave evil? It’s notwrong just because it’s againstsome Church rule. It’s notwrong just because it’s artifi-cial—so are most antibiotics.It’s not wrong because theBible says so—you won’t findany mention there. It’s not

wrong because celibate Churchofficials want to deny couplestheir rights. Contraception,whether by pill, patch, injec-tion, devices, or barrier meth-ods, or intentional sterilization,is a grave moral evil because itmakes a lie out of love.

Just think about it for amoment. God has created usout of love. We are made in Hisimage to look and act like God.And so we are called to lovelike God, freely, totally, with-out reservation, without hold-ing back. The perfect image ofthis is Jesus Christ, the Son, theWord, Love Incarnate. He gaveHimself totally in self-surren-der to His beloved Bride, theChurch. Through the specialgraces of Matrimony, husbandand wife are consecrated to liveout the mystery that shows ushow Christ loves the Church.The love between man andwife, if it is to be genuine andChristian, must, therefore, bemarked by total self-surrender.To intentionally separate love-making from life-making con-tradicts the meaning of love,twists and perverts the meaningof marriage, and denies theself-sacrificing of Christ thatspouses are meant to imitate.

If it is possible to separatelife and love in marriage, thenthe purpose of marriagebecomes only pleasure ormutual satisfaction. Then sexu-ality becomes an end in itself.We can then see the sad conse-quences: sexual expressionoutside marriage, betweenmembers of the same sex, pre-tending to be married throughcohabitation, or so-called “gaymarriage.” Children, then, areseen as mistakes, a problem,the unintended consequence offailed contraception, instead ofthe natural fruit of love. And so

abortion becomes an easy solu-tion. It all appears logical andreasonable once one acceptsthe distortion of Christian loveand marriage brought about bycontraception. We then violatethe very nature stamped in usby the Creator, and in denyingHis image in us, we deny GodHimself. This is why contra-ception is such a grave evil,and why its use breaks our rela-tionship, our “communion”with Christ and His Body theChurch. This is why the use ofcontraception prevents us fromworthily receiving HolyCommunion—the sign that weare in right relationship withChrist. It’s not about breakingrules; it’s about being dishonestwith love.

If we are ever to end the evilof abortion, we need to get seri-ous about ending contracep-tion. Working through thecourts and legislatures to limitor even eradicate abortion is aworthy pursuit, but will ulti-mately fail if we don’t see con-traception as the root of theproblem. The solution, there-fore, is a moral and spiritualone—the radical conversion ofour minds, hearts, and wills tothe person of Jesus Christ, andthe desire to serve Him andlove Him in every aspect of ourlives, without any exclusion.And so when others see us,hear us, and are touched by us,they see Christ, hear Christ,and are touched by Christ.

During World War II, achurch in a small German vil-lage was virtually destroyed.The townspeople pouredthrough the rubble in hopes ofrebuilding someday. Within theruins they found the church’scrucifix, a magnificent carvingof the crucified Lord, but dam-aged, with His arms missing.

They debated about what to do.Some wanted to repair the oldcrucifix, others wanted to makea replica of the original. Theyfinally came to a solution. Inthe sanctuary of the restoredChurch, we can see to this daythat crucifix, just as they foundit, but with this inscription:“You are My arms.”

Today, we are invited to bethe arms of Christ to a worldthat needs His healing touch;the mouth of Christ to proclaimthat problems are solved bychoosing life, not death; andwe are invited to be the lovingBody of Christ in a world thatneeds to see self-sacrificeinstead of self-centeredness.The darkness of this presentage will then be illumined bythe shining light of Christ ris-ing from our hearts. Thedespair of slavery to sin willfade away in the hope of a free-dom that only Christ can give.And the gloom of sadness willmelt away in the incomparablejoy of knowing and loving thesource of life and love, theLord Jesus Christ, both nowand for all eternity.

Deacon Najarian is in full-time diaconal ministry for theArchdiocese of St. Paul andMinneapolis and is on the staffof the Church of St. CharlesBorromeo in Minneapolis.

This article was funded by theSt. John Mary Vianney Chair ofWriting sponsored by LeafletMissal in St. Paul.

P a g e 8 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0

Uncovering one of the root causes for abortion in today’s society

DeaconNajarian

Wills and Living TrustsIf I asked most people for $10,000 from theirexpendable income to give to "The Catholic Servant,"they would wonder if I were serious. They just don'thave that kind of money. But, if I asked most peo-ple to leave $10,000 (or more) to "The CatholicServant" in their will or living trust, they'd say"that's possible," because $10,000 can be a smallportion of many people's estate. So, I’m asking youto remember "The Catholic Servant" when you aremaking out your will or living trust. Spreading,explaining, and defending the Catholic Faith takesmore than good will—it takes money to pay forprinting, writing, postage, graphics, circulationefforts, and so forth. We rely on gifts to help us doour work, So please remember "The CatholicServant." Of course, more importantly, it takesGod's grace, so even if you can't remember ourpaper in your will, we would appreciate yourprayers.

Our legal title is "The Catholic Servant."Our address is 3204 East 43rd St.,

Minneapolis, MN 55406

Call 612-275-0431 for further information.

The Cathol ic

Subscribe to

Mr. Monaghan: I’d say,“You’re all going to die. You’reeither going to go to Heaven oryou’re going to go to Hell. Oneis greater than anything youcould imagine, one is worsethan anything you could imag-ine. One of the requirements toget into Heaven is to die insanctifying grace. So if you’vegot mortal sin on your soul,you better get to confessionjust as fast as you can, make agood confession, and don’tcommit any mortal sins.

“The Catholic Servant”:It’s no secret that you’vebeen involved with manyenterprises over the years.One in which you’ve distin-guished yourself has beenLegatus, an organizationwhich supports CEOs inbusiness to live out theirfaith. Why did you startLegatus, and is it still goingstrong?

Mr. Monaghan: Yes it isstill going strong, even thoughthe economy is a little toughright now.... I had the opportu-nity to go to Rome (in 1987)and attended the Mass withPope John Paul II in his chapel.

That was wonderful. I remem-ber receiving Communion onthe tongue from the HolyFather, and his blue eyes aboutsix, eight inches from mine,and our eyes meeting. I’ll neverforget it. About an hour or soafter that it occurred to me thatthere ought to be an organiza-tion like Legatus for Catholics.I knew it was the Holy Spirit. Itwas a great idea. I thoughtabout nothing else for the nexttwo to three weeks. All thedetails in the way it worked areessentially the way I conceivedof it at that time.

The idea is to help peoplewho are particularly influentialand visible to become betterCatholics. That’s the only pur-pose. There are no projects.The projects are the membersthemselves. And the result ofthat is that with their influenceand their leadership, they canhave a big impact on manypeople; more than the averageperson. Plus, as they get moreinvolved in the Church, theyusually use their leadershipskills to help the Church moreand maybe not so much secularcauses. So that’s the idea, theway it worked out. There aremany tremendous stories—people who joined who weregood Catholics but not on fire.

Through speakers and by thechaplain they got inspired, andby what other members weredoing, they got excited....

I think there are 72 chaptersright now, and they’re in theprocess of opening seven oreight new ones. They have acouple thousand leaders. Toqualify for membership, youhave to have a company thathas at least $5 million in annu-al sales and at least 30 full timeemployees. You have to be ingood standing with the Church,and you have to be pro-life.

“The Catholic Servant”:I’m glad that you mentionedpro-life, and I’m sure thatyou have not stopped beinginvolved in the pro-life move-ment. In your assessment,where and what has to bedone to turn our countryaround with the pro-lifemovement?

Mr. Monaghan: Mybelief—and I’ve been in thissituation for many, many years,and I’ve been approached byabout every Catholic cause outthere—I obviously couldn’thelp everybody, so I had to pri-oritize. I came to the conclu-sion that the single greatestneed was education. What Iwanted to do with what Godgave me is to help as many

people as possible get toHeaven. The best way I knowto do that is to help the CatholicChurch. The best way to helpthe Catholic Church is througheducation. The most efficientpart of education is higher edu-cation. I started with helpinggrade schools, high schools,but it’s a limited thing, geo-graphically. A university couldaffect the whole country andthe whole world.

This country in the 40s and50s, when I grew up, theCatholic Church was doing alittle better. As a rule, Catholicswent to Mass on Sunday andConfession on Saturday. Therewere plenty of vocations. Mostkids went to Catholic schools.There was pretty much noCatholic divorce. The mostpopular movies of the day were“Going My Way,” number onefor years. And “The Bells of St.Mary’s” and “The Song ofBernadette.” Those were allhits. And now of course it’schanged so much. My opinionon the reason why it’s changedis because of the dramaticchange in education.... At thehigher education level, it wasthe Land O’ Lakes conferencein 1967, where the presidentsof the large Catholic universi-ties got together and wanted todo something about the factthat they weren’t given therespect they deserved becausethey were religious. So theyturned their back on the Vaticanand hired dissident theolo-gians, and the other depart-ments were going out of theirway to hire non-Catholics,even atheists. It got to a pointwhere Catholic higher educa-tion was the worst thing youcould expose your children to.You were better off going to anon-Catholic college. I thinkthat’s why we are in the messwe’re in, and I think that’s theway we have to bring it back.That’s why I started Ave MariaUniversity, so we can train theteachers to teach the teachers.

We plan to have an educa-tion department that is express-ly for training teachers to teachin Catholic schools—and wewill train the principals forschools, too. I’ve found in myown experience that if youhave a good principal, youhave a good school. We don’thave to build schools. Wealready have the schools. Wejust have to get the right leader-ship.

I have a 70-year vision forAve Maria. In 20 years weexpect to have 5,500 students.We get a lot of vocations.About 25% of our men go toseminary, and about 15% ofour women (enter religiouslife). And the men are reallywell-prepared to go into semi-

nary. I did the math and over 70years, we will have over 4,000priests ordained from AveMaria. We will have 2,500nuns teaching in Catholicschools. We will have 400world-class theologians,because we have an outstand-ing doctorate program in theol-ogy. We just have outstandingfaculty. We will have 8,000teachers in Catholic schools, Kthrough 12. We will have 1,500principals running Catholicschools. We will produce40,000 strong, Catholic mar-riages. We would have morethan that, though, but a lot ofour kids are marrying eachother. They tend to get marriedright after they get out ofschool, then start having kids. Ithink the reason for that is ournumber two club on campus(behind the pro-life club) is thechastity club, which wasfounded by students. In 70years they would have hadabout 150,000 kids, many moreof which will be priests andnuns. They will have about500,000 grandkids and count-ing. And that’s just the tip ofthe iceberg. The big payoff wewill have is the impact we willhave on the 200-plus Catholiccolleges around the countrythat have lost their way. Today,a lot of them are coming back.

“The Catholic Servant”:You have done many wonder-ful things for the Church.How many other ThomasMonaghans should we havein this country, if we reallywanted to make an incredibleimpact on the Church?

Mr. Monaghan: I thinkthere are a lot of people that aredoing as much or more thanme. We were talking about myinterest in Legatus.... I alwayshoped I would be a role modelfor other people. To use thesuccess God gave me—thesuccess people pay attentionto—so when I talk about myfaith they take what I say seri-ously. Religion isn’t somethingfor losers. I think any one per-son can change the world. G.K.Chesterton, when they askedhim what’s wrong with theworld, he said, “I am.” Any oneof us could say that. I’ve doneonly a fraction of what I couldhave done.

John Sondag is Director ofReligious Education at theChurch of St. Helena,Minneapolis, and publisher of“The Catholic Servant.”

This article was funded by theSt. Benedict Chair of Writing spon-sored by an anonymous patron.

Monaghancontinued from page 1

F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t P a g e 9

from the parish, who grew upwith Ralph and let me knowabout Ralph’s humor even inhis early years.

There also were two of hisformer graduate studentswhom I have known over theyears. One is Dr. RobertKennedy, who had Ralph as hisdoctoral advisor. I can remem-ber Bob referring to Ralph’slucid mind. The other person isDr. Laura Garcia, a convert tothe Catholic Faith, who toldhow Ralph encouraged her asshe contemplated her decisionto become a Catholic. I thinkhe brought her a small giftfrom Rome.

Another connected person-age is Ralph’s son Dan, wholived in Minneapolis for a shorttime while he was teachinghigh school. He actually livedin St. Helena Parish, so I wasable to recruit him as a volun-teer catechist. I remember ask-ing him what it was like togrow up in a family with afamous philosopher and writerfor a dad.

Dan commented that it was-n’t much different from whatother families experienced.However, I think it was Danwho referred to his father as the“Philosopher of the WildWest”—he always had hisphilosophical six-shooter ablazing.

That’s true. Ralph alwaysseemed to be embroiled in con-troversies in the Church. Hewas not afraid to clarify andteach the truths of the CatholicFaith, even when it was notpopular.

In fact, it was Ralph andMichael Novak who foundedCrisis Magazine about 30 yearsago when the United StatesBishops were working on apastoral letter about peace andnuclear weapons. Ralph andMichael wanted some scholar-ly discussion to take place, andthey were going to provide aforum for that discussion in

their publication.And it was only last spring

that Ralph lobbed one of hisfinal salvos, directed at theUniversity of Notre Dame,because it was honoringPresident Obama with an hon-orary doctorate, going directlyagainst the U.S. Bishops’ direc-tives about not honoring pro-abortion politicians.

It was his brother Denniswho told me about Ralph’swife Connie (who died a fewyears ago) who kept Ralphorganized. Dennis said thatConnie would even packRalph’s luggage when hewould travel to give a talk. Notonly did she pack his clothes—she would select the novels hewould take along.

Dennis also said that Ralphprobably only wrote a dozenchecks during his entire mar-ried life—Connie took care ofit. I suppose that fits well withthe stereotype of an “egg-head,” but how could Ralphhave even accomplished somuch by himself?

Ralph wrote 80 novels,including a series of mysterynovels entitled the FatherDowling Mysteries, whichHollywood worked into a TVseries (Dennis indicated to methat Hollywood also changedmuch). In addition to his nov-els, Ralph also wrote about two

dozen serious philosophicalbooks and numerous essays.

I remember Ralph explain-ing what it means to be aCatholic novelist. He said anovel is usually trying to workthrough a problem in the story,which can be solved by suchprinciples as hedonism, utili-tarianism, atheism, or maybeCatholic thought. The Catholicnovelist doesn’t have to writeabout religious topics, but hetakes ordinary problems anduses Catholic principles tountangle the difficulty.

But all of Ralph’s academicaccomplishments don’t reallycapture him, at least the com-plete persona of Ralph. He hada wit that was never-ending. Iremember one time when hecame to visit his brotherDennis who was working on ahistory of St. Helena Parish inthe offices where I work. Iopened my office door andthere was Ralph. “Well, hello,Ralph,” I said. “Good to seeyou.” He responded in kind. Isaid, “I understand you’re tak-ing a sabbatical from NotreDame this year, and you’regoing to teach at CornellUniversity.” He replied,“That’s right.” I said, “Goodfor you!” He said, “Good forCornell!” It was probably true.

Another time, when Ralphhad hit 70 years of age, but was

still teaching graduate coursesat Notre Dame and writing,both of which he loved, some-one asked, “Ralph, are youthinking of retiring?” Hequipped, “From what?”

I write about Ralph with apurpose. His life embodiedwhat it means for a layman inthe Church to use his talents tobring Christ to the world andtransform it into a culture thatopens the doors to truth, good-ness, and beauty. He did it well,with much humor and joy.

As one of his sisters-in-lawsaid, “I can hear St. Peter say-ing, ‘Well done, Ralph, goodand faithful servant,’ and thetwo of them having fun withone-liners until the nextMcInerny arrives on the

scene.”Eternal rest grant unto him,

O Lord, and let perpetual lightshine upon him. Amen.

John Sondag is Director ofReligious Education at theChurch of St. Helena,Minneapolis, and publisher of“The Catholic Servant.”

This article was funded by theSt. Francis de Sales Chair ofWriting sponspored by Jeff andSusan Pitman.

McInernycontinued from page 1

P a g e 1 0 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0

"PARTNERS OF 'THECATHOLIC SERVANT'"

Help in the work of spreading, explaining, and defending the CatholicFaith by becoming a "Partner of 'The Catholic Servant'" with a mone-tary gift to our publication

_____ Yes, I want to become a "Partner of 'The Catholic Servant'" by making a gift of $100.

_____ Yes, I want to become a "Partner of 'The Catholic Servant'" by making a gift of $250.

_____ Yes, I want to become a "Partner of 'The Catholic Servant'" by making a gift of $500.

_____ Yes, I want to become a "Partner of 'The Catholic Servant'" by making a gift of $1,000.

_____ Yes, I want to become a "Partner of 'The Catholic Servant'" by making a gift of $_______.

Name _____________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________

City ______________________________________ State ________________ Zip _________

Telephone __________________________________ E-mail___________________________

By Fr. Paul A. La Fontaine

[Editor’s note:This column made itsway to my desk fromthe weekly bulletin ofSt. Charles BorromeoChurch, Minneapolis,whose pastor gives ussome food for thoughtin our relatively newyear.]

Lately, there are alot of signs of change

coming in the Church. Here at least is apartial list:

New translation of the RomanMissal: This is the book that is used insaying the Mass. It contains all theprayers and instructions for celebratingthe Eucharistic liturgy. It is a muchmore literal translation from the officialLatin than the one we are currentlyusing. It will sound very different fromwhat we have been used to, but it will

bring a more fitting style to the mostimportant thing we do as Christians.For a preview, go to www.usccb.org/romanmissal.

New bishop appointments: Thesebegan with Pope John Paul II and arecontinuing with Pope Benedict XVI.They are men who are not afraid to actlike the spiritual fathers that they are,even to the point of enforcing the lawsof the Church and thereby helping us toface up to our responsibilities. Theyknow this is necessary if we are goingto grow more mature spiritually and beprepared for eternal life.

Reclaiming our tradition withoutturning back the clock: It is more andmore clear that for too long both pro-gressives and traditionalists thoughtthat Vatican II was a complete rupturewith the Church’s past. To the progres-sives, almost everything old was bad.The traditionalists wanted almosteverything to go back to the way it wasin the 19th century. But we are begin-ning to realize that the Council did not

intend to take a clean sheet of paper andredesign the Church from scratch.Rather we were supposed to takeeverything authentic that we alreadyhad, apply it to the contemporary situa-tion, and keep moving and growing.This is leading to…

Concrete ecumenical results: Away has been found for Anglicans toenter into full communion with theCatholic Church while retaining theirown leaders and their liturgical tradi-tions. There is a new willingness on thepart of Eastern Orthodox Christiansand the followers of the late traditional-ist Archbishop Lefebvre to engage inserious talks and study. Unprecedentedthings are happening. [Flash! This justin: for the first time in history, EasternOrthodox leaders are willing to sitdown and discuss the meaning of theprimacy of the Bishop of Rome, “thefirst among the patriarchs.”] BenedictXVI is becoming the Pope of Christianunity.

New willingness to assert our

identity as Catholics: We face seriousnew challenges from those who hatereligion in general and Catholicism inparticular. At home, political forcesthreaten to take away our right to fol-low our consciences. Overseas, fanaticsare killing our brothers and sisters andblowing up or burning down ourchurches and schools. If we are to sur-vive, we must do everything we canwith God’s help to learn and live ourfaith as we strengthen the institutionswe have. We will not resort to the tac-tics that are being used against us, butas always we will strive to win othersfor Christ by our courage and goodexample in strong faith, hope, and char-ity.

Fr. Paul La Fontaine, M.A., is pas-tor of St. Charles Borromeo Church,Minneapolis, Minn.

This article was funded by the St. AnneChair of Writing sponsored by LeafletMissal in St. Paul.

The Catholic Church is not stagnant but a growing and dynamic society

Fr. PaulLa Fontaine

By Joseph Kuharski

[Edi tor ’sno te : Th isarticle firstappeared in“The Borrom-ean” newslet-ter of theChurch of St.Charles Bor-romeo in St.

A n t h o n y ,M i n n e s o t a .

Joseph Kuharski, who is a sem-inarian at St. John VianneyCollege Seminary, spent asemester in Rome through theUniversity of St. Thomas’Catholic Studies program, andhe travelled with other semi-narians into Rome by way of apilgrimage to their residence.This article is re-printed withthe permission of “TheBorromean”]

Nearly 5000 miles awayfrom home and weary from asix hour hike, ten of us semi-narians from St. John VianneySeminary search for a place torest our tired bodies. Uponentering the little village ofVetralla, about fifty miles out-side of Rome, we do what anydesperate young seminarianwould do: invite ourselves intothe local Catholic church.Regardless of the fact that“seminaristas” was one of onlyabout three words in our Italianvocabulary, the message wasalways successfully transmit-ted. We were then greeted by

Don (Father) Luigi, an impos-ing character with an overcoatthat draped over his hunchedshoulders. He was the pastor ofthe beautiful local parish.Without hesitation, he called tothe schoolchildren and, withwhatever he said, sent the kidsand their teachers stampedingtowards us with their arms out-stretched and lips perched,ready to offer the traditionalItalian double cheek kiss. Itwas rather frightening at first.This sort of welcome, thoughnot always so alarming,became commonplace to us insuch a rich Catholic culture.Without the wonderful hospi-tality, we may have slept out ona porch like the previous groupof seminarians, or even worse!Our five day pilgrimage toRome, which began oursemester abroad, was met bygreat graces as well as trials.Through the entirety of thesemester, this pilgrimage men-tality continued, as the Churchteaches it should for each oneof us as we labor through life’strials and persecution.

For many, the thought of asemester abroad includes any-thing but real academic study.Instead, it is often seen as atime to enjoy an extendedvacation without any realresponsibilities. In case weseminarians were naïve enoughto believe this, the 6am holyhour each day would helpshock our preconceivednotions. After holy hour andMass at one of the local

churches, we trekked across thecity to the AngelicumUniversity, about a 40 minutewalk. Far from merely beinghurdles during our semester of

excitement, our classesstretched us intellectuallywhile focusing on the Churchand the city of Rome. In fact,one particular class involvedstudying the various eras ofchurch architecture by makingactual visits to famous church-es, including San Clemente, St.Mary Major, and St. JohnLateran. Often ending our lastclass late into the evening, wewould return to St. Thomas’

Bernardi campus exhaustedfrom walking through thecrowds in the stifling heat.

Besides our daily routine ofclasses, the weekends offered

prime opportunities as pil-grims. Not only was our desti-nation often a holy site, but thelodging and transportationhelped resemble that of a pil-grim. Often this meant stayingat youth hostels and packingnutella (peanut butter was aluxury) and jelly for lunch.Some of my favorite sitesinclude the incorrupt body ofSt. John Vianney in Ars,France, the home of St.

Catherine of Siena, and theheart of St. Charles Borromeo,which I visited a number oftimes in Rome. In Ireland,which quickly became myfavorite destination (meriting asecond visit), five of us semi-narians attended Mass at theShrine of Our Lady of Knockand then mounted CroaghPatrick, where St. Patrickprayed and fasted for fortydays and forty nights.Wherever we went, there werealways elements of both adven-ture and hardship.

After getting lost severaltimes, asking countless Italiansfor directions (which we neverunderstood), and eventuallyhaving to ford a river, the ten ofus seminarians found ourselveson the street leading into thearms of St. Peter’s, the finaldestination of our pilgrimage.As St. Paul says, we ran therace to the full, and, alas, hereis our great reward. What a joyit must be for a faithful pilgrimto be received at last into hisFather’s arms, in all His heav-enly glory!

Joseph Kuharski is a seniorat St. John Vianney CollegeSemnary, and, yes, he is theyoungest child of Mary annand John Kuharski’s family of13 children.

This article was funded by theSt. Thomas Aquinas Chair ofWriting sponspored by an anony-mous patron.

F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t P a g e 11

My semester in Rome: a lesson of what it means to be a pilgrim coming home

Kuharski

St. John Vianney seminarians from the Universityof St. Thomas' Catholic Studies program visit

St. Peter's Square.

By Kristen Lang

O nOctober 12,2008, PopeB e n e d i c tXVI canon-ized ad e v o u tEcuadorianlaywoman,St. Narcisaof Jesus,

approximately 16 years afterher beatification on October25, 1992. He said in his homi-ly that she “shows us a path ofChristian perfection that isaccessible to all the faithful….In her passionate love forJesus, which led her to followa path of intense prayer andmortification and to identifyherself for evermore with theMystery of the Cross, sheoffers a fascinating witnessand a complete example of alife totally dedicated to Godand to others.” Pope Benedictmentions St. Narcisa’s intenselife of prayer, her desire forpenance, and her dedication toliving for God and others.Moreover, the Holy Fathermentions these three things inthe context of her passionatelove for Jesus. Indeed, hervirtues were practiced in everymoment of her ordinary lifeand it was precisely lovewhich drove her to live each

detail to its fullest. In doing so,St. Narcisa of Jesus showedwith her life how to light onelittle corner of the world withthe fire of Jesus’ love.

Peter Martillo andJosephine Moran were adevoutly Catholic marriedcouple living and farming inNobol, Ecuador, when theywelcomed their sixth of ninechildren into the world in1832, a girl whom they namedNarcisa. Narcisa was just sixyears old when her motherdied, but despite this misfor-tune, Narcisa was noted asbeing a happy girl with apeaceful disposition, who wasprone to goodness, generosity,and compassion. Only a yearlater, at her Confirmation,Narcisa was keenly aware ofJesus’ invitation to her to livein His love by a life of holi-ness. She responded to thisinvitation in love and byprayer, finding times duringthe day to give herself to con-templation of her Beloved. Sheeven made the decision to con-secrate herself to Jesus for therest of her life. Narcisa wascaught up in a love whichknew no bounds, and this loveurged her to make an offeringof her life through the dailystruggles and sufferings whichshe would encounter.

Death would again befallNarcisa’s family as, just a few

short years after their mother’spassing, their father also died.Since Narcisa knew how tosew, she went to work as aseamstress in order to helpsupport her family. As sheloved to teach, Narcisa alsofound time to help others,especially children, learnabout Jesus. Her daily sched-ule began to take on a structureof prayer and work, the call ofthe lay faithful. Narcisa madetime for silence as part of herprayer routine, and began tofast as well. She regularlysought out spiritual directionand, as Pope Benedict XVInoted at her canonization, sherelied on spiritual direction as“an effective means to holi-ness.” Narcisa’s devotion toprayer was the key to her joyand the source of her holiness.

Narcisa’s response toJesus’ invitation was a directresult of sacramental grace anda pious upbringing. The fruitof that response was an inti-mate relationship with JesusChrist, the Bridegroom. Herlove for our Lord was deep-ened in that relationship, somuch so that the Holy Fathermentions her as identifyingwith the Mystery of the Cross.Narcisa constantly placed her-self in the presence of Jesusthrough her prayers of silence,sacrifice, and docility; more-over, Narcisa’s prayers some-

times drew her into ecstasy,where her mind was captivatedby thoughts of our Lord.Narcisa became wholly dedi-cated to live for God and oth-ers. As she had already spentmuch time in the toil of theworld, Narcisa began to yearnfor a life of solitude withChrist. For this reason, in1868, she traveled to theDominicans in Lima, Peru, tolive as a lay member withintheir convent. Narcisa’s healthdeclined in September of1869, although she struggledto maintain a normal routine.Several weeks later, Narcisabegan a novena which endedon the Feast of the ImmaculateConception. On that same day,December 8, dressed in white,she received our Lord in theBlessed Sacrament at HolyMass before setting off onwhat she called “a journeyvery far.” She was later discov-ered to have died that same

evening in her cell.St. Narcisa of Jesus lived a

life which we are all called tolive. We are capable of greatlove and called to live withGod in a relationship of love.Through grace, we can foster abeautiful life of prayer inwhich we become completelycaught up in His love and ded-icated to Him. As PopeBenedict XVI said in his can-onization homily, “St. Narcisaof Jesus shows us a path ofChristian perfection that isaccessible to all the faithful.”St. Narcisa of Jesus, pray forus!

Kristen Lang is a freelancewriter from Elk River, Minn.

This article was funded by theSt. Bernadette of Soubirous Chairof Writing sponsored by Thomasand Barbara Janas.

St. Narcisa of Jesus from Ecuador shows us a path of Christian perfection

Lang

P a g e 1 2 T h e C a t h o l i c S e r v a n t F e b r u a r y, 2 0 1 0

By Fr. John Paul Echert

Thus far in thisbiblical series on thepriesthood we havefollowed the priest-hood from its originswith the first genera-tion of humanitythrough the patriar-chal period, throughthe wandering ofIsrael in the wilder-ness for forty years,

into the land of promise and then intothe period of the Judges. By now it isobvious that in order to follow the activ-ity of the priesthood we must continueto follow the Ark of the Covenant, soinseparably yoked are the two through-out much of Old Testament history. Sonow we follow the Ark, hitherto on themove from one place to another, to itsmore permanent home in the capital cityof Jerusalem:

“David again assembled all thepicked men of Israel, thirty thousand innumber. Then David and all the peoplewho were with him set out … to bringup from there the Ark of God, whichbears the name of the LORD of hostsenthroned above the cherubim. The Arkof God was placed on a new cart andtaken away from the house of Abinadabon the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons ofAbinadab, guided the cart, with Ahiowalking before it, while David and allthe Israelites made merry before theLORD with all their strength, withsinging and with citharas, harps, tam-bourines, sistrums and cymbals. When

they came to the threshing floor ofNodan, Uzzah reached out his hand tothe Ark of God and steadied it, for theoxen were making it tip. But the LORDwas angry with Uzzah; God struck himon that spot, and he died there beforeGod. David was disturbed because theLORD had vented His anger onUzzah…. David feared the LORD thatday and said, ‘How can the Ark of theLORD come to me?’” (II Sam. 6:1-9)

For all the good intention Uzzahmay have had in touching the Ark, itwas not sufficient to save him fromdivine punishment. Why? No doubt itrelates somehow to the fact that it wasthe exclusive domain of the priests andtheir assisting Levites to carry the Arkfrom one place to another, in accordwith the divine instructions given firstthrough Moses and then throughJoshua. The fact that the Ark had beenplaced upon a cart rather than carried bypriests or Levites was itself a sacrilege.After a three month delay following thismishap, King David revised his proce-dures to insure that the Ark was proper-ly carried into Jerusalem, amidst muchcelebration:

“David went to bring up the Ark ofGod … into the City of David amid fes-tivities. As soon as the bearers of theArk of the LORD had advanced six steps,he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. ThenDavid, girt with a linen ephod [apron],came dancing before the LORD withabandon, as he and all the Israeliteswere bringing up the Ark of the LORDwith shouts of joy and to the sound ofthe horn.” (II Sam. 6:12-15)

Note the interesting details that it

was King David himself who offeredsacrifices and was girded with a linenapron [ephod], a garment worn bypriests. These priestly features associat-ed with the King are a foreshadowing ofthe fact that nearly one thousand yearslater Jesus, known under the title Son ofDavid, would subsume the HighPriesthood to Himself as King. In fact,the promise of an everlasting kingdomis contained within a prophecy that wasdelivered to King David not long afterthe arrival of the Ark, at a time when hewas resolved to build the Ark a suitablehouse:

“Thus says the LORD: Should youbuild Me a house to dwell in? I have notdwelt in a house from the day on whichI led the Israelites out of Egypt to thepresent, but I have been going about ina tent under cloth. In all My wanderingseverywhere among the Israelites, did Iever utter a word to any one of thejudges whom I charged to tend My peo-ple Israel, to ask: ‘Why have you notbuilt Me a house of cedar?’ … It was IWho took you from the pasture andfrom the care of the flock to be com-mander of My people Israel. I have beenwith you wherever you went, and I havedestroyed all your enemies before you.And I will make you famous like thegreat ones of the earth. I will fix a placefor My people Israel; I will plant themso that they may dwell in their placewithout further disturbance. Neithershall the wicked continue to afflict themas they did of old, since the time I firstappointed judges over My people Israel.I will give you rest from all your ene-mies. The LORD also reveals to you that

He will establish a house for you. Andwhen your time comes and you restwith your ancestors, I will raise up yourheir after you, sprung from your loins,and I will make his kingdom firm. It ishe who shall build a house for Myname. And I will make his royal thronefirm forever. I will be a father to him,and he shall be a son to Me. And if hedoes wrong, I will correct him with therod of men and with human chastise-ments; but I will not withdraw My favorfrom him as I withdrew it from yourpredecessor Saul, whom I removedfrom My presence. Your house and yourkingdom shall endure forever beforeMe; your throne shall stand firm forev-er.” (II Sam. 7:5-16)

This prophecy of a future kingdomwas initially and partially fulfilled in thenext son of the King, Solomon, but wasmost perfectly fulfilled many genera-tions later in the long-awaited Son ofDavid, Jesus Christ, Whose Kingdom isthe everlasting Church and WhosePriesthood is exercised without end.Next month we will examine someinteresting details related to the earthlyOld Testament temple erected by thatfirst son of David, King Solomon, andthe priestly ministry exercised therein.

Fr. John Paul Echert, S.S.L., is thepastor of Holy Trinity Church and St.Augustine Church in South St. Paul,Minn.

This article was funded by the St. Francisof Assisi Chair of Writing co-sponspored byPaul and Donna Beery and Terry and LorettaRatajczyk.

Year for Priests The Old Testament priests took care of the Ark and brought it to Jerusalem

Fr. Echert

Family owned and operated for 81 years.

976 W. Minnehaha Ave • St Paul MN 55104 • 651-487-2818 • Fax 651-487-0286

PUBLISHER & SUPPLIEROF RELIGIOUS GOODS

Store Hours 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Saturday • Free Video Lending Library • Childrens Play Area

www.leafletonline.com

14683 $1.2502528 $1.95 02539 $2.95

02585 $1.9502492 $2.95 02526 $1.95