April 2016

Rebuilt: So What's OurMission?

Door-to-Door Evangelizationin South St. Paul

Save the Date!

Saintly Steward: St. GiannaBeretta Molla

Stories to share?If you have a stewardship story to share, please send it to the Office of Development andStewardship at stewnews@archspm.org

Save the date!

Welcome, Archbishop Hebda!

Archbishop Hebda's InstallationMass is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 13, the Feast ofOur Lady of Fatima, at theCathedral of Saint Paul.

2016 LiveFamily! ExpoTransform your marriage, familyand ministry

Friday, April 8 - Saturday, April 9

Where: Church of St. Raphael,Crystal

So What's Our Mission?Gearing up for Spring Formation Day

"That was exactly our problem. We were overwhelmed with thedemands of our consumers and ignorant of our realmission... Jesus actually gave the Church a clear mission, and hecouldn't have been clearer... The Church has a missionstatement: Make disciples. That's it."

-Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran, authors of Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, andMaking Church Matter

Are parish activities aligned with The Mission?

As we prepare for the upcoming Spring Formation Day onApril 14th, the theme of "missionary discipleship"takes center-stage -- as it should. On this day we will hear

For more information, visit the eventwebpage: Click Here

2016 Spring Formation Day

Thursday, April 14, 2016

The theme for the 2016Archdiocesan Spring FormationDay is "Rebuild My Church:Missionary Discipleship and theParish. The day will feature Fr.Michael White and Tom Corcoran,internationally-known speakers andauthors of the book Rebuilt. Theywill be joined by Bishop FrankCaggiano and Dr. HosffmanOspino.

All parish clergy, staff members,and parish leadership (members ofcouncils, trustees, commissions,etc.) are invited!

For more information, please visitthe event webpage:CLICK HERE for more info

Women, Wine and Wisdom:Wake Up Sleeping Beauty!You've Already Been Kissed!

Thursday April 14, 20167 - 10 p.m.

from Bishop Frank Caggiano (from the diocese ofBridgeport), Dr. Hosffman Ospino (professor at BostonCollege), and keynote addresses from Fr. Michael White andTom Corcoran (authors of Rebuilt).

The book Rebuilt focuses, or you could say, re-focuses, onhow a parish aligns all of its activities toward thefundamental mission Jesus gave the Church: makedisciples of all nations. The need to re-focus is urgent,because all too often our parish schedules, activities, andthe countless demands that come up in parish lifeinadvertently take energy away from our mission.

"I dream of a 'missionary option', that is, a missionaryimpulse capable of transforming everything, so that theChurch's customs, ways of doing things, times andschedules, language and structures can be suitablychanneled for the evangelization of today's world ratherthan for her self-preservation."

-Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium

Takin' it to the StreetsParish Evangelization Team Goes Door to Door in South St. Paul This month marks two years of door-to-door ministry for theevangelization team at Holy Trinity and St. Augustine'sCatholic Churches in South St. Paul. On two Saturdaysevery month, the group of about 16-20 people travels inpairs to knock on doors in the parish boundaries. Themessage they deliver is simple; one team member offers apicture of the Divine Mercy Image to whoever answers thedoor and says, "Holy Trinity Catholic Parish wants to let youknow that you are loved by this person" (pointing to Jesus inthe DM picture).

If the person is willing to chat for a moment, the missionteam members ask if he or she is currently a member of aworshiping community. Many people they talk to are fallenaway Catholics. The mission team carries Catholic Answersbooklets with them for people who seem interested, and alist of websites they can go to for inquires about the CatholicChurch (i.e. EWTN). Some conversations last a few minutes,while others last an hour. For the longer conversations, theyoften set up a follow up appointment or stop by again in acouple weeks.

Divine Mercy Image with Spanish &English Catholic Answers pamphletsdistributed by the evangelization team

Where: Royal Cliff Banquet andConference Center, Eagan

Join WINE: Women in the NewEvangelization as we welcome awoman who is on fire with the HolySpirit-internationally renownedCatholic speaker, teacher, andretreat leader, Dr. Carol Razza!

For more information or to register,please visit the event webpage:Click here for more info

Mercy & Mary Retreat

June 10-12, 2016Spread the word in your parish!

Where: University of St. Thomas,Saint Paul

Join the Marian Missionaries ofDivine Mercy for an inspiringMercy and Mary Weekend Retreat,featuring talks by Fr. Gaitley, dailyMass, Adoration, quiet prayer time,comfortable accommodations,meals with the MarianMissionaries, and much more!

For more information or to register,please visit the event webpage:Click here for more info

If you would like to include yourparish's event in StewNews, sendinformation to Shannon Conroy at:conroys@archspm.org

Relying on Prayer

While the evangelization team is out knocking on doors andsharing the faith, there is another group of missionariesworking behind the scenes. For each assigned time periodthat the team is going door-to-door, individuals have signedup to pray for the ministry. The whole group stays rooted inprayer and relies on the Holy Spirit. The group also commitsto pray for Pope Francis daily and chose two patrons tointercede for the ministry: Our Lady, Star of the NewEvangelization, and St. Francis Xavier.

Emphasis on follow-up and relationships

"We try to establish a relationship with people. As a parishwe are trying to get to know our neighbors," explained Fr.Grabner, the parochial vicar of Holy Trinity & St. Augustineand an active participant in the door-to-door ministry group.

The evangelization team places a strong emphasis onfollow-up and developing relationships with people whoexpress an openness to learning more about the Catholicfaith. On Wednesday nights a group meets at Holy Trinity tolearn about Catholicism, and it provides a place wherepeople can learn more about the faith, build community andencourage one another.

Holy Trinity welcomed several people into the Church at thisyear's Easter Vigil, one of whom got connected to the parishthrough their door-to-door outreach. He was invited by theteam members to attend the Wednesday night Catholicismstudy, and he is still an active participant in the group. Fr.Grabner baptized the man's daughter a couple months agoand a member of the door-to-door ministry team was askedto be her Godmother.

Lay-driven group with a heart for mission

The evangelization team ranges in age from 18 to 83 yearsold; all members share a passion for their faith in Christ. Thegroup is a "grass roots" initiative that is primarily driven bylay people. To Fr. Grabner, it seems that because the groupstarted from the ground up, it has helped keep their missionwork growing and thriving. Several members have joinedsimply by hearing about it from other parishioners. About ayear ago, a woman new to the area was reached by thedoor-to-door ministry; today she is a parishioner at HolyTrinity and a lead evangelist in the door-to-door ministrygroup!

The group meets monthly for pizza, both to spend timetogether and study the faith by discussing Catholic Answersmaterial. People interested in joining the ministry team canattend a training session that includes an overview of theministry, time for scriptural meditation on evangelization, andtraining on how to approach the door-to-door conversations(things to look for and things to avoid, etc). Fr. Grabnerreminds members of the team, "People are so excited whenEd McMahon or Publisher's Clearinghouse show up at thedoor with TV cameras, balloons and a big check for a lot ofmoney. What you are bringing them is far more valuablethan that."

A few years ago when Fr. Grabner read a book called, WillMany Be Saved? by Dr. Ralph Martin, he was filled with asense of urgency to share the Gospel with the"unchurched." The book calls to attention the critical need for

evangelization today. As Fr. Grabner explained, "You maybe the only person to proclaim Christ in another person'slife, and God rewards that effort."

For more information about Holy Trinity & St. Augustine'sDoor-to-Door Ministry, contact Fr. Robert Grabner at 651-455-1302

A few members of the door-to-door ministry team

Saintly Stewards: St. Gianna Beretta MollaPatron of mothers, physicians, and unborn childrenFeast Day: April 28

Gianna was born on October 4, 1922 in northern Italy. She was thetenth of thirteen children. Her parents were devout; the family went toMass and said the rosary daily. She went on to study medicine at theUniversity of Pavia, and specialized in pediatrics at the University ofMilan. She opened a medical clinic in Mesero in 1950 and primarilycared for mothers, babies, and the poor.

Gianna loved spending time outside and especially enjoyed skiingand hiking. She married Pietro Molla on September 24, 1955.Gianna and Petro had their first son, Pierluigi, in November 1956. Ayear later, they had a daughter named Mariolina. Their third child,Laura, was born in July 1959. During this time, Gianna continued towork as a physician.

In 1961 Gianna became pregnant again, but this time sheexperienced a strange pain two months into her pregnancy. She soon learned that a tumor haddeveloped in her uterus, and had few treatment options to choose from. The safest option for Giannawas to have a hysterectomy, which would remove all of the tumor. The surgery would be low-risk forGianna, but it would require the removal of the fetus. Instead, Gianna opted to have surgery to removeonly the tumor and insisted that there was extra caution taken to avoid harming the baby. Giannainstructed her husband, "If you have to decide between me and the child, do not hesitate; I demand it,the child, save it."

When Gianna went into labor there were many complications. She ended up having a C-section anddelivered a baby girl on April 21, 1962, who they named Gianna Emanuela. The baby was healthy,but her mother's health declined quickly. She had a high fever, weak pulse, and suffered from aninfection. Gianna died seven days later at the age of 39, repeating the words, "Jesus, I love you.Jesus, I love you.". She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1994, and canonized on May 16, 2004.Gianna's husband and their last child, Gianna, were both present at the canonization ceremony.

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