Minnesota’s Most Rural Diocese
Diocese of New Ulm
(Photo by Sam Patet)
Lori Dahlhoff, executive director of the Religious Education
Department at the National Catholic Educational Association, visits
with a group of teachers from St. Peter’s Catholic School in Canby
Sept. 26 at Faith Formation Days. She spoke to over 220 educators
about how they could use sacred art to teach their students the
truths of the faith.
(Read more, page A5.)
Vol. 29 No. 2 October 2014
Catholics called to be involved, form their consciences for Nov. 4 election
by Sam Patet
The Prairie Catholic
NEW ULM – When Minnesota
Catholics step into the voting
booth on Nov. 4, they’ll have a
lot of choices to make. Up for
election are the governor, a U.S.
senator, and all members of the
state House of Representatives,
not to mention a slew of city- and
county-level officials.
While this election cycle isn’t as
high profile as the one two years
ago, it’s just as important in the
mind of Jason Adkins, executive
director of the Minnesota
Catholic Conference.
“Every statewide election is
important because the people we
choose for public office make
decisions that have an impact on
INSIDE
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Loyola chapel
renovated
Page A6
Work camp
with a HEART
Page A10
Living in exile
at home
Visit us online!
www.dnu.org
a responsibility to participate
in these discussions about our
communities,” he said. “One
important reason why the Church
needs to be involved in politics is
because human persons … don’t
always see what is the good.” The
perspective of faith is needed “to
purify reason, because sometimes
the community left to its own
devices doesn’t know what is
good.”
all Minnesotans,” Adkins said
in an e-mail interview. “People
sometimes feel as though their
voice does not make a difference,
but what is absolutely guaranteed
is that the voices of citizens
who choose not to vote will be
diminished.”
Call to be involved
To help Catholics prepare for
the election, the MCC is hosting
talks about Catholic involvement
in political life at parishes across
the state. One of these “From the
Pew to the Polls” talks took place
at the Church of St. Mary in New
Ulm on Oct. 2. There, Adkins
stressed that the Catholic Church
has a unique voice to offer in the
political arena.
Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic
Conference, visits with Frannie Knowles (center) and her daughter,
Anna, before giving his “From the Pew to the Polls” talk at the
Church of St. Mary in New Ulm on Oct. 2.
(Photo by Sam Patet)
He encouraged attendees to
get involved at the local level,
whether that means serving on
the school board or on a city
zoning committee. All realms of
society need to be touched by
gospel values, he said.
(Continued on page A8)
“The Church has a right and
Family synod an opportunity to support marriage
by Catholic News Agency
women need to know that in times
of marital difficulty, the Church
will be “a source of support, not
just for individual spouses, but for
the marriage itself.”
VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN
News) – Law professors, family
advocates, and clergy have asked
those participating in the synod
of bishops to consider how best
to help couples understand and
live their marriages, in light
of such negative family trends
as divorce, cohabitation, and
pornography.
More than 40 academics signed
the open letter, which has been
sent to the Holy Father and to the
cardinals and bishops currently
participating in the Extraordinary
Synod of Bishops on the Family.
“Men and women need
desperately to hear the truth
about why they should get
The Prairie Catholic
The synod of bishops is
meeting in Rome Oct. 5-19 as a
preparatory meeting for the 2015
bishops’ synod; it is intended to
focus on the pastoral challenges
facing the family “in the context
of evangelization.”
Pope Francis greets a family of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square Dec.
4, 2013. The pope has asked families throughout the world to
pray for the success of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the
Family, Oct. 5-19, which is dedicated to the unique challenges they
face.
(Photo by Kyle Burkhart/CNA)
married in the first place,” the
letter states. “And, once married,
why Christ and the Church desire
that they should remain faithful to

Page A1
each other throughout their lives
on this earth.”
The letter said that men and

October 2014
While much of the media
coverage preceding the synod
has focused on the question of
Communion for the divorced and
civilly remarried, the open letter
pointed to a much broader array
of marriage and family issues.
(Continued on page A8)
Be Not Afraid
Concerning the demands of a St. Paul law firm
the 2002 study data. Attorneys
for two of those priests, who
were formerly in ministry in the
Diocese of New Ulm, obtained an
order from the court in January
of 2014 that allowed them to
intervene for the purpose of
stopping disclosure of the names
and information related to the
priests.
by Bishop John M. LeVoir
In 2003, the Diocese of New Ulm,
along with most other dioceses
in this country, participated in a
sociological study commissioned
by the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops. The study
collected information about the
number of minors who were
alleged to have been sexually
abused by Catholic clergy from
1950 to 2002, as well as the
number of Catholic clergy who
had allegedly abused a minor. No
information identifying victims or
clergy members was provided by
the diocese as part of the study,
and no independent investigation
was conducted to determine the
validity of the allegations.
After the statute of limitations
for claims of sexual abuse of
minors was lifted last year, a St.
Paul law firm started lawsuits
against Minnesota dioceses,
including the Diocese of New
Ulm. In connection with that
litigation, the law firm demanded
that the diocese publicly release
information about all of the
priests who had been included in
THE
PRA RIE
CATHOLIC
The Prairie Catholic, the official newspaper for
the Diocese of New Ulm since May 1972,
is published monthly except July and August.
Publisher: Most Reverend John M. LeVoir
Editor in Chief: Dan Rossini
Editor: Christine Clancy
Reporter/Web site: Sam Patet
Submission deadline is the 10th of each
month prior to publication.
Publication office: Diocesan Pastoral Center,
1421 6th Street North,
New Ulm, MN 56073-2071;
phone: 507-359-2966, e-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.dnu.org
Also, the Brown County Court,
like a majority of the other courts
in Minnesota, dismissed the claim
against the Diocese of New Ulm
made by the St. Paul law firm that
sought public disclosure of names
and information relating to priests
of the diocese who were alleged
to have sexually abused minors.
reconciliation, and hope in Jesus
Christ.
Read Pope Francis in order to
know what he actually says
If one were to listen, watch, and
read only what the secular media
reports on the words and actions
of Pope Francis, one would get
a rather one-sided picture of the
Holy Father. I am surprised at the
lack of depth and understanding
that is sometimes present in the
popular media when they cover
Pope Francis. That is why I read
the words of the Holy Father
himself. Then I am sure of getting
all of Pope Francis.
This is the present situation with
regard to the demands made on
the diocese. The diocese will
continue to monitor this situation
and provide periodic updates.
When he speaks and when he
acts, the Holy Father is interested
in communicating to the widest
possible audience. Consequently,
his words are easy to read and his
actions clearly communicate what
is in his mind and heart.
The effects of sexual misconduct
on the part of clergy are
devastating and last a lifetime for
those abused. Please join me in
working and praying for healing,
It is easy to find and read the
Holy Father’s words with
all of the means of modern
communication available to us.
The pope has also written a
beautiful encyclical entitled
“The Light of Faith,” as well as
an apostolic exhortation entitled
“The Joy of the Gospel.” Each
makes great reading and provides
insights into the mind of the Holy
Father that are totally absent in
the secular media.
The beauty of the pope’s teaching
can be seen in the following
excerpt from an address that
he gave to 20 couples whose
wedding vows he witnessed on
Sept. 14, 2014. He said to them:
“The love of Christ, which has
blessed and sanctified the union
of husband and wife, is able to
sustain their love and to renew
it when, humanly speaking,
it becomes lost, wounded, or
worn out. The love of Christ
can restore to spouses the joy of
journeying together.
“This is what marriage is all
about: man and woman walking
together, wherein the husband
helps his wife to become ever
more a woman, and wherein the
woman has the task of helping
her husband to become ever more
a man. This is the task that you
both share. ‘I love you, and for
this love I help you to become
ever more a woman’; ‘I love
you, and for this love I help you
to become ever more a man.’
Here we see the reciprocity of
differences.
“The path is not always a smooth
one, free of disagreements;
otherwise, it would not be
human. It is a demanding journey,
at times difficult, and at times
turbulent, but such is life!”
Bishop LeVoir’s October
calendar can be found on the
Diocese of New Ulm’s Web site
at www.dnu.org/bishop/.
The continuing myths of the sexual abuse crisis
by Francesco Cesareo
In 2002, the Catholic Church
was faced with its biggest crisis
in decades if not centuries – the
child sexual abuse scandal. Many
strides have been made over the
past 12 years; the Catholic Church
has taken considerable action to
protect children, help victims heal,
and remove offending clerics.
Much has been accomplished in
this arena. In spite of these strides
to protect children, many people
do not know about the changes
that have been made.
Myth: The Catholic bishops have
done nothing since 2002 to stop
the sexual abuse of children.
Fact: Catholic bishops have
implemented the Charter for the
Protection of Children and Young
People, along with Essential
Norms and a Statement of
Episcopal Commitment. Ninetynine percent of clerics, employees,
educators, and volunteers have
had background checks and have
been trained on how to create safe
church and school environments.
Nearly 6,000 clerics who had
credible accusations made against
them between the years 1950 and
2013 were removed from ministry.
There is a zero-tolerance policy
and all clerics with a credible
allegation must be permanently
removed from ministry.
Myth: Thousands of children are
still being abused by Catholic
priests.
Join Bishop John LeVoir on a Pilgrimage
TO
SWITZERLAND, GERMANY, AND AUSTRIA
includes Oktoberfest and a Special Visit to Ulm
Sept. 14-24, 2015
$3,995
plus airfare
Postmaster: Send notice on Form 3579,
“The Prairie Catholic,” 1421 6th Street North,
New Ulm, MN 56073-2071. Periodical
postage paid at New Ulm and additional
mailing offices. USPS 926-760.
For example, I go on the Internet
to the Vatican Information
Service (VIS). Each day, the VIS
reports on the pope’s words and
actions. One can also search the
Web for “Pope Francis” and site
after site will appear.
MAGI TRAVEL INC.
952-949-0065
[email protected]
For a detailed brochure visit www.dnu.org.
The Prairie Catholic

Page A2
Fact: While the Church receives
hundreds of allegations each year,
99 percent of them are reporting
abuse that happened years ago.
Current allegations from minors
averaged 10 per year between
2005 and 2013. Everyone agrees
that is 10 too many, and the
Church continues to take steps to
protect children and to remove
those who would harm them.
Myth: Child sexual abuse occurs
only in the Catholic Church.
Fact: Child sexual abuse occurs
in all socio-economic levels and
in every type of youth-serving
organization, from sporting teams,
to churches of all denominations,
to public and private schools. The
Catholic Church has implemented
effective measures to stop
sexual abuse from occurring
in its parishes and schools. It
requires background evaluations
on all clerics, employees, and
volunteers. It requires that all
be trained on how to create and
maintain safe environments for
children.
Myth: Bishops cover up abuse
and hide priests from the law.
Fact: Dioceses are required
to report all cases to the local

October 2014
law enforcement agencies.
Failing to report known abuse
is a crime. Victims and their
families are encouraged to report
abuse directly to police. Each
diocese is required to have a
victim assistance coordinator
and a diocesan review board to
review the allegations and make
recommendations to the bishop.
Myth: The Holy See insists that
bishops protect the Church at the
expense of children.
Fact: In May 2011, a directive
in the form of a letter required
all episcopal conferences to have
policies and procedures on dealing
with sexual abuse by clergy. The
Holy See requires all allegations
of sexual abuse to be reported to
local civil authorities.
Editor’s note: Francesco Cesareo,
Ph.D., is president of Assumption
College, Worcester, Mass. He
is chairman of the National
Review Board, a lay body that
collaborates with the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops
to prevent sexual abuse of minors
by persons in the service of the
Church.
diocesan church
Loyola Catholic School celebrates completion of renovated chapel
by Sam Patet
The Prairie Catholic
MANKATO – By the time Mass
got out at noon on Sept. 15, the
entire student body at Loyola
Catholic School in Mankato was
ready for lunch.
That made perfect sense to
Bishop John M. Quinn of the
Diocese of Winona. Moments
earlier during his homily, he’d
gotten them to agree that the
best room in their house was the
kitchen.
When he asked them why,
their response was unanimous:
Because it has food.
But Bishop Quinn wasn’t there
to bless a new cafeteria. He was
there to celebrate the renovation
of the school’s chapel. Like a
kitchen, he explained, it’s a place
where one receives nourishment.
“This is the place where, just like
in every family home, you come
to get nourished. But not with
food that comes and goes. Here,
at this altar, we’re nourished
with the very Body and Blood
of Christ,” he said. “This is the
heart of the school. It’s here
from which the Eucharist will be
celebrated. It’s made holy by the
Sacrifice of the Mass.”
After the opening prayer, Bishop
Quinn blessed the altar and ambo
with holy water. He did the
same to the tabernacle after the
reception of Holy Communion.
The Blessed Theresa
Gerhardinger Chapel (named
in honor of the foundress of
the School Sisters of Notre
Dame) hadn’t been renovated
at all since it was built 50 years
ago, explained Amy Klugherz,
development director for the
school.
But the longest, and most
significant, part of the ceremony
happened after his homily, when
he dedicated the altar. After
reciting a long prayer, Bishop
Quinn poured chrism on the top
of the altar and spread it around
with his hand.
But thanks to a generous donation
from Jim and Betty Sohler,
parishioners at the Church of
Sts. Peter and Paul in Mankato,
the school was able to give it a
much-needed face lift. Changes
included installing a new altar,
ambo (the stand from which the
Gospel is read), and tabernacle;
moving the sanctuary closer to
the congregation; updating the
sound system; and installing a
new tile floor, pews, and light
fixtures.
Bishop John M. Quinn of the Diocese of Winona spreads chrism
on a new altar at Loyola Catholic School in Mankato as students
and Mass servers look on. Over 700 students, staff, and alumni
attended the Sept. 15 Mass, which celebrated the renovation of the
school’s chapel. In addition to consecrating the altar, Bishop Quinn
blessed a new ambo (the stand from which the Gospel is read) and
a new tabernacle.
(Photo by Sam Patet)
“It’s such a center of what we
do,” Klugherz said. “By having a
chapel that invites you in, makes
Over 700 students, alumni,
and staff attended the Monday
morning event, including about a
you feel comfortable, makes you
feel included, makes it easy for
you to hear and be touched by
the experience, we believe that
strengthens your relationship for
God.”
dozen religious with the School
Sisters of Notre Dame. The
sisters founded Good Counsel
Academy, an all-girl high school,
in 1912. It closed in 1980. Since
then, girls have attended Loyola
Catholic High School (up until
then an all-boy school), which
today is located on the School
Sisters’ grounds.
“Bless this altar built in the
house of the Church,” Bishop
Quinn prayed, “that it may ever
be reserved for the sacrifice
of Christ, and stand forever as
the Lord’s table, where your
people will find nourishment and
strength.”
Loyola is a pre-kindergarten
through grade 12 school of the
Diocese of Winona that serves
students in the Mankato area.
Nineteen percent of its students
are parishioners at the Church
of the Holy Rosary in North
Mankato, which is in the Diocese
of New Ulm.
New principals take helm for 2014-2015 school year
NEW ULM – Four new
principals have taken the helm
at five Catholic schools in the
Diocese of New Ulm for the
2014-2015 school year. With
25 years of teaching experience
among them, they’re more than
ready for the challenges the new
school year will bring.
Andrew Bach is the new
principal at St. Mary’s High
School in Sleepy Eye. He isn’t
new to the school, having spent
the previous three years there as a
social studies teacher.
Bach holds a bachelor’s degree
in secondary education from St.
John’s University in Collegeville
and is currently pursuing a
master’s degree in educational
leadership at Southwest
Minnesota State University.
“I enjoy being able to embrace
my faith on a daily basis,” Bach
said of his experience at St.
Mary’s.
Rob Brandel is the new principal
at Cathedral High School in New
Ulm. Before cathedral, he served
Andrew Bach
Rob Brandel
for four years as dean of students
and activities director at Comfrey
Public School in Comfrey, Minn.,
and for two years as a physical
education teacher at St. James
High School in St. James, Minn.
unique responsibility of preparing
students for college and life after
high school while keeping Christ
at the center of all they do.”
Brandel holds a bachelor’s degree
in secondary education from St.
Cloud State University and a
master’s degree from Minnesota
State University, Mankato.
“Growing up in Sleepy Eye
and attending Catholic school,
I developed a strong belief in
Catholic education,” Brandel
said. “Catholic schools have a
The Prairie Catholic
Jennifer Fischer is the new
principal at St. Michael’s
Catholic School in Morgan and
St. Raphael’s Catholic School
in Springfield. Before taking
on the two half-time positions,
she taught for eight years at St.
Michael’s.
Fischer holds a bachelor’s degree
in elementary education and a
master’s degree in educational
leadership, both from Southwest

Page A3
Jennifer Fischer
Minnesota State University.
“I like being able to bring
my faith and beliefs into the
workplace and share them with
the staff and students,” she said.
Michelle Kramer is the new
principal at St. Philip’s Catholic
School in Litchfield. Before St.
Philip’s, she taught for five years
at St. Croix Catholic School
in Stillwater, Minn., and for
three years at St. Mary Help of
Christians School in St. Augusta,
Minn.
Kramer holds a bachelor’s degree

October 2014
Michelle Kramer
in elementary education from
the College of St. Benedict in St.
Joseph, Minn., and a master’s
degree in teaching and learning
from St. Mary’s University in
Winona.
“My heart is in Catholic schools,”
she said. “I love not only the
challenge of high academic
standards, but the fact that we
are called to bring young people
close to Jesus at the same time.”
diocesan church
No Tengas Miedo
Información sobre las Demandas hechas
por una Firma de Abogados en St. Paul
por Obispo John M. LeVoir
En el 2003 la Diócesis de New
Ulm junto con la mayoría
de las diócesis en este país,
participaron de un estudio
sociológico encomendados
por la Conferencia de Obispos
Católicos de los Estados
Unidos. Dicho estudio recopiló
información sobre el número de
menores de edad que habrían
sido víctimas de abuso sexual
por parte del clero de la Iglesia
católica entre 1950 al 2002.
Como parte del estudio que la
diócesis haya proporcionado,
no hay información que
identifican victimas o miembros
del clero, tampoco se hizo una
investigación independiente
para determinar la validez de
las acusaciones.
Después del estatuto de
limitaciones por las demandas
de abuso sexual a menores
que se suprimió el año pasado,
una firma de abogados en St.
Paul inició demandas contra
las diócesis en Minnesota,
incluyendo la Diócesis de New
Ulm. En relación con dicho
juicio, la firma de abogados
demandó que la diócesis
proporcione públicamente
información acerca de todos
los sacerdotes que antes habían
sido incluidos en los estudios
del 2002. Los abogados de
dos de los sacerdotes, que
trabajaban en el ministerio
en la Diócesis de New Ulm,
obtuvieron una orden por parte
de la corte en Enero de este
año que les permitió no revelar
los nombres e información
relacionados con los sacerdotes. mayor audiencia posible. Por
consiguiente, sus palabras son
fáciles de leer y su forma de ser
Asimismo, el tribunal del
Condado de Brown, al igual
al comunicarse con el pueblo
que la mayoría de los demás
porque lo hace lo que siente su
tribunales de Minnesota,
corazón y su mente.
rechazó la demanda contra
la Diócesis de New Ulm
Con todos los medios de
realizados por la firma de
comunicación tan modernos
abogados de St. Paul que
hoy en día es fácil leer los
solicitaría revelar los nombres
mensajes del Papa Francisco.
e información relacionados con Uno también puede buscar en
los sacerdotes de la diócesis
la internet con la frase “Papa
que supuestamente habían
Francisco” y le dará una lista con
abusado a menores de edad.
referente al Papa Francisco.
Hasta aquí son las noticias con
referente a las demandas hechas
a la diócesis. La diócesis
continuará monitoreando esta
situación y nos mantendrá
informados. Sin embargo, los
efectos de conducta sexual
inapropiada por parte del
clero son devastadores y sus
efectos negativos afectarían a
las victimas toda su vida. Les
pido que se unan a mí para
trabajar y orar por la sanación,
reconciliación y esperanza en
Jesucristo.
La belleza de la enseñanza del
Papa se puede ver en el siguiente
extracto de un discurso que
dió a 20 parejas cuyos votos
Leer sobre el Papa Francisco
de la boda fue testigo el 14 de
con el fin de saber lo que
Septiembre del 2014: El les
realmente dice
dijo: “El amor de Jesús, que
Si uno se pone a escuchar, ver
ha bendecido y consagrado la
y leer lo que dicen sobre el
unión de los esposos, es capaz de
Papa Francisco en los medios
mantener su amor y de renovarlo
de comunicación solamente,
cuando humanamente se pierde,
uno obtendría una imagen muy
se hiere, se agota. El amor de
parcial de nuestro pontífice. Por
Cristo puede devolver a los
ese motivo leo las palabras que
esposos la alegría de caminar
vienen del mismo pontífice.
juntos.
La intensión del Santo Padre
cuando se dirige al pueblo es
tratar de comunicarse con la
Official appointments
announced by Bishop LeVoir
At the recommendation of
the diocesan Priest Personnel
Board, Bishop John M. LeVoir
has made the following
assignments, effective Sept.
25, 2014:
Fr. James
Devorak
appointed
parochial
administrator of
the Church of
El Papa también ha escrito una
hermosa encíclica titulada “La
Luz de la Fe,” así como una
exhortación apostólica titulada
“La Alegría del Evangelio.”
Los dos son buenos libros
además proporciona una amplia
información sobre lo que piensa
el Santo Padre algo que los
medios seculares no lo ven.
St. John in Ortonville and the
Church of St. Joseph in Rosen.
Fr. William
Sprigler
appointed
parochial
administrator
of the Church
of St. James
in Nassau,
while remaining parochial
administrator of the Church of
St. James in Dawson.
“Porque eso es el matrimonio:
un camino en común de un
hombre y una mujer, en el que
el hombre tiene la misión de
ayudar a su mujer a ser mejor
mujer, y la mujer tiene la misión
de ayudar a su marido a ser
mejor hombre. Esta es vuestra
misión entre vosotros. ‘te amo, y
por eso te hago mejor mujer,’
‘te amo, y por eso te hago mejor
hombre.’ Es la reciprocidad de la
diferencia.
“No es un camino llano, sin
problemas, no, no sería humano.
Es un viaje comprometido, a
veces difícil, a veces complicado,
pero así es la vida.”
The Prairie Catholic

Page A4
Two sexual abuse cases filed
against diocese
NEW ULM – On Oct. 2, 2014, the
Diocese of New Ulm was named
in two lawsuits alleging sexual
misconduct by two deceased priests
of the diocese: Fr. William Marks
and Fr. Michael Skoblik.
The first suit alleges Fr. Marks
sexually abused a male minor while
serving at the Church of St. John in
Hector.
Before serving as pastor at St.
John’s between 1954 and 1962,
Fr. Marks had the following
assignments: associate pastor
at the Church of St. Mark in
Shakopee, 1936-1939; associate
pastor at the Church of St.
Dominic in Northfield, 1939-1940;
administrator at the Church of Our
Lady in Manannah and the mission
of St. Columban in Greenleaf, 19401941; administrator at the Church of
St. Philip in Litchfield, 1941-1942;
associate pastor at the Church of
the Guardian Angels in Hastings,
1942; associate pastor at the Church
of the Immaculate Conception in
Faribault, 1942-1945; and pastor at
the Church of St. Dionysius in Tyler,
1945-1954. After his time in Hector,
he served as pastor at the Church of
St. Clotilde in Green Valley between
1962 and 1979. Fr. Marks died on
Nov. 17, 1979, at the age of 71.
The second suit alleges Fr. Skoblik
sexually abused one minor while
serving at the Church of St. Joseph
in Silver Lake.
Before serving as pastor at St.
Joseph’s between 1965 and 1988,
Fr. Skoblik had the following
assignments: associate pastor
at the Church of the Most Holy
Redeemer in Montgomery, 19391946; associate pastor at the Church
of St. Wenceslaus in New Prague,
1946; administrator at the Church
of the Most Holy Trinity in Veseli,
1946-1947; pastor at the Church
of the Immaculate Conception in
Lonsdale, 1947-1948; pastor at
the Church of St. Mary in Bechyn,
1948-1952; and pastor at the
Church of St. George in Glencoe,
1952-1965. Between March 1964
and August 1965 he served as
superintendent of St. Pius X School
in Glencoe. Fr. Skoblik retired from
active ministry on June 8, 1988, and
died a year later on Nov. 22, 1989,
at the age of 79.
The Diocese of New Ulm
was unaware of any claims of
sexual misconduct involving
Fr. Skoblik prior to his death.
In November 1993, the diocese
held an informational meeting
for parishioners in Silver Lake in
response to an allegation of sexual
misconduct that was made against
Fr. Skoblik.
The Diocese of New Ulm deeply
regrets the long-lasting and
devastating effects of sexual
misconduct on the part of clergy.
Such misconduct requires positive
action on our part, and we have
been strengthening our systems and
procedures in order to address this
grave issue. The diocese has been
diligent in its efforts to establish
a safe environment program that
educates clergy, diocesan and parish
staff, teachers, parents, students,
and volunteers who work with
youth, and that helps them identify
and prevent sexual misconduct. We
are committed to offering help and
healing to anyone who has been a
victim of sexual misconduct and to
preventing this terrible crime from
occurring in the diocese.
Anyone who has suffered sexual abuse,
exploitation, or harassment by a priest, deacon,
or pastoral administrator of the Diocese of New
Ulm should immediately report such misconduct
to local law enforcement. They are encouraged
to contact the Victim Assistance Coordinator or
the Bishop’s Delegate in Matters Pertaining to Sexual Misconduct, 1421 6th
Street North, New Ulm, MN 56073, phone: 507-359-2966, for counseling
or assistance, if that is desired.
Toda persona que haya sufrido de abuso, explotación o acoso sexual por
parte de un sacerdote, diácono o administrador pastoral de la Diócesis
de New Ulm debe reportar dicha mala conducta inmediatamente a
las autoridades policiales. Se exhorta ponerse en contacto con el
Coordinador de Asistencia para victimas o con el delegado del Obispo
en cuestiones sobre el mal comportamiento sexual, 1421 6th Street
North, New Ulm, MN 56073, teléfono: 507-359-2966, y hay consejería o
asistencia disponible si así lo desea.

October 2014
diocesan Church
Cathedral packed at annual Children’s Holy Field Trip
by Sam Patet
The Prairie Catholic
NEW ULM – Love others
just like Mary did. That might
involve babysitting your younger
siblings, listening to your parents,
or befriending a classmate who is
lonely.
That was Bishop John M.
LeVoir’s message to a crowd of
300 at the Children’s Holy Field
Trip, held Oct. 1 at the Cathedral
of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm.
“She provides a good model for
us, a good example to follow,”
Bishop LeVoir said. “Because
a lot of times we just think of
ourselves. … We don’t think
of other people and what they
need and what we can do to help
them.”
gave a homily. He talked about
the first two Joyful Mysteries:
the Annunciation and the
Visitation. When Mary found
out that she was going to be the
Mother of God, she didn’t think
about herself, he said. Rather,
she thought about her cousin
Elizabeth and how she could help
her.
an annual event where students
from the diocese’s Catholic
elementary schools and home
school programs gather with
Bishop LeVoir to pray the Rosary.
This year’s event was one of
the largest in recent memory,
according to Karla Cross,
director of the diocese’s Office of
Catholic Schools since 2008. “It
was beautiful,” she said. “When
we joined in song, the church was
just filled with joy.”
Deacon Jason Myhre is principal
at St. Edward’s Catholic School
in Minneota. While his students
have been attending the event for
years, he had never made the trip
until this year.
But Mary “teaches us that we
should reach out in love and help
other people, especially those
who are in need,” he said.
“Not all the kids get to see the
bishop throughout the year,
so this was a good chance for
them to get to connect with the
diocese as a whole, and then to
come together with all the other
schools,” he said.
The Children’s Holy Field Trip is
In total, 268 students from 11
Third graders from St. Anne’s Catholic School in Wabasso visit
with Bishop John M. LeVoir after the Children’s Holy Field Trip
prayer service.
(Photo by Sam Patet)
schools attended the event, from
as far west as St. Mary’s in Tracy
and as far east as John Ireland in
St. Peter.
The event began at 10:30
a.m. with an opening hymn
and Bishop LeVoir greeting
the students. Fr. Sam Wagner,
associate pastor at the cathedral,
then exposed the Blessed
Sacrament, taking it from the
tabernacle and placing it in a
monstrance on the altar. After
reciting a few prayers, Bishop
LeVoir began the Rosary. Fifth
graders from St. Mary’s Catholic
School in Bird Island led the
congregation in praying the
Joyful Mysteries.
Deacon Myhre thought that was
a great message for the students.
“I think as kids, we naturally
think of ourselves. So the sooner
you can learn to serve others, the
happier you’ll be,” he said.
Bishop LeVoir then blessed
the students with the Blessed
Sacrament before it was put back
in the tabernacle by Fr. Wagner.
After the event, groups had a
chance to have their picture taken
with the bishop. Four groups
also stopped by the new Pastoral
Center for a tour before heading
home.
After the Rosary, Bishop LeVoir
Seasoned catechist shows educators how to use sacred art in lesson planning
by Sam Patet
The Prairie Catholic
NEW ULM – Catholic educators
know how difficult it can be to
pass on the faith to their students.
No wonder, then, that over 200
of them were all-ears during Lori
Dahlhoff’s presentations on the
catechism and evangelization at
Faith Formation Days Sept. 26 at
the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
in New Ulm. She showed them
how art could be used to teach
kids and adults about the Catholic
faith.
“One of the things that’s (the)
same around the world is the art
that is in the Catechism of the
Catholic Church,” Dahlhoff said.
“Part of it is because from the
very beginning of the Church, art
was one of the primary forms of
catechesis.”
Dahlhoff is executive director
of the Religious Education
Department at the National
Catholic Educational Association
in Arlington, Va. Before
beginning that position three
years ago, she spent nearly 20
years in parish catechetical work
in the Diocese of St. Cloud and
the Archdiocese of St. Paul and
Minneapolis.
technical language to it. So you
need to learn how to read it in a
particular way,” Dahlhoff said.
“The catechism has got a technical language to it. So
you need to learn how to read it in a particular way.
The same, though, is true for the art that is in the
catechism.” - Lori Dahlhoff
One experience that inspired
Dahlhoff to use art in catechesis
was when she was teaching an
RCIA class. For two participants,
English was not their first
language, she said. That made
reading and understanding the
textbook – the Compendium to
the Catechism of the Catholic
Church (a condensed, questionand-answer version of the
catechism) – difficult for them.
But like the catechism, the
compendium had images of
sacred art scattered throughout it.
That’s what she ended up using
to teach them about the Catholic
faith. “It helped them be able to
grasp the theological concepts,”
she said.
“The catechism has got a
The Prairie Catholic
“The same, though, is true for
the art that is in the catechism.”
Every part of every picture has a
purpose.
Take the image of the shepherd
and the sheep on the catechism’s
cover. It’s been used since
the earliest centuries of the
Church to represent Christ (the
shepherd) and the faithful (the
sheep), Dahlhoff explained.
The shepherd’s staff represents
Christ’s tender authority over
his people, while the panpipes
signify the way the Christ calls
his sheep, namely, by presenting
the “symphony of the truth.”
She then presented a fourstep process for using art in
catechesis. It consists in viewing
a piece of art, identifying

Page A5
elements that spark wonder,
comparing these elements with
the tradition of the Church (such
as Scripture and the catechism),
and incorporating any insights
into one’s daily life.
She then had the teachers and
catechists practice it using an
image of the Annunciation found
in Rome. Two things became
apparent as they practiced:
The process helped them learn
about the faith and share their
experiences of faith.
Sarah Arandia teaches sixth grade
at St. Pius X Catholic School in
Glencoe. She said she had heard
of integrating art into lesson
planning, but had never done so
herself.
“All of this could really be part of
my Ancient Rome curriculum,”
she said. “I could … tie in deeper
our faith within that social studies
unit.”
Third grade teacher Maria Lux
of St. Mary’s Catholic School
in Sleepy Eye thought the same.
“It opened my eyes to the use of
art, just in having more art in our

October 2014
school for the kids to look at,”
she said.
Faith Formation Days is an
enrichment and continuing
education event for teachers,
principals, catechists, and
youth ministers in the Diocese
of New Ulm. This year’s twoday event took place Sept. 26
at the cathedral and Sept. 27 at
the Church of St. Catherine in
Redwood Falls.
While Dahlhoff was the only
presenter Sept. 26, she was one
of several in Redwood Falls.
Other speakers that day included
Deacon Tim Dolan, diocesan
director of Social Concerns;
Sr. Anna Marie Reha, diocesan
director of Hispanic Ministry;
and Jason Adkins, executive
director of the Minnesota
Catholic Conference. Around 80
people attended the workshops
Sept. 27.
social concerns
Marshall youth love, serve, connect at Catholic HEART Workcamp
by Sam Patet
The Prairie Catholic
NEW ULM – Youth minister
Dana Webskowski didn’t know
what to expect when she and six
high school students set out to
clean Jerry Mascarenas’ garage
last June.
They’d all willingly signed up
to spend a week of their summer
helping low-income persons in
Denver with home improvement
projects. She knew they’d be able
to do the work. What she didn’t
know was whether Mascarenas, a
Vietnam War veteran, would talk
with them.
Four days later, her group had
him laughing, praying, playing
dominoes, and even buying pizza
for lunch.
Youth and chaperones from Holy Redeemer Parish in Marshall pose for a photo on their last day at Catholic HEART Workcamp in
Denver. A total of 368 youth participated in the four-day camp.
(Contributed photos)
It was nothing short of a miracle.
“Roger (the site supervisor) told
me … he’s had people coming
there for three years and (Jerry)
has never talked to them,”
Webskowski said. “A friendship
was made, so it’s really neat.”
Seventeen-year-old Jack Bock
thought the same about Cecilia
Wall, a widow who needed the
interior of her house painted.
Despite having just met her, the
two-sport athlete at Marshall
Public High School discovered
they had some things in common.
Webskowski and 58 youth
from Holy Redeemer Parish in
Marshall travelled to Denver June
14-21 to participate in a Catholic
HEART Workcamp. For four
days, they and 310 other youth
from across the country painted
houses, cleaned out rooms, and
did other jobs for low-income
persons in the area.
“Our group sat down on her porch
and we could just talk for a half
hour, 40 minutes. I mean, we had
lots to talk about,” Bock said.
“She really liked to talk about
her grandson; he plays baseball
and hockey. So I had connections
there with him playing sports.”
Morgan Skinner, 17, was one of
the few Marshall students who
got to work with someone she
knew. Most of her classmates
were in groups with students and
chaperones from other parts of the
country.
When she found out she’d be
helping Mascarenas, she wasn’t
very excited. “All my friends
were in groups with … residents
who always gave them ice cream
or cookies and (who) always
came out and loved talking to
them,” she said. “I was like, ‘I
just want to be with a resident like
they have.’”
But by the end of the week, she
wouldn’t have traded her time
with Mascarenas for anything.
“He’s such an amazing person,”
Skinner said.
Four full days
Catholic HEART Workcamp
was founded in Orlando, Fla., in
1993 by Steve and Lisa Walker,
youth ministers at St. Margaret
Mary Parish in Winter Park, Fla.
They wanted an experience for
their students that was decidedly
Catholic – one that included
things like Mass and confession
– but that still had them serving
others like other Christian work
camps. Since then, it’s spread to
47 cities across the United States,
as well as to Jamaica, Belize, and
Grenada.
One of the reasons why
Webskowski wanted her students
to participate was so they could
experience giving themselves to
another person.
And they did. Every day they
were up by 6:30 a.m., having
spent the night in sleeping bags
The Prairie Catholic
on classroom floors at a middle
school. After breakfast and a
brief presentation from camp
organizers, they were on the road
by 8:30 a.m. Buses dropped them
off at their assignments, where
they spent the next six hours
painting, weeding, organizing,
and demolishing in the hot
summer sun. With only a halfhour lunch break, they all were
ready for the buses to reappear at
3 p.m.
But that wasn’t the end of their
day. Mass, dinner, and an evening
program – not to mention a
shower and downtime with
friends – made up the afternoon
and evening before the lights
went out at 11 p.m.
Skinner and Bock didn’t mind
that their days were so full.
As Bock explained, it felt
good spending a day helping
another person instead of doing
everything he wanted to do.
the reasons he opened up to them.
“I’m a really curious person. So I
started asking him questions, and
so did some of the other kids,”
she said. “Everything we pulled
out would spark memories to him,
and he would tell us about it, or
we’d ask him about some things.”
The greatest gift Skinner gave to
Mascarenas wasn’t an organized
garage; it was her friendship.
Small acts make big impact
As expected, Mascarenas wasn’t
very talkative on day one. Things
started to change, though, on day
two. Skinner and her group were
cleaning out his garage, and they
had to ask him questions about
what he wanted to keep and what
he wanted to discard.
“They really had quite a
relationship,” Webskowski said
about Skinner and Mascarenas.
“He just laughed with her.
Something clicked with those
two. He just picked on her, and he
just started joking.”
Webskowski and Skinner saw
how much they had affected
Mascarenas on their last night at
That, Skinner thinks, is one of

Page A6
Morgan Skinner, 17, poses for a photo with Jerry Mascarenas on
his front porch in Denver. She and her group at Catholic HEART
Workcamp formed a special bond with him.

October 2014
camp. Everyone who had been
helped was invited to an evening
program at the middle school.
There, they were able to express
their gratitude to the students.
“He (Mascarenas) was trying
not to cry and just staying strong
though it, but he ended up crying
at the end,” Skinner said. “And I
just love how he can stay strong
but yet have a soft heart.”
“It was good for the kids to hear
that they’re great,” Webskowski
said. “They get a lot of false
praise. This was somebody
thanking them from their heart,
and that just was – I don’t know.
It has to be life changing.”
“Politics, according to the Social Doctrine of
the Church, is one of the highest forms of
charity, because it serves the common good.”
—Pope Francis, Daily Homily, September 16, 2013
The Minnesota political cycle will
move into full swing this fall. At the general election
in November, voters will head to the ballot box to select men and women they believe will best lead our
local communities, our state, and our nation. Many
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year, including one of two Minnesota seats in the United States Senate. All eight seats in the Minnesota congressional delegation will be on the ballot, as will all
134 in the Minnesota House of Representatives. State
NGXGNQHƂEGTUKPENWFKPIIQXGTPQTCVVQTPG[IGPGTCNCPF
secretary of state will also be on the ballot, along with
several judicial positions.
Both Pope Francis and the social doctrine of the
Catholic Church, otherwise known as “Catholic social
teaching,” have stated that politics should uphold human dignity and serve the common good. It is due to
this pursuit of the common good that Catholics have a
responsibility to participate in the democratic process,
as the outcome of this year’s political races will shape
policy decisions for years to come. The deliberations
that take place in St. Paul and Washington, D.C., and
the laws that result from those debates, can either hinFGTQTGNGXCVGVJGOQTCNƂDGTQHCEQOOWPKV[VJGUVCVG
and the nation. Thus, it is important for Catholics and all
people of faith and good will to exercise their right as
Americans and to participate in the act of voting.
American history is blessed with social movements
that were guided by conscientious citizens acting acEQTFKPI VQ VJGKT DGNKGHU 6JG UKIPKƂECPV EQPVTKDWVKQPU
made by religious persons in the public square are a
testament to the pluralism and diversity of the state
and the nation. The founding of the United States, the
abolitionist movement, the drive for women’s suffrage
and the civil rights movement were all aided by religious persons and communities seeking to advance
justice and the common good.
Offering its contribution to conversations about what
may be best for society, the Catholic Church promotes
and defends the dignity of all persons, from conception
to natural death. In order to promote human dignity
at every stage, the Minnesota Catholic Conference and
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops address policy matters pertaining to religious liberty, immigration, education, human life, economic justice, marriage and health care, among others. This guide seeks
to address these issues in the context of the forthcoming elections and challenges readers to ask important
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This publication strongly encourages Catholics to
evaluate their political candidates through the lens
of Catholic social teaching and to vote for candidates
based upon a well-formed conscience. Doing so requires each person to consult that law inscribed in their
heart by God “ever calling him to love and to do what
is good and to avoid evil” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1776). The following pages are intended to
highlight important policy issues and to aid Catholics
in their effort to promote the common good and to
improve their communities by participating in the 2014
elections.
Voter guide 2014
THE ISSUES,
THE CANDIDATES
& YOUR VOTE
2014
B2 October 2014
Voter guide 2014
The Prairie Catholic
Religious Liberty
Political partisanship often turns the average citizen away from participating in the political process.
Too frequently, issues are only seen as Republican
or Democrat, liberal or conservative. Religious liberty is not a partisan issue, nor is it ideological. The
United States of America was founded on the principle of religious freedom and no political party can
claim it as its own. Allowing religious institutions
to operate according to their mission without interference from the government is a more accurate understanding of the often used phrase “separation of
church and state.” In recent times, regrettably, the
First Amendment constitutional right to religious
liberty has come under attack.
At both state and federal levels, adversarial organizations and policies have sought to exert greater
state authority over religious organizations and the
manner by which they operate, such as abiding by
sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) laws
when they receive government contracts. Such intrusion poses significant concern for religious organizations and their freedom to serve the poor and
vulnerable in accord with human dignity and the
church’s teaching. The right to serve the public according to a religious organization’s mission and
conscience is a hallmark attribute of religious liber-
ty. Additionally, the right of the people in the pew
to live their faith in every aspect of their life must
be protected. Here in Minnesota, business owners
who decline to offer facilities or services for samesex wedding ceremonies have been threatened with
legal action and, in at least one case, have already
been punished with heavy fines by the state. Some
Minnesota legislators have promised to introduce
legislation in 2015 that mirrors the federal HHS
preventive services mandate, and which requires
employers to provide contraceptives and abortifacient drugs in their health plans. These troubling
trends must be resisted and important rights of conscience and religious liberty must be protected and
defended by elected officials. We should not have
to always rely on courts to protect our most basic
freedoms.
Where does the candidate stand on the right
for religious institutions to operate and serve the
general public in a manner that is consistent with the
organization’s faith-based mission?
Where does the candidate stand on the right
of individuals to live their faith in their school, their
place of employment, in their chosen profession or
in their business?
̈Ã̅iÀivœÀiwÌ̈˜}̅>Ì܅i˜
̅iˆœv,ˆ}…ÌÃÜ>ÃÀ>̈wi`]
religious freedom had the
distinction of being the First
Amendment. Religious liberty is
ˆ˜`ii`̅iwÀÃ̏ˆLiÀÌÞ°1
Immigration
In his 2014 message for World Day of
Migrants and Refugees, Pope Francis offers a reminder that Jesus, Mary and Joseph — the Holy Family — experienced
first-hand the life of migrants. Today,
many families migrate to the United
States to flee religious persecution, economic depression, lack of resources and
employment, unstable governments and
dire poverty.
A broken American immigration system has also contributed to a national
problem. In response, the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops, while accepting the
legitimate role of the government in protecting its borders and intercepting unauthorized migrants, believes that comprehensive immigration reform is needed.
A good reform package would create
more opportunities for migrants to enter, live and work in the U.S., so that law
enforcement will be better able to focus
on those who truly threaten public safety. Comprehensive reform should offer a
pathway to citizenship (not “amnesty”)
for the almost 11 million undocumented
people living in the United States who aspire to be citizens. It should also be family-based, meaning the number of years
it currently takes for family members to
be reunited after separation must be reduced.
Finally, truly comprehensive reform
must address the root causes of migration, such as violence and political unrest in the countries of origin; economic
and trade policy; as well as the need for
social reform and integral development.
Immigration will continue to be a national concern until foreign and domestic
units of government reform their laws in
a manner that upholds the dignity every
human being deserves.
Where does the congressional candidate stand on comprehensive immigration
reform and the need for expedited family
Ài՘ˆwV>̈œ˜¶
At the state level, where does the
candidate stand on giving undocumented
persons greater access to healthcare and
transportation options to protect their
dignity and support their families?
The migrant is a human person who possesses
fundamental, inalienable rights that must be
respected by everyone and in every circumstance.2
Human Life
We know that human life
is sacred and inviolable.
Every civil right rests on
the recognition of the
wÀÃÌ>˜`v՘`>“i˜Ì>
right, that of life, which
is not subordinate to any
condition. 3
Though Minnesota has historically been a leader in enacting pro-life legislation, those efforts have stalled in recent
years. Bills that would have banned most abortions after 20
weeks; ended taxpayer funding of abortion; licensed and regulated abortion clinics; and prohibited coverage of abortion
in the Minnesota health insurance exchange (MNSure) have
either died in our state Senate or been vetoed by the governor.
Still, perseverance and educational efforts on these critical
issues must continue in order to defeat ongoing threats to life,
primarily those that come under the erroneous and misleading guise of “reproductive health care” or “reproductive freedom.”
In several other states, pro-abortion rights advocates have
sought to diminish, if not totally eliminate, laws that have
contributed to the protection and defense of unborn human
life. Every Christian has a duty to support the unborn, the
infirm, the vulnerable and the elderly. This respect for life
should compel our communities to reject violence of any
kind, including gun violence, which has caused overwhelming loss and agony for so many families and communities.
A society free from abortion and other forms of violence is a
goal toward which elected officials can work to better protect
its citizens and uphold the dignity of every person. Assisted
suicide and capital punishment represent direct attacks on
human life. Although both are currently prohibited by Minnesota law, candidate positions on these matters should be
evaluated by the Catholic voter.
Where does the candidate stand on the need to enact
legislative limits on abortion and the abortion industry and the
protection of human life from conception until natural death?
Where does the candidate stand on efforts to defend life
from conception to natural death, such as supporting laws that
seek to reduce gun violence and opposing efforts to legalize
physician-assisted suicide?
Voter guide 2014
The Prairie Catholic
Labor & Economy
According to the United States Bureau
of Labor Statistics, unemployment in the
State of Minnesota has continued its gradual decline from 5.1 percent in June 2013
to 4.5 percent in June 2014. Although unemployment has decreased and the economy continues to slowly recover, most of
the economic gains have not been distributed across the socioeconomic spectrum.
In general, the very wealthy continue to
make gains while the wages of most other
workers have remained stagnant or have
even declined. Many Minnesota families
struggle to make ends meet. Elected officials, especially through formulation of
the state budget, have considerable influence on policies and public funding for
programs that serve the poorest and most
vulnerable in society.
The last two years have seen the passage of important legislation aimed at
combating poverty and fostering economic security, such as an increase in the
minimum wage, record levels of public
funding to combat homelessness and an
increase in the Working Family Credit
to reduce marriage penalties. Still, new
and creative ways to address poverty and
foster greater participation in the labor
market and in the benefits generated by
the economy must continue. Similarly,
legislation to curtail the usurious and
exploitative practice of payday lending is
still in need of enactment. As the Gospels
outline, Catholics are called to stand up
for those most in need. One way we can
do this is by heeding Pope Francis’s call to
October 2014
B3
Health Care
“resolve the structural causes of poverty.”5
This includes times when lawmakers are
making important decisions that directly
affect the most economically vulnerable
in our communities. People of the faith
community should encourage constant
evaluation of economic decisions and institutions based on their ability to protect
and respect human dignity.
Where does the candidate stand on
promoting policies that protect the state’s
most vulnerable citizens?
Where does the candidate stand on
social and economic policies that foster
economic participation and the creation
of jobs that provide decent working conditions and just wages?
Among our tasks as
witnesses to the love of
Christ is that of giving a voice
to the cry of the poor. 4
Restorative Justice
In addressing the criminal justice system, the church has
called for an approach that promotes redemption, restoration, and rehabilitation rather than simply a mechanism of
punishment.8 Offenders should be held accountable for their
crimes, but also given the opportunity to grow, take responsibility, and demonstrate remorse for what they have done.
Greater support needs to be given to programs that prevent
crime, engage at-risk youth, and treat substance abuse.
Additionally, programs that prepare an individual for probation or parole, and that assist the person with reintegration into society, are also in need of support. These programs
address the significant barriers that often keep parolees from
becoming healthy and productive members of society.
At the same time, Catholics must be sensitive and responsive to the needs of victims and their families, who have
been impacted by crime and violence. Victims and their
families should be supported and encouraged to participate
throughout the criminal justice process as part of the healing process.
Where does the candidate stand on sentencing guidelines and parole practices that take into consideration an individual’s potential threat to society, rather than simply relying
on mandatory minimum sentencing?
Where does the candidate stand on prisoner rehabilitation and re-entry programs that include continuing education,
>`iµÕ>Ìi «iÀܘ> ˆ`i˜ÌˆwV>̈œ˜] ÌÀ>˜Ã«œÀÌ>̈œ˜] …œÕȘ}]
and employment assistance, as well as restoring the right to
vote for ex-offenders who are now living and participating in
our communities?
We are all sinners, and our response
to sin and failure should not be
abandonment and despair, but rather
justice, contrition, reparation, and
return or re-integration of all into the
community. 7
The Catholic Church has spoken
in favor of health care access for nearly 100 years, first becoming active
on the issue as far back as 1919. The
social doctrine of the church considers health care a basic human right,
one that is necessary for the proper
development of life and important
for full human dignity. Significant
reform and expansion of the state
Medicaid program in 2013 has given
a greater number of low-income citizens health care access that may have
otherwise been unattainable.
The creation of MNSure (Minnesota’s implementation of the federal Affordable
Care Act) will allow some 450,000 previously uninsured residents to qualify for
a health plan. The plan grants participants access to 10 essential health benefits,
including emergency services, maternity and newborn care, prescription drugs
and pediatric services. Minnesota has also taken advantage of the ACA by transitioning MinnesotaCare into the creation of a basic health plan. The Minnesota
Catholic Conference played a key role in the creation of MinnesotaCare, and the
changes to the program expand coverage and enhance benefits to low-income
adults and lawful immigrants who do not qualify for Medicaid.
The creation of the ACA has increased access to health care for many; yet, the
implementation of the act has also created significant concerns for religious liberty
through the administration’s HHS contraception mandate. And the act still does
not create access to health care for undocumented persons. Going forward, it is
important to ensure that health care access is affordable to all, that health care
does not violate the sanctity of life, and that religious groups maintain their right
to offer health benefits that are consistent with their mission and principles.
Where does the candidate stand on promoting policies that increase access to
affordable health care for low- and moderate-income individuals and families?
Where does the candidate stand on allowing religious groups, closely-held
businesses and individuals to be able to provide health care without compromising
their religious convictions?
Health care policy must protect human life
and dignity, not threaten them, especially for
the most voiceless and vulnerable.6
Children and Families
In May 2013, the Minnesota Legislature redefined
the state’s civil marriage laws to include same-sex couples. In many states around the country, federal judges are striking down marriage laws that limit marriage
to the union of one man and one woman. Both are
troublesome developments that favor altering the
purpose and structure of the civil institution of marriage, changing it from an institution that primarily
protects a child’s right to be known and cared for by
his or her mother or father to one that is instead focused on merely endorsing the romantic inclinations
of adults.
By contrast, the Catholic Church offers an understanding of marriage as being rooted in the unique
love that a man and a woman can give to each other as husband and wife in a union that is ordered toward the good of the spouses and to the creation and
flourishing of children. Though the government does
not create families or the institution of marriage, it
has a compelling interest in bringing men and women together in a complementary union that has both
individual and community benefits. A permanent
and virtuous union fostered by husband and wife is
a model of solidarity and communion and provides
a dynamic that makes the family the first school of
social life for children and that helps to advance the
common good.
The church recognizes that because of tragedy, sin
and the brokenness that we all experience, families
come in different forms and do not always reflect the
ideal of “mother, father, and child.” Single parents
work each day to care for their children, often in difficult circumstances, and our communities should
provide them with support and encouragement. Other families have courageously adopted children and
incorporated them into their family life. Still, the
natural family is the bedrock of society, and policies
that support the well-being and rights of children “to
be conceived, carried in the womb, brought into the
world and brought up within marriage,”10 and which
uphold marriage as the lifelong, fruitful union of one
man and one woman are always necessary.
Where does the candidate stand on the authentic
meaning of marriage as the lifelong union of one man
and one woman? Did he or she vote in 2013 to allow
same-sex marriages?
Where does the candidate stand on policies that
protect the stability of the marriage bond and the best
interests of children, such as limitations on no-fault divorce and surrogacy arrangements?
Defending the institution of marriage
as a social reality is ultimately a
question of justice, since it entails
safeguarding the good of the entire
human community and the rights of
parents and children alike.9
B4 October 2014
Voter guide 2014
The Prairie Catholic
Education
Called to witness,
called to vote
Providing a child with a quality education
is one of the most important responsibilities
of parents. In Catholic teaching, parents are
the primary educators of their children.
Policies are necessary that give parents
the option to choose the educational setting they decide is best for each individual
child. School choice programs are exploding around the country, with 18 states and
the District of Columbia having enacted
programs that give parents more educational options than just public schools. Almost
every state in the Midwest is expanding
parental choice in education, but Minnesota is lagging behind. The consequences
of Minnesota’s failure to create educational
opportunity are having enormous consequences on the most vulnerable.
Minnesota, with fewer educational options for low-income families than many
places in the Midwest, has the highest
reading gap in the United States between
white and both African-American and Latino students. Opportunity scholarships for
low-income families, tuition tax credits,
tax credits for businesses organizations and
individuals who donate to scholarship organizations, educational savings accounts
for students with disabilities and other programs would open new doors for families in
need of more options.
Every child in Minnesota, enrolled in public or non-public schools, deserves a quality
education. Nonpublic schools are not competitors, they are partners. State policies that
guide education policy must be fair, just and
treat all students equally, and with individual dignity.
Where does the candidate stand on
expanding school choice options such as
tuition tax credits, opportunity scholarship
programs or vouchers?
Does the candidate oppose efforts to
reduce pupil funding received by students
in non-public schools for busing, textbooks,
and healthcare? Does he or she oppose costly and unnecessary mandates on nonpublic
schools that threaten their institutional integrity, such as so-called “anti-bullying legislation?”
Broadening educational
choice is a matter of justice
— especially for those who
do not have equal access to
education opportunities.11
“The call of the laity is an exalted
call. The laity are to work for
VJGUCPEVKƂECVKQPQHVJGYQTNF
from within as a leaven. But
this is not an easy task. Our
society is becoming increasingly
secularized and indifferent to
the Word of God and sometimes
hostile to Christianity. It is
DGEQOKPIOQTGFKHƂEWNVVQ
practice one’s religion without
government interference, to act
according to one’s conscience,
and to speak openly about one’s
religious convictions. Standing
up for religious freedom in the
secular world is the particular
task of the laity. Strengthened by
God’s grace, Catholic men and
women will have the courage
to bear witness to Christ in the
public square.”
—Fourth Plan for Parishes, page 21
Agriculture and the Environment
Americans are more conscious than ever of their responsibility to be good stewards of the environment.
Years of successful public awareness campaigns and the
work of tireless advocates have ensured that protecting
creation is at the forefront of public discourse. Many
landmark pieces of legislation have been passed in the
last 50 years, including the federal Wilderness Act, the
Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. Yet debates
continue at the local, national and international levels
about how to address environmental challenges such as
climate change, the byproducts of hydraulic fracturing,
soil and water contamination, air quality and the global
competition for scarce natural resources.
Similarly, in protecting creation, attention must be
paid to the proper management of agricultural resources
and ensuring food security for all. The church has indicated that these discussions are decisive and that they
are “about the future of God’s creation and the one hu-
Creation is not a property, which we
can rule over at will; or, even less, is
the property of only a few: Creation is
a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God
has given us, so that we care for it and
ÜiÕÃiˆÌvœÀ̅iLi˜iw̜v>]>Ü>ÞÃ
with great respect and gratitude.12
man family. It is about protecting both the ‘human environment’ and the ‘natural environment.’ It is about our
human stewardship of God’s creation and our responsibility to those who come after us.”
The United States Catholic bishops have stated that
the following considerations should guide debates about
environmental policy: “stewardship and the right to
economic initiative and private property”; the needs of
“future generations”; “population and authentic development”; and “caring for the poor and issues of equity.”13
Underscoring the urgency of the situation, Pope Francis
recently said that if we destroy creation, then creation
will destroy us. Prudent attention must be given to environmental and agricultural policy debates as a proper
human ecology cannot take shape unless it is fostered by
a healthy natural ecology.
Where does the candidate stand on the importance
of enacting policies that foster sustainable agricultural
practices, and the promotion of family farms and local agriculture?
Where does the candidate stand on policies that
promote the use of alternative and renewable sources of
energy?
Footnotes:
RESOURCES:
FORMING YOUR CONSCIENCE
Bishops: Political Activity Guidelines
Minnesota Catholic Conference:
Catholic Social Teaching
tinyurl.com/MCCsocialteaching
GETTING INVOLVED
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops: Forming Consciences for
Faithful Citizenship
tinyurl.com/USCCBcitizenship
The Holy See: A Doctrinal Note on some
questions regarding the participation of
Catholics in political life
tinyurl.com/vatican-political-life
The Holy See: Compendium of the
Social Doctrine of the Church
tinyurl.com/vatican-social-doctrine
LEARNING ABOUT
THE ISSUES AND CANDIDATES
Minnesota Catholic Conference:
Current Legislative Priorities
mncc.org/current-priorities/
Minnesota Catholic Conference:
Minnesota legislative bill tracker
tinyurl.com/MCCbills
Project Vote Smart
votesmart.org
United States Conference of Catholic
tinyurl.com/USCCB-guidelines
Minnesota Catholic Conference: MCC’s
Catholic Advocacy Network Action
Center
tinyurl.com/MCC-action
Minnesota Catholic Conference: Ways
to get involved
tinyurl.com/MCC-involved
United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops: USCCB Action Center
tinyurl.com/USbishops-action
Minnesota Secretary of State: How to
register to vote
tinyurl.com/MNvoting
JOIN US! BECOME A MCC CATHOLIC
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Brief, monthly E-Update newsletters
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UÛi˜ÌˆÃ̈˜}Ã
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U
œ““i˜Ì>Àޜ˜VÕÀÀi˜Ì«œˆVވÃÃÕiÃ
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UčLˆÌÀ>VŽiÀ̜Ü>ÌV…i}ˆÃ>̈œ˜œvˆ˜terest to the Catholic Church in Minnesota
U-i>ÀV…ÌœœÃvœÀœœŽˆ˜}իޜÕÀi}ˆÃ>̈Ûi`ˆÃÌÀˆVÌ>˜`iiVÌi`œvwVˆ>Ã
U "˜}œˆ˜} >`ۜV>VÞ V>“«>ˆ}˜Ã >˜`
take action tools
U œÜ˜œ>`>Li >˜` «Àˆ˜Ì>Li V>Ìechetical and advocacy-based materials
for families, parishes and schools
To sign up, visit www.mncc.org and
then click on the MN Catholic Advocacy
Network icon.
1 “Our First, Most Cherished Liberty: A Statement on
Religious Liberty.” U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, March 2012.
2 Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for the 96th
World Day of Migrants and Refugees (2010).
3 Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Italian ProLife Movement. 11 April 2014.
4 Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to His Grace
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury. 14 June 2013.
5 “Evangelii Gaudium,” Apostolic Exhortation of His
Holiness Pope Francis. 24 November 2013, at 202.
6 Access to Health Care. U.S. Conference of Catholic
ˆÃ…œ«Ã]"vwViœvÕÃ̈Vi]*i>Vi>˜`Փ>˜
Development, February 2013.
7 “Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A
Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice.” U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 2000.
8 Ibid.
9 Address of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to the
Catholic Bishops of Minnesota and the Dakotas. 9 March
2012.
10 “Donum Vitae.” Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, 22 February 1987, at II, A, 1, iii.
11 “A Just Beginning for All: A Series of Messages on
Education from the Bishops of Michigan.” October 2000.
12 Wednesday Audience of His Holiness Pope Francis. 22
May 2014.
13 “Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue,
Prudence, and the Common Good.” United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2001.
diocesan church
New location doesn’t change flavor of summer camps
Schoenstatt on the Lake welcomes diocesan camp-goers for first time
by Sam Patet
The Prairie Catholic
NEW ULM – This year for
the first time, the Diocese of
New Ulm hosted its summer
discipleship camps for young
men and women at the
Schoenstatt Retreat Center in
Sleepy Eye, not at the Center for
Youth Ministry in rural Renville.
It didn’t matter that they were
at a new location. According to
everyone involved, the camps
still were a resounding success.
“It went very smoothly,” said
former diocesan Youth Ministry
director Margaret McHugh about
the transition to the new location.
“I was just pleased to be working
with the Schoenstatt sisters on
their site.”
Likewise, the Schoenstatt sisters
were more than happy to help out
the diocese. “Overall, they both
had a happy, uplifting presence,
both the boys and the girls
camps,” said Schoenstatt Sister
Ellen Marie Baranek, superior of
the sisters in Sleepy Eye. “I’m
glad … that we could provide
that opportunity.”
Up until this year, the camps had
been at the diocesan Center for
Youth Ministry in rural Renville.
But as was reported in the May
2014 issue of The Prairie Catholic
(pp. 8-9), the diocese decided to
sell the 58.92-acre property in
2013. That’s because the center’s
facilities needed a number of
costly repairs in order to remain
open as a youth camp. These
included installing a commercial
kitchen, adding more showers,
and upgrading the septic system.
The diocese couldn’t justify the
large price tag given the limited
amount of time it was used.
Thankfully, the Schoenstatt
Sisters were willing to let the
diocese use their facilities starting
in 2014. This was on top of the
camps they already hosted each
summer for girls. “It does make
a full summer for us here, but …
we do like to support our youth,”
Sr. Ellen Marie said.
In July 2014, the diocese sold
the Center for Youth Ministry
property. It was purchased by
James Kleinhuizen for $209,166.
As was reported in previous
issues of The Prairie Catholic,
the diocese will use the money to
fund youth ministry activities.
Lindsey Krenick, 18, has
attended four discipleship camps,
including the most recent one at
Schoenstatt July 27-31. Despite
being at the new location, it still
felt like the same camp, she said.
“I keep coming back because …
when you’re around other people
that share the same faith, it’s so
much easier to grow,” Krenick
said. You “realize that the faith
really isn’t as small as it may
seem in your home town.”
Sixteen-year-old Claire
Peterson thought the same. “It’s
something completely different
than everyday life, or even just
going to church every Sunday,”
she said. “It really gives you an
opportunity to grow, because
there are so many different things
that you do, like adoration and
daily Mass.”
The new location solved many
of the problems McHugh would
have had to address in Renville.
There were enough beds and
showers for every participant, and
there was a commercial-grade
kitchen that could easily handle
the large groups.
One of the greatest benefits of
the new location was that it
had a chapel with the Blessed
Sacrament, Krenick said. While
they had a room set aside for
this purpose at the Center for
Youth Ministry barn, it wasn’t
very quiet and it didn’t have the
Blessed Sacrament there 24-7.
Camp participants also celebrated
Mass on the second floor of the
barn, Krenick said, the same
location where they would sleep
each night. “I was constantly
trying to pick up all our stuff and
make that transition from where
we just slept to a holy place
where Jesus was going to be,” she
said.
Thanks to the chapel, camp
participants had a quiet, beautiful
place to pray whenever they
wanted. It also allowed McHugh
to schedule exposition of the
Blessed Sacrament twice –
not once – during the girls
camps, and to have an outdoor
The Prairie Catholic
Participants of the diocesan young women’s discipleship camp visit with Bishop John M. LeVoir July
30 in front of the Jubilee Family Shrine at Schoenstatt on the Lake Retreat Center in Sleepy Eye. After
celebrating Mass, Bishop LeVoir joined them for dinner. Pictured from left: Margaret McHugh, former
director of the Office of Youth Ministry; Claire Peterson; Emma Shroeder; Lindsey Krenick; and
Bishop LeVoir.
(Photo by Sam Patet)
Eucharistic procession during the
young men’s camp July 20-24.
One benefit McHugh experienced
was being able to spend more
time with the youth. In Renville,
she was in charge of opening up
and closing down the facility and
preparing meals. At Schoenstatt,
she didn’t have any of these
duties. “I was able to be present
for the kids, whereas before, I
was responsible for the whole
thing,” she said.
McHugh also appreciated the
interactions the youth had with
the Schoenstatt sisters. In a
natural, informal way, camp
participants got to see what the
life of a religious sister looked
like.
In 2004, McHugh (then Sr. Margaret McHugh
of the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence)
was hired as the diocese’s Youth Ministry
director. Before that, she had spent many years
volunteering in parish youth ministry and
Margaret McHugh religious education programs. She had also
studied youth ministry with the Salesian sisters at
the Pontifical University of the Science of Education (“Auxilium”) in
Rome.
McHugh said one of her favorite experiences was watching the youth
with whom she had worked “come to full maturity” and take on
leadership positions in the Church. “That’s the greatest joy I think I
could ever have. And I’ve seen it again and again, and I’m just like,
‘Wow. God’s working.’”
“It’s something new that we’re
all not normally exposed to,”
Peterson said. “They’re great
examples of how we should be
living our faith.”
That example includes generosity,
a virtue that was front-and-center
as the Schoenstatt sisters opened
up their home to the youth of the
diocese.
Page A7
Margaret McHugh, director of the diocese’s
Office of Youth Ministry and Vocation
Awareness, has resigned from her position
effective Oct. 10 to take a youth ministry
position in Venice, Fla.
During her time in the diocese, McHugh led the summer discipleship
camps, worked with many youth on the Diocesan Youth Council,
organized 19 Senior High Rallies and Junior High Festivals, and led
three groups to the World Youth Day gatherings.
“All have senses of humor; they
have real families who visit;
(they) get phone calls,” Krenick
said. You “realize that being a
sister is a beautiful vocation.”

McHugh resigns as
diocesan youth director

After discerning out of her religious community, McHugh became
a consecrated virgin living in the world at a ceremony celebrated by
Bishop John M. LeVoir at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New
Ulm on Oct. 7, 2011.
“It was a joy and a delight to get to know so many young people and
the adults working with them, and to see them exercising their gifts
and drawing closer to Jesus,” McHugh said.
October 2014
Catholic life
Pope Francis: Involvement in politics is an act of love
(Continued from page A1)
Minnesota North District.
“Without local institutions, a
nation may give itself a free
government, but it has not got
the spirit of liberty,” Adkins said,
quoting the 19th-century political
theorist Alexis de Tocqueville.
“His observations are no less true
than they were in 1830.”
“We’ve always been quite reticent
to become actively engaged in the
political sphere,” the Rev. Hinz
said. “We’ve believed that the
government would allow us the
freedom to govern our own church
body, and we would allow the
government to function without
us interfering. However, it’s pretty
clear in recent years that the
government simply is not willing
to abide by that mutual respect
any longer.”
St. Mary’s parishioner Jan Platz
attended the event. Over the years,
she’s written letters to the editor
and talked to her friends about
political issues. She liked a quote
from Pope Francis that Adkins
used. The pope said Catholics are
called to “meddle” in politics.
“I think that’s a good thing. … I
think that’s what we need to do
because it’s (society is) going the
wrong direction; we’ve got to do
something,” she said.
Another attendee who appreciated
Adkins’ message was the Rev.
Fredric Hinz, a member of the
Lutheran Church – Missouri
Synod. He serves as assistant
to the president for the church’s
Minnesota South District, as well
as public policy advocate for the
immigration, human life, labor
and the economy, health care,
restorative justice, children
and families, education, and
agriculture and the environment.
The MCC voter’s guide is
available as a special pull-out
section in this issue of The
Prairie Catholic, pages B1 to B4.
To access it online, visit http://
www.mncc.org/wp-content/
uploads/2014/09/MinnesotaCatholic-Voting-and-Electionguide_2014FINAL.pdf.
Already, the Rev. Hinz has had
conversations with Adkins and
the MCC about how they are
mobilizing Catholics. He said his
church hopes to implement similar
measures in the future.
“Catholics have a responsibility
to participate in the democratic
process,” the guide states.
“Politics should uphold human
dignity and serve the common
good” (p. 1).
Voter’s guide helps form
consciences
The MCC is also helping
Catholics prepare for the
upcoming election by publishing
a voter’s guide. It’s a short,
concise document that identifies
nine policy issues Catholics
should consider when voting
for a particular candidate. These
issues include religious liberty,
Not only that, but according to
Pope Francis, it’s an act of love.
“Politics, according to the social
doctrine of the Church, is one
of the highest forms of charity
because it serves the common
good,” the pope said. His remarks,
made Sept. 16, 2013, are quoted at
the beginning of the guide.
“I think Pope Francis believes
politics is one of the highest forms
of charity because it seeks the
good of others,” Adkins said in
the e-mail interview. “And, at the
same time, (politics) sometimes
requires great sacrifice on the part
of those who partake in this noble
activity.”
In order to do this, Catholics
need to have a well-formed
conscience, one that can discern
which candidates and policies will
advance the common good and
which ones won’t. Catholics form
their consciences through prayer
and education, Adkins said, both
of which need to be informed
by the teaching authority of the
Church (that is, the Magisterium
and local bishops).
That helps explain why the guide
doesn’t contain a list of candidates
a Catholic should vote for. People
need to take the time to become
educated, Adkins said.
“The desire for clear direction
is understandable in a complex
world,” he said. But “this
educational process is part of the
duty to form one’s conscience,
as opposed to just looking for an
imprimatur (a stamp of approval)
on one’s instinctual political
choices.”
Still, the U.S. bishops provide
some indication of what issues
should take precedence over
others in their 2011 document,
“Forming Consciences for
Faithful Citizenship.” Some
issues need to be defended with
“maximum determination,” such
as protecting innocent human life
from conception to natural death
(no. 26).
“It is essential for Catholics
to be guided by a well-formed
conscience that recognizes that
all issues do not carry the same
moral weight, and that the moral
obligation to oppose intrinsically
evil acts has a special claim on our
consciences and our actions,” the
bishops state (no. 37).
That’s why it’s crucial for
Catholics to read the MCC voter’s
guide, “Forming Consciences,”
and the Catechism of the Catholic
Church (especially part three, on
the moral life) as they determine
which candidates to support.
Marriage and family indispensible for Christian love, letter says
(Continued from page A1)
Signatories of the letter include
academics, priests, and Catholic
speakers, as well as nonCatholics, such as Protestant
minister Rick Warren. Thomas
Farr, director of the Religious
Freedom Project at Georgetown’s
Berkley Center for Religion,
Peace and World Affairs,
signed the letter, as did Virginia
psychologist Hilary Towers.
Also among the signers are
Princeton law professor Robert
George; Harvard law professor
Mary Ann Glendon, a former
U.S. ambassador to the Holy See;
Notre Dame professor Gerard
Bradley; and other academics
from Italy, Spain, Chile, Australia,
the U.K., and Ireland.
Other signatories are public
policy commentators, such as
Ryan Anderson of the Heritage
Foundation; Jennifer Roback
Morse of the Ruth Institute; Mary
Eberstadt of the Ethics and Public
Policy Center; Patrick Fagan of
the Family Research Council; and
David Quinn of the Iona Institute.
The letter said that the family is,
with the Church, “the greatest
institutional manifestation of
Christ’s love.”
“For those who wish to love as he
would have us love, marriage and
the family are indispensable, both
as vehicles of salvation and as
bulwarks of human society.”
The letter suggested that married
couples and their children can
be evangelized through building
“small communities of married
couples who support each other
unconditionally in their vocations
to married life.”
“These communities would
provide networks of support
grounded in the bonds of faith and
family, commitment to lifelong
marriage, and responsibility to
and for each other.”
The letter cited “dramatic
increases” in cohabitation,
divorce, and non-marital
childbearing in the Americas,
Europe, and Oceania in recent
decades. The U.S. marriage rate is
at an all-time low, cohabitation is
The Prairie Catholic
increasingly acceptable, and more
than half of births to U.S. women
under age 30 take place outside of
marriage, it notes. Close to half of
first marriages in the U.S. end in
divorce.
These trends are linked to
poverty, especially for women and
children. The trends also appear
to be evident around the world.
The letter said there are
“significant” social costs to
pornography and to “no fault”
divorce laws that help dissolve
marriages, “often against the will
of spouses who stand firm in their
marital commitment.”
Signatories suggested that regular
prayers be said for “strong,
faithful marriages,” and that more
homilies address the spiritual and
social value of marriage, and that
more work be done to educate
Catholics about the influences of
both good marriages and divorces
on their family and friends.
The letter also said more should
be done to encourage and support
the reconciliation of separated
or divorced spouses. Further,
it encouraged support efforts
to preserve “what is right and
just in existing marriage laws”
and to resist “any changes” that
The letter suggested that the
Pontifical Council on the Family
should respond to the “marriage
crisis” by conducting “crossdiscipline, longitudinal research”
on the role of pornography
and “no fault” divorce. Other
suggestions included seminary
courses covering social science’s
evidence on the benefits of
marriage and the consequences
of divorce and cohabitation on
society.

Page A8
would further weaken marriage
as a union of one man and one
woman.
“To accomplish any of these goals
on an international scale would be
a great step forward for marriages
and families. To accomplish
them all may turn the worldwide
marriage crisis on its head.”
“With your leadership, we will
help marriages to succeed and
flourish by placing the greatest
value on marital commitment – at
every level of society, in every
corner of the world.”
Respect Life Sunday
October 5
Excerpt from Pope Francis “Day for Life Greeting.” © 2013 Libreria Editrice
Vaticana. Used with Permission. All rights reserved. © Veer. All rights reserved.
Model used for illustrative purposes.

October 2014
catholic life
St. Therese of Lisieux as
a Carmelite nun
October is special month for CCW
promoting life and in serving
others. Many individual parish
councils hold baby showers or
clothing and diaper drives in
October, or make baby quilts
and blankets for area pregnancy
centers. They also donate funds
to Pro-Life Across America or to
Minnesota Citizens Concerned
for Life.
by Jan Noyes
DCCW President
During the month of October,
the Council of Catholic Women
(CCW) observes two important
dates, Respect Life Sunday (Oct.
5) and CCW Recognition Sunday
(Oct. 12).
As CCW members, many women
are involved in respecting and
A large number of councils
encourage their parishes to
participate in a spiritual adoption
program. In this program, a
parishioner prays for an unknown
baby who is in danger of being
aborted. He or she names the
baby and prays that it will be
born healthy. Information on this
program can be found at www.
spiritualadoption.org.
The Council of Catholic Women
seeks to eliminate domestic
abuse and sexual assault by
supporting programs such as
Safe Avenues, WRAP (Women’s
Rural Advocacy Programs),
McLeod Alliance, and New
Horizons Crisis Center. The
council also supports hospices,
both monetarily and with time.
Nursing home residents receive
visits from CCW members:
Meals are shared, games are
played, and birthdays are
celebrated.
GOD ALONE
SUFFICES
by Connie Rossini
Last month we began examining
the life of St. Therese of
Lisieux. We continue with her
life as a Carmelite nun.
Therese entered the convent
of Lisieux on April 9, 1888.
She was only 15. Her sisters
Marie, now known as Sr.
Marie of the Sacred Heart,
and Pauline, now Sr. Agnes of
Jesus, were surprised by her
independence and maturity. She
gently rebuffed their attempts
to mother her. She desired no
special treatment.
CCW Recognition Sunday on
Oct. 12 is a time to celebrate
the great work the Council of
Catholic Women is doing in
the Diocese of New Ulm. Our
parishes are filled with women
using their many God-given
talents, gifts, and abilities. How
are you using the gifts God has
given you? There is a place in the
CCW for all women.
Less than a year later, their
father Louis suffered a complete
mental breakdown. Family
members feared for his safety.
They took him to a mental
hospital in Cannes, where
he remained for two years.
Therese only saw her beloved
father once more, shortly after
his return home. Confined to a
wheelchair, he uttered only one
phrase, “To heaven!” He died in
July 1894.
How are you using your gifts?
Council of Catholic Women offers many ways to serve
by Ann Miesen
DCCW Service Commission
When Christ calls us to follow
him, he calls us into a life of
service. “The Son of Man did not
come to be served but to serve”
(Mk 10:45).
To be a servant is a privilege
and an honor; it should not be a
burden. If we are true servants,
we will use our God-given
talents and resources with a good
attitude. A good attitude means
we understand the purpose of our
service: When we serve others,
we serve the Lord.
As we serve others, let us
remember to be joyful.
Friendliness puts even strangers
at ease.
Looking for ways you can
serve joyfully? The National
Council of Catholic Women
is introducing a new service
project called Caps of Love. It
simply involves recycling certain
types of plastic bottle caps. One
hundred percent of the profits
go to provide wheelchairs for
handicapped children. To learn
more about this project, visit the
council’s Web site at www.nccw.
org. Click on the “Caps of Love”
tab. Think of the joy many will
experience when they receive a
new wheelchair.
The DCCW Kibeho Dormitory
Project is ongoing. To date, it
has raised more than $44,000 for
teacher dormitories in Nigeria.
We are grateful for a gift of
$25,000 that came from an
anonymous donor. More monies
are needed to complete the
project.
Ever consider donating your car?
!
a
e
d
I
t
a
e
It’s A Gr
Please don’t forget our mission
parish in San Lucas, Guatemala.
For more information on how
to serve the many in need there,
go to their Web site: www.
sanlucasmission.org
As Louis’ health declined,
Therese turned more and more
to God as her Father. During
her father’s illness, a spiritual
darkness descended upon her,
which intensified as her own
death grew closer. Weaned
from both earthly and heavenly
consolations, she looked for
peace elsewhere. God led her to
trust in his loving goodness in
spite of her circumstances.
How are you using your gifts?
Embracing the poverty of Jesus
Christ will bless our work.
Perhaps you can talk with your
parish priest about ways to serve
your parish families best. How
about serving by attending the
next CCW meeting in your local
parish?
I pray we all go humbly with our
talents, confident in the Lord and
with the conviction that our gifts
have an impact in the world!
Many of the nuns in the convent
had trying personalities. Therese
volunteered for seven years to
help a cranky older nun walk
from the chapel to the refectory
for dinner. When another
sister made annoying sounds
during their silent prayer time,
Therese offered the noise to the
Child Jesus as though it were a
symphony for his pleasure. She
befriended a nun whom most
others avoided, seeking her out
during recreation and forcing
herself to be pleasant when she
felt like doing the opposite.
Sponsored by Diocese of New Ulm
507-359-2966
Cars
for Charity
Proceeds go to a ministry of your choice:
Seminarians
Catholic Charities
Parish of your choice
Bishop LeVoir Catholic School Scholarship Fund
The Prairie Catholic

Page A9
When Sr. Agnes of Jesus was
elected prioress, she made the
former prioress the new novice
mistress, as was the custom.

October 2014
Then she appointed Therese to
be the assistant novice mistress.
Therese was patient and
persevering with the novices in
her charge. She was gentle with
their natural faults, but never
tolerated laziness or excuses.
She taught them that God was
merciful. If they learned to trust
him completely, she said, they
could go straight to heaven,
even if they had some sins of
weakness that they were unable
to overcome.
On the night after Holy
Thursday prayers in 1896,
Therese coughed up blood. This
was the first clear sign she had
tuberculosis. For the next year
she hid her illness, continuing
to work and pray with the other
nuns. At last she opened up to
the infirmarian. She was soon
relieved of her chores and
moved to the infirmary.
She suffered all through the
summer of 1897. More than
once the doctor declared she
would not last through the
night. But each time she rallied.
Meanwhile, between coughing
fits and excruciating pains, she
joked with her sisters and the
other nuns who visited her. She
did her best to comfort them.
They wrote down everything
she said about her Little Way
of Spiritual Childhood. These
notes, added to the manuscript
“Story of a Soul” that her
superiors had ordered her to
write, would later tell the world
about God’s goodness and love.
Therese died on Sept. 30, 1897,
after an agony that lasted for
hours. She told her sisters that
she would continue working to
save souls after her death. “I
want to spend my heaven doing
good on earth,” she said. “I will
send down a shower of roses.”
It wasn’t long before reports of
miracles due to her intercession
began pouring in to the convent.
Editor’s note: A parishioner
of St. George in West Newton
Township, Connie Rossini
recently published “Trusting
God with St. Therese,” available
in e-book and paperback
editions from Amazon.com. The
paperback is also available from
BarnesandNoble.com or directly
from the author.
Catholic life
Building Babylon’s good without bending to its gods
Faith in the
Public Arena
by Jason Adkins
The finest book of the late Fr.
Richard John Neuhaus (though
not his most well-known) is
“American Babylon,” published
posthumously in 2009. The
book helpfully guides the reader
through the challenges of living
as an “exile” – both in the world
and in a nation sometimes
inhospitable, or even outright
hostile, to a society grounded in
the Gospel.
Neuhaus’ insights are even
more indispensable today as we
consider how we can continue
to serve others and work for
the good of our nation without
bending to its “gods” – the idols,
powers, and principalities that
are held up as the keys to health,
happiness, and prosperity.
Strangers in a strange land
Throughout history, Christians
have often felt like outsiders,
even within their own nations.
In appearance, they may seem
indistinguishable from those
around them, but their mode of
being is different, oftentimes
coming into conflict with the
mainstream culture.
To illustrate this tension, Fr.
Neuhaus points us to the secondcentury “Letter to Diognetus,”
an early example of Christian
apologetics:
“(Christians) live in their own
countries as though they were
only passing through. They play
their full role as citizens, but
labor under all the disabilities of
aliens. Any country can be their
homeland, but for them their
homeland, wherever it may be,
is a foreign country. Like others,
they marry and have children, but
they do not expose them. They
share their meals, but not their
wives ... . They pass their days
upon earth, but they are citizens of
heaven.”
As the “Letter to Diognetus”
notes, though Christians love all
men, “all men persecute them.
... To speak in general terms, we
may say that the Christian is to
the world what the soul is to the
body. ... The body hates the soul
and wars against it, not because of
any injury the soul has done it, but
because of the restriction the soul
places on its pleasures. Similarly,
the world hates the Christians,
not because they have done it
any wrong, but because they are
opposed to its enjoyments.”
Many Catholic Americans cannot
help but feel a sense of alienation
from their neighbors and from
a culture that increasingly
ridicules religion in general – and
Catholicism in particular – and
is now beginning to impose
social and legal penalties on the
practice of the faith. Further,
our society promotes the crudest
forms of “enjoyments” for our
consumption, and it often has
little regard for the dignity of
the human person, justice, or the
common good.
Though many overstate just
how bad things are here
(comparatively, it is not that bad –
yet), and may similarly neglect the
genuinely good things going on in
America today, it sometimes can
truly seem as though we are living
in a modern-day Babylon.
Living in sin ... well
Comparing today’s America to
other times and places, such as
ancient Rome or 19th-century
Britain, is an easy tool that talking
heads lean on for prognostication.
But often people fail to see the
full lessons of those historical
examples. We may invoke the
image of Babylon, but forget
some key parts of the story.
Fr. Neuhaus reminds us of the
acts and deeds of the Jews living
in exile in Babylon, as well as the
instructions God gave them while
they were there, and exhorts us
to take counsel today from this
witness of Scripture.
Though forced into service by
King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel
and his Jewish friends Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego,
served Babylon with honor and
distinction. As Fr. Neuhaus notes,
these fellows put up with a lot,
even having their names changed
in less than flattering ways. But
they had their limits. They would
not defile themselves with unclean
food or bend the knee to false
gods.
They were punished and tested by
being thrown into a “burning fiery
furnace,” but God honored their
righteousness. They had worked
for the good of the city – even
one that was deeply corrupt and
which had enslaved the best and
The Prairie Catholic
Fr. Richard John Neuhaus (second from left) speaks during a pre-tape of “Meet the Press” on April 12,
2006, at NBC studios in Washington, D.C. The guests that day spoke about topics related to religions,
including faith in the U.S. and faith in politics. The founder and editor of the journal First Things,
Fr. Neuhaus died on Jan. 8, 2009.
(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press)
brightest of their people – without
bending to its “gods.”
God had likewise spoken to
the people in Babylonian exile
through the pen of the prophet
Jeremiah and instructed them
similarly. He told them: “Build
houses and live in them; plant
gardens and eat their fruits.
Take wives and have sons and
daughters; find wives for your
sons and give your daughters to
husbands, so that they may bear
sons and daughters. Increase
there; do not decrease. Seek the
welfare of the city to which I have
exiled you; pray for it to the Lord,
for upon its welfare your own
depends” (Jer 29:5-7).
What is striking about this
passage is what God is asking his
people to do – lay foundations –
even in exile in a foreign land and
even as they hoped and desired
to return to Israel. The examples
of gardens and marriage are not
chosen by accident. Lay down
roots; be fruitful and multiply.
God is telling his people that
though Babylon is not their home,
and that they are different from
those around them, they must
work for the good of the city in
which he has planted them. In
doing so, they will find their own
good as well.
God’s exhortation to the
exiled Jews of Babylon and
its import for our own day is
clear. Isolating ourselves and
trying to keep “Babylon” out is
neither practicable nor desirable
for Christians. Nor can we, as
laypersons, ignore the good of
others and of society as a whole
and hide out in a sectarian bubble
while everything crumbles. God
calls most of us into prudent
engagement with the broader
culture, even a hostile one where
it seems we can only improve
things at the margins.
The challenge is to continue
working for the city’s good
without bending to its gods. As
social and legal mandates to
violate our faith and the moral law
continue to increase, the pressure
will grow to simply “sprinkle
a little incense” and avoid the
“burning fiery furnaces” of our
day: media ridicule, professional
penalties, and social scorn. Little
compromises here and there that
ultimately lead people to losing
their identity as a disciple will be
a constant temptation.
Through prayer and discernment,
each Christian must be vigilant in
keeping the faith so that he or she
can continue to be salt and light to
the world, and to live well, even
when living surrounded by sin.
Editor’s note: Jason Adkins
is executive director of the
Minnesota Catholic Conference.
First annual Breakfast with the Bishop held
NEW ULM – Bishop John M. LeVoir
of the Diocese of New Ulm visits with
guests at the first annual Breakfast
with the Bishop fundraiser for
Catholic schools. A total of 41 guests
attended the Sept. 13 event at the new
Pastoral Center, which included a meal
of eggs, hash browns, rolls, and fruit.
At the end of breakfast, guests were
invited to make a donation to one
of the diocese’s two Catholic school
endowment funds: the Bishop John
M. LeVoir Fund, which supports the
schools’ operational costs, and the
Archbishop John C. Nienstedt Fund,
which provides tuition assistance.
(Photo by Sam Patet)

Page A10

October 2014
around the diocese
Upcoming events
The Senior High Youth Rally will
be held Oct. 26 from 1 to 7 p.m.
at the New Ulm Event Center. The
keynote presenter is Mike Sweeney,
five-time all-star Major League
Baseball player for the Kansas City
Royals. Contact your parish youth
minister or the diocesan Office of
Youth Ministry at 507-233-5325,
[email protected], or visit www.
dnu.org/word/youth.html.
Virtual Learning Community
for Faith Formation (VLCFF)
Cycle 7 will be Oct. 26 – Nov.
29, with registration closing Oct.
22. For course information or to
register, visit http://vlc.udayton.edu.
Scholarships are available for those
involved in catechetical ministry;
contact Bryan Reising at 507-2335324.
The Diocese of New Ulm and the
Church of St. Mary will celebrate
a Requiem Mass for All Souls’ Day
Nov. 2 at 6:15 p.m. in Sleepy Eye.
The music will be Gabriel Faure’s
Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48,
and will feature a small chamber
orchestra, two vocal soloists, a
choir, and organ. The Mass fulfills
one’s Sunday obligation. For
more information, contact Nathan
Knutson, diocesan consultant for
sacred music, at 507-233-5330.
Cardinal Peter K. Turkson,
president of the Pontifical Council
for Justice and Peace, will bring
Pope Francis’ message of faithbased ecology to Minnesota in a
lecture entitled “Faith and the Call
for a Human Ecology” at 7:30 p.m.
on Nov. 5 at the OEC Auditorium of
the University of St. Thomas in St.
Paul. Attendance is free, but space is
limited. Register at ffesymposium.
eventbrite.com. Cardinal Turkson’s
lecture is part of the Faith, Food,
and the Environment symposium
taking place in the Twin Cities
Nov. 5-7. To learn more, visit
FaithFoodEnvrionment.org.
The Good Shepherd Serra Club
meets the first Thursday of every
month at the Divine Providence
Community Home in Sleepy
Eye, starting with Rosary and
Mass at 6:30 p.m. On Nov. 6, Fr.
Phil Schotzko will talk about his
years of service at the diocese’s
mission in San Lucas Toliman,
Guatemala. Contact Tom or JoAnn
Green at 507-249-3418.
Area Carmelite group meets for annual
silent retreat at Schoenstatt on the Lake
SLEEPY EYE – Members of the Our Lady of Mercy Carmelite group pose for a photo during
their annual silent retreat, held Aug. 22-24 at Schoenstatt on the Lake Retreat Center in Sleepy
Eye. Fr. Mark Steffl, the group’s spiritual director, led the retreat. He spoke about St. Teresa of
Avila, detachment, justice and law, and spiritual direction. Pictured left to right: Jeanne LeBon,
Earl LeBon, Connie Bremmer, Ron Pyka, Mary Gigstad, Fr. Steffl, Diane Pyka, Kathy Green, Jane
Gahlon, and Karen Anderson.
(Contributed photo)
Cyclists undertake Pedal Pilgrimage 2014
A gala to raise funds for the San
Lucas mission will be held Nov.
21 at the Crow River Winery in
Hutchinson. The evening includes
a social hour starting at 5:30
p.m., dinner at 7 p.m., and silent
and live auctions, including a
raffle for a 2015 Ford Mustang.
Tickets are $50. To RSVP, contact
Terri Wong at 651-454-0981,
friendsofsanlucasmission@gmail.
com.
Kickball champions!
FOREST CITY – Bicycling enthusiasts pose for a photo outside the Church of St. Gertrude in
Forest City at the start of their 2014 Pedal Pilgrimage. This year’s event was on Aug. 15, the
Solemnity of the Assumption. Participants spent the day biking 20 miles from Forest City to
the Assumption “Grasshopper” Chapel in Cold Spring, Minn. Along the way, they stopped and
prayed at the Church of St. Anthony in Watkins and the Church of St. Nicholas in St. Nicholas,
Minn. At the end of their route, they attended Mass at Chapel Hill and ate pizza in town. The
annual pilgrimage is open to people of all faith traditions.
(Contributed photo)
Statement of ownership, management, and circulation
OLIVIA – The Heart of Jesus Area Faith Community held its first
annual kickball tournament Sunday, Sept. 7 in Olivia. Youth group
captains invited their friends from other faiths for an afternoon of
fun, fellowship, and food. Eight teams competed, including over
70 students in grades seven to 12. The winning team was The
Crispy Cremes, consisting of (front row, from left) Captain McKaia
Ryberg, Austin Einerson, Amy Schroeder, Sierra Weis. Back row: Jake
Rauenhorst, Colton Husske, Riley Weis, Conner Riley, and Brendon
Dunn.
(Contributed photo)
The Prairie Catholic
The Prairie Catholic is published monthly, 10 times a year, September to June. Location of the
office of publication and general business office of the publisher, Bishop John M. LeVoir, is 1421
6th Street North, New Ulm, MN 56073-2071. The editor-in-chief is Dan Rossini and the editor is
Christine Clancy, 1421 6th Street North, New Ulm, MN 56073-2071. The Prairie Catholic, a nonprofit organization, is authorized to mail at special rates, according to Section 411.3 DMM postal
regulation(s). The Prairie Catholic accepts advertising only by invitation.
Average # copies each issue
Actual # copies single issue
Extent and nature of circulation during last 12 months
publication date 9/2014
Net press run
25,005
24,900
Free or nominal rate distribution
24,755
24,650
Total paid circulation
none
none
Total distribution
24,755
24,650
Office use
250
250
Total
25,005
24,900

Page A11

October 2014
The family traveled to the nearby
city of Erbil and ended up in a
refugee camp, where they have
been living since.
VATICAN CITY (CNA/EWTN
News) – An elderly couple who
lost everything after fleeing
their home due to ISIS violence
met with Pope Francis on Sept.
28, saying the encounter gave
them hope because they know
they are not alone.
“The call of the Holy Father for
the whole world to pray for Iraq
has meant a lot to us because
in this call we have seen and
heard the suffering of the Holy
Father due to the persecution of
Christians, especially in Iraq,”
Mubarack Hano told CNA Sept.
29.
“This also gives (us) strength and
courage because it’s not only we
who are suffering, but we have
also seen that the Holy Father
suffers with us.”
Mubarack Hano, 74, and his
wife Agnese, 68, come from the
Iraqi city of Qaqraqosh, which
was formerly known as the
Christian capital of the country.
They married in 1965 and have
10 children – one of whom is a
priest – and 12 grandchildren.
After receiving word on Aug. 6
that ISIS forces were coming to
their city, the couple gathered
Mubarack and Agnese managed
to come to Rome with one of their
daughters in order to participate in
Pope Francis’ Sept. 28 encounter
with the elderly and grandparents,
during which they met the pontiff
and exchanged a few brief words.
They will return to their Iraqi
refugee camp in the coming days.
BATON ROUGE, La. (CNA/
EWTN News) – Nearly
20 organizations, both
Catholic and other Christian
denominations, have joined
the Diocese of Baton Rouge
in asking the Supreme Court to
protect a priest from being forced
to violate the seal of confession.
The group heading the support for
the diocese, Catholic Action for
Faith and Family, stated it “fully
supports the Diocese of Baton
Rouge’s position that ‘civil courts
are entirely without jurisdiction
to decide what constitutes
a sacrament in the Catholic
Church.’”
“For this reason, Catholic Action
has filed an Amicus Brief,
supported by 17 other Catholic
and Christian organizations. The
brief decries the fact that the
Louisiana Supreme Court has
directed the trial court to hold
an evidentiary hearing to decide
whether or not a sacrament
actually took place.”
The case in question is a
Louisiana Supreme Court ruling
that a jury, not the Catholic
Church, may determine if a
priest’s conversation with a minor
about sexual abuse was made
in the Sacrament of Confession
and thus is protected under
confidentiality in state law.
Priesthood Sunday will be
celebrated nationwide on
Oct. 26. This is a day for
Catholics not only to honor
the contributions of their
parish priest, but to affirm
the priesthood in our Church
and to express our support
for our honorable and
dedicated priests.
Read more about the event on page A5.
Lydia Plass and Kaylie Weber, fifth graders at St. Mary’s Catholic School in Bird Island, pray the
Rosary with over 260 other students at the Children’s Holy Field Trip Oct. 1 at the Cathedral of the
Holy Trinity in New Ulm. Students from 11 Catholic schools in the Diocese of New Ulm attended
the annual event, which was led by Bishop John M. LeVoir. The morning included the Rosary, a
homily from Bishop LeVoir, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and Benediction. Following the
prayer service at the church, a number of the students visited the Way of the Cross and/or received
a tour of the new Pastoral Center.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
(Photo by Sam Patet)
Minnesota’s Most Rural Diocese Diocese of New Ulm Vol. 29 No. 2 October 2014
their children and grandchildren
and fled during the night with
nothing but the clothes on their
backs.
The specific conversation between
diocesan priest Fr. Jeff Bayhi and
a minor who said she was abused
by a parishioner allegedly took
place during the Sacrament of
Confession in May.
According to the court’s ruling,
Fr. Bayhi could be forced to
testify in court about the contents
of confession, or whether it took
place. However, under Church
teaching, the seal of confession
compels a priest not to reveal,
under any circumstances, the
contents of a confession. A
violation of the seal incurs
automatic excommunication.
Oct. 26, 2014
Remember to thank priests often for all they do, and
especially remember to pray for them every day.

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