Archive for Category: "Faith"

Gifts for confirmation and beyond

The better you know the confirmand, the better the chance you’ll find a gift that will resonate with him or her.

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Sponsoring a teen for confirmation

As they share in a teen’s journey toward confirmation, sponsors offer their prayers, experience and their own faith example — as well as a lot of listening.

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With effort and creativity, sponsor relationship continues after confirmation

With effort and creativity, sponsor relationship continues after confirmation

Sometimes it takes five calls to get a date on the calendar but Mary Pavek and her goddaughter Claire Sorteberg stay in touch despite their busy schedules.

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Only ordained ministers can preach the homily during Mass

Only ordained ministers can preach the homily during Mass

Lay preaching in the Catholic Church was the topic of a recent story in the StarTribune newspaper. The Catholic Spirit asked Father John Paul Erickson, director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship, to answer a few questions on the topic to clarify the church’s teaching.

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RCIA: An end and beginning

RCIA: An end and beginning

When the 14 members of this year’s Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults class at St. Mark Catholic Church in Shakopee come together at the parish on Easter Vigil, April 23, for full initiation into the church, in some sense it will be the end of their journey, but in many ways, it will be just the beginning.

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21st Century Stations of the Cross (multimedia meditation)

21st Century Stations of the Cross (multimedia meditation)

There is something powerful about revisiting the final moments of Jesus’ life as a human being. That’s what draws many Catholics to meditate on the Stations of the Cross.

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Workshop to help prepare for use of new Roman Missal

Workshop to help prepare for use of new Roman Missal

Learn more about the upcoming changes in the prayers of the Mass published in the third edition of the new Roman Missal, during a “Mys­ti­cal Body, Mystical Voice” workshop.

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Gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit

Gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is associated with a number of sets of gifts and fruits. The sacrament of confirmation “increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit within us” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1303).

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Confirmation continues to support our faith journey

Confirmation continues to support our faith journey

Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments that belongs to a special group of three sacraments known as the sacraments of initiation. The other two are baptism and Eucharist. The sacrament of confirmation is administered only once.

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The Genesis problem

The Genesis problem

How can anyone believe that God made the visible universe in six days, that all the species were created at the same time, that light existed before the sun and moon, etc., etc? How can believers possibly square the naïve cosmology of Genesis with the textured and sophisticated theories of Newton, Darwin, Einstein and Stephen Hawking?

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Is your parish a “marriage-building” community?

Is your parish a “marriage-building” community?

World Day of Day of Marriage (Feb. 13) and National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14) provide us with an opportunity to celebrate, reflect and give thanks for the gift of marriage; also to realize the uniqueness of this call and its importance for the good of society.

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Bread and wine for the Body and Blood must be uncorrupted

Bread and wine for the Body and Blood must be uncorrupted

The Catholic Spirit recently asked Father John Paul Erickson, director of the archdiocesan Office of Worship, to explain the church’s teaching regarding the elements of the Eucharist.

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