Archbishop Samir Nassar closed his June 24-30 visit from Damascus, Syria, to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis by celebrating the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul with Archbishop Bernard Hebda June 29 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.
The persecution of Christians in Syria, such as the suicide bombing that killed 25 at a Damascus Orthodox church in June, is not common, said Archbishop Samir Nassar of the Maronite Archeparchy of Damascus at a June 26 talk at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis.
First place for news writing on a regional event by a non-weekly newspaper and first place for best podcast series were among 23 awards and honorable mentions received by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Communications June 27 at the annual Catholic Media Conference (CMC) in Phoenix.
Over 1,000 people gathered for the funeral Mass of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were killed in their Brooklyn Park home June 14 in what has been called a politically motivated attack.
Archbishop Samir Nassar, leader of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Damascus, Syria, visited the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to continue discussions for the Damascus Partnership. The partnership began in 2017 on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul as a way for the archdiocese to accompany the Archeparchy of Damascus through challenges of war, famine, social unrest and religious persecution.
On the feast of Pentecost in Rome, Gizella “Gizzy” Miko, the facilitator of small groups through the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Office of Discipleship and Evangelization, heard people visiting from around the world and singing hymns in different languages. She, and many others, were in Rome for the 35th International Seminar of Parish Cell System of Evangelization (PECS).
I had left the Catholic Church and was never going back. But then a Catholic friend asked me a simple question that changed everything: “Do you think Jesus is really present in the Eucharist?”
Celebrating the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, Archbishop Bernard Hebda noted in his homily June 22 that, “Jesus made sure he would be present with us always.”
With temperatures in the 90s and heat indexes threatening to climb into triple digits, Archbishop Hebda led an indoor Eucharistic procession after Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. Usually, the procession takes place outside on Summit Avenue.
More than 400 laypeople, clergy and men and women in consecrated life participated in the Archdiocesan Synod 2025: You Will Be My Witnesses Assembly June 7 at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul. Archbishop Bernard Hebda and assembly organizers extend their gratitude to participants for the many hours spent in preparation and discernment. Organizers compiled participants’ names, parishes and affiliations to publish in the following list:
For Karri Norris, being a lunch lady at East Ridge High School in Woodbury is an ongoing opportunity to pray for teens. And when she clocks out, she continues to seek “pray-tunities,” as she dubs them — thanking cashiers, smiling at strangers and inquiring about people’s tattoos.
In the spirit of the Jubilee Year, a special time of grace and renewal in the Catholic Church, the Hmong community at Presentation of the Virgin Mary in Maplewood is giving $100,000 to the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.
After Father Bill Murtaugh offers his final Masses as pastor of Pax Christi in Eden Prairie on June 22 and begins his retirement, one of his projects will be a jigsaw puzzle.
