Father Joncas’ contributions as a liturgical composer are being recognized this month with his induction into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in New Ulm.
At their cloistered monastery tucked away on DeMontreville Trail near Lake Elmo, two priests and five brothers — one of whom is studying at the St. Paul Seminary — dedicate their lives to praying for others, looking to many great saints of the Carmelite tradition, St. Therese of Lisieux and St. John of the Cross among them. But one in particular guides them through their days not just of prayer, but also of study, outreach and craftwork, by which they support themselves.
It was the summer of 1860. The bishop of St. Paul, Thomas Grace, needed more priests, specifically more priests from a certain island nation: Ireland.
Irish who fled starvation and economic servitude at home and the crowded cities in the eastern U.S. came to Minnesota to farm and build the railroads as the country expanded westward.
“The Irish people of his diocese were demanding Irish priests,” wrote sociology professor William L. Smith, and the second bishop of St. Paul knew where to look.
After three years of fighting the disease, Hall’s body finally is giving way. He has dropped 20-plus pounds off his already ravaged body since Christmas, and he now weighs less than 100 pounds. His sunken, gray face gives away his current condition.
A pope's impact on the College of Cardinals is naturally discussed after his death when his nominees and those of his predecessors enter the Sistine Chapel to elect a new pope.