Stories that inspire and give witness
At The Catholic Spirit, we love telling “Good News” stories about how people, parishes and schools live out their witness to Gospel values and inspire others to do the same.
To help mark the newspaper’s 100th anniversary this year, we wanted to share as many good news stories as possible from our archdiocesan Catholic community. So, a few months ago, we invited pastors, parish leaders and schools as well as Catholic businesses, organizations and the public to send us their most positive and inspiring stories — many of which are highlighted in the following pages of this special section.
Submissions we received ranged from volunteers helping with tornado recovery efforts in north Minneapolis to the celebration of milestone parish and school anniversaries, and from efforts to support military personnel to collecting books for a diocesan library destroyed by fire.
We hope you enjoy reading about these faith-filled endeavors. If you have story ideas for future issues of The Catholic Spirit, send them to us via email to catholicspirit@archspm.org, or by postal mail to The Catholic Spirit, 244 Dayton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.
— Joe Towalski
More Good News stories:
Pastor sees through eyes of others
St. Wenceslaus welcomes help from seasoned altar server
Family memorials seed parish ‘Meditation Garden’
ST. PAUL
Catholic Community Foundation
Good for the future
“When it comes to charitable giving, Catholics in this archdiocese not only are responding to today’s needs, but they are remembering the future in significant planned gifts from their wills and estate plans.
“In the last several years, the Catholic Community Foundation has received more than $3 million from generous individuals and families who have named the foundation, or a fund held at the foundation,” according to CCF.
“This money is already at work supporting the perpetual needs of a variety of ministries, parishes and schools including St. Matthew’s School in St. Paul, St. Francis/St. James United School in St. Paul, St. Helena in Minneapolis, the San Alfonso Mission and St. Hubert’s in Chanhassen.
“For local Catholic families, the foundation serves as a permanent repository that ensures their values will live forever. This is good news for the future of our church!”
Find out more at http://www.catholiccommunityfoundation.org.
WAYZATA
Holy Name of Jesus
Fundraiser success
“One of the best bits of news that we at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Community in Wayzata could share is the ongoing success of our relationship with Ascension in North Minneapolis — a relationship that spans two decades,” according to the parish.
“To support our sister parish and school this year, we held a second collection and hosted our 20th annual St. Pat’s Day Gala, which raises tens of thousands of dollars for Ascension each year.” This year, 475 supporters attended, and early estimates indicate the event raised at least $130,000.
Some of the money raised from this year’s gala went toward HNOJ School as well. The 2011 St. Pat’s Day Gala included both a live and a silent auction, with items ranging from concert tickets to handmade artwork by HNOJ students. The evening also featured dueling pianos and dinner catered by Broders’ Pasta Bar.
ROCHESTER
Sisters of St. Francis
Commencement call
“Rochester Franciscan Sister, Katarina Schuth, an internationally recognized expert on seminary education, was the commencement speaker at the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University,” according to the sisters.
“She received an M.A. and Ph.D. in cultural geography from Syracuse University, and a master’s of theological studies and a licentiate in sacred theology from the former Weston Jesuit School of Theology.
“A widely consulted authority on the education of priests, she has studied and written extensively on the impact of the U.S. priest shortage, cultural challenges from foreign-born priests ministering in the U.S., the future of Catholic ministry, and other trends and teachings within U.S. seminaries.
“Since 1991, Sister Katarina has held the Endowed Chair for the Social Scientific Study of Religion at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul. She is the author of five books on ministry and education, and the recipient of many honorary degrees and awards.”
ST. PAUL
St. Thomas More Catholic School
Fifth in Quiz Bowl
Five students from St. Thomas More Catholic School recently competed in the first National Academic Quiz Tournaments Middle School National Championship in Chicago. Eric Boehme, Brendan Geraghty, Alex Harris, Maddie Lee and Cameron Swenson competed against 34 teams from 12 states, earning a fifth-place trophy.
