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The Basilica of Saint Mary dedicated the new Timothy P. Schmalz Homeless Jesus bronze sculpture on November 19, 2017, the World Day of the Poor, designated by Pope Francis.
The bronze sculpture of a life-size Christ figure shrouded in a blanket on a park bench has been stopping traffic on Hennepin Avenue and creating a flurry on social media. This addition to The Basilica’s sacred art collection has generated responses that have ranged from disgust to tears of compassion.
The meaning of the Homeless Jesus sculpture is to truly change hearts and minds towards people in need. The sculpture is designed to challenge and inspire each of us to be more compassionate and charitable and to see Jesus in each person we meet, and to take action to help end homelessness locally and around the world.
The dedication events included a presentation from the artist Timothy P. Schmalz who shared images and stories from his body of work. His powerful sculptures create an impact in each city and community they are installed.
Parishioners and community members then joined together in prayer for a beautiful dedication around the sculpture in front of The Basilica with music from the Schola Cantorum and StreetSong-MN, a community choir for those who have been or are currently experiencing homelessness.
For more information about the sculpture mary.org/HomelessJesus.
The Basilica of Saint Mary received a 2017 Building Energy Performance Award for outstanding energy reduction from the City of Minneapolis. Dave Laurent, Director of Buildings and Grounds accepted the award along with Peter Crain from the Basilica Landmark Board and Facilities Assessment committee, and Dennis Dillon from the Ecological Stewardship committee.
The Basilica Landmark has made significant renovations and capital investments possible for our historic building and campus to meet our ecological goals. The Landmark works with The Basilica’s Facilities Assessment and Ecological Stewardship volunteer committees to identify energy savings solutions.
The Basilica’s energy saving improvements for over the past three years include replacing the three original 1913 boilers with new more efficient equipment and renovating the Rectory and School buildings with central air conditioning to replace 35 window units. LED lighting updates have made throughout the campus inside and out including the bell towers, Church sanctuary, and lower level. These improvements have resulted in a 21% energy use reduction that has lowered our energy costs and improved our energy efficiency.
The Catholic Spirit Feature:
For years, icons created by local iconographer Nicholas Markell have been included in the Basilica of St. Mary’s icon procession, held annually at the Minneapolis parish to coincide with All Saints Day.
It coincides, however, with the opening of “Windows to Heaven: A Visual Hymn of Praise,” a retrospective of Markell’s work and life. On display in the Basilica’s John XXIII Gallery, the exhibition will focus on Markell as an artist and theologian.
Full article
http://thecatholicspirit.com/news/local-news/work-local-iconographer-subject-basilica-exhibition/
Join us November 5 for the icon processions during the 9:30 and 11:30am Masses.
Join the Wall of Conscious conversation.
The Timothy P. Schmalz Homeless Jesus bronze sculpture has arrived at The Basilica. It is currently located in the lower level and will be placed in front of the Church for the dedication on November 19, the World Day of the Poor.
The sculpture of a life-size Christ figure shrouded in a blanket on a bench is an internationally recognized symbol of compassion and awareness for the homeless, with sculptures located in major cities throughout the world.
What do you think?
The sculpture is intended to invite conversation. We invite you to share your reactions to this powerful piece of art on a post-it note or on social media posts.
From Wall of Conscious
The sculpture of the Homeless Jesus is meant to challenge people and to affirm people. It should call us out of our comfort zone and make a difference.
The message of welcome and hospitality can be expressed in words and actions as well as through the arts which are like 24 hour a day ‘visual sermons.’
When it was put on display in Davidson, North Carolina, several local homeowners called the police to complain about a homeless man sleeping on the bench.
“Some iconography is very grand and glorious. This is earthy and speaks of the fragility of the human condition.” Martyn Atkins
November is the month of remembrance, beginning with solemn Evening Prayer for all our beloved dead. The names of all those who have died within the last year will be mentioned during the Litany of the Saints. All other names of the faithful departed will be listed in the worship leaflet.
Please submit names of the faithful departed.
EVENING PRAYER FOR ALL SOULS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 3:00PM
BASILICA
The Basilica celebrates its 2nd Disability Awareness Month this October. After several years of “Disability Dialogues” our community was asked to identify and eliminate barriers to participation. The designation of a month long series of presentations and other events was established based on what the committee heard. This has included bringing in national speakers, partnering with other events at The Basilica, and culminating with a Disability Awareness Resource Fair where local organizations are on hand to educate and communicate to our parishioners the resources available to help themselves, family members, and friends to live more inclusive lives.
Taize Prayer with added accessibility
Tuesday, October 10, 5:30pm, Saint Joseph Chapel
Disability Awareness Ministry Fair
Sunday, October 15, After the 9:30 and 11:30am Masses
Parking and accessibility information
Families Moving Forward (FMF) is a program of Beacon Interfaith Housing collaborative, a Twin Cities effort that, together with a network of more than 50 faith communities provides temporary, emergency shelter to families without housing. The Basilica has, for many years, been proud to serve as a “Host Congregation,” meaning that we provide three non-consecutive weeks each year of shelter for families.
The FMF program is very comprehensive – along with the “Host congregations” providing shelter/food/activities, the FMF office/day center has case workers and social workers available to carefully and gently guide families through the transition from homelessness to housing. FMF even provides bus rides in the morning to take parents and kids to work/school/job search and in the evening back to the “Host Congregations.”
Volunteers are needed to make the Basilica a home for these families during their stay. Help by providing a warm meal, leading age-appropriate activities, or conversing/listening with a receptive and non-judgmental ear. And, if you are seeking a family-friendly volunteer activity, FMF offers parents opportunities to put faith into action with teens as well as elementary-aged children.
Join us as we open our doors and hearts to families in our community who are faced with the challenges of housing. Contact Angela at 815.735.0810 to learn more about volunteering. A background check and training are required.
WASHINGTON— The President and Vice President along with Chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have issued a statement denouncing the Administration's termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program after six months.
The following statement from USCCB President Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, along with USCCB Vice President, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, chairman, Committee on Migration, and Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, chairman of the Subcommittee on Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees, and Travelers says the "cancellation of the DACA program is reprehensible."
Over 780,000 youth received protection from the DACA program since its inception by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2012. DACA provided no legal status or government benefits but did provide recipients with temporary employment authorization to work in the United States and reprieve from deportation.
The Basilica will have a second collection the weekend of September 9 and 10 for Hurricane Harvey emergency relief for Catholic Charities.
The funds given to this collection will support humanitarian and recovery efforts of Catholic Charities USA, the official domestic relief agency of the US Catholic Church, and will provide pastoral and rebuilding support to impacted dioceses.
We join together in prayer for all our brothers and sister suffering the effect of this storm and flooding.
Thank you for your prayers and support of the victims.
Make a gift online. Select Hurricane Harvey Relief on the designation drop down menu.
Every year The Basilica community comes together to celebrate and connect at the Fall Festival (formerly known as the Parish Picnic). This is a large event and it takes a dedicated team of volunteers to plan and organize all the activities. Recently Jenessa, a member of this team, connected with our Gifts Leadership Team to share her story on why she chooses to share her time and talent with us:
“I started volunteering at The Basilica about a year ago. I began by helping out with Basilica Young Adults (BYA) sandwich making and later joined the Basilica Block Party Planning Committee, then the Fall Festival Committee. When I moved to Minneapolis a year ago, everything was new. I was in a new city, a new job, and a new church. The community at The Basilica is why I became a member of the church.
I volunteer because I believe that I am actively working toward maintaining and improving the community that I fell in love with when I moved here. My hope is that I, along with others who serve, can continue to spread the love of Christ and welcome people from all walks of life into our community. I quickly learned that volunteering at The Basilica is whatever you want it to be. As someone who often travels for work, I was worried about making commitments that I wouldn’t be able to keep. Everyone has his or her own reservations about volunteering, but because there are many different volunteer opportunities, with various levels of commitment you can work around your schedule and your needs.”
We invite you to celebrate The Basilica community with us next Sunday, September 10 during our Fall Festival—outside on the West Lawn following the 9:30am, 11:30am, and 4:30pm Masses.