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MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
SECOND WORLD DAY OF THE POOR
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
18 November 2018
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
[complete letter]
http://www.pcpne.va/content/pcpne/en/attivita/gmdp/2018/messaggio.html
On this World Day, we are asked to fulfil the words of the Psalm: “The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied” (Ps 22:26). We know that in the Temple of Jerusalem, after the rites of sacrifice, a banquet was held. It was this experience that, in many dioceses last year, enriched the celebration of the first World Day of the Poor. Many people encountered the warmth of a home, the joy of a festive meal and the solidarity of those who wished to sit together at table in simplicity and fraternity. I would like this year’s, and all future World Days, to be celebrated in a spirit of joy at the rediscovery of our capacity for togetherness. Praying together as a community and sharing a meal on Sunday is an experience that brings us back to the earliest Christian community, described by the evangelist Luke in all its primitive simplicity: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers… And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:42.44-45).
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
Wednesday, November 14, 6:00pm-9:00pm
We will offer our highest prayer for people who have been harmed by clergy abuse.
This Mass for Justice, Healing and Peace will be followed by a program on Restorative Justice, and an introduction to Healing Circles.
Mass 6:00pm
Healing Circles 7:00pm
Evening for Justice, Healing and Peace
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church
Hofstede Hall
One Lourdes Place, Minneapolis, MN 55414
Vouchers for two hours of free parking in the Riverplace parking ramp on 2nd Street SE by the church will be available.
The Together in Hope Project has orchestrated three concerts in Rome and an entourage of ecumenical visitors, including 64 choir members and 120 goodwill ambassadors.
Standing in front of the conductor’s podium will be Teri Larson, music director of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, and Mark Stover, who recently was the conductor of the St. Olaf Chapel Choir in Northfield.
Full article
http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-choir-heads-to-vatican-in-support-of-christian-unity/498734481/
Our new Basilica of Saint Mary app is now available to download for iPhone and Android phones.
Stay connected with notifications, community events, prayers, daily readings, Mass reminders, and much more.
We expect the features and capabilities of our new app to foster a stronger sense of community and faith in the daily lives of all parishioners. The Basilica will be able to communicate quick and easy with all parishioners via messages and notifications to keep you in the loop with what is going on in our parish.
The Basilica of Saint Mary will show the film Summer in the Forest, Saturday, October 27, 2018 at 3:00pm. This highly acclaimed, documentary tells the story of L’Arche, an international federation dedicated to the creation and growth of homes, programs, and support networks with people who have intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1964, today it operates in 147 communities in 35 countries, on 5 continents.
This screening is presented by the Disability Awareness Ministry as part of the Basilica’s Disability Awareness month in October. The Disability Awareness Ministry's mission is to remove barriers that prevent the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families in parish life and in the community at large. The Basilica continually strives to make the church and campus facilities accessible to all parishioners and visitors.
Summer in the Forest
Basilica of Saint Mary
October 27, 2018 at 3:00pm
Doors open at 2:30pm
Free of charge
2017 (NR) 108 min.
French with English subtitles
We begin this month of remembrance 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. If you wish to include names of the faithful departed, please submit names online at mary.org/allsouls or call Wendy at 612.317.3474 by end of day October 25.
Evening Prayer for All Souls Sunday, November 4, at 3:00pm.
October is Disability Awareness Month at The Basilica
The Disability Awareness Ministry's mission is to remove barriers that prevent the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families in parish life and in the community at large. The Basilica continually strives to make the church and campus facilities accessible to all parishioners and visitors. Join us as we continue to look at ways to eliminate barriers to participation at The Basilica.
Taizé Prayer with Individual Confessions
Saint Joseph Chapel, Ground Level
Tuesday, October 9, 5:30pm
A service of mantra-like singing following communal prayer focused on reconciliation and healing. Braille Leaflet, wheelchair seating, lighting for those with visual impairment are just a few of the ways we are making this prayer service more accessible to all.
Disability Awareness Ministry Fair
Sunday, October 14, Following 9:30 and 11:30am Masses
Come down to Teresa of Calcutta Hall for special treats and resource tables featuring organizations with information on breaking down the barriers to participation on many levels. If you have an organization you would like to participate, or for more information, contact Janet.
Documentary Film: Summer in the Forest
Saturday, October 27, 3:00pm, Teresa of Calcutta Hall, Ground Level
This highly acclaimed, recently released documentary tells the story of L’Arche, an international federation dedicated to the creation and growth of homes, programs, and support networks with people who have intellectual disabilities. It was founded in 1964, and is operating today in 147 communities in 35 countries, on 5 continents. Doors open at 2:30pm and special treats will be available.
Book Club: The Road to Daybreak
Before coming to see Summer in the Forest, we invite you to join us in reading The Road to Daybreak by Henri J. M. Nouwen. This book documents the author’s spiritual journey that took him to the L’Arche community in Trosly, France and the impact it made on him for the remainder of his life. If you would like to purchase a copy, please contact Janet.
For more information, contact Janet.
Wednesday, November 14
St. Maron's Church
600 University Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
Come together to pray for peace and for refugees.
An Evening with The Most Reverend Samir Nassar, Archbishop of Damascus, Syria
From the Pastor
With this column I would like to update you in regard to several areas of our parish’s life.
1. Our End of Year Review and Our Operating Budget for the Next Fiscal Year: A four page summary of our Year in Review report is included in this bulletin. The full report is available online. In an earlier bulletin I had mentioned that while we were running a little behind in our budgeted revenue for the past fiscal year, we were also slightly under budget in regard to our expenses. We ended the fiscal year with a small deficit, which was covered by using a portion of the school rental income. The remainder of the school rental income was transferred to our cash reserve.
I am grateful to our staff for the terrific job they did in reducing and controlling expenses. I am also grateful, though, for the ongoing financial support of you, our parishioners. Your generosity is a blessing for our parish.
As mentioned above, the full copy of our year review is available online at mary.org. You can also call our Development Office if you would like to receive a printed copy.
Finally, because of your generosity, in our budgeting for next year—we are anticipating a small increase in our revenue. This is good news and a testament to your care for and commitment to our parish community. As your pastor, I want you to know of my gratitude for your ongoing generosity. Please know it is greatly appreciated.
2. 150th Anniversary of our Parish: This year our parish celebrates its Sesquicentennial. 150 years ago the Church of the Immaculate Conception was founded in Minneapolis. The first Mass was celebrated on October 4, 1868. (When the parish outgrew its original site, seven lots were donated at 16th and Hennepin Ave in 1904. The cornerstone of The Basilica, which was initially known as the Pro-Cathedral, was laid in 1908, and the first Mass was celebrated in The Basilica on May 31, 1914.)
We will kick-off a year long celebration of our 150th anniversary on Sunday, September 30. Archbishop Hebda will preside at the 9:30 and 11:30am Masses that day. Throughout the coming year there will be a variety of events, activities, and exhibits to celebrate our Sesquicentennial as a parish. I invite you to attend as many of these as you are able as we celebrate 150 years of faith.
3. Maintenance Projects at The Basilica: As I mentioned in an earlier bulletin, we tackled several maintenance projects on our campus this summer. As I hope you noticed from the scaffolding, we tuck-pointed the stone under the dome. As I write this column we are in the process of upgrading the kitchen in the lower level; we will also be doing some upgrades to the church sound system; seal coating and re-striping the parking lots; and replacing the florescent lights in the lower level of the Church with LED lighting. We will also be replacing the lighting on the interior ring of lights in the dome with LED lighting. This was the fund-a-need project at this year’s Basilica Landmark Ball. We also hope to reconstruct the South entrance to our school building sometime next spring.
We are hopeful that there will be minimal disruption with these projects. We are grateful that most of these projects will be funded by The Basilica Landmark.
4. Special Collections: While no one is fond of special collections, it is heartening for me to report that the people of The Basilica have been very generous to the last few special collections here.
On the weekend of June 17 and 18, $7,400 was contributed to help defray the cost of air conditioning The Basilica during the hot summer months.
On the weekend of July 28 and 29, $10,835 was contributed to help fund our St. Vincent de Paul Ministry.
The contributions to these collections testify to the generosity of the people of The Basilica. Please know of my gratitude for your generous response to these collections.
5. Financial Stewardship: During the months of October and November we celebrate Financial Stewardship. During this time we ask all parishioners to make a pledge of financial support for our parish. While I am very much aware of the many requests we all receive for financial support, I am hopeful, though, that The Basilica will be near the top of your list in terms of your financial support. It is your ongoing, regular financial support that makes it possible for us to offer the many programs, services, and ministries that are at the heart of our Basilica parish.
6. Archdiocesan Bankruptcy: As I hope you are aware, earlier this summer an agreement had been reached to resolve the bankruptcy of the Archdiocese. The agreement establishes a trust fund of approximately $210 million for the victims/survivors. Some of the money for the settlement fund came in the form of voluntary pledges of financial support from parishes and priests of our Archdiocese. I believe this is a wonderful statement of our compassion and support for our brothers and sisters who were seriously wounded and hurt by my brother priests and by others in our church.
In a letter to all parishioners several weeks ago, I said that The Basilica of Saint Mary was one of the parishes that made a confidential pledge of financial support to the settlement fund. This decision was made in consultation with our Parish Council and Finance committee. After setting a range for this contribution, they directed that our Parish Trustees and I make the final decision as to the amount of the contribution. The money for this pledge came from our parish reserves, which are funded by the rental income from our school building. Our financial pledge won’t be payable until the details of the settlement are finalized. It is our hope that making this pledge of financial support will send a strong message of solidarity and support to the victims/survivors.
7. Parish Packing Event: After the Masses on Sunday, August 12 numerous people came together to help put school supplies into almost 200 backpacks for students at Ascension School. The school supplies were collected throughout June and July. These backpacks helped students at Ascension School start the school year off with the supplies they needed. Many thanks to all those who contributed school supplies during June and July, and to the numerous people who helped put them in to the backpacks.
8. The Current Situation in our Church: As I said in a letter to parishioners a few weeks ago, lately it has been hard to be a Catholic. There have been accusations of sexual abuse and other sexually inappropriate behavior against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Additionally, a grand jury in Pennsylvania released a report about the widespread sexual abuse of children by priests in six dioceses in Pennsylvania. And most recently (at least as I write this column at the end of August) the former Apostolic Delegate to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, wrote a letter highly critical of Pope Francis and several other Church leaders. In the first two cases, it appears that those who were in positions to do something bear both legal and moral culpability for their inaction. In regard to the letter from Archbishop Vigano, it is suspect in that Vigano accused Pope Francis of lifting sanctions against former Cardinal McCarrick that had never been put in place.
In the face of this situation, it would seem that there is very little I, or any other priest or bishop, could or should say. And yet to say nothing could be misconstrued as acquiescence to or acceptance of this situation. And so I offer two brief thoughts.
First, while our church is facing a very difficult time in its history, I believe that ultimately it will emerge purified and more humble. I say this because it is our belief that the Holy Spirit remains with and guides our church until the end of time. And I firmly believe the Spirit will not allow our church to deviate fundamentally from the truth of the Gospel, from its mission, and from its life of faith. We call this charism: “Indefectibility.” Certainly, our church has veered off course in the past. And clearly a course correction is called for at the present moment. Ultimately, though, because of the guidance of the Spirit, I have to believe that our church can’t go into fundamental error.
Second, as I said in my homily a few weeks ago, I realize that for many people the above revelations have caused them to lose faith in, and in some cases to leave the Catholic Church—at least for now. I am deeply saddened by this. At the same time I understand and respect their decision. For me, though, the Catholic Church is my home. It is too much a part of me to let it go. I cannot live without the Eucharist. I need the Eucharist to live as a follower of Jesus, and I need the faith of the community to make the Eucharist real and alive in my life. The Catholic Church is my home. I can have no other.
Rev. John M. Bauer
Pastor, The Basilica of Saint Mary
