Diocese of Winona-Rochester Social Concerns
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"To promote and support parish social action through education"
Our committee meets on a monthly basis to discuss the issues of Social Concerns within our Diocese, and to plan opportunities to learn and explore issues of concern. Updates and information are available below. Feel free to contact us by responding to this newsletter or through the feedback button at the bottom of the newsletter with any questions or feedback.
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Vincentians Bring Christ to those in Need
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Tim Geisler, SVdP District Council President | Rochester, MN
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One of the first questions Bishop John Quinn asked after being installed as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in 2009 was “Where are my Vincentians?” Vincentians are members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. At the time, Bishop Quinn was serving as Episcopal Advisor to the National Council of the United States for the Society and was very familiar with the work of the Society.
Yet, to his surprise, there were no parishes within the diocese with an active SVdP conference.
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Bishop Quinn asked the six parishes in Rochester, the largest city in the diocese, to look into starting a conference. In the fall of 2010, Rochester’s Church of the Resurrection was the first parish to respond. Soon, each of the other five Rochester parishes started conferences. Today, these six conferences are joined by conferences in Owatonna, Waseca and Fairmont.
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Interested in joining the Society of St. Vincent de Paul? Contact a local Conference!
Rochester:
St. Pius X - Bill Kleis
(507) 251-6095
(970) 302-1513
Church of the Resurrection - Tim O'Callaghan
(507) 269-7782
(507) 261-7636
Holy Spirit - Tom Fox
(507) 261-6882
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Owatonna:
Waseca:
(507) 461-5096
Fairmont:
Don't see your Parish listed? Contact Tim for assistance in starting a new Conference!
District Council of Rochester, MN
Timothy Geisler
Cell: (507) 259-6095
Home: (507) 281-5358
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Click on the red "take action" line to get more information and to take action today!
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The US House has already passed, "The Dream and Promise Act of 2019" (
H.R. 6
), which would provide DACA recipients with a path to citizenship. Now, it is important for your US Senators to support legislative protection for DACA recipients generally, and the bi-partisan supported
Dream Act of 2019, S. 874
, specifically.
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Global abortion providers might get an extra $57 million a year, if an amendment to a spending bill is passed by Congress. And pro-life and pro-family groups might get blacklisted by the same bill. Raise your voice and tell Congress that this is unacceptable.
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Save the Date: 7th Annual Social Justice Retreat!
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Saturday, January 25th, 2020
8:30AM - 1:00PM
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
5455 50th Ave. NW
Rochester, MN 55901
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Presented by Marty Roers and Lori True of the CSJ Justice Office and Ritual & Liturgical Services Office of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Consociates.
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There will be speakers who will share how climate change affects them and will be pressing our Representative to take the “no more fossil fuel money pledge” and to support the Green New Deal.
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Friday, Dec. 6, 2019
4 PM - 5 PM
This is part of a national and global Climate Strike on December 6.
Bring a friend or several friends or family! All Ages Needed!
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Fair Trade Kiosk at
River Hills Mall!
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Mankato Fair Trade
is partnering with
Ten Thousand Villages
to provide a Fair Trade shopping option for Christmas this year. Stop by the River Hills Mall in Mankato to browse food, clothing, jewelry, and decor that supports a just wage, humane treatment of workers, and care for God's Creation in developing countries.
Kiosk hours can be found
here.
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In the year 1531, on three occasions during the month of December, Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego as Our Lady of Guadalupe. Appearing on the Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City as a beautiful young indigenous woman, Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to Juan Diego in his native Nahuatl tongue asking him to deliver a message to Bishop Fray Juan de Zumárraga. Mary told Juan Diego that she wanted a church built on the spot where she appeared so that people would have a place where she could show them her Son and where they could experience her compassion and help . . .
Read More
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In the Mankato Area?
Join Sts. Peter and Paul's Parish for a host of activities celebrating Our Lady!
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Novena:
Tuesday 12/3: 7PM
Wednesday 12/4: 7PM
Thursday 12/5: 7PM
Friday 12/6: 5PM
Saturday 12/7: 7PM
Sunday 12/8: 2PM
Monday 12/9: 7PM
Tuesday 12/10: 7PM
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Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Wednesday 12/11
7:00 PM - NOVENA
8:00 PM - PROCESSION AROUND THE CHURCH
8:30 PM - SOLEMN HOLY MASS
9:30 PM - FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP
10:30 PM - OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE APPARITION PLAY
11:30 PM - SING TO OUR LADY UNTIL MIDNIGHT
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During the month of October, I had the great privilege of participating in the synod on the Amazon in Rome. It was a gathering overflowing with the spirit of God that constituted a dramatic, prayerful effort to address a central question: How can the church in the Amazon ever more effectively proclaim the salvation of Jesus Christ in its fullness, so that all men and women of the region, especially indigenous peoples, might find in the church a true sacrament of God's love and the pursuit of justice for the poor and for the Earth?
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Celebrating a Christ-like Christmas
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It is that time of year again: the wonderful, joyful season of Christmas! Christmas is a time for love and family and celebrating the birth of Christ. However, for many this can be a sad and stressful time of year. Many families struggle to make ends meet and buying extra gifts and taking time off work to buy gifts or attend celebrations can seem overwhelming. For many it is just simply not an option. To truly embrace the fullness and holiness of this blessed holiday, we must keep Christ’s reminder at the front of our thoughts; ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25: 40).
We must also remember this when purchasing gifts. Every product we buy tells a story. Do the products you buy tell of enslavement, mistreatment and pollution or do they tell of fair wages, dignity of workers and care for our common home? Where does it come from and who made it? These aren’t often questions we think about when looking for that ‘perfect’ gift, but if we are celebrating Christ, these are questions that can’t be ignored.
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What are you doing in your community?
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Is your community doing a project or working on an issue that you would like to share? We would love to highlight your efforts, events and ministry!
Let us know what you are doing.
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We would love to hear your feedback on this newsletter. What do you like? What is helpful? What would you like to see? We can't wait to hear from you!
Send Feedback
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Looking for past editions of our newsletter? You can access them ALL on Catholic Charities of Southern MN's
Parish Social Ministry Page.
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