^{January 2024}

^{MONTHLY DIOCESAN NEWSLETTER}

LINKS

January 2024 Serra Calendar (PDF)

2024 Special Collections Chart (PDF)

CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

January 1 ♦ Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God – January 1 is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Chancery and all curial offices will be closed Jan. 1 and will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

January 16-24 ♦ 9 Days for Life Novena – Sign up at https://www.respectlife.org/9-days-signup.

January 21 ♦ Rosary for Life and Vespers for Life – This event will be held at St. Anthony parish, 2405 1st St N, St. Cloud, at 3:30 p.m. Bishop Patrick Neary will preside. The service includes music, prayer, scripture and reflection for the millions of children who have been aborted since 1973. Monetary donations accepted to Mother Mary’s Fund to assist pregnancy resource centers in the Diocese of St. Cloud. For more information, visit https://stcdio.org/event/vespers-for-life-2024/.

January 22 ♦ March for Life in St. Paul – Diocesan buses are being coordinated in several locations. Dress warmly and bring a bag lunch. Find bus information and reservation link at https://stcdio.org/event/march-for-life-2024/.

January 27-28 ♦ The 2nd Annual Middle School Lock-in – The lock-in is called, “Winter Spectacular,” and is scheduled for Saturday, January 27 beginning at 7:00 p.m. with Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Sauk Rapids and continues through Sunday at 6:00 a.m. at the St. Cloud YMCA. The lock-in includes Mass, swimming, climbing wall, Ga-Ga Ball, game shows, prayer opportunities, silent disco, great food and much more. More details and promotional and registration materials can be found here: https://stcdio.org/event/middle-school-lock-in/. Online parish enrollment has ended, but if you would like your parish to attend, please contact Kent Schmitz at [email protected].

Eucharistic Revival Opportunity

Banquet of Love

The Eucharist as Weekly

Marriage Enrichment Online Classes

Banquet of Love is an online 12-part course that helps you make practical connections between the Eucharist and your marriage. As a gift to couples and a support for parishes and ACCs, Bishop Neary purchased the license for anyone in the diocese to use this series at NO COST. The license includes 18-month access to the entire course material, online video modules and printable PDFs for each session. It can be offered to couples to use on their own or as part of small faith sharing groups.

For more information, visit www.stcdio.org/banquet-of-love.

Pastoral Letter on the Eucharist – In light of the National Eucharistic Revival, an initiative of the U.S. bishops aiming to inspire, educate and unite the faithful in a more intimate relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist, Bishop Neary was moved by the Holy Spirit to write his very first pastoral letter, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” His hope is that everyone will read the letter during this Parish Year of the Eucharistic Revival and that the people of God deepen their love and understanding of the Eucharist. There are some suggestions inside the letter about how to host small groups to learn and study together. For more information and to download the PDF of the pastoral letter, visit www.stcdio.org/2023-pastoral-letter.

Catholic Schools Transition – David Fremo, who has served for the last four years as superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of St. Cloud and as director of its Catholic Education Ministries office, has been selected as the new president of Catholic Community Schools, a consolidated school system in the St. Cloud area. He begins his new position Jan. 2, 2024. To assist the transition, Sara Michaelson has been appointed as interim superintendent for the diocese’s Catholic schools by Bishop Patrick Neary, C.S.C., until a permanent superintendent is identified. Michaelson, who currently serves as director of learning and teaching with Catholic Community Schools, will oversee and support educational efforts in the 27 Catholic schools located within the 16-county diocese. She begins the position in mid-January.

NOTES FROM THE DIOCESAN OFFICES

David Fremo ♦ (320) 251-0111

Catholic School Updates – Resolutions for a new year

Many of us have started a new year with resolutions for some kind of improvement or attaining personal goals in our lives. We certainly do not not need the tolling of January to inspire such things, but if the inspiration strikes, here are a couple suggestions for new growth for educators:

Commit some time to investigate a couple articles from the Journal of Catholic Education. Look at what the latest scholars are contributing to the huge body of research in and about our schools or engage in a search on a topic you would like to learn more about. Share a bit of what you learn with your staff and encourage them to do the same.
Read the Synthesis Report of the First Session of the global Synod. Read Pope Francis’ message to the General Assembly that accompanied the Report. Pray for the continued synodal process and work of God in our Church and world.
Don’t wait to sing along with your favorite songs from Mass until Sunday! This YouTube channel is a perfect jukebox for you, your colleagues and students!

We look forward to celebrating Catholic Schools Week, January 28 to February 3, 2024. You can find this year’s resources at https://www.ncea.org/csw/.

January 3, 7, & 31 - What’s Your Story? The connection between God’s story, your story and your students’ story.

January 3 - Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Opole from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
January 7 - Sacred Heart in Sauk Rapids from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
January 31 - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Isanti from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

These gatherings are meant to reinvigorate catechists and faith formation volunteers at the midpoint of the year, as well as to share practical tips to make faith formation a life-giving ministry for students and catechists alike. Registration required at https://forms.gle/BPt3zXL76kBDidVX7.

February 11 – Festival of Families / Festival de Familias – Mark your calendars! This event will be held at Sacred Heart in Sauk Rapids from 10:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. and is designed for families to come together, play, worship, and learn. This will be a bilingual event, so invite your families to participate! The cost is only $20 and includes a free carnival, family games, workshops for all ages, lunch, and Mass with the bishop. For more information, contact Christine Pinto at [email protected] or our webpage: https://stcdio.org/event/festival-of-families/. The webpage also has digital versions of all materials that were sent to each parish.

February 13 & 15 - DRE/YM Gatherings: Say What??? Communication and Social Media

This event will be held on February 13 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at St. Mary in Alexandria and on February 15 at Christ Our Light in Princeton. What are the most effective ways to reach families in your parish? Come hear some best practices and share ideas about the best ways to communicate. These gatherings are open to anyone in faith formation, youth ministry, or communication ministries in parishes. There is no cost and the day will include a light breakfast (9:30-10:00 a.m.) and lunch. For more information, contact Christine Pinto at [email protected]. Please pre-register by February 8 at https://forms.gle/U8UCx67kvnnKJ3nc6.

Castaway Dates – All Parishes are registered and should be working on getting completed online forms from families. Our first planning meeting for the retreat is Monday, January 8, 2024, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Centre for Christ is Sauk Centre. All enrolled parishes/ACCs need to have a parish leader present at the planning meetings. Online forms and initial deposit of $100/per participant are due at the Castaway leader meeting on Monday, February 5, from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at St. Mary in Alexandria. Shirt order Excel files are due to Kent Schmitz on Monday, February 26. Please email them to [email protected]. All forms and files can be found at https://stcdio.org/event/castaway-retreat.

Diocesan Confirmation Retreats are a great option for parish leaders who would like to have someone else prepare materials and lead the youth through the retreat. Remaining retreats are planned for this school year and will be held at Sacred Heart Parish in Sauk Rapids from 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on the following Saturdays: January 13, and February 10. Each retreat can host between 40-50 youth, so sign up early at: https://signup.com/go/imaCbbQ . This link is for confirmation coordinators. Please do not share with parents or students. We are happy to accept as many students as we have room to accommodate parishes. Each parish is requested to bring at least one adult leader per eight students. Cost for the retreat is $45.00 per student and $20.00 per adult. As always, we are also willing to come to individual parishes or ACCs to lead retreats. Contact Kent at [email protected] for more information or to schedule.

First Things in Ministry Training – If you are new to parish ministry, CEM has a new endeavor to train you and your parish/ACC team(s), primarily in the areas of youth ministry and faith formation. We hope to have a few cohorts begin training in the next few months at the best timing for your ACC. Feel free to visit: https://nfcym.org/first-things/ for more details. Please note we will have at least 1 diocesan group, rather than the national group. You may also contact Kent Schmitz at 320-251-0111 x4 or [email protected].

Deacon Richard Scheierl ♦ (320) 203-0554

GOD BLESS YOU ON YOUR BIRTHDAY

January 3 – Deacon Jerry Snyder

January 5 – Deacon Ken Rosha

January 6 – Deacon Rick Scheierl

January 20 – Deacon Terry Jancik

January 21 – Deacon Steven Koop

January 22 – Deacon John Wocken

January 27 – Deacon Chuck Kampa

January 30 – Deacon Ernie Kociemba

Prayer Requests especially for those who are ill:

For a diaconate candidate, Julio Tena Soria, who has been off work due to a foot injury.
Deacon Vern Schmitz who is recovering from a stroke.
For all the applicants who are applying for the diaconate formation program.
For all those needing prayers.

2024 Diaconate Events

February 10 – Winter Couples Retreat, Saint Mary’s, Alexandria
April 6 – Deacon Community Gathering with the Bishop, Christ Our Light, Princeton
June 1 – Priesthood Ordination, Cathedral of Saint Mary, St. Cloud
June 8 – Permanent and Transitional Diaconate Ordination, Cathedral of Saint Mary, St. Cloud
June 21-23 – Summer Men’s Retreat, Abbey of the Hills, Marvin SD
July 24 – Celebrating the Parents of Religious Vocations, TBD
October 6-9 – Clergy Conference, Arrowwood, Alexandria MN

Bethany Tollefsen ♦ (320) 251-2700 Ext. 51637

January 25 – Mental Health First Aid Class – This class will be held from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. For more information, please email [email protected].

February 22 – Mental Health Ministry Webinar – Everyone is invited to join us on at 6:30 p.m. for a webinar with Deacon Ed Shoener, the director of the Association for Catholic Mental Health Ministry. Deacon Ed will be sharing general information about mental illness, some of the misconceptions around it, and how our faith speaks to everyone’s mental health journey, along with some practical ways that we can all help eliminate stigma and better support family, friends and community who are experiencing mental health challenges. Watch for more details and registration info on the diocese's Mental Health Ministry website at: https://www.stcdio.org/mental-health-ministry/.

April 28/29 and May 5/6 – Our next Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Class will occur virtually Spring 2024.

April 28 and May 5 from 2:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
April 29 and May 6 from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Please check out the FCN Partnership of Central MN website for more information or email [email protected] with any questions or to discuss career options integrating Faith Community Nursing.

Mental Health Ministry – For resources on mental health, visit the Diocese of St. Cloud Mental Health Ministry webpage at https://stcdio.org/mental-health-ministry/.

Patrick Flynn ♦ (320) 251-4721

Natural Family Planning instruction for January 2024 & February 2024

A first instruction in the Billings Ovulation Method will be offered in:

• Alexandria: Monday, January 15 & February 19 at 6:30 p.m.

• Little Falls: Tuesday, January 2 & February 6 at 7:30 p.m.

• Long Prairie: Monday, January 22 & February 26 at 7:00 p.m.

• Rice: Monday, January 8 & February 5 at 6:30 p.m.

• Sauk Centre: Thursday, January 18 & February 15 at 6:30 p.m.

• St. Cloud: Thursday, January 18 & Monday, February 19 at 6:30 p.m.

• St. Michael: Tuesday, January 2 & February 6 at 6:00 p.m.

• Wadena: Friday, January 26 & February 23 at 5:30 p.m.

For additional sites, information or to register, visit www.stcdio.org/omf/nfp or contact Sheila Reineke at [email protected] at (320) 252-4721 ext. 308.

January 13 – Engaged Couples Retreat – This event will be held at St. Joseph parish in St. Joseph. Call the office with questions, 320-258-7615 or visit https://stcdio.org/engaged-couple-marriage-preparation/.

January 20 – Virtual Fully Engaged Sponsor Couple Training in English – This event will be held via Zoom. Register at least 10 days prior to the first class. The cost of the webinar is $25.00 per couple. You will also need a pre-marital preview package which is $45 plus shipping and handling. Register at https://getfullyengaged.com/new-mentor-training/ or contact Jill Svihel at [email protected] or call (320) 258-7611.

January 27 – In-person Sponsor Couple Training – This event will be held at the Pastoral Center in St. Cloud from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Register couples at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SCTraining2024 or contact Jan Zylla at [email protected] or (320) 258-7615 with couple’s names, address, phone numbers, email addresses and parish. Please register couples at least two weeks before the training session. The parish will be billed $125 per couple for the cost of training and all supplies.

January 28 – Engaged Couples Retreat - Perham – Visit our website at https://stcdio.org/engaged-couple-marriage-preparation/ for more details or call the parish office in Perham with questions at (218) 346-4240.

February 2-4 – Retrouvaille weekend – This event will be held at the Best Western Hotel, Eagan, MN. Thinking about Separation or Divorce? Hurting? Angry? Feel helpless? Retrouvaille is a lifeline for troubled marriages. Couples learn the tools to rediscover each other and heal their marriage. 100% confidential. Contact [email protected] with questions. Find out more information and register at http://www.helpourmarriage.org.

February 3 – Virtual Fully Engaged Sponsor Couple Training in Spanish – This event will be held via Zoom. Register at least 10 days prior to the first class. The cost of the webinar is $25.00 per couple. You will also need a pre-marital preview package which is $45 plus shipping and handling. Register at https://getfullyengaged.com/new-mentor-training/ or contact Jill Svihel at [email protected] or (320) 258-7611.

February 3 – Latino Honoring Marriage Day – This event will be held at the Church of Our Lady of Angels, Sauk Centre, at 12:00 p.m. We are honoring Latino couples who have received the sacrament of marriage in the Catholic Church. Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Patrick Neary, C.S.C. Invitations have been made available at the parishes. Call Mayuli Bales with questions or to register at (320) 529-6557.

February 9-11 & 16-18 – Worldwide Marriage Encounter

Feb. 9-11 held at Christ the King Retreat Ctr, Buffalo, MN.
Feb. 16-18 held at Shalom Hill Farm, Windom, MN.

The Marriage Encounter experience helps you listen, share, and connect more deeply. There’s no group discussion. It’s just about the two of you learning to be the best, most loving and thriving couple you can be. Apply at https://wwme.org/.

February 10 – Engaged Couples Retreat – This event will be held at St. Joseph parish in St. Joseph, MN. See our website at https://stcdio.org/engaged-couple-marriage-preparation / for more details or call the office with questions to (320) 258-7615.

February 24 – Catholic Men’s Conference – This event will be held at St. Francis Xavier in Sartell. This year’s theme is “Sharing our Eucharistic Journey” with keynote speaker Fr. Tim Donovan from the Diocese of Orange, CA. Other speakers include Fr. Matthew Crane, Deacon Mike Benda, and Deacon Ed Shoener from Scranton, PA. Find more details and register at https://stcdio.org/event/catholic-mens-conference-2024/.

Elizabeth Brown ♦ (320) 251-1100

We still have some openings on our 2024 winter/spring calendar if you would like us to come and present in your faith formation programs, youth groups, ACC staff and mission groups. The Mission Office loves to come and visit your community/ies and share on anything from Fair Trade to Catholic social teachings! Please check out our website for things you might be interested in and we will gladly connect with you at www.stcloudmissionoffice.com.

Happy New Year! January is an extremely busy time for us in the Mission Office as we are a separate entity from the diocese with 2024 budgeting and board meeting, year ends and 2023 closeouts, annual audit, Missionary Appeal scheduling, missionary visits, tax filing and more. If we don't get back to you right away on requests, please don't hesitate to stop in and visit!

Brenda Kresky ♦ (320) 251-2340

Pastoral Visits with Bishop Neary – We have received positive feedback from the pastoral visits with Bishop Neary. Highlights include: the process of preparing the presentation, celebrating liturgy together, visiting with the bishop, having time to talk with others from another ACC and share experiences.

In November, we welcomed the ACC teams from the Harvest of Hope, Northern Cross, and One in Faith. Visit https://stcdio.org/planning/area-catholic-community/area-catholic-communities-acc-pastoral-visit-summaries/ to view the summary of their visit. In December, we welcomed the ACC teams from One in Christ, Benedictine Communities of St. John the Baptist and St. Joseph, and Christ our Hope. That summary will come next month. We look forward to welcoming the teams from Isanti Area, Parishes on the Prairie, and WOHVn in Faith on January 17.

The goals of the visits are threefold:

To build bridges for a thriving mission across parishes in an ACC
To develop ACCs as learning communities through listening and dialogue
To offer radical hospitality to nurture relationships between Bishop Neary, the diocesan pastoral team, and ACC pastoral leadership

This effort is a collaboration between the Diocese of Saint Cloud and Bridge-Builders for a Thriving Mission Initiative.

SAVE THE DATE – Attention all priests - please set aside this day on your calendar. The Planning Office will be hosting a clergy day on planning on Friday, August 9. More details will be coming soon.

Kateri Mancini ♦ (320) 229-6020

Poverty Awareness Month – January is Poverty Awareness Month. Our Social Concerns team is putting together a variety of resources (in English and Spanish) to help our community members learn, pray, and act in response to poverty. Resources will be shared via our newsletter and social media.

To get connected with social concerns visit: https://linktr.ee/ccsocialconcerns where you can follow any or all of our social media platforms or sign up for our newsletter, so you won’t miss a thing!

Point in Time Count – you can help! – The Point In Time (PIT) Count is Minnesota’s annual count of all persons experiencing homelessness, in both sheltered and unsheltered situations (living on the street, in camps, in vehicles or abandoned buildings, or doubling-up/couch hopping with others). The PIT Count happens nationwide every year and is required by HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and is used to determine various funding options for an area (ie. the more realistic count we have of community members throughout the diocese who are experiencing homelessness, the greater chance there is that greater MN and rural areas will receive funding to help provide shelter and wrap-around services for those community members in need). This year the PIT Count will occur on Wednesday, January 24 and the week surrounding it. During the PIT Count there is a large-scale community-wide effort to identify individuals experiencing homelessness that may not otherwise be counted, namely those that are not staying at traditional housing shelters. This is where church communities can help, as those individuals and families are harder to identify. If you know of parishioners or community members who have mentioned struggles with housing in the past, please help us identify them. No names are associated with the PIT Count, but we need your help in reaching community members who may not have consistent, stable shelter, if they have shelter at all. If you’re interested in helping, have community members that need to be reached or want to learn more, Contact Jennifer Walker at Catholic Charities: (320) 250-2306 or [email protected].

Or learn more about homelessness in MN from last year’s PIT count at: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3Ab00f14db-6a75-3328-8bda-29aa5cf8dcb2

Anna Kampa ♦ (320) 258-7654

Bishop's Annual Appeal – As of December 18, the Bishop’s Annual Appeal for 2023 has raised total cash and pledges of $1,405,970 toward our goal of $1,400,000 (100.43%). This was made possible through the generous donations of 7,373 people throughout the 16 counties of our diocese. If you would like to know how your parish is progressing toward its goal, please contact Anna Kampa at [email protected] or (320) 258-7654.

2024 Bishop’s Annual Appeal – The theme for the 2024 Bishop’s Annual Appeal — “Behold who you are. Become what you receive.” — describes our response to the sacred mystery of the Eucharist, the source and summit of our faith. We are deeply grateful for all the support diocesan ministries receive through the help and participation of our clergy and parish staff.

The goal for the 2024 Appeal is $1,450,000. Dates for the launch are:

Announcement Weekend: February 3-4
Commitment Weekend: February 10-11

Parish kits will be mailed the week of January 15. If you haven’t completed your survey for the kits, you can visit this link to complete your survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SNS3GJV. Please remember to complete one survey for each parish.

Fr. Virgil Helmin ♦ (320) 251-6557

Happy New Year! God’s blessings, and good fortune to all.

All Tribunal forms are located on the diocesan website under the Tribunal page.

• https://stcdio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/formal_petition6_2016-10.doc

• https://stcdio.org/wp- content/uploads/2013/04/petition_lackofcanform_06_2016-5.pdf

• https://stcdio.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/previous_bond-6_20164.pdf

A petitioner can fill out the necessary forms found on our diocesan website under the Tribunal office at: www.stcdio.org/tribunal/annulments/annulment-forms/.

Any person (regardless of religious status) that has been divorced, and seeking remarriage in the Catholic Church will need to complete the annulment process.

The documents required are the same for each annulment process and are:

baptismal certificates for both principals
marriage certificate (copies, not originals)
divorce decree (signed by the Judge) (copies, not originals)

For the formal annulment process, the petitioner can submit the completed form (Formal Petition (PDF) or Formal Petition (DOC)) and appear in person for a scheduled appointment, or complete a narrative (see the guideline on the Tribunal webpage #2, A-H) or participate in a telephone interview with the Tribunal Office. https://stcdio.org/tribunal/annulments/.

In the formal process, hearing the witnesses will no longer be in person at the Tribunal. The witnesses will be contacted by phone and the petitioner will assure the availability of the witnesses for a phone interview at a time designated by the Tribunal.

If you are uncertain about the annulment process or any have other questions, and to set-up an individual appointment you can contact the Tribunal Office at (320) 251-6557 or email [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected].

Fr. Doug Liebsch ♦ (320) 251-5001

Congratulations to Father Jean-Claude Duncan who was ordained on December 9th. Many blessings to him on his priestly journey.

February 8 – Andrew Dinner in February – The next Andrew Dinner will held at the Marmion House. Do you have young men in grades 8-12 in your parish who have potential for a priestly calling? Fr. Doug would love to hear from you! This simple and powerful evening consists of evening prayer and dinner with Bishop Neary while priests share their vocation stories. Young men find it very meaningful and special to have a night with the bishop and priests! Pastors are encouraged to join their young men. Fr. Doug can be reached at [email protected] or (320) 533-0291.

Totus Tuus Leaders – Do you know of young adults that are college-aged who are ready to take their faith to the next stage. Invite them to apply to be a Totus Tuus team leader. Application deadline is March 15. For more information, visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2024TotusTuus.

Upcoming Seminary Visits

February 15–17 – Saint John Vianney Seminary
March 15–18 – The Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary

Men ages 16 and up are invited to join these impactful days with seminarians to engage in daily Mass, adoration, discernment talks, classroom visits, listening to seminarians, open gym and a night out with the seminarians of St. Cloud! When men meet real seminarians, all the stereotypes break down! It is a game-changer for their ongoing discernment. Please contact Fr. Doug at [email protected] or (320) 533-0291.

2024 Vocation Events

June 18-20 – Camp in Avon – Register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2024AvonCamp
August 17 – Paschal Challenge in Sauk Centre – Register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2024PaschalChallenge

Sr. Jeanne Wiest, O.P. ♦ (320) 255-9068

TV Mass Musicians and Presiders Needed – The new TV mass taping schedule and sign up is available on the TV Mass website at https://www.stcdio.org/worship/tv-mass/. There are a number of openings. Please review the dates and sign up for any that work for your schedule. Contact Sr. Jeanne in the Worship Office if you have questions. Please call (320) 251-9068.

Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion – All catechumens, as a part of their faith journey to the Easter Sacraments at the Easter Vigil in 2024, must be present at the Rite of Election on Sunday, February 18. The Church has gifted us with this wonderful rite and we are called to celebrate it to its fullest. If for a serious pastoral reason, a catechumen is unable to participate in this liturgy they must contact the Office of Worship to discuss the options available. Those candidates, already one with us in baptism, are strongly encouraged to participate in this liturgy. Register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/riteofelection. Please complete the registration by February 9.

Chrism Oil Orders – Distribution of the sacred oils will look different this year. We are asking each pastor to send one delegate from each parish to pick up the oils for their parish immediately following the liturgy, on Thursday, March 21. More detailed instructions will be sent to the parishes and will be available February 1. If you need extra oils for the parish community, please complete the order form found at https://forms.gle/j6eSRPmmFk25RzCc6.

Election of a New Abbot – The Benedictine Community of St. John’s Abbey will enter into a Chapter of Election January 8-11. During this time, through prayer, discernment and the grace and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, they will elect a new abbot. You are invited to join your prayers with theirs during these dates.

Important Dates

Feb. 18 – RCIA: Rite of Election
March 21 – Chrism Mass

Barbara Sutton ♦ (320) 363-3052

January 8-29 – In Our Thoughts and In My Words: a personal writing consortium – Join writers Kristi Anderson and Vic Klimoski for this New Year online writing consortium. Every story is an adventure. Be part of a group of writing explorers who uncover what it means to thrive from within, in your church and in your community. The four-part series begins with discovering the importance of personal narrative, addressing woes and challenges, unearthing our vocation and dreaming new futures into being. Each 60-minute session begins with prayer followed by a guest storyteller and thematic discourse. Participants will then have time during the session to break apart the message in writing. The group will return to share thoughts and excerpts from their work. No writing experience necessary! In addition to the session, participants who wish to receive further writing help on their emerging story can arrange up to three 30-minute sessions with either Kristi or Vic.

The consortium will meet Mondays on Zoom from Noon-1:00 p.m. CST

January 8 Session 1: My Story Begins

January 15 Session 2: We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it

January 22 Session 3: Thriving in Vocation

January 29 Session 4: Riding the Wave into the Future

To register, visit: https://www.csbsju.edu/forms/U21PHHGWTS.

Kristi Anderson is a tender-hearted, hope-filled writer. She has won numerous awards from the Catholic Media Association for her writing and editing. In 2022, she won first place from the association as “Writer of the Year”. Kristi is the editor of The Central Minnesota Catholic, as well as the co-chair of the Eucharistic Revival for the Diocese of Saint Cloud. She holds a MA in pastoral ministry from Saint John’s School of Theology.
Vic Klimoski cares about words. He is a writer, adult educator and consultant. He employs the written word, especially in poetic form, to escort us into Mystery and to help us give expression to our encounters with God. Vic has written and published numerous poems and authored several books related to leadership and ministry. Vic holds a MA in theology from Saint John’s School of Theology.

January 13 – Called and Gifted Workshop – This event will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at St. Benedict Church in Avon. Would you like to discern the unique mission God has for you and empowers you to carry it out? God calls each of us to a unique purpose, a work of love that only you can do. You have received gifts in Baptism and Confirmation through which God intends to reach others. In his workshop you will take the Spiritual Gifts Inventory and learn the signs and characteristics of the 23 most common charisms. This workshop lays the foundation for your discernment and includes Church teaching on the nature of charisms, call and vocation. Leadership development is critical, in terms of ongoing formation for ministry development, service to the wider community, and identifying new leaders for our diverse communities. This workshop will be faciliated by Kelley Deshler, Saint John’s School of Theology, and Karen Pundsack, Harvest of Hope ACC. There is no cost for this workshop. Registration is required, visit: https://www.csbsju.edu/forms/LHRE7KQZLW.

January 16 – Information Session on Lay Pastoral Caregiver Training – This event will be held from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. The Bridge-Builders for a Thriving Mission Initiative is providing training for lay people in pastoral care—at no cost to ACCs in the St. Cloud Diocese. Companioning one another spiritually is one of the most important ministries of a faith community. The vision of this project is to equip teams of compassionate listeners who are steeped in Benedictine spirituality. Participants who complete the process will be well prepared to offer pastoral care in various settings, form prayerful caregiver communities within their ACCs, and lovingly practice being a non-judgmental listening presence to whomever they encounter in daily life. Bridge-Builders is partnering with the Community of Hope International organization, which provides a robust curriculum in three languages: English, French and Spanish. To register for this information session, visit https://www.csbsju.edu/forms/5H6IP8NRC5.

February 9-10 or February 16-17 – Training for Lay Pastoral Caregivers – Bridge-Builders for a Thriving Mission will be starting two cohorts for Training Lay Pastoral Caregivers. The first cohort begins the weekend of February 9 and 10 and the second cohort begins the weekend of February 16 and 17. Choose one. These cohorts will gather again in April to complete the training. This training is offered at no cost to participants. Overnight accommodations are available. Please register at https://www.csbsju.edu/forms/ARVDSX9SZT. The training sessions will be coordinated by Sam Rahberg and Barbara Sutton.