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por Obispo John M. LeVoir Mayo: El Mes de María Mayo es un mes muy especial ya que honramos a la Virgen María, la Madre del Redentor. En su mensaje de Regina Coeli del 9 de Mayo, 2010, el Papa Benedicto XVI llamó a María “la flor mas hermosa a florecer en la creación,” puesto que ella era la madre libre de pecado de nuestro Salvador. El continuo diciendo: “De hecho, María primero observó de lleno la palabra de su hijo, demostrando así que ella lo amaba no sólo como su madre, pero primero como una humilde y servidora obediente...” María es nuestro modelo de lo que significa ser Santo. Me gustaría pedirles que rezen el Rosario durante el mes de Mayo, ya sea individualmente o en familia. Una intensión buena sería rezar por el aumento de hombres y mujeres a que respondan positivamente al llamado de Jesús a las vocaciones sacerdotales y religiosas. El 31 de Mayo es la fiesta de la Visitación de la Virgen María y un buen día para ir a la Misa para celebrar a María en la liturgia. En 1957, Obispo Alphonse J. Schladweiler puso a nuestra diócesis bajo la protección de María como “Nuestra Señora de New Ulm.” La Ordenación al Diaconado El Sábado, 21 de Abril del 2012 se celebró gloriosamente la Ordenación de once hombres como diáconos en la Iglesia de Santa María en Sleepy Eye. Los diáconos recién ordenados, sus esposas y sus familias estabán llenos de alegría. La diócesis dió alabanza y gracias a Dios por dicha ordenación. Ahora los diáconos quisieran ejercer su ministerio para el pueblo de la Diócesis de New Ulm. Matrimonio: Entre un hombre y una Mujer El 9 de Marzo, 2012, cuando estábamos en Roma para la visita ad limina, el Papa Benedicto XVI No Tengas Miedo dió una charla a los obispos de Minnesota, Dakota del Norte y Dakota del Sur sobre el matrimionio. El nos dijo: “el matrimonio y la familia son instituciones que deben ser promovidas y protegidas de cualquier equívoco posible sobre su auténtica verdad, ya que todo lo que es perjudicial para ellos es prejudicial para la sociedad. “En este sentido,se debe mencionar particularmente que hay poderosas corrientes políticas y culturales que buscan alterar la definición legal del matrimonio. El esfuerzo consciente de la Iglesia para resisitir esta presión obliga a una defensa razonada del matrimonio como institución natural, que consiste en una comunión específica de personas, enraizada esencialmente en la complemetariedad de los sexos y orientada a la procreación. La alteridad sexual no puede considerarse irrelevante en la definición del matrimonio. La defensa de la institución del matrimonio como una realidad social es en última instancia una cuestión de justicia, ya que implica salvaguardar el bien de toda la comunidad humana y los derechos de los padres e hijos por igual.” Defender la Libertad Religiosa El Comité Ad Hoc de Libertad Religiosa de Obispo Católicos de los Estados Unidos emitió una declaración el 12 de Abril, 2012, titulado La Primera y más Preciada de Nuestras Libertades. Esta declaración se refiere a las recientes decisions gubernamentales que han atacado a la libertad religiosa en nuestro país. Debemos tener en cuenta que la libertad religiosa no es una cuestión católica solamente, sino que involucra a todos los ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos. diocesan church State’s bishops call for immigration reform that protects rights and families by Joe Towalski The Catholic Spirit Concerned about an “inconsistent, ineffective” U.S. immigration system and inadequate state-level attempts at reform, Minnesota’s Catholic bishops are calling for comprehensive immigration reform on the federal level that protects basic human rights and keeps families together. Such reform, they noted, will require changing hearts as well as laws. “We recognize that finding solutions to the plight of immigrants today will sometimes necessitate the overcoming of boundaries in the heart, not just on the land,” according to the approximately 1,300-word statement, “Unlocking the Gate in Our Hearts.” “At some point, however, we must reach out to human persons in need, and the demands of our common human nature compel us to open a gate in the wall, so that what human dignity demands is not denied to a sister or brother,” it says. “But before a gate finds its way into the walls outside, there must be a gate that opens in the heart.” The statement is posted on the Web site of the Minnesota Catholic Conference (http://mncc.org) and will also be made available in printed form in both English and Spanish. State reforms inadequate Minnesota’s bishops last released a 21 Sleepy Eye: 7:30 p.m. Schoenstatt on the Lake. Rosary. 22 New Ulm: 10:30 a.m. Catholic Pastoral Center. Priest Personnel Board Meeting. New Ulm: 2 p.m. Catholic Pastoral Center. Bishop’s Cabinet Meeting. New Ulm: 4 p.m. Catholic Pastoral Center. Jubilarian Mass and Dinner. 23 New Ulm: 1 p.m. Catholic statement on immigration in 2010. Jason Adkins, MCC executive director, said the new statement is particularly important at a time when federal reform efforts continue to be lacking and several “We wanted to point out again that these state-based solutions, which focus on enforcement and divide families, are not prudent policies,” Adkins said. “We need to be resisting those policies because they impede actual solutions at the federal level. And, the federal level is the proper level to address these problems. “Furthermore, as we’ve seen in both Alabama and Arizona, these [state bills] greatly threaten religious freedom,” he added. “Those bills make it a crime to harbor illegal immigrants. This directly challenges the Church’s mission to serve all those in need, and the Church has always been at the forefront of serving the needs of undocumented workers. So this is a threat not only to the human dignity of Bishop’s calendar (continued from page 2) Pastoral Center. Priests’ Pension Plan Board Meeting. 25 New Ulm: 10 a.m. Catholic Pastoral Center. Parish Audit Team Meeting. 27 New Ulm: 9:30 a.m. Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Mass. Sleepy Eye: 2 p.m. Church of St. Mary. St. Mary’s High School Graduation. The Prairie Catholic • Page 4 • May 2012 undocumented workers and those coming into our country, it’s also a threat to our religious mission as well.” While recognizing a nation’s right to secure its “Immigrants renew our country economically borders, regulate and spiritually and their contribution is immigrant numbers, and important. ... Wherever they are coming from, consider there should be a place for them where they immigration’s can earn their citizenship.” impact on both – Bishop John M. LeVoir the economy and national security, states – most prominently Arizona the bishops’ statement also says that and Alabama – have tried to address economic hardship or persecution the problem by enacting their own often compels people to seek basic policies. Minnesota has been necessities and a “dignified considering similar enforcement existence” in another country. measures. “The human right to life – the foundation of every other right – implies the right to emigrate,” they write. Federal reform, the statement says, should include an earned legalization program for foreign nationals of good moral character, policies that keep families together, a revamped temporary worker program, restoration of immigrants’ due process rights, and an effort to address the root causes of migration in the countries from which migrants come. For more on Catholic teaching regarding immigration, visit the MCC’s Web page at http://mncc.org and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Web site at http://www. justiceforimmigrants.org. 28 New Ulm: 8 a.m. New Ulm Catholic Cemetery. Memorial Day Mass. 29 Comfrey: 12 p.m. Church of St. Paul. Pastoral Administrator Meeting. 30 New Ulm: 5 p.m. Holy Trinity Convent. Investiture of the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus.
Celebrations to honor priestly anniversaries Fr. James “Jim” Devorak will mark 40 years of priestly ministry this month. A Holy Family Area Faith Community Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, May 20 Fr. Devorak at 10 a.m. at the Training and Community Center in Montevideo in recognition of Fr. Devorak’s priestly anniversary of ordination and his 12 years of ministry in the area faith community (St. Clara, Clara City; St. Andrew, Granite Falls; and St. Joseph, Montevideo). Following Mass there will be a lunch and an open house from 1-3 p.m. Effective July 2, Fr. Devorak will serve as senior associate pastor of the Church of St. John in Darwin and assist in the Seeker of Souls Area Faith Community, which also includes the Church of St. Gertrude, Forest City. Fr. Devorak was ordained to the priesthood on Aug. 27, 1972, at the Church of St. Michael in Madison by Bishop Alphonse J. Schladweiler. During his priestly ministry, he has also served the parishes of Holy Redeemer, Marshall; Holy Rosary, North Mankato; St. Mary, Willmar; Holy Rosary, Graceville; St. Barnabas, Barry; St. George, Glencoe; St. Andrew, Fairfax; St. Dionysius, Tyler; St. Genevieve, Lake Benton; St. Pius X, Glencoe; St. Anastasia, Hutchinson; and St. Boniface, Stewart. In addition, he has served as chaplain for Marriage Encounter, and Engaged Encounter, and the Hutchinson Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. Msgr. Douglas Grams will mark 25 years of priestly ministry in June. A Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated Sunday, June 10 at 10 a.m. at the Church of St. Mary in New Msgr. Grams Ulm, followed by an open house reception until 2 p.m. He was ordained June 13, 1987, at the Church of the Holy Rosary in North Mankato by Bishop Raymond A. Lucker. In December 2005, he was named a Prelate of Honor with the title “Monsignor” by Pope Benedict XVI. Msgr. Grams currently serves as pastor of the Church of St. Mary in New Ulm in addition to serving as vicar general of the diocese, director of priest personnel, and as the bishop’s delegate in matters pertaining to sexual misconduct. From 2007-2008, he served as the diocesan administrator before the appointment of Bishop John M. LeVoir. During his priestly ministry, he has also served the parishes of St. Mary, Sleepy Eye; the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, New Ulm; St. Mary, Tracy; and St. Paul, Walnut Grove. In 2010, Msgr. Grams received the Diocesan Distinguished Service Award for his “leadership as diocesan administrator as well as his ongoing commitment and service to the people of the diocese.” In recognition of Fr. John Brunner’s 50 years of priestly ministry, a Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated by Bishop John M. LeVoir, concelebrated by Fr. Brunner, on Saturday, May 19 at 4 p.m. at the Church of St. Andrew in Fairfax. For details on Fr. Brunner’s years of service to the diocese, see the April issue of “The Prairie Catholic.” faith life Happy 100th birthday Fr. Stephen Adrian! by Sam Patet The Prairie Catholic NEW ULM – Not many people have lived through both World Wars, the Great Depression, nine popes, and 18 U.S. presidents. Fr. Stephen Adrian has. He turned 100 on April 14, 2012. The St. Paul native has spent those years serving the Lord with zeal. “I feel a lot more priestly than I ever did,” Fr. Adrian said. Fr. Adrian was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul on June 3, 1939. He became a priest of the Diocese of New Ulm in 1957 and retired from active ministry in 1978. Even in his retirement, Fr. Adrian has continued to help parishes. From 1978 to 1985, he assisted in the Diocese of Superior, Wis. He moved to Sun Lakes, Ariz., in 1985, and has been assisting at the Church of St. Anne in Gilbert, Ariz., for the last 27 years. “He still has that fire in his eyes, especially when he’s talking to the children,” said Fr. Greg Schlarb, a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix. Fr. Schlarb was pastor of St. Anne’s from 2006 to 2011. Bishop John M. LeVoir visited Fr. Adrian in January while he was on retreat in Arizona with the bishops of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. “He said that he asked God to give him a long life so that he could labor for the salvation of souls and through this labor, save his own soul,” Bishop LeVoir said. “What a privilege it was to meet and speak with this wonderful priest.” When he was in Minnesota, Fr. Adrian had several assignments. He was dean of seminarians at Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary in St. Paul. He was a chaplain in the United States Navy during World War II. He was pastor of four parishes, including St. Mary’s in Bird Island, St. Mary’s in Sleepy Eye, and St. Peter’s in St. Peter. He even helped bring two groups of religious sisters to the diocese: the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence and the Schoenstatt sisters. Fr. Frederick Fink, an associate pastor in Sleepy Eye from 1963 to 1964, said Fr. Adrian always had work to do. Before the Second Vatican Council, Fr. Fink said, parishes did not have secretaries or parish managers to help the pastor. “He was a good manager, I think, of things,” Fr. Fink said. “It was a big parish and he had a high school and a grade school.” While he enjoyed his work in Minnesota, Fr. Adrian said, he has enjoyed his time at St. Anne’s even more. “As a pastor, you don’t get to do all the spiritual work you’d like to do because you’re concerned with building, and repairing, and hiring, and firing,” Fr. Adrian said. “But as an assistant, you don’t have to do that, so you can devote yourself more to the spiritual life of the people.” Don’t think, though, that Fr. Adrian slowed down at St. Anne’s. He started a children’s Mass on Saturday nights; he helped found a Knights of Columbus council, which has grown from 30 to 300 members; and he created Fr. The Prairie Catholic • Page 5 • May 2012 On April 14, the Church of St. Anne in Gilbert, Ariz., celebrated Fr. Stephen Adrian’s 100th birthday with a Mass and reception. Fr. Adrian concelebrated and spoke after communion. Pictured, children gather around Fr. Adrian to present him with a birthday gift: a quilt, decorated with hearts made from their thumbprints. Even though he couldn’t see it (he is legally blind), Fr. Adrian knew how much they loved him. (photo by Ivan Rojas Photography) Adrian’s Hail Mary Club, a club that asks children to pray one Hail Mary daily for vocations. Even though Fr. Adrian no longer can celebrate the children’s Mass every Saturday, Fr. Schlarb said, he still manages to hear confessions every Saturday. One group he still loves to work with is children. At the children’s Masses, Fr. Adrian has the children sit around the altar as he gives his homily, Fr. Schlarb said. He tells modern-day parables to teach them about the readings. “His face lights up when the children are there,” Fr. Schlarb said. “We owe so much devotion to the children,” Fr. Adrian said. They are the future Church, he continued, and they need to be taught the faith well. What gives him strength to keep going at 100 is his relationship with God. Prayer, said Fr. Adrian, is the foundation of his priesthood. “I’m alone in my house here, and I talk a lot to the good Lord. He keeps me alive, he gives me ideas. And the Holy Spirit is always inspiring me,” he said.
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