Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Can you believe it? We're finally at the week of the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. I'm so excited to be going, but this week brings me to reflect on the wonderful experience that we had here on Memorial Day with the Source and Summit Procession. I didn't know how many people would come, and it was beautiful when we came out to the front lawn of The Saint Paul Seminary, to begin adoration and to begin the procession, and I was just delighted, really shocked, to see how many people were there.
But it was nothing in comparison to the number of people that eventually would join in the procession. Certainly, we found lots of people along the procession route, and so many of them joined us as we continued our way to the Cathedral. It was amazing at The Saint Paul Seminary, but it was over whelming by the time that we got to Saint Thomas More. It was there for the first time that I was able to look down Summit Avenue and to recognize how many people were there, adoring our Eucharistic Lord. And the music was beautiful, the sunlight was perfect... and it was ideal as a moment in time where we as a local church were united together with our Eucharistic Lord. It's a memory I will never forget.
I had the opportunity then to be at the top of the Cathedral steps and to see the procession coming; and I was once again overwhelmed realizing what 7,000 faithful Catholics look like here in Saint Paul. Then to see the Blessed Sacrament come up the steps of our cathedral... I can tell you, brothers and sisters, that just that small experience I had with 7,000 of you was overwhelming in its own right, knowing that all of you were right here from this Archdiocese. Being able to see so many families, even children in strollers, being able to see our seminarians and our consecrated men and women, being able to see so many of our priests, whether they be diocesan priests or religious priests, and then to be joined by our bishops in this area was really inspiring for me.
It was a particular blessing to have Bishop Cozzens present with us, who offered some inspiring remarks at the beginning of our procession. You can tell we were all very proud of him as a son of this local church, and then directing not only the eucharistic pilgrimages coming from four points of the United States, but then also the Eucharistic Congress that we will be celebrating this week.
Blessed Solanus Casey Pilgrimage
(July 27)
(July 27)
Honor and pray with the local holy man with a walking pilgrimage to the parish where he was confirmed, St. Michael’s in Stillwater. Various length options available. The full pilgrimage will begin with optional daily Mass and will cover 18 miles, stopping for a picnic lunch along the way and culminating with Mass at St. Michael's, which the parish will celebrate for the feast day.
Cursillo Men’s Weekend 389 (August 1-4)
A Cursillo weekend is an opportunity to step away from the daily grind and set aside time to nourish your spirit. This encounter with Christ offers an opportunity to expand your prayer life, grow in your faith journey, and learn about a method to keep your faith journey vibrant within a supportive Christian community.
Religious sister brings Christ’s compassion to others
Sister Rose Maura Okongwu said she bases her life on Jesus as she celebrates 25 years of ministry in the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of Christ.
Read the full story and view the whole list of jubilarians in The Catholic Spirit.
Read the full story and view the whole list of jubilarians in The Catholic Spirit.
Why I am Catholic – Mandy Meuer
My story begins like many Catholics — I was baptized as an infant and grew up in the Church. I am blessed to be part of a loving family with parents who lived lives in the Holy Spirit and taught me how to have a relationship with Jesus.
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"The great troubadour of the Body and Blood of Christ, St. Thomas Aquinas, showed his awareness of the content of Eucharistic remembrance in his great hymn 'Adoro Te Devote':
O thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom he died,
Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,
There be thou the sweetness man was meant to find.
As we can see in these moving words, St. Thomas understood the paradox that the bread reminding us of Christ’s death is nevertheless a 'Living Bread.' He recognized that Jesus’s act of giving his life in the Upper Room already encompassed the Resurrection."
O thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom he died,
Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,
There be thou the sweetness man was meant to find.
As we can see in these moving words, St. Thomas understood the paradox that the bread reminding us of Christ’s death is nevertheless a 'Living Bread.' He recognized that Jesus’s act of giving his life in the Upper Room already encompassed the Resurrection."
Sent forth by the Holy Spirit to make Jesus known and loved.
777 Forest Street, Saint Paul, MN 55106 | 651-291-4400 | hello@archspm.org
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July 15, 2024