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Month: June 2021

Wednesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Posted by | Jun 23, 2021 | , |

In today’s Gospel reading Jesus warns and speaks to us of false prophets.  He tell us of the imminent coming of false prophets.  But how do we know who are false prophets?  Jesus tells us these people appear to be righteous people, holy and good,  “they come to you in sheep’s clothing but inside they […]

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Spiderman at papal audience? (CNA)

Posted by | Jun 23, 2021 | |

An Italian man in a full Spiderman costume attended the papal audience on June 23 and was greeted personally by Pope Francis. Mattia Villardita is a familiar figure in Italian hospitals; he dresses as Spiderman and visits young patients.

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In 25th year of priesthood, Father Underdahl ministers in gratitude after stroke

Posted by | Jun 23, 2021 | , , |

Father Mark Underdahl said he believes that his vocation to the priesthood was borne out of his experience at his home parish, St. Gabriel the Archangel in Hopkins, and the example of his pastors as he grew up. “But in many regards, it was through the love and support of our family and friends,” he said. “And that certainly continues today.”

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At 50 years of priesthood, Father Sieg values listening, learning

Posted by | Jun 23, 2021 | , , |

Father Thomas Sieg, 75, grew up in south Minneapolis and was one of seven men ordained in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1971. Yet he and Father Jerry Keiser were the only ones ordained on May 22. That year, he said, the preference was for ordinations to take place in parishes instead of the traditional location, the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.

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Congratulations, jubilarians!

Posted by | Jun 23, 2021 | , , |

The Catholic Spirit is honored to celebrate the priests who are marking 10, 25, 50 and 60 years of priestly ministry this year. In addition to the jubilarians featured on page 16, the following men are observing these significant anniversaries of their ordination to the priesthood. Congratulations to all of the archdiocesan priests — including those not listed below — celebrating milestone anniversaries this year.

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#10159 Open Forum – Tim Staples

Posted by | Jun 23, 2021 | |

Questions Covered:

02:00 – I’m Catholic and I’m concerned about the religious indifferentism that is taking over and even seeping into the Catholic Church itself. 
08:21 – you have any advice on scrupulosity?  
17:00 – 18 yr old son …

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Catholic teen works toward Gold Award by serving single mothers 

Posted by | Jun 23, 2021 | , |

Donation drive for Mary’s Homes of Hope / Ciara Leal

Denver Newsroom, Jun 22, 2021 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

A Catholic teen in Colorado is hoping to earn the Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn, by serving at a Catholic home for single mothers. 

Since 2019, Ciara Marie Leal has organized countless donation drives for Mary’s Homes of Hope, a Catholic ministry to women who have experienced homelessness, based in a Denver suburb. She also helped design a website for the organization. 

Statistics show that in Colorado, nearly 6% of households with children under the age of 18 are led by a single mother. 

However, Leal’s inspiration for her project was more personal. Her own sister is raising two children as a single mother. 

“I was close with her when I was younger, but once I got older we kind of drifted apart,” Leal said of her sister. “In 2019, she started coming back into my life, and I noticed the struggles that she’s had as a single mother, who doesn’t have any support or resources.”

Years earlier, Leal had done similar work with Catholic Charities of Denver’s Marisol Homes and Gabriel House – ministries for single mothers and young families – to earn her Bronze Award with the Girl Scouts of America. 

She learned about Mary’s Homes of Hope through Lynn Reid, OFS, who previously worked at Marisol Homes and Gabriel House.

Leal held several interviews with Reid, and began organizing donation drives in late 2019 and early 2020. Leal had to suspend her donation drives when the coronavirus pandemic started, but she wanted to find a way to continue spreading the word about Mary’s Homes of Hope’s mission.

“That’s when I started thinking of the idea of a website, because I needed the message of Mary’s Homes of Hope to basically get out there, to the media and to the world,” Leal said. 

Leal said the project has revitalized her Catholic faith. She held her donation drives at her parish, and spoke with countless parishioners about Mary’s Homes of Hope. 

“Once I reached high school, I kind of drifted away from my faith and I really needed a stepping stone to bring me back into my faith,” Leal said. “That’s where my Gold Award plays in, in that it brought me back into my faith, to serve God and help his children in need.”

She has also grown closer to her sister through the project. 

“Once she realized that I was doing this as my Gold Award, she was so happy because she doesn’t want other single mothers and women to face what she has faced in the past,” Leal said of her sister. 

Leal will deliver her final presentation for the Gold Award in mid-July. She is now a lifetime member of the Girl Scouts, and will no longer be eligible for further awards or badges. She said she is grateful for the 13 years she spent in Girl Scouts. 

“It definitely has shaped how I see the world,” she said. “It’s taught me goal setting, math and money management, business, ethics, people skills and other  basic life needs that I need to work on throughout my development and growth.” 

“It has given me so many opportunities that I’m very grateful for.” 

To donate to Leal’s drive for Mary’s Homes of Hope, visit https://www.maryshomesofhope.com/ and click the donation tab. 

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#10158 Open Forum – Tim Staples

Posted by | Jun 22, 2021 | |

Questions Covered: 

04:15 – I was raised Catholic but I was married in an Episcopalian church. I am wondering about the validity of my marriage. 
06:16 – In the catechism there are smaller “non heaven or hell issues” that I disagree with. …

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