More than 200 priests from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis recently gathered at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona for a presbyteral assembly, a biennial gathering for reflection, prayer and fellowship.
“It was a wonderful opportunity for priestly fraternity, a wonderful opportunity for prayer,” said Archbishop Bernard Hebda. “I can tell you that, as we gathered at the St. Thomas More Chapel on the main campus for Mass and for a holy hour, and just hearing all of those priestly voices, it was amazing.”
Archbishop Hebda described his experience on the July 2 episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show.
Representatives from the Colorado-based Spitzer Center for Visionary Leadership stimulated discussions, he said. Paul Ruff, assistant director of human formation and director of counseling services at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, and Deacon Dan Gannon, who leads the Institute for Ongoing Clergy Formation at the seminary’s School of Divinity, also participated.
Archbishop Hebda said it was inspiring that, for the most part, workshops were led by laity, and there was plenty of discussion about the contributions of laypeople, including in the lives of priests.
Much of the attendees’ time together focused on the Eucharist, Archbishop Hebda said, including daily eucharistic adoration.
“But even as we discussed priestly unity in the midst of a very diverse Church, we all spoke about how it is that we find our unity in the Eucharist,” he said, noting that it was also important for the priests to hear from laypeople about the importance of the Eucharist in their lives.
“It was just really a very powerful time together focused on the Eucharist that we know is the source of our unity,” he added.
Archbishop Hebda said that “a little bit of business” took place, too, including a presentation on the Archdiocesan 2022 Synod, as well as soliciting feedback.
“When you have 200 priests, you’re bound to get some really great feedback,” he said.
One evening, three priests with 10, 25 and 50 years of ministry described how they’ve seen the Lord’s hand in their work and changes they’ve seen during their priesthood.
And with beautiful weather, a number of priests made time for biking, walking trails or playing Frisbee golf.
Feedback from participating priests was positive, Archbishop Hebda said.
“I think they’re excited as they left St. Mary’s to go back and to serve with a new passion, maybe renewed in their spirit, but also with a desire to get to know each other better and to support each other better in ministry,” he said. “So, in my mind, it was a great success.”
At the end of the interview, “Practicing Catholic” show host Patrick Conley asked Archbishop Hebda to discuss a point raised in his “Practicing Catholic” interview the previous week, which addressed reinstating the obligation to attend Sunday Mass. Conley said he was bothered by the word “obligation” because he sees Mass as more of a celebration.
To hear the archbishop’s response, and to hear the full interview about the presbyteral assembly, listen to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. It airs at 9 p.m. July 2, 1 p.m. July 3 and 2 p.m. July 3 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Jim Ennis and Tim Streiff from Catholic Rural Life, who describe the importance of rural communities, and Jules Nolan, who discusses the impact of COVID-related restrictions on children and offers guidance to parents and teachers as they prepare to welcome students back to classrooms.
Listen to all of the interviews after they have aired at:
soundcloud.com/PracticingCatholic
tinyurl.com/PracticingCatholic?(Spotify)
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