Leah Heselton

Blessed Holy Week. I hope that your Palm Sunday was as inspiring as mine. I was blessed to celebrate Mass at St. John the Baptist parish in New Brighton and found the liturgy to be very moving. It’s a parish with a great liturgical tradition. The music was well chosen and the church meaningfully decorated. The liturgy began with an impressive procession involving lots of families carrying palms and wearing red, the liturgical color of the day. It was easy to get my “steps” in before the opening prayer of the Mass even began. 

We passed the midpoint of Lent yesterday—Laetare Sunday! The name comes from the Latin entrance antiphon for the Mass, which begins, Laetare Jerusalem (“Rejoice, O Jerusalem”). It’s a little like a Lenten 7th inning stretch (even though we’re really only halfway through this penitential season).

Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

How’s your Lent? There have already been a few days when I have found myself in the midst of a Lenten desert, grumbling like the Israelites in yesterday’s first reading, longing for something to quench my thirst. On others, however, I’ve been at Jacob’s well, with both the Samaritan woman from yesterday’s Gospel and Jesus, reflecting on the “living water” that only he can offer. 

The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is grateful to announce that Pope Leo XIV has bestowed papal honors upon two individuals for their exceptional service to the Catholic Church, especially in Catholic education. This is the second consecutive year that Catholic educators of the Archdiocese have received this honor.

The first Sunday in Lent marks the annual "Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion" and I’m still on the proverbial "cloud nine."

If you watched the Super Bowl yesterday, you might have seen the commercial that is part of the “He Gets Us” series. This year, the ad addressed the excessive noise and misleading expectations of our culture—more toys, more fun, more beautiful, more pleasure, more thrills, more wealth.

Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointment in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis:

Many are surprised to learn just how richly blessed we are in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis with the presence so many consecrated women and men and the various expressions.

Catholic Schools Week is kicking off throughout our nation this week. The auxiliary bishops and I will be at schools all over the Archdiocese to celebrate with our joyful students, faculties and families.

Greetings on this Martin Luther King Day! If your offices are closed for the federal holiday, you might want to spend some time at the Vatican Unveiled exhibit at the Mall of America.

I suspect that most would agree that there’s been a heaviness in our community these days. Ever since the deadly shooting of Renee Good on Portland Avenue last Wednesday, I find myself googling “Minneapolis” every few hours to learn of the latest developments in a situation that truly tears at the heart.

Merry Christmas! Today’s the fifth day of our celebration of Christmas and I’m hoping that you’re still feeling the excitement of this holy season as we celebrate the great gift of Our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem.

Bishop Izen and I were blessed this year to attend the Christmas concert at Annunciation School.

Pope Benedict XVI once said, “Music is capable of opening minds and hearts to the dimension of the spirit and leads people to lift their gaze to the Most High, to open themselves to the absolute Good and Beauty whose ultimate source is in God.”

In this heartfelt video, our bishops remind immigrants and families in need that the Catholic Church stands beside them, offering accompaniment, compassion, and support. As we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, they invite us to let her tender love sustain our hearts in moments of difficulty and fill us with renewed hope. 

This past Saturday, Bishop Izen, Bishop Kenney and I joined Father Dennis Zehren, Deacon Kevin Conneely and many of their Annunciation parishioners and school families to celebrate a Rite of Reparation in the context of the Eucharist, making it the first Mass held in Annunciation church since the tragic loss of life that occurred there on Aug. 27. I was so proud of our priests and deacons who came out in great number to pray with us and to show their support for a community that still grieves for Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel.

Monday, Dec. 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, is a Holy Day of Obligation. 

Archbishop Bernard Hebda has announced the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

I am still on a high from being with a group of high school students from our archdiocese (and about 16,000 of their peers) at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis.