Announcements

I was blessed to spend the past weekend with young men from around our Archdiocese for a retreat sponsored by our Vocations Office to help them discern the Lord’s call. With the autumn beauty of Lake Buffalo on full display, the Holy Spirit had an easy job of touching hearts. I was deeply impressed by the young men’s sincerity, their generosity, and their love for the Church and her teaching.  

Along with many of you, I was watching the headlines with prayerful anticipation today while our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, was undergoing surgery for a nodule on his lung. While I had been praying that the diagnosis would not be cancer, I am grateful that his doctors were able to successfully remove the affected portion of his lung without any complications. 

The U.S. Department of War announced that the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the man convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009, would be publicly livestreamed. Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following statement sharply condemning the decision of the U.S. government.

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education, called the scholarship program a transformative opportunity for children across the country:

This month, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities is inviting the faithful into prayer, deeper reflection, and action, particularly through a focused effort to stop the spread of the abortion pill.

(Updated October 2026) In a video message with Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Auxiliary Bishop Michael Izen posted July 15, Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Kenney announced that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Visit this page for the latest updates.

This beautiful, 240-page, spiral-bound book features laminated covers and tabs, followed by content to help clergy and staff at parishes, schools and Catholic organizations easily access information needed for their ministries. The directory also serves as a convenient resource for any Catholic seeking to connect with this local church. 

Yesterday evening, I celebrated our annual Archdiocesan Solidarity Mass, which was held this year at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Each year, we come together at the Pope’s request to mark the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. This annual celebration is always one of my favorites, filled with music and readings in various languages, dance, cultural attire, and a sense of the beautiful diversity that appropriately exists within our Church (“Catholic,” after all, means “universal”). 

Congratulations to Bishop Andrew Cozzens and Professor Robert Kennedy, who today were honored at The Saint Paul Seminary as Distinguished Alumni. Bishop Cozzens graduated from the seminary in 1997 and now serves as the Bishop of Crookston. Dr. Kennedy, a professor of Catholic studies at the University of St. Thomas, was the first layman to graduate from the seminary’s master’s program. 

On Monday, September 14, I celebrated the Holy Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross at St. Gabriel’s Catholic Church in Hopkins, MN. Present were Chesterton Academy students, faculty and staff and parishioners of the parish. During the Mass, I had a private spiritual experience while praying the Eucharistic prayer over the bread and wine and I want to humbly share and clarify what I experienced all for God’s glory and praise. In doing so, I also want to correct any misinformation as the Mass recording is being shared online.   

We mark today the feast of the Triumph of the Cross. It’s always striking for me that we speak of the "triumph" or "exaltation" of the cross, knowing that our world has never seen such a tragic execution as the crucifixion of the sinless one, Jesus.

On Thursday of this week, the faithful of our archdiocese and friends from around the world will be recalling the tragic events that took place last year on Aug. 27, 2025.

I was thrilled to learn that Pope Leo XIV has given his assent to the election of Chorbishop Sharbel Maroun as Archbishop of Damascus of the Maronites in Syria by the Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal Church of Antioch of the Maronites. Chorbishop Maroun has served as pastor of St. Maron Maronite parish in Minneapolis for more than 35 years and is beloved by not only his parishioners but also by the priests and faithful of our Archdiocese.

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

On Thursday of this week, the faithful of our archdiocese and friends from around the world will be recalling the tragic events that took place last year on Aug. 27, 2025.

St. Jacek, a thirteenth century Dominican friar from Poland whose feast is celebrated today, is the heavenly patron for weightlifters (he managed to carry a heavy statue of Our Lady out of a burning Church) and those in danger of drowning (he walked across a raging river). Perhaps better known in the United States by his Latinized named—St. Hyacinth—he is also the patron saint of pierogi, those savory or sweet filled dumplings that are so common throughout Central and Eastern Europe.