Announcements

Yesterday, the Church celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday. This feast day was instituted by St. John Paul II, drawing on the writings and visions of the Polish mystic, St. Faustina Kowalska. This feast held deep personal significance for St. John Paul II, who often preached about God’s great mercy. He was an avid student of St. Faustina’s writings and had been instrumental when in Krakow in helping the Holy See to understand Faustina’s writings in their proper context. It was considered providential that he passed on to eternal life on the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday twenty years ago, after having beatified and canonized St. Faustina. The feast today has universal significance for our Church, bringing to a conclusion the Octave of Easter.

I apologize for the late arrival of this edition of the Weekly Word. To mark the passing of Pope Francis, the Archdiocesan Offices were closed yesterday. While I was sorry to be causing this delay, I was grateful for the opportunity to have time to reflect on the life of Pope Francis and on his extraordinary witness, and to join the Church in praying that our merciful God would give rest to the soul of the one who had assigned me to this Archdiocese, nearly nine years ago. 

The Holy See announced the passing of our Holy Father, Pope Francis, on April 21. Please join in prayer for the repose of his soul.

We’re off on the liturgical roller coaster that is Holy Week. It may be tempting to think of this week as the “home stretch” of Lent, but it’s much more a time to “double down” than to “kick back.”

From Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda I was shocked to hear of the attack on Father Neil Bakker, pastor at St. John the Baptist in Jordan, inside the parish rectory early Tuesday morning. Father Bakker and I have been in contact, and I have reiterated to him the promise of my prayers and Archdiocesan staff support for him and his parish and school community now and in the coming days and weeks. We need to give thanks to our gracious God that the incident ended as peacefully as it did. I continue to be inspired by the pastoral way in which Father Bakker was able to de-escalate a frightening situation.

Its hard to believe that we’ve come to the end of March already. Where did this month go? In the 10 winters that I have spent in Minnesota, I have come to know that March is a mystery. We never know if it will go out like a lion or a lamb. From an Ash Wednesday snowstorm to nearly 70 degrees a few days later, this month of March had its fair share of both! As we continue our Lenten journey, this final day of March can remind us how two related images of our Lord– the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God – can help us gain a deeper understanding of the very nature of God and of his love.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Department of Migration and Refugee Services, in collaboration with the National Association of Evangelicals, World Relief, and the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, has released a report entitled “One Part of the Body: The Potential Impact of Deportations on American Christian Families.” This comprehensive analysis highlights the profound impact that mass deportations could have on Christian families and congregations across the United States if carried out in the way some policymakers have proposed.

As part of a year-long focus on the Mass - particularly, Jesus in the Eucharist - the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis has launched a new seven-episode Teaching Mass series, available in both English and Spanish.

Synod 2025: Be My Witnesses Assembly will take place June 7 and culminate with the annual Pentecost Vigil Mass taking place at the Cathedral of St. Paul. All are invited to pray for the Synod 2025 assembly and attend the Pentecost Vigil Mass.

Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda announced today that the Rev. George Welzbacher, a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, has been named a “Chaplain of His Holiness” by Pope Francis, through which he is given the title “Monsignor.” Born in 1928, Monsignor Welzbacher is both the oldest living priest in the Archdiocese and the cleric with the greatest number of years of ordained priestly service, stretching back to his June 2, 1951, ordination.