November 2020
MONTHLY DIOCESAN NEWSLETTER
LINKS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Calendar
Notes from Diocesan Offices

CALENDAR AT A GLANCE
Please feel free to put the Sunday TV Mass
in your parish bulletins at www.stcdio.org/tvmass.



November 1 All Saints Day – (Sunday) – Parishes may want to consider displaying any relics, which may be processed in during Mass. You may also consider creating a display of icons of saints on this day and/or throughout the month of November.

November 1 – 7 ♦ National Vocation Awareness Week
Please consider doing one of the following:
  • Saying the vocation prayer at the conclusion of the petitions.
  • Preaching on vocations.
  • Offering your vocation story. People love to hear them!

November 2Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day)

November 5 Admission to Candidacy and Institution of Readers and Acolytes – The celebration of the Mass will be held at the Cathedral of St. Mary at 7:00 p.m.

November 7-8 or November 14-15  ♦ Mass for Honoring Veterans  Please remember our veterans, those currently serving in the military and their families on this weekend. For the blessing during the concluding rite, visit http://omf.stcdio.org/from-the-director/clergy-resources/recognition-of-veterans-during-mass/.

November 11 “As I Have Loved You,” a webinar featuring Amie Schumacher from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. via Zoom. Amie serves as a NACC Board-Certified Chaplain at St. Gabriel’s Hospital in Little Falls, MN. This webinar, offered by the Diocese of Saint Cloud, is the second in a three-part series focused on our 2020-21 diocesan theme, “One Body: Gathered. Nourished. Sent.” The final webinar in December will focus on a third part of the Eucharistic theme. Everyone is invited to attend.

For more information about the webinar with Amie Schumacher or to register, visit http://stcdio.org/one-body-webinar-2/.

For more information or to register for the third webinar, set for Dec. 3, visit http://stcdio.org/one-body-web-webinar-3.

You can watch a recording of the first webinar with Father Paul Turner on "Beloved Obligation: Participation in Sunday Mass" at: https://youtu.be/aUv_s411l5I.

November 23 ♦ Deceased Clergy Mass – The celebration of the Mass will be held at the Cathedral of St. Mary at 12:05 p.m.


Advent Resource Strong Catholic Family Faith, sponsored by the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, has many links to resources for the Advent season for families, schools, and parishes at:  
http://www.catholicfamilyfaith.org/for-families.html. This website is also full of resources on the Catholic faith, the Liturgical Year, Sacraments, parent resources and more. 


NOTES FROM THE CHANCERY
Office of the Chancellor ♦ Jane Marrin ♦ (320) 251-2340

I received word on October 15 that the online updating for the Official Catholic Directory, 2021 Edition has finally begun. Please check your emails to make certain you have received this notice from the OCD. The deadline for submission is November 13, 2020. I wish you well as you work on this important document. Blessings, Jane.


Pew sanitization procedure from Ratigan – Schottler Manufacturing (PDF) a pew manufacturer.
NOTES FROM THE DIOCESAN OFFICES
David Fremo ♦ (320) 251-0111
 
Catholic School News – CEM is consulting weekly with public health and educational authorities to support the ongoing needs of Catholic schools. We are grateful to Catholic school families for their support of the health and safety protocols in place that allow students to keep learning and growing in their school communities. We ask for continued diligence with social distancing, wearing face coverings, staying home with symptoms or illness, and communicating needs and concerns with your school principal.  
 
Directors of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry are invited to attend networking gatherings with Catholic Education Ministries. Meetings will be held virtually on Tuesday, November 10 from 11:00 a.m. - Noon, and Monday, November 23 from 11:00 a.m. - Noon. A Zoom link and information will be sent via email and is available on the St. Cloud Diocese Events Calendar found at http://stcdio.org/events/.
 
Confirmation Retreats  Diocesan Confirmation retreats are being planned. If you are interested in being a part of the team, please reach out the Kent Schmitz at kschmitz@gw.stcdio.org.
 
Becoming Eucharist – Mealtime Table Talk for Families, the newest resource from Catholic Education Ministries, offers family reflection questions based on the Lectionary readings for each Sunday of the month. The monthly printable and downloadable page is available at http://familytogether.stcdio.org. This is a great resource for families to use and form their faith lives together.
 

Joe Towalski ♦ (320) 258-7624

Bishop’s Annual Appeal Update – As of October 19, the Bishop’s Annual Appeal for 2020 raised total cash and pledges of $1,198,679 toward our goal of $1,300,000 (92.21%). This was made possible through the donations of 8,428 people throughout the 16 counties of our diocese. If you would like to know how your parish is progressing toward its goal, please contact Anna Kampa at akampa@gw.stcdio.org or (320) 258-7654.
 
Parish Census Information Thank you to all the parishes that have sent their census information to the Office of Stewardship and Development. So far, we have received information from 56 of the 131 parishes. If your parish has not yet sent in your information, please do so now. Information can be emailed to Anna Kampa at akampa@gw.stcdio.org or mailed to Diocese of St. Cloud, PO Box 1538, St. Cloud, MN 56302.
 
Stewardship Surveys for Pastors – Thank you to pastors who have completed the stewardship survey distributed by the Office of Stewardship and Development. Pastors who have yet to complete the stewardship survey are invited to access the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QKCQRVT. Pastors who have taken the survey took an average of seven minutes to complete it, so we hope you will take the survey to help the Stewardship Advisory Council learn more about the current environment and the needs of the ACCs and parishes. If you have any questions about the survey or the Advisory Council, you may contact Anna Kampa at akampa@gw.stcdio.org or (320) 258-7654.


Patrick Flynn ♦ (320) 252-4721

Natural Family Planning Classes for November
A First Instruction in the Billings Ovulation Method will be offered in:
  • Little Falls: Tuesday, November 3 & December 1 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Long Prairie: Monday, November 23 & December 28 at 7:00 p.m. 
  • Rice: Monday, November 2 & December 7 at 6:30 p.m.
  • Sauk Centre: Monday, November 16 & December 21 at 6:30 p.m.
  • St. Cloud: Monday, November 16 & Thursday, December 17 at 6:30 p.m.
  • St. Michael: Tuesday, November 3 & December 1 at 6:00 p.m.
  • Wadena: Friday, November 27 & December 18 at 5:30 p.m.

For additional sites, information/register, visit www.stcdio.org/omf/nfp or contact Sheila Reineke at sreineke@gw.stcdio.org or (320) 252-4721 ext. 308.
 
November 14 – Spanish Speaking Marriage Course This event will be held on Saturday in St. Cloud at the Pastoral Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Couples should register at least two weeks before the course (October 30) and include the $110 registration fee per couple. For more information, contact the Office of Marriage & Family at (320) 252-4721 or click http://omf.stcdio.org/marriage-ministries/marriage-preparation/.
 
December 5 – Engaged Couples Retreat This event will be held on Saturday with the location TBD from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. See our website for more details http://omf.stcdio.org/marriage-ministries/marriage-preparation/.
 
January 9 – Engaged Couples Retreat This event will be held on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with the location TBD. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. See our website for more details http://omf.stcdio.org/marriage-ministries/marriage-preparation/.

January 29-30 – Engaged Couples Retreat in Perham, MN See our website for more details http://omf.stcdio.org/marriage-ministries/marriage-preparation/marriage-courses-outside-of-st-cloud/.
 
January 30 – Sponsor Couple Training – This event will be held at the Pastoral Center in St. Cloud from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration for couples (names, address, phone number, parish and email address) should be made at least two weeks (January 15) before training. Call Janet at (320) 258-7616 or email jdusek@gw.stcdio.org to register. The parish will be billed $110 per couple for the cost of training (which includes Fully Engaged supplies.)



Elizabeth Neville ♦ (320) 251-1100

Thank you to all who promoted and participated in all of the mission activities and collections during the month of October, World Mission Rosary day (October 2) and World Mission Sunday (October 18). We appreciate your investment in recognizing your call as missionary disciples!

Thank you to all who are completing the scheduling of your missionary appeals in your parish/es this year. We know and understand this has been a challenging time but you have made wonderful adjustments in how these appeals are administered to your community/ies whether in person or virtually. Sharing the ministry of mission throughout the world brings life, hope and energy for the Church in light of all the challenges the world is facing.

We have just ordered new, unique and beautiful fair trade food and gifts for the Holiday Season. Please stop in and see what we have to complete your gift or shopping list!


Linda Kaiser ♦ (320) 251-2340
 
Thank you to all the site administrators who are looking over the database. Each parish and school should have received a list of persons on the database. Every site administrator was asked to go over the list and look at the USCCB role and make sure the list is accurate with folks who are currently employed or volunteering and all training is up to date. I really appreciate all the help. The hope of this office is to be able to have accurate numbers for the next USCCB audit in August 2021.
 
Please be sure to enter any student training on the CMG Connect platform. If you need any help, just contact me at lkaiser@gw.stcdio.org and I am happy to help.


Kateri Mancini ♦ (320) 229-6020
 
Please share the below information in parish bulletins and announcements:
Catholic Charities’ Rural Life Initiative is taking on a new, virtual form this year. People throughout the diocese are invited to join us for monthly virtual sessions, Conversations of Hope: Sharing Community Concerns and Resources. Participants will pray and share together in a community conversation around pressing needs facing our communities; community leaders will also be part of the conversation to answer questions and share ideas for how to address these community concerns. Join us the second Thursday of every month at Noon, beginning November 12. The November 12 session will focus on Food Insecurity. To join in this or any upcoming Conversation of Hope, email social concerns at kmancini@ccstcloud.org or register online at: https://www.ccstcloud.org/services/social-concerns.
 
November 15 – World Day of the Poor World Day of the Poor 2020 will take place on Sunday, November 15 (33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time). This day has been observed since 2017, and year after year it is a reminder and an opportunity for us as Catholics to remain in touch with the realities of poverty, and to acknowledge that, as Pope Francis reminds us, “Poverty is at the very heart of the Gospel”. The theme the Holy Father has chosen for this 4th World Day of the Poor is “Stretch forth your hand to the poor” (Sir 7:32). In the midst of a global pandemic, the importance of this message cannot be overlooked. Thus, we invite you to pray with us on this day in your parishes and communities.
 
Please share information from above, or from the Vatican website’s page on World Day of the Poor in your parish bulletins, announcements and social media. You can find Pope Francis’ message for 4th World Day of the Poor and additional related resources here: http://www.pcpne.va/content/pcpne/en/attivita/gmdp/2020.html.
 
Resource for Youth Experiencing Homelessness – Housing insecurity continues to be a problem across rural and urban areas alike, and sadly the number of youth experiencing homelessness has been rising; it was estimated that 3.6% of central Minnesota school districts' enrollment last school year were homeless youth. If you are aware of youth in your parishes or communities who may be struggling with housing, especially as our Minnesota weather turns colder these coming months, be sure you know about services that can help them, such as county social services, Catholic Charities SHY/SAIL programs and Pathways4Youth. Pathways4Youth invites you to post this flyer at https://mcusercontent.com/8e0611452ce52822388976e78/files/4edfc509-c081-4813-aa8f-ff3e080deb25/Open_for_YOUth_Flyer.pdf in your parish restrooms or bulletin boards for youth to take information if they are in need of help unbeknownst to those who could help them.


Fr. Virgil Helmin ♦ (320) 251-6557

ANNULMENT PROCEDURE
 
The Tribunal of the Diocese of St. Cloud has established a policy that the annulment process will not be started until six months after issuance of the final divorce decree.
 
No wedding date must be set until an affirmative decision has been rendered.
 
The annulment process requires the following:

A) The petitioner contacts his/her parish priest or a Tribunal staff member in order to petition and begin the annulment procedure.

1. The petitioner needs to present the following documents at the time of the application:
 
a) Baptismal certificate and/or Profession of Faith of self and of former spouse.
b) Certificate of marriage and/or Validation and/or Dispensation
c) Divorce decree (Final Judgment).
d) Current address of former spouse.
 
2. The petitioner has a recorded preliminary interview (conducted by a parish
priest, deacon, parish minister or a Tribunal Staff Member) -OR- writes a
narrative that covers in depth the following factual information about the
petitioner and his/her former spouse:
 
a) Description of childhood and home life of self and former spouse. Alcoholism
or chemical addiction in family background?
b) Description of dating process and maturity of self and former spouse.
c) Description of how the decision to marry was reached.
 d) Description of ability to communicate and resolve conflicts.
 e) Description of problems that developed in the marriage and when they
began.
 f)  Description of attempted solutions to the problems.
 g) Description of performance of roles of husband/wife, father/mother.
 h) Description of how the decision to divorce was reached.
 
B) When there are ground(s) for a declaration of nullity, the Tribunal will contact both, the petitioner and the respondent.
 
C) Prior to the formal hearing, the petitioner must complete and return the witness list. Witnesses include 2-3 adult people who knew them prior to and during their marriage and can give us information about the marriage. At the time of the formal hearing, the petitioner must bring these witnesses in with them. A witness can be a brother, sister, parent, friend, co-worker, neighbor or a member of the wedding party. Witnesses should not all be relatives. We do not interview children of the marriage. At the formal hearing the petitioner and the witnesses will be questioned privately. 
 
D) If the petition comes to formal hearing the following will occur:
 
  1. All testimony is gathered and sent to the Court Members.
  2. The defender of the bond presents its brief to the Judge.
  3. Judge(s) renders a decision. Petitioner and respondent are notified.
  4. Both the petitioner and the respondent have the right to appeal the decision of the Court of First Instance. Also, both are notified of the decision and given 15 working days to review that decision and/or to appeal the decision.
  5. If the decision is not appealed by either person, the defender of the bond signs off on the waiver. Once that is returned to the Tribunal office the process is complete and the petitioner and the respondent are notified along with the parish of baptism and parish of marriage.
  6. A vetitum (prohibition) may be attached to the decision, requiring that either or both spouses must attend professional counseling with a counselor approved by the Tribunal before being allowed to marry in the Catholic Church.
 
The average length for the Tribunal to process a petition is 12 months. If the process is appealed by either parties, the process may take longer than 18 months. No wedding date can be set until an affirmative decision has been rendered. The Court could require that the person participate in an evaluation or counseling with their intended spouse. This requirement is made so that the future marriage may be happy and fulfilling. 
 
As of July 1, 2016, the Tribunal of the Diocese of St. Cloud no longer charges a set fee for annulments. If you wish to make a donation to help defray the cost(s) of the work of the Tribunal, it would be greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to: Tribunal of the Diocese of St. Cloud. Or, you may go to: www.stcdio.org/pay to make an online donation, under “Tribunal – Annulments”. Thank you for your kind donation.


Fr. Scott Pogatchnik ♦ (320) 251-5001
 
SEMINARY VISIT – Seminary visit on Saturday, November 21. If you have young men interested in visiting a seminary, please contact Fr. Doug at (320) 533-0291. Thank you.


Aaron Carpenter ♦ (320) 255-9068

Mass for Health Care Professionals – Bishop Kettler is encouraging parishes to consider offering a Mass for Healthcare Professionals. The Office of Worship has prepared a resource guide for those wishing to hold a Mass in their community. To get the information contact the Office of Worship at (320) 255-9068.
 
2021 TV Mass Schedule Now Online – Thank you to the many people who support the ministry of the TV Mass for the Diocese of Saint Cloud. I’m sure you can imagine how important this has been over the past several months. Our viewership and requests for Living Liturgy guides has seen a substantial increase. The NEW 2021 recording schedule is now live. All priests and musicians (along with lectors) are encouraged to take a look to see how you might be able to serve. Sign up at: https://signup.com/go/tBYLXwz. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Worship.
 
Important Dates
  • All Saints – November 1, 2020 (Sunday)
  • First Sunday of Advent – November 28/29, 2020
  • Rite of Election – February 21, 2021
  • Chrism Mass – March 25, 2021
  • Confirmation of Adults – May 22, 2021


Bethany Tollefson(320) 251-2700 Ext. 54621

Faith Community Nursing (FCN) intentionally focuses on care of the spirit and integrates health and prevention to minimize illness. This sure sounds like something we need with all that is happening in our world. If you know of a nurse in your faith community that would be a good fit for this practice, please direct them to this Faith Community Nurse of Central MN website where they can learn about finding other FCNs, stories from other FCNs, as well as opportunities to begin a FCN practice. The next Foundations of Faith Community Nursing class will be held at CentraCare on the following dates:

  • November 12, 13, 19, and 20
  • Attendance can be virtual or in person depending on preference.  
  • There are scholarships available for attendance.
 
If you would like to reach out to a FCN in your faith community, visit Find a FCN.
 
Please contact Bethany at Bethany.tollefson@centracare.com or (218) 289-2380 with any questions.

   
Catholic Charities ♦ (320) 650-1641

Catholic Charities Make God's Love Visible 2020 Annual Appeal – Catholic Charities Make God's Love Visible 2020 annual appeal launched the weekend of October 17-18 across the Diocese of St. Cloud. Make God's Love Visible is our single most important funding request of the year, and your gift ensures our ability to continue helping our neighbors throughout Central Minnesota while continuing our mission of serving and enhancing human dignity for people of all faiths and beliefs. 

Today as we navigate the current pandemic, your support of Catholic Charities is needed more than ever. Our ability to help our neighbors next year depends on the success of this campaign, and 100% of all donations support Catholic Charities programs throughout Central Minnesota. Visit ccstcloud.org to pledge your gift and support the work and mission of Catholic Charities today.

Catholic Charities Senior Dining Frozen Meal Expansion Project Catholic Charities Senior Dining has adapted services amid the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to serve our most vulnerable population. With all our congregate dining sites suspended since March, the new Frozen Meal Expansion Project provides our community seniors with easy-to-prepare, healthy food options in a no-contact, drive-through format.  

These nutritious frozen meals meet one-third of the recommended daily allowance for seniors. The meals are packaged in oven-safe containers that are easy to heat and eat in both conventional and microwave ovens. Meals are available in quantities of 10 and up to 30 per calendar month. Participants must be 60 years of age and older to be eligible, and all clients must complete an annual registration form. There is no cost to participate; however, donations are accepted. The project is partially funded under a contract with the Central Minnesota Council on Aging as part of the Older Americans Act. Visit ccstcloud.org/events for a current schedule of locations.