Dear Parishioners,
Our deepest sympathy to the extended families of Morris Timm and Kathleen Schilling. May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.
Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all. Due to the festivities, I am writing these notes before the feast, but all the same, I am sure that my mother will have prepared plenty. In anticipation of her birthday which was this last week, I visited her in Willmar 'on the way home' from the Mass for Marriage in Olivia last sunday afternoon. She, very worried about not having enough turkey, proceeded to tell me that she had procured a 22 pound bird for my sisters, brother-in-law, 4 nieces and nephews, herself and me. She reminded me that she likes left overs, and she certainly should love this turkey!
This weekend is the last weekend of the Liturgical year. We celebrate the feast of Christ the King, and as we do so, call to mind that He will return and subject all of creation to Himself, and in turn submit all to the Father. He is our King and our Savior. As we prepare for the final days, we are reminded that it is in Him alone that we place our trust. God alone is worthy of our praise. Long live Christ the King!
In Christ,
Fr. Todd
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Pastor's Notes for November 18
Dear Parishioners,
Our sympathy to Wesley Sik and family on the death of his father, and to the Marcillinus Hammerschmidt family. May they rest in peace.
We celebrate Thanksgiving this week. While a 'secular' holiday, its beginnings and traditions are firmly based in the Christian faith. As we face a more secular society, it is important for us to maintain that this day is more than turkey and dressing, football and parades, and certainly more than a day of preparation for a maul trip (oops, I mean Mall) for black Friday. It is a day to thank God for what we have, for the gift of our lives, our faith, our families and friends. Without a reference to God, this day means nothing - after all, who are we thanking? I am often tempted to use the parable of the rich man who has a great harvest and brags to himself that he has done so well for himself - this seems to be the secularist idea of Thanksgiving.
On Friday and Saturday morning of this week, Margaret McHugh and I will be offering a retreat on the Discernment of Spirits from St. Ignatius of Loyola. Anyone is invited, contact me if you are interested. I am looking forward to these few hours for myself, even though I am offer the retreat, to pray and rest myself.
In Christ,
Fr. Todd
Our sympathy to Wesley Sik and family on the death of his father, and to the Marcillinus Hammerschmidt family. May they rest in peace.
We celebrate Thanksgiving this week. While a 'secular' holiday, its beginnings and traditions are firmly based in the Christian faith. As we face a more secular society, it is important for us to maintain that this day is more than turkey and dressing, football and parades, and certainly more than a day of preparation for a maul trip (oops, I mean Mall) for black Friday. It is a day to thank God for what we have, for the gift of our lives, our faith, our families and friends. Without a reference to God, this day means nothing - after all, who are we thanking? I am often tempted to use the parable of the rich man who has a great harvest and brags to himself that he has done so well for himself - this seems to be the secularist idea of Thanksgiving.
On Friday and Saturday morning of this week, Margaret McHugh and I will be offering a retreat on the Discernment of Spirits from St. Ignatius of Loyola. Anyone is invited, contact me if you are interested. I am looking forward to these few hours for myself, even though I am offer the retreat, to pray and rest myself.
In Christ,
Fr. Todd
Monday, November 12, 2012
Some thoughts on the five stages of religious persecution. | Archdiocese of Washington
Some thoughts on the five stages of religious persecution. Monsignor Charles Pope of Washington, DC, lists the five stages of persecution, and helps identity where we as Catholics are on this stage. Interesting read.
Here then are the Five stages:
I. Stereotyping the targeted group
II. Vilifying the targeted Group for alleged crimes or misconduct
III. Marginalizing the targeted group’s role in society
IV. Criminalizing the targeted group or its works
V. Persecuting the targeted group outright
Here then are the Five stages:
I. Stereotyping the targeted group
II. Vilifying the targeted Group for alleged crimes or misconduct
III. Marginalizing the targeted group’s role in society
IV. Criminalizing the targeted group or its works
V. Persecuting the targeted group outright
Sunday, November 11, 2012
‘Gay marriage’ adopted: Now come the lawsuits
‘Gay marriage’ adopted: Now come the lawsuits
An article that lays out the potential for the Church and state if Marriage is redefined...
An article that lays out the potential for the Church and state if Marriage is redefined...
Pastor's Notes for November 11
Dear Parishioners,
The Ballot amendment on the definition of marriage certainly did not go the way I expected. I am more than disappointed, but at the same time, I am sure that our attempts to define marriage had some effect. It will not be long, most likely, that either the courts or the legislature overturn the law currently forbidding same-sex couples from seeking a license to marry, but with the our State's Diocesan strong statements on marriage, it will not be a surprise that we continue to proclaim the truth. As I prayed on it, I was reminded the 'legal' does not always mean 'right', as in the case of abortion as well. So, we will not back down but continue to declare the Marriage is the union of one man and one woman, for the good of children and the spouses. Thank you to all who helped the cause, and will continue to help.
Certainly, too, the other elections may be a disappointment. We will continue to have to stand against the mandate which will force religious organizations to pay for contraception and abortion. We must seek the protection of life from conception through death, a way to reform medical insurance that does not compromise one's conscience, ways to create jobs, and to care for the most vulnerable among us. No matter who is president, senator, or house member, no matter level, it is up to us as the people to ask our representatives to fight for the common good, not just the lowest common denominator of human desire. That common good is based on truth, and our faith helps us discern the truth.
Just a reminder that we will be watching the movie Courageous Sunday, November 11, at 6:30 pm. It is about 130 minutes long - so plan accordingly!
In Christ,
Fr. Todd
The Ballot amendment on the definition of marriage certainly did not go the way I expected. I am more than disappointed, but at the same time, I am sure that our attempts to define marriage had some effect. It will not be long, most likely, that either the courts or the legislature overturn the law currently forbidding same-sex couples from seeking a license to marry, but with the our State's Diocesan strong statements on marriage, it will not be a surprise that we continue to proclaim the truth. As I prayed on it, I was reminded the 'legal' does not always mean 'right', as in the case of abortion as well. So, we will not back down but continue to declare the Marriage is the union of one man and one woman, for the good of children and the spouses. Thank you to all who helped the cause, and will continue to help.
Certainly, too, the other elections may be a disappointment. We will continue to have to stand against the mandate which will force religious organizations to pay for contraception and abortion. We must seek the protection of life from conception through death, a way to reform medical insurance that does not compromise one's conscience, ways to create jobs, and to care for the most vulnerable among us. No matter who is president, senator, or house member, no matter level, it is up to us as the people to ask our representatives to fight for the common good, not just the lowest common denominator of human desire. That common good is based on truth, and our faith helps us discern the truth.
Just a reminder that we will be watching the movie Courageous Sunday, November 11, at 6:30 pm. It is about 130 minutes long - so plan accordingly!
In Christ,
Fr. Todd
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Things to do to protect marriage
• Pray!
• Ask the intercession of the married Saints: the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, Sts. Anne and Joachim, Sts. Isadore and Maria, Blessed Louis Martin and Zélie-Marie Guérin (Parents of St. Therese of Lisieux), in addition to the other saints who were married (a longer list)
• Strengthen marriages already existing, and work to strengthen marriages in preparation.
• Study the Theology of the Body of Blessed John Paul II
• Proclaim the truth of marriage by holy lives/holy families.
• Remind people that our opposition of 'gay' marriage is not against homosexuals, but saying 'yes' to marriage as it has been understood for millennia.
• Highlight holy families.
• Sadly, prepare for persecution and prosecution.
• Ask the intercession of the married Saints: the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph, Sts. Anne and Joachim, Sts. Isadore and Maria, Blessed Louis Martin and Zélie-Marie Guérin (Parents of St. Therese of Lisieux), in addition to the other saints who were married (a longer list)
• Strengthen marriages already existing, and work to strengthen marriages in preparation.
• Study the Theology of the Body of Blessed John Paul II
• Proclaim the truth of marriage by holy lives/holy families.
• Remind people that our opposition of 'gay' marriage is not against homosexuals, but saying 'yes' to marriage as it has been understood for millennia.
• Highlight holy families.
• Sadly, prepare for persecution and prosecution.
Spiritual Discernment Retreat
Fr. Todd Petersen and Margaret McHugh are offering a retreat on Spiritual Discernment for lay people, looking at St. Ignatius of Loyola's great contribution to the Church - the Rules of Discernment. It will be half at the Retreat center of Schoenstatt on the Lake, Sleepy Eye, November 23 through November 25th, with daily Masses, meals, and overnight accommodations. To reserve your place, contact Margaret (507 359-2966 or mmchugh@dnu.org) or Fr. Todd (frtodd@me.com) by Tuesday, November 20.
A letter from the chairman of Minnesota for Marriage
Dear Marriage Supporter,
We ran a strong campaign to defend Marriage in Minnesota, but unfortunately we came up short against the powerful tide of resources, as well as media, political, and Hollywood support, that same-sex marriage activists enjoy nationwide.
Early this morning, we conceded defeat on the Marriage Amendment. Through much of the evening, it appeared that the results were following our model and gave the appearance we were on track to win in the end. Some time later, the results from several unreported precincts from Minneapolis came in. Even though there were still a number of precincts that hadn't reported in parts of the state where we did well, the total votes there were not enough to overcome the deficit in the metro.
Despite the disappointing outcome of this election, we have no regrets in making the effort to defend Marriage in Minnesota. We rejoice today that marriage is still marriage. We know that God has defined marriage as between one man and one woman, regardless of the efforts of some to overthrow His design.
We give thanks to God for His creation of marriage, and we must commit ourselves to work and pray that attempts already in the works to redefine marriage in our courts and legislature will not succeed. Marriage as the union of one man and one woman has served Minnesota well. We will remain vigilant to this true and just cause and will fight any attempt in the courts or in the legislature to redefine marriage in our state.
We also want to give a special thanks to YOU, our supporters and volunteers, who have generously donated your time and resources in this effort to protect marriage. Remember that none of your efforts were in vain—rather, the work of this campaign has helped create the foundation for the even greater work of restoring a vibrant culture of marriage in our state.
This election is not an end but a beginning. The groups that have come together in an effort to protect the definition of marriage look forward to getting on with the work of restoring the culture of marriage in Minnesota. We hope you will continue to join us.
It's been an incredibly close and hard-fought race, and it is clear that we have a lot of work to do to restore the kind of vibrant marriage culture we want to leave for our children and grandchildren.
May God bless you.
Sincerely,
John Helmberger, Chairman
Minnesota for Marriage
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Pastor's Notes for November 4
Dear Parishioners,
This weekend, we formally begin the Diocesan Ministries Appeal again. We have specified all funds over our goals to go toward ongoing improvements. Your generous support is appreciated.
That being said I want to take a chance to thank you for your generous support of our parishes. I am especially grateful that so many take advantage of donating grain to the parishes, Capital Campaign, or DMA. I am aware that because you give it directly, you do not claim it as income, and the tax benefits come in that form versus a receipt from the parish. There are other means of supporting our parishes, and Wayne Pelzel at the Pastoral Center (507 359-2966) is willing to help you make any arrangements of transfer of property, stocks, bonds, or annuities. He has also mentioned ways that you can 'give' your land to the Church but assure that it stays in the family.
Last, of course Tuesday is Election Day. Please remember to vote consistent with our faith. Our selection will set the course of our country for much more than the next 4 years. Most important areas of concern for us as Catholics: The protection of life from conception to natural death and against funding or support of abortion, euthanasia, or research destructive to human embryos (aka embryonic stem cell or cloning research), the protection of religious freedom, the protection of the traditional definition of marriage. But I also remind all of us that our civic responsibility does not end at the polls, nor does it end no matter who wins the elections.
In Christ,
Fr. Todd
This weekend, we formally begin the Diocesan Ministries Appeal again. We have specified all funds over our goals to go toward ongoing improvements. Your generous support is appreciated.
That being said I want to take a chance to thank you for your generous support of our parishes. I am especially grateful that so many take advantage of donating grain to the parishes, Capital Campaign, or DMA. I am aware that because you give it directly, you do not claim it as income, and the tax benefits come in that form versus a receipt from the parish. There are other means of supporting our parishes, and Wayne Pelzel at the Pastoral Center (507 359-2966) is willing to help you make any arrangements of transfer of property, stocks, bonds, or annuities. He has also mentioned ways that you can 'give' your land to the Church but assure that it stays in the family.
Last, of course Tuesday is Election Day. Please remember to vote consistent with our faith. Our selection will set the course of our country for much more than the next 4 years. Most important areas of concern for us as Catholics: The protection of life from conception to natural death and against funding or support of abortion, euthanasia, or research destructive to human embryos (aka embryonic stem cell or cloning research), the protection of religious freedom, the protection of the traditional definition of marriage. But I also remind all of us that our civic responsibility does not end at the polls, nor does it end no matter who wins the elections.
In Christ,
Fr. Todd
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