Just a few years ago, the Star Tribune newspaper of the Twin Cities had an article on shrinking Church membership in small towns. Here are a few excerpts:  “Mainline Protestant churches have been hit the hardest. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Minnesota has lost almost 200,000 members since 2000 and about 150 churches. A third of the remaining 1,050 churches have fewer than 50 members. The United Methodist Church, the second largest Protestant denomination in Minnesota, has shuttered 65 churches since 2000. …Catholic membership statewide has held steady, but the number of churches fell from 720 in 2000 to 639 last year, according to official Catholic directories. Church attendance has been declining for decades nationally, but the pace appears to be accelerating. Since 1990, the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and United Church of Christ have lost nearly half their national members. The ELCA has lost a third. The Catholic Church still shows membership growth, but has 2,000 fewer parishes today, according to Catholic studies.”

This article came to mind just recently when we began our Faith Formation meetings again just a few weeks ago: there were two less priests at the table. Fr. Matt has moved on to Brainerd, and Fr. Joel from St. Benedict’s is now in Carlton. When I arrived here just over one year ago, there were 4 pastors where now there are 3. Though it didn’t affect us directly, clustering has reduced the need for one pastor in our East Duluth Area.  

So, while we can be grateful that in our cluster of parishes that we weren’t affected by the recent changes, we need to be acutely aware of the need to pray for our brothers and sisters who are hurting, to welcome newcomers whoever they may be, and to go out into the highways and byways to evangelize! We cannot sit on our laurels. In other words, we need to be intentional about our discipleship with the Lord, and then help others to know him too! You will hear more about this over the coming years, because our Bishop is laser focused on mission and evangelization. We can turn the tide, but it will require every one of us to be fervent disciples of Our Lord!

In Christ & Mary Immaculate, 

Fr. Tony

The Cathedral of Our Lady is offering a 5-week Grief Educational/Support Group beginning Monday, October 4, 2021 in the Cathedral Multi-Purpose Room from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The group will continue for the next 4 consecutive Mondays: October 11, 18, 25 and November 1.  

To sign up for the Grief Education/Support Group or if you have any questions regarding any of the sessions, please contact Bridget A. Leighton at 218-724-8597 or 218-348-8593.
 

In honor of the Feast Day of St. Vincent de Paul on Monday, September 27, your local St. Vincent de Paul Society Immaculate Conception Conference would like to welcome you to a Meet and Greet after the 9:15 Mass September 26 at St. Mary Star of the Sea.  We will gather in the social hall for donuts and coffee to answer questions and discuss this important ministry in our neighborhood.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society: Please continue to support us especially with your prayers. Questions, call Dcn. Jim at 218-348-6258.  We meet on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month at 6pm.  1st Thursday at SMSS; 3rd Thursday location: TBD.  Email svdpduluthmn@gmail.com or call Deacon Jim for details.

As we approach fall and winter, the last Wednesday prayers at 6 PM outside in Mary's Garden will be on Wednesday, September 29.  

40 Days for Life/Duluth Fall Campaign starts with a rally on Tuesday, September 21st. Father Tony Wroblewski will celebrate Mass at 6 PM followed by refreshments at the Women’s Care Center at 103 E. 1st St., Duluth. This will be followed by praise and worship outside the WE Health Clinic abortuary in the Building for Women at 32 E. 1st. St. at 7 PM. 

The Prayer Vigil will run 8 am to 8 pm outside the Building for Women from September 22nd through October 31st. Prayer Warriors can sign up at 40daysforlife.com/Duluth or contact Roy at 218-940-5951, Renee at 218-723-1321 or Paulette at 218-348-1345 or 40daysduluth@gmail.com . Please come to the Rally on the 21st and sign up to be a Prayer Warrior today.

The funds collected in this special appeal will become part of the Bishops Emergency Disaster Fund and will be used to support the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for pastoral and reconstruction needs of the Church as well as the efforts of Catholic Relief Services and/or Catholic Charities USA, the official relief agencies of the U.S. Catholic Church, as they and their local agencies respond to immediate emergency needs and aid in long-term rebuilding and recovery efforts. Funds will be used in response to the earthquake and Tropical Storm Grace calamities in Haiti, Hurricane Ida and any other disasters that occur and will be distributed where they are most needed. However, if such purpose(s) become unnecessary, impractical, or impossible to fill, USCCB may use such contributions for other emergency disaster relief where it is most needed as determined by the Committee on National Collections using its emergency response protocol.

We hear over the next two weeks in Mark’s Gospel that the deeds of Jesus have shown him to be the Son of God.  His disciples have acknowledged Jesus as the Christ and Jesus confides in them the outcome of his ministry: he will be rejected, must suffer and die, and will rise after three days. Peter rejects this prediction, and Jesus rebukes him severely. The image of Christ that Jesus is giving is not the image of the Messiah that Peter was expecting.

Peter had expectations about what it meant to call Jesus the Messiah, the Christ. Jesus was indeed the Messiah, but his life and death would show a different understanding of what it means to be the Messiah. We, too, have expectations of God and our own ideas about what we think God ought to be doing in our world. Like Peter, however, we may risk limiting our image of God by thinking only in human ways. 

Jesus says that anyone who wants to be his disciple must follow his example by denying oneself and taking up one’s cross. Quite understandably, Peter, like many of us, didn’t recognize this second part of Jesus’ teaching as good news.  One of the reasons we believe this to be good news is because Jesus set an example for all his disciples to follow. He loved us so much that he was willing to suffer and die for us. 

Adults and children alike can be as selective in their hearing as Peter is in today’s Gospel. We all need to work to understand that to accept Jesus’ Good News, we must also accept the way of the cross. In order to be his followers we have to accept all of it, both the cross and the glory of the Resurrection.

Jesus knew that his suffering, Death, and Resurrection were God’s plan for our salvation. He taught us that God’s plan for us is far greater than we can know or expect. God is always working for the world's salvation in ways that are beyond our imagination.  We need to trust in His plan for us.

-Sonya Morris, Director of Faith Formation K-5

The Cathedral and St. Mary Star of the Sea are in need of volunteers to assist in counting our weekly collection. We are looking for volunteers who have experience or are willing to learn a 10 key calculator, have attention to detail, and are trustworthy with confidential information. The time commitment is approximately 2 hours per one day a week during normal business hours with a rotating schedule to be established after a team of volunteers are in place. For more information or if you are interested, please contact Lauren at 218-728-3646 or lauren.mccracken@duluthcatholic.org.  

The St. Mary Star of the Sea Pork Loin Dinner originally scheduled for Sunday, September 19 has been postponed.  We will be rescheduling the date and look forward to welcoming you to Star of the Sea to enjoy a wonderful meal with us soon.  

Please do not park in front of the garage doors at St. Mary Star of the Sea.  We now have priests living in the rectory and parking in front of the garage blocks their access to their cars.  There is some street parking and the ramp off of 4th Street is free when parking for under an hour.  

Couples celebrating a marriage year milestone of 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, or more are invited to our 7th Annual Anniversary Mass & Dinner on September 25 with Bishop Felton.  The Mass will be at 5:00 pm at the Cathedral of Our Lady with dinner outside in a tent at Stella Maris- Holy Rosary Campus parking lot.  All are welcome to Mass; space for dinner is limited.  There is no charge for this event. 

For more information or to register, visit https://www.dioceseduluth.org/marriage-and-family-life or call Betsy Kneepkens 218-724-9111. Registration closes on September 21st at noon. This event is supported partially by your UCA contributions.

A weekly Bible Study will begin next Monday, September 13 from 6:30-8 PM in the Cathedral Social Hall.  The topic is Genesis to Jesus.  

This 12 session DVD-based study from the St. Paul Center focuses on the covenants God established through human mediators as He brought the plan of salvation history to fulfillment in Christ.  In addition to learning about the covenants, the class offers a broad overview of Old Testament history.  The goal is to understand that salvation history, as presented in the Old and New Testaments is our family story; a story in which we play an active part, today. 

There is no cost and no need to pre-register.  Call 218-728-3646 with questions.  

The Diocese of Duluth Office of Marriage and Family Life has restarted in-person Engaged Weekends. Engaged Weekends are part of the preparation for couples as they prepare and approach the Sacrament of Matrimony. We have a retreat weekend scheduled for October 23rd at St. Joseph parish in Grand Rapids. Please register for this weekend at Marriage, Family and Life | Diocese of Duluth (dioceseduluth.org) or call Betsy Kneepkens at 218-724-9111. Registration closes on October 14th. Although there is a charge for this event, your UCA contributions help cover the cost of the weekend.  

East Duluth Catholic Faith Formation, a collaborative effort of the parishes in East Duluth, is accepting applications for the Director of Relational and Youth Ministry for 6th – 12th grade students. This is a part-time position with flexible hours. We are looking for someone who possesses a sincere and demonstrated ability to share their Catholic faith in the dynamic environment of a larger-scale middle and high school religious education program. The director is responsible for opportunities whereby faith can be sparked and nourished through retreat experiences and other opportunities for building relationships with our young people. Please see the full job description here. If you are interested in this position, please send a cover letter, resume and references to lauren.mccracken@duluthcatholic.org.  

KofC.org/JoinUs Call Bob Spehar: 218-349-5051

The Diocese of Duluth's Pastoral Center is filling their building maintenance position. This role is casual, therefore one will be called upon as needs arise. The successful candidate will assist in maintaining and monitoring building operations, equipment, and grounds of the Diocese of Duluth. The goal is to maintain an efficient, safe, and effective environment for staff and visitors. Please contact Mary Rasch at mary.rasch@duluthcatholic.org for a job description and an application.