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October 4, 2023Believe in the Good News
As we celebrate this autumn season of harvesting, I am once again mindful of gatherings in October that feature a smorgasbord. The Swedish tradition of smorgasbord is a buffet of plenty with many small dishes. My article this month is going to be a smorgasbord of plenty, featuring a number of delectable delights.
Priest Conference
All of the priests of our diocese will gather for our annual Priest Conference this month. It will be a time of learning, prayer, socializing, and hopefully a lot of joyful laughing. Please pray for all of our priests and for their well-being of mind, body, spirit, and soul.
Father Joseph Taphorn, rector of St. Paul Seminary, will help us as priests to better understand how we can discern the will of the Holy Spirit, not only in our personal life but as a community. In other words, how do we discern the call of the Holy Spirit in our families, parishes, mission fields, and the communities where we live?
Kristin Bird, executive director of Burning Hearts Disciples Ministry, will be with the priests to explore the leadership skills that are necessary to change a culture. In my Pastoral Letter, “The Dawn from on High Shall Break Upon Us: Healing, Hope and Joy in Jesus,” I talk about a necessary change of culture at this time in our diocese. Her presentations will address how do we as leaders work our way through the resistance and conflict that goes hand-in-hand with a change of culture.
Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
There is no doubt about it, St. Francis of Assisi is one of the most popular saints among Catholics and non-Catholics. I pray to Francis every day to help us in the Diocese of Duluth to rebuild our church and draw all to the healing, hope and joy of Jesus. Additionally, as Pope Francis releases the second part of his encyclical, Laudato Si' (translated “Praise be to you”) during this month, he continues to remind us that human life is grounded in three fundamental intertwined relationships: with God, our neighbor, and our planet home — very much in the tradition of St. Francis. We will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis on Oct. 4.
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
The Feast of our Lady of the Rosary, our diocesan patroness, is celebrated on Oct. 7. This feast day was established a feast of thanksgiving as the Christians encountered the Ottoman navy at the Battle of Lepanto, and it was believed that it was through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin that the naval battle had been won. Originally it was called the Feast of our Lady of Victory, but Pope Gregory XIII, in 1573, changed it to the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. This feast day is special to us in that Our Lady of the Rosary is the patroness saint of the Diocese of Duluth.
Respect Life and Rosary Month
Traditionally, in the month of October, we renew our commitment to embrace the value and dignity of all life from the womb to our natural death. The praying of the rosary speaks so deeply into our respect for life, as we praise Mary as a mother and as we embrace the fruit of her womb, Jesus Christ, the Lord of life! In our post Roe v. Wade world, this connection between respecting life and praying the rosary becomes even more urgent. We also pray for those participating in Forty Days for Life as a witness to putting into practice that which they believe in faith, hope, and love. May Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, lead us in undoing all of the knots that prevent us from celebrating the gift of life, from the day that we are conceived until the day that we die a natural death.
As we have reached the end of our smorgasbord, we simply pray our after-meal prayer: “We give you thanks, almighty God, for all your benefits, who lives and reigns forever and ever. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen”
Bishop Daniel Felton is the tenth bishop of Duluth.
