Days gone by

75 years ago — January 1949 

Five Boy Scouts of St. John the Evangelist parish were awarded eagle badges at a city-wide court of honor. It was the first time in the history of scouting in Duluth that five scouts of one troop attained the rank of Eagle Scout at the same court of honor. St. Mary’s School of Nursing established affiliation with Nopeming sanatorium. Student nurses would spend four weeks at Nopeming, where they received instruction and experience in the care of patients with tuberculosis. In the Christmas collection of 1948, Catholics in the diocese donated a record amount to Pope Pius XII. The funds were sent to the Holy Father for the needs and charities of the Holy See. Sister Eymard Gornick of the Order of St. Benedict died following a brief illness. Sister Eymard served 22 years in religious life. 

50 years ago — January 1974 

The Duluth Chapter of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) asked everyone to spray their Christmas wreaths black and hang them outside on Jan. 22 and the following week to protest the Supreme Court decision made a year ago that day. By spraying the wreaths black, MCCL hoped to show the public they had not forgotten and would continue their efforts to halt the killing of unborn children. 

10 years ago — January 2014 

The diocese released a list of clergy members who had been credibly accused of sexual abuse while serving or residing in the Diocese of Duluth. Bishop Paul Sirba stated, “While we have done much as a diocese and will continue to do all we can to make our churches, schools, religious education programs and youth programs the safest places for children to be, we must also reach out to those who have been injured and in an ongoing way to offer healing, most importantly offering Jesus, the innocent victim for all our sins.” Also, Holy Rosary School celebrated its 90th anniversary with events scheduled throughout the school year.