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News in brief
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May 2, 2024
Holy Thursday
Submitted photo Katie Lisi took this photo — of the moon reflecting off of Lake Superior, resembling the shape of a host being held over a chalice — from Hawk Ridge in Duluth on Holy Thursday, the night on which the church celebrates the institution of the the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper.
RCIA
Photo courtesy of Lauren Hopke People from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth were received into full communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.
Blue Mass
Stella Maris Academy will be holding its annual Blue Mass in honor of men and women in law enforcement Wednesday, May 15, at 9:15 a.m. The Mass will be held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth. A brunch for all attending will be held in the school gym immediately following the Blessing of Vehicles.
Memorial Day Mass
Bishop Daniel Felton will celebrate a Mass for Memorial Day at 10 a.m., Monday, May 27, at Calvary Cemetery, 4820 Howard Gnesen Road, Duluth. The Mass is outside and will be held near the columbarium structures. Please bring a chair or blanket to sit on and an umbrella if needed.
Soup suppers
Submitted photo The 2024 Blessed Sacrament Parish soup suppers were very well attended. The Council of Catholic Women came together, with other volunteers of the parish, to prepare four homemade soups with homemade bread each week during Lent. Blessed Sacrament parishioners, along with the community of Hibbing, look forward to the fellowship and delicious meals each Lent. The proceeds of the soup suppers go back to the parish and are used as needed throughout the year.
Free throw contest
The Knights of Columbus Council 447 recently held its annual free throw contest. More than 100 boys and girls ages 9 through 14 participated. The top contenders in each age group were: age 14 – girls: Bella Michaels and Abigail Morris, boys: Sawyer Long and Jackson Marshall; age 13 – girls: Karsyn Silbernagel and Ella Armstrong, boys: Easton Lahti and Christopher Gannucci; age 12 – girls: Ella Stone, Halle Trush, Paige Eberth, and Madeline Hoxie, boys: Logan Hartman, Adam Palm, Jordan Wieck, and Gino Minardi; age 11 – girls: June Lahti and Mariah Swor, boys: Anders Oleksa and Ben Moline; age 10 – girls: Harper Opacich and Cora Enslin, boys: William Johnson and Michael “Mikey” Maxim; age 9 – girls: Gianna Torchia and Elsa Biele, boys: Wyatt Keppeler and Jimmy Beaver.
A special congratulations to Harper Opacich, age 10, who will be advancing on to the Minnesota state competition.
Executive director appointed
Jan M. Barrett Jan M. Barrett has been appointed as the new executive director of Duluth Benedictine Ministries, the ministerial public juridic person for the Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth.
As executive director, Barrett will serve as the lead for all matters relating to sponsorship and mission integration between the governing body of Duluth Benedictine Ministries and each of its sponsored ministries – the College of St. Scholastica, Benedictine, the Catholic facilities of Essentia Health, St. Francis Regional Medical Center, Shakopee, and St. Mary’s Health in Cottonwood, Idaho. In this role, she will serve as a resource to the sponsored ministries in terms of their Catholic identity, Benedictine heritage and legacy, as well as oversee leadership formation efforts.
“I am honored to be taking on a leadership role with Duluth Benedictine Ministries and look forward to collaborating with our sponsored ministries regarding their Catholic and Benedictine heritage and advancing the mission and vision of the Sisters,” Barrett said.
Barrett has extensive experience with Benedictine organizations, most recently as director of development and public relations for St. Scholastica Monastery – a position she has held since 2017. She also served for 12 years as education manager at Benedictine, the long-term care ministry of the sisters, where she managed a wide range of educational programs and training. Additionally, she has served in various marketing, communications, and project coordination roles in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin service and industry institutions. Barrett is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
Food-packing event at St. Andrew
Submitted photo On Saturday, April 13, 178 volunteers from the Brainerd Catholic community gathered at St. Andrew in Brainerd to pack 61,422 meals with Cross Catholic Outreach. With one out of every ten people facing chronic hunger every day, Cross Catholic Outreach helps bring people of all ages together to put their faith in action and follow the footsteps of Jesus. Food-packing events address the problem of global hunger. “Each of the meals packed today includes a protein-rich blend of beans, rice, soy, and vegetables along with a vitamin packet. Once the meals are shipped, families can add other spices and proteins to the meal to fit their culture,” said development officer, Melissa Kaufenberg, “It is so beautiful to see all these people gathered this morning, on what is the first beautiful spring day we’ve had in Brainerd. They could have chosen to do so many other things, but they decided to spend their Saturday morning serving the poor. It is truly inspiring, especially when I see so many of the faith formation students here. And I think this group might have broken the record of the fasted packing of over 60,000 meals yet, finishing in just two and a half hours!”
To learn more about how your church can do a food-packing event, contact Melissa Kaufenberg at [email protected].