STOP THE PRESSES

Although this column is called "From the Pastor" this particular column could be entitled "From the Publisher." The "Catholic Spirit" is our Archdiocesan paper and is considered an excellent paper. Indeed, just a few weeks ago the it was cited as the 2009 winner of 1st Place for General Excellence among large-circulation diocesan newspapers. Sadly, they too are facing difficult times. I enclose the following letter from the publisher that was sent to the priests of the Archdiocese.

Dear Father:

Some significant changes with regard to The Catholic Spirit are imminent, and, as publisher, Archbishop Nienstedt requested that I contact priests on his behalf to give you this update.

A number of forces have been impacting our archdiocesan newspaper: advertising dollars are down due primarily to the overall economic downturn, yet postage costs continue to climb. Our staff took an across-the-board pay cut in November which helped to reduce financial pressure somewhat, but despite the awards for journalistic excellence that The Catholic Spirit continues to receive, rising costs and decreasing revenue dictate adjustments to operations.

Rather than increase the assessment charge or the price to parishes that pay directly as part of the Archbishop's Communication Plan, The Catholic Spirit will be changing its frequency of delivery. The newspaper will be published bi-weekly throughout the year beginning in September, a schedule that we have maintained over the summer months for more than a decade now. Rather than 45 issues per year, we'll be publishing 26.

Those bi-weekly issues will be a minimum of 24 pages to afford our staff the space to bring readers news, faith formation and Catholic perspectives on as many topics as possible. The 16-page issues we were forced to print at times during the past six months just didn't allow for the variety of coverage you -- and we -- have come to expect.

In addition to those 26 issues, The Catholic Spirit will be producing four special publications that will go to every registered Catholic household in our archdiocese. When this proposal was presented to the Presbyteral Council there was much agreement that this type of outreach was what has been missing in our archdiocesan communication effort; while pastors, parishes, the archbishop and the archdiocese want to keep connected to the regular Mass attendees who in most parishes are the recipients of The Catholic Spirit, reaching out to those less engaged was seen as a needed initiative.

Topics for those special publications are being developed right now in accord with the Archbishop's priorities and in consultation with his Council. There is a commitment on the part of The Catholic Spirit staff that those four efforts be part of a multi-media package that utilizes a variety of vehicles to get messages to people in ways they are most likely to value. Those methods, of course, mean use of the Internet and new media.

While this reduction in frequency is a step the archbishop, our board of directors and the staff would have preferred not to have to take because we can't respond as quickly to the happenings that impact Catholic life, we are consoled that we have digital means at hand that are up to that task. In fact, traffic on http://www.thecatholicspirit.com/Spirit.com has increased by more than 700% since last July. Each month we have more than 27,000 unique visitors coming to our new, improved Web site, adding to the number of lives that are touched by the award-winning work our Catholic Spirit staff produces.

As we push out stories frequently via our e-newsletter, daily via e-mail and many times a day via Twitter, we are doing all we can to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and the teachings of his Church. We are confident that this new publishing schedule will enable The Catholic Spirit to continue to be the best in North America. Please know that your suggestions for achieving that end are always welcome. Contact me any way that is most convenient.

Blessings in your ministry,

Bob Zyskowski
Associate Publisher/General Manager

GRADS AND DADS

As we conclude the school year congratulations to our graduates. It was great to see many of our high school grads at last Sunday's 11:00 am Graduation Mass. There are many who have completed college, graduate school and other levels of schooling. May God bless and guide you in accomplishing your goals throughout the coming years.

On this Fathers Day weekend, best wishes and thanks to all our dads and grandfathers.

In the United States, the first modern Father's Day celebration happened at what is now known as Central United Methodist Church in Fairmont, Virginia, on July 5, 1908.  It is believed that Grace Golden Clayton suggested the service to her pastor. Her inspiration may have been to celebrate the 361 men, many of whom were fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy, killed in a mine explosion in nearby Monongah some months before. Another inspiration may have been Mother's Day, which had been recently celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, just fifteen miles away. Yet another motivation for Father's Day originated with Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran and a single parent, raised his six children. The first Father's Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910.

President Calvin Coolidge recommended Father's Day as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made it a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was officially recognized in 1972.

The celebration of Father's Day on third Sunday of June is shared by many countries around the world from Argentina to Zimbabwe. Because Saint Joseph, whose feast day is March 19, is the patron saint of fathers, Bolivia, Honduras, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland celebrate fathers on this date. (Sources: Wikpedia and The Oxford Companion to the Year)

Happy Father's Day to all men who have raised, cared for, taught or mentored us. You have helped us to become who we are. Blessings and thanks to you.

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

One of the very troubling things going on in the US economy now is the fear to spend or invest. It is a vicious circle and a self fulfilling prophesy. Our parish is bucking this trend by making some strategic investments in our future. It is also good for the larger economy.

One of the parish values is to be proactive in meeting the needs of our facility. The Building and Grounds Committee has a 5 to 15 year schedule of replacement and repair. To fund this the parish now budgets $3,500 a month for capital needs. We have maintained this discipline even in the present difficult economic environment. It is a parish priority just as is our parish tithing 10% of our income to works of charity and justice.

This summer we are going ahead with replacing 6 of our rooftop air handling units. The present units have gone beyond their 15-20 year use expectancy. We could nurse them for a few more years but this is the time to move ahead. First of all, we are getting great prices, probably never to be seen again. Secondly, we are getting the most up to date, energy efficient models that qualify for rebates from Xcel Energy. We will save money operating them and be good stewards of the environment. Thirdly, doing them all at once saves installation expenses such as renting the crane to lift the units in place. The total cost of $65,000 will come from our Capital Reserve Funds.

Special thanks to parishioners: Jerry Baumberger, on the B & G Committee, who did a lot of work contacting vendors and comparing proposals; Paul Sticha, also on B&G Committee, for his consulting; and Wade Boelter, VP at Minnesota Air, who provided the parish great pricing on the equipment.

Another wonderful investment is our new Cremation Garden near the Chapel entrance. Over the years we have received memorial funds for special parish needs. We have used some of the undesignated funds for this garden. Using local suppliers and installers we have a most lovely garden area to be used for earth friendly interment of cremains.

And of course, over the summer we have the new organ installation. The funds for this came from The 40th Anniversary Fund. This also is a most wonderful investment in our parish’s future.

All of these above funds that have been spent are designated for the stated purposes. Of course, most of our parish budget goes to the ongoing ministries of the parish. As you can see from the weekly stewardship report, we are facing along with so many a decline in income. We have been behind about 6-7% since last October. Thankfully due to the good planning of our Finance Committee and parish Administrator, Rena Chrysler, we are making adjustments to keep from going into a deficit. I am thankful to our great staff who all have worked hard to keep expenses down. Unfortunately, we are unable to reward them for their efforts. Indeed, we cannot offer any raises for the coming year.

I am very proud of the parish for maintaining our tithing commitments. Indeed, this fiscal year we have tithed $175,000. Because of our decrease in parish income, the tithing amount is well over 10% of our budget. Many are hurting much more than we are, especially in the areas of justice and charity. Our tithing dollars are so much more precious. Thank you so much for your commitment to stewardship. Your investment is priceless.

BLOOMING-TOWN

In the Bible, it all began in a Garden named Eden which God planted. And Jesus spent time at critical points in the Garden of Gethsemene and indeed was mistaken as the Gardener by Mary Magdalene when he was raised on Easter Day. Gardens are sacred places where heaven meets earth with the miracle of new life and fruitfulness.

It is wonderful that we have gardens blooming up here at St. Ed’s. Over the last few years we have developed the White Garden at the church entrance under the watchful eye of Marian Luisi with the help of her husband, Joe. This year Marian has been working with Parish Council member, Judy Heinen, and Director of Liturgy, Lonne Murphy, to install the new Cremation Garden just outside the chapel. It is a wonderful addition.

And just this week the newest addition has begun, a vegetable garden located off the south driveway which will raise produce for the VEAP foodshelf. All of these worthy endeavors rely on God's blessing of sun and rain, but also can use the help of additional cultivators. Please call the office to get involved.

MEMORIAL DAY

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day, first observed on the last Monday in May in 1868 at Arlington National Cemetery, where members of both the Union and Confederate Armies were buried. It was the idea of Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, who said he was creating Memorial Day, "For the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land." It is always impressive to visit Fort Snelling Cemetery and see the decorated graves.

With our new Cremation Garden which will open this summer, we will join those hamlet churchyards which honor our veterans and other deceased parishioners.

MEMORIAL BLOOD BANK

It is also appropriate this Memorial Weekend to thank those who participated in the recent blood drive here which was conducted by the Memorial Blood Bank. The blood drive, overall, did well with 21 people registering and attempting to give blood. There were no "no shows" and 17 pints or units were collected. Since 1 unit of blood can help up to 3 different people with that blood type, that means that 17x3=51 potential people in the Minnesota community will be able to receive the gift of life because of all the wonderful donors at St Ed’s.  Thank you, thank you!

Their original name which just changed a few years ago was War Memorial Blood Bank. As the name suggests,  blood transfusion developed on the battlefields of World War II. Blood donation was seen as the patriotic thing to do. The original War Memorial Blood Bank began in 1948 in Minneapolis. Among the founders was the then Minneapolis mayor, Hubert Humphrey who was the first donor.

Giving blood is truly a life-giving memorial.