“When He had said this, as they were looking on, He was lifted up and a cloud took Him from their sight.”
A priest was calling upon one of his parishioners who had been bedridden for many years. In sympathy, he said, “Mary, you must have many dark days; they must be overcast with clouds sometimes.” “Yes, Father”, answered the living saint, “But then I often find comfort in the clouds.” “How is that, Mary”, asked the priest.” “Well, when I am very low and life is dark, I go to the window and if I can see a heavy cloud I think of those precious words from Acts 1:9, ‘A cloud took Him from their sight’. I look devoutly at that cloud and I think to myself that this cloud may be the one behind which my Savior is found. You see, Father, there really can be great comfort in a cloud.” The Ascension of Jesus Christ is indeed a feast of hope and comfort. When Jesus ascended into the heavens, it did not mean that He was now absent from our world. No, it means that from heaven He can lift up all of our needs to the Father and thus bring us great hope and comfort in the midst of suffering. He is even more present in our lives, assisting us always until that great day when we will also ascend into the glory of heaven with Him.
Lesser Known Virtues, Patriotism
With Memorial Day this Monday, we all have plans for this national holiday: backyard barbecues, boating, fishing, yardwork, a short vacation, fields work, making an apple pie for the priest, etc. But, what about patriotism, expressed in attending a civic Memorial Day Service in your community or planting flags and praying before the graves of our deceased veterans? If such forms of patriotism are not on your radar for that day, they should be, because patriotism is a Catholic virtue that should be expressed in the lives of God’s holy people.
Saint Thomas Aquinas places patriotism under the virtue of piety, the virtue that disposes a person to show due deference, honor, and veneration to those who have conferred a benefit upon him. Of course, piety is paid first to God, the giver of all good gifts, especially the gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Piety is secondly given to our parents, who have given us the gift of our life, our Catholic faith, and so much besides. Thirdly, piety is given to our friends, a source of prayers, love, and mutual support, especially when life is heavy and our crosses weigh down upon us. Lastly, piety is given to our nation and its people, who have conferred upon us countless benefits. We are especially indebted to our deceased veterans, who gave their lives to ensure that we may continue to enjoy the liberties and blessings of our great nation.
Patriotism can be confused in our time with a lot of things that are passed off under its name. Perhaps it is best to define patriotism by what it is not: 1) It is not a blind obedience to one’s nation and its laws. This does not mean that Catholics are rebels and malcontents, because we love our nation and have served her faithfully. But, when a nation enacts unjust laws, such as the destruction of human life in the womb or the redefinition of traditional marriage, it is our solemn duty to speak out and act. True patriots always serve God first, nation second.
2) It is a reverence for a nation’s founding principles, but when these are interpreted in any way so as to contradict Christian beliefs, one must work for the proper interpretation. For example, the First Amendment allows for freedom of religion, which should include the right to refuse to serve a gay wedding if you are a Christian small business owner (florist, photographer, etc.). Many Christian businesses are being fined or taken to court because they refuse to violate their conscience. Patriotism demands that we speak up on their behalf because the foundational right of man and of this nation is freedom of religion. Patriots of this nation know that when religious liberties are eroded, it is because people of faith say nothing in the face of such tyranny.
3) It is not a conviction of the absolute superiority of one’s nation, such as the notion of “American Exceptionalism”. Such an understanding can lead to failed notions like “nation building”, a form of nationalism which has tried to force our form of government on other nations with little success and great loss to American lives and resources. A patriot is proud of his nation and form of government, but is humble enough to realize that “one size does not fit all”. Without this humility, a detestation or contempt for other nations can result, often leading to tragic consequences.
4) Patriotism does not see the government as the solution to all of society’s ills. Patriotism endorses neither the “nanny state” nor “big government”. True patriots recover the value of the family, stable marriages, strong communities, and vibrant churches to address the problems of our day. These institutions favor subsidiarity, keeping control at the local level, allowing for more personal and as evidence shows, more effective solutions to the difficulties of a given nation.
This Memorial Day, practice the virtue of patriotism and do something to honor our nation, her hallowed institutions, and her beloved dead. John F. Kennedy said it best, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. A true American patriot serves his nation, out of reverence for his fatherland and out reverence for his Father in heaven, who has blessed us and the United States of America in countless ways.
Memorial Day . . . A Day of Prayer and Honor
This Memorial Day, if you want to keep the day holy and sacred, consider some of the options you have in our communities: 1) The Memorial Day civic services held at our local schools, in Stanley and Berthold
2) Morning Mass at 9:00 a.m. at Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Parish in Stanley
3) The annual Memorial Day visitations of our local Catholic cemeteries. The schedule for these visitations is as follows: 1:30 p.m. (Saint Vincent DePaul Cemetery of DesLacs); 2:00 p.m. (Wild Rose Cemetery of Berthold); 2:45 p.m. (Saint Margaret Cemetery of Blaisdell); 3:45 p.m. (Fairview Cemetery of Stanley); 5:00 p.m. (Lostwood Cemetery); 7:00 p.m. (Saint Francis Cemetery of White Earth). If you want to join Father Gary for all of the visitations, you are most welcome. Know that you can also meet him at a given cemetery where you have loved ones buried. We will do a general blessing at each cemetery and we can also bless individual graves.
God bless your Memorial Day, but remember to make it a day of blessing unto others as well. Honor our beloved dead, especially by praying for them, and know that one day, someone in charity will do the same for you when you depart from this world. Where we are, the faithful departed once were. Where they are, one day we will be.
Congratulations and Best Wishes!
We offer our prayers and blessings to the 2017 graduates of our parishes:
Saint Ann’s
Nichole Brookhauser, Kari Fritel, and JT Ross
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary
Elsie Flores and Kaylyn Obert
We pray that God may bless all of your future endeavors and that you may find great happiness in your new journey in life. But, this happiness will elude you unless God is welcomed into your every day, to offer you His wisdom, His grace, and His love. With God you will do great things; without Him, you can do nothing. Be assured of our steadfast prayers for you and know that you will always have the unconditional love and support of your home parishes.
Sorry to Break the News
I regret to announce that I have to cancel our pilgrimage to Italy this coming November. There just was not enough interest in this journey of faith at this time. Maybe you can revisit the pilgrimage with Father Jason if this still weighs upon your heart.
Another option may be to connect with another pilgrimage group from our diocese or the company that had lined up our pilgrimage, Pilgrimages by Corporate Travel. This can be a good option, allowing you to meet other faithful Catholics from around the diocese or the country. It can be a blessing to meet new people and establish new spiritual friendships. If you want me to help you pursue one of these two options, please give me a call at 701-628-2323.
I had to break the news to Pope Francis that I won’t be seeing him this fall and he was really saddened by the news. But, he plans to visit me soon in New England because the Vatican is considering making the home where I grew up (west of New England) a place of pilgrimage. Because of Blessed Father Gary of Amidon, we may just have the beginning of the Vatican of the West. What a great time to be Catholic!
The Lord Loves a Cheerful Giver
For any Saint Ann’s parishioners who want to give a gift to your parish, know that we are gathering funds for our new altar and for furniture in the Faith & Family Room. With the unforeseen projects of fixing the sanctuary windows, replacing the sewage pipe, and resurfacing the parking lot, there is not a lot of money left for other projects at this time. Please contact Father Gary or Netty DeBilt if you want to donate towards these other worthy projects, which we hope to have completed before the arrival of Father Jason Signalness. Thank you for your generosity to your home parish, a way to give back in gratitude for the great blessing of Saint Ann’s Parish for well over 100 years. Good Saint Ann . . . pray for us.
Calling All Mr. (and Mrs.) Cleans
The work on the Catechetical Center at Queen of the Most Holy Rosary is almost complete except for one important detail: the clean-up. After extensive work on the ceilings, the walls, and the floors, there is a lot of dust and debris to clean up.
If you can help with this undertaking, please come on Wednesday, June 7th, from 1:00 -4:00 p.m. and from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Please bring a scrub bucket and some rags and use the west entrance to the rectory, near the grotto of the Blessed Virgin Mary. If all goes well, hopefully we can finish all of the cleaning that day, but if need be, we will organize a future date as well.
Thank you for your assistance in this cleaning effort. It will be great to finish it for CCD classes in the fall, but also for the arrival of Father Jason. It is good to have things looking great for the new pastor, a way to show pride in one’s parish.
Speaking of Father Jason
This past week, the new pastor came for a visit and he was able to meet with staff and some of the parish council members. I also gave him a tour of our churches and other facilities. He is excited to be coming here as pastor, to serve the good people of our parishes and to be closer to his roots and his family.
One thing I ask of our parishioners is to give him the right as pastor to make some changes as he sees fit, for the well-being of our parishes. There may be changes in Mass schedules, or CCD class times and curriculums, or even financial policies. I don’t know, but please know that Father Jason brings new perspectives and gifts to our parishes, so change may be good. Please don’t say, “But this is how we always have done it”, or “This is what Father Gary did”. It may not be intended, but this can be insulting to a new priest who just wants to do what may be good for the parishes. Give him an open mind and heart; these are great gifts to a new pastor.
Please pray for Father Jason and myself, that God may bless us in our new parish assignments. May we bring Christ to our people and our people to Christ, for in the end, that’s what it’s all about. Saint John Mary Vianney, patron of parish priests . . . pray for us.
Trinity Dome
The Basilica of The National Shrine of The Immaculate Conception
Thank you for your generous support of the Trinity Dome collection. Your participation will bring to completion the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, our Church, America’s Catholic Church.