St. Cecilia and Mary Immaculate Catholic Churches

Greetings to you in the healing, hope and joy that we can only find in the Risen Lord! Hallelujah! 

On a Friday evening around 7 p.m., I observed young men exiting their cars. As they reached for their suit coats from the back of their vehicles, I saw them quickly helping each other, fixing ties, adjusting collars, and straightening suit coats. Shortly after that, other cars pulled up, and some young ladies in long dresses (exquisite and likely expensive) stepped out of their vehicles.

When was the last time you truly (with all your heart) turned to the Lord when you experienced a challenging moment or a frustrating situation?

Raymond Norman Sampson passed from this life to be with the Lord on Feb. 26, 2024, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth.

April 2024

The Ministries Appeal: Our Mission Made Real has launched!

At a Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee meeting held on Monday, March 18, committee members rejected an amendment offered to S.F. 4292 that would restore the religious exemption protections to the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) as it relates to gender identity.

The Diocese of Duluth selected Benedictine Sister Lisa Mauer, of St. Scholastica Monastery, as its 2024 nominee for Catholic Extension’s prestigious Lumen Christi Award.

Part way through Holy Saturday, anticipating the glorious liturgy in which I had the privilege to sing the beautiful Exultet, it occurred to me: This year’s Easter Vigil was, liturgically, the 20th anniversary of when I was received into full communion with the Catholic Church, along with my wife and my oldest daughter — then an infant, now an undergrad — who was baptized that night.

I readily admit that I am not very good at giving praise to people. It is very important to affirm a job well done, especially if you are in a position of management. If any of my parish or school staff read this column, they would probably concur; I need to work on that a little more, because people should be affirmed when the job is indeed well done.