Please meet some of our new friends.    Gina comes from sisterstory.org out of St. Catherine University in St. Paul.  Some months ago Sr. Kate shared her life in relation to her love for music and sharing this gift with the Sisters at the monastery and the larger community that prays with us.  We will apprise you when the video is ready for your viewing via this Blog.

     Sr. Gabriel and Lowell renewed their friendship from days on the farm in Nebraska where they fished, hunted squirrels and rabbits and played every game that children’s imagination can devise.  It was ten years since their last visit and they and they shared deeply of how their faith had shaped their lives.

     Bishop Patrick Chilekwa Chisanga was born in 1971 in Kamuchanga in the Copperbelt region of Zambia, Africa.  He entered Franciscan Conventual Order in 1990. Patrick was ordained nine years later in 1999 and pursued studies in psychology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (2002-2006). His pastoral assignments have included parish ministry and formation work at St. Bonaventure College in Lusaka. He served as Provincial of the Franciscan Conventuals  in Zambia for four years. At the time of his nomination, Friar Patrick was serving as a formator at St. Bonaventure College in Lusaka.

     He was named Bishop of the Mansa Diocese by Pope Francis in November of 2013 and ordained bishop in February of 2014.   The Diocese of Mansa is in northern Zambia and currently includes about 1.6 million people, of whom 434,000 are Catholic.  The diocese has 16 parishes. Bishop Patrick has opened 5 new parishes in just over a year.  At 44, he is one of the youngest Catholic bishops in the Church.

     On the Fourth of July we celebrated and prayed for freedom for all God´s people.   Fr. Thomas Joseph was with us as presider at the Eucharist and stayed for fellowship.  Thomas Joseph is from India.  After ordination he worked with Teresa in Calcutta.  Later he spent some time in Mexico where he became fluent in Spanish.  Archbishop Harry Flynn invited Thomas Joseph to serve here in St. Paul/Minneapolis where he ministers with great  joy and love for God’s people.

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