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Monday, April 13, 2026

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Practicing Catholic

Practicing Catholic

Deputy director of archdiocese’s Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment brings experience to protecting children in the Church

Eric Skog, now the deputy director of the Office of Ministerial Standards and Safe Environment for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, was with the St. Paul Police Department for 27 years. 
Practicing Catholic

St. John the Baptist sees record high OCIA catechumens enter the Church on Easter

Jill Fink, director of discipleship and parish safe environment coordinator at St. John the Baptist in New Brighton, has been involved with the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) for the past 13 years. This role is something she said she fell into.
Practicing Catholic

St. Paul parishioner details near-death experience at 33 years old

On July 5, 2019, Kati Philippe, then 33, a parishioner of St. Paul in Ham Lake, put her 1-year-old child to sleep and went downstairs to work out. She suddenly felt a horrible pain behind her eye.
Practicing Catholic

Founder of Seven Sisters Apostolate inspired women to pray for priests

Howe, at one point, was thinking of ways to pray for her own pastor, Father Joseph Johnson, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul since 2024. While walking around a lake, she decided to pray a Holy Hour for him once a week. During one Holy Hour, Howe said something came into her heart, not her ears. It was the words, “Seven sisters.”
Practicing Catholic

Nova Vita Clinic employee shares journey of discernment

Erin Bechtel spent five years as a religious sister with the Servants of the Lord before discerning out. Recently, Bechtel moved to Minnesota from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. When discerning religious life, Bechtel visited the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus and all her misconceptions about religious life changed. She thought to herself that she could be a spouse of Christ.
Practicing Catholic

3 women’s health care workers share journey to join St. Paul health care clinic

Abby Tierney, a physician associate for Nova Vita Clinic — a women’s health care clinic in St. Paul — said it was miraculous how she came to work for the clinic.
Practicing Catholic

Archbishop Hebda believes Lent is an opportunity to see ourselves and God more clearly

Acknowledging our weakness, the archbishop explained, allows us to enjoy the strength and forgiveness God offers. Humility is the door to all other virtues, Archbishop Hebda said.
Practicing Catholic

Director of Institute for Catholic Theological Formation: Openness to the Holy Spirit can look different for everyone

Mark Giszczak, director of the Institute for Catholic Theological Formation at The St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, said his expertise is mainly in the Old Testament, but two topics close to his heart are the fire of God and the Apostle of the Holy Spirit.
Practicing Catholic

Bishop Izen recognizes sadness, deeper friendship with Christ in priest reassignments

In Bishop Michael Izen’s 21 years as a bishop and priest, he has had five assignments. In his first 15 years a priest, he served at Divine Mercy in Faribault, St. Timothy in Blaine, St. Raphael in Crystal, and St. Michael and St. Mary in Stillwater. He described these reassignments as times of surrender.
Practicing Catholic

Local youth minister believes Living Stations of the Cross brings people closer to Christ

For 35 years, St. Paul in Ham Lake has hosted Living Stations of the Cross performed live by parish teenagers. The parish’s youth minister Brian Cox said about 2,700 people in total attend the Living Stations.
Practicing Catholic

2 parishioners bring Stations of the Resurrection to St. Paul in Ham Lake

Almost three years ago, Heidi Harvey and Janae Bower, parishioners of St. Paul in Ham Lake, wondered why there isn’t a Stations of the Resurrection. After some research, they discovered that Stations of the Resurrection does exist, though it is a lesser-known tradition.  
Practicing Catholic

Archbishop Hebda shares excitement for beatification of Archbishop Fulton Sheen

Archbishop Bernard Hebda is excited about the news of Bishop Fulton Sheen’s beatification moving forward this year. One reason is he believes it’s good that the Church has new examples of holiness.
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