July 1, year two of implementing Archbishop Bernard Hebda’s pastoral letter went into effect with the intent to focus on the Mass, particularly the Eucharist.
Father Tom Margevicius — director of the Office of Worship for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and pastor of four parishes in Le Sueur County — said there are three main things to focus on in year two, starting with small groups being invited to study the liturgy.
Father Margevicius told “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley, during an interview airing July 19 at 9 p.m. on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, that Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Diocese of Crookston brought attention to a recent study that suggested a large percentage of Catholics don’t believe or don’t understand what the Church teaches about the Eucharist.
“If that’s true, then even though we have committed Catholics in our parishes and signing up for small groups, we can’t assume that all persons in the small groups are fully catechized, much less make it part of their spiritual lives, of what the Eucharist really means for our own self benefit,” Father Margevicius said.
Another way Catholics in the archdiocese can expect to connect with year two is attending archdiocesan events year-round.
Father Margevicius said it was the Second Vatican Council that dictated every diocesan bishop have a liturgical commission, just as every diocese is supposed to have a finance council.
“They recognize that not every bishop is astute in matters of handling money, so let’s get experts in that area to advise bishops how to best care for our financial resources,” he said. “The same thing is required by Church law for bishops regarding the liturgy. Not every bishop is trained as a liturgist, and even if he does have a lot of familiarity and energy for it, it’s a far too large (a) category for him to think he can do everything himself.”
However, the commission in the archdiocese eventually fell into disuse. When Archbishop Hebda appointed Father Margevicius to his position, he asked Father Margevicius to rekindle the commission.
“(The commission) looks at all of those regular, ongoing archdiocesan big liturgies and encourages parishes to come to the Cathedral (of St. Paul in St. Paul) or Basilica (of St. Mary in Minneapolis) or wherever they are, if they’re able, and even if not, somehow to accentuate those celebrations, even in their own parishes so that the liturgies we are doing aren’t so parochial,” Father Margevicius said.
The commission is also helping to fortify liturgical celebrations at the parish level, which includes increasing the number of lectors during a weekday Mass, improving the training of extraordinary ministers to better understand holy Communion and strengthening liturgical music programs.
To hear more about what year two of implementing the pastoral letter will focus on, listen to the program, which repeats at 1 p.m. July 20 and 2 p.m. July 21. The show also includes a talk with Tim Healy, the president of Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership, about Extreme Faith Camp, and a conversation with Sister Linda Soler, the sub-prioress for St. Paul’s Monastery in St. Paul, who helps listeners understand who St. Benedict is following his feast day July 11.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the program can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.?
