The Visitor
Newspaper for the Diocese

By Kristi Anderson

The Visitor

Shortly before they were married nearly 17 years ago, Jim and Maureen Otremba were walking to Mass at the Abbey Church on the campus of St. John’s University in Collegeville, where they were both students.

“Just as the bells began to ring signaling that Mass was about to begin, a life-changing idea came to us,” Jim said. “I said to Maureen, ‘We are about to celebrate the Eucharist and there is no way to have more intimacy than to share in the celebration of the Eucharist.’ ”

By Sue Schulzetenberg-Gully

The Visitor

Bishop John Kinney has approved a proposal from the Diocesan Planning Council with the hope of enhancing the vibrancy of parishes in the St. Cloud Diocese.

The proposal asks all parishes to implement a parish vibrancy tool — an inventory based on the seven elements of a viable parish — by March 2013.

The tool was created and revised by the planning council and piloted by 11 parishes in 2011-12. It is divided into sections that focus on the particular elements of a viable parish: community, evangelization, leadership, service, stewardship, word (formation) and worship (prayer life).

By Nikki Rajala

The Visitor

The public is invited to celebrate the environment — with ecology-conscious vendors and unique musical talent, all passionate about caring for the earth — at the sixth annual Green Fair Folk Festival, hosted by the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, from 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 1

“I really like the festival’s values: protecting small farmers, raising sustainable crops, Fair Trade ideals, recycling. Plus I enjoy the camaraderie and the concert,” said Mark Norgren of Reality Roasters Coffee Company in Little Falls. “I’ve been a supporter since it began.”

Sue Schulzetenberg-Gully

The Visitor

Plans are under way for a celebration of nearly 100-years-worth of global connections.

The Mission Office of the Diocese of St. Cloud is setting the stage, inviting the speakers, arranging the displays and planning a liturgy for its annual Solidarity in Mission Celebration, Aug. 26 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud.

“It’s a celebration of our diocese in mission, seeing us all as missioners and the ways we’ve already done great things in mission,” said Kateri Mancini, diocesan coordinator of mission education. “The main purpose of this event is to help our diocese remember the many ways we are connected in mission: the different places and people we’re connected to all over the world.”