New Prague Catholic

What Belize did in me   During my week in Belize, the Lord worked many wonders in heart. Wonders such as seeing things my eyes had never seen, growing in Catholic fellowship and in my personal faith, and deepening my zeal to be his missionary every day. A woman belonging to the San Pedro parish started an organization some years ago called “The St. Theresa Casita”. Their mission statement is Matthew 25:40, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. Her and her small team aid women on the island dealing with physical and spiritual poverty, domestic violence, and pregnancy. During our week on the island, we worked in correlation with Ms. Josie (founder) and the Casita. Every morning, we hopped on golf carts and traveled to a part of the island called San Mateo. This region was suffering from extreme poverty. I met women who didn’t have enough money to provide dinner for their children and who were suffering fro

What I did in Belize What does being a missionary mean to you? For me, it means sharing the love of Jesus Christ with those I encounter through my words, actions, or the simple witness of my life. During this year’s spring break, the Lord called me to be his missionary in San Pedro, Belize. FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, offers Catholic mission trips to college students to places all around the world during their seasonal breaks. Just recently, I went on my first FOCUS mission trip. I was also joined by a chaplain, four FOCUS missionaries, and six other Catholic, college students, like myself, from around the U.S.                    On the ground, we worked with the local Catholic Church, San Pedro (St. Peter). Our first day, we drove around on golf carts with local parishioners, evangelizing and offering to pray with those who desired it. This was so fun and a great opportunity to work on my evangelization skills. Once we got into our schedule for the

Archbishop Hebda Suspends Masses in Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis  March 18, 2020      Letter to the Faithful from Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda:  Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, State Officials have communicated to religious leaders that the next two weeks are critical for the containment of the COVID-19/coronavirus and that all congregational gatherings should be avoided. While I am sure that the advice is startling for those of any creed, it particularly hits hard for Catholics, given our beliefs about the Mass and the Eucharist. In light of that advice, after consulting with the Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors, and having learned that an active parish priest in another U.S. diocese has tested positive for the virus – unknowingly putting his parish at risk prior to the manifestation of any symptoms – I have made the difficult decision to suspend all regularly scheduled public celebrations of Mass in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul Minneapolis, e

Dearest Faithful at St. Wenceslaus, St. John, and St. Scholastica,   Due to the increasing number of confirmed cases of COVID-19/coronavirus in Minnesota, Archbishop Bernard Hebda this week announced his decision to dispense all Catholics in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis from their obligation to attend Sunday Mass, until further notice. This is a rare dispensation and a decision he said he did not take lightly. A copy of the Archbishop’s letter is on our parish website  www.npcatholic.org  , posted on bulletin boards, and a limited number on tables in back of our churches.  Despite the Sunday Mass dispensation, I will continue to offer Mass daily and weekends.  Please use your good judgement as to whether to attend or not.  Archbishop Hebda h  as also provided some simple ways to stay spiritually connected to the Church and each other, foremost among these is an invitation to participate in a special fast and abstinence this  Wednesday, March 18 .   This day is offered