Every Child is a Gift: Why the Church Opposes IVF Mandates from the Diocese of Crookston
  The pain of infertility is one of the deepest crosses a married couple can carry. The longing to welcome a child into one's family is beautiful, natural, and holy. Many husbands and wives endure years of disappointment, medical treatments, and silent grief known only to God. As Catholics, who love and support family life, we understand this real pain. We want couples who experience infertility to know of our compassion, we want to pray with these couples, walk with them, and support them in every way we can. 
  Because the Church takes that suffering seriously, some people are surprised to learn that she opposes in vitro fertilization (IVF) and public policies that require insurance plans to cover it. At first glance, that teaching can seem difficult to understand. Yet when we look more deeply, we discover that it flows from the same conviction that lies at the heart of the Gospel: every human life is sacred, every child is a gift from God, and love always respects the dignity of the human person.
  Every Sunday we declare in our creed that Jesus Christ was "begotten, not made." By this phrase we express that Jesus Christ is equal to the Father and fully God. We beget beings that are the same as us and have the same dignity as us; we make things that are less than us. What happens to our culture and the dignity of human life, if we begin to make our children in a laboratory procedure, instead of cooperating with God in making them through an act of human love? What happens is that we could begin to treat our children like a commodity. It can lead to cultural attitudes that reduce the dignity of human life. This is already happening. 
Read More: Northland Catholic e-news

Join Bishop Cozzens & the Sister Annella Guild as we commemorate the centennial of the death of Servant of God Znnella Zervas, OSB. 
3:45 pm– Monument Blessing St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Moorhead
5:00 pm– Mass @ St. Francis de Sales, Moorhead
6:00 pm– Reception in Parish Hall
**RSVP: sisterannella.org/centennial-celebration-day
 
 

Exciting News!!! 

The Diocese of Crookston Retreat Center is being renamed to the Nazareth Retreat House– a simple name, yet profoundly rich in meaning. The quiet village where the Holy Family lived and where Jesus spent most of His earthly life. Jesus grew “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). 

–Northland Catholic e-News 

Lend Us Your Heart 

Finding Peace in a Troubled World: A Prayerful Response

  Do you ever find yourself feeling angry, afraid, or sad after reading the news? I certainly experience these emotions when I read about the war in Gaza, hear reports from Ukraine, or learn about the lesser-covered crises in Nigeria or other places of the world.
   It’s easy to feel defeated in the face of so much evil and destruction in our world. What can I do? I know many people who experience these emotions after seeing the news. When it is bad this anger, fear or sadness can cause me to live in internal agitation, lashing out at others because I feel powerless. Or to write angry letters because I feel something is not being addressed. This can even explain some of the riots we sometimes see when issues boil over into people’s real pain. Sometimes writing letters and even public demonstrations can be an appropriate response to evil, but it is good to consider how a Christian should respond to this struggle of evil in our world. Read more: Northland Catholic

New Life through the Tender Compassion of our God  

The Eucharist as the Source and Summit of Evangelization

Evangelize by inviting others to discover new life in Jesus Christ and his Church. We need to educate ourselves on the mission we have. We need to learn practical skills. But most of all, we need to learn how to surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit. If we can teach Catholics to activate the gifts of their Confirmation to help them spread and defend the faith in our world today, then we will ssee many conversions to the faith. God will not disappoint us if we surrender our lives to him with generosity.  

 “The fruit of strong families who live the faith will be an increase in vocations. The question of vocation is central to every person’s life.”

Northland Catholic (formerly OND)

Northland Catholic e-news 

Mission Centered Parishes Northland Catholic

Parishes that have strong liturgical and sacramental life, have evangelizing catechesis, are schools of prayer and are robustly living life in Christ. Parishes enable people to live out their charisms focused toward evangelizing. It involves parishes equipping the laity to be evangelizers in addition to providing sacraments and catechesis. This means good sacramental preparation, offering opportunities to study scripture and Church teaching, encouraging small faith-sharing groups to build people’s prayer lives, referent participation in Eucharist, availability of the sacrament of Reconciliation, and helping people learn to pray and discern the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.  

— read more in your eOND

Decree for Intro. to Natural Family Planning (NFP) in Marriage Formation

NFP in the Diocese of Crookston is a resource for married and engaged couples. It offers an understanding of the Church’s teaching on marriage, the unique marital bond of the sexual act between husband and wife, and the blessing that they may receive when they “cooperate with God” in the creation of new life.
 
All couples to be married in the Diocese of Crookston or that prepare the Diocese for a wedding to take place in another diocese will complete a one-hour NFP intro. Session at no cost online. A full course is also offered which can take place in lieu of. Effective January 1, 2024.
Register on the Diocese of Crookston website.