Let us keep all of those in service to our country in prayer.  It is because of men and women like that we have the freedoms we have.  Let us take time to pray for their safety.

• Michael Flintrop 
• Daniel Spies
• Bridget Kingsley
• Thomas Block
• Michael Sexton
• Ryan Papke
• David Sonnek
• Cindi Sonnek
• Nadia Woitas
• Alan Woitas
• Jackson Von Somers
• Dan Wolff
• Tim Wolff
• Craig Frank
• Joel Kunz
• Seth Mickelson
• Justin Ellingsworth
• Chris Langr
• Casey O'Brien
• Josh Matz

If you have a family member in the active military and would like their name added to this list, please call the office at (507) 835-1222.

Dear Parishioners,

Pope Benedict XVI has proclaimed a Year of Faith beginning October 11, 2012, and concluding on November 24, 2013, the feast of Christ the King.

The start of this Year of Faith coincides with the anniversaries of two great events that have marked the life of our Church: the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the 20^th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

This special year will be a time to reflect on the gift of faith, and to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the teachings of the church. It will be a time to reflect and pray with the scriptures, and a time to strengthen our faith through the Holy

Eucharist.Because our faith is the foundation of who we are as Catholic Christians, it is important for us to focus on God’s gift of faith amid a contemporary world that continues to pull us away from our relationship with God. This Year of Faith will be a time for us to renew our personal relationship with Jesus and recommit ourselves more fully to the Church.

In the Gospels, Jesus rebukes his apostles for having “little faith.” “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith? Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm” (Mt 8:26).  Jesus also links faith to his healing miracles. In Mark’s Gospel we meet Bartimaeus, a blind man who has heard about Jesus’ miracles and hopes that Jesus might help him recover his eyesight. “And Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way” (Mk 10:52).  In the letter to the Hebrews, faith is defined as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”(Heb 11:1). And so like the apostles in Luke’s Gospel, the Year of Faith will be a time for us to cry out to Jesus, “Increase our Faith!”

A variety of learning opportunities and spiritual activities will be offered during the Year of Faith around the diocese and in our parish. My hope is that we will grow in our Commitment to God and others. We do this when we reach out in compassion and mercy to help a neighbor in need, share our faith with others, receive the sacrament of reconciliation, and receive Holy Communion daily or weekly.  Through the Eucharist, we will be transformed into the Body of Christ. Filled with this real presence we will be able to go forth to live more fully as his disciples.

Pray one Hail Mary daily that the Lord will increase your faith, as we journey together during this special Year of Faith becoming a people of faith on fire with the love of Jesus Christ.

In the Love of Christ,

Fr. Marty Schaefer