19th annual Bishop Lucker Lecture March 14 in Redwood Falls

The 2022 Bishop Lucker Lecture will be 7 p.m. Monday, March 14, at the Church of St. Catherine in Redwood Falls. This year marks the 19th year that the Catholic Diocese of New Ulm has sponsored this annual event.

As the world continues to face increasing political tensions, pandemic fears, and ideological polarization, these fears and divisions have also affected the life of the Church, causing many to ask, “How do we rise above the turmoil and fear that surround us?”

Lecture presenter Rev. Tom Knoblach, a priest of the Diocese of St. Cloud, will address some of these challenges during his presentation entitled, “That Your Joy Might Be Complete,” which will focus on recovering the supernatural joy of the Holy Spirit which fosters unity, peace, and joy in our families and parishes.

The Bishop Lucker Lecture is open to the public free of charge. For those unable to attend in person, the lecture will be live-streamed at www.dnu.org. There is no registration. A reception will follow the lecture.

For further information, visit the Diocese of New Ulm website, www.dnu.org, or call the diocesan Office of Religious Education & Adult Faith Formation, (507) 233-5310.

Beginning Experience to offer retreat

Widowed, divorced or separated? Beginning Experience of SW MN, is offering a weekend retreat. The experience is to help close the door gently on the past and move on with renewed hope and purpose. The weekend retreat will be at Shetek Lutheran Ministries and is scheduled for April 8-10 Deadline for registrations is April 1. Email swmnbe@gmail.com Or call/text MaryAnn S: 507-828-2866, Tim L: 507-530-6379 or Jean 507-220-0668.

Pope Francis plans to visit Congo and South Sudan in July

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is planning to visit Congo and South Sudan in July, fulfilling a wish to minister to the faithful in the African countries that have sizeable Catholic populations and long histories of conflict. The Archbishop of Canterbury will join him for the South Sudan leg in the latest ecumenical effort to solidify peace in the young country, officials said Thursday.

Francis is scheduled to visit the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, and the eastern city of Goma on July 2-5, and plans to be in Juba, South Sudan, from July 5-7, the Vatican said.

The trip would be one of Francis’ longest in years and his third to sub-Saharan Africa. He visited Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic in 2015, and Mozambique, Mauritius and Madagascar in 2019. Francis also visited Egypt in 2017 and Morocco two years later.

The trip will certainly test the 85-year-old pontiff’s stamina and mobility. He had 13 inches of his large intestine removed and spent 10 days in the hospital last July.