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The Lourdes Block Party - where the community gathers to celebrate the gifts of: summer, our parish community; and the first neighborhood of Minneapolis. Indeed, a great combination!

It's Block Party week at Lourdes! Our fifth annual event is this Saturday, July 21st. Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Hebda at 5 pm, followed by food, fun and fireworks!

Here is a followup interview that aired on the Minnesota Public Radio News with Kerri Miller program on July 3rd. Father Kevin Finnegan from Our Lady of Grace and Julie Craven from Our Lady of Lourdes were interviewed in this segment.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, July 7 at 11 am for Margarite Ann Lichtenauer, the mother of Kristi Tierney. Our prayers and condolences are with Kristi, Patrick and their family. Eternal rest grant unto her O Lord, and may the perpetual light shine upon her.

Mass will be celebrated at 9:00 am on Wednesday, July 4th. The parish office will be closed in observance of the holiday.

From the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops: Pope Francis recently declared that the Monday immediately following Pentecost is to be celebrated as the "Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Mother of the Church." This action emphasizes the central role that Mary and all mothers have in the Church. Keeping in mind the caring role of our Holy Mother, and the crucial place that she has within the life of a family, it is deeply concerning when this relationship is fractured or broken in any fashion.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced Thursday that it had reached a consensual agreement with victim survivors and insurers definitively resolving bankruptcy claims against the Archdiocese. Fr. Griffith shares more about the announcement in this letter.

Here is the Minnesota Public Radio article, including comments by Our Lady of Lourdes pastor Fr. Daniel Griffith, about the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis bankruptcy settlement.

Our Lady of Lourdes pastor Fr. Daniel Griffith was interviewed regarding the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis bankruptcy settlement by the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has reached a consensual plan with a committee representing clergy sexual abuse survivors to resolve its bankruptcy, offering $210 million for restitution to claimants. The settlement is the largest ever reached in a bankruptcy case related to clergy sex abuse. Coverage of the press conference can be found here.

Our newly married group, Sposi Novelli, will have an event this Saturday at 6 pm with a speaker on an important topic for all married couples, personal finances! Sunday we will celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi and again this year, we will have an outdoor procession of the Holy Eucharist, immediately following the 11 am Mass on Sunday, June 3rd.

Father Griffith shares an update on his reappointment to another term as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes; the appointment of Fr. David Haschka, S.J. to Our Lady of Lourdes as part time senior associate, and news regarding key staff assignments.

Sunday, May 13, 2018, 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Please join Father Griffith as we bless our new grotto and celebrate our May Crowning on Mother's Day, May 13th at 10:40 am. There will be treats for kids, and flowers and special blessings for moms! The program begins at 10:15 in the church; at 10:35 we will process to the grotto; and at 10:40, the Blessing of the Grotto and May Crowning will take place.

As Easter was approaching this year, one image kept returning to me in prayer, in my reading and while on retreat: the outstretched hand of God. Scripture abounds with this image of the saving power of God’s hand. The psalms say that God’s right hand will save you from the torrent. In Jeremiah, Deuteronomy, and in Exodus we hear of the strong hand and outstretched arm of God - saving his people. We also see the image of God’s hand in sacred art and theology. Recall Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” from the Sistine Chapel. The powerful image of God’s outstretched hand giving life to Adam – giving him the spark of the divine.

When Christians gather each year to celebrate Easter, we gather as a people of hope who believe in a God who keeps his promises. As St. John Paul II taught us, “we are an Easter people and Alleluia is our song.” For Christians, the resurrection of Christ is not an abstraction or a theory, but rather a deep truth of our faith that gives meaning to our lives, purpose to our journey, and hope in the midst of trial and suffering.

Join us for this Culture of Encounter talk by sacred artist and iconographer, Nicholas Markell.  Markell created the Three Saint Mural, the Holy Spirit Mural, the medallions of the Four Evangelists, and the icons of St. Joan or Arc and St. Teresa of Calcutta here at Our Lady of Lourdes. This talk will take place in the church between the Sunday morning Masses. Everyone is welcome!

Janine Geske is a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and Marquette Law School professor who has led conversations on restorative at the Vatican and throughout the world. Janine will lead a discussion on restorative justice at Lourdes from 4-6 pm on Sunday, April 29th. Panel members will include Mark Umbreit, Director of the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking and Father Dan Griffith. All are welcome!

Monday, February 26, is National Catholic Call-in Day for Dreamers.  The bishops of the United States are asking all people of good will to call their elected federal officials and ask them to protect our brothers and sisters who qualify as “Dreamers.”  Nearly two million young people are anxiously waiting for lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to come up with a bipartisan bill ahead of the March 5 deadline, when protections for DACA youth expire.

Father Griffith's Feast Day Homily: "Beauty in the Western philosophic tradition is a transcendental - along with truth and goodness. Through these, we are able to touch the very essence of God. In the sacred liturgy, God communicates with us through sign and symbol and thus the beauty of our churches and liturgy help disclose His living presence. Many of us worked so hard and sacrificed to renovate Lourdes because the beauty helps raise our minds and heart in worship of God."

We celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sunday, February 11th and this year will be an extra special celebration. In addition to our Masses and Fleur de lis Awards, we will rededicate our newly restored church interior, the completed project of our Jubilee Year work. In this letter, Father Griffith shares his thoughts about the significance of the details in this work, and how Catholic liturgy, art and architecture converge to create a place of beauty, where everyone can experience God!