Guided by Human Dignity: Minnesota Catholic bishops encourage voting with a Catholic Conscience

Today (September 20) marks the first day of early voting in Minnesota.

The Catholic bishops of Minnesota encourage all Catholics to vote in the 2024 election, guided by prayer, with a focus on human dignity. Recognizing that every person is made in the image and likeness of God and, therefore, has inherent dignity, the bishops emphasize that many issues debated by elected officials significantly impact this principle. On April 2, 2024, the Church released a Declaration on Human Dignity, titled Dignitatis Infinita. This document provides insights into how contemporary issues such as abortion, war, poverty, assisted suicide, and gender relate to human dignity.

The Minnesota Catholic Conference urges Catholics to utilize this declaration alongside the USCCB's Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship to educate themselves and guide their voting decisions for local, state, and federal offices in the upcoming November election. While no candidate may fully align with all Catholic values, we are called to participate actively in shaping our communities through thoughtful and prayerful civic engagement.

As we approach Election Day, the Minnesota Catholic bishops share a letter encouraging all Catholics to engage in the upcoming 2024 election. Their letter highlights the principles of Catholic Social Teaching as a foundation for faithful citizenship, urging voters to consider candidates' stances on protecting life, religious liberty, economic justice, and the common good at all levels of government. The bishops remind us that, while no candidate may fully align with all Catholic values, we are called to participate actively in shaping our communities through thoughtful and prayerful civic engagement.

Read the full letter on the Minnesota Conference of Catholic Bishops website and learn more, www.mncatholic.org/election2024.

2024-2025 Lumen Christi Award finalist: Sister Lisa Maurer from the Diocese of Duluth and formerly of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota

DULUTH, MINN. - At five foot two, Sister Lisa Maurer is a larger-than-life figure for the student athletes that tower above her on the football field.

Although the sight of a nun passionately coaching on the sidelines might come as a surprise to most, she is a beloved and trusted figure for her team, for The College of St. Scholastica and for the entire Diocese of Duluth in northeast Minnesota.

The double vocations naturally go hand in hand for the Minnesota-born sister whose father coached the same sport. Sister Lisa was working professionally as a teacher and coach of volleyball, basketball and softball in her hometown of Sleepy Eye when she began to discern a new path in life.

It was not long after she joined her religious community, the Benedictine Sisters of the St. Scholastica Monastery, that she began attending the football practices and games at the college.

This community of Benedictine monastic women live both a contemplative and active ministerial life as they seek God and carry out the mission of the Gospel.

The athletic staff took notice of Sister Lisa’s keen interest in the sport and in the well-being of the students, and in 2015 she was asked to become an assistant coach.

Values to “run” each day

She coaches young men far beyond the tactics of football; she guides them in their personal and spiritual lives.

One of the key messages she shares with students is what she calls the “four plays for a good life.”

They are core values that come from the Benedictine Health System, a healthcare ministry of the Benedictine Sisters of Duluth, Minnesota.

“In football you have a big playbook,” Sister Lisa said. “There are lots of plays, but really they’re all based on a few things. You can run, or you can pass, or you can hand off.”

Photo: Derek Montgomery

She tells students that these are the four values they should “run” in their daily lives:

Hospitality
“Let all guests who arrive be received as Christ.” –Rule of St. Benedict

Stewardship
Deliberate action to ensure the best use and conservation of our many gifts

Respect
Honor the diverse needs and spirituality of every person made in God’s image.

Justice
Be morally responsible and foster peace in the society around us

“Those four plays you can run all day, every day of your life,” Sister Lisa said. “At work, at school, at home, if we’re intentional about living those things, they can help us tackle whatever comes our way with joy.”

She continued,

I believe that if you live your life in values, that’s a joyful life.”  

College students look up to her

She has found that young people feel comfortable speaking to her because of her role as a coach. It opens pathways for discussions on the struggles of real life. Coaching, she found, can be used as a “real-life application of how we live as people.”

“Over the past nine years, she has attended daily practices and is on the sidelines at every game, home or away,” said Barbara McDonald, president of The College of St. Scholastica. “Many of the players consider Sister Lisa their prayer partner and spiritual advisor, and she makes it a habit of checking in with the young men, particularly those who may be struggling with personal issues.”

“Through sports you can speak in a more real way to kids about things because it’s putting things into action,” Sister Lisa said.

“You can call them to task much easier, or you can give an example much easier,” she said. “And so to me, sports and religion really go well together. They use examples of athletes quite frequently in the Bible.”

“Sister Lisa is an amazing person all around. She has helped me both on and off the football field,” said one young football player.

“On the field she is a firecracker who is just as passionate about the game as anyone else on the sideline, if not more. Off the field she has helped me learn and grow spiritually, as she would help in the creation of our pregame prayers, which has led me to create a football Bible study with her help. Sister Lisa is a saint for Scholastica football.”

What are young people looking for?

Sister Lisa doesn’t just serve the football team; she is committed to each student-athlete across the college’s 22 athletic programs, such as the women’s hockey team, below:

Every year she provides a special prayer service for each team at the beginning of their season that includes the blessing and distribution of religious medals of St. Benedict.

In addition to her duties on the field, Sister Lisa walks with hundreds of expectant mothers as president of the Women’s Care Center in Duluth. This crisis pregnancy center provides free, confidential counseling, support and education for pregnant women before and after the birth of their children.

“She defines how the power of faith can transform lives and communities that transcend the borders of the Diocese of Duluth,” said Bishop Daniel Felton, pictured with Sister Lisa below.

“In a world where we need our Catholic faith to prevail and engage our youth, she is a supporter of anything that involves young people; she develops a trust few can hold in our community.”

Sister Lisa has taken her playbook on the road; she speaks at youth conferences outside her diocese, reaching an ever-growing audience of young people who develop a greater interest in their faith after meeting her.

She’s optimistic about their futures because she has seen that they want Christ in their lives. She sees that once they are introduced to the Church, they say, “Oh, that’s what I’ve been looking for.”

“It’s not just something for Sunday when you’re in church,” she tells them. “That’s not how we live our faith and how we connect with God and make a difference in the world. You have to do it all the time. Even on the football field.”

Catholic Extension Society is honored to share the story of Sister Lisa Maurer, a finalist for our Lumen Christi Award. This award is our highest honor given to people who radiate and reveal the light of Christ present in the communities where they serve. Visit this page to read the other inspiring stories from this year’s finalists.

Minnesota Catholic Conference: The three C’s behind how legislators vote

In a representative democracy, citizens vote to determine who will represent them, their families, and their neighbors at all levels of government. When voting for a candidate, citizens trust that the elected official will consider his or her conscience and do what is in the best interest of the constituents.

“When I was elected, I decided that three things should guide my vote, the three C’s, conscience, constituents, and caucus. In that order. In too many cases, we now only have one C, the caucus, and it’s on both sides,” said Minnesota State Representative Dean Urdahl during his retirement speech on the House floor in May.

Historically, legislators have prioritized and balanced three guiding principles when casting their votes: conscience, constituents, and caucus.

However, as we reflect on the words of retired Representative Dean Urdahl, we must confront a significant shift in our historic legislative process. Because in recent times, it appears that many decisions are made — not with conscience or constituents in mind — but based solely on caucus affiliation. Prioritizing caucus alone usually means promoting the policy agenda of a chosen few, appeasing the wishes of financial donors, and winning-at-all-costs to retain power. All at the risk of constituents and consciences.

This shift is evident on contentious issues that involve human dignity, where votes often fall strictly along party lines. In recent legislative sessions, we saw this in committee hearings and on floor votes with issues like physician-assisted suicide, gender ideology, and immigration. Legislation frequently does not even reach the floor of the full body unless the majority caucus is confident that they have the votes of their caucus members to pass it. Members who may personally disagree with the caucus position often stay quiet, opting to align with their party rather than voice dissent and risk political blowback.

In his 1956 book, “Profiles in Courage,” President John F. Kennedy described acts of integrity by senators who defied the wishes of their party to do what their conscience felt was right.

This concept is at the core of what we believe as Catholics. Practicing Faithful Citizenship is not about party affiliation, ideology, or societal pressures. It is about focusing on what protects or threatens the dignity of every human life.

In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops states that “Catholic teaching challenges voters and candidates, citizens and elected officials to consider the moral and ethical dimensions of public policy issues.”

This is what drives our work at the Minnesota Catholic Conference. As staff, we work to educate and engage policymakers on the moral and ethical angles of legislation in the hopes that it resonates with the legislators’ consciences.

Constituents play a key role in helping form the consciences of legislators, too. They also can inform caucus priorities to reflect more virtuous aspirations than pure political gamesmanship. This is why Catholic citizens need to be involved in the whole process.

The first step is to do more than vote. Voting is incredibly important for our political process, and Catholics should continue to do so. However, to combat the forces that created an environment where caucus priorities overshadow conscience and constituent needs, further action is required.

Beyond the ballot box, Catholics should engage with legislators and candidates running for office. Meet them at the Capitol and in the district. Personal interactions remind them of their duty to their constituents and the importance of voting their conscience. Mobilize your family, friends and fellow parishioners to join you in advocacy. A collective voice is more powerful and harder to ignore.

WATCH: Advocacy 101 – How to make your voice heard at the Capitol

All of this can be achieved by joining the Catholic Advocacy Network (CAN). This network provides regular opportunities to engage, learn and act on issues that matter to our faith.

While the shift towards caucus-dominated decision-making is concerning, it is not irreversible. By actively participating, we can encourage our legislators to return to a balance of conscience, constituents, and caucus.

Pope Francis Names St. Thomas Alum Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis

By Sheree Curry

Father Kevin Thomas Kenney, a St. Thomas alumnus who is adjunct faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences Theology Department at the University of St. Thomas, has been tapped by Pope Francis to become an auxiliary bishop with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Kenney earned degrees in business administration and Spanish from St. Thomas.

As an auxiliary bishop, Bishop-elect Kenney will work alongside Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Izen to lead the Church in the 12-county metro area.

Of his appointment, Kenney said, “My phone rang on Saturday afternoon in late June as I had just settled into my office chair to prepare for weekend Masses. I noticed the area code 202, Washington, D.C., and I said to myself, ‘No, it can’t be.’”

Cardinal Christophe Pierre was on the other end of the call with the news. Kenney said he had to take a few days to think about accepting this role. At 64 years old, he said during the press conference, all of his friends and relatives have been retiring and he had been thinking about his own retirement possibilities.

“I knew it was an honor to be chosen by Pope Francis, and all the readings that weekend and week ahead pointed me in a direction I was hesitant to go,” he said. “I battled between my head and my heart and finally succumbed to saying, ‘Yes.’”

Archbishop Hebda said in a news release, “I am grateful that the Holy Father has recognized in Bishop-elect Kenney the same exceptionally compassionate priestly heart that I have come to know in the nine years that I have been serving here. I look forward to collaborating in a new way with Bishop-elect Kenney as he assumes his new role.”

Father Chris Collins, SJ, the vice president for mission at the University of St. Thomas, said, “We congratulate Father Kenney and celebrate with many in the local church with this news of his appointment.”

Collins added that for several years Kenney has been teaching at St. Thomas and contributing to the formation of Spanish-speaking lay leaders within the archdiocese through the Theology Department’s Certificate in Lay Ministry program, which offers classes in Spanish.

Kenney, a Minneapolis native, was ordained a priest in 1994 after attending The Saint Paul Seminary. He becomes the 39th priest from The Saint Paul Seminary who went on to become a bishop, according to a post on the seminary’s website. As part of his new assignment, he will return to the seminary’s Board of Trustees (where he served from 2001-07), playing a strategic role in the formation of future priests, deacons and lay leaders for the Catholic Church in the Upper Midwest and beyond.

In addition to his roles at St. Thomas and the seminary, Kenney is currently the pastor of the Church of St. Olaf in downtown Minneapolis, the parochial administrator of the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Minneapolis, and chaplain at DeLaSalle High School.

Kenney's episcopal ordination, where he will be assigned the titular see of Cunavia, is scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at the Cathedral of St. Paul. The ordination will be livestreamed on the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ Facebook page.

Diocese of New Ulm Pilgrims headed to the Eucharistic Congress

NEW ULM - Pilgrims from across the Diocese of New Ulm are uniting in spirit with the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. Forty-eight people gathered today at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in New Ulm for Mass in the center's Chapel, which was celebrated by Fr. Tanner Thooft before boarding a bus headed to the Congress.

Be part of the experience with the expected 50,000 Catholics via a special livestream!

Those participating in the Congress, whether in Indianapolis or in their own home, can receive a plenary indulgence. Pope Francis decreed:

“Faithful individuals who, due to reasonable circumstances and with pious intention, have participated in the sacred rites and received the Papal Blessing through media communications, may also obtain a Plenary Indulgence.”

US Bishops approve Keeping Christ’s Sacred Promise: A Pastoral Framework for Indigenous Ministry at recent June meeting

KEEPING CHRIST’S SACRED PROMISE: a PASTORAL FRAMEWORK FOR INDIGENOUS MINISTRY is meant to help bishops “refocus and invigorate ministry among Indigenous populations in the United States,” said New Ulm’s bishop Chad Zielinski, chair of the USCCB’s subcommittee on Native American Affairs. Bishop Zielinski presented the draft framework on Thursday afternoon, June 13. “It [the document] gives shape to ideas that Catholic Native leadership has been voicing for the past several years in listening sessions sponsored by the subcommittee,” Bishop Zielinski said.

LOUISVILLE, KY. - The U.S. Catholic bishops recently approved a document at their spring meeting June 12-14 that apologizes to Catholic Indigenous communities for a “history of trauma” caused in part by their “abandonment” by the Church and proposes a way forward that takes into account the “unique cultural needs” of these communities.

New Ulm’s bishop, the Most Rev. Chad Zielinski presented the new document to the body of bishops for the vote. Bishop Zielinski serves as the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee on Native American Affairs. “The framework encourages bishops, dioceses, and local Catholic Indigenous communities to work together, using the framework as a reference while developing their local pastoral plans that are sensitive to the vast cultural differences among the various Native and Indigenous Tribes,” said Bishop Zielinski. “It covers a broad range of issues and concerns such as missionary discipleship, evangelization, the role of catechesis, sacramental and liturgical questions, youth and young adult ministries, and social justice issues. And it also addresses difficult topics such as reconciliation for any mistreatment and wrongs done during the boarding school period,” he continued.

Learn more.

Star of the North and the Beginning of the Marian Pilgrimage

BEMIDJI, Minn. – Catholic Bishops of Minnesota gathered with over 3,000 faithful from mainly across Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin during the Star of the North Eucharistic Congress, a major Eucharistic Revival event hosted jointly by the Dioceses of Crookston and Duluth on May 17-18. The congress was a collaboration between the two dioceses and preceded the May 19 commencement of the Marian Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage at the headwaters of the Mississippi River in Itasca State Park. The Diocese of New Ulm continued the celebration at the Ignite event at the Church of St. Anthony in Watkins. Those attending the events learned to increase their devotion to the Eucharist through talks, witness testimonies, fellowship, praise and worship, Mass, adoration, confession, and a Eucharistic procession. After the start of the Marian Pilgrimage everyone in the Diocese of New Ulm was invited to celebrate Ignite at St. Anthony in Watkins.

St. Isidore the Farmer AFC holds Corpus Christi procession

APPLETON - The St. Isidore the Farmer Area Faith Community recently held a procession for Corpus Christi on June 2.  The parish faithful processed down the streets of Appleton following the 10:30 a.m. Mass at the Church of St. John.  The people from the parishes of St. Francis Benson, Sacred Heart Murdock, and St. John Appleton joined together for the procession.  Hymns were sung in English and Chuukese, the language of the people from the state of Chuuk in Micronesia who are members at the Church of St. John.  The procession was followed by a potluck lunch at St. John’s where the community celebrated Fr. Brian Mandel’s 30th priestly anniversary.   

And they’re off! National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes begin with Holy Spirit-powered send-offs

Bemidji, Minnesota - At the start of Mass Sunday (May 19, 2024), at one of the launch sites of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, Bishop Andrew Cozzens remarked that although he had his hiking shoes on, the journey ahead would need something more than natural support to reach its intended destination.

“In order to make this pilgrimage fruitful, we need the Holy Spirit,” said the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota, bishop.

If that’s the case, then the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage is off to a fantastic start. 

The pilgrimage’s four routes, which will crisscross the country over the next two months, began May 19 with Pentecost Sunday liturgies, processions of the Blessed Sacrament, and fervent prayers for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to renew Eucharistic devotion throughout the United States.

“It’s perfect that we’re launching this on Pentecost because Pentecost was a revival,” Cozzens said during his homily, emphasizing that a revival is the work of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of believers, which leads ordinary people to seek extraordinary holiness.

Four routes, one pilgrimage

Joined by brother bishops, clergy, and lay faithful from Minnesota and beyond — some 2,000 people in total — Cozzens presided over an outdoor Mass at Itasca State Park, the starting point of both the Mississippi River but also the northern Marian Route, which will lead to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis in July.

The Mass was followed by a mile-long Eucharistic procession and benediction. Then, along the shores of Lake Itasca, Cozzens blessed the small cadre of “perpetual pilgrims” who will travel the whole route, and they set off along a dirt path through the woods. 

Meanwhile, Eucharistic pilgrimage routes were also underway in the country’s east, west, and south. 

In New Haven, Connecticut, the faithful began the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route with a Pentecost Vigil Mass celebrated by Archbishop Christopher Coyne at St. Mary’s Church, where Blessed Michael McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus and is entombed today, before a Sunday morning procession and a Eucharistic pilgrimage boat ride through the Long Island Sound.

The St. Juan Diego Route kicked off in the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, with Mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, celebrated by Bishop Daniel Flores, before pilgrims braved 90-degree heat to join the Eucharistic Lord for the route’s opening procession.

And in San Francisco, following Mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary celebrated by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, the faithful processed with the Eucharist across the 1.7-mile-long Golden Gate Bridge to kick off the St. Junipero Serra Route.

The Marian, Seton, Juan Diego, and Serra Routes will eventually converge in Indianapolis for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress July 17–21.

Cozzens has served as the U.S. bishops’ leader of the wider National Eucharistic Revival, which began in 2022 and includes the pilgrimage and congress. At the Mass in Minnesota, he asked rhetorically what would happen if the bishops of the United States called for a Eucharistic revival, including two years of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, and a cross-country pilgrimage that asked the Lord to pour out his Holy Spirit upon the whole country.

“What would happen if the bishops did that?” said Cozzens, who will join pilgrims in a 12-mile walk to Walker, Minnesota, in the Diocese of Duluth on Monday. “Well, we’re about to find out.”

Read more.

Diocese of New Ulm priest Fr. Anthony Stubeda remembered

Fr. Anthony “Tony” Stubeda, 65, a priest of the Diocese of New Ulm, died of cancer on April 29, 2024, at his residence in Marshall, MN. He was a beloved priest who will be remembered for his kindness and compassion.  

The Mass of Christian Burial was held on May 6, 2024, at St. Philip Catholic Church in Litchfield, MN, with burial in the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Litchfield.  

Anthony John “Tony” Stubeda was born on November 12, 1958, in Litchfield, to Wallace and Pauline (Fink) Stubeda.  A native of Litchfield, Minnesota, Father Stubeda attended Saint John Vianney Seminary and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul from 1977 to 1981, graduating with a B.A. in English. In 1985, he graduated from the Saint Paul Seminary with an M.A. in Theology, M.Div.

He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of New Ulm on June 1, 1985, in Litchfield by Bishop Raymond A. Lucker.  Following his ordination, his first assignment was at Holy Redeemer in Marshall, serving one-quarter as a campus minister at Southwest State University in Marshall. He then went on to serve the parishes of St. Clara in Clara City, Sacred Heart in Raymond, St. Mary in Willmar, St. Patrick in Kandiyohi, St. Thomas More in Lake Lillian, St. Pius X in Glencoe, Holy Family in Silver Lake, Holy Trinity in Winsted, St. Mary in Tracy, St. Michael in Milroy, and finally the Bread of Life Area Faith Community.

Father Tony was recognized for his passion for the Hispanic community.  Some of his accomplishments include the Diocese of New Ulm Distinguished Service Award, the City of New Ulm Human Rights Award, Region IX MSSA Distinguished Service Award, Founding Director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry, two-year president of the Catholic Migrant Farmworkers Network and Designer and Coordinator of the Crossroads of Friendship.  Most recently, Father Tony was serving as the pastor of the Bread of Life Area Faith Community including Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Marshall, St Mary’s Catholic Church in Cottonwood, St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Tracy, and St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Milroy.

He is survived by his siblings Doug (Pat Taylor) Stubeda of Lutsen, Alice (Doug) Peipus of St. Cloud, Stephanie (Jon) Leininger of St. Paul, Jean (Dan Hesterman) Johnson of St. Cloud, Marty (Chris) Stubeda of Radcliff, KY, Stanley Stubeda of Litchfield, MN; nieces and nephews Jennifer (Chad) Hartman, Allison (Andrew) Harmer, Matthew (Melissa) Leininger, Sam (Amber) Johnson, Peter Johnson (Amanda Winter), Katrina (Travis) Daul, Angela (Brendan) McMahon, Jason Stubeda (Grace Hooker), Kimberly (Anthony) Gardner, Alex Stubeda, Tasha (Dylan) Koll, close friend Jenner Herrera and other extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents Wallace and Pauline Stubeda and two brothers and one sister in infancy.

Chrism Mass celebrates renewal of priesthood and blessing of oils

NEW ULM - The March 21 liturgy at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm marked the 2024 traditional Chrism Mass in which the sacramental oils are blessed for use all around the diocese for the following year. The priests of the diocese also renewed their priestly promises, uniting with Bishop Chad W. Zielinski in ministry to the people of God.


Bishop Zielinski announces new clergy assignments

NEW ULM - Upon the recommendation of the Priest Personnel Board and after consultation with the priests involved, Bishop Chad W. Zielinski announces the following priest assignments which will take effect on July 2, 2024.

 NEW ULM - On the recommendation of the Priest Personnel Board, Bishop Chad W. Zielinski of the Catholic Diocese of New Ulm has made the following priest assignments:

Effective July 2, 2024

Rev. Christian Adike to serve as the parochial vicar of the parishes of Holy Family in Silver Lake and Holy Trinity in Winsted, which are known as the St. John Paul II AFC.

Rev. Joshua Bot to serve as the parochial vicar of the parishes of Our Lady of the Lakes in Spicer, St. Mary in Willmar, and St. Clara in Clara City, which are known as Jesus Our Living Water AFC.

Msgr. Douglas Grams to serve as the pastor of the parishes of St. Peter in St. Peter and St. Paul in Nicollet, which are known as the Apostles Peter and Paul AFC. 

Rev. Nathan Hansen to serve as a parochial vicar of the parishes of St. Paul in Comfrey, St. Michael in Morgan, and St. Mary in Sleepy Eye, which are known as the Divine Mercy AFC.

Rev. John Hayes to serve as the parochial administrator of the parishes of St. James in Dawson, St. Andrew in Granite Falls and St. Joseph in Montevideo, which are known as the Holy Family AFC.

Rev. Ron Huberty to serve as the pastor of the parishes of Our Lady of the Lakes in Spicer, St. Mary’s in Willmar, and St. Clara in Clara City, which are known as Jesus Our Living Water AFC.

Msgr. Eugene Lozinski to serve as a senior associate of the parishes of St. Mary in New Ulm, Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm, St. John the Baptist in Searles, and St. George in West Newton Township, which are known as the Holy Cross AFC, in addition to his current role as the diocesan Chancellor.

Rev. Brian Oestreich to serve as the pastor of the parishes of St. Andrew in Fairfax, St. Francis de Sales in Winthrop, and St. Willibrord in Gibbon, which are known as the All Saints AFC.

Rev. Shawn Polman to serve as the parochial administrator of the parishes of  St. Michael in Madison, St. John in Ortonville, and Holy Rosary in Graceville, which are known as the Spirit of Life AFC.

Rev. Brendan Rolling to serve as the parochial administrator of the parishes of St. Peter in Canby, St. Leo in St. Leo, Ss. Peter and Paul in Ivanhoe, St. Genevieve in Lake Benton, St. Dionysius in Tyler, and St. John Cantius in Wilno, which are known as the Christ the King AFC, in addition to his current role as Vocations director.

Rev. Mark Steffl to serve as the pastor of the parishes of St. Mary in New Ulm, Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm, St. John the Baptist in Searles, and St. George in West Newton Township, which are known as the Holy Cross AFC. He will serve as the Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, in addition to his current role as Judicial Vicar.

Rev. Tanner Thooft to serve as the parochial vicar of the parishes of St. Mary in New Ulm, Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm, St. John the Baptist in Searles, and St. George in West Newton Township, which are known as the Holy Cross AFC in addition to his current role as the assistant Vocations director.

Rev. Craig Timmerman to serve as the pastor of parishes of St. Paul in Comfrey, St. Michael in Morgan, and St. Mary in Sleepy Eye, which are known as the Divine Mercy AFC.

Rev. Paul Timmerman to serve as the pastor of the parishes of St. Michael in Gaylord, St. Pius X in Glencoe, and St. Mary in Arlington, which are known as the Corpus Christi AFC.

Rev. Steven Verhelst to serve as pastor of the parishes of Holy Redeemer in Marshall, St. Mary in Tracy, St. Michael in Milroy, St. Mary in Cottonwood, known as the Bread of Life and Our Lady of the Prairie AFCs. He will also serve as the Bishop’s Delegate in Matters Pertaining to Sexual Misconduct, in addition to his current role as Vicar for Clergy.