The sixth of William and Mary Virtue Jane (Hebert) Cournoyer’s seven children, she was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Her twin brother, George was the fifth child. She moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, as a sixth grader and attended St. Patrick’s Grade and High School. She entered Saint Benedict’s Monastery Sept. 10, 1944, and was received into the novitiate June 21, 1945, as Sister Mary Jane. She made her first monastic profession July 11, 1946, and her perpetual monastic profession July 11, 1949. In 1948, Sister Mary Jane volunteered with other sisters to establish Saint Bede Monastery in Eau Claire, transferring back to Saint Benedict’s Monastery in 2010. She celebrated her golden jubilee in 1996, 60th anniversary in 2006 and 75th anniversary in 2021.

Sister Mary Jane earned her bachelor’s degree in education at St. Scholastica College, Duluth, Minnesota., a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, and a master’s degree in religious studies from St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota. She also attended Bemidji State College, Bemidji, Minnesota and the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana.

For 45 years, Sister Mary Jane served as an educator in Watkins, St. Thomas More in La Crosse, Wisconsin, St. Patrick’s in Eau Claire, St. Benedict’s Academy in Altoona, Wisconsin, and St. Patrick’s in Onalaska, Wisconsin, as well as principal and superior in Richland Center, Wisconsin. She then changed careers and worked in pastoral ministry at Luther Hospital in Eau Claire, followed by 16 years as chaplain in Oakwood Villa in Altoona. She moved to Saint Scholastica Convent in 2010 and continued to serve in community services and as a companion to the sisters.

Sister Mary Jane is survived by her Benedictine community and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters, Mildred Gindt and Ruth Fischer, and four brothers, John, Paul, Francis and George.

Please direct memorials to the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict Outreach Ministries.

The post Obituary: Benedictine Sister Mary Jane Cournoyer appeared first on The Central Minnesota Catholic.

Story by Mary L. Parks

Just before Jean-Claude Duncan’s ordination to the priesthood on Dec. 9 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud, he attended a retreat at the Saint John’s Abbey Guesthouse in Collegeville.

“This is a good time for me to reconnect with the people here, to invest in those relationships which are so important,” he said. 

For Father Duncan, such relationships have been central to his journey to the priesthood. 

“My father was a career soldier, and we moved around a lot,” he said. “That included six months in Pennsylvania where I, at 8 years of age, was baptized. Regrettably, my father’s orders to Germany put an end to my family’s participation in church.” 

As a teen, singing sacred choral music and his choir director’s kerygmatic presentation watered the dormant seeds of his baptism. He began exploring faith through the German/American faith community in Berlin, Germany.

When he met Anne, who is now his wife, he said that neither Anne nor he “had moorings in the faith, and God was more of a convincing idea than an intimate reality.” Together, they eventually found a home at a large Protestant church in the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities. They were drawn in by the music and the generous hospitality.

“That church was like instant family,” Father Duncan recalled. “It was vivifying. We both were in the early stage of marriage, growing closer in our relationship, learning who we were, our place in creation and how we ought to live with other people. Oh, we were both also still in college.”

Through the scriptural teachings of this community, Father Duncan said God was “no longer an idea, but the answer to the longing of our hearts.”

While discerning his post-college steps, he accepted a volunteer role as the discipleship director of Alpha, a course that introduces basics of Christan faith. As his understanding of salvation history continued to grow, so did his questions. He found himself wanting a more systematic understanding of theology, including a nuanced understanding of sin and he wanted to understand areas of moral theology. Yet, he wasn’t finding the answers he was looking for. He was frustrated that he didn’t even know the questions to ask.

A mentor suggested studying theology.

“It was something I hadn’t considered,” Father Duncan explained. “I went to college for finance and I was working in that field. I initially resisted this suggestion. Volunteering as the Alpha program director and interacting with pastoral leadership, I knew ministry wasn’t an easy calling.” 

Through providence, he said, and after having given the matter proper discernment, he soon found himself in seminary in Missouri, accompanied by his wife and the two children they had at the time.

“It was a time of advancement and beauty. I was immersed in Scripture,” he said. 

After seminary, he was ordained and accepted a position as a fill-in pastor at a Protestant church. There he discovered a love of liturgy, especially as expressed through tradition and he became the community’s pastor.

“Liturgy is Holy Spirit guided, worshipful expression. It is the work of the people acting in common,” he said.

A lifelong learner and particularly intrigued by the communal aspect of liturgy, Father Duncan began making connections between liturgy and the faith. He realized “the prayer Jesus taught us begins with ‘Our Father’, not ‘My Father.’” Discovering the axiom “Lex orandi, lex credenda,” which suggests that the law of prayer shapes belief, Father Duncan was convinced “that liturgy subsumed individuality and offered the fullest understanding of the Church as unifying agent of humanity.”

This was a turning point for him. Seeking more understanding, he reached out to Father David Petron, a now retired Catholic priest of the St. Cloud Diocese, and formed a ministerial association. The association allowed the two men to have frequent conversations.

“Father Petron exemplified the accompaniment Pope Francis has since called us to,” Father Duncan said. “Father Dave was very hospitable, a true companion on my family’s journey, and he was gracious enough to allow me the space to ask questions and to dwell with the answers as long as I needed. He never once acted with triumphalism or anything but humility. He also liked a good laugh.”

In the winter of 2007, Father Petron gave RCIA and OCIC instruction to the Duncan family. 

Father Duncan describes the years that followed RCIA instruction as “difficult.” He was torn between the need to provide for his family in the vocation he felt was his calling and the increasing call to unite with the Catholic Church. Anne, too, struggled with reconciling her growing devotion to Our Lady with Father Duncan’s Protestant pastorate.

During this time of discernment, he was connected with Marcus Grodi’s Journey Home apostolate. This apostolate works with Protestant clergy discerning entering the Catholic Church. Having worked with hundreds of converting clergy, the apostolate assisted Father Duncan with resources explaining how other converts managed to bridge the total loss of their means of living due to their conversion to the Catholic Church. He then reached out to the St. Cloud Diocese and began to understand the extent of what conversion would entail.

In the end, it was the Eucharist that tipped the scale. 

“I couldn’t run from the reality that Christ lovingly offered himself in the Eucharist. Standing at the altar preparing to say the words of Eucharistic institution, I wept. I no longer could hide from the decision. I needed to practice the faith that I preached,” Father Duncan said. 

Father Duncan and Anne made the decision to leave his Protestant pastorate and pursue the Catholic faith. Upon making this decision, “divine providence allowed things to fall in place.” He was offered a job as an insurance agent with the Knights of Columbus and the Protestant community he served granted Father Duncan’s family permission to remain in the parsonage as renters. 

“While I feared losing everything, God did not,” Father Duncan remembered. 

He and his family, which now includes nine children, became Catholic through confirmation in 2016. 

Knowing of the possibility that a limited number of former Protestant clergy could be considered for priesthood, Father Duncan approached then-Bishop Donald Kettler.

“I always saw entering the Church as my family’s main goal,” Father Duncan said.

Bishop Kettler asked Father Duncan to continue discerning. Eventually, Bishop Kettler asked him to undergo additional discernment and formation at Saint John’s School of Theology and Seminary in Collegeville. 

“I am profoundly grateful to Saint John’s School of Theology and St. John’s Abbey as they provided an opportunity for critical self-assessment and horizon-widening conversations and insights. But I also walked away more firmly rooted in those beliefs that initially drew me to the Church,” Father Duncan said.

“At Saint John’s, I interacted with exemplary religious brothers and sisters from other countries and worked alongside gifted and faithful lay ecclesial leaders from across the United States. I formed deep bonds with friends from Hong Kong, South America, Mexico, Tanzania and Kenya. Some of these friends returned to Minnesota for my ordinations.

“Being at Saint John’s and seeing the world Church gathered in a classroom or in conversation after prayers offered me insight into the multiplicity of experiences awaiting us in the divine life with Christ and those whom Christ called to himself.”

Because Father Duncan is married, Pope Francis made a special exception to allow his ordination. He was ordained as a transitional deacon on Aug. 20 at his home parish, St. Ann in Wadena.

Beginning in January, Father Duncan will serve as parochial vicar of the St. Cloud parishes of St. Augustine, St. John Cantius and St. Mary’s Cathedral.

“I will continue to grow as a sacramental minister. I desire to influence others with the very Gospel that transformed me and to share the joy of our faith. I hope to highlight hope, God’s providence and how God’s grace is evident. Even in trials,” Father Duncan said. 

“My story might be atypical, but it is nothing in comparison to the work of God in the lives of each of us every day. Conversion is the process of trust we all must live daily. Intoning each day with ‘Lord, open my lips,’ is the first daily act of a disciple being open to daily conversion. Like those I am called to serve sacramentally, I, too, must remain a humble convert each day.”

—

Photos by Dianne Towalski / The Central Minnesota Catholic

The post St. Cloud’s newest priest, Father Jean-Claude Duncan: ‘Conversion is the process of trust we all must live daily’ appeared first on The Central Minnesota Catholic.

St. Augustine said in one of his letters, “The way to Christ is first through humility, second through humility, third through humility” (Letters 118:22). Humility is a word that comes to mind when I look at all the people and figures that we are honoring in the Diocese of St. Cloud in this new year of 2024.

In December, we celebrated the ordination to the priesthood of Father Jean-Claude Duncan who, just a few years ago, asked Bishop Emeritus Donald Kettler to receive him and his entire family into the Catholic Church. A father of nine children, he was granted a dispensation by the Vatican to be ordained a Catholic priest. An extraordinarily gifted man, he is humble and loving to the core.

We begin this new year by honoring Mary, the Mother of God. It is amazing how God chose a simple, humble handmaid of 15 years of age to bear the greatest gift he could give us: his only beloved Son.

The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the Three Kings who humble themselves on bended knee before Christ the King: our God incarnate in a tiny child lying in a manger.

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord underlines the mystery of the Son of God humbling himself to become one with us. As a human person, Jesus identified with us not only in our strengths, but in our frailty.

This month, we pray for the legal protection of unborn children, who are the tiniest and most vulnerable of human beings, created in the image and likeness of God.

We honor Martin Luther King, Jr., who once said about his mother, “She taught me that I should feel a sense of ‘somebodiness’ but that, on the other hand, I had to go out and face a system that stared me in the face every day saying you are ‘less than,’ you are ‘not equal to.’” He managed to remain humble and loving in the face of countless humiliations.

In this month when we also celebrate Catholic Schools Week, we honor our Catholic school teachers for their humble and loving service of our young people. In the words of Pope Francis, “Let us thank all those who teach in Catholic schools. Educating is an act of love; it is like giving life.”

Being a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross, I truly admire our first Holy Cross saint, St. André Bessette, whose feast day is Jan. 6. He could not read or write and humbly served students at College Notre Dame in Montreal, Canada, as a porter, which meant that heswept, mopped andmaintained thecleanliness of the school. He prayed long hours and was known for his gift of healing through the intercession of St. Joseph. He once wrote that, “It is with the smallest brushes that the artist paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures.”

Let us never forget that while we may be the smallest of brushes, God, the artist, paints the most exquisitely beautiful pictures with each one of us. The way to Christ is through humility.

Yours in Christ,

Bishop Patrick M. Neary, C.S.C

The post From Bishop Patrick Neary: The way to Christ is through humility appeared first on The Central Minnesota Catholic.

Little Falls • Haven of Mercy Catholic Community hosts free will offering Epiphany Breakfast from 9 a.m. to noon at St. Mary Parish. Menu includes eggs, sausage, breakfast potatoes, fruit and homemade rolls. (Mass celebrated at 9 a.m.)

St. Cloud • St. Augustine Parish Men’s Group serves breakfast of sausage, scrambled eggs, hash browns and homemade doughnuts from 7:30 a.m. to noon in the parish center. (Mass celebrated at 9 a.m.)

St. Cloud • Holy Spirit Parish hosts Bouja Drive-Thru, with pick up from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the Bouja Shack (1615 11th Ave. S.). Purchase by gallon or half gallon. Pre-buying tickets is encouraged. Pre-sale tickets available on-line at www.spiritandsaints.org as well as at the church, Monday through Friday, or the Boot Shack (2221 Roosevelt Rd.), Tuesday through Saturday, the week before. For more information call the parish office at 320-251-3764.

St. Joseph • Knights of Columbus hosts breakfast from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Heritage Hall, St. Joseph Church. Menu includes scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, fruit, pancakes and caramel and cinnamon rolls. Mass celebrated at 10 a.m. (Credit cards accepted.)

Thursday, January 11

St. Joseph • Spirituality Center at St. Benedict’s Monastery hosts “Caution: Poetry at Work: A Virtual Poetry Writing Workshop” from 3 to 4:30 p.m. for three Thursdays starting today. Led by Benedictine Sister Mara Faulkner, participants will explore how poetry can shelter our endangered natural world, wrestle with God, hold grief and joy in precarious balance, insist upon hope, and delight. Participants will need access to a device with Zoom capability. Fee is $150. (Limited to 8 participants.) Register at https://bit.ly/3sN0CRe or call 320-363-7112.

St. Joseph • Spirituality Center at St. Benedict’s Monastery hosts a virtual gathering for GLBTQI+ persons, parents, allies and friends from 7 to 9 p.m. to pray, share stories and support each other. Facilitated by Benedictine Sisters Myrna Ohmann and Eunice Antony, confidentiality is maintained. Participants will need access to a device with Zoom capability. Free will offering accepted. Register at https://bit.ly/3GpL8Wc or call 320-363-7112.

Sunday, January 14

St. Cloud • Holy Spirit Parish Breakfast Buffet featuring ham, sausage, pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, cinnamon and caramel rolls and fruit served from 8 a.m. to noon. (Mass celebrated at 9:30 a.m.)

St. Cloud • St. Peter Parish and KC Council 5548 host Family Breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, ham, cheesy hash browns, pancakes, fruit and baked-from-scratch cinnamon and caramel rolls from 8 a.m. to noon at the church. (Mass celebrated at 10:30 a.m.)

The following are upcoming events in the Diocese of St. Cloud in the coming weeks. For the full calendar of events, visit https://thecentralminnesotacatholic.org/events.

To submit items for this calendar, send information to cmccalendar@gw.stcdio.org or call 320-258-7626.

Image: Adobe Stock

The post Upcoming local events appeared first on The Central Minnesota Catholic.

The third of four children of Willard and Isabelle (Schiferl) Law, she was born Aug. 14, 1952, in Yankton, South Dakota. Sister Carolyn was accepted as a Franciscan Sister of Little Falls on Aug. 31, 1980. She was a Franciscan Sister for 43 years.

She attended a small rural elementary school and then graduated from Yankton High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, and later a master’s degree from Loyola University, Chicago.

After initial formation and serving at Blessed Sacrament Parish in West Fargo, North Dakota, Sister Carolyn served inVenezuela and Nicaragua. She returned to the States in 1992.

She pursued a graduate degree in counseling psychology and became a licensed clinical professional counselor and a certified bioenergetic therapist. She also served as assistant minster on the Franciscan Sisters’ Leadership team and was treasurer.

Sister Carolyn cared for the environment in big and small ways from leading the campus solar energy project to monitoring blue bird nests. She loved music and was a member of the chorale and orchestras at St. Francis Music Center.

At the time of her 25th jubilee she said, “I am grateful to this Franciscan community for being accepted, loved andnurtured into being more fully who I am. Thanks to all my sisters, friends and family who have been a part of my life and journey.”

Sister Carolyn was preceded in death by her parents. Survivors include her siblings: Beth (Bill) Staudenmaier, Denver, Colorado; Tom (Sandi), Branson, Missouri; Phyllis Schwandt, Yankton, South Dakota, and her Franciscan community.

Donations preferred to Franciscan Sisters ministries.

The post Obituary: Franciscan Sister Carolyn Law appeared first on The Central Minnesota Catholic.

St. Joseph • Join the Benedictine Sisters at St. Benedict’s Monastery for the Eucharist at at 6:30 p.m. The Benedictine community and public will assemble in the Gathering Place to light the Advent candles followed by a procession into Sacred Heart Chapel and continuation of Eucharist.

Sunday, December 24 (Christmas Eve)

Collegeville • Vigil of Christmas service with the St. John’s Monastic Community at 5 p.m. (Evening Prayer) in the Great Hall and Christmas concert at 9:30 p.m. in the Abbey Church followed by Christmas Eve Eucharist at 10 p.m. St. John’s Boys’ Choir and St. John’s Abbey Schola will sing in the concert and during Mass. (Livestreamed and archived at saintjohnsabbey.org.)

Little Falls • Christmas Eve Mass with the Franciscan Sisters at 6:30 p.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel at St. Francis Convent. Caroling begins at 6 p.m. Fellowship follows Mass.

St. Cloud • Christmas Eve Mass at 4 p.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Bishop Patrick Neary presiding at 10 p.m. Mass.

St. Joseph • Caroling and Christmas Eucharist with the Benedictine Sisters at 8 p.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict’s Monastery. Shepherds’ Reception follows in the Gathering Place.

Monday, December 25 (Christmas Day)

Collegeville • Morning Prayer at 8 a.m., Abbey Christmas Day Eucharist at 10:30 a.m., midday prayer at noon and evening prayer at 5 p.m. with the St. John’s Monastic Community in Abbey Church. (Livestreamed and archived at saintjohnsabbey.org.)

Little Falls • Christmas Day Mass with the Franciscan Sisters at 9:30 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel at St. Francis Convent.

Onamia • Solemn Christmas vespers with the Crosier Fathers and Brothers at 5 p.m. in Holy Cross Priory Church.

St. Cloud • Christmas Day Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral at 9:30 a.m.

St. Joseph • Christmas Day Eucharist with the Benedictine Sisters at 10:30 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict’s Monastery.

Saturday, December 30 through Sunday, December 31

Little Falls • The Franciscan Sisters host a 24-Hour Year-End Prayer for Peace Vigil and Community Prayer Service starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 30, and continuing through Sunday, Dec. 31, at 6 p.m. Individuals, families, friends or faith circles are invited to sign-up to pray for 15 minutes or more during the vigil. Participants can pray in their homes, at their churches or are welcome to pray with a sister in the chapel at St. Francis Convent. A self-guided prayer aid is available. To participate in the prayer vigil, contact Christi Hartwell at chartwell@fslf.org or 320-632-0680 to sign up for a 15-minute segment. The vigil concludes with a New Year’s Eve community prayer service at 7 p.m. (See below.) Participation in the vigil is not a prerequisite to attending the prayer service.)

Sunday, December 31

Collegeville • Vigil service of The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, with the St. John’s Monastic Community at 7 p.m. in Abbey Church. (Livestreamed and archived at saintjohnsabbey.org.)

Little Falls • New Year’s Eve Community Prayer for Peace Service with Franciscan Sisters at 7 p.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel at St. Francis Convent. This service features readings, quiet time and Taizé music.

St. Joseph • Imagining Peace prayer service with the Benedictine Sisters from 6 to 7 a.m. in the Oratory at St. Benedict’s Monastery.

Monday, January 1 (Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God)

Collegeville • Morning Prayer at 8:30 a.m., Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. and Evening Prayer at 5 p.m. with the St. John’s Monastic Community in Abbey Church. (Livestreamed and archived at saintjohnsabbey.org.)

St. Cloud • Mass at 8:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cathedral.

St. Joseph • Eucharist with the Benedictine Sisters at 10:30 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict’s Monastery.

Sunday, January 7 (Epiphany)

Collegeville • Morning Prayer at 7 a.m., Epiphany Eucharist at 10:30 a.m. and Evening Prayer at 5 p.m. with the St. John’s Monastic Community in Abbey Church. (Livestreamed and archived at saintjohnsabbey.org.)

Onamia • Solemn Epiphany vespers with the Crosier Fathers and Brothers at 5 p.m. in Holy Cross Priory Church.

St. Joseph • Epiphany Eucharist with the Benedictine Sisters at 10:30 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict’s Monastery.

The post Christmas liturgies and prayer opportunities appeared first on The Central Minnesota Catholic.