Benedictine Father Chrysostom Andrew Kim, 92, died Dec. 17 in the retirement center at St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, Dec. 21, at 10:30 a.m. in St. John’s Abbey and University Church with interment in the St. John’s Cemetery.

Father Andrew F. Marthaler, 86, of Sauk Centre, died Dec. 13 at Quiet Oaks Hospice House, St. Augusta. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, with a vigil prayer service at 7 p.m. at St. Alexius Church in West Union. Visitation will resume Thursday, Dec. 19, at 9 a.m. until the time of the Mass of Christian Burial, which will be celebrated at 11 a.m. with Bishop Donald Kettler presiding.

During Christmas season, pray with our area religious communities, bishop.

A priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Bishop-elect DeGrood, 54, has served as pastor of St. John the Baptist in Savage since 2017.

Bishop Sirba was a humble man who did not desire accolades, his brother said, and he didn’t aspire to be a bishop. When the nuncio called to tell him that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed him bishop of Duluth, he double-checked to make sure the nuncio was calling the right Father Sirba.

Visitation will be on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, located at 2801 East Fourth Street in Duluth, with the praying of the rosary to take place at 6 p.m. and vigil prayers at 7 p.m.  Visitation will continue at the cathedral on Friday, Dec. 6, from 8 a.m. until the Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m.

For years Montgomery Ward had bought coloring books and distributed them at stores as a Christmas giveaway. This time around executives decided to save money by creating their own booklet – and asked Robert May to write it. 

This Advent, people from across the St. Cloud Diocese reflect on a word that represents Jesus to them.