Since the inception of the All Things New planning process, ACC planning committees have convened with their peers in their deanery to learn and discern the future of their ACCs together. Although coming together to discuss incredibly challenging topics, one bright spot diocesan planning facilitators noticed across the board was the warmth and hospitality they experienced when visiting ACCs.
“The parishes that have hosted our meetings have gone above and beyond. They have been willing to open their facilities so we can come together and dream big about the future of the Church,” superintendent of Catholic schools, Sara Michaelson, said.
Jessica Goebel, human resources coordinator for the diocese, experienced the same spirit of welcome.
“St. Ann’s Parish in Wadena stepped up with a willingness to host meetings and has created a warm and welcoming environment for all the ACC’s,” she said.
For hosting parishes, it wasn’t always comfortable, knowing that there were going to be a lot of big feelings in the room. One such parish was Our Lady of the Runestone in Kensington. Our Lady of the Runestone provides a central location for deanery planning meetings, where the distance across the deanery spans nearly 100 miles.
“A lot of people were concerned about driving too far to meetings, so we wanted to make it easy on everybody,” said Anthony Green, a lifelong parish member and planning committee appointee.
After COR ACC, which includes Kensington along with St. Charles in Herman and St. Olaf in Elbow Lake, hosted the first meeting and provided a meal, the deanery group agreed to a system where each ACC would take turns providing a meal and Kensington would provide beverages and service. Creating hospitality in this way occurs regularly in Kensington.
Located in a diverse ACC where each parish is over 20 minutes from the other, six families rotate hosting monthly coffee and rolls to create a space for community.
“The coffee and rolls allow for people to come together. Otherwise, we would go in our separate directions and lose touch with people,” Green said.
The Sunday morning experience and the experience at the deanery meetings is less about the food provided and more about helping people feel welcome and caring for one another.
“All the ACCs within the deanery planning committees have come to an understanding that we are here to help one another so we can reach out to more Catholics in the area,” Green said.
St. Louis Bertrand in Foreston also hosted planning committees in the Eastern Deanery agreed hosting meetings at St. Louis Bertrand made sense. It was centrally located, had a large meeting space with technology and most importantly, their hospitality group volunteered to provide meals.
“We have always been a very welcoming parish and serve with love. We want to actively open the door to others, and this is just one way we do this. We want people to feel at home, and it’s important they do,” parish trustee Nancy Frerich said.
Hosting meals was not something new for the group.
In 2019, Frerich met with then pastor, Father Derek Wiechmann, to propose serving dinner after every Saturday evening Mass.
“Like a lot of us in our parish family, we grew up with the idea of providing and serving — not only others, but serving the Lord,” Frerich said.
There were many others in the parish who shared the same values, and although Father Wiechmann had hesitations regarding the feasibility, he agreed.
“He told us, ‘Let’s try it for a couple months and see how it goes,’” Frerich recalled.
In those months, everyone was welcomed to stay after Mass, not just parishioners.
“We didn’t want people to go home and eat alone or for families to feel rushed to put a meal on the table after Mass,” Frerich said.
Soon people were bringing items from their garden to share at the meals, others asked if they could support the dinners financially and even more wanted to be part of the ministry, so a social fellowship committee was formed.
Years later, with a seven-week rotation set to sustain the ministry, they have served thousands of meals and with free-will donation funds received, the group provides kitchen maintenance, which included appliance upgrades.
“God is always working through us and provides for our needs,” Frerich said.
Those who attend the after-Mass meals, on average 80 people, are not the only benefactors — funeral meals, Christian Mothers gatherings, including their annual mission baazar, and Knights of Columbus fish fries — also make use of the upgraded space.
The 138-year legacy at St. Louis Bertrand is an example of hospitality through the planning process.
“We know changes are ahead, and we pray for the vibrancy of the community,” she said. “God asks us to be here for each other, and we can’t let the planning process hinder our faith.”
In the North Western Deanery, St. Ann Parish in Wadena was recognized as the perfect place to host their regular planning meetings. When the group meets, the parish provides a central location and supports the group by serving the meals brought, on rotation, by other ACCs.
The faces behind the hospitality are Jim and Lorie Baron.
“We were asked to help with the coffee, and we agreed. We want to help people out, so they can focus on their meeting,” Lorie said. “We know our equipment well, so when they bring the food in, we can help them prepare and serve it,” Lorie said.
For ACC business administrator Maria Uberto, their value is more than serving coffee.
“They make it convenient to host things [at St. Ann’s],” Uberto said. “They make sure people are served well.”
In addition to hosting events, the Barons work as a team to keep the St. Ann’s campus clean.
“I’d really feel bad and if someone came into God’s house and it was a mess. It’s a sacred place, and it should be clean,” Lorie said.
But for the Baron’s, it goes beyond doing a job well, and instead of focusing on what they give, they focus on all they’ve received.
“It’s very rewarding meeting different people within our ACC and throughout the diocese [through this ministry],” Lorie said.
“We’ve made really good friends,” Jim added.