Families from around the diocese gathered at St. Mary Church in Upsala April 30 for “The Shepherd is Calling,” a hands-on event held in conjunction with Good Shepherd Sunday. The event, sponsored by the Diocese of St. Cloud Office of Vocation, was geared toward parents and their elementary school-age children with activities to help them learn more about Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Participants were divided into groups to visit activity stations, including a trailer outside to hold and pet sheep; eucharistic adoration led by the Sisters of Mary Morning Star from the Diocese of New Ulm; a “Dress like a Shepherd” craft; seminarians sharing their vocation stories and a skit about Fatima.
The story of Fatima was one of the stations.
The Sisters of Mary Morning Star led the participants in adoration.
Seminarian Toby Ellis talked about his vocation story at one of the stations.
A coloring activity about vocations was part of a presentation by two seminarians for the Diocese of St. Cloud.
Ben Heidelberger has a flour sack towel tied on his head after decorating it in the "Dress Like a Shepherd" craft station.
Bryce Westrich shows one of the lambs.
Joseph Giroux takes his turn holding a lamb.
Participants visited the sheep in a trailer in the church parking lot. They learned about sheep from Bryce Westrich, who works as a shepherd on his family's farm and got to hold and pet them. Here Beth Klaphake introduces them to an Icelandic lamb, one of several breeds they have on the Westrich farm.
One of the stations was a play about Fatima. Father Derek Wiechmann, far left, narrated while Fathers Mitchell Bechtold and Matthew Kuhn, right, had parts in the production. Delaine and Nadia Murtha and Yohann Bash from St. Mary of Mount Carmel Parish in Long Prairie portrayed the shepherd children in the story. Their mother was played by Hannah Salfer from Christ Church Newman Center in St. Cloud.
The Sisters of Mary Morning Star from the Diocese of New Ulm led each group in acts of adoration and explained the practice for those that had never been to adoration.