News

Exciting News for Senior High Youth Ministry

As we shared in the April newsletter, our Coordinator of Senior High Youth Ministry, Eve Anders, is leaving HNOJ at the end of May to discern religious life. We are so grateful for Eve's service to our youth and families these past three years.

Earlier this year, we began an extensive interview process that vetted many qualified candidates, which led us to hire a new High School Youth Minister.

Eve Edwards will begin working with us in early May. Eve Edwards is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas with a degree in Catholic Studies. We are very excited for her to join our team at HNOJ and to see her in action leading our young people to Christ! We are confident that the Lord has big things in store for our new youth ministry team of Eve Edwards and Luke Klavins (Middle School YM).

Please keep both Eve Anders and Eve Edwards in your prayers at this time of transition and new beginnings. In addition, please also pray for youth ministry at HNOJ that we can continue to invite young people to know, love and serve Jesus Christ through their Catholic Faith.

Upcoming Events

Vacation Bible School Registration Open
Are your kids ready for the BEST week of the summer?! VBS registration for 2025 is now open! Please check our VBS website at hnoj.org/vbs for the registration form. Our theme this year is Come, Holy Spirit! VBS takes place at Holy Name of Jesus June 9-12, from 8:30 a.m.-Noon. More details and registration at hnoj.org/vbs

May Homily Series
By Fr. Tim Wratkowski, Pastor 

Throughout this year, we have responded to Archbishop’s invitation to implement the second focus area of his pastoral letter, specifically, to become more engaged in our participation of the Eucharistic sacrifice at Mass, with all that surrounds it, and to grow in devotion to the Eucharist. One way we responded to this invitation is to have a homily series on the Mass, of which part one was this past Fall. Following Easter, we are implementing part two of that homily series and will be reflecting on the following topics:
May 3-4: The Eucharistic Prayer
May 10-11: Behold the Lamb of God and Adoration
May 17-18: The time of Holy Communion – preparation and what we do when we receive
May 24-25: The Our Father and the Sign of Peace
May 31-June 1: Go forth, the Mass is ended - how we live what we have just celebrated

The goal is to grow in our understanding of these sacred times and actions of Mass and how we are actively engaged in our participation. What will assist us in our reflection will be the readings at Mass, in particular the cycle of readings from the book of Revelation that comprise our second readings. These passages give us a glimpse into what we call the “heavenly liturgy”, the eternal praise and worship of God taking place in heaven. Many responses or prayers we say at Mass are taken from the passages that we will be hearing, which is a reminder to us that when we are participating at Mass, our worship of God is joined to the praise of God in heaven by all the saints and angels.

May the Lord bless our efforts to appreciate and understand this marvelous gift so that we might offer more fitting worship to God and be sanctified by our sacrifice of praise.

Why Is the Door Locked?

In recent weeks, you may have noticed some changes around Holy Name of Jesus aimed at enhancing our security measures. Some of these measures are invisible to most parishioners and maybe even staff. Others beg the question – Why?

Despite being located in a relatively safe neighborhood, Holy Name of Jesus faced a security incident several years ago when an attempted break-in occurred at our offices. In response, we installed cameras and upgraded certain locks, leading to fewer security incidents since then. However, with reports of crime in nearby areas, our leadership has taken proactive measures to further enhance the security of our facilities for the safety of our large parish family, especially during school hours and on Faith Formation nights when children are present.

Investing in Our Safety:

Controlled Access: Card readers have been installed at various entrances, allowing us to monitor and regulate who enters our facilities.
Automated Door Schedules: By implementing automated door schedules, a consistent level of security is maintained, even when personnel may not be readily available.
Video Intercom System: The newly installed video intercom system at the main entrance serves as an added security feature, enabling individuals to be verified before having access to our facilities. Should you find yourself arriving early on weekends to for a setup or running late to pick up your child during Faith Formation nights, we kindly ask that you utilize the intercom system located at Door 1. Rest assured; someone will be available to respond to your call until 9 p.m. Your safety and peace of mind are our top priorities. 

These investments are just the beginning of HNOJ’s efforts to prioritize safety within the parish. As we continue to explore ways to enhance security, reduce risks and insurance premiums, we appreciate your help in maintaining a secure environment for all.

We understand that these changes may feel different from how things have always been done in the past. We value your feedback and encourage you to reach out to Janna Webskowski, Parish Administrator, or Jeff Ruchti, Facilities and Maintenance Manager, with any questions or concerns regarding our security measures. Together, we can work towards creating a safer and more secure environment for our entire parish community.

Communion Outreach

The Eucharist is at the core of our celebration each Mass. The sacramental signs become the Body and Blood of Jesus we receive.  At the Last Supper, sharing His Body and Blood with the disciples, Jesus said, "Do this in memory of Me" and so we do, through Holy Communion. The Eucharist not only brings us into communion with God, but with others as well.

For many, the bond of the Eucharist is felt and celebrated at Mass. But some members of the HNOJ community are not able to physically attend Mass. For this reason, HNOJ’s Communion Outreach team has dedicated volunteers who go out into the community to visit and bring the Eucharist to those who cannot get to Church due to their circumstances.

At Holy Name of Jesus it is our joy and honor to be able to provide this ministry through our Communion Outreach Team. If you or someone you know is homebound in our parish area and would like Communion brought to them, please contact the parish office at 763-745-3492.  This ministry will be led by Steve Hayes and Maureen Laird-Hayes.

Do you take photos while you're at HNOJ that ought to be shared? Send them to us!

We love seeing photos and video taken by parishioners. It gives us a unique perspective on what you experience. It's especially helpful to have more photos and videos to use in our marketing materials such as social media, publications, our website and more.

In particular, the Stewardship Commission would like images or short videos that show your ministry!

Please make sure that all submitted photos and videos that depict people have the person(s) permission to share with HNOJ, and that they understand that HNOJ may publish these photos and videos in upcoming marketing materials, on our website, social media channels or any other medium.

Email photos and videos to [email protected].  Please call Sarah Reid at 763-746-8194 with questions.

A few parishioners have received text or email messages from people pretending to be our pastor. These messages state pretty generically that he would like your help.  When a person responds, they receive a reply requesting donations in the form of gift cards. Please know that text messages are fake and should not be responded to. Fr. Wratkowski will never text or email you for gift cards.

In all cases, we have found that the contact information was "skimmed" from our website. This is a very common practice among spammers and is seen in businesses of all types. To help reduce the possibility of emails being copied from the website, icons with links to the email are used instead. This is not effective with phone numbers as a desktop would not be able to call out.

HNOJ takes security and the confidentiality of your data very seriously.  We have multiple systems in place to help keep us all as safe as possible. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Michelle Hudlow, Director of IT at [email protected] or 763-233-0250.