Saint Cloud Visitor Home Page

by Sue Schulzetenberg
Visitor Staff Writer

WILLMAR — Heavy rains, damaging winds and temperatures in the triple digits didn’t keep thousands of youth from the “Sonshine” July 13-15, including a number of youths from Foley and Elk River in the St. Cloud Diocese.

An estimated 15,000 attended the Sonshine Festival in Willmar. It was the 25th year of the annual Christian music festival. The three-day event featured bands such as Audio Adrenaline, tobyMac, BarlowGirl, Thousand Foot Krutch and Pillar.

The festival began July 13 only to be cancelled that evening, when threats of thunderstorms and pouring rain drenched the campsite. More rain arrived Saturday night. Between the storms were 100-plus-degree days.

The youths from Foley found shelter in buildings on site until storm threats cleared. When they returned to the campsite, they were greeted with collapsed tents and drenched blankets.

However, the atmosphere was not all dreary. Under a rainbow that appeared after Thursday’s storm, the youth group worked together hanging blankets to dry.

“I think that brought us together more,” said Avery Youso, 13, a member of St. John Parish in Foley.

Besides clean-up work from the storms, the Sonshine Festival attendees heard many bands while camping out among friends.


Youths from St. Andrew Parish in Elk River enjoy each other’s company at their campsite during the Sonshine Festival in Willmar. The Sonshine Festival featured Christian music which the youths said allowed them to reflect on their faith. (Photo courtesy of John Lyrenmann)	St. John Parish youths from Foley receive instruction before heading out to the Sonshine Festival concerts. The youths said the rain at the concert helped make them a more cohesive group because they needed to work together to dry out drenched items at the campsite. The youths said they enjoyed the faith-filled message the Christian musicians presented. (SCV photo by Sue Schulzetenberg)

by Sophie Schottler
Visitor Staff Writer

ST. JOSEPH — Photos are displayed proudly throughout the living room of Rose Mayer, a 91 year old woman from St. Joseph. Naturally there are photos of her family — her daughter and son-in-law Kathy and Dave Rennie, for example, and her grandchildren.

But among the family gallery are photos of a man who appears not to be related to Rose. He is a man from India. These are the photos that catch one’s eye.

The man is posing on the streets of St. Joseph under the spires of the church. He is squatting next to Rose in her home. He is standing next to a World War II memorial in the Netherlands commemorating the service of Americans missing in action, including Rose’s husband.

And, in the most recent photo, taken in early July, he is being blessed by Pope Benedict XVI.

The man is Bishop Sebastian Thekethecheril who on July 2 was consecrated as bishop of the Diocese of Vijayapuram, one of the poorest in India.

by Sue Schulzetenberg
Visitor Staff Writer

ST. CLOUD — How do you provide spiritual support in a time of mass crisis? What do you do with a mass of dead bodies? Where can you house contagious sick people? Those are some of the issues churches may be asked to assist with during a pandemic, said presenters at a Faith Community Pandemic Preparedness Briefing July 18 at the CentraCare Health Plaza in St. Cloud.

In recent months, news media have reported more than 100 human deaths worldwide — with the likelihood of more — from the avian influenza virus (also known as avian flu or bird flu). The July 18 briefing was held to inform leaders in faith communities about what a pandemic is and what needs be done to prepare for one. The briefing was also a preliminary step to an Aug. 29 gathering on more in-depth planning for such a pandemic. Faith community leaders from Benton, Sherburne, Stearns and Wright counties were invited.

Pope Benedict XVI has called for a cease-fire. Bishop Thomas Wenski has called for a cease-fire. The leaders of 850 U.S. religious orders of women have called for a cease-fire. United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for a cease-fire.

This fire, however, is not going to cease any time soon.
It is mostly civilians who have been victimized as the latest episode of fighting and bombing in Lebanon and Israel continued into its 14th day on July 25. As of that date, 386 Lebanese and 41 Israelis, including 24 soldiers, have been killed, mostly by bombings in southern Lebanon and in Haifa, Israel. More than a half-million Lebanese have sought refuge outside Lebanon. And violence against Palestinians continued after Israel’s June 28 military raid into the Gaza Strip to free a captured Israeli soldier.

Despite the pleas and prayers of the pope and Catholics worldwide, prospects for a continuing war outweighed prospects for an enduring cease-fire and peace.

Mother Nature no match for ‘Sonshine’ music festival