mission_update_2020.pub 
Parish Mission Statement | Promulgated October 7, 2019 Nativity of our Lord is a vibrant Catholic community committed to helping each person answer the call of Jesus Christ to serve as his disciple by…
Nurturing a rich sacramental and spiritual life; Supporting strong Catholic education and faith formation; Fostering fellowship and community; And providing abundant opportunities to participate in the parish’s long
tradition of Christian witness.
C A T H O L I C C H U R C H A N N U A L M I S S I O N U P D A T E 2 0 2 0
Nat i v i t y of Our L or d
* 2020 numbers are through 9/30/2020; **Expected numbers (Courtesy of Katie Schaitberger, Director of Faith Formation)
Year Baptisms First Communions Confirmations Marriages Funerals
1925 107 37 75 23 17 1930 142 97 101 30 31 2001 148 98 108 49 43 2005 132 98 101 34 43 2010 83 108 117 25 37 2015 73 111 106 23 27 2017 76 82 100 19 39 2019 84 93 113 20 26 2020* 40 68 101** 18** 25
New Web Address https://nativitystpaul.org/news/ introducing-nativitystpauldotorg As part of a new technology upgrade, Nativity of Our Lord has a new home on the internet: nativitystpaul.org! You’ll now contact Nativity staff and teachers at both the parish office and the school at their new addresses (@nativitystpaul.org). You can also now access the parish website via https://nativitystpaul.org/. Each username of our staff and teachers will remain the same. For instance, info@nativity-mn.org is now info@nativitystpaul.org. Please update your records
From the Pews (Shared with permission) To Nativity Parish Staff, Thank so much for all you have done to make our parish a safe space during this unusual time. As a parishioner and a nurse who frequently cares for COVID patients, I really appreciate the care and attention to detail my parish has taken to protect each and everyone. I fully understand how dangerous this virus can be and I’m not sure I would have felt comfortable returning to Mass if I didn’t think you were taking it seriously. It was such a joy to return to Sunday Mass for the first time since March this past week. Thank you for all that you do. Sincerely, Elaine
In Memoriam Each November, the Church commemorates in a particular way those who have passed from this life. We wish to remember all parishioners who have died in the past year. The following names are those whose funerals were celebrated at Nativity in the past year (or others by request), and who were remembered at the annual Memorial Mass on Monday, November 2, 2020. Please remember in your prayers: Lois Patricia Anderson Jane Berry Peter Mott Butler Eugene Daugherty Frances Louise Dolan Francis J. “Steve” Dolan Mark Allan Fonfara John Gondek Michele Flynn Haigh Lois Dorothy Hagemeyer Gretchen H. Healy Mike Heffron Lambert Louis Hoffman Marilyn Jean Judd David Hestness Moorman Gail Marie Knutson Kathy Larson William George Mangan Patrick George McGill III Robert J. McGinnis Therese Murray Robert P. Nelson, Jr. William Henry Patt Annie Kathy (Daly) Pruszinske Eugene Valentine Sitzmann, Sr. Joseph B. Steigauf Carol V. Utoft Robert Christian Welle Helen Marie Young Lucille Esther Ziebol May their souls and those of all the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace, amen!
One Nativity 2035 https://nativitystpaul.org/news/one- nativity-2035-fth-update One Nativity 2035 launched in July of last year to identify and recommend ways to better communicate, bolster, and sustain our parish mission in service of this vibrant Catholic community — today and well into the future. In April, One Nativity 2035 synthesized its work and identified three key areas of opportunity for increased growth and progress at Nativity of Our Lord: faith, leadership, and volunteers. Development, Data, and Technology https://nativitystpaul.org/news/ data-verification-and-update The first tangible result of One Nativity 2035 is our new Development, Data, and Technology (DD&T) team which is launching an all-inclusive digital hub, utilizing state-of-the-art tools to help us be more efficient and effective in serving the real wants and needs of our parishioners. Live-Streamed Liturgies and Events https://nativitystpaul.org/online-liturgies Beginning with the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19, we began live- streaming liturgies on our parish Facebook page and on Good Friday directly from our website, thanks in large part to generous contributions of time, talent, and resources from our parishioners. We have since installed two permanent, state-of-the-art HD cameras in the church along with a workstation in the sacristy and continue live-streaming nine Masses per week, plus special events.
Pandemic Finances and Gifts https://nativitystpaul.org/news/ financial-update-and-thank-you Our COVID-19 response has required a great deal of financial planning and collaboration on the part of the clergy, staff, lay leadership councils, and parishioners at large. While we are by no means out of the woods, our outlook is brighter thanks to the generous donations of our parishioners, both in continuing stewardship pledges as well as offering emergency gifts — totaling $$80,488 from 114 parishioners as of October 26. Again, thank you! PPP Loan In the spring, we applied for and received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to assist primarily with payroll- related expenses for an eight-week period defined by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). This allowed us to absorb the closures of the NELC and other after- school care programs amidst unpredictable Sunday collections and consequently avoid laying off more than 30 employees parish-wide. We anticipate this loan will largely be forgivable. DMI Survey https://nativitystpaul.org/ news/dmi-update Nativity of Our Lord utilized the Disciple Maker Index (DMI) Survey back in February “for listening to the People of God.” Here at Nativity we generated over 1,100 responses, the highest response rate in the Archdiocese. Thank you for your great responsiveness!
Welcome New Parishioners! (Joined 11/1/2019 - 10/29/2020) Robert and Pamela Keller Amy and George Petruck III David and Erika Kidd Alexander and Amanda Miller Robert and Jaime Rooney Dillon and Lauren Donovan Nicholas Kelsey Marie Fallon Joe and Julie Schaefer Anne Spoden Grant and Lindsay Fitzgerald Nick and Jessica Schleder Michael and Katherine Hutchinson Mary Dienhart and Daniel Olson Kathryn Splan and Tonnis ter Veldhuis Beth and Matt Duffy Laura Patrick Nathan and Corinne Reinhardt Scott Nair and Moria McGinley Bentley and Nicole Jackson Robert and Elena Ames Brendan and Laura Rylander Lucas Tucker Brandon Green and Angela Maurer-Green Jason and Sarah Brand Ariel Rose Dorsey Dr. Anna Venn Carlson Ellason and Dr. Eric Jon Nelson Ellason Geoffrey Fasen and Michelle Hollis Fasen Heidi Brenner Gillen and Brent Gillen Kevin and Emily Donnelly Charles III and Sara Michel Mary Rita Reichardt Mary Ann Davis Robert F. II and Linda Moeller Joseph and April Freddoso Alex Johnson and Anissa Hannis Johnson Anne Marie and Joseph Keenan Abi and Tony McGibbon Alex and Kelsey Spanton Ann Margaret Tracy Robin and Marco Antonio Guerrero William and Kelly Melcher Paul and Catherine Antonio Daniel Ficker Catherine and Andy Larson Hannah Fordahl Claire Rachac Michael and Merry Lynn DeCourcy Amy and Timothy Toonen Ryan and Gillian Wiser Kaitlin and Michael Casper Erick and Luisa Maria Peterson Kelsey Warner
Faith Formation https://nativitystpaul.org/faith- formation Opportunities to grow in our Catholic Faith are abundant at Nativity even in the middle of the pandemic! Thank you to all our eager participants and those that have volunteered to make it all possible. Catechesis of the Good Shepherd 3 Classes per week 20 Students 4 Adult Volunteers 1 Paid Coordinator (new!) Faith Formation for Grades 1-8 59 Students enrolled in the
Wednesday Evening Program, including six joining via Zoom
9 Students enrolled in our new At Home Faith Formation Program
11 Adult Volunteers 8 Seminarians volunteering from Saint John Vianney (sophomores) RCIA 2 Participants “Being an RCIA sponsor this year was such a great experience. Every parishioner should consider being a sponsor/mentor. You get to witness others soaking in the wonderfully rich teachings of our faith and you get to review and grow and let the Holy Spirit show you new lessons and levels our relationship with God thru our church.”
– RCIA Parish Leader 
Nativity County Fair https://nativitystpaul.org/news/2020- county-fair-reflections-and-thanks The first-ever Nativity County Fair Virtual Event was a huge success! Our incredibly generous community of Nativity school families, parishioners, alumni, grandparents, and friends joined together as One Nativity in support of our beloved parish and school. Together we rallied and raised over $350,000! The dedication and generosity of the Nativity Community continues to inspire.
Tuckpointing Building Repair Water intrusions in our buildings required a construction project of tuckpointing mortar joints and otherwise reinforcing external walls, begun this past spring. While a few corollary projects remain, all of the external work for tuckpointing is complete. The budget did expand slightly when additional problems were identified in May, but work was subsequently completed within this adjusted budget. Required internal work will commence after a time to ensure the external work is waterproof and otherwise sound, likely early January of 2022.
Nat i v i t y of Our L or d C A T H O L I C S C H O O L
Nativity School https://school.nativity-mn.org/ We are proud of the hard work of our students this year as they grew as learners, thinkers, and explorers. Our students, parents and teachers faced a significant challenge as the world faced a pandemic which forced us to move into distance learning in just three days. We are incredibly proud of the commitment by all to adjust to this new way of learning. Together, we explored and grew proficient in many digital tools to support the learning process from home. Teachers created videos and YouTube channels to deliver lessons to their students, and classes met over Zoom in real time to help our students meet their educational goals. Everyone did their part, and we ended the year ready to advance to the next year of learning.
We are incredibly blessed to have committed teachers, parents, and parishioners, generously sharing their gifts, talents, and expertise to help us build a plan to safely reopen our school this fall. After three months of planning, we safely opened our doors to welcome back over 90% of our students for in- person learning and engaged with 49 students through our distance learning model. New health and social distancing protocols were implemented as guided by recommendations from the MN Department of Health. Teachers found creative ways to utilize our facilities, indoors and outdoors, to support the learning process. Art was taught under the tent in the parking lot, music was taught on stools in various locations outdoors including the church steps, and some band lessons were even taught outdoors! Our students adapted beautifully to the new protocols and hardly missed a beat as they transitioned back to campus for the new school year. We are incredibly grateful to be able to offer in-person learning for our students. The mantra heard over and over by students, parents and teachers is...
Successes and Highlights from the 2019-2020 academic year include: Nativity School entered into a partnership with Groves Academy, sponsored by CSCOE. This new literacy initiative focuses on the gold standard of phonics instruction. In this first year, all students in PreK- 2nd received daily instruction in phonics to support them with the reading process. This year, the program expands to third grade to complete the complex delivery of phonics instruction and fluency and shift full attention to comprehension strategies that support all content areas. We are thrilled with the results and appreciate the support our teachers have been given by an instructional coach to make this program such a success for our younger students. This year’s professional development of our teaching staff continued to focus on an in-depth review of student performance in math. Teachers in grades 2-5 used student data from the fall MAP testing to adjust their instruction to help more students reach their growth projections. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the students were unable to complete the spring MAP testing to see if those intentional adjustments helped the students achieve their goals. Testing done this fall compared to last fall reflected projected learning growth for an overwhelming majority of our students.
We are pleased to announce that nine eighth grade graduates from the Class of 2020 received merit scholarships from their high schools of choice based on their performance on their entrance exams. Fourteen graduating eighth graders also received merit awards at several high schools in recognition of their demonstrated leadership, service, and character while at Nativity School – Congratulations! Last year’s theme was “At Nativity, all are SEEN, HEARD, and VALUED.” This theme provided us with the framework to have engaged discussions with our students and it raised the mindfulness of all to recognize and embrace the gift that each person is to our community. As the students returned to the learning process this fall, they did so with hearts filled with gratitude and appreciation for being here. Their joyful presence is a gift beyond measure and we are grateful!