AUGUST 9, 2020AUGUST 9, 202019TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME19TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

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SAINT OLAF CATHOLIC CHURCH • MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA • 612-332-7471 • SAINTOLAF.ORG

TENTS IN THE CITY by Michael Griffin, Director of Social Ministry

My first experiences with tents came through participation in scouting. As a troop we went camping on a regular basis. Enjoying the outdoors, learning about nature and yourself, and building relationships with others was all part of these outings. We often pitched large, army surplus tents to handle the mix of weather when we camped in all seasons. Too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, but they still did the job in providing shelter for fun and adventure. The duration was usually a long weekend. Occasionally, we camped for a couple of weeks. Later in high school I started backpacking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This progression from scout camping brought a lot of learning about changes in gear, types of food and efficiency of space needed when everything had to be carried on your back. The change in tent types was dramatic. In all of these (mostly) enjoyable experiences over many, many years, each was still a choice. Afterward, I came back to a home, with a bed, a shower and a variety of food options. It was fun, even when we got wet and didn’t dry out for days. When a bear figured out how to get our food even when we tied it up in a tree, it didn’t cause distress because there was always a backup or we could leave and

head home. A ripped tent was not the end of the world.There are also many references about tents in the scriptures. Nomadic peoples moving herds of animals to new grazing spots needed good shelter from the elements but also required a high degree of mobility. In the centuries before RV’s, tents provided dwelling places for God and God’s people.Tents are for camping. Tents are not housing. Yet here we are today in 2020 and tents in the city have become an all too common image in parks, in open lots, and along streets and highways. We regularly have folks come to Saint Olaf and ask if we have any tents. They are not looking to go camping with scouts or backpacking in the mountains. They are joining the increasing number of people using a nylon sheet with aluminum poles as housing. It is the thinnest step up from no shelter at all, but neither is acceptable for human habitation.Tents in the city during a pandemic compound the burdens associated with having adequate hygiene and working sanitation. Much is compounded further by the disproportionate impact on people of color. Prolonged use of tents in the city makes the environment increasingly unsafe. Violence increases and

health deteriorates.Saint Olaf surveyed stakeholders and looked at parish resources and decades of Samaritan Ministry experiences for ways to contribute to lifting human dignity. Eighteen months ago, the parish announced the plan to partner with Aeon, an affordable housing developer, to rehab the Exodus and build additional new affordable housing on our campus. This is an expensive and time-consuming process for the estimated 240 units of housing planned. Even with the final timeline still being established, Saint Olaf remains deeply committed to working with our partner Aeon to bring this housing to completion.The park board should be worried about playground equipment, beaches and biking trails, not determining how many tents should be allowed in a city park. Healthcare providers should be able to see their patients in a clinic, not at the edge of a ballfield and city street.In the meantime, we will continue to serve our guests through Samaritan Ministry and bolster resources to make a difference. We will need your time and support to carry this out and add your advocacy for affordable housing at all levels. And return tents to camping not housing once and for all.

215 SOUTH 8TH ST, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402

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EVENTS ANDOTHER INFORMATION

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AT SAINTOLAF.ORG/EVENTS

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULEADDITIONAL INFORMATION AT SAINTOLAF.ORG

READINGS FOR SUNDAY MASS August 9: 1 Kgs 19: 9A, 11-13A, Ps 85, Rom 9: 1-5, Mt 14: 22-33 August 16: Is 56: 1, 6-7, Ps 67, Rom 11: 13-15, 29-32, Mt 15: 21-28

NEW FOR YOU!Join Saint Olaf’s Sunday Mass LIVE from your place! Every Sunday at 10:00 am with this link: youtube.com/user/SaintOlafChurch/live

DID YOU CATCH THE SAINT OLAF DAY TREAT FROM OUR MUSICIANS?Click the link or visit the website to view this special video, and make sure to tell your friends: youtu.be/FNOaFeeBFg4 or SaintOlaf.org or on Saint Olaf’s Facebook and YouTube Channel. ENJOY!

WE ARE IN NEED OF A SECOND LECTOR/SACRISTANfor Tuesday Noon Masses. This would be an every other week assignment. If you are interested please contact Fr. Michael Krenik frmkrenik@saintolaf.org or direct phone number of 612-767-6209.

ARE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW FACING FOOD SHORTAGES? Saint Olaf maintains a small food shelf and we can help. We can also help locate additional food resources in your neighborhood. Please call the parish office for more information.

THE MINNEAPOLIS INTERFAITH RELIEF FUND (MIRF)has been established by the downtown interfaith congregations in response to requests for financial support following the police killing of George Floyd.An Allocation Team of senior clergy will disburse funds to agencies and partners in communities of color and in the indigenous community that are working directly with those most affected. Westminster is honored to serve as fiscal sponsor for MIRF. To learn more, you can go to the Saint Olaf Website and scroll to the Statement on George Floyd at the bottom of the main page. A listing of resources and FAQ sheet on MIRF is attached to that message.Should you choose to donate by check, please make it payable to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1200 Marquette Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403 with MIRF in the memo line. Gifts will be tax-deductible. To donate online to the MIRF: www.westminstermpls.org/stewardship/mirf.

If you would like to watch Sunday and Weekday Mass please visit the Saint Olaf website. Click on the word Media. Scroll down and click on “View This Week’s Mass Broadcast”. Click on the Mass broadcast you wish to view. The most recent broadcast will be shown at the top. The daily Masses are recorded Monday-Thursday in both English and Spanish and are posted on the Saint Olaf website, www.SaintOlaf.org/media.

NEED A PRAYER, NEED COMMUNION, OR NEED TO SPEAK TO A PRIEST If you need a prayer, someone to talk to, or need to hear another voice, please give us a call, we are here for you, 612-332-7471. If you are older or have some underlying health conditions and do not feel comfortable returning to Mass and want to receive Communion, please call the parish office and one of us priests will be happy to bring Communion to you outdoors at your home.

SAINT OLAF IS NOW ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAMSearch for Saint Olaf Catholic Church, downtown Minneapolis on Facebook and saint_olaf_church on Instagram. Like and follow us to see our daily posts and see what we are up during this time.

ANNUAL BUDGET AS OF WEEK #4CONTRIBUTIONS ACTUAL BUDGET DIFFERENCE

July 20-26 $10,380 $15,000 -$4,620

YTD throughWeek #4 $66,003 $59,421 $6,582

Thank you for your continued support of Saint Olaf.

WELCOME HOMEWe have returned to our regular Mass schedule. Please be patient with us as we maneuver a new way of existing. Please be attentive to the following:

• If you are sick, please stay home• Please arrive no earlier than 15 minutes before Mass

starts (allow us to clean the Church between Masses)• Please enter through the Parking Lot doors or the

Handicapped Door off of Eighth Street• Hand sanitizer is available• Please wear a mask to Mass• Please observe social distancing• Please make your visit brief• Please only use bathrooms out of necessity• Please follow the directions of the Greeters and Ushers

who are here to help and protect you• Instructions about how to receive Communion will be

given during Mass (Communion will be distributed atthe end of Mass).

Building closes at 1:00pm Monday - Friday until further notice.Offices are open until 4:30pm Monday-Thursday

SATURDAY, AUGUST 812:00 PM MASS12:30 PM CONFESSIONS 4:00 PM MASS

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9 6:00 AM MASS 8:00 AM MASS10:00 AM MASS12:00 PM MASS 4:00 PM MASS

MONDAY, AUGUST 10 7:00 AM MASS 7:30 AM CONFESSIONS12:00 PM MASS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11 7:00 AM MASS 7:30 AM CONFESSIONS12:00 PM MASS12:30 PM CONFESSIONS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12 7:00 AM MASS 7:30 AM CONFESSIONS12:00 PM MASS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 7:00 AM MASS 7:30 AM CONFESSIONS12:00 PM MASS12:30 PM CONFESSIONS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14OFFICE CLOSED ON FRIDAYS 7:00 AM MASS 7:30 AM CONFESSIONS12:00 PM MASS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1512:00 PM MASS12:30 PM CONFESSIONS 4:00 PM MASS