A funeral was held for Father Robert A. Carroll who died March 6 in a Virginia hospital after a short illness. Father Carroll was ordained in 1929 and served at many parishes throughout the diocese including the Cathedral; St. Francis, Brainerd; St. Michael, Kerrick; St. Joseph, Gnesen; and Sacred Heart, Mountain Iron. Also, parishes, schools, and Catholic organizations throughout the diocese contributed more than $20,000 for the March Bishop’s Fund for Victims of War. The money was sent to NCWC War Relief Services to purchase food, clothing, and medicine for war victims in Europe and Asia.
Statements on abortion were gathered and printed from hospitals and clinics throughout the diocese in the wake of the Roe v. Wade decision. Also, Rev. Mr. Paul Fruth, a priesthood student studying for the Diocese of Duluth, was ordained a deacon in a ceremony held at Pope John XXIII Seminary, Weston, Mass. The future Father Paul Fruth had spent the previous summer working in various parishes of the Duluth Diocese.
Students in the diocese were invited to write an essay nominating their mom, dad, or both for Parent/Parents of the Year. The Family Life Office received 246 entries. The overriding message that came through in the essays was the strong bond of Christian love between parents and their children. The winning entry came from Ian Hopkins, a seventh grade student from St. Thomas Aquinas School in International Falls. Ian was awarded a plaque for his winning entry, and his mother, Laura Hopkins, received a plaque declaring her Parent of the Year for the Diocese of Duluth.
Bishop Sirba made a statement in response to the unexpected resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, stating, “His resignation shows his courage and wisdom as a selfless leader. I am grateful for his witness to the gift of life, his courageous stand for religious liberty, marriage, and family, his care for the poor and marginalized, his outreach to the victims of sexual abuse by clerics, and his beautiful and profound writings.” Also, approximately 450 men from the diocese attended the second annual men’s conference for the Diocese of Duluth, which featured speakers Robert Rogers and Ray Guarendi.
