The Catholic Spirit: Bishops join the faithful in adoration at the Minnesota State Capitol

In the basement level of the Minnesota State Capitol building in St. Paul, Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Deacon Kevin Conneely presented the Blessed Sacrament for adoration. At one point, over 60 people knelt and prayed before the Eucharist March 6 in the Capitol Vault Room.

Bishops Michael Izen and Kevin Kenney attended the five-hour adoration at different times; people joined in worship and departed throughout the day.

Kathleen Randolph, a member of the Serra Club — a ministry in the Twin Cities that promotes vocations to the priesthood — said she hopes that grace and prayers may radiate through the Capitol.

“I just pray that their minds would be open enough to hear God’s — Lord Jesus’ — voice in every decision they make,” Randolph said.

The 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. adoration at the Capitol was organized by the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC), the public policy arm of the state’s Catholic bishops. Deacon Conneely is MCC’s first legislative chaplain. Adoration has been offered in the Governor’s Dining Room for several years. This was the first year adoration was held in the Capitol Vault Room, a larger space that fits more people.

Adoration with bishops from other Minnesota dioceses will be held April 10 and May 1. Bishop Daniel Felton of Duluth is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 10 and Bishops Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Patrick Neary of St. Cloud and Chad Zielinski of New Ulm are expected from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 1.

Jason Adkins, MCC’s executive director and general counsel, said adoration in the Capitol building is a way to bring Jesus to the peripheries.

“We need Jesus to come to the peripheries, as (the late) Pope Francis said, including the existential peripheries. The existential peripheries are our public square, (our) public life,” Adkins said. “We need to bring Jesus there. We need him to be present.”

Prayers for the state of Minnesota and government officials are needed, Adkins said, to “show his Lordship and his dominion over this place, in all places. We need to pray, (asking) how can we be his hands and his feet in the process of public life and public service.”

“Pope Leo (XIV) said that politics is one of the highest forms of charity, and indeed, the most important thing we can do as an act of charity for elected officials is pray for them,” Adkins said. “That’s what we’re here to do today. We’re here to pray for our elected officials, here to pray for our state amidst a time of deep turmoil and challenges and conflict and partisanship that people may transcend the divides among us and work together to promote human dignity and the common good.”

“Our state — we need this right now,” Randolph said. “It was just so great to see so many people here praying for our state.” She added that she thought about how “all these people will go back to their parishes and spread the blessings.”

Mindy Hoefer, a parishioner of St. Pius X in White Bear Lake, brought eight of her nine children to adoration at the Capitol. Hoefer homeschools her children, and often takes them to adoration at St. Pius X. She had previously attended adoration at the Capitol with her family when it was held in the smaller room.

“We thought this was an amazing opportunity to pray for our legislators, for our governor, for our state, and to show our kids that our faith isn’t just in our home and in our church; it’s everywhere we go,” Hoefer said. “We’re really blessed that we have this kind of an event to go to, to take our kids to, and to show them what the faith is about.”

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