Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda Issues New Pastoral Letter "Only One Thing Is Necessary" to Help Catholic Families
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Minneapolis Archbishop Bernard Hebda Issues New Pastoral Letter: Only One Thing Is Necessary - How Catholic Families Can Strive To Be United in This Life and the Next Pastoral Letter to the Families of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. (Full Audio of the Letter below the Video)
Only One Thing Is Necessary
By Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda, Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
He writes, Family life is messy. As a response to the challenges we face in this day and age, Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis reads his pastoral letter to families, "Only One Thing Is Necessary: How Catholic Families Can Strive To Be United in This Life and the Next," relating how each one of us has a role to play in supporting a culture of family, a role that begins and can only be fully realized with our Lord, in prayer.
The letter was issued May 13, 2026, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima.
Preface
Section I: Our Urgent Challenge and the Narrow Path
Section II: What is Required to Accomplish the Task?
Section III: Sacramental Marriage: The Essential Foundation for a Family of Disciples
Section IV: “The Family of Families” — The Church Supporting Families on Their Journey to Heaven
Section V: “Family, Become What You Are!”
Section VI: How Does the Catholic Community Support You in Your Vocation?
Section VII: How Can You Pass on the Faith to Your Children?
Section VIII: What’s Next for Our Catholic Families in the Archdiocese?
Preface
The Church recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the canonization of Marie Azélie (Zélie) and Louis Martin, the parents of the Little Flower, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Canonized in Rome on October 18, 2015, the saintly couple were held up to the Church universal as role models for holiness in married life. They were the first married couple to be canonized together.
Throughout the process that led to their beatification and canonization, it was the ordinariness of their life that was celebrated. Pope Leo XIV recently spoke of these 19th century parents, a watchmaker and a lacemaker, as part of what Pope Francis had called an immense crowd of “saints next door”— saints who are relatable because they live their holiness amid the ups and downs of everyday life.1 Their lives were never free of sickness and hardship. Zélie gave birth nine times, but the Martins lost four of those children, a great suffering for the couple. They poured out their love for the five surviving children and desired to present to them a witness of holiness. Zélie died at a young age, leaving Louis to raise their daughters. Louis himself would confront ill health and spent years in a state hospital suffering from a type of dementia. Amazingly, all five of the daughters entered religious life.
Pope Leo has rightly noted that the seemingly “ordinary” life of Zélie and Louis “was inhabited by a presence of God that was, to say the least, ‘extraordinary’ and was its absolute center.”2 He noted that they bore witness “to the ineffable happiness and profound joy that God grants both here on earth and for eternity, to those who commit themselves to [the] path of fidelity and fruitfulness… ”3
I will always have fond memories of the 2023 procession from our State Capitol to the Cathedral of Saint Paul with the relics of Saints Louis and Zélie and their daughter Saint Thérèse, and I have been constant in my prayers that they would intercede for the families of this Archdiocese. I share Pope Leo’s prayer that families, “so dear to God’s heart, but also sometimes so fragile and tested, may find in [the Martins], in all circumstances, the support and graces necessary to continue on their journey.”4
I have been blessed throughout my life, and particularly throughout my 36 years of ministry, with wonderful examples of marital holiness in everyday life. While it is unlikely that my parents will ever be canonized, my siblings and I often speak of our indebtedness to our parents for their witness to the faith and their willingness to sacrifice for their family. We will always be grateful for the way they introduced us to God’s love and made sure that we found a home in our Church.
I have witnessed that same sense of sacrifice here in the Archdiocese. During the prayer and listening sessions that led up to our 2022 Synod, I heard time and again of the love and concern that reside in the hearts of so many parents in this local Church, who want nothing more than to lead their families to Jesus. They instinctively understand and model what Jesus taught Martha in the midst of her anxiety: “only one thing is necessary,” being with Jesus (Lk 10:42).
For that reason, I was not surprised at the 2022 Synod when the proposition regarding “parents as the first teachers of their children in the ways of the faith5” received so much support. I was happy to both include that proposition as one of our first three priorities for implementation and to appoint a Blue Ribbon Commission to help the Archdiocese develop a plan for responding to parents who desire the Church’s assistance in assuming their weighty responsibilities.
I remain grateful for the work of our Blue Ribbon Commission, and I am happy to issue at their recommendation this pastoral letter as an expression of encouragement to parents and to all those who support them pastorally.
Commended to the help of Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, and the mighty intercession of our patron Saint Paul in the 175th year of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
Lead Kindly Light.6
Preface
Section I: Our Urgent Challenge and the Narrow Path
Section II: What is Required to Accomplish the Task?
Section III: Sacramental Marriage: The Essential Foundation for a Family of Disciples
Section IV: “The Family of Families” — The Church Supporting Families on Their Journey to Heaven
Section V: “Family, Become What You Are!”
Section VI: How Does the Catholic Community Support You in Your Vocation?
Section VII: How Can You Pass on the Faith to Your Children?
Section VIII: What’s Next for Our Catholic Families in the Archdiocese?
Preface
The Church recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the canonization of Marie Azélie (Zélie) and Louis Martin, the parents of the Little Flower, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. Canonized in Rome on October 18, 2015, the saintly couple were held up to the Church universal as role models for holiness in married life. They were the first married couple to be canonized together.
Throughout the process that led to their beatification and canonization, it was the ordinariness of their life that was celebrated. Pope Leo XIV recently spoke of these 19th century parents, a watchmaker and a lacemaker, as part of what Pope Francis had called an immense crowd of “saints next door”— saints who are relatable because they live their holiness amid the ups and downs of everyday life.1 Their lives were never free of sickness and hardship. Zélie gave birth nine times, but the Martins lost four of those children, a great suffering for the couple. They poured out their love for the five surviving children and desired to present to them a witness of holiness. Zélie died at a young age, leaving Louis to raise their daughters. Louis himself would confront ill health and spent years in a state hospital suffering from a type of dementia. Amazingly, all five of the daughters entered religious life.
Pope Leo has rightly noted that the seemingly “ordinary” life of Zélie and Louis “was inhabited by a presence of God that was, to say the least, ‘extraordinary’ and was its absolute center.”2 He noted that they bore witness “to the ineffable happiness and profound joy that God grants both here on earth and for eternity, to those who commit themselves to [the] path of fidelity and fruitfulness… ”3
I will always have fond memories of the 2023 procession from our State Capitol to the Cathedral of Saint Paul with the relics of Saints Louis and Zélie and their daughter Saint Thérèse, and I have been constant in my prayers that they would intercede for the families of this Archdiocese. I share Pope Leo’s prayer that families, “so dear to God’s heart, but also sometimes so fragile and tested, may find in [the Martins], in all circumstances, the support and graces necessary to continue on their journey.”4
I have been blessed throughout my life, and particularly throughout my 36 years of ministry, with wonderful examples of marital holiness in everyday life. While it is unlikely that my parents will ever be canonized, my siblings and I often speak of our indebtedness to our parents for their witness to the faith and their willingness to sacrifice for their family. We will always be grateful for the way they introduced us to God’s love and made sure that we found a home in our Church.
I have witnessed that same sense of sacrifice here in the Archdiocese. During the prayer and listening sessions that led up to our 2022 Synod, I heard time and again of the love and concern that reside in the hearts of so many parents in this local Church, who want nothing more than to lead their families to Jesus. They instinctively understand and model what Jesus taught Martha in the midst of her anxiety: “only one thing is necessary,” being with Jesus (Lk 10:42).
For that reason, I was not surprised at the 2022 Synod when the proposition regarding “parents as the first teachers of their children in the ways of the faith5” received so much support. I was happy to both include that proposition as one of our first three priorities for implementation and to appoint a Blue Ribbon Commission to help the Archdiocese develop a plan for responding to parents who desire the Church’s assistance in assuming their weighty responsibilities.
I remain grateful for the work of our Blue Ribbon Commission, and I am happy to issue at their recommendation this pastoral letter as an expression of encouragement to parents and to all those who support them pastorally.
Commended to the help of Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, and the mighty intercession of our patron Saint Paul in the 175th year of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
Lead Kindly Light.6
In Conclusion, Archbishop Bernard Hebda writes;
To be sure, the family is the “domestic church.” To repeat, as Pope Saint John Paul II insisted, “The family is the ‘first and vital cell of society.’ In its own way it is a living image and historical representation of the mystery of the Church. The future of the world and of the Church, therefore, passes through the family.”45 He would conclude, “As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.”46 As such, the Church places a supreme priority on supporting and nourishing a healthy, happy and faithful family.
Are there more ways, beyond those suggested in this letter, to strengthen the Catholic family and deepen its faith?
Countless ways.
In a world of anxiety and distraction, self-absorption and uncertainty, is there hope for the faithful family?
Absolutely.
In The Portal of the Mystery of Hope, French Catholic poet Charles Péguy mused about how God loves faith and charity, but he marvels at hope.
The faith that I love the best, says God, is hope.
Faith doesn’t surprise me. It’s not surprising.
I am so resplendent in my creation.
In the sun and the moon and in the stars …
Charity, says God, that doesn’t surprise me.
It’s not surprising.
These poor creatures are so miserable that unless they had a heart of stone, how could they not have love for each other.
How could they not love their brothers…
What surprises me, says God, is hope.
And I can’t get over it.
This little hope who seems like nothing at all.
This little girl hope.
Immortal.47
My brothers and sisters, our Catholic families are the vital cell, the building block, the beginning and end of Catholic civilization. Let us help each other’s families flourish. Let us pray, frequent the sacraments, engage in corporal and spiritual works of mercy, study, seek fellowship in our parish, and love our spouses and families with a supernatural, Christ-like love. In so doing, we will change the world, one soul and one family at a time.
To be sure, the family is the “domestic church.” To repeat, as Pope Saint John Paul II insisted, “The family is the ‘first and vital cell of society.’ In its own way it is a living image and historical representation of the mystery of the Church. The future of the world and of the Church, therefore, passes through the family.”45 He would conclude, “As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.”46 As such, the Church places a supreme priority on supporting and nourishing a healthy, happy and faithful family.
Are there more ways, beyond those suggested in this letter, to strengthen the Catholic family and deepen its faith?
Countless ways.
In a world of anxiety and distraction, self-absorption and uncertainty, is there hope for the faithful family?
Absolutely.
In The Portal of the Mystery of Hope, French Catholic poet Charles Péguy mused about how God loves faith and charity, but he marvels at hope.
The faith that I love the best, says God, is hope.
Faith doesn’t surprise me. It’s not surprising.
I am so resplendent in my creation.
In the sun and the moon and in the stars …
Charity, says God, that doesn’t surprise me.
It’s not surprising.
These poor creatures are so miserable that unless they had a heart of stone, how could they not have love for each other.
How could they not love their brothers…
What surprises me, says God, is hope.
And I can’t get over it.
This little hope who seems like nothing at all.
This little girl hope.
Immortal.47
My brothers and sisters, our Catholic families are the vital cell, the building block, the beginning and end of Catholic civilization. Let us help each other’s families flourish. Let us pray, frequent the sacraments, engage in corporal and spiritual works of mercy, study, seek fellowship in our parish, and love our spouses and families with a supernatural, Christ-like love. In so doing, we will change the world, one soul and one family at a time.
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