In chilly Minnesota, archbishop has warm welcome for Super Bowl visitors

IMAGE: CNS photo/Dave Hrbacek, The Cath

By Marie Wiering

ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) — Archbishop
Bernard J. Hebda may be a Pittsburgh native, but like a true Minnesotan, he
began a welcome video for Super Bowl visitors talking about the weather.

“The weather here can get a
little chilly this time of year, but as a transplant myself, I can tell you
firsthand, the people and hospitality here are warm and inviting,” the
archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis said in a 76-second video taped in the
Cathedral of St. Paul.

The video was posted Jan. 30 to
the archdiocese’s website, www.archspm.org. It also can be viewed in the local
news section on the site of the archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Spirit, thecatholicspirit.com.

Minneapolis will host the 2018
Super Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium Feb. 4. A million visitors are expected to
visit the Twin Cities for the big game.

“My prayer for this special
weekend is that all of you — teams, vendors, families, media and all guests —
have a safe and fun visit,” said Archbishop Hebda, who has headed the
archdiocese since 2016.

He said he also hoped that the
Twin Cities’ guests visit one of the archdiocese’s “more than 180 Catholic
parishes,” naming the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, the nation’s first
basilica, which is located on the west end of Minneapolis a mile-and-a-half
from the stadium, and the Cathedral of St. Paul, which overlooks downtown St.
Paul.

“You can explore their beauty,
have a few quiet moments or attend Mass in one of a dozen languages,” he said.

“Again a warm welcome to all of
you, from all of us,” he said.

The video concluded with
welcomes in seven different languages from individuals and groups representing
different immigrant communities in the archdiocese.

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Wiering is editor of The
Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

 

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