On April 10th Bishop David came to Minnesota to visit the Immaculate Heart of Mary seminary and to attend a dinner of the bishops, who send their seminarians to study there. This is an annual fundraising event for the seminary, held in Rochester, as well as an occasion, where those who have supported the seminary, receive a special award. A total of five bishops, including Bishop Barron, and several hundred people gathered that night.
Bishop David held a Mass at the seminary and in the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, which is in Winona. The Sunday Mass was especially festive because many seminarians attended and served at the Mass. Father Patrick Arens, a good friend of our diocese, is the parish priest there. After the Mass, he invited us to his house for dinner, where we had grilled beef.
Winona is in the valley of the Mississippi River and it is a very beautiful region. The road from the airport runs along the river and there are also some nice lookouts in Winona. We enjoyed admiring the scenery before us on the way to and from Winona.
Ólafur Jóhannesson
