By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
Lori Steffensmeier enjoyed organizing Catholic study groups and she frequently invited others to join her. “She yearned for ways to deepen her faith and understanding while also building relationships with other community members,” said friend Erin Dop, a lay leader at St. James the Less Parish in St. Paul.
Lori, a wife and mother of three young daughters, died unexpectedly during her morning walk May 18. The Catholic convert, 37, was an active member of St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in West Point and served on the parish council.
The Catholic communities in West Point, St. Paul and the other parishes in the cluster — St. John-Houghton and St. Boniface-Farmington — are following Lori’s lead as they figure out how to move forward through their grief. For the past two months, nearly 30 women from the four parishes have been gathering at West Point on Monday evenings to study Scripture and pray the rosary.
“Lori loved her rosary and would pray it often,” said Sydni Foecke, parish council president in West Point. “What better way to keep her close than to try and find healing in his word as a community of Christ?” Erin said.
Erin and Sydni organized the study to honor their friend while carrying out her desire to help local Catholics develop stronger relationships with Jesus and each other. “Since Lori’s death, Sydni and I have been leaning on each other and trying to encourage each other,” Erin said. They didn’t always make time for Lori’s small group studies and want to transform that regret into something positive. “She always made time…. Lori knew how to prioritize and value faith, family and friends,” Erin said.
The group starts each meeting with prayer, then breaks into smaller groups to go through two chapters of “MYSTERY: Blessed Conversations,” a study guide focused on exploring the mysteries of the rosary through Scripture, reflections and discussion questions. The study will take about 12 weeks to complete. Lori’s husband, Dan, is supportive of the study and one of their daughters participates regularly. People unable to attend in person can work though the book at home.
Group members often talk about Lori and the ways she helped them grow in their faith. “It is amazing to see how many people Lori reached and it is also comforting to be together with other people who want to honor her,” Sydni said.
Erin and Sydni hope to carry the momentum forward in future studies, as they believe Lori would have done. “Our vision is to continue to offer some sort of study, whether it be based on the Bible, Catechism or more of an encounter experience,” Erin said. “This is truly a special and wonderful thing that’s happening here. None of this would be possible without Lori making an impact on our lives and making her love for the Lord known to us.”
“There’s an energy, a sense of community being built by the people that attend,” said Deacon Mike Linnenbrink, who serves the cluster parishes. “It’s exciting to see people stepping up to offer our parish members more opportunities to grow in their faith. … It’s really a beautiful testament to Lori’s faith.”
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