Archbishop Bernard Hebda, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis, is not only a member of the Relevant Radio® board of directors, but also a regular guest on Relevant Radio programs, offering spiritual insights and guidance to many listeners across the country. And in his own archdiocese, Archbishop Hebda is a strong spiritual leader with a heart for the people and an evident love for Jesus and His Church.

In recognition of his great contributions to the Church, Archbishop Hebda will be honored with the Relevant Radio 2019 Twin Cities Christ Brings Hope Award on Friday, April 26th at the JW Marriot – Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. Relevant Radio hosts Patrick Madrid and Fr. Richard Simon will be in attendance at the awards banquet, and Rev. Francis J. Hoffman (aka Fr. Rocky), CEO/Executive Director of Relevant Radio, will present the Christ Brings Hope Award to the archbishop.

The Christ Brings Hope Award is presented by Relevant Radio to an American Catholic who has worked with extraordinary dedication to bring the good news and hope of Christ to all souls. This person exemplifies the virtues of charity, generosity, hope, apostolic zeal, and love for the Truth.

As is evident to those in the Twin Cities, Archbishop Hebda exemplifies all these virtues. Though the archbishop was educated at some of the county’s most elite institutions, Harvard University and Columbia Law School, he consistently shows his desire to be among the people, not above them. In fact, he is well-known for showing up and participating in parish events as a member of the community.

Bishop Andrew Cozzens, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis, said, “Everyone talks about how he shows up everywhere. He loves to show up at the Stations of the Cross on a Friday night at a church, and then go to the fish fry. It drives the priests crazy, because they don’t know he’s coming, but the people love it.”

Archbishop Hebda has also shown his generosity and apostolic zeal in his commitment to the Catholic schools in the archdiocese. Bishop Cozzens said, “The Lord sent us a great gift in Archbishop Hebda. He grew up going to Catholic schools his whole life, and so he values that experience that he received. And I know he also sees that our Catholic schools are one of the best ways that we have to share the love of Jesus with the young people of our Church.”

Archbishop Hebda showed the value he places in the Catholic identity of the schools in the archdiocese by presiding at the Mass of the Holy Spirit, where Catholic schools from around the archdiocese gather for Mass, music, and a winter clothing drive for those in need. In 2018, about 12,000 elementary school children from 79 schools participated in the Mass of the Holy Spirit, which took place at US Bank Stadium.

Tom Halden, Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis said of the event, “Just to look out and see all those Catholic school kids out there who were all excited. He was just as excited as they were.”

Even Archbishop Hebda’s motto, ‘Only Jesus’ shows his extraordinary dedication to bring the good news and hope of Christ to all souls.

“Archbishop Hebda’s motto comes from a prayer, and a line from the prayer says, ‘Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus,'” said Bishop Cozzens. “To me, it really helps to exemplify the heart of Archbishop Hebda. Because he truly has a humble heart, and he doesn’t like to be in the spotlight because he wants the light to be on Jesus. And you see that in his humility, in his way of approaching people. He wants to radiate Jesus. And he wants us, as a local Church, to come together to be centered on the mission of Jesus, the teaching of Jesus. Because really, in the end it’s only Jesus that’s important.”

The Twin Cities Christ Brings Hope Awards Dinner is currently sold-out. If you are one of the 1,000+ listeners who will be attending the awards dinner on Friday, we can’t wait to see you! If you are not able to attend, please join us in offering a prayer of thanksgiving for Archbishop Hebda and his service to Christ and the Church.