MADISON — A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center for Chaplain Fr. Vincent Browne (Lt. Col. USAF Ret.), a priest of the Diocese of Madison, who died Sunday, Oct. 26.
Month: October 2008
Need moral leadership in an election season
Catholics must exercise moral leadership in an election season, Bishop Robert C. Morlino told over 400 persons attending the recent annual meeting of the North Central Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem held in Milwaukee.
Helping to find healing after abortion
MADISON — Theresa and Kevin Burke, the founders of Rachel’s Vineyard, were in Madison recently to offer training for priests, therapists, and other pro-life workers on the trauma of abortion and healing after abortion, and to train teams for Rachel’s Vineyard retreats.
Campaign grant used for juvenile justice issues
BELOIT — A $5,000 grant received this past summer from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is being used for the youth justice project of Justice Overcoming Borders (JOB) in Beloit and the state-line area.
The grant’s purpose is to organize youth and adults to address the needs and aspirations of at-risk and disadvantaged youth in the state-line area, according to Tom Boswell, Evansville, JOB community organizer.
Settlement reached for feasibility study
The Diocese of Madison has reached an agreement with Phoenix Fundraising Council regarding the just compensation for their services on a recent feasibility study for a capital campaign.
Reminders from the harvest
Some people have actually heard corn growing. They tell me this happens when all the conditions are just right; enough good weather and plenty of rain.
Looking around our area makes me think there must have been a lot of noise in the fields this past growing season. Corn, beans, hay, grains, you name it, they have all grown like gangbusters. What a miracle when we think how it all comes from seeds that are planted.Maybe, if you are like me, reminders help from time to time. Harvest season is upon us. Gardens and fields both are producing the fruit from all that has been growing. I am reminded that our God of all creation planted the seed of faith in my life to bear good fruit. If the conditions are just right, and with enough prayer, receiving the sacraments, striving to love God and my neighbor, this can result in a fruitful life.
Election is not an easy choice
As Catholics we face many complex questions and challenges in regards to being involved in public and political life. We face similar questions and challenges in selecting a candidate.
I had the pleasure of attending a Theology On Tap in which Thomas Peters, an extremely articulate and funny Internet-journalist, worked hard to sell that McCain is the best choice for Catholics. His argument was that the abortion issue encapsulates and trumps all other life issues. If you get the abortion issue wrong, how can you be an advocate for life in its later stages? This seems on the onset like a salient point.
What are these other “life issues” that might motivate a Catholic voter to either pick Barack Obama or perhaps trouble a Catholic enough not to vote for John McCain? A few mentioned but not adequately discussed were the evils of “preventive war,” the death penalty, embryonic stem cell research, and the social sins of poverty and oppression in its many forms.
Human lives are on the line
During his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, presidential nominee Barack Obama made a comment in which he attempted to appeal to both pro-life and pro-abortion voters.
“We may not agree on abortion,” Obama said. “But surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.”
While this sound byte may sound like a good faith effort to unite Americans, it revealed a fundamental flaw in the candidate’s understanding of the sanctity of life. We can agree on reducing the number of malaria cases in Africa or the number of car accidents on our highways because malaria and car accidents are by their very nature bad. But human beings are created in the image and likeness of God — whether they are wanted or unwanted.
Conscience, Scripture, and loving life
This Sunday’s readings are so direct and to the point. They also bear directly on how we form our conscience in today’s complicated world.
What was said and written so long ago from the Book of Exodus is powerful and true. “You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.”
Barack Obama is opposed to teachings of the Church
To the editor:
I cannot understand how any practicing Catholic, in good conscience, could possible vote for Barack Obama for president. Let me count the ways he is diametrically opposed to the teachings of the Church: