Next to voting, the most important way citizens can participate in government is to communicate their wishes to legislators.
In order to communicate most effectively with your legislators, it is necessary to know the issue under consideration. Many issues are very complex, both for legislators and the average citizen. If you want to influence the legislator, you must study the issues. An aware citizen can:
MADISON — Bishop Robert C. Morlino has announced several diocesan staff changes effective immediately.
Eric Schiedermayer, executive secretary of the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, has been named vice chancellor and director of the Office of Planning for the Diocese of Madison.
Grant Emmel, former director of the Office of Planning, has been named assistant to the Office of the Vicar General for special projects.
Patrick Delaney, associate director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, has been named acting director of the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.
To the editor:
I can understand Bishop Morlino’s neutral position on the issues now facing the state of Wisconsin, but there are many repercussions should the governor’s budget bill pass.
Mr. McCluskey (Catholic Herald Mailbag, March 10) touched briefly on a decline in healthcare. To add to that, nurses and other hospital staff can be forced to work double shifts even though they have family at home to attend to or if they have plane reservations for the same time-frame.
My daughter faced this situation at UW Hospital. If she hadn’t been protected by the union, she would have been out the money for her plane ticket and if she refused to work another shift, she would have faced the possible loss of her job.
To the editor:
The Catholic War Veterans of the USA is looking for new members to continue our work for God, country, and home. Would you allow some space in the Catholic Herald to publish our letter to parish pastors to locate Catholic veterans to start posts in your diocese? You can learn more about us through our Web site www.cwv.org
Here’s the letter and God bless you!
Dear Reverend Father:
Our Bishop Protector, Rev. Richard B. Higgins, of the Archdiocese of the Military Services, recently told us the Catholic War Veterans of the USA must continue our work for God, country, and home to face the challenges of this new century.
We have been hearing so much about the fiscal challenges facing our state and national governments. Sometimes we may feel so frustrated that we don’t do anything.
But now is not the time to stand back. It is time to make your voice heard with your elected representatives at the state and federal levels. In this week’s Catholic Herald, we have published some suggestions on how to contact your legislators effectively. Many of these suggestions come from the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC), the public policy arm of our state’s Catholic bishops.
“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” is the familiar cry of Jesus on the cross.
In our own lives, we may also sometimes feel abandoned, with hope seeming to disappear. As we cope with the serious illness of someone close to us. As we face economic challenges, perhaps even the loss of our job. In the gray loneliness that follows the death of a beloved wife or husband.
And yet, in the midst of our darkness, we remember that God did not abandon His beloved Son and the suffering of Good Friday transformed into the hope of our Lord’s Resurrection. God does not abandon us.
