Day: May 19, 2011

On
Kat Wagner, Catholic Herald Staff

Protecting life at all stages

Bishop Robert C. Morlino, surrounded by pro-life advocates, stands outside the Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin building in Portage to pray a Rosary. The Peace and Justice Committee at Immaculate Conception Parish in Portage has included pro-life efforts in its agenda for years. (Catholic Herald photo/Kat Wagner) For more pictures click here.

PORTAGE — Several dozen people, many from the Portage area and others who had come more of a distance to be present, gathered on the sidewalk in front of the local Planned Parenthood clinic on a main street here recently.

The April 26 prayer gathering, which featured a Rosary led by Bishop Robert C. Morlino, was one of the many pro-life efforts engaged in by members of the local parish. In fact, the St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish’s Peace and Justice Committee invites people of all faiths and denominations to gather outside the Planned Parenthood every second Tuesday of the month from 5 to 6 p.m. for prayer to end abortion.

This focus on the protection of the unborn is only a part of the parish’s broader acknowledgement of the importance of social justice in Catholic teaching.

“Social justice begins in the womb, and we start from there,” said Eileen Knecht, a member of the Peace and Justice Committee.

Conquering earthly pride

The belief human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society is the foundation of all the principles of Catholic social teaching, the U.S. bishops have said.

“It’s earthly pride that causes hatred and earthly pride that makes people feel that they are in charge of human life from conception to natural death — and we know by reason alone that God is in charge,” Bishop Morlino said during the prayer gathering.

 

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On
Jerome Joyce

Erosion of labor laws leads to stagnating wages

To the editor:

I applaud Bill Dagnon for his well-researched and well-written letter that appeared recently (Catholic Herald, April 28). It is not a coincidence that stagnating wages for lower and middle-class Americans parallels the decline of the labor movement over the last 30 or 40 years. The reasons for the decline are varied, but, to put it simply, due to steady erosion of U.S. labor laws, it is now easier to “bust” a union than it is to form one.

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On
Bob Penzkover

Social justice is clearly explained by Father Sirico

To the editor:

Fr. Robert Sirico has a special knack for applying the tenets of our Catholic faith to the socio-political world in which we live. His article “‘Social Justice’ is a complex concept” in the April 14 issue of the Catholic Herald clearly explains how the free market enables the most efficient workplace rewards for all who choose to labor.

Our Christian faith doesn’t demand that everyone, regardless of effort, receive equal compensation. Our government should certainly provide for equal opportunities for all.

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On
Sr. Rosalie Bauer

Defund Planned Parenthood and protect preborn babies

To the editor:

Marie Gestrich, in her May 12  letter to the editor, provided excellent information on Planned Parenthood. Who wants to pay for killing human preborn babies?  What we can do to defund Planned Parenthood?

Planned Parenthood is Wisconsin’s largest provider of abortion. It’s time to stop our taxes from being used to fund their abortion/birth control industry. Let’s defund Planned Parenthood.

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On
John Huebscher

Catholic conferences bring Church’s message

The springtime of the year is a season for debates over state budgets. Here, as in other places, state Catholic Conferences are part of the conversation.

Eye on the Capitol by John Huebscher

And here, as in other states, the issues of concern to state Catholic Conferences don’t fit neatly into the conventional liberal-conservative categories.

WCC and the budget proposal

In Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) backs the governor’s recommendations regarding the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and his proposal to remove the mandate that health insurance policies include contraceptive services coverage, even when religious organizations do not want to purchase such coverage.

The WCC also supports budget provisions that limit or end funding for family planning programs, but also urges that those funds be redirected to programs that help pregnant women and their children.

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