After almost two years of preparation, parishes in the Diocese of Madison are ready for the launch of the new Roman Missal on the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 27.
Day: November 23, 2011
Can a Catholic be a liberal?
MADISON — The question posed for the Knights of Divine Mercy’s annual fall lecture, “Can a Catholic be a liberal?” has no easy answer, said speaker Dr. Peter Kreeft at the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center November 18.
St. Coletta finalizes sale of historic school campus
St. Coletta of Wisconsin announces that they have finalized all details in the sale of its historic 38-acre Tax Incremental District (TID) school campus to Todd Schultz, developer of Sanctuary Ridge, LLC.
Living with a grateful heart
Many years ago a missionary friend of mine told me about a beautiful tradition practiced by the people who live in Uganda, East Africa.
From a very young age children are taught to live with grateful hearts. The word they use is “webali,” which is an expression of gratitude for all God’s gifts no matter how seemingly insignificant.
For example, any time a person goes to another’s home, the host thanks that person for taking the time out of his day to visit and the guest thanks the host for welcoming him into his home. If someone has a conversation with another, that person thanks her for taking time to speak and listen to her.
Be thankful for every day
On July 4, 1939, Lou Gehrig enjoyed an early Thanksgiving Day. On Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium, the Hall of Fame first baseman told 61,808 baseball fans that he was the luckiest man on earth.
At age 36, he was dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis); yet, he was thankful because God gifted him with great athletic ability, wonderful fans, teammates, and a good family.
Vaccinating our children for sexually transmitted diseases
Last month, an advisory committee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta recommended that nine- to 12-year-old boys be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV), a virus transmitted through sexual contact. The goal of the recommendations was to prevent cancers caused by HPV, such as certain cancers of the digestive tract.
The same committee had already recommended, back in March of 2007, that girls and young women between the ages of nine and 26 be vaccinated against HPV, to help prevent various cancers of the reproductive tract, such as cervical cancer.
Raises ethical concerns
While the motivation to prevent cancer and diseases is clearly good, a universal recommendation of this type raises ethical concerns. Because the recommendations of the committee relate to important aspects of human behavior and sexuality at formative ages for children and adolescents, parents need to look at the psychological and social messages they might be conveying by choosing to vaccinate their children against HPV.
Giving thanks this Thanksgiving
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Dear Friends,
Thanks to all who joined in prayerful support of us bishops as we recently met in Baltimore for our annual fall assembly. The meeting was very upbeat and very joyful – in very large part due to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, his wonderful wit and sense of humor, and his determination to expedite our proceedings using every possible tactic. The archbishop’s approach meant that we bishops had more time for fraternal companionship, and that the meeting was a time when the Holy Spirit, though Archbishop Dolan and our new, gracious, and warm Apostolic Nuncio, confirmed us in our faith.