The Youth 2000 retreat, held for the third time in the Diocese of Madison, drew a smaller group of youth and young adults than previous years, but the reaction to the weekend of Eucharistic Adoration, Mass, Reconciliation, and talks on the faith remained high.
Month: November 2011
A 12-day Catholic pilgrimage to Italy February 12 to 23
MADISON — People in the Diocese of Madison are invited to consider making a special 12-day Catholic pilgrimage to Italy from February 12 to 23, 2012.
In the autumn of the year: A time to remember some lessons and blessings

Although I love spring, autumn is also a special time of the year. There are things I like about autumn, but there are things that bother me, too.
We live on a street lined with trees on both sides of the road. I enjoy watching the leaves on the trees change from green to yellow, gold, and red. What a beautiful sight!
But those leaves start falling from the trees, and that means lots of blowing and raking. We get our yard clear of leaves and pile them on the curb to be picked up, then we start again as more leaves fall. Of course, they don’t all fall at the same time. It’s frustrating when we think we’ve gotten the leaves all cleared and wake up the next morning to see the lawn full again — many of them having blown in from our neighbors’ yards.
Rural Life Day recognizes the fruits of labor and faith
For the past five years, the Diocese of Madison has set aside a day to recognize the importance of the rural community to our society.
Bishops offer guidance on concealed carry
As Wisconsin’s law permitting people to carry concealed weapons takes effect, Wisconsin’s Roman Catholic bishops are urging Catholics to reflect on the meaning of freedom, the Catholic tradition of nonviolence, and to remember that churches are “sacred spaces.”
Planning your legacy seminar offered
MADISON — In Matthew 25, we hear the parable of three men who are given talents by their master and what each does with the talents that are entrusted to them.
It’s a familiar reading and the lesson is that when we are blessed, it is pleasing to God for us to use our gifts and resources prudently.
Thanks bishop for complete definition of beauty
To the editor:
I’ve just finished the Bishop Morlino’s article in the recent Catholic Herald titled “The beauty of our worship in the liturgy.”
What an excellent and complete definition of beauty! As an artist I often struggle with putting into words the reasons behind my art. And my lack of enthusiasm for all art, as if all art was automatically beautiful, and so should automatically have my enthusiastic support.
Stop exposing people to cancer-causing chemicals
To the editor:
As many of us know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Various groups are working hard to support scientific research of treatments and cures or to educate women about breast health, all in hopes of putting an end breast cancer. While the efforts of such groups have truly made a difference in so many lives, a piece of breast cancer awareness is greatly underplayed.
We should all become more aware of the toxic chemicals entering the environment that have serious consequences on human health, like cancer. In 1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published with the goal of raising awareness on this very topic. Shortly after her book was published, Rachel died of breast cancer.
There is no conflict between faith and science
To the editor:
I was pleasantly surprised to find an article in the Catholic Herald that honored a science teacher, the late Joe Zaiman of Edgewood High School (October 20 issue, page 9).
I was taught in a Catholic school that there is no conflict between faith and science. In trying to spread this teaching, I like to point out that two of the greatest scientists of the 20th century were also Catholic priests.
Birth of Baby Seven Billion: Is it cause for celebration or concern?

A baby born on October 30 in the Philippines has been welcomed as one of the world’s symbolic “seven billionth” babies.
The Associated Press admitted that with all the babies born in the world on that day, it is impossible to pinpoint the arrival of the actual Baby Seven Billion. But the United Nations chose to mark Filipino Danica May Camacho as the symbolic seventh billion child. The parents and the baby were met by top United Nations officials in the Philippines, who presented the child with a small cake.
The birth of any child should be a happy occasion. However, the birth of Baby Seven Billion is being looked at as a cause for celebration by some and a reason for concern and even fear by others.
