In the twilight hours of October 18, more than 80 people gathered on the sidewalks and terrace grass outside the Planned Parenthood Clinic on Madison’s east side to pray at a candlelight midpoint rally for the 40 Days for Life Vigil.
Year: 2011
WCC supports bill to restore flexibility, local control to sex ed
The Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) urged support for legislation to provide local districts more flexibility in teaching human growth and development classes, as well as to permit abstinence-based instruction.
Bill may keep abortion from health exchanges
The State Senate gave its approval to legislation to prohibit health insurance providers that participate in future state exchanges from including elective abortions in their coverage.
Retired priest appreciates article about happy priests
To the editor:
I enjoyed Nancy Frazier O’ Brien’s article (October 13 issue) which was based on a recent talk by Msgr. Robert Panke, president of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors.
Monsignor Panke stated, “Prayer is key to happy and healthy priests. A priest who prays at least 30 minutes a day “is less likely to be emotionally exhausted because Christ is feeding him.”
To live each day with dignity: Dealing with illness and death with faith, hope, and love
We all know that we will eventually face illness, disabilities, and death of our family members, friends, and ourselves. Despite the inevitability, it is difficult to think about and even more difficult to talk about issues involving sickness and dying.
Yet, these are issues we must confront and deal with — and our faith can provide a great deal of guidance and support. As we conclude Respect Life Month, we should remember that respect for life must encompass respect for the disabled, the elderly, the sick, and the dying.
Facing terminal illness realistically
In modern times, dying is more and more often portrayed as a cold, clinical reality to be kept at arm’s length, relegated to the closed doors of a hospital, almost hermetically sealed from the rest of our lives.
When it comes to the event itself, we diligently work to avoid confronting it, addressing it, or acknowledging it. Because of this cultural backdrop, patients receiving a diagnosis of a terminal illness can be tempted to indulge in unrealistic expectations about what lies ahead, clinging to unreasonable treatment options and hoping for highly improbable outcomes.
Expressing gratitude for ordinary saints
November always brings several things to mind. It has traditionally been a time when we pray for those who have gone before us and give thanks for the ordinary saints, living and deceased, who have touched our lives. We also celebrate Thanksgiving, which is supposed to be the favorite holiday of most Americans.
Every time I go to a wake or funeral — and I have been to many lately — and hear the beautiful comments made about the persons who died, I cannot help but wonder how many of those things were said to that person when he or she was alive?
Widows contribute much to the Church and family
Losing a beloved spouse to death is one of the most painful human experiences. I saw this pain in my mother, two sisters, and other married women when their spouses died. I have also listened to men, whose wives died, pour out their grief.
The word “widow” comes from a Sanskrit word meaning empty. When a woman loses the husband whom she loves, she often experiences pain, emptiness, and even temporary anger. So does a widower. A good marriage joins the couple as two in one flesh, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. To marry is to open oneself to love and joy, but also to pain.
Working in the community
The morning of September 29, a handful of Edgewood High School (EHS) students were to be found tramping through the mud and rain in a garden outside of Madison, some 10 miles from their desks.
Sister Joanice Hogan, OP, dies
Sr. Joanice Hogan, OP, died Oct. 21, 2011, at St. Dominic Villa, Hazel Green, Wis.