Day: April 19, 2012

On
Dick Jones, For the Catholic Herald

Choir’s spring concert returns to its roots in Middleton

Madison Diocesan Choir members Diane and Tom Kramer purchased a piece of music, “Give me Jesus,” in memory of family members who have died. It will be featured at the choir’s spring concert on April 27 at St. Bernard Church in Middleton. (Contributed photo)

MIDDLETON — The Madison Diocesan Choir, under the direction of Dr. Patrick Gorman, returns to its roots at St. Bernard Parish in Middleton on Friday, April 27, with a free spring concert renewing a music ministry that has served the faithful throughout the diocese and beyond for nearly 40 years.

Not only the setting, but also the program will differ considerably from the 2011 spring concert, “Choral Masterworks of the Church,” which included guest soloists, full orchestra, and the music of Schubert and Mozart in the chapel of the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison.

Entitled “Give me Jesus,” the concert this spring features the choir alone in performing simple, yet beautiful, prayerful pieces, including one with the same title, either a cappella or accompanied by Assistant Director and Organist Glenn Schuster.

The free concert will begin at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 27, in the church, 2015 Parmenter St. in Middleton, with a reception to

follow. While the concert is free, the choir appreciates free will offerings in support of its music ministry.

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On
Jean Mueller

Hiding information from a parent: good or bad?

Ask Jean by columnist Jean MuellerQ I come from a family of five — three boys and two girls. Mom is still living, dad passed away several years ago. We have always been “worriers” — with my mom setting the standard.

One of my sisters has just been diagnosed with a serious disease and does not want mom to know because she will worry. I think she should know what is going on but I am the only one. Is it a good idea to hide this information from mom to “protect” her? (A son in Portage)

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On
Audrey Mettel Fixmer

Exercising isn’t just for the ‘young’ anymore

Grand Mom column by Audrey Mettel Fixmer

“If I knew then what I know now” is a common opener for us senior citizens.

It is especially appropriate for things involving health care . . . the benefits of regular exercise, for example.

Granted, our Mamas got lots of exercise hanging out laundry, the Papas didn’t have power lawn mowers, and the kids didn’t get rides to school. Everybody walked everywhere.

Playtex or Jack LaLanne?

I just wish I had heard about exercise during my childbearing years in the late 40s and early 50s.

I expected to get back into shape by pulling on a Playtex rubber girdle. (Oh, the memory of sweating through that one!)

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On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Growing relationships: Farmers and consumers are finding new ways to connect

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

When I was growing up, my dad (a teacher who had summers off) always planted a large vegetable garden.

As his tomatoes, beets, carrots, and other vegetables multiplied, he would often take pails of produce around the neighborhood as gifts to other families. I helped with planting and weeding, although my main role was taking care of the flowers decorating the garden.

Enjoyment of gardening

Ever since then, I’ve always enjoyed gardening. Being outdoors with the smell of dirt (to me it smells good) and the bees buzzing gives me a sense of calm and peace.

When our children were young, we, too, had a vegetable garden. However, it got to be too much work to keep up with the weeding and harvesting — plus two of our neighbors had gardens and liked to share their produce with us. We decided to give up the vegetables, but we still have flowers and maintain our fairly large yard.

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On
Tom Nelson

Shaking the hand that feeds you

The warmer than usual early spring weather has unleashed a flurry of activity and interest in gardening projects (urban and rural), farmers’ markets, and local farm produce available from our area farmers.

The Rural Life Office of Catholic Charities receives calls from those seeking local, fresh produce grower information so, in this section of the Catholic Herald, we will provide some basics for understanding different models of Wisconsin farming production and the communities they serve.

Conventional farming

Wisconsin has a long and esteemed position in providing for our nation’s food system. Our dairy herds are of all sizes and produce dairy products for direct sale through grocery businesses as well as providing the major ingredients for world renowned, artisan-crafted cheeses throughout our state.

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On
Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Black and white, or gray?

Making Sense out of Bioethics column by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

One widely-encountered idea today is that there is no black and white when it comes to morality, only a kind of “gray area.” This is often taken to mean that we really can’t know with certainty what is right and wrong, allowing us to “push into the gray” as we make certain moral decisions that at first glance appear to be immoral.

The behavior of the semi-legendary figure of Robin Hood is sometimes mentioned as an example of this “gray area” phenomenon, since he was a character who would steal money (morally bad) for the purposes of helping the poor (morally good).

‘Gray’ shrouds immoral actions

By focusing on the good intentions motivating our choices, and by arguing that morality is ambiguous and mostly “gray” anyway, a person can more easily justify and provide cover for morally problematic actions. When we begin to scrutinize the claim that morality is “gray,” however, we encounter significant problems and contradictions.

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