Day: April 26, 2012

On
Brent King, Office of Communications, Diocese of Madison

Bishop accepts recommendation to close Platteville school

St. Mary School in Platteville, founded in 1935, will close at the end of the current school year. (Contributed photo)

PLATTEVILLE — Bishop Robert C. Morlino delivered his decision regarding the closure of St. Mary School in Platteville to Fr. Faustino Ruiz, pastor of St. Mary Parish, on Wednesday, April 25, after the scheduled regional celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation in Platteville.

In his letter to the parishioners of St. Mary Parish, the bishop accepted “with tremendous sadness” the recommendation of Father Ruiz and the majority vote of the parish finance and pastoral councils to close St. Mary School.

The bishop’s letter reviewed some of the history leading up to the closure of the parish school at the end of this school year, as well as some of the steps taken by the bishop to attempt to keep this from happening, including guaranteeing the school would remain open last year, his offering of weekly prayer and fasting for the school, and assistance from the diocesan Office of Finance. He thankfully acknowledged all who worked so hard to keep St. Mary School open, if possible.

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On
Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Seeking peace of God through repentance

Dear Friends,
In the Gospel passages of the last few weeks, we have heard time and again how real the Resurrection is. Jesus rose, not with the same physical body He had before, but He rose with a real body that could be touched. His real glorified body could somehow be touched, with the nail marks in the hands and the feet, and the wound in the side from the soldier’s lance. All those wounds were visible and tangible in Jesus’ glorified body.

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On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Remember the poor: Catholic bishops call for ‘circle of protection’

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

An elderly woman lives on a very tight fixed income. She depends on food stamps to provide enough food so that she can pay for her rent and medical expenses.

A married man with four children loses his job. His unemployment compensation has run out and he relies on receiving government help for rental assistance and buying food for his family.

These are real situations facing real people. In fact, recent statistics show that one in two Americans are living at or near the poverty level. That means up to 50 million Americans are poor, the highest number since the Census Bureau began tracking poverty rates in 1959.

But despite the growing numbers of poor people — many of them formerly considered “middle class” — we aren’t hearing much about poverty in the current political campaign. It seems to be an issue that everyone is avoiding like the plague.

Everyone except the U.S. Catholic bishops, that is.

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On
Fr. Donald Lange

Founder of Knights of Columbus led Christ-like life

Seeing with Jesus' Eyes, by Fr. Don Lange

The 2012 Knights of Columbus State Convention will be held at Marriott West Hotel and Convention Center in Middleton on Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29.

Because of its nearness, as a Knight I thought that now might be a graced time to reflect upon the Christ-like life of the Venerable Fr. Michael Joseph McGivney, who founded the Knights of Columbus.

Humble beginnings

He was born on August 12, 1852, in Waterbury, Conn. His parents were Patrick and Mary Lynch McGivney, Irish immigrants. His father worked as a molder in the heat and fumes of a brass mill.

Mary McGivney gave birth to 13 children. Six died in infancy. The McGivney children knew suffering and poverty. But they also enjoyed the blessing of growing up in a devout Catholic family where they learned lessons of faith, hope, and charity. These experiences influenced Father McGivney.

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On
Sr. Constance Carolyn Veit, LSP

Listening to God’s call: He wants us for himself

St. Jeanne Jugan was well into her 40s when she established the Little Sisters of the Poor. Some might consider her a “delayed” or “late” vocation, but I don’t think Jeanne was delayed at all. From an early age she had a sense of her vocation.

Jeanne knew that God loved her and was calling her; she just didn’t know where the call would take her. When Jeanne turned down a marriage proposal, she told her mother, “God wants me for himself, he is keeping me for a work as yet unknown, for a work which is not yet founded.”

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