On Thursday, June 21, the first weekly Rosary Rally was held at the state Capitol in Madison. At that rally, a large helium balloon Rosary was released.
Month: July 2012
Bishops urge against use of POLST medical forms
The Catholic bishops of Wisconsin recently expressed concern for “Upholding the Dignity of Human Life” in a statement warning against the use of Physician (or Provider) Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST).
Continuing the Olympic tradition: In a spirit of peace and healthy competition

It’s so sad that we mourn the deaths of 12 people and the injuries of so many others following the tragic rampage of the suspect, 24-year-old James Holmes, at the movie theater in Aurora, Colo., all happening shortly before the start of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Let us join in prayer with the religious leaders in Colorado and throughout the world for those affected by this tragedy. Pope Benedict XVI at his weekly Angelus address at Castel Gandolfo July 22 expressed his sadness over the tragedy, saying he was “deeply shocked by the senseless violence,” adding, “I share the distress of the families and friends of the victims and the injured, especially the children.”
Much as we are saddened by the tragedy in Colorado, we should not let our sorrow marr our joy as we we look forward to the Olympic Games beginning on July 25.
Mass schedules change at Lafayette County parishes
Parishes in Lafayette County have been realigned due to the priest shortage. Parishioners have been adjusting to the new Mass schedules.
Sister Bernadette Durand, OP, dies
Sister Bernadette Durand, OP (Mary Nazaire), died July 21, 2012, at St. Dominic Villa.
We are both Catholics and Americans
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| Bishop Paul J. Swain of Sioux Falls, S.D., speaks on the topic of religious freedom to the St. Thomas More Society in Madison. (Catholic Herald photo/Kat Wagner) |
MADISON — Religious liberty is one of the first values protected in the Bill of Rights. People had come to America to avoid religious persecution and so those writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution knew the importance of providing for religious liberty.
Bishop Paul J. Swain, formerly in the Air Force, a lawyer, legal counsel to Governor Lee Dreyfus, and a convert to Catholicism, recently spoke as a guest of the St. Thomas More Society on the Feast of St. Thomas More.
Bishop Swain is well known in the Madison area, having spent about 40 years here, discerning his call to priesthood, converting, becoming a priest, pastor, and vicar general before being named Bishop of Sioux Falls, S.D.
‘Love Begins” where we are
MONROE — Recently St. Clare of Assisi Parish has been gifted with 100 teens who stepped up to be part of a local mission project called Love Begins Here. They came together from Appleton, Green Bay, Madison, and Monroe to reach out and lend a hand.
MDCCW hosts annual convention
JOHNSON CREEK — Women from across the diocese came together in mid-June on the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua for the annual convention of the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (MDCCW). Hosted by the Jefferson Deanery, MDCCW President Carol Brennan, Berlin, presided at the event.
Family should step up
Q My dad has been living with me for the past three years and while I love him and have entered into this arrangement willingly, I am feeling more and more resentful of my siblings. I have a brother and a sister, both live close to me and neither one of them offer to give me a break. I don’t understand how they can just go on with their lives and leave me here to do all of the caregiving. I am afraid I will unintentionally take out my frustration on dad. What should I do? (From a daughter in Janesville).
‘Vision’ becomes better with age

One of the benefits of aging is that our vision improves so much.
What? You say you have more trouble reading the fine print on prescription bottles? And you need stronger light bulbs and magnifying glasses?
Oh, sure, but that’s not the kind of vision I’m thinking about. I’m thinking of hindsight. You know, they always say that hindsight is 20-20.
So here’s what’s so great about it. We have perspective now. We can look back at the things that drove us crazy with worry, like a messy house when guests arrived. But now we know that it was never the picture-perfect house that mattered, but the warmth of our hospitality.

