CLINTON — St. Stephen Parish will be celebrating its 40th anniversary on Sunday, Aug. 26, with a 10:30 a.m. special Mass, parish potluck picnic, and an afternoon of fellowship.
Fr. Bill Connell, pastor, will concelebrate the Mass with St. Stephen’s founding pastor, Msgr. Gerard Healy, currently pastor of St. Ann Parish in Stoughton.
The Office of Evangelization and Catechesis has welcomed Jeffrey Karls to the staff as coordinator of Marriage Preparation for the Diocese of Madison.
On Good Friday we hear the words of Jesus from the cross, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Those words came to my mind as I was thinking about the killing of six members of the Sikh religion on August 5 at their temple in Oak Creek. We still don’t know what motivated the gunman, Wade Michael Page, who apparently killed himself after the rampage. We know that he had ties with white supremacist groups.
It seems as if many people in our society today don’t know what they are doing, especially when they injure and kill other people. We seem to be a nation riddled with violence, in both word and deed.
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| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Dear friends,
It was no shock at all for me to learn that our diocesan native son, Paul Ryan, had been chosen to be a candidate for the Vice Presidency of the United States. I am proud of his accomplishments as a native son, and a brother in the faith, and my prayers go with him and especially with his family as they endure the unbelievable demands of a presidential campaign here in the United States. It is not for the bishop or priests to endorse particular candidates or political parties. Any efforts on the part of any bishop or priest to do so should be set aside. And you can be assured that no priest who promotes a partisan agenda is acting in union with me or with the Universal Church.
It is the role of bishops and priests to teach principles of our faith, such that those who seek elected offices, if they are Catholics, are to form their consciences according to these principles about particular policy issues.
As we prepare to begin another school year, I often reflect on how blessed we in this diocese are, blessed with over 40 Catholic elementary schools, well over twice the average number of Catholic schools found in dioceses of similar size.
These schools are treasures, pearls of faith, hope, love, and knowledge shining brightly for our parishes, our communities, and our Church.
MADISON — Blessed Miguel Pro, who was martyred in 1927 in the midst of persecution of the Church in Mexico, could be unknown or deemed irrelevant to young Catholics today. His death 85 years ago in the public eye is long removed in time and space. But his witness to the Catholics of that time served to bolster their faith and fight more enthusiastically for Christ the King.
Seminarian Bill Van Wagner shared the story of Blessed Miguel Pro with the nearly 300 young people who have come on Love Begins Here (LBH) mission trips this summer. Each time, it was accompanied by some encouragement to not be afraid to follow Blessed Miguel’s example.
When you’re a kid, summer means camp — and camp means being outdoors, swimming, playing games, making new friends and seeing old ones, eating new foods, and just plain having fun.
The “newborn” parish of Holy Family held a Mass on July 22 in honor of the completed merger of St. Joseph Parish, Waterloo, and St. Mary of the Nativity Parish, Marshall. Bishop Robert C. Morlino celebrated what he praised as a “beautiful” liturgy, with pastor Fr. Michael Radowicz concelebrating.
Combining function with fine art, local sculptor Gary David has been creating new altars and liturgical pieces for the historic St. Thomas Church in Potosi.
MADISON — Last October, Pope Benedict XVI released his apostolic letter Porta Fidei (“The Door of Faith”) announcing a Year of Faith to begin for the Universal Church on October 11, 2012, and concluding on the Feast of Christ the King, November 24, 2013.
