Dozens of lay and religious faithful of the Diocese of Madison were presented December 16 with the honors bestowed upon them by Pope Benedict XVI for their meritorious service to the Church.
Day: December 26, 2012
St. Maria Goretti Parish creates a vision for the future
MADISON — Parishioners often describe St. Maria Goretti Parish as a “very good parish.”
“It’s a very warm and welcoming parish. You get the sense that people care. There is excellent leadership from the clergy and staff,” said Bernard DuMond, who did an assessment of St. Maria Goretti Parish as a consultant with the Institute of School & Parish Development (ISPD).
St. Ambrose dinner gathers record numbers
A record 565 guests gathered at the Madison Marriott West in Middleton on December 15 for a benefit dinner supporting St. Ambrose Academy middle school and high school. Bishop Robert Morlino and dozens of priests and religious were joined by faculty, school families, benefactors, and supporters in a celebration of Catholic education in the Diocese of Madison.
A call to study Vatican II
The Year of Faith was called for by our Holy Father to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.
In the years following Vatican II, the council’s purpose and the documents it promulgated were poorly understood, leading to a vast range of interpretation and division. It is important to note that the “spirit” of Vatican II that is often referenced is none other than the Holy Spirit who has maintained unity and guidance to the Church and our Sacred Tradition both before and after Vatican II.
It is only fitting that our current Holy Father has called for this year as a year to revisit the Council and her documents and, as a result, grow in faith and in unity with one another under the guidance of the Holy See.
An inspiring Christmas ceasefire
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As the first Christmas of World War I approached, Pope Benedict XV on December 7, 1914, asked the leaders of all warring governments to agree to an official ceasefire. He begged “that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.”
Sadly, his plea was ignored by government leaders. But many of the soldiers in the trenches declared their own unofficial truce.
Let us work for peace in the new year
A good New Year’s resolution is to continue to work for peace. History has shown that helping to bring peace takes patience, prayer, and perseverance. Past human efforts to achieve peace have not been overly successful.
According to the June 1988 issue of Today in the Word, in 3,530 years of recorded history, only 286 years saw peace.
More than 8,000 peace treaties were made and then broken.
What’s in a name? Lamenting the decline in children named after Mary and the saints
When I was a student at Aquinas High School in LaCrosse, there were eight of us in my class with the name Mary. To avoid confusion, we were called by our first and middle name, such as Mary Beth, Mary Ellen, Mary Pat, and Mary Sue. I was usually just called Mary, although I like my middle name and wouldn’t mind being called Mary Clare.