Year: 2013

On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Conscience rights: Urge Congress to protect religious liberty in health care

Over 56,000 people joined me in contacting their members of Congress about the importance of protecting conscience rights in health care. We were responding to an appeal from the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment (NCHLA).

The NCHLA is urging us to continue to fight for conscience protection under the Affordable Care Act, signed into law in 2010 and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012.

Challenging provisions of Affordable Care Act

Catholic dioceses, as well as Catholic and other religious nonprofit organizations and businesses, have filed lawsuits challenging the mandate that is part of the Affordable Care Act.

Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, said in a statement reported by Catholic News Service (CNS) that the goal of these litigants is “nothing less than securing the freedom of the Church to continue to obey the Lord’s command — and, in turn, to serve the common good — by providing charitable ministries in health care, education, and service to the poor, all without compromising Catholic beliefs.”

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Dick Jones, for the Catholic Herald

Former members of Diocesan Choir will return for special performance on May 3

The current Madison Diocesan Choir under the direction of Dr. Patrick Gorman. (Contributed photo)

MADISON — In celebrating 40 years of music ministry, the Madison Diocesan Choir will present a free spring concert like no other at the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center on Friday, May 3.

The evening concert will include former members in performing favorite, heartfelt hymns of the past, as well as relatively new songs of praise.

Choir will swell to over 100 voices

The choir has more than 70 active members representing parishes throughout the diocese. On this festive occasion, however, its numbers will swell to more than 100 as the former members, some of them founding members, join in singing sacred music, including signature pieces the choir has sung from its beginning.

For Dr. Patrick Gorman, now in his 21st year as director, the biggest challenge may be finding space for them all in the O’Connor Center chapel. Assistant Director Glenn Schuster will accompany the anniversary choir in the concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel of the center, located at 702 S. High Point Rd.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Pregnancy Helpline Sharing Center relocates to CMC, schedules open house

MADISON — The Pregnancy Helpline (PH) Sharing Center has relocated to the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC), 1862 Beld St., in the lower level.

To celebrate its new location, PH will be holding an open house on Saturday, May 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

“We are so pleased to be in this beautiful location, partnering with an organization that has a similar mission to ours — to serve all people in a holistic and caring way,” said PH Executive Director Alissa Hirscher.

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On
George Weigel

Celebrating moral courage: ‘42’ and us

The Catholic Difference column by George Weigel

Baseball and movies don’t often play well together. William Bendix as a Marine who dies happy in Guadalcanal Diary because he’s just heard that the Dodgers have won is an icon of 1940s Americana; the same William Bendix as the Bambino in The Babe Ruth Story is a sad business, to be consigned to the (bad) memory bank.

The Natural and Bull Durham have their moments, but when push comes to shove, they’re both, finally, about something other than baseball.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

The saints come marching in!

CROSS PLAINS — On Friday, April 12, St. Francis Xavier School, Cross Plains, became a “little Heaven” when the saints “came marching in.”

The fifth graders, under the guidance of their teacher, Jennifer Esser, did research on their patron saints or those they were interested in.

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Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

St. Ambrose student takes third place in state geography bee

Justin Hineline, an eighth-grader from St. Ambrose Academy, took third place in the National Geographic state bee. (Contributed photo/Angela Hineline)

MADISON — Eighth-grader Justin Hineline, who attends St. Ambrose Academy in Madison, recently took third place in the state level of the

National Geographic Bee. It was his second consecutive trip to the competition.

Hineline made it through the preliminary rounds with a perfect score before advancing to the finals.

There, he made it through 14 rounds of play, competing neck-and-neck with the eventual first place winner, Asha Jain, a seventh-grader from Minocqua.

Learning about the world

Justin’s journey began two years ago when he took second place in the school level of the bee as a sixth-grader. His mother, Angela, said Justin “enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to study for the school bee his seventh grade year.”

After months of intense study, including state capitols and major landforms in the United States, Justin won the school geography bee as a seventh-grader. Shortly after that, he tested in the top 100 students to qualify for the state-level bee.

 

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Abbot Marcel Rooney

The Holy Eucharist: Theology and Spirituality, part one

By Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB

year of faith column logo

This is the first in a series of articles examining the theology and spirituality of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

As we begin this reflection on the theology and spirituality in the Holy Eucharist, it would be well to think first about the meaning of the word “Eucharist” itself. It comes from the Greek, and has two main parts: “Eu” and “charis.”

Meaning of the word

“Eu” means “good.” The basic meaning of “charis” is “gift.” Putting them together, we have “a good gift.” The “good gift” referred to is what God has done for His chosen and beloved People. He has, first of all, created us and given us life.

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