Day: January 8, 2014

On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Winter farmer’s markets feature brunches held at churches

Schedule at Madison
area churches
• Saturday, Jan. 11, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Our Lady Queen of Peace/Blessed Sacrament Parishes, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 401 S. Owen Dr., Madison
• Sunday, Jan. 19, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — St. Stephen Lutheran Church, 5700 Pheasant Hill Rd., Monona
• Saturday, Jan. 25, 9 a.m. to 12 noon — St. Albert the Great Church, 2420 St. Albert Dr., Sun Prairie
• Saturday, Feb. 1, 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon — Holy Mother of Consolation Church, 651 Main St., Oregon
• Sunday, Feb. 9, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Bethel Lutheran Church, 312 Wisconsin Ave., Madison
• Saturday, Feb. 15, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ, 1501 Gilbert Rd., Madison
• Saturday, Feb. 22, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — First Unitarian Society, 900 University Bay Dr., Madison

MADISON — The Churches’ Center for Land and People (CCLP) is sponsoring winter farmer’s markets in church halls featuring brunches using local food.

The “Markets and Meals for Hope” program, coordinated by the CCLP, has scheduled seven farmer’s markets and brunches in the Madison area from January 11 through February 22.

The brunches include local food prepared by people in the churches under the direction of professional chefs.

These markets provide small-scale farmers the chance to sell their products in the off-season. The farmers supply the ingredients for the brunches and are able to sell products directly to those attending the meals.

Products for sale at the markets include woolen goods, farmstead soaps, cheese, produce, preserves, honey, and meats.

Farmers help each other by donating 10 percent of the sales to the Harvest of Hope emergency fund with 100 percent of donations given to farmers in need.

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On
Stacey Eslinger, For the Catholic Herald

St. Francis students focus on true meaning of Christmas

CROSS PLAINS — Students at St. Francis Xavier School focused on the true meaning of Christmas through prayer, service projects, and spreading holiday cheer.

During Advent, the entire school came together on Monday mornings for a prayer service. Surrounding a large Advent wreath, the students looked on as candles were lit. Students then took turns leading the school in prayer and singing.

Students in kindergarten, first, and fourth grade classes spread holiday cheer by caroling at local nursing homes.

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On
Barbara Wills, For the Catholic Herald

St. Joseph School reaches out to those in need at Christmas time

HAZEL GREEN — Students and staff from St. Joseph School recently completed another successful Christmas outreach activity.

Part of our Catholic faith and identity is to help others in need, so the students and staff decided to live out their faith by helping people they may never meet. But we know that when we help our brothers and sisters, we are living the way Jesus wants us to live.

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On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Freedom of religion: It should mean more than worshipping freely

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

Many of our ancestors came to the United States to enjoy freedom of religion. They lived in countries where they were not able to worship freely and some may have been persecuted for their beliefs.

For many of the early settlers of our country, freedom of religion didn’t just mean being able to attend the church of their choice, for example, Catholics going to Mass on Sunday at a Catholic church.

It also meant being able to wear religious symbols such as crucifixes in public, praying at public gatherings, talking about one’s faith in public, sending children to Catholic schools, and receiving health care at Catholic hospitals.

Being good Catholic employers

Many Catholics started their lives in this country as farmers and workers in factories or other businesses. But eventually many of them became owners of farms and businesses. As owners, they wanted to put their Catholic teaching into action by providing just wages and good benefits to their employees.

The Catholic Church itself became an employer in its institutions. At first, priests and members of religious orders primarily worked for the Church. But increasingly, especially in the 20th Century, more lay people were hired by Church institutions, including schools, colleges, hospitals and other health care facilities, and social service agencies. Not all of those employees were Catholic, but they realized that they were working for the Church and would have to adhere to the Church’s policies and procedures.

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On
John Huebscher

Must Christmas spirit end with the season?

Eye on the Capitol by John Huebscher

In some traditions, January 6 represents the 12th day of Christmas. As such, the date marks a transition from the Christmas season to the ordinary time of our lives.

But does that have to mark the end of the “Christmas spirit”? Dare we hope that the softening of our hearts and the acts of kindness central to Christmas might become an ongoing habit rather than a seasonal exception?

In ways large and small, we have opportunities to express, in our deeds and our choices, a concern for others, especially those whose needs may be greater than our own. Some of those opportunities may be found in our public policy choices.

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