Year: 2014

On
Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Discrimination and human genital sexuality

Making Sense out of Bioethics column by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

*Caution to parents: the following article uses frank and honest language to discuss the serious and complicated subject of human sexuality. Care should be used when determining if your children are old enough to read and discuss the contents of this article.*

Discrimination is often understood as acting out of prejudice against persons who differ from us and do not share our views, traits, values, or lifestyles.

The word “discrimination,” however, has an older meaning as well, namely, to draw a clear distinction between proper and improper, good and evil, to differentiate and recognize as different.

Read More
On
Susanna Herro and Kathy Wall

Catholic Relief Services: Focus on Haiti

Guest Column

In this fifth week of Lent, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) highlights Haiti, where CRS has been serving since 1954.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. With almost 70 years of experience, CRS works to alleviate suffering and provide assistance to people in need in nearly 100 countries, without regard to race, religion, or nationality.

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash

Divine Mercy Spanish retreat

MAZOMANIE — The Hispanic ministry of Divine Mercy Parish in Sauk City will be hosting a Hispanic Retreat for Lent at St. Barnabas Church, 410 Cramer St. in Mazomanie, on Saturday, April 5, and Saturday, April 12, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and concluding with a Hispanic Mass at 6:30 p.m.

Planned for the retreat are talks, time to share ideas and ask questions, music, sharing of food, and more. Childcare, complete with child activities, will be provided.

Read More
On
Chris Lee

Encontrando a esperanza y luz en la oscuridad

Esta columna es la comunicación del Obispo con los fieles de la Diócesis de Madison. Cualquier circulación más amplia va más allá de la intención del Obispo.

Queridos amigos:

“La noche viene cuando nadie puede trabajar”, escuchamos en la lectura del Evangelio el domingo pasado (Jn 9:4).

Jesús les dice a sus discípulos: hagan las obras de Dios mientras es de día, porque “la noche viene cuando nadie puede trabajar”.

Nadie puede trabajar y, debo agregar, nada funciona. Y sugeriría demás que la noche ya ha llegado.

Hemos celebrado el domingo al que llamamos “Domingo de la alegría” y nos damos cuenta de que tenemos que alegrarnos en la verdad. Dios nos da la gracia de alegrarnos en la verdad. Y la verdad es que la noche ha llegado y nada y nadie funciona, ¡pero la espléndida Luz de la Resurrección hará que la noche sea tan brillante como el día!

La historia del ciego de nacimiento, al que vemos en la lectura del Evangelio, es en muchas formas una alegoría de nuestra propia cultura y de nuestra propia sociedad. Es una cultura y una sociedad de muerte. Una cultura en la que ha descendido la noche y en la que nada funciona.

Read More
On
Chris Lee

Sister Rosula Holzmann, OP, dies

SINSINAWA — Sister Rosula Holzmann, OP, died March 29, 2014. The funeral Mass was held in Queen of the Rosary Chapel at Sinsinawa April 4, 2014, followed by burial in the Motherhouse Cemetery.

Sister Rosula made her first religious profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican Aug. 6, 1940, and her final profession Aug. 6, 1943. She taught for 55 years and served as a tutor for four years. Sister Rosula ministered at Camp WeHaKee, Winter, Wis., for over 25 years during summer camp. She served in Minnesota, Illinois, California, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and the District of Columbia.

Read More
On
Chris Lee

Dr. Carolyn Woo to present St. Thérèse Lecture

Dr. Carolyn Woo

MADISON — Inspired by Pope Francis’ emphasis on charity and social justice, the Diocese of Madison’s Office of Evangelization and Catechesis has initiated several activities.

One is the sponsorship of two courses on Catholic Social Doctrine taught by Dr. Constance Nielsen throughout the year in different locations.

Another is a special event welcoming Dr. Carolyn Woo of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to be the guest lecturer at this spring’s St. Thérèse Lecture.

Dr. Woo will address the topic “The One-Handed Gospel: You Did It for Me” (taken from the words of Blessed Mother Teresa)” on Friday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bishop O’Connor Center, 702 S. High Point Rd.

Dr. Woo assumed the position of CEO and president of CRS in January of 2012. CRS was founded in 1943 by the Catholic bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Since then, it has expanded in size to reach more than 100 million people in nearly 100 countries on five continents.

Representing CRS, Dr. Woo was featured in Foreign Policy (May/June, 2013) as one of the 500 most powerful people on the planet and one of only 33 in the category of “a force for good.”

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

Lumen house seeks residents for fall

MADISON — In August of this year, Lumen House will open its doors to residents in the downtown area near the UW-Madison campus.

The Lumen House project allows Catholic students actively involved in the ministries of St. Paul’s University Catholic Center or the Cathedral Parish to pay rent at a reduced rate. It also offers a $100 a month, per person, rent scholarship to students actively involved with St. Paul’s.

Read More
On
George Weigel

The John Paul II difference: why the Revolution of 1989 was not a re-run of 1789

The Catholic Difference column by George WeigelTwenty-five years ago, on January 27, 1989, a joint statement from the communist government of Poland, the Solidarity trade union, and the Catholic Church announced a national “Roundtable” to discuss the country’s future, including major structural issues of political and economic reform.

The Roundtable began the following month; basic agreements were reached in April; partially-free elections, swept by Solidarity candidates, were held in June; and in September a Solidarity leader, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, became Poland’s first non-communist prime minister since World War II.

Read More