February 18, 2015 – Page 2 – Madison Catholic Herald Archive (2001-2025)

We are hearing a lot in the news these days about the issue of vaccination of children, primarily because of a nationwide measles outbreak that began in a Disney park in California.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that the current outbreak has resulted in 121 cases of measles in 17 states and the District of Columbia, according to Catholic News Service.

Role of parents

The outbreak has raised concerns about parents who won’t immunize their children for a variety of reasons.

I agree that parents should make the final decision about their children’s health and well-being. There are some reasons why parents might not want their children to be vaccinated. However, parents may have fears that are not based on scientific fact.

Lenten opportunities for men and women

Annual diocesan men’s Lenten retreat

MADISON — The annual “Fortes in Fide” diocesan men’s Lenten retreat is set for Friday, March 6, to Saturday, March 7, at the Bishop O’Connor Pastoral Center in Madison, 702 S. High Point Rd.

Mass will be celebrated at 5 p.m. Friday for early arrivals.

The retreat welcome will be at 7 p.m.

There will be talks, Confession, a Holy Hour, Rosary, and Benediction.

Christianity not primarily about ethics

Many atheists and agnostics today argue that it is possible for non-believers in God to be morally upright.

They resent the implication that the denial of God will lead inevitably to ethical relativism or nihilism. They are quick to point out examples of non-religious people who are models of kindness, compassion, justice, etc.

Non-believers praiseworthy?

A recent article proposed that non-believers are, on average, more morally praiseworthy than religious people. God knows (pun intended) that during the last 20 years we’ve seen plenty of evidence of the godly behaving badly.