MONTELLO — The 2015 celebration of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist took on a special meaning at the church named for him in Montello.
During the Mass for its patron saint, Bishop Robert C. Morlino blessed the church’s altar and reredos, which were installed last December.
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Recently, I had the privilege of spending four hours in the Sistine Chapel with my Word on Fire team. Toward the end of our filming, the director of the Vatican Museums, who had accompanied us throughout the process, asked whether I wanted to see the “room of tears.”
This is the little antechamber, just off of the Sistine Chapel, where the newly-elected pope changes into his white cassock. Understandably, tears flow in that room, once the poor man realizes the weight of his office.
Inside, there were documents and other memorabilia, but what got my attention was a row of albs, chasubles, and copes worn by various popes.
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| Morgan Smith |
I am thinking now of my friend’s face. It is lit up with a mix of joy and surprise.
The other day, he was talking about his brother, whom he had seen the weekend before. His brother is in a program for recovering addicts which after years, he had finally wanted to enter. My friend was struck by his conversation with his changing brother. And so was I.
My friend said of his brother: “He shared in a way I’ve never witnessed him share before, about some changes in himself. He’s forming a new view on life; in particular he has an openness to being surprised, to novelty. He now takes his walks differently, open to beauty, and treats his interactions with people differently, wanting to learn about them and hear their story.”
Since he has been our Holy Father, Pope Francis has been spending time in prisons.
Not only does he visit prisoners in Rome, but he also puts visits to prisons on his itinerary for trips outside of Rome. When he comes to the United States in September, he will stop at a prison in Philadelphia.
When he was the archbishop of Buenos Aires, he made a point of spending time with prisoners. Even as pope, he continues to make a phone call every other Saturday to inmates he used to visit in Buenos Aires.
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Q My mother lives in a small community in northern Wisconsin. My dad died a few months ago and since his passing the children (three daughters) have noticed how much he did for mom.
We collectively have noticed some forgetfulness, lack of attention to housekeeping, and poor nutrition.
We all live in different communities. My oldest sister is the closest, about a one hour drive; my youngest sister is the farthest, a six hour drive; and I am in the middle, about four hours away. My older sister feels that in order to keep mom home where she wants to stay, we should each spend one week each month with her.
BARABOO — Monsignor O’Reilly Knights of Columbus Council 746 will hold a brat sale at Pierce’s Marketplace on Friday and Saturday, July 24 and 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
All profits will be split equally between the Backpack Project and Coats for Kids.
The Backpack Project is a community project that provides school supplies and personal items to financially disadvantaged children in the Baraboo School District.
BARABOO — St. […]
MONONA — Former Protestant minister Bruce Sullivan will present his life-changing conversion story at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 5101 Schofield St., on Thursday, July 23, from 7 to 9 p.m.
As a former Church of Christ minister, Bruce Sullivan was a zealous apostle for what he believed to be the true Gospel. As such, he was also ardently anti-Catholic. In fact, his dream was to be a missionary to the largest Catholic nation in the world — Brazil.
All of that changed, however, when he was confronted with the truth and beauty of the Catholic faith while trying to “evangelize” a Catholic family that had moved into his community.
Rev. Msgr. James Bartylla, Vicar General, announces the following appointments made by Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, effective as indicated below:
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The famous Olympian Bruce Jenner made headlines recently when he told ABC News, “For all intents and purposes, I’m a woman . . . That female side is part of me. That’s who I am.”
He has been receiving hormonal treatments to acquire feminine traits and is not yet sure whether he will undergo surgery to “complete” the process.
His dramatic case raises important ethical and medical concerns about properly understanding our identity and respecting the given order of our bodies.
