PINE BLUFF — The Ladies of Divine Mercy will meet on Friday evening, Nov. 20, at St. Mary Church in Pine Bluff, 3673 CTH P, Cross Plains. All women are invited to attend.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. An hour of Adoration will be followed by a reflection by Fr. David Carrano, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Reedsburg and chaplain of Catholic Charismatic Renewal for the Diocese of Madison.
When I heard about the terrorist bombings in Paris, my heart broke.
I visited Paris many years ago, and it is such a special city. It saddened me to hear that so many innocent people were killed and injured, apparently by three teams of Islamic State terrorists.
Although the French people had a reputation for being somewhat aloof, we found them to be friendly — especially when we spoke some French. Once we made the attempt to communicate with them, the Parisians usually spoke English with us.
But it was not only the loss of lives and the injuries that upset me. It was also the damage the terrorists might have caused to the city of Paris itself.
There are so many historic places in Paris, many of significance to the Catholic Church.
“Every person who comes to the Dells and wants to worship the Lord God in spirit and in truth will find a house of God that moves their hearts in that direction,” said Fr. Eric Sternberg, pastor of St. Cecilia Parish in Wisconsin Dells on its new church, currently being built.
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When he spoke to Congress last month, Pope Francis quietly urged his listeners to heed the Golden Rule of “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
But there is another golden rule. The late Wisconsin Governor Lee Dreyfus liked to refer to it from time to time. Commenting (with disfavor) on the nature of “old school politics,” Dreyfus observed that the golden rule of such politics is “He who has the gold makes the rules.”
MADISON — The Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) announced that Executive Director John Huebscher will retire in January and Associate Director Kim Wadas will succeed him.
The WCC was organized by the state’s Catholic bishops in 1969 for the purpose of coordinating various interdiocesan activities and public affairs interests of the five Roman Catholic dioceses in Wisconsin on a statewide level.
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At this time each year, the Office of Catholic Schools collects data detailing the state of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Madison.
When looking at data from the past few years, we have seen some exciting trends, such as the addition of grades six to eight at three different schools, the addition of three-year-old pre-school programs at several schools, and marked enrollment increases at several Catholic schools in Dane County.
These positive signs indicate growing enrollment and a focus on continuous improvement and development. While growth comes with certain challenges, it is a reason for great hope for the future of Catholic schools.
While this growth is exciting and encouraging, many Catholic schools, especially those in rural communities, are facing a different set of challenges: how to remain vital and vibrant in communities where the general population is shrinking, leaving an ever smaller pool of students from which to draw.
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| Monica Rose Quinones |
Last year I heard an amazing Relevant Radio interview given by the president/CEO of Military Outreach USA.
Retired Army Major General James Mukoyama was talking about his inspiration to found an organization to help veterans.
“We bring programs and resources to churches and organizations to create awareness of issues affecting our veterans and then teach how help can be provided at the community level,” said Joe Palmer, executive director. If we all do a little, we can accomplish a lot as a community, he said.
MADISON — On Saturday, Dec. 12, St. Ambrose Academy will host its annual Benefit Dinner, gathering hundreds from around the Diocese of Madison to celebrate Catholic education.
St. Ambrose Academy has hosted the annual dinner for nine consecutive years. As in years past, joining the evening’s festivities are Bishop Robert C. Morlino, as well as representatives from several local Catholic apostolates and organizations.
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Toward the end of the liturgical year, we Catholics hear at Mass from the mysterious, often confounding, and utterly fascinating Book of Daniel.
Recent scholarship has demonstrated that the Book of Daniel had an extraordinarily powerful influence on the first Christians, providing them a most important template for understanding the significance of Jesus.
Daniel is, of course, an example of apocalyptic literature, which in the common understanding means that it has to do with the end of the world.
MCFARLAND — Chili, one of America’s most popular soups, has a long and rich history. The number and variety of recipes grows daily.
Arguments lasting decades concerning the addition of meat to chili continue to rage without resolution and stories abound regarding its origins.
Enthusiasts of chili say one possible though far-fetched starting point comes from Sister Mary of Agreda, a Spanish nun in the early 1600s who never left her convent yet had out-of-body experiences in which her spirit was transported across the Atlantic to preach Christianity to the Indians.
