Month: September 2019

On
Bishop Donald J. Hying, Bishop of Madison

Freedom of religion is at risk worldwide

Bishop Donald J. Hying's column

Worldwide, Christians are being killed explicitly for their faith in alarmingly large numbers these past years. North Korea, the Middle East, and Africa are some of the top hotspots for Christian persecution.

Believers in Christ are being systematically driven out of the Holy Land through intimidation, prejudice, and lack of opportunity. Soon, there will be almost zero Christians in the country where Jesus lived. More martyrs are being born through a bloody death than any time since the early Church!

Religious freedom at risk

Here at home, we do not face such overt violence because of our religious beliefs, but some significant shifts in political praxis have put our religious freedom at risk.

The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees religious liberty in our country. This right is not some beneficent gift from the government; it is inscribed in our human nature as an inherent right to exercise freedom of conscience. No one can either compel or restrict religious belief or practice. Faith is a sacred gift nurtured in the heart and soul.

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On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Let’s recover a sense of compassion

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines compassion as a “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.”

Perhaps it’s the constant news of disasters deluging us these days, but it seems as if many people have lost a sense of compassion. We’ve almost become numb to the suffering of others, whether it be from mass shootings, natural disasters, immigrants’ distress, or wars.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Memorial service for aborted children to be held in Dane

DANE — On Saturday, Sept. 14, pro-life Americans throughout the country will gather at the gravesites of aborted babies and other memorial sites dedicated in their honor for the seventh annual National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children.

Solemn vigils will be held at these sites to commemorate the more than 60 million children who have lost their lives to legal abortion since 1973, and to remind our society of the humanity of the unborn child.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Priests of the diocese to gather for annual assembly

WISCONIN DELLS — Priests of the Diocese of Madison will be gathering Sunday through Wednesday, Sept. 15 through 18, at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells for their 39th annual Presbyteral Assembly.

The Presbyteral Assembly provides opportunities for prayer, education, and socializing for the priests. The theme for this year’s assembly is “The Sacrificial and Fatherly Heart of the Celibate Priest.”

Fr. Scott Jablonski, director of continuing formation for priests, said, “We are excited to welcome two excellent guest speakers: Fr. Carter Griffin and Dr. John Bergsma.”

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On
Fr. Steve Grunow

God’s timing and the petitions of St. Monica

Word on Fire
Fr. Steve Grunow

St. Monica was likely born in the year A.D. 331 and died in the year A.D. 387 . Her husband was a Roman of minor nobility named Patricius, and with Patricius, Monica had three children, one of whom was named Augustine.

Augustine would become one of the premiere converts to the Catholic faith, and his works of theology and spirituality are among the greatest of the treasures of the Church.

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On
Catholic Herald Staff

Review completed of diocesan files on sexual abuse issues

MADISON — After a review of over 500 personnel files and tens of thousands of pages by an objective third-party review firm, the Diocese of Madison is confident that there are no known historical issues regarding the sexual abuse of minors left uninvestigated or undisclosed.

These are some of the key takeaways diocesan leadership is drawing from a now-concluded forensic file review of diocesan clergy personnel files.

The review, which was contracted through diocesan attorneys, was conducted by Defenbaugh & Associates, an investigative firm out of Texas, comprised mostly of retired agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Building trust and healing

With its announcement of the review in June, diocesan leadership said, “Through rereleasing names of known past offenders, and adding to that list any names of those previously found by the diocesan Sexual Abuse Review Board to be credibly accused, and conducting a thorough investigation and review of any additional names, the diocese hopes to continue to build trust, to provide healing wherever possible, and to reassure the faithful of the Diocese of Madison that such matters have been and will continue to be dealt with appropriately.”

The review and investigations into related matters have resulted in the diocese adding one new name to the list previously published and announcing an additional investigation.

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On
Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation

Saint Mother Teresa Mercy Endowment Fund

September 5 marks the celebration of St. Mother Teresa’s feast day. We celebrate her as a saint and draw inspiration from her life committed to serving Christ and His people, especially the poor and suffering.

Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19, 2003, by Pope Saint John Paul II, and Pope Francis canonized her on September 4, 2016.

Mother Teresa set up homes for AIDS patients, prostitutes, battered women, and orphanages for poor children.

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