Year: 2020

On
Fr. Gregory Ihm, For the Catholic Herald

Commitment to the priesthood comes in stages

Fr. Gregory Ihm

When a man stands as his name is called during an ordination and responds “present”; it isn’t the first time he has presented himself to the Church for ordination.

The commitment to the priesthood comes in stages.

First stage: interior journey

The first stage is the interior journey that happens before applying to the seminary. It is probably the most important/pivotal, because it makes real many aspects of the priesthood that are usually off limits in most men’s minds.

Once they wrestle with the many doubts and fears that surround it and give themselves permission to pursue a call to the priesthood there can be freedom.

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On
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

National Vocation Awareness Week, November 1-7

Vocations Week
Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison speaks to diocesan seminarians during this year’s Seminarian Gathering held at Camp Gray in Reedsburg. (Contributed photo)

WASHINGTON — The Catholic Church in the United States will celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week on November 1-7.

This annual weeklong celebration is an opportunity for dioceses and parishes in the United States to uphold and promote vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and Consecrated Life and encourage the faithful to renew their prayerful support for those currently discerning one of these calls.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unforeseen challenges in the lives of many throughout the country.

Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, offered that these current challenges provide an opportunity for genuine discernment fully rooted and dependent upon Christ.

“These unusual and difficult times have brought much uncertainty and fear into our lives, but we know in faith that Christ’s powerful hand extends over all of us in mercy. I invite those discerning a vocation to use this time to prayerfully renew your love for Christ and recognize your complete dependence upon Him who loves and calls you uniquely,” he said.

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On
Fr. Joseph Baker

The issue of food and water

Death: Our Birth into Eternal life

Fr. Joseph Baker

The following article is the next installment in a series that will appear in the Catholic Herald to offer catechesis and formation concerning end-of-life decisions, dying, death, funerals, and burial of the dead from the Catholic perspective.

Having examined when life-sustaining treatments can be discontinued or forgone, we turn to the issue of food and water.

It must be noted that food and water fundamentally differ from life-sustaining treatments.

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On
Carolyn Averill, For the Catholic Herald

St. Ambrose Academy to host extraordinary virtual benefit dinner

MADISON — On Saturday, Dec. 12, St. Ambrose Academy (SAA) is bringing the party to you.

We’re taking our annual gala virtual with the See the Joy Benefit Dinner @ Home Edition. And we invite you to host a watch party and join the fun!

Not just a Zoom conference

This is not just some Zoom conference though.

Instead of coming to a downtown Madison venue, you and your guests will gather at your home (or someone else’s!) to enjoy an interactive experience that will bring in a taste of the joyful, social atmosphere that is a hallmark of each SAA Benefit Dinner, which annually welcomes 600 or more friends and supporters.

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On
Catholic Herald Staff

40 Days for Life closing prayer vigil on November 1

MADISON — “As 40 peaceful days of prayer, fasting, vigil, and outreach draw to a conclusion, we will meet at Planned Parenthood, 3706 Orin Rd., Madison, on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. to rejoice in the victories that God has accomplished,” said Gwen Finnegan, who is coordinating the 40 Days for Life campaign in Madison.

Some of the highlights of the current campaign include:

• More than 40 churches working together

• 500-plus volunteers contributing 1,920 hours of service to the community

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On
Catholic Herald Staff

Rural Life Listening Sessions to be held

NOTE: The first Rural Life Listening Session scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, in Highland has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No decisions have been made yet on other scheduled sessions in November. A session in Iowa County will be rescheduled sometime after January 1.

The Diocese of Madison Rural Life Ministry is coordinating listening sessions in all 11 counties, so that Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison and diocesan leaders can better understand the blessings and challenges of our rural communities.

We watch with great concern the crises our farmers face, especially the loss of family farms, financial failure, plunging dairy and meat prices, and increasing costs of production, all the while being more productive than ever-before.

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On
Jane Lepeska Grinde, Catholic Herald Correspondent

Cookie making adapts to current situation

Cookie Making
Good Shepherd parishioners J.P. Fedele and Eileen Alt, above, work the new machine that is being used this year for producing pfeffernuesse cookies.
(Photo by Jane Lepeska Grinde)

MADISON — Rather than a St. James Church basement full of “holy rollers” this fall, only six people are working each of the three weekly shifts to produce the traditional pfeffernuesse cookies sold at the annual fall festival.

For the first time in the 44 years of producing pfeffernuesse, the cookies are being “spit” out of a machine onto the large cookie sheets.

No hand rolling this year

“No hand rolling this year,” said the bulletin announcement to the disappointment of many of the regulars who enjoyed the time for socializing.

The machine, ordered online and previously used by a bakery, took some getting used to, said Paul Scott who oversees the cooking operation.

The machine temporarily replaces one that is a specially rigged sausage maker that produces ropes of dough that are then pushed through a special wire grating for rolling into nicely shaped balls.

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