Month: February 2021

On
Angela Curio, Catholic Herald Staff

Fr. Donald Lange publishes book

PLATTEVILLE — “I think it was in the late 1970s that I submitted a few articles to the Catholic Herald,” said Fr. Donald Lange, speaking about how his column — “Seeing with Jesus’ Eyes” — got started. His new book Seeing with Jesus’ Eyes — A Seasonal Reader was just published in December of 2020. “At first, I wondered in the Catholic Herald would accept my articles, but gradually, they did.”

What began as an occasional guest column eventually became something more regularly published in the paper.

“After I retired, Pam Payne asked me if I would offer a name for the column,” he said, speaking of the Herald’s now retired associate editor. “That was about 14 years ago.”

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On
Damian Lenshek

Thinking about green burial

Death: Our Birth into Eternal life

Damian Lenshek

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.

St. Anthony the Great had a problem. He was 105 years old, he lived in fourth-century Egypt, and he was famous.

He did not want to be embalmed. But the common practice at the death of eminent personages such as himself was to preserve them, pose them on couches, and to keep them in their houses.

This was intended to honor the deceased.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Don’t ‘give up’ during Lent

kevin-editorial

By the time you’re reading this, we’ll be in the season of Lent — the annual 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that leads us to Easter.

Being blessed with the COVID-19 pandemic a year ago, it might seem like we never really left the last Lent we had.

With how we’ve been living the past almost 12 months, we might not feel we have to give up anything for Lent this year. We might feel like we’ve been giving things up this whole time.

Here’s my uneducated, unscientific, un-everything else thought: Don’t. Don’t “give up” anything this Lent.

Add, don’t take away

OK, truth be told, I am still giving up some things this Lent. I’m giving up soda and desserts (I’m sweet enough already?).

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On
Mary C. Uhler, For the Catholic Herald

Diocese of Madison meets needs through a variety of ministries and services

Sixth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison

Since the Diocese of Madison was established in 1946, it has strived to meet the needs of members of the Church as well as all those in society through a variety of ministries.

As times have changed, programs and services have been added, dropped, or adapted to make the best use of time, faith, and resources.

Charitable programs

One of the most important programs begun by the new Diocese of Madison in 1946 was its charitable efforts conducted by the Catholic Welfare Bureau, later known as Catholic Social Service and then as Catholic Charities.

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On
the Diocese of Madison Office of Stewardship and Development

Support your Church through the Annual Catholic Appeal

ACA artwork

In one way or another, every Catholic in the Diocese of Madison benefits from the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA).

From your Baptism into the Catholic faith, through childhood, adulthood, and beyond, many of the things that have helped form you were enhanced or made possible because of someone’s generosity to the ACA.

In this special edition of the Catholic Herald, we highlight some of the ways the ACA has impacted lives.

Please take a moment to read these stories.

Then make a gift to ensure that these ministries will continue throughout these uncertain times.

Enclosed in this issue is an envelope; we invite you to fill it out and make a gift.

If you prefer, you can go to www.MadisonDiocese.org/acagive and donate online.

We also invite you to follow @madisondiocese on Facebook and Twitter.

There you will see updates on the impact of your donation — who it is helping, and the good it is doing.

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On
Bishop Donald J. Hying

Jesus’ desire to be in relationship with you

Hying logo

Because this issue of the Catholic Herald is going to every registered household in the diocese, I want to speak especially to our brothers and sisters who may have been away from Mass and the sacraments for a while and are seeking a renewed connection with God and the parish.

I am happy you are reading this and know that I am praying for you, that the Lord touch your heart with love, peace, and grace, that you feel in the depths of your spirit, Jesus’ great desire to be in relationship with you and that you be inspired to reach out to the Church.

The question of faith

The most fundamental decision every baptized Catholic must face is the question of faith.

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On
Catholic Herald Staff

2021 MDCCW convention to be virtual

WAUNAKEE — Women of the diocese are asked to save the date of Saturday, June 12, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for an abbreviated virtual convention of the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (MDCCW).

In announcing the shortened virtual event to replace the annual convention, the planning committee said, “The West Dane Vicariate is looking forward to welcoming you to our 2021 conference this summer. We missed seeing you last June, but promise to make 2021 a conference to remember as we celebrate 100 years (actually 101 by now), safe from COVID-19, and thanking God for who we are and what we do.”

Online event

The online event “is geared to be uplifting and encouraging while celebrating all that women have done in the Madison diocese to make our world a better place,” said Rosa Ropers, president of the West Dane Vicariate CCW (Council of Catholic Women), this year’s host.

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On
Fr. Donald Lange

Celebrating Lent as family

Lent is the Church’s primary penitential season. It is the season of conversion when we seek to become more Christ-like by choosing a Lenten penance which helps us to renew our Baptismal promises at Easter with a deepened faith.

The three traditional practices of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. A genuine commitment to these practices leads to a deepened awareness of God and conversion of the heart. Since the family is the domestic Church, in this article I will focus on some ways that we can live Lent as a domestic family. Some of these ways may also apply to the extended family and the Church family.

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