Fifth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
Following is a timeline of key events in the 75-year history of the Diocese of Madison under each of the diocese’s bishops.
Month: February 2021
Priest Appointments (2-15-2021)
Msgr. James Bartylla, Vicar General, announces the following priest appointments made by Most Reverend Donald J. Hying, Bishop of Madison:
Rev. Fr. Alex Navarro, resignation from pastor, Queen of All Saints Parish, Fennimore, per canon 538, effective Monday, February 15, 2021, awaiting further pastoral assignment.
Rev. Fr. Faustino Ruiz, SJS, to parochial administrator, Queen of All Saints Parish, Fennimore, per canon 539, effective Monday, February 15, 2021, remaining as Local Superior of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest.
Planning a Catholic funeral and burial
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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.
One of the saddest situations I encounter is when a daily Mass attendee, after decades of devotion, dies and does not receive a Catholic funeral or burial.
Usually, this happens when the deceased’s children are not practicing Catholics and, either through ignorance or rejection of the Faith, do not seek a funeral Mass for their devout parent.The need for a renewed unity in Christ
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The attacks, accusations, and demands fly in from every side. “You supported Trump in the election and are complicit in the attack on the Capitol.” “You are in the back pocket of the Democratic Party.” “You made abortion the only issue in the election.” “You were not vocal enough in defense of life.” “You need to help stop the steal.” “I demand that you publicly affirm that Biden is the legitimate president.” “I am leaving the Church because you are too (take your pick) . . . conservative, liberal, silent, vocal, weak, strong.”
These are all messages I and probably every bishop in the country have been inundated with these past months and it is actually getting worse.
The anger and vitriol is palpably toxic.
Our cultural, political, and social divisions, exacerbated by COVID; the elections; and the violence in our streets and cities have unfortunately entered into the Church and are seriously wounding our unity in Christ.
We now seem to have Biden Catholics and Trump Catholics, perhaps just the latest incarnation of traditional and progressive Catholics, but a division that is louder, angrier, and far less compromising than all the previous rifts in the Body of Christ.
A look back: Bishop O’Connor chooses leaders to help run new Diocese of Madison
Fourth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
The Diocese of Madison grew rapidly after its founding in 1946.
To help Bishop William P. O’Connor run the new diocese, Msgr. Jerome J. Hastrich was named vicar general, chancellor, and director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Bishop Hastrich became auxiliary bishop of the diocese in 1963.
In 1969, he was named the bishop of Gallup, N.M.
First spiritual steps: Humility, prayer, surrender
It’s a scene I’ll never forget: my one-year-old son taking his first steps, placing one foot uncertainly in front of the other, arms outstretched toward my hands, eyes wide open in wonder, and a big awe-struck smile on his upturned face.
As he closed the gap between us and finally grasped my hand, I swooped him up in a bear hug, and we all cheered for him. Amazingly, after months of crawling and pulling up and falling and getting up again, my baby had learned to walk.
‘FAKE NEWS!!!’
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Like the fellow once said, in song, (and yes, a line I’ve already used in a past editorial) “And you may ask yourself, ‘Well, how did I get here?'”
The word “fake” feels as natural to put together with the word “news” like “peas and carrots” or “Forrest” and “Jenny.”
For the countless number of people whose livelihood it is to deliver the news — be it on-camera, at a microphone, behind a computer, in a control room, or at home (thanks, COVID) — it’s a troubling prospect to have a significant count of people tell you what you do is “fake,” especially when you’ve put so much effort into making sure it’s clear, concise, and accurate.
What is ‘fake’?
According to the dictionary by Merriam-Webster, fake means “not true, real, or genuine”.Letter to the editor 2-4-2021
A Godless Nation
“If you don’t behave as you believe, you will end by believing as you behave.” — Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
In my humble mind of seeing how the citizens of the United States are on “the slippery slope” of not believing in God and thus they believe in “nothing”.
The fatal decision by the United States Supreme Court on June 25, 1962, which declared school-sponsored prayers unconstitutional in the landmark case of Engel v. Vitale.