Year: 2021

On
the Wisconsin Catholic Conference

State bishops warn of harm to First Amendment freedoms under Equality Act

WCC Logo

MADISON — Wisconsin’s Catholic bishops have issued a letter urging the faithful to actively oppose H.R. 5, a federal bill that if signed into law would dramatically limit First Amendment freedoms, especially the free exercise of religion. Known as the Equality Act, H.R. 5 would alter provisions of the federal Civil Rights Act, adding “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as categories of people protected from discrimination.

The Catholic bishops of Wisconsin affirmed that “every person is made in the image of God and must be treated with respect and compassion. Individuals have a right to live free of discrimination or harassment.”

Nevertheless, the bishops explain that the Equality Act actually fosters inequity and intolerance. “As Catholics, we are called to shield individuals from discrimination, accompany the vulnerable, and be a voice for the voiceless. However, the Equality Act would require religious entities to abandon the very principles of faith that undergird their ministry and service. Under the Equality Act, ministries would not be able to acknowledge the biological reality of male and female.”

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

A further look at faith and culture

Two weeks ago, I reflected briefly on the fundamental shift in worldview in the West, beginning with the Renaissance and then gaining greater traction with the French Revolution and the Enlightenment.

This movement from a theistic, God-centered vision to a humanistic, this-worldly orientation is complex, long, and multi-faceted, and therefore not easy to fully understand or articulate.

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Angela Curio, Catholic Herald Staff

Edgewood teacher aids in developing app to assess school readiness and dyslexia risk

MADISON — “If there ever was a year to say no, this was the year,” said Kim VanBrocklin, a kindergarten teacher at Edgewood Campus School in Madison who spent part of the fall semester of 2020 piloting the new APPRISE app with her students.

But neither VanBrocklin nor Principal Anne Palzkill let the pandemic get in the way of the way of helping researchers to develop a new tool to identify children at risk for developing dyslexia and other reading disabilities before they start struggling in school.

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Laura Karlen, For the Catholic Herald

St. Ambrose Academy presents Singin’ in the Rain

MADISON — Sold out. Filled to capacity. Past St. Ambrose Academy (SAA) musical productions like Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, and The Sound of Music have drawn full-house crowds.

SAA student actors have built a reputation for excellent, entertaining musicals that frequently earn Jerry nominations and awards for their on-stage and behind-the-scenes talent.

Latest show

But, what about the latest SAA show, Singin’ in the Rain?

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Catholic Herald Staff

Leadership change at SSM Health of Wisconsin

MADISON — After seven years leading SSM Health’s operations in Wisconsin, Damond Boatwright will be leaving the organization to become CEO of Illinois-based Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS).

Boatwright will lead the system’s nearly 2,300 physician partners and more than 13,000 associate staff in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Boatwright joined SSM Health in 2014 as the Wisconsin Regional President of Hospital Operations.

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Kevin Wondrash

Nothing new under the sun

kevin-editorial

Full disclosure: My writing this week is really just an excuse to use the photo on the right somewhere in the paper.

That picture is what could be seen in the sky around 7 a.m. on Monday, March 15.

In the preceding 24 hours or so, prior to me snapping it, I had been grumbling and complaining that “daylight savings” did its thing and I lost an hour between Saturday and Sunday.

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On
Mary C. Uhler, For the Catholic Herald

New Holy Name Seminary completed by 1965

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

Holy Name Seminary in Madison was completed by 1965. The $4 million structure was dedicated on June 10, 1965.

In its second full year in Madison, the student body included four years of high school and two years of college. The seminarians found a modern building with a special concept in learning.

Unit system

The building was planned on a unit system, a concept whereby the student body is broken up into small groups, each under the direct supervision of a priest or unit moderator who lives at the end of his unit’s corridor.

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