(Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash)
MONROE — A sun-filled sky, plus a chance to get together to celebrate the season, was more than enough to combat single-digit temperatures on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Hundreds of guests from all over the diocese came together at Monroe High School for the Apostolate to the Handicapped’s annual Advent/Christmas celebration.
Welcoming the guests
As guests arrived and began filling the school gym, they were entertained by the familiar performers Hugo & Heidi. The duo sang and played a variety of Christmas tunes, along with other popular favorites.
“It’s great seeing so many people,” said party attendee Bill Rieder, formerly from Monroe but currently living in Madison. Rieder added he was looking forward to the morning’s Mass because Bishop Robert Morlino would be presiding, along with Fr. Larry Bakke, director of the apostolate.
Rieder’s driver for the day, Tom Parslow, was also looking forward to the Mass. “It’s so impressive and they involve the handicapped in that Mass and that’s just great. It’s a feel-good time,” he said.
Many volunteers, including those from Monroe High School’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter, helped the guests to their tables.
One FFA member, sophomore Kelsea Blom, said she was looking forward to “seeing all the smiles on everybody’s faces and helping them have a good time.”
Celebrating morning Mass
The morning’s Mass began with the Diocesan Choir, along with members of the Monroe High School band, leading the congregation in “In God, Beyond All Praising.”
Bishop Morlino processed to the altar, along with his Master of Ceremonies Fr. Greg Ihm, Father Bakke, and other concelebrating priests from the diocese.
The bishop welcomed everyone to what he jokingly-called the “pre-Christmas World Youth Day celebration.”
After Father Bakke read the day’s Gospel reading from the Gospel of John, Bishop Morlino walked close to the guests for his homily.
He marveled at the “beauty” of the setup of the event in the school gym, with plenty of reds, greens, and a Nativity scene in front of the altar.
The bishop acknowledged the transformation of the gym saying, “No great basketball game could rival the beauty that we have right here this morning.”
He also told the guests there is beauty in each and every one of them because they have so much to teach everyone.
“You teach people it’s OK to say ‘I need help’ because there’s not a human being in this room, or in the whole world, that doesn’t need help,” Bishop Morlino said.
“One of the most important lessons that we can learn from one another is not to be afraid, not to be ashamed to say ‘I need help,'” he added, saying we all need help in our daily and eternal lives. “Nobody can win his or her salvation independently. Everybody needs help.”
He also thanked the guests for accepting and displaying the joy they receive from God.
“With the various disabilities, with the various sufferings that you undertake, with the various inconveniences with which you live, the Lord still gives you joy,” Bishop Morlino said. “If you receive that beautiful gift from God, which is joy, then that teaches the rest of us that we’d better receive that gift too,” he added.
He went on to say, “I don’t know a more joyful group . . . as I greet some of you as I come in, and as I leave, there’s a lot of joy.”
Following Mass, Father Bakke welcomed everyone, saying it was great to see the people who participate in the Mass with the weekly Apostolate to the Handicapped’s television Mass Sunday mornings on WISC-TV.
Lunch is served
Hugo & Heidi entertained the guests again while lunch was being served and during the meal. They even got some of the crowd dancing when they played “The Twist” by request.
A turkey dinner was on the menu, along with ice cream.
Volunteers again helped by making sure everyone got their meal in a timely manner.
“I really liked the feeling of knowing that I helped a good cause,” said volunteer and junior FFA member Bobbi Jo Bergum. “These are our friends, these are our neighbors, we should all be willing to come out here and help them.”
Byrdene Baker from Monticello said she’s come to almost every one of the apostolate’s Advent/Christmas parties.
“We just enjoy coming,” Baker said. “The gathering of people, seeing people . . . We just come to get out of the house too,” she added with a smile.
During lunch, some of guests got to hug or get their picture taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
As the guests left the party, they were all given a gift bag. Inside were a pen, prayer cube, Pope Francis prayer card, and an Advent notepad.
For more information on the Apostolate to the Handicapped, visit apdmadisondiocese.com