Independence Day on July 4 is a federal holiday when we celebrate the anniversary of the day when the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.
Four days after the signing, the Liberty Bell rang to summon the people to the first public reading of the document. As the words were read, there were great shouts of affirmation and celebration.
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| Fr. Steve Grunow |
Hanging on the wall of one of the confessionals at my parish is an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The unknown artist has opted, as many have, for a soft Jesus, whose features are as bland and inoffensive as possible and whose heart is more of a glowing orb than anything remotely resembling flesh and blood.
To the editor:
Recently, I’ve been listening to U.S. government officials coolly defend the government’s new policy of separating children from their parents at the border with a singular rationale: “It’s sad, but we have no choice — their parents broke the law.”
To me it sounds an awful lot like the defense that some would give for abortion. “It’s sad, but what can we do? Abortion is the law of the land.”
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Adam Hamilton tells a story about a camping trip he took with his two young daughters. The trip coincided with his birthday.
He explained to his two daughters that each could have 20 dollars each to spend during the three days they were camping there. The two girls were so excited that they practically dragged their dad to the gift shop just outside the camp.
On May 25, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Monona, Bishop Robert C. Morlino ordained Deacons Stephen Brunner and Lawrence Oparaji to the transitional diaconate.
MADISON — The Diocese of Madison is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the encyclical Humanae vitae (Of Human Life) written by Blessed Paul VI, with a special event on Saturday, July 21, featuring guest speaker Dr. Janet E. Smith, one of the world’s leading experts on Humanae vitae and related topics.
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I will confess that as a person of Irish heritage on both sides of my family, I found the events in Ireland recently particularly dispiriting.
Not only did the nation vote, by a two-to-one margin, for the legal prerogative to kill their children in the womb, but they also welcomed and celebrated the vote with a frankly sickening note of gleeful triumph.
SINSINAWA, Wis. — Sr. […]
Word on FireBrandon […]
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| St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Beloit recently completed a renovation of its historic church, which was dedicated in 1886. The renovation included cleaning and painting of all church walls and repainting of statues and the corpus on the crucifix (above). A stylized tree of life design was created as a background for the crucifix. The tabernacle, formerly on a side altar, was moved to the center of the altar area and placed on a custom-made table. (Catholic Herald photo/Pat Casucci) | ||
BELOIT — The rejoicing, joy, and peace of Easter Sunday was enhanced for St. Thomas the Apostle parishioners.
After a major $335,000 renovation of the church interior, it was the first time in almost three months that a Mass was celebrated by Pastor Fr. John Hedrick in the historic church built in 1885.
The church had been closed since January 8, 2018.
The regularly scheduled weekend Masses for St. Thomas were held at St. Jude Church. Father Hedrick is pastor of both parishes.
In a recent interview, Father Hedrick said, “We have had lots of positive comments about the renovation. On Easter Sunday, there was a sense of awe as parishioners looked around the church, seeing how beautiful it is.”
Father Hedrick said the renovation was necessary after significant plaster repair was needed on a church wall and part of the ceiling. “The church walls also looked in need of cleaning, and it was decided to not just paint them,” he said.
“After a couple pieces of plaster fell, we knew we had to take care of this 133-year-old building, not let it deteriorate,” he explained. The last time the walls were painted was in 1975.
Extensive planning for the project included a fund drive with parishioners contributing about $175,000. In addition, Father Hedrick said two memorial bequests and parish funds made the extensive renovation possible.
