MADISON — “Planted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith.” With these words of the venerable Apostle St. Paul, the Holy Father once again is inviting young people from all over the world to join him in the international celebration of World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid, Spain, August 16 to 21, 2011. WYD is a celebration of the youthfulness and future hopes of the Church.
Author: Chris Lee
Pilgrims at the consistory
ROME, Italy — At first the thought of standing in line for baggage, hotel rooms, metal detectors, tickets, admissions, etc. in my orthotic-assisted shoes was a bit daunting.
Prayers to God for the unborn
MADISON — Bishop Robert C. Morlino presided over a vigil for the unborn November 27 at St. Patrick Church in Madison, leading people from around the diocese in prayer in communion with Pope Benedict XVI and faithful around the world.
Why convert?
Q:Why are parishes required to eventually convert to ParishSOFT and QuickBooks? We like our current program.
A: Parishes are currently using dozens of different software programs. Each program has different fields and different reports and it’s like we’re speaking different languages between us. It’s very important for all the parishes in the diocese to be using the same programs so the data is predictable and consistent. For instance, coding a parishioner as Active in one parish does not mean the same thing to another but our goal is that in the future, it will. We need to speak the same language with the data and terms so we both can use it to communicate with parishioners.
New governors must hit the ground running

Our state Constitution provides that officials elected in November take office on the first Monday of the following January. That gives them eight weeks to prepare for their new duties.
Two months may seem like a long time to get ready for most jobs, but if you are governor-elect, that time will go by all too quickly.
During this eight-week period, the governor-elect must do the following:
St. Ambrose benefit dinner moves to the Marriott
MADISON — It’s been called the “event of the season” for Madison Catholics. St. Ambrose Academy once again invites all who value Catholic education to join them for their annual benefit dinner.
Diocese of Madison is in full compliance with charter to protect children
To the editor:
The Diocese of Madison successfully completed an in-depth on-site audit for the 2009 to 2010 audit period. The Diocese of Madison is in full compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children & Young People.
Implementation of the Charter Norms can be a very labor-intensive endeavor for all of the parish and school communities within our diocese, and the diocesan offices that guide and support the various aspects of “creating safe environments.” Yet, ensuring that all those who have regular access to minors are properly cleared, trained, and supervised is without a doubt well worth the time and energy required to meet this goal to the best of our ability. In addition, educational opportunities and resources are provided to support parents, and help their children develop age-appropriate safety skills.
Thanksgiving: one of God’s favorite words
Mark Twain, the writer, reportedly once earned five dollars per word. Someone playfully wrote him, “Mr. Twain, here is five dollars. Please send me your favorite word.” Mark Twain wrote back, “Thanks!”
Thanksgiving also is one of God’s favorite words. The word Eucharist, the center of Catholic life, means thanksgiving.
Bishop speaks on ‘signs of the times’
MADISON — Bishop John O. Barres, current bishop of Allentown, Pa., spoke to a group of about 100 Catholics, including priests, catechists, and parishioners from all over the diocese, on Thursday night, Nov. 11, at the Bishop O’Connor Center in conjunction with the ongoing St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture Series.
Catholic Charities Faith in Action Awards Dinner
MIDDLETON — Catholic Charities (CC) of the Diocese of Madison had its largest crowd ever for its 15th annual Awards Dinner held on November 9 at the Marriott Hotel.
