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Word on Fire
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This article is in joyful preparation for the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is observed annually on May 31.
A few years ago, I was having dinner with some friends, and the discussion turned toward Catholic social justice. This got me really excited, because one of the things that drew me into the Catholic Church was her rich body of social teachings.
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| On June 5, 2017, the Little Saints Daycare was opened at SS. Andrew-Thomas School in Potosi. It currently serves 62 children from six weeks to 12 years old, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Here Jessica Welch, assistant director and lead preschool teacher, works with some of the children. (Contributed photo) | ||
POTOSI — SS. Andrew-Thomas School in Potosi — the oldest Catholic school in the Diocese of Madison and in Wisconsin — is celebrating 175 years of continuous Catholic school education in Potosi and Tennyson.
A special anniversary celebration will be held on Sunday, May 6, starting with a 10 a.m. Mass followed by a performance of an original SS. Andrew-Thomas play written by one of the parishioners.
Following the performance will be a free dinner for the public.
“We are excited,” said Principal Deb Pfab of the plans for the 175th anniversary celebration.
“A Catholic school has existed in this area continuously since 1843,” noted Michael Lancaster, superintendent of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Madison. “2018 marks 175 years of continuous Catholic school education in the Tennyson/Potosi area (even though the school names and locations have changed over that time). That means that Catholic schools have been in the area longer than they have been anywhere else in the state.”
In sharing the school’s history, Pfab noted that although Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, founded the parish of St. Thomas in Potosi, it was his successor, Fr. James Causse, who established the first school in 1843.
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I knew that The Shape of Water would win the Academy Award for Best Picture. It checked three of the major Hollywood boxes: celebration of oppressed people, valorization of complete sexual freedom, and a Christian villain. It used to be that a black hat or shifty eyes or a foreign accent would give someone away as the bad guy, but now, it is the quoting of the Bible.
Of course, this shouldn’t surprise us in regard to The Shape of Water, for the auteur behind the film is the Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, who has gone on record many times as a despiser of religion, especially Catholicism.
SINSINAWA — All women of the Diocese of Madison are invited to attend the 64th annual convention of the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (MDCCW) at the historic Sinsinawa Mound on Wednesday, June 13.
Grant Vicariate CCW President Janet Block, St. Clement Parish, Lancaster, chairs the convention and is working with fellow parishioner Bernadette Schaefer, who will assume the MDCCW presidency at the convention.
MADISON — St. Ambrose Academy has recently announced two significant new initiatives that will position the school for future growth and success, including adding new members to its Board of Directors and kicking off a three-year plan to move into a new school building by September 7, 2021.
Since St. Ambrose Academy’s founding in 2003 as Madison’s first independent, classical, Catholic middle and high school, enrollment has grown tenfold. In its first 15 years, St. Ambrose has continually expanded its ability to deliver on its mission of providing Madison-area families with access to a classical education rooted in the Catholic faith.
SINSINAWA, Wis. — Sr. […]
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| Volunteers Darrell and Janie help out in the kitchen at The Beacon in Madison. (Contributed photo) | ||
MADISON — “There’s nothing better you can do with your time than to help people who are suffering, have a decent life, [and be] able to lead the life they want,” said volunteer coordinator Tami Fleming from The Beacon.
The Beacon is a comprehensive day resource center for people who are experiencing homelessness in Dane County.
It is a joint venture among Catholic Charities Madison, Dane County, the City of Madison, and United Way of Dane County.
In addition to its staff, The Beacon needs about 20 volunteers per day — half in a morning shift and half in an afternoon shift — to run the normal day-to-day operations. Shifts are about four hours long.
The Beacon is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has volunteer opportunities as a front desk greeter, laundry and shower manager, computer lab assistant, guest and child and family advocate, among many others.
“We need volunteers every day,” said Fleming.
The first step in becoming a volunteer at The Beacon is attending an orientation session. They are held at The Beacon (615 E. Washington Ave., Madison) Wednesdays at 6 p.m. and Fridays at 9 a.m.
Fleming said these two-hour sessions give prospective volunteers a chance to “get a real feel for it” and “hear what it’s about [and] see the place.”
She admitted she is “real frank with people” about the challenges they may face working with homeless people who need help.
MADISON — On a windy April evening, the opening prayers of the 2018 Easter Vigil were heard for the first time since 2015 from the exterior of 723 State St., home of the beautiful new St. Paul’s Church and Student Center in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
And what an eagerly anticipated evening it was for those gathered to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection during this momentous first year in St. Paul’s new home!
SAUK CITY — Not all that long ago, one may have heard the words “computer programming” and had an idea what it meant.
One would picture someone typing letters, numbers, and symbols onto a computer and creating a program or application.
These days, “coding” is the more popular word for it, and it’s being taught in many schools.
MADISON — Governor Scott Walker has signed Assembly Bill 128 into law as 2017 Wisconsin Act 91.
The act bans abortion coverage in public employee insurance policies by prohibiting Wisconsin’s Group Insurance Board from entering into any contract with respect to a group health insurance plan or providing a group health insurance plan on a self-insured basis if, with certain exceptions, the plan provides abortion services to state employees under the Wisconsin Retirement System.
