MADISON — The […]
Author: Chris Lee
Celebrating the sacraments as a universal Church
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| Bishop Robert C. Morlino distributes the sacred oils to priests and parish representatives from around the Diocese of Madison during the Chrism Mass April 7, held at St. Maria Goretti, Madison. (Catholic Herald photo/Kat Wagner) For more photos click here. |
MADISON — The events of Holy Week, particularly the Triduum — what Pope Benedict XVI called “the heart of the entire liturgical year” — offer Catholics an opportunity “to immerse themselves in the central events of our redemption,” the pope said during his weekly audience April 8.
Throughout the world, Catholics recalled the events of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection through the celebration of the Triduum. The liturgies in this heart of the Church’s year focus on and commemorate the fundamentals of the Church and its sacraments.
St. Paul and the wisdom of the ages
Note from Bishop Morlino: Dear Friends, As we come to the close of this year of St. Paul, let us refocus our minds and hearts on the life and works of this great Apostle. One of our newly ordained priests, Fr. Brian Dulli, parochial vicar of Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish in Sun Prairie, has been kind enough to offer some excellent reflections on St. Paul to help us along the way. — Bishop Robert C. Morlino
First in a series
According to the initiative of Pope Benedict XVI, we are now in the midst of a year of celebration in honor of the life of St. Paul, the Apostle to the Nations.
In our very time, all the nations of the world still greatly need the preaching and truth of the Gospel. Like Paul, a modern preacher must overcome real obstacles barring the delivery of Christ in his fullness.
Yet that is what Paul strove to do. He did not speak or write about Christ through vague intimations. He delivered the full reality of Christ to show that faith is never in vain.
Some ways budget can help parents choose life
Budgets are mostly about numbers. Numbers of taxes collected and numbers of dollars spent. But budgets are also fundamentally about people and the priorities of the community. In ways large and small, budgets can affirm values and arrange laws and policies in ways that favor personal choices.
Budgets are generally not the place to settle questions like whether abortion should be legal. But individual budget items can encourage or discourage women who are facing the choice of whether to carry a pregnancy to term and give life to the child they carry.
Thanks for information
To the editor:
Thank you for the helpful information on addresses/e-mail addresses so we could input our objections to proposed regulations rescinding conscience protection for health care workers. I’m glad you were on top of this because I was not having any luck finding access.
Article made a difference
To the editor:
Thank you for the wonderful article about The Gospel of John performance at St. Joseph Church in Madison on April 2. We sold 397 tickets and more than covered the cost.
In Good Friday times, a response from the heart
Life is filled with challenges. In these days, especially, our own reality may seem like an endless Good Friday, as we face perhaps the serious illness of someone we love, or maybe job loss and financial difficulties, or simply the trials of daily living.
For the poor in a remote area of northern Zambia, life too could appear a never-ending stream of hardships. They live in an isolated area, nine hours from the nearest town, a distance marked by mountains and dangerous cliffs.
God’s mercy renews us to live Easter love
Lent, Easter, and the Jubilee Year of St. Paul invite us to receive God’s mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. God offers us these healing gifts to renew us to live our vocation of Christ-like love when we sin and lose the Way of Jesus.
In Genesis 1:27 it says, “God created man in his image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female, He created them.” In 1 John 4:8 it states, “for God is love.” Since God is love, we image God best when we truly love. But the sin of Adam and Eve wounded our ability to love. Consequently, we commit sins which enslave us and weaken our love ability.
Youth mission project comes to Madison Diocese
MADISON — Many who work with the youth of the Church find Mother Teresa to be an engaging name to drop. Known for a life lived devoted to those in need, her name stirs up images of a woman small in stature, dressed in a humble habit of white and blue.
Beyond her physical appearance, her name brings to mind much bigger things, like her heart for service and the question: Why would someone choose to live in poverty?
Many youth are comfortable learning more about her and thinking of her as a model of holiness in the world. When it comes time to take her words to heart and make them a reality in their lives, they become more daunting, perhaps less appealing. However, her words resonate so deeply with the Gospel message that, while they are challenging, they often do bring about great response.
Collection: Hope for ‘living stones’
Christians in the Holy Land are called “living stones” because they are the living Church, celebrating their faith in the parishes and shrines of the Holy Land.
Recognizing the great needs of these people, Pope Benedict XVI, who will be visiting the Holy Land in May, directs that the Good Friday special collection support Christians in the Holy Land, as well as preserve holy sites.