Author: Chris Lee

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Chris Lee

George Weigel’s Lessons in Hope

George Weigel’s latest book, Lessons in Hope: My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II, is the third panel in a great triptych he has composed in honor of the most consequential Catholic figure of the second half of the 20th century.

While the first two books — Witness to Hope and The End and the Beginning — are marked by careful analysis and thousands of footnotes, this last volume is more personal, filled with anecdotes and stories about the author’s many encounters with John Paul over the years.

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Chris Lee

Blessed Sacrament Parish hosts pro-life speaker

MADISON — When I was at a Chicago parish, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Mary FioRito, who headed up all the pro-life activities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Mary is an accomplished speaker, lawyer, and writer, and she has a big heart. Mary possess the unique ability to reach out to women who are hurting after an abortion, as well as to take on a difficult debate with kindness and compassion.

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Chris Lee

Jefferson project provides more accessibility to church, school

st john jefferson
A resident from St. Coletta of Wisconsin in Jefferson is helped into St. John the Baptist Church in Jefferson before a recent Mass. People in wheelchairs and with other disabilities can now enter the church and school building on the new ramp pictured above. (Contributed photo)

JEFFERSON — “It’s like heaven now taking my mother to church.”

A bold statement, but fully expressive of the joy some parishioners are feeling in Jefferson.

The above quote was feedback heard at St. John the Baptist Church, part of St. Francis of Assisi Parish.

It came near the close of a yearlong project to make the church more accessible to people with disabilities or other physical challenges to walk or enter buildings.

Now, there is added accessibility to the church and school.

Addressing a need

Steve Donley, member of the parish Building and Grounds Committee, said there had been growing instances of “people having trouble getting into church.”

These included people tripping on concrete walkways and wheelchairs not getting in easily.

More than a year ago, the committee began to look into the costs and practicalities of a project to increase accessibility.

The attitude was, “We have to get this fixed, and we have to make this better for people to get in,” said Harold Dehnert, also from the committee whose members put in many hours, sometimes 10 to 12 a day, to make the project happen, and keeping the project costs low.

Another concern was increasing the accessibility to the school bathrooms, the only ones on the grounds, and only accessible via a small staircase between the church and school.

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Chris Lee

St. Vincent de Paul issues ‘Invitation to Serve’ in parishes

MADISON — The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a Catholic lay organization in which members join together in friendship to grow spiritually by providing person-to-person services to neighbors in need.

Across the Diocese of Madison, 35 parishes host St. Vincent de Paul member groups, known as “conferences.” In Dane County alone, 18 St. Vincent de Paul conferences serve local people in need through home visits and other forms of direct, personal service — without regard to the religious affiliation or belief of those assisted.

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Chris Lee

Catholic Library Association conference

WISCONSIN DELLS — Librarians from Catholic schools, parishes, and religious education programs will be meeting at the Wisconsin Chapter of Catholic Library Association (WCLA) 2017 Fall Conference on Friday, Oct. 13, at St. Cecilia Parish Center (lower level), 603 Oak St., Wisconsin Dells.

Participants can enjoy a continental breakfast and networking from 9 a.m. until the conference begins with a welcome and prayer at 9:30 a.m.

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Chris Lee

Why Our Lady of Sorrows?

Word on Fire
Fr. Steve Grunow

The poet Wendell Berry reflects that “for parents, the only way is hard. We who give life, give pain. There is no help. Yet we who give pain give love; by pain we learn the extremity of love . . . ”

In other words, it may be different in another world, but in this world, all love requires a sacrifice, and with that sacrifice there is inevitable pain. To reject sacrifice as the condition for the possibility of love, is to live an essentially loveless existence.

Berry continues his reflection with this insight: I read of Christ crucified, the only begotten Son sacrificed to flesh and time and all our woe. He died and rose, but who does not tremble for his pain and loneliness, and the darkness of the sixth hour? Unless we grieve like Mary at his grave, giving him up as lost, no Easter morning comes . . .

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Chris Lee

Health care bill was developed behind closed doors

To the editor:

Most people know a family member, friend, or neighbor who has had a traumatic health problem. In our family, it was when our two-year-old son ran into the highway as a car came over the hill. Comprehensive health insurance freed us from worrying about costs and let us concentrate on our son’s needs.

Anyone who experiences a similar disaster can imagine what other people go through in such a crisis. Empathizing with fellow Americans is natural in a country founded on the belief that we are all created equal. Equality in feeling suffering leads to equality in relieving and preventing suffering.

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Chris Lee

What is the main purpose of education?

First in a series.

It’s that time of year again when the air starts to cool, leaves reveal their true colors, and children board buses back to school. All of us have experienced the end of summer vacation and the start of school.

Generation after generation, the cycle repeats. It is a rite of passage, part of the fabric of our modern society. It is so common that most of us take it for granted, rarely pausing to reflect on the purpose of school, or an education.

Purpose of education

The purpose of education and the means by which to achieve it have been the discussion of much national debate over the last decade.

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Chris Lee

Eric Scheidler to speak at 40 Days for Life kick-off event

MADISON — Vigil for Life-Madison’s 2017 40 Days for Life Kick-off event will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 25, at Holy Name Heights (a.k.a. Bishop O’Connor Center).

Guest speaker will be Eric Scheidler, the executive director of the Pro-Life Action League. The league was founded in 1980 by his father, veteran pro-life leader Joe Scheidler, to fight abortion through non-violent direct action. Eric is the oldest of the seven Scheidler children.

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Chris Lee

Church ministers to body, mind, and soul

One of the greatest heroes of the social justice wing of the Church is, quite rightly, the 17th century “slave of the slaves,” St. Peter Claver.

Born in Barcelona, Claver joined the Society of Jesus and was known, even as a young man, as a person of deep intelligence and piety.

Spurred by what he took to be the direct prompting of the Holy Spirit, the young Spaniard volunteered to work among the poor in what was then known as “New Spain.” Arriving in Cartagena, he saw the unspeakable degradation of the captives brought in chains by ship from Africa, and he resolved to dedicate his life to serving them.

Letter tells of Claver’s work

We have a wonderful letter that Peter Claver wrote to his Jesuit superior in which he vividly describes apostolic work that he did among the slaves, just after they came ashore in Cartagena. He speaks of hopeless people staggering off the ships, stark naked, starving, and disoriented.

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