MADISON — The Diocese of Madison’s Office of Safe Environment is offering a special session of “Protecting God’s Children for Parents.” This session will be held Tuesday, March 21, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Bishop O’Connor Center Auditorium Conference Room.
While this session is geared toward parents/guardians, it also satisfies the compliance requirement for employees and volunteers.
“To become saints only one thing is necessary: to accept the grace that the Father gives us in Jesus Christ. There, this grace changes our heart.” — Pope Francis, The Church of Mercy
MADISON — St. Thomas Aquinas Parish is hosting a Lenten retreat for Latino families, “Encounter Jesus,” on Sunday, March 5, from 1 to 7:30 p.m.
MONONA — Immaculate […]
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| Members of MDREO (Madison Diocese Religious Educators’ Organization) participate in a videoconference with Michele Chronister, the co-chair of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability’s Council on Intellectual and Development Disabilities, during a recent session at Holy Name Heights in Madison. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash) |
MADISON — “The only real disability is rejecting the Holy Spirit.”
Those powerful and profound words were some of many heard at a recent session of MDREO — the Madison Diocese Religious Educators’ Organization.
Their January 26 session at Holy Name Heights was all about the importance of adaptive catechesis — catechesis for those with disabilities, especially intellectual and developmental.
The presenter was Michele Chronister, the co-chair of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability’s Council on Intellectual and Development Disabilities.
Chronister has written books and articles on adaptive catechesis.
She was originally scheduled to travel to Madison for the program, but was unable to, and instead pre-recorded some videos, specially for the Madison audience. She also participated in a live videoconference later in the day.
The program was made possible with help from a grant from the Diocese of Madison Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities.
Chronister’s first pre-recorded talk was on the theology of vocation.
She said when one hears “vocation,” they usually think of marriage, the priesthood, or the Religious Life and added there are people with disabilities who are living out all of those vocations.
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| Fr.Gregory Ihm |
Recently in the Gospels, we heard Jesus calling the first Apostles: Peter, Andrew, James, and John, saying “Come and follow me.”
Can you imagine the adventure that Jesus led them on for the next three years?
Not only did He lead them to a deeper knowledge of who they were, but even more profoundly, who He was.
MADISON — Ralph Middlecamp, CEO and executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) council in Dane County, has been elected to a six-year term as the society’s national president.
The result of the national election was announced by the SVDP National Council of the United States. Middlecamp’s six-year term as national president, an unpaid volunteer position, is slated to begin October 1.
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The Netflix original series The Crown, which has to do with the last months of the reign of King George VI and the first years of the reign of his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, is just the kind of program that Americans in particular seem naturally to love.
It features beautiful photography of palaces, processions, and formal receptions; and it provides a behind-the-scenes look at the ne plus ultra of the British aristocracy. Consider it Downton Abbey on steroids.
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What a sight! Over 25 times from the top of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., I have seen a sea of people marching to proclaim the dignity of unborn human life, and how death-dealing abortion sends the unholy message that some human beings are disposable.
As I write, I am a just one day away from marching with and viewing that sea of people once again. It’s always a moral and spiritual shot-in-the-arm for me.
To the editor:
What will we Americans do to save 53,000 American lives every year? Twenty-seven million Americans could lose coverage in the first year of repeal of the Affordable Care Act, according to the Congressional Budget Office. This is in addition to the 26 million who did not have health insurance in 2015. A Harvard School of Public Health study finds that for every thousand people without health care, one dies each year.
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In 1974, National Catholic Schools Week was established as the annual celebration of Catholic education. In 2017, Catholic Schools Week begins on January 29 and ends on February 4. Its 2017 theme is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service.”
During this special week, Masses, open houses, and other activities for students, families, parishioners, and others are offered. Through these events, Catholic schools call attention to contributions Catholic education provides for youth, church, community, and country.
Since I was a Catholic school- teacher for 22 years, in this article I will focus upon appreciating the value of Catholic schoolteachers.
