Author: Kevin Wondrash

On
Kevin Wondrash

The Cross as part of our faith

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

This past Sunday we celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

This Feast Day takes place each year on the 14th of September and so, while it is a major feast day for the Church, it is often missed by those who do not attend daily Mass, or at least Mass on major feasts.

This year, however, we were particularly blessed to have the feast fall on a Sunday, and so important is the feast that it actually “trumps” the typical Sunday readings.

It is indeed an important day — so much so that it used to be followed by three Ember Days of prayer and fasting.

Why is it so important? It is not the feast of the Crucifixion of our Lord; obviously we mark that on Good Friday. And, in fact, each time we approach the altar for Mass, we represent the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, we recall His suffering, death, and resurrection; why have a special day just for the exaltation of the Holy Cross?

Because, in our Catholic faith symbols matter! We are a physical people, whose very bodies are destined to be glorified, and so the physical, tangible things of this world matter.

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash

Meetings offer women learning and service opportunities

MADISON — Women of the Diocese of Madison are invited to fall vicariate meetings scheduled at parishes in Spring Green, Jefferson, Berlin, Bloomington, and Pine Bluff.

Rosa Roper, president of the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (MDCCW), encourages women to take advantage of these meetings to connect with other Catholic women in their area.

The half-day meetings offer prayer, socializing, and service and fit into her theme as president: “Live, Learn, Love, and Share Our Catholic Faith.”

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash

Public invited to pray for peace at Sinsinawa Mound

SINSINAWA — The public is invited to join the Sinsinawa Mound community in prayer for peace in our world and in our hearts at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22.

The service is being held in conjunction with the International Day of Peace established by a United Nations resolution in 1981. This year’s International Day of Peace theme recognizes the 30th United Nations General Assembly Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace.

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash

Sacred Hearts School begins iPad initiative

SUN PRAIRIE — Seventh and eighth grade students at Sacred Hearts School returned this year a little more enthusiastic than usual.

Two years of research and planning by Principal Kim Frederick and the IT and junior high staff culminated in the students starting off their year with individual iPads.

Loaded with more than 70 apps that have been carefully chosen by their teachers to support the curriculum and enhance the learning atmosphere, the new iPad Airs also enable students to communicate with their teachers through iCal, iLife, and iTunes U.

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash

Continuing education in our senior years

“Guess who is using a calculator these days?” said my husband Bob, as he set down his suitcase just inside the front door. “My mother!”

No! Not the woman who stubbornly maintained that not while she had the brains God gave her . . .

This was back in the late 60s or early 70s when Bob was traveling on business trips that rarely took him in the vicinity of his parents’ Illinois home, and now he recounted the happy visit when he was able to give them one of the calculators his company issued and teach them how to use it.

“I wish you could have seen how delighted they were with their new ‘toy’ after I taught them how to use it.”

Pleasant reminder

I was reminded of that incident recently when I visited my son Tom and his wife in Colorado.

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash

Correcting each other in a ‘loving’ way

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

I pray that you’ve all had a restful summer . . . as it seems, sadly, that we’re coming very quickly upon its last days! For myself, I’m maintaining hope that the winter is mild. I know that such a hope might be foolish — but I’m a man of hope, nonetheless!

In considering the readings of this past Sunday, I think it’s very important that we reflect together, once again, on the theme of fraternal correction — which is what the first (Ez 33:7-9) and the third (Mt 18:15-20) readings were about.

Fraternal correction is the way we correct one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. We do so not in arrogance, nor in contempt, but with love. Fraternal correction in the Church is a service of love.

In our day and age, nobody wants to correct anybody (unless perhaps it’s anonymously, of someone we don’t know, and in an online forum — which is certainly not charitable correction). To correct someone directly, someone whom we actually know, requires us to make claims about right and wrong, and about what is good and evil. Nobody wants to do that because, “you have your own truth and I have my own truth and we just peacefully coexist and it’s all just wonderful!” . . . except that it’s not. It’s a confused world.

In this confused world, it’s politically incorrect to correct anyone for anything! For instance, you even have to be careful, lest you say that ISIS is a group of extremist Islamic terrorists, who are absolutely wrong. Now, that’s obviously true, but some can’t say that. Because, after all, “we simply don’t see the world as ISIS does. They have their own truth, so we have to be polite when we deal with them.” . . . Just as I’m sure they are polite when they are beheading people.

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash

Stations of Cross Tour in Dodgeville

DODGEVILLE — Catholic Financial Life Chapter 296 Mount Horeb and 261 Cross Plains are holding a Stations of the Cross Tour on Sunday, Sept. 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Rosary will be recited at 1p.m.

The outdoor Stations of the Cross is located at 4718 Chimney Rock Rd., Dodgeville. Cars may be parked near the Rosary garden, and visitors should walk to the stations from there. Be sure to wear good walking shoes.

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash

Parish sponsors grief support series

MADISON — Those suffering grief from the loss of a loved one are invited to attend a four-week video series entitled “No One Cries the Wrong Way” on Wednesdays from Oct. 1 through 22 with a group reunion on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

The series will be held at St. Dennis Church, 505 Dempsey Rd., and will be facilitated by members of the St. Dennis grief ministry team. There will be prayer service, group discussion, and refreshments.

Read More