Author: Kevin Wondrash

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Kevin Wondrash

Divine Mercy Sunday: Do it right!

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After Easter, Catholics and Christians of all backgrounds can argue and debate which is the second most important day on the calendar.

I’m not advocating for one over the other, but since we’re nearing it, I’m going to talk about a day that should be in consideration for the next best day — Divine Mercy Sunday.

It’s the Sunday that comes after Easter, the eighth day of the Easter Octave, and depending upon the parish or the parishioner, there have been many different ways to observe that day.

At minimum, it usually includes veneration of the Image of Divine Mercy and/or praying of the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

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Kevin Wondrash

Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation continues to grow efforts, help others

MADISON — The Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation (CDMF) is happy to share some great news from our fundholders over the past few months.

Endowment fund

In 2014, St. Dennis Parish in Madison established the St. Dennis Catholic Education Endowment Fund to support both their grade school and religious education programs.

Over the past seven years, the fund has seen significant growth, made possible by the faithful support of the parish and strong investment returns.

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Kevin Wondrash

Easter: A forever shining moment

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Every year, when we get to late March and early April, there are two things on my mind — Easter and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament a.k.a. “March Madness”.

Do these two marvelous things have anything in common? I think so, if you know where to look.

‘We’re here now!’

Common images seen during any NCAA tourney programming are those of the “Cinderella” 1983 title game — such as North Carolina St. coach Jim Valvano running around on the court after his Wolfpack won in a dramatic upset, or guard Dereck Whittenburg coming up short on the last-second shot (or “passing the ball”) and having it caught by forward Lorenzo Charles who dunked it in the basket for the win.

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Kevin Wondrash

Catholics at the Capitol 2021 goes virtual

MADISON — Due to the current pandemic and numerous factors affecting individuals’ ability to travel and gather, the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) is announcing the cancellation of the Catholics at the Capitol in-person event scheduled for Wednesday, April 21, 2021. However, in lieu of the in-person event, the WCC is sponsoring a free virtual advocacy day on April 21 and has just opened the online registration: www.wisconsincatholic.org/catholics-at-the-capitol

“Catholics at the Capitol is something that we and our Catholic partners have regularly hosted for 20 years,” said WCC Executive Director Kim Vercauteren. “We’re going to miss having Catholics come together from all over Wisconsin for this day of prayer, fellowship, and advocacy. However, it remains vitally important that policymakers hear from the faithful during these challenging times. We wanted to make certain that the collective Catholic voice was still present and heard at the State Capitol.”

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Kevin Wondrash

State bishops warn of harm to First Amendment freedoms under Equality Act

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MADISON — Wisconsin’s Catholic bishops have issued a letter urging the faithful to actively oppose H.R. 5, a federal bill that if signed into law would dramatically limit First Amendment freedoms, especially the free exercise of religion. Known as the Equality Act, H.R. 5 would alter provisions of the federal Civil Rights Act, adding “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” as categories of people protected from discrimination.

The Catholic bishops of Wisconsin affirmed that “every person is made in the image of God and must be treated with respect and compassion. Individuals have a right to live free of discrimination or harassment.”

Nevertheless, the bishops explain that the Equality Act actually fosters inequity and intolerance. “As Catholics, we are called to shield individuals from discrimination, accompany the vulnerable, and be a voice for the voiceless. However, the Equality Act would require religious entities to abandon the very principles of faith that undergird their ministry and service. Under the Equality Act, ministries would not be able to acknowledge the biological reality of male and female.”

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Kevin Wondrash

A further look at faith and culture

Two weeks ago, I reflected briefly on the fundamental shift in worldview in the West, beginning with the Renaissance and then gaining greater traction with the French Revolution and the Enlightenment.

This movement from a theistic, God-centered vision to a humanistic, this-worldly orientation is complex, long, and multi-faceted, and therefore not easy to fully understand or articulate.

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Kevin Wondrash

Edgewood teacher aids in developing app to assess school readiness and dyslexia risk

MADISON — “If there ever was a year to say no, this was the year,” said Kim VanBrocklin, a kindergarten teacher at Edgewood Campus School in Madison who spent part of the fall semester of 2020 piloting the new APPRISE app with her students.

But neither VanBrocklin nor Principal Anne Palzkill let the pandemic get in the way of the way of helping researchers to develop a new tool to identify children at risk for developing dyslexia and other reading disabilities before they start struggling in school.

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Kevin Wondrash

St. Ambrose Academy presents Singin’ in the Rain

MADISON — Sold out. Filled to capacity. Past St. Ambrose Academy (SAA) musical productions like Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, and The Sound of Music have drawn full-house crowds.

SAA student actors have built a reputation for excellent, entertaining musicals that frequently earn Jerry nominations and awards for their on-stage and behind-the-scenes talent.

Latest show

But, what about the latest SAA show, Singin’ in the Rain?

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