In recent weeks, we have witnessed the vandalizing and toppling of statues around the country which depict Confederate leaders, Christopher Columbus, Saint Junipero Serra, Francis Scott Key, and anyone else deemed to be offensive to the vandals.
Author: Kevin Wondrash
Deacon appointment
Msgr. James Bartylla, […]
Bishop Donald J. Hying’s letter on Catholic schools resuming classes in the fall
Dear Friends and Faithful who promote, attend, support and labor in our Catholic Schools,
As summer begins, we thank all of you for the extraordinary work and care you have given to educate our children during this global pandemic.
Becket Fund assists 40 Dane County Catholic sites to open at 25 percent capacity
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MADISON — For three months now, the Diocese of Madison has followed the best of state and local guidelines with regard to all reasonable protocols concerning COVID-19, its transmission, and how to protect the public, especially those most vulnerable.
At the same time, and never dismissively, the Church has looked to how best to provide for the spiritual, and especially the sacramental, nourishment of the faithful. This has been a particular weight on the heart of Bishop Donald J. Hying since suspending public Masses in mid-March.
After the Wisconsin State Supreme Court reversed state-wide orders and restrictions, the diocese quickly began planning for its own very-measured reopening.
On Thursday, May 21, the Diocese of Madison shared its guidelines for parish reopening at 25 percent occupancy across the 11-county diocese. These guidelines take everything into account from social distancing, personal sanitation, omission of singing, removal of furniture and hymnals, training of ushers, and so much more.
How can we keep from singing?
There is a lot of excitement among many people regarding re-opening our Catholic churches for Mass in our diocese. Unfortunately, it will be quieter than usual.
Using the best scientific, medical, musical, and liturgical advice, choirs and congregations will not sing until further notice in the Diocese of Madison (and in most dioceses across the USA).
I have to say, that’s a sentence I never thought I’d write! I have been a singer, choir director, and church musician for my entire adult life. I’ve given many workshops and written numerous articles on the importance of music in the Mass.
Risk of passing on the virus
Even so, research is showing that singing raises the risk of passing on the coronavirus and for that reason, it’s the proper response of the Church at this time.
Bishop Donald J. Hying’s statement on racism
The lives of Black people do matter. They matter profoundly, because God has created every human being in His beautiful image and likeness. Every person is of infinite value, so precious indeed, that Christ spent His life and offered His death for the eternal salvation of each individual member of the human race.
Resurrection Cemetery will get Memorial Statue
MADISON — Madison Diocese Director of Cemeteries Damian Lenshek announced that, through the generosity of anonymous donors, Resurrection Cemetery will receive a remarkable sculpture in the fall of this year.
The sculpture, Memorial to the Unborn Child II by Slovakian sculptor Martin Hudácek, portrays a grieving mother and father in the presence of a four-year-old child, on a cruciform base.
The mother and father are in stone, while the child is made of a translucent material. Hudácek’s sculptures have been installed in Slovakia, Poland, Chile, and California. In 2015, Hudácek presented a copy of one of his sculptures to Pope Francis.
Calling those around us to discipleship
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Note: Bishop Donald J. Hying is serializing his Pastoral Letter on the new Evangelization Initiative being launched in the Diocese of Madison. This is the second part of that letter. For the complete letter, go to the Diocese of Madison and Catholic Herald websites.
We may be tempted to consider the preceding exercise in recalling God’s deep, abiding, and personal love and our own response to that, a simple thing.
God and country tell us to love our neighbor
The tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has caused us to be more aware of the racism and injustice that have plagued our country for centuries.
Follow healthy practices
To the editor:
As the state opens up, and I look around seeing bigger gatherings, I am tempted to join in. Staying physically apart is difficult even when the science is there to tell me it is important. It’s human nature that I don’t like someone telling me what to do, especially if it’s extra work in a difficult situation.