Msgr. James Bartylla, […]
Author: Kevin Wondrash
Obedience to Christ, Church will always be a blessing
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Throughout the Gospels, Jesus steadfastly reiterates a central theme of his mission: He has come to earth to do the will of His heavenly Father.
His long nights of intimate prayer, the extended days of ministering to the crowds, His fasts and feasts, His tears and laughter all express Jesus’ fundamental desire to fulfill what the Father has asked of Him. This radical obedience to the Divine Will culminates in the events of Holy Week.
Jesus is faithful to will of God
After the Transfiguration, Jesus resolutely sets His sights on Jerusalem, journeying up to the sacred city to intentionally embrace His Passion and death. Along the way, He speaks movingly of the destiny that awaits Him, warning His followers of future persecutions and suffering, but also assuring them that glorious resurrection waits just on the other side.She sent a hundred love letters
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In a recent essay in the Wall Street Journal, Kimberly Cutter chronicled the death of her father by suicide. As he struggled with rapidly progressing prostate cancer, he lost more than 30 pounds, becoming gaunt and emaciated. Back pain and nausea forced him to spend much of his time in bed.
A few days before Christmas, he shared with Kimberly that he was thinking about shooting himself. Kimberly argued with him, stressing that she and her sisters couldn’t accept a violent ending: “If he shot himself, my father would die alone. Someone in our family would have to find him,” she wrote.
Looking into options
His daughters convinced him to look into other options. When he started investigating lethal drugs, he ran into questions of reliability. He encountered horror stories about “wrong dosages and unreliable contents, painful, drawn-out demises.”Seminar ‘Now and at the Hour of Our Death’ offered
MADISON — The Diocese of Madison will offer a free seminar on the Catholic approach to funerals, burial, and estate planning on Tuesday, March 31, at 1 p.m. at Holy Name Heights. The Office of Worship led similar seminars periodically over the last five years. This time, personnel from the Office of Stewardship and Development and the Department of Cemeteries will present and answer questions as well.
“These seminars have always been popular,” said Dr. Pat Gorman, director of the Office of Worship. When the seminar was held last November, about 60 people from all over the diocese attended. “I especially focus on the liturgical rites — vigil, funeral, and committal, and what can be done now to plan them. With this new format, we have a chance to address a broader range of topics,” said Gorman.New Knights Ceremonial open to public March 15
PINE BLUFF — […]
Virtual Lourdes Pilgrimage coming to Diocese of Madison
PRINCETON/NESKORO — Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers, LTD, will lead a Virtual Lourdes Pilgrimage in the Diocese of Madison.
They will be visiting St. John Catholic School in Princeton and St. James Catholic Church in Neshkoro on Thursday, March 19. The scheduled presenters are Pamela and James Barton from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
The Volunteers were founded in the Diocese of Syracuse, N.Y., on July 16, 2002. In 2012, to honor the association’s 10th anniversary, Pope Benedict granted a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, to those who attend the Lourdes Virtual Pilgrimage Experience. Since so many responded to this grace, in 2013, Pope Francis granted a second plenary indulgence extending through 2020.Montello/Westfield parishes to host Lenten Mission
MONTELLO/WESTFIELD — St. John the Baptist Parish in Montello and Good Shepherd Parish in Westfield will host a Lenten Mission from Monday to Wednesday, March 16 to 18.
The mission is being led by Deacon Ralph Poyo of the New Evangelization Ministries. The event is a way to help people “set their faith lives on fire” and move from a boring, obligation faith to a life-giving, healing faith centered on a relationship with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Deacon Poyo is no stranger to the Diocese of Madison. He has previously led missions at St. Dennis in Madison and Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Sun Prairie.Diocese offers findings on allegations against Rev. William A. Nolan
Following is a statement released by the Diocese of Madison.
Following a thorough investigation and subsequent recommendation by the Diocese’s Sexual Abuse Review Board, the Diocese of Madison now announces Bishop Donald Hying’s determination that previously announced allegations of sexual misconduct made against Rev. William A. Nolan are deemed not to be credible.
Youth grow in faith, friendship at Frassati Fest
WISCONSIN DELLS — At the beginning of February, approximately 350 high school teens and chaperones gathered together at the Kalahari in the Wisconsin Dells to attend the 21st annual “Frassati Fest.”
This youth gathering is named after Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who was from Italy and died at a young age. He is the patron of this event.
Grow in faith and friendship
This annual retreat offers a place for teens to encounter Jesus Christ and grow in faith and friendship with Catholic teens from all across the Diocese of Madison.
Learning from the ‘Hound of Heaven’
One of my favorite poems is the “Hound of Heaven” by Francis Thompson, in which the poet experiences God as a hugely powerful dog who resolutely chases him down the pathways of his life.
Despite every attempt to escape, hide, or elude the mighty hound, Thompson cannot do so, ultimately surrendering to being caught, only to find that this creature, which he mightily feared, is actually his very salvation.
Difficult life
The poet speaks profoundly of his own difficult experience. Thompson was born in London in 1859, entered medical school at the behest of his father, but eventually dropped out of his studies and left home.