MADISON — Fariba Roughead discussed a topic that is “really near and dear to my heart” in a recent presentation at Holy Name Heights in Madison.
Fariba talked about “Interfaith Dialogue: A Personal Perspective on Catholicism and Islam.”
A native of Iran and now a U.S. citizen, she told the story of her conversion from Islam to Catholicism. Throughout her talk, she emphasized the importance of dialogue with those of other faiths.
 |
|
I write these words on the airplane taking me home from my first visit as a bishop ad limina apostolorum (to the threshold of the apostles).
This is the pilgrimage, required by canon law of every bishop, to pray at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul and to meet personally with the successor of Peter.
In an earlier column, I wrote of the extraordinary visit to the tomb of Peter and an even more extraordinary conversation with the Galilean fisherman’s successor, Pope Francis.“Are you saved?” is a classic evangelical question which we have probably all been asked once or twice. Those posing the query usually view salvation as a specific event, the precise moment when they gave their lives to Jesus and experienced his forgiveness.
A gentleman told me once that he was saved at a Billy Graham crusade in 1978, which for him was a powerful spiritual transformation. As Catholics, we may fumble for an articulate answer to the question of salvation, which is a sign perhaps that our understanding of this central reality of faith is more nuanced.
MADISON — When you hear the word “abortion”, does your mind shut down, not wanting to face discomfort, uncertainty, confusion about what is right and what is wrong?
Do you believe abortion is a woman’s right? You are not alone.
Has your life been touched by abortion . . . as the mother, father, grandparent, or relative? You are not alone.MADISON — “I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me,” a program on the Immigration Legal Services Program at the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC), will be held Saturday, Feb. 15, at 10 a.m. at St. Dennis Parish, 505 Dempsey Rd., Madison.
Janice Beers, the CMC’s immigration services coordinator, will speak on assistance provided to low- and no-income immigrants unable to afford an attorney, and Steve Maurice, assistant director at the center, will discuss the Catholic social teaching behind these services.
SINSINAWA — The annual Mass to commemorate the death of Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, will be held at St. Patrick Church, Benton, at 10 a.m. Sunday, March 1.
The Mazzuchelli Assembly 4th Degree Knights of Columbus invite everyone to attend and join them for a social in the parish hall afterward.
Father Mazzuchelli died in the house near the church on February 23, 1864, and is buried in the parish cemetery. The house is open for tours during warm-weather months. For more information, contact Mike Plear at 608-744-3639.MADISON — The Diocese of Madison Office of Worship is offering workshops for Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.
Here is information on the dates, times, and locations:
• Sunday, Feb. 16, at Sacred Heart Parish in Reedsburg, 624 N. Willow St., 11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.WAUSAU — Divine Savior Healthcare (DSH) has formally joined the Aspirus health system.
Leaders from Sisters of the Divine Savior and Aspirus signed documents that make the Portage system part of Aspirus, a not-for-profit health care system based in Wausau.
“As sponsors of Divine Savior Healthcare, the Sisters of the Divine Savior have experienced over 100 years of blessings and joy,” said Sisters of the Divine Savior Provincial Leader Sr. Beverly Heitke.
SINSINAWA, Wis. — Sr. Ann O’Hara, OP, died February 2, 2020, at St. Dominic Villa, Hazel Green, Wis. Her religious name was Sister Michaud. The funeral Mass was held at the Dominican Motherhouse, Sinsinawa, February 7, followed by burial in the Motherhouse Cemetery.
Sister Ann made her first religious profession as a Sinsinawa Dominican August 5, 1950, and her perpetual profession August 5, 1953. She taught for 38 years and served as a pastoral minister for 15 years. Sister Ann shared her gift of being present with people in the tender moments of life and celebrated the joyous moments with delight. She served in Minnesota, Alabama, Wisconsin, and Illinois. |
|
| Bishop Donald J. Hying blesses a mosaic of Blessed Frederic Ozanam at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington on January 26. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn) |
Last week, I was honored to celebrate Mass in the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and to bless a newly-installed mosaic of Blessed Frederic Ozanam, the founder of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the Society’s presence in the United States.
I have been involved with the Vincentians for 20 years as a chaplain, serving for the last two years on the national level. In preparing my homily for the Mass, I dug deeper into the life and legacy of Frederic Ozanam, realizing with greater clarity his inestimable contribution to Catholic thought and the wisdom of the Church in addressing the social issues of the day.
As a visionary founder of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, Frederic has helped millions of Catholics to live the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy in a practical and generous manner. He was a journalist, scholar, professor, social activist, husband, and father. He taught literature, history, and law, deeply engaged in the intellectual problems and social challenges of his day. Ozanam has much to say to our present age.
Frederic was born in Milan in 1813, going to Paris to study law, where he suffered a deep loneliness but also was befriended by André Ampère, a scientist exploring the wonders of electricity, in whose home Ozanam became a boarder.
Simultaneously a sophisticated scientist and a devout Catholic, Ampère showed his young charge that there was no inherent dichotomy between Christianity and science or between Catholicism and the social ills of workers and the poor.