It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been 50 years since the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
It was on April 4, 1968, that James Earl Ray killed the civil rights leader as he stood on the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tenn. Reverend King, a Baptist minister, was only 39 years old.
It seems as if we have made progress in many areas of our society since his death, but we still have a long way to go in ensuring an end to racism in our country.
Easter is early this year (Sunday, April 1), so we will soon be starting Holy Week on Palm Sunday, March 25.
At this time, our thoughts and prayers turn to what happened in Jerusalem during Our Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection.
As someone with Irish ancestors, I am proud to claim an Irish background, joining with over 34 million Americans who are apparently descended from Irish roots.
So celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 has a special significance for me and many others in our country. And in fact, we often say that everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!
However, it seems that with the wearing of the green, eating corned beef and cabbage, and singing Irish songs, many people don’t remember the religious significance of St. Patrick any longer.
When I think about the DACA program, Alan comes to my mind. His story was highlighted in an article published early this year in the Catholic Herald.
The article discussed immigrants who have received help at the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) in Madison.
They were looking for answers, not just platitudes, as a group of students and parents affected by school gun violence met with President Donald Trump on February 21.
Faced with the personal anguish wrought by the most recent school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead, President Trump pledged action, saying, “We don’t want others to go through the kind of pain you’ve been through.”
It was interesting to see people with crosses on their foreheads in the crowds shown after the school shootings in Parkland, Fla.
Of course, the shootings occurred on Ash Wednesday, so some of the parents and other family members had gone to Mass during the day.
Is there a message for us? The more I thought about it, I think there is.
Ever since I was in the fifth grade — when we finally got a television set in our home — I have enjoyed watching the Olympics.
Since our daughter was a competitive figure skater for many years (and I am still a member of the Figure Skating Club of Madison), I have especially looked forward to the Winter Olympics to watch figure skating. I also watch some of the other events.
I believe the Olympics continue to be important in our world today.
When I had children many years ago, I did not have paid maternity leave.
I was able to use my accumulated vacation and sick leave. But that meant that I had very little time off available the rest of the year. That was difficult, especially with young children.
Fortunately for other parents, our nation took a step toward a more family friendly future 25 years ago when the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) became law.
As we know, the more things change, the more they stay the same. That could be said about the Catholic press in our country.
As the United State was forming, opposition to immigration was strong. Sounds familiar?
The lack of social standing of immigrants — many of them Catholic — created a need to unite and educate, to bring news from home, and to fight for civil and religious rights in their new country.
My 12 years attending Catholic schools — eight in elementary school and four in high school — definitely helped shape the person I became in life.
I received an excellent academic education in the Catholic schools I attended, but I benefited from much more than that. My teachers — clergy, Religious, and lay — also taught me about my faith and how to live it out in daily life. I learned the importance of service to others and how to be a leader. And all of these things helped me succeed in life, not only professionally but as a person.
