Pope Francis has said that compassion means “suffer with.” It is a challenge to suffer with a beloved family member or friend who is dying.
The dying process has been called a “sacred time — a final season to seek closure in this life and prepare for the next in the hope of sharing in Christ’s Resurrection,” says a passage from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Respect Life Program publication on “Caring for Loved Ones at Life’s End.”
We are in the midst of the Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis. The year officially continues through November 20 of this year.
During this year, we are focusing on the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. It is timely, therefore, that Sunday, Oct. 16, will be observed as Catholic Charities Sunday in the Diocese of Madison.
What is this world coming to? Violence is happening everywhere.
We used to think of civil unrest and wars occurring elsewhere — not in our own cities. But now it seems like no one is safe from violence.
Every time I hear about another shooting, I say a quick prayer and feel like crying, “Not again!”
Who is to blame? Is there anything we can do?
We living in the Diocese of Madison have a unique opportunity to view the world-famous International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
The statue will be visiting four cities in our diocese (see schedule) and will be displayed outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Madison on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 3 p.m.
I did some research on this statue, and it has a remarkable story.
When we think of the work of St. Teresa (or Mother Teresa as we’ll always know her), we remember her helping the poor, sick, and homeless people in the slums of Calcutta.
But do we realize that there are poor and homeless people right in our own communities? It was shocking for me to read about poverty in our own state in a report issued by the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Attending the Mass of Dedication of the new St. Cecilia Church in Wisconsin Dells was a very emotional experience for me and my husband.
As friends of St. Cecilia’s late pastor, Msgr. Felix Oehrlein, we were so happy to see his dream of a new church become a reality.
Sometimes when I’m driving home in the evening, I am treated to a panoramic view of the sunset on the west side of Madison.
The vibrant colors of red and gold in the sky are amazing. It prompts me to say a quick prayer of thanksgiving to God for the beauty of our world.
Unfortunately, it’s a world we often take for granted. And if we don’t start paying more attention, we might not be able to enjoy this beautiful world as much in the future.
To remind us to pay attention, Pope Francis in 2015 declared September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. He joined the Orthodox Church in this practice, something that Church has done since 1989.
In 1995, many of us in the Diocese of Madison were very sad when Holy Name Seminary closed its doors.
The seminary had been a focal point for the diocese, with the building housing seminarians and many diocesan events. It was even the site of a pre-season training camp for the University of Wisconsin Badger football team for many years.
The seminary’s spire towered over the west side of Madison, a sign of the Church for all to see and hear as the seminary’s bells pealed every 15 minutes.
Recently, The Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation (CDMF) board of directors spent a full day on retreat reviewing their mission within the diocese.
After he returned from World Youth Day held in Poland, Pope Francis said at his general audience at the Vatican that in a world traumatized by war, young people gathered for World Youth Day gave strong signs of hope and brotherhood.
World Youth Day was a “prophetic sign for Poland and Europe” and took on a “global dimension” in a world threatened by war, Pope Francis said.
