Author: Mary C. Uhler

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Mary C. Uhler

She taught us how to age gracefully

Audrey Fixmer

Audrey Mettel Fixmer died on January 22, surrounded by her family. She touched many lives in her 86 years of life and made significant contributions to the Catholic Herald as author of the “Grand Mom” column for 23 years.

Twenty-three years ago out of the blue, I got a phone call from Audrey Mettel Fixmer.

She told me she had retired from teaching English and was interested in writing for the Catholic Herald. We chatted for awhile, and I found out that she was a member of St. Joseph Parish in Fort Atkinson and seemed very devoted to her faith.

Besides that, she told me she had 11 children (one died as an infant). Wow, I thought. That was amazing!

I told Audrey that we didn’t have a regular column in our paper dedicated to senior citizens. Since she was 65 years old at the time, I thought she was qualified to write about that age group.

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Mary C. Uhler

Catholic schools are changing lives

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• I’m a student, not a number.

• They really care about me.

• I’m more outgoing, not shy anymore.

• The expectation is excellence. We set high standards in reading and writing.

• Academics are rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

• We preach the Good News.

• When you come out of a Catholic school, you know what service is.

These are just some of the comments made by students and teachers at Catholic schools in a YouTube video called “Catholic Schools/Now More Than Ever” produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

It is obvious that the students and teachers on the video believe in what they’re saying. They speak with a lot of enthusiasm about their experiences at their school.

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Mary C. Uhler

What about mourning lives lost by abortion?

News media reported that world leaders — including Muslim and Jewish statesmen — linked arms on January 11 to lead more than a million French citizens through Paris in an unprecedented march to pay tribute to victims of Islamist militant attacks.

Commentators said the last time crowds of this size filled the streets of the capital was at the liberation of Paris from Nazi Germany in 1944.

While we mourn the tragic deaths  in Paris — including the journalists and police who were killed there — I also find it ironic that over one billion unborn children have been killed in the world since 1980 and over 57 million unborn children have died in the United States by abortion since 1973.

Do we have a tremendous outcry about these lives lost? Do we mourn the deaths of these unborn babies?

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Mary C. Uhler

Spend time in Eucharistic Adoration

Eucharistic Adoration has been growing in the Diocese of Madison with parishes having everything from a few hours of Adoration a week to perpetual Adoration at two sites — and a third close to providing Adoration every day.

The January 8 issue of the Catholic Herald features a story and photos from the blessing of the new Adoration chapel at Divine Mercy Parish (St. Aloysius Church) in Sauk City on January 1. The new chapel — the Mary, Mother of God Adoration Chapel — was appropriately dedicated by Bishop Robert C. Morlino on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

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Mary C. Uhler

A New Year’s resolution: working for peace

Most of us think of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day as occasions to enjoy some food and drink with our family and friends. We might even wear party hats!

But according to the Church calendar, New Year’s Day is much more than a day to party. First of all, it is a holy day of obligation— the Feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. That means that faithful Catholics are obliged to attend Mass that day.

World Day of Peace

In addition, the Catholic Church has designated January 1 as the World Day of Peace. This was introduced in 1967 by Blessed Paul VI, who was inspired to do so by the encyclical Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth) written by his predecessor, St. John XXIII.

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Mary C. Uhler

Nativity display at State Capitol is the right thing to do

This year a group of families from the Diocese of Madison decided to sponsor a Nativity display at the State Capitol.

“For the thousands of folks that will visit the Capitol with their children and grandchildren, the Nativity will remind everyone that Jesus is the reason for this special season,” said Geralyn Kettermann of St. Joseph Parish in Edgerton in a letter that was published in our paper.

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Mary C. Uhler

People of faith can offer solutions

People of faith may provide some solutions to the unrest in our country over the deaths of civilians by police officers.

Like many others, I have been discussing these matters with people at home and work. We can understand the challenges faced by law enforcement in dealing with situations in their communities. Police officers are trying to protect citizens, but they can also find themselves in danger.

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Mary C. Uhler

Don’t shop on Thanksgiving: Spend the holiday with family and friends

Shopping is one of my favorite pastimes. Just ask any members of my family. They know I’m ready to shop at the drop of a hat — or any object, for that matter!

But when it comes to shopping on Thanksgiving Day, it’s another story. I have been resenting the encroachment of “Black Friday” — the name given to the day after Thanksgiving — onto the holiday itself.

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