I haven’t written one of these columns in a while. In between the busyness of the job, the holidays, and a struggle to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, I’ll be honest), my still-developing “On His Time” series has not appeared in the Catholic Herald since October.
Category: Columns
Social ministry gathering offers look at vibrant Church
It has been a few years since I last attended the annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington, D.C. What I saw when I joined nearly 500 others at the 2014 meeting was another inspiring example of how a diverse and vibrant group of Catholics can inspire each other and bear witness to our faith.
Initiated some years ago by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Social Ministry Gathering is now also co-sponsored by a number of Catholic organizations, including Catholic Charities USA, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Rural Life, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Relief Services, the National Council of Catholic Women, and a number of other groups.
Over a three-day period, attendees renewed relationships, celebrated policy victories, educated ourselves on important policy issues, and visited our respective congressional delegations in support of the USCCB’s policy priorities.
An invitation to change my view on love
I received the invitation in the mail shortly after New Year’s. It was in an elegant black satin envelope with a black velvet ribbon.
There was no return address, just the name of one of my friends in a fancy Edwardian script. As I eagerly opened the envelope, a return card slipped out and I read the following “You are cordially invited to attend our first annual Un-Valentine Party.”
Inside was a short letter arguing that all of us single girls needed to band together against this commercialized holiday, wear black in solidarity, and enjoy our singlehood with cocktails and embrace the freedom of not being shackled by love.
Debating birth control in the public square: use of contraceptives is not just a ‘personal matter’
Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, in his December 13, 2012 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, argues that the cost of birth control could be reduced by eliminating the required doctor’s visit to get a prescription — making contraception available “over the counter.”
If it were made available this way, it would no longer be reimbursable by health insurance, and people could simply purchase it on their own.
Jindal posits that this approach would result in “the end of birth control politics.” He relies on several simplistic assumptions and inadequate moral judgments, however, as he tries to advance this argument.
Vocations then and now: a comparison of the first 10 years and the last 10 years in the Diocese of Madison
As many regular readers know well, the Catholic Herald celebrated the recently-concluded Year of Faith by publishing a variety of articles, stories, and information to assist the faithful of the Diocese of Madison in rediscovering and deepening their knowledge and practice of authentic Catholic faith.
One of the periodic features that the Herald offered during the Year of Faith was called “From the Archives,” in which full or partial articles from across the 65-year history of the Madison edition of the paper were reprinted.
In the process of preparing these features, I have spent a good amount of time pouring through the extensive archival records of the paper and have been surprised and fascinated by what I learned about life and activities in the diocese from 1946 to the present day.
Future of Ukraine hangs in the balance: members of Greek Catholic Church struggle for human rights, dignity
My fascination with Ukraine began in 1984, during a sabbatical year at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
There, one of the first friends I made among my fellow Fellows was Dr. Bohdan Bociurkiw, a Ukrainian-Canadian professor at Carleton University in Ottawa.
Teaching through examples of faith, knowledge, and service
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| Kindergarten and fourth grade students at All Saints Catholic School in Berlin prepare for Catholic Schools Week (CSW) by coloring the CSW logo for hallway decorations. Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Madison will be observing Catholic Schools Week from January 26 to February 1 with a variety of activities highlighting the theme, “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service.” (Contributed photo) |
MADISON –Communities of “faith, knowledge, and service.” This is a wonderful description of Catholic schools. for these three aspects lie at the heart of every Catholic school.
Christ is the center
First among these is faith. Christ is the center and focus of each and every Catholic school. As our late Pope John Paul II wrote, “Catholic education is above all a question of communicating Christ, of helping to form Christ in the lives of others.”
This is the primary goal of all Catholic schools: to form students in faith that they may come to know and love Christ.
As students come to know Christ, they travel a lifelong journey of learning what it means to be fully human in the example of Christ.
Forming the whole person
As we are created with many attributes, skills, talents, and faculties, Catholic schools seek to develop all of these by educating not only the heart, but the mind and body as well — by forming the whole person.
Every day, dedicated teachers help students develop their intellect and reasoning, challenging them to ask questions, seek answers, and learn the whole truth about themselves and their world in all its glorious detail. This quest for truth through knowledge is the second pillar of Catholic schools.
Wisconsin should protect religious freedom
There has been a lot of discussion lately about the federal government’s failure to protect religious liberty.
Much of this discussion is over whether the Obama Administration adequately protects religious liberty under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly called “Obamacare.”
‘The Famous Violinist Problem’: Author sets up experiment to justify abortion in cases of rape
In her still-widely-read 1971 article, “A Defense of Abortion,” Judith Jarvis Thomson sets up a thought experiment known as “The Famous Violinist Problem” to argue that abortion ought to be morally justified when a pregnancy arises out of sexual assault:
“You wake up in the morning and find yourself back to back in bed with a . . . famous unconscious violinist. He has been found to have a fatal kidney ailment, and the Society of Music Lovers has canvassed all the available medical records and found that you alone have the right blood type to help.
“They have therefore kidnapped you, and last night the violinist’s circulatory system was plugged into yours, so that your kidneys can be used to extract poisons from his blood as well as your own . . . To unplug you would be to kill him. But never mind, it’s only for nine months. By then he will have recovered from his ailment, and can safely be unplugged from you.”
Helping aging parents
Q: In this new year I have decided to be more “present” for my parents.
By that, I mean I want to relieve any anxiety they may have about their advancing age.
I know about things like helping them physically with yard work or home repairs, but what are some things I need to know about in order to help them live their lives the way they wish?
I have heard about living wills and power of attorney, but I am not sure if they know about this or if they have these things prepared. Where do I begin? (From a son in Black Earth)