News from around the 11 counties of the Diocese of Madison.
MADISON — Sunday, Nov. 13, dawned warm and clear — a perfect day to welcome over 130 pilgrims who came to celebrate the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy at the Schoenstatt Heights Retreat Center.
The retreat center is located on Madison’s east side overlooking the State Capitol. As the time approached for Mass in the Family Room, pilgrims were streaming in to take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
MADISON — Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) Executive Director Kim Wadas has announced the appointment of Larry Haas of Waunakee as associate director for education and health care policy. He began his duties October 1.
Haas earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Norbert College in De Pere and his Master’s Degree in Business Management from Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee.MADISON — On an August afternoon this past summer, I had the opportunity to talk with “Jack,” a military veteran who had once been homeless but has been off the streets for a number of years.
Jack had been raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm with 11 siblings and served in the Korean War. As we talked, I learned how the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital program for helping homeless vets recover helped Jack take charge of his life.
We met at Jack’s apartment with Matt Heldman, VA peer specialist at the William S. Middleton VA Memorial Hospital in Madison, himself a homeless vet who experienced a successful recovery.
BELOIT — In honor of Thanksgiving Day, to share blessings, and to show gratitude, Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) parishioners are serving a traditional Thanksgiving feast to the public.
Parishioners extend an invitation to anyone alone on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 24, to come and enjoy dinner at no cost, along with caring fellowship, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. in Assumption Hall, 2222 Shopiere Rd.
There is an elevator to the lower level hall that guests can use. Reservations for the dinner are appreciated. Rides are offered to anyone needing transportation. For a reservation or a ride, call either DeeDee Spahos, 608-365-7900, or Rita Bonds, 608-362-6011.
Seizing the opportunity to express their thanks and gratitude on this day, a core group has planned the event down to every last detail. Turkey and the traditional accompaniments will be served, along with dessert.
At Assumption Hall, greeters will welcome people and assist with seating. Tables will be decorated with pumpkins made by first and fourth graders from OLA Grade School.
DeeDee Spahos said, “It’s the mission of our church to help others; we want to make a difference by offering dinner and fellowship to anyone in our area. We not only invite those who have no place to go for Thanksgiving dinner, and those who are alone, but also a couple or group of people who would like to share the meal with us.”
Rita Bonds said the idea for the event came from the Parish Social Justice committee. “We then discussed it in our Small Christian Community group, then it quickly took on a life of its own,” she explained. “Support from our Pastor Fr. Mike Resop and the parish was overwhelming.”
MADISON — It started with Chef Bishop Robert C. Morlino at the grill.
On the feast of St. Ambrose in December of 2007, Madison’s startup Catholic classical school, St. Ambrose Academy, welcomed 200 guests to the cozy social hall of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish for its first benefit dinner.
The red-aproned bishop led the student kitchen crew in cooking his very own recipes for roasted asparagus, garlic-and-rosemary potatoes, and chicken saltimbocca over a snowy grill in honor of the Italian bishop, St. Ambrose of Milan.
MIDDLETON — St. Bernard Parish in Middleton will hold its “Surge of the Heart” parish mission Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, Nov. 27, 28, and 29, from 7 to 8:15 p.m.
Jon Leonetti, international Catholic speaker, radio host, and best-selling author of two books, will lead the mission in the church located at 2015 Parmenter St.
STOUGHTON — Mike Donahue and Diane Neumeyer will share their faith journeys as part of the Our Faith Stories series at St. Ann Church on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m. in Healy Hall.
The theme of Donahue’s talk is “To strive or not to strive for the Kingdom, that is the question.”
MADISON — Two dozen years of experience in outreach and management are some of the strong leadership skills Judith Metzger will provide as the new director of the day resource center for the homeless at 615 E. Washington Ave. near downtown Madison.
Metzger has been hired to operate the center when it opens next year by Catholic Charities Madison, who is in a partnership with Dane County.
“I am impressed by the high standards and commitment to excellence in delivering widespread services to individuals and families in need,” Metzger said. |
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| A Holy Door is located at St. Patrick Church, 404 E. Main St., Madison. Another Holy Door is located at Holy Redeemer Church, 120 W. Johnson St., Madison. Both churches are part of the Cathedral Parish. For more information on Mass and Confession schedule, go to www.isthmuscatholic.org A Holy Door is also found at the Schoenstatt Founder Shrine, 5901 Cottage Grove Rd. in Madison, which is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash) |
MADISON — Led by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, Catholics around the world have had a great opportunity to make contemplating and celebrating the Mercy of God a daily part of our lives through our observance of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Here in the Diocese of Madison, we adopted the theme, “Contemplating the Face of God’s Mercy.”
Many of us may read this and wonder, “What does this mean for me and what does this mean for my church/our diocese?”
These are good questions to be asking, especially as we consider how to continue to respond to God’s mercy once the Jubilee Year concludes on November 20.
We should keep asking ourselves those questions, and now is the perfect time to reflect on our own, as well as our collective, participation in this Jubilee Year.
Whether alone, with our families, or with the larger community, we always start every faithful effort with sincere prayer — through study, meditation, and more formal worship — especially in placing ourselves in our Lord’s very presence at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration.
Sincere and humble contemplation upon the face of God’s mercy will always lead us to the continual conversion we each need, and this conversion leads us to seek God’s mercy eagerly through the Sacrament of Penance and through living out the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy more frequently and more perfectly.
MADISON — Parishes and leaders in the Diocese of Madison recently got a chance to assess how they are living out the New Evangelization.
During the first week in November, Deacon Ralph Poyo spoke on this very topic.
Deacon Poyo runs New Evangelization Ministries, an Ohio-based ministry in which he travels the country and inspires the lay faithful, clergy, parishes, and dioceses through parish missions, retreats, and trainings leading them to answer the call to the New Evangelization.
