WATERLOO — Do […]
Category: Around the Diocese
News from around the 11 counties of the Diocese of Madison.
St. Paul University Catholic Center kicks off new academic year
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| Students from St. Paul University Catholic Center in the Library Mall construction zone welcome students with free root beer floats. (Contributed photo) |
MADISON — St. Paul University Catholic Center welcomed University of Wisconsin (UW) students back to school with a week of free root beer floats, followed by pizza parties, dances, and spaghetti dinners.
In a warm spirit of friendship, St. Paul’s students spread themselves across campus to draw others into a discovery of the joy of the Gospel.
Twenty-two-year old Irina Olson, who is serving this year as an intern at St. Paul’s, has a special love for Welcome Week. “No matter how many root beer floats you have, Welcome Week never gets old,” she said.
“In every scoop of ice cream is an opportunity to build a friendship that could teach someone about the love of the Lord. That makes this the most exciting of all places to be at the University of Wisconsin.”
Leaders for Christ
The St. Paul’s team focuses on the life-giving mission of bringing Christ to the heart of one of the most influential university campuses in the world.
Upcoming events from the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis
The Seat of Wisdom Diocesan Institute is a program of adult faith formation and catechetical certification in the Diocese of Madison.
Rosary Crusades scheduled
FORT ATKINSON/GREEN LAKE — Area residents are invited to participate in the 2014 Public Square Rosary Crusade to be held in Green Lake and Fort Atkinson.
They are part of over 12,000 rallies to be held on the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 11 and 12, throughout the country.
Catholic women hold fall gatherings
Meetings of the Council of Catholic Women (CCW) are scheduled in Columbia North, Grant, and West Dane Vicariates this month.
These half-day meetings provide women an opportunity for prayer, service, and learning together. Women are invited to attend with others from their parish. If their parish isn’t affiliated with the CCW, women may join individually. Membership information is on the Madison Diocesan CCW web site at mdccw.com
Columbia North Vicariate
BERLIN — All Saints Council of Catholic Women (CCW) is hosting the Columbia North Vicariate meeting Tuesday, Oct. 14, at All Saints Church located at N5966 State Hwy. 49.
Catholic Library Association holds conference
WISCONSIN DELLS — The Wisconsin Chapter of Catholic Library Association (WCLA) will hold its annual fall conference on Friday, Oct. 18, in Wisconsin Dells.
The chapter was originally formed in Milwaukee to encourage development in the fields of Catholic literature and Catholic library work and has grown in size to include school librarians, technology directors, paraprofessionals, educators, principals, religious education directors, parish librarians, and volunteers interested in media related to education, library, and technology from all parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois as members.
Program for caregivers offered
BELOIT — Rock County Council on Aging will be offering “Powerful Tools for Caregivers®,” a nationally recognized education program to help family and friends caring for older adults and anyone who cares for someone with a chronic health concerns.
“Taking Care of You — Powerful Tools for Caregiving” is designed to help family caregivers take care of themselves.
This class teaches the caregiver necessary emotional tools to reduce guilt, anger, and depression; how to deal with difficult feelings; taking care of yourself; help you relax; set goals; solve problems; and effective communication with family members and health service providers.
St. Thérèse Lecture answers, ‘Who is Pope Francis?’
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| Alejandro Bermúdez, the speaker at this fall’s St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture at the Bishop O’Connor Center in Madison, speaks on “Who is Pope Francis? What is his mind?” on September 19. Bermúdez is the director of ACI-Prensa, the world’s largest Catholic news agency in Spanish, as well as the executive director of Catholic News Agency. (Catholic Herald photos/Kevin Wondrash) |
MADISON — On a near-autumn Friday evening in Madison, hundreds of people arrived at the Bishop O’Connor Center’s auditorium to learn more about current successor to St. Peter — Pope Francis.
It was the second of 2014’s St. Thérèse Lectures presented by the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Diocese of Madison.
The topic on September 19 was “Who is Pope Francis? What is his mind?” The speaker was Alejandro Bermúdez, director of ACI-Prensa, the world’s largest Catholic news agency in Spanish, as well as the executive director of Catholic News Agency and the Portuguese agency ACI digital.
Bermúdez, who spent part of his life in Argentina, met and interviewed Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) on several occasions. Bermúdez recently compiled a book of interviews regarding Pope Francis shortly after his election titled Pope Francis: Our Brother, Our Friend: Personal Recollections about the Man Who Became Pope, which has since been adapted into a show on EWTN.
As Bermúdez began his talk, he said Pope Francis is the next pope in a streak of “incredibly virtuous human beings at the head of the Catholic Church.”
Bermúdez outlined what he called “three crucial factors” to understanding Pope Francis: his background as an Argentinian, his background as a Jesuit, and understanding his intellectual mentors.
Pope Francis as an Argentinian
Bermúdez said Argentina has a major Catholic culture with a great number of Catholic theologians and writers. He said this creates of culture of “very lively debates” among Catholics.
40 Days for Life kicks off in Madison
MADISON — From now until Sunday, Nov. 2, for 24 hours a day, at least two people at a time will be praying for an end to abortion in Madison.
The annual 40 Days for Life campaign kicked off on Wednesday, Sept. 24. The campaign has a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion.
Oktoberfest to be held in Highland
HIGHLAND — Pick up the kids on Sunday, Oct. 5, and come on over to Ss. Anthony and Philip Church, 726 Main St. in Highland. There is lots of parking!
We start our Oktoberfest at 9 a.m. with a Polka Mass. If you’ve never praised the Lord this way, this is a unique and lively experience.
Then come outside for a cup of free coffee and nibbles and watch your kids help smash the pumpkin piñata and compete in a seed spitting contest. Let yourself be decorated with Mr. Greene’s balloons.