Category: Around the Diocese

News from around the 11 counties of the Diocese of Madison.

On
Angela Curio, Catholic Herald Staff

SSM Health administers COVID vaccines

MADISON — Things have moved fast since SSM Health received its first shipment of the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines in December, but that does not mean people should become lax in the protective measures to guard against the spread of the coronavirus, stressed Mo Kharbat, SSM Health Wisconsin’s regional VP of pharmacy.

“Wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding gatherings, etc. — will need to continue well into 2021 and until a large majority of our population has been vaccinated with both doses of the vaccine they receive,” he said. “We ask that people be patient.”

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Angela Curio, Catholic Herald Staff

Religious Sister discovers love for the ancient Christian art of iconography

Sister with Icon
Sr. Anne Joseph of the Sisters of Mary Morning Star in Monona works on an Icon of the Madonna and Child.
(Contributed photo)

MONONA — “When you find something that you really love to do, and you’re passionate about it, it changes everything,” said Sr. Anne Joseph from the Sisters of Mary Morning Star in Monona.

She was speaking about her recent involvement in the practice of “writing” icons, an ancient Christian art form that dates back to the earliest centuries of Christian history.

These pieces of art, known for their non-realistic, heavily symbolic, and copied imagery (writing an icon is more often a process of carefully repainting a pre-existing image with much tradition and history behind it), were not something Sister Anne said she fully appreciated when she first dabbled in the art form in high school. Back in about 2005, she took a class in iconography through the Institute of St. Joseph in Boyd, Wis.

“I wasn’t originally attracted to them,” she said. “But I was kind of an artist.”

She said that it was more of her dad who really loved icons. “At the time, I wanted to do more realistic paintings.”

But she says she believes her 11 years at the Sisters of Mary Morning Star convent prepared her to develop a better appreciation for the practice of writing and praying with icons.

A new opportunity

It was early March of this year, just before the world was turned upside down with the coronavirus, that Sister Anne was given the second opportunity in her life to get involved in iconography.

Drazen Dupor, who has been teaching iconography in the Madison area since 2003, was offering a three-session class at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Monona.

Sister Anne saw the advertisement and was interested, but due to the cost of the class, she thought it best not to ask her prioress for permission to take the class.

“So, what happened was quite providential,” she said. “My prioress asked me and another Sister if we wanted to do this icon class, and I said, ‘Yes!’ Like you don’t even know that I actually do icons. So we did the class, and I really loved it.”

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On
Bishop Donald J. Hying

Christmas message from Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison

This painful year of 2020 has dramatically revealed our vulnerabilities, weaknesses, and mortality. It has also shown the resilience and generosity of the human spirit. So many things that may have seemed so important a year ago matter very little now. Other realities, like faith, prayer, family and friends, health, and ultimately God stand in sharper focus as the bedrock of our existence. This year will be a different sort of Christmas, as we pray for those who died this year, those who are ill and those who heroically serve them.

We will forego many of our Christmas traditions this year, but the central truth remains.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, entered into our broken and sinful world as a vulnerable baby to rescue us from sin and death. In our poverty and frailty, we can most profoundly relate to the Christ Child, who is born among animals and adored by shepherds. How easy it is to romanticize Christmas; the reality was far different. The advent of God is marked by poverty, obscurity, and danger. God quietly slips in through the back door, unbidden and unnoticed, but here with us. This overwhelming divine love is the cause, meaning and destiny of our human existence.

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On
the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Madison

Families in need find Christmas cheer at St. Vincent de Paul ‘Little Drummer’ drive-thru

MADISON — Sometimes, drive-thru service can be a little impersonal, even cheerless.

This year, Madison-area St. Vincent de Paul Society members took a festive annual event curbside to help make Christmas brighter for hundreds of children from local households in need.

Yearly event

Each December, St. Vincent de Paul Society member groups, known as “conferences,” from Dane County parishes work together as the Society’s District Council of Madison to provide gifts for the children of families the conferences served during the year through a “Little Drummer” event.

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the Catholic Multicultural Center, Madison

Catholic Multicultural Center thanks supporters

MADISON — The Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) offers its deepest thanks to the community for offering financial support during the recent Radiothon fundraiser and community celebration with La Movida Radio.

The CMC aimed to raise $18,000 to fund its pandemic services such as food pantry delivery, daily free meal, and low cost immigration legal services.

Thanks to many generous donors, business sponsors, and one big matching donation, the CMC surpassed its goal, raising a grand total of $22,424.

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On
Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

Fr. Kumud Nayak ordained to the priesthood

Fr. Kumud Ordination
Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison lays hands on Fr. Kumud Nayak, CJD, during Father Nayak’s Ordination Mass on December 7 at Holy Name Heights in Madison.
(Catholic Herald photo/Joe Ptak)

MADISON — The vigil of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception included a blessing for the Diocese of Madison — a new priest.

Fr. Kumud Nayak was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison on December 7 in the Holy Name Oratory at Holy Name Heights in Madison.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a limited number of invited guests were able to attend the Ordination Mass, while hundreds from the diocese and elsewhere watched via a livestream.

‘Here I am, Lord’

“Let Rev. Mr. Kumud Chandra Nayak, who is to be ordained a priest, come forward,” proclaimed Deacon Chris Schmelzer during the Mass.

At those words, still-Deacon Kumud stood up from his pew and uttered “present”.

He then came forward as Vicar General Msgr. James Bartylla presented the priesthood candidate to Bishop Hying.

Knowing him to be “worthy,” Bishop Hying said, “Relying on the help of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, we choose Kumud, our brother, for the order of the priesthood”.

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On
Bridget Wittwer, For the Catholic Herald

Catholic Charities 25th annual Faith in Action virtual event

MADISON — Due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Catholic Charities of Madison created a virtual event to celebrate faith in action across the diocese.

Several organizations came together to make a memorable evening on December 1.

SSM Health, the Catholic Multicultural Center, the Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities, Edgewood High School, St. Peter School in Ashton, and Catholic Charities programs all pitched in to spread a message of hope this Advent season.

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On
St. John Vianney Parish, Janesville

Advent event transformed online

SJV Online Advent
In a video created for the online Lighting the Way event, St. John Vianney in Janesville parishioner Brenda Riley provides tips on how to make Advent wreaths using items from around the house.(Contibuted photo)

JANESVILLE — At the start of each Advent, St. John Vianney Parish in Janesville hosts an Advent-by-candlelight event called Lighting the Way for Women.

The event is designed to help women, who are typically very busy during the holidays, start their Advent off right by enjoying a peaceful evening of prayer, reflection, and fellowship.

Growing event

Each year, attendance for Lighting the Way has grown.

In 2019, more than 220 women gathered at St. John Vianney for the event.

As fall 2020 progressed, it became clear that increasing COVID concerns and limitations on gatherings would make it impossible to hold the popular event in person.

Kris Kranenburg, coordinator of adult faith formation at St. John Vianney and one of the event organizers, started to hear from women who were saddened that the gathering couldn’t take place.

“Women were sharing beautiful stories of how Lighting the Way helped them to regroup spiritually and keep their focus on the season of Advent,” said Kranenburg.

“We didn’t want to lose that, especially in 2020 when it felt like so many other things had been taken away.”

Recognizing that people were tired of tuning in for virtual events on platforms like Zoom, the decision was made to create a website that would offer a variety of content.

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