News from around the 11 counties of the Diocese of Madison.
MADISON — “As 40 peaceful days of prayer, fasting, vigil, and outreach draw to a conclusion, we will meet at Planned Parenthood, 3706 Orin Rd., Madison, on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 p.m. to rejoice in the victories that God has accomplished,” said Gwen Finnegan, who is coordinating the 40 Days for Life campaign in Madison.
Some of the highlights of the current campaign include:
• More than 40 churches working together
• 500-plus volunteers contributing 1,920 hours of service to the communityNOTE: The first Rural Life Listening Session scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12, in Highland has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No decisions have been made yet on other scheduled sessions in November. A session in Iowa County will be rescheduled sometime after January 1.
The Diocese of Madison Rural Life Ministry is coordinating listening sessions in all 11 counties, so that Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison and diocesan leaders can better understand the blessings and challenges of our rural communities.
We watch with great concern the crises our farmers face, especially the loss of family farms, financial failure, plunging dairy and meat prices, and increasing costs of production, all the while being more productive than ever-before.
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| Good Shepherd parishioners J.P. Fedele and Eileen Alt, above, work the new machine that is being used this year for producing pfeffernuesse cookies. (Photo by Jane Lepeska Grinde) |
MADISON — Rather than a St. James Church basement full of “holy rollers” this fall, only six people are working each of the three weekly shifts to produce the traditional pfeffernuesse cookies sold at the annual fall festival.
For the first time in the 44 years of producing pfeffernuesse, the cookies are being “spit” out of a machine onto the large cookie sheets.
No hand rolling this year
“No hand rolling this year,” said the bulletin announcement to the disappointment of many of the regulars who enjoyed the time for socializing.
The machine, ordered online and previously used by a bakery, took some getting used to, said Paul Scott who oversees the cooking operation.
The machine temporarily replaces one that is a specially rigged sausage maker that produces ropes of dough that are then pushed through a special wire grating for rolling into nicely shaped balls.MADISON — The Wisconsin Knights of Columbus thanks all the Madison area recipients of the grants, distributed on October 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, for applying for the 2020 State Culture of Life Grant Fund.
The Knights consider it an honor to participate in this way in the life-affirming work of the worthy recipients.
Working together, the Wisconsin Knights of Columbus raised more than $105,000 to provide grants to numerous pro-life agencies throughout the state to help fulfill our shared mission — cultivating a culture of life. |
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| Fr. Grant Thies, parochial administrator of St. Peter Parish in Madison, leads the Benediction during the second “Unite” Rosary Rally in Madison on October 11. Nearly 1,000 people came out for the peaceful afternoon of prayer. (Catholic Herald photo/Joe Ptak) |
MADISON — In the midst of protests, conflicts over the upcoming election, and a range of varying reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was time for some peace and prayer.
Nearly 1,000 people came out to downtown Madison for those moments of peace and prayer during the second “Unite” Rosary Rally on October 11.
The first rally was on August 15 and brought out more than 3,000 people.
The day also marked the conclusion of a 54-day Rosary Novena that started the same day as the previous rally.
There was an emphasis that the event was not a political event, but a prayer event, despite the closeness to the election and the State Capitol.
The countries in Central and Eastern Europe have faced a century of hardship. They have been oppressed by radical communism, horrendous crimes against humanity, and revolutionary, civil, and world wars.
Under communism, religion and religious practices were openly persecuted, and atheism was actively propagated and enforced.
Control of every aspect of life was taken over by totalitarian governments and the communist party, and civil society and the economy were deconstructed.
Since the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991, Central and Eastern European countries have been working to rebuild their political structures, social welfare, economies, and their religious life.The Diocese of Madison is pleased to announce our plan for Seat of Wisdom Diocesan Institute in the 2020-2021 year.
Are you a Dane County high school student looking for an opportunity to serve others?
Early last month, thanks to many benevolent donors to the diocesan collections for Catholic Schools, we were able to purchase 161 medical grade air purifiers for school classrooms.
