Category: News

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Cathy Lins, for the Catholic Herald

Sister brings joy to others despite terminal cancer

CROSS PLAINS — There’s a special parking space in front of St. Francis Xavier’s parish office — a cone with lots of markings letting people know — this spot is reserved for Sister John Rose.

In recent weeks, you could see signs all around Cross Plains asking for prayers and encouraging her to, “Hang in there, Sister!” I found her inside the church, moving around the facility, attending to visitors.  She was willing to take a little time to talk about her recent diagnosis.

Sr. John Rose Acker has been involved in pastoral ministry at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Cross Plains for 23 years, where she ministers to the sick, elderly, and dying. Prior to that, she was a teacher for 32 years. She celebrates 62 years as a School Sister of St. Francis this year.

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Cathy Lins, for the Catholic Herald

Parishes to host exhibition of sacred relics

ASHTON/SUN PRAIRIE — St. Peter Parish in Ashton and Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish in Sun Prairie will host an exhibition of sacred relics with Fr. Carlos Martins of the Companions of the Cross.

St. Peter Parish, 7121 County Hwy. K, will host an evening of exposition and presentation on hundreds of sacred relics on Monday, June 24. The evening will begin at 7 p.m. with catechesis on holy relics by Father Martins in the church building and will continue with the relics exhibition in the school building.

As part of the year-long celebration of the parish’s 150th anniversary, Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish, 221 Columbus St., Sun Prairie, will present a teaching and exposition of sacred relics on Tuesday, June 25, at 7 p.m.  Father Martins will teach about these holy objects.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Legislature passes ultrasound measure

MADISON — Both the state Senate and Assembly passed a bill requiring ultrasounds for those considering an abortion.

According to the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) Capital Update report, the vote was 17-15 in favor in the Senate and 56-39 in favor in the Assembly for Senate Bill 206 (authored by Senator Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin), also known as “Sonya’s Law.”

Wisconsin Right to Life explained that Sonya, a Wisconsin mother of two children, learned that she was pregnant with her third child this past November. Sonya worried about how she could handle another child, emotionally and financially. She seriously thought about abortion.

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Pat Casucci, for the Catholic Herald

Sr. Becky Perez celebrates golden jubilee

BELOIT — Sr. Becky Perez, a member of the Auxiliaries of the Blessed Sacrament, will be honored at a reception celebrating her golden jubilee on Sunday, June 9, from 1 to 3 p.m. at St. Jude Church Hall.

All friends of Sister Becky are invited to the reception being served by St. Jude Marian Guild members.

Devotion to Jesus

From childhood, Sr. Becky Perez, has had a sincere devotion to Jesus. This attribute seems to motivate and energize her as she works each day serving the ministry of the Sisters of the Auxiliaries of the Blessed Sacrament.

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Cathy Lins, for the Catholic Herald

Life in the Spirit Seminar to be held in Boscobel June 17-23

BOSCOBEL — A “Life in the Spirit Seminar” will be held at Immaculate Conception Church in Boscobel — Corpus Christi Parish — the week of June 17.

This seminar is composed of a series of talks designed to lead people through the basic message of salvation and help them yield to the action of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

It is a retreat experience that will help attendees grow in understanding and experience of the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit in our personal lives and in the life of the Church. It will be a week of teaching, guidance, sharing, and prayer, leading to a new and deeper relationship with Jesus.

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Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

The present and future of teaching the faith

MADISON — With another school year coming to a close, educators in the Diocese of Madison are taking a look at the results of their teaching this year, and looking ahead to build on and improve their students’ learning.

This school year was the first time the Diocese of Madison used the National Catholic Educational Association’s Assessment for Catechesis/Religious Education (ACRE) to assess how curriculum is aligned with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and how to improve programs year-by-year. The ACRE is used in 133 dioceses across the country.

Last year, Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison requested all parish catechetical programs join Catholic schools in administering the ACRE.

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Kevin Wondrash

Support for ban on gender-based abortions

The Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) joined other pro-life groups in voicing support for a bill before the Wisconsin Legislature to impose a civil penalty on doctors who knowingly perform sex-selective abortions.

Assembly Bill 217 (authored by Rep. Steve Kestell, R-Elkhart Lake) received a public hearing on May 29 before the state Assembly Committee on Health.

Sex-selective abortion

A sex-selective abortion is an abortion that is performed when the parent or parents of the unborn child abort because the baby is not of the desired sex. Most of the time, unborn girls are aborted because the parents wanted to have a son.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Adoration worldwide: Joining with Holy Father on June 2
Diocesan Adoration schedule
Click here for a list of Adoration locations and times throughout the diocese.

MADISON  — As a special event during the Year of Faith, Catholics throughout the world will be joining with Pope Francis in Eucharistic Adoration on the Feast of Corpus Christi, Sunday, June 2.

On that day, the Holy Father will preside at an hour of Eucharistic Adoration in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican at 5 p.m. Rome time, in communion with all bishops and with their local diocesan communities around the world.

In Wisconsin, that occurs at 10 a.m. Bishop Robert C. Morlino is promoting this time of Adoration at the Cathedral Parish in Madison at St. Patrick Church at 10 a.m., prior to his 11 a.m. Stational Mass.

Bishop Morlino has invited people throughout the Diocese of Madison either to join him at St. Patrick Church or attend times of Eucharistic Adoration at their own parishes and in the various Vicariates of the diocese at 10 a.m. where possible, recognizing the reality of Mass schedule conflicts on a Sunday morning, or at other times on that Sunday.

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Kevin Wondrash

Bishops release revised end-of-life letter

MADISON — Wisconsin’s Catholic bishops have released the third edition of their pastoral letter on end-of-life health care decision-making and advance care planning, Now and at the Hour of Our Death.

The letter voices the bishops’ concern and compassion for those facing critical health care decisions, and shares a moral and ethical framework for making such decisions.

Popular document

“The conference issued the first edition of this pastoral statement in 2002. That edition and the second one issued in 2006 have proven to be our most frequently requested document,” explained Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) Executive Director John Huebscher.

“In the seven years since the second edition, we have seen even greater interest in the moral questions surrounding death and dying. The bishops are resolved to keep responding to that interest. Reissuing the document is an effective way to do that.”

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