Category: News

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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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Lisa Clark, For the Catholic Herald

Msgr. Gerard Healy to retire, celebration May 27

STOUGHTON — Msgr. Gerard Healy will retire in July as the pastor at Stoughton’s St. Ann Parish. He served there for the past 24 years, and an additional 28 years as a priest at five other parishes throughout southwestern Wisconsin.

A celebration will be held in his honor on Monday, May 27, at St. Ann Parish grounds, 323 North Van Buren St., from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., with a pig roast from 4 to 6 p.m.

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Kevin Wondrash

Durward’s Glen to hold 100th Corpus Christi celebration

BARABOO — The 100th annual Corpus Christi Mass and procession at Durward’s Glen will take place on Sunday, June 2, at 12 noon.

The Feast of Corpus Christi dates back to AD 1230. This feast is especially meaningful because it is one time when Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is exposed not just to faithful Catholics but to everyone present.

The Mass will be celebrated at the outdoor Holy Family altar by Fr. Pedro Escribano from the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest. This is the 100th year that Corpus Christi has been celebrated at Durward’s Glen.

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Chris Lee

Holy Hill marks 150th anniversary

HUBERTUS, Wis. — The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Shrine with a Mass on Saturday, May 25, at 4:30 p.m.

Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki of Milwaukee will be the principal celebrant, with the Discalced Carmelite priests of Holy Hill concelebrating.

Chapel rededication

Archbishop Listecki will also re-dedicate the Shrine Chapel, recently repainted by Conrad Schmitt Studios (of New Berlin), as well as formally bless the newly installed bronze doors.

These doors, depicting St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Virgin Mary, were designed by renowned figurative sculptor, Cody Joseph Swanson, casted by Vanguard Sculpture Services, Ltd (of Milwaukee,), and fabricated by Louis Hoffmann Co (of Menomonee Falls). This special Mass is open to the public.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Francine Butzine is retiring after 43 years at St. Henry School

WATERTOWN — The old adage “Time flies when you’re having fun” certainly applies to Francine Butzine, who is retiring this year after 43 years as a teacher and principal at St. Henry School in Watertown.

In an interview, Mrs. Butzine — as students, parents, and others fondly call her in the St. Henry community — said she has “never been bored” in her 20 years as a teacher and 23 years as a principal at St. Henry School.

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Chris Lee

Fr. Jim McEnery celebrates 60 years as a priest

MADISON — Fr. James McEnery will be celebrating his 60th anniversary as a priest this month.

Celebrations for Father McEnery’s jubilee are planned for Saturday and Sunday, May 18 and 19, at St. Peter Parish, Madison, and St. Mary Parish, Milton, respectively.

Father McEnery was ordained May 14, 1953, by Bishop William P. O’Connor, at Holy Redeemer Church in Madison (the cathedral was being renovated at the time).

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