Deacon Larry Tranel from the Diocese of Madison will be the featured speaker for a four-week webinar series called “Rural Resiliency: Caring for You and Yours”.
Deacon Tranel a pastoral psychologist and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach dairy specialist.Category: News
A timeline of key events in the Diocese of Madison’s 75-year history
Fifth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
Following is a timeline of key events in the 75-year history of the Diocese of Madison under each of the diocese’s bishops.
A look back: Bishop O’Connor chooses leaders to help run new Diocese of Madison
Fourth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
The Diocese of Madison grew rapidly after its founding in 1946.
To help Bishop William P. O’Connor run the new diocese, Msgr. Jerome J. Hastrich was named vicar general, chancellor, and director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Bishop Hastrich became auxiliary bishop of the diocese in 1963.
In 1969, he was named the bishop of Gallup, N.M.
Grants offer food pantry workers shelter
MADISON — The generosity of the Madison Community Foundation (MCF) and other major donors means that staff and volunteers at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Madison are finding shelter from the worst of what Wisconsin winter doles out, even as they continue to serve drive-through clients outdoors.
Helpful support
In November, the Madison Community Foundation awarded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul a $12,500 grant to support winter outdoor food distribution in order to meet pandemic safety requirements.
To protect all involved in distributing much-needed food, the St. Vincent de Paul Pantry has been operating on a drive-through basis since March 16.
“Madison Community Foundation is proud to support the critical work of St. Vincent de Paul and other major food pantries during this pandemic, explained Tom Linfield, Madison Community Foundation vice president.Communication initiatives in new diocese
Third in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
The Milwaukee Catholic Herald Citizen had been published for many years and often included news from southwestern Wisconsin and the Madison area.
However, Bishop William P. O’Connor wanted a diocesan newspaper for the new Diocese of Madison. In the fall of 1947, the Madison edition of the Catholic Herald Citizen made its debut.
Priest named editor
Bishop O’Connor asked Fr. Andrew R. Breines (later Msgr.), a diocesan priest, to take journalism courses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He then became editor of the Madison paper in 1948. The paper’s name was changed to the Catholic Herald in 1982.
Bishop Hying’s statement on the inauguration of President Joe Biden
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January 20, 2021
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
On this inauguration day, we offer prayer for our new president, Joseph Biden and his incoming administration. I pray that the Lord give him wisdom, courage, and grace to lead our country, help heal our wounds, and to work for the common good. As our rich history shows, Catholics stand ready to work with our brothers and sisters to build a civilization of life and love, and to seek the transformation of society and culture so that every human person may realize their immeasurable human dignity, given to us by God.
Together, Americans need to continue to seek solutions to the pandemic, poverty, unemployment, and the immigration question. The Catholic Church will seek to work with the new administration on issues where we find convergence. Regarding the difficult issues of divergence, such as abortion, contraception, religious freedom, and gender, the Church will challenge our leaders to embrace the full vision of the human person, as revealed by God and inscribed in the human heart through the natural law.
Bishops address COVID vaccine concerns
MADISON — Wisconsin’s Catholic bishops have issued a statement that addresses moral considerations regarding newly-developed COVID-19 vaccines.
In their letter, the bishops acknowledged the devastating impact of coronavirus infections worldwide but also lauded the efforts of nations and organizations to develop safe vaccines that will effectively diminish the impact of the virus.
Moral questions
While the promise of inoculation provides hope for the end of the current pandemic, the bishops indicated that many Catholics have raised moral questions about receiving vaccinations, especially the use of vaccines that utilize cell lines from aborted children in development and production.
There are also questions surrounding the right of conscience and the duty of all Catholics to advance the common good.Former Planned Parenthood manager to kick-off Madison 40 Days for Life campaign
MADISON — Abortion facilities are dark, desolate places. Former Planned Parenthood Manager Sue Thayer knows this personally from her 17 years on the job at the Storm Lake, Iowa, Planned Parenthood.
Something happens, though, when peaceful volunteers show up to pray on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. “With just one person out there, you bring the light of Christ,” said Thayer.
But, “chaos reigns inside,” she added.
According to Thayer, staff are already stressed out to meet the quotas that Planned Parenthood sets for each service, including abortion.Education was a priority for Bishop O’Connor in new Diocese of Madison
Second in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
It was not surprising that as a former seminary professor of philosophy, Bishop William P. O’Connor made education a priority in the newly established Diocese of Madison.
Established CCD in every parish
He established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) in every parish as a goal of great importance in the new diocese. CCD initially provided religious instruction for those Catholic children not enrolled in Catholic schools.
A diocesan-wide CCD Congress was held September 17-18, 1949. Those attending included lay people, Sisters, and priests.
Under the direction of the CCD, a Diocesan Information Center for Catholics and non-Catholics was established in a storefront on State St. in Madison between the Capitol Square and the University of Wisconsin campus. It attracted close to 30,000 visitors in its years of operation from 1954 to 1963.
New book highlights local pro-life victories, area family’s journey
MADISON — “When abortion ends and it’s in the history books, those history books are going to look back on Madison, Wis., as a turning point.”
Those words are one reason why Steve Karlen chose to share his story and experiences in the new book This is When We Begin to Fight.
The book, written by the Madison resident, tells the story of the fight to stop a late-term abortion center from opening on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus as well as other challenges his young family faced in life and in love.
The preceding quote was spoken to Karlen during a national pro-life leaders meeting a few years after the Madison Surgery Center dropped its plans to offer late-term abortions more than a decade ago.