Category: Editorial

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Mary C. Uhler

Pope Francis follows in footsteps of his namesake

St. Francis of Assisi is known for his love of the poor and all of God’s creatures. We often see pictures of St. Francis with the wolf he purportedly tamed and with other animals and birds gathered around him.

I have visited the town of Assisi in Italy twice. On my first trip, I was amazed to see a flock of birds sitting on the statue of St. Francis in the garden outside the basilica there. Our guide said that the birds constantly flock to that statue, almost as if they know it depicts St. Francis.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Call to prayer: For life, marriage, and religious liberty

Besides praying for the cardinals who are electing a new pope, the Catholic bishops of the United States have also called for a nationwide effort to advance a movement for life, marriage, and religious liberty.

In this Year of Faith, the bishops are encouraging Catholics across our nation to pray for rebuilding a culture that is more favorable to life and marriage as well as for increased protections for religious liberty.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Challenges for the Church: Cardinal Dolan outlines key issues facing the next pope

There are many challenges facing the Catholic Church today, challenges which the new pope will have to address.

What are the most important challenges? If we only go by secular media reports, the key issues would seem to be the sexual abuse scandal, ordination of women, and same-sex marriage. These are some of the so-called “hot button” issues, but are they the major challenges facing the Church?

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Annual Catholic Appeal: Why it’s vital to support diocesan ministries and services

This weekend, March 2 and 3, Catholics throughout the Diocese of Madison will be asked to contribute to the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA).

Members of parishes have already received a letter from Bishop Robert C. Morlino with information on the ACA. It was an opportunity to pledge support for the ACA even before the public process started. We have already sent in our family’s pledge to the ACA. People can pay in one lump sum or give a pledge to be paid over a five-month period.

I believe it is vital to support the ministries and services in our diocese funded by the ACA. (Please note that I am giving an objective opinion, since the Catholic Herald does not receive support from the appeal; our paper is supported only by subscriptions and advertising.)

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Bring Lent to life: Look for opportunities to nourish your faith by praying, fasting, and giving

Lent is a special time set aside by the Church to prepare for Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection through 40 days of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

There are many ways we can observe the Lenten season. In his message for Lent this year, Pope Benedict XVI asked us, especially in the context of this Year of Faith, to “meditate on the relationship between faith and charity: between believing in God — the God of Jesus Christ — and love, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and which guides us on the path of devotion to God and others.”

Pope Benedict emphasizes that faith and charity are linked together. “Everything begins from the humble acceptance of faith (‘knowing that one is loved by God’), but has to arrive at the truth of charity (‘knowing how to love God and neighbour’), which remains for ever, as the fulfilment of all the virtues (cf. 1 Cor 13:13).”

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

A good shepherd: Pope Benedict XVI showed loving care for his flock

It doesn’t seem that long ago. On April 19, 2005, we heard the news that the cardinals had elected a new pope. Some of us had gathered around a television set at the Bishop O’Connor Center to watch the announcement. Who would it be, we wondered?

When I heard the name, “Joseph,” I knew the next pope would be Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. Then I heard he took the name Benedict XVI.

Holy, gentle man

Our new Holy Father came from behind the curtains. His smile absolutely lit up St. Peter’s Square. I couldn’t help but be impressed by this holy, gentle man who called himself “a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.”

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Navigate your faith: The Catholic press is more important than ever in today’s stormy culture

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

Let’s face it. People obtain their news from many different sources these days. How do you know who to trust in this profusion of newspapers, Web sites, blogs, television and radio programs?

There are also many sources of religious news today, some of them purporting to be Catholic. Yet I’ve found that some of these so-called “Catholic” news outlets and blogs do not always report the full truth of the Catholic faith.

We must be careful that we are getting clear Catholic teaching as handed down by the magisterium or teaching authority of the Church through our popes and bishops and as articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other Church documents.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Opportunity knocking: Catholic school answers the call by recruiting Hispanic students

Although there are still many strong Catholic schools across the United States, trends show a continuing decline in the number of Catholic schools and students attending those schools.

According to data from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), in the past 10 years, the number of Catholic schools across the country has decreased by 23.8 percent from 8,114 to 6,841. The enrollment in Catholic schools has dropped by 23.4 percent from 2,320,651 to 2,031, 455.

Most of the enrollment decline has been experienced at the elementary school level. It is estimated that there are almost 700,000 empty seats existing in Catholic schools.

Number of Hispanic Catholics growing

The number of Hispanic Catholics in the United States is growing by leaps and bounds. Hispanics now comprise 35 percent of all Catholics and 67 percent of practicing Catholics aged 18 to 34, according to a Notre Dame report, To Nurture the Soul of a Nation: Latino Families, Catholic Schools, and Educational Opportunities (December 2009).

According to the report, only about three percent of Hispanic students currently attend Catholic schools. Many families would like to send their children to Catholic schools, but they think they can’t afford to do so.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Defending life: It’s something people of many faith traditions are doing together

In the 40 years since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, many people in the Catholic Church have been in the forefront of the pro-life movement to counteract the court’s decision.

Over the years, however, it’s been obvious that people of many different faith traditions have also been involved in defending the right to life. I can remember Lutherans, Baptists, evangelical Christians, and others who attended the annual Respect Life march at our state Capitol in January in past years, followed by an ecumenical prayer service at St. Raphael Cathedral in Madison.

This might have been the first time some people of other faiths had entered a Catholic church! We Catholics also had the opportunity to see how other denominations prayed and sang.

People of many different faiths have also been active in pro-life outreach efforts such as CareNet Pregnancy Center, Elizabeth House, Pregnancy Helpline, the Women’s Care Center, and Vigil for Life in the Madison area. I have been impressed by the commitment of so many people to these efforts to assist parents in choosing life for their unborn babies and to help those in need after the babies are born.

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