To the editor:
One of our most precious gifts is the gift of love, which we give to people and animals. We want all to enjoy life on earth.
We can go to jail or pay a fine for torturing and killing animals, even before they are born or hatched, like an eagle egg.
To the editor:
This is a testimony from a young local lady: “My lifestyle had become so unmanageable, that every time I spoke with my mother on the phone, she asked me how she should start planning my funeral. I knew I had to get clean, but I didn’t know how. Then a miracle happened: I found out I was pregnant. Yes, a miracle, because this baby saved my life. Right then and there I stopped everything (addictive), and I moved back home and started planning our future — the future I would have with my baby. Now, I had a reason to live!”
To the editor:
How ironic that on the same day I received the Catholic Herald newspaper, I also picked up a copy of the Isthmus newspaper. The latter paper had a great article about how a non-profit organization, Housing Initiatives, is focusing on securing housing for the homeless, including homeless veterans.
To the editor:
Why does the Madison Area Independent Sports League (MAISL) play on Sundays? First and foremost it is due to Diocese of Madison Policy: DBA 6420 (the A in DBA stands for “All” so it governs school and religious education programs): Section I. Travel to games must be kept to a reasonable distance especially on days preceding a school day. Therefore, games after supper are discouraged prior to school days. The player’s education and health must be safeguarded by the coach.
This means we can’t play on weeknights after approximately 5:30 p.m. unless it is a reschedule, and most of our coaches can’t make games prior to that time due to work schedules.
To the editor:
Pope Francis was prophetic when he wrote his encyclical on climate change and care of creation, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Pope Francis released the encyclical on June 18, 2015.
This encyclical cannot be summarized in a letter, so I urge you to read it, but here is Pope Francis’ appeal: “I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all.”[14]
To the editor:
The December 3 story on the forthcoming new facility for St. Paul’s University Catholic Center is bittersweet. Though perennially cramped and austere, St. Paul’s was a beacon for thousands of UW Catholics and our ecumenical friends.
I was struck by the comments about how “dark” the present building seemed. The first time I walked in 37 years ago, the stark structure seemed so cold, but it was the people who made it warm, inviting, inclusive, and relevant.
To the editor:
In regard to the article by Father Pacholczyk in the December 17 Catholic Herald: “A Higher Standard than for cats and dogs”:
In his article, Father P. writes about the challenges of suffering for humans.I am absolutely aghast that he cites Victoria Kennedy, widow of Ted Kennedy, and devotes no less than six column inches to her quoted words about her husband’s final months.
To the editor:
Every so often the Catholic Herald has a letter to the editor which suggests priests preach on sin and what sin is. In my parish I can recall MANY such homilies!
The beautiful sermon on how loving God fills one with love and joy. I am sure there were people listening who wondered “how do I get that?” An invitation to a deeper study of one’s faith.
To the editor:
As we enter into this extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, it is good to see the extra times set aside by our priests for the Sacrament of Confession. I am concerned that most priests will have a lot of reading time or time to visit with Our Lord as they wait for people to come to this sacrament of mercy.
We must not judge another person, but our priests need to teach from the pulpit what sin is. Today’s Church has forgotten to lead people, to be a teacher to us, more on dogma on the faith and not just love your neighbor.
To the editor:
The most traumatic event in the 20th Century was not the Second World War or the atomic bomb. It was the birth control pill!
Before the pill, family life was strong with eight to 10 children. Now the basis of society is obliterated, and the world is falling apart.
