Although we lament the horrible instances of sexual abuse of minors by clergy, we can be proud that the Catholic Church in the United States is doing all it can to understand the causes of such abuse and try to prevent it from happening in the future.
The new report released May 18 on the causes and context of sexual abuse should help further that understanding and strengthen the many efforts underway to provide a safe environment for children in the Catholic Church.
To the editor:
Back in the February 24, 2011, issue of the Catholic Herald, you had a guest columnist by the name of Constance Nielsen whose article, I felt, was very offensive to the public workers of Wisconsin. I remember quite clearly how I was feeling at that time because the media had been doing a fairly good job of promoting the misconception that public workers, especially teachers, had cushy jobs and were grossly overpaid.
Considering the difficulties that many of us are experiencing financially at this time, I found it deplorable that suddenly public workers, many of whom had been taking pay cuts or pay freezes for several years, suddenly were the “cause” of the budget deficit in Wisconsin.
To the editor:
Mr. Dagnon’s letter titled “America society has been redistributing wealth from the poor to the rich” (Catholic Herald, April 28) does not make any sense. The title debases his arguments and exposes him as a left wing ideologue. Poor people have no wealth to distribute — that is why they are called poor.
The only means the government has to generate funds to redistribute to the poor is through taxation and he fails to mention that the majority of taxes paid in this country are paid by the wealthy. In fact 51 percent of the U.S. population pays no federal taxes at all.
To the editor:
Marie Gestrich, in her May 12 letter to the editor, provided excellent information on Planned Parenthood. Who wants to pay for killing human preborn babies? What we can do to defund Planned Parenthood?
Planned Parenthood is Wisconsin’s largest provider of abortion. It’s time to stop our taxes from being used to fund their abortion/birth control industry. Let’s defund Planned Parenthood.
Earth Day has come and gone. Perhaps it was not emphasized as much by Catholics this year since it fell on Good Friday.
However, concern for creation should be something we remember all year long. As we observe the awakening of nature in springtime and the beginning of our planting season, it is an especially appropriate time to think about the earth and our environment.
To the editor:
Fr. Robert Sirico has a special knack for applying the tenets of our Catholic faith to the socio-political world in which we live. His article “‘Social Justice’ is a complex concept” in the April 14 issue of the Catholic Herald clearly explains how the free market enables the most efficient workplace rewards for all who choose to labor.
Our Christian faith doesn’t demand that everyone, regardless of effort, receive equal compensation. Our government should certainly provide for equal opportunities for all.
To the editor:
I applaud Bill Dagnon for his well-researched and well-written letter that appeared recently (Catholic Herald, April 28). It is not a coincidence that stagnating wages for lower and middle-class Americans parallels the decline of the labor movement over the last 30 or 40 years. The reasons for the decline are varied, but, to put it simply, due to steady erosion of U.S. labor laws, it is now easier to “bust” a union than it is to form one.
To the editor:
Abortion plays a huge role in Planned Parenthood’s care of pregnant women. According to a “fact sheet” detailing its “services” for 2009, 332,278 abortions were performed, 7,021 prenatal clients were seen, and 977 adoption referrals were made. That means for 97.6 percent of its 340,276 pregnant clients, abortion was Planned Parenthood’s primary “service.”
Planned Parenthood has been in the business of abortion since 1970, steadily performing more abortions even though the national abortion rate has annually declined.
To Mark Pattison:
I am writing in support of your article in the March 31 issue of the Catholic Herald about the defunding of PBS. It was so refreshing to read the article that as soon as I finished it, I clipped it out and shared it with a few friends, proud that you too thought it important enough of an issue to make others aware.
Wisconsin glaciers formed the 35-acre valley in which Durward’s Glen is located in the beautiful Baraboo Bluffs near Devil’s Lake State Park. The valley has a natural spring creek and miniature canyon.
The area used to be owned by the Durward family, who came there in 1862. They have been described as a spiritual family of poets, priests, artists, builders, and writers.
The family erected a statue of Mary, called “Guardian of the Glen,” as well as the Hermitage and Glen Studio. Their historic home was accidentally burned to the ground in 1951.
It seems that Mary has continued to guard Durward’s Glen throughout the years. Mary Techla Durward, youngest living member of the Durward family at the time, gave the Glen to the Order of St. Camillus in September of 1932. She stipulated that it remain a Catholic institution.
