MADISON — The weekly Mass airing on WISC-TV on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 7 a.m. will commemorate the fifth anniversary of the death of Msgr. Thomas Campion.
Monsignor Campion was the founding director of the Apostolate to the Handicapped of the Diocese of Madison in 1967. He served as the director until he died on November 12, 2010.
Msgr. Larry Bakke, the current apostolate director, will preside at the TV Mass, which will include many persons involved with the apostolate over the years.
The lector and commentators will be Pat Bowdish, who presently lives in Stoughton and was one of the original Monroe High School “Campion’s Champions”; Mitch Quade, who lives in Madison and started with Monsignor Campion while in middle school in Monroe; and Kevin Conlin, who lives in Madison and served the TV Mass with Monsignor Campion when St. James Parish in Madison was the home of the apostolate.
The acolytes will be Matt Monahan and Matt Coplien from Monroe, who both were TV Mass acolytes for Monsignor Campion and now Msgr. Larry Bakke, the current apostolate director.
Val Thomas, who has provided music for the TV Mass since 1975 and was married by Monsignor Campion, will be playing the music from Monsignor Campion’s funeral Mass.
The interpreter will be Mary Lynn Rose, who interpreted the TV Mass back when she was in her 20s. All the regular interpreters are at a required re-certification conference: Michele Guyette and Nancy Hallada, senior interpreters; Mary Fruits; and Sue Gudenkauf. A previous interpreter, Mary Neff, retired four years ago after serving the TV Mass for 35 years.
After the ending message at the TV Mass, there will be a video of Monsignor Campion being asked “How do you want to be remembered?”
Credits will include Director Aaron Lawler, who was a camera person for the Mass; staff of Channel 3, including Helen Korako, a camera person for the Mass for nearly 40 years; and Bill Cross, the producer.