Tag: Advent

On
Cathy Lins, Catholic Herald Correspondent

Respect Life Retreat held at Durward’s Glen

The Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Vigil for Life held their seventh annual Respect Life Retreat at Durward’s Glen Retreat and Conference Center in Baraboo on December 19 to 20.

The weekend provided an opportunity for participants to encounter Christ in the silence of their heart through prayer, the sacraments, Adoration, and Catholic Advent mediations.

“I was just excited to be at Durward’s Glen again for another Advent retreat,” Will Goodman, director for the Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe, said as he shared some of his observations from the weekend.

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Sr. Constance Veit, For the Catholic Herald

Cultivating ‘spirituality of encounter’ this Advent

Guest Column

In September, Pope Francis celebrated “the blessing of long life” with thousands of senior citizens and their families.

In his homily that day, he spoke about the Visitation of the Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, calling it “a Gospel of encounter.”

The pope encouraged those present — and through them, all of us — to follow Mary’s example and re-establish a covenant between the young and the old.

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Kevin Wondrash

Advent reflection for adults in DeForest

DEFOREST — There will be an adult night of Advent reflection Monday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. at St. Olaf Church, 623 Jefferson St., DeForest.

The Parish and Community Life Commission has planned a quiet evening of reflection to begin the Advent season. All parishioners and their guests are invited to “prepare the way.”

Marie Lins from the Diocese of Madison Office of Evangelization and Catechesis will be the guest speaker.

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Stacey Eslinger, For the Catholic Herald

St. Francis students focus on true meaning of Christmas

CROSS PLAINS — Students at St. Francis Xavier School focused on the true meaning of Christmas through prayer, service projects, and spreading holiday cheer.

During Advent, the entire school came together on Monday mornings for a prayer service. Surrounding a large Advent wreath, the students looked on as candles were lit. Students then took turns leading the school in prayer and singing.

Students in kindergarten, first, and fourth grade classes spread holiday cheer by caroling at local nursing homes.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Let the joy of the Lord be our strength

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

In these last days of Advent, before our joy-filled celebration of Christ’s Incarnation and the Christmas Season, we are offered a taste of that joy (during this penitential season) on Gaudete Sunday.

In the book of Nehemiah, but also in the book of Chronicles, there is a prayer which goes simply: “Let the joy of the Lord be our strength” (Neh 8:10).

As a matter of fact, in many of the translations of the Mass (in both Spanish and Italian, for instance) that phrase is inserted at the time of the final dismissal. “The Mass is ended, let the joy of the Lord be our strength, and let us go in peace.”

Before the new English translation came out, I myself was known to use that dismissal. Blessed Pope John Paul II never left it out when he was celebrating Mass privately. “Let the joy of the Lord be our strength, and let us go in peace” — that is the perfect attitude with which we should leave Mass.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Be more than ‘nice’ during Advent

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

Already Advent is upon us. We have concluded our Year of Faith with gusto, and now we are called to undertake, once again, the journey of a liturgical year.

This journey begins, as always, with our preparation for entering into the most pivotal moment of human history — the moment that God became man.

That the eternal Creator of the universe should have come amongst us, not only to dwell, but to call us to a life with and like Him, means a complete reordering of everything — every single thing.

The profound reality of the Incarnation and its implications for our lives is why we have a season of Advent each year; we take the time to consider how each of us responds to the presence of God in our lives, and what that means for us.

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