To the editor:
In his March 29 column, Bishop Morlino hits the nail on the head when he notes how the contraceptive mandate puts a disturbing new spin on the tired, old “my body, my choice” slogan.
What strikes me in particular is how the folks who’ve been telling us for years that the government has no place legislating about what people do in the privacy of their own bedrooms are now arguing that the government has every right to do so by executive fiat.
“Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days” (Galatians 1:18).
In my previous two-part preparatory article, I outlined the historical context and current format and content of the ad limina apostolorum pilgrimage, literally, “to the threshold of the apostles,” by bishops to Rome on a quinquennial basis, i.e., five-year basis.
Bishop Robert C. Morlino and the bishops of Region VII, comprising Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, recently completed their pilgrimage and I’ll offer a brief reflection in thanksgiving as a privileged pilgrim accompanying Bishop Morlino on the ad limina pilgrimage.
I extend my deepest thanks to Bishop Morlino for the opportunity to assist him and accompany him on the ad limina pilgrimage.
To the editor:
Thank you for publishing Bishop Morlino’s letter concerning the January 20 HHS mandates which violate freedom of religion. Thank you, Bishop Morlino!
As far as I am concerned, this is a wake-up call to Humanae Vitae.
To the editor:
Thank you for Mary Uhler’s excellent article on Raymond Cardinal Burke’s recent statement on contraception in Illinois. We were blessed to inform Cardinal Burke of the Madison Catholic Herald covering that story after he celebrated Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse on Friday, Dec. 9, the Feast of St. Juan Diego. He was pleased.
My parents gave me 10 brothers and sisters, 20 years from youngest to oldest, and my in-laws gave me my husband, youngest of eight children, born when his father was 40, and his mother was 39. Praise be to God for big families!
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Dear Friends,
Thanks to all who joined in prayerful support of us bishops as we recently met in Baltimore for our annual fall assembly. The meeting was very upbeat and very joyful – in very large part due to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, his wonderful wit and sense of humor, and his determination to expedite our proceedings using every possible tactic. The archbishop’s approach meant that we bishops had more time for fraternal companionship, and that the meeting was a time when the Holy Spirit, though Archbishop Dolan and our new, gracious, and warm Apostolic Nuncio, confirmed us in our faith.
To the editor:
I’ve just finished the Bishop Morlino’s article in the recent Catholic Herald titled “The beauty of our worship in the liturgy.”
What an excellent and complete definition of beauty! As an artist I often struggle with putting into words the reasons behind my art. And my lack of enthusiasm for all art, as if all art was automatically beautiful, and so should automatically have my enthusiastic support.
Dear Friends,
With the coming of Labor Day and the start of so many school years, we’ve come upon the unofficial end of summer. I pray that this summer was somewhat restful and restorative for you and yours, and I thank God that mine was indeed.
Dear Friends,
For this week’s column, allow me to pose the question, “Does any civil government have the authority to change the definition of marriage, either directly or indirectly?”
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| Bishop Robert C. Morlino, surrounded by pro-life advocates, stands outside the Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin building in Portage to pray a Rosary. The Peace and Justice Committee at Immaculate Conception Parish in Portage has included pro-life efforts in its agenda for years. (Catholic Herald photo/Kat Wagner) For more pictures click here. |
PORTAGE — Several dozen people, many from the Portage area and others who had come more of a distance to be present, gathered on the sidewalk in front of the local Planned Parenthood clinic on a main street here recently.
The April 26 prayer gathering, which featured a Rosary led by Bishop Robert C. Morlino, was one of the many pro-life efforts engaged in by members of the local parish. In fact, the St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parish’s Peace and Justice Committee invites people of all faiths and denominations to gather outside the Planned Parenthood every second Tuesday of the month from 5 to 6 p.m. for prayer to end abortion.
This focus on the protection of the unborn is only a part of the parish’s broader acknowledgement of the importance of social justice in Catholic teaching.
“Social justice begins in the womb, and we start from there,” said Eileen Knecht, a member of the Peace and Justice Committee.
The belief human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society is the foundation of all the principles of Catholic social teaching, the U.S. bishops have said.
“It’s earthly pride that causes hatred and earthly pride that makes people feel that they are in charge of human life from conception to natural death — and we know by reason alone that God is in charge,” Bishop Morlino said during the prayer gathering.
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| Esta columna está dirigida a los fieles de la Diócesis de Madison. Cualquier circulación más amplia transgrede la intención del Obispo. |
El domingo pasado hubo una celebración maravillosa en muchas formas. Y el Evangelio del domingo –el segundo domingo de Pascua– fue simplemente espectacular.
En Juan 20:19-31 vemos a Jesús aparecer ante los Apóstoles en Su cuerpo resucitado y usando el saludo “La paz sea con vosotros”. La paz a la que Jesús se refiere, por supuesto, es la paz del cielo, ese “Shalom”, ese bienestar total, es parte de la alegría celestial y del descanso en el paraíso. La paz a la que Jesús se refiere es la paz del cielo mismo.
¿Y qué dice Jesús luego de eso? “Reciban el Espíritu Santo. A quienes perdonen sus pecados les sean perdonados, y a quienes se los aten queden atados”. Una parte esencial de la paz celestial y la alegría, y la razón de la muerte de Jesús y su resurrección, ¡es el perdón de los pecados! El cuerpo de Jesús fue quebrado y Su sangre fue derramada para que nuestros pecados sean perdonados, para que así haya misericordia. Esencial para el “Shalom” celestial contenido en el saludo de Jesús, es que Su misericordia es derramada sobre nosotros, que los pecados son perdonados.
