Tag: bishops

On
Kevin Wondrash

Mass for deceased bishops and priests of Diocese of Madison

MADISON — Bishop Robert C. Morlino will celebrate a special Requiem Mass for deceased priests and bishops of the Diocese of Madison. November is a month when Catholics pray in a special way for the repose of the dead and, by God’s will, for the rapid entrance into heaven of the poor souls.

On Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. at the Bishop O’Connor Center, Bishop Morlino, with clerical and lay ministers, will celebrate a Pontifical Requiem Mass “at the Throne” in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

 

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Witnessing to our faith through work

Work is part of everyone’s life, whether it’s paid or unpaid. Yet how often do we think about how we witness to our faith through our work?

As the editor of a Catholic newspaper, I have more opportunity than others to integrate my work with my faith. But it is still a challenge to keep a faith perspective in every aspect of my work.

For some insights on this topic, I recalled a statement made by the state’s bishops in 2001. It is called Making Wisconsin Work Well: A Labor Day Challenge by Wisconsin’s Roman Catholic Bishops (still available on the Wisconsin Catholic Conference website at www.wisconsincatholic.org and well worth another look).

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Abolish the death penalty

When I hear about someone being murdered, I say a prayer for the victim — and for the perpetrator.

Someone might question my praying for someone who has committed a crime. However, there are many circumstances that lead to that act of violence against another person.

We don’t know everything involved in that person’s life. Sometimes there may have been a lifetime of abuse he or she endured. There may have been mental illness leading to that act of violence.

Although we may be tempted to call only for justice for the victim — an “eye for an eye” — we also have to consider the possibility of forgiveness and healing for the murderer.

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Some shocking news — and what to do about it

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

Wisconsin has long held a reputation as a great place to live and work. We are known for providing an excellent education for people at all levels, along with good jobs and a safe place to live.

Our state prizes the values of opportunity, responsibility, family, and community, pointed out a speaker at a break-out session at the Catholics at the Capitol legislative conference held on April 8 in Madison.

Ken Taylor, executive director of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, said there are many good things happening in our state.

Shocking news

He also shared some shocking news.

Data published in April of this year reveals that Wisconsin has the highest unemployment rate for black people in our country at 19.9 percent. By contrast, less than five percent of white people are unemployed in Wisconsin.

Read More
On
Chris Lee

Bishops affirm support for marriage

MADISON — As lawyers argue the legality of Wisconsin’s constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman, the Catholic bishops of Wisconsin reaffirmed their support for that provision and the voters who approved it.

“In approving the long understood truth that marriage is a union between a man and a woman, the voters were not establishing a religious understanding of marriage as an institution,” the bishops said in a statement August 26. “Rather they were recognizing a truth about human relationships and the nurturing of generations.”

Wisconsin’s voters approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage in a 2006 referendum that garnered 59 percent of the vote. The amendment has since been challenged in federal court, and a judge for the Western District of Wisconsin held the measure to violate the U.S. Constitution.

Read More
On
Chris Lee

Bishops revise advance care forms

MADISON — Earlier this year, the Catholic bishops of Wisconsin published a form aimed at helping individuals convey their desires regarding advance care planning in a manner that aligns with Catholic principles.

The form, which was published in one version for those who are Catholic and in another version for those who are not, is designed as an addendum to the State of Wisconsin’s Power of Attorney for Health Care (POAHC) document.

The newly revised edition of the form provides greater clarity for users regarding the Church’s teaching on nutrition and hydration.

 

Read More
On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Pope shows how Church must protect children

Many years ago, I received a phone call from someone who complained that a priest had been removed from her parish because of an allegation of sexual abuse of a child. (We have had very few such cases in our diocese, thanks be to God and the vigilance of our bishops and diocesan leaders.)

The caller said to me, “He was such a wonderful priest. I can’t imagine that he would harm a child.”

Read More
On
Patrick Delaney, For the Catholic Herald

U.S. bishops call for prayer and postcard campaign addressing critical concerns

Patrick Delaney

At their annual meeting in November 2012, the U.S. Catholic bishops launched a pastoral strategy addressing critical life, marriage, and religious liberty concerns. This strategy included first and foremost a call to prayer and sacrifice along with the activism of a nationwide postcard campaign.

In addition to the continued promotion of contraception and abortifacients in our schools, neighborhoods, and in international population control programs, and the resulting sadness and crime of widespread surgical abortion, two additional recent “flashpoints” elevated the urgency of our need for prayer and action.

First ‘flashpoint’: HHS Mandate

The first is the Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate which requires almost all employers, including Catholic employers, to pay for employees’ contraception, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs regardless of conscientious objections. Not only, therefore, are Catholics and other people of good will expected to live in a society which promotes these evils to our young people with our tax dollars, but now the government wants us to pay for and provide them ourselves within our own communities.

Each of these practices violate what Pope Benedict XVI called the “language of creation,” traditionally referred to as the Natural Moral Law, which proceeds from the Creator and is inscribed on the human heart. And attempting to force Catholic and non-Catholic citizens to violate the laws of God the Creator is a grave affront to America’s first freedom, religious liberty, as well as to the inherent dignity of every human person.

Read More
On
Kevin Wondrash

Diocese posts synod information and resources webpage

In recent weeks, the Diocese of Madison has posted a page on its website to assist people in the diocese with understanding the much-discussed Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Pastoral Challenges to the Family, which begins next year.

The site contains a general explanation of the Synod of Bishops, some resources on the family, and pointers on what interested Catholics can do to support the synod.

 

Read More