Tag: catechesis

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Andy Galvin

2015 World Meeting of Families

Andy Galvin

First in a series of articles on the World Meeting of Families to be held in Philadelphia in September.

The World Meeting of Families (WMOF) is a week-long international event of prayer, catechesis, and celebration that seeks to strengthen the bonds between families and to witness to the crucial importance of marriage and the family to all of society.

There are three parts to the WMOF: a Theological Adult Congress and a concurrent Youth Congress, the Festival of Families, and a Papal Mass.

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Kevin Wondrash

Seat of Wisdom courses for the Year of Faith

MADISON — Inspired in this Year of Faith by Pope Francis’ emphasis on charity and social justice, the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis is sponsoring two new courses on Catholic Social Doctrine, both being taught by Dr. Constance Nielsen.

The six-hour introduction course is being offered in regional parishes and available for local programming at the request of parishes or schools.

The more expanded course is being offered at the Bishop O’Connor Center one Saturday per month throughout the academic year. Remaining dates include November 23, January 25, February 22, March 22, April 26, and May 17.

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Paul Matenaer, For the Catholic Herald

Vicariates Forane created in the Madison Diocese
What is a Vicar Forane?

A vicar forane, sometimes called a dean, is a priest appointed by the bishop in order to promote a common pastoral activity in a region of the diocese and to provide spiritual and pastoral counsel to the other priests in that region.

History of Vicars Forane

The term “vicar forane” comes from Latin, meaning a representative (vicarius) who is outside (foras), because these priests were considered representatives of the bishop outside of the cathedral city. The office of vicar forane probably dates back to the fourth century when Christianity began to spread beyond the major cities to rural areas. Seeing the need to send representatives to these communities which had embraced the faith, bishops would send an “archpriest” with special delegation and responsibilities to act as a kind of overseer in the region who also was in charge of communication between the bishop and the local priests.

The 1917 Code of Canon Law mandated the establishment of vicars forane in every diocese. However, the understanding of this office experienced a pastoral renewal in the period following the Second Vatican Council. The fathers of the Second Vatican Council saw the vicar forane as a preeminently pastoral office, as a way to bring presbyters together in order to promote and direct a common pastoral activity in their territory. The 1973 directory for bishops likewise affirms the pastoral nature of the office and speaks of the vicar forane as one who animates and enlivens the local presbytery in pastoral action.

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Patrick Delaney, For the Catholic Herald

New catechetical standards launched for Year of Faith

MADISON — As the Diocese of Madison prepares for the Year of Faith, it is perhaps by Divine Providence that our parishes and schools will also be implementing a new body of Catechetical Standards for grades Pre-K through eight in the 2012-13 academic year.

Beginning with a process initiated in early 2011, a committee was assembled by the diocesan Office of Catholic Schools and the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis to assist in drafting these new standards.

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On
George Weigel

The cardinal Down Under

The Catholic Difference by George Weigel

In the Baltimore of the 1960s, my canny pastor devised a neat scheme for getting “Father Visitor” (as the confessional doors read) to fill in during the summer for his vacationing curates: bring over newly-ordained Australians from their studies in Rome.

There were no language issues (save for those of, er, accent); by the standards of student priests fresh from the Urban College of Propaganda Fidei, the young Aussies were recompensed handsomely and got to see something of the United States; it was win-win, all around.

Thus in the summer of 1967 I met Fr. George Pell of Ballarat, who, with the oils of ordination still wet on his forehead, spent several months at my parish before embarking on doctoral studies at Oxford.

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