Tag: Catholic Charities

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Respecting all life: There are many ways to help mothers, fathers, and babies

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

As we begin October, which is observed as Respect Life Month in the Catholic Church, it is a time for all of us to reflect on the gift of life and how we’re receiving it in our own lives.

The Catholic Church teaches that we must protect all human life from conception to natural death. We know that many people in our society disrespect and ignore the sanctity of life in many ways.  This includes abortion, sterilization, embryonic stem-cell research, lack of support for disabled persons, disregard for the needs of the poor, and attempts to legalize assisted suicide.

The legalization of abortion in the United States has tragically led to the death of millions of unborn children. However, it seems as if pro-life efforts and education have brought about decreases in the number of abortions, including in our own state of Wisconsin.
Ideally, we must work and pray for the day when there will be no abortions. Until then, there are many ways we can help mothers to choose life for their unborn babies.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Remembering 9-11: First responders inspire us to unite in service to others

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

Many things are etched in our minds from the events of September 11, 2001. Although people throughout the world were shocked by the death and destruction wrought at the World Trade Center in New York City, we also remember the courageous and compassionate service of so many firefighters, police officers, and volunteers who helped in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Those first responders — and so many others who helped victims heal and rebuild the city — remain true heroes in our eyes. I think they also helped inspire young people to follow in their footsteps in serving others.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Remember the poor: Catholic bishops call for ‘circle of protection’

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

An elderly woman lives on a very tight fixed income. She depends on food stamps to provide enough food so that she can pay for her rent and medical expenses.

A married man with four children loses his job. His unemployment compensation has run out and he relies on receiving government help for rental assistance and buying food for his family.

These are real situations facing real people. In fact, recent statistics show that one in two Americans are living at or near the poverty level. That means up to 50 million Americans are poor, the highest number since the Census Bureau began tracking poverty rates in 1959.

But despite the growing numbers of poor people — many of them formerly considered “middle class” — we aren’t hearing much about poverty in the current political campaign. It seems to be an issue that everyone is avoiding like the plague.

Everyone except the U.S. Catholic bishops, that is.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Growing relationships: Farmers and consumers are finding new ways to connect

Editor's View by Mary C. Uhler

When I was growing up, my dad (a teacher who had summers off) always planted a large vegetable garden.

As his tomatoes, beets, carrots, and other vegetables multiplied, he would often take pails of produce around the neighborhood as gifts to other families. I helped with planting and weeding, although my main role was taking care of the flowers decorating the garden.

Enjoyment of gardening

Ever since then, I’ve always enjoyed gardening. Being outdoors with the smell of dirt (to me it smells good) and the bees buzzing gives me a sense of calm and peace.

When our children were young, we, too, had a vegetable garden. However, it got to be too much work to keep up with the weeding and harvesting — plus two of our neighbors had gardens and liked to share their produce with us. We decided to give up the vegetables, but we still have flowers and maintain our fairly large yard.

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