Tag: Catholic

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Chris Lee

St. Thérèse of Lisieux lecture to focus on Christ in The Hobbit

Joseph Pearce

MADISON — In a prestigious 1997 British readers’ poll, J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings was voted the greatest book of the 20th century.

In the United States, a 1999 poll of Amazon.com customers selected this same novel as the greatest book not merely of last century, but of the millennium.

No less celebrated is this novel’s charming prequel, The Hobbit, as last year’s new blockbuster motion picture adaptation bears witness.

How did J.R.R. Tolkien’s devout Catholic faith influence his story telling and serve as a guide for communicating beauty, goodness, and truth in The Hobbit? How can this film provide a cultural means for evangelization?

World renowned Catholic author and EWTN television host Joseph Pearce will be exploring these questions and more at the spring St. Thérèse Lecture on Friday, April 5, at the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Center in Madison at 7:30 p.m. His lecture is titled, “The Hobbit and the Beauty of the Christian Life.”

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Michael Lancaster

Holding students to a higher standard: New norms in diocese point us to the cross

Our Catholic Schools, by Michael Lancaster

We have all heard much in the media about the importance of our schools, and the importance of holding our students to high expectations and academic standards.

“Catholic Schools Raise the Standards,” the theme for Catholic Schools Week, echoes the popular news but reflects something which Catholic schools have been doing since St. Elizabeth Ann Seton opened St. Joseph Catholic School in 1810.

The school educated girls who, at that time, had significantly fewer educational opportunities than boys, and provided them with a solid academic foundation as well as skills necessary to make a living. Most importantly however, the Catholic school provided its students with a firm education in the Catholic faith. This ensured that students not only received a practical education, but that they learned to model their lives on Gospel values — the standards given to us by Christ himself.

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Jill Driscoll, For the Catholic Herald

An opportunity to reflect on the Year of Faith

MADISON— “Beauty: Ever Ancient, Ever New” the theme for the 2013 Annual Catholic Appeal, brings forth an opportunity for all Catholics in our diocese to find the beauty God has provided in their lives. As we explore the Year of Faith and learn more about being Catholic, it invites us to look at our own lives and determine how we can enhance our faith and in turn share it.

As we approach the opening weeks of this year’s Appeal, we are drawn to reflect on our personal participation in this Year of Faith with a heightened sense of our role as a Catholic in our families and communities. The ACA supports that role and its measurable impact. Some of the important ministries we support include Evangelization and Catechesis, Catholic Charities, Seminarian Education, and Catholic education. Please visit www.madisondiocese.org to read more about the benefits of the ACA and the vital support it provides.

The $3 million goal for the upcoming year fuels ministry reaching out to all areas and walks of life in our diocese. Here are just a few examples of why your gift is so important to the ACA.

  • Evangelization and Catechesis: Provides retreats, classes, lectures, educational materials for young adults, engaged couples seeking the sacrament of marriage, catechists and educators, married couples learning natural family planning methods, as well as anyone looking to learn more about their Catholic faith.
  • Catholic Charities: Catholic Charities has been entrusted with conducting the Corporal Works of Mercy for the Diocese of Madison. Their work includes more than 35 programs serving the aging, children, individuals, families, persons with developmental disabilities, and those addicted to alcohol and drugs. It provides financial assistance to the Catholic Multicultural Center offering help to the underprivileged in Madison and beyond.
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Christopher Stefanick

The Rules of Engagement

Real Life Cathoic by Christopher Stefanick

Since 1945, the New York Archdiocese has hosted the Al Smith dinner, a black-tie event named in honor of Alfred E. Smith, the first Catholic presidential candidate.

Millions have been raised through the dinner to support charities in New York City. Speakers have included Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Bob Hope, and, during election years, presidential candidates invited as the guests of honor.

It’s a break from debate. It’s not an endorsement and no awards are given. Candidates’ speeches take on a humorous tone. As described by the Al Smith Foundation Web site: “In the days before Saturday Night Live, the Al Smith dinner served as a kind of ‘proving ground for the candidate as entertainer,’ as one reporter described it.”

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Jeff Kurowski, The Compass

Packers walking tour connects faith and football

St. Willebrord Church in downtown Green Bay, is known to many as the church where legendary football coach Vince Lombardi attended daily morning Mass. It is one of the sites on the Green Bay Packers Heritage Trail. Above is pictured the plaque as seen outside the church. (Compass photo/Sam Lucero)

GREEN BAY — Green Bay Packers fans who check out the new Packers Heritage Trail will discover a number of Catholic sites that have ties to the team’s history.

The trail, designed as a self-guided walking tour, features 22 commemorative plaques located within a two-mile radius of downtown Green Bay. Seventeen plaques are part of a city walk. Five others are a part of self-guided bike tours.

St. Willebrord Church

One of the city’s sites is St. Willebrord Church, known to many as the church where former Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi attended Mass.

Cliff Christl, a Green Bay native and longtime sportswriter who developed the idea for the tour, said St. Willebrord was an easy choice for the trail but he didn’t know if placing a plaque on church property would be possible.

Norbertine Father Andy Cribben, pastor at St. Willebrord, said he was initially skeptical of the plaque but the text, which connects faith with the history of the Packers, convinced him it was worth it.

 

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