Tag: deacon

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Kevin Wondrash

Montello/Westfield parishes to host Lenten Mission

MONTELLO/WESTFIELD — St. John the Baptist Parish in Montello and Good Shepherd Parish in Westfield will host a Lenten Mission from Monday to Wednesday, March 16 to 18.

The mission is being led by Deacon Ralph Poyo of the New Evangelization Ministries. The event is a way to help people “set their faith lives on fire” and move from a boring, obligation faith to a life-giving, healing faith centered on a relationship with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Deacon Poyo is no stranger to the Diocese of Madison. He has previously led missions at St. Dennis in Madison and Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Sun Prairie.

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Kevin Wondrash

Ordination of Deacon Lawrence Oparaji February 22

Fr. Lawrence Oparaji
Deacon Lawrence Oparaji

MADISON — Bishop Donald J. Hying will ordain Deacon Lawrence Oparaji to the priesthood for the Diocese of Madison on Saturday, Feb. 22, at a 10:30 a.m. Mass in the Bishop O’Donnell Chapel at Holy Name Heights, 702 S. High Point Rd.

Deacon Lawrence is the son of Kenneth and Calista Oparaji of Angwan Fadama, Orozo, FCT, in Nigeria.They are members of St. Andrew Kagwa Parish, Orozo Abuja.

Deacon Lawrence’s home parish in the Diocese of Madison is St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Madison.

He attended grade school in the Model Learning Center/Jikwoyi Phase II, and high school in the Federal government College/Keffi, Nasarawa.

His college studies were taken at the Dominican Institute Samonda Ibadan, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies.

He studied at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, St. Paul, Minn., where he earned a Master of Divinity degree.

His intern experience took place at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison. His deacon placements were at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Madison, and Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish, Sun Prairie.

His clinical pastoral experience was taken at Lakeview Hospital, Stillwater, Minn.

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Deacon Lawrence Oparaji

New year, new me: the right way

Journey with Faith
Deacon Lawrence Oparaji

In November, I visited my uncle in Dallas, Texas, and while I was there, we went to a barbershop to get a haircut.

While waiting for my turn, I overheard a man say to the barber that he was moving to Las Vegas. The barber asked further why he was doing that, and the man simply said, “I want to start the new year and new decade in a new city. You know what I mean — a fresh start?”

Take concrete steps to change

On hearing this, I thought to myself, “sounds great, but it’s not sufficient.” It is a new year and new decade quite right, but what concrete steps are we taking to make whatever change we desire, other than just moving to a new city, like Las Vegas?

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Deacon Lawrence Oparaji

Christmas and the gift of encounter

Journey with Faith
Deacon Lawrence Oparaji

One fateful Christmas season some years ago, something very significant happened in a family.

A mother came back from Christmas shopping and was welcomed by her eight-year-old son Daniel and her much younger daughter Jane. The children were so excited and eager to see what their mum bought. She, however, asked them to allow her to freshen up and rest a little before unveiling the Christmas goodies.

The unveiling eventually came, and the children were handy and active. There were gifts for their daddy, for their mummy, for their aunties and uncles, for their grandpas and grandmas, for their family friends and for their cat and dog.

Eventually the shopping bag was empty! Looking at the empty shopping bag, Daniel became sad and moody. Discovering Daniel’s sudden mood change, his mother became worried, and asked him what was wrong with him.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Austin Steffen to be ordained in Rome

Austin Steffen
Austin Steffen

ROME, Italy — Austin Steffen, a Diocese of Madison seminarian, will be ordained as a transitional deacon on Thursday, Sept. 27, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The son of Colette and Tim Steffen of St. Rose of Lima Parish in Cuba City, he attended St. Rose Catholic Grade School and Cuba City High School in Cuba City; the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Platteville; Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, Winona, Minn., where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy; the North American College and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

He was involved as an altar server throughout grade school and went on mission trips through the Catholic Heart Work Camp in high school. He attended daily Mass throughout the summers off from school and while in college. He also helped with a youth group in Platteville while he was a student there.

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Appointments 5-13-2018

Msgr. James Bartylla, Vicar General, announces the following priest appointments made by Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, effective Saturday, July 14, 2018, unless otherwise specifically stated, and announced at weekend Masses of Saturday and Sunday, May 12 and May 13, 2018.

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Kevin Wondrash

Parish mission with Deacon Ralph Poyo

DEFOREST/EAST BRISTOL — St. Olaf Parish in DeForest and St. Joseph Parish in East Bristol are planning an Advent parish mission.

What if we could promise that your life could take a direct turn into the heart of God? That is what can happen when we open ourselves up to the words of the Spirit shared by Deacon Ralph Poyo, a nationally renowned speaker on evangelism and lighting fire in the hearts of the faithful.

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