The social teachings of the Catholic Church are a rich treasury of wisdom, guiding humanity to build a culture of life, love, justice, and compassion, and to seek the common good.
Tag: dignity
We should treat immigrants with dignity and respect
To the editor:
I have seen a poster several different occasions over the years that says “I am a stranger and you welcomed me [signed] Jesus”, where the word stranger is crossed out and replaced by the word “immigrant.” As a Catholic, I strongly believe that this is what my faith calls me to do: welcome the stranger, help those in need, and treat all with dignity and respect.
Thus, I am heartbroken to see how our nation has been treating immigrants, more so with the recent ICE arrests here in Wisconsin and the Madison area. According to ICE, only half of those arrested in Wisconsin had a previous criminal conviction. The other half, we are criminalizing simply for being here from another country. This is not acceptable, Christian treatment of our fellow human beings.
What is the main purpose of education?
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First in a series.
It’s that time of year again when the air starts to cool, leaves reveal their true colors, and children board buses back to school. All of us have experienced the end of summer vacation and the start of school.
Generation after generation, the cycle repeats. It is a rite of passage, part of the fabric of our modern society. It is so common that most of us take it for granted, rarely pausing to reflect on the purpose of school, or an education.
Purpose of education
The purpose of education and the means by which to achieve it have been the discussion of much national debate over the last decade.
Labor Day invites us to reflect on our work
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Labor Day has become a day of parades, picnics, and political speeches. Many see this day as a celebration of summer’s end, the beginning of school, and one more chance to relax before fall’s busyness. Labor Day did not begin with this intention.
On September 5, 1882, the first Labor Day celebration and parade in the United States were held in New York City. Thousands of workers marched in a parade up Broadway carrying banners that read: “EIGHT HOURS FOR WORK, EIGHT HOURS FOR REST, EIGHT HOURS FOR RECREATION.” It became a federal holiday in 1894.
Reflecting on dignity of work
In 1891, in his ground-breaking encyclical Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII outlined the rights of workers to a fair wage, safe working conditions, and formation of labor unions, while affirming the rights of property and free enterprise.
Patient befriending and advocacy
Third in a series on the recent conference on “Dignity at the End of Life, from Suffering to Hope,” held in Fitchburg.
“Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” St. Teresa of Calcutta
An opportunity presents itself
We are frequently given opportunities to do “small things with great love” for others. Unfortunately, we often pass many of these up due to simple lack of awareness.
From grief and disability emerge hope and meaning
Second in a series on the recent conference on “Dignity at the End of Life, from Suffering to Hope,” held in Fitchburg.
Did God vanish?
Imagine this: You are a healthy, 30-year-old husband, father, and accomplished musician — active, repeatedly successful, and comfortably employed.
Suddenly, you wake up one day to find you are numb to all sensation below your waist. More symptoms follow, resulting in weeks of tests and still more tests.
Conference held on Dignity at the End of Life
First in a series on the recent conference on “Dignity at the End of Life, from Suffering to Hope,” held in Fitchburg.
FITCHBURG — There’s no escaping it — we are all going to die.
Although it may result from a sudden event, census trends predict that most of us will experience the end of life after an extensive period of “old age”. This period often brings us new challenges in the form of physical or cognitive disabilities.
Conference on end of life issues to be held March 4
FITCHBURG — The Pro-life Healthcare Alliance (a program of the Human Life Alliance) and the Wisconsin Catholic Medical Guilds are sponsoring a conference on “Dignity at the End of Life, from Suffering to Hope” to be held on Saturday, March 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Wyndham Garden Hotel, 2969 Cahill Main in Fitchburg.
The conference will feature six presentations:
The harmony of belonging
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| Morgan Smith |
The other day, I was watching an orchestra concert. I was moved by the beauty of the music, but even more struck by the intricate harmony of the instruments as the musicians played them in communion with one another.
I reflected upon the unity it takes to play in an orchestra. Every instrument is essential — individually beautiful — but essential to the sound and wholeness of a piece of music. Each instrument is different. Even among a group of the same instruments, say the violins, there are variations in the sounds and colors of each individual. (Marks of their creator.)
Finding my dignity in self-giving love
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| Morgan Smith |
I am reflecting now about how I felt on a weekend when I was facilitating a retreat that I had crafted from scratch (if you could imagine the stress this might cause). I feel like what happened to me sounds a bit crazy, the opposite of what “should” have happened.
I left the weekend at a physical deficit after I put in countless hours of work. What’s crazy is that I am more spiritually fulfilled than ever before. I left the weekend a changed person.