MADISON — In February 2020, Catholic Charities will be opening a new, state-of-the-art Hope Haven facility on the former grounds of the Chris Farley House, a 15-bed facility once located on Olin Ave., off Park St.
This modern facility will allow Hope Haven to meet the demand for affordable, individualized residential treatment due to the opioid epidemic and increased alcohol consumption.
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| Bruce Best, left, Good Shepherd parishioner, spearheaded the effort to get a hearing loop system installed at St. James Church in Madison. His hearing aid works with the system, while Michael Schultz (next to Best) without a hearing aid uses a receiver with the system. The loop is visible on the floor inside the pew. (Jane Lepeska Grinde photo) |
MADISON — Thanks to a grant from the Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities of the Diocese of Madison, Good Shepherd Parish was able to have a hearing loop installed at its St. James Church this summer.
Located near Regent and Mills Sts., St. James is one of the oldest churches in Madison.
Taking the initiative to get funding for the project, parishioner Bruce Best said he did it for a selfish reason, “I could only hear about 25 percent of what was said at Mass.”
His audiologist, Veronica Heide, gave Best the idea for pursuing the system.
At a recent meeting at the church, parishioners heard from Mike Mair, Platteville, owner of My Hearing Loop LLC, the company chosen to install the system. Mair, who has been in business 42 years, explained and demonstrated how the system works.
Hearing loop systems provide a magnetic wireless audio signal that is picked up by hearing aids set to the “T-coil” (short for telecoil) setting. Most hearing aids have this setting.
Special wires have been installed in the floor at St. James Church, which comprises the hearing loop that broadcasts audio signals from microphones directly to hearing aids or cochlear implants.
Men from the Diocese of Madison Permanent Diaconate Program gathered with Bishop Donald J. Hying and sponsoring pastors to celebrate the reception of the Ministry of Acolyte and Admission into Candidacy on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at the Chapel of the Holy Name, Holy Name Heights.
Following is a statement released by the Diocese of Madison.
The Diocese of Madison received word September 13 that Fr. William Nolan, a retired priest of the diocese, was found not guilty by a jury of all counts against him stemming from charges that he had sexually abused a minor.
MADISON — Ten years ago, Msgr. Ken Fiedler of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish had “keys to an empty building, no money, and no staff” after he boldly decided to take on the task of operating the Catholic Multicultural Center (CMC) when the Diocese of Madison shut it down due to budget concerns.
On August 3, 2009, the CMC reopened under Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish with a budget of $250,000, a staff of four, and a handful of community programs, including a free meal three times a week.
Every pilgrimage is a response of the inner desire in each one of us to seek God. On this pilgrimage, we discovered a helper in Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, and in seeking we found the joy connected to the gift of self which makes us want to seek God all the more.
The Mazzuchelli Pilgrimage took 22 pilgrims across the Mississippi River, through the cow and farm- dotted canvas of rolling hills in southern Wisconsin with all of it orchestrated sounds and smells, to the quiet tomb of a missionary that laid the foundation of the faith in the Diocese of Madison.
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Worldwide, Christians are being killed explicitly for their faith in alarmingly large numbers these past years. North Korea, the Middle East, and Africa are some of the top hotspots for Christian persecution.
Believers in Christ are being systematically driven out of the Holy Land through intimidation, prejudice, and lack of opportunity. Soon, there will be almost zero Christians in the country where Jesus lived. More martyrs are being born through a bloody death than any time since the early Church!
Here at home, we do not face such overt violence because of our religious beliefs, but some significant shifts in political praxis have put our religious freedom at risk.
The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees religious liberty in our country. This right is not some beneficent gift from the government; it is inscribed in our human nature as an inherent right to exercise freedom of conscience. No one can either compel or restrict religious belief or practice. Faith is a sacred gift nurtured in the heart and soul.
MADISON — The Catholic Church in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia is making “remarkable progress” in the countries formerly under the Iron Curtain, said Bishop Donald J. Hying.
The fall of communism occurred over 25 years ago, but the Church in these countries continues to struggle to rebuild after years of oppressive rule.
Bishop Hying visited the countries of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan recently as a member of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe.
“It’s just a wonderful place to be,” said Pat Dahl.
“It’s a community,” said Kathy Verage.
Both Dahl and Verage are among the several residents who have lived at All Saints Senior Apartments in Madison since it opened in August of 2004.
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As another school year begins and we lament the rapid passage of summer, I ponder the gift and blessing of our children and young people — the greatest treasure of the Church and the world.
Our Diocese pours significant resources into the formation of our children and youth, through our schools, religious education programs, and youth ministry.
And rightfully so. We want each child to know, love, and serve God. We want each young person to be a zealous disciple of the Lord Jesus. We want each person to grow up, flourishing in the abundant life of the Gospel, becoming the saint that God has called them to be.
I have always been a big advocate of Catholic schools. Every study shows that graduates of parochial schools practice the Faith, support the Church, contribute to the poor, have a keener sense of social justice, and are more successful in their vocations than the average population.
A learning environment imbued in faith and love, permeated by prayer, and strong in Christian values becomes a blessed, formative experience that impacts the whole person — soul, body, mind, and heart.
