Msgr. James Bartylla, […]
Tag: Diocese of Madison
The Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation grows, serves
MADISON — People throughout the Diocese of Madison have been hearing much in recent months about the Priests for Our Future Campaign, which seeks to raise $30 million for the education and formation of seminarians.
The funds raised in the Priests for Our Future Campaign are being housed in The Catholic Diocese of Madison Foundation (CDMF), which was incorporated in 2006 to serve parishes, schools, and parish members in the Diocese of Madison.
Catholic schools are changing lives
 |
|
 |
|
• I’m a student, not a number.
• They really care about me.
• I’m more outgoing, not shy anymore.
• The expectation is excellence. We set high standards in reading and writing.
• Academics are rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
• We preach the Good News.
• When you come out of a Catholic school, you know what service is.
These are just some of the comments made by students and teachers at Catholic schools in a YouTube video called “Catholic Schools/Now More Than Ever” produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
It is obvious that the students and teachers on the video believe in what they’re saying. They speak with a lot of enthusiasm about their experiences at their school.
Spend time in Eucharistic Adoration
Eucharistic Adoration has been growing in the Diocese of Madison with parishes having everything from a few hours of Adoration a week to perpetual Adoration at two sites — and a third close to providing Adoration every day.
The January 8 issue of the Catholic Herald features a story and photos from the blessing of the new Adoration chapel at Divine Mercy Parish (St. Aloysius Church) in Sauk City on January 1. The new chapel — the Mary, Mother of God Adoration Chapel — was appropriately dedicated by Bishop Robert C. Morlino on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
Core of the Christmas and Easter Mysteries
 |
|
| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Dear Friends,
Please let me first wish you every blessing of Christmas, and abundant blessings for the year to come — blessings of joy, health, and above all, always deeper faith.
Live in the glow of Christmas
I hope that you are continuing to live in the glow of the Christmas season, for we should remember that Christmas is not something that begins at Thanksgiving (or even as soon as Halloween has ended) and ends when presents are returned on December 26.
Our commemoration of Christmas should start on Christmas Eve and carry forward through the Epiphany and beyond. For indeed, Christmas should serve as an annual reminder of the tremendous gift and mystery of the Incarnation.
Christmas is a mystery
Christmas is a mystery, and there is a danger, between the commercialism and the outwardness of Christmas (all of the arguments about if and where you can put a Nativity Scene, and how you greet people), that the fact that Christmas is a mystery gets lost.
Christmas is a time when budgets get challenged, when people get defensive about their beliefs or lack of beliefs, and now where people have all kinds of parties as an excuse to eat and drink too much! (Not that I am immune from the fault of eating too much!) But Christmas is so much more!
Nativity display at State Capitol is the right thing to do
This year a group of families from the Diocese of Madison decided to sponsor a Nativity display at the State Capitol.
“For the thousands of folks that will visit the Capitol with their children and grandchildren, the Nativity will remind everyone that Jesus is the reason for this special season,” said Geralyn Kettermann of St. Joseph Parish in Edgerton in a letter that was published in our paper.
Apostolate to the Handicapped holds annual Christmas party
One of the most commonly-used words during the Advent season, as everyone looks ahead to Christmas, is “tradition.”
Reclaim the gift of Fear of the Lord
|
|
| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Dear Friends,
Last week I joined with a group of faithful men for their monthly time of prayer and spiritual reflection. With them I focused upon the seventh gift of the Holy Spirit, and I’d like to do the same with you here.
Hopefully you recall the gifts of the Holy Spirit. So many of us older folks have them memorized while unfortunately, some of the middle-aged and younger don’t even know that they have access to such gifts.
The gifts are: wisdom, understanding, council, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and Fear of the Lord. All of these gifts belong to the Christian first by way of their Baptism, and especially by the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation.
If we use them and count upon them, these gifts help to perfect virtues in us and aid us in living the moral life and in obeying divine inspiration in our life.
Fear of the Lord
While it’s likely that all of us could use a refresher on every one of these tremendous gifts, I want to focus on that seventh gift at the moment: Fear of the Lord. Perhaps the timing will seem odd, because we’re getting ready to commemorate the coming of God into the world as a tiny baby, but Fear of the Lord properly understood, dovetails perfectly with God’s plan for our salvation, and I hope to help you understand why.
40 Days for Life concludes life-saving vigil in Madison
 |
|
| Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison leads people in prayer at the 40 Days for Life closing vigil on Sunday, Nov. 2. For the eighth straight year, the vigil was held outside the Planned Parenthood clinic in Madison’s east side. Reportedly, two babies were saved during this year’s vigil in Madison with 528 lives saved across the country. (Catholic Herald photo/Joe Ptak) |
MADISON — Bishop Robert C. Morlino was on hand to celebrate efforts to respect life as prayer warriors came out to help conclude this year’s 40 Days for Life vigil.
40 Days for Life is an internationally-coordinated 40-day peaceful pro-life campaign to end abortion.
Locally, the Madison vigil — in its eighth straight year — ran from September 24 to November 2 and consisted of prayer and fasting, peaceful vigil, and community outreach.
For 24 hours a day, volunteers prayed outside the Planned Parenthood clinic on Madison’s east side for an end to abortion.
About 50 people gathered at that site for the closing celebration on Sunday, Nov. 2.
Bishop Morlino thanked the pro-life community in Madison for its “perseverance” in praying and working toward an end to abortion.
The bishop also spoke about how everyone must continue to bring the truth on marriage to life.
Special recognition
After the closing prayer vigil, some of the group went to St. Albert Church in Sun Prairie for food and fellowship.
Fr. Tom Schroeder dies
 |
|
| Fr. Thomas Schroeder |
MADISON — A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Fr. Thomas Schroeder, pastor emeritus of the Diocese of Madison, at St. Martin of Tours Church, 5959 St. Martin Cir., Cross Plains (Martinsville), on Friday, Nov. 14, at 11:30 a.m.
Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, will be the celebrant with Very Reverend Fr. Tait Schroeder, Judicial Vicar and nephew of Father Schroeder, as homilist. Interment will take place immediately following the Mass at the St. Martin of Tours Parish cemetery, with the Rite of Committal presided by Father Schroeder.