Tag: diocese

On
Tom Grenchik

The high cost of conscience

At the end of the liturgical year, the Mass readings tell dramatic stories from the Books of Maccabees of simple folks standing courageously for their faith in the face of torture and death. Their exemplary witness can strengthen us as we defend our conscience rights and religious liberty which are under attack today.

In second century B.C., a conquering king was intent on suppressing Judaism in Palestine. He issued a decree that his whole kingdom should all be one people, each abandoning his particular customs and religious laws and observances. Whoever refused to comply would be killed.

Though large numbers did comply, we’re told that many in Israel “preferred to die rather than be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Terrible affliction was upon Israel” (Maccabees 1:63).

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On
Fr. Paul Ugo Arinze

Ten new seminarians point to Church’s hopeful future

As the fall season rolls in and many students are headed back to school, the seminarians for the diocese are all heading back to school to continue with their seminary formation after a much deserved summer break.

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Starting this fall, we will have seminarians in seminaries in Detroit, Mich.; Denver, Colo.; Washington, D.C.; Winona and St. Paul, Minn.; Seward,

Neb.; South Orange, N.J.; and Rome, Italy. Their years of seminary formation range from freshmen in college to the final year of theology.

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On
Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Annual Catholic Appeal: ‘Create in me a new heart’

Fr. Bart Timmerman, pastor of Immaculate Hearts of Mary Parish in Monona, distributes Communion at his parish. Gifts to the Annual Catholic Appeal help fund diocesan ministries and services that benefit parishes throughout the Diocese of Madison. (Photo by James Baca)

MADISON — “Jesus Christ showed us how to love. As Christians, we are defined by our willingness to give of ourselves even — if not especially — when that gift of self requires a sacrifice or makes us vulnerable.”

Those are the words of Fr. John Putzer, a newly ordained priest of the Diocese of Madison, who is one of those whose reflections are included in the Diocese of Madison’s 2011 Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) brochure.

The theme of this year’s appeal is “Create in me a new heart.” Father Putzer, who was ordained to the priesthood on December 10, 2010, continues, “Donating money for a just cause is not just an act of generosity, but, even more significantly, a way of growing in love and uniting oneself to the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ on the Cross. In this sense, we as Christians have a greater need to give than the Church has a need to receive.”

Carrying on Christ’s work

The Annual Catholic Appeal offers members of the Church in the 11 counties of the diocese the opportunity to help support the essential ministries which carry on Christ’s work of love.

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On
Tom Nelson

Food, eating, and Lent

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Eating is a sacred act, for it represents the natural inclination for sustenance which powers all living bodies and therefore is the life-sustaining force of the Creator.

The Psalmist wrote: “(O Lord) You raise grass for the cattle, and vegetation for men’s use, Producing bread from the earth and wine to gladden men’s hearts, So that their faces gleam with oil, and bread fortifies the hearts of men” (Psalm 104: 14, 15).

In the same passage he continues, “They all look to you to give them food in due time. When you give it to them, they gather it; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.”

Tending the earth

In the earliest section of the Genesis narrative, God the Creator blows life into a shaped lump of earthen clay and from this act of His spirit the human family was born.

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On
Vicky Lamberty

Why convert?

Q:Why are parishes required to eventually convert to ParishSOFT and QuickBooks? We like our current program.

A: Parishes are currently using dozens of different software programs. Each program has different fields and different reports and it’s like we’re speaking different languages between us. It’s very important for all the parishes in the diocese to be using the same programs so the data is predictable and consistent. For instance, coding a parishioner as Active in one parish does not mean the same thing to another but our goal is that in the future, it will. We need to speak the same language with the data and terms so we both can use it to communicate with parishioners.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Deacons ordained for diocese

Bishop Robert C. Morlino prays the prayer of ordination over the three candidates for the transitional diaconate — two of whom were seminarians for the Diocese of Madison — during the Mass of Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate at the American College in Louvain, Belgium, October 15. (Photo by Scott Haraldson)

LOUVAIN, Belgium — Bishop Robert C. Morlino of the Diocese of Madison ordained Chad Droessler and John Putzer from the Diocese of Madison and Kevin Barnekow from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as transitional deacons on October 15 at the historic Saint Peter’s Church at the American College of the Immaculate Conception in Louvain, Belgium.

Concelebrants at the Mass included Bishop Richard Spencer, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services (seminarians at Louvain have pastoral assignments with the military services in Europe); Msgr. Ross Shecterle, rector of the American College; Fr. Paul Ugo Arinze, director of vocations for the Diocese of Madison; and priest friends and guests of the newly ordained. Msgr. James Bartylla, vicar general of the Diocese of Madison, was one of the masters of ceremonies for the Mass.

A number of priests from the Diocese of Madison attended the ordination, including Msgr. Kevin Holmes, Msgr. Charles Schluter, and Fr. David Carrano, Madison; Fr. David Flanagan, Cuba City; Fr. Monte Robinson, Belmont; Fr. Tait Schroeder and Fr. Greg Ihm, studying in Rome; and Fr. Lance Schneider, Waunakee.

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On
Brent King

Local men sponsor six seminarians at World Youth Day

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The ways in which we act out our Christian charity in the Church, for the love of God and neighbor, is evident in a number of ways throughout a given year.

Often it is through volunteering at our parishes or parish-related projects — things we feel attached to and with which we want to assist in a specific way. Other times it is through monetary donations to similar local campaigns, projects, or funds, benefiting things that we know, in faith, we need to support. Always, it includes our prayers!

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