MADISON — On a windy April evening, the opening prayers of the 2018 Easter Vigil were heard for the first time since 2015 from the exterior of 723 State St., home of the beautiful new St. Paul’s Church and Student Center in the heart of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
And what an eagerly anticipated evening it was for those gathered to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection during this momentous first year in St. Paul’s new home!
 |
|
| 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,
This past Sunday was Palm Sunday, and by the time you read this it will likely be in the midst of the Sacred Triduum or even in the glorious season of Easter.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I feel as if this Lenten journey sped by unbelievably fast. And so (it seems to me) that all of a sudden here we are, in the midst of Holy Week.
If you read this in time, I do want to make a pitch for you — insofar as it is possible — to make an effort to attend the most important liturgy in the Church calendar, which occurs on Holy Saturday night.
The Easter Vigil is the pinnacle of our liturgical year, as we walk through salvation history and proclaim once again the glorious news that we have a Savior!
 |
|
| Catechumen Jessica Beilharz from St. Mary Parish in Milton signs the Book of the Elect while her sponsor looks on during the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion on February 18. The annual rites took place at St. John the Baptist Church in Waunakee. Also pictured is Msgr. James Gunn, far left, pastor of St. John the Baptist. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash) |
WAUNAKEE — On February 18, more than 90 people from the Diocese of Madison stood and gave their promises to continue their journey to fully enter the Catholic Church.
The annual Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion was held at St. John the Baptist Church in Waunakee.
More than 20 catechumens, those that are not yet baptized, and nearly 70 candidates, those who are baptized Christians and now seeking the Sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, took part in the rites.
Erica Wand, from St. Clare of Assisi Parish in Monroe, is one of those candidates.
“I feel like it’s a calling,” said Wand. “I’ve been wanting to do this to help my kids grow in the Catholic Church.”
“It’s been a wonderful journey,” said Wand’s sponsor and sister-in-law Gina Bacher. “I’m glad she’s doing it for her family.”
“Welcome to this wonderful moment,” Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison said at the start of the event.
“It’s a joy and an honor to be with you this afternoon. I want you always to be welcome, to feel welcome in the Church, and the way we do that is by carrying out our mission as true disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Later, in his homily, Bishop Morlino reflected on Mark’s Gospel reading that said, “The spirit drove Jesus out into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”
Bishop Morlino said Jesus being tempted was part of his mission and that for everyone, “Temptations are practice in the game of life.”
|
|
| 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,
We stand at the threshold of the holiest of weeks, reliving the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Indeed, the Sacred Triduum — Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday — comprise a microcosm of our whole life lived in Christ.
To enter as fully as possible into the mysteries of these days is to enter more fully into the mysteries of the life of each one of us. For instance, in the fervent celebration of the days of Holy Week, we can come to have an initial grasp of the mystery of why good people suffer.
The meaning of life is unveiled by a fervent and serious celebration of the mysteries of these days.
So, please make every effort to be present for the Holy Thursday evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the solemn commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, and the great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday.
Our churches really should be full (and then some) on these days, because of the gifts of grace available to us at so special a time — and available in a way that they are not otherwise available.
The Rite of Election of Catechumens and Call to Continuing Conversion for Candidates for Full Communion in the Catholic Church will be celebrated by the parishes of the Diocese of Madison on Sunday, March 13, at 3 p.m., at St. John the Baptist Church in Waunakee.
Dear friends,
As we come to the midpoint of Lent, it is a good time for us to remember to look ahead and to mark down in our calendars the many celebrations and commemorations of Holy Week, and especially the great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night — the most important liturgy of the Church year.
We continue to pray for those women and men, and boys and girls, who will enter our Church at Easter, that they might continue to have a grace-filled time of preparation.
Let us all look forward to the Easter Vigil, that we might celebrate with joy, and faith, and a good deal of enthusiasm!
It is a temptation for us, during Lent and even otherwise, to fall short in that enthusiasm which should be ours as Catholics. There is a temptation to get caught up in the comings and goings of our everyday lives, and to get caught up in the politics of our day and age and to forget that which is really most important, that is Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead.
