The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines compassion as a “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.”
Perhaps it’s the constant news of disasters deluging us these days, but it seems as if many people have lost a sense of compassion. We’ve almost become numb to the suffering of others, whether it be from mass shootings, natural disasters, immigrants’ distress, or wars.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta was declared a saint on September 4, 2016, and her feast day was designated on September 5, the day of her death in 1997.
St. Mother Teresa inspires us to live out the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. That’s why the Diocese of Madison established the Saint Mother Teresa Mercy Endowment Fund in 2016 in honor of her canonization and the Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Having children and grandchildren pitch in with household chores is very important. It’s something we’ve always done in our family, and I think it’s important in teaching children the value of work.
As we’re approaching Labor Day on September 2, it might be a good time for families to take a look at how they’re encouraging kids to get involved in helping with household work.
This time of year always brings me a feeling of excitement, because school is starting again.
Even though I haven’t attended school for years, I still remember my own 12 years as a student in Catholic elementary and high schools in La Crosse, Wis. Those were happy years for me in so many ways.
Likewise, I enjoyed participating as a parent with our own children when they attended Our Lady Queen of Peace Elementary School and Edgewood High School in Madison. I know that they, too, appreciated their time at those schools.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” is an old adage many of us have heard. It means that someone can hurt another by physical force, but not by insults.
In the Bible, we find Jesus encouraged his followers to “turn the other cheek.” In the Sermon on the Mount, he urged them to respond to injury without revenge and allowing more injury to occur.
Still, I don’t agree with the “sticks and stones” adage, because words can indeed hurt people. These days, many use words to bully others.
When I was in sixth grade, I remember writing a paper about why space exploration was important. I felt that it was essential to explore outer space, since it is part of God’s creation.
That’s why on July 20, 1969, while I was in college, my friend Ginny and I were glued to the television to watch Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong step onto the surface of the moon. He famously said, “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”
The windows at St. Maria Goretti Church in Madison sparkled, the church was immaculate, and smiling faces at the entrance greeted people who came for Evening Prayer to begin the installation events for Bishop Donald J. Hying on June 24.
Parishioners and staff at St. Maria Goretti Church had pitched in to get their church ready for the installation of Madison’s new bishop. Fr. Scott Emerson, parochial administrator of St. Maria Goretti, was justifiably proud.
The St. Maria Goretti crew were part of many people who worked behind the scenes to prepare for the installation. It was wonderful to see how people throughout the diocese joined together to welcome our new bishop.
Clergy sexual abuse has impacted many people in society and the Church, including those working in the Church’s “Supreme Court” at the Vatican.
“This work has changed me,” the priest who heads Vatican Disciplinary Action in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith told Catholic journalists June 19.
“When I read the facts of the cases, I feel repulsed,” said Msgr. John Kennedy. However, he and the 16 others working in his office carry on with the work. “For victims and for their parents, it is far worse,” he said. “We’re doing this because it needs to be done to restore what has been damaged.”
Fathers play such an important role in the lives of their children.
My own father died when I was only 16 years old, but he had a profound impact on my life.
Thomas Joseph McDonald (better known as Mac) was married later in life. He actually stayed with his own father until his death.
I’m sure my father received many of his values from my grandparents and great-grandparents, who are buried in the cemetery at Holy Rosary Parish in Darlington.
When my ancestors settled in Wisconsin from Ireland, Germany, and Belgium, many of them came to this state because other family members had arrived previously.
Today, this would be called family-based immigration. Some of the reasons why my relatives came to the U.S. were the same as they are today.
They were seeking freedom of religion, since most of them were of the Catholic faith. They left their home countries, where they may have had low wages and poor living conditions. They hoped to create a better life for themselves and their families. Some came to escape war and conflicts in their countries.
