BARABOO — The 102nd annual Corpus Christi Mass and procession at Durward’s Glen will take place on Sunday, June 7, at 11 a.m.
The Mass will be celebrated at the outdoor Holy Family altar by Fr. Pedro Escribano.
The Knights of Columbus will serve a picnic-style meal after the Mass and procession.
STOUGHTON — Each month, parishioners share their “Faith Stories” at St. Ann Church in Msgr. Healy Hall, 323 N. Van Buren St.
On Thursday, March 26, at 6:30 p.m., Pastor Fr. Randy Budnar will share how God is and has been important in his life.
LANCASTER — St. Clement Parish will host a Divine Mercy Day of Reflection on Saturday, March 28. Dr. Bryan Thatcher and Annie Karto, from the Eucharistic Apostles of the Divine Mercy (EADM), will be the featured speakers.
The day will begin with Mass at 8:15 a.m. followed by registration at 8:45 a.m. and the program from 9:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
The program is an opportunity to learn more about Divine Mercy and the Eucharist.
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Recently, the attention of the world was riveted to a deserted beach in northern Libya, where a group of 21 Coptic Christians were brutally beheaded by masked operatives of the ISIS movement.
In the wake of the executions, ISIS released a gruesome video entitled A Message in Blood to the Nation of the Cross. I suppose that for the ISIS murderers, the reference to “the Nation of the Cross” had little sense beyond a generic designation for Christianity.
Sadly for most Christians, too, the cross has become little more than a harmless symbol. I would like to take the awful event on that Libyan beach, as well as the ISIS message, as an occasion to reflect on the still startling distinctiveness of the cross.
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Bariatric surgery, which often involves banding of the stomach, is a widely used procedure for treating severe obesity. Another approach that relies on an implantable “stomach pacemaker” also appears poised to assist those struggling with significant weight gain.
Many people have already benefitted from these kinds of surgical interventions, enabling them to shed a great deal of weight, improve their health, and get a new lease on life.
At the same time, however, it’s important for us to examine such interventions from an ethical point of view. It’s not simply a matter of weight loss, achieved by any means whatsoever, but a rational decision made after carefully weighing the risks, benefits, and alternatives.
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The British writer, actor, and comedian Stephen Fry is featured in a YouTube video which has gone viral: over five million views.
Fry is, like his British counterparts Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, a fairly ferocious atheist and debunker of all things religious.
In the video, Fry articulates what he would say to God if, upon arriving at the pearly gates, he discovered he was mistaken in his atheism.
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Many atheists and agnostics today argue that it is possible for non-believers in God to be morally upright.
They resent the implication that the denial of God will lead inevitably to ethical relativism or nihilism. They are quick to point out examples of non-religious people who are models of kindness, compassion, justice, etc.
A recent article proposed that non-believers are, on average, more morally praiseworthy than religious people. God knows (pun intended) that during the last 20 years we’ve seen plenty of evidence of the godly behaving badly.
BENTON — The annual Mass to commemorate the death of Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, will be held at St. Patrick Church, Benton, on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 1:30 p.m.
The Mazzuchelli Assembly 4th Degree Knights of Columbus invite everyone to attend and join them for a social in the parish hall afterward.
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In Matthew 9:10-13, the Scribes and Pharisees complain that Christ dines with sinners and tax collectors. They are right. He does. Jesus responds by saying that he has come not to call the righteous, but sinners.
R. Charles Miller wrote that a sinner, as used here, is someone who admits they have sinned and needs God’s forgiveness to help them change. Conversely, the self-righteous think they don’t need forgiveness.
Christ became flesh and took on a human nature to share the Father’s mercy with us. Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel features three parables of God’s mercy.
REEDSBURG — On January 8, 2015, the second evening in a series of talks for the Spirits and Spirituality Program was held at Karstens Hall at Camp Gray in Reedsburg.
The program is a joint effort between St. Cecilia Parish in Wisconsin Dells, St. Joseph Parish in Baraboo, and Sacred Heart Parish in Reedsburg. All parish members ages 21 and over are invited to attend.
