Tag: father

On
Chris Lee

Parish mission on forgiveness, mercy

PORTAGE — For the first time in a decade, the parishes of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Portage and St. Mary Help of Christians in Briggsville will be hosting a parish mission the evenings of March 5 to 8 in Portage.

Presented by native son, Fr. John Meoska, OSB, the theme for the mission is “Mercy and Faithfulness Have Met” based on Psalm 85:10. Father Meoska’s presentations will focus on the mercy and faithfulness which God shows His people and our call to answer Him in the same way.

Read More
On
Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Cohabitation before marriages raises a host of issues and concerns

Men and women clearly need each other and naturally gravitate towards arrangements of mutual support and lives of shared intimacy.

Because women are frequently the immediate guardians of the next generation, they have a particular need to ascertain if there will be steady support from a man prior to giving themselves sexually to him. The bond of marriage is ordered towards securing this critical element of ongoing commitment and support.

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

Appreciating teachers in Catholic schools

In 1974, National Catholic Schools Week was established as the annual celebration of Catholic education. In 2017, Catholic Schools Week begins on January 29 and ends on February 4. Its 2017 theme is “Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service.”

During this special week, Masses, open houses, and other activities for students, families, parishioners, and others are offered. Through these events, Catholic schools call attention to contributions Catholic education provides for youth, church, community, and country.

Since I was a Catholic school- teacher for 22 years, in this article I will focus upon appreciating the value of Catholic schoolteachers.

Read More
On
Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Surrogacy raises grave moral concerns, undermines dignity of procreation

Sometimes when there is infertility in marriage, couples make the decision to seek out the services of a surrogate in order to have a child.

A surrogate is a woman who agrees to be implanted with an embryo produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF) and to hand over the newborn baby to the couple upon completion of the gestation and birth.

In recent years, gestational surrogacy has become a multi-million dollar industry, attracting a broad clientele ranging from married couples to single women, gay couples to anyone else with the desire for a baby and the ability to finance the undertaking.

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

May Christmas bring us closer to peace

Jim Mahoney, a Marine sergeant, was married shortly before going overseas in World War II. He and his wife never had the chance to celebrate Christmas together.

He returned from the Pacific in December of 1945, hoping and praying that he would make it home in time to be with his wife for Christmas so he could surprise her with a special Christmas gift.

A special gift

He flew into New York City on Christmas Eve after the stores were closed. As he rode in a cab, he noticed a drugstore that was still open. He stopped the cab and made a purchase.

Read More
On
Fr. Bart Timmerman

Dispelling fear in a season of hope

Fr. Bart Timmerman

One of the hallmarks of the Catholic Church in the United States is ministry to immigrants.

Some of the first saints of our American Church served Catholic immigrants to the United States. Most notably is St. Frances Cabrini, who was the first American citizen who was canonized. She founded hospitals, schools, and institutions for the poor that served immigrants in large cities like New York and Chicago. She is the Patron Saint of Immigrants because of her devotion and care for them.

Welcoming immigrants

So it has always been the Catholic Church through the centuries that has welcomed immigrants to the United States. Still in our day, we as Catholics, have a duty to continue ministering to our brothers and sisters who come to the United States in search of a better life for themselves and their families.

Read More
On
Fr. Donald Lange

Developing a Christ-like attitude of gratitude

On July 4, 1939, the New York Yankees sponsored a memorable Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day. Though he was dying at age 36, Gehrig told the surprised crowd, “I’m the luckiest guy on the face of the earth.”

Gehrig was thankful because he had a Hall of Fame baseball career, a wonderful wife, family, friends, fans, teammates, and much more. He and Babe Ruth were teammates on one of the greatest teams in baseball history.

Thanking God for blessings

On Thanksgiving Day we gather with family and friends to share a meal and thank God for our cornucopia of blessings as Lou Gehrig did.

Read More
On
Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk

What should be done with orphans stranded in liquid nitrogen?

Some humanitarian tragedies occur quietly and “in the background,” only gradually coming to light years or decades after serious harm has already occurred, like nerve damage in infants exposed to lead paint or cancers in patients who were exposed to asbestos.

More recently, the humanitarian tragedy of hundreds of thousands of embryonic human beings frozen and abandoned in fertility clinics has come to light — “orphans in ice” arising from the decades-long practice of in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Read More