Tag: Francis

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Kevin Wondrash

Adoration to be held at Cross Plains church

CROSS PLAINS — St. Francis Xavier Parish in Cross Plains will be holding 32 hours of Adoration at the church, 2947 Thinnes St., as a special time of prayer for the reparation of sins of the entire Church and worldwide peace.

Prayers will also be offered for the new bishop of the Diocese of Madison, along with prayers for national leaders, that they will seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in making decisions that honor the sanctity of life from natural conception to the end of life, freedom of religion, and marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

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Kevin Wondrash

Adoration to be held at Cross Plains church

CROSS PLAINS — St. Francis Xavier Parish in Cross Plains will be holding 32 hours of Adoration at the church, 2947 Thinnes St., as a special time of prayer for the reparation of sins of the entire Church and worldwide peace.

Prayers will also be offered for the new bishop of the Diocese of Madison, along with prayers for national leaders, that they will seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in making decisions that honor the sanctity of life from natural conception to the end of life, freedom of religion, and marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

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Kevin Wondrash

‘It was worth the wait’: Diocesan priest meets Pope Francis

Fr. McEnery and Pope Francis
Fr. Jim McEnery, a priest of the Diocese of Madison, gives Pope Francis music for an “Ave Maria” that he wrote. Father McEnery is observing 65 years as a priest this year. (Contributed photo)

A far-fetched idea of offering Holy Mass with Pope Francis ended up a reality for a Diocese of Madison priest — plus getting a hug from the Holy Father.

The occasion: Fr. Jim McEnery, a priest of the Diocese of Madison, and his classmate, Fr. Richard Kuhn of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, are observing their 65th year of ordination to the priesthood this year.

A special invitation

After receiving “how-to” advice from some higher-ups in Rome, and a mailing address provided by Msgr. James Bartylla, then vicar general of the Diocese of Madison, and after waiting months and pretty much giving up on the idea, an email from Pope Francis’ personal secretary finally arrived. It invited them to celebrate “at the Holy Father’s Mass in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae on Monday 12 November next, promptly at 7:00 a.m.”

Father Jim could hardly believe his eye. Not much time to prepare meant scrambling for tickets, but soon he and his classmate were on their way, non-stop Miami-to-Rome on Alitalia, economy class.

Arriving in Rome

On Saturday, their driver picked them up at Leonardo da Vinci Airport. Their small hotel, the Residenze Poalo VI, was about 50 feet from the famous Bernini columns, and not much farther from the Cancello de San’Ufficio, where they were to check in on Monday morning.

Many a cardinal and archbishop had signed the guest register of this hotel, including names like Dolan and Listecki, so it seemed to be “the” place to be. (The restaurant is open until 1 a.m. to accommodate concert goers.)

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Kevin Wondrash

Annual parish festival in Lake Mills

LAKE MILLS — St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish/St. Francis Xavier Church in Lake Mills will hold its annual turkey festival on Sunday, July 15, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at 608 College St. in Lake Mills.

Dinner and carry outs will be served from 11 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.

The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children (five to 12 years). Children under five are free.

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Margie Schels, For the Catholic Herald

‘Catholic Kids for a Cause: Fight Like Zayden’

JEFFERSON — The Catholic community of St. John the Baptist (SJB) School and St. Francis of Assisi Parish recently gathered to participate in a fundraising event for the family of Zayden Gess, parishioners and members of the school community.

Zayden, son of Jenny and Kevin Gess, was born prematurely six months ago with multiple medical challenges along with Down Syndrome. He continues to be cared for at American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison.

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Bishop Robert Barron

Pope Francis speaks to priests

I write these words from the Nuremore Hotel in Monaghan, Ireland, where I am conducting a retreat for the good priests of the Dublin Archdiocese.

As I look out at these men, I am reminded of so many of my own relatives on both sides of my family (“Gosh, he looks like Uncle Charlie” and “That one is the spitting image of my cousin Terry”), for I am Irish all the way through. Many of the priests who are making the retreat are retired, and it is edifying to see so many who have bravely borne the heat of the day. Do say a prayer for them.

The theme that I have chosen for my talks is “Pope Francis Speaks to Priests.” I have culled a number of motifs from the pope’s numerous talks, sermons, and lectures to priests, seminarians, and bishops. Allow me, in the course of this brief article to say just a few words about each one.

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Tony Magliano

Our common home really needs your help!

“A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system,” warns Pope Francis in his landmark environmental encyclical Laudato Si’ (“On Care for Our Common Home”).

Indeed, the scientific consensus is very solid. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), “97 percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities.” (see: http://climate.nasa.gov/scientific-consen us/).

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Kevin Wondrash

Cross Plains parish hosts evening of celebration of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima

CROSS PLAINS — On Saturday, May 6, from 7 to 9 p.m., St. Francis Xavier Parish is hosting an evening of celebration for the 100th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima to three peasant children.

Guest speaker Juan Landa from Mater Dei Tours will share his insights on Our Lady’s important message and how it applies to the Church and our lives today.

 

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