Tag: Holy Name Heights

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Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

Educators attend adaptive catechesis presentation

mdreo presentation
Members of MDREO (Madison Diocese Religious Educators’ Organization) participate in a videoconference with Michele Chronister, the co-chair of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability’s Council on Intellectual and Development Disabilities, during a recent session at Holy Name Heights in Madison. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash)

MADISON — “The only real disability is rejecting the Holy Spirit.”

Those powerful and profound words were some of many heard at a recent session of MDREO — the Madison Diocese Religious Educators’ Organization.

Their January 26 session at Holy Name Heights was all about the importance of adaptive catechesis — catechesis for those with disabilities, especially intellectual and developmental.

The presenter was Michele Chronister, the co-chair of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability’s Council on Intellectual and Development Disabilities.

Chronister has written books and articles on adaptive catechesis.

She was originally scheduled to travel to Madison for the program, but was unable to, and instead pre-recorded some videos, specially for the Madison audience. She also participated in a live videoconference later in the day.

The program was made possible with help from a grant from the Diocese of Madison Apostolate for Persons with Disabilities.

The theology of vocation

Chronister’s first pre-recorded talk was on the theology of vocation.

She said when one hears “vocation,” they usually think of marriage, the priesthood, or the Religious Life and added there are people with disabilities who are living out all of those vocations.

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Dick Jones, For the Catholic Herald

Children’s choir joins in Lessons and Carols

MADISON — For more than 25 years, the Madison Diocesan Choir has celebrated the birth of Christ with its Festival of Lessons and Carols, and the worship service on Sunday, Dec. 18, at Holy Name Heights promises to be a celebration like no other.

Unlike earlier concerts featuring a professional brass ensemble, string section, acclaimed vocalists, or soloists on harp or horn, this event offers the angelic voices of youth, featuring the Cardinal Cantors of St. Maria Goretti Catholic School in Madison as special musical guests.

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Chris Lee

Statue of Mary being restored

MADISON — With construction almost completed at Holy Name Heights — formerly Holy Name Seminary and the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison — there are many new and exciting changes that have taken place throughout the building over the past two years.

One thing that remains the same though is the statue of Mary that resides in the south courtyard of the building.

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Ross and Lucy Parisi

Thanks for coverage of Holy Name Heights and seminary

To the editor:

Just finished reading the August 25 copy of the Catholic Herald. Nice job! Super coverage of timely issues: back to school info/choices, refugee insights, lots of outreach info.

Most of all, thank you for Holy Name Heights coverage. Our son was a freshman at Holy Name Seminary High School during its last year open. Memories of the turmoil and sadness of that year still linger in the hearts of many.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

A beloved building is reborn!

In 1995, many of us in the Diocese of Madison were very sad when Holy Name Seminary closed its doors.

The seminary had been a focal point for the diocese, with the building housing seminarians and many diocesan events. It was even the site of a pre-season training camp for the University of Wisconsin Badger football team for many years.

The seminary’s spire towered over the west side of Madison, a sign of the Church for all to see and hear as the seminary’s bells pealed every 15 minutes.

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Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

Holy Name ‘History Lounge’ seeks memories

marc ott
Marc Ott, lead architect for Gorman & Company, displays some of the items that will be part of the History Lounge in Holy Name Heights, the former Holy Name Seminary in Madison (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash).

MADISON — “We really want to tell the entire story of what it was like to leave home and come to a seminary school and live every day with hundreds of other young men.”

In addition to being the lead architect on the project to repurpose the Bishop O’Connor Center (BOC) in Madison — the former Holy Name Seminary — Marc Ott from Gorman & Company has taken on a sentimental role.

Ott, member of St. Maria Goretti Parish in Madison, along with his wife and children who attend school there, is heading up the efforts to make part of the Holy Name Heights building a museum.

The so-called “History Lounge,” along with other parts of the building, will tell the stories of more than three decades of students who learned and lived within its walls.

The project has sentimental meaning for Ott who is a 1992 graduate of New Glarus High School and used to compete at Holy Name in football and wrestling.

Ott said it’s a “very special connection” and a “lot of fun” to work on the project there.

Looking back and looking ahead

Holy Name opened in 1963 and closed in 1995. The building was then renovated and re-opened in 1998 as the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center.

Since then, it has been serving as the home of diocesan offices and other organizations such as Catholic Charities, the Catholic Herald, Relevant Radio, and Catholic Mutual Group.

Within the last few years, studies were done to determine how to make better use of the building.

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