Tag: john

On
John Huebscher

In past debates, leaders appealed to ideals, not fears

The current debate over whether to welcome refugees fleeing the carnage in Syria reminded me of how one leader spoke to a similar situation some years ago.

Clifford “Tiny” Krueger represented much of northern Wisconsin in the State Senate for 34 years from the mid-1940s until 1983.

Conscience of common man

First a Progressive, then a Republican, Krueger was the GOP Senate floor leader from 1975 to 1981. When he retired, a veteran observer of the Capitol scene described him as “the conscience of the common man.”

That conscience was very evident in May of 1980. Tiny was asked to offer a few remarks at the Memorial Day observance in Rhinelander. Then as now, the issue of whether to accept refugees from another country was a hot topic.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Lessons and Carols to be held in Montello

MONTELLO — St. John the Baptist Parish in Montello and Good Shepherd Parish in Westfield are proud to again present an evening of Lessons and Carols.

The event is set for Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 6:30 p.m. at St. John Church, 277 E. Montello St., Montello.

As in the past, choirs from St. John the Baptist and Good Shepherd Parishes will unite to provide the musical presentations. Students from the religious education programs at the parishes will also participate in the event.

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On
Margie Schels, For the Catholic Herald

Students and staff in Jefferson present tribute to veterans

JEFFERSON — On Wednesday, Nov. 11, students and staff at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Jefferson presented their annual tribute to veterans in the parish church.

The eighth grade students escorted guests to their seats after presenting them with flags and patriotic wristbands.

Principal Mrs. Susan Loof formally welcomed veterans and thanked them for their service to our country. She then offered a prayer for the veterans and their families.

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On
John Huebscher

These days we are heeding wrong ‘golden rule’

When he spoke to Congress last month, Pope Francis quietly urged his listeners to heed the Golden Rule of “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

But there is another golden rule. The late Wisconsin Governor Lee Dreyfus liked to refer to it from time to time. Commenting (with disfavor) on the nature of “old school politics,” Dreyfus observed that the golden rule of such politics is “He who has the gold makes the rules.”

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On
Margie Schels, For the Catholic Herald

Seminarians visit students in Jefferson

JEFFERSON — Seminarians Vincent Racanelli and Phil Klaas visited the eighth graders at St. John the Baptist School in Jefferson on October 16.

The students have “adopted” Racanelli as their prayer partner and “parish son” who has embarked on the road to the priesthood.

The students in Margie Schels’ seventh and eighth grade classes have been praying for all seminarians, especially for Racanelli, since last year. He has visited the students several times to share about his vocational journey and his life as a student at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.

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On
Kevin Wondrash

Blessing animals on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

PRINCETON — St. John the Baptist School in Princeton recently celebrated St. Francis of Assisi — whose feast day was on October 4 — with a special pet blessing. St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals.

This event has become a tradition the students and community look forward to each year.

Students and community members brought their pets to the school to receive a blessing from Pastor and Principal Fr. Dale Grubba.

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On
Veronica Arntz

St. John Paul II: patron saint of the family

Veronica Arntz

St. John Paul II — the beloved pope and now saint — contributed a vast amount of knowledge and wisdom to the Church’s teachings on marriage and family.

Born on May 18, 1920, and ordained a priest in 1946, Karol Wojtyla’s adolescent years were marked by the reign and violence of the Third Reich.

Philosophy of personalism

Due largely to his devout Catholic parents, Wojtyla, rather than turning to violence himself, cultivated his mind through poetry and plays, eventually turning to philosophical inquiries, particularly in personalism.

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On
George Weigel

John Paul II and “America”

In the years preceding the Great Jubilee of 2000, John Paul II held a series of continental synods to help the Church in different locales reflect on its distinctive situation at the end of the second millennium and to plan for a future of evangelical vigor in the third.

These special assemblies were easily named in the case of the Synods for Africa, Asia, and Europe. But when it came to the synod for the western hemisphere, John Paul threw a linguistic curve ball that made an important point.

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