Kennedy – Madison Catholic Herald Archive (2001-2025)

Several years ago, I made my first visit to Arlington National Cemetery. I had a specific destination: to visit the grave of one of our deceased neighbors.

She had served as a nurse during World War II and met her husband during the war. They decided to be buried at Arlington.

However, when she died, her husband was not able to attend the burial ceremony there because of his age and health. I happened to be traveling to Washington, D.C., for a meeting, so I told him I would visit her grave and take pictures.

Two local students chosen as animators at NCYC

DEFOREST — When the lights go down and the music starts pumping during the opening ceremonies of the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis this month, two DeForest area students will be among the dancers and singers on stage charged with firing up the crowd for the three-day conference.

Megan Durst and Katherine Kennedy, juniors at DeForest Area High School and members of St. Olaf Parish, will serve as NCYC “animators.” About 75 youth from across the country were selected as animators to lead the prayer services and set the tone for the conference.

God’s mercy and Senator Edward Kennedy

Dear Friends,

As I complete my time of rest and recuperation, I found myself unpredictably (at least had I been able to predict six months ago) with time available to me to watch on the television most of the events surrounding the funeral and burial of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy. For myself, the time was prayerful and well spent because I knew a lot about Senator Kennedy when he was still fairly young and, of course, I was younger still.

Senator Kennedy and I, many years ago, were, according to the common understanding, not quite ready to get in line to go and meet our Judge. There was plenty of time available, we presumed, to prepare ourselves to take our place in that line, and to welcome that part of our humanity which is experiencing the mystery of suffering and death.