Although it may seem like Into the Deep just began last summer, the truth is that we are almost at the two-year mark in the process.
Tag: Madison Diocese
Looking at today’s Church in the diocese
Currently, every vicariate in the diocese is meeting with me to give an update on the Go Make Disciples initiative in the parishes.
New assistant superintendent of Catholic schools ‘blessed’ to be in diocese
“I often tell people this is my dream job,” said Therese Milbrath, the new assistant superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Madison. “And it kind of is.”
Bishop Hying encourages young adults to commit themselves to Jesus Christ
MADISON — Lo-Fi beats fill the room with energy. People begin to pour libations into glasses and grab an app to bring to their tables.
Anticipation builds in the nightclub at The Brink Lounge in the heart of downtown Madison as roughly 140 young adults prepare to welcome the one they’ve been waiting for tonight — Bishop Donald J. Hying.
Stations of Cross find new home in Ridgeway
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| Outdoor Stations of the Cross have been installed recently at St. Bernardette Parish on the exterior of the Religious Education Building at St. Bridget Church in Ridgeway. A formal blessing of the Stations will be done on Saturday, Sept. 14, following a 10 a.m. Mass at the church. A procession to the Stations will include the blessing and praying of the Stations. (Cathy Lins photo) |
RIDGEWAY — On Saturday, Sept. 14, on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, St. Bernadette Parish will have a formal blessing of its newly installed life-size outdoor Stations of the Cross.
The Stations are on the exterior of the Religious Education Building located at 106 North St. in Ridgeway.
Fr. Lawrence Zurek, OFM Conv, will join Fr. Steve Petrica, VF, pastor, in celebrating Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Bridget Church, followed by a procession to the Stations for their blessing, which will include praying the Stations.
Father Zurek is the administrator of the Basilica of St. Josaphat, which is a ministry of the Conventual Franciscans on the South Side of Milwaukee in the historic Lincoln Village neighborhood. It is one of 82 minor basilicas found in the United States.
Franciscan devotion
Father Petrica shared that there is a long association between the Franciscan order and the Stations of the Cross devotion, which they promote as a way to vicariously walk the actual Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem.
The original Via Dolorosa winds through Jerusalem, from the site where Pilate condemned Jesus to death to Mount Calvary and to the tomb where Jesus was buried.
Father Petrica said, “The Franciscans have historically been associated with the devotion and with the holy sites in Jerusalem. (Although it’s a different branch of the Franciscan family that maintains the holy sites.) It was customary for the blessing of Stations to be reserved to a Franciscan priest. That practice is no longer obligatory, but we chose to honor the historical connection. Father Zurek also reminded me that the Feast of the Holy Cross is when St. Francis received the Stigmata.
Totus Tuus teaches and shares truths
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| Totus Tuus team member and Diocese of Madison seminarian Ryan Ruhle, center, leads a class during a recent session at Immaculate Conception Parish in Kieler. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash) |
KIELER — The week ended with a water fight.
A week at Totus Tuus typically ends with a water fight, and if you talk to many of the program’s young participants, such as nine-year-old Kara Weber-Droessler, you’d hear, “I really look forward to Fridays because we get to do a giant water fight if we get three 10s.”
The “three 10s” are rewards for good behavior and learning well during the week.
Her friend, nine-year-old Kaylin Crippes, also shared that “I like how we get to do Water Day,” remarking how she’d love to get a bucket of cold water dumped on her as part of the end-of-the-week festivities.
Totus Tuus participants loving the water fight is a truth.
Kids at Totus Tuus also learn other deeper truths, such as the presence of Christ in the Eucharist at Mass, the graces that come from the sacraments, and the importance of prayer as part of daily life.
Program for youth
For the sixth summer in a row, the Diocese of Madison is presenting the summer Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, and Eucharistic worship.
Investigative firm begins review of priest files
At the request of diocesan leadership, Defenbaugh and Associates, an independent security and investigations firm, founded by and composed of veteran agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has been retained to conduct a full review of all personnel files of the Diocese of Madison.
Bishop Donald J. Hying introduced as diocese’s fifth bishop
“I’m very enthused, excited, and grateful to be here,” said Bishop-designate Donald J. Hying of Madison.
With many relatives in the Diocese of Madison and a lot of time spent here over the years, he added, “I feel very much at home here,” saying “I have great memories of southwest Wisconsin. The beauty of the faith here, the beauty of the land here.”
Bishop Donald Hying introduced as fifth bishop of Madison
“I’m very enthused, excited, and grateful to be here,” said Bishop-designate Donald J. Hying of Madison.
Historic Beloit church is renovated
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| St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Beloit recently completed a renovation of its historic church, which was dedicated in 1886. The renovation included cleaning and painting of all church walls and repainting of statues and the corpus on the crucifix (above). A stylized tree of life design was created as a background for the crucifix. The tabernacle, formerly on a side altar, was moved to the center of the altar area and placed on a custom-made table. (Catholic Herald photo/Pat Casucci) | ||
BELOIT — The rejoicing, joy, and peace of Easter Sunday was enhanced for St. Thomas the Apostle parishioners.
After a major $335,000 renovation of the church interior, it was the first time in almost three months that a Mass was celebrated by Pastor Fr. John Hedrick in the historic church built in 1885.
The church had been closed since January 8, 2018.
The regularly scheduled weekend Masses for St. Thomas were held at St. Jude Church. Father Hedrick is pastor of both parishes.
In a recent interview, Father Hedrick said, “We have had lots of positive comments about the renovation. On Easter Sunday, there was a sense of awe as parishioners looked around the church, seeing how beautiful it is.”
Necessary renovation
Father Hedrick said the renovation was necessary after significant plaster repair was needed on a church wall and part of the ceiling. “The church walls also looked in need of cleaning, and it was decided to not just paint them,” he said.
“After a couple pieces of plaster fell, we knew we had to take care of this 133-year-old building, not let it deteriorate,” he explained. The last time the walls were painted was in 1975.
Extensive planning for the project included a fund drive with parishioners contributing about $175,000. In addition, Father Hedrick said two memorial bequests and parish funds made the extensive renovation possible.