The Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) offers excellent resources for concerned citizens who want to put Catholic Social Teaching into practice.
One example is the WCC Action Alert on the State Budget sent on May 10. The headline on this email alert says, “TAKE ACTION! RESTORE MEASURES THAT SUPPORT VULNERABLE AND COMMON GOOD IN STATE BUDGET!”
As we prepare to celebrate Mother’s Day on May 12, I’ve been thinking of the mothers in my family and how they continue to impact us.
One of the ways we remember our mothers is through the family traditions they carried on or started. For example, my mother-in-law, Ruth, had a number of favorite recipes which we still use today. Her recipes for pasta salad, lasagna, and dill dip are still popular in our family. One of our granddaughters often asks us to make dill dip, which she enjoys eating with potato chips.
|
|
|
As Madison’s new bishop, Bishop Donald J. Hying says he feels “very much at home here.”
In fact, he noted that about half of his relatives live in the Diocese of Madison, most of them in the southwestern Counties of Grant and Iowa.
“It’s great to come home to the state,” he repeated in a press conference, at a meeting with diocesan staff, at a 12 noon Mass, and in an interview with this writer and Tim Hein of Relevant Radio.
On the morning of March 14, 2005, I was awakened with news that smoke was billowing out of the roof, spire, and bell tower of St. Raphael Cathedral in downtown Madison.
Our reporter then, Julianne Nornberg, traveled quickly to the scene of the fire, which had started at 5:31 a.m. Firefighters were on the scene at 5:39 a.m., and they worked to control the fire caused — we found out later — by an arsonist.
Unfortunately, the fire destroyed the roof of St. Raphael Cathedral, which collapsed into the church. The 150-year-old church was destroyed. A new spire, which had been raised to the top of the cathedral’s spire in 2014, was saved.
Many people think of the Vatican as the “Mother Church” of the Catholic Church, but Jeffery Abood points out that the true Mother Church is in the Holy Land.
Perhaps you’ve seen the movie Unplanned and want to know what to do next.
One suggestion is to join pro-lifers from coast to coast in a solemn prayer vigil at Planned Parenthood facilities to pray for an end to abortion.
If we’re concerned about respecting the lives of children both before and after birth, we should oppose proposed cuts to federal programs helping disabled children.
The Trump administration’s budget proposal is seeking to cut $7 billion in the 2020 education budget.
 |
|
|
|
|
On April 2, there is a state-wide election in Wisconsin. Offices on the ballot are justice of the state Supreme Court, Court of Appeals judge (Districts 2, 3, and 4), and Circuit Court judge in several counties. There are also candidates for local offices.
Perhaps one of the most important elections is one new justice for the state Supreme Court. This court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin.
The court has seven justices, who are selected in nonpartisan elections for 10-year terms. The court has jurisdiction over all other Wisconsin courts and can also hear original actions.
With Supreme Court justices serving such a long term, voters should be vigilant to study where the candidates stand on the issues they value.
As Catholics we have both a right and a responsibility to vote.
Even Pope Francis has encouraged people to be involved. “We need to participate for the common good. Sometimes we hear: a good Catholic is not interested in politics. This is not true: good Catholics immerse themselves in politics by offering the best of themselves so that the leader can govern,” the Holy Father said.
Maybe out of tragedy, the world might find some good, if outcries against the attacks at two mosques in New Zealand have shown.
Pope Francis expressed sorrow for the attacks, which left at least 50 people dead and dozens more injured. Speaking to people gathered in St. Peter’s Square on March 17, the Holy Father said, “I pray for the dead and injured and their families. I am close to our Muslim brothers and all that community. I renew my invitation for prayer and gestures of peace to combat hatred and violence.”
Both Pope Francis and everyone in the square observed a moment of silence for the victims.
Maybe out of tragedy, the world might find some good, if outcries against the attacks at two mosques in New Zealand have shown.
Pope Francis expressed sorrow for the attacks, which left at least 50 people dead and dozens more injured. Speaking to people gathered in St. Peter’s Square on March 17, the Holy Father said, “I pray for the dead and injured and their families. I am close to our Muslim brothers and all that community. I renew my invitation for prayer and gestures of peace to combat hatred and violence.”
Both Pope Francis and everyone in the square observed a moment of silence for the victims.
