“Open the gates of justice; we shall enter and give thanks to the Lord.”
With those words by Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison and a knock, one of three Doors of Mercy were opened in the Diocese of Madison at St. Patrick Church in Madison, part of Cathedral Parish of St. Raphael.
To the editor:
As we enter into this extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, it is good to see the extra times set aside by our priests for the Sacrament of Confession. I am concerned that most priests will have a lot of reading time or time to visit with Our Lord as they wait for people to come to this sacrament of mercy.
We must not judge another person, but our priests need to teach from the pulpit what sin is. Today’s Church has forgotten to lead people, to be a teacher to us, more on dogma on the faith and not just love your neighbor.
To the editor:
The most traumatic event in the 20th Century was not the Second World War or the atomic bomb. It was the birth control pill!
Before the pill, family life was strong with eight to 10 children. Now the basis of society is obliterated, and the world is falling apart.
Dear Friends,
Just as I did at Mass this past Sunday, I’d like to reflect for a moment on waiting.
I think our most frequent use of that word is when we say something like, “I can’t wait!” or “I just can’t wait!” Such phrases are usually joyful statements of anticipation of something good to come.
MADISON — The […]
PINE BLUFF — […]
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“I desire that the year to come will be steeped in mercy, so that we can go out to every man and woman, bringing the goodness and tenderness of God! May the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is already present in our midst!” — Pope Francis, Misericordiae Vultus, 5
“We serve to ensure that all individuals throughout the 11-county diocese are graciously invited every day to meet the person of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, face to face and be changed by Him.” – Mission Statement of the Diocese of Madison
To the faithful of the Diocese of Madison,
In calling for an Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, our Holy Father, Pope Francis, has issued a call meant not only to urge a return to the Almighty, but also to reinvigorate and inspire those of us who try to live lives as followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, the Holy Father has also unintentionally, but not surprisingly, endorsed our own diocesan “mission.”
The Holy Father begins his Bull of Indiction, Misericordiae Vultus, with the following words: “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith.” In carrying out our diocesan mission of “inviting others to meet the person of Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, face to face, and be changed by Him,” we are inviting them to meet the face of the Father’s mercy — to meet mercy incarnate. This invitation is one which is tied up in a challenging realization with regard to who God is and who “I” am, and it should be a profound and even startling invitation for each woman and man who lives in, and grapples with, a world that is nearly completely lacking in mercy.
Our world and our culture offer a great deal of lip-service to certain notions of tolerance and license, but these notions are grounded in a premise that truth is what you make it, and is subject to change, if public opinion is swayed to agree on the matter. Absent a grounding in the Truth and a foundation in humanity’s authentic encounter with mercy itself, all attempts at justice and mercy are mere shadows, structures built on sand. To experience mercy and to grant mercy, individuals and cultures must be anchored in the Truth and in a recognition of sin and repentance.
PINE BLUFF — The Ladies of Divine Mercy will meet on Friday evening, Nov. 20, at St. Mary Church in Pine Bluff, 3673 CTH P, Cross Plains. All women are invited to attend.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. An hour of Adoration will be followed by a reflection by Fr. David Carrano, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Reedsburg and chaplain of Catholic Charismatic Renewal for the Diocese of Madison.
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| Fr. Gregory Ihm |
In 1793 began the Reign of Terror in France known as the French Revolution when many priests, Religious, and Catholic lay faithful were murdered because of their association with the Church.
One man had a particular hatred for priests and was famous for his style of execution: slitting their throats. Several years after the Reign of Terror, this man grew old, sick, and weaker.
His wife, a hidden Catholic, called in a priest she knew to anoint her husband because she feared for his soul.
Dear Friends,
Of late it seems that all roads — whether in Rome or at home — lead to one place, to one theme: mercy.
Just a week or two ago, many of us in the diocese were blessed to experience the presence of the major relics of St. Maria Goretti — the Church’s youngest canonized Saint and one of our greatest examples of mercy. If you do not know her story, I highly encourage you to learn about it.
The tour of St. Maria Goretti’s remains around the United States is part of a preparation for the Year of Mercy, which Pope Francis has announced and which will begin on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception — December 8.
