PORTAGE — A young man on a spiritual mission, biking across the state of Wisconsin for a higher cause, is undeterred by his cerebral palsy.
Christopher Pundzak is biking from the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill near Milwaukee to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, a distance of over 190 miles. He is on a mission is to raise awareness that the soul is stronger than the body and that we can do great things for God and others when motivated by love.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Msgr. George M. Hastrich on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Patrick Church of the Cathedral Parish of St. Raphael in Madison. Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, will be the main celebrant with Msgr. Kevin Holmes, rector of Cathedral Parish, as homilist.
MADISON — The third annual Fortnight for Freedom: Freedom to Serve, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), will take place from June 21 to July 4.
According to the USCCB, it’s “a time when our liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution by political power: St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, St. John the Baptist, SS. Peter and Paul, and the first martyrs of the Church of Rome.”HUBERTUS — On Saturday, Oct. 5, all young Catholics are invited to the 13th Annual “Fire On the Hill!” — the largest youth event in the state of Wisconsin.
Last year, over 1,500 teens and young adults poured onto the grounds of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians, popularly known as “Holy Hill.”
This beautiful fall event includes bonfire, speakers, sports, and the sacraments. Massive tents are set up for the speakers, music, and Eucharistic Adoration.
MILWAUKEE — “Hearts United 2013,” a Eucharistic Rosary Rally for Peace and the Family, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Wisconsin Exposition Center, located on the corner of 84th St. and Greenfield Ave. in West Allis.
Everyone is welcome, including youth and young adults, men and women, single and married. Bring the entire family.
HUBERTUS, Wis. — The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Shrine with a Mass on Saturday, May 25, at 4:30 p.m.
Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki of Milwaukee will be the principal celebrant, with the Discalced Carmelite priests of Holy Hill concelebrating.
Archbishop Listecki will also re-dedicate the Shrine Chapel, recently repainted by Conrad Schmitt Studios (of New Berlin), as well as formally bless the newly installed bronze doors.
These doors, depicting St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Virgin Mary, were designed by renowned figurative sculptor, Cody Joseph Swanson, casted by Vanguard Sculpture Services, Ltd (of Milwaukee,), and fabricated by Louis Hoffmann Co (of Menomonee Falls). This special Mass is open to the public.
Often sickly as a child, Catholic columnist and author, Marge Fenelon, spent many days lying on the living room sofa looking up at the picture of Mary and baby Jesus on the wall.
The print, a copy of Mother Thrice Admirable, was a gift to her mother from Fr. Joseph Kentenich, the founder of the Apostolic Movement of Schoenstatt, when Fenelon was just a year old.
Often sickly as a child, Catholic columnist and author, Marge Fenelon, spent many days lying on the living room sofa looking up at the picture of Mary and baby Jesus on the wall.
My husband and I chose to send our children to Catholic schools. We were able to afford the tuition to make that choice, while at the same time paying taxes to support public school education.
We were fortunate to be able to choose the schools we wanted for our children, but not everyone has the financial resources to make that choice. Although Catholic schools provide much financial aid, there are still families that can’t afford to send their children to a Catholic school.
Twenty-three years ago, Wisconsin did something about that problem by starting the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. This program provides state-paid tuition vouchers to enable low-income students to enroll in private schools in the City of Milwaukee. The program, which has survived legal challenges in the Wisconsin and U.S. Supreme Courts, began operation in 1990 with about 340 students.
At first the Milwaukee program only provided vouchers for students attending private nonsectarian schools. However, in 1995 it was expanded to allow vouchers for children attending religious schools. It was stipulated that a school must excuse a student from participation in any religious instruction or activity at the request of the child’s parent or guardian (very few people have taken this option).
MADISON — Archbishop Jerome Listecki, archbishop of Milwaukee, paid a visit to the Bishop O’Connor Center in Madison recently in order to become better acquainted with Bishop Robert C. Morlino’s diocesan staff and collaborators.
HUBERTUS — Despite the heavy rainfall and low temperatures, about 1,200 people gathered at the Basilica of Holy Hill in Hubertus on Saturday, April 28, to celebrate Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan’s Mass of Thanksgiving.
A steady hum of excited chatter filled the church, and grew louder as the cardinal made a special stop before Mass to the side chapel where people with disabilities viewed the celebration on monitors, and again as he greeted people down the center aisle of the upper church. Cameras flashed nonstop as he flashed his smile, shared his greetings, hugs, and firm handshakes.
