Tag: religious

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Kevin Wondrash

Rosary Rallies for Religious Liberty at Christ the King Parish, McFarland

MCFARLAND — Religious liberty in America continues to be under attack. What is the Catholic response to hostilities, political agendas, and perhaps unjust laws?

The most important response is to pray, support one another, and reflect on how to bring love and peace to often-difficult and emotional situations.

For the sixth year, Christ the King Parish in McFarland will be holding weekly Rosary Rallies for Religious Liberty. At the kick-off on Tuesday, June 20, Fr. Steve Smith, pastor of Christ the King Parish, will briefly present how the Catholic tradition can promote the common good in a way that respects all people.

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Fr. Steve Grunow

Religious Life reveals real possibilities for all lives

Word on Fire
Fr. Steve Grunow

Thomas Hobbes considered human civilization as an endless war of all against all with the only viable solution being the power of the state to regulate, order, and control.

Georg Frederich Hegel postulated that existence was an experience of inescapeable dialectics, a violent collision of opposites and it was only in this state of affairs that new growth and development was possible.

Friedrich Nietzsche insisted that all is “will to power” and that it is the master of power alone that escapes the heavy hand of fate.

These ideas have all had great weight. Whether we know about them or recognize their validity or not, these ideas have shaped, formed, and defined our culture.

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Kevin Wondrash

Rosary Rallies for Religious Liberty in McFarland

MCFARLAND — For the fifth year, Christ the King Parish, McFarland, will be holding weekly Rosary Rallies for Religious Liberty.

The kick-off is on Tuesday, June 21. Pastor Fr. Steve Smith will present a short overview of the issues and talk about the perspective Catholics can bring to the challenges facing religious groups.

At the beginning of each subsequent rally, a three-minute reflection on faith will be read, with a related Rosary intention. The overview and reflections are printed in a booklet that will be available to anyone attending the rallies, and upon request.

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Doug Ulaszek, For the Catholic Herald

Becky Thompson receives Jack McBride Ministry Award

MADISON — Recently, parish catechetical leaders from the Diocese of Madison honored the hard work and dedication of Becky Thompson of St. Joseph, Baraboo.

Thompson received the Jack McBride Leadership in Ministry Award. The Madison Diocese Religious Educator’s Organization (MDREO) presented the award at the Catechetical Convocation at the Bishop O’Connor Center in Madison.

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Abbot Marcel Rooney

Adaptation and renewal of Religious Life: Embracing the vow of obedience

Reflections on Religious Life column by Abbot Marcel Rooney

Editor’s note: During the Year of Consecrated Life which ends on February 2, this is the last in a series based on the Second Vatican Council’s document, Perfectae Caritatis (Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life) written by Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB, former abbot primate of the Benedictine order who now resides in Madison.

In this commentary on the Decree of the Second Vatican Council, On the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life (original = Perfectae Caritatis), we have been reflecting on how the Council Fathers envisioned a deep renewal of what the Church calls “the Consecrated Life.”

Number 14 of the decree speaks of one of the evangelical counsels, obedience. It is one of the most important ones, and gives a particular color to the entirety of Religious Life.

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Abbot Marcel Rooney

Adaptation and renewal of Religious Life: Chastity and charity linked

Reflections on Religious Life column by Abbot Marcel Rooney

Editor’s note: During this Year of Consecrated Life, this is the eighth in a series based on the Second Vatican Council’s document, Perfectae Caritatis (Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life) written by Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB, former abbot primate of the Benedictine order who now resides in Madison.

In this commentary on the Decree of the Second Vatican Council, On the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life (Perfectae Caritatis), we have been reflecting on how the council fathers envisioned a deep renewal of what the Church calls “the Consecrated Life.”

Number 12 of the decree speaks of one of the evangelical counsels, chastity, as at the core of that life.

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Abbot Marcel Rooney

Adaptation and renewal of Religious Life: Role of ‘active,’ apostolic Religious

Reflections on Religious Life column by Abbot Marcel Rooney

Editor’s note: During this Year of Consecrated Life, this is the seventh in a series based on the Second Vatican Council’s document, Perfectae Caritatis (Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life) written by Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB, former abbot primate of the Benedictine order who now resides in Madison.

In this commentary on the decree of the Second Vatican Council Decree On the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life, we have reflected upon the meaning of Religious Life expressed by the council fathers.

The fathers gave special attention to the two main expressions of Religious Life in the Western Church: 1) the contemplative and/or monastic life; 2) the active and/or missionary life.

In the previous installment, we reflected upon the contemplative expression of Religious Life. This seventh reflection will consider the council’s teaching on the “active” or apostolic expression of the special call to Religious Life.

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Abbot Marcel Rooney

Adaptation and renewal of Religious Life: Role of contemplative, monastic Religious

Reflections on Religious Life column by Abbot Marcel Rooney

Editor’s note: During this Year of Consecrated Life, this is the sixth in a series based on the Second Vatican Council’s document, Perfectae Caritatis (Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life) written by Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB, former abbot primate of the Benedictine order who now resides in Madison.

In this commentary on the Second Vatican Council’s Decree On the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life, we have reflected upon the general principles underlying the very existence of all Religious Life.

These include patterning the life on the doctrine and example of Jesus; giving a sign on earth of the heavenly Kingdom; binding the vowed individual in a special way to the Lord; and openness to the action of the Holy Spirit.

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Kevin Wondrash

Rosary Rallies for Religious Liberty to be held at McFarland parish

MCFARLAND — Our religious freedoms have come under attack. What is the Catholic response to hostilities, political agendas, and perhaps unjust laws?

The most important response is to pray, support one another, and reflect on how to bring love and peace to often difficult and emotional situations.

For the fourth year, Christ the King Parish will be holding weekly Rosary Rallies for Religious Liberty. The kickoff is Tuesday, June 23, at which Fr. Steve Smith, pastor, will present a short overview of the issues and our role as Catholics in bringing light and truth to the challenges we are facing.

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On
Abbot Marcel Rooney

Adaptation and renewal of Religious Life: Go back to the sources in the past

Reflections on Religious Life column by Abbot Marcel Rooney

Editor’s note: During this Year of Consecrated Life, this is the fifth in a series based on the Second Vatican Council’s document, Perfectae Caritatis (Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life) written by Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB, former abbot primate of the Benedictine order who now resides in Madison.

This commentary on the Second Vatican Council’s Decree On the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life has already examined the council’s basic understanding of the role of Religious Life in the Church.

If this special vocation within the Church is to be renewed, just how would one go about that?

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