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Tag: sacraments
Adults Confirmed on Pentecost Sunday
MADISON — “To be confirmed is not simply a ceremony,” said Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison said to the 26 adults who were confirmed this past Pentecost Sunday, May 23.
Moving on after COVID
During a conversation I had with a parishioner last week, a wonderfully dedicated medical doctor, husband, and father, he complimented the diocese on how we handled the whole challenge of COVID.
As the penitent, so the confessor
There is a saying in the seminary: “As the seminarian, so the priest.” While I have thought about this phrase many times during my years in formation, it has recently taken on a new light.
Catechism stands as a light in the darkness
I was blessed to do a series of talks on the Catechism of the Catholic Church recently at St. Dennis Parish. I was impressed with the intense interest and attendance level every night.
People are hungry to learn more about the Faith and to put it into practice. Copies of the Catechism flew off the back table at an inspiring rate, which made this bishop’s heart very happy!
Church invites all to encounter Jesus Christ
By now you’ve seen or heard a great deal about me and what I’m supposed to have done most recently. It’s been in the papers, online, and on TV and radio news. You’ve been told by your friends, and talked about it over coffee. To some of you, what you’ve heard simply confirms the judgements you’ve already made long ago. For others, what you’ve heard left you sad and scratching your heads.
In truth, I find myself in that latter group.
The observations and reactions that have been made simply do not account for the total context. And what has grown from there is a flurry of opportunity for people to jump to every sort of negative conclusion and to air those negative judgements freely and widely. All of this has occurred very much absent the reality of the situation.
Growing in knowledge of faith in the diocese
MADISON — “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.”
We begin by reflecting on these words by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, which define our mission as Christians as being a disciple to Christ and thus our relationship with him gives “direction” to our lives.
The Sacrament of Matrimony
By Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB
This is the last article in the Abbot’s special Year of Faith series on the seven sacraments.
Rooted in scriptural images
The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes: “Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with the vision of the ‘wedding-feast of the Lamb’” (CCC 1602; Rev 19:7, 9; Gen 1:26-27).
No wonder that the Church’s theology of the Sacrament of Matrimony is deeply rooted in sacred Scripture.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders, part two
By Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB
This is the second installment in a two-part series on the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
The ordination of priests
From the outset, the Rite of Ordination of a Priest places this sacrament in the context of Jesus, our great High Priest, choosing “certain disciples to carry out publically in His Name, and on behalf of mankind, a priestly office in the Church.”
As such, priests are called to be co-workers with the order of bishops.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders, part one
By Abbot Marcel Rooney, OSB
Priesthood in the New Testament
In the writings of the New Testament, Jesus Christ is the only priest, the sole mediator between God and humanity. This privilege comes from God’s special designation of Him at His baptism, as well as His redeeming work by the Paschal Mystery — His death, resurrection, and ascension.