MADISON — Pastoral ministers who are part of a parish staff may have any number and variety of responsibilities.
Many of us coordinate outreach to the homebound, visits to people in care facilities, and ministry to the bereaved.
Others are deacons, liturgists, pastoral musicians, social justice coordinators, directors of communications, or have adult faith formation responsibilities.
Now that the governor has presented his state budget to the Legislature, fiscal issues and spending priorities will dominate the legislative agenda for the next several months.
First, the Joint Committee on Finance will hold hearings on the proposals. Then some of the standing committees may hold “subject matter” hearings on aspects of the budget related to their areas of expertise.
For those who engage the policies by which we govern ourselves, the beginning of an odd-numbered year is a time for defining a vision.
Governors set their vision with their state of the state message and their budget address. Legislators do it by their “priority bills.” The Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) does so by sharing its Policy Positions for the new session.
With Christmas festivities underway and family gatherings abounding, Christ’s birth is any Christian’s central focus.
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| Olivia Knier |
Surely this focus has brought about some thought on the Blessed Virgin’s important role in the Christ Child’s life.
The simple, yet difficult role she held in His time can hardly be paralleled with such a fast-paced culture as ours is today, can it?
With the role of women in society changing rapidly, it’s easy to lose sight of where women should stand. Involvement of a woman in society today is different from that of Jesus’ time, but still centers around the same characteristic: primary focus of service to the family.
