Tag: team

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Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

Care Team volunteer builds relationships through home visits

cc volunteer
Mary Nellis (right) and her husband, Bob (center), visit Betty Bormett (left) at Bormett’s home in Madison. The Nellises are part of the Parish Care Team through St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison and Catholic Charities Madison. Care Team members volunteer to help the homebound or those living alone to preserve a rich and independent lifestyle through home visits and other means. (Contributed photo)

MADISON — “It’s a very personal ministry, taking care of people.”

For the past 10 years, Mary Nellis of Madison has been involved in that “personal ministry.”

She is one of two team leaders of the Parish Care Team at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison.

Nellis said the mission of the care team is “to be able to keep [those homebound or living alone] as independent as possible with a little bit of support from the parish and from fellow parishioners.”

Team members offer friendly visits and phone contacts; assistance with shopping, errands, and household tasks; along with emotional support, prayer, and home Communion visits.

“We will go in and bring the Eucharist to them and visit with them,” said Nellis, “and share something from the Mass the previous weekend, or just do a social visit with somebody who is lonely and who would appreciate somebody within the parish coming and just being a friend.”

The team also offers respite, relief, and support to family caregivers so they may rest and relax.

Catholic Charities Madison partners with the team to provide training and on-going consultation.

Getting involved

Nellis said she comes “from a long line of volunteers in my family,” and saw a need to get involved in the care team ministry as her own parents eventually needed respite care and realized some people don’t have anyone to come and check on them.

Her husband, Bob, got involved with the ministry first, and she soon followed.

One of her first partners was a wife suffering from dementia and nearing death.

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Kevin Wondrash

Edgewood mathletes show GR8 results

MADISON — Edgewood High School (EHS) offers more than 27 athletic teams and 25 other co-curriculars, but when Edgewood High School math teacher Cathi Shaughnessy first organized a “Math Team” about a decade ago, the number of students interested in participating and traveling to meets at public schools throughout the city could fit in her car.

Now, there are enough student “mathletes” to field four teams of eight and, with alternates, up to 40 students attend the competitions by bus.

 

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Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

Edgewood’s coach combines faith with football

MADISON — For Edgewood High School football coach Al Minnaert, the start of his 23rd season is another opportunity to go beyond teaching Xs and Os, it’s a chance to teach young men about relationships.

“You’ll remember wins and losses, close games, and some of those things, but the real part that matters and that they get the most out of are the relationships they establish with their classmates, their teammates, and their coaches, and if it’s done the right way, even perhaps opposing players.”

Minnaert, like coach Bob Ladoucuer in the movie When the Games Stands Tall, is both football coach and religion teacher at Edgewood — teaching half of the freshman class each year.

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Kevin Wondrash

School focuses on theme of peacemaking

MADISON — Blessed Sacrament School in Madison’s theme this year is about being a peacemaker.

The theme, “Peace Begins With Me,” was incorporated into the intermediate unit’s annual bonding party in September.

As a team-building activity, students spelled the word “PEACEMAKERS” by placing cups in the church and playground fences. They also formed a human peace symbol on the playground.

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George Weigel

Tim Tebow and Christophobia

The Catholic Difference by George Weigel

Two weeks into the NFL season, ESPN ran a Sunday morning special exploring why the third-string quarterback of the Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow, had become the most polarizing figure in American sports.

He has become more polarizing than trash-talking NBA behemoths; more polarizing than foul-mouthed Serena Williams; more polarizing than NFL all-stars who father numerous children by numerous women, all out of wedlock.

Why does Tebow, and Tebow alone, arouse such passions? Why is Tebow the one whom “comedians” say they would like to shoot?

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Mary C. Uhler

Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers

Editor's View by Mary C. UhlerWhat a game! What a victory! The Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl XLV by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. The Lombardi Trophy returns to Titletown.

Like Packer fans everywhere, I was glued to my TV set on Sunday to watch a great football contest. I wore my Aaron Rodgers jersey, a gift from my husband for Christmas of 2009. I consider it my lucky jersey, since we won every playoff game when I wore it!

The reason I received that jersey was because I have had confidence in Aaron Rodgers since he took over the starting quarterback role from Brett Favre. While I liked Favre when he played for the Packers, I didn’t like the way he left the team. And then after playing for the Jets, Favre took a position with the Vikings as if to rub more salt on the wound. I decided it was time to give Rodgers a chance.

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