FOOTVILLE — St. Augustine Parish in Footville and St. Paul Parish in Evansville joined efforts to promote Pope Francis’ “Year of Mercy.”
Throughout the year, both parishes have undertaken various charitable works and promoted evangelization, educational, and spiritual outreaches to inspire everyone to live their faith and to act on the Corporal Works of Mercy.
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| A Holy Door is located at St. Patrick Church, 404 E. Main St., Madison. Another Holy Door is located at Holy Redeemer Church, 120 W. Johnson St., Madison. Both churches are part of the Cathedral Parish. For more information on Mass and Confession schedule, go to www.isthmuscatholic.org A Holy Door is also found at the Schoenstatt Founder Shrine, 5901 Cottage Grove Rd. in Madison, which is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Catholic Herald photo/Kevin Wondrash) |
MADISON — Led by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, Catholics around the world have had a great opportunity to make contemplating and celebrating the Mercy of God a daily part of our lives through our observance of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
Here in the Diocese of Madison, we adopted the theme, “Contemplating the Face of God’s Mercy.”
Many of us may read this and wonder, “What does this mean for me and what does this mean for my church/our diocese?”
These are good questions to be asking, especially as we consider how to continue to respond to God’s mercy once the Jubilee Year concludes on November 20.
We should keep asking ourselves those questions, and now is the perfect time to reflect on our own, as well as our collective, participation in this Jubilee Year.
Whether alone, with our families, or with the larger community, we always start every faithful effort with sincere prayer — through study, meditation, and more formal worship — especially in placing ourselves in our Lord’s very presence at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration.
Sincere and humble contemplation upon the face of God’s mercy will always lead us to the continual conversion we each need, and this conversion leads us to seek God’s mercy eagerly through the Sacrament of Penance and through living out the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy more frequently and more perfectly.
We are approaching the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis, which began on December 8, 2015, and will conclude on November 20.
This year has been an invitation for all of us to rediscover and encounter the incredible mercy of God. It has been an invitation to love, kindness, and generosity — things that we all need more than ever in our world today.
And just because the Year of Mercy ends on November 20, it doesn’t mean we have to stop learning more about mercy and incorporating it into our daily lives.
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| The Schoenstatt Founder Shrine in Madison has one of three Doors of Mercy in the Diocese of Madison during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which continues until November 20. (Photo (c) by Robert J. Arntz) |
MADISON — It has been a busy year at the Schoenstatt Founder Shrine in Madison, primarily because the shrine was designated as a Door of Mercy during the Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy.
During the Year of Mercy, the Diocese of Madison designated three Holy Doors. The other two sites are at the Cathedral Parish: St. Patrick Church and Holy Redeemer Church in Madison.
The doors provide a place of pilgrimage and they bear with them a plenary indulgence granted by Pope Francis.
The possibility for an indulgence comes under the usual conditions: a person must be in the state of grace, make a sacramental Confession, receive the Holy Eucharist, pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, and have the interior disposition of being detached from sin, including venial sin.
People have until November 20 to take advantage of this opportunity to pass through a Door of Mercy.
According to Sr. M. Catherine Ditto, Schoenstatt Movement coordinator in the Diocese of Madison, “It has been a busy year at our shrine. About 550 people each month have visited the shrine from different parishes, schools, and organizations.”
We are in the midst of the Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis. The year officially continues through November 20 of this year.
During this year, we are focusing on the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. It is timely, therefore, that Sunday, Oct. 16, will be observed as Catholic Charities Sunday in the Diocese of Madison.
MADISON — Citing a three-fold inspiration, Bishop Robert C. Morlino announced on Wednesday, Sept. 7, his plan to direct $500,000 in recent charitable bequests to provide the initial money for the establishment of a fund for works of mercy throughout the Diocese of Madison.
Almost daily we hear reports of violence in our nation and the world. We experience sorrow, anger, and fear each time we learn about another shooting.
Eventually, we almost feel numb to the violence. We don’t know what we can do — if anything — in the wake of so much hatred in the world.
Of course, we can and should pray. Pray for the victims, their families, the communities affected, and even for the perpetrators. But what else can we do to bring peace to our world?
When I was growing up in La Crosse, I used to attend Our Mother of Perpetual Help novenas every Tuesday evening with my family at Blessed Sacrament Parish.
I liked attending the novenas, but I never learned much about this Marian devotion. It wasn’t until recently that I found out how it developed.
I discovered that the icon of the Blessed Mother with her divine son (pictured here) has helped provide strength, comfort, and even miracles to the faithful for centuries.
It seems appropriate during May — the month dedicated to Mary — that we learn more about Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
MADISON — Dr. Ralph Martin will present the next St. Thérèse Lecture on Wednesday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m. at the Bishop O’Connor Center. His topic will be “Mercy and Mission: Living as a Catholic in Challenging Times.”
This special lecture during the Year of Mercy will help all the faithful enter more deeply into their understanding of mercy and their call to mission and to bring mercy into their daily lives.
STOUGHTON — As part of Pope Francis’ declaration of an Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy, St. Ann Parish is organizing several opportunities for people to reach out and help those in need throughout the year.
The first is to encourage Stoughton residents to donate blessing bags for the homeless.
