Bishops' Schedules: Schedule of Bishop William H. Bullock Thursday, December 13 10:00 a.m. -- Preside at Advent School Penance Service, Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Madison Friday, December 14, 2001 1:00 p.m. -- Preside at Advent School Penance Service, St. Francis Xavier Parish, Cross Plains 6:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, Annual Bishop's Gathering with Serrans, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center Saturday, December 15, 2001 9:00 a.m. -- Preside at Advent Parish Penance Service, Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Madison 5:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, Diocesan Institute for Lay and Diaconate Formation, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center Sunday, December 16, 2001 9:15 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, St. Lawrence O'Toole Parish, Mount Hope 4:00 p.m. -- Preside at Lessons and Carols, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center Wednesday, December 19, 2001 7:00 p.m. -- Preside at Advent Parish Penance Service, St. Andrew Parish, Verona Schedule of Bishop George O. Wirz Thursday, December 13, 2001 10:00 a.m. -- Participating at Advent School Penance Service, Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Madison Friday, December 14, 2001 6:00 p.m. -- Concelebrate at Celebration of the Eucharist, Annual Bishop's Gathering with Serrans, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center Saturday, December 15, 2001 11:30 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison Sunday, December 16, 2001 8:00 a.m. -- Lecturer, Diocesan Institute for Lay and Diaconate Formation, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center

Our youth:

Hope at the Crossroads

"Through the sacrament of Baptism each person is called to a life of holiness and service. This call or vocation (from God) is lived as single, married, ordained, or consecrated person.

		The Bishop: A Herald of Faith Bishop William H. Bullock

"A vocation is a loving, generous, and compassionate re-sponse to serve God and give testimony to Jesus Christ in the world today." (National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry Task Force on Vocations)

24,000 youngsters

The scene is Indianapolis in Indiana; the place, their RCA Dome; the occasion, the gathering of 24,000 high school students participating in the National Catholic Youth Conference and Congress. Sixty-one of the group came from our Diocese, including members of the Youth Council, Ben Weisse, our Director of Youth Ministry, Father Nicholas Okere, my priest-secretary, and myself.

"Sitting at the same table with these youngsters, listening to their words, their hearts, their desires, their struggles, their ambitions allowed me to see with greater appreciation, the many beautiful gifts of our youth. They are awesome!"

It was a special grace for me to be among our young people. They are full of enthusiasm and energy, intent on making a difference for Christ in the world . . . in their teenage world. Many of these same young women (60 percent) and young men (40 percent) will participate in World Youth Day with Pope John Paul II in Toronto, Canada on July 23-28, 2002.

Sixty bishops at congress

Among those participating were 60 United States Bishops from all parts of our country. We sat at tables with the young people discussing such items as, "what are some of the obstacles you experience in making a vocational choice -- from the world, your family, and peers?"

Sitting at the same table with these youngsters, listening to their words, their hearts, their desires, their struggles, their ambitions allowed me to see with greater appreciation the many beautiful gifts of our youth. They are awesome!

Paradigm shift

Years ago we often quoted Cardinal Newman who said, "Youth is such a wonderful gift, it is too bad it's wasted on the young." Today there's a paradigm shift and we see our youth, in their giftedness, as awesome.

The youth of this particular convention were high in their praise of the Bishops who attended. They say, so often we see you at Confirmation, Bishop, and we enjoy you in that setting, but I wish more of us could be with you in this setting, talking to you as Bishop and friend, listening to us, and praying in special ways with and for us. "We accept you Bishops as our leaders", they say, "however, we want to get to know you and help you get to know us and who we really are." Awesome is a good word.

The conference offered three days of information, times for reflection, dialogue, and prayer. I know our own Diocesan youth will share with you, in some written form, their own impressions. These are, in part, mine.

Let Us Pray The Call Persistent God, Your voice beckons like some secret yet to be revealed. I am drawn to your invitation yet scared by the possibilities it might hold for my life. You ask to be loved with a whole heart, a whole soul and a whole mind, and I tremble at the thought of what that might demand of me and of my life. Lead me, Lord to a place where I can hear the wisdom of your words. Speak to me, Lord, so I can understand your plan for me. Call me, Lord, to a life that serves you. Strengthen me, Lord, so that my "Yes!" is louder than the world's "No!" Gift me, Lord, with the faith to answer your call and the trust to follow in your footsteps all the days of my life. Amen!

Miss America

Miss America (Miss Hawaii), Angela Baraquio, spoke to our youth on Saturday evening about her life, the temptations to glory in the luster and tinsel of being chosen Miss America, on how suddenly your photo is on the cover of many magazines, newspapers, and calendars.

But she also spoke to the great and rich opportunity as Miss America to help build lasting values among our young people. Angela has a good sense of mission, is very pretty, and speaks very well. As a young Catholic woman from a large family (the eighth child of 10, which she emphasized) she gave witness to the importance of faith in Christ, which endures and goes beyond all the pageantry.

Let me close with a vocation prayer coined by the National Conference of Youth Conference. It's a good prayer and will let you see clearly in the imagery and language of our youth. (See prayer at right.)

What can you do?

• Assist -- by your regular prayer

• Teach -- by your example and personal witness

• Share -- your life story of how God led you to your vocation

• Develop -- a plan of discernment that promotes yet tests God's call

• Celebrate -- be present with our young people; be with them.

If you wish, share this article with your children or grandchildren and visit their website at www.nfcym.org

Official Appointments:

Most Reverend William H. Bullock, Bishop of Madison, wishes to announce the following appointments:

Deans for terms ending August 31, 2004:

• Columbia Deanery -- Rev. Raymond J. Dischler
• Grant Deanery -- Rev. Msgr. Thomas F. Baxter
• Iowa Deanery -- Rev. Henry N. Kalscheuer
• Jefferson Deanery -- Rev. Thomas P. Marr
• Madison Deanery -- Rev. Msgr. Kenneth J. Fiedler
• Marquette-Green Lake Deanery -- Rev. Dale W. Grubba
• Sauk Deanery -- Rev. Gerald P. Vosen
• West Dane Deanery -- Rev. D. Stephen Smith

Msgr. Paul J. Swain
Vicar General