News Briefs: World Day for Consecrated Life MADISON -- In a recent letter to priests of the Diocese of Madison, Bishop William H. Bullock asked pastors to use the World Day for Consecrated Life to educate people about consecrated life. "The World Day for Consecrated Life, held in Rome every Feb. 2 as an effort to enhance awareness of consecrated life in the Church, will be marked in dioceses nationwide the weekend of Feb. 2-3, 2002, with the theme, 'Be Seekers of the Lord' (Zephaniah 2:3)," said Bullock in his letter. Bullock encouraged pastors to work through the Office for Vicar for Religious to invite members of consecrated life to participate as ministers for the liturgy that day, as lectors or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, or to offer reflections after Communion. Parish celebrates patron's feast MADISON -- St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, 602 Everglade Dr., will host its annual feast week in celebration of its patron saint, St. Thomas Aquinas. Celebration events take place from Saturday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Feb. 3. Parishioners and non-parishioners alike are welcome to attend any of the activities. War and peace program JEFFERSON -- J. Mark Brinkmoeller, director of the diocesan Office for Justice and Peace, will lead a presentation on Catholic teaching on war and peace in light of Sept. 11 in the school library at St. John the Baptist Parish, 324 E. North St., on Thursday, Jan. 17. Reception at 6:30 p.m.; presentation at 7 p.m. For more information, call Dorene Shuda at 920-674-3649 or e-mail adshuda@idcnet.com. Christian unity service COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Ecumenical Association will begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with a service on Sunday, Jan. 20, at 4 p.m. at St. Jerome Church on Hwy. 89. Eight church choirs will sing. Fr. Steve Smith, ecumenical officer for the Diocese of Madison, is the main speaker. A reception will be held in the school gym afterward. Two-evening forum FOOTVILLE -- St. Augustine Parish, 280 Haberdale Dr., will host a forum on peace and justice. "Peace in the Home: Parenting for Peace" will be held Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. Fran Hanus will be facilitator. On Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. the topic will be "Justice in our Food System: Eating is a Moral Act." Tom McKenna will be the facilitator. Interested persons should call Fr. Eric Nielsen at 608-876-6252 or Janet Kassel at 608-876-6311. Volunteer to work in Mexico MADISON -- Volunteers are being invited to spend two to three weeks this summer in Mexico with the Latin American Mission Program (LAMP). Registration for those interested will be held Saturday, Jan. 26, at St. Peter Parish, Madison. The 2002 LAMP classes will be held Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m. at St. Peter Parish "Gathering Room," 5001 N. Sherman Ave., Madison, WI 53704, phone: 608-249-6651. For more information, call 608-845-7028, 608-543-3631, or 608-868-7816. Day of reflection MADISON -- On Saturday, Feb. 2, Fr. Robert Dufford will present a day of reflection at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 401 S. Owen Dr. The day begins at 9 a.m., includes lunch, and concludes with a 2 p.m. Mass. Pre-registration is required. To make a reservation, send a check ($10 per person) payable to Our Lady Queen of Peace to: Parish Center-Retreat, 401 S. Owen Drive, Madison, WI 53711. Pre-registration deadline is Monday, Jan. 28. For more information, call the parish at 608-231-4600.

Vocations: They're everyone's work

Vocations to the ordained ministry and consecrated life serve all the people of God.

Just as every individual is called to holiness, so too does every individual within the Church share in the responsibility of inviting, discerning, and welcoming persons who hear the call of God to a vocation of service in the Church. Vocation work through prayer and encouragement is part of the commitment to Christ undertaken at one's baptism.

What can families do?

Families are the key in the recognition of and support for vocations to ordained ministry and consecrated life. What can families do?

1. Pray together. Family prayer illustrates to your children the importance you place upon your relationship with God. Family prayer times help to establish a pattern for life, a centering of self in relationship with God.

2. Pray specifically for vocations. Set a special time each day to pray for vocations as a family. A good time is at the conclusion of the family's mealtime prayer. Copies of various vocation prayers are included in this issue.

3. Speak to your children often about the "Call to Holiness." Each of us is called to holiness. Each must prayerfully discern the particular path to which we are being called by God, the state of life, whether married or single. Some are called to a life of service to God through His Church. Raise ordained ministry and consecrated life as a real possibility for your children to prayerfully discern.

4. Support the priests, deacons, brothers, and sisters who are currently serving. Young people want to follow in the footsteps of one whom they have seen make a difference. When we are overly critical of priests, deacons, brothers, and sisters, we bias our children against responding positively to that vocational call. Support those whom you know that have heard the call of God to a vocation of service to the Church and are currently ministering.

Parishes play key role

Parishes as our local faith communities likewise play an important role in vocation work by providing necessary information and by supporting those in discernment. What can parishes do?

1. Form a Vocation Committee. Every parish should have a group of individuals dedicated to the work of vocations in the parish. This committee not only provides information to those who feel they might be called to a Church vocation but also to support individual discernment through prayer.

2. Pray weekly for vocations. Christ himself said, "Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest" (Mt 9:38). Parishes can make it a priority to include a prayer for vocations in the general intercessions for each weekend liturgy.

3. Sponsor Parish Vocation Projects. Parishes may wish to keep vocations in the minds and prayers of parishioners by using a traveling vocation prayer approach. Examples of this type of project include the traveling chalice and traveling crucifix projects where different families sign up to take the prayer reminder home with them for a week and to gather round it daily for prayers for vocations.

4. Teach vocations annually in your school and religious education classes. The call to holiness deserves annual reminders and discussions. Parishes can incorporate lessons on vocations and discernment of vocations at each grade level each year.

MADISON -- Just because we have the technological capability to do something does not mean it is right.

That was the message sent loud and clear at the State Capitol during a Jan. 9 press conference about a bill that would ban human cloning in Wisconsin.

Assembly Bill (AB) 699, authored by Representative Steve Kestell (R-Elkhart Lake) and supported by 48 other legislators, would ban all human cloning in the state of Wisconsin. Violators would face civil penalties including imprisonment and forfeitures.

The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Assembly Health Committee on Jan. 25.

Life is not commodity

Legislators and representatives of various organizations spoke in favor of AB 699.

Kestell said he had hoped the issue would be addressed at the national level, pointing out that the U.S. House of Representatives did pass a comprehensive cloning ban in July 2001, but it languished. "So the individual states have to pick it up and move on," he said.

"We are continually being told that recent scientific developments could make human cloning possible, yet the discussion cannot end there," said Kestell. "Just because science allows something to be done, there are certain lines we should not cross."

Mary Matuska, Pro-Life Wisconsin legislative director, said that "reproductive cloning," which involves lives destined for the womb, and "therapeutic cloning," which involves lives begun solely to be sacrificed for their body parts, undermine the sanctity of human life.

"Human cloning makes babies commodities," she said. "We as a society must deplore the treatment of human life as a mere commodity to be created and destroyed for spare parts."

In a statement released later on Jan. 9, Matuska said she opposed LRB 3964, legislation proposed by Senator Mark Meyer (D-La Crosse), which would only ban reproductive cloning and would allow therapeutic cloning.

Wisconsin Right to Life Legislative Director Susan Armacost also sent a memo to state legislators urging them to reject LRB 3964, which "only prohibits reproductive cloning but would permit the cloning [called therapeutic cloning] of human embryos who would face death via medical experimentation."

A moral question

Executive Director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference John Huebscher voiced support for AB 699 at the press conference as well.

"The realization that something can be done must always be accompanied by the question of should it be done," he said.

"The capacity to engage in human cloning compels us to evaluate anew the moral question of whether the end justifies the means. It is a question for all of us."

Dignity of life

Any decision regarding human cloning must be assessed in light of its impact on the dignity of human life, said Huebscher. "No person should be intentionally sacrificed for someone else's benefit or advancement."

Huebscher pointed out that some have suggested "therapeutic" cloning promotes a public good, "which is somehow viewed as more laudable than the private good that reproductive cloning might serve.

"The common good cannot be served by undermining the humanity of the most vulnerable members of our human community," he said.

"More fundamentally, whereas an embryo cloned for reproduction would be born, an embryo cloned for research would not," he said. "Thus, an exemption that permits cloning for research purposes would, in effect, create a class of human beings that the state says it is illegal not to kill."

Since he became bishop of the Diocese of Madison in 1993, Bishop William H. Bullock has made an effort to visit each parish of the diocese. Recently he visited three of the nine remaining parishes. Here, during Mass at St. Michael Parish, Calamine, Bullock baptizes Wesley William Berget, son of Anita and Bradley Berget.

By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- If your New Year's resolution this year is to help those in need, donating blankets and funds to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's blanket and bedding drive, "Recycle the Warmth," is a good way to start.

To run the 10th annual drive, the society's District Council of Madison in Dane County is working with area churches, the four ShopKo Stores in Madison, WISC-TV 3, and WTDY (1670 AM).

On Saturday, Jan. 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., volunteers will staff Recycle the Warmth blanket and bedding collection points at the four Madison-area ShopKo stores. For those who wish to donate new blankets, ShopKo will offer blankets at a reduced price.

Bedding will also be collected at the St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores on Williamson St., the West Beltline, and Park St. in Madison, and on Jefferson St. in Stoughton.

On Sunday, Jan. 20, more than 20 churches will help collect bedding. For participating places of worship, time and collection details, call St. Vincent de Paul, 608-278-2920. Participating congregations are also listed on St. Vincent Web site: www.svdpmadison.org/recyclewarmth.html.

All of the blankets and bedding collected or purchased will be given away during the next 12 months to needy individuals and families in Dane County.

"The drive is extremely important to St. Vincent de Paul in that over the last 10 years, we've been able to collect a year's worth of blankets for people who need them," said Gary Hammond, general manager, St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores in the Madison area.

"By the end of each year, we give away to needy families and individuals the whole supply of blankets collected in the previous Recycle the Warmth drive," he said. "Lately, we're seeing an increase in people visiting our service center for help, so the success of this year's round-up is even more important than usual."

Monetary gifts are welcome. A $5 donation will buy a new blanket for someone in need. Checks may be made payable to "Society of St. Vincent de Paul" and sent to: District Council of Madison, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, 1109 Jonathon Dr., Madison, WI 53713-3230.