News Briefs: Volunteer in Mexico MADISON -- LAMP (Latin American Mission Program) seeks volunteers to spend two to three weeks this summer in Mexico as teachers, health care workers, cooks, drivers, mechanics, and physical workers. Because of the rebuilding of St. Martin House, the 2002 LAMP training classes for volunteers will be held Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the "Gathering Room" at St. Peter Parish, 5001 N. Sherman Ave., Madison. The second LAMP training class will be held Saturday, Feb. 9, at St. Peter Parish in Madison. The topic will be "Spiritual Preparation of the LAMP Volunteer" by Msgr. George Hastrich, LAMP president and spiritual director. For more information write LAMP, P.O. Box 85, Madison, WI 53701-0085, or call 608-845-7028, 608-543-3631, 608-868-7816. Diabetes Support Group BARABOO -- "Exercise and Diabetes" is the subject of the Diabetes Support Group meeting scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 7, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Clare Hospital here. Dan Dingman, St. Clare exercise physiologist, is the guest speaker. The support group, intended for people with diabetes and their families, meets the first Thursday of each month at St. Clare. There is no fee and no registration is required. For more information, call St. Clare Diabetes Education, Cheryl Eastman, registered nurse, 608-356-1510. Celebrating unity MADISON -- "St. James School is a community of many people: many cultures, many faith backgrounds, many differences," said Sr. Kathleen Loughrin, principal of St. James School. Families from St. James come from 23 different congregations. During Christian Unity week, pastors from some of these congregations took part in a special Jan. 25 prayer service for unity and peace. The community celebrated in symbol and song the traditions of many churches. Day of reflection MADISON -- "Our life is rooted in and fed by the Eucharist," said Mike Novak, liturgical editor for World Library Publications and former director of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Office for Prayer and Worship. Novak was the presenter at "Liturgical Spirituality," a day of reflection for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) team members and sponsors Jan. 26 at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center. The event was sponsored by the Diocese of Madison's Office of Worship and the Diocesan RCIA Committee. Morning prayer began the day, with Bishop George O. Wirz presiding. "May this day of reflection send you home spiritually renewed," Wirz said. "If I could give a definition to 'liturgical spirituality,' it would be: living the Christian life nourished by the liturgy," said Novak, taking participants on a "guided tour" through the Mass.

Lecture series:

MADISON -- Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, Ohio, is the next speaker in the ongoing St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture Series on Thursday, March 7, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center.

	Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk

His topic will be "Thinking Catholic." Pilarczyk is the author of a popular book by that title published by St. Anthony Messenger.

In his book, Pilarczyk gives pastoral reflections on many aspects of our lives as Catholics. Offering the point of view of one deeply faithful to the tradition and teachings of the church, Pilarczyk seeks to "help people savor and appreciate and nourish the gift of thinking Catholic."

In his book he writes: "Thinking Catholic is not something we can outline with completeness and detail because it contains too many elements and because it is as complex as the human heart. It is a mixture of motivating forces that may vary from individual to individual, but that includes some features common to all faithful believers.

"It is not a collection of separate items like tools in a tool box, but rather a blend of energies, each of which influences the others, like the various flavors in a good wine."

Ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1959, Pilarczyk was ordained bishop of Cincinnati in 1974 and installed as archbishop in 1982. He served as president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic Conference from 1989 to 1992. He presently serves as chairman of the USCCB Committee on Doctrine.

The event on March 7 begins with evening prayer at 7 p.m. in the Bishop O'Donnell Holy Name Memorial Chapel with Bishop William H. Bullock of Madison presiding. The lecture by Pilarczyk will begin after prayer and will allow time for questions. A social is planned after the lecture.

Admission to the lecture is by ticket only. Tickets are free of charge. To request a ticket or for more information, contact the Diocese of Madison's Office of Pastoral Services, phone 608-821-3083 or e-mail: pastoral@straphael.org.

Heritage Award:

MADISON -- Romilia Schlueter received a Heritage Award for her work as director of Centro Guadalupano during the 22nd annual State of Wisconsin ceremony honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Considered America's oldest state celebration honoring Dr. King, the event was held Jan. 21 in the state Capitol rotunda.

In his message of greeting for the event, Governor Scott McCallum said the state celebration "pays tribute to Dr. King's life and teachings of peace, equality, and opportunity for all."

Wisconsin's annual Martin Luther King Heritage Awards are described as being given to "individuals and groups who display privately or professionally an edifying passion and onus to lifelong community service."

Outreach to Hispanics

Romilia Schlueter serves as director of Centro Guadalupano, an outreach program of the Diocese of Madison that serves the area's Hispanic/Latino community.

Schlueter herself is a native of El Salvador. She met her husband, John, when he came to El Salvador as a Peace Corps volunteer. At that time, Romilia Escobar-Diaz was a teacher at the Peace Corps training Center. They married and left war-torn El Salvador in 1980 and moved to Madison in 1982.

The Schlueters have three sons: John Jr., David, and Steben. When her sons were grown, Romilia earned a degree in business administration at Edgewood College in Madison. She is in her fourth year working at Centro Guadalupano.

Comments on award

Commenting on the Heritage Award, Romilia, said, "It's such a beautiful name for an award. I receive it with great joy, because it honors everyone and everything that makes me who I am: God's creation; my ancestors, both the natives of the Americas and the European invaders; El Salvador, my country of birth; the United States of America, the country I embraced in love when I married John; this community that I serve and love; and at the end, I am my children's heritage.

"I am grateful for this award and receive it in the knowledge that the work I do is possible thanks to the efforts of many: the support of my family, the commitment of my employer, the Catholic Diocese of Madison; my coworkers; and the generosity of many volunteers and collaborators.

"With so many people willing to share their resources, it's easy to go the extra mile," she said. "I consider myself lucky to work in something I believe in and love and I have great company for the journey."