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Bishops' Schedules:
Schedule of Bishop William H. Bullock
Thursday, February 14, 2002
10:00 a.m. -- Preside at Morning Prayer, Parish Staff Day, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison
6:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, Annual Knights of Columbus Clergy Appreciation Banquet/Memorial Mass, St. Mary Parish, Platteville
Sunday, February 17, 2002
9:00 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, St. James Parish, Dayton
2:30 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Rite of Election, St. Albert the Great Parish, Sun Prairie
Monday, February 18, 2002
6:45 p.m. -- Attend Installation of Very Reverend Michael G. Witczak as Rector of St. Francis Seminary and Presentation by Most Reverend Rembert G. Weakland, O.S.B., St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
7:00 p.m. -- Preside at Evening Prayer, Madison Downtown Catholic Parishes Lenten Series, St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison
Thursday, February 21, 2002
5:00 p.m. -- Host Project Andrew, Bishop's Residence, Madison
Schedule of Bishop George O. Wirz
Thursday, February 14, 2002
10:00 a.m. -- Attend Parish Staff Day, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison
Thursday, February 21, 2002
5:00 p.m. -- Attend Project Andrew, Bishop's Residence, Madison
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World Day of the Sick, February 11, 2002
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The Bishop:
A Herald of Faith
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On Monday I had the privilege and opportunity to celebrate World Day of the Sick with a Mass at Nazareth House in Stoughton.
February 11th, the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, has been designated by Pope John Paul II as a day to pray for the sick, a world day of prayer for all who are ill.
Many have visited Lourdes in France on pilgrimage; others remember Lourdes through the movie "The Song of Bernadette," made famous by Jennifer Jones for her portrayal of Saint Bernadette.
Lourdes, France
In our day, pilgrims flock to shrines seeking miraculous cures, offering prayers for the sick. I personally, in the Marian year 1988, had the privilege of going to the Lourdes Shrine.
"We pray that . . . true reconciliation be 'restored among nations, a time when swords are beaten into ploughshares and the clash of arms gives way to songs of peace.'"
-- From Pope John Paul II's prayer for the Jubilee Year 2000
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It is always an eye opener to see those who come to the shrines. It is moving to see the faith of invalids and their caretakers. It is also a remarkable demonstration of accepting God's will when no cure is granted. However everyone comes away strengthened by God and by the faith of our fellow pilgrims.
Homily on the Occasion of the World Day
of the Sick
Friends in Christ,
I am delighted to visit with you today and to celebrate this Mass with anointing of the sick on this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and World Day of the Sick. February 11th was designated World Day of the Sick by Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1992. On this day we pray in a special way for the sick and offer our suffering and illness for the good of the Church.
The Church encourages us to see in the faces of all our brothers and sisters who are sick the face of Christ, who by suffering and dying and rising from the dead achieved the salvation of humankind.
Poor Sisters of Nazareth
I acknowledge with gratitude the wonderful spiritual and humanitarian service at Nazareth House by The Poor Sisters of Nazareth. I appreciate the leadership provided by Sr. Margaret Brody and Sisters, all of whom collaborate with her to provide not only nursing and care for the sick and elderly but also a special presence of Christ.
I also acknowledge the pastoral service and presence provided by Monsignor Gerard Healy here at Nazareth House. Your names may not appear on any of the headline news for the work you do to provide for the sick and elderly, but your presence is felt among God's people here at Nazareth House.
St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians says, "We continually carry about in our bodies the dying of Jesus, so that in our bodies the life of Jesus may be revealed."
There are hardly any of us who do not bear the scars of age or infirmity in his/her own body. We bear them joyfully and faithfully. We believe "that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us up with him and place us in his presence."
Jesus comes to console us today in a special way with his sacraments of Eucharist and anointing, and to assure us that we are a special part of his suffering and pilgrim Church. May God be with you always in your battles of life that through him you may truly overcome the world.
As Church we teach that every human life comes from God and so, in every stage of life, from the womb to the tomb, the value and dignity of human life is honored, respected, and protected. In our consistent life ethic we embrace the full spectrum of life, but on this day we reverence the elderly and sick.
Offer your suffering to end terrorism
In the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, those who are ill are consoled and strengthened by the Sacrament. Through the Sacrifice of the Mass, we offer up to God whatever we suffer and endure for the realization of justice and peace and the salvation of the world. I urge you to offer your suffering that we find peaceful ways to end terrorism.
Love is stronger than death
The recent terrorist tragedies of September 11, 2001, opened our eyes more than ever before to the tragedies of poverty, insensitivity, neglect, and injustice in all parts of the world and how we can no longer sit idly by in the face of human suffering.
We are beginning to realize the power of love over hate, and cooperation over racism and division. As the Song of Songs states it: "Love is stronger than death." As this new awareness dawns on us, we are required to have a genuine change of attitude toward material things, and toward people, especially those who are different from us, and to realize that there is value in every culture.
As we pray for the sick and elderly today, we also pray that justice and peace may pass from mere political rhetoric to actual love and concern for all peoples of all races; that the distribution of this world's goods may no longer follow political ideologies of who is our friend or foe but rather be based on real human need.
We pray that the cycle of violence may end and that true reconciliation be "restored among nations, a time when swords are beaten into ploughshares and the clash of arms gives way to songs of peace." (From Pope John Paul II's prayer for the Jubilee Year 2000)
The beautiful, patient witness of you, the residents at Nazareth House, your caretakers, and the Sisters, help us all realize the goodness of God. May God prosper your work and your ministry among us. Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.
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