Bishops' Schedules: Schedule of Bishop William H. Bullock Thursday, February 28, 2002 3:00 p.m. -- Preside at Midday Prayer for Vocations, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Saturday, March 2, 2002 8:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, St. Mary Help of Christians Parish, Glen Haven Sunday, March 3, 2002 10:30 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, St. Joseph Parish, Edgerton Tuesday, March 5, 2002 10:00 a.m. -- Attend St. Raphael Board Meeting, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison 7:00 p.m. -- Preside at Lenten Communal Penance Service, St. Andrew Parish, Verona Thursday, March 7, 2002 7:00 p.m. -- Preside at Evening Prayer, St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture Series, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Schedule of Bishop George O. Wirz Thursday, February 28, 2002 3:00 p.m. -- Attend Midday Prayer for Vocations, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison Sunday, March 3, 2002 1:00 p.m. -- Preside at Lenten Communal Penance Service, Religious Education Students, Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, Madison Tuesday, March 5, 2002 10:00 a.m. -- Attend St. Raphael Board Meeting, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison 7:00 p.m. -- Guest Speaker, Eastside Parishes Lenten Series, St. Dennis Parish, Madison Thursday, March 7, 2002 7:00 p.m. -- Attend St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture Series, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison

Catholic Herald gets 'Hit'!

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

Language changes in meaning throughout the decades.

"Hit" used to refer to a baseball term, to a contract for a killing -- "hire a hit man". . . or a name for popularity: "He was a hit at the party. She was a hit at the movies." Today on any Web site, the word "hit" means we have had someone see our ad or news item.

For over 54 years, The Catholic Herald of the Diocese of Madison has been communicating with the people of our Diocese on a weekly basis through the medium of print.

In October of 2001, we launched a new on-line version of The Catholic Herald (look for it at www.madisoncatholicherald.org) to serve as a companion to the print edition. Through the World Wide Web, our diocesan newspaper now reaches out -- not only to people in the Diocese of Madison -- but also to the entire world.

"This coming week Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati and former president of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, will give an address on Thursday, March 7, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center titled "Thinking Catholic." It is a good topic and a needed one in our day. Reading The Catholic Herald each week helps you Think Catholic, not as a denomination boast but as a way to know your faith and live it fully."

We're a hit!

We've discovered we're a hit! Over 38,000 "hits" have been made so far on the Web site. In January alone, there were 13,530 hits -- an average of 436 a day.

Visitors to the site have come from Wisconsin, of course, and from other states in our country as well as from many nations in the world: the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Norway, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Botswana, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Chile, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Mexico, and Belgium.

How are they finding us? The Catholic Herald registered with a variety of "search engines," so people looking for information about their Catholic faith can find the Web site. Visitors also include people who used to live in the Diocese of Madison and want to stay in touch.

One former resident of the Diocese, now living in Las Vegas, said she enjoys both the print and on-line versions of The Catholic Herald. "It is so informative," she wrote in a recent letter to the editor. "I like the Notes from the Vicar General, the Bishop's Official page, the Editorial page, Voices, and especially the Reflections on Faith page. Grand Mom is wonderful, too. I look forward to every single issue each week."

Searching for direction in The New Millennium

Since Sept. 11, 2001, our lives have been changed. Many people are turning to their faith for meaning and direction. The Catholic Herald provides resources for people to grow in the understanding of their faith in light of what is happening in the world.

The Catholic Herald does this through in-depth news reports of events happening in our Diocese, state, nation, and world.

The paper also offers editorials and commentaries by a variety of writers. Each week there are articles about the Catholic faith, including my own column, reflections on the weekly Sunday readings by Father John Stillmank, our Moderator of the Curia, and Pope John Paul II's weekly audience. Monsignor Paul Swain, our Vicar General, also writes a bi-weekly column.

We have found that Spirituality is the most requested page on the on-line version of The Catholic Herald, followed closely by the Local/State News page. Other popular features are the Bishop's page and the Editorial page.

Catholic Press Month

February is observed as Catholic Press Month. This year's theme is "Strengthening Our Spirituality, Diversity, and Community."

Our own Catholic Herald definitely carries out this theme each week with its features to strengthen the spirituality of its readers; to help understand and appreciate the diversity of our Church, especially in its ministries to people of many cultures; and to build community among the people of our Diocese and the world. We are in a particular way grateful for the Nigerian Solidarity Program and our translations into Spanish for our Latinos in the Diocese.

Salute to our editor and staff

We praise God for our Diocesan newspaper, for our Editor, Mrs. Mary Uhler, and staff, Mrs. Pam Payne, Mrs. Julianne Nornberg, Miss Sarah Baldwin, and Mr. Steve Hefty, for their fine efforts each week. I salute all writers and readers. I salute our advertisers who make possible our Catholic Herald.

I also wish to salute The Catholic Herald Advisory Committee, chaired by Mr. Ernest Stetenfeld, with Committee Members: Reverend Monsignor Joseph P. Higgins, Reverend Felix Oehrlein, Reverend Paul Arinze, Deacon Wesley Brush, Ms. Charlotte Bell, Mr. Bill Brophy, Mr. Gregory Keller, Mrs. Romilia Schlueter, Mr. William Robbins, and Mrs. Mary Uhler.

"A Catholic Herald in Every Home" continues to be our goal. Our Advisory Committee and staff have been promoting circulation and readership of the paper in all parishes of the Diocese. I encourage all of you to read The Catholic Herald each week, cover to cover, and check out the on-line version of our paper. Discover for yourself why The Catholic Herald is a hit with so many people.

This coming week Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati and former president of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, will give an address on Thursday, March 7, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center titled: "Thinking Catholic." It is a good topic and a needed one in our day.

Reading The Catholic Herald each week helps you Think Catholic, not as a denomination boast but as a way to know your faith and live it fully.

Bishop's column: Now on radio in addition to print, Internet

MADISON -- Beginning last week, Bishop William H. Bullock's reading of his weekly Catholic Herald column airs on a Madison-area Catholic radio station, WHFA (Holy Family Airwaves), 1240 AM.

Each week, the bishop will record his Catholic Herald weekly column into the Starboard Broadcasting, Inc. software on his computer in his office.

The column can then be heard on Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 4:45 p.m., which is close to the commuter time in the Madison area. It immediately precedes "Catholic Answers," the number one rated show carried on WHFA.

The bishop's column also appears in English and Spanish on-line. It can be found on the "Bishop Speaks" page of The Catholic Herald's on-line publication at www.madisoncatholicherald.org.