Bishops' Schedules: Schedule of Bishop William H. Bullock Friday, November 1, 2002 12:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, Solemnity of All Saints, St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison Saturday, November 2, 2002 10:00 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, All Souls Day, Resurrection Cemetery Chapel, Madison 4:30 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, Consecration of New Church Altar, St. Henry Parish, Watertown Sunday, November 3, 2002 10:30 a.m. -- Preside and Preach at the Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, Sacred Heart Parish, Reedsburg Monday, November 4 - Tuesday, November 5, 2002 St. Louis Consultation Center, St. Louis, Missouri Wednesday, November 6, 2002 5:30 p.m. -- Host Project Andrew Dinner, Diocesan House, Madison Schedule of Bishop George O. Wirz Sunday, November 3, 2002 1:30 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Mary of the Nativity Parish, Marshall Wednesday, November 6, 2002 7:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, St. Mary of Lourdes Parish, Belleville linked with St. James Parish, Dayton at St. Mary of Lourdes Parish, Belleville

Celebrate Life --
All Saints and All Souls

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

Each one of us is called, in fact, all the baptized are called to holiness, not just a select few.

God in his creative power calls us into being, sustains us in his life-giving power all our lives, and finally God calls us to share intimately in his love for all eternity.

Pope John Paul II has beatified and canonized an extraordinary number of holy people as saints in his nearly 25 years as Pope.

"We preach and teach life in a consistent way, constantly and clearly. We respect human life, but we also celebrate liturgically a constant newness of God's grace and life in the sacraments."

Frequently Pope John Paul II, in making a pastoral visit to a country, will use it as an occasion to heighten the awareness of the people to the universal call to holiness by beatifying a person.

God's holy people

In our country, Our Holy Father has done this with Blessed Samuel Mazzuchelli, Saint Katherine Drexel, Blessed Junipero Serra, and Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha. These blessed persons responded to God's call to be holy and used the ordinary means offered by the Church by which to become holy, to be outstanding in simple and humble ways while on journey here on earth.

The Mother Teresas of our day, the Archbishop Oscar Romeros, the Elizabeth Ann Setons, and the Edith Steins, all announce to us how possible holiness truly is in our Church.

This week as you read this very column, we as Church are celebrating All Saints Day - those unnamed saints not known by name but who are truly outstanding in holiness.

But it is also our feast day, as the letters of St. Paul state: the early Christian people were called saints, holy people seeking perfection in God.

Struggles of our day

In our contemporary society it is difficult to keep our eye and heart on the holy.

There are so many gravitational pulls toward self-fulfillment, toward achievement in possessions, positions of prominence regarded as marks of success in the world that we can all too easily lose our focus of cherishing the simple, the true, and the lasting values that God regards as essential for his people.

The complexities of society and the difficulties of losing our focus should still not deter us from seeking holiness.

St. Paul reminds us that where sin is, God's grace abounds all the more. Thus we celebrate All Hallows Eve, All Saints Eve. We celebrate the day itself on November 1.

Saints and poor souls

The feast of All Saints Day, November 1, is followed on November 2 by All Souls Day.

On this day we commemorate and pray for all of our beloved dead. We pray at each Mass for the dead in the beautiful words, "for those who have gone before us, marked by the sign of faith" or this prayer: "Lord, remember those who have died in the peace of Christ and all the dead whose faith is known to you alone. Father, in your mercy grant also to us, your children, to enter into our heavenly inheritance in the company of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, and your apostles and saints.

"Then, in your kingdom, freed from the corruption of sin and death, we shall sing your glory with every creature through Christ our Lord, through whom you give us everything that is good."

Respect Life month

As we conclude the month of October dedicated to Respect Life, I wish to remind us all that we are indeed a full service Church. We offer teachings that are consistent, clear, and constant, and in our liturgical life we celebrate life in God.

The Church teaches us that from the moment of conception in the womb of the mother to natural death there is human life. We therefore oppose abortion, capital punishment, physician assisted suicide, nuclear war, and euthanasia. We promote the protection of life in all stages and phases.

The Church also celebrates liturgically the beginning of that life by blessing women with child and at childbirth.

The Church, centered in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist or Mass, offers us the Body and Blood of Christ as spiritual nourishment. But also through the sacraments given us by Christ, the Church celebrates new life in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation.

But also we celebrate priesthood and marriage as sacraments of life. We have a sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick for all who are ill. In the instance of a life-threatening condition, we also give Holy Communion in the form of Viaticum.

For those who fail in their spiritual lives by committing mortal or serious sin, we have the sacrament of Reconciliation to restore life from the deadening effects of sin.

Human and liturgical

We preach and teach life in a consistent way, constantly and clearly. We respect human life, but we also celebrate liturgically a constant newness of God's grace and life in the sacraments. From the blessing of a child in the womb of its mother to the final burial at the cemetery, the Church is there affirming life.

Even after death and burial, we who remain on earth pray for those in purgatory and we have ready intercessors in the saints in heaven who pray and intercede for us.

Thank God for the Church

I wonder sometimes how often we sit back to thank God for the full service we get from the beginning of human life to our final destiny in the Kingdom. I fear, not often enough - but these great feast days can serve as a reminder that indeed gratitude for the fullness of our Church should be at the heart of our journey.

For the saints we say: "Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints." For the poor souls we say: "Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them."

Official Appointments:

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

Sr. Lucille Marie Frost, OP, reappointed as Vicar for Religious, for a term ending April 1, 2003.

Mr. Paul Brown, Madison, reappointed to the Diocesan Building Commission, for a term ending October 31, 2005.

To the Priestly Life Committee of the Presbyteral Council:

Rev. Donald J. Heiar, Jr., for a term ending September 30, 2004

Rev. Gary L. Krahenbuhl, for a term ending September 30, 2005

Rev. Roger H. Taylor, for a term ending September 30, 2004

Rev. Todd Van Natta, for a term ending September 30, 2005

To the Diocesan Youth Council:

Ms. Jessica Brey, Stoughton, for a term ending June 30, 2003

Ms. Sabrina Elsen, Milton, for a term ending June 30, 2004

Mr. David Hendrickson, Madison, for a term ending June 30, 2005

Mr. David Kordell, Wisconsin Dells, for a term ending June 30, 2005

Ms. Kay Schachte, Madison, for a term ending June 30, 2005

Msgr. Paul J. Swain
Vicar General