'Gospel of Life':
Pope calls us to build culture of life, says speaker

	Philosophical roots: Of culture of death MADISON -- In Evangelium Vitae Pope John Paul II also tries to find philosophical roots of the problem of the culture of death, Dr. Janet E. Smith said in her presentation at the O'Connor Center. First, we have a distorted view of freedom, thinking that freedom is being able to do whatever we want whenever we want. But if you talk to those addicted to drugs or alcohol, they do not feel free, she said. "They feel enslaved to their passions." Freedom really means "freedom to do what is good." Modern skepticism says all opinions are equal. But there is such a thing as truth, said Smith. "Christ is the splendor of truth: 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.'" Further differences The pope illustrates further differences between the modern view and Christian truth. In the modern view, man is sovereign over all, suffering is useless, and there is no life after death. In the Christian view, God is sovereign over all, suffering has redemptive value, and man has an eternal destiny with God.   Full story ...
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By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- We must replace the "culture of death" in our society today with a "culture of life."

Dr. Janet Smith

Dr. Janet E. Smith, chair of Life Issues at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Mich., shared this message in her talk on Pope John Paul II's encyclical Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life) at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison on April 12. Smith's talk was part of the St. Thérèse of Lisieux lecture Series.

During vespers before the talk, Bishop Robert C. Morlino thanked Smith for her presence and called her a "first-class theologian."

Smith also spoke to 200 University of Wisconsin-Madison students and to diocesan priests during the Clergy Day of Sanctification the same day.

Culture of death

In Evangelium Vitae the pope said the problem we have in our society is the culture of death. "He means we choose to use death as a solution to problems," Smith explained.   Full story ...

By Dorothy Lepeska
FOR THE CATHOLIC HERALD

MILWAUKEE -- The Wisconsin Council of Catholic Women (WCCW) and the Milwaukee Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women are jointly sponsoring a spiritual experience for all Catholic women in the state Friday, April 30, to Saturday, May 1. It will be held at the Cousins Center, 3501 S. Lake Dr., here. The theme is "Sharing the Vision."

Registration on Saturday is at 8 a.m. The opening session will feature the keynote speaker, Fr. Thomas Brundage, associate publisher/executive editor of the Milwaukee Catholic Herald. His title is "Effects of Media on the Family."

The legislative session will follow with Assemblywoman Leah Vukmir, Waukesha, from the 14th District. A registered nurse as well as a certified pediatric nurse practitioner, Vukmir has spent her career serving the needs of children and families while her professional activities focused on children's health issues as well as those involving K-12 educational policies.   Full story ...