News Briefs: St. Coletta annual Summer Festival JEFFERSON COUNTY -- St. Coletta of Wisconsin invites the community to its 64th annual Summer Festival, held at the St. Coletta Picnic Grove, located on the campus just off Hwy. 18, on Sunday, June 27, from 12 noon to 4 p.m. The festival will feature music by Razzmatazz, refreshments, games, and a raffle drawing for cash prizes totaling $2,000. Particularly special is this year's Mass that officially kicks off 100-year festivities by commemorating the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, Milwaukee, the founders of St. Coletta of Wisconsin. The Mass will be held inside the beautifully renovated St. Coletta Chapel beginning at 11 a.m. For more information, contact the St. Coletta Development Office at 920-674-8308 or go to www.stcolettawi.org St. Coletta of Wisconsin, with a corporate office in Jefferson, has been providing programs and services for people with developmental disabilities for 100 years. St. Coletta currently offers programs in southeastern and southern Wisconsin and in northern Illinois. New monastery 'kick off' meeting MADISON -- The Valley of Our Lady Monastery "kick off" meeting for Dane County was held recently at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, according to Kurt Welton, campaign general chairman. Volunteers from the three deaneries within Dane County will personally solicit gift offerings from individuals, privately owned businesses, and foundations. Donors will have up to five years to pay pledges made to the Fulfilling the Mission; Meeting the Need campaign. The contemplative cloistered Cistercian nuns of Valley of Our Lady Monastery in Prairie du Sac seek to raise money necessary to construct a monastery to replace a mixture of buildings dating from 1850 and the 1900s. Campaigns will be conducted in all of the 11 counties of the Madison Diocese. Select potential donors in the La Crosse Diocese and the Milwaukee Archdiocese will also be asked to contribute to the campaign, as well as other individuals in Wisconsin. Infant and child CPR course MADISON -- An American Heart Association CPR course for individuals wanting training in infant and child CPR for personal reasons will be offered at St. Marys Hospital, 707 S. Mills St. "Family and Friends: Infant and Child CPR" will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on the following dates: Monday, July 12; Wednesday, July 14; and Monday, July 26. No prior CPR experience is required. The program is being conducted by Dean/St. Marys Health Works. Course fee is $25. Pre-registration is required by calling 608-824-4400 or 1-800-368-5596. Peer support groups MADISON -- Peer support groups for those hurting from separation, divorce, or loss of a significant relationship are open to all ages/faiths at two Madison parishes. New Directions will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 24, at St. Dennis Parish Center, 413 Dempsey Rd., top floor. For information, call 608-821-3170. Friends on a Journey will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 1, at Our Lady Queen of Peace nursery, 401 S. Owen Dr. For information, call Paul at 608-862-3613.
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Act courageously: Responding to God's call
for vocations

By Ben Kessler
FOR THE CATHOLIC HERALD

When is the last time you did something courageous? When speaking to the people of St. Ignatius Parish in Mt. Horeb and the people of St. Mary Parish in Pine Bluff, I told them that they were acting courageously simply by going to Mass. When reading this, you may be wondering how going to Mass can be considered courageous.

Front-page sidebars: • A word from vocations director • Upcoming visits

It takes courage to be a Christian; it takes courage to be a Catholic. This especially holds true in today's society. One needs only to turn on his television to see the millions of people in society that are controlled by their personal desires and physical passions.

In our contemporary culture, it seems that no one takes time to live for Christ or for others; people are just too busy living for themselves.

Secular society

Advertisers portray that a life filled with fast cars, lots of sex, and hoards of food brings happiness, and even worse, many consumers believe their advertisements. Few people stop to think about how they are harming their bodies and souls by chasing after such worldly pleasures. I hate to tell these advertisers and consumers, but excessive amounts of cars, sex, food, and selfishness pave the way to hell, not happiness. Living for Jesus Christ and others is the way to happiness; this unselfish way of living always has been and always will be the way to happiness.

Priest shortage

What led me to the subject of courage is the great need for priestly vocations in this diocese and in dioceses throughout the nation. Currently, the Diocese of Madison has six seminarians and under 100 active priests. The future does not look bright, especially with the fact the diocese has many priests soon to be at the age of retirement and zero ordinations this year.

In the future, Catholics may not have Mass or the Eucharist in many places throughout the diocese because of this shortage. NO PRIESTS EQUALS NO EUCHARIST. It is that simple. The Eucharist, standing as the center of Catholic faith is necessary for the physical well being and spiritual well being of all Catholics. If numbers of ordained priests keep falling the way they have been, all Catholics are in trouble.

Encouraging vocations

One solution that can solve this problem can be found in our youth. Just as it takes courage to be a Catholic, it takes courage to become a priest.

The vocations office, the diocese, and the Catholic Church are looking for courageous young men to actively discern their vocational call and be open to Roman Catholic priesthood. This summer, the vocation office is sending out three seminarians - Greg Ihm, Eric Sternberg, and myself - to speak at parishes throughout the diocese about vocations to the priesthood. We hope to visit about 30 parishes during weekend Masses to speak about our vocation stories, seminary life, and the need for priestly and religious vocations.

One of our main goals is to make people realize, especially single men, that priesthood is still a possible and practical vocational option. Hopefully, by seeing the seminarians, single men will think about priesthood, and others will continue to pray for vocations and encourage courageous men to discern their vocational call.

A direct way to increase vocations is to encourage young people at the local parish to consider priesthood or religious life. "You look like a priest, Bobby" or "You would make a great sister, Susie" can start a man or woman thinking about the possibility of a religious life. It is amazing how a few small words of encouragement can lead to great acts of courageousness.

Eucharistic Adoration

A more indirect way to increase vocations is to pray for vocations in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Dioceses and parishes who have perpetual, weekly, or, at least, daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament see increases in their vocations to the priesthood. If your parish does not have Eucharistic Adoration, I strongly suggest you look into it.

Everyone in the Diocese of Madison is welcome to attend an hour of Eucharistic Adoration from 11 a.m. to 12 noon in honor of priestly vocations, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center Chapel in Madison. The vocations office is sponsoring the hour Monday through Friday this summer.

Christ's courage

I challenge everyone to have the courage to follow God's call. Remember that it takes great courage to follow God in today's world.

I ask all of you reading this article to take Christ's courage and use it in your own life in order to listen to God. He will ask you to follow Him into the vocation in which you can best serve His people. We all must be open to this call and answer it, courageously.

Ben Kessler is a college seminarian studying for the Diocese of Madison. He is from St. John Vianney Parish, Janesville.

New president:
Selected to lead Edgewood College

MADISON -- Edgewood College announced that it has selected Dr. Daniel J. Carey, president of Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., and a member of the board of the Council of Independent Colleges, to lead its growth to a new level of distinction. He will start in late August.

Background

Carey has been president of Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts college, since 1995. He was previously vice president for student development at St. Louis University, Mo., and at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.

He received his doctorate in college student personnel administration from the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colo., in 1975, having received his master's degree in psychology, counseling, and guidance there in 1972. He graduated from Benedictine College with a bachelor's degree in English in 1968.

Carey is a member of the board of directors of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) for 2004-07. The council serves as a national voice for independent higher education and promotes the distinctive features of education offered by small to mid-sized, teaching-oriented, private colleges, and universities.

Carey also has experience as an elected member of the national advisory board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), having served on its executive committee from 2000-01 and on its board of directors from 1999-2002. The association represents private, nonprofit colleges, and universities with the federal government on issues such as student aid, taxation, and government regulation.

Looking to the future

Announcing Carey's selection, Dave Hanson, chair of the Board of Trustees and partner at Michael Best & Friedrich, said, "We are delighted to have found a proven college president to lead Edgewood College into the future. We set a high standard in this search. Before conducting a national search, we gathered ideas from all areas of the Edgewood College community. Many thanks are due to the search committee and Sr. Mary Paynter for their tireless pursuit of qualified candidates."

Carey said, "I am thrilled to be part of what lies ahead for Edgewood College. The college has come into a very exciting stage in its history and is poised to build upon its already distinguished reputation. I'm looking forward to meeting and working with the entire Edgewood College community."

Carey's leadership

Carey emphasizes the value he places on a direct connection with students. "I enjoy reaching out and mentoring students on our campus. One of our most important endeavors must always be to create a campus environment and sense of community appropriate to our traditions and values."

Carey is a strong advocate for the value of a liberal arts education. "A broad-based curriculum, with an emphasis on educating the whole person, helps prepare graduates who will be changing careers several times during their working years," he said. "I find the growth in the overall person to be the most exciting part of our educational experience."

Carey is a proponent of collaborative education, in which students and faculty work side by side.

"One of my most important roles is to serve as the chief spokesperson for the mission, values, and traditions of Edgewood College," he said.

"I hope to work closely with the faculty and staff in providing leadership to develop and implement a strategic plan that corresponds to that mission. I emphasize a shared academic vision and a collaborative, inclusive process. 'Collaborative leadership utilizing teamwork' most aptly describes my management style."

More information is available at www.edgewood.edu/events/newpresident/