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January 11, 2007 Edition • Volume 137, No. 1 • Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A. |
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Chalice of salvation:
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Chalice program parishesFollowing are parishes in the Diocese of Madison that have implemented or plan to start the Traveling Chalice Program: |
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Receiving the Traveling Chalice at St. Joseph Parish in Dodgeville are the Cindy and Paul Lawinger family, including children Noah, Joseph, and Sarah. St. Joseph is one of the parishes in the Diocese of Madison implementing the Traveling Chalice Program encouraging families to pray for vocations. (Photo by Fr. Paul U. Arinze) |
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How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will raise the chalice of salvation and call on the Lord's name (Psalm 116:12-13).
Perhaps the most sublime symbols of the vocation of priesthood are the paten and chalice that hold the Body and Blood of Christ.
It is for this reason that the most precious gifts at a priestly ordination are the chalice and paten. These sacred vessels are blessed, often by the bishop and sometimes by the pope, forever to be used for sacred use at the altar by a priest.
Intimate connection
Indeed, an old tradition has the parents of the newly-ordained priest putting their wedding band in the stem of the chalice as a sign of the fruitfulness of their marriage that has brought a son forward as a priest of Jesus Christ.
It is in this intimate connection of the priesthood and Eucharist that the Office of Vocations, together with the Madison and Janesville Serra Clubs and the Southwest Vocations Club, promotes the Traveling Chalice Program for Vocations in parishes throughout the diocese in order to build vocation awareness of priesthood and other church vocations.
How it works
Its beauty lies in its simplicity, impact, and fruitfulness.
The Traveling Chalice Program is simple to implement. The chalice and paten are put into a beautiful wooden case with a glass front. Each weekend, at one of the Masses, the chalice and paten case is presented after Communion by the priest to a different family in the parish to take home for the next week. Full story ...
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Silent No More:
At Capitol, women will share abortion stories
MADISON -- By some estimates, 26,000,000 women have had 47,000,000 abortions since the procedure was legalized nationwide in 1973. Yet the majority are uncomfortable talking about it.
Breaking the silence that permeates the stigma surrounding abortion, a group of courageous women from throughout Wisconsin will gather at the state Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 16, from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., in room 415NW to share their stories. The Wisconsin event is one of many happening around the country and in Washington, D.C., in January as part of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, commemorating the Roe vs. Wade ruling legalizing abortion.
"The reality of abortion is often very different from what a woman expects when she walks into an abortion clinic, and contradictory to what most of the propaganda available today suggests," said Jane Frantz, event coordinator.
"We are silent because we're too afraid and too ashamed to talk about it. Yet the pain is excruciating, unbearable at times. Many of us have lived with our secret for decades, and paid dearly by struggling with addictions, depression, lost employment, failed marriages, and even suicide.
"Once we begin to tell our story, we realize we're not alone and we experience relief and discover hope in the healing process," said Frantz. "This gathering is a time for those who are comfortable to be open and honest about how we have experienced and overcome the devastating aftermath of abortion, so that our legislators, medical community, clergy, and the public in general can hear the truth."
Full story ...
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