|
|
|
|
News Briefs:
Prayer, fasting, and vigil marks start of 40 Days for Life
MADISON -- Forty Days for Life is 40 days of prayer, fasting, and vigil outside Madison's abortion facility, 3706 Orin Rd., from May 6, the weekend before Mother's Day, through June 15, Father's Day.
To get more information or to register for a shift to pray, call 608-649-LIFE (608-649-5433), e-mail rcwrl@hotmail.com, or visit www.40DaysForLifemadison.com
Sacred Hearts: Plans annual golf outing
SUN PRAIRIE -- Thursday May 17, is the date for the seventh annual Golf Outing to benefit Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary School.
The 2007 golf outing is being held at The Oaks Golf Course, 4740 Pierceville Rd. in Cottage Grove, for the first time and includes two opportunities to golf. The morning event begins with an 8:30 a.m. nine-hole shotgun scramble which includes continental breakfast, golf, and cart as well as a buffet lunch, awards presentation, and raffle for $45 per person.
The afternoon event begins at 12 noon with an 18-hole shotgun scramble including boxed lunch, golf, and cart for $90 per person. The afternoon event concludes with an hors d'oeuvres reception, awards presentation, and raffle.
The golf outing is open to the public and will be held rain or shine.
To register as an individual or foursome for either or both outings, become an event sponsor, or for more information, contact Jill Conaway at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary School at 608-837-8508.
Rosary March to be held May 6 in Madison
MADISON -- The 61st International Rosary March will be held on Sunday, May 6, at 2 p.m. at Holy Redeemer Church in downtown Madison. The special theme for this Rosary March is "that Mary, the Mother of God, be honored by our devotion to her during this month of May."
Fifteen decades of the rosary will be prayed while marching in procession around the church block or inside the church in the event of rain. Msgr. Kevin Holmes will present the homily. There will be a special May crowning and presentation of flowers to our Blessed Mother and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Catholic Spirit Club
JANESVILLE -- The Adult Catholic Spirit Club's noon potluck luncheon on Wednesday, May 9, at St. John's Marion Hall will have Val and Dick Dunagan presenting an "Introduction to Beckman Mill County Park." The mill originally was "Howe's Mill." It was restored, is operational, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All area men and women are invited to enjoy food, fun, and friends. Bring a dish to pass and own table service.
St. Thomas More Society
MADISON -- Lawyers, legislators, and judges are invited to the St. Thomas More Society meeting with Raymond Taffora, deputy attorney general, as speaker. Morning Prayer begins at 7:30 a.m on Friday, May 4, at St. Patrick Church, 404 E. Main, with breakfast and discussion following until 8:30 a.m.
Grow a row for St. Vincent de Paul
MADISON -- Consider sharing a love for gardening by growing a row or two of produce for those Dane County neighbors who rely on the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry to help feed their families.
This customer-choice food pantry at 1309 Culmen St. is the busiest pantry in the county and has ample capacity to distribute fresh and healthy produce, which its clients love.
Help keep the pantry's produce bins full at harvest time by planting and tending some green beans, tomatoes, peppers, carrots - or your own favorite vegetable - this spring.
Produce may be dropped off at the pantry during the St. Vincent de Paul Service Center's hours of operation: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Call the pantry at 608-257-0919, ext. 301, with any questions.
|
Nominate someone for "Profiles from the pew"
To nominate someone to be featured in "Profiles from the pew," download a nomination form
(PDF file, 269 KB).
"Profiles from the pew" runs in the Catholic Herald print edition
NOTE: The nomination form is a Portable Document Format file (PDF), which can be viewed using the freely available Adobe® Reader® software. Many computers already have this software and will automatically open the document when you click the nomination form link, above.
Adobe Reader is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.
|
|
|
Durward's Glen: Purchased by a Catholic college
|
Durward's Glen history: Goes back more than 125 years
By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
DURWARD'S GLEN -- According to the Diocese of Madison's Golden Jubilee book published in 1997, the history of the picturesque region of Durward's Glen goes back more than 125 years.
In November of 1862, Bernard Durward, his wife, and family came here. They built a home and the first stone church in the Baraboo River Valley, called "St. Mary's of the Pines." Before his death in 1932, Durward gave his home and 36.5 acres of land to the St. Camillus religious order, headquartered in Milwaukee.
The novitiate of the Order of St. Camillus (Servants of the Sick) was opened in 1948 on this site. The facility then was used as a retreat center up to 2007.
St. Camillus Parish
St. Camillus Parish was established in 1951 to serve Catholics residing in the area. St. Camillus Church is a small log chapel, seating about 80 people. It was built in 1951. At that time, there were 15 households in the parish. Fr. John Mingene was the founding pastor.
St. Camillus Parish has continued to conduct an outdoor procession each year for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Plans are to hold the procession again this year.
Beautiful grounds
The grounds of St. Camillus are abloom with flowers from spring to fall. The grounds include a picnic area, a trout stream, a spring fountain, and a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary placed on the side of the hill overlooking the picnic area.
On a winding path up a hill, Stations of the Cross conclude at the cemetery with an 1866 stone chapel. Stairs lead to a marble statue of the Holy Family and an altar where outdoor Mass has occasionally been celebrated.
Two additional buildings on the ground have been used for retreat groups. There is a dining room with a capacity for about 100 persons and 35 individual bedrooms. There are also two small cottages.
There is space on top of the hill for possible future building sites of dorms and/or classrooms.
Closed parish
On June 22, 2006, the Provincial Council of the Order of St. Camillus met to discuss the future of the Durward's Glen property and the closing of St. Camillus Parish. The order agreed to close the parish as of July 15, 2006, and to have an appraisal of the property undertaken with the aim to sell the property, except for the parish cemetery.
Fr. Richard O'Donnell, provincial of the order, contacted the Diocese of Madison about this decision. He said, "It was felt that we should not wait until we actually had a purchaser to close down St. Camillus Parish, It could turn into something chaotic and everybody would be on pins and needles waiting to see when the parish would actually be closed. This would be
hard on all of us so a definite date was agreed and that is July 15th with the closing of all parish books by the end of July."
The Order of St. Camillus had found it was too expensive to maintain the land. Members of
the order also said caring for Durward's Glen was outside the order's primary mission, which is healthcare.
Parishioners at the former St. Camillus Parish have transferred to nearby parishes, including St. Mary Parish in Merrimac, originally a mission parish of St. Camillus, as well as parishes in Baraboo, Portage, and Sauk City.
Selling property
A group of Catholics in Durward's Glen have been in negotiations with the Order of St. Camillus about sale of the property. They have been in communication with the Diocese of Madison and since early in 2007, the diocese was brought into serious discussion after the group sought Bishop Robert C. Morlino's approval for the use of the Glen as a Catholic place of retreat or education.
Grant Emmel, vice chancellor, reported, "The group has been very forthright and of good-will
in ensuring that the Bishop's concerns and wishes are understood and followed."
Their efforts culminated in the sale of the property to Magdalen College.
|
|
By Kathleen Bushman
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
BARABOO -- At a press conference held outside the chapel at Durward's Glen, April 30, Magdalen College of Warner, N.H., announced its purchase of the property for use as an extension of its college.
The acquisition was made possible partly through the generosity of local supporters and the Our Lady of the Rosary Investors Group, a Columbia County group of preservationists.
Durward's Glen recently closed its doors as a parish owned and operated since 1932 by the St. Camillus Religious community, headquartered in Milwaukee.
Jeffrey J. Karls, president of the New England college and a native of Lodi, said Magdalen
College had been looking at properties in other states to expand, but his being familiar with the property was coincidental. He said he remembered it being a "place of serenity."
The college, which was started in 1973, is a four-year liberal arts college in the Catholic tradition. They are looking to host programs for youth and adults at the site, such as a summer program for youth aged 15 to 18 to be held July 29 to August 11.
Two priests from the order of the Apostles of Jesus will be relocated to the Durward's Glen property and will staff the center. During the times that programs are being offered, there will be a Mass schedule, Karls said. The traditional Corpus Christi procession will be continued this year, and the walks will still be open to the public, said David Currier, chairman of the development committee for the Magdalen College board of trustees.
"Most of all, I want you to know we don't plan any major changes to the glen," he said. The name of Durward's Glen will also remain the same.
The effort to bring a purchaser for the property that would carry on the purpose of the Glen was mainly the work of several long-standing families in the area and the investment group. A series of presentations held by Magdalen College to inform about the Glen project were well attended. Karls said they were inspired by the number of people who showed interest in Magdalen College coming to Wisconsin.
"It's been very heartwarming to see that, and to see the outreach that's always been extended to us," said Currier, who may be a part of the advisory committee to the board of trustees for the Glen.
In a statement Bishop Robert C. Morlino praised the investment group that raised the money for the purchase, saying, "I am very encouraged by the faith that you and the other members of the Our Lady of the Rosary Group have shown in working to keep the Durward's Glen property as a sacred place of retreat. I want to personally thank you for the concern you have shown for my ministry.
"As the guardian of church teaching and the practice in the Diocese of Madison, I grant my Nihil Obstat (official blessing) with regard to your efforts in procuring the Durward's Glen property and bringing Magdalen College to our Diocese," he said. "I believe that God blesses good works such as yours."
For information on Magdalen College, visit www.magdalen.edu
Diocesan Choir concert: Offers peace, hope to troubled world
By Dick Jones
FOR THE CATHOLIC HERALD
MADISON -- For weary travelers in a troubled world, Dr. Patrick Gorman and the Madison Diocesan Choir offer a free spring concert this Saturday evening, May 5, to comfort the soul and renew hope.
The 7:30 p.m. concert at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center ends another year for the choir and Gorman, his 15th as its director. The evening of music also serves as farewell concert to choir members touring Europe for two weeks in June.
Gorman has chosen works by Distler, Hassler, Mendelssohn, and Vaughan Williams, as well as
American folk hymns and Spirituals, all selections choir members will sing on their trip to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
The program includes one piece Gorman composed, an a cappella arrangement of the Appalachian tune, "Poor Wayfaring Stranger." The concert will be the premier performance of his work.
Peace for the world
As the concert title, Gorman chose, "Grant Us Peace!" And he did so for good reason.
"Peace in the world, peace in our country, peace in our communities, it's somewhat elusive, and at the same time, I thought as we're traveling abroad, kind of being bridge builders is an important thing, to remind people that there's a lot we have in common," Gorman said. "Also, even just looking at some of the music we've put together, peace kind of weaves through it. Whether it's earthly peace, peace in the heart, or peace after death, they're all sort of interrelated."
Power of music
Gorman recalled a discussion with others recently on the power of music. "When people are singing, they can't argue," he said. "When people are singing, they can't fight. Even the words that we use about music, words like 'harmony,' they're words that mean things like unity and peace. So I think music can do a lot to bring people together."
The concert includes "Prayer of Saint Francis," which has as its opening line, "Lord, make
us an instrument of your peace." The William Beckstrand composition is also on the choir's first professionally recorded CD and features bass Tom Eichman as soloist.
The choir recorded the CD last year, and "Prayer of Saint Francis" quickly became the favorite of William Frederick, liturgy director at St. Peter Parish in Madison and a regular cantor when the choir sings at diocesan liturgical events.
Frederick was the cantor for Chrism Mass on April 3 at St. Maria Goretti Church. At the time, he told the choir he was leaving St. Peter's and the diocese to take a new position at a small parish near Oconomowoc.
Among the things he would especially miss were singing with the choir and working with Gorman and accompanist Glenn Schuster.
"Pat over the years has done absolutely wonderful things with the diocesan choir as far as blend; Glenn, too, the two of them are really a blessing," Frederick said.
"When you're sitting in prayer in church, and you listen to the choir, as I did at the Chrism Mass, you are able to just absorb the sound," Frederick said. "It was beautiful. It was so wonderful, and emotional for me, since that was my last Chrism Mass. It was hard for me, because it was very beautiful."
Added Frederick, "I wonder sometimes whether the world would be a better place if people would stop and just let music wash over them, good choral music like that."
Besides Beckstrand's "Prayer of Saint Francis," also on the program is "Praise ye the Lord," by Hugo Distler and "Dixit Maria," by Hans Leo Hassler, two works the choir will sing from memory. Other selections include "Verleih uns frieden," by Mendelssohn; two works by Vaughan Williams, "O taste and see," and "O how amiable," plus the premier of Gorman's work.
Gorman said that before the choir's 2004 tour of Ireland, he searched for an arrangement of "Poor Wayfaring Stranger," but couldn't find one that he liked. He decided then to compose his own a cappella arrangement. His work, entitled "Wayfarin' Stranger," features the tenor section.
"There's no real special meaning of it for me, other than I find it to be a very pretty tune," he said. "I've liked it as long as I can remember. I must have first sung it when I was in high school. It's not so much the words as it is the tune that I like so much."
CD will be available
People attending the concert will have an opportunity to purchase the choir's CD for $15. Gorman said the CD sales have been less than he expected, but the response from purchasers has been overwhelmingly favorable.
"Everybody seems to love it," Gorman said. "People I think are really happy with the quality of it, the selections on it. A lot of people who have bought one have come back and asked for two or three more for friends."
Listeners in Cologne, Germany, were impressed. In planning the choir's tour, Juan Landa of Landa Cleary Travel Company, Inc., in Waunakee said he tried to arrange for the choir sing in the world famous Cologne Cathedral of St. Peter and Mary. Cathedral officials initially rebuffed his request, saying few choirs were allowed such privileges. Landa said he sent them the CD and the choir is now scheduled to sing at the Sunday Vigil Mass at the cathedral on June 16.
"I'm looking forward to singing in the Cologne Cathedral," Gorman said. "That will be something I'll never forget."
The choir has nearly 70 members, representing parishes throughout the diocese. About 30 will tour Europe with Gorman and Schuster.
While the Saturday evening concert is free, the choir appreciates a free-will offering to support its music ministry. The Bishop O'Connor Center, located at 702 South High Point Rd., is wheelchair accessible.
As the choir ends the year, Gorman said he has begun plans for next year. If parishes would like the choir to sing for a Saturday Vigil Mass, or if individuals are interested in joining the choir, they can contact him by phone at 608-821-3081, or by e-mail at pgorman@straphael.org
UW St. Paul's: Celebrates 100 years, looks to future
By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
MADISON -- "What a wonderful treasure you are," Bishop Robert C. Morlino told those attending a special 100th anniversary Mass on Sunday, April 22, at St. Paul's University Catholic Center.
|
Foundation split, good news on funds
The week of the centennial celebration brought changes to St. Paul's, with more anticipated in the future. On April 16, the Foundation Board at St. Paul's was split into two.
One half became the Roman Catholic Foundation-UW Madison (RCF-UWM) and is made up of students, plus the pastor. This board will operate as a Registered Student Organization (RSO) and oversee student services funded by UW segregated student fees.
The other half of the board became the new St. Paul University Catholic Foundation (SPUCF) and will oversee the property, assets, and programming associated with the operation of St. Paul's.
On April 18, St. Paul's reached a settlement with the university. Under this agreement as an RSO, the RCF-UWM will receive the full funding already allocated to them by the Student Segregated Fee Board, some $250,000 for the 2007-08 school year.
|
|
Bishop Morlino noted that campus ministry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison began long before the Diocese of Madison existed. "We have much to celebrate," said the bishop.
The centennial celebration marked the establishment of St. Paul's University Chapel Corporation in 1907, formed for advancing "the religious and educational interests of the Catholic students of the University of Wisconsin." Ground was broken in 1909 for St. Paul's Catholic Center and the building was dedicated on January 27, 1910.
Upbeat celebration
The good news about a settlement with the university on receiving student funds (see box at right) added to the upbeat tone of the centennial celebration, beginning with the Mass at St. Paul's. The chapel held a standing-room-only crowd of students, faculty, alumni, and friends of St. Paul's.
Concelebrating with Bishop Morlino were Fr. Eric Nielsen, St. Paul's pastor; Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, theologian and editor of First Things; Msgr. Kevin Holmes, pastor of the downtown Madison parishes; Msgr. George Hastrich, pastor emeritus; Fr. Victor Mosele, a Xaverian missionary serving at St. Paul's; and Msgr. Jim Bartylla, diocesan vocation director, who was master of ceremonies.
The St. Paul's choir provided lively music for the Mass. Alumni Kat Bushman and Paul Wagner sang the Responsorial Psalm.
Reflecting on tragedy
Bishop Morlino directed his homily to a discussion of the Virginia Tech tragedy. "You and I have been touched deeply by the massacre of your peers at Virginia Tech," said the bishop. "It touches your lives. I couldn't ignore it."
As a former college student and teacher, Bishop Morlino talked about how the "vices of choice" have evolved in college life to include alcohol, premarital sex, drugs, and violence. He noted that a pattern has developed with the perpetrator of violence killing himself or
herself. This suicidal behavior makes it difficult for law and law enforcement to deter violence. So how do we prevent violence?
Bishop Morlino said there are basically two options: set up a police state by tightening our open society or do it ourselves by changing the Culture of Death into the Culture of Life. Although this is a difficult challenge, the bishop said, "Because the Holy Spirit
witnesses with us, we can do it. We'd better get started." He encouraged students to speak out with love against alcohol excess, premarital sex, use of drugs, and violence.
Dreams for future
After the Mass, over 325 people attended a luncheon program at Lowell Hall. Father Nielsen introduced his predecessor, Fr. Randy Timmerman, who served at St. Paul's for seven years.
Father Nielsen also spoke briefly of St. Paul's dream of building a new student center in the next three years. It will include a residence for 200 students, a new chapel, and offices.
The program included music by Evangelicum, a choir directed by St. Paul's Music Director James Carrano, and student testimonies from Jack Koczela and Katie Lease.
Father Neuhaus
In his address on "Daring to Be Catholic at the Secular University," Father Neuhaus observed that a university at its best - whether secular or religious - invites young people into the "adventure of learning" and its vision is at its heart a "Catholic vision."
However, today at the majority of state and secular universities, there is hostility to the Christian and Catholic faith. There is a feeling that the more educated people become, religion will "fade away or be hermetically sealed off as private," said Father Neuhaus.
Yet Cardinal John Henry Newman - for whom the Newman Clubs at secular universities like St. Paul's were named - said the goal of the university is to seek truth and wisdom, noted Father Neuhaus.
Universities should seek the "splendor of truth." But, there is a trend "to basically reduce the splendor of veritas because once you have denied the veritas, there is no splendor," he said.
Father Neuhaus said he is heartened by what he has seen happening at many secular universities in recent years, including the University of Wisconsin, Columbia, Princeton, Harvard, and others.
On college campuses and in seminaries, Father Neuhaus says "young people are discovering again the excitement of the faith as a great adventure . . . It's a remarkable, exhilarating thing."
The priest talked about the special relationship of the late Pope John Paul II with young people. He told them to "settle for nothing less than moral and spiritual greatness," said Father Neuhaus. "It's an invitation to recover all the splendors of the faith in the Catholic Church."
While some people worry about imposing one's faith on others, Father Neuhaus said it's not zealotry or fundamentalism or imposing on others. "Truth cannot be imposed. It can only be proposed. The reason we're proposing the truth is not to conquer. The reason is love, to
propose a more excellent way. That is the church's mission: to propose Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life," said Father Neuhaus.
Centennial committee
The Planning Committee for the celebration included: Marcella Colbert, Nan Delaney, Julie Foley, Anne Frey, Tim Kruse, Loree Lamberty, Fr. Eric Nielsen, Winifred O'Rourke, and Jane Sullentrup.
Evangelical Catholic: Focuses on 'getting connected'
By Kathleen Bushman and Emily Seyfert
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
MADISON -- "I'm so grateful that you're here," Bishop Robert C. Morlino said to hundreds of Catholics at the 2007 Evangelical Catholic Institute, held this year at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center.
"I'm so grateful that you are so on fire with the love of Jesus Christ," he said. "What we need is every Catholic, every day, to feel invited to meet Jesus Christ risen from the dead in a life-changing way, and you have a special sense for that."
Bishop Morlino had stopped by the institute to introduce and to listen to the talk by Cardinal Avery Dulles, the Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society at Fordham University and an internationally known author and lecturer.
Cardinal Dulles was keynote speaker at the institute, as well as Msgr. Stuart Swetland, director of homiletics and pre-theology at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., theological advisor to the Catholic Conference of Illinois, and executive secretary for the
Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. The institute also offered talks by The Evangelical Catholic (EC) Associate Director Michael Havercamp, workshops with a variety of topics, praise and worship experiences, and Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.
The institute, offered annually, introduces the EC model of ministry in settings both pastoral and college-oriented. The EC builds off the Second Vatican Council's and the late
Pope John Paul II's visions for evangelism, putting the theory into practice through evangelizing, establishing, equipping, and training disciples and leaders.
Connectivity
"We haven't found anything better, so we continue to bring our catechists and our students," said Sarah Ramthun, who with her husband John are Directors of Religious Education and Youth Ministry at St. Aloysius Parish, Sauk City. The two experienced the EC model at St. Paul's University Catholic Center in Madison, and now bring it into their work.
For them, the EC is about the relational aspects: "the focus on our relationship with the church and the relationship we form with our students," she said. "We think the reason (the students) listen to us is we invest in their lives."
Barb Hartman and Karen Anderson, of St. Ignatius Parish, Mt. Horeb, a pilot parish for the EC model, both said they were impressed by the enthusiasm of the young adults present and eager to carry that enthusiasm back to the parish.
"We're excited to go out there and get started" planting the seeds and meeting people one-on-one, Hartman said. "We're being empowered to reenergize the parish and offer something new."
For Anderson, one big plus is it's Scripture-based. "Which is important to us 'mature' Catholics," she said with a laugh.
Six models
Cardinal Dulles, at 88 even more of a "mature" Catholic but also a strong proponent for evangelization and one of Catholicism's foremost theologians, spoke to the attendees after a rousing, standing ovation.
"There's a question of whether a Catholic can be evangelical," he began. "Some people might have a problem about that, but I think my answer was and is that . . . every Catholic should be evangelical, because the Gospel is very central to our faith."
He talked about the six models or dimensions of evangelization, drawn from the works of a graduate student priest at Fordham University, where Cardinal Dulles teaches. The models he elaborated were: personal witness, catechesis, Christian worship, person-to-person connectivity, enculturation and transformation of the culture, and acts of charity.
"Evangelization may never be reduced to the limits of a mere temporal project," Cardinal Dulles said. The Gospel "goes far beyond the limits of the sanctuary and the cloister. Laypersons have special responsibility to evangelize secular society, including the workplace and the public square.
"Once evangelization is seen in its fullest dimension, it becomes evident that it is not the concern of a special group of Christians," he said.
"Evangelization has one and the same source and driving force," he said. "It flows from the love of Christ to continue to act every day through the Holy Spirit. By returning constantly to him as its source and goal, evangelization can always remain fresh and vibrant."
Cardinal Dulles also celebrated Mass the day after the EC Institute, on April 15 at St. Paul's University Catholic Center.
Personal conversion
Beginning with a quote from Pope John Paul II, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, and John 15:1-5, Monsignor Swetland gave a theological and biblical reflection on personal conversion on the Friday night of the Evangelical Catholic Institute.
"Apart from me, you can do nothing," Monsignor Swetland repeated from John 15. "We Christians often forget that we will not do anything that will have long- term fruit if it is apart from [God] . . . If we want to bear fruit - fruit that will last - it has to be rooted in Christ," he commented.
It is difficult, however, to root our entire lives in Christ, he said, especially as society encourages us to compartmentalize our lives. We invent what Thomas Merton called masks for each of our different areas of life.
"What the Christian faith challenges us to do . . . is collapse all these false selves . . . down into the one real self that is rooted in Christ . . . That may be a life-long process for all of us but we have to overcome the false dichotomy that religion is one part of our
lives and everything else is separate from that. If we are to live authentically converted lives, we must allow the Lord to be Lord of all of our lives," he explained.
"For this to happen it has to begin with a deep personal conversion," he continued.
Dwelling on both John and Paul in the New Testament, Monsignor Swetland explained that the deep personal conversion experience each had with the risen Lord was the pivotal moment of their lives and informed all that they did after.
In the end, "we cannot help but evangelize," he concluded. Having a personal knowledge of the power of the resurrected Lord, "we can't keep the Gospel in."
|