Editorial

Many people throughout the Diocese of Madison - myself included - have been praying for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life, especially in our diocese. I have to report that God seems to be answering our prayers.

Just in four years, the number of diocesan seminarians has grown from six in 2003 to 30 this fall! Of course, much work has been done by Bishop Robert C. Morlino and the diocesan Office of Vocations to promote church vocations. Bishop Morlino appointed a full-time vocation director, Msgr. Jim Bartylla, to concentrate on nurturing vocations.

The Office of Vocations has included Lorie Ballweg, full-time administrative assistant. In September, Sr. Marcia Vinje, a Schoenstatt Sister of Mary, also joins the office as associate director. Having three people dedicated to vocation work shows that the diocese has made vocations a priority.

Many volunteers. In addition to the vocation office staff, many volunteers on the diocesan and parish level have been working hard to promote church vocations. Perhaps most visible are the Serra Clubs of Janesville and Madison as well as the Southwest Vocations Club.

Pope John Paul II called the Serra Club the "vocation arm" of the Catholic Church. Serrans follow their namesake Fr. Junipero Serra, the Franciscan missionary who worked to establish missions in California, in their mission of encouraging and supporting church vocations.

The Serra Club of Madison, in cooperation with the diocesan Office of Vocations, started Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations in September of 2004 at the Bishop O'Connor Center. This prayer for vocations continues each weekday from 9 to 11:45 a.m. in the center's chapel. Besides Serrans, there are diocesan staff and interested parishioners who pray each day for vocations in the chapel.

The Serrans have also joined with the diocesan office in promoting the Traveling Chalice program. A chalice and paten displayed in a case travel to the homes of participating parishioners who pray for vocations while the chalice visits their home. The number of parishes with this program is growing (see the semi-annual vocation supplement in this week's Catholic Herald [print edition only]).

Fruits of prayer. The fruits of all this work are the increasing number of young men and women in the Diocese of Madison answering God's call to a church vocation. I interviewed the eight new seminarians who are starting their studies this fall for the diocese.

I was impressed by the quality of these young men. Many are "cradle" Catholics who have grown up in strong Catholic families. Some of them attended Catholic elementary schools and high schools and felt the call to priesthood at an early age. These young men reported having Sisters and priests as role models of people happy in their religious vocations.

But several of the new seminarians did NOT have this kind of upbringing. Two of them said they were not active as children in the church. One reported that he was a "lazy" Catholic who did not attend church very often. Another young man said he had fallen away from active participation in the church. Another is a convert to the Catholic faith.

What brought them back or into the Catholic Church? Some said it was a personal experience, in one case the sudden death of a family member. Another said it was experience with active Catholics, including priests. Another said it was spiritual reading. But all said prayer played an important role in their "reverting" or "converting" to the Catholic faith. They also recognized the prayer of other people as giving them the support they needed to discern the path God has for their lives.

So it is obvious that prayer has played - and will continue to play - a key role in encouraging, nurturing, and supporting church vocations. To those who are praying: keep it up; your prayers are indeed bearing fruit. To those who are not praying: why not start today. The church needs even more vocations!

Mary C. Uhler

Mailbag

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Tax-funded teen birth control program hurts families

To the editor:

I am writing to Catholic citizens about a very important piece of legislation currently being considered by the Wisconsin State Legislature that could have a devastating impact on the families of our state. Your immediate involvement is needed at this time.

The Family Planning Waiver program was first established in Wisconsin in 2003 when our state opted into the program. The program provides free birth control to "poor" Wisconsin women ages 15 to 44. Since parents' income is not included in calculating an individual's poverty level, the program is available to virtually every high school and college girl in the state.

The program allows minors to receive birth control and counseling without their parent's knowledge or consent. While numerous organizations are covered by the Family Planning Waiver, Planned Parenthood is the largest financial beneficiary receiving over $6 million annually.

The more young people they sign up under this program, the more tax dollars Planned Parenthood receives. This might explain Planned Parenthood's outreach efforts in our schools. Most children are taught to respect and obey the adults present in our school system.

Sadly, many parents are completely unaware of the information and referrals provided in their children's classroom. A brief view of their special Web site for teens, www.teenwire.com, demonstrates Planned Parenthood's philosophy of expecting sexual promiscuity from young people. This would be expected of an organization that puts 15-year-old girls on the pill. The question is: Should the government make Planned Parenthood the confidant of our young people on sexual matters? Obviously not.

In the proposed state budget that is currently being debated, an effort is being made by Governor Doyle and Senate Democrats to add boys and men to this program thereby increasing the amount of money Planned Parenthood will receive and even worse - increase the number of young people who rely on Planned Parenthood. This is an attack on Christianity and basic Catholic values.

If you would like to help protect the rights of parents in this state, the health of our young people, and stop the flow of tax dollars from going to such organizations as Planned Parenthood, call the Legislative Hotline toll-free at 1-800-362-9472 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily to leave a message for both your state senator and state representative. Let them know you do not want the Family Planning Waiver program expanded. If you would like to contact your legislators' offices directly via e-mail, go to http://waml.legis.state.wi.us/ for contact information.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 1-800-662-1227 or e-mail me at Sen.Grothman@legis.wisconsin.gov.

Thank you for your time.

Glenn Grothman, State Senator, 20th Senate District

Undermines parental authority

To the editor:

While busy parents are hard at work raising their children other work is going on in the state legislature to undermine parental authority. With your help that can be prevented. If you have not heard about this, you are in the majority of Wisconsin residents. Stopping this freight train in its tracks will be a miracle considering the amount of money that lobbyists are spending. It is truly a 21st century David and Goliath story.

It is called the Family Planning Waiver and its aim is to give taxpayer provided birth control to girls as young as 15. This is free for children provided by agencies like Planned Parenthood without parental knowledge.

If you agree that parents need to be able to guide their children in making important decisions and you don't want your tax money used to provide these services, there are easy options available. You can call 1-800-362-9472. It is the legislative hotline. Let them know that you do NOT want this legislation. It is very important that you give your name, address, and ask that the information be forwarded to the proper legislative offices. You can also go to waml.legis.state.wi.us for contact information.

E. Mary Pillman, Sheboygan