News Briefs: Relief donations update MADISON -- Catholics in the 135 parishes of the Diocese of Madison have donated $253,816.64 to Catholic Charities USA to use in the relief efforts on the east coast following the attacks in Washington and New York. Bishop William H. Bullock had asked pastors in the 11 counties of the Diocese of Madison to take a special collection for Catholic Charities USA to use in the relief work following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Montello lecture series MONTELLO -- Bishop William H. Bullock recently blessed the newly renovated Fr. Marquette Spiritual Life Center at St. John the Baptist Church here. The bishop was also a guest speaker at the Fr. Marquette lecture series "Understanding Our Faith." More than 200 people heard the bishop speak on "Essential Components of Eucharist, Their Origin and Significance." The next session of the series will be held on Thursday, Nov. 1, at 6:30 p.m., and will feature Dr. Pat Gorman, director of the Madison Diocesan Office of Worship. His topic will be "Advent and Our Journey Through the Liturgical Year." Child care will be available. For more information, call St. John Parish at 608-297-7423. The Fr. Marquette Spiritual Life Center is located at the junction of Hwy. 22 north and Hwy. 23 east in Montello. Lafayette Deanery women to meet DARLINGTON -- The Lafayette Deanery Council of Catholic Women meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 30, at Holy Rosary Parish here. The theme is "Pray Together for a Better Tomorrow." A dinner will be served at 7:15 p.m. Fr. Thomas Kelley, host pastor, will be the speaker at 8. There will be a silent auction for the benefit fund of Elizabeth Novinski. Cost is $5. Couples' retreat MADISON -- A couples mini retreat on "Our Family -- Beacon of Hope" will be held Sunday, Nov. 4, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at Schoenstatt Heights, 5901 Cottage Grove Rd., Madison, just past the I90-94 bridge heading east. The cost is $5 per family. For more information or to register, call 608-223-0892 or e-mail registration to Bbrochtrup@aol.com by Oct. 28. Parish mission starts Oct. 29 WATERTOWN -- St. Henry Parish here is planning a parish mission the week of Oct. 29. The facilitator for this mission will be Sr. Francis Clare, a School Sister of Notre Dame. The mission services will be held Monday through Thursday, Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. at St. Henry Church, North Fourth and Cady Sts., concluding with a Mass on All Saints Day. Transportation and childcare will be provided. Arrangements for these may be made by calling 920-261-5128. Beginning Experience Weekend Nov. 30-Dec. 2 MADISON -- Those who have experienced divorce, death of a spouse, or loss of a relationship and believe that life must begin again may benefit from Beginning Experience. A Beginning Experience weekend will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center. For a brochure and application form or for more information, call Paul at 608-862-3613 or Roxanne at 920-739-8991. Port St. Vincent de Paul turns 25 MADISON -- Port St. Vincent de Paul, located at 221 S. Baldwin St., will celebrate 25 years of service and hospitality with an open house and refreshments on Saturday, Nov. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Port St. Vincent de Paul has provided food and shelter to more than 3,500 men since it opened on Nov. 1, 1976. All Souls Day Mass MADISON -- Catholic Cemeteries of the Diocese of Madison invite people to attend the annual All Souls Day Mass celebrated by Bishop William H. Bullock at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 2, at Resurrection Cemetery Chapel, 2705 Regent St.

The Catholic Herald:

By Charlotte Bell
ONLINE TASK FORCE CHAIR

Hints led to wishes; research and approval led to planning. The Catholic Herald Advisory Committee decided the time was right in the Fall of 2000 for creating an on-line version of its 52-year-old print publication.

An On-line Task Force was recruited. Members included Editor Mary Uhler and Associate Editor Pam Payne as well as Fr. Paul Ugo Arinze, Bill Robbins, Charlotte Bell, and Fr. John Stillmank.

Strategic planning

They used strategic planning methods to guide the committee's course. The mission was identified as "The Catholic Herald, Diocese of Madison, website provides on-line access to further the newspaper's mission."

Values to be incorporated were:

• Compelling material
• Uniqueness
• Reliability
• Responsiveness to users.

The broad goals and specific objectives were based on this mission and values. Discussion to identify those goals and objectives raised key questions:

• Would the on-line version be an exact copy of the print version?
• Are there other sites of Catholic publications we could reference?
• Who would provide the technical expertise?
• Can we afford this project -- its establishment and maintenance?
• How soon can we get it up and running?

Advantages, limitations

It was determined that the on-line basic structure would match the print version but only certain parts of the print version would be incorporated.

It was recognized that the on-line version had some advantages:

Exploring Catholic Herald on-line The new Catholic Herald website, found at www.madi- soncatholicherald.org, contains weekly news items, columns, editorials, letters, calendars, and information on staff members, advertising, and subscriptions. A fast-breaking news box will appear on the front page of the new website when important news is released before the next print edition of The Catholic Herald. When logging onto the front page of the website, the viewer will find the weekly top story or stories, references to key items in the print version of The Catholic Herald, and a number of links to different areas of the site. Explore and enjoy!

breaking news could be posted almost immediately; more complete information could be provided without the same space limits; special audiences could be served with particular emphasis on the growing Hispanic population and the youth of the diocese.

On the other hand, the on-line version would have some limitations: not all national news releases are available for on-line use; many pictures take too long to upload; users must access their computers (if they have one) to find a particular story whereas the print version can sit on the table ready to be referenced.

Several other Catholic on-line publications, including some in Wisconsin and Illinois, were found and critiqued. Notes were made about the best features there.

Setting up website

Recommendations were sought for setting up and maintaining the website, resulting in the hiring of Chris Lee of Leemark Communications, Inc.

What a find he has been! He is a member of St. Bernard Parish in Middleton and currently manages the Green Bay and Milwaukee online Catholic publications and understands the needs and tone of our Catholic Herald.

Staff verified that Chris' reasonable budget could be met; the bishop and Advisory Committee gave their approval and the "go" was given.

The domain name was selected: www.madisoncatholicherald.org and Chris went to work designing the site, establishing links, and troubleshooting any difficulties.

The staff worked closely with him and the task force dropped in occasionally to offer suggestions. A prototype was produced, then actual issues (October 11 and 18, 2001) were posted. Finally, in sync with the October 25 print version, the official site was launched.

Past issues will be archived so users can return to any story from October 11, 2001 on when needed in the future.

What's ahead?

But what's ahead? Well, hopes include an interactive component especially for youth, contact with search engines so browsing users can find the site and, of course, evaluative methods so the project can continually improve.

So -- we're THERE -- in cyberspace and we hope our readers will keep in touch with reactions to this new service and especially with ideas about those features that will make it relative to your needs. WELCOME!

(See related story: Adult stem cells at work: Personal experience for pastor in Janesville.)

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Adult stem cells are already being used successfully to treat people with a variety of diseases, reported Dr. David A. Prentice at a forum held recently at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Madison.

With adult stem cells, "you can treat or cure diseases," he said, "and you don't need to destroy human life." Prentice was referring to the destruction of human embryos by some researchers, including those at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Facts and faith

Prentice spoke at the forum, "Stem Cell Research: Facts and Faith" along with Fr. John G. Stillmank, moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Madison. Prentice is a professor of life sciences at Indiana State University and adjunct professor of medical and molecular genetics at Indiana University School of Medicine. He is a founding member of Do No Harm: The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics.

Prentice explained that a stem cell is a cell that can continue to grow and replicate itself or differentiate into other cells.

Embryonic drawbacks

He said that people get excited about the potential of embryonic stem cells take from a five- to seven-day-old embryo. "But to get those cells, you have to destroy an embryo," Prentice said.

Other drawbacks to using human embryonic stem cells include poor success rates in animal tests; they grow and make other cells, but don't stop, often forming tumors; and there is great risk of tissue rejection, similar to transplants. All these factors make it "difficult, if not impossible" to use embryonic stem cells, in Prentice's opinion.

Adult cell uses

On the other hand, adult stem cells (which are cells taken from mature tissue -- they can be from newborns to elderly persons) have already shown to be useful in treating and curing diseases, including cancer, lupus, anemia, bone and cartilage deformities, corneal scarring, and repairing cardiac tissue after heart attacks.

Prentice said some scientists would like to clone human embryos for research and therapeutic uses. But, again, there are ethical and moral considerations.

What about the "discarded" embryos? "It took 277 tries to make Dolly the sheep," Prentice observed. "Many clones are not normal. There is genetic instability."

And, he noted, "therapeutic cloning is not therapeutic for the embryo. We do not need embryonic stem cells to treat patients," Prentice emphasized.

He urged interested persons to check out the Do No Harm website at www.stemcellresearch.org.

Catholic teaching

Fr. John Stillmank stressed that Catholic teaching clearly is opposed to research involving human embryos. He explained, "If we had flawless stem cell research, if we could keep to a minimum the embryos destroyed, it makes no difference. Embryonic stem cell research is not morally acceptable."

The Catholic Church's position:

• Research involving the creation of human embryos is morally wrong, no matter how they are created (by cloning, in vitro fertilization, or other means).
• Research involving the destruction of human embryos is morally wrong, since a human being is being killed. The end does not justify the means.
• Research involving stem cells taken from existing stem cell lines is morally wrong. The U.S. bishops said using these cells is like "using stolen money or property -- it's not morally right," said Stillmank.

"We want to alleviate suffering, but not at the expense of what is morally right. It is morally permissable to use adult stem cells and cells obtained from the placenta or umbilical cord," he said. "We believe in a culture of life. Human beings are not a commodity."

(See related story: Stem cells: Adult cells being used, don't have to destroy embryos.)

By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

JANESVILLE -- It was after a routine check-up in the spring of 1996 that Fr. Michael Doro, pastor of St. John Vianney Parish here, learned he had cancer.

Even after oral treatment, the cancer developed into mantel cell lymphoma, which eats away at the digestive system.

Fr. Michael Doro

"They said it would come back and keep getting worse," said Doro. So it was decided that (after chemotherapy which would destroy the cancerous cells) he would have a stem cell transplant from his own cancer-free bone marrow to put the cancer into remission.

Using own stem cells

After stem cells were taken from his blood, in August 2000 Doro had one more round of chemotherapy, then three days later his own stem cells were put back into his blood stream at University Hospital in Madison.

"They can freeze them for years and years until the transplant takes place," said Doro.

He explained that when the stem cells are put in, the cells "know where to go and what to do.

"With adult stem cells, there's nothing unethical about it and it's showing real potential," he said, pointing out that "we all have stem cells. Eventually it will be much better where they can do it in a much easier way. It's an area that will be continued and it certainly does not destroy life."

After his transplant, Doro continues to go in for check-ups, consisting of blood tests and CAT scans to monitor whether or not the cancer has returned.

"I have to retake shots taken as a child for diseases like polio because chemo kills everything in the immune system," he noted.

He also was in isolation for four months as well and had to wear a mask when traveling.

Chemotherapy, in addition to killing cancerous cells, also destroys all the bacteria in the digestive system, so one has to learn how to eat again and the digestive system has to be regenerated, Doro explained.

Now, Doro says he still tires more quickly, but he's doing most things at the parish, except giving out Communion at major Masses.

Power of faith

Doro said what has gotten him through this is the support of family, friends, parishioners, and "the thousands of people praying for me," he said. "I certainly wouldn't be here without the faith and prayers that were said.

"Through all this you've got to believe in God and that he can help and that, with help of modern medicine and technicians, miracles are possible."

By William C. Robbins
MEMBER OF THE CATHOLIC HERALD ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Why Catholic Herald Weekend? That your life will be better, improved, as you learn more about Jesus and your church and know more about happenings of religious importance in your parish, diocese, and the world from a Catholic perspective and interpretation.

Be an Informed and Educated Catholic Dear Reader: Being an informed and educated Catholic helps you be committed to the truth. By reading The Catholic Herald each week you can easily discuss, debate, and analyze Catholic Identity. Since September 11th much discussion goes on over cocktails, at work and at home regarding how we as a nation should respond to terrorists who attack us. What moral means may we use to retaliate against a terrorist? How do we protect the innocent? What is the Church's reasoning and teaching with regard to Stem Cell Research? The Catholic Herald assists us to debate, analyze, and discuss these and other events. Subscribe, read thoroughly, and contribute to discussions about current affairs. -- Bishop William H. Bullock Bishop of Madison

And for that reason, a free copy of this week's newspaper is offered to every family in the Diocese of Madison which does not now receive a copy in the mail every week.

The goal is for every Catholic in the Madison Diocese to regularly receive and read the newspaper. The best way to subscribe is to contact your parish office.

A Catholic perspective

The Catholic Herald is important to your life because it is the only local newspaper available with a Catholic perspective, keeping you informed on religious and moral issues and news.

In many cases, it is the only Catholic publication delivered to homes in the diocese.

For the same reason, the eCatholic Herald Website has been launched this week and you and your family are encouraged to call up the electronic newspaper on your home computer (www.madisoncatholicherald.org).

They are not identical presentations, so please use both mediums to learn more about your parish and diocese and news and views of national and world importance.

Encouraging readers

Catholic Herald Weekend was planned by the newspaper's advisory committee of lay and religious volunteers. We are encouraged that many parishes have high percentages of their members who are home-subscribers.

But because other parishes have lower percentages of readers, the committee wants to take this opportunity to encourage you and your family to regularly read The Catholic Herald, both the traditional, award-winning paper delivered to your home and the new eCatholic Herald on-line.

William Robbins, Madison, is a member of The Catholic Herald Advisory Committee.