News Briefs: Iowa Deanery HOLLANDALE -- St. Patrick Parish here will host the spring meeting of the Iowa Deanery Council of Catholic Women Tuesday, April 23. The theme is "Heart and Hands Together." Registration is at 5 p.m. followed by a business meeting, Mass, supper, and program. Speakers are Marianne Crowley and Becky Tank, directors of the cardiac rehabilitation program at Upland Hills Health Center, Dodgeville. Reservations are due April 17 to Betty Hittesdorf, 503 4th Ave., Hollandale, WI 53544. Cost is $5. Sauk Deanery PLAIN -- "Whatsoever You Do" is the theme for the Sauk Deanery Council of Catholic Women spring meeting Tuesday, April 23. St. Luke Parish here will host the event. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. followed by a business meeting and a slide presentation of the "Haiti Mission" by Dr. Maureen Murphy Greenwood. Mass and lunch will follow. The afternoon speaker will be Mary Bowers of the "Kids' Ranch." Attendees are asked to bring garden seeds for the Peace Corps in Africa. Reservations are due April 16 to Judy Ferstl, S9545 Hwy. N, Plain, WI 53577. Cost is $7. Columbia Deanery POYNETTE -- "The Rosary" is the theme of the spring meeting of the Columbia Deanery Council of Catholic Women. St. Thomas Parish here will host the event Thursday, April 25. Registration is at 4:30 p.m. followed by a Mass and dinner. Diane Kieler, Sinsinawa Retreat Center, will give the history, mission, current goals, and programs of the Mound along with a short video at 7. Attendees are asked to bring a baby item or cash for the Columbia County Pregnancy Crisis Center. Reservations are due April 16 to Mary Jean Dushek, 305 N. Cleveland, Poynette, WI 53955. Cost is $6.50. Marquette-Green Lake Deanery BERLIN -- The spring meeting of the Marquette-Green Lake Deanery Council of Catholic Women will be held Thursday, April 25, at All Saints (St. Stanislaus) Parish here. The theme is "Living on Holy Ground." Registration is at 3:30 p.m. followed by a business meeting and Mass. Newly elected officers will be installed at this time. Following dinner, Lillian Ritger, Allenton, a founding member of the Wisconsin Rural Development Center, will speak at 7. Attendees are asked to bring non-perishable food items or household supplies for the Green Lake and Marquette food pantries. Reservations are due April 15 to Mary Ann Kraft, 276 Ripon Rd., Berlin, WI 54923. Cost is $7. International dinner postponed MADISON -- The fund-raising international dinner and dance for the Schoenstatt shrine in the Philippines that was scheduled at St. Dennis Parish from 7 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, has been canceled. The event has been temporarily rescheduled for Saturday, July 13. For more information, call Marilyn, 608-249-2963; Nancy, 608-838-4463; or the Schoenstatt Sisters, 608-222-7208. Late Night Catechism BELOIT -- Part catechism, part stand-up routine, and an overall funny piece of theater, the interactive comedy, "Late Night Catechism," will be presented at St. Jude Church here at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 21. Tickets may be purchased by calling the school at 608-364-2825. Preceding the comedy, everyone is invited to attend an open house in the parish hall at 2 p.m. Honored guests will be several members of the Sisters of St. Agnes who formerly taught at Brother Dutton School or at Beloit Catholic High School. Food, refreshments, and raffle baskets will be featured. General admission seating begins at 2:30. Festival of Praise MADISON -- For the first time, St. Paul's University Catholic Center here will hold a Festival of Praise (FOP) from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. All are invited to attend this experience of Catholic charismatic praise with contemporary worship music. Prayer, worship, music, and scripture sharing are a part of the Festival of Praise. "It's a pretty powerful experience," said André Lesperance, one of the coordinators of the event and a student peer minister at St. Paul's University Catholic Center. Blood drive April 14 MADISON -- A blood drive sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council 9082 will be held in the gym at St. Bernard Parish, 2450 Atwood Ave., from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 14. Everyone is welcome. Call 608-241-9166 to schedule an appointment. Grief workshop SINSINAWA -- Sinsinawa Mound hosts a one-day Grief Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. It is intended for those who have experienced grief and mourning related to loss. For more information, call 608-748-4411 or visit www.sinsinawa.org.

Bishop Bullock at 75:

(See also front page photo.)

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- "I have really loved being Bishop of Madison," said Bishop William H. Bullock in an interview last week.

The bishop reflected on his years as a priest and bishop as he prepares to celebrate his 75th birthday this Saturday, April 13.

He also discussed the process for naming his successor as well as his plans for retirement.

Naming a successor

Just to clarify, on his birthday Bullock will be sending a letter to Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, the current apostolic nuncio in the United States. The nuncio will forward the letter to Pope John Paul II. This then begins the process of selecting a successor to Bullock.

"When the successor is named, then the person is announced," explained Bullock.

Until then, Bullock would remain as head of the Madison Diocese. In some dioceses, bishops have served beyond the 75-year retirement age. In Wisconsin, for example, Bishop John Paul in La Crosse was 77 when his successor, Bishop Raymond Burke, was named.

Bullock noted that it usually takes less time if an auxiliary bishop or another ordinary (head of a diocese) is appointed. The process takes longer if a priest is elevated to the position.

It is not known how long the process will take. It could be a few months or even longer.

Years in Madison

"I must say that as I come to the end of my novena of years, I feel a sense of satisfaction about what the priests, people, and myself have been able to do together," said Bullock reflecting on his nine years as bishop of Madison.

"I am so filled with joy and expectation with the new Catholic Multicultural Center. I think it's got so many possibilities to help the poor, to help the people we feed and clothe, to get legal advice for people. I'm really pleased with that."

In 2001 the diocese announced plans to build the Catholic Multicultural Center on the site of the former St. Martin House and Centro Guadalupano on Madison's south side. It is expected to be completed in the fall of 2002.

Bullock noted the center will not only minister to blacks and Latinos, but also serve the growing Asian population. He observed that two-thirds of the world's population can be found in Asia and many of them are immigrating to the U.S.

Accomplishments

Besides the new Catholic Multicultural Center, Bullock also points to other accomplishments in his tenure as bishop here. Among them is the consolidating of diocesan offices and remodeling of the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center (former Holy Name Seminary).

There was certain upheaval when the decision was made to discontinue the Holy Name Seminary program in 1995. But since then, the bishop feels "it's been relatively smooth."

He observed that the Bishop O'Connor Center also serves as a diocesan center and provides retirement suites for retired priests. (He himself has chosen to live in one of them when he retires.) "Many parishes and all sorts of groups use the center," he pointed out.

He is proud of the renovated Bishop O'Donnell Holy Name Memorial Chapel at the center. It features beautiful new stained glass windows featuring Mother Teresa, Christ of the Handicapped, and holy men and women of the church.

Built Strategic Plan

Bullock also built a diocesan Strategic Plan from "the ground up." He consulted with many people throughout the diocese on a grassroots level to develop the plan, which is still in its implemental stages.

The plan looks at many key issues facing the church, including use of a fewer number of priests in parishes in the diocese.

Bullock has spearheaded efforts to encourage more vocations to the ordained and consecrated life. This has resulted in the ordination of 11 new priests (hopefully three more in May), compared with six diocesan priests ordained in the preceding decade.

The bishop also began a diocesan permanent diaconate program; developed a plan for parish directors; and brought a graduate extension program (Loyola Institute for Ministry Extension- LIMEX - from New Orleans, La.) to the diocese.

Development of paper

He is also pleased with better communication in the diocese and the development of The Catholic Herald. "It was a good paper when I came to town, but we have improved it," he said.

He pointed to the change from broadsheet to tabloid, increased use of color, more local coverage, good sense of national and international news, and the expansion to the new Web site in 2001.

"A very frequent comment from other bishops to me is, 'I really like your paper,'" said Bullock.

Retirement plans

Blessed with good health and high energy, Bullock said he has some "natural ambivalence about retirement."

But he believes the Catholic Church is wise in requesting priests and bishops to retire at age 75. While some remain very capable at that age, others do not have the health, energy, or interest to continue in their positions.

Bullock was born April 13, 1927 in Maple Lake, Minn., and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis June 7, 1952. Although Minnesota is is home, he says "Madison is my home, too."

He and Auxiliary Bishop George O. Wirz (who also observes his golden jubilee as a priest this year) have "walked together."

Bullock says, "I have found a home and affection in Madison. I feel comfortable here."

He will live at the Bishop O'Connor Center and hopes to assist the next bishop with Confirmations. "I enjoy talking with youth," he said. "I look at them and say, 'What's your future and where is God in your life?'"

He will also offer his services to do some continuing work with the Nigerian priests who have come to Madison as part of a partnership with the Archdiocese of Owerri in Nigeria.

Times call for prayer

As he reflects on the world today, Bullock believes the "times really call for prayer." He points to the effects of Sept. 11, the turmoil in the Middle East, and the sexual abuse scandals all as causes for concern today.

In a recent homily he suggested that we replace the "twin towers" symbolizing power and greed with the two towers of faith and hope with love as their foundation.

"We rely on God's promise. We must love God above all things and love our neighbors as ourselves," he emphasized.

That's what he has tried to do in his nearly 50 years as a priest and in his nine years as bishop of Madison. God-willing, he will continue to serve God and the Church for many years to come.

'Sing a New Song': Annual conference in May

By Dorothy Lepeska
CATHOLIC HERALD CORRESPONDENT

SINSINAWA -- "Sing a New Song" is the theme of the 87th annual conference of the Wisconsin Council of Catholic Women (WCCW) to be held Thursday and Friday, May 2 and 3, at the Sinsinawa Mound here.

Registration on Conference Day, Friday, begins at 8:30 a.m. preceded by a continental breakfast at 8. The business session will follow.

Media session

The media session will feature Mary Lynn Neuhaus, an attorney and professor at Loras College, Dubuque, who will speak on "Communications: the Church's Best Kept Secret."

Neuhaus, current immediate past president of the Dubuque County Bar Association, teaches communications law, ethics, and business and an interdisciplinary seminar course in critical thinking. Her talk will focus on how to get the Catholic message out to the world.

Mass, luncheon

Bishop William H. Bullock will be the main celebrant at the 11 a.m. Mass in the chapel, followed by a luncheon. The Christian Charities session at 1:15 will present the nun's scholarship, the bishop's lay social worker scholarship, and the Catholic college student's scholarship.

Legislative session

The legislative session will feature Dr. Janine Idziak, director of the Bioethics Resource Center, Loras College. Her talk is titled "Science and Ethics in the 21st Century: Where Do We Go with Stem Cell Research?" She also serves as health care consultant and chair of the Medical-Moral Commission for the Dubuque Archdiocese.

In the current Catholic issues session Dr. John C. Waldmeier will be the speaker. He is a teacher in the religious studies department at Loras College and directs the Kucera Center for Catholic Studies. He will speak on "How Loras College is Preparing Students to Meet the Needs of our Parishes through the Kucera Center."

Waldmeier claims with the priest population declining, these graduates will become the future leaders that are so desperately needed. The mission of the center is to create opportunities for the college and the archdiocese to interact.

Pre-conference day on Thursday will include a WCCW board meeting at 2 p.m. followed by a social hour at 5 and a banquet at 6.

Concluding banquet

Banquet speaker Sr. Arlene Einwalter, a School Sister of St. Francis from Milwaukee, will assist those attending in developing spirituality in their lives. Her topics will be "Assisting the Curriculum of the Soul."

Einwalter does freelance work in grief and loss education, workshops, and lectures on spirituality and acts as a bereavement facilitator. She recently started a center for grieving children in Milwaukee.

Costs include: all functions, including banquet, overnight at the Mound, Friday breakfast, luncheon, and meetings - $55; Friday conference only - $30; banquet only - $20; banquet and conference but no overnight - $45.

Reservations are due April 16 to Catherine Jones, 3009 Glenhaven Pl., Eau Claire 54703. Checks are to be made payable to WCCW.