News Briefs: Pentecost Vigil Mass MADISON -- A Pentecost Vigil Mass and prayer for priests will be held at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center on Saturday, May 18, with prayer service beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Madison Catholic Charismatic Renewal invites everyone to join in prayer for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all the priests and seminarians of the diocese, parishes, and families. Those attending will receive the name of a priest and will be asked to make a commitment to pray for that priest during the next year. With the shortage of priests and the many demands that are placed on them, prayers are needed for their health, spirituality, and strength. Mass will be celebrated immediately following the prayer service at approximately 7:45 p.m. by Msgr. Paul J. Swain, vicar general. Following Mass, there will be a time of fellowship with refreshments. Fundraising dance JANESVILLE -- Faith Lutheran and St. William Churches will hold a special fundraising dance Saturday, May 11, at St. William Parish Hall from 8 to 11:30 p.m. to aid their effort to build a home through Habitat for Humanity. A disc jockey will present the music. Refreshments will be available at the dance and raffles are planned during the evening. Dance tickets are $10 each or $20 a couple. Tickets will be on sale at the door. Advanced tickets are available at St. William Parish Office, 1815 Ravine St., or the Rock County Habitat for Humanity Office. Ostomy Appliance Fair MADISON -- An "Ostomy Appliance Fair" will be held Monday, May 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. at St. Marys Hospital Assembly Hall, 707 S. Mills St. The fair is for those with ostomies and care providers. New product information will be on display, along with free stoma checks and educational resources. Parking is free in the hospital ramp. For more information call St. Marys Wound Ostomy Line, 608-258-6742. CPR training course PORTAGE -- Rescue breathing, first aid for choking, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for adults, infants, and children will be the emphasis of a six-hour American Heart Association course being offered at Divine Savior Healthcare from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18. For more information and registration, call 608-745-6405 or 1-800-272-9355.

Gifts of motherhood:
Love of a child

By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

	Colleen Steele is shown here at St. Maria Goretti Parish, Madison, with her two sons, Aidan and Cullen.

MADISON -- Love is so powerful, and it is the one thing that we should allow to consume us, said Colleen Steele, mother of Cullen, 2 1/2, and Aidan, 16 months.

"Love is a sweet addiction, and experiencing the love of a child is best way to get hooked," she said.

Steele and her husband, Brian, who have been married for seven years, are parishioners at St. Maria Goretti Parish in Madison. Steele, who worked in Center Administration at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison for five years, is now a stay-at-home mom who continues to help out at the center on weekends.

Greatest gift

"Being a mother has been one of the greatest gifts God has given me and the best job for me," she said. "It was a tough decision to become a stay-at-home mom, but it is not one I have regretted."

Before the boys came along, Steele had been working on a master's degree in religious studies, "but now both career and college are on hold (sort of)," she said. "Being at home with my children is equivalent to being a teacher and student, and it is challenging and rewarding work. Being a mother is also the best education I could receive."

Importance of faith

Her Catholic faith and her family are the two most important things in her life, said Steele. "They have always come first and they always will."

It is important to Steele that the children have strong faith.

"We say prayers, read them children's books about faith, and are doing our best to teach them love, kindness, and to be good people," she said.

Positive influences

Steele said she and her husband have a deep appreciation of their own parents.

"Many of our parents' words, actions, values, and philosophies suddenly made sense at the moment Cullen, our first child, was born," said Steele, pointing out how grateful she is to her parents for the love and patience they showed her, as well as providing a good Catholic education that has been of such great value in her life.

"I pray that I will be as much of a positive influence in my children's lives as my parents were to me," she said.

From her father, Steele learned the importance of honesty and loyalty. Her mother "has always been a loving person, and I hope to follow her example," she said. "Hopefully my children will one day see me in the same way."

'Put it in God's hands'

Steele prays that her children will always be close. "I want my children to feel they always have their family to turn to," she said.

Worrying about the future is one of the challenges of motherhood, said Steele. "And that's where faith comes in," she said. "We put it in God's hands and do the best with what God has given us."

And what does Steele want for Mother's Day?

"Just time spent with my family, appreciating all they are to me," she said.

Pro-life rally: Uniting to spread message

(See also front page photo.)

By Sarah Baldwin
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- The State St. entrance to the state Capitol was the gathering place for many demonstrators Saturday, May 4, but the pro-life ralliers were distinct.

According to State Representative Sheryl Albers (R-Reedsburg), the other demonstrators were there for themselves. "Pro-lifers are set apart because they are here for others. God bless you for that," she told those gathered for a rally sponsored by Pro-Life Wisconsin.

Albers was one of several speakers who addressed the crowd on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The rally united people from all over the state. "We come together from the four corners of Wisconsin, many generations and faiths - our diversity is our strength. We will never stop praying until every pre-born child is given its inalienable and undeniable right to life," stated Mary Kay Culla, master of ceremonies for the event.

'We carry the truth'

"You send a loud and clear message to elected officials that you will not be silent. Wisconsin legislators need to put politics aside and do the right thing," Mary Matuska, legislative director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, told the 1,000-plus people carrying banners and signs, rallying to stop abortion, stem cell research, and cloning.

Albers remarked that the focus is no longer just on abortion. "War must be waged on more fronts - we need to educate more people as to what is happening."

Pursuit of unethical goals at the expense of other people's lives is no better than suicide bombings and nuclear bomb research, Albers charged. "We carry the truth with us and we are right."

She proposed an end to funding for cloning and stem cell research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Write and tell the governor to veto - the money trail has got to stop."

Call to take action

State Representative Glen Grothman (R-West Bend) spoke about three things each person can do to help the cause. He suggested that they ask their pastor to address pro-life issues to the congregation and stressed the importance of donating money to organizations that convey the message. Moreover, he stated that each person present should tell their co-workers about the rally they attended "to stop the slaughter of innocents, because a lot of people have not heard the message."

"Your help is essential," said State Representative Steve Kestell (R-Elkhart Lake), who encouraged ralliers to make phone calls, write letters to elected officials, and get out and vote for pro-life candidates. We need to ban all human cloning and don't let the candidates mince words, remarked Kestell. "It is a terrible idea to create life to destroy it."

State Representative Mark Gundrum (R-New Berlin) urged pro-lifers to talk with legislative candidates when they knock on the door. "Don't let them leave the door without asking their position on right to life." Instead of asking them, "Are you pro-life?" you need to ask them "'What's your position on a woman's right to choose?' That's how you get to the truth. In the end, the victory will be that of the truth," Gundrum stated.

God's forgiveness

The pain of abortion is one of immense proportions, deeply affecting mothers, not to mention fathers. Speaker and musician Eric Eckenrode, known around Washington, D.C., for his words of compassion and songs of inspiration, told his story of losing a child to abortion.

Abortion has affected Eckenrode deeply; he now realizes the sanctity of life and he has been renewed by God's forgiveness. He has learned that God's mercy can heal the wounds of the post abortive.

"We all play a role in each others' lives, we affect each other by our words and actions and very presence - and absence, such as the absence of my son. The consequences (of abortion) are powerful and catastrophic. It is time to stop it and stop it now."

Eckenrode followed his story with a song citing the Lord's forgiveness as the only way he can learn to live with himself, despite his past actions.

A youthful message

Cindy Flessert, a high school student from Fort Atkinson, represented the youth. She sees the effects of the pro-choice infected media in her high school. "It is our duty to tell those girls, 'Give your baby the right to life.' We need to teach youth that they're killing a child, not just a group of cells. Babies can feel pain." She wants to get the message to girls that they need to be strong women, and to remember that "it is cool to respect your body."

With Mother's Day approaching, Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, took an extra moment to honor all mothers. We need to "praise the heavenly father for all mothers who follow the selfless example of Mary the mother of Christ, who said 'yes' to God and 'yes' to life."