Editorial

Rachel Statue: Reminds us to pray for life at all stages

Motorists will stop their cars when a mother duck crosses the road with a set of ducklings. Yet, our society condones the killing of unborn children in their mother's womb.

It is indeed sad that people will show such caution for ducks, yet human babies are "thrown out." That was a message given by Bishop William H. Bullock in his remarks at a prayer service held on Mother's Day, May 12, when he dedicated the new Rachel Statue at Madison's Resurrection Cemetery.

Monument to Unborn. The striking bronze statue shows Rachel kneeling in front of the Monument to the Unborn near the cemetery's entrance. Cemetery Director Tom Hanlon said the monument and statue are placed in this location so that "everyone who visits the cemetery will see them."

The monument was erected by Knights of Columbus District 47 in 1995 on land donated by Resurrection Cemetery. Jim Tracy from Council 4527 was the person who spearheaded the effort to build the original monument, which reads: "In Loving Memory of the Victims of Abortion."

Since then, many thought the monument - designed much like a cemetery plot marker - needed something else to complete it. Knights of Columbus Grand Knight Glenn "Gus" Gardner of Council 531 appointed Ken Hanson as chairman of a committee to look into the situation two years ago.

Statue of Rachel. Hanson saw an article about a statue in St. Paul, Minn., dedicated to Rachel. She is the mourning mother in the Old Testament account of the slaughter of the holy innocents.

It was decided that such a statue would be ideal in Resurrection Cemetery. But the cost was much higher than the Knights anticipated. So Hanson asked local funeral homes for donations to the project and the response was enthusiastic. Generous contributions came from Cress, Gunderson, and Ryan and Joyce/Ryan Funeral Homes.

Reminder to mourn and pray. The Rachel Statue stands "as a reminder to mourn for those who are the victims of abortion and other affronts to life," said Bishop Bullock. He noted that the Catholic Church also sponsors Project Rachel to help those involved in abortions back to the church. (Call the Office of Family Ministry, 608-821-3175 for details).

For those in the Madison area, I encourage you to stop at Resurrection Cemetery and offer a prayer at the Rachel Statue. Pray for the victims of abortion. Pray, too, that our country will embrace a consistent ethic of life at all stages of development.

Mary C. Uhler, editor

Mailbag

To the editor:

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Bureaucracies are a necessary adjunct to any but the most primitive societies and also to a structured church. Unfortunately, nearly all bureaucracies, including the Roman Catholic Church, aptly described as the world's greatest bureaucracy, tend to become overly concerned about their "image," a tendency which interferes with and obstructs their founding purpose.

The bureaucrats engage in denials and misrepresentations, even falsehoods, to protect and polish this image, and this conduct usually blows up in their faces. Recent events prove the Catholic Church no exception to this.

The blowup was so great - witness the surge of letters, plus editorial and op-ed commentary condemning the church's past reaction to the pedophilia scandal and even more condemnatory of present policy - so that the U.S. cardinals went to Rome to engage in damage control. The Holy Father and the cardinals labored and produced the proverbial mouse. I quote from Madison Catholic Herald (May 2, 2002) one of the proposals to correct the situation: "A special process for the dismissal from the clerical state of a priest who has become notorious and is guilty of the serial, predatory sexual abuse of minors."

Serial?!! One instance of a despicable felony that would land anyone but a priest in prison is excusable? Predatory? If there be such a thing as non-predatory pedophilia is this acceptable? How many parents will accept the release of a priest guilty of pedophilia to be pastor for their children?

What is needed is structural reform of the bureaucracy which the bureaucrats obstinately refuse to consider. The result of this obstinacy will be a disconnect by committed Catholics between their faith or religion and their church.

Karl Anderson, Lake Mills

Definitions: terrorist, freedom fighter

To the editor:

In a May 9 article, Fr. Benjamin Russell asked, "How do we distinguish between a terrorist and a freedom fighter?" Answer - A freedom fighter targets military installations and personnel. A terrorist targets shopping malls, pizza parlors, and civilian men, women, and children.

Lillian Martin, Madison