News Briefs: Support for cancer patients MADISON -- St. Marys Hospital Medical Center is offering the next eight-week program of "I CAN COPE" beginning Monday, Oct. 7. The program runs for eight consecutive Mondays - from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - until Monday, Nov. 25. "I CAN COPE" is an American Cancer Society program. This series will be held at St. Marys Hospital Medical Center, Assembly Hall, 707 S. Mills St., Madison. "I CAN COPE" is for the person with cancer and for anyone touched by that disease such as a spouse, family, friends, or other supporting persons. It offers information, support, and encouragement. The class is free and open to the public. To sign up call St. Marys Hospital Public Relations at 608-258-5065. Fall deanery meetings Following is a schedule of fall deanery meetings being planned by Councils of Catholic Women: • Sept. 11, a.m. - Rock Deanery, at St. Mary Parish, Milton • Sept. 12, p.m. - East Dane Deanery, at St. Pius X Parish, Cambridge • Sept. 17, p.m. - Jefferson Deanery, at St. Francis Xavier Parish, Lake Mills • Sept. 19, p.m. - Marquette-Green Lake Deanery, at Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Green Lake • Sept. 24, a.m. - Grant Deanery, at St. Rose Parish, Cuba City • Sept. 26, a.m. - Lafayette Deanery, at St. Joseph Parish, Argyle • Oct. 3, p.m. - Columbia Deanery, at St. Mary Parish, Pardeeville • Oct. 24, a.m. - West Dane Deanery, at St. Martin Parish, Martinsville Schoenstatt Heights retreat MADISON -- A retreat will take place at Schoenstatt Heights, 5901 Cottage Grove Rd., from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. Retreat master will be Schoenstatt Father Gerold Langsch. Inspirational talks, Mass, Sacrament of Reconciliation, and prayer will be a part of the retreat. Cost is $45, which includes five meals. Free will donations for the retreat master will be accepted. For reservations, call Irene at 608-222-4655. Together Encountering Christ MADISON -- Together Encountering Christ (TEC) is an intergenerational movement of the Catholic Church designed to help meet the spiritual needs of Catholic Christians who are in 11th grade and older. TEC weekends begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday and conclude at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Cost is $50 and includes all meals and supplies. For a TEC brochure, visit www.madisonfaithandfamily.org. For more information, call the Diocese of Madison's Office of Religious Education at 608-821-3160.

Lecture series:
Speaker is Dr. Zeni Fox

(See also front page photo.)

MADISON -- Dr. Zeni Fox, associate professor of pastoral theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary located at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, will deliver the next address in the St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture Series on Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison.

Fox is an advisor to the U.S. Bishop's Subcommittee on Lay Ministry. Her books, New Ecclesial Ministry: Lay Professional Serving the Church and Forging a Ministerial Identity, have become valuable resources for those in ministry. She holds a Ph.D in theology from Fordham University in New York.

Her address will focus on laity's role in realizing the mission of Christ. The lecture, dedicated to the issue of lay involvement in the church, is seen as central to accomplishing the goals of the lecture series, which include promoting knowledge of the Catholic faith and tradition, preparing the faithful for a more fully conscious and active participation in the mission of Christ, and providing moral testimony which demonstrates the social consequences of the demands of the Gospel.

The evening will begin at 7 p.m. with Liturgy of the Hours Evening Prayer with Bishop William H. Bullock as presider. Following prayer, Fox will deliver her address. There will be time for questions and answers following her presentation.

The evening concludes with a reception in the Center's main dining room to allow guests the opportunity to meet the speaker.

Admission to the lecture is by ticket only. To request a free ticket, contact: Pastoral Services, Diocese of Madison, P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744-4983; phone 608-821-3083; fax 608-821-2090 or e-mail: pastoral@straphael.org.

The spring lecture is scheduled for March 12, 2003 with an address by Fr. Donald Senior, CP, president and New Testament professor at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. His presentation is titled "The Gospel as Call to Mission."

Theology-on-Tap:
New series at cathedral designed for young adults

By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Young adults in the Diocese of Madison are invited to attend Theology-On-Tap, a four-week speaker series designed to address the needs and concerns of those in their 20s and 30s.

Theology-On-Tap was started by Fr. John Cusick in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1980. This is the first time it will be offered in the Diocese of Madison.

Sponsored by St. Raphael Cathedral Parish and the Diocese of Madison, each session of the series starts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, beginning Sept. 19, at St. Raphael Cathedral, 222 W. Main St.

"Theology-on-Tap has been underway for many years now in some of our neighboring dioceses and has proven effective in attracting the 20- and 30-year-old Catholics," said Msgr. Dan Ganshert, rector at St. Raphael Cathedral.

"They come together to listen to speakers who open up the treasure of our faith by addressing questions our young adults are asking. We want to extend an invitation to our own young adults to listen, to think, and to act upon their faith as Catholics. Theology-on-Tap will hopefully provide one more means to that end."

The schedule for Theology-On-Tap includes:

• Sept. 19: "Why bother with the church?" by Kate DeVries, associate director of young adult ministry, Archdiocese of Chicago.

• Sept. 26: "Moving faith into service" by Paul Ashe, director of community programs, St. Paul University Catholic Center and Luke House, Madison.

• Oct. 3: "Who is Jesus Christ?" by Ben Weisse, associate director of the Diocese of Madison's Office of Religious Education.

• Oct. 10: "Experiencing God in everyday life" by Fr. John Cusick, founder and director of Theology-On-Tap, Archdiocese of Chicago.

"I'm looking forward to Theology-On-Tap because it will give Catholics in their 20s and 30s an opportunity to discuss Catholicism with others their age in a relaxed atmosphere," said Weisse. "Many programs in the Catholic Church have a target age group either for children and youth or for older adults. Theology-On-Tap offers topics and speakers geared towards the needs of young adults."

For more information, call St. Raphael Cathedral at 608-256-5614 or the Diocese of Madison's Office of Religious Education at 608-821-3164.

(Related article: Voter education materials: Meant to be helpful, issue-oriented)

Every two years the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) seeks to assist interested voters in assessing election issues from a Catholic perspective.

The conference does so by providing voter education resources intended to encourage Catholics to be active participants in our nation's political life, to outline the appropriate role for the church in the political process, to identify policy issues with moral implications and invite Catholics and others to evaluate their choices as voters in light of these issues.

In the "Presidential" election years, the WCC has framed these voter education resources in the context of the statement by the Administrative Board of the United States Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). In election year 2000, the document, Faithful Citizenship: Civic Responsibility for a New Millennium provided that context.

WCC's voter education materials for use in election year 2002 will again use the themes of Faithful Citizenship. However, while the themes will be the same, the issues addressed in these materials will emphasize state issues as opposed to issues at the federal level.

Each of us, in one way or another, has something special to offer to the public discussions in our society. Collectively, the Catholic community offers something that is unique and vital to the political process.

In writing Faithful Citizenship two years ago, the bishops described these as Catholic "assets."

"Speak Out!" writing contest for students MADISON -- The Catholic Herald is sponsoring a fall "Speak Out!" writing contest for students in grades five through 12 in the Diocese of Madison. Beginning with the Sept. 12, 2002 issue, The Catholic Herald will include voter education issues based on "Faithful Citizenship." Students are encouraged to write editorials in response to these articles. Topics include: 1) Faithful Citizenship in Election Year 2002 (introduction and overview); 2) Human Life and Dignity; 3) Help for Families; 4) Health Care; 5) Budget Shortfalls and Taxation; 6) Criminal Justice and Corrections; 7) Environment and Agriculture. Deadline is Nov. 8. For more information, interested students may contact their Catholic school teachers or principal, call The Catholic Herald at 608-821-3070, or e-mail info@madisoncatholicherald.org.

These assets are: 1) a consistent moral framework for evaluating issues and policy positions, 2) a long and broad experience based on serving all people in need, and 3) a community of citizens whose presence in society bears witness to the truth that people with diverse backgrounds can live out their differences in a community of shared values.

Themes of Catholic social teaching

A cornerstone of these shared values is the social teaching of the church. Faithful Citizenship identifies seven major themes of Catholic social teaching as follows:

• The Life and Dignity of the Person

• A Call to Family, Community and Participation

• Rights and Responsibilities

• An Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

• The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers

• Solidarity

• Care for God's Creation

The topics covered in the following weeks will integrate these themes in various ways into six issue areas of special concern to citizens in Wisconsin. These issue areas are: 1) Human Life, 2) Help for Families, 3) Health Care, 4) Budget Shortfall and Taxes, 5) Criminal Justice and Corrections, and 6) Environment and Agriculture.

A seven-part series

Each segment in the series will introduce the issue, articulate why it is of concern to Wisconsin voters this year, reference some relevant Catholic teaching on the topic, offer a brief discussion of some of the issues that touch upon the topic of the week, and suggest several questions for voters to consider as they weigh the issues and positions of the candidates.

Each of the issues selected will bear a relationship to one or more basic themes identified above. As voters reflect on the issue from the perspective of Catholic social teaching they will soon appreciate how the themes of that teaching relate to each other and in turn reveal a relationship between the issues.

Following are examples of how voters can connect the themes and issues to a vision of faithful citizenship.

• The segment on Human Life will invite us to relate issues of stem cell research, cloning, the death penalty, euthanasia, and abortion to the themes of The Life and Dignity of the Person and Solidarity. At the same time, the value of human life also frames how we think about families, health care, the environment, the needs of crime victims, and persons imprisoned for their crimes.

• Discussing how to offer Help for Families will provide the occasion to address issues related to financial assistance to needy parents and children, education choice, and the right to just wages. These in turn will relate to the themes of Family, Community and Participation, the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable, and the Dignity of Workers.

As voters assess how to help families, they will also realize they need to consider issues of human life, health care, and the environment.

• The discussion of issues related to Health Care will include access to health insurance by the working poor, mental health services, and the rights of conscience for patients and providers in the context of the Life and Dignity of the Person, and the Option for the Poor and Vulnerable. Thinking about health care of necessity links one to questions of life, the environment, tax policy, and the needs of families.

• The segment on Budget Shortfalls and Taxes can be connected to the themes of Community and Participation, and Solidarity.

Considering taxes forces us to assess the importance of society's role in helping families, protecting the environment, affirming the dignity of life, and promoting responsible agriculture.

• The review of Criminal Justice and Corrections will connect to the themes of Rights and Responsibility, Solidarity, and the Dignity of the Person. Voters who assess the cost of the prison system and the needs of those touched by crimes will also find themselves reflecting back on the value of human life, tax policy, and how to help families.

Other resources • Faithful Citizenship: Civic Responsibility for a New Millennium, Administrative Board of the U.S. Catholic Bishops, 1999. http://www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship/citizenship.htm • Guidelines for Church Involvement in Electoral Politics, Wisconsin Catholic Conference, June 2002. http://www.wisconsincatholic.com/statements/politics.htm • Candidate Questions 2002 http://www.wisconsincatholic.com/election/electcar.htm Diocesan Contacts: • Diocese of Madison Office for Justice and Peace: 608-821-3086 • Diocese of Green Bay Office of Social Concerns: 920-437-7531, ext. 8299 • Diocese of LaCrosse Office of Justice and Peace: 608-791-2675 • Archdiocese of Milwaukee Social Concerns Office: 414-769-3402 • Diocese of Superior Department of Pastoral Services: 715-392-2937

• Issues affecting the Environment and Agriculture in Wisconsin, such as stewardship of our natural resources and policies to support family farms are connected to the theme of Care for God's Creation. At the same time, voters will see the connection between these concerns and the value of life, health care, and the dignity of work.

Acting as faithful citizens

Catholics and others who use the series as a means of their own education on the issues are encouraged to share their views and opinions regarding the issues and candidates with other interested citizens.

As they do so, they are encouraged to heed the advice provided in the WCC's Guidelines for Church Involvement in Electoral Politics.

The Guidelines offer useful information as to what is appropriate election related activity for Catholics and Catholic institutions.

Prepared by the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, September 2002. Phone: 608-257-0004. Web site: www.wisconsincatholic.com