Editorial

Bishop Bullock:
Accomplished much as priest and bishop

This Sunday, Sept. 29, the Diocese of Madison will celebrate with Bishop William H. Bullock his 50 years as a priest and 22 years as a bishop, nine of those years spent here in the Diocese of Madison.

We know it is a milestone for anyone to spend 50 years in any endeavor: marriage, a career, a home. For Bishop Bullock, it has been 50 years of dedicated service to the church as a priest and bishop.

From his ordination on June 7, 1952 in the Archdiocese of Minneapolis and St. Paul until today, Bishop Bullock has been committed to living out his life for God and his people. He has been blessed with wisdom and energy (at age 75 he still puts many of us younger to shame with his vigor).

Friendly and prepared. I remember meeting Bishop Bullock at the airport when he arrived in Madison in April of 1993. He was friendly and open, eager to meet people and willing to share his opinions. He came very well prepared with materials and photographs for use in The Catholic Herald.

He impressed me as someone who "did his homework," who kept abreast of current issues in the church and the world. He encouraged me as editor of The Catholic Herald to include breaking news in our paper (and now on our Web site), so that Catholics in our diocese would be formed and informed with a Catholic perspective.

Importance of communication. Of course, the bishop knows the importance of communication. He has used his diocesan newspaper to communicate each week with the people of the Diocese of Madison. He has written 451 columns and has released news through The Catholic Herald.

Some people comment on the many pictures and articles about Bishop Bullock in our paper each week. I think his presence in the paper is a testimonial to how active he is. He travels frequently throughout the diocese, visiting parishes and schools, meeting with groups of people.

He has succeeded in visiting all 137 parishes in the diocese since 1993, including the small mission parishes. He doesn't just drop in to celebrate Mass, but often stays for dinner and chats with the people. He likes to hear what they have to say; this helps him get a "pulse" of the church in our area.

Accomplishments. Bishop Bullock has accomplished much in his nine years in Madison. (For highlights, read Msgr. Paul Swain's column on page 2 and the special supplement in this week's paper [print edition].)

Above all, he has been our shepherd, our model of faithful witness to church teachings, a prayerful leader, and our friend. We thank him and salute him on his golden jubilee. Please keep him in your prayers and wish him God's grace, mercy, and peace!

Mary C. Uhler, editor

Mailbag

To the editor:

	Mailbag policy We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Limit letters to 200 words or less. All letters must be signed. Send letters to: Mailbag The Catholic Herald P.O. Box 44985 Madison, WI 53744-4985 Fax: 608-821-3071 E-mail: info@madisoncatholicherald.org

I am really surprised that people talk about war as a means to peace in Iraq or any other place. If you want a loving family, you build it by the way of love. Likewise if we want a peaceful world, we should build it by the way of peace.

We as Christians should imitate the Prince of Peace, who in every case rejected violence. Regarding evil, Jesus said, that "we have heard it said in the past, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' however, I the Son of God now tell you this, 'Do not oppose evil with evil' (Matthew 5:38-42).

The problem is that we refuse to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit but now rely on worldly powers to attain Godly ways, such as peace and love.

Jesus said, "Now I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34-35).

I am sure bombing Iraq has no semblance to love! Jesus is not a savior destroyer - he does not destroy some to save others! HE DIED FOR ALL.

In the face of evil, should we do nothing? Of course not; Jesus explicitly said that we should return love for evil and pray for our persecutors (Matthew 5:43-44).

We all need to make special prayers for the power to LOVE.

Chidi Umeano, Luton, England

In gratitude for contributions

To the publisher:

In the name of the Holy Father and on behalf of the dioceses of the Mission World, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples acknowledges the most generous contribution in 2001 of $178,105 to the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and $184,334 to the Society of St. Peter Apostle from the Diocese of Madison. Gratitude comes as well for the 2000-2001 contribution of $21,574 for Holy Childhood Association.

This Congregation is grateful foremost to the Bishops who are ready "to come to the aid of the missions by every means in their power" (LG 23). With more than 1,100 dioceses relying on the spiritual and financial support of sister-dioceses through the Pontifical Missionary Union and the above Societies, your commitment to the missionary task, with that of your people, is critical and invaluable.

In fraternal solidarity, I pray for you. May this generosity, provided so that others might live in the peace of Christ, redound in blessing of His peace and ever-strengthened faith among your people.

Crescenzio Cardinal Sepe, Prefect, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Rome, Italy

Putin's inadequate explanation

To the editor:

After reading about the seemingly congenial meeting in Texas this summer with President Bush and Russian President Vladmir Putin, little did we realize that the same Putin would be ordering with finality the expulsion of foreign priests from working in Russia.

Putin, in a letter to Pope John Paul II, said that his decision to deny visas to foreign priests was "a normal measure adopted by a sovereign state in its encounter with foreign citizens." Wasn't that a sad and inadequate explanation?

Will the U.S. State Department have a reaction to Putin's actions?

Charles J. Sippel, Waterloo