News Briefs: Retreat for single Catholics MADISON -- The Office of Family Ministry invites all single (never married, separated, divorced, and widowed) Catholics in the Diocese of Madison to a day of reflection, prayer, and discussion entitled "Myself: a gift to me, a gift to relationships, a gift to the world." The retreat will assist individuals in reflecting on how they perceive themselves, what their gifts are, and the difference they make in relationship to others and to the world. This will be an interactive retreat with time for private and group reflection. Participants will address personality types, self-esteem issues, traits of healthy relationships and intimacy, meaning and purpose in life, process, and prayer. The retreat will be led by Barb Jarvis. She is a staff therapist at Samaritan Interfaith Pastoral Counseling Center, Naperville, Ill., where she runs a Christian intensive out-patient program which includes group, individual, and family therapy. She holds a master's degree in counseling psychology from Lewis University, Romeoville, Ill. Widowed for eight years, Jarvis has done extensive work in grief ministry, divorce effects on children, and ongoing enrichment programs for married couples. The retreat will be held Saturday, Oct. 5, from 9:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, 702 S. High Point Road. Cost of the retreat is $30 and includes lunch. Pre-registration is necessary. For registration information, call the Office of Family Ministry at 608-821-3175. Central Education Institute MADISON -- The Diocese of Madison's 2002 Central Education Institute will take place at the Marriott Madison West Hotel and Conference Center here on Wednesday, Oct. 2. Those involved in parish ministry, Catholic schools, or religious education are encouraged to attend. The schedule is as follows: 7:45 a.m., exhibits and registration; 8:30 a.m., welcome and Liturgy; 10 a.m., keynote speaker's presentation; 11 a.m., workshops, Round I; noon, lunch; 1:15 p.m., workshops, Round II; 2:30 p.m., workshops, Round III; 3:30 p.m., basic FOREM continued to 5 p.m. The keynote presenter is Paul Ward, deputy superintendent for the Archdiocese of New York and adjunct instructor in Seton Hall's Catholic School Leadership Program. His address is titled "Seizing the Moment: Examining Life from the Catholic Perspective." Workshop topics include areas such as dealing with student rage and bullying behavior; everyday spirituality; creative ideas for learning faith; and differences between Catholicism and other Christian religions. Registration is necessary. The fee is $40. For more information, call the Office of Religious Education at 608-821-3180. Janesville parish hosts Senior Fair JANESVILLE -- St. Patrick Parish will host a Senior Fair on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 12 noon to 3 p.m. in the school gym cafeteria (use entrance on Holmes St.). The fair will begin with brunch followed by a series of speakers. Mary Krisco of the University of Wisconsin-Extension will address challenges of good nutrition for older adults. Carolyn Brandeen will explain the recently passed drug bill that provides assistance to seniors. Jim Witcomb will provide information on pre-arrangements and funeral trusts and Hospice representatives will add a learning activity called "Wheel of Health," which includes prizes. While the fair is free, registrations are necessary to allow for food planning. To register, call 608-754-0531 or 754-8193. If no answer, leave a message with your name, phone number, and the number attending. Registration deadline is Sept. 29. Health screenings at Montello church MONTELLO -- A Life Line Screening will be held at St. John the Baptist Church here on Thursday, Oct. 10. Three primary health screenings to detect the risk of stroke and vascular disease will be offered: a carotid artery screening test, abdominal aortic aneurysm test, and ankle brachial index. A bone density test will also be offered. Ultrasound technologists will conduct the painless, low-cost tests. Interested persons need to register in advance by calling 1-800-407-4557 to schedule an appointment. Pastoral ministers start new year MADISON -- The Madison Diocese Pastoral Ministers Association (MDPMA) began a new season with an afternoon of reflection led by two of its members, Mary Lestina of St. Raphael Cathedral Parish and Sr. Priscilla Weber of St. James Parish, Madison. Six meetings are scheduled for 2002-2003 in September, October, November, March, April, and May. Sessions for October through April are held at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center on the third Wednesday of the month and run from 1:15 to 3 p.m. Officers for the year of 2002-2003 are: Sr. Lauretana Gorman, president; Mary Lestina, vice president; Sr. Anna Marie Stadler, secretary; and Karen Till, treasurer. For membership information or questions about MDPMA contact Gorman at St. John Vianney Parish, 1245 Clark St., Janesville, WI 53545, phone 608-752-6400. Madison Marriage Encounter MADISON -- The next Madison Marriage Encounter will be Oct. 4 to 6 at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison. Marriage Encounter is for any married couple desiring to better their marriage. Couples of any age or faith commitment are welcome to explore and strengthen the meaning of their marriage. Call 608-821-3175 for registration or questions. College kicks off jubilee celebration MADISON -- Edgewood College will kick off its 75th jubilee celebration on Saturday, Sept. 28, with a variety of free activities open to the public. Featured will be speakers from 10 a.m. to 12 noon; a pig roast along with chicken, burgers, and salad served from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; live entertainment starting at noon; pizza and beer garden from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; evening entertainment tent and dancing. Jubilee liturgy will be celebrated Sunday, Sept. 29, at 10 a.m. in the St. Joseph Chapel. For additional information, call 608-663-2333 or visit the Web site: http://jubilee.edgewood.edu

Reflect the light of Christ:
Evangelization and parish mission

By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Learning about reflecting the light of Christ was what 238 people focused on when they attended the Diocese of Madison's Parish Leadership Day Sept. 12 at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center here.

The day began with a prayer service at which Bishop William H. Bullock presided.

"Fresh from yesterday's anniversary, we've learned two realities: our war toys work beautifully and that measure of violence has not brought us peace," said Bullock.

It is in this world we gather and strive to reflect the light of Christ, he said. "We've come to learn that our faith must be strong, clear, and articulated simply and directly. One of the things youth are good at is detecting sincerity. They know if we are sincere and active believers.

"The workshops today reflect the light of Christ in many different and beautiful ways," said the bishop. "Often we have to shore up in learning and prayer. Today my prayer is that we will grow in peace, listening, and gain new convictions and share those day by day in our ministry."

Evangelization

Keynote speakers were Mark Mogilka, director of pastoral services for the Diocese of Green Bay, and Lee Nagel, director of total Catholic education for the Diocese of Green Bay. Together they presented a talk on evangelization and the parish mission.

To illustrate what evangelization means to Catholics, Nagel told the story of a young man who found a piece of mirror and reflected light from it into dark spaces. As he grew older, he began to think of the mirror as an analogy for his own life.

"I'm am not light, Christ is," said Nagel. "Our task is to reflect that light into dark corners."

Mogilka emphasized that in order to reflect the light of Christ, we must focus on the good instead of the bad.

"That is the first step of evangelization: to capture and confirm and celebrate light," he said.

Christ's mission

Evangelization is about energizing and stirring up Catholics and the Catholic community, he said. The mission of the church is to continue the work of Jesus, who at 12 years old said, "I must proclaim the kingdom of God," and whose last act was to tell his disciples, "Go, therefore, and teach the nations. And know I'm with you always."

That is the basic mission of the church, said Mogilka. "Often we get caught up in the maintenance, not the mission."

It's fatal to forget that without Christ, we are nothing, said Mogilka. If we are going to evangelize people, we should reclaim the importance of prayer. We must examine our prayer life, he said, illustrating how much more we can do if God's spirit is more present within us.

From prayer, you move to action, said Mogilka, and that action needs to be backed by witness that attracts people.

"The question is what do you know about Jesus? What do you have to proclaim?" asked Nagel. "What news is so good that you can't keep it to yourself?"

The family is the basic unit of human society. Accordingly, the needs and concerns of families should be a priority for any society interested in nurturing the common good.

Nearly every major issue in Wisconsin affects family life. Thus it is important that public policies be "family friendly," respecting autonomy of the family whenever possible and providing support for families when necessary.

"In several ways, the political community has a duty to honor the family, to assist it, and to ensure that a variety of goods are available to families." -- The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2211

Church on the family

The Catechism describes the family as "the original cell of social life" and "the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God and make good use of freedom" (#2207). Not only the well-being of family members, but that of all of society is linked to the healthy state of the community of marriage and the family (The Church in the Modern World, #47).

Thus, the well-being of families is a proper concern for government and public authorities. As the Catechism explains, "families must be helped and defended by appropriate social measures.

"When families cannot fulfill their own needs, other social bodies have the duty of helping them and of supporting the institution of the family" (#2209). In several ways, the political community has a duty to honor the family, to assist it, and to ensure that a variety of goods are available to families (#2211).

"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@madison catholicherald.org.

Further, "economic and social policies of the work world should be continually evaluated in light of their impact on the strength and stability of family life" (Economic Justice for All, #93).

While public policies should foster the well-being of the family, it does not follow that government can - or should - replace the family or substitute community judgments for those of parents. The church reminds us that, "the principle of subsidiarity must be respected" (The Hundredth Year, # 48). That is, "government should not replace or destroy smaller communities and individual initiative. Rather it should help to contribute more effectively . . . and supplement their activity when the demands of justice exceed their capacities" (Economic Justice for All, #124).

Helping families in Wisconsin

Policies can help parents have more choices by:

Helping needy families meet basic needs

In their Statement on Labor Day of 2001, the bishops observed that many families have trouble meeting basic needs, even when one or both parents work.

For too many in our state, the workplace is not "color blind." Jobless rates for minorities remain higher than those of the population as a whole. Such families would greatly benefit from access to jobs that pay a "family" wage, access to affordable health care and housing, and childcare for children of parents who must work outside the home.

Confronting the problem of violence in our society

Too many children and families suffer from violence in our society. Such violence disconnects young people from their moral direction, a sense of belonging, and with increasing incidences of suicide, even their will to live. Too many children find community in gangs and cliques instead of family and faith.

Questions for candidates 1. How can Wisconsin's government and institutions help parents raise their children with respect for life, sound moral values, a sense of hope, and an ethic of stewardship and responsibility? 2. Where do you stand on proposals to provide financial assistance to low-income families? 3. How can society better support families in their moral roles and responsibilities, offering them real choices and financial resources to obtain quality education, decent housing, and healthy communities? 4. Do you support the Milwaukee Parental Choice program? 5. Where do you stand on programs to permit parents, especially in lower and middle-income families, to exercise a choice of any school, be it a public, religious, or independent school outside the city of Milwaukee? 6. How does technology help families and society? In what ways does technology work against the values parents want to transmit to children? What, if anything, can government do about these? Other resources • Catechism of the Catholic Church. http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/index.htm • Economic Justice for All, U.S. Catholic Conference, 1986. http://www.osjspm.org/cst/eja.htm • Principles for Educational Reform in the United States, U.S. Catholic Conference, 1995. http://www.usccb.org/education/parentassn/reform.htm • Renewing the Mind of the Media: A Statement on Overcoming the Exploitation of Sex and Violence in Communications, U.S. Catholic Conference, 1998. http://www.usccb.org/comm/renewing.htm • Raising Children in a World of Work, Not Welfare: A Study Sponsored by the Wisconsin Catholic Conference and Catholic Charities of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, November, 1998. http://www.wisconsincatholic.com/pressreports/fulw2rpt.htm • Making Wisconsin Work Well: A Labor Day Challenge by Wisconsin's Roman Catholic Bishops, September 2001. http://www.wisconsincatholic.com/statements/workwell.pdf

Support for "family values" must extend to fostering a family friendly culture outside the home that is free of both physical dangers and other corrosive influences such as pornography and popular entertainment that glorifies violence, uncommitted sex, and other destructive behaviors.

Sustaining Wisconsin's commitment to education

All parents should have the opportunity to exercise their right to choose the education best suited to the needs of their children. Families of modest means especially should not be denied the right to choose the best available educational setting because of their economic status (Faithful Citizenship).

This can be achieved by:

• Providing adequate funding to provide a quality education for all children with improved opportunities for those who are economically or socially deprived or disabled.

• Making a commitment to integrate moral education into the total public school curriculum, fostering respect for differing cultures, and promoting effective citizenship.

• Empowering parents to exercise their right of choice in education of their children, including the option of education of students in private and religious schools. This includes programs like the Milwaukee Parental Choice program.

Meeting the challenges posed by technology

To a greater extent than previously, our cultural values are shaped by the print media, radio, television, video, and, increasingly, on the Internet.

Technology opens doors to knowledge and experience previously beyond our reach. At the same time, it offers messages that conflict with those of parents and, too often, takes the place of time that families used to share together.

Public policies must balance respect for freedom of speech with concern for the common good, promoting responsible regulations that protect children and families.

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