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News Briefs:
Catholic radio bumps bishop
MADISON -- Bishop William H. Bullock's daily program has been bumped from the area Catholic radio station without prior notice.
The bishop's 10 to 12-minute program had aired daily at 4 p.m. on WHFA radio, 1240 AM. The bishop learned about the dropping of his program in an e-mail sent to another diocesan staff person.
Mike Delaney, regional manager for the Starboard Network which operates the station, said they do not "know yet when we'll be able to restore Bishop Bullock's talks as well as our other local contributions."
Diocesan Choir sings 30th spring concert
MADISON -- Thirty years of service to the Diocese of Madison is being celebrated by the Madison Diocesan Choir. They will sing their 30th annual spring concert on Saturday, May 10.
Directed by Dr. Patrick Gorman, the 60-voice choir has themed their program: "Queen of Heaven, Rejoice! A Musical Celebration of the Resurrection." It will be held in the chapel at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, 702 S. High Point Rd., at 7:30 p.m.
Several of the choir's current members were part of that first choir festival concert held in 1973. This means that they have attended more than 1,000 rehearsals over those 30 years.
There is no admission for the concert. However, a free-will offering will be accepted to support the choir. For more information on the choir's activities, visit its Web page at www.straphael.org/~diocesanchoir.
Upcoming deanery meetings
Rock Deanery
BELOIT -- "Come Live in the Light" is the theme of the Rock Deanery Council of Catholic Women spring meeting Thursday, May 8. St. Thomas the Apostle Parish here will host the event.
Registration is at 3:30 p.m. followed by business meeting; Mass at 5 with Fr. Lorin Bowens, Lime Ridge, diocesan moderator, as homilist; and dinner at 6. The Ruth Boerner trophy will be presented and the mini raffle winners will be announced. Fr. Gary Krahenbuhl, pastor of Our Lady of Assumption Parish, Beloit, will be the guest speaker.
Reservations are due May 1 to Elizabeth Korback, 2262 Harmony Ln., Beloit, WI 53511. Cost is $7.
Iowa Deanery
MONTFORT -- St. Thomas Parish here will host the spring meeting of the Iowa Deanery Council of Catholic Women Tuesday, May 13. Theme is "Let Us Seek Him."
Registration is at 4:30 p.m. followed by business meeting; Mass at 5:15 with Fr. Lorin Bowens, Lime Ridge, diocesan moderator, as homilist; and dinner at 6.
Three members of St. John Nepomucene Parish, Castle Rock, Cheryl and Jill Adametz and Steve Foley, will tell of their experiences at World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada, last summer.
Reservations are due May 6 to Jane O'Brien, 505 Highland Rd., Montfort, WI 53569. Cost is $5.
Fiftieth Rosary March
to be held May 4
MADISON -- The 50th successive Rosary March will be held Sunday, May 4, at 2 p.m. at St. Raphael Cathedral.
Fr. Tim Gericke, who has led the Rosary daily for the past 21 years on radio, will be homilist. There will be presentation of roses to the Blessed Mother and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The 15-decade Rosary will be prayed while people process around the St. Raphael Cathedral block with the Pilgrim Virgin statue. The Rosary will also be prayed simultaneously inside the cathedral.
Rosary Marches have been held twice a year for the past 50 years in the Madison area. The march has special meaning this year because Pope John Paul II declared this the Year of the Rosary from October 2002 through October 2003. The Holy Father issued an apostolic letter on the Rosary and added five new mysteries - the Mysteries of Light - to the Rosary.
Voices for Peace Day
planned May 3
MADISON -- A coalition of individuals and groups for peace with justice called "Generations for Peace" are planning Wisconsin Voices for Peace Day on Saturday, May 3, in Madison.
The day begins at 11 a.m. with a march from the UW Library Mall, State and Lake Sts., to the state Capitol. There will also be workshops, teach-ins, tree plantings, and other events. For more information go to the Web site voicesforpeaceday.org or call 608-835-7501.
Helping children
through bereavement
WAUNAKEE -- Children from kindergarten through sixth grade are invited to attend the fourth "Kids Can Cope," an outreach program offered through St. Marys Hospital and facilitated by registered nurse Peggy Weber. It is designed to help children work through the grieving process in a developmentally appropriate, relaxed way. Spiritual care from the Catholic perspective is interwoven throughout.
There is no cost. The four part series will be held on Wednesday afternoons, May 7, 14, 21, and 28, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at St. John School in Waunakee. For questions or to register your child, call the parish nurse at the rectory , 608-849-5121.
Presentations on Mary
and the Rosary
MADISON -- Presentations on "Mary and the Rosary" will be given on May 5 and 6 by Fr. Gerold Langsch at Schoenstatt Heights, 5901 Cottage Grove Rd., along with prayer in the Schoenstatt Marian Shrine. An evening program will be held Monday, May 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. and a morning program Tuesday, May 6, from 9 to 11 a.m.
Cost is $5 plus a free will offering for the presenter. For reservations, call 608-222-7208.
Hospital offers nutrition classes in May
COLUMBUS -- Columbus Community Hospital here is offering nutrition classes in May taught by registered dieticians. On Thursday, May 1, from 7 to 8 p.m. in the hospital's ground floor classroom, instructor Alison Ackerman will introduce whole grains and legumes; samples and recipe packets will be provided. Cost is $10.
A class on introducing children ages five to 12 to cooking by teaching them how to make fun, healthy snacks will take place Thursday, May 15, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the hospital's cafeteria. A potluck will be held at the end of the class. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Cost is $10.
To register for either class, call 920-623-1545.
Marriage Encouter weekend
in Janesville
JANESVILLE -- Worldwide Marriage Encounter, which has held marriage enrichment weekends in 80 countries throughout the world, is holding a marriage enrichment weekend in Janesville.
Reservations are now being accepted for the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend to be held at the Janesville Ramada Inn, May 16 to 18. Couples who would like to register for the weekend or who would like more information should call 888-574-5653.
A $35 registration fee is requested to reserve space. The weekend includes two nights lodging and five meals. A free will donation is accepted on Sunday afternoon. No one is ever refused for lack of financial resources.
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Sexual abuse:
Madison Diocese seeks
to protect children
By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
MADISON -- Protecting young people from sexual abuse and working with victims of past abuse are among goals of the Diocese of Madison's program to implement the U.S. Bishops' Charter and Norms.
In an interview, Bishop William H. Bullock admitted that some bishops made grave mistakes in the past in dealing with allegations of sexual abuse.
"We have apologized for our mistakes," he said emphatically. "We are now dedicated to the protection of young people."
Bullock himself has been meeting with victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Madison. It has been an eye-opening experience for him. "There is no way to understand the damage done until you visit with the victims," he said.
Problem for everyone
But he also said everyone in the church - priests, religious, and lay people - must also join with the bishops in promising to protect all young people in the future.
"This is not just the bishops' problem," he said. "It's a problem for the universal church."
Priests, too, must be responsible for moving forward and complying with the diocesan efforts to implement the Charter and Norms for the protection of young people.
Training program
The Diocese of Madison is negotiating with a firm to do background checks, advocacy, and education. The program will train clergy, church staff members, volunteers, and parents on how to prevent child sexual abuse.
"We will work hard to advance our awareness, be compassionate with victims, and see that perpetrators get the care they need," said Bullock.
He said the Diocesan Review Board of six members includes a psychiatrist, a sex therapist, a former police officer, a chief justice, an attorney, and a priest.
Msgr. Paul J. Swain, vicar general of the Diocese of Madison, said, "The commitment of Bishop Bullock and of the diocese to fully implement the Charter and Norms is clear. We will do so in as timely a way as possible.
"The tasks are to reach out with sensitivity to victims from the past, and to do all we can to assure that there will be no victims in the future. Those who come through our church doors deserve no less."
Care for victims
The bishop has appointed Kate Wiskus, director of the diocesan Office of Pastoral Services, as coordinator of pastoral care for victims. She has experience working in the area of sexual abuse.
"Being the Assistance Coordinator for the Diocese of Madison is a humbling responsibility," said Wiskus. "I find that my primary role is listener. When victims call, we talk about what they want to talk about. They share what they are able. I ask questions, especially initially, only to clarify what I have heard and to seek direction of what they need."
Assistance begins with providing a "a safe place of entry into what can seem a frightfully large structure, the Church. Allowing the victims the time and freedom to bring their story and pain to the Church in their way is a beginning."
Wiskus said further assistance offered might include coordination of support through counseling, support groups, or spiritual assistance provided by other professionals.
"Each person is different; each deserve a personal response and all the sensitivity to their emotions and situations which we can provide," said Wiskus.
For outreach to victims, contact Wiskus at 608-821-3083.
Plans for Catholic retirement center
By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
MADISON -- The Diocese of Madison is working with Catholic Charities to provide a new Catholic retirement center in Madison, said Bishop William H. Bullock.
The proposed center will be called All Saints Catholic Retirement Center. It will be built on land adjacent to the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center on Madison's far west side.
"I feel very hopeful that we will have the word Catholic in the title of the center and in its operation," said the bishop. He said the center will have full Catholic identity and follow U.S. bishops' health care standards.
The bishop has asked the Sisters of Nazareth in Stoughton and the Sisters of Charity in Janesville - who both operate Catholic nursing homes - to help with developing the center's Catholic identity.
There will be opportunities for Mass and other Catholic services provided, although the center will be open to people of all faiths.
The center will provide affordable housing. There will also be a continuum of care on the campus to allow people to "age in place."
Final plans for the retirement center were to be considered at the Catholic Charities Board of Directors meeting on Monday evening, April 28. If approved, the center could open in summer of 2004.
Phil Galassie, board president, said, "On behalf of the Board, I thank Bishop Bullock for his leadership and endorsement of Catholic Charities' plan to purchase land and build the All Saints Catholic Retirement Center in a senior neighborhood in close proximity to the Bishop O'Connor Pastoral Center. Housing surveys have indicated a strong interest and need for a Catholic retirement center. Our board members and the Catholic Charities staff are very excited about making that a reality."
Brian Cain, executive director of Catholic Charities, said the agency is "excited to do this project with the support of the bishop and is pleased to meet the needs of our most valued members of our community. We are optimistic that this is a project which will be well received by our board and the community."
The project is being done in conjunction with Horizon Development Company of Madison.
Cain said surveys showed close to 300 people said they would be interested in living in a Catholic retirement community in Madison. Those interested in the project may contact Anita Guthrie at Catholic Charities, 608-821-3123.
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