Editorial

Catholic identity:
It's more than a cross on top of a building

The Catholic Church supports the largest health care, education, and charities systems in the United States. What makes them different from similar systems run by government and private agencies?

Catholic identity is what distinguishes these church-run systems from their secular counterparts. But just what is Catholic identity? It seems as if there's some confusion today about what it means to be Catholic.

Not just outward signs. It is not enough to have a Catholic name or put a cross on top of a building. Yes, those are outward signs that a school, hospital, or Catholic Charities agency is Catholic. But Catholic identity should permeate everything the agency says and does.

A Catholic agency should have a clearly defined vision and mission statement based on its Catholic beliefs and values. That vision and mission should be published and understood by all those involved with the agency: directors, staff, clients, and volunteers.

The mission should be put into practice in setting goals, objectives, and strategies for the agency. Catholic teaching - whether it pertains to social teaching, health care, or education - should be the basis for the agency's operation both internally and externally.

Since some staff members of Catholic agencies today are not Catholic themselves, it is more important to provide regular inservice and educational opportunities to help staff members understand Catholic teaching. We can't take this for granted.

Serve all people. We must be clear, however, that although Catholic agencies are Catholic, they serve all people regardless of their faith. Fr. J. Bryan Hehir emphasized the universality of the church's outreach in his keynote address on "Catholic Moral Vision and the Public Agenda" at the recent legislative conference in Madison. As president of Catholic Charities USA, Hehir said Catholic institutions can maintain their Catholic identity while working with government to serve the common good of all citizens.

Many people of all faiths - or no faith - come to a Catholic social service agency, hospital, or school. They know it is Catholic. Those who work at the agency should not apologize or be afraid to be "too" Catholic. It is our very Catholicism that may make the difference in our outreach - be it to an unwed mother, a terminally ill elderly person, or a young student struggling to learn.

On a mission from Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that the Catholic Church is "catholic" because "she has been sent out by Christ on a mission to the whole human race."

I urge all Catholic agencies to allow their Catholic identity to permeate everything they do. Members of boards of directors, staff, clients, and volunteers must embrace the vision and mission of their agencies and keep abreast of current Catholic teaching. Then our Catholic identity should shine through clearly for all to see as we do God's work.

Mary C. Uhler, editor

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To the editor:

We applaud the chairmen of the Legislature's Joint Administrative Rules Committee, Representative Glenn Grothman and Senator Joe Leibham, and their fellow committee members who voted to suspend the implementation of the Medicaid Family Planning Demonstration Project. This program would have used taxpayer dollars to provide birth control to minor children without parental notification and regardless of their parent's income. Oral contraceptives are known to have an abortion-causing effect. We therefore appreciate the courage of these legislators in taking this life-promoting stand. Their votes restrict the expansion of chemical abortion in the State of Wisconsin.

Compelling data indicates that broad contraceptive availability may actually increase teenage pregnancy and abortion by encouraging sexual promiscuity. And we know that contraceptive drugs and devices pose serious health risks to women. It is deplorable that contraceptives continue to be handed out to unmarried girls as young as fifteen without parental knowledge or consent. At the very least, public dollars should not support this dangerous and sometimes deadly practice.

So "Congratulations" to our pro-life legislators, and to Pro-Life Wisconsin for their tenacity and for their six years of "life-affirming vigilance."

Charlene Tolmie, Sr. Rosalia Bauer, Beloit;
and Mary Jane Stephan, Rockton

To the publisher:

With deep gratitude I wish to acknowledge receipt of the check in the amount of $56,000.00 representing a contribution for the support of the Holy See from the Diocese of Madison for 2003, in accordance with the provisions of Canon 1271.

While I can assure you that this sum will be sent to the Secretariat of State on your behalf, permit me to offer in the name of Pope John Paul II an initial word of thanks for this expression of generosity.

May God continue to bless you and the faithful you serve.

With cordial regards, I am

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Gabriel Montalvo, Apostolic Nuncio,
Washington, D.C.