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News Briefs:
Spirituality focus of pastoral care conference
MADISON -- A one-day conference entitled "Spirituality: The Sixth Vital Sign" will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at St. Marys Hospital Medical Center here.
The conference, sponsored by the St. Marys Hospital Medical Center's pastoral care department, offers information for clergy, community faith leaders, parish nurses, and pastoral care providers. It will focus on:
• Resources for providing spiritual care to people dealing
with difficult health issues, including mental health concerns, cancer, pregnancy loss, traumatic injury, and concerns of the elderly.
• Increasing awareness of how the hospital can assist in the spiritual care of patients and families and how to work together.
For more information, contact St. Marys pastoral care department at 608-258-6769.
Prayer service to be held on Nov. 2
DE FOREST -- On Sunday, Nov. 2, All Souls' Day, a special Taizé Prayer Service at St. Olaf Parish, 623 Jefferson St., will be held to remember and honor all loved ones who have died.
Taizé Prayer is a Christian service of Scripture and simple repetitive song refrains that draws the participant into prayer. Call 608-846-5726 for information.
Holiday Grief and Remembrance Service
JANESVILLE/MADISON -- HospiceCare's Holiday Grief and Remembrance Service is a special gathering to give those who are grieving the opportunity to find strength and fellowship as they enter the holiday season Information on coping skills and creating holiday rituals will be provided.
This year, services will be held in Madison and in Janesville at the following locations:
• Sunday, Nov. 9, 2 p.m., at the Elks Club, 2100 N. Washington in Janesville. For details call 608-755-1871.
• Sunday, Nov. 16, 3 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 5701 Raymond Rd. in Madison. For details, call 608-327-7297.
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Catholic Charities:
To break ground for All Saints Retirement Center in Madison
(See also front page sketch.)
MADISON -- Groundbreaking ceremonies will take place Friday, Oct. 31, for the All Saints senior neighborhood on Madison's west side.
The nine-acre neighborhood is near the intersection of Watts Rd. and Commerce Dr. It is also adjacent to the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center.
Three different phases
The senior neighborhood will be developed in three phases:
• All Saints Retirement Center will be a building with 144 one- and two-bedroom apartment homes that range from 729 to 1,220 square feet in size. All Saints Retirement Center will open in summer 2004 and offer both income-eligible and market-rate apartments.
• The Cottages at All Saints will be 12 duplexes for seniors available in two designs that range from 1,500 to 1,850 square feet in size. The duplexes will be available through a life-lease program and will open in summer 2004.
• A third phase will address the current senior housing market need and could include assisted living, memory care, or other senior housing services.
'Faith in action'
All Saints is owned by Catholic Charities, Diocese of Madison, and is being developed by the Horizon Development Group of Verona.
"All Saints is a wonderful example of faith in action," said Brian Cain, executive director of Catholic Charities. "We surveyed seniors within several miles of the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center. The responses indicated a strong need for affordable senior housing. The response we received was exceptional and indicated a real bond with the church and trust from the senior community to Catholic Charities."
Working together
Cain said that Catholic Charities could not build All Saints on its own. So the organization set out to affiliate with a company that could not only build such a neighborhood, but manage the property as well. That
company's values needed to match with the values of Catholic Charities. They selected the Horizon Development Group, a firm with nearly 20 years of experience in senior housing development and management.
"All Saints is a natural fit for Horizon," said company CEO Charles V. Heath. "This type of development is what we stand for. Our organizations have come together as a team to provide a lifestyle for seniors that effectively weaves them into the fabric of our lives and our neighborhoods."
For development information, call Charles V. Heath at 608-848-4500. For leasing information about All Saints, call Katie Roellig at 608-827-2222.
Dane County United:
Catholics encouraged to participate
By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF
MADISON -- Catholics in the Diocese of Madison are invited to "stand and be counted" during the founding assembly of Dane County United at the Alliant Energy Center on Sunday, Nov. 2, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
Dane County United, a new non-partisan organization consisting of congregations, labor unions, and neighborhood and community organizations, is forming to give citizens a vehicle for voicing needs for the common good of the people and communities of Dane County.
The Diocese of Madison's Office for Justice and Peace and parishes such as St. Raphael Cathedral in Madison have been involved in forming Dane County United over the past few years.
Auxiliary Bishop George O. Wirz will be present at the Nov. 2 founding assembly and read a letter from Bishop Robert C. Morlino. Organizations will sit in groups and will stand and be recognized during the assembly, so Catholics interested in attending must register by giving their name, phone number, and e-mail address to Mary Lestina at St. Raphael Cathedral, 608-256-5614, or e-mail mlestina@straphael.org
"Catholics need to be present and felt in this organization as proof that we stand behind working for social justice," said Lestina, pastoral associate at St. Raphael Cathedral. She is the co-chair for Dane County United's founding assembly, a member of the steering committee, and
a representative for the sponsoring committee.
As members of the Catholic Church, we need to comfort others and relieve their needs, she said, pointing out that our first priority is the poor. "As Catholics, when we talk of social justice, we talk about having a voice for these people."
"We need to get people of leadership on our side and the only way to do that is to come in large masses," said Lestina. "This organization is about working together, sharing each other's concerns, and working on our common denominators."
"This sort of organizing was highlighted in the U.S. Bishops' statement, Communities of Salt and Light, which features ways parishes can become involved in their communities," said J. Mark Brinkmoeller, director of the Office for Justice and Peace. "This is one way to live out the call of our bishops in the recent statement Faithful Citizenship to work for the common good and be involved in public life."
"There are clear teachings of the Catholic Church on getting involved in social justice issues and this is one of the mechanisms for people to do that," he said.
"This is opening a new way of working with people for a common purpose," said Msgr. Dan Ganshert, who was a part of the initial group that began developing Dane County United when he was rector of St. Raphael
Cathedral.
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