Cardinal George: Penetrating insights

		The Catholic  Difference  George Weigel

The most prominent scholar-bishop in the U.S. today is the Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., whose two doctorates (one in theology, the other in American philosophy) have given him a penetrating insight into American culture and its impact on the church's identity and mission.

Speaking at the U.S. bishops' summer meeting this past June, Cardinal George said several things that deserve a wider audience.

While he was thinking out loud with his brother bishops, the cardinal's analysis of the Catholic situation in 21st century America bears on all of us - because we are responsible for the new evangelization.

God and freedom

Cardinal George suggested that certain cultural default positions and the attitudes they inspire make Americans nervous about the relationship between an "almighty God" and human freedom.

"Since freedom is our primary cultural value," the cardinal proposed, "claims that God has power over us are very problematic."

Yet biblical faith, a response to God's revelation of himself, testifies to the power of a God "who creates us from nothing," a God whose "power . . . saves us from sin."

We are who and what we are, the cardinal concluded, because of God: "God's power constitutes us."

But in a culture that misidentifies freedom with doing things "my way," an almighty and all-powerful God - even one who reveals himself as radical Love - can "be seen as a rival, a competitor to human beings, a threat."

Engaging laity in world

Cardinal George also had an interesting take on how American culture had shaped the American reception of Vatican II, 40 years after Blessed John XXIII and the Council Fathers challenged the church to a new evangelical fervor:

"The greatest failure . . . of the post-Vatican II Church is the failure to have formed and called forth a laity engaged in the world in order to change it, a laity engaged in the world . . . on faith's terms, not just on the world's terms.

"If perhaps we paid less attention to ministries and to expertise and to functions, necessary though all of that is, and more to mission and purpose, then we might recapture the sense of what should be genuinely new as a result of the Council. The novelty, the change [the Council] sought was in the world and only secondarily in the Church.

"The purpose of the Church is to tell the world with one united voice that an alternative way of life is possible, that we do not have to live in the despair that more and more contains us inside traps of our own making. The purpose of the Church is to be Christ's judgment on the world," said Cardinal George.

Way of life

Catholicism is not a hobby. It is not a life-style choice. Catholicism is a way of life - a life lived in the obedience of faith.

Countercultural? To be sure. Challenging? Certainly. But it's the truth of the matter; we won't be the church of the new evangelization without embracing that truth.

George Weigel is a senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

New church year:
Promises challenges and opportunities

		Notes from the  Vicar General  Msgr. Paul J. Swain

en Español

With the celebration of Solemnity of Our Lord Christ the King this weekend, the church year comes to a close. The new year begins with the First Sunday in Advent. It promises to be a year of challenge and of opportunity. Listed below are some of the issues we as a diocese will need to address in this New Year:

Implementation of the Charter and Norms for the Protection of Children and Young People

Bishop Morlino has approved a soon to be published new Policy Regarding Abuse of Minors, Sexual Misconduct, and Sexual Harassment. As a condition for ministering in the Diocese of Madison, all clergy, religious, seminarians, diocesan and parish employees, and volunteers who regularly work with children will be required in writing to acknowledge that they understand and will follow this policy.

An essential provision of the Charter is the establishment of a "safe environment" for children and youth. A key component is education and training designed to protect children and youth from abuse by anyone.

All clergy, religious, seminarians, diocesan and parish employees, and volunteers who regularly work with children will be required in the next year to participate in the "Protecting God's Children" program. Training sessions will be scheduled throughout the diocese.

Background checks will be required of all these individuals as well. An on-line centralized process through the diocese will soon be implemented. More information on all of these aspects of implementation will be announced in the future.

Reduced number of priests

In 2004 there will be no ordinations to the priesthood. There will, however, likely be several retirements. Currently there are two sets of linked parishes without pastors. This means that adjustment in priest assignments will be needed to deal with four or five fewer priests.

In addition, most of the accepted recommendations from the 1997 Strategic Plan have been implemented. Therefore, it will be necessary to begin a second diocesan-wide planning process to bring new thinking to managing the reductions in numbers of priests.

This will allow new suggestions for linking parishes, and review of current collaboration. One important aspect will be for all parishes to review Mass schedules and make adjustments that will allow healthy and effective distribution of priests.

Institute for Lay and Diaconate Formation graduates

Several new resources will become available in the next year. Currently there are 20 men preparing for the Permanent Diaconate. God willing, they will be ordained in July, the first class in the Diocese of Madison.

Permanent deacons are primarily called to service ministries, but also may have roles in liturgical celebrations. In addition, seventeen laymen and women will receive certification for having completed the Lay Ministry program, bringing deeper theological preparation to their ministries.

Careful planning for their welcome and effective participation in parish life is important.

Restoration of St. Raphael Cathedral

St. Raphael Cathedral is the mother church of the diocese. It is the home of the cathedra, the chair of the bishop, a sign of his Episcopal office, and the place where he presides at diocesan celebrations.

Last week in the heavy winds, part of the facade of the cathedral steeple fell onto the sidewalk and street. We thank God that no one was hurt. Among the debris were square nails, suggesting that the wood that fell was among the original put in place in the 1880s.

The harsh reality is that the steeple is in significant disrepair, and will become unsafe if not addressed. Major surgery will be required next spring. The estimated cost for restoration of the steeple is nearly one million dollars. Obviously financing this repair is a daunting challenge.

As we look to that repair, the cathedral interior needs attention as well. The last major upgrade was in the early 1970s. The paint is peeling, the heating and air system inefficient and inadequate, the tile and carpet are wearing, and the sanctuary is inaccessible to the disabled.

Therefore the bishop has given permission for a committee to make recommendations on restoration and upgrading of the cathedral. This group will include members of the cathedral parish and the diocese. A professional review of the infrastructure is already underway. Any changes must be presented to the diocesan building commission and approved by the bishop. Your suggestions are welcomed.

These are just a few of the major challenges in the next year. The diocese will be stronger, safer, and more effective in witness to the Gospel of Christ when they are completed.

Our diocese continues to grow. The latest statistics indicate that we are now 269,556 Catholics in our 11 counties. Under the leadership of Bishop Morlino, supported by your prayers, cooperation, and stewardship of time, talent, and treasure, the next year, and years, are promising indeed.

Together we can effectively continue the mission and ministry of Our Lord Jesus Christ in this local church called Madison.

Catholic schools:
More parents should choose them

		Grand Mom  Audrey  Mettel Fixmer

Recently I took part in a lively discussion about our childhood days when we attended Catholic schools.

It was a time when the sisters wore the religious habits of their order and exuded a certain mystique. Their heads were encased with a veil, a huge collar, and even a mummy-like wrap about their necks. Did they have any hair under there?

Sisters' mystique

Their long dresses concealed their source of locomotion, and they appeared to glide rather than walk like the rest of us. Did they move about on wheels? On runners? No ears were visible, yet they could hear the snap of a candy wrapper or the pop of a bubble gum from the back of the room. And what mysterious eye was worn on the back of their veils? How else could they see a note being passed while they were writing on the blackboard?

"I was in awe of that long rosary they wore hanging from a belt on their waist," said another. "I figured it had to be exposed because they couldn't fit another thing in those bottomless pockets inside. My first grade teacher would always pull a pencil out from under her collar and a handkerchief from her sleeve. How could she do that?"

Dropping enrollment

The rest of us wondered, now that we were older and had teaching experience ourselves, how in the world did those sisters manage to teach classes of 30 to 40 students, which was common when our own children attended Catholic schools a generation ago? And the even bigger question: why has the enrollment of parochial schools dropped so much now that the schools are staffed largely with laymen and the classes much smaller?

We were worried sick about our kids getting into bad company when they were growing up. I always figured any help I could get from the school in keeping our kids on the straight and narrow, making them more obedient and kind, would lighten my burdens at home. Today's parents face so many more dangers in raising kids. One would think they would be flocking to enroll their children in Catholic schools.

Review of school

Last year I had the privilege of serving as a co-chair of a committee to evaluate our local parish school. It was a year-long study which would culminate in renewing our certification.

Every aspect of the school had to be scrutinized, from the bulletin boards to the curriculum to the physical plant. I came away from that year with nothing but rave reviews of the staff (who are all degreed and certified teachers, contrary to popular misconceptions) and the administration.

Every aspect of the curriculum compares favorably to that of the local public school where I taught for 22 years. That includes computer training and science education. The only area in which we scored lower was in the lack of a gymnasium. Our students must be transported to a nearby gym for their physical education classes. These problems will be resolved when we move into our new school next summer.

Learning the faith

In our parish the students no longer attend daily Mass, but rather attend on Thursdays only. It is a joy to see them come happily into church, following behind their teacher like so many ducks behind their mother. Each week a different class takes on the responsibilities of doing the readings, leading the songs, and carrying up the gifts. I marvel at their skills in reading even as early as second grade.

On that day Father Bill is sure to give an exciting, creative homily which always includes some visuals to bring home his main points.

Once it was a fishing rod that dipped into a make-believe pond and pulled up a blowfish. This was to point out that Peter, the fisherman, was ordered to be fishers of men. Another time it was a sermon on Jesus' love and everyone was invited to take a piece of a paper heart to carry around that day as a reminder of Jesus' love for them. This is a priest who takes his responsibility of teaching children very seriously.

Also on that day when the children are present, Father Bill invites the class which is participating in the liturgy to join him at the altar before the consecration. They line up on either side of him, and watch awestruck as he transforms the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. Then they hold hands and join in the "Our Father."

I marvel at the total immersion of these children into their faith, and I compare that to the stern, forbidding pastors and teachers we knew in our generation, and the overcrowded classes in our children's generation, and I think, dear God, why don't all Catholic parents choose this for their children?

"Grandmom" likes hearing from other senior citizens who enjoy aging at P.O. Box 216, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538.