News Briefs: Parenting program in Portage PORTAGE -- The third session in the "Teaching Kids to Be Responsible" series will be held Thursday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mary Church, 305 W. Cook St. This session focuses on "Directing Children to Own and Solve Problems," including the "Hassle Meter," value of chores, allowances, and sibling fighting. This workshop, presented by Paul Gasser, is lighthearted and filled with practical ideas to use with children. Gasser is a marriage and family therapist who teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He and his wife are parents of four children. All are welcome. Childcare is provided. The series is sponsored by St. Mary Parish-Briggsville, St. Mary Parish-Portage, and St. Andrew Parish-Buffalo. Future sessions are scheduled for March 18 and May 6. Retreat for young adults Jan. 23 MADISON -- A retreat for people in their 20s and 30s will be held Friday, Jan. 23, through Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center here. It is sponsored by the Catholic Young Adult Core Team of Madison and the Diocese of Madison's Office of Religious Education. Theme of the retreat is "Is Catholic a Verb?" The retreat begins with 7 p.m. registration and check-in on Jan. 23. The weekend includes general sessions, prayer, socials, and meals. It concludes with a 5 p.m. Mass and 6:15 p.m. supper. Keynote speaker is Fr. Tait Schroeder, parochial vicar at St. Dennis Parish in Madison. Registration deadline is Friday, Jan. 16. Cost is $35 per person. Scholarships are available. For more information visit www.madisonfaithandfamily.org/ young_adults.htm Openings available for Resurrection 2004 WISCONSIN DELLS -- Openings are still available for Resurrection 2004, a rally for Catholic high school youth, at Chula Vista Southwest Resort here. It takes place the evening of Friday, Jan. 23, through 9:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Jan. 25. The keynote speakers during the rally will be Mike Patin, director of the youth ministry office for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and members of the National Evangelization Team. The theme of the rally is "Puzzled?" and addresses topics about which teens have questions. Teens will have the opportunity to choose from eight modules that include topics such as prayer, the Catholic Church and its rules, relationships, differences, and sharing their faith. For registration forms and information, e-mail Dave Kordell at reeducate@chorus.net or call 608-253-5621. Support groups for divorced, separated MADISON -- Peer support groups for those hurting from separation, divorce, or loss of a significant relationship are open to all ages/faiths at two Madison parishes. New Directions will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, at St. Dennis Parish Center, 413 Dempsey Rd., top floor. For information, call 608-821-3170. Friends on a Journey will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, at Our Lady Queen of Peace nursery, 401 S. Owen Dr. For information, call 608-821-3170.

Bishop Morlino:
Diocese in compliance

MADISON -- The Diocese of Madison has been found to be in compliance with the provisions of the Charter for the Protection of Young People, the Office of Child and Youth Protection announced Tuesday, Jan. 6.

A compliance audit was conducted in the Diocese of Madison from August 11-15, 2003.

"I am pleased that this diocese has taken steps to be in compliance," said Bishop Robert Morlino.

"The bishops of the United States have committed themselves to the protection of young people. I can't think of a group, other than the bishops, that has committed the money, time, and energy to deal with this serious issue. But all the work and financial commitment are more than worth it to ensure that children are safe."

Last February, to assure accountability and transparency, the diocese announced its plan to address the problems of sexual abuse of minors.

In recognition of the need for pastoral outreach to victims and survivors of sexual abuse and to the families, Kate Wiskus, the Director of the Office of Pastoral Services, was named the Assistance Coordinator for Victims.

Six members of the Diocesan Sexual Abuse Review Board have served since July 2002 with the responsibility to assess allegations, to offer counsel regarding suitability of clergy for ministry, and periodically to review diocesan policies.

A revised diocesan document to deal with issues of child sexual misconduct was promulgated by Bishop Morlino in November 2003 to include policies regarding abuse of minors and sexual harassment.

Bishop William Bullock, who preceded Bishop Morlino, named four priests against whom verified allegations had been made and revealed the amount of total dollars paid in the diocese in past cases. He assured the priests and people of the diocese that no Diocesan Services Appeal dollars and no restricted or designated funds were used in payments of settlements with victims.

The diocese has knowledge of four diocesan priests from the past 53 years with documented and substantial allegations of sexual abuse involving a minor. None are in active ministry.

They have resigned with full restrictions against any ministry and do not function as priests. In addition, allegations against a fifth priest are under review and in canonical process at the Vatican. The situation of a sixth priest is currently being examined by the Diocesan Review Board.

In the past the diocese has made financial settlements of $1.6 million to 19 victims of sexual abuse for care and counseling. All of these monies came from the Diocesan Self-Insurance Program. Approximately $900,000 came from insurers and $700,000 came from the Self Insurance Loss Fund. None came from the Diocesan Services Appeal or any other restricted funds.

Bishop Morlino reiterated his determination to insure safety for children and young adults, charity, and where appropriate, restorative justice for victims, and charity and fairness to accused priests. He reaffirmed his deep esteem and appreciation for the vast majority of priests who serve unselfishly and seek to grow in holiness.

Fire: Damages Immaculate Conception Church in Barneveld

By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

BARNEVELD -- A fire broke out at Immaculate Conception Church here on Dec. 23, damaging the church that had been rebuilt after a devastating 1984 tornado.

The fire was reported at about 1:25 p.m., according to Fr. Donald Lange, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Barneveld and St. Bridget Parish in Ridgeway. When Father Lange had been at the church around 10:20 earlier that morning, no sign of fire had been detected.

Damage to church

There is mostly smoke damage to the upper floor of the church and the front of the church by the altar and sacristy, according to Harold Zander, parish council treasurer.

"There was not really any structural damage," he said, confirming that the fellowship hall in the basement sustained water damage.

Located in the next building down the street from the church, the fire department was able to respond right away.

Zander said a problem with an electric wall heater in the sacristy was likely the cause of the fire.

Everything in the sacristy was damaged or lost, said Father Lange, including two sets of hymn books, one of which was brand new.

"The damage was not as bad as we originally thought. The structure is still there," said Father Lange. "It looked horrible, but after it was cleaned up, there was hope."

Effect on parishioners

The pastor presided at a Christmas Mass held for Immaculate Conception parishioners, who gathered at St. Bridget Church in Ridgeway.

The membership of Immaculate Conception is nearly 100 families and growing, said Father Lange.

The church really meant a lot to the people, said Father Lange. "The heart of Barneveld is the churches and school and they're proud of that."

The fire was hard on them, he said, noting that many of them had been through a tornado that flattened the church nearly 20 years ago.

"There will have to be a spiritual repairing and we need the Holy Spirit," said Father Lange.

But, he said, "I'm impressed by their spirit and deep love they have for the church and community."

The pastor said he knows the parishioners want to rebuild the church. An official decision by the Diocese of Madison has not yet been made. Bishop Robert C. Morlino will dialogue with the parishioners about the future, said Father Lange.

Future of religion:
Democracy depends on it, says Bishop Morlino

By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- There was standing room only at the Fluno Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus when Bishop Robert C. Morlino gave a talk recently on "The Future of Religion."

The talk was sponsored by the World Future Society.

Referring first to the use of the word "religion," Bishop Morlino said what he means by religion is that a personal bonding with God is important.

"If I bond with God, it's only because God takes the initiative. There's a personal bonding with God at God's initiative and then a communal response to God. When I talk about religion, that's the kind of religion I'm talking about," he said.

Religious instinct

When people ask questions such as "Who am I?", "Why am I here?", and "Why do bad things happen to good people?", they are manifesting their religious instinct, said the bishop.

The problem for the future of religion is that we live in a society in which there are a plethora of philosophies that say the answers to those questions are unknowable.

Our environment is filled with philosophical approaches that say the only proof is scientific proof, for example, or that say there is no truth, as in relativism.

"So if the only proof is scientific, those questions can't be answered. If there is no truth, they can't be answered," he said.

In the United States, pragmatism abounds, in which the "truth" is based on what the majority of the people think.

According to the rationalities of nihilism or deconstructionism, these questions have no meaning.

"If we live in an environment that tells us these questions do not admit of an answer, that's a problem for the future of religion," said the bishop. "There's a logic to these philosophic approaches that are not welcoming to the human instinct."

There is no future in these types of rationalities because they exclude the guts of religion, he said.

Mystical perception

The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein says these types of questions can only be answered from a perception from outside the world, said Bishop Morlino.

"That perception is mystical: God's sense of the world. The sense of the world outside the world can't be seen from the inside," he said.

But we live in an environment that excludes the mystical, he said. "What kind of logic, rationality would welcome the sense of the world outside the world? We have to look for someone who manifested that rationality, someone who staked his life on the sense of the world outside the world, someone who was also very philosophically sophisticated."

The most obvious person is St. Augustine, who grappled with all of the philosophies prominent at his time and also with the instinctive questions.

"When Augustine sought a philosophical response that would welcome the sense of the world that lay outside the world, what was his philosophical response?"

The Confessions, said the bishop, which are an autobiographical narrative.

"The narrative is what is given in words. I start with the truth, the narrative of who I am. It's a given and it is also corrigible. As I tell my story, I correct it. My spiritual director helps me correct my story because self deception is a probability. So that narrative is the foundation for any philosophizing. I can only conclude on the basis of it.

"So if there is a rationality that might welcome the religious instinct, it would have to be along the lines of a narrative whose rationality is the plot," he said.

Religion, democracy

Another point about the future of religion is that it would seem that democracy is the form of government that befits the human person, said the bishop.

"Democracy means an individual's freedom is maximized and government restraint is minimized. That means the individual will be able to restrain himself so the government will not have to do it," he said. "That kind of free self restraint makes sense only to a person in a religious framework. To have a reason to freely restrain myself, that reason will be religion; it will have something to do with God."

If we want democracy to flourish, then the government, while not promoting any particular religion, should favor authentic religion because then democracy is promoted and self restraint under God is promoted, he said.

Tied to self restraint

"So we have two things going here: the natural welcome of a narrative rationality to the religious instinct and the flourishing of democracy," he said. "That's why religion has a future and should have a future because democracy should and is tied to the free self restraint that arises out of religious instinct."

Religion ought to have a great future because the total human development and democracy depend on it, he said.

"God is the ultimate character of the fullness of our humanity," said Bishop Morlino. "When we turn away from him, we turn away from one another. God is the ultimate character of democracy. God is the giver of free will."