L e n t
	• Rites of initiation into Catholic Church • Passion film: People gather with bishop • Eucharistic Day in Sun Prairie • Lenten Taizé Prayer March 18 • Living the Scriptures • Faith Alive! • Lenten regulations (from 2/19 edition) • Lenten contests for youth (from 2/19)
	News Briefs: Adult CPR course offered MADISON -- Heartsaver: Adult CPR Course, for individuals needing/wanting certification for job or personal reasons, will be held Thursday, March 18, from 6 until 8:30 p.m. No prior CPR experience is required. A two-year certification card is issued upon successful completion of the course. Heartsaver: Adult CPR will be held at the new Dean East Clinic, lower level Health Works, 1821 S. Stoughton Rd., Madison. The program is being conducted by Dean/St. Marys Health Works, a training center of the American Heart Association. Course fee is $35. Pre-registration is required by calling 608-824-4400 or 1-800-368-5596. Girl Scouts, Red Cross host blood drive MADISON -- In honor of Girl Scout Week and National Red Cross Month, Black Hawk Council will be hosting a blood drive as a community service project on Friday, March 12, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Girl Scout Service Center at 2710 Ski Ln. in Madison. Locally, the need for blood is growing faster than the supply available. For every pint donated, three lives potentially can be saved. The entire community is invited to give blood on March 12. A donation of blood takes about one hour. No appointment is necessary. Questions about eligibility to donate blood should be addressed to the Red Cross at 608-227-1357. Pine Bluff parish to mark 150 years PINE BLUFF -- St. Mary Parish of Pine Bluff will be celebrating its 150th anniversary on June 27, 2004. The parish is putting together a history book of the parish. As part of the book, some pages will be dedicated to "In Memory Of," allowing anyone to list names of their deceased relatives on those pages. Anyone who had relatives at St. Mary Parish and wants them to be listed in the book may do so. The cost of including the names of relatives is $10 a line, which can include two names. Those interested may contact St. Mary Parish at 608-798-2111. The deadline is June 29, 2004. Eucharistic Day in Sun Prairie SUN PRAIRIE -- A Eucharistic Day is scheduled at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church, 221 Columbus St., on Sunday, March 21. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament begins at the end of the 11 a.m. Mass and there is opportunity for private prayer and adoration until 3 p.m. Evening Prayer will take place at 3 p.m. Fr. Tait Schroeder, parochial vicar of St. Dennis Parish in Madison, will speak on "The Eucharist as Memorial." The Eucharistic Day will conclude with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. There is no need to pre-register; all are welcome. For more information call Naomi at 608-837-2488. Lenten Taizé Prayer March 18 DE FOREST -- A Lenten Taizé Prayer Service will be held Thursday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at St. Olaf Parish, 623 Jefferson St. Taizé Prayer, a peaceful service of candlelight, Scripture, and songs, will be led by the St. Olaf Adult Choir, cantors, and instrumentalists. Everyone is welcome. Call 608-846-5726 for information. Latin American Mission Program class MADISON -- The third Latin American Mission Program (LAMP) training class will be held Sunday, March 14, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Multicultural Center, 1862 Beld St. The topic will be religion and history of Mexico by Fr. George Fox, LAMP executive vice-president. For further information write LAMP, P.O. Box 85, Madison, WI 53701-0085, or call 608-845-7028, 608-543-3631, or 608-868-7816. Diocesan Singles reunion WAUNAKEE -- All former Diocesan Singles Club members are invited to a March 27 reunion dinner and social at Rex's Innkeeper, 301 N. Century Ave., with social at 6:30 and dinner at 7 p.m. RSVP required: Call 608-238-7749 by 10 p.m. March 24.
	Nominate someone for "Profiles from the pew" To nominate someone to be featured in "Profiles from the pew," download a nomination form (PDF file). "Profiles from the pew" runs in the Catholic Herald print edition NOTE: The nomination form is 269 KB in size and may take a long time to download on a dial-up Internet connection. It is a Portable Document Format file, also called a PDF, which can be viewed using the freely available Adobe® Reader® software. Many computers already have this software and will automatically open the document when you click the nomination form link, above. Adobe Reader is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

Rites of initiation into Catholic Church:
For 250 people on a sunny Sunday in Sun Prairie

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

(See also front page photo.)

SUN PRAIRIE -- Bishop Robert C. Morlino described it as a "sunny Sunday afternoon in Sun Prairie" as he greeted those participating in the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion on Sunday, Feb. 29, at St. Albert the Great Church here.

"Right here we've got it all," said the bishop. He addressed nearly 250 catechumens and candidates and their sponsors, family members, pastors, and friends who gathered from parishes all over the Diocese of Madison.

Seeking sacraments

Catechumens are those seeking the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist. Candidates are those who have been baptized in other denominations and now seek to become members of the Catholic Church.

The Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion are part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

In his homily, Bishop Morlino said the catechumens and candidates bring "a beautiful message and hope for the church throughout the world and in our diocese. You are enlivening and inspiring."

The bishop pointed to the first reading and the Gospel, which talk about disciples receiving a new heart and God calling them "friends." Those things happen "when you receive the sacraments of initiation," he noted.

Church is 'fleshy'

Bishop Morlino emphasized that the Catholic Church is "incarnational." That means "fleshy, of the flesh." He said "Jesus Christ took flesh 2000 years ago at a particular time and in a particular place. Jesus Christ changing your heart makes you his friend."

The sacraments, too, are "fleshy," the bishop pointed out. "We need water, oil, talking, bread, and wine." He stressed that we can't received Communion all alone sitting in our room. The sacraments of initiation are "not a head trip between us and Christ." They must be received in the Christian community with a priest.

Forgiving sins

Bishop Morlino also reminded those present, "Jesus Christ came in the flesh, he suffered, died, and rose so that sin might be forgiven."

It is not being negative to remember sin, because "sin is the occasion of grace. We have to have a new heart created for us because sin has to be repaired.

"We can only be good Catholics if we have a healthy, honest, Christ-centered realism about sin," said the bishop, noting that the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation has sadly "fallen out of use." He encouraged people to make use of the "beautiful gift" of this sacrament.

Initiation rites

The bishop greeted the catechumens and their sponsors before the affirmation by the sponsors and assembly. The catechumens then signed the Book of the Elect, which will be kept at St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison.

Candidates and their sponsors were then received by the bishop before the affirmation by the sponsors and assembly.

The initiation process will be completed at the Easter Vigil, when the catechumens and candidates will be baptized, confirmed, or receive Eucharist in their own parishes.

Host pastor was Fr. Michael C. Richel, pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish, Sun Prairie. Master of ceremonies was John Gordon. Reader was Jacqueline Miller, Holy Rosary Parish, Darlingon. Presenters were Jack Dillon, St. Peter Parish, Madison, and Mary Lestina, St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison.

The Madison Diocesan Choir directed by Patrick Gorman provided music, with Glenn Schuster as organist, Steve Johnson as cantor, and Mary Wilcosz as flutist.

Passion film:
People gather with bishop for prayer, reflection

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Seeing the film, The Passion of the Christ, often leaves people speechless.

So it seemed fitting for about 400 people to gather in prayer in the chapel of the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center after viewing the film on Sunday, March 7.

As they entered the chapel, the people were drawn to look at the mosaic of the Risen Christ in the sanctuary. All knelt or sat in silence, praying and reflecting on the movie which brings to life the last 12 hours of Jesus' life.

Exposition, Benediction

After all arrived from the nearby Point Cinema, Bishop Robert C. Morlino presided at Solemn Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. This was followed by reflections on the movie by Bishop Morlino with time for questions and answers.

The Exposition and Benediction included singing of several songs, including the old favorite, "Tantum ergo Sacramentum" and "Crown Him with Many Crowns."

There was time for silent adoration and prayer; a reading given by Sr. Marcia Vinje, Madison; and praying of the Divine Praises.

Respond in prayer

In his reflections after the prayer, the bishop acknowledged that people are often left speechless after viewing the Passion.

"We're drawn into the story. After that we want to respond with prayer and praise. That is a special part of the day - some might say the most important part."

Bishop Morlino made several points about the film:

• The violence. "In many movies violence is used to entertain and that is reprehensible."

But he said the suffering of Jesus "was not gentle or not as dignified" as it is often portrayed in artistic presentations.

"On Ash Wednesday we read that Jesus became sin. He took upon himself the violence, suffering, and terror of the world," said the bishop.

That kind of violence is familiar to people in the Middle East, Iraq, and parts of Africa. It is also found in parts of our own country, he noted, including the destruction of the unborn.

"Jesus took upon himself all of sin and suffering so we might become the wholeness of God," said Bishop Morlino. "Absolute mercilessness was unleashed upon him. Yet he responds with the strength of gentle mercy. That's our vocation: to conquer the world with the strength of gentle mercy."

• Christian basics. Bishop Morlino read from an article written by Ken Woodward in the New York Times on Ash Wednesday. Woodward describes an "easy-going American Christianity" which contrasts with the tough story of Christ's Passion.

Woodward notes that the Passion and death of Jesus is a chief element in the Gospel story that many other religions do not accept. Some religious traditions do not like to think that Jesus as the son of God submitted to suffering and death. Woodward said the Passion film presents a "teachable moment of forgotten Christian basics."

• Anti-Semitism. Bishop Morlino said he understands the feelings of some of our Jewish brothers and sisters that passion plays throughout history have stirred up anti-Semitism. "But it's not the intent of this movie and I don't see it there," he said.

Bishop Morlino said, "the sin of the world killed Jesus Christ through all of us. In that historical moment the Jewish people and the Roman soldiers were present."

The bishop also noted that the hands pounding the nails were the hands of Mel Gibson, the producer/director. He is saying, "If blame is the game, then lead me to the head of the line," noted the bishop.

• Objections to a vacillating Pilate. Bishop Morlino said some historians have objected that Pontius Pilate is depicted in the film as a weaker character than he was in real life.

The Scriptures describe Pilate as "vacillating, cowardly, a pleaser," said the bishop.

Bishop Morlino wonders if Pilate's reaction to Jesus could have been unusual because of Jesus' uniqueness as a "divine person with a human nature."

The bishop compared this to Russian President Mikhail Gorbechev's reaction to meeting the pope. The president called it a "truly unique experience to be in his presence."

"Is it so incredible that the ruthless Pilate had a somewhat different reaction to a divine person with a human nature?" asked Bishop Morlino.

• Movie doesn't tell much about the teachings of Jesus. Bishop Morlino said some people have criticized The Passion of the Christ for not telling us enough about the teachings of Jesus.

Although he can understand that reaction, the bishop said that "the most important teaching of Jesus started with the Agony in the Garden and ended with the Resurrection. That teaching is that the mercilessness of the world was unleashed on him but he countered it with mercy."

This teaching is heard during the Sacrifice of the Mass, with words describing Jesus' body broken and blood poured out so that sins might be forgiven.

"If we even begin to do justice to that teaching in one film," said Bishop Morlino, "I think enough has been done, in my opinion."

Q & A

One question after the presentation touched on using the film as an opportunity for evangelization. Bishop Morlino said he feels the film is doing that.

"There are people predisposed not to be touched by it, but if someone is open to the story, it does call for a response."

The bishop said the film also offers a "great moment" for all Christian denominations "to reach out to the world and say, 'This is our most basic message.'"

Other questions focused on the role of the devil in the film; why Jesus prays if he is God; the portrayal of Judas; and other issues.

A member of the audience thanked the bishop "from the bottom of my heart for this opportunity to get together."

Bishop Morlino answered, "We do need to be together because we face some unparalleled challenges. But God's providence cannot be thwarted. We have to be very much together in prayer and support each other so we'll always be part of the solution and not part of the problem."

The bishop concluded by encouraging people to take part in the "most important liturgy of the church year": the Easter Vigil. Although this is usually a longer liturgy, he urged, "Make this sacrifice on the holiest night of the year. That's an invitation and an exhortation."

Bishop Morlino received a standing ovation from those gathered at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center. A reception followed.

Lecture series:
Dr. Janet Smith speaks on culture of life

MADISON -- Dr. Janet E. Smith, chair of Life Issues at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Mich., will deliver the next address in the St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture Series at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 2, at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison.

Smith speaks nationally and internationally on the Catholic Church's teaching on sexuality. She is serving a second term as a consultor to the Pontifical Council on the Family. She is the author of Humanae Vitae: A Generation Later and editor of Why Humanae Vitae Was Right: A Reader. She has written many articles on ethical and bioethics issues. Over 500,000 copies of her tape, "Contraception: Why Not," have been distributed.

She taught for nine years at the University of Notre Dame and 12 years at the University of Dallas. She served as visiting professor of philosophy at Ave Maria College, Ypsilanti, Mich., and as visiting professor of Life Issues, Sacred Heart Seminary, Detroit, Mich., before assuming the chair for Life Issues.

Pope John Paul II has implored people to work to protect the dignity of all human life. In her lecture, Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life), Smith will cover Pope John Paul II's writings on the culture of death, its sources, and what he recommends for restoring a culture of life.

Admission to the lecture is by ticket only. To request a free ticket, contact Office of Pastoral Services at 608-821-3089 or e-mail pastoral@straphael.org