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	• Mission 2004 in McFarland • Reflecting on Easter Triduum • Living the Scriptures • Faith Alive! • Fr. Ronald Rolheiser's column • Editorial:     World's problems: Don't hide; reach out ... • Lenten regulations (from 2/19 edition) • Lenten contests for youth (from 2/19)
	News Briefs: Spaghetti dinner in Clinton CLINTON -- St. Stephen Parish welcomes the public to enjoy its annual St. Paul's Italian spaghetti dinner on Palm Sunday, April 4, from noon to 5 p.m. at the parish family center, 716 Shu-Lar Ln. The parish uses the original recipe and menu that were used for more than 40 years when the dinner was served at the now closed St. Paul Parish in Beloit. Tickets cost six dollars for adults and two dollars for children. Advance tickets may be purchased after Masses at St. Stephen or from: Action Travel Agency, M&I Prairie Avenue North Bank, or Our Lady of the Assumption Parish office, all in Beloit. Tickets may also be purchased by calling the following: Frank DeSarbo, 608-365-5391; Steve Williams, 815-389-0328; or JoAnn Williams, 608-676-5609. Tickets will also be sold at the door. Proceeds from the spaghetti dinner are used for parish needs and also for the Fr. Patrick Swendrowski Scholarship Fund. Each year the parish presents three $500 scholarships to area high school students. Father Swendrowski, now deceased, was a former pastor of the parish. Formation day for liturgical ministers WAUNAKEE -- Liturgical ministers in the Diocese of Madison are invited to attend "The Liturgy: Yearning for the Encounter with God," an afternoon of formation sponsored by the diocesan Office of Worship and hosted by St. John the Baptist Parish in Waunakee. The day will be held on Sunday, March 28, at St. John the Baptist Parish, 209 South St. Registration and refreshments begin at 12:30 p.m. followed by a 1 p.m. keynote address by Dr. Patrick Gorman, director of the diocesan Office of Worship. Breakout sessions held at 2:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. will allow lectors, extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, music ministers, hospitality ministers, those in art and environment, and ministers of care to reflect on how they can help others encounter God to the fullest. Evening prayer will close the day at 4:30 p.m. There is no registration fee, but participants are encouraged to pre-register by March 22. For more information, contact the Office of Worship at 608-821-3080 or visit www.madisondiocese.org/worship Dean/St. Marys offers CPR courses MADISON -- Dean/St. Marys Health Works, a training center of the American Heart Association, is offering two CPR courses. "Family & Friends: Infant and Child CPR" will be offered Monday, March 22, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at St. Marys Hospital, 707 S. Mills St. This course is for individuals wanting training in infant and child CPR for personal reasons. Course fee is $25. "Heartsaver: Infant and Child CPR Course," for individuals needing/wanting certification for job or personal reasons, will be held Thursday, March 25, from 6 until 9 p.m. at the Dean East Clinic, lower level Health Works, 1821 S. Stoughton Rd., Madison. No prior CPR experience is required. A two-year certification card is issued upon successful completion of the course. Course fee is $36. Pre-registration is required for both courses. Call 608-824-4400 or 1-800-368-5596. Mission 2004 in McFarland MCFARLAND -- Christ the King Parish here will host "Mission 2004" for area Catholics and other interested people from March 21 to 24 at 7 p.m. each evening. Fr. John Vandenakker, a member of the Companions of the Cross, Ontario, Canada, will facilitate the four-day renewal program. For those who are unable to attend the evening presentations, Father Vandenakker will present a similar theme at 9 a.m. on March 22, 23, and 24. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and rosary will be held each day of the event from 6:30 to 7 p.m. For more information about the mission, call the parish office at 608-838-3207. Diocesan Board of Education MADISON -- The Diocesan Board of Education is currently seeking two candidates from the Diocese of Madison to fill upcoming vacancies. The board meets the first Thursday of the month from September through June and helps develop policies affecting Catholic schools and religious education programs in the Diocese of Madison. After board members discuss and approve policies, policies are passed on to the bishop for approval. Active practicing Catholics with an interest in Catholic education from any area of the diocese are encouraged to apply, especially those from the Madison area. Board members are appointed for a three-year term. For an application form, call the Office of Catholic Schools at 608-821-3180 or write to: Diocesan Board of Education, P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744. Reflecting on Easter Triduum MADISON -- Anyone wishing to reflect on the Paschal Mystery is invited to attend "Glory in the Cross: The Passion, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord," a day of reflection on the signs, symbols, words, gestures, prayers, and Scriptures of the Easter Triduum. Sponsored by the Diocese of Madison's Office of Worship, the day of reflection will be held on Saturday, March 27, at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, 602 Everglade Dr., Madison. The day begins with a gathering and continental breakfast at 9:30 a.m. followed by 10 a.m. morning prayer. Reflection and a presentation by Dr. Patrick Gorman, director of the Office of Worship, will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon. After a noon lunch, reflection and wrap-up will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. There is no registration fee, but pre-registration is required by March 22. A free-will offering may be made to defray the cost of lunch and refreshments. For more information, contact the Office of Worship at 608-821-3080 or visit www.madisondiocese.org/worship Sampler Day at Sinsinawa SINSINAWA -- A "Courage to Teach" Sampler Day will be held on Saturday, April 3, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Sinsinawa Mound. Registration deadline is March 20 and the $45 fee includes lunch. The target audience is K-12 teachers and educational professionals. For more information, contact Janice at 608-748-4411, ext. 811, or visit the Web site at www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter Support groups for separated, divorced 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. Friends on a Journey will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 18, at Our Lady Queen of Peace nursery, 401 S. Owen Dr. For information, call 608-821-3170. New Directions will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 25, at St. Dennis Parish Center, 413 Dempsey Rd., top floor. For information, call 608-821-3170.
	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.

Clergy misconduct bill clears state Legislature

MADISON -- On the final two days of the regular legislative session, both houses of the state Legislature approved a bill addressing the issue of sexual misconduct by members of the clergy. The bill goes to Governor Jim Doyle, who has pledged to sign it.

The proposal, Senate Bill 207, was sponsored by State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and State Representative Margaret Krusick (D-Milwaukee). They introduced the bill last summer.

Bill's major provisions

The bill: 1) requires clergy to report suspected sexual assault of a child; 2) extends the statute of limitations to give prosecutors more time to bring criminal charges against perpetrators and victims more time to sue those responsible for civil damages; and 3) clarifies the conditions under which children who are sexually abused may sue religious organizations, including churches and dioceses, for actions of offending clergy.

Senate Bill 207 had the backing of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC), Wisconsin Jewish Conference, Wisconsin Council of Churches, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and Prevent Child Abuse Wisconsin. The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) opposed the bill.

Reporting of sexual abuse

Wisconsin's law governing child abuse and neglect, like those in most states, requires certain professions who see children regularly in the course of their duties to report instances where they believe a child has been abused or neglected or when a child might be at risk of such injuries. Anyone in these professions is a "mandatory reporter."

As introduced, Senate Bill 207 made clergy mandatory reporters of actual or suspected sexual abuse of children but did not require them to report other abuse or neglect. This narrower reporting requirement was requested by representatives of some clergy who expressed concern that clergy might be forced to inform on parents who use corporal punishment. Diocesan policies in Wisconsin already call for priests and other Catholic Church employees to report child abuse and neglect, even if not legally required to do so.

The reporting requirement allows for an exemption for the sacrament of confession or similar communications in other faith traditions.

Longer statute of limitations

The bill extends the statutes of limitations for criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits against child abusers. Certain crimes against children may be prosecuted more than six years after the offense. Crimes like sexual assault of a child can be prosecuted up until the child reaches the age of 31. The bill now allows criminal prosecution until the child victim turns 45 years of age.

Under current law, a civil lawsuit must be brought within two years from the time an injured child becomes an adult. Senate Bill 207 extends the limit so a child victim may bring a lawsuit against those responsible for the assault up until he or she turns 35 years of age.

Some legislators sought to amend the bill to permit a one-year period during which a lawsuit could be brought for past abuse even if the statute of limitations had expired. These amendments were rejected after the attorney general and others indicated that such a provision would be unconstitutional.

Conditions when churches may be sued

Senate Bill 207 clarifies conditions under which churches may be sued for negligent supervision of clergy. The bill says victims may bring suits if a church or religious body was negligent if a supervisor of an abuser knew of the danger but did not take steps to prevent it.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that churches could not be sued for decisions made on the basis of religious doctrines and internal decisions regarding how priests were trained and supervised. However, the Supreme Court never said churches can't be sued for negligence if church leaders knowingly put someone who abused a child in a position to do so again. Senate Bill 207 is expected to remove confusion on this point.

Following passage of the bill, WCC Executive Director John Huebscher said that the Catholic bishops expect ongoing scrutiny into their handling of child abuse allegations. "The passage of Senate Bill 207 is one more step on a long journey to restore trust in how the church addresses issues of clergy misconduct. That journey will continue until the restoration is complete," Huebscher said.

Wisconsin legislature approves proposed amendment defining marriage

By Mary C. Uhler
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

MADISON -- Early on the morning of March 12, the Wisconsin Senate approved a proposed constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between only one man and one woman. It also would prohibit any legal status "identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals."

The 20-13 vote followed over 10 hours of debate. The state Assembly had previously approved the measure on a 68-27 vote.

The approval by both houses of the legislature is the first rung in a three-step process. If lawmakers approve the legislation in the next session convening in January of 2005, the amendment would go before state voters for final approval in an April 2005 referendum.

State Senator Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), sponsor of the amendment, countered critics who said it was an attempt to write discrimination into the state constitution. "This amendment is about limiting and defining marriage," said Fitzgerald. "In Wisconsin this is what marriage means."

Wisconsin statutes already define marriage as a contract between a husband and a wife and do not recognize same-sex marriages. Those supporting the amendment had feared a judge could rule the statute unconstitutional and require the state to recognize gay marriages as has happened in Massachusetts.

The Wisconsin Catholic Conference (WCC) supported the constitutional amendment. In testimony before the Assembly Committee on the Judiciary on Feb. 12, WCC Executive Director John Huebscher emphasized the unique gifts that traditional marriages offer to society and the importance of government affirmation of their value.

"The union of one man to one woman gives a singularly powerful witness to the interdependence between generations and to the complementarity of the sexes. This witness is not and cannot be duplicated in other relationships," said Huebscher.

Dismissing concerns that the effort to strengthen Wisconsin's law regarding marriage promotes hatred and intolerance, Huebscher said, "Laws prohibiting polygamy do not convey hatred for those who want more than one spouse. Rather they affirm a preference for marriage as an exclusive commitment between a man and a woman."

Senate Majority Leader Mary Panzer (R-West Bend) said passage of the proposed amendment keeps the matter before the public. "Citizens will have the chance to make their views known," she said, during debate on the issue and ultimately in a state referendum.